\"Iknowhedidn\'tsleeplastnight,afteryouallwentaway,\"Conradpursued,\"andofcoursethatmadehimmoreirritable;andhewastriedagooddealbysomeofthethingsthatMr。Lindausaid。\"
\"Iwastriedagooddealmyself,\"saidMarch。\"Lindauoughtnevertohavebeenthere。\"
\"No。\"Conradseemedonlypartiallytoassent。
\"ItoldMr。Fulkersonso。IwarnedhimthatLindauwouldbeapttobreakoutinsomeway。Itwasn\'tjusttohim,anditwasn\'tjusttoyourfather,toaskhim。\"
\"Mr。Fulkersonhadagoodmotive,\"Conradgentlyurged。\"Hediditbecausehehurthisfeelingsthatdayaboutthepension。\"
\"Yes,butitwasamistake。HeknewthatLindauwasinflexibleabouthisprinciples,ashecallsthem,andthatoneofhisfirstprinciplesistodenouncetherichinseasonandoutofseason。Idon\'trememberjustwhathesaidlastnight;andIreallythoughtI\'dkepthimfrombreakingoutinthemostoffensiveway。Butyourfatherseemsverymuchincensed。\"
\"Yes,Iknow,\"saidConrad。
\"Ofcourse,Idon\'tagreewithLindau。Ithinkthereareasmanygood,kind,justpeopleamongtherichasthereareamongthepoor,andthattheyareasgenerousandhelpful。ButLindauhasgotholdofoneofthosepartialtruthsthathurtworsethanthewholetruth,and——\"
\"Partialtruth!\"theyoungmaninterrupted。\"Didn\'ttheSaviourhimselfsay,\'HowhardlyshalltheythathaverichesenterintothekingdomofGod?\'\"
\"Why,blessmysoul!\"criedMarch。\"DoyouagreewithLindau?\"
\"IagreewiththeLordJesusChrist,\"saidtheyoungman,solemnly,andastrangelightoffanaticism,ofexaltation,cameintohiswideblueeyes。
\"AndIbelieveHemeantthekingdomofheavenuponthisearth,aswellasintheskies。\"
Marchthrewhimselfbackinhischairandlookedathimwithakindofstupefaction,inwhichhiseyewanderedtothedoorway,wherehesawFulkersonstanding,itseemedtohimalongtime,beforeheheardhimsaying:\"Hello,hello!What\'stherow?ConradpitchingintoyouonoldLindau\'saccount,too?\"
Theyoungmanturned,and,afteraglanceatFulkerson\'slight,smilingface,wentout,asifinhispresentmoodhecouldnotbearthecontactofthatpersiflantspirit。
Marchfelthimselfgettingprovisionallyveryangryagain。\"Excuseme,Fulkerson,butdidyouknowwhenyouwentoutwhatMr。Dryfooswantedtoseemefor?\"
\"Well,no,Ididn\'texactly,\"saidFulkerson,takinghisusualseatonachairandlookingoverthebackofitatMarch。\"Isawhewasonhiscaraboutsomething,andIthoughtI\'dbetternotmonkeywithhimmuch。
IsupposedhewasgoingtobringyoutobookaboutoldLindau,somehow。\"
Fulkersonbrokeintoalaugh。
Marchremainedserious。\"Mr。Dryfoos,\"hesaid,willingtoletthesimplestatementhaveitsownweightwithFulkerson,andnothingmore,\"cameinhereandorderedmetodischargeLindaufromhisemploymentonthemagazine——toturnhimoff,asheputit。\"
\"Didhe?\"askedFulkerson,withunbrokencheerfulness。\"Theoldmanisbusiness,everytime。Well,IsupposeyoucaneasilygetsomebodyelsetodoLindau\'sworkforyou。Thistownisjustrunningoverwithhalf-
starvedlinguists。Whatdidyousay?\"
\"WhatdidIsay?\"Marchechoed。\"Lookhere,Fulkerson;youmayregardthisasajoke,butIdon\'t。I\'mnotusedtobeingspokentoasifI
weretheforemanofashop,andtoldtodischargeasensitiveandcultivatedmanlikeLindau,asifhewereadrunkenmechanic;andifthat\'syourideaofme——\"
\"Oh,hello,now,March!Youmustn\'tmindtheoldman\'sway。Hedon\'tmeananythingbyit——hedon\'tknowanybetter,ifyoucometothat。\"
\"ThenIknowbetter,\"saidMarch。\"IrefusedtoreceiveanyinstructionsfromMr。Dryfoos,whomIdon\'tknowinmyrelationswith\'EveryOtherWeek,\'andIreferredhimtoyou。\"
\"Youdid?,\"Fulkersonwhistled。\"Heownsthething!\"
\"Idon\'tcarewhoownsthething,\"saidMarch。\"Mynegotiationswerewithyoualonefromthebeginning,andIleavethismatterwithyou。
WhatdoyouwishdoneaboutLindau?\"
\"Oh,betterlettheoldfooldrop,\"saidFulkerson。\"He\'lllightonhisfeetsomehow,anditwillsavealotofrumpus。\"
\"AndifIdeclinetolethimdrop?\"
\"Oh,come,now,March;don\'tdothat,\"Fulkersonbegan。
\"IfIdeclinetolethimdrop,\"Marchrepeated,\"whatwillyoudo?\"
\"I\'llbedoggedifIknowwhatI\'lldo,\"saidFulkerson。\"Ihopeyouwon\'ttakethatstand。Iftheoldmanwentsofarastospeaktoyouaboutit,hismindismadeup,andwemightaswellknockunderfirstaslast。\"
\"AnddoyoumeantosaythatyouwouldnotstandbymeinwhatI
consideredmyduty-inamatterofprinciple?\"
\"Why,ofcourse,March,\"saidFulkerson,coaxingly,\"Imeantodotherightthing。ButDryfoosownsthemagazine——\"
\"Hedoesn\'townme,\"saidMarch,rising。\"Hehasmadethelittlemistakeofspeakingtomeasifhedid;andwhen\"——Marchputonhishatandtookhisovercoatdownfromitsnail——\"whenyoubringmehisapologies,orcometosaythat,havingfailedtomakehimunderstandtheywerenecessary,youarepreparedtostandbyme,Iwillcomebacktothisdesk。Otherwisemyresignationisatyourservice。\"
