\"Yes，yousee，\"Fulkersonadded，\"nobodycangivein。\"
\"Pardonme，\"saidthecolonel，\"thecaseisoneinwhichallcangivein。\"
\"Idon\'tknowwhich\'llbegin，\"saidFulkerson。
Thecolonelrose。\"Mr。Lindaumustbegin，sir。WemustbeginbyseeingMr。Lindau，andsecuringfromhimtheassurancethatintheexpressionofhispeculiarviewshehadnointentionofofferinganypersonaloffencetoMr。Dryfoos。IfIhaveformedacorrectestimateofMr。Lindau，thiswillbeperfectlysimple。\"
Fulkersonshookhishead。\"Butitwouldn\'thelp。Dryfoosdon\'tcarearapwhetherLindaumeantanypersonaloffenceornot。Asfarasthatisconcerned，he\'sgotahidelikeahippopotamus。ButwhathehatesisLindau\'sopinions，andwhathesaysisthatnomanwhoholdssuchopinionsshallhaveanyworkfromhim。AndwhatMarchsaysisthatnomanshallbepunishedthroughhimforhisopinions，hedon\'tcarewhattheyare。\"
Thecolonelstoodamomentinsilence。\"Andwhatdoyouexpectmetodounderthecircumstances?\"
\"Icametoyouforadvice——Ithoughtyoumightsuggest——?\"
\"DoyouwishmetoseeMr。Dryfoos?\"
\"Well，that\'saboutthesizeofit，\"Fulkersonadmitted。\"Yousee，colonel，\"hehastenedon，\"Iknowthatyouhaveagreatdealofinfluencewithhim；thatarticleofyoursisabouttheonlythinghe\'severreadin\'EveryOtherWeek，\'andhe\'sproudofyouracquaintance。Well，youknow\"——
andhereFulkersonbroughtinthefigurethatstruckhimsomuchinBeaton\'sphraseandhadbeenonhistongueeversince——\"you\'rethemanonhorsebacktohim；andhe\'dbemoreapttodowhatyousaythanifanybodyelsesaidit。\"
\"Youareverygood，sir，\"saidthecolonel，tryingtobeproofagainsttheflattery，\"butIamafraidyouoverratemyinfluence。\"Fulkersonlethimponderitsilently，andhisdaughtergovernedherimpatiencebyholdingherfanagainstherlips。Whatevertheprocesswasinthecolonel\'smind，hesaidatlast:\"Iseenogoodreasonfordecliningtoactforyou，Mr。Fulkerson，andIshallbeveryhappyifIcanbeofservicetoyou。But\"——hestoppedFulkersonfromcuttinginwithprecipitatethanks——\"IthinkIhavearight，sir，toaskwhatyourcoursewillbeintheeventoffailure?\"
\"Failure?\"Fulkersonrepeated，indismay。
\"Yes，sir。Iwillnotconcealfromyouthatthismissionisonenotwhollyagreeabletomyfeelings。\"
\"Oh，Iunderstandthat，colonel，andIassureyouthatIappreciate，I——\"
\"Thereisnousetryingtoblinkthefact，sir，thattherearecertainaspectsofMr。Dryfoos\'scharacterinwhichheisnotagentleman。
Wehavealludedtothisfactbefore，andIneednotdwelluponitnow:I
maysay，however，thatmymisgivingswerenotwhollyremovedlastnight。\"
\"No，\"Fulkersonassented；thoughinhishearthethoughttheoldmanhadbehavedverywell。
\"WhatIwishtosaynowisthatIcannotconsenttoactforyou，inthismatter，merelyasanintermediarywhosefailurewouldleavetheaffairinstatequo。\"
\"Isee，\"saidFulkerson。
\"AndIshouldlikesomeintimation，someassurance，astowhichpartyyourownfeelingsarewithinthedifference。\"
ThecolonelbenthiseyessharplyonFulkerson；MissWoodburnlethersfall；Fulkersonfeltthathewasbeingtested，andhesaid，togaintime，\"AsbetweenLindauandDryfoos?\"thoughheknewthiswasnotthepoint。
\"AsbetweenMr。DryfoosandMr。March，\"saidthecolonel。
Fulkersondrewalongbreathandtookhiscourageinbothhands。\"Therecan\'tbeanychoiceformeinsuchacase。I\'mforMarch，everytime。\"
Thecolonelseizedhishand，andMissWoodburnsaid，\"Iftherehadbeenanychoicefo\'youinsuchacase，Ishouldneverhaveletpapastirastepwithyou。\"
\"Why，inregardtothat，\"saidthecolonel，witha，literalapplicationoftheidea，\"wasityourintentionthatweshouldbothgo?\"
\"Well，Idon\'tknow；Isupposeitwas。\"
\"Ithinkitwillbebetterformetogoalone，\"saidthecolonel；and，withacolorfromhisexperienceinaffairsofhonor，headded:\"Inthesemattersaprincipalcannotappearwithoutcompromisinghisdignity。
IbelieveIhaveallthepointsclearlyinmind，andIthinkIshouldactmorefreelyinmeetingMr。Dryfoosalone。\"
Fulkersontriedtohidetheeagernesswithwhichhemettheseagreeableviews。Hefelthimselfexaltedinsomesorttothelevelofthecolonel\'ssentiments，thoughitwouldnotbeeasytosaywhetherthiswasthroughthedesperationbredofhavingcommittedhimselftoMarch\'sside，orthroughthebuoyanthopehehadthatthecolonelwouldsucceedinhismission。
\"I\'mnotafraidtotalkwithDryfoosaboutit，\"hesaid。
\"Thereisnoquestionofcourage，\"saidthecolonel。\"Itisaquestionofdignity——ofpersonaldignity。\"
\"Well，don\'tletthatdelayyou，papa，\"saidhisdaughter，followinghimtothedoor，whereshefoundhimhishat，andFulkersonhelpedhimonwithhisovercoat。\"Ahshallbejostwaldtoknowho\'it\'stonedoat。\"
\"Won\'tyouletmegouptothehousewithyou?\"Fulkersonbegan。
