TheyhadarrivedatthePumpWorks;andforanhourMr。Favrewaspersonallyconductedandpersonallyinstructedbythefounderandpresident,thebuzzingqueenbeeofthosebuzzinghives。
\"NowI\'lltakeyouforaspininthecountry,\"saidSheridan,whenatlasttheycameouttothecaragain。\"We\'lltakeabreezer。\"But,withhisfootonthestep,hepausedtohailaneatyoungmanwhocameoutoftheofficesmilingagreeting。\"Hello,youngfellow！\"Sheridansaid,heartily。\"Onthejob,areyou,Jimmie？Ha！Theydon\'tcatchyouOFFofitveryoften,I
guess,thoughIdohearyougoautomobile—ridin\'inthecountrysometimeswithamightyfine—lookin\'girlsettin\'upbesideyou！\"Heroaredwithlaughter,clappinghissonupontheshoulder。\"That\'sallrightwithme——ifitiswithHER！So,Jimmie？Well,whenwegoin\'tomoveintoyournewwarehouses？Monday？\"
\"Sunday,ifyouwantto,\"saidJim。
\"No！\"criedhisfather,delighted。\"Don\'ttellmeyou\'regoin\'tokeepyourwordaboutdates！That\'snowaytodocontractin\'！Neverheardofacontractoryetdidn\'twantmoretime。\"
\"They\'llbeallreadyforyouontheminute,\"saidJim。\"I\'mgoingoverbothof\'emnow,withLinksandSherman,fromfoundationtoroof。Iguessthey\'llpassinspection,too！\"
\"Well,then,whenyougetthroughwiththat,\"saidhisfather,\"yougoandtakeyourgirloutridin\'。ByGeorge！you\'veearnedit！YoutellheryoustandhighwithME！\"Hesteppedintothecar,wavingawaggishfarewell,andwhenthewheelswereinmotionagain,heturneduponhiscompanionabroadfaceliterallyshiningwithpride。\"That\'smyboyJimmie！\"hesaid。
\"Fineyoungman,yes,\"saidHerrFavre。
\"Igottwoo\'thefinestboys,\"saidSheridan,\"Igottwoo\'thefinestboysGodevermade,andthat\'safact,Mr。Farver！Jim\'stheoldest,andItellyoutheygottogetupthedaybeforeiftheyexpecttocatchHIMinbed！Myotherboy,Roscoe,he\'salwaystothegood,too,butJim\'sawizard。Yousawthemtwonew—processwarehouses,justaboutfinished？Well,JIMbuilt\'em。
I\'lltellyouaboutthat,Mr。Farver。\"Andherecitedthishistory,describingthenewprocessatlength;infact,hehadsuchprideinJim\'sachievementthathetoldHerrFavreallaboutitmorethanonce。
\"Fineyoungman,yes,\"repeatedthegoodMunchner,three—quartersofanhourlater。Theyweremanymilesoutintheopencountrybythistime。
\"Heisthat！\"saidSheridan,adding,asifconfidentially:\"Igotafinefamily,Mr。Farver——finechuldern。Igotadaughternow;youtakeherandputheranywhereyouplease,andshe\'llshineupwithANYof\'em。There\'scultureandrefinementandsocietyinthistownbythecar—load,andherelatelyshe\'sbeengettin\'rightinthethickofit——herandmydaughter—in—law,both。Igotamightyfinedaughter—in—law,Mr。Farver。I\'mgoin\'togetyouupforamealwithusbeforeyouleavetown,andyou\'llsee——and,well,sir,fromallIhearthetwoof\'embeenholdin\'theirownwiththebest。Myself,Iandthewifeneverhadtimeformucho\'thatkindo\'doin\'s,butit\'sallrightandgoodforthechuldern;andmydaughtershe\'salwayskindoftakentoit。I\'llreadyouapoemshewrotewhenIgetyouupatthehouse。Shewroteitinschoolandtookthefirstprizeforpoetrywithit。Itellyoutheydon\'tmake\'emanysmarter\'nthatgirl,Mr。
Farver。Yes,sir;takeusallround,we\'reaprettyhappyfamily;yes,sir。
