第5章

\"Comeoutintheball，\"saidMr。McQuirk。\"I wanttoaskyeropinionoftheweather—onthelevel。\" \"Areyoucrazy，sure？\"saidAnnieMaria。 \"Iam，\"saidthe\"Tiger。\"\"They’vebeentellingmealldaytherewasspringintheair。Weretheyliars？OramI？\" \"Dearme！\"saidAnnieMaria——\"haven’tyouno— ticedit？Icanalmostsmelltheviolets。Andthegreengrass。Ofcourse，thereain’tanyyet——it’sjustakindoffeeling，youknow。\" \"That’swhatI’mgettingat，\"saidMr。McQuirk。 I’vehadit。Ididn’trecognizeitatfirst。I thoughtmaybeitwasen—wee，contractedtheotherdaywhenIsteppedaboveFourteenthStreet。ButthekatzenjammerI’vegotdon’tspellviolets。Itspellsyerownname，AnnieMaria，andit’syouI want。IgotoworknextMonday，andImakefourdollarsaday。Spielup，oldgirl——dowemakeateam？\" \"Jimmy，\"sighedAnnieMaria，suddenlydisap— pearinginhisovercoat，\"don’tyouseethatspringisallovertheworldrightthisminute？\" Butyouyourselfrememberhowthatdayended。 Beginningwithsofineapromiseofvernalthings，lateintheafternoontheairchilledandaninchofsnowfell——evensolateinMarch。OnFifthAve— nuetheladiesdrewtheirwinterfurscloseaboutthem。Onlyintheflorists’windowscouldbeper— ceivedanysignsofthemorningsmileofthecominggoddessEastre。 Atsixo’clockHerrLutzbegantoclosehisshop。 Hebeardawell—knownshout：\"Hello，Dutch！\" \"Tiger\"McQuirk，inhisshirt—sleeves，withhishatonthebackofhisbead，stoodoutsideinthewhirlingsnow，puffingatablackcigar。 \"Donnerwetter！\"shoutedLutz，\"dervinter，hehasgomebackagainyet！\" \"Yeraliar，Dutch，\"calledbackMr。McQuirk，withfriendlygeniality，it’sspringtime，bythewatch。\" THEFOOL—KILLER DownSouthwheneveranyoneperpetratessomeparticularlymonumentalpieceoffoolishnessevery— bodysays：\"SendforJesseHolmes。\" JesseHolmesistheFool—Killer。Ofcourseheisamyth，likeSantaClausandJackFrostandGeneralProsperityandallthoseconcreteconceptionsthataresupposedtorepresentanideathatNaturehasfailedtoembody。ThewisestoftheSouthronscan— nottellyouwhencecomestheFool—Killer’sname; butfewandhappyarethehouseholdsfromtheRo— anoketotheRioGrandeinwhichthenameofJesseHolmeshasnotbeenpronouncedorinvoked。Alwayswithasmile，andoftenwithatear，ishesummonedtohisofficialduty。AbusymanisJesseHolmes。 IremembertheclearpictureofhimthathungonthewallsofmyfancyduringmybarefootdayswhenIwasdodginghisoft—threateneddevoirs。Tomebewasaterribleoldman，ingrayclothes，withalong，ragged，graybeard，andreddish，fierceeyes。 Ilookedtoseehimcomestumpinguptheroadinacloudofdust，withawhiteoakstaffinhishandandhisshoestiedwithleatherthongs。Imayyet—— Butthisisastory，notasequel。 Ihavetakennoticewithregret，thatfewstoriesworthreadinghavebeenwrittenthatdidnotcon— taindrinkofsomesort。Downgothefluids，fromArizonaDick’sthreefingersofredpizentothein— efficaciousOolongthatnervesLionelMontressortoreparteeinthe\"DottyDialogues。\"So，insuchgoodcompanyImayintroduceanabsinthedrip—— oneabsinthedrip，drippedthroughasilverdripper，orderly，opalescent，cool，green—eyed——deceptive。 Kernerwasafool。Besidesthat，hewasanartistandmygoodfriend。Now，ifthereisonethingonearthutterlydespicabletoanother，itisanartistintheeyesofanauthorwhosestoryhehasillus— trated。Justtryitonce。WriteastoryaboutaminingcampinIdiho。Sellit。Spendthemoney，andthen，sixmonthslater，borrowaquarter（oradime），andbuythemagazinecontainingit。Youfindafull—pagewashdrawingofyourhero，BlackBill，thecowboy。Somewhereinyourstoryyouem— ployedtheword\"horse。\"Aha！theartisthasgraspedtheidea。BlackBillhasontheregulationtrousersoftheM。F。H。oftheWestchesterCountyHunt。Hecarriesaparlorrifle，andwearsamon— ocle。InthedistanceisasectionofForty—secondStreetduringasearchforalostgas—pipe，andtheTajMahal，thefamousmausoleuminIndia。 \"Enough！IhatedKerner，andonedayImethimandwebecamefriends。Hewasyoungandglori— ouslymelancholybecausehisspiritsweresohighandlifebadsomuchinstoreforhim。Yes，hewasalmostriotouslysad。Thatwashisyouth。Whenamanbeginstobehilariousinasorrowfulwayyoucanbetamillionthatheisdyeinghishair。Ker— ner’shairwasplentifulandcarefullymattedasanartist’sthatchshouldbe。Hewasacigaretteur，andbeauditedhisdinnerswithredwine。But，mostofall，bewasafool。And，wisely，Ienviedhim，andlistenedpatientlywhileheknockedVelasquezandTintoretto。Oncehetoldmethathelikedastoryofminethathebadcomeacrossinananthology。Hedescribedittome，andIwassorrythatMr。Fitz— JamesO’Brienwasdeadandcouldnotlearnoftheeulogyofhiswork。ButmostlyKernermadefewbreaksandwasaconsistentfool。 I’dbetterexplainwhatImeanbythat。Therewasagirl。Now，agirl，asfarasIamconcerned，isathingthatbelongsinaseminaryoranalbum; butIconcededtheexistenceoftheanimalinordertoretainKerner’sfriendship。Heshowedmeherpictureinalocket——shewasablondeorabrunette——Ihaveforgottenwhich。Sheworkedinafactoryforeightdollarsaweek。Lestfactoriesquotethiswagebywayofvindication，Iwilladdthatthegirlbadworkedforfiveyearstoreachthatsupremeele— vationofremuneration，beginningat$1。50perweek。 Kerner’sfatherwasworthacoupleofmillionsHewaswillingtostandforart，buthedrewthelineatthefactorygirl。SoKernerdisinheritedhisfatherandwalkedouttoacheapstudioandlivedonsausagesforbreakfastandonFarronifordinner。 Farronihadtheartisticsoulandalineofcreditforpaintersandpoets，nicelyadjusted。