Bibbs\'sroom,thatneatapartmentfortransientstowhichthe\"lamidal\"
Georgehadshownhimuponhisreturn,stillboretheappearanceoftemporaryquarters,possiblybecauseBibbshadnoclearconceptionofhimselfasapermanentincumbent。However,hehadsetuponthemantelpiecethetwophotographsthatheowned:one,a\"group\"twentyyearsold——hisfatherandmother,withJimandRoscoeasboys——andtheothera\"cabinet\"ofEdithatsixteen。Anduponatablewerethebookshehadtakenfromhistrunk:SartorResartus,VirginibusPuerisque,HuckleberryFinn,andAfterwhiles。Thereweresomeotherbooksinthetrunk——alargeone,whichremainedunremovedatthefootofthebed,addingtothegeneralimpressionoftransiency。ItcontainednearlyallthepossessionsaswellasthesecretlifeofBibbsSheridan,andBibbssatbesideit,thedayafterhisinterviewwithhisfather,rakingoverasmallcollectionofmanuscriptsinthetoptray。Someoftheseheglancedthroughdubiously,findinglittlecomfortinthem;butonemadehimsmile。Thenheshookhisheadruefullyindeed,andruefullybegantoreadit。Itwaswrittenonpaperstamped\"HoodSanitarium,\"andborethetitle,\"Leisure。\"
Amanmaykeepaquietheartatseventymilesanhour,butnotifheisrunningthetrain。Noristhehabitofcontemplationausefulqualityinthestokerofafoundryfurnace;itwillnotbefoundtorecommendhimtotheapprobationofhissuperiors。Foraprofessionadaptedsolelytothepursuitofhappinessinthinking,Iwouldchoosethatofaninvalid:hismoneyistimeandhemayspenditonOlympus。Itwillnotsufficetobeanamateurinvalid。Tomywayofthinking,theperfectpractitionermustbetoalloutwardpurposesalreadydeadifheistobegintheperfectenjoymentoflife。Hisserenitymustnotbedisturbedbyrumorsofrecovery;hemustliesereneinhislongchairinthesunshine。Theworldmustbeontheothersideofthewall,andthewallmustbesothickandsohighthathecannotheartheroaringofthefurnacefiresandthescreamingofthewhistles。Peace——
Havingreadsofarastheword\"peace,\"Bibbssufferedaninterruptioninterestingasacoincidenceofcontrast。Highvoicessoundedinthehalljustoutsidehisdoor;anditbecameevidentthatawoman\'squarrelwasinprogress,thepartiestoithavingbegunitinEdith\'sroom,andcontinuingitvehementlyastheycameoutintothehall。
\"Yes,youBETTERgohome！\"Bibbsheardhissistervociferating,shrilly。\"YoubettergohomeandkeepyourmindalittlemoreonyourHUSBAND！\"
\"Edie,Edie！\"heheardhismotherremonstrating,aspeacemaker。
\"Youseehere！\"ThiswasSibyl,andhervoicewasbothacridandtremulous。
\"Don\'tyoutalktomethatway！IcameheretotellMotherSheridanwhatI\'dheard,andtolethertellFatherSheridanifshethoughtsheoughtto,andI
diditforyourowngood。\"
\"Yes,youdid！\"AndEdith\'sgibinglaughtertootedloudly。\"Yes,youdid！
YOUdidn\'thaveanyotherreason！OHno！YOUdon\'twanttobreakitupbetweenBobbyLamhornandmebecause——\"
\"Edie,Edie！Now,now！\"
\"Oh,hushup,mamma！I\'dliketoknow,then,ifshesayshernewfriendstellherhe\'sgotsuchareputationthatheoughtn\'ttocomehere,whatabouthisnotgoingtoHERhouse。How——\"
\"I\'veexplainedthattoMotherSheridan。\"Sibyl\'svoiceindicatedthatshewasdescendingthestairs。\"Marriedpeoplearenotthesame。Somethingsthatshouldbeshieldedfromayounggirl——\"