\"Ineedn\'tgoin——\"
\"Iprefertogoalone，\"saidthecolonel。\"Iwishtoturnthepointsoverinmymind，andIamafraidyouwouldfindmeratherdullcompany。\"
Hewentout，andFulkersonreturnedwithMissWoodburntothedrawing-
room，whereshesaidtheLeightonswere。They，werenotthere，butshedidnotseemdisappointed。
\"Well，Mr。Fulkerson，\"shesaid，\"youhavegotanahdealoffriendship，sureenough。\"
\"Me?\"saidFulkerson。\"Oh，myLord!Don\'tyouseeIcouldn\'tdoanythingelse?AndI\'mscaredhalftodeath，anyway。Ifthecoloneldon\'tbringtheoldmanround，Ireckonit\'sallupwithme。Buthe\'llfetchhim。AndI\'mjustprostratedwithgratitudetoyou，MissWoodburn。\"
Shewavedhisthanksasidewithherfan。\"Whatdoyoumeanbyitsbeingallupwithyou?\"
\"Why，iftheoldmanstickstohisposition，andIsticktoMarch，we\'vebothgottogooverboardtogether。Dryfoosownsthemagazine；hecanstopit，orhecanstopus，whichamountstothesamething，asfaraswe\'reconcerned。\"
\"Andthenwhat?\"thegirlpursued。
\"Andthen，nothing——tillwepickourselvesup。\"
\"DoyoumeanthatMr。Dryfooswillputyoubothoatofyourplaces?\"
\"Hemay。\"
\"AndMr。Mawchtakestheriskofthatjostfo\'aprinciple?\"
\"Ireckon。\"
\"Andyoudoitjostfo\'anahdeal?\"
\"Itwon\'tdotoownit。Imusthavemylittleaxetogrind，somewhere。\"
\"Well，menawesplendid，\"sighedthegirl。\"Ahwillsayit。\"
\"Oh，they\'renotsomuchbetterthanwomen，\"saidFulkerson，withanervousjocosity。\"IguessMarchwouldhavebackeddownifithadn\'tbeenforhiswife。Shewasashotaspepperaboutit，andyoucouldseethatshewouldhavesacrificedallherhusband\'srelationssoonerthanlethimbackdownaninchfromthestandhehadtaken。It\'sprettyeasyforamantosticktoaprincipleifhehasawomantostandbyhim。
Butwhenyoucometoplayitalone——\"
\"Mr。Fulkerson，\"saidthegirl，solemnly，\"Ahwillstandbahyouinthis，ifallthewoaldtonesagainstyou。\"Thetearscameintohereyes，andsheputoutherhandtohim。
\"Youwill?\"heshouted，inarapture。\"Ineveryway——andalways——aslongasyoulive?Doyoumeanit?\"Hehadcaughtherhandtohisbreastandwasgrapplingittightthereanddrawinghertohim。
Thechangingemotionschasedoneanotherthroughherheartandoverherface:dismay，shame，pride，tenderness。\"Youdon\'tbelieve，\"shesaid，hoarsely，\"thatAhmeantthat?\"
\"No，butIhopeyoudomeanit；forifyoudon\'t，nothingelsemeansanything。\"
Therewasnospace，therewasonlyapointofwavering。\"Ahdomeanit。\"
Whentheyliftedtheireyesfromeachotheragainitwashalf-pastten。
\"No\'youmostgo，\"shesaid。
\"Butthecolonel——ourfate?\"
\"Theco\'nelisoftenoatlate，andAh\'mnotafraidofouahfate，no\'thatwe\'vetakenitintoouahownhands。\"Shelookedathimwithdewyeyesoftrust，ofinspiration。
\"Oh，it\'sgoingtocomeoutallright，\"hesaid。\"Itcan\'tcomeoutwrongnow，nomatterwhathappens。Butwho\'dhavethoughtit，whenI
cameintothishouse，insuchastateofsinandmisery，halfanhourago——\"
\"Threehouahsandahalfago!\"shesaid。\"No!youmostjostgo。Ah\'mtahedtodeath。Good-night。Youcancomeinthemawningtosee-papa。\"
Sheopenedthedoorandpushedhimoutwithenrapturingviolence，andheranlaughingdownthestepsintoherfather\'sarms。
\"Why，colonel!Iwasjustgoinguptomeetyou。\"Hehadreallythoughthewouldwalkoffhisexultationinthatdirection。
\"Iamverysorrytosay，Mr。Fulkerson，\"thecolonelbegan，gravely，\"thatMr。Dryfoosadherestohisposition。\"
\"Oh，allright，\"saidFulkerson，withunabatedjoy。\"It\'swhatI
expected。Well，mycourseisclear；IshallstandbyMarch，andIguesstheworldwon\'tcometoanendifhebouncesusboth。ButI\'meverlastinglyobligedtoyou，ColonelWoodburn，andIdon\'tknowwhattosaytoyou。I——Iwon\'tdetainyounow；it\'ssolate。I\'llseeyouinthemorning。Good-ni——\"
Fulkersondidnotrealizethatittakestwotopart。Thecolonellaidholdofhisarmandturnedawaywithhim。\"Iwillwalktowardyourplacewithyou。IcanunderstandwhyyoushouldbeanxioustoknowtheparticularsofmyinterviewwithMr。Dryfoos\"；andinthestatementwhichfollowedhedidnotsparehimthesmallest。Itoutlastedtheirwalkanddetainedthemlongonthestepsofthe\'EveryOtherWeek\'building。ButattheendFulkersonlethimselfinwithhiskeyaslightofheartasifhehadbeenlisteningtothegayestpromisesthatfortunecouldmake。
BythetunehemetMarchattheofficenextmorning，alittle，butonlyaverylittle，misgivingsaddenedhisgoldenheaven。HetookMarch\'shandwithhighcourage，andsaid，\"Well，theoldmanstickstohispoint，March。\"Headded，withthesenseofsayingitbeforeMissWoodburn:\"AndIstickbyyou。I\'vethoughtitallover，andI\'dratherberightwithyouthanwrongwithhim。\"
\"Well，Iappreciateyourmotive，Fulkerson，\"saidMarch。\"Butperhaps——
