\"Whatwasyouthinkin\'about,Jim?\"
Jimwasatrifleawkwardforthemoment。
\"Nothin\',\"heanswered。\"OnlyIwasthinkin\'justhowfunnyitwas——allthemjoolsathishouse。Whatmadeyouask?\"
\"Nothin\'。Iwasjustwonderin\',thatwasall。\"
Thesilencesettleddown,brokenbyanoccasionallowandnervousgiggleonthepartofJim。Hewasovercomebythespreadofgems。Itwasnotthathefelttheirbeauty。Hewasunawarethattheywerebeautifulinthemselves。Butinthemhisswiftimaginationvisionedthejoysoflifetheywouldbuy,andallthedesiresandappetitesofhisdiseasedmindandsicklyfleshweretickledbythepromisetheyextended。Hebuildedwondrous,orgy-hauntedcastlesoutoftheirbrilliantfires,andwasappalledatwhathebuilded。Thenitwasthathegiggled。Itwasalltooimpossibletobereal。Andyettheretheyblazedonthetablebeforehim,fanningtheflameofthelustofhim,andhegiggledagain。
\"Iguesswemightaswellcount\'em,\"Mattsaidsuddenly,tearinghimselfawayfromhisownvisions。\"Youwatchmean\'seethatit\'ssquare,becauseyouan\'mehasgottobeonthesquare,Jim。Understand?\"
Jimdidnotlikethis,andbetrayeditinhiseyes,whileMattdidnotlikewhathesawinhispartner\'seyes。
\"Understand?\"Mattrepeated,almostmenacingly。
\"Ain\'twealwaysbensquare?\"theotherreplied,onthedefensivebecauseofthetreacheryalreadywhisperinginhim。
\"Itdon\'tcostnothin\',bein\'squareinhardtimes,\"Mattretorted。\"It\'sbein\'squareinprosperitythatcounts。Whenweain\'tgotnothin\',wecan\'thelpbein\'square。We\'reprosperousnow,an\'we\'vegottobebusinessmen——honestbusinessmen。Understand?\"
\"That\'sthetalkforme,\"Jimapproved,butdeepdowninthemeagresoulofhim,——andinspiteofhim,——wantonandlawlessthoughtswerestirringlikechainedbeasts。
Mattsteppedtothefoodshelfbehindthetwo-burnerkerosenecookingstove。Heemptiedtheteafromapaperbag,andfromasecondbagemptiedsomeredpeppers。Returningtothetablewiththebags,heputintothemthetwosizesofsmalldiamonds。Thenhecountedthelargegemsandwrappedthemintheirtissuepaperandchamoisskin。
\"Hundredan\'forty-sevengood-sizedones,\"washisinventory;\"twentyrealbigones;twobigboysandonewhopper;an\'acoupleoffistfulsofteenyonesan\'dust。\"
HelookedatJim。
\"Correct,\"wastheresponse。
Hewrotethecountoutonaslipofmemorandumpaper,andmadeacopyofit,givingonesliptohispartnerandretainingtheother。
\"Justforreference,\"hesaid。
Againhehadrecoursetothefoodshelf,whereheemptiedthesugarfromalargepaperbag。Intothishethrustthediamonds,largeandsmall,wrappeditupinabandannahandkerchief,andstoweditawayunderhispillow。Thenhesatdownontheedgeofthebedandtookoffhisshoes。
\"An\'youthinkthey\'reworthahundredthousan\'?\"Jimasked,pausingandlookingupfromtheunlacingofhisshoe。
\"Sure,\"wastheanswer。\"Iseenadance-housegirldowninArizonaonce,withsomebigsparklersonher。Theywasn\'treal。Shesaidiftheywasshewouldn\'tbedancin\'。Saidthey\'dbeworthalloffiftythousan\',an\'
shedidn\'thaveadozenof\'emalltold。\"
\"Who\'dworkforalivin\'?\"Jimtriumphantlydemanded。\"Pickan\'shovelwork!\"hesneered。\"Worklikeadogallmylife,an\'saveallmywages,an\'Iwouldn\'thavehalfasmuchaswegottonight。\"
\"Dishwashin\'saboutyourmeasure,an\'youcouldn\'tgetmore\'ntwentyamonthan\'board。Yourfiggersis\'wayoff,butyourpointiswelltaken。
Letthemthatlikesit,work。IroderangeforthirtyamonthwhenIwasyoungan\'foolish。Well,I\'molder,an\'Iain\'tridin\'range。\"
Hegotintobedononeside。Jimputoutthelightandfollowedhiminontheotherside。
\"How\'syourarmfeel?\"Jimqueriedamiably。
Suchconcernwasunusual,andMattnotedit,andreplied——
\"Iguessthere\'snodangerofhydrophoby。Whatmadeyouask?\"
Jimfeltinhimselfaguiltystir,andunderhisbreathhecursedtheother\'swayofaskingdisagreeablequestions;butaloudheanswered——
\"Nothin\',onlyyouseemedscaredofitatfirst。Whatareyougoin\'todowithyourshare,Matt?\"
\"BuyacattleranchinArizonaan\'setdownan\'payothermentoriderangeforme。There\'ssomeseveralI\'dliketoseeaskin\'ajobfromme,damnthem!An\'nowyoushutyourface,Jim。It\'llbesometimebeforeIbuythatranch。JustnowI\'mgoin\'tosleep。\"
ButJimlaylongawake,nervousandtwitching,rollingaboutrestlesslyandrollinghimselfwideawakeeverytimehedozed。Thediamondsstillblazedunderhiseyelids,andthefireofthemhurt。Matt,inspiteofhisheavynature,sleptlightly,likeawildanimalalertinitssleep;andJimnoticed,everytimehemoved,thathispartner\'sbodymovedsufficientlytoshowthatithadreceivedtheimpressionandthatitwastremblingonthevergeofawakening。Forthatmatter,Jimdidnotknowwhetherornot,frequently,theotherwasawake。Once,quietly,betokeningcompleteconsciousness,Mattsaidtohim:\"Aw,gotosleep,Jim。Don\'tworryaboutthemjools。They\'llkeep。\"AndJimhadthoughtthatatthatparticularmomentMatthadbeensurelyasleep。
