theycotnofriendts!Theycotnomoneytopribeyou，todreatyou!\"
Theofficerliftedhisclub，andtheoldmanthrewhisleftarmuptoshieldhishead。ConradrecognizedZindau，andnowhesawtheemptysleevedangleintheairoverthestumpofhiswrist。Heheardashotinthatturmoilbesidethecar，andsomethingseemedtostrikehiminthebreast。Hewasgoingtosaytothepoliceman:\"Don\'tstrikehim!He\'sanoldsoldier!Youseehehasnohand!\"buthecouldnotspeak，hecouldnotmovehistongue。Thepolicemanstoodthere；hesawhisface:
itwasnotbad，notcruel；itwaslikethefaceofastatue，fixed，perdurable——amereimageofirresponsibleandinvoluntaryauthority。
ThenConradfellforward，piercedthroughtheheartbythatshotfiredfromthecar。
Marchheardtheshotashescrambledoutofhiscar，andatthesamemomenthesawLindaudropundertheclubofthepoliceman，wholefthimwherehefellandjoinedtherestofthesquadinpursuingtherioters。
Thefightingroundthecarintheavenueceased；thedriverwhippedhishorsesintoagallop，andtheplacewasleftempty。
Marchwouldhavelikedtorun；hethoughthowhiswifehadimploredhimtokeepawayfromtherioting；buthecouldnothaveleftLindaulyingthereifhewould。Somethingstrongerthanhiswilldrewhimtothespot，andtherehesawConrad，deadbesidetheoldman。
VI。
InthecareswhichMrs。Marchsharedwithherhusbandthatnightshewassupportedpartlybyprinciple，butmainlybythe，potentexcitementwhichbewilderedConrad\'sfamilyandtookallrealityfromwhathadhappened。
ItwasnearlymidnightwhentheMarchesleftthemandwalkedawaytowardtheElevatedstationwithFulkerson。Everythinghadbeendone，bythattime，thatcouldbedone；andFulkersonwasnotwithoutthatsatisfactioninthebusiness-likedespatchofallthedetailswhichattendseachstepinsuchanaffairandhelpstomakedeathtolerableeventothemostsorelystricken。Wearecreaturesofthemoment；welivefromonelittlespacetoanother；andonlyoneinterestatatimefillsthese。Fulkersonwascheerfulwhentheygotintothestreet，almostgay；andMrs。Marchexperiencedareboundfromherdepressionwhichshefeltthatsheoughtnottohaveexperienced。Butshecondonedtheoffencealittleinherself，becauseherhusbandremainedsoconstantinhisgravity；and，pendingthefinalaccountinghemustmakeherforhavingbeenwherehecouldbeofsomuchusefromthefirstinstantofthecalamity，shewastenderly，gratefullyproudofalltheusehehadbeentoConrad\'sfamily，andespeciallyhismiserableoldfather。Tohermind，Marchwastheprincipalactorinthewholeaffair，andmuchmoreimportantinhavingseenitthanthosewhohadsufferedinit。Infact，hehadsufferedincomparably。
\"Well，well，\"saidFulkerson。\"They\'llgetalongnow。We\'vedoneallwecould，andthere\'snothingleftbutforthemtobearit。Ofcourseit\'sawful，butIguessit\'llcomeoutallright。Imean，\"headded，\"they\'llpullthroughnow。\"
\"Isuppose，\"saidMarch，\"thatnothingisputonusthatwecan\'tbear。
ButIshouldthink，\"hewenton，musingly，\"thatwhenGodseeswhatwepoorfinitecreaturescanbear，hemmedroundwiththiseternaldarknessofdeath，Hemustrespectus。\"
\"Basil!\"saidhiswife。Butinherheartshedrewnearertohimforthewordsshethoughtsheoughttorebukehimfor。
\"Oh，Iknow，\"hesaid，\"weschoolourselvestodespisehumannature。
ButGoddidnotmakeusdespicable，andIsay，whateverendHemeantusfor，Hemusthavesomesuchthrillofjoyinouradequacytofateasafatherfeelswhenhissonshowshimselfaman。WhenIthinkwhatwecanbeifwemust，Ican\'tbelievetheleastofusshallfinallyperish。\"
\"Oh，IreckontheAlmightywon\'tscoopanyofus，\"saidFulkerson，withapietyofhisown。
\"Thatpoorboy\'sfather!\"sighedMrs。March。\"Ican\'tgethisfaceoutofmysight。Helookedsomuchworsethandeath。\"
\"Oh，deathdoesn\'tlookbad，\"saidMarch。\"It\'slifethatlookssoinitspresence。Deathispeaceandpardon。IonlywishpooroldLindauwasaswelloutofitasConradthere。\"
\"Ah，Lindau!Hehasdoneharmenough，\"saidMrs。March。\"Ihopehewillbecarefulafterthis。\"
MarchdidnottrytodefendLindauagainsthertheoryofthecase，whichinexorablyheldhimresponsibleforConrad\'sdeath。
\"Lindau\'sgoingtocomeoutallright，Iguess，\"saidFulkerson。\"Hewasfirst-ratewhenIsawhimatthehospitalto-night。\"HewhisperedinMarch\'sear，atachancehegotinmountingthestationstairs:\"Ididn\'tliketotellyouthereatthehouse，butIguessyou\'dbetterknow。TheyhadtotakeLindau\'sarmoffneartheshoulder。Smashedalltopiecesbytheclubbing。\"
Inthehouse，vainlyrichandfoolishlyunfitforthem，thebereavedfamilywhomtheMarcheshadjustleftlingeredtogether，andtriedtogetstrengthtopartforthenight。Theywereallspentwiththefatiguethatcomesfromheaventosuchmiseryastheirs，andtheysatinatorporinwhicheachwaitedfortheothertomove，tospeak。
Christinemoved，andMelaspoke。Christineroseandwentoutoftheroomwithoutsayingaword，andtheyheardhergoingup-stairs。ThenMelasaid:
\"Ireckontherestofusbetterbegoun\'too，father。Here，let\'sgitmotherstarted。\"
Sheputherarmroundhermother，toliftherfromherchair，buttheoldmandidnotstir，andMelacalledMrs。Mandelfromthenextroom。
Betweenthemtheyraisedhertoherfeet。
\"Ain\'tthereanybodyagoin\'tosetupwithit?\"sheasked，inherhoarsepipe。\"Itappearslikefolkshain\'tgotanyfeelin\'sinNewYork。
Woon\'tsomeo\'theneighborscomeandoffertosetup，withoutwaitin\'tobeasked?\"
\"Oh，that\'sallright，mother。Themen\'llattendtothat。Don\'tyoubotherany，\"Melacoaxed，andshekeptherarmroundhermother，withtenderpatience。
\"Why，Mely，child!Ican\'tfeelrighttohaveitlefttohirelin\'sso。
Butthereain\'tanybodyanymoretoseethingsdoneastheyought。IfCoonrodwason\'yhere——\"
\"Well，mother，youareprettymixed!\"saidMela，withastrongtendencytobreakintoherlargeguffaw。Butshecheckedherselfandsaid:
\"Iknowjusthowyoufeel，though。Itkeepsacomun\'andagoun\'；andit\'ssoanditain\'tso，allatonce；that\'stheplagueofit。Well，father!