SometimesKer— riersoldapictureandboughtsomenewtapestry，aringandadozensilkcravats，andpaidFarronitwodollarsonaccount。 OneeveningKernerhadmetodinnerwithhimselfandthefactorygirl。TheyweretobemarriedassoonasKernercouldsloshpaintprofitably。Asfortheex—father’stwomillions——pouf！ Shewasawonder。Smallandhalf—waypretty，andasmuchathereaseinthatcheapcafeasthoughshewereonlyinthePalmerHouse，Chicago，withasouvenirspoonalreadysafelyhiddeninhershirtwaist。Shewasnatural。TwothingsInoticedaboutherespecially。Herbeltbucklewasexactlyinthemiddleofherback，andshedidn’ttellusthatalargemanwitharubystick—pinhadfollowedherupallthewayfromFourteenthStreet。WasKernersuchafool？ Iwondered。AndthenIthoughtofthequantityofstripedcuffsandblueglassbeadsthat$2，000，000 canbuyfortheheathen，andIsaidtomyselfthathewas。AndthenElise——certainlythatwashernametoldus，merrily，thatthebrownspotonherwaistwascausedbyherlandladyknockingatthedoorwhileshe（thegirl——confoundtheEnglishlanguage） washeatinganironoverthegasjet，andshehidtheironunderthebedclothesuntilthecoastwasclear，andtherewasthepieceofchewinggumstucktoitwhenshebegantoironthewaist，and——well，Iwonderedbowintheworldthechewinggumcametobethere——don’ttheyeverstopchewingit？ Awhileafterthat——don’tbeimpatient，theab— sinthedripiscomingnow——KernerandIwerediningatFarroni’s。Amandolinandaguitarwerebeingattacked;theroomwasfullofsmokeinnice，longcrinklylayersjustliketheartistsdrawthesteamfromaplumpuddingonChristmasposters，andaladyinabluesilkandgasolinedgauntletswasbe— ginningtobumanairfromtheCatskills。 \"Kerner，\"saidI，\"youareafool。\" \"Ofcourse，\"saidKerner，\"Iwouldn’tlethergoonworking。Notmywife。What’stheusetowait？ She’swilling。IsoldthatwatercolorofthePali— sadesyesterday。Wecouldcookonatwo—burnergasstove。YouknowtheragoutsIcanthrowtogether？ Yes，Ithinkwewillmarrynextweek。\" \"Kerner，\"saidI，\"youareafool。\" \"Haveanabsinthedrip？\"saidKerner，grandly。 \"To—nightyouaretheguestofArtinpayingquan— tities。Ithinkwewillgetaflatwithabath。\" \"Inevertriedone——Imeananabsinthedrip，\" saidI。 Thewaiterbroughtitandpouredthewaterslowlyovertheiceinthedripper。 \"ItlooksexactlyliketheMississippiRiverwaterinthebigbendbelowNatchez，\"saidI，fascinated，gazingatthebe—muddleddrip。 \"Therearesuchflatsforeightdollarsaweek，\" saidKerner。 \"Youareafool，\"saidI，andbegantosipthefiltration。\"Whatyouneed，\"Icontinued，\"istheofficialattentionofoneJesseHolmes。\" Kerner，notbeingaSoutherner，didnotcompre— hend，sohesat，sentimental，figuringonhisflatinhissordid，artisticway，whileIgazedintothegreeneyesofthesophisticatedSpiritofWormwood。 PresentlyInoticedcasuallythataprocessionofbacchanteslimnedonthewallimmediatelybelowtheceilingbadbeguntomove，traversingtheroomfromrighttoleftinagayandspectacularpilgrimage。I didnotconfidemydiscoverytoKerner。Theartistictemperamentistoohigh—strungtoviewsuchdevia— tionsfromthenaturallawsoftheartofkalsomining。 Isippedmyabsinthedripandsawedwormwood。 Oneabsinthedripisnotmuch——butIsaidagaintoKerner，kindly： \"Youareafool。\"Andthen，inthevernacular： \"JesseHolmesforyours。\" AndthenIlookedaroundandsawtheFool—Killer，ashehadalwaysappearedtomyimagination，sittingatanearbytable，andregardinguswithhisreddish，fatal，relentlesseyes。HewasJesseHolmesfromtoptotoe;hehadthelong，gray，raggedbeard，thegrayclothesofancientcut，theexecutioner’slook，andthedustyshoesofonewhobadbeencalledfromafar。HiseyeswereturnedfixedlyuponKerner。I shudderedtothinkthatIbadinvokedhimfromhisassiduoussouthernduties。Ithoughtofflying，andthenIkeptmyseat，reflectingthatmanymenbades— capedhisministrationswhenitseemedthatnothingshortofanappointmentasAmbassadortoSpaincouldsavethemfromhim。IhadcalledmybrotherKernerafoolandwasindangerofhellfire。Thatwasnothing;butIwouldtrytosavehimfromJesseHolmes。 TheFool—Killergotupfromhistableandcameovertoours。Herestedhishandsuponit，andturnedhisburning，vindictiveeyesuponKerner，ig— noringme。 \"Youareahopelessfool，\"besaidtotheartist。 \"Haven’tyouhadenoughofstarvationyet？Iof— feryouonemoreopportunity。Giveupthisgirlandcomebacktoyourhome。Refuse，andyoumusttaketheconsequences。\" TheFool—Killer’sthreateningfacewaswithinafootofhisvictim’s;buttomyhorror，Kernermadenottheslightestsignofbeingawareofhispresence。 \"Wewillbemarriednextweek，\"bemutteredab— sent—mindedly。\"Withmystudiofurnitureandsomesecond—handstuffwecanmakeout。\" \"Youhavedecidedyourownfate，\"saidtheFool— Killer，inalowbutterriblevoice。\"Youmaycon— sideryourselfasonedead。Youhavehadyourlastchance。\" \"Inthemoonlight，\"wentonKerner，softly，\"wewillsitundertheskylightwithourguitarandsingawaythefalsedelightsofprideandmoney。\" \"Onyourownheadbeit，\"hissedtheFool—Killer，andmyscalpprickledwhenIperceivedthatneitherKerner’seyesnorhisearstooktheslightestcog— nizanceofJesseHolmes。AndthenIknewthatforsomereasontheveilhadbeenliftedformealone，andthatIbadbeenelectedtosavemyfriendfromde— structionattheFool—Killer’sbands。Somethingofthefearandwonderofitmusthaveshoweditselfinmyface。 \"Excuseme，\"saidKerner，withhiswan，amiablesmile;\"wasItalkingtomyself？Ithinkitisgettingtobeahabitwithme。\" TheFool—KillerturnedandwalkedoutofFar— ronils。 \"Waithereforme，\"saidI，rising;\"Imustspeaktothatman。Hadyounoanswerforhim？Becauseyouareafoolmustyoudielikeamouseunderhisfoot？Couldyounotutteronesqueakinyourowndefence？ \"Youaredrunk，\"saidKerner，heartlessly。\"Nooneaddressedme。\" \"Thedestroyerofyourmind，\"saidI，\"stoodaboveyoujustnowandmarkedyouforhisvictim。 Youarenotblindordeaf。\" \"Irecognizednosuchperson，\"saidKerner。\"I haveseennoonebutyouatthistable。Sitdown。 Hereafteryoushallhavenomoreabsinthedrips。\" \"Waithere，\"saidI，furious;\"ifyoudon’tcareforyourownlife，Iwillsaveitforyou。\" Ihurriedoutandovertookthemaningrayhalf— waydowntheblock。HelookedasIbadseenhiminmyfancyathousandtimes—truculent，grayandawful。Hewalkedwiththewhiteoakstaff，andbutforthestreet—sprinklerthedustwouldhavebeenfly— ingunderhistread。 Icaughthimbythesleeveandsteeredhimtoadarkangleofabuilding。Iknewhewasamyth，andIdidnotwantacoptoseemeconversingwithva— cancy，forImightlandinBellevueminusmysilvermatchboxanddiamondring。 \"JesseHolmes，\"saidI，facinghimwithapparentbravery，\"Iknowyou。Ihaveheardofyouallmylife。Iknownowwhatascourgeyouhavebeentoyourcountry。Insteadofkillingfoolsyouhavebeenmurderingtheyouthandgeniusthatarenecessarytomakeapeopleliveandgrowgreat。Youareafoolyourself，Holmes;youbegankillingoffthebrightestandbestofourcountrymenthreegenerationsago，whentheoldandobsoletestandardsofsocietyandhonorandorthodoxywerenarrowandbigoted。YouprovedthatwhenyouputyourmurderousmarkuponmyfriendKerner——thewisestchapIeverknewinmylife。\" TheFool—Killerlookedatmegrimlyandclosely。 \"You’veaqueerjag，\"saidhe，curiously。\"Oh，yes;Iseewhoyouarenow。Youweresittingwithhimatthetable。Well，ifI’mnotmistaken，Iheardyoucallhimafool，too。\" \"Idid，\"saidI。\"Idelightindoingso。Itisfromenvy。Byallthestandardsthatyouknowheisthemostegregiousandgrandiloquentandgorgeousfoolinalltheworld。That’swhyyouwanttokillhim。\" \"WouldyoumindtellingmewhoorwhatyouthinkIam？\"askedtheoldman。 Ilaughedboisterouslyandthenstoppedsuddenly，forIrememberedthatitwouldnotdotobeseensohilariousinthecompanyofnothingbutabrickwall。 \"YouareJesseHolmes，theFool—Killer，\"Isaid，solemnly，\"andyouaregoingtokillmyfriendKer— ner。Idon’tknowwhorangyouup，butifyoudokillhimI’llseethatyougetpinchedforit。Thatis，\"Iadded，despairingly，\"ifIcangetacoptoseeyou。Theyhaveapooreyeformortals，andIthinkitwouldtakethewholeforcetoroundupamythmur— derer。\" \"Well，\"saidtheFool—Killer，briskly，\"Imustbegoing。Youhadbettergohomeandsleepitoff。 Good—night。\" AtthisIwasmovedbyasuddenfearforKernertoasofterandmorepleadingmood。Ileanedagainstthegrayman’ssleeveandbesoughthim： \"GoodMr。Fool—Killer，pleasedon’tkilllittleKer— ner。Whycan’tyougobackSouthandkillCon— gressmenandclay—catersandletusalone？Whydon’tyougouponFifthAvenueandkillmillionairesthatkeeptheirmoneylockedupandwon’tletyoungfoolsmarrybecauseoneof’emlivesonthewrongstreet？Comeandhaveadrink，Jesse。Willyounevergetontoyourjob？\" \"Doyouknowthisgirlthatyourfriendhasmadehimselfafoolabout？\"askedtheFool—Killer。 \"Ihavethehonor，\"saidI，\"andthat’swhyI calledKernerafool。Heisafoolbecausehehaswaitedsolongbeforemarryingher。Heisafoolbecausebehasbeenwaitinginthehopesofgettingtheconsentofsomeabsurdtwo—million—dollar—foolparentorsomethingofthesort。\" \"Maybe，\"saidtheFool—Killer——\"maybeI——I mighthavelookedatitdifferently。WouldyoumindgoingbacktotherestaurantandbringingyourfriendKernerhere？\" \"OH，what’stheuse，Jesse，\"Iyawned。\"Hecan’tseeyou。Hedidn’tknowyouweretalkingtohimatthetable，Youareafictitiouscharacter，youknow。\" \"MaybeHecanthistime。Willyougofetchhim？\" \"Allright，\"saidI，\"butI’veasuspicionthatyou’renotstrictlysober，Jesse。Youseemtobewa— veringandlosingyouroutlines。Don’tvanishbeforeIgetback。\" IwentbacktoKernerandsaid： \"There’samanwithaninvisiblehomicidalmaniawaitingtoseeyououtside。Ibelievehewantstomurderyou。Comealong。Youwon’tseehim，sothere’snothingtobefrightenedabout。\" Kernerlookedanxious。 \"Why，\"saidbe，\"Ihadnoideaoneabsinthewoulddothat。You’dbettersticktoWurzburger。 I’llwalkhomewithyou。\" IledhimtoJesseHolmes’s。 \"Rudolf，\"saidtheFool—Killer，\"I’llgivein。 Bringheruptothehouse。Givemeyourhand，boy。\"，\"Goodforyou，dad，\"saidKerner，shakinghandswiththeoldman。You’llneverregretitafteryouknowher。\" \"So，youdidseehimwhenhewastalkingtoyouatthetable？\"IaskedKerner。 \"Wehadn’tspokentoeachotherinayear，\"saidKerner。\"It’sallrightnow。\" Iwalkedaway。 \"Whereareyougoing？\"calledKerner。 \"IamgoingtolookforJesseHolmes，\"Ian— swered，withdignityandreserve。 TRANSIENTSINARCADIA ThereisahotelonBroadwaythathasescapeddiscoverybythesummer—resortpromoters。Itisdeepandwideandcool。Itsroomsarefinishedindarkoakofalowtemperature。Home—madebreezesanddeep—greenshrubberygiveitthedelightswithouttheinconveniencesoftheAdirondacks。Onecanmountitsbroadstaircasesorglidedreamilyupwardinitsaerialelevators，attendedbyguidesinbrassbut— tons，withaserenejoythatAlpineclimbershaveneverattained。ThereisachefinitskitchenwhowillprepareforyoubrooktroutbetterthantheWhiteMountainseverserved，seafoodthatwouldturnOldPointComfort——\"byGad，sah！