Hestartedtowardthedoor,andFulkersoninterceptedhim。\"Ah,now,lookhere,March!Don\'tdothat!Hangitall,don\'tyouseewhereitleavesme?Now,youjustsitdownaminuteandtalkitover。Icanmakeyousee——Icanshowyou——Why,confoundtheoldDutchbeer-buzzer!Twentyofhimwouldn\'tbeworththetroublehe\'smakin\'。Lethimgo,andtheoldman\'llcomeroundintime。\"
\"Idon\'tthinkwe\'veunderstoodeachotherexactly,Mr。Fulkerson,\"saidMarch,veryhaughtily。\"Perhapswenevercan;butI\'llleaveyoutothinkitout。\"
Hepushedon,andFulkersonstoodasidetolethimpass,withadazedlookandamechanicalmovement。TherewassomethingcomicinhisruefulbewildermenttoMarch,whowastemptedtosmile,buthesaidtohimselfthathehadasmuchreasontobeunhappyasFulkerson,andhedidnotsmile。HisindignationkepthimhotinhispurposetosufferanyconsequenceratherthansubmittothedictationofamanlikeDryfoos;
hefeltkeenlythedegradationofhisconnectionwithhim,andallhisresentmentofFulkerson\'soriginaluncandorreturned;atthesametimehisheartachedwithforeboding。Itwasnotmerelytheworkinwhichhehadconstantlygrownhappierthathesawtakenfromhim;buthefeltthemiseryofthemanwhostakesthesecurityandplentyandpeaceofhomeuponsomecast,andknowsthatlosingwillsweepfromhimmostthatmostmenfindsweetandpleasantinlife。Hefacedthefact,whichnogoodmancanfrontwithoutterror,thathewasriskingthesupportofhisfamily,andforapointofpride,ofhonor,whichperhapshehadnorighttoconsiderinviewofthepossibleadversity。Herealized,aseveryhirelingmust,nomatterhowskillfullyorgracefullythetieiscontrivedforhiswearing,thathebelongstoanother,whosewillishislaw。HisindignationwasshotwithabjectimpulsestogobackandtellFulkersonthatitwasallright,andthathegaveup。Toendtheanguishofhisstrugglehequickenedhissteps,sothathefoundhewasreachinghomealmostatarun。
VIII。
Hemusthavemademoreclatterthanhesupposedwithhiskeyattheapartmentdoor,forhiswifehadcometolethiminwhenheflungitopen。\"Why,Basil,\"shesaid,\"what\'sbroughtyouback?Areyousick?
You\'reallpale。Well,nowonder!ThisisthelastofMr。Fulkerson\'sdinnersyoushallgoto。You\'renotstrongenoughforit,andyourstomachwillbealloutoforderforaweek。Howhotyouare!andinadripofperspiration!Nowyou\'llbesick。\"Shetookhishataway,whichhungdanglinginhishand,andpushedhimintoachairwithtenderimpatience。\"Whatisthematter?Hasanythinghappened?\"
\"Everythinghashappened,\"hesaid,gettinghisvoiceafteroneortwohuskyendeavorsforit;andthenhepouredoutaconfusedandhuddledstatementofthecase,fromwhichsheonlygotatthesituationbyprolongedcross-questioning。
Attheendshesaid,\"IknewLindauwouldgetyouintotrouble。\"
ThiscutMarchtotheheart。\"Isabel!\"hecried,reproachfully。
\"Oh,Iknow,\"sheretorted,andthetearsbegantocome。\"Idon\'twonderyoudidn\'twanttosaymuchtomeaboutthatdinneratbreakfast。
Inoticedit;butIthoughtyouwerejustdull,andsoIdidn\'tinsist。
IwishIhad,now。IfyouhadtoldmewhatLindauhadsaid,Ishouldhaveknownwhatwouldhavecomeofit,andIcouldhaveadvisedyou——\"
\"Wouldyouhaveadvisedme,\"Marchdemanded,curiously,\"tosubmittobullyinglikethat,andmeeklyconsenttocommitanactofcrueltyagainstamanwhohadoncebeensuchafriendtome?\"
\"Itwasanunluckydaywhenyoumethim。Isupposeweshallhavetogo。
AndjustwhenwebadgotusedtoNewYork,andbeguntolikeit。Idon\'tknowwhereweshallgonow;Bostonisn\'tlikehomeanymore;andwecouldn\'tliveontwothousandthere;Ishouldbeashamedtotry。I\'msureIdon\'tknowwherewecanliveonit。Isupposeinsomecountryvillage,wheretherearenoschools,oranythingforthechildren。I
don\'tknowwhatthey\'llsaywhenwetellthem,poorthings。\"
EverywordwasastabinMarch\'sheart,soweaklytendertohisown;hiswife\'stears,aftersomuchexperienceofthecomparativelightnessofthegriefsthatweepthemselvesoutinwomen,alwaysseemedwrungfromhisownsoul;ifhischildrensufferedintheleastthroughhim,hefeltlikeamurderer。Itwasfarworsethanhecouldhaveimagined,thewayhiswifetooktheaffair,thoughhehadimaginedcertainwords,orperhapsonlylooks,fromherthatwerebadenough。Hehadallowedfortrouble,buttroubleonhisaccount:asvmpathythatmightburdenandembarrasshim;buthehadnotdreamedofthismerelydomestic,thispetty,thissordidviewoftheirpotentialcalamity,whichlefthimwhollyoutofthequestion,andembracedonlywhatwasmostcrushinganddesolatingintheprospect。Hecouldnotbearit。Hecaughtuphishatagain,and,withsomehopethathiswifewouldtrytokeephim,rushedoutofthehouse。Hewanderedaimlesslyabout,thinkingthesameexhaustingthoughtsoverandover,tillhefoundhimselfhorriblyhungry;
thenhewentintoarestaurantforhislunch,andwhenhepaidhetriedtoimaginehowheshouldfeelifthatwerereallyhislastdollar。