Ain\'tyougoun\'tocome?\"
\"I\'mgoin\'tostay，Mela，\"saidtheoldman，gently，withoutmoving。
\"Getyourmothertobed，that\'sagoodgirl。\"
\"Yougoin\'tosetupwithhim，Jacob?\"askedtheoldwoman。
\"Yes，\'Liz\'beth，I\'llsetup。Yougotobed。\"
\"Well，Iwill，Jacob。AndIbelieveit\'lldoyougoodtosetup。
IwishedIcouldsetupwithyou；butIdon\'tseemtohavethestren\'thIdidwhenthetwinsdied。Imustgitmysleep，so\'sto——Idon\'tlikeverywelltohaveyoubrokeofyourrest，Jacob，buttheredon\'tappeartobeanybodyelse。Youwouldn\'thavetodoitifCoonrodwashere。
ThereIgoag\'in!Mercy!mercy!\"
\"Well，docomealong，then，mother，\"saidMela；andshegotheroutoftheroom，withMrs。Mandel\'shelp，andupthestairs。
Fromthetoptheoldwomancalleddown，\"YoutellCoonrod——\"Shestopped，andheheardhergroanout，\"MyLord!myLord!\"
Hesat，onesilenceinthedining-room，wheretheyhadalllingeredtogether，andinthelibrarybeyondthehirelingwatchersat，anothersilence。Thetimepassed，butneithermoved，andthelastnoiseinthehouseceased，sothattheyheardeachotherbreathe，andthevague，remoterumorofthecityinvadedtheinnerstillness。Itgrewloudertowardmorning，andthenDryfoosknewfromthewatcher\'sdeeperbreathingthathehadfallenintoadoze。
Hecreptbyhimtothedrawing-room，wherehissonwas；theplacewasfulloftheawfulsweetnessoftheflowersthatFulkersonhadbrought，andthatlayabovethepulselessbreast。Theoldmanturnedupaburnerinthechandelier，andstoodlookingonthemajesticserenityofthedeadface。
Hecouldnotmovewhenhesawhiswifecomingdownthestairwayinthehall。Shewasinherlong，whiteflannelbedgown，andthecandleshecarriedshookwithhernervoustremor。Hethoughtshemightbewalkinginhersleep，butshesaid，quitesimply，\"Iwokeup，andIcouldn\'tgittosleepag\'inwithoutcomin\'tohavealook。\"Shestoodbesidetheirdeadsonwithhim。\"well，he\'sbeautiful，Jacob。Hewastheprettiestbaby!Andhewasalwaysgood，Coonrodwas；I\'llsaythatforhim。
Idon\'tbelieveheevergivemeaminute\'scareinhiswholelife。
IreckonIlikedhimaboutthebestofallthechildren；butIdon\'tknowasIeverdonemuchtoshowit。Butyouwasalwaysgoodtohim，Jacob；
youalwaysdonethebestforhim，eversincehewasalittlefeller。
Iusedtobeafraidyou\'dspoilhimsometimesinthemdays；butIguessyou\'regladnowforeverytimeyoudidn\'tcrosshim。Idon\'tsupposesincethetwinsdiedyoueverhithimalick。\"Shestoopedandpeeredcloserattheface。\"Why，Jacob，what\'sthattherebyhisporeeyeDryfoossawit，too，thewoundthathehadfearedtolookfor，andthatnowseemedtoreddenonhiseight。Hebrokeintoalow，waveringcry，likeachild\'sindespair，likeananimal\'sinterror，likeasoul\'sintheanguishofremorse。
VII。
Theeveningafterthefuneral，whiletheMarchessattogethertalkingitover，andmakingapproaches，throughitsshadow，tothequestionoftheirownfuture，whichitinvolved，theywerestartledbythetwitteroftheelectricbellattheirapartmentdoor。Itwasreallynotsolateasthechildren\'shavinggonetobedmadeitseem；butatnineo\'clockitwastoolateforanyprobablevisitorexceptFulkerson。Itmightbehe，andMarchwasgladtopostponetheimpendingquestiontohiscuriosityconcerningtheimmediatebusinessFulkersonmighthavewithhim。Hewenthimselftothedoor，andconfrontedtherealadydeeplyveiledinblackandattendedbyaverydecorousserving-woman。
\"Areyoualone，Mr。March——youandMrs。March?\"askedthelady，behindherveil；and，ashehesitated，shesaid:\"Youdon\'tknowme!MissVance\"；andshethrewbackherveil，showingherfacewanandagitatedinthedarkfolds。\"Iamveryanxioustoseeyou——tospeakwithyouboth。
MayIcomein?\"
\"Why，certainly，MissVance，\"heanswered，stilltoomuchstupefiedbyherpresencetorealizeit。
Shepromptlyentered，andsaying，withaglanceatthehallchairbythedoor，\"Mymaidcansithere?\"followedhimtotheroomwherehehadlefthiswife。
Mrs。Marchshowedherselfmorecapableofcopingwiththefact。ShewelcomedMissVancewiththelikingtheybothfeltforthegirl，andwiththesympathywhichhertroubledfaceinspired。
\"Iwon\'ttireyouwithexcusesforcoming，Mrs。March，\"shesaid，\"foritwastheonlythingleftformetodo；andIcomeatmyaunt\'ssuggestion。\"Sheaddedthisasifitwouldhelptoaccountforhermoreontheconventionalplane，andshehadtheinstinctivegoodtastetoaddressherselfthroughouttoMrs。Marchasmuchaspossible，thoughwhatshehadtosaywasmainlyforMarch。\"Idon\'tknowhowtobegin——Idon\'tknowhowtospeakofthisterribleaffair。ButyouknowwhatImean。
IfeelasifIhadlivedawholelifetimesinceithappened。Idon\'twantyoutopitymeforit，\"shesaid，forestallingapolitenessfromMrs。March。\"I\'mthelastonetobethoughtof，andyoumustn\'tmindmeifItrytomakeyou。IcametofindoutallofthetruththatIcan，andwhenIknowjustwhatthatisIshallknowwhattodo。Ihavereadtheinquest；it\'sallburnedintomybrain。ButIdon\'tcareforthat——
formyself:youmustletmesaysuchthingswithoutmindingme。Iknowthatyourhusband——thatMr。Marchwasthere；Ireadhistestimony；andI
wishedtoaskhim——toaskhim——\"Shestoppedandlookeddistractedlyabout。\"Butwhatfolly!Hemusthavesaideverythingheknew——hehadto。\"Hereveswanderedtohimfromhiswife，onwhomshehadkeptthemwithinstinctivetact。