InthelatemorningMattwasawakewithJim\'sfirstmovement,andthereafterheawokeanddozedwithhimuntilmidday,whentheygotuptogetherandbegandressing。
\"I\'mgoin\'outtogetapaperan\'somebread,\"Mattsaid。\"Youboilthecoffee。\"
AsJimlistened,unconsciouslyhisgazeleftMatt\'sfaceandrovedtothepillow,beneathwhichwasthebundlewrappedinthebandannahandkerchief。
OntheinstantMatt\'sfacebecamelikeawildbeast\'s。
\"Lookhere,Jim,\"hesnarled。\"You\'vegottoplaysquare。Ifyoudomedirt,I\'llfixyou。Understand?I\'deatyou,Jim。Youknowthat。I\'dbiterightintoyourthroatan\'eatyoulikethatmuchbeefsteak。\"
Hissunburnedskinwasblackwiththesurgeofbloodinit,andhistobacco-stainedteethwereexposedbythesnarlinglips。Jimshiveredandinvoluntarilycowered。Therewasdeathinthemanhelookedat。Onlythenightbeforethatblack-facedmanhadkilledanotherwithhishands,andithadnothurthissleep。AndinhisownheartJimwasawareofasneakingguilt,ofatrainofthoughtthatmeritedallthatwasthreatened。
Mattpassedout,leavinghimstillshivering。Thenahatredtwistedhisownface,andhesoftlyhurledsavagecursesatthedoor。Herememberedthejewels,andhastenedtothebed,feelingunderthepillowforthebandannabundle。Hecrusheditwithhisfingerstomakecertainthatitstillcontainedthediamonds。AssuredthatMatthadnotcarriedthemaway,helookedtowardthekerosenestovewithaguiltystart。Thenhehurriedlylightedit,filledthecoffee-potatthesink,andputitovertheflame。
ThecoffeewasboilingwhenMattreturned,andwhilethelattercutthebreadandputasliceofbutteronthetable,Jimpouredoutthecoffee。
Itwasnotuntilhesatdownandhadtakenafewsipsofthecoffee,thatMattpulledoutthemorningpaperfromhispocket。
\"Wewaswayoff,\"hesaid。\"ItoldyouIdidn\'tdastfiggerouthowfatitwas。Lookatthat。\"
Hepointedtothehead-linesonthefirstpage。
\"SWIFTNEMESISONBUJANNOFF\'STRACK,\"theyread。\"MURDEREDINHISSLEEP
AFTERROBBINGHISPARTNER。\"
\"Thereyouhaveit!\"Mattcried。\"Herobbedhispartner——robbedhimlikeadirtythief。\"
\"Halfamillionofjewelsmissin\',\"Jimreadaloud。HeputthepaperdownandstaredatMatt。
\"That\'swhatItoldyou,\"thelattersaid。\"Whatinhelldoweknowaboutjools?Halfamillion!——an\'thebestIcouldfiggeritwasahundredthousan\'。Goonan\'readtherestofit。\"
Theyreadonsilently,theirheadssidebyside,theuntouchedcoffeegrowingcold;andeverandanononeortheotherburstforthwithsomesalientprintedfact。
\"I\'dliketoseenMetzner\'sfacewhenheopenedthesafeatthestorethismornin\',\"Jimgloated。
\"HehitthehighplacesrightawayforBujannoff\'shouse,\"Mattexplained。
\"Goonan\'read。\"
\"WastohavesailedlastnightattenontheSajodafortheSouthSeas——
steamshipdelayedbyextrafreight——\"
\"That\'swhywecaught\'minbed,\"Mattinterrupted。\"Itwasjustluck——
likepickin\'afifty-to-onewinner。\"
\"Sajodasailedatsixthismornin\'——\"
\"Hedidn\'tcatchher,\"Mattsaid。\"Isawhisalarm-clockwassetatfive。
That\'dgiven\'mplentyoftime……onlyIcomealongan\'putthekiboshonhistime。Goon。\"
\"AdolphMetznerindespair——thefamousHaythornepearlnecklace——
magnificentlyassortedpearls——valuedbyexpertsatfromfiftytoseventythousan\'dollars。\"
Jimbrokeofftoswearvilelyandsolemnly,concludingwith,\"Thosedamnoyster-eggsworthallthatmoney!\"
Helickedhislipsandadded,\"Theywasbeautiesan\'nomistake。\"
\"BigBraziliangem,\"hereadon。\"Eightythousan\'dollars——manyvaluablegemsofthefirstwater——severalthousan\'smalldiamondswellworthfortythousan\'。\"
\"Whatyoudon\'tknowaboutjoolsisworthknowin\',\"Mattsmiledgood-
humouredly。
\"Theoryofthesleuths,\"Jimread。\"Thievesmusthaveknown——cleverlykeptwatchonBujannoff\'sactions——musthavelearnedhisplanandtrailedhimtohishousewiththefruitsofhisrobbery——\"
\"Clever——hell!\"Mattbrokeout。\"That\'sthewayreputationsismade……
inthenoospapers。How\'dweknowhewasrobbin\'hispardner?\"
\"Anyway,we\'vegotthegoods,\"Jimgrinned。\"Let\'slookat\'emagain。\"
Heassuredhimselfthatthedoorwaslockedandbolted,whileMattbroughtoutthebundleinthebandannaandopeneditonthetable。
