CHAPTERI
\"I’mgoinguptothevillage，\"ItoldDorinda，takingmycapfromthehookbehindthedining—roomdoor。
\"Whatfor？\"askedDorinda，pushingmetoonesideandreachingforthedust—cloth，whichalsowasbehindthedoor。
\"Oh，justforthewalk，\"Ianswered，carelessly。
\"Um—hm，\"observedDorinda。
\"Um—hm\"is，Ibelieve，goodScotchfor\"Yes。\"Ihavereadthatitis，somewhere——inoneofBarrie’syarns，Ithink。IhadneverbeeninScotland，ormuchofanywhereelse，exceptthecityIwasbornin，andmycollegetown，andBoston——andCapeCod。\"Um—hm\"meantyesontheCape，too，exceptwhenDorindasaidit；thenitmightmeanalmostanything。WhenMotheraskedhertolowerthewindowshadeinthebed—roomshesaid\"Um—hm\"andloweredit。And，fiveminuteslater，whenLutecamein，loadedtotheguardswithexplanationsastowhyhehadforgottentocleanthefishfordinner，shesaiditagain。AndtheEquatorandtheNorthPolearenoneareralike，sofarastemperatureisconcerned，thanthosetwo\"Um—hms。\"Andbetweenthemshehadothers，expressingalldegreesfromfrigidtosemi—torrid。
Her\"Um—hm\"thistimewassomewherealongthenorthernedgeofLabrador。
\"It’sagoodmorningforawalk，\"Isaid。
\"Um—hm，\"repeatedDorinda，crossingovertoGreenland，sotospeak。
Iopenedtheoutsidedoor。Thewarmspringsunshine，pouringin，wasapleasantcontrastandmademeforget，forthemoment，theglacieratmyback。Cometothinkofit，\"glacier\"isn’tagoodword；glaciersmoveslowlyandthatwasn’tDorinda’sway。
\"Whatareyougoingtodo？\"Iasked。
\"Work，\"snappedDorinda，unfurlingthedustcloth。\"It’sagoodmornin’forthat，too。\"
Iwentout，turnedthecornerofthehouseandfoundLutesoundasleeponthewashbenchbehindthekitchen。HisfullnamewasLutherMillardFilmoreRogers，andhewasDorinda’shusbandbylaw，andtheburdenwhichProvidence，orhardluck，hadorderedhertocarrythroughthisvaleoftears。ShewasagoodMethodistandtherewasnodoubtinhermindthatProvidencewasresponsible。
Whensherosetotestifyinprayer—meetingshealwaysmentionedher\"cross\"andeverybodyknewthatthecrosswasLuther。Shecarriedhim，butitisnomorethanfairtosaythatshedidn’tprovidehimwithcushions。Sheneverlethimforgetthathewasasteeragepassenger。However，Lutewaswellupholsteredwithphilosophy，ofakind，and，solongashedidn’thavetoworkhispassage，washappy，evenifthevoyagewasaratherroughone。
Justnowhewassupposedtoberakingthebackyard，buttherakewasbetweenhisknees，hisheadwastippedbackagainsttheshingledwallofthekitchen，andhewassleeping，withthesunshineilluminatinghisopenmouth，\"foralltheworldlikealampinapotatocellar，\"ashiswifehadsaidthelasttimeshecaughthiminthisposition。Shewentontosaythatitwasapityhewouldn’tstandonhisheadwhenheslept。\"ThenIcouldseeifyourskullwasashollerasIbelieveitis，\"shetoldhim。
LuteheardmeasIpassedhimandwokeup。The\"potatocellar\"
closedwithasnapandheseizedtherakehandleswithbothhands。
\"Iwastakin’asortofobservation，\"heexplainedhurriedly。
\"Figgerin’whetherI’dbetterbeginhereoroverbythebarn。Oh，it’syou，Roscoe，isit！Landsakes！Ithoughtfirst’twasDorindy。Whereyoubound？\"
\"Uptothevillage，\"Isaid。
\"Ain’tgoin’tothepost—office，beyou？\"
\"Imay；Idon’tknow。\"