perhapswecansaveoverourheroicsforanotheroccasion。Lindauseemstohavegotinwithhis，forthepresent。\"
HetoldhimofLindau\'slastvisit，andtheystoodamomentlookingateachotherratherqueerly。Fulkersonwasthefirsttorecoverhisspirits。\"Well，\"hesaid，cheerily，\"thatlet\'susout。\"
\"Doesit?I\'mnotsureitletsmeout，\"saidMarch；buthesaidthisintributetohiscrippledself-respectratherthanasaforecastofanyactioninthematter。
\"Why，whatareyougoingtodo?\"Fulkersonasked。\"IfLindauwon\'tworkforDryfoos，youcan\'tmakehim。\"
Marchsighed。\"Whatareyougoingtodowiththismoney?\"Heglancedattheheapofbillshehadflungonthetablebetweenthem。
Fulkersonscratchedhishead。\"Ah，doggedifIknow:Can\'twegiveittothedeservingpoor，somehow，ifwecanfind\'em?\"
\"Isupposewe\'venorighttouseitinanyway。YoumustgiveittoDryfoos。\"
\"Tothedeservingrich?Well，youcanalwaysfindthem。Ireckonyoudon\'twanttoappearinthetransaction!Idon\'t，either；butIguessI
must。\"FulkersongatheredupthemoneyandcarriedittoConrad。
Hedirectedhimtoaccountforitinhisbooksasconscience-money，andheenjoyedthejokemorethanConradseemedtodowhenhewastoldwhereitcamefrom。
Fulkersonwasabletowearoffthedisagreeableimpressiontheaffairleftduringthecourseofthefore-noon，andhemetMissWoodburnwithallalover\'sbuoyancywhenhewenttolunch。Shewasashappyashewhenhetoldherhowfortunatelythewholethinghadended，andhetookherviewthatitwasarewardofhiscourageinhavingdaredtheworst。
Theybothfelt，asthenewlyplightedalwaysdo，thattheywereinthebestrelationswiththebeneficentpowers，andthattheirfelicityhadbeenespeciallylookedtointhedispositionofevents。Theywereinaglowofrapturouscontentwiththemselvesandradiantworshipofeachother；shewassurethathemeritedthebrightfutureopeningtothemboth，asmuchasifheoweditdirectlytosomenobleactionofhisown；
hefeltthathewasindebtedforthefavorofHeavenentirelytothestillincredibleaccidentofherpreferenceofhimoverothermen。
ColonelWoodburn，whowasnotyetinthesecretoftheirlove，perhapsfailedforthisreasontosharetheirsatisfactionwitharesultsounexpectedlybroughtabout。TheblessingontheirhopesseemedtohisignorancetoinvolvecertainsacrificesofpersonalfeelingatwhichhehintedinsuggestingthatDryfoosshouldnowbeaskedtomakesomeabstractconcessionsandacknowledgments；hisdaughterhastenedtodenythatthesewereatallnecessary；andFulkersoneasilyexplainedwhy。
Thethingwasover；whatwastheuseofopeningitupagain?
\"Perhapsnone，\"thecoloneladmitted。Butheadded，\"IshouldliketheopportunityoftakingMr。Lindau\'shandinthepresenceofMr。DryfoosandassuringhimthatIconsideredhimamanofprincipleandamanofhonor——agentleman，sir，whomIwasproudandhappytohaveknown。\"
\"Well，Ah\'venodoabt，\"saidhisdaughter，demurely，\"thatyou\'llhavethechancesomeday；andwewouldalllahketojoinyou。Butatthesametahme，AhthinkMr。Fulkersoniswelloatofitfo\'thepresent。\"
EndAHazardofNewFortunesV5
ByWilliamDeanHowellsPARTFIFTH
I。
Superficially，theaffairsof\'EveryOtherWeek\'settledintotheirwontedformagain，andforFulkersontheyseemedthoroughlyreinstated。
ButMarchhadafeelingofimpermanencyfromwhathadhappened，mixedwithafantasticsenseofshametowardLindau。HedidnotsympathizewithLindau\'sopinions；hethoughthisremedyforexistingevilsaswildlyimpracticableasColonelWoodburn\'s。Butwhilehethoughtthis，andwhilehecouldjustlyblameFulkersonforLindau\'spresenceatDryfoos\'sdinner，whichhiszealhadbroughtaboutinspiteofMarch\'sprotests，stillhecouldnotridhimselfofthereproachofuncandorwithLindau。Heoughttohavetoldhimfranklyabouttheownershipofthemagazine，andwhatmannerofmanthemanwaswhosemoneyhewastaking。
Buthesaidthathenevercouldhaveimaginedthathewasseriousinhispreposterousattitudeinregardtoaclassofmenwhoembodyhalftheprosperityofthecountry；andhehadmomentsofrevoltagainsthisownhumiliationbeforeLindau，inwhichhefounditmonstrousthatheshouldreturnDryfoos\'smoneyasifithadbeenthespoilofarobber。Hiswifeagreedwithhiminthesemoments，andsaiditwasagreatreliefnottohavethattiresomeoldGermancomingabout。Theyhadtoaccountforhisabsenceevasivelytothechildren，whomtheycouldnotverywelltellthattheirfatherwaslivingonmoneythatLindaudisdainedtotake，eventhoughLindauwaswrongandtheirfatherwasright。ThisheightenedMrs。
