\"No！\"heexclaimed。\"Who\'sallthat？\"
\"Who\'sallwhat？\"
\"The\'right\'people。\'\"
\"YouknowwhatImean:thebestpeople,theoldfamilies——thepeoplethathavetherealsocialpositioninthistownandthatknowthey\'vegotit。\"
Bibbsindulgedinhissilentchuckleagain;heseemedgreatlyamused。\"I
thoughtthatthepeoplewhoactuallyhadtherealwhat—you—may—call—itdidn\'tknowit,\"hesaid。\"I\'vealwaysunderstoodthatitwasveryunsatisfactory,becauseifyouthoughtaboutityoudidn\'thaveit,andifyouhadityoudidn\'tknowit。\"
\"That\'sjustbosh,\"sheretorted。\"Theyknowitinthistown,allright！I
foundoutalotofthings,longbeforewebegantothinkofbuildingoutinthisdirection。Therightpeopleinthistownaren\'talwaysthesociety—columnones,andtheymixaroundwithoutsiders,andtheydon\'tallbelongtoanyoneclub——they\'retakeninallsortsintoalltheirclubs——butthey\'reaclan,justthesame;andtheyhavetheclanfeelingandthey\'rejustasmuchWe,UsandCompanyasanycrowdyoureadaboutanywhereintheworld。
Mostof\'emwereherelongbeforepapacame,andthegrandfathersofthegirlsofmyagekneweachother,and——\"
\"Isee,\"Bibbsinterrupted,gravely。\"Theirancestorsfledtogetherfrommanyastrickenfield,andCrusaders\'bloodflowsintheirveins。IalwaysunderstoodthefirsthousewasbuiltbyanoldpartyofthenameofVertreeswhocouldn\'tgetalongwithDan\'lBoone,andhurriedawaytothesepartsbecauseDan\'lwantedhimtogivebackagunhe\'dlenthim。\"
Edithgavealittleejaculationofalarm。\"Youmustn\'trepeatthatstory,Bibbs,evenifit\'strue。TheVertreesesareTHEbestfamily,andofcoursetheveryoldesthere;theywereanoldfamilyevenbeforeMaryVertrees\'sgreat—great—grandfathercamewestandfoundedthissettlement。HecamefromLynn,Massachusetts,andtheyhaverelativesthereYET——someofthebestpeopleinLynn！\"
\"No！\"exclaimedBibbs,incredulously。
\"AndthereareotheroldfamiliesliketheVertreeses,\"shewenton,notheedinghim;\"theLamhornsandtheKittersbysandtheJ。PalmerstonSmiths——\"
\"Strangenamestome,\"heinterrupted。\"Poorthings！Noneofthemhavemyacquaintance。\"
\"No,that\'sjustit！\"shecried。\"AndpapahadneverevenheardthenameofVertrees！Mrs。Vertreeswentwithsomeanti—smokecommitteetoseehim,andhetoldherthatsmokewaswhatmadeherhusbandbringhomehiswagesfromthepay—rollonSaturdaynight！HEtoldusaboutit,andIthoughtIjustcouldn\'tlivethroughthenight,Iwassoashamed！Mr。Vertreeshasalwayslivedonhisincome,andpapadidn\'tknowhim,ofcourse。They\'rethestiffist,mostelegantpeopleinthewholetown。Andtocrownitall,papawentandboughtthenextlottotheoldVertreescountrymansion——it\'sintheveryheartofthebestnewresidencedistrictnow,andthat\'swheretheNewHouseis,rightnextdoortothem——andImustsayitmakestheirplacelookrathershabby！ImetMaryVertreeswhenIjoinedtheMissionServiceHelpers,butsheneverdidanymorethanjustbarelybowtome,andsincepapa\'sbreakIdoubtifshe\'lldothat！Theyhaven\'tcalled。\"
\"AndyouthinkifIspreadthisgossipaboutVertreestheFirststealingDan\'lBoone\'sgun,thechancesthattheyWILLcall——\"