ThisseemedtohavenoverysoothingeffectuponEdith。\"\'Shieldedfromayounggirl\'！\"sheshrilled。\"Youseemprettywillingtobetheshield！YoulookoutRoscoedoesn\'tnoticewhatkindofashieldyouare！\"
Sibyl\'sanswerwasinaudible,butMrs。Sheridan\'sflurriedattemptsatpacificationwererenewed。\"Now,Edie,Edie,shemeansitforyourgood,andyou\'doughtn\'tto——\"
\"Oh,hushup,mamma,andletmealone！Ifyoudaretellpapa——\"
\"Now,now！I\'mnotgoingtotellhimto—day,andmaybe——\"
\"You\'vegottopromiseNEVERtotellhim！\"thegirlcried,passionately。
\"Well,we\'llsee。Youjustcomebackinyourownroom,andwe\'ll——\"
\"No！IWON\'T\'talkitover\'！Stoppullingme！LetmeALONE！\"AndEdith,flingingherselfviolentlyuponBibbs\'sdoor,jerkeditopen,swungrounditintotheroom,slammedthedoorbehindher,andthrewherself,facedown,uponthebedinsuchariotofemotionthatshehadnoperceptionofBibbs\'spresenceintheroom。Gaspingandsobbinginapassionoftears,shebeatthecoverletandpillowswithherclenchedfists。\"Sneak！\"shebabbledaloud。
\"Sneak！Snake—in—the—grass！Cat！\"
Bibbssawthatshedidnotknowhewasthere,andhewentsoftlytowardthedoor,hopingtogetawaybeforeshebecameawareofhim;butsomesoundofhismovementreachedher,andshesatup,startled,facinghim。
\"Bibbs！IthoughtIsawyougooutawhileago。\"
\"Yes。Icameback,though。I\'msorry——\"
\"DidyouhearmequarrelingwithSibyl？\"
\"Onlywhatyousaidinthehall。Youliedownagain,Edith。I\'mgoingout。\"
\"No;don\'tgo。\"Sheappliedahandkerchieftohereyes,emittedasob,andrepeatedherrequest。\"Don\'tgo。Idon\'tmindyou;you\'requiet,anyhow。
Mamma\'ssofussy,andnevergetsanywhere。Idon\'tmindyouatall,butI
wishyou\'dsitdown。\"
\"Allright。\"Andhereturnedtohischairbesidethetrunk。\"Goaheadandcryallyouwant,Edith,\"hesaid。\"Noharminthat！\"
\"Sibyltoldmamma——OH！\"shebegan,choking。\"MaryVertreeshadmammaandSibylandItotea,oneafternoontwoweeksorsoago,andshehadsomewomentherethatSibyl\'sbeencrazytogetinwith,andshejustlaidherselfouttomakeahitwith\'em,andshe\'sbeenrunningafter\'emeversince,andnowshecomesoverhereandsaysTHEYsayBobbyLamhornissobadthat,eventhoughtheylikehisfamily,noneofthenicepeopleintownwouldlethimintheirhouses。Inthefirstplace,it\'safalsehood,andIdon\'tbelieveawordofit;andinthesecondplaceIknowthereasonshedidit,and,what\'smore,sheKNOWSIknowit！Iwon\'tSAYwhatitis——notyet——becausepapaandallofyouwouldthinkI\'mascrazyassheissnaky;andRoscoe\'ssuchafoolhe\'dprobablyquitspeakingtome。Butit\'strue！Justyouwatchher;
that\'sallIask。Justyouwatchthatwoman。You\'llsee！\"
Asithappened,Bibbswasliterallywatching\"thatwoman。\"Glancingfromthewindow,hesawSibylpauseuponthepavementinfrontoftheoldhousenextdoor。Shestoodamoment,indeepthought,thenwalkedquicklyupthepathtothedoor,undoubtedlywiththeintentionofcalling。Buthedidnotmentionthistohissister,who,afterdeliveringherselfofarathervaguejeremiaduponthesubjectofhersister—in—law\'streacheries,departedtoherownchamber,leavinghimtohisspeculations。Thechiefoftheseconcernedthesocialelasticitiesofwomen。Sibylhadjustbeenaparticipantinaviolentscene;shehadsufferedhotinsultofakindthatcouldnotfailtosetherquiveringwithresentment;andyetsheelectedtobetakeherselftothepresenceofpeoplewhomsheknewnomorethan\"formally。\"Bibbsmarveled。Surely,hereflected,sometracesofemotionmustlingeruponSibyl\'sfaceorinhermanner;shecouldnothaveironeditallquiteoutinthethreeorfourminutesittookhertoreachtheVertreeses\'door。