\"Ain\'ttheybeauties,though!\"Jimexclaimedatsightofthepearls;andforatimehehadeyesonlyforthem。\"Accordin\'totheexperts,worthfromfiftytoseventythousan\'dollars。\"
\"An\'womenlikethemthings,\"Mattcommented。\"An\'they\'lldoeverythingtoget\'em——sellthemselves,commitmurder,anything。\"
\"Justlikeyouan\'me。\"
\"Notonyourlife,\"Mattretorted。\"I\'llcommitmurderfor\'em,butnotfortheirownsakes,butforsakeofwhatthey\'llgetme。That\'sthedifference。Womenwantthejoolsforthemselves,an\'Iwantthejoolsforthewomenan\'suchthingsthey\'llgetme。\"
\"Luckythatmenan\'womendon\'twantthesamethings,\"Jimremarked。
\"That\'swhatmakescommerce,\"Mattagreed;\"peoplewantin\'differentthings。\"
InthemiddleoftheafternoonJimwentouttobuyfood。Whilehewasgone,Mattclearedthetableofthejewels,wrappingthemupasbeforeandputtingthemunderthepillow。Thenhelightedthekerosenestoveandstartedtoboilwaterforcoffee。Afewminuteslater,Jimreturned。
\"Mostsurprising,\"heremarked。\"Streets,an\'stores,an\'peoplejustliketheyalwayswas。Nothin\'changed。An\'mewalkingalongthroughitallamillionaire。Nobodylookedatmean\'guessedit。\"
Mattgruntedunsympathetically。Hehadlittlecomprehensionofthelighterwhimsandfanciesofhispartner\'simagination。
\"Didyougetaporterhouse?\"hedemanded。
\"Sure,an\'aninchthick。It\'sapeach。Lookatit。\"
Heunwrappedthesteakandhelditupfortheother\'sinspection。Thenhemadethecoffeeandsetthetable,whileMattfriedthesteak。
\"Don\'tputontoomuchofthemredpeppers,\"Jimwarned。\"Iain\'tusedtoyourMexicancookin\'。Youalwaysseasontoohot。\"
Mattgruntedalaughandwentonwithhiscooking。Jimpouredoutthecoffee,butfirst,intothenickedchinacup,heemptiedapowderhehadcarriedinhisvestpocketwrappedinarice-paper。Hehadturnedhisbackforthemomentonhispartner,buthedidnotdaretoglancearoundathim。
Mattplacedanewspaperonthetable,andonthenewspapersetthehotfrying-pan。Hecutthesteakinhalf,andservedJimandhimself。
\"Eatherwhileshe\'shot,\"hecounselled,andwithknifeandforksettheexample。
\"She\'sadandy,\"wasJim\'sjudgment,afterhisfirstmouthful。\"ButItellyouonethingstraight。I\'mnevergoin\'tovisityouonthatArizonaranch,soyouneedn\'taskme。\"
\"What\'sthematternow?\"Mattasked。
\"Hell\'sthematter,\"wastheanswer。\"TheMexicancookin\'onyourranch\'dbetoomuchforme。IfI\'vegothella-comin\'inthenextlife,I\'mnotgoin\'totormentmyinsidesinthisone。Damnedpeppers!\"
Hesmiled,expelledhisbreathforciblytocoolhisburningmouth,dranksomecoffee,andwentoneatingthesteak。
\"Whatdoyouthinkaboutthenextlifeanyway,Matt?\"heaskedalittlelater,whilesecretlyhewonderedwhytheotherhadnotyettouchedhiscoffee。
\"Ain\'tnonextlife,\"Mattanswered,pausingfromthesteaktotakehisfirstsipofcoffee。\"Norheavennorhell,nornothin\'。Yougetallthat\'scomin\'righthereinthislife。\"
\"An\'afterward?\"Jimqueriedoutofhismorbidcuriosity,forheknewthathelookeduponamanthatwassoontodie。\"An\'afterward?\"herepeated。
\"Didyoueverseeamantwoweeksdead?\"theotherasked。
Jimshookhishead。
\"Well,Ihave。Hewaslikethisbeefsteakyouan\'meiseatin\'。Itwasoncesteercavortin\'overthelandscape。Butnowit\'sjustmeat。That\'sall,justmeat。An\'that\'swhatyouan\'mean\'allpeoplecometo——meat。\"
Mattgulpeddownthewholecupofcoffee,andrefilledthecup。
\"Areyouscaredtodie?\"heasked。
Jimshookhishead。\"What\'stheuse?Idon\'tdieanyway。Ipassonan\'
liveagain——\"
\"Togostealin\',an\'lyin\'an\'snivellin\'throughanotherlife,an\'goonthatwayforeveran\'everan\'ever?\"Mattsneered。
\"MaybeI\'llimprove,\"Jimsuggestedhopefully。\"Maybestealin\'won\'tbenecessaryinthelifetocome。\"
Heceasedabruptly,andstaredstraightbeforehim,afrightenedexpressiononhisface。
\"What\'sthematter!\"Mattdemanded。
\"Nothin\'。Iwasjustwonderin\'\"——Jimreturnedtohimselfwithaneffort——
\"aboutthisdyin\',thatwasall。\"
Buthecouldnotshakeoffthefrightthathadstartledhim。Itwasasifanunseenthingofgloomhadpassedhimby,castinguponhimtheintangibleshadowofitspresence。Hewasawareofafeelingofforeboding。
Somethingominouswasabouttohappen。Calamityhoveredintheair。Hegazedfixedlyacrossthetableattheotherman。Hecouldnotunderstand。
Wasitthathehadblunderedandpoisonedhimself?No,Matthadthenickedcup,andhehadcertainlyputthepoisoninthenickedcup。
Itwasallhisownimagination,washisnextthought。Ithadplayedhimtricksbefore。Fool!Ofcourseitwas。Ofcoursesomethingwasabouttohappen,butitwasabouttohappentoMatt。HadnotMattdrunkthewholecupofcoffee?