\"PapaknowswhatabreakhemadewithMrs。Vertrees。Imadehimunderstandthat,\"saidEdith,demurely,\"andhe\'spromisedtotryandmeetMr。Vertreesandbenicetohim。It\'sjustthisway:ifwedon\'tknowTHEM,it\'spracticallynouseinourhavingbuildtheNewHouse;andifweDOknowthemandthey\'redecenttous,we\'rerightwiththerightpeople。Theycandothewholethingforus。BobbyLamhorntoldSibylhewasgoingtobringhismothertocallonherandonmamma,butitwasweeksago,andInoticehehasn\'tdoneit;andifMrs。Vertreesdecidesnottoknowus,I\'mdarnsureMrs。Lamhorn\'llnevercome。That\'sONEthingSibyldidn\'tmanage！SheSAIDBobbyofferedtobringhismother——\"
\"YousayheisafriendofRoscoe\'s？\"Bibbsasked。
\"Oh,he\'safriendofthewholefamily,\"shereturned,withapetulancewhichshemadeanefforttodisguise。\"Roscoeandhegotacquaintedsomewhere,andtheytakehimtothetheaterabouteveryothernight。Sibylhashimtolunch,too,andkeeps——\"Shebrokeoffwithanangrylittlejerkofthehead。\"WecanseetheNewHousefromthesecondcornerahead。Roscoehasbuiltstraightacrossthestreetfromus,youknow。Honestly,Sibylmakesmethinkofasnake,sometimes——thewayshepullsthewooloverpeople\'seyes！Shehoneysuptopapaandgetsanythingintheworldshewantsoutofhim,andthenmakesfunofhimbehindhisback——yes,andtohisface,butHEcan\'tseeit！Shegothimtogiveheratwelve—thousand—dollarporchfortheirhouseafteritwas——\"
\"Goodheavens！\"saidBibbs,staringaheadastheyreachedthecornerandthecarswungtotheright,followingabendinthestreet。\"IsthattheNewHouse？\"
\"Yes。Whatdoyouthinkofit？\"
\"Well,\"hedrawled,\"I\'mprettysurethesanitarium\'sabouthalfasizebigger;Ican\'tbecertaintillImeasure。\"
Andamomentlater,astheyenteredthedriveway,headded,seriously:\"Butit\'sbeautiful！\"
Itwasgraystone,withlongroofsofthickgreenslate。Anarchitectwholovedthemilder\"Gothicmotives\"hadbuiltwhatheliked:itwastobeseenatoncethathehadbeenleftunhampered,andhehadwroughtapictureoutofhisheadintoanobleandexultantreality。Atthesametimealandscape—designerhadplayedsogoodasecond,withready—madeaccessoriesofscreen,approachandvista,thatalreadywhateverlookofnewnessremainedupontheplacewastoitsadvantage,asshowingatleastonethingyetcleanunderthegrimysky。For,thoughthesmokewasthinnerinthisdirection,andatthislongdistancefromtheheartofthetown,itwasnotabsent,andundertutelageofwindandweathercouldbemalignantevenhere,wherecowshadwanderedinthemeadowsandcornhadbeengrowingnottenyearsgone。
Altogether,theNewHousewasasuccess。Itwasoneofthosearchitects\'
successeswhichleavetheownersveiledinprivacy;itrevealednothingofthepeoplewholivedinitsavethattheywererich。Therearehousesthatcannotbedetachedfromtheirownpeoplewithoutprotesting:everyinchofmortarseemstomourntheseparation,andsuchahouse——nomatterwhatbedonetoit——isevermurmurouswithregret,whisperingtheoldnamesadlytoitselfunceasingly。ButtheNewHousewasofakindtochangehandswithoutemotion。
Inourswellingcities,greatplacesofitstypeareusefulasfinancialgaugesofthebusinesstides;richfamilies,oneafteranother,taketitleandoccupysuchhousesasfortunesriseandfall——theymarkthehightide。Itwasimpossibletoimagineachild\'stoywagonleftuponawalkordrivewayoftheNewHouse,andyetitwas——asBibbsrightlycalledit——\"beautiful。\"