Lutesighed。\"Iwaskindofcal’latin’togotheremyself，\"heobserved，regretfully。\"ThophNewcombandCap’nJedDeanandtherestofuswashavin’atalkonpoliticslastnightupthereand’twasmightyinterestin’。OldDeanhadThophprettywelloutoftheracewhenIhauledalongside，butwhenIgotintotheargument’twasdifferent。’What’sgoin’tobecomeofthelaborin’menofthiscountryifyouhavefreetrade？’Isays。Deanhadtogiveinthathedidn’tknow。’Mighthavetolettheirwivessupport’em，’
hesays，pompousasever。’Thatwouldbeacalamity，wouldn’tit，Lute？’Thatwasn’tnoanswer，ofcourse。Butyoucan’texpectsenseofaDemocrat。Ilefthimfumin’andcomeaway。I’vethoughtofalotmorequestionstoaskhimsinceandIwashopin’I
couldgetathimthismornin’。Butno！Dorindy’ssotonhavin’
thisyardraked，soIs’poseI’vegottodoit。\"
Hehaddroppedtherake，butnowheleanedover，pickeditup，androsefromthewashbench。
\"Is’poseI’vegottodoit，\"herepeated，\"unless，\"hopefully，\"youwantmetorunuptothevillageanddoyourerrandforyou。\"
\"No；Ihadn’tanyerrand。\"
\"Well，thenIs’poseI’dbetterstartin。Unlesstherewassomethin’elseyou’drutherI’ddoto—day。IftherewasIcoulddothisto—morrer。\"
\"To—morrowwouldhaveoneadvantage：therewouldbemoretorakethen。However，judgingbyDorinda’stemperthismorning，Ithink，perhaps，youhadbetterdoitto—day。\"
\"What’sDorindydoin’？\"
\"Sheisdustingthedining—room。\"
\"I’llbetyou！Andshedustedityesterdayandthedayafore。Doyouknow——\"Lutesatdownagainonthebench——\"sometimesIgetrealworriedabouther。\"
\"No！Doyou？\"
\"Yes，Ido。Ithinksheworkstoohard。Seems’sifsometimesithadkindofstrucktoherbrains——work，Imean。Shedon’tthinkofnothin’else。Nowtakethedustin’，forinstance。Dustin’sallright；Ibelieveindustin’things。ButIdon’tbelieveinwearin’
’emoutdustin’’em。Thatain’tsense，isit？\"
\"Itdoesn’tseemlikeit，that’safact。\"
\"Youbetitdon’t！Anditain’tgoodreligion，neither。Nowtake——
well，takethisyard，forinstance。WhatisitthatI’mslavin’
myselfoverthisfinemornin’？Why，rakin’thisyard！AndwhatamIrakin’？Why，deadleavesfromlastfall，andstrawsandsticksandpiecesofseaweedandsuchthathaveblowedindurin’thewinter。Andwhatblowed’emin？Why，thewind，sartin！Andwhosewindwasit？TheAlmighty’s，that’swhose！Nowthen！iftheAlmightydidn’tintendtohavedeadleavesaroundwhydidheputtreesfor’emtofalloffof？Ifhedidn’twantstrawsandseaweedandtruckaroundwhydidHesendthemeverlastin’no’theasterslastNovember？Didthatideaeverstrikeyou？\"
\"Idon’tknowthatiteverdid，exactlyinthatway。\"
\"No。Well，that’s’causeyouain’treasoneditout，sameasI
have。You’vegotthesametroublethatmostfolkshave，youdon’treasonthingsout。Now，let’slookatitstraightintheface。\"
Luteletgooftherakealtogetherandusedbothhandstoillustratehispoint。\"Thatfingerthere，we’llsay，isme，rakin’
andrakin’hardaseverIcan。AndthatfistthereistheAlmighty，notmeanin’anythingirreverent。Irake，sameasI’mdoin’thismornin’。Theyard’sallcleanedup。Then——zing！\"
Lute’sclenchedfistsweptacrossandknockedtheoffendingfingeroutoftheway。\"Zing！herecomesoneoftheAlmighty’sno’theasters，sameaswe’relikelytohaveto—morrer，andtheconsarnedyardisjustasdirtyasever。Ain’tthatso？\"