\"Isaideverything——yes，\"hereplied。\"Butifyouwouldliketoknow——\"
\"PerhapsIhadbettertellyousomethingfirst。Ihadjustpartedwithhim——itcouldn\'thavebeenmorethanhalfanhour——infrontofBrentano\'s；hemusthavegonestraighttohisdeath。Weweretalking，andI——Isaid，Whydidn\'tsomeonegoamongthestrikersandpleadwiththemtobepeaceable，andkeepthemfromattackingthenewmen。IknewthathefeltasIdidaboutthestrikers:thathewastheirfriend。Didyousee——doyouknowanythingthatmakesyouthinkhehadbeentryingtodothat?\"
\"Iamsorry，\"Marchbegan，\"Ididn\'tseehimatalltill——tillIsawhimlyingdead。\"
\"Myhusbandwastherepurelybyaccident，\"Mrs。Marchputin。\"Ihadbeggedandentreatedhimnottogonearthestrikinganywhere。Andhehadjustgotoutofthecar，andsawthepolicemanstrikethatwretchedLindau——he\'sbeensuchananxietytomeeversincewehavehadanythingtodowithhimhere；myhusbandknewhimwhenhewasaboyintheWest。
Mr。Marchcamehomefromitallperfectlyprostrated；itmadeusallsick!Nothingsohorribleevercameintoourlivesbefore。Iassureyouitwasthemostshockingexperience。\"
MissVancelistenedtoherwiththatlookofpatiencewhichthosewhohaveseenmuchoftherealsufferingoftheworld——thedailyportionofthepoor——haveforthenervouswoesofcomfortablepeople。Marchhunghishead；heknewitwouldbeuselesstoprotestthathisshareofthecalamitywas，bycomparison，infinitesimallysmall。
AftershehadheardMrs。Marchtotheendevenofherrepetitions，MissVancesaid，asifitwereamerematterofcoursethatsheshouldhavelookedtheaffairup，\"Yes，IhaveseenMr。Lindauatthehospital——\"
\"Myhusbandgoeseverydaytoseehim，\"Mrs。Marchinterrupted，togive。
afinaltouchtotheconceptionofMarch\'smagnanimitythroughout。
\"Thepoormanseemstohavebeeninthewrongatthetime，\"saidMissVance。
\"Icouldalmostsayhehadearnedtherighttobewrong。He\'samanofthemostgenerousinstincts，andahighidealofjustice，ofequity——toohightobeconsideredbyapolicemanwithaclubinhishand，\"saidMarch，withabolddefianceofhiswife\'sdifferentopinionofLindau。
\"It\'sthepoliceman\'sbusiness，Isuppose，toclubtheidealwhenhefindsitincitingariot。\"
\"Oh，Idon\'tblameMr。Lindau；Idon\'tblamethepoliceman；hewasasmuchamereinstrumentashisclubwas。IamonlytryingtofindouthowmuchIamtoblamemyself。IhadnothoughtofMr。Dryfoos\'sgoingthere——ofhisattemptingtotalkwiththestrikersandkeepthemquiet；
Iwasonlythinking，aswomendo，ofwhatIshouldtrytodoifIwereaman。
Butperhapsheunderstoodmetoaskhimtogo——perhapsmywordssenthimtohisdeath。\"
Shehadasortofcalminhercouragetoknowtheworsttruthastoherresponsibilitythatforbadeanywishtoflatterheroutofit。\"I\'mafraid，\"saidMarch，\"thatiswhatcanneverbeknownnow。\"Afteramomentheadded:\"Butwhyshouldyouwishtoknow?Ifhewentthereasapeacemaker，hediedinagoodcause，insuchawayashewouldwishtodie，Ibelieve。\"
\"Yes，\"saidthegirl；\"Ihavethoughtofthat。Butdeathisawful；wemustnotthinkpatiently，forgivinglyofsendinganyonetotheirdeathinthebestcause。\"\"IfancylifewasanawfulthingtoConradDryfoos，\"
Marchreplied。\"Hewasthwartedanddisappointed，withoutevenpleasingtheambitionthatthwartedanddisappointedhim。Thatpooroldman，hisfather，warpedhimfromhissimple，lifelongwishtobeaminister，andwastryingtomakeabusinessmanofhim。Ifitwillbeanyconsolationtoyoutoknowit，MissVance，Icanassureyouthathewasveryunhappy，andIdon\'tseehowhecouldeverhavebeenhappyhere。\"
\"Itwon\'t，\"saidthegirl，steadily。\"Ifpeoplearebornintothisworld，it\'sbecausetheyweremeanttoliveinit。Itisn\'taquestionofbeinghappyhere；nooneishappy，inthatold，selfishway，orcanbe；buthecouldhavebeenofgreatuse。\"
\"Perhapshewasofuseindying。Whoknows?HemayhavebeentryingtosilenceLindau。\"
\"Oh，Lindauwasn\'tworthit!\"criedMrs。March。
MissVancelookedatherasifshedidnotquiteunderstand。ThensheturnedtoMarch。\"Hemighthavebeenunhappy，asweallare；butIknowthathislifeherewouldhavehadahigherhappinessthanwewishfororaimfor。\"Thetearsbegantorunsilentlydownhercheeks。
\"Helookedstrangelyhappythatdaywhenheleftme。Hehadhurthimselfsomehow，andhisfacewasbleedingfromascratch；hekepthishandkerchiefup；hewaspale，butsuchalightcameintohisfacewhenheshookhands——ah，IknowhewenttotryanddowhatIsaid!\"Theywereallsilent，whileshedriedhereyesandthenputherhandkerchiefbackintothepocketfromwhichshehadsuddenlypulledit，withaseriesofvivid，young-ladyishgestures，whichstruckMarchbytheirincongruitywiththeoccasionoftheirtalk，andyetbytheirharmonywiththerestofherelegance。\"Iamsorry，MissVance\"bebegan，\"thatIcan\'treallytellyouanythingmore——\"
\"Youareverykind，\"shesaid，controllingherselfandrisingquickly。
\"Ithankyou——thankyoubothverymuch。\"SheturnedtoMrs。Marchandshookhandswithherandthenwithhim。\"Imighthaveknown——Ididknowthattherewasn\'tanythingmoreforyoutotell。ButatleastI\'vefoundoutfromyouthattherewasnothing，andnowIcanbegintobearwhatI
must。Howarethosepoorcreatures——hismotherandfather，hissisters?