Whatthearchitectthoughtofthe\"GolfodiNapoli,\"whichhunginitsvastgoldrevelofrococoframeagainstthegraywoodofthehall,istobeconjectured——perhapshehadnotseenit。
\"Edith,didyousayonlyelevenfeet？\"Bibbspanted,staringatit,asthewhite—jacketedtwinofaPullmanporterhelpedhimtogetoutofhisovercoat。
\"Elevenwithouttheframe,\"sheexplained。\"It\'ssplendid,don\'tyouthink？
Itlightensthingsupso。Thehallwaskindofgloomybefore。\"
\"Nogloomnow！\"saidBibbs。
\"Thisstatueinthecornerispretty,too,\"sheremarked。\"MammaandIboughtthat。\"AndBibbsturnedatherdirectiontobehold,amidagroveoftubbedpalms,a\"life—size,\"black—beardedMoor,ofaplasticcompositonpaintedwithunappeasableglossandbrilliancy。Uponhischocolateheadheworeagoldturban;inhishandheheldagold—tippedspear;andfortherest,hewasredandyellowandblackandsilver。
\"Hallelujah！\"wasthesolecommentofthereturnedwanderer,andEdith,sayingshewould\"findmamma,\"lefthimblinkingattheMoor。Presently,aftershehaddisappeared,heturnedtothecoloredmanwhostoodwaiting,Bibbs\'straveling—baginhishand。\"WhatdoYOUthinkofit？\"Bibbsasked,solemnly。
\"Gran\'！\"repliedtheservitor。\"Shemightlyhardtodus\'。Dus\'gitinall\'emwrinkles。Yessuh,shemightyhardtodus\'。\"
\"Iexpectshemustbe,\"saidBibbs,hisglancereturningreflectivelytotheblackbullbeardforamoment。\"IsthereaplaceanywhereIcouldliedown？\"
\"Yessuh。Wegotonenemspareroomsallfixupfo\'you,suh。Rightupstaihs,suh。Niceroom。\"
Heledtheway,andBibbsfollowedslowly,stoppingatintervalstorest,andnotingaheavyincreaseinthestaffofservicesincetheexodusfromthe\"old\"house。MaidsandscrubwomenwereatworkunderthepatentlynominaldirectionofanotherPullmanporter,whowasprofoundlyenjoyinghisownaffectationofbeingharassedwithcare。
\"Ev\'ythinggotlookspickan\'spanfo\'thebigdoin\'sto—night,\"Bibbs\'sguideexplained,chuckling。\"Yessuh,wegotbigdoin\'sto—night！Bigdoin\'s！\"
Theroomtowhichheconductedhislaggingchargewasfurnishedineveryparticularlikearoominanewhotel;andBibbsfounditpleasant——though,indeed,anyroomwithagoodbedwouldhaveseemedpleasanttohimafterhisjourney。Hestretchedhimselfflatimmediately,andhavingreplied\"Notnow\"
totheattendant\'soffertounpackthebag,closedhiseyeswearily。
White—jacket,raciallysympathetic,loweredthewindow—shadesandmadeanexitontiptoe,encounteringtheotherwhite—jacket——theharassedoverseer——inthehallwithout。Saidtheemergingone:\"Hemightyshaky,Mist\'Jackson。Droprightdownan\'shethiseyes。Eyelidsallblack。Richfolksgottagosameasanybodyelse。AnybodyastmeifIchange\'ith\'atoleboy——No,suh！Le\'mkeep\'ismoney;Ikeepmyblackskinan\'keepouttheground！\"
Mr。Jacksonexpressedthesamepreference。\"Yessuh,helooktuhmelikesomebodyawreadylaidout,\"heconcluded。Anduponthestairwaylanding,nearby,twooldwomen,onall—foursattheirwork,werelikewisepessimistic。
\"Hech！\"saidone,lamentinginawhisper。\"Itgivemeaturntoseehimgoby——whiteaswaxan\'bonyasadeadfish！Mrs。Cronin,tellme:d\'itmakeyekindo\'sicktolookatum？\"