Andinthishewasnotmistaken,forMaryVertreeswasatthatmomentwonderingwhatinternalexcitementMrs。RoscoeSheridanwasstrivingtomaster。ButSibylhadnoideathatshewasallowingherselftoexhibitanythingexceptthegaietywhichsheconceivedpropertothemannerofacasualcaller。Shewaswhollyintentuponfulfillingthesuddenpurposethatbroughther,andshewasnomoreself—consciousthanshewasfinelyintelligent。ForSibylSheridanbelongedtoatypeScripturalinitsantiquity。Shewasmerelytheidleandhalf—educatedintriguerwhomayanddoesdeludemen,ofcourse,andthebestanddullestofherownsexaswell,findinginvariablystrongsupportersamongtheselatter。Itisatypethathaswroughtsomedamageintheworldandwouldhavewroughtgreater,saveforthecheckputuponitspowerbyintelligentwomenandbyitsown\"lackofperspective,\"foritisatypethatneverseesitself。Sibylfollowedherimpulseswithnoreflectionorquestion——itwaslikeahoundonthegallopafteramasteronhorseback。Shehadnoteventheinstincttostopandconsiderhereffect。Ifshewishedtomakeacertainimpressionshebelievedthatshemadeit。Shebelievedthatshewasbelieved。
\"Mymotheraskedmetosaythatshewassorryshecouldn\'tcomedown,\"Marysaid,whentheywereseated。
Sibylranthescaleofacooingsimulanceoflaughter,whichshehadbeenbroughtuptoconsiderthepolitethingtodoafteraremarkaddressedtoherbyanypersonwithwhomshewasnotonfamiliarterms。Itwasintendedpartlyasacourtesyandpartlyasthefoundationforanimpressionofsweetness。
\"JustthoughtI\'dflyinaminute,\"shesaid,continuingthecooingtorelievethelastdoubtofhergentiality。\"IthoughtI\'djustbehavelikeREALcountryneighbors。Wearealmostoutinthecountry,sofarfromdown—town,aren\'twe？AnditseemedsuchaLOVELYday！IwantedtotellyouhowmuchIenjoyedmeetingthosenicepeopleatteathatafternoon。Yousee,cominghereabrideandneverhavinglivedherebefore,I\'vehadtodependonmyhusband\'sfriendsalmostentirely,andIreally\'veknownscarcelyanybody。Mr。Sheridanhasbeensoengrossedinbusinesseversincehewasamereboy,why,ofcourse——\"
Shepaused,withtheairofhavingcompletedanexplanation。
\"Ofcourse,\"saidMary,sympatheticallyacceptingit。
\"Yes。I\'vebeenseeingquitealotoftheKittersbyssincethatafternoon,\"
Sibylwenton。\"They\'rereallydelightfulpeople。Indeedtheyare！Yes——\"
Shestoppedwithunconsciousabruptness,hermindplainlywanderingtoanothermatter;andMaryperceivedthatshehadcomeuponadefiniteerrand。
Moreover,atensingofSibyl\'seyelids,inthatmomentofabstractionasshelookedasidefromherhostess,indicatedthattheerrandwasaseriousoneforthecallerandeasilytobeconnectedwiththeslightbutperceptibleagitationunderlyingherassumptionofcheerfulease。Therewasarestlessnesofbreathing,arestlessnessofhands。
\"Mrs。Kittersbyandherdaughterwerechattingaboutsometothepeoplehereintowntheotherday,\"saidSibyl,repeatingthecooingandprotractingit。