Someday，Ihope，Ishallbeashamedtohavepostponedthemtothethoughtofmyself；butIcan\'tpretendtobeyet。Icouldnotcometothefuneral；Iwantedto。\"
SheaddressedherquestiontoMrs。March，whoanswered:\"Icanunderstand。Buttheywerepleasedwiththeflowersyousent；peopleare，atsuchtimes，andtheyhaven\'tmanyfriends。\"
\"Wouldyougotoseethem?\"askedthegirl。\"WouldyoutellthemwhatI\'vetoldyou?\"
Mrs。Marchlookedatherhusband。
\"Idon\'tseewhatgooditwoulddo。Theywouldn\'tunderstand。Butifitwouldrelieveyou——\"
\"I\'llwaittillitisn\'taquestionofself-relief，\"saidthegirl。
\"Good-bye!\"
Sheleftthemtolongdebateoftheevent。AttheendMrs。Marchsaid，\"Sheisastrangebeing；suchamixtureofthesocietygirlandthesaint。\"
Herhusbandanswered:\"She\'sthepotentialityofseveralkindsoffanatic。She\'sveryunhappy，andIdon\'tseehowshe\'stobehappieraboutthatpoorfellow。Ishouldn\'tbesurprisedifshedidinspirehimtoattemptsomethingofthatkind。\"
\"Well，yougotoutofitverywell，Basil。Iadmiredthewayyoumanaged。Iwasafraidyou\'dsaysomethingawkward。\"
\"Oh，withaplainlineoftruthbeforeme，astheonlypossiblething，Icangetonprettywell。Whenitcomestoanythingdecorative，I\'dratherleaveittoyou，Isabel。\"
Sheseemedinsensibleofhisjest。\"Ofcourse，hewasinlovewithher。
Thatwasthelightthatcameintohisfacewhenhewasgoingtodowhathethoughtshewantedhimtodo。\"
\"Andshe——doyouthinkthatshewas——\"
\"Whatanidea!Itwouldhavebeenperfectlygrotesque!\"
VIII。
TheirafflictionbroughttheDryfoosesintohumanerrelationswiththeMarches，whohadhithertoregardedthemasanecessaryevil，astheodiousmeansoftheirownprosperity。Mrs。Marchfoundthatthewomenofthefamilyseemedgladofhercoming，andinthesenseofherusefulnesstothemallshebegantofeelakindnessevenforChristine。Butshecouldnothelpseeingthatbetweenthegirlandherfathertherewasanunsettledaccount，somehow，andthatitwasChristineandnottheoldmanwhowasholdingout。Shethoughtthattheirsorrowhadtendedtorefinetheothers。Melawasmuchmoresubdued，and，exceptwhensheabandonedherselftoachildishinterestinhermourning，shedidnothingtoshockMrs。March\'stasteortoseemunworthyofhergrief。Shewasverygoodtohermother，whomtheblowhadleftunchanged，andtoherfather，whomithadapparentlyfallenuponwithcrushingweight。Once，aftervisitingtheirhouse，Mrs。MarchdescribedtoMarchalittlescenebetweenDryfoosandMela，whenhecamehomefromWallStreet，andthegirlmethimatthedoorwithakindofcountrysimpleness，andtookhishatandstick，andbroughthimintotheroomwhereMrs。Marchsat，lookingtiredandbroken。
ShefoundthislookofDryfoos\'spathetic，anddweltonthesortofstupefactiontherewasinit；hemusthavelovedhissonmorethantheyeverrealized。\"Yes，\"saidMarch，\"Isuspecthedid。He\'sneverbeenabouttheplacesincethatday；hewasalwaysdroppinginbefore，onhiswayup-town。HeseemstogodowntoWallStreeteveryday，justasbefore，butIsupposethat\'smechanical；hewouldn\'tknowwhatelsetodo；Idaresayit\'sbestforhim。ThesanguineFulkersonisgettingalittleanxiousaboutthefutureof\'EveryOtherWeek。\'NowConrad\'sgone，heisn\'tsuretheoldmanwillwanttokeeponwithit，orwhetherhe\'llhavetolookupanotherAngel。Hewantstogetmarried，Iimagine，andhecan\'tventuretillthispointissettled。\"
\"It\'saverymaterialpointtoustoo，Basil，\"saidMrs。March。
\"Well，ofcourse。Ihadn\'toverlookedthat，youmaybesure。OneofthethingsthatFulkersonandIhavediscussedisaschemeforbuyingthemagazine。Itssuccessisprettywellassurednow，andIshouldn\'tbeafraidtoputmoneyintoit——ifIhadthemoney。\"
\"Icouldn\'tletyousellthehouseinBoston，Basil!\"
\"AndIdon\'twantto。Iwishwecouldgobackandliveinitandgettherent，too!Itwouldbequiteasupport。ButIsupposeifDryfooswon\'tkeepon，itmustcometoanotherAngel。Ihopeitwon\'tbealiteraryone，withafancyforrunningmydepartment。\"
\"Oh，Iguesswhoevertakesthemagazinewillbegladenoughtokeepyou!\"
\"Doyouthinkso?Well，perhaps。ButIdon\'tbelieveFulkersonwouldletmestandlongbetweenhimandanAngeloftherightdescription。\"
\"Well，then，Ibelievehewould。Andyou\'veneverseenanything，Basil，tomakeyoureallythinkthatMr。Fulkersondidn\'tappreciateyoutotheutmost。\"
\"IthinkIcameprettynearanundervaluationinthatLindautrouble。
IshallalwayswonderwhatputabackboneintoFulkersonjustatthatcrisis。Fulkersondoesn\'tstrikemeasthestuffofamoralhero。\"
\"Atanyrate，hewasone，\"saidMrs。March，\"andthat\'squiteenoughforme。\"
Marchdidnotanswer。\"Whatanoblethinglifeis，anyway!HereIam，wellonthewaytofifty，aftertwenty-fiveyearsofhardwork，lookingforwardtothepotentialpoor-houseasconfidentlyasIdidinyouth。
Wemighthavesavedalittlemorethanwehavesaved；butthelittlemorewouldn\'tavailifIwereturnedoutofmyplacenow；andweshouldhavelivedsordidlytonopurpose。Someonealwayshasyoubythethroat，unlessyouhavesomeoneelseinyourgrip。Iwonderifthat\'stheattitudetheAlmightyintendedHisrespectablecreaturestotaketowardoneanother!IwonderifHemeantourcivilization，thebattlewefightin，thegamewetrickin!IwonderifHeconsidersitfinal，andifthekingdomofheavenonearth，whichweprayfor——\"
\"HaveyouseenLindauto-day?\"Mrs。Marchasked。
\"Youinferreditfromthequalityofmypiety?\"Marchlaughed，andthensuddenlysobered。\"Yes，Isawhim。It\'sgoingratherhardwithhim，I\'mafraid。Theamputationdoesn\'thealverywell；theshockwasverygreat，andhe\'sold。It\'lltaketime。There\'ssomuchpainthattheyhavetokeephimunderopiates，andIdon\'tthinkhefullyknewme。Atanyrate，Ididn\'tgetmypietyfromhimto-day。\"
\"It\'shorrible!Horrible!\"saidMrs。March。\"Ican\'tgetoverit!
Afterlosinghishandinthewar，tolosehiswholearmnowinthisway!
Itdoesseemtoocruel!Ofcourseheoughtn\'ttohavebeenthere；wecansaythat。Butyououghtn\'ttohavebeenthere，either，Basil。\"
\"Well，Iwasn\'texactlyadvisingthepolicetogoandclubtherailroadpresidents。\"
\"NeitherwaspoorConradDryfoos。\"
\"Idon\'tdenyit。Allthatwasdistinctlythechanceoflifeanddeath。
ThatbelongedtoGod；andnodoubtitwaslaw，thoughitseemschance。
ButwhatIobjecttoisthiseconomicchance-worldinwhichwelive，andwhichwemenseemtohavecreated。Itoughttobelawasinflexibleinhumanaffairsastheorderofdayandnightinthephysicalworldthatifamanwillworkheshallbothrestandeat，andshallnotbeharassedwithanyquestionastohowhisreposeandhisprovisionshallcome。
Nothinglessidealthanthissatisfiesthereason。Butinourstateofthingsnooneissecureofthis。Nooneissureoffindingwork；nooneissureofnotlosingit。Imayhavemyworktakenawayfrommeatanymomentbythecaprice，themood，theindigestionofamanwhohasnotthequalificationforknowingwhetherIdoitwell，orill。Atmytimeoflife——ateverytimeoflife——amanoughttofeelthatifhewillkeepondoinghisdutyheshallnotsufferinhimselforinthosewhoaredeartohim，exceptthroughnaturalcauses。Butnomancanfeelthisasthingsarenow；andsowegoon，pushingandpulling，climbingandcrawling，thrustingasideandtramplingunderfoot；lying，cheating，stealing；andthenwegettotheend，coveredwithbloodanddirtandsinandshame，andlookbackoverthewaywe\'vecometoapalaceofourown，orthepoor-house，whichisabouttheonlypossessionwecanclaimincommonwithourbrother-men，Idon\'tthinktheretrospectcanbepleasing。\"
\"Iknow，Iknow!\"saidhiswife。\"Ithinkofthosethings，too，Basil。
Lifeisn\'twhatitseemswhenyoulookforwardtoit。ButIthinkpeoplewouldsufferless，andwouldn\'thavetoworksohard，andcouldmakeallreasonableprovisionforthefuture，iftheywerenotsogreedyandsofoolish。\"
\"Oh，withoutdoubt!Wecan\'tputitallontheconditions；wemustputsomeoftheblameoncharacter。Butconditionsmakecharacter；andpeoplearegreedyandfoolish，andwishtohaveandtoshine，becausehavingandshiningarehelduptothembycivilizationasthechiefgoodoflife。Weallknowtheyarenotthechiefgood，perhapsnotgoodatall；butifsomeoneventurestosayso，alltherestofuscallhimafraudandacrank，andgomoilingandtoilingontothepalaceorthepoor-house。Wecan\'thelpit。Ifonewerelessgreedyorlessfoolish，someoneelsewouldhaveandwouldshineathisexpense。Wedon\'tmoilandtoiltoourselvesalone；thepalaceorthepoor-houseisnotmerelyforourselves，butforourchildren，whomwe\'vebroughtupinthesuperstitionthathavingandshiningisthechiefgood。Wedarenotteachthemotherwise，forfeartheymayfalterinthefightwhenitcomestheirturn，andthechildrenofotherswillcrowdthemoutofthepalaceintothepoor-house。Ifwefeltsurethathonestworksharedbyallwouldbringthemhonestfoodsharedbyall，someheroicfewofus，whodidnotwishourchildrentoriseabovetheirfellows——thoughwecouldnotbeartohavethemfallbelow——mighttrustthemwiththetruth。Butwehavenosuchassurance，andsowegoontremblingbeforeDryfoosesandlivingingimcrackeries。\"
\"Basil，Basil!Iwasalwayswillingtolivemoresimplythanyou。YouknowIwas!\"
\"Iknowyoualwayssaidso，mydear。Buthowmanybell-ratchetsandspeaking-tubeswouldyoubewillingtohaveatthestreetdoorbelow?
