\"Iknewtherewassomethingelse,\"saidMrs。Sheridan,blinkingoverayawn。
\"Youbetterletitgotillto—morrowandgettobednow——\'lessyou\'lltellme？\"
\"SupposesomethinghappenedtoRoscoe,\"hesaid。\"THENwhat\'dIhavetolookforwardto？THENwhatcouldIdependontoholdthingstogether？Alummix！
Alummixthathasn\'tlearnedhowtopushastripo\'zincalongagroove！\"
\"Roscoe？\"sheyawned。\"Youneedn\'tworryaboutRoscoe,papa。He\'sthestrongestchildwehad。Ineverdidknowanybodykeepbetterhealththanhedoes。Idon\'tbelievehe\'sevenhadacoldinfiveyears。Youbettergouptobed,papa。\"
\"SupposesomethingDIDhappentohim,though。Youdon\'tknowwhatitmeans,keepin\'propertytogetherthesedays——justkeepin\'itALIVE,letalonemakin\'
itgrowthewayIdo。I\'veseentoomanyestateshackedawayinchunks,bigandlittle。Itellyouwhenamandiesthewolvescomeouto\'thewoods,packafterpack,toseewhattheycantearoffforthemselves;andifthatdeadman\'schuldernain\'tonthejob,nightandday,everythinghebuilt\'llgetcarriedoff。Carriedoff？I\'veseenabigfortunebehavelikeanash—barrelinacyclone——therewasn\'tevenadust—heaplefttotellwhereitstood！I\'veseenit,timeandagain。MyLord！whenIthinko\'suchthingscomin\'toME！
Itdon\'tseemlikeIdeservedit——nomanevertriedhardertoraisehisboysrightthanIhave。Iplannedandplannedandplannedhowtobring\'emuptobeguardstodrivethewolvesoff,andhowtobebuilderstobuild,andbuildbigger。Itellyouthisbusinesslifeisnofool\'sjobnowadays——aman\'sgottohaveeyesinthebackofhishead。Youheartalk,sometimes,\'dmakeyouthinkthemillenniumhadcome——butrightthenextbreathyou\'llhearsomebodyhollerin\'about\'thegreatunrest。\'YouBETthere\'sa\'greatunrest\'！Thereain\'tanymanalivesmartenoughtoseewhatit\'sgoin\'todotousintheend,norwhatdayit\'sgotsettobustloose,butit\'sfrothin\'andbubblin\'
intheboiler。Thiscountry\'sbeenfillin\'upwithitfromallovertheworldforagoodmanyyears,andtheoldcamp—meetin\'daysaredeadanddonewith。
Churchain\'twhatitusedtobe。Nothin\'swhatitusedtobe——everything\'sturnedupfromthebottom,andthegrowthissobigtherootsstickoutintheair。There\'sanawfulructiongoin\'on,andyougottokeephoppin\'ifyou\'regoin\'tokeepyourbalanceonthetopofit。Andtheschemers！Theyrunlikebugsonthebottomofaboard——afteranypieceo\'moneytheyhearisloose。
Foolschemesandcrookedschemes;thefoolonesarethemostandtheworst！
YougottoFIGHTtokeepyourmoneyafteryou\'vemadeit。Andthewoodsarefullo\'mightyindustriousmenthat\'sgotonlyonemotto:\'Gettheotherfellow\'smoneybeforehegetsyours！\'Andwhenaman\'sbuiltasIhave,whenhe\'sbuiltgoodandstrong,andmadegoodthingsgrowandprosper——THOSEarethefellowsthatlayforthechancetoslideinandsneakthebenefitofitandputtheirnamestoit！Andwhat\'stheuseofmyhavin\'everbeenborn,ifsuchathingasthatisgoin\'tohappen？What\'stheuseofmyhavin\'workedmylifeandsoulintomybusiness,ifit\'sallgoin\'tobedispersedandscatteredsoonasI\'mintheground？\"
Hestrodeupanddownthelongroom,gesticulating——littleregardingthetroubledanddrowsyfigurebythefireside。Histhroatrumbledthunderously;