\"TheysaidsomethingthattookMEbysurprise！Weweretalkingaboutourmutualfriend,Mr。RobertLamhorn——\"
Maryinterruptedherpromptly。\"Doyoumean\'mutual\'toincludemymotherandme？\"sheasked。
\"Why,yes;theKittersbysandyouandallofusSheridans,Imean。\"
\"No,\"saidMary。\"Weshouldn\'tconsiderMr。RobertLamhornafriendofours。\"
Tohersurprise,Sibylnoddedeagerly,asifgreatlypleased。\"That\'sjustthewayMrs。Kittersbytalked！\"shecried,withavehemencethatmadeMarystare。\"Yes,andIhearthat\'sthewayALLyouoldfamiliesherespeakofhim！\"
Marylookedaside,butotherwiseshewasabletomaintainhercomposure。\"I
hadtheimpressionhewasafriendofyours,\"shesaid;adding,hastily,\"andyourhusband\'s\"
\"Ohyes,\"saidthecaller,absently。\"Heis,certainly。Aman\'sreputationforalittlegaietyoughtn\'ttomakeagreatdifferencetomarriedpeople,ofcourse。It\'swhereyounggirlsareinquestion。THENitmaybevery,verydangerous。Thereareagreatmanythingssafeandproperformarriedpeoplethatmightbeawf\'lyimprudentforayounggirl。Don\'tyouagree,MissVertrees？\"
\"Idon\'tknow,\"returnedthefrankMary。\"DoyoumeanthatyouintendtoremainafriendofMr。Lamhorn\'s,butdisapproveofMissSheridan\'sdoingso？\"
\"That\'sitexactly！\"wasthenaiveandardentresponseofSibyl。\"WhatI
feelaboutitisthatamanwithhisreputationisn\'tatallsuitableforEdith,andthefamilyoughttobemadetounderstandit。Itellyou,\"shecried,withasuddenaccessofvehemence,\"herfatheroughttoputhisfootdown！\"
Hereyesflashedwithagreenspark;somethingseemedtoleapoutandthenretreat,butnotbeforeMaryhadcaughtaglimpseofit,asonemightcatchaglimpseofathingdartingforthandthenscuttlingbackintohidingunderabush。
\"Ofcourse,\"saidSibyl,muchmorecomposedly,\"Ihardlyneedsaythatit\'sentirelyonEdith\'saccountthatI\'mworriedaboutthis。I\'masfondofEdithasifshewasreallymysister,andIcan\'thelpfrettingaboutit。ItwouldbreakmyhearttohaveEdith\'slifespoiled。\"
Thistunewasoffthekey,toMary\'sear。Sibyltriedtosingwithpathos,butsheflatted。
Andwhenaladyreceivesacallfromanotherwhosuffersunderthestressofsomefeelingwhichshewishestoconceal,thereisnotuncommonlydevelopedaphenomenonofdualitycomparabletotheeffectobtainedbyplacingtwomirrorsoppositeeachother,oneclearandtheotherflawed。Inthiscase,particularly,SibylhadanimperfectconsciousnessofMary。TheMaryVertreesthatshesawwasmerelysomethingtobecozenedtoherownfranticpurpose——aMaryVertreeswhowasincapableofpenetratingthatpurpose。
Sibylsattherebelievingthatshewasprojectingtheimageofherselfthatshedesiredtoproject,neverdreamingthatwitheveryword,everylook,andeverygestureshewasmoreandmorefullydisclosingthepitiabletruthtothecleareyesofMary。AndtheSibylthatMarysawwasanoverdressedwoman,inmannerhalfrustic,andinmindasshallowasapan,butpossessedbyemotionsthatappearedtobestrong——perhapsevenviolent。WhatthoseemotionswereMaryhadnotguessed,butshebegantosuspect。