Irememberthatwhenwewerelookingforaflatyourejectedeverybuildingthathadabell-ratchetoraspeaking-tube，andwouldhavenothingtodowithanythathadmorethananelectricbutton；youwantedahall-boy，withelectricbuttonsalloverhim。Idon\'tblameyou。I
findsuchthingsquiteasnecessaryasyoudo。\"
\"Anddoyoumeantosay，Basil，\"sheasked，abandoningthisunprofitablebranchoftheinquiry，\"thatyouarereallyuneasyaboutyourplace?
thatyouareafraidMr。DryfoosmaygiveupbeinganAngel，andMr。
Fulkersonmayplayyoufalse?\"
\"Playmefalse?Oh，itwouldn\'tbeplayingmefalse。Itwouldbemerelylookingoutforhimself，ifthenewAngelhadeditorialtastesandwantedmyplace。It\'swhatanyonewoulddo。\"
\"Youwouldn\'tdoit，Basil!\"
\"Wouldn\'tI?Well，ifanyoneofferedmemoresalarythan\'EveryOtherWeek\'pays——say，twiceasmuch——whatdoyouthinkmydutytomysufferingfamilywouldbe?It\'sgiveandtakeinthebusinessworld，Isabel；
especiallytake。Butastobeinguneasy，I\'mnot，intheleast。I\'vethespiritofalion，whenitcomestosuchachanceasthat。WhenIseehowreadilythesensibilitiesofthepassingstrangercanbeworkedinNewYork，IthinkoftakinguptheroleofthatdesperatemanonThirdAvenuewhowentalonglookingforgarbageintheguttertoeat。IthinkIcouldpickupatleasttwentyorthirtycentsadaybythatlittlegame，andmaintainmyfamilyintheaffluenceit\'sbeenaccustomedto。\"
\"Basil!\"criedhiswife。\"Youdon\'tmeantosaythatmanwasanimpostor!AndI\'vegoneabout，eversince，feelingthatonesuchcaseinamillion，thebarepossibilityofit，wasenoughtojustifyallthatLindausaidabouttherichandthepoor!\"
Marchlaughedteasingly。\"Oh，Idon\'tsayhewasanimpostor。Perhapshereallywashungry；but，ifhewasn\'t，whatdoyouthinkofacivilizationthatmakestheopportunityofsuchafraud?thatgivesusallsuchabadconsciencefortheneedwhichisthatweweakentotheneedthatisn\'t?Supposethatpoorfellowwasn\'tpersonallyfoundedonfact:nevertheless，herepresentedthetruth；hewastheidealofthesufferingwhichwouldbelesseffectiveifrealisticallytreated。Thatmanisagreatcomforttome。HeprobablyriotedfordaysonthatquarterIgavehim；madeadinnerverylikely，orachampagnesupper；andif\'EveryOtherWeek\'wantstogetridofme，Iintendtoworkthatracket。YoucanhangroundthecornerwithBella，andTomcancomeuptomeintears，atstatedintervals，andaskmeifI\'vefoundanythingyet。
Tobesure，wemightbearrestedandsentupsomewhere。Buteveninthatextremecaseweshouldbeprovidedfor。Ohno，I\'mnotafraidoflosingmyplace!I\'vemerelyasortofpsychologicalcuriositytoknowhowmenlikeDryfoosandFulkersonwillworkouttheproblembeforethem。\"
IX。
ItwasacuriositywhichFulkersonhimselfshared，atleastconcerningDryfoos。\"Idon\'tknowwhattheoldman\'sgoingtodo，\"hesaidtoMarchthedayaftertheMarcheshadtalkedtheirfutureover。\"Saidanythingtoyouyet?\"
\"No，notaword。\"
\"You\'reanxious，Isuppose，sameasIam。Factis，\"saidFulkerson，blushingalittle，\"Ican\'tasktohaveadaynamedtillIknowwhereI
aminconnectionwiththeoldman。Ican\'ttellwhetherI\'vegottolookoutforsomethingelseorsomebodyelse。Ofcourse，it\'sfullsoonyet。\"
\"Yes，\"Marchsaid，\"muchsoonerthanitseemstous。We\'resoanxiousaboutthefuturethatwedon\'trememberhowveryrecentthepastis。\"
\"That\'ssomethingso。Theoldman\'shardlyhadtimeyettopullhimselftogether。Well，I\'mgladyoufeelthatwayaboutit，March。Iguessit\'smoreofablowtohimthanwerealize。HewasagooddealboundupinCoonrod，thoughhedidn\'talwaysusehimverywell。Well，Ireckonit\'sapttohappensooftentimes；curioushowcruellovecanbe。Heigh?