March\'sresentmenttowardbothLindauandDryfoos，whobetweenthemhadplacedherhusbandinafalseposition。Ifanything，sheresentedDryfoos\'sconductmorethanLindau\'s。HehadneverspokentoMarchabouttheaffairsinceLindauhadrenouncedhiswork，oraddedtotheapologeticmessageshehadsentbyFulkerson。SofarasMarchknew，DryfooshadbeenlefttosupposethatLindauhadsimplystoppedforsomereasonthatdidnotpersonallyaffecthim。Theyneverspokeofhim，andMarchwastooproudtoaskeitherFulkersonorConradwhethertheoldmanknewthatLindauhadreturnedhismoney。HeavoidedtalkingtoConrad，fromafeelingthatifbedidheshouldinvoluntarilyleadhimontospeakofhisdifferenceswithhisfather。BetweenhimselfandFulkerson，even，hewasuneasilyawareofawantoftheiroldperfectfriendliness。
Fulkersonhadfinallybehavedwithhonorandcourage；buthisprovisionalreluctancehadgivenMarchthemeasureofFulkerson\'scharacterinonedirection，andhecouldnotignorethefactthatitwassmallerthanhecouldhavewished。
HecouldnotmakeoutwhetherFulkersonsharedhisdiscomfortornot。
Itcertainlyworeaway，evenwithMarch，astimepassed，andwithFulkerson，intheblissofhisfortunatelove，itwasprobablyfarmoretransient，ifitexistedatall。Headvancedintothewinterasradiantlyasiftomeetthespring，andhesaidthatiftherewereanypleasantermonthoftheyearthanNovember，itwasDecember，especiallywhentheweatherwasgoodandwetandmuddymostofthetime，sothatyouhadtokeepindoorsalongwhileafteryoucalledanywhere。
ColonelWoodburnhadtheanxiety，inviewofhisdaughter\'sengagement，whensheaskedhisconsenttoit，thatsuchadreamermusthaveinregardtoanyrealitythatthreatenstoaffectthecourseofhisreveries。Hehadnotperhapstakenhermarriageintoaccount，exceptasaremotecontingency；andcertainlyFulkersonwasnotthekindofson-in-lawthathehadimaginedindealingwiththatabstraction。Butbecausehehadnothingofthesortdefinitelyinmind，hecouldnotopposetheselectionofFulkersonwithsuccess；hereallyknewnothingagainsthim，andheknew，manythingsinhisfavor；Fulkersoninspiredhimwiththelikingthateveryonefeltforhiminameasure；heamusedhim，hecheeredhim；
andthecolonelhadbeensomuchusedtoleavingactionofallkindstohisdaughterthatwhenhecametoclosequarterswiththequestionofason-in-lawhefelthelplesstodecideit，andheletherdecideit，asifitwerestilltobedecidedwhenitwassubmittedtohim。Shewascompetenttotreatitinallitsphases:notmerelythoseofpersonalinterest，butthoseofdutytothebrokenSouthernpast，sentimentallydeartohim，andpracticallyabsurdtoher。NosuchSouthasherememberedhadeverexistedtoherknowledge，andnosuchcivilizationasheimaginedwouldeverexist，toherbelief，anywhere。Shetooktheworldasshefoundit，andmadethebestofit。ShetrustedinFulkerson；shehadprovedhismagnanimityinaseriousemergency；andinsmallthingsshewaswillingfearlesslytochanceitwithhim。Shewasnotasentimentalist，andtherewasnothingfantasticinherexpectations；shewasagirlofgoodsenseandrightmind，andshelikedtheimmediatepracticalityaswellasthefinalhonorofFulkerson。Shedidnotidealizehim，butinthehighesteffectsherealizedhim；shedidhimjustice，andshewouldnothavebelievedthatshedidhimmorethanjusticeifshehadsometimesknownhimtodohimselfless。
TheirengagementwasafacttowhichtheLeightonhouseholdadjusteditselfalmostassimplyastheloversthemselves；MissWoodburntoldtheladiesatonce，anditwasnotathingthatFulkersoncouldkeepfromMarchverylong。HesentwordofittoMrs。Marchbyherhusband；andhisengagementperhapsdidmorethananythingelsetoconfirmtheconfidenceinhimwhichhadbeenshakenbyhisearlybehaviorintheLindauepisode，andnotwhollyrestoredbyhistardyfidelitytoMarch。
Butnowshefeltthatamanwhowishedtogetmarriedsoobviouslyandentirelyforlovewasfullofallkindsofthebestinstincts，andonlyneededtheguidanceofawife，tobecomeverynoble。Sheinterestedherselfintenselyinbalancingtherespectivemeritsoftheengagedcouple，andafterhercalluponMissWoodburninhernewcharactershepridedherselfuponrecognizingtheworthofsomestrictlySouthernqualitiesinher，whilemaintainingthegeneralaverageofNewEnglandsuperiority。ShecouldnotreconcileherselftotheVirginiancustomillustratedinherhavingbeenchristenedwiththesurnameofMadison；
andshesaidthatitspetformofMad，whichFulkersonpromptlyinvented，onlymadeitmoreridiculous。
FulkersonwasslowerintellingBeaton。Hewasafraid，somehow，ofBeaton\'stakingthematterinthecynicalway；MissWoodburnsaidshewouldbreakofftheengagementifBeatonwaslefttoguessitorfinditoutbyaccident，andthenFulkersonpluckeduphiscourage。Beatonreceivedthenewswithgravity，andwithasortofmelancholymeeknessthatstronglymovedFulkerson\'ssympathy，andmadehimwishthatBeatonwasengaged，too。
ItmadeBeatonfeelveryold；itsomehowlefthimbehindandforgotten；