\"——greenwithenvy，andMainevenisonthatwouldmelttheofficialheartofagamewarden。 AfewhavefoundoutthisoasisintheJulydesertofManhattan。Duringthatmonthyouwillseethehotel’sreducedarrayofguestsscatteredluxuriouslyaboutinthecooltwilightof——itsloftydining—room，gazingatoneanotheracrossthesnowywasteofun— occupiedtables，silentlycongratulatory。 Superfluous，watchful，pneumaticallymovingwait— ershovernear，supplyingeverywantbeforeitisex— pressed。ThetemperatureisperpetualApril。Theceilingispaintedinwatercolorstocounterfeitasum— merskyacrosswhichdelicatecloudsdriftanddonotvanishasthoseofnaturedotoourregret。 Thepleasing，distantroarofBroadwayistrans— formedintheimaginationofthehappygueststothenoiseofawaterfallfillingthewoodswithitsrestfulsound。Ateverystrangefootstepthegueststurnananxiousear，fearfullesttheirretreatbediscoveredandinvadedbytherestlesspleasure—seekerswhoareforeverhoundingnaturetoherdeepestlairs。 Thusinthedepopulatedcaravansarythelittlebandofconnoisseursjealouslybidethemselvesduringtheheatedseason，enjoyingtotheuttermostthede— lightsofmountainandseashorethatartandskillhavegatheredandservedtothem。 InthisJulycametothehotelonewhosecardthatshesenttotheclerkforhernametoberegisteredread\"Mme。He1oiseD’ArcyBeaumont。\" MadameBeaumontwasaguestsuchastheHotelLotusloved。Shepossessedthefineairofthee1ite，temperedandsweetenedbyacordialgraciousnessthatmadethehotelemployeesherslaves。Bell—boysfoughtforthehonorofansweringherring;theclerks，butforthequestionofownership，wouldhavedeededtoherthehotelanditscontents;theotherguestsregardedherasthefinaltouchoffeminineexclusivenessandbeautythatrenderedtheentourageperfect。 Thissuper—excellentguestrarelyleftthehotel。 Herhabitswereconsonantwiththecustomsofthedis— criminatingpatronsoftheHotelLotus。Toenjoythatdelectablehostelryonemustforegothecityasthoughitwereleaguesaway。Bynightabriefex— cursiontothenearbyroofsisinorder;butduringthetorriddayoneremainsintheumbrageousfast— nessesoftheLotusasatrouthangspoisedinthepel— lucidsanctuariesofhisfavoritepool。，ThoughaloneintheHotelLotus，MadameBeau— montpreservedthestateofaqueenwhoselonelinesswasofpositiononly。Shebreakfastedatten，acool，sweet，leisurely，delicatebeingwhoglowedsoftlyinthedimnesslikeajasmineflowerinthedusk。 ButatdinnerwasMadame’sgloryatitsheight。 Sheworeagownasbeautifulandimmaterialasthemistfromanunseencataractinamountaingorge。 Thenomenclatureofthisgownisbeyondtheguessofthescribe。Alwayspale—redrosesreposedagainstitslace—garnishedfront。Itwasagownthatthebead—waiterviewedwithrespectandmetatthedoor。 YouthoughtofPariswhenyousawit，andmaybeofmysteriouscountesses，andcertainlyofVersaillesandrapiersandMrs。Fiskeandrouge—et—noir。TherewasanuntraceablerumorintheHotelLotusthatMadamewasacosmopolite，andthatshewaspullingwithherslenderwhitebandscertainstringsbetweenthenationsinthefavorofRussia。Beingaciti— zenessoftheworld’ssmoothestroadsitwassmallwonderthatshewasquicktorecognizeintherefinedpurlieusoftheHotelLotusthemostdesirablespotinAmericaforarestfulsojournduringtheheatofmid— summer。 OnthethirddayofMadameBeaumont’sresidenceinthehotelayoungmanenteredandregisteredhim— selfasaguest。Hisclothing——tospeakofhispointsinapprovedorder——wasquietlyinthemode; hisfeaturesgoodandregular;hisexpressionthatofapoisedandsophisticatedmanoftheworld。Hein— formedtheclerkthathewouldremainthreeorfourdays，inquiredconcerningthesailingofEuropeansteamships，andsankintotheblissfulinanitionofthenonpareilhotelwiththecontentedairofatravellerinhisfavoriteinn。 Theyoungman——nottoquestiontheveracityoftheregister——wasHaroldFarrington。HedriftedintotheexclusiveandcalmcurrentoflifeintheLotussotactfullyandsilentlythatnotaripplealarmedhisfellow—seekersafterrest。HeateintheLotusandofitspatronym，andwaslulledintoblissfulpeacewiththeotherfortunatemariners。InonedayheacquiredhistableandhiswaiterandthefearlestthepantingchasersafterreposethatkeptBroadwaywarmshouldpounceuponanddestroythiscontiguousbutcoverthaven。 AfterdinneronthenextdayafterthearrivalofHaroldFarringtonMadameBeaumontdroppedherhandkerchiefinpassingout。Mr。Farringtonrecov— eredandreturneditwithouttheeffusivenessofaseekerafteracquaintance。 PerhapstherewasamysticfreemasonrybetweenthediscriminatingguestsoftheLotus。Perhapstheyweredrawnonetoanotherbythefactoftheircommongoodfortuneindiscoveringtheacmeofsum— merresortsinaBroadwayhotel。Wordsdelicateincourtesyandtentativeindeparturefromformalitypassedbetweenthetwo。And，asifintheexpedientatmosphereofarealsummerresort，anacquaintancegrew，floweredandfructifiedonthespotasdoesthemysticplantoftheconjuror。Forafewmomentstheystoodonabalconyuponwhichthecorridorended，andtossedthefeatheryballofconversation。 \"Onetiresoftheoldresorts，\"saidMadameBeau— mont，withafaintbutsweetsmile。\"Whatistheusetoflytothemountainsortheseashoretoescapenoiseanddustwhentheverypeoplethatmakebothfollowusthere？\" \"Evenontheocean，\"remarkedFarrington，sadly，\"thePhilistinesbeuponyou。Themostexclusivesteamersaregettingtobescarcelymorethanferryboats。Heavenhelpuswhenthesummerresorterdis— coversthattheLotusisfurtherawayfromBroadwaythanThousandIslandsorMackinac。