Hewenthometowardthemiddleoftheafternoon,baselyhopingthatFulkersonhadsenthimsomeconciliatorymessage,orperhapswaswaitingthereforhimtotalkitover;Marchwasquitewillingtotalkitovernow。Butitwashiswifewhoagainmethimatthedoor,thoughitseemedanotherwomanthantheonehehadleftweepinginthemorning。
\"Itoldthechildren,\"shesaid,insmilingexplanationofhisabsencefromlunch,\"thatperhapsyouweredetainedbybusiness。Ididn\'tknowbutyouhadgonebacktotheoffice。\"
\"DidyouthinkIwouldgobackthere,Isabel?\"askedMarch,withahaggardlook。\"Well,ifyousayso,Iwillgoback,anddowhatDryfoosorderedmetodo。I\'msufficientlycowedbetweenhimandyou,Icanassureyou。\"
\"Nonsense,\"shesaid。\"Iapproveofeverythingyoudid。Butsitdown,now,anddon\'tkeepwalkingthatway,andletmeseeifIunderstanditperfectly。Ofcourse,Ihadtohavemysayout。\"
ShemadehimgoalloverhistalkwithDryfoosagain,andreporthisownlanguageprecisely。Fromtimetotime,asshegothispoints,shesaid,\"Thatwassplendid,\"\"Goodenoughforhim!\"and\"Oh,I\'msogladyousaidthattohim!\"Attheendshesaid:
\"Well,now,let\'slookatitfromhispointofview。Let\'sbeperfectlyjusttohimbeforewetakeanotherstepforward。\"
\"Orbackward,\"Marchsuggested,ruefully。\"Thecaseissimplythis:heownsthemagazine。\"
\"Ofcourse。\"
\"AndhehasarighttoexpectthatIwillconsiderhispecuniaryinterests——\"
\"Oh,thosedetestablepecuniaryinterests!Don\'tyouwishtherewasn\'tanymoneyintheworld?\"
\"Yes;orelsethattherewasagreatdealmoreofit。AndIwasperfectlywillingtodothat。Ihavealwayskeptthatinmindasoneofmydutiestohim,eversinceIunderstoodwhathisrelationtothemagazinewas。\"
\"Yes,Icanbearwitnesstothatinanycourtofjustice。You\'vedoneitagreatdealmorethanIcould,Basil。Anditwasjustthesamewaywiththosehorribleinsurancepeople。\"
\"Iknow,\"Marchwenton,tryingtobeproofagainstherflatteries,oratleasttolookasifhedidnotdeservepraise;\"IknowthatwhatLindausaidwasoffensivetohim,andIcanunderstandhowhefeltthathehadarighttopunishit。AllIsayisthathehadnorighttopunishitthroughme。\"
\"Yes,\"saidMrs。March,askingly。
\"Ifithadbeenaquestionofmaking\'EveryOtherWeek\'thevehicleofLindau\'speculiaropinions——thoughthey\'renotsoverypeculiar;hemighthavegotthemostofthemoutofRuskin——Ishouldn\'thavehadanygroundtostandon,oratleastthenIshouldhavehadtoaskmyselfwhetherhisopinionswouldbeinjurioustothemagazineornot。\"
\"Idon\'tsee,\"Mrs。Marchinterpolated,\"howtheycouldhurtitmuchworsethanColonelWoodburn\'sarticlecryingupslavery。\"
\"Well,\"saidMarch,impartially,\"wecouldprintadozenarticlespraisingtheslaveryit\'simpossibletohaveback,anditwouldn\'thurtus。ButifweprintedonepaperagainsttheslaverywhichLindauclaimsstillexists,somepeoplewouldcallusbadnames,andthecounting-roomwouldbegintofeelit。Butthatisn\'tthepoint。Lindau\'sconnectionwith\'EveryOtherWeek\'isalmostpurelymechanical;he\'smerelyatranslatorofsuchstoriesandsketchesashefirstsubmitstome,anditisn\'tatallaquestionofhisopinionshurtingus,butofmybecominganagenttopunishhimforhisopinions。ThatiswhatIwouldn\'tdo;that\'swhatIneverwilldo。\"
\"Ifyoudid,\"saidhiswife,\"Ishouldperfectlydespiseyou。Ididn\'tunderstandhowitwasbefore。IthoughtyouwerejustholdingoutagainstDryfoosbecausehetookadictatorialtonewithyou,andbecauseyouwouldn\'trecognizehisauthority。ButnowI\'mwithyou,Basil,everytime,asthathorridlittleFulkersonsays。Butwhowouldeverhavesupposedhewouldbesobaseastosideagainstyou?\"
\"Idon\'tknow,\"saidMarch,thoughtfully,\"thatwehadarighttoexpectanythingelse。Fulkerson\'sstandardsarelow;they\'remerelybusinessstandards,andthegoodthat\'sinhimisincidentalandsomethingquiteapartfromhismoralsandmethods。He\'snaturallyagenerousandright-
mindedcreature,butlifehastaughthimtotruckleandtrick,liketherestofus。\"
\"Ithasn\'ttaughtyouthat,Basil。\"
\"Don\'tbesosure。Perhapsit\'sonlythatI\'mapoorscholar。ButI
don\'tknow,really,thatIdespiseFulkersonsomuchforhiscoursethismorningasforhisgrossandfulsomeflatteriesofDryfooslastnight。
Icouldhardlystomachit。\"
Hiswifemadehimtellherwhattheywere,andthenshesaid,\"Yes,thatwasloathsome;Icouldn\'thavebelieveditofMr。Fulkerson。\"
\"Perhapsheonlydidittokeepthetalkgoing,andtogivetheoldmanachancetosaysomething,\"Marchlenientlysuggested。\"Itwasaworseeffectbecausehedidn\'torcouldn\'tfollowupFulkerson\'slead。\"
\"Itwasloathsome,allthesame,\"hiswifeinsisted。\"It\'stheendofMr。Fulkerson,asfarasI\'mconcerned。\"
\"Ididn\'ttellyoubefore,\"Marchresumed,afteramoment,\"ofmylittleinterviewwithConradDryfoosafterhisfatherleft,\"andnowhewentontorepeatwhathadpassedbetweenhimandtheyoungman。
\"Isuspectthatheandhisfatherhadbeenhavingsomewordsbeforetheoldmancameuptotalkwithme,andthatitwasthatmadehimsofurious。\"
\"Yes,butwhatastrangepositionforthesonofsuchamantotake!