\"Sick？Nomorethanthefaceofablessedangelalreadyinheaven！\"
\"Well,\"saidtheother,\"I\'dab\'yo\'meowncomehomet\'dieonce——\"Shefellsilentatarustlingofskirtsinthecorridorabovethem。
ItwasMrs。Sheridanhurryingtogreetherson。
Shewasoneofthosefat,pinkpeoplewhofadeandcontractwithagelikedryingfruit;andheroutsidewasatrueportraitofher。Herhusbandandherdaughterhadlongagoabsorbedher。Whatintelligenceshehadwasgivenalmostwhollytocomprehendingandservingthosetwo,andexceptinthepresenceofoneofthemshewasnearlyalwaysabsent—minded。Edithlivedalldaywithhermother,asdaughtersdo;andSheridansoheldhiswifetoherunitywithhimthatshehadlongagobecomeunconsciousofherexistenceasathingseparatefromhis。Sheinvariablyperceivedhismoods,andnursedhimthroughthemwhenshedidnotsharethem;andshegavehimaprofoundsympathywiththeinmostspiritandpurposeofhisbeing,eventhoughshedidnotcomprehenditandpartookofitonlyasaspectator。Theyhadknownbutoneactualaltercationintheirlives,andthatwasthirtyyearspast,intheearlydaysofSheridan\'sstruggle,when,inordertoenhancethefavorableimpressionhebelievedhimselftobemakinguponsomecapitalists,hehadthoughtitnecessarytoaccompanythemtoaperformanceof\"TheBlackCrook。\"
Butshehadnotoncereferredtothisduringthelasttenyears。
Mrs。Sheridan\'smannerwashurriedandinconsequent;herclothesrustledmorethanotherwomen\'sclothes;sheseemedtoweartoomanyatatimeandtobevaguelytroubledbythem,andshewaspattingaskirtdownoversomeunrulyinternaldissensionatthemomentsheopenedBibbs\'sdoor。
Atsightoftherecumbentfigureshebegantoclosethedoorsoftly,withdrawing,buttheyoungmanhadheardtheturningoftheknobandtherustlingofskirts,andheopenedhiseyes。
\"Don\'tgo,mother,\"hesaid。\"I\'mnotasleep。\"Heswunghislonglegsoverthesideofthebedtorise,butshesetahandonhisshoulder,restraininghim;andhelayflatagain。
\"No,\"shesaid,bendingovertokisshischeek,\"Ijustcomeforaminute,butIwanttoseehowyouseem。Edithsaid——\"
\"PoorEdith！\"hemurmured。\"Shecouldn\'tlookatme。She——\"
\"Nonsense！\"Mrs。Sheridan,havingletinthelightatawindow,camebacktothebedside。\"Youlookagreatdealbetterthanwhatyoudidbeforeyouwenttothesanitarium,anyway。It\'sdoneyougood;abodycanseethatrightaway。Youneedfattingup,ofcourse,andyouhaven\'tgotmuchcolor——\"
\"No,\"hesaid,\"Ihaven\'tmuchcolor。\"
\"Butyouwillhavewhenyougetyourstrengthback。\"
\"Ohyes！\"heresponded,cheerfully。\"THENIwill。\"
\"YoulookagreatdealbetterthanwhatIexpected。\"
\"Edithmusthaveagreatvocabulary！\"hechuckled。
\"She\'stoosensitive,\"saidMrs。Sheridan,\"anditmakesherexaggeratealittle。Whataboutyourdiet？\"
\"That\'sallright。Theytoldmetoeatanything。\"
\"Anythingatall？\"
\"Well——anythingIcould。\"
\"That\'sgood,\"shesaid,nodding。\"Theymeanforyoujusttobuildupyourstrength。That\'swhattheytoldmethelasttimeIwenttoseeyouatthesanitarium。Youlookbetterthanwhatyoudidthen,andthat\'sonlyalittletimeago。Howlongwasit？\"
\"Eightmonths,Ithink。\"
\"No,itcouldn\'tbe。Iknowitain\'tTHATlong,butmaybeitwaslonger\'nI