\" \"Ihopeoursecretwillbesafeforaweek，any— how，\"saidMadame，withasighandasmile。\"IdonotknowwhereIwouldgoiftheyshoulddescenduponthedearLotus。Iknowofbutoneplacesode— lightfulinsummer，andthatisthecastleofCountPolinski，intheUralMountains。\" \"IhearthatBaden—BadenandCannesarealmostdesertedthisseason，\"saidFarrington。\"Yearbyyeartheoldresortsfallindisrepute。Perhapsmanyothers，likeourselves，areseekingoutthequietnooksthatareoverlookedbythemajority。\" \"Ipromisemyselfthreedaysmoreofthisdeliciousrest，\"saidMadameBeaumont。\"OnMondaytheCedricsails。\" HaroldFarrington’seyesproclaimedhisregret。 \"ItoomustleaveonMonday，\"hesaid，\"butIdonotgoabroad。\" MadameBeaumontshruggedoneroundshoulderinaforeigngesture。 \"Onecannotbidehereforever，charmingthoughitmaybe。Thechateauhasbeeninpreparationformelongerthanamonth。Thosehousepartiesthatonemustgive——whatanuisance！ButIshallneverfor— getmyweekintheHotelLotus。\" \"NorshallI，\"saidFarringtoninalowvoice，andIshallneverforgivetheCedric。\" OnSundayevening，threedaysafterward，thetwosatatalittletableonthesamebalcony。Adiscreetwaiterbroughticesandsmallglassesofclaretcup。 MadameBeaumontworethesamebeautifuleven— inggownthatshehadworneachdayatdinner。Sheseemedthoughtful。Nearherhandonthetablelayasmallchatelainepurse。Aftershehadeatenhericesheopenedthepurseandtookoutaone—dollarbill。 \"Mr。Farrington，\"shesaid，withthesmilethathadwontheHotelLotus，\"Iwanttotellyousome— thing。I’mgoingtoleavebeforebreakfastinthemorning，becauseI’vegottogobacktomywork。 I’mbehindthehosierycounteratCasey’sMammothStore，andmyvacation’supateighto’clockto— morrow。Thatpaper—dollaristhelastcentI’llseetillIdrawmyeightdollarssalarynextSaturdaynight。You’rearealgentleman，andyou’vebeengoodtome，andIwantedtotellyoubeforeIwent。 I’vebeensavingupoutofmywagesforayearjustforthisvacation。IwantedtospendoneweeklikealadyifIneverdoanotherone。IwantedtogetupwhenIpleaseinsteadofhavingtocrawloutatseveneverymorning;andIwantedtoliveonthebestandbewaitedonandringbellsforthingsjustlikerichfolksdo。NowI’vedoneit，andI’vehadthehappiesttimeIeverexpecttohaveinmylife。I’mgoingbacktomyworkandmylittlehallbedroomsatisfiedforanotheryear。Iwantedtotellyouaboutit，Mr。Farrington，becauseI——Ithoughtyoukindoflikedme，andI——Ilikedyou。But，oh，I couldn’thelpdeceivingyouuptillnow，foritwasalljustlikeafairytaletome。SoItalkedaboutEu— ropeandthethingsI’vereadaboutinothercountries，andmadeyouthinkIwasagreatlady。 \"ThisdressI’vegoton——it’stheonlyoneIhavethat’sfittowear——IboughtfromO’Dowd&Levin— skyontheinstalmentplan。\" \"Seventy—fivedollarsistheprice，anditwasmadetomeasure。Ipaid$10down，andthey’retocollect$1aweektillit’spaidfor。That’llbeaboutallI havetosay，Mr。Farrington，exceptthatmynameisMamieSiviterinsteadofMadameBeaumont，andI thankyouforyourattentions。Thisdollarwillpaytheinstalmentdueonthedressto—morrow。IguessI’llgouptomyroomnow。\" HaroldFarringtonlistenedtotherecitaloftheLotus’sloveliestguestwithanimpassivecountenance。 Whenshehadconcludedhedrewasmallbooklikeacheckbookfromhiscoatpocket。Hewroteuponablankforminthiswithastubofpencil，toreouttheleaf，tosseditovertohiscompanionandtookupthepaperdollar。 \"I’vegottogotowork，too，inthemorning，\"hesaid，\"andImightaswellbeginnow。There’sareceiptforthedollarinstalment。I’vebeenacol— lectorforO’Dowd&Levinskyforthreeyears。 Funny，ain’tit，thatyouandmebothhadthesameideaaboutspendingourvacation？I’vealwayswantedtoputupataswellhotel，andIsavedupoutofmytwentyper，anddidit。Say，Mame，howaboutatriptoConeySaturdaynightontheboatwhat？\" ThefaceofthepseudoMadameHeloiseD’ArcyBeaumontbeamed。 \"Oh，youbetI’llgo，Mr。Farrington。ThestoreclosesattwelveonSaturdays。IguessConey’llbeallrightevenifwedidspendaweekwiththeswells。\" BelowthebalconytheswelteringcitygrowledandbuzzedintheJulynight。InsidetheHotelLotusthetempered，coolshadowsreigned，andthesolicitouswaitersingle—footednearthelowwindows，readyatanodtoserveMadameandherescort。 AtthedooroftheelevatorFarringtontookhisleave，andMadameBeaumontmadeherlastascent。 Butbeforetheyreachedthenoiselesscagebesaid： \"Justforgetthat’HaroldFarrington，’willyou？ McManusisthename——JamesMcManus。SomecallmeJimmy。\" \"Good—night，Jimmy，\"saidMadame。 THERATHSKELLERANDTHEROSE MissPosieCarringtonhadearnedhersuc— cess。Shebeganlifehandicappedbythefamilynameof\"Boggs，\"inthesmalltownknownasCranberryCorners。Attheageofeighteenshehadacquiredthenameof\"Carrington\"andapositioninthechorusofametropolitanburlesquecompany。 Thenceupwardshehadascendedbythelegitimateanddelectablestepsof\"broiler，\"memberofthefamous\"Dickey—bird\"octette，inthesuccessfulmusicalcomedy，\"FudgeandFellows，\"leaderofthepotato— bugdancein\"Fol—de—Rol，\"andatlengthtothepartofthemaid\"’Toinette\"in\"TheKing’sBath—Robe，\" whichcapturedthecriticsandgaveherherchance。 AndwhenwecometoconsiderMissCarringtonsheisintheheydeyofflattery，fameandfizz;andthatastutemanager，HerrTimothyGoldstein，hashersignaturetoiron—cladpapersthatshewillstarthecomingseasoninDydeRich’snewplay，\"ParesisbyGaslight。\" PromptlytherecametoHerrTimothyacapabletwentieth—centuryyoungcharacteractorbythenameofHighsmith，whobesoughtengagementas\"SolHaytosser，\"thecomicandchiefmalecharacterpartin\"ParesisbyGaslight。