Roscoehasn\'tgotanychuldernyet,andIhaven\'teverspoketohimandhiswifeaboutit——it\'skindofadelicatematter——butit\'sabouttimethewifeandIsawsomegran\'—chulderngrowin\'uparoundus。Icertainlydohankerforaboutfourorfivelittlecurly—headedrascalstotakeonmyknee。Boys,Ihope,o\'course;that\'sonlynatural。Jim\'sgothiseyeonamightysplendid—lookin\'girl;livesrightnextdoortous。Iexpectyouheardmejoshin\'himaboutitbackyonder。She\'soneoftheoleblue—bloodshere,andIguessitwasamightygoodstock——toraiseHER！She\'sonethesegirlsthatstandtightupandlookatyou！Andpretty？She\'stheprettiestthingyoueversaw！Goodsize,too;goodhealthandgoodsense。Jim\'llbejustrightifhegetsher。ImustsayitticklesMEtothinko\'thewaythatboytookaholdo\'thatjobbackyonder。Fourmonthsandahalf！Yes,sir——\"
Heexpandedthisthemeoncemore;andthushecontinuedtoentertainthestrangerthroughoutthelongdrive。Darknesshadfallenbeforetheyreachedthecityontheirreturn,anditwasafterfivewhenSheridanallowedHerrFavretodescendatthedoorofhishotel,whereboyswereshriekingextraeditionsoftheeveningpaper。
\"Now,goodnight,Mr。Farver,\"saidSheridan,leaningfromthecartoshakehandswithhisguest。\"Don\'tforgetI\'mgoin\'tocomearoundandtakeyouupto——Goonaway,boy！\"
Anewsboyhadthrusthimselfalmostbetweenthem,yelling,\"Extry！Secon\'
Extry。Extry,allaboutthehorrableacciDENT。Extry！\"
\"Getout！\"laughedSheridan。\"Whowantstoreadaboutaccidents？Getout！\"
Theboymovedawayphilosophically。\"Extry！Extry！\"heshrilled。\"Threemenkilled！Extry！Millionairekilled！Twoothermenkilled！Extry！
Extry！\"
\"Don\'tforget,Mr。Farver。\"Sheridancompletedhisinterruptedfarewells。
\"I\'llcomebytotakeyouuptoourhousefordinner。I\'llbehereforyouabouthalf—pastfiveto—morrowafternoon。Hopeyou\'njoyedthedrivemuchasIhave。Goodnight——goodnight！\"Heleanedback,speakingtothechauffer。
\"NowyoucantakemearoundtotheCentralCitybarber—shop,boy。Iwanttogetashave\'foreIgouphome。\"
\"Extry！Extry！\"screamedthenewsboys,zig—zaggingamongthecrowdslikebatsinthedusk。\"Extry！AllaboutthehorrableacciDENT！Extry！\"ItstruckSheridanthatthepaperssentouttoomany\"Extras\";theyprinted\"Extras\"forallsortsofpettycrimesandcasualties。Itwasamistake,hedecided,critically。Crying\"Wolf！\"toooftenwouldn\'tsellthegoods;itwasbadbusiness。Thepaperswould\"makemoreinthelongrun,\"hewassure,iftheypublishedan\"Extra\"onlywhensomethingofrealimportancehappened。
\"Extry！Allaboutthehor\'bleAX\'nt！Extry！\"aboysquawkedunderhisnose,ashedescendedfromthecar。
\"Goonaway！\"saidSheridan,gruffly,thoughhesmiled。Helikedtoseetheyoungstersworkingsonoisilytogetonintheworld。
Butashecrossedthepavementtothebrilliantglassdoorsofthebarber—shop,asecondnewsboygraspedthearmoftheonewhohadthuscriedhiswares。
\"Say,Yallern,\"saidthissecond,hoarsewithawe,\"\'n\'tchewknowwhothatIS？\"
\"Who？\"
\"It\'sSHERIDAN！\"
\"Jeest！\"criedthefirst,staringinsanely。