inamanner，itmadehimfeeltrifledwith。Somethingoftheunfriendlinessoffateseemedtoovercasthisresentment，andheallowedthesadnessofhisconvictionthathehadnotthemeanstomarryontotingehisrecognitionofthefactthatAlmaLeightonwouldnothavewantedhimtomarryherifhehad。Hewasnowofteninthatmartyrmoodinwhichhewishedtohelphisfather；notonlytodenyhimselfChianti，buttoforegoafur-linedovercoatwhichheintendedtogetforthewinter，HepostponedthemomentofactualsacrificeasregardedtheChianti，andheboughttheovercoatinananguishofself-reproach。
HeworeitthefirsteveningafterhegotitingoingtocallupontheLeightons，anditseemedtohimapieceofghastlyironywhenAlmacomplimentedhispicturesquenessinitandaskedhimtolethersketchhim。
\"Oh，youcansketchme，\"hesaid，withsomuchgloomthatitmadeherlaugh。
\"Ifyouthinkit\'ssoserious，I\'drathernot。\"
\"No，no!Goahead!Howdoyouwantme?\"
Oh，flingyourselfdownonachairinoneofyourattitudesofstudiednegligence；andtwistonecornerofyourmustachewithaffectedabsenceofmind。\"
\"AndyouthinkI\'malwaysstudied，alwaysaffected?\"
\"Ididn\'tsayso。\"
\"Ididn\'taskyouwhatyousaid。\"
\"AndIwon\'ttellyouwhatIthink。\"
\"Ah，Iknowwhatyouthink。\"
\"Whatmadeyouask，then?\"Thegirllaughedagainwiththesatisfactionofhersexincorneringaman。
Beatonmadeashowofnotdeigningtoreply，andputhimselfintheposeshesuggested，frowning。
\"Ah，that\'sit。Butalittlemoreanimation——
\"\'Aswhenagreatthoughtstrikesalongthebrain，Andflushesallthecheek。\'\"
Sheputherforeheaddownonthebackofherhandandlaughedagain。
\"Yououghttobephotographed。Youlookasifyouweresittingforit。\"
Beatonsaid:\"That\'sbecauseIknowIambeingphotographed，inoneway。
Idon\'tthinkyououghttocallmeaffected。Ineveramsowithyou；I
knowitwouldn\'tbeofanyuse。\"
\"Oh，Mr。Beaton，youflatter。\"
\"No，Ineverflatteryou。\"
\"Imeantyouflatteredyourself。\"
\"How?\"
\"Oh，Idon\'tknow。Imagine。\"
\"Iknowwhatyoumean。YouthinkIcan\'tbesincerewithanybody。\"
\"Ohno，Idon\'t。\"
\"Whatdoyouthink?\"
\"Thatyoucan\'t——try。\"Almagaveanothervictoriouslaugh。
MissWoodburnandFulkersonwouldoncehavebothfeignedagreatinterestinAlma\'ssketchingBeaton，andmadeitthesubjectoftalk，inwhichtheyapproachedasnearlyaspossibletherealinterestoftheirlives。
Nowtheyfranklyremainedawayinthedining-room，whichwasverycozyafterthedinnerhaddisappeared；thecolonelsatwithhislampandpaperinthegallerybeyond；Mrs。Leightonwasaboutherhousekeepingaffairs，inthecontentshealwaysfeltwhenAlmawaswithBeaton。
\"Theyseemtobehavingaprettygoodtimeinthere，\"saidFulkerson，detachinghimselffromhisownabsolutegoodtimeaswellashecould。
\"AtleastAlmadoes，\"saidMissWoodburn。
\"Doyouthinkshecaresforhim?\"
\"Quahteasmochashedesoves。\"
\"WhatmakesyoualldownonBeatonaroundhere?He\'snotsuchabadfellow。\"
\"Weawenotalldoanonhim。Mrs。Leightonisn\'tdoanonhim。\"
\"Oh，Iguessifitwastheoldlady，therewouldn\'tbemuchquestionaboutit。\"
Theybothlaughed，andAlmasaid，\"Theyseemtobegreatlyamusedwithsomethinginthere。\"
\"Me，probably，\"saidBeaton。\"Iseemtoamuseeverybodyto-night。\"
\"Don\'tyoualways?\"
\"Ialwaysamuseyou，I\'mafraid，Alma。\"
Shelookedathimasifsheweregoingtosnubhimopenlyforusinghername；butapparentlyshedecidedtodoitcovertly。\"Youdidn\'tatfirst。Ireallyusedtobelieveyoucouldbeserious，once。\"
\"Couldn\'tyoubelieveitagain?Now?\"
\"Notwhenyouputonthatwind-harpstop。\"
\"Wetmorehasbeentalkingtoyouaboutme。Hewouldsacrificehisbestfriendtoaphrase。Hespendshistimemakingthem。\"
\"He\'smadesomeveryprettyonesaboutyou。\"
\"Liketheoneyoujustquoted?\"
\"No，notexactly。Headmiresyoueversomuch。Hesays\"Shestopped，teasingly。
\"What?\"
\"Hesaysyoucouldbealmostanythingyouwished，ifyoudidn\'twishtobeeverything。\"
\"ThatsoundsmoreliketheschoolofWetmore。That\'swhatyousay，Alma。
Well，ifthereweresomethingyouwishedmetobe，Icouldbeit。\"
\"WemightadaptKingsley:\'Begood，sweetman，andletwhowillbeclever。\'\"Hecouldnothelplaughing。Shewenton:\"Ialwaysthoughtthatwasthemostpatronizingandexasperatingthingeveraddressedtoahumangirl；andwe\'vehadtostandagooddealinourtime。Ishouldliketohaveitappliedtotheother\'sect\'awhile。Asifanygirlthatwasagirlwouldbegoodifshehadtheremotestchanceofbeingclever。\"
\"Thenyouwouldn\'twishmetobegood?\"Beatonasked。
\"Notifyouwereagirl。\"
\"Youwanttoshockme。Well，IsupposeIdeserveit。ButifIwereone-
tenthpartasgoodasyouare，Alma，IshouldhavealighterheartthanI
havenow。IknowthatI\'mfickle，butI\'mnotfalse，asyouthinkIam。\"
\"WhosaidIthoughtyouwerefalse?\"
\"Noone，\"saidBeaton。\"Itisn\'tnecessary，whenyoulookit——liveit。\"