thewordscamewithstormybitterness。\"Youthinkthisisatimeforyoungmentobelyin\'onbedsofease？Itellyouthereneverwassuchatimebefore;thereneverwassuchopportunity。Thesluggardisdespoiledwhilehesleeps——yes,byGeorge！ifamaylaysdownthey\'lleathimbeforehewakes！——butthelivemancanbuildstraightuptillhetouchesthesky！Thisisthebusinessman\'sday;itusedtobethesoldier\'sdayandthestatesman\'sday,butthisisOURS！Anditain\'taSundaytogofishin\'——it\'sturmoil！
turmoil！——andyougottogooutandliveitandbreatheitandMAKEityourself,oryou\'llonlybeadeadmanwalkin\'arounddreamin\'you\'realive。
Andthat\'swhatmysonBibbshasbeendoin\'allhislife,andwhathe\'dratherdonowthangooutanddohispartbyme。AndifanythinghappenstoRoscoe——\"
\"Oh,dostopworryin\'oversuchnonsense,\"Mrs。Sheridaninterrupted,irritatedintosharpwakefulnessforthemoment。\"Thereisn\'tanythinggoin\'
tohappentoRoscoe,andyou\'rejusttormentin\'yourselfaboutnothin\'。
Aren\'tyouEVERgoin\'tobed？\"
Sheridanhalted。\"Allright,mamma,\"hesaid,withavastsigh。\"Let\'sgoup。\"Andhesnappedofftheelectriclight,leavingonlytherosyglowofthefire。
\"DidyouspeaktoRoscoe？\"sheyawned,risinglopsidedlyinherdrowsiness。
\"DidyoumentionaboutwhatItoldyoutheotherevening？\"
\"No。Iwillto—morrow。\"
ButRoscoedidnotcomedown—townthenextday,northenext;nordidSheridanseefittoenterhisson\'shouse。Hewaited。Then,onthefourthdayofthemonth,Roscoewalkedintohisfather\'sofficeatnineinthemorning,whenSheridanhappenedtobealone。
\"Theytoldmedown—stairsyou\'dleftwordyouwantedtoseeme。\"
\"Sitdown,\"saidSheridan,rising。
Roscoesat。Hisfatherwalkedclosetohim,sniffedsuspiciously,andthenwalkedaway,smilingbitterly。\"Boh！\"heexclaimed。\"Stillatit！\"
\"Yes,\"saidRoscoe。\"I\'vehadacoupleofdrinksthismorning。Whataboutit？\"
\"IreckonIbetteradoptsomedecentyoungman,\"hisfatherreturned。\"I\'dbringBibbsuphereandputhiminyourplaceifhewasfit。Iwould！\"
\"Betterdoit,\"Roscoeassently,sullenly。
\"When\'dyoubeginthisthing？\"
\"Ialwaysdiddrinkalittle。EversinceIgrewup,thatis。\"
\"Leavethattalkout！YouknowwhatImean。\"
\"Well,Idon\'tknowasIeverhadtoomuchinofficehours——untiltheotherday。\"
Sheridanbegancutting。\"It\'salie。I\'vehadRayWillsupfromyouroffice。
Hedidn\'twanttogiveyouaway,butIputthehooksintohim,andhecamethrough。Youweredrunktwicebeforeandcouldn\'twork。Youbeenleavin\'
yourofficefordrinkseveryfewhoursforthelastthreeweeks。Ibeenoveryourbooks。Yourofficeiswaybehind。Youhaven\'tdoneanywork,tocount,inamonth。\"
\"Allright,\"saidRoscoe,droopingunderthetorture。\"It\'salltrue。\"
\"Whatyougoin\'todoaboutit？\"
Roscoe\'sheadwassunkbetweenhisshoulders。\"Ican\'tstandverymuchtalkaboutit,father,\"hesaid,pleadingly。
\"No！\"Sheridancried。\"NeithercanI！WhatdoyouthinkitmeanstoME？\"Hedroppedintothechairathisbigdesk,groaning。\"Ican\'tstandtotalkaboutitanymore\'nyoucantolisten,butI\'mgoin\'tofindoutwhat\'sthematterwithyou,andI\'mgoin\'tostraightenyouout！\"
Roscoeshookhisheadhelplessly。
\"Youcan\'tstraightenmeout。\"
\"Seehere！\"saidSheridan。\"Canyougobacktoyourofficeandstaysoberto—day,whileIgetmyworkdone,orwillIhavetohireacoupleo\'huskiestofollowyouaroundandknockthewhiskeyouto\'yourhandiftheyseeyoutryin\'totakeit？\"
\"Youneedn\'tworryaboutthat,\"saidRoscoe,lookingupwithafaintresentment。\"I\'mnotdrinkingbecauseI\'vegotathirst。\"