Doyousupposehesayssuchthingstohisfather?\"
\"Idon\'tknow;butIsuspectthatinhismeekwayConradwouldsaywhathebelievedtoanybody。Isupposewemustregardhimasakindofcrank。\"
\"Pooryoungfellow!Healwaysmakesmefeelsad,somehow。Hehassuchapatheticface。Idon\'tbelieveIeversawhimlookquitehappy,exceptthatnightatMrs。Horn\'s,whenhewastalkingwithMissVance;andthenhemademefeelsadderthanever。\"
\"Idon\'tenvyhimthelifeheleadsathome,withthoseconvictionsofhis。Idon\'tseewhyitwouldn\'tbeastolerablethereforoldLindauhimself。\"
\"Well,now,\"saidMrs。March,\"letusputthemalloutofourmindsandseewhatwearegoingtodoourselves。\"
Theybegantoconsidertheirwaysandmeans,andhowandwheretheyshouldlive,inviewofMarch\'sseveranceofhisrelationswith\'EveryOtherWeek。\'Theyhadnotsavedanythingfromthefirstyear\'ssalary;
theyhadonlypreparedtosave;andtheyhadnothingsolidbuttheirtwothousandtocountupon。ButtheybuiltafutureinwhichtheyeasilylivedonthatandonwhatMarchearnedwithhispen。Hebecameafreelance,andfoughtinwhatevercausehethoughtjust;hehadnoties,nochains。TheywentbacktoBostonwiththeheroicwilltodowhatwasmostdistasteful;theywouldhavereturnedtotheirownhouseiftheyhadnotrenteditagain;but,anyrate,Mrs。Marchhelpedoutbytakingboarders,orperhapsonlylettingroomstolodgers。Theyhadsomehardstruggles,buttheysucceeded。
\"Thegreatthing,\"shesaid,\"istoberight。I\'mtentimesashappyasifyouhadcomehomeandtoldmethatyouhadconsentedtodowhatDryfoosaskedandhehaddoubledyoursalary。\"
\"Idon\'tthinkthatwouldhavehappenedinanyevent,\"saidMarch,dryly。
\"Well,nomatter。Ijustuseditforanexample。\"
Theybothexperiencedabuoyantrelief,suchasseemstocometopeoplewhobeginlifeanewonwhateverterms。\"Ihopeweareyoungenoughyet,Basil,\"shesaid,andshewouldnothaveitwhenhesaidtheyhadoncebeenyounger。
Theyheardthechildren\'sknockonthedoor;theyknockedwhentheycamehomefromschoolsothattheirmothermightletthemin。\"Shallwetellthematonce?\"sheasked,andrantoopenforthembeforeMarchcouldanswer。
Theywerenotalone。Fulkerson,smilingfromeartoear,waswiththem。
\"IsMarchin?\"heasked。
\"Mr。Marchisathome,yes,\"shesaidveryhaughtily。\"He\'sinhisstudy,\"andsheledthewaythere,whilethechildrenwenttotheirrooms。
\"Well,March,\"Fulkersoncalledoutatsightofhim,\"it\'sallright!
Theoldmanhascomedown。\"
\"Isupposeifyougentlemenaregoingtotalkbusiness——\"Mrs。Marchbegan。
\"Oh,wedon\'twantyoutogoaway,\"saidFulkerson。\"IreckonMarchhastoldyou,anyway。\"
\"Yes,I\'vetoldher,\"saidMarch。\"Don\'tgo,Isabel。Whatdoyoumean,Fulkerson?\"
\"He\'sjustgoneonuphome,andhesentmeroundwithhisapologies。
Heseesnowthathehadnobusinesstospeaktoyouashedid,andhewithdrawseverything。He\'d\'a\'comeroundhimselfifI\'dsaidso,butI
toldhimIcouldmakeitallright。\"
Fulkersonlookedsohappyinhavingthewholeaffairputright,andtheMarchesknewhimtobesokindlyaffectedtowardthem,thattheycouldnotrefuseforthemomenttosharehismood。Theyfeltthemselvesslippingdownfromthemoralheightwhichtheyhadgained,andMarchmadeaclutchtostayhimselfwiththequestion,\"AndLindau?\"
\"Well,\"saidFulkerson,\"he\'sgoingtoleaveLindautome。Youwon\'thaveanythingtodowithit。I\'lllettheoldfellowdowneasy。\"
\"Doyoumean,\"askedMarch,\"thatMr。Dryfoosinsistsonhisbeingdismissed?\"
\"Why,thereisn\'tanydismissingaboutit,\"Fulkersonargued。\"Ifyoudon\'tsendhimanymorework,hewon\'tdoanymore,that\'sall。Orifhecomesround,youcan——He\'stobereferredtome。\"
Marchshookhishead,andhiswife,withasigh,feltherselfpluckedupfromthesoftcircumstanceoftheirlives,whichshehadsunkbackintosoquickly,andsetbesidehimonthatcoldpeakofprincipleagain。
\"Itwon\'tdo,Fulkerson。It\'sverygoodofyou,andallthat,butitcomestothesamethingintheend。IcouldhavegoneonwithoutanyapologyfromMr。Dryfoos;hetranscendedhisauthority,butthat\'saminormatter。Icouldhaveexcusedittohisignoranceoflifeamonggentlemen;butIcan\'tconsenttoLindau\'sdismissal——itcomestothat,whetheryoudoitorIdoit,andwhetherit\'sapositiveoranegativething——becauseheholdsthisopinionorthat。\"
\"Butdon\'tyousee,\"saidFulkerson,\"thatit\'sjustLindau\'sopinionstheoldmancan\'tstand?Hehasn\'tgotanythingagainsthimpersonally。
Idon\'tsupposethere\'sanybodythatappreciatesLindauinsomewaysmorethantheoldmandoes。\"
\"Iunderstand。Hewantstopunishhimforhisopinions。Well,Ican\'tconsenttothat,directlyorindirectly。Wedon\'tprinthisopinions,andhehasaperfectrighttoholdthem,whetherMr。Dryfoosagreeswiththemornot。\"