\"AndEdith\'slifeWOULDbespoiled,\"Sibylcontinued。\"Itwouldbeadreadfulthingforthewholefamily。She\'stheveryappleofFatherSheridan\'seye,andhe\'sasproudofherasheisofJimandRoscoe。ItwouldbeahorriblethingforhimtohavehermarryamanlikeRobertLamhorn;buthedoesn\'tKNOWanythingabouthim,andifsomebodydoesn\'ttellhim,whatI\'mmostafraidofisthatEdithmightgethisconsentandhurryontheweddingbeforehefindsout,andthenitwouldbetoolate。Yousee,MissVertrees,it\'sverydifficultformetodecidejustwhatit\'smydutytodo。\"
\"Isee,\"saidMary,lookingatherthoughtfully,\"DoesMissSheridanseemto——tocareverymuchabouthim？\"
\"He\'sdeliberatelyfascinatedher,\"returnedthevisitor,beginningtobreathequicklyandheavily。\"Oh,shewasn\'tdifficult！Sheknewshewasn\'tinrightinthistown,andshewascrazytomeetthepeoplethatwere,andshethoughthewasoneof\'em。Butthatwasonlythestartthatmadeiteasyforhim——andhedidn\'tneedit。Hecouldhavedoneit,anyway！\"Sibylwaslaunchednow;hereyeswerefuriousandhervoiceshook。\"Hewentafterherdeliberately,thewayhedoeseverything;he\'sascold—bloodedasafish。
Allhecaresaboutishisownpleasure,andlatelyhe\'sdecideditwouldbepleasanttogetholdofapieceofrealmoney——andtherewasEdith！Andhe\'llmarryher！Nothingonearthcanstophimunlesshefindsoutshewon\'tHAVEanymoneyifshemarrieshim,andtheonlypersonthatcouldmakehimunderstandthatisFatherSheridan。Somehow,that\'sgottobemanaged,becauseLamhornisgoingtohurryitonasfastashecan。Hetoldmesolastnight。Hesaidhewasgoingtomarryherthefirstminutehecouldpersuadehertoit——andlittleEdith\'sallreadytobepersuaded！\"Sibyl\'seyesflashedgreenagain。\"Andhesworehe\'ddoit,\"shepanted。\"Hesworehe\'dmarryEdithSheridan,andnothingonearthcouldstophim！\"
AndthenMaryunderstood。Herlipspartedandshestaredatthebabblingcreatureincredulously,asuddenvividpictureinhermind,acanvasofunconsciousSibyl\'spainting。Marybehelditwithpityandhorror:shesawSibylclingingtoRobertLamhorn,raging,inawhisper,perhaps——forRoscoemighthavebeeninthehouse,orservantsmighthavehead。ShesawSibylentreating,beseeching,threateningdespairingly,andLamhorn——tiredofher——firstevasive,thenbrutallylettingherhavethetruth;andatlast,infuriated,\"swearing\"tomarryherrival。IfSibylhadnotbabbledouttheword\"swore\"itmighthavebeenlessplain。
Thepoorwomanblunderedon,whollyunawareofwhathehadconfessed。\"Yousee,\"shesaid,morequietly,\"whatever\'sgoingtobedoneoughttodonerightaway。IwentoverandtoldMotherSheridanwhatI\'dheardaboutLamhorn——oh,Iwasopenandaboveboard！ItoldherrightbeforeEdith。I
thinkitoughtalltobedonewithperfectfrankness,becausenobodycansayitisn\'tforthegirl\'sowngoodandwhatherbestfriendwoulddo。ButMotherSheridan\'sunderEdith\'sthumb,andshe\'safraidtoevercomerightoutwithanything。FatherSheridan\'sdifferent。Edithcangetanythingshewantsoutofhiminthewayofmoneyorordinaryindulgence,butwhenitcomestoamatterlikethishe\'dbeasteelrock。Ifit\'saquestionofhiswillagainstanybodyelse\'she\'dmakehiswillruleifitkilled\'emboth！
Now,he\'dneverintheworldletLamhorncomenearthehouseagainifheknewhisreputation。So,yousee,somebody\'sgottotellhim。Itisn\'taveryeasypositionforme,isit,MissVertrees？\"
\"No,\"saidMary,gravely。
\"Well,tobefrank,\"saidSibyl,smiling,\"that\'swhyI\'vecometoyou。\"
