Thewordswereindefinite,butthevoicewasnot。Neitherwastheviciousgestureofthebandagedhand,whichconcludeditsorbitinthedirectionofthedoorinamannersufficientfortheswiftdispersalofGeorgeandJacksonandseveralfemaleservantswhohoveredbehindMrs。Sheridan。Theyfledlightly。
\"Papa,papa！\"wailedMrs。Sheridan。\"Lookatyourhand！You\'doughtn\'ttobeensoroughwithEdie;youhurtyourhandonhershoulder。Look！\"
Therewas,infact,aspreadingredstainuponthebandagesatthetipsofthefingers,andSheridanputhishandbackinthesling。\"Nowthen！\"herepeated。\"Yougoin\'toleavemyhouse？\"
\"HewillNOT！\"sobbedEdith。\"Don\'tyouDAREorderhimout！\"
\"Don\'tyoubother,dear,\"saidLamhorn,quietly。\"Hedoesn\'tunderstand。YOU
mustn\'tbetroubled。\"Pallorwasbecomingtohim;helookedveryhandsome,andashelefttheroomheseemedinthegirl\'sdistraughteyesapersecutednoble,indifferenttotherabbleyawpinginsultathisheels——therabblebeingenactedbyherfather。
\"Don\'tcomeback,either！\"said,Sheridan,realisticinthisimpersonation。
\"Keepoffthepremises！\"hecalledsavagelyintothehall。\"Thisfamily\'sthroughwithyou！\"
\"ItisNOT！\"Edithcried,breakingfromhermother。\"You\'llSEEaboutthat！
You\'llfindout！You\'llfindoutwhat\'llhappen！What\'sHEdone？IguessifIcanstandit,it\'snoneofYOURbusiness,isit？What\'sHEdone,I\'dliketoknow？Youdon\'tknowanythingaboutit。Don\'tyous\'posehetoldME？Shewascrazyabouthimsoonashebegangoingthere,andheflirtedwithheralittle。That\'severythinghedid,anditwasbeforehemetME！Afterthathewouldn\'t,anditwasn\'tanything,anyway——heneverwasseriousaminuteaboutit。SHEwantedittobeserious,andshewasboundshewouldn\'tgivehimup。
Hetoldherlongagohecaredaboutme,butshekeptpersecutinghimand——\"
\"Yes,\"saidSheridan,sternly;\"that\'sHISsideofit！That\'lldo！Hedoesn\'tcomeinthishouseagain！\"
\"Youlookout！\"Edithcried。
\"Yes,I\'lllookout！I\'d\'a\'toldyouto—dayhewasn\'ttobeallowedonthepremises,butIhadotherthingsonmymind。IhadAbercrombielookupthisyoungmanprivately,andhe\'sno\'count。He\'sno\'countonearth！He\'snogood！He\'sNOTHIN\'！Butitwouldn\'tmatterifhewasGeorgeWashington,afterwhat\'shappenedandwhatI\'veheardto—night！\"
\"But,papa,\"Mrs。Sheridanbegan,\"ifEdiesaysitwasallSibyl\'sfault,makin\'uptohim,andheneverencouragedhermuch,nor——\"
\"\'Senough！\"heroared。\"Hekeepsoffthesepremises！Andifanyofyousomuchaseverspeakhisnametomeagain——\"
ButEdithscreamed,clappingherhandsoverherearstoshutoutthesoundofhisvoice,andranup—stairs,sobbingloudly,followedbyhermother。However,Mrs。Sheridandescendedafewminuteslaterandjoinedherhusbandinthelibrary。Bibbs,stillsittinginhisgoldchair,sawherpass,rousedhimselffromreverie,andstrolledinafterher。
\"Shelockedherdoor,\"saidMrs。Sheridan,shakingherheadwoefully。\"Shewouldn\'tevenanswerme。Theywasn\'tasoundfromherroom。\"
\"Well,\"saidherhusband,\"shecansettlehermindtoit。Sheneverspeakstothatfellowagain,andifhetriestotelephoneherto—morrow——Here！Youtellthehelpifhecallsuptoringoffandsayit\'smyorders。No,youneedn\'t。I\'lltell\'emmyself。\"
\"Betternot,\"saidBibbs,gently。
Hisfatherglaredathim。
\"It\'snogood,\"saidBibbs。\"Mother,whenyouwereinlovewithfather——\"
\"Mygoodness！\"shecried。\"Youain\'ta—goin\'tocompareyourfathertothat——\"
\"Edithfeelsabouthimjustwhatyoudidaboutfather,\"saidBibbs。\"AndifYOURfatherhadtoldyou——\"
\"Iwon\'tLISTENtosuchsillytalk！\"shedeclared,angrily。
\"Soyou\'rehandin\'outyouradvice,areyou,Bibbs？\"saidSheridan。\"Whatisit？\"
\"Letherseehimallshewants。\"
\"You\'rea——\"Sheridangaveitup。\"Idon\'tknowwhattocallyou！\"
\"Letherseehimallshewants,\"Bibbsrepeated,thoughtfully。\"You\'reupagainstsomethingtoostrongforyou。IfEdithwereaweaklingyou\'dhaveachancethisway,butsheisn\'t。She\'sgotalotofyourdetermination,father,andwithwhat\'sgoingoninsideofhershe\'llbeatyou。Youcan\'tkeepherfromseeinghim,aslongasshefeelsabouthimthewayshedoesnow。
Youcan\'tmakeherthinklessofhim,either。Nobodycan。Youronlychanceisthatshe\'lldoitforherself,andifyougivehertimeandgoeasysheprobablywill。Marriagewoulddoitforherquickest,butthat\'sjustwhatyoudon\'twant,andasyouDON\'Twantit,you\'dbetter——\"
\"Ican\'tstandanymore！\"Sheridanburstout。\"Ifit\'scometoBIBBSadvisin\'
mehowtorunthishouseIbetterresign。Mamma,where\'sthatniggerGeorge？