Mrs。Marchhadjudgeditdecorousforhertosaynothing,butshenowwentandsatdowninthechairnextherhusband。
\"Ah,dogonit!\"criedFulkerson,rumplinghishairwithbothhishands。
\"WhatamItodo?Theoldmansayshe\'sgottogo。\"
\"AndIdon\'tconsenttohisgoing,\"saidMarch。
\"Andyouwon\'tstayifhegoes。\"
Fulkersonrose。\"Well,well!I\'vegottoseeaboutit。I\'mafraidtheoldmanwon\'tstandit,March;Iam,indeed。Iwishyou\'dreconsider。
I——I\'dtakeitasapersonalfavorifyouwould。Itleavesmeinafix。
YouseeI\'vegottosidewithoneortheother。\"
Marchmadenoreplytothis,excepttosay,\"Yes,youmuststandbyhim,oryoumuststandbyme。\"
\"Well,well!Holdonawhile!I\'llseeyouinthemorning。Don\'ttakeanysteps——\"
\"Oh,therearenostepstotake,\"saidMarch,withamelancholysmile。
\"Thestepsarestopped;that\'sall。\"HesankbackintohischairwhenFulkersonwasgoneanddrewalongbreath。\"Thisisprettyrough。I
thoughtwehadgotthroughit。\"
\"No,\"saidhiswife。\"ItseemsasifIhadtomakethefightalloveragain。\"
\"Well,it\'sagoodthingit\'saholywar。\"
\"Ican\'tbearthesuspense。Whydidn\'tyoutellhimoutrightyouwouldn\'tgobackonanyterms?\"
\"Imightaswell,andgottheglory。He\'llnevermoveDryfoos。I
supposewebothwouldliketogoback,ifwecould。\"
\"Oh,Isupposeso。\"
Theycouldnotregaintheirlostexaltation,theirlostdignity。AtdinnerMrs。MarchaskedthechildrenhowtheywouldliketogobacktoBostontolive。
\"Why,we\'renotgoing,arewe?\"askedTom,withoutenthusiasm。
\"Iwasjustwonderinghowyoufeltaboutit,now,\"shesaid,withanunderlookatherhusband。
\"Well,ifwegoback,\"saidBella,\"IwanttoliveontheBackBay。It\'sawfullyMickyattheSouthEnd。\"
\"IsupposeIshouldgotoHarvard,\"saidTom,\"andI\'droomoutatCambridge。ItwouldbeeasiertogetatyouontheBackBay。\"
Theparentssmiledruefullyateachother,and,inviewofthesegrandexpectationsofhischildren,MarchresolvedtogoasfarashecouldinmeetingDryfoos\'swishes。Heproposedthetheatreasadistractionfromtheanxietiesthatheknewwerepressingequallyonhiswife。\"Wemightgotothe\'OldHomestead,\'\"hesuggested,withasadirony,whichonlyhiswifefelt。
\"Ohyes,let\'s!\"criedBella。
Whiletheyweregettingready,someonerang,andBellawenttothedoor,andthencametotellherfatherthatitwasMr。Lindau。\"Hesayshewantstoseeyoujustamoment。He\'sintheparlor,andhewon\'tsitdown,oranything。\"
\"Whatcanhewant?\"groanedMrs。March,fromtheircommondismay。
Marchapprehendedastormintheoldman\'sface。Butheonlystoodinthemiddleoftheroom,lookingverysadandgrave。\"YouareGoingoudt,\"hesaid。\"Iwon\'tgeepyoulong。Ihafgometopringpackdosemacassinesanddismawney。Ican\'tdoanymorevoarkforyou;andI
can\'tgeepthemawneyyouhafbaidmea\'ready。Itissnothawnestmawney——thathassbeenoarnedpyvoark;itissmawneythathasspeenmatepysbeculation,andtheobbressionofflapor,andthenecessityoftheboor,pyaman——Hereitis,eferytollar,eferyzent。Dakeit;Ifeelasifderevasploodtonit。\"
\"Why,Lindau,\"Marchbegan,buttheoldmaninterruptedhim。
\"Ton\'tdalktome,Passil!Icouldnothafbelievedtitofyou。WhenyouknowhowIfeelaboutdosetings,whytidn\'tyoudellmewhosemawneyyoubayoudttome?Ach,Iton\'tplameyou——Iton\'trebroachyou。Youhafneferthoughtofit;boatIhavethought,andIshouldbeGuilty,Imustsharethatman\'sGuilt,ifIgepthissmawney。Ifyouhattoldtmeatthepeginning——ifyouhatpeenfrankwithmeboatitissallrighdt;
youcangoon;youton\'tseedesetingsasIseethem;andyouhafcotafamily,andIamafreeman。Ivoarktomyself,andwhenIton\'tvoark,Isdarfetomyself。But。Igeepmyhandtsglean,voarkorsdarfe。Gifhimhissmawneypack!Iamsawryforhim;Iwouldnothoarthissfeelings,boatIcouldnotpeartodouchhim,andhissmawneyisslikeboison!\"
MarchtriedtoreasonwithLindau,toshowhimthefolly,theinjustice,theabsurdityofhiscourse;itendedintheirbothgettingangry,andinLindau\'sgoingawayinawhirlofGermanthatincludedBasilintheguiltofthemanwhomLindaucalledhismaster。
\"Well,\"saidMrs。March。\"Heisacrank,andIthinkyou\'rewellridofhim。NowyouhavenoquarrelwiththathorridoldDryfoos,andyoucankeeprighton。\"
\"Yes,\"saidMarch,\"Iwishitdidn\'tmakemefeelsosneaking。Whatalongdayit\'sbeen!ItseemslikeacenturysinceIgotup。\"
\"Yes,athousandyears。Isthereanythingelselefttohappen?\"
\"Ihopenot。I\'dliketogotobed。\"
\"Why,aren\'tyougoingtothetheatre?\"wailedBella,cominginuponherfather\'sdesperateexpression。
\"Thetheatre?Ohyes,certainly!Imeantafterwegothome,\"andMarchamusedhimselfatthepuzzledcountenanceofthechild。\"Comeon!