Jimbrightenedupandfinishedhissteak,soppingbreadinthegravywhenthemeatwasgone。
\"WhenIwasakid——\"hebegan,butbrokeoffabruptly。
Againtheunseenthingofgloomhadfluttered,andhisbeingwasvibrantwithpremonitionofimpendingmisfortune。Hefeltadisruptiveinfluenceatworkinthefleshofhim,andinallhismusclestherewasaseemingthattheywereabouttobegintotwitch。Hesatbacksuddenly,andassuddenlyleanedforwardwithhiselbowsonthetable。Atremorrandimlythroughthemusclesofhisbody。Itwaslikethefirstrustlingofleavesbeforetheoncomingofwind。Heclenchedhisteeth。Itcameagain,aspasmodictensingofhismuscles。Heknewpanicattherevoltwithinhisbeing。Hismusclesnolongerrecognizedhismasteryoverthem。Againtheyspasmodicallytensed,despitethewillofhim,forhehadwilledthattheyshouldnottense。Thiswasrevolutionwithinhimself,thiswasanarchy;
andtheterrorofimpotencerushedupinhimashisfleshgrippedandseemedtoseizehiminaclutch,chillsrunningupanddownhisbackandsweatstartingonhisbrow。Heglancedabouttheroom,andallthedetailsofitsmotehimwithastrangesenseoffamiliarity。Itwasasthoughhehadjustreturnedfromalongjourney。Helookedacrossthetableathispartner。Mattwaswatchinghimandsmiling。AnexpressionofhorrorspreadoverJim\'sface。
\"MyGod,Matt!\"hescreamed。\"Youain\'tdopedme?\"
Mattsmiledandcontinuedtowatchhim。Intheparoxysmthatfollowed,Jimdidnotbecomeunconscious。Hismusclestensedandtwitchedandknotted,hurtinghimandcrushinghimintheirsavagegrip。Andinthemidstofitall,itcametohimthatMattwasactingqueerly。Hewastravellingthesameroad。Thesmilehadgonefromhisface,andtherewasonitanintentexpression,asifhewerelisteningtosomeinnertaleofhimselfandtryingtodivinethemessage。Mattgotupandwalkedacrosstheroomandbackagain,thensatdown。
\"Youdidthis,Jim,\"hesaidquietly。
\"ButIdidn\'tthinkyou\'dtrytofixME,\"Jimansweredreproachfully。
\"Oh,Ifixedyouallright,\"Mattsaid,withteethclosetogetherandshiveringbody。\"Whatdidyougiveme?\"
\"Strychnine。\"
\"SameasIgaveyou,\"Mattvolunteered。\"It\'sahellofamess,ain\'tit?\"
\"You\'relyin\',Matt,\"Jimpleaded。\"Youain\'tdopedme,haveyou?\"
\"Isuredid,Jim;an\'Ididn\'toverdoseyou,neither。Icookeditinasneatasyoupleaseinyourhalftheporterhouse——Holdon!Where\'reyougoin\'?\"
Jimhadmadeadashforthedoor,andwasthrowingbackthebolts。Mattspranginbetweenandshovedhimaway。
\"Drugstore,\"Jimpanted。\"Drugstore。\"
\"Noyoudon\'t。You\'llstayrighthere。Thereain\'tgoin\'tobeanyrunnin\'outan\'makin\'apoisonplayonthestreet——notwithallthemjoolsreposin\'underthepillow。Savve?Evenifyoudidn\'tdie,you\'dbeinthehandsofthepolicewithawholelotofexplanationscomin\'。Emeticsisthestuffforpoison。I\'mjustasbadbitasyou,an\'I\'mgoin\'totakeaemetic。That\'sallthey\'dgiveyouatadrugstore,anyway。\"
HethrustJimbackintothemiddleoftheroomandshottheboltsintoplace。Ashewentacrossthefloortothefoodshelf,hepassedonehandoverhisbrowandflungoffthebeadedsweat。Itspatteredaudiblyonthefloor。JimwatchedagonizedlyasMattgotthemustard-canandacupandranforthesink。Hestirredacupfulofmustardandwateranddrankitdown。Jimhadfollowedhimandwasreachingwithtremblinghandsfortheemptycup。AgainMattshovedhimaway。Ashemixedasecondcupful,hedemanded——
\"D\'youthinkonecup\'lldoforme?YoucanwaittillI\'mdone。\"
Jimstartedtotottertowardthedoor,butMattcheckedhim。
\"Ifyoumonkeywiththatdoor,I\'lltwistyourneck。Savve?YoucantakeyourswhenI\'mdone。An\'ifitsavesyou,I\'lltwistyourneck,anyway。
Youain\'tgotnochance,nohow。Itoldyoumanytimeswhatyou\'dgetifyoudidmedirt。\"
\"Butyoudidmedirt,too,\"Jimarticulatedwithaneffort。
Mattwasdrinkingthesecondcupful,anddidnotanswer。ThesweathadgotintoJim\'seyes,andhecouldscarcelyseehiswaytothetable,wherehegotacupforhimself。ButMattwasmixingathirdcupful,and,asbefore,thrusthimaway。
\"ItoldyoutowaittillIwasdone,\"Mattgrowled。\"Getoutamyway。\"
AndJimsupportedhistwitchingbodybyholdingontothesink,thewhileheyearnedtowardtheyellowishconcoctionthatstoodforlife。Itwasbysheerwillthathestoodandclungtothesink。Hisfleshstrovetodoublehimupandbringhimtothefloor。Mattdrankthethirdcupful,andwithdifficultymanagedtogettoachairandsitdown。Hisfirstparoxysmwaspassing。Thespasmsthatafflictedhimweredyingaway。Thisgoodeffectheascribedtothemustardandwater。Hewassafe,atanyrate。Hewipedthesweatfromhisface,and,intheintervalofcalm,foundroomforcuriosity。Helookedathispartner。
AspasmhadshakenthemustardcanoutofJim\'shands,andthecontentswerespilleduponthefloor。Hestoopedtoscoopsomeofthemustardintothecup,andthesucceedingspasmdoubledhimuponthefloor。Mattsmiled。
\"Staywithit,\"heencouraged。\"It\'sthestuffallright。It\'sfixedmeup。\"
Jimheardhimandturnedtowardhimastrickenface,twistedwithsufferingandpleading。Spasmnowfollowedspasmtillhewasinconvulsions,rollingonthefloorandyellowinghisfaceandhairinthemustard。