We\'reanawfulmixture，March!\"
\"Yes，that\'sthemarvelandthecurse，asBrowningsays。\"
\"Why，thatpoorboyhimself，\"pursuedFulkerson，hadstreaksofthemuleinhimthatcouldgiveoddstoBeaton，andhemusthavetriedtheoldmanbythewayhewouldgiveintohiswillandholdoutagainsthisjudgment。Idon\'tbelieveheeverbudgedahairs-breadthfromhisoriginalpositionaboutwantingtobeapreacherandnotwantingtobeabusinessman。Well，ofcourse!Idon\'tthinkbusinessisallinall；
butitmusthavemadetheoldmanmadtofindthatwithoutsayinganything，ordoinganythingtoshowit，andafterseemingtocomeovertohisground，andreallycoming，practically，Coonrodwasjustexactlywherehefirstplantedhimself，everytime。\"
\"Yes，peoplethathaveconvictionsaredifficult。Fortunately，they\'rerare。\"
\"Doyouthinkso?Itseemstomethateverybody\'sgotconvictions。
Beatonhimself，whohasn\'taprincipletothrowatadog，hasgotconvictionsthesizeofabarn。Theyain\'talwaysthesameones，Iknow，butthey\'realwaystothesameeffect，asfarasBeaton\'sbeingNumberOneisconcerned。Theoldman\'sgotconvictionsordidhave，unlessthisthinglatelyhasshakenhimallup——andhebelievesthatmoneywilldoeverything。ColonelWoodburn\'sgotconvictionsthathewouldn\'tpartwithforuntoldmillions。Why，March，yougotconvictionsyourself!\"
\"HaveI?\"saidMarch。\"Idon\'tknowwhattheyare。\"
\"Well，neitherdoI；butIknowyouwerereadytokickthetroughoverforthemwhentheoldmanwantedustobounceLindauthattime。\"
\"Ohyes，\"saidMarch；herememberedthefact；buthewasstilluncertainjustwhattheconvictionswerethathehadbeensostanchfor。
\"Isupposewecouldhavegotalongwithoutyou，\"Fulkersonmusedaloud。
\"It\'sastonishinghowyoualwayscangetalonginthisworldwithoutthemanthatissimplyindispensable。Makesafellowrealizethathecouldtakeadayoffnowandthenwithoutderangingthesolarsystemagreatdeal。Nowhere\'sCoonrod——or，rather，heisn\'t。ButthatboymanagedhispartoftheschoonersowellthatIusedtotremblewhenIthoughtofhisgettingthebetteroftheoldmanandgoingintoaconventorsomethingofthatkind；andnowhereheis，snuffedoutinhalfasecond，andIdon\'tbelievebutwhatweshallbesailingalongjustaschipperasusualinsideofthirtydays。IreckonitwillbringtheoldmantothepointwhenIcometotalkwithhimaboutwho\'stobeputinCoonrod\'splace。Idon\'tlikeverywelltostartthesubjectwithhim；butit\'sgottobedonesometime。\"
\"Yes，\"Marchadmitted。\"It\'sterribletothinkhowunnecessaryeventhebestandwisestofusistothepurposesofProvidence。WhenIlookedatthatpooryoungfellow\'sfacesometimes——sogentleandtrueandpure——
Iusedtothinktheworldwasappreciablyricherforhisbeinginit。
Butareweappreciablypoorerforhisbeingoutofitnow?\"
\"No，Idon\'treckonweare，\"saidFulkerson。\"AndwhatalotoftherawmaterialofallkindstheAlmightymusthave，towasteusthewayHeseemstodo。ThinkofthrowingawayapreciouscreaturelikeCoonrodDryfoosononechanceinathousandofgettingthatoldfoolofaLindauoutofthewayofbeingclubbed!ForIsupposethatwaswhatCoonrodwasupto。Say!HaveyoubeenroundtoseeLindauto-day?\"
SomethinginthetoneorthemannerofFulkersonstartledMarch。\"No!
Ihaven\'tseenhimsinceyesterday。\"
\"Well，Idon\'tknow，\"saidFulkerson。\"IguessIsawhimalittlewhileafteryoudid，andthatyoungdoctorthereseemedtofeelkindofworriedabouthim。
Ornotworried，exactly；theycan\'taffordtoletsuchthingsworrythem，Isuppose；but——\"
\"He\'sworse?\"askedMarch。
\"Oh，hedidn\'tsayso。ButIjustwonderedifyou\'dseenhimto-day。\"
\"IthinkI\'llgonow，\"saidMarch，withapangatheart。HehadgoneeverydaytoseeLindau，butthisdayhehadthoughthewouldnotgo，andthatwaswhyhisheartsmotehim。HeknewthatifhewereinLindau\'splaceLindauwouldneverhavelefthissideifhecouldhavehelpedit。
Marchtriedtobelievethatthecasewasthesame，asitstoodnow；itseemedtohimthathewasalwaysgoingtoorfromthehospital；hesaidtohimselfthatitmustdoLindauharmtobevisitedsomuch。ButbeknewthatthiswasnottruewhenhewasmetatthedoorofthewardwhereLindaulaybytheyoungdoctor，whohadcometofeelapersonalinterestinMarch\'sinterestinLindau。
Hesmiledwithoutgayety，andsaid，\"He\'sjustgoing。\"
\"What!Discharged?\"
\"Ohno。Hehasbeenfailingveryfastsinceyousawhimyesterday，andnow——\"Theyhadbeenwalkingsoftlyandtalkingsoftlydowntheaislebetweenthelongrowsofbeds。\"Wouldyoucaretoseehim?\"
Thedoctormadeaslightgesturetowardthewhitecanvasscreenwhichinsuchplacesformsthedeath-chamberofthepoorandfriendless。\"Comeroundthisway——hewon\'tknowyou!I\'vegotratherfondofthepooroldfellow。Hewouldn\'thaveaclergyman——sortofagnostic，isn\'the?A
goodmanyoftheseGermansare——buttheyoungladywho\'sbeencomingtoseehim——\"
Theybothstopped。Lindau\'sgrand，patriarchalhead，foreshortenedtotheirview，laywhiteuponthepillow，andhisbroad，whitebeardfloweduponthesheet，whichheavedwiththoselonglastbreaths。BesidehisbedMargaretVancewaskneeling；herveilwasthrownback，andherfacewaslifted；sheheldclaspedbetweenherhandsthehandofthedyingman；
shemovedherlipsinaudibly。
X。
Inspiteoftheexperienceofthewholeracefromtimeimmemorial，whendeathcomestoanyoneweknowwehelplesslyregarditasanincidentoflife，whichwillpresentlygoonasbefore。Perhapsthisisaninstinctiveperceptionofthetruththatitdoesgoonsomewhere；butwehaveasenseofdeathasabsolutelytheendevenforearthonlyifitrelatestosomeoneremoteorindifferenttous。MarchtriedtoprojectLindautothenecessarydistancefromhimselfinordertorealizethefactinhiscase，buthecouldnot，thoughthemanwithwhomhisyouthhadbeenassociatedinapoeticfriendshiphadnotactuallyreenteredtheregionofhisaffectiontothesamedegree，orinanylikedegree。Thechangedconditionsforbadethat。Hehadasorenessofheartconcerninghim；buthecouldnotmakesurewhetherthissorenesswasgriefforhisdeath，orremorseforhisownuncandorwithhimaboutDryfoos，oraforebodingofthataccountingwithhisconsciencewhichheknewhiswifewouldnowexactofhimdowntothelastminutestparticularoftheirjointandseveralbehaviortowardLindaueversincetheyhadmethiminNewYork。