Ataboutthesamehour,fourtimesaweek——Monday,Wednesday,Friday,andSaturday——Sheridanstoppedatthisshoptobeshavedbytheheadbarber。Thebarberswerenegroes,hewastheirgreatman,anditwastheirhabittogivehima\"reception,\"hisentrancebeingalwaysthesignalforaflurryofjocularhospitality,followedbygeneralexcessesofbrisknessandgaiety。
Butitwasnotsothisevening。
Theshopwascrowded。Copiesofthe\"Extra\"werebeingreadbymenwaiting,andbymeninthelatterstagesoftreatment。\"Extras\"layuponvacantseatsandshowedfromthepocketsofhangingcoats。
Therewasaloudchatterbetweenthepractitionersandtheirrecumbentpatients,avocalcharivariwhichstoppedabruptlyasSheridanopenedthedoor。Hisnameseemedtofizzintheairlikethelastsputteringofafirework;thebarbersstoppedshavingandclipping;latheredmenturnedtheirprostrateheadstostare,andtherewasamomentofamazingsilenceintheshop。
Theheadbarber,nearestthedoor,stoodlikeabarberinatableau。Hislefthandheldstretchedbetweenthumbandforefingeranelasticsectionofhishelplesscustomer\'scheek,whilehisrighthandhungpoisedaboveit,therazormotionless。Andthen,rousedfromtrancebythedoor\'sclosing,heacceptedthefactofSheridan\'spresence。Thebarberrememberedthattherearenocircumstancesinlife——orjustafterit——underwhichamandoesnotneedtobeshaved。
Hesteppedforward,profoundlygraave。\"Ibethroughwiththismaninthechaironeminute,Mist\'Sheridan,\"hesaid,inahushedtone。\"Yessuh。\"Andofasolemnnegroyouthwhostoodby,gazingstupidly,\"Yougoin\'RESIGN？\"hedemandedinafierceundertone。\"Yougoin\'takeMist\'Sheridan\'scoat？\"Hesentanangrylookroundtheshop,andthebarbers,takinghismeaning,avertedtheireyesandfelltowork,themurmurofsubduedconversationbuzzingfromchairtochair。
\"YousitdownONEminute,Mist\'Sheridan,\"saidtheheadbarber,gently。\"I
fixnicechairfo\'youtowaitin。\"
\"Nevermind,\"saidSheridan。\"Goongetthroughwithyourman。\"
\"Yessuh。\"Andhewentquicklybacktohischairontiptoe,followedbySheridan\'spuzzledgaze。
Somethinghadgonewrongintheshop,evidently。Sheridandidnotknowwhattomakeofit。Ordinarilyhewouldhaveshoutedahilariousdemandforthemeaningofthemystery,butaninexplicablesilencehadbeenimposeduponhimbythehushthatfelluponhisentranceandbytheoddlookeverymanintheshophadbentuponhim。
Vaguelydisquieted,hewalkedtooneoftheseatsintherearoftheshop,andlookedupanddownthetwolinesofbarbers,catchingquicklyshifted,furtiveglanceshereandthere。Hemadethisbriefsurveyafterwonderingifoneofthebarbershaddiedsuddenly,thatday,orthenightbefore;buttherewasnovacancyineitherline。
Theseatnexttohiswasunoccupied,butsomeonehadleftacopyofthe\"Extra\"there,and,frowning,hepickeditupandglancedatit。Thefirstoftheswollendisplaylineshadlittlemeaningtohim:FatallyFaulty。
NewProcessRoofCollapsesHurlingCapitalisttoDeathwithInventor。SevenEscapeWhenCrashComes。DeathClaims——
Thusfarhadhereadwhenathinhandfelluponthepaper,coveringtheprintfromhiseyes;and,lookingup,hesawBibbsstandingbeforehim,paleandgentle,immeasurablycompassionate。
\"I\'vecomeforyou,father,\"saidBibbs。\"Here\'stheboywithyourcoatandhat。Putthemonandcomehome。\"