thought。AndthislastmonthorsoIhaven\'thadscarcelyeventimetowritemorethanjustalinetoaskhowyouweregettin\'along,butItoldEdithtowrite,theweeksIcouldn\'t,andIaskedJimto,too,andtheybothsaidtheywould,soIsupposeyou\'vekeptupprettywellonthehomenews。\"
\"Ohyes。\"
\"WhatIthinkyouneed,\"saidthemother,gravely,\"istolivenupalittleandtakeaninterestinthings。That\'swhatpapawassayin\'thismorning,afterwegotyourtelegram;andthat\'swhat\'llstimilateyourappetite,too。
Hewastalkin\'overhisplansforyou——\"
\"Plans？\"Bibbs,turningonhisside,shieldedhiseyesfromthelightwithhishand,sothathemightseeherbetter。\"What——\"Hepaused。\"Whatplansishemakingforme,mother？\"
Sheturnedaway,goingbacktothewindowtodrawdowntheshade。\"Well,youbettertalkitoverwithHIM,\"shesaid,withperceptiblenervousness。\"Hebettertellyouhimself。Idon\'tfeelasifIhadanycall,exactly,togointoit;andyoubettergettosleepnow,anyway。\"Shecameandstoodbythebedsideoncemore。\"Butyoumustremember,Bibbs,whateverpapadoesisforthebest。Heloveshischuldernandwantstodowhat\'srightbyALLof\'em——andyou\'llalwaysfindhe\'srightintheend。\"
Hemadealittlegestureofassent,whichseemedtocontenther;andsherustledtothedoor,turningtospeakagainaftershehadopenedit。\"Yougetagoodnap,now,soastobeallrestedupforto—night。\"
\"You——youmean——he——\"Bibbsstammered,havingbeguntospeaktooquickly。
Checkinghimself,hedrewalongbreath,thenasked,quietly,\"Doesfatherexpectmetocomedown—stairsthisevening？\"
\"Well,Ithinkhedoes,\"sheanswered。\"Yousee,it\'sthe\'house—warming,\'ashecallsit,andhesaidhethinksallourchuldernoughttobearoundus,aswellastheoldfriendsandotherfolks。It\'sjustwhathethinksyouneed——totakeaninterestandlivenup。Youdon\'tfeeltoobadtocomedown,doyou？\"
\"Mother？\"
\"Well？\"
\"Takeagoodlookatme,\"hesaid。
\"Oh,seehere！\"shecried,withbrusquecheerfulness。\"You\'renotsobadoffasyouthinkyouare,Bibbs。You\'reonthemend;anditwon\'tdoyouanyharmtopleaseyour——\"
\"Itisn\'tthat,\"heinterrupted。\"Honestly,I\'monlyafraiditmightspoilsomebody\'sappetite。Edith——\"
\"Itoldyouthechildwastoosensitive,\"sheinterrupted,inturn。\"You\'reaplentygood—lookin\'enoughyoungmanforanybody！Youlooklikeyoubeenthroughalongspellandbeguntogetwell,andthat\'sallthereistoit。\"
\"Allright。I\'llcometotheparty。Iftherestofyoucanstandit,Ican！\"
\"It\'lldoyougood,\"shereturned,rustlingintothehall。\"Nowtakeanap,andI\'llsendoneo\'thehelptowakeyouintimeforyoutogetdressedupbeforedinner。Yougotosleeprightaway,now,Bibbs！\"
Bibbswasunabletoobey,thoughhekepthiseyesclosed。Somethingshehadsaidkeptrunninginhismind,repeatingitselfoverandoverinterminably。
\"Hisplansforyou——hisplansforyou——hisplansforyou——hisplansforyou——\"
Andthen,takingtheplaceof\"hisplansforyou,\"afterwhatseemedalong,longwhile,herflurriedvoicecamebacktohiminsistently,seemingtowhisperinhisear:\"Heloveshischuldern——heloveshischuldern——heloveshischuldern\"——\"you\'llfindhe\'salwaysright——you\'llfindhe\'salwaysright——\"Untilatlast,ashedriftedintothestateofhalf—dreamsanddistortedrealities,thevoiceseemedtomurmurfrombeyondagreatblackwingthatcameoutofthewallandstretchedoverhisbed——itwasablackwingwithintheroom,andatthesametimeitwasablackcloudcrossingthesky,bridgingthewholeearthfrompoletopole。Itwasacloudofblacksmoke,andoutoftheheartofitcameaflurriedvoicewhisperingoverandover,\"Hisplansforyou——hisplansforyou——hisplansforyou——\"Andthentherewasnothing。