Ilookedattheyard。\"Itseemstobeaboutasitwas，\"Iagreed，withsomesarcasm。Lutewasanimmune，sofarassarcasmwasconcerned。
\"Yup，\"hesaid，triumphantly。\"Now，Dorindy，she’sagood，piouswoman。ShebelievesthePowersaboveordereverything。Ifthat’sso，thenain’titsacrilegioustobeallthetimeflyin’inthefaceofthemPowersbyrakin’andrakin’anddustin’anddustin’？
That’sthequestion。\"
\"But，accordingtothatreasoning，\"Iobserved，\"weshouldneitherrakenordust。Wouldn’tthatmakeoursurroundingsratheruncomfortable，afterawhile？\"
\"Sartin。Butwhentheygotuncomfortablethenwecouldturntoandmake’emcomfortableagain。Iain’targuin’againstwork——needfulwork，youunderstand。Ilikeit。AndIain’tthinkin’ofmyself，youknow，butaboutDorindy。Itworriesmetoseeherwearin’
herselfoutwith——withdustin’andsuch。Itain’tsenseand’tain’tgoodreligion。She’smywifeandit’smydutytothinkforherandlookoutforher。\"
Hepausedandreachedintohisoverallspocketforapipe。Findingit，hereachedintoanotherpocketforthewherewithaltofillit。
\"Haveyousuggestedtoherthatshe’sflyinginthefaceofProvidence？\"Iasked。
Luteshookhishead。\"No，\"headmitted，\"Iain’t。Gotanytobaccoaboutyou？Dorindyhovemyplugawayyesterday。Ileftitbackoftheclockandshefounditandwasmad——dustin’again，ofcourse。\"
HetookthepouchIhandedhim，filledhispipeandabsentlyputthepouchinhispocket。
\"Gotamatch？\"heasked。\"Thanks。No，Iain’tspoketoheraboutit，thoughit’sbeenonmymindforalongspell。Ididn’tknowbutyoumightsaysomethin’toheralongthatline，Roscoe。
’Twouldn’tsoundsopersonal，comin’fromyou。Whatdoyouthink？\"
Ishookmyhead。\"Dorindawouldn’tpaymuchattentiontomyideasonsuchsubjects，I’mafraid，\"Ianswered。\"SheknowsI’mnotaregularchurch—goer。\"
Lutewasplainlydisappointed。\"Well，\"hesaid，withasigh，\"maybeyou’reright。Shedoescal’lateyou’rekindofheathen，thoughshehopesyou’llseethelightsomeday。But，justthesame，\"headded，\"it’sagoodargument。Itrieditontheganguptothepost—officelastnight。Isaysto’em，saysI，’Work’sallright。Ibelieveinit。I’maworkin’man，myself。Buttoworkwhenyoudon’thavetoiswrong。TakeRosPaine，’Isays——\"
\"Whyshouldyoutakeme？\"Iinterrupted，rathersharply。
\"’Causeyou’rethebestexampleIcouldthinkof。Everybodyknowsyoudon’tdonowork。Shootin’andsailin’andfishin’ain’twork，andthat’saboutallyoudo。’TakeRos，’saysI。’Hemightbetowork。Hewasinabankuptothecityonceandheknowsthebankin’trade。Hemightbeatitnow，butwhatwouldbetheuse？’
Isays。’He’sgotenoughtoliveonandhelivesonit，’steadofkeepin’somepoorfelleroutofajob。’That’sright，too，ain’tit？\"
Ididn’tansweratonce。TherewasnoreasonwhyIshouldbeirritatedbecauseLutherRogershadheldmeupasashiningexampleofthedo—nothingclasstothecrowdofhangers—oninacountrypost—office。WhatdidIcareforDenboroopinion？Sixyearsinthatgossipyvillagehadmademe，soIthought，capableofrisingabovesuchthings。
\"Well，\"Iaskedafteramoment，\"whatdidtheysaytothat？\"
\"Oh，nothin’much。Theycouldn’t；Ihad’em，yousee。Someof’emlaughedandoldCap’nJedhehoveoutsomethin’aboutbirdsofafeatherstickin’upforeachother。Nosensetoit。But，asI