Hefeltsomethingknockagainsthisshoulder，andhelookeduptohavehishatstruckfromhisheadbyahorse\'snose。Hesawthehorseputhisfootonthehat，andhereflected，\"Nowitwillalwayslooklikeanaccordion，\"andheheardthehorse\'sdriveraddresshimsomesarcasmsbeforehecouldfullyawakentothesituation。HewasstandingbareheadedinthemiddleofFifthAvenueandblockingthetideofcarriagesflowingineitherdirection。AmongthefacesputoutofthecarriagewindowshesawthatofDryfooslookingfromacoupe。Theoldmanknewhim，andsaid，\"Jumpinhere，Mr。March\"；andMarch，whohadmechanicallypickeduphishat，andwasthinking，\"NowIshallhavetotellIsabelaboutthisatonce，andshewillnevertrustmeonthestreetagainwithouther，\"mechanicallyobeyed。HerconfidenceinhimhadbeenunderminedbyhisbeingsonearConradwhenhewasshot；anditwentthroughhismindthathewouldgetDryfoostodrivehimtoahatter\'s，wherehecouldbuyanewhat，andnotbeobligedtoconfesshisnarrowescapetohiswifetilltheincidentwassomedaysoldandshecouldbearitbetter。ItquitedroveLindau\'sdeathoutofhismindforthemoment；
andwhenDryfoossaidifhewasgoinghomehewoulddriveuptothefirstcross-streetandturnbackwithhim，Marchsaidhewouldbegladifhewouldtakehimtoahat-store。TheoldmanputhisheadoutagainandtoldthedrivertotakethemtotheFifthAvenueHotel。\"There\'sahat-
storearoundtheresomewhere，seemstome，\"hesaid；andtheytalkedofMarch\'saccidentaswellastheycouldintherattleandclatterofthestreettilltheyreachedtheplace。Marchgothishat，passingajokewiththehatterabouttheimpossibilityofpressinghisoldhatoveragain，andcameouttothankDryfoosandtakeleaveofhim。
\"Ifyouain\'tinanygreathurry，\"theoldmansaid，\"Iwishyou\'dgetinhereaminute。I\'dliketohavealittletalkwithyou。\"
\"Oh，certainly，\"saidMarch，andhethought:\"It\'scomingnowaboutwhatheintendstodowith\'EveryOtherWeek。\'Well，Imightaswellhaveallthemiseryatonceandhaveitover。\"
Dryfooscalleduptohisdriver，whobenthisheaddownsidewisetolisten:\"GooverthereonMadisonAvenue，ontothatasphalt，andkeepdrivin\'upanddowntillIstopyou。Ican\'thearmyselfthinkonthesepavements，\"hesaidtoMarch。Butaftertheygotupontheasphalt，andbegansmoothlyrollingoverit，heseemedinnohastetobegin。Atlasthesaid，\"Iwantedtotalkwithyouaboutthat——thatDutchmanthatwasatmydinner——Lindau，\"andMarch\'sheartgaveajumpwithwonderwhetherhecouldalreadyhaveheardofLindau\'sdeath；butinaninstantheperceivedthatthiswasimpossible。\"Ibeentalkin\'withFulkersonabouthim，andhesaystheyhadtotakethebalanceofhisarmoff。\"
Marchnodded；itseemedtohimhecouldnotspeak。Hecouldnotmakeoutfromtheclosefaceoftheoldmananythingofhismotive。Itwasset，butsetasapieceofbrokenmechanismiswhenithaslostthepowertorelaxitself。Therewasnootherhistoryinitofwhatthemanhadpassedthroughinhisson\'sdeath。
\"Idon\'tknow，\"Dryfoosresumed，lookingasideattheclothwindow-strap，whichhekeptfingering，\"asyouquiteunderstoodwhatmademethemaddest。Ididn\'ttellhimIcouldtalkDutch，becauseIcan\'tkeepitupwitharegularGerman；butmyfatherwasPennsylvanyDutch，andI
couldunderstandwhathewassayingtoyouaboutme。IknowIhadnobusinesstounderstoodit，afterIlethimthinkIcouldn\'tbutIdid，andIdidn\'tlikeverywelltohaveamancallin\'meatraitorandatyrantatmyowntable。Well，Ilookatitdifferentlynow，andIreckonIhadbetterhavetriedtoputupwithit；andIwould，ifIcouldhaveknown——\"Hestoppedwithaquiveringlip，andthenwenton:\"Then，again，Ididn\'tlikehistalkin\'thatpaternalismofhis。Ialwayshearditwastheworstkindofthingforthecountry；Iwasbroughtuptothinkthebestgovernmentwastheonethatgovernstheleast；andIdidn\'twanttohearthatkindoftalkfromamanthatwaslivin\'onmymoney。
Icouldn\'tbearitfromhim。OrIthoughtIcouldn\'tbefore——before——\"
Hestoppedagain，andgulped。\"Ireckonnowthereain\'tanythingI
couldn\'tbear。\"Marchwasmovedbythebluntwordsandthemutestareforwardwithwhichtheyended。\"Mr。Dryfoos，Ididn\'tknowthatyouunderstoodLindau\'sGerman，orIshouldn\'thaveallowedhimhewouldn\'thaveallowedhimself——togoon。Hewouldn\'thaveknowinglyabusedhispositionofguesttocensureyou，nomatterhowmuchhecondemnedyou。\"
\"Idon\'tcareforitnow，\"saidDryfoos。\"It\'sallpastandgone，asfarasI\'mconcerned；butIwantedyoutoseethatIwasn\'ttryin\'topunishhimforhisopinions，asyousaid。\"
\"No；Iseenow，\"Marchassented，thoughhethought，hispositionstilljustified。\"Iwish——\"
\"Idon\'tknowasIunderstandmuchabouthisopinions，anyway；butI
ain\'treadytosayIwantthemendependentonmetomanagemybusinessforme。Ialwaystriedtodothesquarethingbymyhands；andinthatparticularcaseoutthereItookonalltheoldhandsjustasfastastheylefttheirUnion。AsforthegameIcameonthem，itwasdogeatdog，anyway。\"
MarchcouldhavelaughedtothinkhowfarthisoldmanwasfromevenconceivingofLindau\'spoint\'ofview，andhowhewassayingtheworstofhimselfthatLindaucouldhavesaidofhim。Noonecouldhavecharacterizedthekindofthinghehaddonemoreseverelythanhewhenhecalleditdogeatdog。
\"There\'sagreatdealtobesaidonbothsides，\"Marchbegan，hopingtoleadupthroughthisgeneralitytothefactofLindau\'sdeath；buttheoldmanwenton:
\"Well，allIwantedhimtoknowisthatIwasn\'ttryingtopunishhimforwhathesaidaboutthingsingeneral。Younaturallygotthatidea，I
reckon；butIalwayswentinforlettin\'peoplesaywhattheypleaseandthinkwhattheyplease；it\'stheonlywayinafreecountry。\"
\"I\'mafraid，Mr。Dryfoos，thatitwouldmakelittledifferencetoLindaunow——\"
\"Idon\'tsupposehebearsmaliceforit，\"saidDryfoos，\"butwhatIwanttodoistohavehimtoldso。HecouldunderstandjustwhyIdidn\'twanttobecalledhardnames，andyetIdidn\'tobjecttohisthinkin\'whateverhepleased。I\'dlikehimtoknow——\"
\"Noonecanspeaktohim，noonecantellhim，\"Marchbeganagain，butagainDryfoospreventedhimfromgoingon。
\"Iunderstandit\'sadelicatething；andI\'mnotaskin\'youtodoit。
WhatIwouldreallyliketodo——ifyouthinkhecouldbepreparedforit，someway，andcouldstandit——wouldbetogotohimmyself，andtellhimjustwhatthetroublewas。I\'minhopes，ifIdonethat，hecouldseehowIfeltaboutit。\"