Hewokerefreshed,stretchedhimselfgingerly——asonemighthaveacareagainsttooquickortoolongapulluponafrayedelastic——and,gettingtohisfeet,wentblinkingtothewindowandtouchedtheshadesothatitflewup,lettinginapalesunset。
Helookedoutintothelemon—coloredlightandsmiledwanlyatthenexthouse,asEdith\'sgrandiosephrasecametomind,\"theoldVertreescountrymansion。\"
ItstoodinabroadlawnwhichwasseparatedfromtheSheridans\'byayounghedge;anditwasabig,square,plainoldboxofahousewithagiantsalt—cellaratopforacupola。Painthadbeensparedforalongtime,andnoonecouldhaveputanametothecolorofit,butinspiteofthattheplacehadnolookofbeingoutatheel,andtheswardwasasneatlytrimmedastheSheridans\'own。
TheseparatinghedgeranalmostbeneathBibbs\'swindow——forthiswingoftheNewHouseextendedherealmosttotheedgeofthelot——and,directlyoppositethewindow,theVertreeses\'lawnhadbeengradedsoastomakealittleknolluponwhichstoodasmallrustic\"summer—house。\"ItwasalmostonalevelwithBibbs\'swindowandnotthirtyfeetaway;anditwaseasyforhimtoimaginethepresentdynastyofVertreesesingrievousoutcrywhentheyhadfoundthisretreatruinedbythejuxtapositionoftheparvenuintruder。Probablythe\"summer—house\"waspleasantandprettyinsummer。Ithadthelookofaplacewhereinlittlegirlshadplayedforagenerationorsowithdollsand\"housekeeping,\"orwherealovelyoldladymightcometoreadsomethingdullonwarmafternoons;butnowinthethinlightitwasdesolate,thecolorofdust,andhungwithhaggardvineswhichhadlosttheirleaves。
Bibbslookedatitwithgravesympathy,probablyfeelingsomekinshipwithanythingsodismantled;thenheturnedtoacheval—glassbesidethewindowandpaidhimselfthedubioustributeofathoroughinspection。Helookedthemirrorupanddown,slowly,repeatedly,butcameintheendtoalongandearnestscrutinyoftheface。Throughoutthiscrypticseancehismannerwasprofoundlyimpersonal;hehadtheairofanentomologistintentuponclassifyingaspecimen,butfinallyheappearedtobecomepessimistic。Heshookhisheadsolemnly;thengazedagainandshookhisheadagain,andcontinuedtoshakeitslowly,incompletedisapproval。
\"Youcertainlyareonehorriblesight！\"hesaid,aloud。
Andatthathewasinstantlyawareofanobserver。Turningquickly,hewasvouchsafedthepictureofacharminglady,framedinarusticapertureofthe\"summer—house\"andstaringfullintohiswindow——straightintohiseyes,too,fortheinfinitesimalfractionofasecondbeforetheflashinglycensoriouswithdrawalofherown。Composedly,shepulledseveraldeadtwigsfromavine,themannerofheractionconveyingamessageorproclamationtotheeffectthatshewasinthesummer—houseforthesolepurposeofsuch—likepruningandtending,andthatnogentlemancouldsupposeherpresencetheretobeduetoanyotherpurposewhatsoever,orthat,beingthereonthataccount,shehadallowedherattentiontowanderforoneinstantinthedirectionofthingsofwhichshewasinrealityunconscious。