\"ToME！\"Maryfrowned。
Sibylrippledandcooedagain。\"Thereisn\'tANYBODYevenmadesuchahitwithFatherSheridaninhislifeasyouhave。AndofcourseweALLhopeyou\'renotgoingtobeexactlyanoutsiderintheaffairsofthefamily！\"
（Thissallywithanotherandloudereffectoflaughter。）\"Andifit\'sMY
duty,why,inaway,Ithinkitmightbethoughtyours,too。\"
\"No,no！\"exclaimedMary,sharply。
\"Listen,\"saidSibyl。\"NowsupposeIgotoFatherSheridanwiththisstory,andEdithsaysit\'snottrue;supposeshesaysLamhornhasagoodreputationandthatI\'mrepeatingirresponsiblegossip,orsuppose（what\'smostlikely）
sheloseshertemperandsaysIinventedit,thenwhatamIgoingtodo？
FatherSheridandoesn\'tknowMrs。Kittersbyandherdaughter,andthey\'reoutofthequestion,anyway。ButsupposeIcouldsay:\'Allright,ifyouwantproof,askMissVertrees。Shecamewithme,andshe\'swaitinginthenextroomrightnow,to——\"
\"No,no,\"saidMary,quickly。\"Youmustn\'t——\"
\"Listenjustaminutemore,\"Sibylurged,confidingly。Shewasoneasygroundnow,toherownmind,andhadnodoubtofhersuccess。\"Younaturallydon\'twanttobeginbytakingpartinafamilyquarrel,butifYOUtakepartinit,itwon\'tbeone。Youdon\'tknowyourselfwhatweightyoucarryoverthere,andnoonewouldhavetherighttosayyoudiditexceptoutofthepurestkindness。Don\'tyouseethatJimandhisfatherwouldadmireyouallthemoreforit？MissVertrees,listen！Don\'tyouseeweOUGHTtodoit,youandI？DoyousupposeRobertLamhorncaresasnapofhisfingerforher？
DoyousupposeamanlikehimwouldLOOKatEdithSheridanifitwasn\'tforthemoney？\"AndagainSibyl\'semotionrosetothesurface。\"Itellyouhe\'safternothingonearthbuttogethisfingerinthatoldman\'smoney—pile,overthere,nextdoor！He\'dmarryANYBODYtodoit。MarryEdith？\"shecried。\"Itellyouhe\'dmarrytheirniggercookforTHAT！\"
Shestopped,afraid——atthewrongtime——thatshehadbeentoovehement,butaglaceatMaryreassuredher,andSibyldecidedthatshehadproducedtheeffectshewished。Marywasnotlookingather;shewasstaringstraightbeforeheratthewall,hereyeswideandshining。ShebecamevisiblyalittlepalerasSibyllookedather。
\"Afternothingonearthbuttogethisfingerinthatoldman\'smoney—pile,overthere,nextdoor！\"Thevoicewasvulgar,thewordswerevulgar——andtheplaintruthwasvulgar！HowitranginMaryVertrees\'sears！Theclearmirrorhadcaughtitsownimageclearlyintheflawedoneatlast。
Sibylputforthherbestbidtoclenchthematter。Sheofferedherbargain。
\"Nowdon\'tyouworry,\"shesaid,sunnily,\"aboutthissettingEdithagainstyou。She\'llgetoveritafterawhile,anyway,butifshetriedtobespitefulandmakeituncomfortableforyouwhenyoudropinoverthere,ormanagedsoastosortofleaveyouout,why,I\'vegotahouse,andJimlikestocomethere。Idon\'tTHINKEdithWOULDbethatway;she\'stoocrazytohaveyoutakeheraroundwiththesmartcrowd,butifsheDID,youneedn\'tworry。Andanotherthing——Iguessyouwon\'tmindJim\'sownsister—in—lawspeakingofit。Ofcourse,Idon\'tknowjusthowmattersstandbetweenyouandJim,butJimandRoscoeareaboutasmuchalikeastwobrotherscanbe,andRoscoewasveryslowmakinguphismind;sometimesIusedtothinkheactuallyneverWOULD。Now,whatImeanis,sisters—in—lawcandolotsofthingstohelpmattersonlikethat。There\'slotsoflittlethingscanbesaid,andlots——\"