\"Well,whathaveyougot？\"
\"Nothing。Nothingyoucandoanythingabout。Nothing,Itellyou。\"
\"We\'llseeaboutthat！\"saidSheridan,harshly。\"NowIcan\'tfoolwithyouto—day,andyougetupouto\'thatchairandgetouto\'myoffice。Youbringyourwifetodinnerto—morrow。Youdidn\'tcomelastSunday——butyoucometo—morrow。I\'lltalkthisoutwithyouwhenthewomen—folksareworkin\'thephonograph,afterdinner。Canyoukeepsobertillthen？Youbetterbesure,becauseI\'mgoingtosendAbercrombiedowntoyourofficeeverylittlewhile,andhe\'llletmeknow。\"
Roscoepausedatthedoor。\"YoutoldAbercrombieaboutit？\"heasked。
\"TOLDhim！\"AndSheridanlaughedhideously。\"Doyousupposethere\'sanelevator—boyinthewholedam\'buildingthatain\'tontoyou？\"
Roscoesettledhishatdownoverhiseyesandwentout。
\"WHOlooksamustangintheeye？Changety,chang,chang！Bash！Crash！BANG！\"
SosangBibbs,hismusicalgaietiesinaudibletohisfellow—workmenbecauseofthenoiseofthemachinery。Hehaddiscoveredlongagothattheuproarwasrhythmical,andithadbeenintolerable;butnow,ontheafternoonofthefourthdayofhisreturn,hewasaccompanyingtheswingandclashofthemetalswithjubilantvaquerofragments,minglingimprovisationsofhisownamongthem,andmockingthezinc—eater\'scrashwithvocalimitations:
Fearlessandbold,Chang！Bash！Behold！WithaleapfromthegroundTothesaddleinabound,Andaway——andaway！Hi—YAY！WHOlooksachang,chang,bash,crash,bang！WHOcaresadashhowyoubashandyoucrash？NIGHT\'SonthewayEACHtimeIsay,Hi—YAY！Crash,chang！Bash,chang！Chang,bang,BANG！
Thelongroomwasceaselesslythunderingwithmetallicsound;theairwasthickwiththesmellofoil;thefloortrembledperpetually;everythingwasimplacablyinmotion——nowherewastherearestforthedizziedeye。ThefirsttimehehadenteredtheplaceBibbshadbecomedizzyinstantly,andsixmonthsofithadonlyaddedincreasingnauseatofaintness。Buthefeltneithernow。
\"ALLDAYLONGI\'LLSENDMYTHOUGHTSTOYOU。YOUMUSTKEEPREMEMBERINGTHAT
YOURFRIENDSTANDSBESIDEYOU。\"Hesawhertherebesidehim,andthegreasy,roaringplacebecamesuffusedwithradiance。Thepoetwashappyinhismachine—shop;hewasstillapoetthere。Andhefedhisoldzinc—eater,andsang:
Away——andaway！Hi—YAH！Crash,bash,crash,bash,CHANG！Wildarehiseyes,Fiercelyhedies！Hi—YAH！Crash,bash,bang！Bash,CHANG！ReadytoflingOurglovesinthering——
Hewasunawareofasensationthatpassedalongthelinesofworkmen。Theirgreatmasterhadcomeamongthem,andtheygrinnedtoseehimstandingwithDr。GurneybehindtheunconsciousBibbs。Sheridannoddedtothosenearesthim——hehadpersonalacquaintancewithnearlyallofthem——buthekepthisattentionuponhisson。Bibbsworkedsteadily,neverturningfromhismachine。Nowandthenhevariedhismusicalprogrammewithremarksaddressedtothezinc—eater。
\"Goon,youoldcrash—basher！Chewitup！It\'sgoodforyou,ifyoudon\'ttrytoboltyourvittles。Fletcherize,youpig！That\'sright——YOU\'LLnevergetalumpinyourgizzard。Wantsomemore？Here\'sanice,shinyone。\"
Thewordswereindistinguishable,butSheridaninclinedhisheadtoGurney\'searandshoutedfiercely:\"Talkin\'tohimself！ByGeorge！\"
Gurneylaughedreassuringly,andshookhishead。
Bibbsreturnedtosong:
Chang！Chang,bash,chang！It\'sI！WHOlooksamustangintheeye？Fearlessandbo——