Mattlaughedhoarselyatthesight,butthelaughbrokemidway。Atremorhadrunthroughhisbody。Anewparoxysmwasbeginning。Hearoseandstaggeredacrosstothesink,where,withprobingforefinger,hevainlystrovetoassisttheactionoftheemetic。Intheend,heclungtothesinkasJimhadclung,filledwiththehorrorofgoingdowntothefloor。
Theother\'sparoxysmhadpassed,andhesatup,weakandfainting,tooweaktorise,hisforeheaddripping,hislipsfleckedwithafoammadeyellowbythemustardinwhichhehadrolled。Herubbedhiseyeswithhisknuckles,andgroansthatwerelikewhinescamefromhisthroat。
\"Whatareyousnifflin\'about?\"Mattdemandedoutofhisagony。\"Allyougottodoisdie。An\'whenyoudieyou\'redead。\"
\"I……ain\'t……snifflin\'……it\'s……the……mustard……
stingin\'……my……eyes,\"Jimpantedwithdesperateslowness。
Itwashislastsuccessfulattemptatspeech。Thereafterhebabbledincoherently,pawingtheairwithshakingarmstillafreshconvulsionstretchedhimonthefloor。
Mattstruggledbacktothechair,and,doubleduponit,withhisarmsclaspedabouthisknees,hefoughtwithhisdisintegratingflesh。Hecameoutoftheconvulsioncoolandweak。Helookedtoseehowitwentwiththeother,andsawhimlyingmotionless。
Hetriedtosoliloquize,tobefacetious,tohavehislastgrimlaughatlife,buthislipsmadeonlyincoherentsounds。Thethoughtcametohimthattheemetichadfailed,andthatnothingremainedbutthedrugstore。
Helookedtowardthedooranddrewhimselftohisfeet。Therehesavedhimselffromfallingbyclutchingthechair。Anotherparoxysmhadbegun。
Andinthemidstoftheparoxysm,withhisbodyandallthepartsofitflyingapartandwrithingandtwistingbackagainintoknots,heclungtothechairandshoveditbeforehimacrossthefloor。Thelastshredsofhiswillwereleavinghimwhenhegainedthedoor。Heturnedthekeyandshotbackonebolt。Hefumbledforthesecondbolt,butfailed。Thenheleanedhisweightagainstthedoorandsliddowngentlytothefloor。
CREATEDHETHEM
Shemethimatthedoor。
\"Ididnotthinkyouwouldbesoearly。\"
\"Itishalfpasteight。\"Helookedathiswatch。\"Thetrainleavesat9。12。\"
Hewasverybusinesslike,untilhesawherlipstrembleassheabruptlyturnedandledtheway。
\"It\'llbeallright,littlewoman,\"hesaidsoothingly。\"DoctorBodineau\'stheman。He\'llpullhimthrough,you\'llsee。\"
Theyenteredtheliving-room。Hisglancequestedapprehensivelyabout,thenturnedtoher。
\"Where\'sAl?\"
Shedidnotanswer,butwithasuddenimpulsecameclosetohimandstoodmotionless。Shewasaslender,dark-eyedwoman,inwhosefacewasstampedthestrainandstressofliving。Butthefinelinesandthehauntedlookintheeyeswerenotthehandiworkofmereworry。Heknewwhosehandiworkitwasashelookeduponit,andsheknewwhensheconsultedhermirror。
\"It\'snouse,Mary,\"hesaid。Heputhishandonhershoulder。\"We\'vetriedeverything。It\'sawretchedbusiness,Iknow,butwhatelsecanwedo?You\'vefailed。DoctorBodineau\'sallthat\'sleft。\"
\"IfIhadanotherchance……\"shebeganfalteringly。
\"We\'vethreshedthatallout,\"heansweredharshly。\"You\'vegottobuckup,now。Youknowwhatconclusionwearrivedat。Youknowyouhaven\'ttheghostofahopeinanotherchance。\"
Sheshookherhead。\"Iknowit。Butitisterrible,thethoughtofhisgoingawaytofightitoutalone。\"
\"Hewon\'tbealone。There\'sDoctorBodineau。Andbesides,it\'sabeautifulplace。\"
Sheremainedsilent。
\"Itistheonlything,\"hesaid。
\"Itistheonlything,\"sherepeatedmechanically。
Helookedathiswatch。\"Where\'sAl?\"
\"I\'llsendhim。\"
Whenthedoorhadclosedbehindher,hewalkedovertothewindowandlookedout,drummingabsentlywithhisknucklesonthepane。
\"Hello。\"
Heturnedandrespondedtothegreetingofthemanwhohadjustentered。
Therewasaperceptibledragtotheman\'sfeetashewalkedacrosstowardthewindowandpausedirresolutelyhalfway。
\"I\'vechangedmymind,George,\"heannouncedhurriedlyandnervously。\"I\'mnotgoing。\"
Hepluckedathissleeve,shuffledwithhisfeet,droppedhiseyes,andwithastrongeffortraisedthemagaintoconfronttheother。
Georgeregardedhimsilently,hisnostrilsdistendingandhisleanfingersunconsciouslycrookinglikeaneagle\'stalonsabouttoclutch。
Inlineandfeature,therewasmuchofresemblancebetweenthetwomen;andyet,inthestrongestresemblancestherewasaradicaldifference。Theirswerethesameblackeyes,butthoseofthemanatthewindowweresharpandstraightlooking,whilethoseofthemaninthemiddleoftheroomwerecloudyandfurtive。Hecouldnotfacetheother\'sgaze,andcontinuallyandvainlystruggledwithhimselftodoso。Thehighcheekboneswiththehollowsbeneathwerethesame,yetthetextureofthehollowsseemeddifferent。Thethin-lippedmouthswerefromthesamemould,butGeorge\'slipswerefirmandmuscular,whileAl\'sweresoftandloose——thelipsofanasceticturnedvoluptuary。Therewasalsoasagatthecorners。Hisfleshhintedofgrossness,especiallysointheeagle-likeaquilinenosethatmustoncehavebeenliketheother\'s,butthathadlosttheausteritytheother\'sstillretained。
Alfoughtforsteadinessinthemiddleofthefloor。Thesilencebotheredhim。Hehadafeelingthathewasabouttobeginswayingbackandforth。
Hemoistenedhislipswithhistongue。
\"I\'mgoingtostay,\"hesaiddesperately。
Hedroppedhiseyesandpluckedagainathissleeve。