\" \"Myboy，\"saidGoldstein，\"takethepartifyoucangetit。MissCarringtonwon’tlistentoanyofmysuggestions。Shehasturneddownhalfadozenofthebestimitatorsoftheruraldubinthecity。 Shedeclaresshewon’tsetafootonthestageun— less’Haytosser’isthebestthatcanberakedup—— Shewasraisedinavillage，youknow，andwhenaBroadwayorchidsticksastrawinhishairandtriestocallhimselfacloverblossomshe’son，allright。 Iaskedher，inasarcasticvein，ifshethoughtDen— manThompsonwouldmakeanykindofashowinthepart。’Oh，no，’saysshe。’Idon’twanthimorJohnDreworJimCorbettoranyoftheseswellactorsthatdon’tknowaturnipfromaturnstile。I wanttherealarticle。’So，myboy，ifyouwanttoplayI’SolHaytosser’youwillhavetoconvinceMissCarrington。Luckbewithyou。\" HighsmithtookthetrainthenextdayforCran— berryCorners。Heremainedinthatforsakenandinanimatevillagethreedays。HefoundtheBoggsfamilyandcorkscrewedtheirhistoryuntothethirdandfourthgeneration。HeamassedthefactsandthelocalcolorofCranberryCorners。ThevillagehadnotgrownasrapidlyashadMissCarrington。TheactorestimatedthatithadsufferedasfewactualchangessincethedepartureofitssolitaryfollowerofThespisashadastageuponwhich\"fouryearsissupposedtohaveelapsed。\"HeabsorbedCran— berryCornersandreturnedtothecityofchameleonchanges。 ItwasintherathskellerthatHighsmithmadethehitofhishistrioniccareer。Thereisnoneedtonametheplace;thereisbutonerathskellerwhereyoucouldhopetofindMissPosieCarringtonafteraperformanceof\"TheKing’sBath—Robe。\" Therewasajollysmallpartyatoneofthetablesthatdrewmanyeyes。MissCarrington，petite，mar— vellous，bubbling，electric，fame—drunken，shallbenamedfirst。HerrGoldsteinfollows，sonorous，curly— haired，heavy，atrifleanxious，assomebearthathadcaught，somehow，abutterflyinhisclaws。Next，amancondemnedtoanewspaper，sad，courted，armed，analyzingforpressagent’sdrosseverysen— tencethatwaspouredoverhim，eatinghisalaNew— burginthesilenceofgreatness。Toconclude，ayouthwithpartedhair，anamethatisochretoredjournalsandgoldonthebackofasuppercheck。 Thesesatatatablewhilethemusiciansplayed，whilewaitersmovedinthemazyperformanceoftheirdutieswiththeirbackstowardallwhodesiredtheirservice，andallwasbizarreandmerrybecauseitwasninefeetbelowthelevelofthesidewalk。 At11。45abeingenteredtherathskeller。ThefirstviolinperceptiblyflattedaCthatshouldhavebeennatural;theclarionetblewabubbleinsteadofagracenote;MissCarringtongiggledandtheyouthwithpartedhairswallowedanoliveseed。 Exquisitelyandirreproachablyruralwasthenewentry。Alank，disconcerted，hesitatingyoungmanitwas，flaxen—haired，gapingofmouth，awkward，strickentomiserybythelightsandcompany。Hisclothingwasbutternut，withbrightbluetie，showingfourinchesofbonywristandwhite—sockedankle。 Heupsetachair，satinanotherone，curledafootaroundatablelegandcringedattheapproachofawaiter。 \"Youmayfetchmeaglassoflagerbeer，\"hesaid，inresponsetothediscreetquestioningoftheservitor。 Theeyesoftherathskellerwereuponhim。Hewasasfreshasacollardandasingenuousasahayrake。 Helethiseyeroveabouttheplaceasonewhore— gards，big—eyed，hogsinthepotatopatch。HisgazerestedatlengthuponMissCarrington。Heroseandwenttohertablewithalateral，shiningsmileandablushofpleasedtrepidation。 \"How’reye，MissPosie？\"hesaidinaccentsnottobedoubted。\"Don’tyerememberme—BillSum— mers—theSummersesthatlivedbackoftheblack— smithshop？IreckonI’vegrowedupsomesinceyeleftCranberryCorners。 \"’LizaPerry’lowedImightseeyeinthecitywhileIwashere。Youknow’LizamarriedBennyStanfield，andshesays——\" \"Ah，say！\"interruptedMissCarrington，brightly，\"LizePerryisnevermarried—what！Oh，thefrecklesofher！\" \"MarriedinJune，\"grinnedthegossip，\"andlivin’ intheoldTatumPlace。HamRileyperfessedreli— gion;oldMrs。BlitherssoldherplacetoCap’nSpooner;theyoungestWatersgirlrunawaywithamusicteacher;thecourt—houseburneduplastMarch; youruncleWileywaselectedconstable;MatildaHos— kinsdiedfromrunnin’aneedleinherhand，andTomBeedleiscourtin’SallieLathrop—theysayhedon’tmissanightbutwhathe’ssettin’ontheirporch。\" \"Thewall—eyedthing！\"exclaimedMissCarring— ton，withasperity。\"Why，TomBeedleonce——say，youfolks，excusemeawhile——thisisanoldfriendofmine——Mr。——whatwasit？Yes，Mr。Summers——Mr。Goldstein，Mr。Ricketts，Mr。——Oh，what’syours？’Johnny’’lldo——comeonoverhereandtellmesomemore。\" Sheswepthimtoanisolatedtableinacorner。 HerrGoldsteinshruggedhisfatshouldersandbeck— onedtothewaiter。Thenewspapermanbrightenedalittleandmentionedabsinthe。Theyouthwithpartedhairwasplungedintomelancholy。Theguestsoftherathskellerlaughed，clinkedglassesandenjoyedthecomedythatPosieCarringtonwastreat— ingthemtoafterherregularperformance。Afewcynicaloneswhispered\"pressagent\"’andsmiledwisely。 PosieCarringtonlaidherdimpledanddesirablechinuponherhands，andforgotheraudience——afacultythathadwonherlaurelsforher。 \"Idon’tseemtorecollectanyBillSummers，\"shesaid，thoughtfullygazingstraightintotheinnocentblueeyesoftherusticyoungman。\"ButIknowtheSummerses，allright。Iguessthereain’tmanychangesintheoldtown。Youseeanyofmyfolkslately？\" AndthenHighsmithplayedhistrump。Thepartof\"SolHaytosser\"calledforpathosaswellascomedy。