ApictureofDryfoosgoingtothedeadLindauwithhisvainregretspresenteditselftoMarch，andhetriedoncemoretomaketheoldmanunderstand。\"Mr。Dryfoos，\"besaid，\"Lindauispastallthatforever，\"
andhefelttheghastlycomedyofitwhenDryfooscontinued，withoutheedinghim\"IgotaparticularreasonwhyIwanthimtobelieveitwasn\'thisideasIobjectedto——themideasofhisaboutthegovernmentcarryin\'everythingonandgivin\'work。Idon\'tunderstand\'emexactly，butIfoundawritin\'——among——myson\'s-things\"heseemedtoforcethewordsthroughhisteeth，\"andIreckonhe——thought——thatway。Kindofadiary——wherehe——putdown-histhoughts。Mysonandme——wedifferedaboutagood-
manythings。\"Hischinshook，andfromtimetotimehestopped。\"I
wasn\'tverygoodtohim，Ireckon；IcrossedhimwhereIguessIgotnobusinesstocrosshim；butIthoughteverythingof——Coonrod。Hewasthebestboy，fromababy，thateverwas；justsopatientandmild，anddonewhateverhewastold。Ioughtto\'a\'lethimbeenapreacher!Oh，myson!myson!\"Thesobscouldnotbekeptbackanylonger；theyshooktheoldmanwithaviolencethatmadeMarchafraidforhim；buthecontrolledhimselfatlastwithaseriesofhoarsesoundslikebarks。\"Well，it\'sallpastandgone!ButasIunderstandyoufromwhatyousaw，whenCoonrodwas——killed，hewastryin\'tosavethatoldmanfromtrouble?\"
Yes，yes!Itseemedsotome。\"
\"That\'lldo，then!Iwantyoutohavehimcomebackandwriteforthebookwhenhegetswell。Iwantyoutofindoutandletmeknowifthere\'sanythingIcandoforhim。I\'llfeelasifIdoneit——formy——
son。I\'lltakehimintomyownhouse，anddoforhimthere，ifyousayso，whenhegetssohecanbemoved。I\'llwaitonhimmyself。It\'swhatCoonrod\'ddo，ifhewashere。Idon\'tfeelanyhardnesstohimbecauseitwashimthatgotCoonrodkilled，asyoumightsay，inonesenseoftheterm；butI\'vetriedtothinkitout，andIfeellikeIwasallthemorebeholdentohimbecausemysondiedtryin\'tosavehim。WhateverIdo，I\'llbedoin\'itforCoonrod，andthat\'senoughforme。\"Heseemedtohavefinished，andheturnedtoMarchasiftohearwhathehadtosay。
Marchhesitated。\"I\'mafraid，Mr。Dryfoos——Didn\'tFulkersontellyouthatLindauwasverysick?\"
\"Yes，ofcourse。Buthe\'sallright，hesaid。\"
Nowithadtocome，thoughthefacthadbeenlatterlyplayingfastandloosewithMarch\'sconsciousness。Somethingalmostmadehimsmile；thewillingnesshehadoncefelttogivethisoldmanpain；thenheconsoledhimselfbythinkingthatatleasthewasnotobligedtomeetDryfoos\'swishtomakeatonementwiththefactthatLindauhadrenouncedhim，andwouldonnotermsworkforsuchamanashe，orsufferanykindnessfromhim。InthislightLindauseemedtheharderofthetwo，andMarchhadthemomentaryforcetosay\"Mr。Dryfoos——itcan\'tbe。Lindau——Ihavejustcomefromhim——isdead。\"
XI。
\"Howdidhetakeit?Howcouldhebearit?Oh，Basil!Iwonderyoucouldhavethehearttosayittohim。Itwascruel!\"
\"Yes，cruelenough，mydear，\"Marchownedtohiswife，whentheytalkedthematteroveronhisreturnhome。Hecouldnotwaittillthechildrenwereoutoftheway，andafterwardneitherhenorhiswifewassorrythathehadspokenofitbeforethem。Thegirlcriedplentifullyforheroldfriendwhowasdead，andsaidshehatedMr。Dryfoos，andthenwassorryforhim，too；andtheboylistenedtoall，andspokewithaserioussensethatpleasedhisfather。\"Butastohowhetookit，\"Marchwentontoanswerhiswife\'squestionaboutDryfoos——\"howdoanyofustakeathingthathurts?Someofuscryout，andsomeofusdon\'t。Dryfoosdrewakindoflong，quiveringbreath，asachilddoeswhenitgrieves——there\'ssomethingcuriouslysimpleandprimitiveabouthim——anddidn\'tsayanything。Afterawhileheaskedmehowhecouldseethepeopleatthehospitalabouttheremains；IgavehimmycardtotheyoungdoctortherethathadchargeofLindau。Isupposehewasstillcarryingforwardhisplanofreparationinhismind——tothedeadforthedead。Buthowuseless!IfhecouldhavetakenthelivingLindauhomewithhim，andcaredforhimallhisdays，whatwouldithaveprofitedthegentlecreaturewhoselifehisworldlyambitionvexedandthwartedhere?
HemightaswellofferasacrificeatConrad\'sgrave。Children，\"saidMarch，turningtothem，\"deathisanexilethatnoremorseandnolovecanreach。Rememberthat，andbegoodtoeveryonehereonearth，foryourlongingtoretrieveanyharshnessorunkindnesstothedeadwillbetheveryecstasyofanguishtoyou。Iwonder，\"hemused，\"ifoneofthereasonswhywe\'reshutuptoourignoranceofwhatistobehereafterisn\'tbecauseifweweresureofanotherworldwemightbestillmorebrutaltooneanotherhere，inthehopeofmakingreparationsomewhereelse。Perhaps，ifweevercometoobeythelawofloveonearth，themysteryofdeathwillbetakenaway。\"
\"Well\"——theancestralPuritanismspokeinMrs。March——\"thesetwooldmenhavebeenterriblypunished。Theyhavebothbeenviolentandwilful，andtheyhavebothbeenpunished。Nooneneedevertellmethereisnotamoralgovernmentoftheuniverse!\"
Marchalwaysdislikedtohearhertalkinthisway，whichdidbothherheadandheartinjustice。\"AndConrad，\"hesaid，\"whatwashepunishedfor?\"
\"He?\"sheanswered，inanexaltation——\"hesufferedforthesinsofothers。\"
\"Ah，well，ifyouputitinthatway，yes。Thatgoesoncontinually。
That\'sanothermystery。\"
Hefelltobroodingonit，andpresentlyheheardhissonsaying，\"Isuppose，papa，thatMr。Lindaudiedinabadcause?\"
Marchwasstartled。HehadalwaysbeensosorryforLindau，andadmiredhiscourageandgenerositysomuch，thathehadneverfairlyconsideredthisquestion。\"Why，yes，\"heanswered；\"hediedinthecauseofdisorder；hewastryingtoobstructthelaw。Nodoubttherewasawrongthere，aninconsistencyandaninjusticethathefeltkeenly；butitcouldnotbereachedinhiswaywithoutgreaterwrong。\"
\"Yes；that\'swhatIthought，\"saidtheboy。\"Andwhat\'stheuseofoureverfightingaboutanythinginAmerica?Ialwaysthoughtwecouldvoteanythingwewanted。\"
\"Wecan，ifwe\'rehonest，anddon\'tbuyandselloneanother\'svotes，\"
saidhisfather。\"AndmenlikeLindau，whorenouncetheAmericanmeansashopeless，andlettheirloveofjusticehurrythemintosympathywithviolence——yes，theyarewrong；andpoorLindaudiddieinabadcause，asyousay，Tom。\"