\"Andyouareonlytwenty-sixyearsold,\"Georgesaidatlast。\"Youpoor,feebleoldman。\"
\"Don\'tbesosureofthat,\"Alretorted,withaflashofbelligerence。
\"Doyourememberwhenweswamthatmileandahalfacrossthechannel?\"
\"Well,andwhatofit?\"AsullenexpressionwascreepingacrossAl\'sface。
\"Anddoyourememberwhenweboxedinthebarnafterschool?\"
\"Icouldtakeallyougaveme。\"
\"AllIgaveyou!\"George\'svoicerosemomentarilytoahigherpitch。\"Youlickedmefourafternoonsoutoffive。YouweretwiceasstrongasI——
threetimesasstrong。AndnowI\'dbeafraidtolandonyouwithasofacushion;you\'dcrumpleuplikealastyear\'sleaf。You\'ddie,youpoor,miserableoldman。\"
\"Youneedn\'tabusemejustbecauseI\'vechangedmymind,\"theotherprotested,thehintofawhineinhisvoice。
Hiswifeentered,andhelookedappealinglytoher;butthemanatthewindowstrodesuddenlyuptohimandburstout——
\"Youdon\'tknowyourownmindfortwosuccessiveminutes!Youhaven\'tanymind,youspineless,crawlingworm!\"
\"Youcan\'tmakemeangry。\"Alsmiledwithcunning,andglancedtriumphantlyathiswife。\"Youcan\'tmakemeangry,\"herepeated,asthoughtheideawerethoroughlygratifyingtohim。\"Iknowyourgame。
It\'smystomach,Itellyou。Ican\'thelpit。BeforeGod,Ican\'t!Isn\'titmystomach,Mary?\"
SheglancedatGeorgeandspokecomposedly,thoughshehidatremblinghandinafoldofherskirt。
\"Isn\'tittime?\"sheaskedsoftly。
Herhusbandturneduponhersavagely。\"I\'mnotgoingtogo!\"hecried。
\"That\'sjustwhatI\'vebeentelling……him。AndItellyouagain,allofyou,I\'mnotgoing。Youcan\'tbullyme。\"
\"Why,Al,dear,yousaid——\"shebegan。
\"NevermindwhatIsaid!\"hebrokeout。\"I\'vesaidsomethingelserightnow,andyou\'veheardit,andthatsettlesit。\"
HewalkedacrosstheroomandthrewhimselfwithemphasisintoaMorrischair。Buttheothermanwasswiftlyuponhim。Thetalon-likefingersgrippedhisshoulders,jerkedhimtohisfeet,andheldhimthere。
\"You\'vereachedthelimit,Al,andIwantyoutounderstandit。I\'vetriedtotreatyoulike……likemybrother,buthereafterIshalltreatyoulikethethingthatyouare。Doyouunderstand?\"
Theangerinhisvoicewascold。Theblazeinhiseyeswascold。Itwasvastlymoreeffectivethananyoutburst,andAlcringedunderitandundertheclutchinghandthatwasbruisinghisshouldermuscles。
\"Itisonlybecauseofmethatyouhavethishouse,thatyouhavethefoodyoueat。Yourposition?Anyothermanwouldhavebeenshownthedoorayearago——twoyearsago。Ihaveheldyouinit。Yoursalaryhasbeencharity。Ithasbeenpaidoutofmypocket。Mary……herdresses……
thatgownshehasonismadeover;shewearsthediscardeddressesofhersisters,ofmywife。Charity——doyouunderstand?Yourchildren——theyarewearingthediscardedclothesofmychildren,ofthechildrenofmyneighbourswhothinktheclotheswenttosomeorphanasylum。Anditisanorphanasylum……oritsoonwillbe。\"
Heemphasizedeachpointwithanunconscioustighteningofhisgripontheshoulder。Alwassquirmingwiththepainofit。Thesweatwasstartingoutonhisforehead。
\"Nowlistenwelltome,\"hisbrotherwenton。\"Inthreeminutesyouwilltellmethatyouaregoingwithme。Ifyoudon\'t,Maryandthechildrenwillbetakenawayfromyou——to-day。Youneedn\'tevercometotheoffice。
Thishousewillbeclosedtoyou。AndinsixmonthsIshallhavethepleasureofburyingyou。Youhavethreeminutestomakeupyourmind。\"
Almadeastranglingmovement,andreachedupwithweakfingerstotheclutchinghand。
\"Myheart……letmego……you\'llbethedeathofme,\"hegasped。
ThehandthrusthimdownforciblyintotheMorrischairandreleasedhim。
Theclockonthemantletickedloudly。Georgeglancedatit,andatMary。
Shewasleaningagainstthetable,unabletoconcealhertrembling。Hebecameunpleasantlyawareofthefeelingofhisbrother\'sfingersonhishand。Quiteunconsciouslyhewipedthebackofthehanduponhiscoat。
Theclocktickedoninthesilence。ItseemedtoGeorgethattheroomreverberatedwithhisvoice。Hecouldhearhimselfstillspeaking。
\"I\'llgo,\"camefromtheMorrischair。
Itwasaweakandshakenvoice,anditwasaweakandshakenmanthatpulledhimselfoutoftheMorrischair。Hestartedtowardthedoor。
\"Whereareyougoing?\"Georgedemanded。
\"Suitcase,\"cametheresponse。\"Mary\'llsendthetrunklater。I\'llbebackinaminute。\"
Thedoorclosedafterhim。Amomentlater,struckwithsuddensuspicion,Georgewasopeningthedoor。Heglancedin。Hisbrotherstoodatasideboard,inonehandadecanter,intheotherhand,bottomupandtohislips,awhiskyglass。
AcrosstheglassAlsawthathewasobserved。Itthrewhimintoapanic。
Hastilyhetriedtorefilltheglassandgetittohislips;butglassanddecanterweresentsmashingtothefloor。Hesnarled。Itwaslikethesoundofawildbeast。Butthegriponhisshouldersubduedandfrightenedhim。Hewasbeingpropelledtowardthedoor。
\"Thesuitcase,\"hegasped。\"It\'sthereinthatroom。Letmegetit。\"
\"Where\'sthekey?\"hisbrotherasked,whenhehadbroughtit。
\"Itisn\'tlocked。\"
Thenextmomentthesuitcasewasspreadopen,andGeorge\'shandwassearchingthecontents。Fromonesideitbroughtoutabottleofwhisky,fromtheothersideaflask。Hesnappedthecaseto。
\"Comeon,\"hesaid。\"Ifwemissonecar,wemissthattrain。\"