Hisfathergraspedhimbythearm。\"Here！\"heshouted。\"LetMEshowyouhowtorunastripthroughthere。Theforemansaysyou\'resomebetter\'nyouusedtobe,butthat\'snowaytohandle——Getoutthewayandletmeshowyouonce。\"
\"Betterbecareful,\"Bibbswarnedhim,steppingtooneside。
\"Careful？Boh！\"Sheridanseizedastripofzincfromthebox。\"Whatyoutalkin\'toyourselfabout？Tryin\'tomakeyourselfthinkyou\'resoabusedyou\'regoin\'wronginthehead？\"
\"\'Abused\'？No！\"shoutedBibbs。\"IwasSINGING——becauseI\'likeit\'！ItoldyouI\'dcomebackand\'likeit。\'\"
Sheridanmaynothaveunderstood。Atallevents,hemadenoreply,butbegantorunthestripofzincthroughthemachine。Hediditawkwardly——andwithbadresults。
\"Here！\"heshouted。\"Thisistheway。WatchhowIdoit。There\'snothin\'toit,ifyouputyourmindonit。\"Byhisownshowingthenhismindwasnotuponit。Hecontinuedtotalk。\"Allyougottolookoutforistokeepitpressedoverto——\"
\"Don\'trunyourhandupwithit,\"Bibbsvociferated,leaningtowardhim。
\"Runnothin\'！YouGOTto——\"
\"Lookout！\"shoutedBibbsandGurneytogether,andtheybothsprangforward。
ButSheridan\'srighthandhadfollowedthestriptoofar,andthezinc—eaterhadbittenoffthetipsofthefirstandsecondfingers。Hesworevehemently,andwrunghishand,sendingashowerofreddropsoverhimselfandBibbs,butGurneygraspedhiswrist,andsaid,sharply:
\"Comeoutofhere。Comeovertothelavatoryintheoffice。Bibbs,fetchmybag。It\'sinmymachine,outside。\"
AndwhenBibbsbroughtthebagtothewashroomhefoundthedoctorstillgraspingSheridan\'swrist,holdingtheinjuredhandoverabasin。Sheridanhadlostcolor,andtemper,too。HeglaredoverhisshoulderathissonasthelatterhandedthebagtoGurney。
\"Yougoonbacktoyourwork,\"hesaid。\"I\'vehadworsesnipsthanthatfromapencil—sharpener。\"
\"Ohno,youhaven\'t！\"saidGurney。
\"Ihave,too！\"Sheridanretorted,angrily。\"Bibbs,yougoonbacktoyourwork。There\'snoreasontostandaroundherewatchin\'oleDocGurneytryin\'
tokeephimselfawakeworkin\'onascratchthatonlyneedsalittlecourt—plaster。Islipped,oritwouldn\'thappened。Yougetbackonyourjob。\"
\"Allright,\"saidBibbs。
\"HERE！\"Sheridanbellowed,ashissonwaspassingoutofthedoor。\"Youwatchoutwhenyou\'rerunnin\'thatmachine！YouhearwhatIsay？Islipped,orIwouldn\'tgotscratched,butyou——YOU\'REliabletogetyourwholehandcutoff！Youkeepyoureyesopen！\"
\"Yes,sir。\"AndBibbsreturnedtothezinc—eaterthoughtfully。
Halfanhourlater,Gurneytouchedhimontheshoulderandbeckonedhimoutside,whereconversationwaspossible。\"Isenthimhome,Bibbs。He\'llhavetobecarefulofthathand。Gogetyouroverallsoff。I\'lltakeyouforadriveandleaveyouathome。\"
\"Can\'t,\"saidBibbs。\"Gottosticktomyjobtillthewhistleblows。\"
\"No,youdon\'t,\"thedoctorreturned,smotheringayawn。\"Hewantsmetotakeyoudowntomyofficeandgiveyouanoverhaulingtoseehowmuchharmthesefourdaysonthemachinehavedoneyou。Iguessyoufolkshavegotthatoldmanprettythoroughlyupset,betweenyou,upatyourhouse！ButIdon\'tneedtogooveryou。Icanseewithmyeyeshalfshut——\"
\"Yes,\"Bibbsinterrupted,\"that\'swhattheyare。\"
\"IsayIcanseeyou\'restartingout,atleast,ingoodshape。What\'smadethedifference？\"
\"Ilikethemachine,\"saidBibbs。\"I\'vemadeafriendofit。Iserenadeitandtalktoit,andthenittalksbacktome。\"