AndeventhenSheridandidnotunderstand。Sosecurewasheinthestrengthandbignessofeverythingthatwashis,hedidnotknowwhatcalamityhadbefallenhim。Buthewasfrightened。
Withoutaword,hefollowedBibbsheavilyoutthroughtthestillshop,butastheyreachedthepavementhestoppedshortand,graspinghisson\'ssleevewithshakingfingers,swunghimroundsothattheystoodfacetoface。
\"What——what——\"Hismouthcouldnotdohimtheserviceheaskedofit,hewassofrightened。
\"Extry！\"screamedanewsboystraightinhisface。\"YoungNorthSidemillionaireinsuntlykilled！Extry！\"
\"Not——JIM！\"saidSheridan。
Bibbscaughthisfather\'shandinhisown。
\"AndYOUcometotellmethat？\"
Sheridandidnotknowwhathesaid。Butinthosefirstwordsandinthefirstanguishofthebig,strickenfaceBibbsunderstoodtheunutteredcryofaccusation:
\"Whywasn\'tityou？\"
Standingintheblackgroupundergaunttreesatthecemetery,threedayslater,Bibbsunwillinglyletanold,oldthoughtbecomedefiniteinhismind:
thesicklybrotherhadburiedthestrongbrother,andBibbswonderedhowmanymilliontimesthathadhappenedsincemenfirstmadeawordtonamethesonsofonemother。Almostliterallyhehadburiedhisstrongbrother,forSheridanhadgonetopieceswhenhesawhisdeadson。Hehadnothingtohelphimmeettheshock,neitherdefinitereligionnor\"philosophy\"definiteorindefinite。Hecouldonlybeathisforeheadandbeg,overandover,tobekilledwithanax,whilehiswifewashelplessexcepttoentreathimnotto\"takeon,\"herselfaddingacontinuouslamentation。Edith,weeping,madetrucewithSibylandsawtoitthatthemourninggarmentswerebeyondcriticism。Roscoewasdazed,andheshirked,justifyinghimselfcuriouslybesayinghe\"neverhadanyexperienceinsuchmatters。\"SoitwasBibbs,theshyoutsider,whobecame,duringthisdreadfullittletime,themasterofthehouse;forasstrangeathingasthat,sometimes,maybetheresultofadeath。Hemettherelativesfromoutoftownatthestation;hesetthetimeforthefuneralandthetimeformeals;heselectedtheflowersandheselectedJim\'scoffin;hedidallthegrimthingsandalltheotherthings。
JimhadbelongedtoanorderofKnights,wholengthenedtheriteswithapicturesqueceremonyoftheirown,andatfirstBibbswishedtoavoidthis,butuponreflectionheofferednoobjection——hedivinedthattheKnightsandtheirservicewouldbenotpreciselyaconsolation,butasatisfactiontohisfather。SotheKnightsledtheprocession,withtheirbandplayingadirgepartofthelongwaytothecemetery;andthenturnedback,afterformingintwolines,plumedhatssympatheticallyinhand,toletthehearseandthecarriagespassbetween。
\"Mightyfine—lookin\'men,\"saidSheridan,brokenly。\"Theyall——alllikedhim。Hewas——\"Hisbreathcaughtinasobandchokedhim。\"Hewas——aGrandSupremeHerald。\"
Bibbshaddivinedaright。