Hewentoutintothehallway,leavingAlwithhiswife。Itwaslikeafuneral,Georgethought,ashewaited。
Hisbrother\'sovercoatcaughtontheknobofthefrontdooranddelayeditsclosinglongenoughforMary\'sfirstsobtocometotheirears。George\'slipswereverythinandcompressedashewentdownthesteps。Inonehandhecarriedthesuitcase。Withtheotherhandheheldhisbrother\'sarm。
Astheynearedthecorner,heheardtheelectriccarablockaway,andurgedhisbrotheron。Alwasbreathinghard。Hisfeetdraggedandshuffled,andheheldback。
\"AhellofabrotherYOUare,\"hepanted。
Forreply,hereceivedaviciousjerkonhisarm。Itremindedhimofhischildhoodwhenhewashurriedalongbysomeangrygrown-up。Andlikeachild,hehadtobehelpedupthecarstep。Hesankdownonanoutsideseat,panting,sweating,overcomebytheexertion。HefollowedGeorge\'seyesasthelatterlookedhimupanddown。
\"AhellofabrotherYOUare,\"wasGeorge\'scommentwhenhehadfinishedtheinspection。
MoisturewelledintoAl\'seyes。
\"It\'smystomach,\"hesaidwithself-pity。
\"Idon\'twonder,\"wastheretort。\"Burntoutlikethecraterofavolcano。
Ferventheatisn\'tacircumstance。\"
Thereaftertheydidnotspeak。Whentheyarrivedatthetransferpoint,Georgecametohimselfwithastart。Hesmiled。Withfixedgazethatdidnotseethehousesthatstreamedacrosshisfieldofvision,hehadhimselfbeensunkdeepinself-pity。Hehelpedhisbrotherfromthecar,andlookeduptheintersectingstreet。Thecartheyweretotakewasnotinsight。
Al\'seyeschanceduponthecornergroceryandsaloonacrosstheway。Atoncehebecamerestless。Hishandspassedbeyondhiscontrol,andheyearnedhungrilyacrossthestreettothedoorthatswungopenevenashelookedandletinahappypilgrim。Andinthatinstanthesawthewhite-
jacketedbartenderagainstanarrayofglitteringglass。Quiteunconsciouslyhestartedtocrossthestreet。
\"Holdon。\"George\'shandwasonhisarm。
\"Iwantsomewhisky,\"heanswered。
\"You\'vealreadyhadsome。\"
\"Thatwashoursago。Goon,George,letmehavesome。It\'sthelastday。
Don\'tshutoffonmeuntilwegetthere——Godknowsitwillbesoonenough。\"
Georgeglanceddesperatelyupthestreet。Thecarwasinsight。
\"Thereisn\'ttimeforadrink,\"hesaid。
\"Idon\'twantadrink。Iwantabottle。\"Al\'svoicebecamewheedling。
\"Goon,George。It\'sthelast,theverylast。\"
\"No。\"ThedenialwasasfinalasGeorge\'sthinlipscouldmakeit。
Alglancedattheapproachingcar。Hesatdownsuddenlyonthecurbstone。
\"What\'sthematter?\"hisbrotherasked,withmomentaryalarm。
\"Nothing。Iwantsomewhisky。It\'smystomach。\"
\"Comeonnow,getup。\"
Georgereachedforhim,butwasanticipated,forhisbrothersprawledflatonthepavement,oblivioustothedirtandtothecuriousglancesofthepassers-by。Thecarwasclangingitsgongatthecrossing,ablockaway。
\"You\'llmissit,\"Algrinnedfromthepavement。\"Anditwillbeyourfault。\"
George\'sfistsclenchedtightly。
\"FortwocentsI\'dgiveyouathrashing。\"
\"Andmissthecar,\"wasthetriumphantcommentfromthepavement。
Georgelookedatthecar。Itwashalfwaydowntheblock。Helookedathiswatch。Hedebatedasecondlonger。
\"Allright,\"hesaid。\"I\'llgetit。Butyougetonthatcar。Ifyoumissit,I\'llbreakthebottleoveryourhead。\"
Hedashedacrossthestreetandintothesaloon。Thecarcameinandstopped。Therewerenopassengerstogetoff。Aldraggedhimselfupthestepsandsatdown。Hesmiledastheconductorrangthebellandthecarstarted。Theswingingdoorofthesaloonburstopen。Clutchinginhishandthesuitcaseandapintbottleofwhisky,Georgestartedinpursuit。
Theconductor,hishandonthebellcord,waitedtoseeifitwouldbenecessarytostop。Itwasnot。Georgeswunglightlyaboard,satdownbesidehisbrother,andpassedhimthebottle。
\"Youmighthavegotaquart,\"Alsaidreproachfully。
Heextractedthecorkwithapocketcorkscrew,andelevatedthebottle。
\"I\'msick……mystomach,\"heexplainedinapologetictonestothepassengerwhosatnexttohim。
Inthetraintheysatinthesmoking-car。Georgefeltthatitwasimperative。Also,havingsuccessfullycaughtthetrain,hisheartsoftened。Hefeltmorekindlytowardhisbrother,andaccusedhimselfofunnecessaryharshness。Hestrovetoatonebytalkingabouttheirmother,andsisters,andthelittleaffairsandinterestsofthefamily。ButAlwasmorose,anddevotedhimselftothebottle。Asthetimepassed,hismouthhunglooserandlooser,whiletheringsunderhiseyesseemedtopuffoutandallhisfacialmusclestorelax。
\"It\'smystomach,\"hesaid,once,whenhefinishedthebottleanddroppeditundertheseat;buttheswifthardeningofhisbrother\'sfacedidnotencouragefurtherexplanations。
Theconveyancethatmetthematthestationhadallthedignityandluxuriousnessofaprivatecarriage。George\'seyeswerekeenfortheearmarksoftheinstitutiontowhichtheyweregoing,buthisapprehensionswereallayedfrommomenttomoment。Astheyenteredthewidegatewayandrolledonthroughthespaciousgrounds,hefeltsurethattheinstitutionalsideoftheplacewouldnotjaruponhisbrother。Itwasmorelikeasummerhotel,or,betteryet,acountryclub。Andastheysweptonthroughthespringsunshine,thesongsofbirdsinhisears,andinhisnostrilsthebreathofflowers,Georgesighedforaweekofrestinsuchaplace,andbeforehiseyesloomedthearidvistaofsummerintownandattheoffice。Therewasnotroominhisincomeforhisbrotherandhimself。