\"Indeed,indeed？Whatdoesitsay？\"
\"WhatIwanttohear。\"
\"Well,well！\"Thedoctorstretchedhimselfandstampedhisfootrepeatedly。
\"Bettercomealongandtakeadrivewithme。Youcantakethetimeoffthatheallowedfortheexamination,and——\"
\"Notatall,\"saidBibbs。\"I\'mgoingtostandbymyoldzinc—eatertillfiveo\'clock。ItellyouILIKEit！\"
\"ThenIsupposethat\'stheendofyourwantingtowrite。\"
\"Idon\'tknowaboutthat,\"Bibbssaid,thoughtfully;\"butthezinc—eaterdoesn\'tinterferewithmythinking,atleast。It\'sbetterthanbeinginbusiness;I\'msureofthat。Idon\'twantanythingtochange。I\'dbecontenttoleadjustthelifeI\'mleadingnowtotheendofmydays。\"
\"Youdobeatthedevil！\"exclaimedGurney。\"Yourfather\'srightwhenhetellsmeyou\'reamystery。PerhapstheAlmightyknewwhatHewasdoingwhenHemadeyou,butittakesalotoffaithtobelieveit！Well,I\'moff。Goonbacktoyourmurderingoldmachine。\"Heclimbedintohiscar,whichheoperatedhimself,butherefrainedfromsettingitimmediatelyinmotion。\"Well,I
rubbeditinontheoldmanthatyouhadwarnedhimnottoslidehishandalongtoofar,andthathegothurtbecausehedidn\'tpayattentiontoyourwarning,andbecausehewastryingtoshowyouhowtodosomethingyouwerealreadydoingagreatdealbetterthanhecould。YoutellhimI\'llbearoundtolookatitandchangethedressingto—morrowmorning。Good—by。\"
Butwhenhepaidthepromisedvisit,thenextmorning,hedidmorethanchangethedressinguponthedamagedhand。Theinjurywassevereofitskind,andGurneyspentalongtimeoverit,thoughSheridanwasrebelliousandscornful,beingbroughttoadegreeoftractabilityonlybymeansofhorriblethreatsandtalkofamputation。However,heappearedatthedinner—tablewithhishandsupportedinasling,whichheseemedtoregardasanindignity,whilethenaturalinquiriesuponthesubjectevidentlystruckhimasdeliberateinsults。Mrs。Sheridan,havingbeenunabletocontainhersolicitudeseveraltimesduringtheday,andhavingbeencheckedeachtimeinamannerthatblanchedhercheek,hastenedtowarnRoscoeandSibyl,upontheirarrivalatfive,toomitanyreferencetotheinjuryandtoavoidevenlookingattheslingiftheypossiblycould。
TheSheridansdinedonSundaysatfive。Sibylhadtakenpainsnottoarriveeitherbeforeorafterthehandwaspreciselyonthehour;andthemembersofthefamilywereallseatedatthetablewithintwominutesaftersheandRoscoehadenteredthehouse。
Itwasaglumgathering,overhungwithportents。Theairseemedcharged,awaitinganytinyignitiontoexplode;andMrs。Sheridan\'sexpression,asshesatwithhereyesfixedalmostcontinuallyuponherhusband,wasthatofapersonengagedinprayer。Edithwaspaleandintent。Roscoelookedill;
Sibyllookedill;andSheridanlookedbothillandexplosive。Bibbshadmorecolorthananyofthese,andtherewasastrangebrightness,likealight,uponhisface。Itwascurioustoseeanythingsohappyinthetensegloomofthathousehold。
Edithatelittle,butgazednearlyallthetimeatherplate。SheneveroncelookedatSibyl,thoughSibylnowandthengaveheraquickglance,heavilycharged,andthenlookedaway。Roscoeatenothing,and,likeEdith,kepthiseyesuponhisplateandmadebelievetooccupyhimselfwiththeviandsthereon,loadinghisforkfrequently,butnotliftingittohismouth。Hedidnotoncelookathisfather,thoughhisfathergazedheavilyathimmostofthetime。AndbetweenEdithandSibyl,andbetweenRoscoeandhisfather,somebitterwirelesscommunicationseemedcontinuallytobetakingplacethroughoutthelongsilencesprevailingduringthisenliveningceremonyofSabbathrefection。