\"Dusttodust,\"saidtheminister,underthegaunttrees;andatthatSheridanshookconvulsivelyfromheadtofoot。Alloftheblackgroupshivered,execptBibbs,whenitcameto\"Dusttodust。\"Bibbsstoodpassive,forhewastheonlyoneofthemwhohadknownthatthoughtasafamiliarneighbor;hehadbeencloseupondusthimselfforalong,longtime,andevennowhecouldprophesynoprotractedseparationbetweenhimselfanddust。Themachine—shophadbroughthimveryclose,andifhehadtogobackitwouldprobablybringhimcloserstill;soclose——asDr。Gurneypredicted——thatnoonewouldbeabletotellthedifferencebetweendustandhimself。AndSheridan,ifBibbsreadhimtruly,wouldbeallthemoredeterminedto\"makeaman\"ofhim,nowthattherewasamanlessinthefamily。ToBibbs\'sknowledge,nooneandnothinghadeverpreventedhisfatherfromcarryingthroughhisplans,oncehehaddetermineduponthem;andSheridanwasincapableofbelievingthatanyplanofhiswouldnotworkoutaccordingtohiscalculations。Hisnatureunfittedhimtoacceptfailure。Hehadthegiftofterriblepersistence,andwithunfleckedconfidencethathiswaywastheonlywayhewouldholdtothatwayof\"makingaman\"ofBibbs,whounderstoodverywell,inhispassiveandimpersonalfashion,thatitwasawaywhichmightmake,notaman,butdustofhim。Buthehadnoshudderforthethought。
Hehadnoshudderforthatthoughtorforanyotherthought。ThetruthaboutBibbswasinthepoemwhichEdithhadadopted:hehadsothoroughlyformedtheover—sensitivehabitofhidinghisfeelingsthatnodoubthehadforgotten——bythistime——wherehehadputsomeofthem,especiallythosewhichconcernedhimself。Buthehadnothiddenhisfeelingsabouthisfatherwheretheycouldnotbefound。Hewasstrangetohisfather,buthisfatherwasnotstrangetohim。HeknewthatSheridan\'splanswereconceivedinthestubbornbeliefthattheywouldbringaboutagoodthingforBibbshimself;
andwhatevertheresultwastobe,thesonhadnobitterness。Farotherwise,forashelookedatthebig,woefulfigure,shakingandtortured,analmostunbearablepitylaidhandsuponBibbs\'sthroat。Roscoestoodblinking,hislipquivering;Edithweptaudibly;Mrs。Sheridanleanedinhalfcollapseagainstherhusband;butBibbsknewthathisfatherwastheonewhocared。
Itwasover。Meninoverallssteppedforwardwiththeirshovels,andBibbsnoddedquicklytoRoscoe,makingaslightgesturetowardthelineofwaitingcarriages。Roscoeunderstood——Bibbswouldstayandseethegravefilled;therestweretogo。Thegroupsbegantomoveawayovertheturf;wheelscreakedonthegraveleddrive;andonebyonethecarriagesfilledanddeparted,thehorsessettingoffatawalk。Bibbsgazedsteadfastlyattheworkmen;heknewthathisfatherkeptlookingbackashewenttowardthecarriage,andthatwasathinghedidnotwanttosee。Butafteralittlewhiletherewerenosoundsofwheelsorhoofsonthegravel,andBibbs,glancingup,sawthateveryonehadgone。Acoupehadbeenleftforhim,thedriverdozingpatiently。
Theworkmenplacedtheflowersandwreathsuponthemoundandaboutit,andBibbsalteredthepositionofoneortwoofthese,thenstoodlookingthoughtfullyatthegrotesquebrilliancyofthatfestal—seeminghillockbeneaththedarkeningNovembersky。\"It\'stoobad！\"hehalfwhispered,hislipsformingthewords——andhismeaningwasthatitwastoobadthatthestrongbrotherhadbeentheonetogo。ForthiswashislastthoughtbeforehewalkedtothecoupeandsawMaryVertreesstanding,allalone,ontheothersideofthedrive。