Havingpulledenoughtwigstoemphasizeherunconsciousness——andatthesametimeherdisapproval——ofeverythinginthenatureofaSheridanorbelongingtoaSheridan,shedescendedtheknollwithmaintainedcomposure,andsaunteredtowardaside—doorofthecountrymansionoftheVertreeses。Anelderlylady,bonnetedandcloaked,openedthedoorandcametomeether。
\"Areyouready,Mary？I\'vebeenlookingforyou。Whatwereyoudoing？\"
\"Nothing。JustlookingintooneofSheridans\'windows,\"saidMaryVertrees。
\"Igotcaughtatit。\"
\"Mary！\"criedhermother。\"Justasweweregoingtocall！Goodheavens！\"
\"We\'llgo,justthesame,\"thedaughterreturned。\"Isupposethosewomenwouldbegladtohaveusifwe\'dburnedtheirhousetotheground。\"
\"ButWHOsawyou？\"insistedMrs。Vertrees。
\"Oneofthesons,Isupposehewas。Ibelievehe\'sinsane,orsomething。AtleastIheartheykeephiminasanitariumsomewhere,andnevertalkabouthim。Hewasstaringathimselfinamirrorandtalkingtohimself。Thenhelookedoutandcaughtme。\"
\"Whatdidhe——\"
\"Nothing,ofcourse。\"
\"Howdidhelook？\"
\"Likeaghostinabluesuit,\"saidMissVertrees,movingtowardthestreetandwavingawhite—glovedhandinfarewelltoherfather,whowasobservingthemfromthewindowofhislibrary。\"Rathertragicandaltogetherimpossible。Docomeon,mother,andlet\'sgetitover！\"
AndMrs。Vertrees,withmanymisgivings,setforthwithherdaughterfortheirgraciousassaultupontheNewHousenextdoor。
Mr。Vertrees,havingwatchedtheirdeparturewiththeairofamanwhohadsomethingathazardupontheexpedition,turnedfromthewindowandbegantopacethelibrarythoughtfully,pendingtheirreturn。Hewasaboutsixty;asmallman,witheredanddryandfine,atrimlittlesketchofanelderlydandy。Hislambrequinmustache——relicofaforgottenAnglomania——hadbeenprofoundlyblack,butnow,likehissmoothhair,itwasapproachinganequallysheerwhiteness;andthoughhisclotheswereold,theyhadshapelinessandaflavorofmode。Andforgreatersprucenessthereweresomejauntytouches;
grayspats,anarrowblackribbonacrossthegraywaistcoattotheeye—glassesinapocket,afleckofcolorfromabuttoninthelapeloftheblackcoat,labelinghimthedescendantofpatriotwarriors。
Theroomwasnotlikehim,beingcheerfulandhideous,whereasMr。Vertreeswasanxiousanddecorative。Underamantelofimitationblackmarbleamerrylittlecoal—firebeamedforthuponhighandnarrow\"Eastlake\"bookcaseswithlongglassdoors,anduponcomfortable,incongruousfurniture,anduponmeaningless\"woodwork\"everywhere,anduponhalfadozenLandseerengravingswhichMr。andMrs。Vertreessometimesmentionedtoeachother,afterthirtyyearsofpossession,as\"veryfinethings。\"TheyhadbeenthefirstpeopleintowntopossessLandseerengravings,andthere,inart,theyhadrested,buttheystillhadafeelingthatinallsuchmatterstheywereinthevan;andwhenMr。VertreesdiscoveredLandseersuponthewallsofotherpeople\'shouseshethawed,asachieftaintoatrustedfollower;andifhefoundaneditionofBulwerLyttonaccompanyingtheLandseersasafinalcorroborationofculture,hewouldsay,inevitably,\"Thosepeopleknowgoodpicturesandtheyknowgoodbooks。\"