Shestopped,puzzled。MaryVertreeshadgonefrompaletoscarlet,andnow,stillscarletindeed,sherose,withoutawordofexplanation,oranyotherkindofword,andwalkedslowlytotheopendoorandoutoftheroom。
Sibylwasalittletakenaback。ShesupposedMaryhadrememberedsomethingneglectedandnecessaryfortheinstructionofaservant,andthatshewouldreturninamoment;butitwasratherarudeexcessofabsent—mindednessnottohaveexcusedherself,especiallyasherguestwastalking。And,Mary\'sreturnbeingdelayed,Sibylfoundtimetothinkthisunprefacedexitodderandruderthanshehadfirstconsideredit。Theremighthavebeenmoreexcuseforit,shethought,hadshebeenspeakingofmatterslessimportant——offeringtodothegirlallthekindnessinherpower,too！
Sibylyawnedandswunghermuffimpatiently;sheexaminedthesoleofhershow;shedecidedonanewshapeofheel;shemadeaninventoryofthefurnitureoftheroom,oftherugs,ofthewall—paperandengravings。Thenshelookedatherwatchandfrowned;wenttoawindowandstoodlookingoutuponthebrownlawn,thencamebacktothechairshehadabandoned,andsatagain。Therewasnosoundinthehouse。
Astrangeexpressionbeganimperceptiblytoaltertheplanesofherface,andslowlyshegrewasscarletasMary——scarlettotheears。Shelookedatherwatchagain——andtwenty—fiveminuteshadelapsedsinceshehadlookedatitbefore。
Shewentintothehall,glancedoverhershoulderoddly;thensheletherselfsoftlyoutofthefrontdoor,andwentacrossthestreettoherownhouse。
Roscoemetheruponthethreshold,gloomily。\"Sawyoufromthewindow,\"heexplained。\"Youmustfindalottosaytothatoldlady。\"
\"Whatoldlady？\"
\"Mrs。Vertrees。Ibeenwaitingforyoualongtime,andIsawthedaughtercomeout,fifteenminutesago,andpostaletter,andthenwalkonupthestreet。Don\'tstandoutontheporch,\"hesaid,crossly。\"Comeinhere。
There\'ssomethingit\'scometimeI\'llhavetotalktoyouabout。Comein！\"
Butasshewasmovingtoobeyheglancedacrossathisfather\'shouseandstarted。Heliftedhishandtoshieldhiseyesfromthesettingsun,staringfixedly。\"Something\'sthematteroverthere,\"hemuttered,andthen,moreloudly,asalarmcameintohisvoice,hesaid,\"What\'sthematteroverthere？\"
Bibbsdashedoutofthegateinanautomobilesetatitshightestspeed,andashesawRoscoehemadeagenturesingularlyeloquentofcalamity,andwaslostatonceinacloudofdustdownthestreet。Edithhadfollowedpartofthewaydownthedrive,anditcouldbeseenthatshewascryingbitterly。
SheliftedbotharmstoRoscoe,summoninghim。
\"ByGeorge！\"gaspedRoscoe。\"Ibelievesomebody\'sdead！\"
AndhestartedfortheNewHouseatarun。
Sheridanhaddecidedtoconcludehisday\'sworkearlythatafternoon,andatabouttwoo\'clockhelefthisofficewithamanofaffairsfromforeignparts,whohadtraveledfarforabusinessconferencewithSheridanandhiscolleagues。HerrFavre,inspiteofhisFrenchname,wasagentlemanofBavaria。Itwashisfirstvisittoourcountry,andSheridantookpleasureinshowinghimthesightsofthecountry\'sfinestcity。TheygotintoanopencaratthemainentranceoftheSheridanBuilding,andweredrivenfirst,slowlyandmomentously,throughthewholesaledistrictandtheretaildistrict;thenmorerapidlytheyinspectedthepacking—housesandthestock—yards;thenskirmishedoverthe\"parksystem\"and\"boulevards\";andafterthatwhizzedthroughthe\"residencesection\"ontheirwaytothefactoriesandfoundries。