IsTomready?\"
IX。
FulkersonpartedwiththeMarchesinsuchtroubleofmindthathedidnotfeelabletomeetthatnightthepeoplewhomheusuallykeptsogayatMrs。Leighton\'stable。HewenttoMaroni\'sforhisdinner,forthisreasonandforothersmoreobscure。HecouldnotexpecttodoanythingmorewithDryfoosatonce;heknewthatDryfoosmustfeelthathehadalreadymadeanextremeconcessiontoMarch,andhebelievedthatifhewastogetanythingmorefromhimitmustbeafterDryfooshaddined。
Buthewasnotwithoutthehope,vagueandindefiniteasitmightbe,thatheshouldfindLindauatMaroni\'s,andperhapsshouldgetsomeconcessionfromhim,somewordofregretorapologywhichhecouldreporttoDryfoos,andatlestmakethemeansofreopeningtheaffairwithhim;
perhapsLindau,whenheknewhowmattersstood,wouldbackdownaltogether,andforMarch\'ssakewouldwithdrawfromallconnectionwith\'EveryOtherWeek\'himself,andsoleaveeverythingserene。Fulkersonfeltcapable,inhisdesperation,ofdelicatelysuggestingsuchacoursetoLindau,orevenofplainlyadvisingit:hedidnotcareforLindauagreatdeal,andhedidcareagreatdealforthemagazine。
ButhedidnotfindLindauatMaroni\'s;heonlyfoundBeaton。HesatlookingatthedoorwayasFulkersonentered,andFulkersonnaturallycameandtookaplaceathistable。SomethinginBeaton\'slarge-eyedsolemnityofaspectinvitedFulkersontoconfidence,andhesaid,ashepulledhisnapkinopenandstrungit,stillalittledampasthescanty,often-washedlinenatMaroni\'swasapttobe,acrosshisknees,\"Iwaslookingforyouthismorning,totalkwithyouabouttheChristmasnumber,andIwasagooddealworkedupbecauseIcouldn\'tfindyou;butIguessImightaswellhavesparedmyselfmyemotions。\"
\"Why?\"askedBeaton,briefly。
\"Well,Idon\'tknowasthere\'sgoingtobeanyChristmasnumber。\"
\"Why?\"Beatonaskedagain。
\"Rowbetweenthefinancialangelandtheliteraryeditoraboutthechieftranslatorandpolyglotsmeller。\"
\"Lindau?\"
\"Lindauishisname。\"
\"WhatdoestheliteraryeditorexpectafterLindau\'sexpressionofhisviewslastnight?\"
\"Idon\'tknowwhatheexpected,butthegroundhetookwiththeoldmanwasthat,asLindau\'sopinionsdidn\'tcharacterizehisworkonthemagazine,hewouldnotbemadetheinstrumentofpunishinghimforthemtheoldmanwantedhimturnedoff,ashecallsit。\"
\"Seemstobeprettygoodground,\"saidBeaton,impartially,whilehespeculated,withadulltroubleatheart,ontheeffecttherowwouldhaveonhisownfortunes。Hislatevisithomehadmadehimfeelthattheclaimofhisfamilyuponhimforsomerepaymentofhelpgivencouldnotbemuchlongerdelayed;withhismothersickandhisfathergrowingold,hemustbegintodosomethingforthem,butuptothistimehehadspenthissalaryevenfasterthanhehadearnedit。WhenFulkersoncameinhewaswonderingwhetherhecouldgethimtoincreaseit,ifhethreatenedtogiveuphiswork,andhewishedthathewasenoughinlovewithMargaretVance,orevenChristineDryfoos,tomarryher,onlytoendinthesorrowfulconvictionthathewasreallyinlovewithAlmaLeighton,whohadnomoney,andwhohadapparentlynowishtobemarriedforlove,even。\"Andwhatareyougoingtodoaboutit?\"heasked,listlessly。
\"BedoggedifIknowwhatI\'mgoingtodoaboutit,\"saidFulkerson。
\"I\'vebeenroundallday,tryingtopickupthepieces——rowbeganrightafterbreakfastthismorning——andonetimeIthoughtI\'dgotthethingallputtogetheragain。IgottheoldmantosaythathehadspokentoMarchalittletooauthoritativelyaboutLindau;that,infact,heoughttohavecommunicatedhiswishesthroughme;andthathewaswillingtohavemegetridofLindau,andMarchneedn\'thaveanythingtodowithit。
Ithoughtthatwasprettywhite,butMarchsaystheapologiesandregretsareallwellenoughintheirway,buttheyleavethemainquestionwheretheyfoundit。\"
\"Whatisthemainquestion?\"Beatonasked,pouringhimselfoutsomeChianti。AshesettheflaskdownhemadethereflectionthatifhewoulddrinkwaterinsteadofChiantihecouldsendhisfatherthreedollarsaweek,onhisbackdebts,andheresolvedtodoit。
\"Themainquestion,asMarchlooksatit,isthequestionofpunishingLindauforhisprivateopinions;hesaysthatifheconsentstomybouncingtheoldfellowit\'sthesameasifhebouncedhim。\"
\"Itmighthavethatcomplexioninsomelights,\"saidBeaton。HedrankoffhisChianti,andthoughthewouldhaveittwiceaweek,ormakeMaronikeepthehalf-bottlesoverforhim,andsendhisfathertwodollars。\"Andwhatareyougoingtodonow?\"
\"That\'swhatIdon\'tknow,\"saidFulkerson,ruefully。Afteramomenthesaid,desperately,\"Beaton,you\'vegotaprettygoodhead;whydon\'tyousuggestsomething?\"