Shehadjustemergedfromagroveofleaflesstreesthatgrewonaslopewherethetombsweremany;andbehindherroseamultitudeofthebarbaricandclassicshapeswesostrangelystrewaboutourgraveyards:urn—crownedcolumnsandstone—drapedobelisks,shop—carvedangelsandshop—carvedchildrenpoisingonpillarsandshafts,alllifting——inunthoughtpathos——theirblindstoninesstowardthesky。Againstsuchabackground,Bibbswasnotincongruous,withhisfigure,inblack,solongandslender,andhisfacesolongandthinandwhite;norwastheundertaker\'scoupeoutofkeeping,withtheshabbydriverdozingontheboxandtheshaggyhorsesstandingpatientlyinattitudeswithouthopeandwithoutregret。ButforMaryVertrees,herewasagrotesquesetting——shewasavivid,livingcreatureofabeautifulworld。Andagraveyardisnottheplaceforpeopletolookcharming。
Shealsolookedstartledandconfused,butnotmorestartledandconfusedthanBibbs。In\"Edith\'s\"poemhehaddeclaredhisintentionofhidinghisheart\"amongthestars\";andinhisboyhoodonedayhehadsuccessfullyhiddenhisbodyinthecoal—pile。Hehadbeennocomradeofotherboysorofgirls,andhisacquaintancesofarecentperiodwereonlyafewfellow—invalidsandthenursesattheHoodSanitarium。AllhislifeBibbshadkepthimselftohimself——hewasbutashyonlookerintheworld。
Nevertheless,thestartledgazehebentupontheunexpectedladybeforehimhadcausesotherthanhisshynessandherunexpectedness。ForMaryVertreeshadbeenashiningfigureinthelittleworldoflategiventotheviewofthishumbleandelusiveoutsider,andspectatorssometimesfindtheirheartsbeatingfasterthanthoseoftheactorsinthespectacle。ThuswithBibbsnow。Hestartedandstared;heliftedhishatwithincredibleawkwardness,hisfingersfumblingathisforeheadbeforetheyfoundthebrim。
\"Mr。Sheridan,\"saidMary,\"I\'mafraidyou\'llhavetotakemehomewithyou。
I——\"Shestopped,notlackingamomentaryawkwardnessofherown。
\"Why——why——yes,\"Bibbsstammered。\"I\'ll——I\'llbede——Won\'tyougetin？\"
Inthatmannerandinthatplacetheyexchangedtheirfirstwords。ThenMarywithourmoreadogotintothecoupe,andBibbsfollowed,closingthedoor。
\"You\'reverykind,\"shesaid,somewhatbreathlessly。\"Ishouldhavehadtowalk,andit\'sbeginningtogetdark。It\'sthreemiles,Ithink。\"
\"Yes,\"saidBibbs。\"It——itisbeginningtogetdark。I——Inoticedthat。\"
\"Ioughttotellyou——I——\"Marybegan,confusedly。Shebitherlip,satsilentamoment,thenspokewithcomposure。\"Itmustseemodd,my——\"
\"No,no！\"Bibbsprotested,earnestly。\"Notinthe——intheleast。\"
\"Itdoes,though,\"saidMary。\"Ihadnotintendedtocometothecemetery,Mr。Sheridan,butoneofthemeninchargeatthehousecameandwhisperedtomethat\'thefamilywishedmeto\'——Ithinkyoursistersenthim。SoIcame。
ButwhenwereachedhereI——oh,IfeltthatperhapsI——\"
Bibbsnoddedgravely。\"Yes,yes,\"hemurmured。
\"Igotoutontheoppositesideofthecarriage,\"shecontinued。\"Imeanoppositefrom——fromwhereallofyouwere。AndIwanderedoffoverintheotherdirection;andIdidn\'trealizehowlittletime——ittakes。FromwhereIwasIcouldn\'tseethecarriagesleaving——atleastIdidn\'tnoticethem。
SowhenIgotback,justnow,youweretheonlyonehere。Ididn\'tknowtheotherpeopleinthecarriageIcamein,andofcoursetheydidn\'tthinktowaitforme。That\'swhy——\"
\"Yes,\"saidBibbs,\"I——\"Andthatseemedallhehadtosayjustthen。