Thegrowthofthecity,whichmighteasilyhavemadehimamillionaire,hadruinedhimbecausehehadfailedtounderstandit。Whentownsbegintogrowtheyhavewhims,andthewhimsofatownalwaysruinsomebody。Mr。Vertreeshadbeenmoststrikinglythesomebodyinthiscase。AtaboutthetimeheboughttheLandseers,heowned,throughinheritance,anoffice—buildingandalargehousenotfarfromit,wherehespentthewinter;andhehadacountryplace——afarmoffourhundredacres——wherehewentforthesummerstothecomfortable,uglyoldhousethatwashishomenow,perforce,alltheyearround。Ifhehadknownhowtositstillandletthingshappenhewouldhaveprosperedmiraculously;but,strangelyenough,thedaintylittlemanwasoneofthefirsttofalldownandworshipBigness,thewhichproceededstraightwaytoenacttheroleofJuggernautforhisbettereducation。Hewasatrueprophetoftheprodigiousgrowth,buthehadafatalgiftforsellinggoodandbuyingbad。HeshouldhavestayedathomeandlookedathisLandseersandreadhisBulwer,buthetookhiscowtomarket,andthetrainedmilkersmilkedherdryandthenateher。Hesoldtheoffice—buildingandthehouseintowntobuyagreattractoflotsinanewsuburb;thenhesoldthefarm,exceptthehouseandthegroundaboutit,topaythetaxesonthesuburbanlotsandto\"keepthemup。\"Thelotsrefusedtostayup;buthehadtodosomethingtokeephimselfandhisfamilyup,soindespairhesoldthelots（whichwentupbeautifullythenextyear）for\"tractionstock\"thatwaspayingdividends;andthereafterheceasedtobuyandsell。ThushedisappearedaltogetherfromthecommercialsurfaceataboutthetimeJamesSheridancameoutsecurelyontop;
andSheridan,untilMrs。Vertreescalleduponhimwithher\"anti—smoke\"
committee,hadneverheardthename。
Mr。Vertrees,pinched,retiredtohisLandseers,andMrs。Vertrees\"managedsomehow\"onthedividends,though\"managing\"becamemoreandmoredifficultastheyearswentbyandmoneyboughtlessandless。ButtherecameadaywhenthreeservitorsofBignessinPhiladelphiatookgreedycounselwithfourfellow—worshipersfromNewYork,andnotlongafterthattherewerenomoredividendsforMr。Vertrees。Infact,therewasnothingforMr。Vertrees,becausethe\"tractionstock\"henceforthwasnostockatall,andhehadmortgagedhishouselongagotohelp\"managesomehow\"accordingtohisconceptionofhis\"positioninlife\"——oneofhisownold—fashionedphrases。
SixmonthsbeforethecompletionoftheNewHousenextdoor,Mr。VertreeshadsoldhishorsesandthewornVictoriaand\"station—wagon,\"topaythearrearsofhistwoservantsandre—establishcreditatthegrocer\'sandbutcher\'s——
andapairofelderlycarriage—horseswithsuchaccoutrementsarenotveryamplebarter,inthesedays,forsixmonths\'foodandfuelandservice。Mr。
Vertreeshaddiscovered,too,thattherewasnosalaryforhiminallthebuzzingcity——hecoulddonothing。
Itmaybesaidthathewasattheendofhisstring。Suchtimesdocomeinalltheirbitterness,finally,tothemanwithnotradeorcraft,ifhisfeebleclutchonthatslipperyghost,Property,shallfail。
Thewindowsgrewblackwhilehepacedtheroom,andsmokytwilightclosedroundaboutthehouse,yetnotmoredarklythanwhatclosedroundabouttheheartoftheanxiouslittlemanpatrollingthefan—shapedzoneoffirelight。