MissCarringtonshouldseethathecoulddothataswell。 \"MissPosie，\"said\"BillSummers，\"\"Iwasuptoyourfolkeseshousejisttwoorthreedaysago。No，thereain’tmanychangestospeakof。Thelilacbushbythekitchenwindowisoverafoothigher，andtheelminthefrontyarddiedandhadtobecutdown。 Andyetitdon’tseemthesameplacethatitusedtobe。\" \"How’sma？\"askedMissCarrington。 \"Shewassettin’bythefrontdoor，crochetingalamp—matwhenIsawherlast，\"said\"Bill。\"\"She’solder’nshewas，MissPosie。Buteverythinginthehouselookedjestthesame。Yourmaaskedmetosetdown。’Don’ttouchthatwillowrocker，William，\" saysshe。’Itain’tbeenmovedsincePosieleft;andthat’stheapronshewashemmin’，layin’overthearmofit，jistassheflungit。I’minhopes，’shegoeson，thatPosie’llfinishrunnin’outthathemsomeday。’\" MissCarringtonbeckonedperemptorilytoawaiter。 \"Apintofextradry，\"sheordered，briefly;\"andgivethechecktoGoldstein。\" \"Thesunwasshinin’inthedoor，\"wentonthechroniclerfromCranberry，\"andyourmawassettin’ rightinit。Iaskedherifshehadn’tbettermovebackalittle。’William，’saysshe，’whenIgetsotdownandlookin’downtheroad，Ican’tbeartomove。 Neveraday，’saysshe，’butwhatIsethereeveryminutethatIcanspareandwatchoverthempalin’sforPosie。Shewentawaydownthatroadinthenight，forweseenherlittleshoetracksinthedust，andsomethin’tellsmeshe’llcomebackthatwayag’inwhenshe’swearyoftheworldandbeginstothinkaboutheroldmother。\" \"WhenIwascomin’away，\"concluded\"Bill，\" \"Ipulledthisoff’nthebushbythefrontsteps。I thoughtmaybeImightseeyouinthecity，andI knowedyou’dlikesomethin’fromtheoldhome。\" Hetookfromhiscoatpocketarose—adrooping，yellow，velvet，odorousrose，thathungitsbeadinthefoulatmosphereofthattaintedrathskellerlikeavirginbowingbeforethehotbreathofthelionsinaRomanarena。 MissCarrington’spenetratingbutmusicallaughroseabovetheorcbestra’srenderingof\"Bluebells。\" \"Oh，say！\"shecried，withglee，\"ain’tthosepokyplacesthelimit？IjustknowthattwohoursatCranberryCornerswouldgivemethehorrorsnow。 Well，I’mawfulgladtohaveseenyou，Mr。Summers。 GuessI’llbustlearoundtothehotelnowandgetmybeautysleep。\" Shethrusttheyellowroseintothebosomofherwonderful，dainty，silkengarments，stoodupandnoddedimperiouslyatHerrGoldstein。 Herthreecompanionsand\"BillSummers\"at— tendedhertohercab。Whenherflouncesandstreamerswereallsafelytuckedinsideshedazzledthemwithaurevoirsfromhershiningeyesandteeth。 \"Comearoundtothehotelandseeme，Bill，beforeyouleavethecity，\"shecalledastheglitteringcabrolledaway。 Highsmith，stillinhismake—up，wentwithHerrGoldsteintoacafebooth。 \"Brightidea，eh？\"askedthesmilingactor。 \"Oughttoland’SolHaytosser’forme，don’tyouthink？Thelittleladyneveroncetumbled。\" \"Ididn’tbearyourconversation，\"saidGoldstein，butyourmake—upandactingwas0。K。Here’stoyoursuccess。You’dbettercallonMissCarringtonearlyto—morrowandstrikeherforthepart。Idon’tseehowshecankeepfrombeingsatisfiedwithyourexhibitionofability。\" At11。45A。M。onthenextdayHighsmith，hand— some，dressedinthelatestmode，confident，withafuchsiainhisbutton—bole，sentuphiscardtoMissCarringtoninherselectapartmenthotel。 Hewasshownupandreceivedbytheactress’sFrenchmaid。 \"Iamsorree，\"saidMlle。Hortense，\"butIamtosaythistoall。Itiswithgreatregret。MeesCar— ringtonhavecancelledallengagementsonthestageandhavereturnedtoliveinthathowyoucallthattown？CranberryCornaire！\" THECLARIONCALL HalfofthisstorycanbefoundintherecordsofthePoliceDepartment;theotherhalfbelongbehindthebusinesscounterofanewspaperoffice。 OneafternoontwoweeksafterMillionaireNor— crosswasfoundinhisapartmentmurderedbyabur— glar，themurderer，whilestrollingserenelydownBroadwayranplumpagainstDetectiveBarneyWoods。 \"Isthatyou，JohnnyKernan？\"askedWoods，whohadbeennear—sightedinpublicforfiveyears。 \"Noless，\"criedKernan，heartily。\"Ifitisn’tBarneyWoods，lateandearlyofoldSaintJo！ You’llhavetoshowme！WhatareyoudoingEast？ Dothegreen—goodscircularsgetoutthatfar？\" saidWoods。 \"I’vebeeninNewYorksomeyears，I’monthecitydetectiveforce。\" \"Well，well！\"saidKernan，breathingsmilingjoyandpattingthedetective’sarm。 \"ComeintoMuller’s，\"saidWoods，\"andlet’shuntaquiettable。I’dliketotalktoyouawhile。\" Itlackedafewminutestothehouroffour。Thetidesoftradewerenotyetloosed，andtheyfoundaquietcornerofthecafe。Kernan，welldressedSlightlyswaggering，self—confident，seatedhimselfop— positethelittledetective，withhispale，sandymus— tache，squintingeyesandready—madecheviotsuit。 \"Whatbusinessareyouinnow？\"askedWoods。 \"YouknowyouleftSaintJoayearbeforeIdid。\" \"I’msellingsharesinacoppermine，\"saidKer— nan。\"Imayestablishanofficehere。Well，well！ andsooldBarneyisaNewYorkdetective。Youalwayshadaturnthatway。Youwereonthepo— liceinSaintJoafterIleftthere，weren’tyou？\" \"Sixmonths，\"saidWoods。\"Andnowthere’sonemorequestion，Johnny。I’vefollowedyourrecordprettycloseeversinceyoudidthathoteljobinSara— toga，andIneverknewyoutouseyourgunbefore。 WhydidyoukillNorcross？\" Kernanstaredforafewmomentswithconcen— tratedattentionatthesliceoflemoninhishigh—ball; andthenbelookedatthedetectivewithasudden，crooked，brilliantsmile。 \"Howdidyouguessit，Barney？\"heasked，ad— miringly。\"IswearIthoughtthejobwasascleanandassmoothasapeeledonion。