saidafore，whatcanyouexpectofaDemocrat？\"
Iturnedonmyheelandmovedtowardthebackgate。\"Ain’tgoin’，beyou？\"askedLute。\"Hadn’tyoubettersetdownandrestyourbreakfastaspell？\"
\"No，I’mgoing。Bytheway，ifyou’rethroughwiththattobaccopouchofmine，I’lltakeitoffyourhands。Imaywanttosmokebyandby。\"
Lutecoollyexplainedthathehadforgottenthepouch；ithad\"gonecleanoutofhishead。\"However，hehandeditoverandIlefthimseatedonthewashbench，withhisheadtippedbackagainsttheshingles。Iopenedthegateandstrolledslowlyalongthepathbytheedgeofthebluff。IhadgoneperhapsahundredyardswhenI
heardashrillvoicebehindme。Turning，IsawDorindastandingbythecornerofthekitchen，dustclothinhand。Herhusbandwasrakingfordearlife。
Iwalkedon。Themorningwasabeautifulone。Besidethepath，onthelandwardside，thebayberryandbeach—plumbusheswereinbud，thegreenofthenewgrasswasshowingabovethedeadbrownoftheold，abluebirdwasswayingonthestumpofawildcherrytree，andthepinesandscruboaksofthegrovebytheShoreLanewerebright，vividsplashesofcoloragainsttheblueofthesky。Atmyrighthandtheyellowsandofthebluffbrokesharplydowntothewhitebeachandthewatersofthebay，nowbeginningtoebb。
AcrossthebaythelighthouseatCrowPointglistenedwithnewpaintandIcouldseeamovingblackspeck，whichIknewwasBenSmall，thekeeper，busywhitewashingthefencebesideit。DownonthebeachZebKendrickwasoverhaulinghisdory。Inthedistance，beyondthegrove，Icouldhearthecarpenters’hammersontheroofofthebigAtwatermansion，whichwasnowthepropertyofJamesColton，theNewYorkmillionaire，whoserumoredcomingtoDenborotolivehadfilledthecolumnsofthecountryweeklyforthreemonths。ThequahaugboatswereanchoredjustinsidethePoint；aclamdiggerwaswadingalongtheouteredgeofthesedge；alobstermanwashaulinghispotsinthechannel；eventhebluebirdonthewildcherrystumphadastrawinhisbeakandwasplainlyinthemidstofnestbuilding。Everyonehadsomethingtodoandwasdoingit——everyoneexceptLuteRogersandmyself，the\"birdsofafeather。\"AndevenLutewasworkingnow，undercompulsion。
Ordinarilythesightofallthisindustrywouldnothaveaffectedme。Ihadseenitallbefore，orsomethinglikeit。ThesixyearsIhadspentinDenboro，thesixeverlasting，idle，monotonousyears，hadhadtheireffect。Ihadgrownhardenedandhadcometoacceptmyfate，atfirstrebelliously，thenwithmoreofLute’speculiarkindofphilosophy。Circumstanceshaddoomedmetobeagood—for—nothing，agentlemanloaferwithouttheusualexcuse——
money——and，asitwasmydoom，Iforcedmyselftoacceptit，ifnotwithpleasure，atleastwithresignation。AndIdeterminedtogetwhateverpleasuretheremightbeinit。So，whenIsawthemajorityofthehumanrace，eachwithapurposeinlife，strugglingtoattainthatpurpose，Ipassedthembywithmygunorfishingrodonmyshoulder，andasmileonmylips。Ifmyremnantofaconsciencepresumedtoriseandreproveme，Istampeditdown。Ithadnoreasonableexcuseforrising；Iwasn’twhatIwasfromchoice。