\"Whydon\'tyouletMarchgo?\"Beatonsuggested。
\"Ah,Icouldn\'t,\"saidFulkerson。\"IgothimtobreakupinBostonandcomehere;Ilikehim;nobodyelsecouldgetthehangofthethinglikehehas;he\'s——afriend。\"Fulkersonsaidthiswiththenearestapproachhecouldmaketoseriousness,whichwasakindofunhappiness。
Beatonshrugged。\"Oh,ifyoucanaffordtohaveideals,Icongratulateyou。They\'retooexpensiveforme。Then,supposeyougetridofDryfoos?\"
Fulkersonlaughedforlornly。\"Goon,Bildad。Liketosprinkleafewashesovermyboils?Don\'tmindme!\"
Theybothsatsilentalittlewhile,andthenBeatonsaid,\"Isupposeyouhaven\'tseenDryfoosthesecondtime?\"
\"No。IcameinheretogirdupmyloinswithalittledinnerbeforeI
tackledhim。ButsomethingseemstobethematterwithMaroni\'scook。
Idon\'twantanythingtoeat。\"
\"Thecooking\'saboutasbadasusual,\"saidBeaton。Afteramomentheadded,ironically,forhefoundFulkerson\'smiseryakindofrelieffromhisown,andwaswillingtoprotractitaslongasitwasamusing,\"Whynottryanenvoyextraordinaryandministerplenipotentiary?\"
\"Whatdoyoumean?\"
\"GetthatotheroldfooltogotoDryfoosforyou!\"
\"Whichotheroldfool?Theoldfoolsseemtobeasthickasflies。\"
\"ThatSouthernone。\"
\"ColonelWoodburn?\"
\"Mmmmm。\"
\"Hedidseemtorathertaketothecolonel!\"Fulkersonmusedaloud。
\"Ofcoursehedid。Woodburn,withhisidiotictalkaboutpatriarchalslavery,isthemanonhorsebacktoDryfoos\'smuddyimagination。He\'dlistentohimabjectly,andhe\'ddowhateverWoodburntoldhimtodo。\"
Beatonsmiledcynically。
Fulkersongotupandreachedforhiscoatandhat。\"You\'vestruckit,oldman。\"Thewaitercameuptohelphimonwithhiscoat;Fulkersonslippedadollarinhishand。\"Nevermindthecoat;youcangivetherestofmydinnertothepoor,Paolo。Beaton,shake!You\'vesavedmylife,littleboy,thoughIdon\'tthinkyoumeantit。\"HetookBeaton\'shandandsolemnlypressedit,andthenalmostranoutofthedoor。
TheyhadjustreachedcoffeeatMrs。Leighton\'swhenhearrivedandsatdownwiththemandbegantoputsomeofthelifeofhisnewhopeintothem。Hisappetiterevived,and,afterprotestingthathewouldnottakeanythingbutcoffee,hewentbackandatesomeoftheearliercourses。
Butwiththepressureofhispurposedrivinghimforward,hedidnotconcealfromMissWoodburn,atleast,thathewaseagertogetherapartfromtherestforsomereason。Whenheaccomplishedthis,itseemedasifhehadcontriveditallhimself,butperhapshehadnotwhollycontrivedit。
\"I\'msogladtogetachancetospeaktoyoualone,\"hesaidatonce;andwhileshewaitedforthenextwordhemadeapause,andthensaid,desperately,\"Iwantyoutohelpme;andifyoucan\'thelpme,there\'snohelpforme。\"
\"Mahgoodness,\"shesaid,\"isthecasesobadasthat?Whatinthewoaldisthetrouble?\"
\"Yes,it\'sabadcase,\"saidFulkerson。\"Iwantyourfathertohelpme。\"
\"Oh,Ithoatyousaidme!\"
\"Yes;Iwantyoutohelpmewithyourfather。IsupposeIoughttogotohimatonce,butI\'malittleafraidofhim。\"
\"Andyouawenotafraidofme?Idon\'tthinkthat\'sveryflattering,Mr。
Fulkerson。YououghttothinkAh\'mtwahceasawfulaspapa。\"
\"Oh,Ido!Yousee,I\'mquiteparalyzedbeforeyou,andsoIdon\'tfeelanything。\"
\"Well,it\'saprettylahvelykyandofparalysis。But——goon。\"
\"Iwill——Iwill。IfIcanonlybegin。\"
\"PohapsAhmaghtbeginfo\'you。\"
\"No,youcan\'t。Lordknows,I\'dliketoletyou。Well,it\'slikethis。\"
Fulkersonmadeaclutchathishair,andthen,afteranotherhesitation,heabruptlylaidthewholeaffairbeforeher。HedidnotthinkitnecessarytostatetheexactnatureoftheoffenceLindauhadgivenDryfoos,forhedoubtedifshecouldgraspit,andhewasprofuseofhisexcusesfortroublingherwiththematter,andofwonderathimselfforhavingdoneso。Intheraptureofhisconcernathavingperhapsmadeafoolofhimself,heforgotwhyhehadtoldher;butsheseemedtolikehavingbeenconfidedin,andshesaid,\"Well,Ahdon\'tseewhatyoucandowithyou\'ahdealsoffriendshipexceptstandbahMr。Mawch。\"
\"Myidealsoffriendship?Whatdoyoumean?\"
\"Oh,don\'tyousupposeweknow?Mr。Beatonsaidyouwe\'apofectBahyardinfriendship,andyouwouldsacrificeanythingtoit。\"
\"Isthatso?\"saidFulkerson,thinkinghoweasilyhecouldsacrificeLindauinthiscase。Hehadneversupposedbeforethathewaschivalrousinsuchmatters,buthenowbegantoseeitinthatlight,andhewonderedthathecouldeverhaveentertainedforamomenttheideaofthrowingMarchover。