\"Allcray,\"observedHerrFavre,smilingly。
\"\'Cray\'？\"echoedSheridan。\"Idon\'tknowwhatyoumean。\'Cray\'？\"
\"Nowhite,\"saidHerrFavre,withawaveofhishandtowardthelongrowsofhousesonbothsidesofthestreet。\"Nowhitelacewindow—curtains;allcraylacewindow—curtains。\"
\"Oh。Isee！\"Sheridanlaughedindulgently。\"Youmean\'GRAY。\'No,theyain\'t,they\'rewhite。Ineversawanygrayones。\"
HerrFavreshookhishead,muchamused。\"ThereareNOwhiteones,\"hesaid。
\"ThereisnowhiteANYTHINGinyourcity;nowhitewindow—curtains,nowhitehouse,nowhitepeeble！\"Hepointedupward。\"Smoke！\"Thenhesniffedtheairandclaspedhisnosebetweenforefingerandthumb。\"Smoke！Smokeef\'rywhere。Smokeinyourinsites。\"Hetappedhischest。\"Smokeinyourlunks！\"
\"Oh！SMOKE！\"Sheridancriedwithgusto,drawinginadeepbreathandpatentlyfindingitdelicious。\"YouBETwegotsmoke！\"
\"Exbensif！\"saidHerrFavre。\"Ruinsfoliage;ruinsfabrics。Maybeinsummeritissnotsobad,butIwonderyourwifeswillbearit。\"
Sheridanlaugheduproariously。\"Theyknowitmeansnewspringhatsfor\'em！\"
\"Theymustneedmany,too！\"saidthevistior。\"Newhats,newallthings,butnothingwhite。InMunchenwecouldnotdoit;weareasafingpeeble。\"
\"Where\'sthat？\"
\"InMunchen。Yousay\'Munich。\'\"
\"Well,IneverbeentoMunich,butItookintheMediterraneantrip,andI
tellyou,outsideo\'somerightgoodscenery,allIsawwasmightydirtyandmightyshiftlessandmightyrun—downattheheel。Nowcomin\'rightdownTO
it,Mr。Farver,wouldn\'tyouratherlivehereinthistownthaninMunich？I
knowyougotmoreenterpriseuptherethanthepartoftheoldcountryIsaw,andIknowYOU\'REalivebusinessmanandyou\'reassociatedwithotherslikeyou,butwhenitcomestoLIVIN\'inaplace,wouldn\'tyouheapratherbeherethanoverthere？\"
\"Forme,\"saidHerrFavre,\"no。HereIshouldnotthinkIwasliving。Itwouldbeliketheminerwhogoesintotheminetowork;nothingelse。\"
\"Wegotagoodmanygoodcitizensherefromyourparto\'theworld。THEY
likeit。\"
\"Ohyes。\"AndHerrFavrelaugheddeprecatingly。\"Thefirstgeneration,theybringtheirGermanywiththem;then,afterthat,theyareAmericans,likeyou。\"Hetappedhishost\'sbigkneegenially。\"Youarepatriot;soarethey。\"
\"Well,Ireckonyoumustbeaprettyhotlittlepatriotyourself,Mr。
Farver！\"Sheridanexclaimed,gaily。\"Youcertainlystandupforyourowntown,ifyousticktosayin\'you\'dratherlivetherethanyouwouldhere。
Yes,SIR！YousurearesomepatriottosayTHAT——afteryou\'veseenourcity！
Itain\'treasonableinyou,butImustsayIkindofadmireyouforit;everymanoughttostickupforhisown,evenwhenheseestheotherfellow\'sgotthegoodsonhim。YetIexpectwaydowndeepinyourheart,Mr。Farver,you\'dratherliverightherethananyplaceelseintheworld,ifyouhadyourchoice。Manalive！thisisGod\'scountry,Mr。Farver,andablindmancouldn\'thelpseein\'it！Youcouldn\'tstandwhereyoudoinabusinesswayandNOTseeit。Soho,boy！Hereweare。Thisisthebigworks,andI\'llshowyousomethingnowthat\'llmakeyoureyesstickout！\"