But，somehow，onthisparticularmorning，myunreasonableconsciencewasagainaliveandkicking。Perhapsitwasthequickeninginfluenceofthespringwhichresurrectedit；perhapsLuther’squotationfromtheremarksofCaptainJedediahDeanhadstirredittorebellion。Amanmayknow，inhisheart，thatheisnogoodandstillresenthavingotherssaythatheis，particularlywhentheysaythatheandLutherRogersarebirdsofafeather。I
didn’tcareforDean’sgoodopinion；ofcourseIdidn’t！NorforthatofanyoneelseinDenboro，mymotherexcepted。ButDeanandtherestshouldkeeptheiropinionstothemselves，confoundthem！
Thepathfromourhouse——thelattereveryDenboronativespokeofasthe\"PainePlace\"——woundalongtheedgeofthebluffforperhapsthreehundredyards，thenturnedsharplythroughthegroveofscruboaksandpitchpinesandemergedontheShoreLane。TheShoreLanewasnotapublicroad，inthestrictestsenseoftheterm。Itwasreallyapartofmylandand，leading，asitdid，fromtheLowerRoadtothebeach，wasusedasapublicroadmerelybecausemotherandIpermittedittobe。Ithadbeensoused，bysufferanceoftheformerowner，foryears，andwhenwecameintopossessionofthepropertywedidnotinterferewiththecustom。Landalongtheshorewasworthpreciouslittleatthattimeand，besides，itwaspleasant，ratherthandisagreeable，tohearthefishcartsgoingouttotheweirs，andthewagonscomingtothebeachforseaweed，or，filledwithpicnicparties，rattlingdowntheLane。Wecouldnotseethemfromthehouseuntiltheyhadpassedthegroveandemergeduponthebeach，buteventhenoiseofthemwaswelcome。
ThePainePlacewasagoodhalf—milefromtheLowerRoadandtherewerefewneighbors；therefore，especiallyinthewintermonths，anysoundsofsocietywerecomforting。
Istrodethroughthegrove，kickingthedeadbranchesoutofmyway，formymindwasstillbusywithLutherandCaptainDean。AsI
cameoutintotheLaneIlookedacrossattheAtwatermansion，nowthepropertyofthegreatandonlyColton，\"BigJim\"Colton，whosedealsandcornersinWallStreetsuppliedsomanyandsuchvariedsensationsforthefinancialpagesofthecitypapers，justasthoseofhiswifeandfamilysuppliednewsforthesocietycolumns；
Ilookedacross，Isay，andthenIstoppedshorttotakealongerlook。
Icouldseethecarpenters，whosehammersIhadheard，atworkupontheroofofthebarn，nowdestinedtododoubledutyasastableandgarage。They，andthepaintersandplumbers，hadbeenbusyonthepremisesformonths。Theestablishmenthadbeenabigone，evenwhenMajorAtwaterownedit，butthenewownershadtorndownandaddedandrebuiltuntilthehouseloomeduplikeapalaceoraNewportvilla。ANewportvillainDenboro！WhyonearthanyoneshoulddeliberatelychooseDenboroasaplacetoliveinIcouldn’tunderstand；butwhyamillionaire，withallcreationtoselectfrom，shouldbuildaNewportvillaonthebluffoverlookingDenboroBaywasbeyondcomprehension。ThereasongivenintheCapeCodItemwasthatMrs。Coltonwas\"indebilitatedhealth，\"whateverthatis，andhadbeencommandedbyherdoctorstoseekseaairandseclusionandrest。Well，therewasseaairandrest，nottomentionseclusionorsandandmosquitoes，forasquaremileaboutthenewvilla，andnooneknewthatbetterthanI，condemnedtolivewithinthesquare。ButifMrs。Coltonhaddeliberatelychosenthespot，withmaliceaforethought，theplaceforherwasahomeforthefeebleminded。Atleast，thatwasmyopiniononthatparticularmorning。