DidIleaveastringhangingoutanywhere？\" Woodslaiduponthetableasmallgoldpencilin— tendedforawatch—charm。 \"It’stheoneIgaveyouthelastChristmaswewereinSaintJo。I’vegotyourshavingmugyet。 IfoundthisunderacorneroftheruginNorcross’sroom。Iwarnyoutobecarefulwhatyousay。I’vegotitputontoyou，Johnny。Wewereoldfriendsonce，butImustdomyduty。You’llhavetogotothechairforNorcross。\"Kernanlaughed。 \"Myluckstayswithme，\"saidbe。\"Who’dhavethoughtoldBarneywasonmytrail！\"Heslippedonehandinsidehiscoat。InaninstantWoodshadarevolveragainsthisside。 \"Putitaway，\"saidKernan，wrinklinghisnose。 \"I’monlyinvestigating。Aha！Ittakesninetailorstomakeaman，butonecandoamanup。There’saholeinthatvestpocket。Itookthatpenciloffmychainandslippeditinthereincaseofascrap。Putupyourgun，Barney，andI’lltellyouwhyIhadtoshootNorcross。Theoldfoolstarteddownthehallafterme，poppingatthebuttonsonthebackofmycoatwithapeevishlittle。22andIhadtostophim。Theoldladywasadarling。Shejustlayinbedandsawher$12，000diamondnecklacegowith— outachirp，whileshebeggedlikeapanhandlertohavebackalittlethingoldringwithagarnetworthabout$3。1guessshemarriedoldNorcrossforhismoney，allright。Don’ttheyhangontothelittletrinketsfromtheManWhoLostOut，though？ Thereweresixrings，twobroochesandachatelainewatch。Fifteenthousandwouldcoverthelot。\" \"Iwarnedyounottotalk，\"saidWoods。 \"Oh，that’sallright，\"saidKernan。\"Thestuffisinmysuitcaseatthehotel。AndnowI’lltellyouwhyI’mtalking。Becauseit’ssafe。I’mtalkingtoamanIknow。Youowemeathousanddollars，Bar— neyWoods，andevenifyouwantedtoarrestmeyourhandwouldn’tmakethemove。\" \"Ihaven’tforgotten，\"saidWoods。\"Youcountedouttwentyfiftieswithoutaword。I’llpayitbacksomeday。Thatthousandsavedmeand——well，theywerepilingmyfurnitureoutonthesidewalkwhenI gotbacktothehouse。\" \"Andso，\"continuedKernan，\"youbeingBarneyWoods，bornastrueassteel，andboundtoplayawhiteman’sgame，can’tliftafingertoarrestthemanyou’reindebtedto。Oh，IhavetostudymenaswellasYalelocksandwindowfasteningsinmybusiness。Now，keepquietwhileIringforthewaiter。I’vehadathirstforayearortwothatwor— riesmealittle。IfI’mevercaughttheluckysleuthwillhavetodividehonorswitholdboyBooze。ButI neverdrinkduringbusinesshours。AfterajobI cancrookelbowswithmyoldfriendBarneywithaclearconscience。Whatareyoutaking？\" Thewaitercamewiththelittledecantersandthesiphonandleftthemaloneagain。 \"You’vecalledtheturn，\"saidWoods，asherolledthelittlegoldpencilaboutwithathoughtfulfore— finger。I’vegottopassyouup。Ican’tlayahandonyou。IfI’da—paidthatmoneyback——butIdidn’t，andthatsettlesit。It’sabadbreakI’mmaking，Johnny，butIcan’tdodgeit。Youhelpedmeonce，anditcallsforthesame。\" \"Iknewit，\"saidKernan，raisinghisglass，withaflushedsmileofself—appreciation。\"Icanjudgemen。Here’stoBarney，for——’he’sajollygoodfellow。’\" \"Idon’tbelieve，\"wentonWoodsquietly，asifbewerethinkingaloud，\"thatifaccountshadbeensquarebetweenyouandme，allthemoneyinallthebanksinNewYorkcouldhaveboughtyououtofmyhandsto—night。\" \"Iknowitcouldn’t，\"saidKernan。\"That’swhyIknewIwassafewithyou。\" \"Mostpeople，\"continuedthedetective，\"lookside— waysatmybusiness。Theydon’tclassitamongthefineartsandtheprofessions。ButI’vealwaystakenakindoffoolprideinit。AndhereiswhereIgo’busted。’IguessI’mamanfirstandadetectiveafterward。I’vegottoletyougo，andthenI’vegottoresignfromtheforce。IguessIcandriveanex— presswagon。Yourthousanddollarsisfurtheroffthanever，Johnny。\" \"Oh，you’rewelcometoit，\"saidKernan，withalordlyair。\"I’dbewillingtocallthedebtoff，butIknowyouwouldn’thaveitItwasaluckydayformewhenyouborrowedit。Andnow，let’sdropthesubject。I’mofftotheWestonamorningtrain。 IknowaplaceouttherewhereIcannegotiatetheNorcrosssparks。Drinkup，Barney，andforgetyourtroubles。We’llhaveajollytimewhilethepoliceareknockingtheirheadstogetheroverthecase。 I’vegotoneofmySaharathirstsonto—night。ButI’minthebands——theunofficialbands——ofmyoldfriendBarney，andIwon’tevendreamofacop。\" Andthen，asKernan’sreadyfingerkeptthebut— tonandthewaiterworking，hisweakpoint——atre— mendousvanityandarrogantegotism，begantoshowitself。Herecountedstoryafterstoryofhissuc— cessfulplunderings，ingeniousplotsandinfamoustransgressionsuntilWoods，withallhisfamiliaritywithevil—doers，feltgrowingwithinhimacoldab— horrencetowardtheutterlyviciousmanwhohadoncebeenhisbenefactor。 \"I’mdisposedof，ofcourse，\"saidWoods，atlength。\"ButIadviseyoutokeepundercoverforaspell。ThenewspapersmaytakeupthisNorcrossaffair。Therehasbeenanepidemicofburglariesandmanslaughterintownthissummer。\" ThewordsentKernanintoahighglowofsullenandvindictiverage。 \"Tohellwiththenewspapers，\"hegrowled。 \"Whatdotheyspellbutbragandblowandboodleinbox—carletters？Supposetheydotakeupacasewhatdoesitamountto？Thepoliceareeasyenoughtofool;butwhatdothenewspapersdo？Theysendalotofpin—headreportersaroundtothescene;andtheymakeforthenearestsaloonandhavebeerwhiletheytakephotosofthebartender’soldestdaughterineveningdress，toprintasthefianceeoftheyoungmaninthetenthstory，whothoughtheheardanoisebelowonthenightofthemurder。That’saboutasnearasthenewspapersevercometorunningdownMr。Burglar。\" \"Well，Idon’tknow，\"saidWoods，reflecting。