\"Letustakeawalkinthegrounds,\"hesuggested,aftertheyhadmetDoctorBodineauandinspectedthequartersassignedtoAl。\"Thecarriageleavesforthestationinhalfanhour,andwe\'lljusthavetime。\"
\"It\'sbeautiful,\"heremarkedamomentlater。Underhisfeetwasthevelvetgrass,thetreesarchedoverhead,andhestoodinmottledsunshine。
\"IwishIcouldstayforamonth。\"
\"I\'lltradeplaceswithyou,\"Alsaidquickly。
Georgelaugheditoff,buthefeltasinkingoftheheart。
\"Lookatthatoak!\"hecried。\"Andthatwoodpecker!Isn\'theabeauty!\"
\"Idon\'tlikeithere,\"heheardhisbrothermutter。
George\'slipstightenedinpreparationforthestruggle,buthesaid——
\"I\'mgoingtosendMaryandthechildrenofftothemountains。Sheneedsit,andsodothey。Andwhenyou\'reinshape,I\'llsendyourightontojointhem。Thenyoucantakeyoursummervacationbeforeyoucomebacktotheoffice。\"
\"I\'mnotgoingtostayinthisdamnedhole,forallyoutalkaboutit,\"Alannouncedabruptly。
\"Yesyouare,andyou\'regoingtogetyourhealthandstrengthbackagain,sothatthelookofyouwillputthecolourinMary\'scheekswhereitusedtobe。\"
\"I\'mgoingbackwithyou。\"Al\'svoicewasfirm。\"I\'mgoingtotakethesametrainback。It\'sabouttimeforthatcarriage,Iguess。\"
\"Ihaven\'ttoldyouallmyplans,\"Georgetriedtogoon,butAlcuthimoff。
\"Youmightaswellquitthat。Idon\'twantanyofyoursoapytalking。Youtreatmelikeachild。I\'mnotachild。Mymind\'smadeup,andI\'llshowyouhowlongitcanstaymadeup。Youneedn\'ttalktome。Idon\'tcarearapforwhatyou\'regoingtosay。\"
Abalefullightwasinhiseyes,andtohisbrotherheseemedforalltheworldlikeacorneredrat,desperateandreadytofight。AsGeorgelookedathimherememberedbacktotheirchildhood,anditcametohimthatatlastwasarousedinAlthesameoldstubbornstrainthathadenabledhim,asachild,tostandagainstallforceandpersuasion。
Georgeabandonedhope。Hehadlost。Thiscreaturewasnothuman。Thelastfineinstinctofthehumanhadfled。Itwasabrute,sluggishandstolid,impossibletomove——justtherawstuffoflife,combative,rebellious,andindomitable。Andashecontemplatedhisbrotherhefeltinhimselftherisingupofasimilarbrute。Hebecamesuddenlyawarethathisfingersweretensingandcrookinglikeathug\'s,andheknewthedesiretokill。Andhisreason,turnedtraitoratlast,counselledthatheshouldkill,thatitwastheonlythingleftforhimtodo。
Hewasarousedbyaservantcallingtohimthroughthetreesthatthecarriagewaswaiting。Heanswered。Then,lookingstraightbeforehim,hediscoveredhisbrother。Hehadforgottenitwashisbrother。Ithadbeenonlyathingthemomentbefore。Hebegantotalk,andashetalkedthewaybecamecleartohim。Hisreasonhadnotturnedtraitor。Thebruteinhimhadmerelyorientatedhisreason。
\"Youarenoearthlygood,Al,\"hesaid。\"Youknowthat。You\'vemadeMary\'slifeahell。Youareacursetoyourchildren。Andyouhavenotmadelifeexactlyaparadisefortherestofus。\"
\"There\'snouseyourtalking,\"Alinterjected。\"I\'mnotgoingtostayhere。\"
\"That\'swhatI\'mcomingto,\"Georgecontinued。\"Youdon\'thavetostayhere。\"Al\'sfacebrightened,andheinvoluntarilymadeamovement,asthoughabouttostarttowardthecarriage。\"Ontheotherhand,itisnotnecessarythatyoushouldreturnwithme。Thereisanotherway。\"
George\'shandwenttohishippocketandappearedwitharevolver。Itlayalonghispalm,thebutttowardAl,andtowardAlheextendedit。Atthesametime,withhishead,heindicatedthenear-bythicket。
\"Youcan\'tbluffme,\"Alsnarled。
\"Itisnotabluff,Al。Lookatme。Imeanit。Andifyoudon\'tdoitforyourself,Ishallhavetodoitforyou。\"
Theyfacedeachother,theprofferedrevolverstillextended。Aldebatedforamoment,thenhiseyesblazed。Withaquickmovementheseizedtherevolver。
\"MyGod!I\'lldoit,\"hesaid。\"I\'llshowyouwhatI\'vegotinme。\"
Georgefeltsuddenlysick。Heturnedaway。Hedidnotseehisbrotherenterthethicket,butheheardthepassageofhisbodythroughtheleavesandbranches。
\"Good-bye,Al,\"hecalled。
\"Good-bye,\"camefromthethicket。
Georgefeltthesweatuponhisforehead。Hebeganmoppinghisfacewithhishandkerchief。Heheard,asfromaremotedistance,thevoiceoftheservantagaincallingtohimthatthecarriagewaswaiting。Thewoodpeckerdroppeddownthroughthemottledsunshineandlightedonthetrunkofatreeadozenfeetaway。Georgefeltthatitwasalladream,andyetthroughitallhefeltsupremejustification。Itwastherightthingtodo。Itwastheonlything。
Hiswholebodygaveaspasmodicstart,asthoughtherevolverhadbeenfired。ItwasthevoiceofAl,closeathisback。
\"Here\'syourgun,\"Alsaid。\"I\'llstay。\"
Theservantappearedamongthetrees,approachingrapidlyandcallinganxiously。Georgeputtheweaponinhispocketandcaughtbothhisbrother\'shandsinhisown。
\"Godblessyou,oldman,\"hemurmured;\"and\"——withafinalsqueezeofthehands——\"goodluck!\"
\"I\'mcoming,\"hecalledtotheservant,andturnedandranthroughthetreestowardthecarriage。
THECHINAGO
\"Thecoralwaxes,thepalmgrows,butmandeparts。\"——
Tahitianproverb。