\"Oh，dear!Ididn\'tknowIdevotedmywholetimetothesubject。\"
\"IknowI\'mdespicable。Icouldtellyousomething——thehistoryofthisday，even——thatwouldmakeyoudespiseme。\"Beatonhadinmindhispurchaseoftheovercoat，whichAlmawasgettinginsoeffectively，withthemoneyheoughttohavesenthisfather。\"But，\"hewenton，darkly，withasensethatwhathewasthatmomentsufferingforhisselfishnessmustsomehowbeakindofatonement，whichwouldfinallyleavehimtotheguiltlessenjoymentoftheovercoat，\"youwouldn\'tbelievethedepthsofbasenessIcoulddescendto。\"
\"Iwouldtry，\"saidAlma，rapidlyshadingthecollar，\"ifyou\'dgivemesomehint。\"
Beatonhadasuddenwishtopourouthisremorsetoher，buthewasafraidofherlaughingathim。Hesaidtohimselfthatthiswasaverywholesomefear，andthatifhecouldalwayshaveherathandheshouldnotmakeafoolofhimselfsooften。Amanconceivesofsuchanofficeastheverynoblestforawoman；heworshipsherforitifheismagnanimous。ButBeatonwassilent，andAlmaputbackherheadfortherightdistanceonhersketch。\"Mr。FulkersonthinksyouarethesublimestofhumanbeingsforadvisinghimtogetColonelWoodburntointerviewMr。DryfoosaboutLindau。WhathaveyoueverdonewithyourJudas?\"
\"Ihaven\'tdoneanythingwithit。Nadelthoughthewouldtakeholdofitatonetime，buthedroppeditagain。Afterall，Idon\'tsupposeitcouldbepopularized。Fulkersonwantedtoofferitasapremiumtosubscribersfor\'EveryOtherWeek，\'butIsatdownonthat。\"
Almacouldnotfeeltheabsurdityofthis，andshemerelysaid，\"\'EveryOtherWeek\'seemstobegoingonjustthesameasever。\"
\"Yes，thetroublehasallblownover，Ibelieve。Fulkerson，\"saidBeaton，withareturntowhattheyweresaying，\"hasmanagedthewholebusinessverywell。Butheexaggeratesthevalueofmyadvice。\"
\"Verylikely，\"Almasuggested，vaguely。\"Or，no!Excuseme!Hecouldn\'t，hecouldn\'t!\"ShelaugheddelightedlyatBeaton\'sfoolishlookofembarrassment。
Hetriedtorecoverhisdignityinsaying，\"He\'s\'averygoodfellow，andhedeserveshishappiness。\"
\"Oh，indeed!\"saidAlma，perversely。\"Doesanyonedeservehappiness?\"
\"IknowIdon\'t，\"sighedBeaton。
\"Youmeanyoudon\'tgetit。\"
\"Icertainlydon\'tgetit。\"
\"Ah，butthatisn\'tthereason。\"
\"Whatis?\"
\"That\'sthesecretoftheuniverse，\"Shebitinherlowerlip，andlookedathimwitheyes，ofgleamingfun。
\"Areyouneverserious?\"heasked。
\"Withseriouspeoplealways。\"
\"Iamserious；andyouhavethesecretofmyhappiness——\"Hethrewhimselfimpulsivelyforwardinhischair。
\"Oh，pose，pose!\"shecried。
\"Iwon\'tpose，\"heanswered，\"andyouhavegottolistentome。YouknowI\'minlovewithyou；andIknowthatonceyoucaredforme。Can\'tthattime——won\'tit——comebackagain?Trytothinkso，Alma!\"
\"No，\"shesaid，brieflyandseriouslyenough。
\"Butthatseemsimpossible。WhatisitI\'vedonewhathaveyouagainstme?\"
\"Nothing。Butthattimeispast。Icouldn\'trecallitifIwished。Whydidyoubringitup?You\'vebrokenyourword。YouknowIwouldn\'thaveletyoukeepcominghereifyouhadn\'tpromisednevertorefertoit。\"
\"HowcouldIhelpit?Withthathappinessnearus——Fulkerson——\"
\"Oh，it\'sthat?Imighthaveknownit!\"
\"No，itisn\'tthat——it\'ssomethingfardeeper。Butifit\'snothingyouhaveagainstme，whatisit，Alma，thatkeepsyoufromcaringformenowasyoudidthen?Ihaven\'tchanged。\"
\"ButIhave。Ishallnevercareforyouagain，Mr。Beaton；youmightaswellunderstanditonceforall。Don\'tthinkit\'sanythinginyourself，orthatIthinkyouunworthyofme。I\'mnotsoself-satisfiedasthat；
IknowverywellthatI\'mnotaperfectcharacter，andthatI\'venoclaimonperfectioninanybodyelse。Ithinkwomenwhowantthatarefools；
theywon\'tgetit，andtheydon\'tdeserveit。ButI\'velearnedagood。
dealmoreaboutmyselfthanIknewinSt。Barnaby，andalifeofwork，ofart，andofartalonethat\'swhatI\'vemadeupmymindto。\"
\"Awomanthat\'smadeuphermindtothathasnohearttohinderher!\"
\"Wouldamanhavethathaddoneso?\"
\"ButIdon\'tbelieveyou，Alma。You\'remerelylaughingatme。And，besides，withmeyouneedn\'tgiveupart。Wecouldworktogether。YouknowhowmuchIadmireyourtalent。IbelieveIcouldhelpit——serveit；
Iwouldbeitswillingslave，andyours，Heavenknows!\"
\"Idon\'twantanyslave——noranyslavery。Iwanttobefreealways。Nowdoyousee?Idon\'tcareforyou，andInevercouldintheoldway；butIshouldhavetocareforsomeonemorethanIbelieveIevershalltogiveupmywork。Shallwegoon?\"Shelookedathersketch。
\"No，weshallnotgoon，\"hesaid，gloomily，asherose。
\"Isupposeyoublameme，\"shesaid，risingtoo。
\"Ohno!Iblamenoone——oronlymyself。Ithrewmychanceaway。\"
\"I\'mgladyouseethat；andI\'mgladyoudidit。Youdon\'tbelieveme，ofcourse。Whydomenthinklifecanbeonlytheonethingtowomen?