\"Didn\'tyougotochurchthismorning,Bibbs？\"hismotherasked,intheefforttobreakuponeofthoseghastlyintervals。
\"Whatdidyousay,mother？\"
\"Didn\'tyougotochurchthismorning？\"
\"Ithinkso,\"heanswered,asfromaroseatetrance。
\"YouTHINKso！Don\'tyouknow？\"
\"Ohyes。Yes,Iwenttochurch！\"
\"Whichone？\"
\"Justdownthestreet。It\'sbrick。\"
\"Whatwasthesermonabout？\"
\"What,mother？\"
\"Can\'tyouhearme？\"shecried。\"Iaskedyouwhatthesermonwasabout？\"
Herousedhimself。\"Ithinkitwasabout——\"Hefrowned,seemingtoconcentratehiswilltorecollect。\"IthinkitwasaboutsomethingintheBible。\"
White—jacketGeorgewasgladofanopportunitytoleavetheroomandleanuponMist\'Jackson\'sshoulderinthepantry。\"Hedon\'tknowtheyWASanysuhmon！\"
heconcluded,havingnarratedthedining—roomdialogue。\"Allheknowishewaswith\'atladylivesnex\'do\'！\"Georgewasright。
\"Didyougotochurchallbyyourself,Bibbs？\"Sibylasked。
\"No,\"heanswered。\"No,Ididn\'tgoalone。\"
\"Oh？\"Sibylgavetheejaculationanupwardtwist,asofmockinginquiry,andfolloweditbyanother,expressiveofhilariouscomprehension。\"OH！\"
Bibbslookedatherstudiously,butshespokenofurther。Andthatcompletedtheconversationatthelugubriousfeast。
Coffeecamefinally,wasdisposedofquickly,andthepartydispersedtootherpartsofthehouse。BibbsfollowedhisfatherandRoscoeintothelibrary,butwasnotwellreceived。
\"YOUgoandlistentothephonographwiththewomen—folks,\"Sheridancommanded。
Bibbsretreated。\"Sometimesyoudoseemtobeahardsortofman！\"hesaid。
However,hewentobedientlytothegilt—and—brocaderoominwhichhismotherandhissisterandhissister—in—lawhadhelplesslywithdrawn,accordingtotheirSabbaticalcustom。Edithsatinacorner,tappingherfeettogetherandlookingatthem;Sibylsatinthecenteroftheroom,examiningabroochwhichshehaddetachedfromherthroat;andMrs。SheridanwaslookingoveracollectionofrecordsconsistingexclusivelyofCarusoandrag—time。Sheselectedoneofthelatter,remarkingthatshethoughtit\"rightpretty,\"andfolloweditwithoneoftheformerandthesameremark。
Asthesecondreacheditsconclusion,Georgeappearedinthebroaddoorway,seemingtohaveanerrandthere,buthedidnotspeak。Instead,hefavoredEdithwithabenevolentsmile,andsheimmediatelylefttheroom,Georgesteppingasideforhertoprecedehim,andthendisappearingafterherinthehallwithanairofsuccessfuldiplomacy。HemadeitperfectlyclearthatEdithhadgivenhimsecretinstructionsandthatithadbeenhisprideandpleasuretofulfilthemtotheletter。
Sibylstiffenedinherchair;herlipsparted,andshewatchedwithcuriouseyesthevanishingbackofthewhitejacket。
\"What\'sthat？\"sheasked,inalowvoice,butsharply。
\"Here\'sanotherrightprettyrecord,\"saidMrs。Sheridan,affecting——withpatentnervousness——nottohear。Andsheunloosedthemusic。
Sibylbitherlipandbegantotapherchinwiththebrooch。AfteralittlewhilesheturnedtoBibbs,whoreposedathalf—lengthinagoldchair,withhiseyesclosed。
\"WheredidEdithgo？\"sheasked,curiously。