\"ButAhmostsay,\"MissWoodburnwenton,\"Ahdon\'tenvyyouyou\'nextinterviewwithMr。Dryfoos。Ahsupposeyou\'llhavetoseehimatonceaboatit。\"
TheconjecturerecalledFulkersontotheobjectofhisconfidences。
\"Ah,there\'swhereyourhelpcomesin。I\'veexhaustedalltheinfluenceIhavewithDryfoos——\"
\"Goodgracious,youdon\'texpectAhcouldhaveany!\"
Theybothlaughedatthecomicdismaywithwhichsheconveyedthepreposterousnotion;andFulkersonsaid,\"IfIjudgedfrommyself,Ishouldexpectyoutobringhimroundinstantly。\"
\"Oh,thankyou,Mr。Fulkerson,\"shesaid,withmockmeekness。
\"Notatall。Butitisn\'tDryfoosIwantyoutohelpmewith;it\'syourfather。IwantyourfathertointerviewDryfoosforme,andI-I\'mafraidtoaskhim。\"
\"Poo\'Mr。Fulkerson!\"shesaid,andsheinsinuatedsomethingthroughherburlesquecompassionthatliftedhimtotheskies。Hesworeinhisheartthatthewomanneverlivedwhowassowitty,sowise,sobeautiful,andsogood。\"Comeraghtwithmethisminute,ifthecyoast\'sclea\'。\"Shewenttothedoorofthediningroomandlookedinacrossitsgloomtothelittlegallerywhereherfathersatbesidealampreadinghiseveningpaper;Mrs。Leightoncouldbeheardincolloquywiththecookbelow,andAlmahadgonetoherroom。ShebeckonedFulkersonwiththehandoutstretchedbehindher,andsaid,\"Goandaskhim。\"
\"Alone!\"hepalpitated。
\"Oh,whatacyowahd!\"shecried,andwentwithhim。\"Ahsupposeyou\'llwantmetotellhimaboatit。\"
\"Well,Iwishyou\'dbegin,MissWoodburn,\"hesaid。\"Thefactis,youknow,I\'vebeenoveritsomuchI\'mkindofsickofthething。\"
MissWoodburnadvancedandputherhandonherfather\'sshoulder。\"Lookheah,papa!Mr。Fulkersonwantstoaskyousomething,andhewantsmetodoitfo\'him。\"
Thecolonellookedupthroughhisglasseswiththesortofferocityelderlymensometimeshavetoputoninordertokeeptheirglassesfromfallingoff。Hisdaughtercontinued:\"He\'sgotintoanawfuldifficultywithhisedito\'andhisproprieto\',andhewantsyoutopacifythem。\"
\"IdonotknowwhethahIunderstandthecaseexactly,\"saidthecolonel,\"butMr。Fulkersonmaycommandmetotheextentofmyability。\"
\"Youdon\'tunderstanditaftahwhatAh\'vesaid?\"criedthegirl。\"ThenAhdon\'tseebutwhatyou\'llhavetoexplainityou\'self,Mr。Fulkerson。\"
\"Well,MissWoodburnhasbeensoluminousaboutit,colonel,\"saidFulkerson,gladofthejokingshapeshehadgiventheaffair,\"thatIcanonlythrowinalittleside-lighthereandthere。\"
ThecolonellistenedasFulkersonwenton,withagravediplomaticsatisfaction。Hefeltgratified,honored,even,hesaid,byMr。
Fulkerson\'sappealtohim;andprobablyitgavehimsomethingofthehighjoythatanaffairofhonorwouldhavebroughthiminthedayswhenhehadarrangedformeetingsbetweengentlemen。Nexttobearingachallenge,thisworkofcomposingadifficultymusthavebeengrateful。
Buthegavenooutwardsignofhissatisfactioninmakingaresumeofthecasesoastogetthepointsclearlyinhismind。
\"Iwasafraid,sir,\"hesaid,withthestateduetotheseriousnatureofthefacts,\"thatMr。LindauhadgivenMr。Dryfoosoffencebysomeofhisquestionsatthedinner-tablelastnight。\"
\"Perfectredragtoabull,\"Fulkersonputin;andthenhewantedtowithdrawhiswordsatthecolonel\'slookofdispleasure。
\"IhavenoreflectionstomakeuponMr。Landau,\"ColonelWoodburncontinued,andFulkersonfeltgratefultohimforgoingon;\"IdonotagreewithMr。Lindau;Itotallydisagreewithhimonsociologicalpoints;butthecourseoftheconversationhadinvitedhimtotheexpressionofhisconvictions,andhehadarighttoexpressthem,sofarastheyhadnopersonalbearing。\"
\"Ofcourse,\"saidFulkerson,whileMissWoodburnperchedonthearmofherfather\'schair。
\"Atthesametime,sir,IthinkthatifMr。DryfoosfeltapersonalcensureinMr。Lindau\'squestionsconcerninghissuppressionofthestrikeamonghisworkmen,hehadarighttoresentit。\"
\"Exactly,\"Fulkersonassented。
\"Butitmustbeevidenttoyou,sir,thatahigh-spiritedgentlemanlikeMr。March——Iconfessthatmyfeelingsarewithhimverywarmlyinthematter——couldnotsubmittodictationofthenatureyoudescribe。\"
\"Yes,Isee,\"saidFulkerson;and,withthatstrangeduplexactionofthehumanmind,hewishedthatitwashishair,andnotherfather\'s,thatMissWoodburnwaspokingapartwiththecornerofherfan。
\"Mr。Lindau,\"thecolonelconcluded,\"wasrightfromhispointofview,andMr。Dryfooswasequallyright。ThepositionofMr。Marchisperfectlycorrect——\"
Hisdaughterdroppedtoherfeetfromhischair-arm。\"Mahgoodness!
Ifnobody\'sinthewrong,ho\'aweyouevahgoingtogetthemattahstraight?\"