Andifyoucometotheselfishview，whoarethehappywomen?I\'msurethatifworkdoesn\'tfailme，healthwon\'t，andhappinesswon\'t。\"
\"Butyoucouldworkonwithme——\"
\"Secondfiddle。DoyousupposeIshouldn\'tbewomanenoughtowishmyworkalwayslessandlowerthanyours?AtleastI\'veheartenoughforthat!\"
\"You\'veheartenoughforanything，Alma。Iwasafooltosayyouhadn\'t。\"
\"Ithinkthewomenwhokeeptheirheartshaveanevenchance，atleast，ofhavingheart——\"
\"Ah，there\'swhereyou\'rewrong!\"
\"Butmineisn\'tminetogiveyou，anyhow。AndnowIdon\'twantyouevertospeaktomeaboutthisagain。\"
\"Oh，there\'snodanger!\"hecried，bitterly。\"Ishallneverwillinglyseeyouagain。\"
\"That\'sasyoulike，Mr。Beaton。We\'vehadtobeveryfrank，butIdon\'tseewhyweshouldn\'tbefriends。Still，weneedn\'t，ifyoudon\'tlike。\"
\"AndImaycome——Imaycomehere——as——asusual?\"
\"Why，ifyoucanconsistently，\"shesaid，withasmile，andsheheldoutherhandtohim。
Hewenthomedazed，andfeelingasifitwereabadjokethathadbeenputuponhim。Atleasttheaffairwentsodeepthatitestrangedtheaspectofhisfamiliarstudio。Someofthethingsinitwerenotveryfamiliar；hehadspentlatelyagreatdealonrugs，onstuffs，onJapanesebric-a-brac。Whenhesawthesethingsintheshopshehadfeltthathemusthavethem；thattheywerenecessarytohim；andhewaspartlyindebtforthem，stillwithouthavingsentanyofhisearningstopayhisfather。Ashelookedatthemnowhelikedtofancysomethingweirdandconsciousinthemasthesilentwitnessesofabrokenlife。
Hefeltaboutamongsomeofthesmallerobjectsonthemantelforhispipe。Beforeheslepthewasaware，intheluxuryofhisdespair，ofaremoterelief，anescape；and，afterall，theunderstandinghehadcometowithAlmawasonlytheexplicitformulationoftermslongtacitbetweenthem。Beatonwouldhavebeenpuzzledmorethanheknewifshehadtakenhimseriously。Itwasinevitablethatheshoulddeclarehimselfinlovewithher；buthewasnotdisappointedatherrejectionofhislove；perhapsnotsomuchashewouldhavebeenatitsacceptance，thoughhetriedtothinkotherwise，andtogivehimselfairsoftragedy。
Hedidnotreallyfeelthattheresultwasworsethanwhathadgonebefore，anditlefthimfree。
ButhedidnotgototheLeightonsagainforsolongatimethatMrs。
LeightonaskedAlmawhathadhappened。Almatoldher。
\"Andhewon\'tcomeanymore?\"hermothersighed，withreservedcensure。
\"Oh，Ithinkhewill。Hecouldn\'tverywellcomethenextnight。Buthehasthehabitofcoming，andwithMr。Beatonhabitiseverything——eventhehabitofthinkinghe\'sinlovewithsomeone。\"
\"Alma，\"saidhermother，\"Idon\'tthinkit\'sveryniceforagirltoletayoungmankeepcomingtoseeheraftershe\'srefusedhim。\"
\"Whynot，ifitamuseshimanddoesn\'thurtthegirl?\"
\"Butitdoeshurther，Alma。It——it\'sindelicate。Itisn\'tfairtohim；
itgiveshimhopes。\"
\"Well，mamma，ithasn\'thappenedinthegivencaseyet。IfMr。Beatoncomesagain，Iwon\'tseehim，andyoucanforbidhimthehouse。\"
\"IfIcouldonlyfeelsure，Alma，\"saidhermother，takingupanotherbranchoftheinquiry，\"thatyoureallyknewyourownmind，Ishouldbeeasieraboutit。\"
\"Thenyoucanrestperfectlyquiet，mamma。Idoknowmyownmind；and，what\'sworse，IknowMr。Beaton\'smind。\"
\"Whatdoyoumean?\"
\"ImeanthathespoketometheothernightsimplybecauseMr。
Fulkerson\'sengagementhadbrokenhimallup。\"
\"Whatexpressions!\"Mrs。Leightonlamented。
\"Heletitouthimself，\"Almawenton。\"Andyouwouldn\'thavethoughtitwasveryflatteringyourself。WhenI\'mmadeloveto，afterthis，Iprefertobemadelovetoinanoff-year，whenthereisn\'tanotherengagedcoupleanywhereabout。\"
\"Didyoutellhimthat，Alma?\"
\"Tellhimthat!Whatdoyoumean，mamma?Imaybeindelicate，butI\'mnotquitesoindelicateasthat。\"
\"Ididn\'tmeanyouwereindelicate，really，Alma，butIwantedtowarnyou。IthinkMr。Beatonwasverymuchinearnest。\"
\"Oh，sodidhe!\"
\"Andyoudidn\'t?\"
\"Ohyes，forthetimebeing。Isupposehe\'sverymuchinearnestwithMissVanceattimes，andwithMissDryfoosatothers。Sometimeshe\'sapainter，andsometimeshe\'sanarchitect，andsometimeshe\'sasculptor。
Hehastoomanygifts——toomanytastes。\"
\"AndifMissVanceandMissDryfoos——\"
\"Oh，dosaySculptureandArchitecture，mamma!It\'sgettingsodreadfullypersonal!\"
\"Alma，youknowthatIonlywishtogetatyourrealfeelinginthematter。\"