Marylookedoutthroughthedustywindow。\"Ithinkwe\'dbetterbegoinghome,ifyouplease,\"shesaid。
\"Yes,\"Bibbsagreed,notmoving。\"Itwillbedarkbeforewegetthere。\"
Shegavehimaquicklittleglance。\"Ithinkyoumustbeverytired,Mr。
Sheridan;andIknowyouhavereasontobe,\"shesaid,gently。\"Ifyou\'llletme,I\'ll——\"Andwithoutexplainingherpurposesheopenedthedooronhersideofthecoupeandleanedout。
Bibbsstartedinblankperplexity,notknowingwhatshemeanttodo。
\"Driver！\"shecalled,inherclearvoice,loudly。\"Driver！We\'dliketostart,please！Driver！StopatthehousejustnorthofMr。Sheridan\'s,please。\"Thewheelsbegantomove,andsheleanedbackbesideBibbsoncemore。\"Inoticedthathewasasleepwhenwegotin,\"shesaid。\"Isupposetheyhaveagreatdealofnightwork。\"
Bibbsdrewalongbreathandwaitedtillhecouldcommandhisvoice。\"I\'veneverbeenabletoapologizequickly,\"hesaid,withhisaccustomedslowness,\"becauseifItrytoIstammer。MybrotherRoscoewhippedmeonce,whenwewereboys,forsteppingonhisslate—pencil。Ittookmesolongtotellhimitwasanaccident,hefinishedbeforeIdid。\"
MaryVertreeshadneverheardanythingquitelikethedrawling,gentlevoiceortheoddimplicationthathisnotnoticingthemotionlessstateoftheirvehiclewasan\"accident。\"Shehadformedacasualimpressionofhim,notwithoutsympathy,butatonceshediscoveredthathewasunlikeanyofhercursoryandvagueimaginingsofhim。Andsuddenlyshesawapicturehehadnotintendedtopaintforsympathy:asturdyboyhammeringasmaller,sicklyboy,andthesicklyboyunresentful。Notthatpicturealone;othersflashedbeforeher。InstantaneouslyshehadaglimpseofBibbs\'slifeandintohislife。Shehadaqueerfeeling,newtoherexperience,ofknowinghiminstantly。Itstartledheralitttle;andthen,withsomesurprise,sherealizedthatshewasgladhehadsatsolong,aftergettingintothecoupe,beforehenoticedthatithadnotstarted。Whatshedidnotrealize,however,wasthatshehadmadenoresponsetohisapology,andtheypassedoutofthecemeterygates,neitherhavingspokenagain。
Bibbswassocontentwiththesilencehedidnotknowthatitwassilence。
Thedusk,gatheringintheirsmallinclosure,wasfilledwitharichpresenceforhim;andpresentlyitwassodarkthatneitherofthetwocouldseetheother,nordideventheirgarmentstouch。Butneitherhadanysenseofbeingalone。Thewheelscreakedsteadily,rumblingpresentlyonpavedstreeets;
therewerethesounds,asfromadistance,oftheplod—plodofthehorses;
andsometimesthedriverbecameaudible,coughingasthmatically,orsaying,\"You,JOE！\"withaspiritlessflapofthewhipuponanunresponsiveback。
Oblongsoflightfromthelampsatstreet—cornerscameswimmingintotheinteriorofthecoupeand,thinningrapidlytolances,passedutterly,leavinggreaterdarkness。AndyetneitherofthesetwolastattendantsatJimSheridan\'sfuneralbrokethesilence。
ItwasMarywhopreceivedthestrangenessofit——toolate。Abruptlysherealizedthatforanindefiniteintervalshehadbeenthinkingofhercompanionandnottalkingtohim。\"Mr。Sheridan,\"shebegan,notknowingwhatshewasgoingtosay,butimpelledtosayanything,assherealizedthequeernessofthisdrive——\"Mr。Sheridan,I——\"