Itwasnotthecarpenterswhocausedmetopauseinmywalkandlookacrossthelaneandoverthestonewallatmynewneighbor’sresidence。Whatcaughtmyattentionwasthattheplacelookedtobeinhabited。Thewindowswereopen——fiftyorsoofthem——smokewasissuingfromoneofthesixchimneys；amaidinawhitecapandapronwasstandingbytheservants’entrance。Yes，andatall，bulkymanwithayachtingcaponthebackofhisheadandacigarinhismouthwastalkingwithAsaPeters，thebosscarpenter，bythebigdoorofthebarn。
Ihadnotbeenuptothevillagefortwodays，havingbeenemployedatourboat—houseonthebeachbelowthehouse，gettingmymotordoryintocommissionforthesummer。ButnowIrememberedthatLutehadsaidsomethingabouttheColtonsbeingexpected，orhavingarrived，andthatheseemedmuchexcitedoverit。Hewouldhavesaidmore，butDorindahadpouncedonhimandsenthimouttoshutupthechickens，whichgavehimtheexcusetoplaytruantandtakehisevening’striptothepost—office。ItwasplainthattheColtonsHADarrived。Verylikelythestoutmanwiththeyachtingcapwasthemighty\"BigJim\"himself。Well，Ididn’tenvyhiminhispresentsituation。Hehadmypity，ifanything。
PossiblythefactthatIcouldpitysomeoneotherthanmyselfhelpedtoraisemyspirits。AtanyrateImanagedtoshakeoffalittleofmygloomandtrampedonuptheLane，feelingmorelikeahumanbeingandlesslikeayellowdog。LessasIshouldimagineayellowdogoughttofeel，Imean，for，asamatteroffact，mostyellowdogsofmyacquaintanceseemtobeashappyastheirbrownorwhiteorblackrelatives。IwalkeduptheLane，turnedintotheLowerRoad，andheadedforthevillage。Thedaywasagorgeousone，theairbracingasatonic，andmythirtiethbirthdaywasnotyetsofarasternastobelostinthefog。Afterall，thereweresomeconsolationsinbeingaliveandinastateofhealthnot\"debilitated。\"Ibegantowhistle。
AquarterofamilefromthejunctionoftheShoreLane，ontheLowerRoad，wasawillow—shadedspot，wherethebrookwhichirrigatedElnathanMullet’scranberryswampranunderasmallwoodenbridge。ItwastherethatIfirstheardthehornand，turning，sawtheautomobilecomingfrombehindme。Itwasapproachingataspeedof，Ishouldsay，thirtymilesanhour，andIjumpedtotherailofthebridgetoletitpass。AutoswerenotascommonontheCapethenastheyhavebecomesince。Nowtheaveragepedestrianofcommon—sensejumpsfirstandlooksafterwards。
However，Ijumpedintime，andstoodstilltowatchthecarasitwentby。Butitdidnotgoby——notthen。Itsspeedslackenedasitapproachedanditcametoahaltonthebridgebesideme。Abigcar；anaristocraticcar；amachineofpompandpriceandpolish，suchasDenborosawbutseldom。Itcontainedthreepersons——acappedandgoggledchauffeuronthefrontseat，andayoungfellowandagirlinthetonneau。Theyattractedmyattentioninjustthatorder——firstthechauffeur，thentheyoungfellow，and，lastofall，thegirl。
Itwasthechauffeurwhohailedme。Heleanedacrosstheupholsterybesidehimand，stillholdingthewheel，said：
\"Say，Bill，what’sthequickestwaytogettoBayport？\"
Nowmynamedoesn’thappentobeBillandjustthenIobjectedtothere—christening。AtanothertimeImighthaveappreciatedthejokeandgivenhimtheinformationwithoutcomment。ButthismorningIdidn’tfeellikejoking。Mydissatisfactionwiththeworldingeneralincludedautomobilistswhomadecommonfolksgetoutoftheirway，andIwasresentful。
