\"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?\"