Thecoupestopped。\"You,JOE！\"saidthedriver,reproachfully,andclimbeddownandopenedthedoor。
\"What\'sthetrouble？\"Bibbsinquired。
\"LadysaidstopatthefirsthousenorthofMr。Sheridan\'s,sir。\"
Marywasincredulous;shefeltthatitcouldn\'tbetrueandthatitmustn\'tbetruethattheyhaddrivenallthewaywithoutspeaking。
\"What？\"Bibbsdemanded。
\"We\'rethere,sir,\"saidthedriver,sympathetically。\"NexthousenorthofMr。Sheridan\'s。\"
Bibbsdescendedtothecurb。\"Why,yes,\"hesaid。\"Yes,youseemtoberight。\"AndwhilehestoodstaringatthedimlyilluminatedfrontwindowsofMr。Vertrees\'shouseMarygotout,unassisted。
\"Letmehelpyou,\"saidBibbs,steppingtowardhermechanically;andshewasseveralfeetfromthecoupewhenhespoke。
\"Ohno,\"shemurmured。\"IthinkIcan——\"Shemeantthatshecouldgetoutofthecoupewithouthelp,but,perceivingthatshehadalreadyaccomplishedthisfeat,shedecidednottocompletethesentence。
\"You,JOE！\"criedthedriver,angrily,climbingtohisbox。Andherumbledawayathisteam\'sbestpace——asnail\'s。
\"Thankyouforbringingmehome,Mr。Sheridan,\"saidMary,stiffly。Shedidnotofferherhand。\"Goodnight。\"
\"Goodnight,\"Bibbssaidinresponse,and,turningwithher,walkedbesidehertothedoor。Marymadethatashortwalk;shealmostran。Realizationofthequeernessoftheirdrivewasgrowinguponher,beginningtoshockher;
shesteppedasidefromthelightthatfellthroughtheglasspanelsofthedoorandwithheldherhandasittouchedtheold—fashionedbell—handle。
\"I\'mquitesafe,thankyou,\"shesaid,withalittleemphasis。\"Goodnight。\"
\"Goodnight,\"saidBibbs,andwentobediently。Whenhereachedthestreethelookedback,butshehadvanishedwithinthehouse。
Movingslowlyaway,hecaromedagainsttwopeoplewhowereturningoutfromthepavementtocrossthestreet。TheywereRoscoeandhiswife。
\"Whereareyoureyes,Bibbs？\"demandedRoscoe。\"Sleep—walking,asusual？\"
ButSibyltookthewandererbythearm。\"Comeovertoourhouseforalittlewhile,Bibbs,\"sheurged。\"Iwantto——\"
\"No,I\'dbetter——\"
\"Yes。Iwantyouto。Yourfather\'sgonetobed,andthey\'reallquietoverthere——allwornout。Justcomeforaminute。\"
Heyielded,andwhentheywereinthehousesherepeatedherselfwithrealfeeling:\"\'Allwornout！\'Well,ifanybodyis,YOUare,Bibbs！AndIdon\'twonder;you\'vedoneeverybitoftheworkofit。Youmustn\'tgetdownsickagain。I\'mgoingtomakeyoutakealittlebrandy。\"
Heletherhaveherownway,followingherintothedining—room,andwasgratefulwhenshebroughthimatinyglassfilledfromoneofthedecantersonthesideboard。Roscoegloomilypouredforhimselfamuchheavierlibationinalargerglass;andthetwomensat,whileSibylleanedagainstthesideboard,reviewingtheepisodesofthedayandrecallingthenamesofthedonorsofflowersandwreaths。ShepressedBibbstoremainlongerwhenherosetogo,andthen,ashepersisted,shewentwithhimtothefrontdoor。
Heopenedit,andshesaid:
\"Bibbs,youwerecomingoutoftheVertreeses\'housewhenwemetyou。Howdidyouhappentobethere？\"
\"Ihadonlybeentothedoor,\"hesaid。\"Goodnight,Sibyl。\"
\"Wait,\"sheinsisted。\"Wesawyoucomingout。\"
\"Iwasn\'t,\"heexplained,movingtodepart。\"I\'djustbroughtMissVertreeshome。\"
\"What？\"shecried。