\"AndyouknowthatIdon\'twanttoletyou——especiallywhenIhaven\'tgotanyrealfeelinginthematter。ButIshouldthink——speakingintheabstractentirely——thatifeitherofthoseartswasevergoingtobeinearnestabouthim，itwouldwanthisexclusivedevotionforaweekatleast。\"
\"Ididn\'tknow，\"saidMrs。Leighton，\"thathewasdoinganythingnowattheothers。Ithoughthewasentirelytakenupwithhisworkon\'EveryOtherWeek。\'\"
\"Oh，heis!heis!\"
\"Andyoucertainlycan\'tsay，mydear，thathehasn\'tbeenverykind——
veryusefultoyou，inthatmatter。\"
\"AndsoIoughttohavesaidyesoutofgratitude?Thankyou，mamma!I
didn\'tknowyouheldmesocheap。\"
\"YouknowwhetherIholdyoucheapornot，Alma。Idon\'twantyoutocheapenyourself。Idon\'twantyoutotriflewithanyone。Iwantyoutobehonestwithyourself。\"
\"Well，comenow，mamma!Supposeyoubegin。I\'vebeenperfectlyhonestwithmyself，andI\'vebeenhonestwithMr。Beaton。Idon\'tcareforhim，andI\'vetoldhimIdidn\'t；sohemaybesupposedtoknowit。Ifhecomeshereafterthis，he\'llcomeasaplain，unostentatiousfriendofthefamily，andit\'sforyoutosaywhetherheshallcomeinthatcapacityornot。Ihopeyouwon\'ttriflewithhim，andlethimgetthenotionthathe\'scomingonanyotherbasis。\"
Mrs。Leightonfeltthecomfortofthecriticalattitudefartookeenlytoabandonitforanythingconstructive。Sheonlysaid，\"Youknowverywell，Alma，that\'samatterIcanhavenothingtodowith。\"
\"Thenyouleavehimentirelytome?\"
\"Ihopeyouwillregardhisrighttocandidandopentreatment。\"
\"He\'shadnothingbutthemostopenandcandidtreatmentfromme，mamma。
It\'syouthatwantstoplayfastandloosewithhim。And，totellyouthetruth，Ibelievehewouldlikethatagooddealbetter；Ibelievethat，ifthere\'sanythinghehates，it\'sopennessandcandor。\"
Almalaughed，andputherarmsroundhermother，whocouldnothelplaughingalittle，too。
II。
ThewinterdidnotrenewforChristineandMelathesocialopportunitywhichthespringhadoffered。AfterthemusicaleatMrs。Horn\'s，theybothmadetheirparty-call，asMelasaid，indueseason；buttheydidnotfindMrs。Hornathome，andneithershenorMissVancecametoseethemafterpeoplereturnedtotowninthefall。TheytriedtobelieveforatimethatMrs。Hornhadnotgottheircards；thispretencefailedthem，andtheyfellbackupontheirpride，orratherChristine\'spride。Melahadlittlebuthergood-naturetoavailherinanyexigency，andifMrs。
HornorMissVancehadcometocallafterayearofneglect，shewouldhavereceivedthemasamiablyasiftheyhadnotlostadayincoming。
ButChristinehaddrawnalinebeyondwhichtheywouldnothavebeenforgiven；andshehadplannedthewordsandthebehaviorwithwhichshewouldhavepunishedthemiftheyhadappearedthen。Neithersisterimaginedherselfinanywiseinferiortothem；butChristinewassuspicious，atleast，anditwasMelawhoinventedthehypothesisofthelostcards。Asnothinghappenedtoproveortodisprovethefact，shesaid，\"ImoveweputCoonroduptogittun\'itoutofMissVance，atsomeoftheirmeetun\'s。\"
\"Ifyoudo，\"saidChristine，\"I\'llkillyou。\"
Christine，however，hadthevisitsofBeatontoconsoleher，and，iftheseseemedtohavenodefiniteaim，shewaswillingtorestinthepleasuretheygavehervanity；butMelahadnothing。Sometimessheevenwishedtheywereallbackonthefarm。
\"Itwouldbethebestthingforbothofyou，\"saidMrs。Dryfoos，inanswertosuchaburstofdesperation。\"Idon\'tthinkNewYorkisanyplaceforgirls。\"
\"Well，whatIhate，mother，\"saidMela，\"is，itdon\'tseemtobeanyplaceforyoungmen，either。\"ShefoundthissogoodwhenshehadsaiditthatshelaughedoverittillChristinewasangry。
\"Abodywouldthinktherehadneverbeenanyjokebefore。\"
\"Idon\'tseeasit\'sajoke，\"saidMrs。Dryfoos。\"It\'stheplaintruth。\"
\"Oh，don\'tmindher，mother，\"saidMela。\"She\'sputoutbecauseheroldMr。Beatonha\'r\'tbeenroundforacoupleo\'weeks。Ifyoudon\'twatchout，thatfellow\'llgiveyoutheslipyit，Christine，afterallyourpains。\"
\"Well，thereain\'tanybodytogiveyoutheslip，Mela，\"Christineclawedback。
\"No；Iha\'n\'teversetmytrapsforanybody。\"ThiswaswhatMelasaidforwantofabetterretort；butitwasnotquitetrue。WhenKendrickscamewithBeatontocallafterherfather\'sdinner，sheusedallhercunningtoensnarehim，andshehadhimtoherselfaslongasBeatonstayed；Dryfoossentdownwordthathewasnotverywellandhadgonetobed。ThenoveltyofMelahadwornoffforKendricks，andshefoundhim，asshefranklytoldhim，nothalfasentertainingashewasatMrs。