\"Ishouldsaythatyouhadpickedaboutasquickawayasany，\"I
answered。
Thechauffeurdidn’tseemtograspthetrueinwardnessofthisbrilliantbit。
\"Aw，what——\"hestammered。\"Say，what——lookhere，Iaskedyou——\"
Thentheyoungmaninthetonneautookchargeoftheconversation。
Hewasaveryyoungman，withblondhairandasilkymustache，andhisclothesfittedhimasclotheshavenorighttofit——onCapeCod。
\"That’lldo，Oscar，\"heordered。Then，turningtome，hesaid：
\"Seehere，myman，wewanttogotoBayport。\"
Iwasnothisman，andwouldn’thavebeenforsomething。Thechauffeurhadirritatedme，butheirritatedmemore。Ididn’tlikehim，hislooks，hisclothes，and，particularly，hismanner。
Therefore，becauseIdidn’tfeellikeanswering，Ishowedmyindependencebyremainingsilent。
\"What’sthematter？\"hedemanded，impatiently。\"Areyoudeaf？I
saywewanttogotoBayport。\"
AnewspaperjokewhichIhadrecentlyreadcametomymind。\"Verywell，\"Isaid，\"youhavemypermission。\"
Itwasarudethingtosay，andnotevenoriginal。Idon’tattempttoexcuseit。Infact，IwassorryassoonasIhadsaidit。Ithaditseffect。Theyoungmanturnedred。Thenhelaughedaloud。
\"Well，byJove！\"heexclaimed。\"Whathavewehere？Ahumorist，I
dobelieve！Mabel，we’vediscoveredagenuine，ruralhumorist。
AnotherDavidHarum，byJove！Lookathim！\"
Thegirlinthetonneausweptasideherveilandlooked，asdirected。AndIlookedather。ThefacethatIsawwassweetandrefinedanddelicate，abeautifulyoungface，thefaceofalady，bornandbred。AllthisIsawandrealizedataglance；butwhatI
wasmostconsciousofatthetimewasthelookinthedarkeyesastheysurveyedmefromheadtofoot。Indifferencewasthere，andcontemptuousamusement；shedidn’tevencondescendtosmile，muchlessspeak。Underthatlookmyself—importanceshrankuntiltheyellowdogwithwhichIhadcomparedmyselfloomedaslargeasanelephant。Shemighthavelookedthatwayatsomecuriousandratherridiculousbug，justbeforecallingaservanttosteponit。
Theyoungmanlaughedagain。\"Isn’titawonder，Mabel？\"heasked。
\"Thenativewitonhisnativeheath！Reuben——pardonme，yournameisReuben，isn’tit？——nowthatyou’vehadyourlittlejoke，wouldyoucondescendtotellustheroadwhichweshouldtaketoreachBayportintheshortesttime？Wouldyouobligeustothatextent？\"
Theyoungladysmiledatthis。\"Victor，\"shesaid，\"howidioticyouare！\"
Iagreedwithher。Idiotwasoneoftheterms，themildest，whichIshouldhaveappliedtothatyoungman。IwantedverymuchtoremovehimfromthatcarbywhatLutewouldcallthescruffoftheneck。Butmostofall，justthen，Iwantedtobealone，toseethelastoftheautoanditsoccupants。
\"Firstturntotheright，secondtotheleft，\"Isaid，sullenly。
\"Thankyou，Reuben，\"vouchsafedtheyoungman。\"Here’shopingthatyourvegetablesarefresherthanyourjokes。Goahead，Oscar。\"
Thechauffeurthrewintheclutchandthecarbuzzeduptheroad，turningthecorneratfullspeed。Therewasalooseboardprojectingfromthebridgejustundermyfeet。Asamember——thoughaninactiveone——oftheVillageImprovementSocietyIshouldhavetroddenitbackintoplace。Ididn’t；Ikickeditintothebrook。
ThenIwalkedon。Buttheremainderofmymarchwasasilentone，withoutmusic。Ididnotwhistle。