\"Edith？\"herepeated,openinghiseyesblankly。\"Isshegone？\"
Sibylgotupandstoodinthedoorway。Sheleanedagainstthecasing,stilltappingherchinwiththebrooch。Hereyesweredilating;shewassuddenlyathightension,andherexpressionhadbecomeoneofsharpexcitement。Shelistensintently。
WhentherecordwasspunoutshecouldhearSheridanrumblinginthelibrary,duringtheensuingsilence,andRoscoe\'svoice,querulousandhusky;\"Iwon\'tsayanythingatall。Itellyou,youmightjustaswellletmealone！\"
Buttherewereothersound:arustlingandmurmur,whispering,lowprotestingcadencesinamalevoice。AndasMrs。Sheridanstartedanotherrecord,asudden,vitalresolveleapedlikefireintheeyesofSibyl。Shewalkeddownthehallandstraightintothesmoking—room。
LamhornandEdithbothsprangtotheirfeet,separating。Edithbecameinstantlydeathlywhitewitharagethatsethershakingfromheadtofoot,andLamhornstutteredashetriedtospeak。
ButEdith\'sshakingwasnotsoviolentasSibyl\'s,norwasherfacesowhite。
Atsightofthemandoftheirembrace,allpossibleconsequencesbecamenothingtoSibyl。Shecourtesied,holdingupherskirtsandcontortingherlipstothesemblanceofasmile。
\"Sitjustasyouwere——bothofyou！\"shesaid。AndthentoEdith:\"DidyoutellmyhusbandIhadbeentelephoningtoLamhorn？\"
\"Youmarchoutofhere！\"saidEdith,fiercely。\"Marchstraightoutofhere！\"
SibylleveledaforefingeratLamhorn。
\"DidyoutellherI\'dbeentelphoningyouIwantedyoutocome？\"
\"Oh,goodGod！\"Lamhornsaid。\"Hush！\"
\"Youknewshe\'dtellmyhusband,DIDN\'Tyou？\"shecried。\"Youknewthat！\"
\"HUSH！\"hebegged,panic—stricken。
\"ThatwasaMANLYthingtodo！Oh,itwaslikeagentleman！Youwouldn\'tcome——youwouldn\'tevencomeforfiveminutestohearwhatIhadtosay！YouwereTIREDofwhatIhadtosay！You\'dhearditallathousandtimesbefore,andyouwouldn\'tcome！No！No！NO！\"shestormed。\"Youwouldn\'tevencomeforfiveminutes,butyoucouldtellthatlittlecat！AndSHEtoldmyhusband！
You\'reaMAN！\"
EdithsawinaflashthattheconsequencesofbattlewouldberuinoustoSibyl,andthefuriousgirlneedednofurthertemptationtogivewaytoherfeelings。\"Getoutofthishouse！\"sheshrieked。\"Thisismyfather\'shouse。
Don\'tyoudarespeaktoRobertlikethat！\"
\"No！No！Imustn\'tSPEAK——\"
\"Don\'tyouDARE！\"
EdithandSibylbegantoscreaminsultsateachothersimultaneously,frontingeachother,theirfuriousfacesclose。Theirvoicesshrilledandroseandcracked——theyscreeched。Theycouldbeheardoverthenoiseofthephonograph,whichwasplayingabrass—bandselection。Theycouldbeheardalloverthehouse。Theywereheardinthekitchen;theycouldhavebeenheardinthecellar。Neitherofthemcaredforthat。
\"Youtoldmyhusband！\"screamedSibyl,bringingherfacestillclosertoEdith\'s。\"Youtoldmyhusband！ThismanputTHATinyouhandstostrikemewith！HEdid！\"
\"I\'lltellyourhusbandagain！I\'lltellhimeverythingIknow！It\'sTIME
yourhusband——\"
Theyweresweptasunderbyabandagedhand。\"Doyouwanttheneighborsin？\"
Sheridanthundered。
Therefellashockingsilence。FrenziedSibylsawherhusbandandhismotherinthedoorway,andsheunderstoodwhatshehaddone。Shemovedslowlytowardthedoor;thensuddenlyshebegantorun。Sheranintothehall,andthroughit,andoutofthehouse。Roscoefollowedherheavily,hiseyesontheground。
\"NOWTHEN！\"saidSheridantoLamhorn。