MaybeHE\'SgotsomeplanhowIbettermanagemyfamily。Bibbs,forGod\'ssakegoandlaydown！\'Letherseehimallshewants\'！Oh,Lord！here\'swisdom;
here\'s——\"
\"Bibbs,\"saidMrs。Sheridan,\"ifyouhaven\'tgotanythingtodo,youmightstepoverandtakeSibyl\'swrapshome——sheleft\'eminthehall。Idon\'tthinkyouseemtoquietyourpoorfatherverymuchjustnow。\"
\"Allright。\"AndBibbsboreSibyl\'swrapsacrossthestreetanddeliveredthemtoRoscoe,whomethimatthedoor。Bibbssaidonly,\"Forgotthese,\"
and,\"Goodnight,Roscoe,\"cordiallyandcheerfully,andreturnedtotheNewHouse。Hismotherandfatherwerestilltalkinginthelibrary,butwithdiscretionhepassedrapidlyonandupwardtohisownroom,andthereheproceededtowriteinhisnote—book。
ThereseemstobeanothercuriousthingaboutLove[Bibbswrote]。
Loveisblindwhileitlivesandonlyopensitseyesandbecomesverywideawakewhenitdies。Letitaloneuntilthen。
Youcannotreasonwithloveorwithanyotherpassion。Thewisewillnotwishforlove——norforambition。Thesearepassionsandbringothersintheirtrain——hatredsandjealousies——allblind。Friendshipandaquietheartforthewise。
Whataturbulenceislove！Itisdangerousforablindthingtobeturbulent;thereareprecipicesinlife。Onewouldnotcrossamountain—passwithathickclothoverhiseyes。Loversdo。Friendshipwalksgentlyandwithopeneyes。
Towalktochurchwithafriend！Tositbesideherthere！Torisewhensherises,andtotouchwithone\'sthumbandfingerstheotherhalfofthehymn—bookthatsheholds！Whatlover,withhisfierceways,couldknowthistranscendenthappiness？
Friendshipbringseverythingthatheavencouldbring。Thereisnolaborthatcannotbecomealivingraptureifyouknowthatafriendisthinkingofyouasyoulabor。Soyousingatyourwork。
Fortheworkispartofthethoughtsofyourfriend;soyouloveit！
Loveisdemandingandclaimingandinsistent。Friendshipisallkindness——itmakestheworldgloriouswithkindness。Whatcoloryouseewhenyouwalkwithafriend！Youseethatthegrayskyisbrilliantandshimmering;youseethatthesmokehaswarmbrownsandismarvelouslysculptured——theairbecomesiridescent。Youseethegoldinbrownhair。Lightfloodseverything。
Whenyouwalktochurchwithafriendyouknowthatlifecangiveyounothingricher。Youpraythattherewillbenochangeinanythingforever。
Whatanadorablethingitistodiscoveralittlefoibleinyourfriend,abitofvanitythatgivesyouonethingmoreabouthertoadore！Onacoldmorningshewillperhapswalktochurchwithyouwithoutherfurs,andshewillblushandreturnanevasiveanswerwhenyouaskherwhyshedoesnotwearthem。Youwillsaynomore,becauseyouunderstand。Shelooksbeautifulinherfurs;
youlovetheirdarknessagainsthercheek;butyoucomprehendthattheyconcealthelovelinessofherthroatandthefinelineofherchin,andthatshealsohascomprehendedthis,and,wishingtolookstillmorebewitching,discardsherfursattheriskoftakingcold。Soyouholdyourpeace,andtrytolookasifyouhadnotthoughtitout。
Thistheoryissatisfactoryexceptthatitdoesnotaccountfortheabsenceofthemuff。Ah,well,theremustalwaysbeamysterysomewhere！Mysteryisapartofenchantment。
Manuallaborisbest。Yourheartcansingandyourmindcandreamwhileyourhandsareworking。Youcouldnothaveasingingheartandadreamingmindalldayifyouhadtoschemeoutdollars,orifyouhadtoaddcolumnsoffigures。Thosethingstakeyourattention。Youcannotbethinkingofyourfriendwhileyouwritelettersbeginning\"Yoursofthe17thinst。rec\'dandcontentsdulynoted。\"Buttoworkwithyourhandsallday,thinkingandsinging,andthen,afternightfall,toheartheineffablekindnessofyourfriend\'sgreeting——alwaysthere——foryou！Whowouldwakefromsuchadreamasthis？
Dawnandthesea——musicinmoonlitgardens——nightingalesserenadingthroughalmond—grovesinbloom——whatcouldbringsuchthingsintothecity\'sturmoil？Yettheyarehere,androsesblossominthesoot。Thatiswhatitmeansnottobealone！Thatiswhatafriendgivesyou！
Havingthusdemonstratedthathewasabouttwenty—fiveandhadformedasomewhatindefinitedefinitionoffriendship,butoneentirelyhisown（andperhapsMary\'s）Bibbswenttobed,andwastheonlySheridantosleepsoundlythroughthenightandtowakeatdawnwithalightheart。
Hischeerfulnesswasvaguelydiminishedbythetroublousstateofaffairsofhisfamily。Hehadrecognizedhisconditionwhenhewrote,\"Whowouldwakefromsuchadreamasthis？\"Bibbswasasympatheticperson,easilytouched,buthewasindeedlivinginadream,andallthingsoutsideofitwereveiledandremote——forthatisthewayofyouthinadream。AndBibbs,whohadneverbeforebeenofanyage,eitheroldoryoung,hadcometohisyouthatlast。
Hewentwhistlingfromthehousebeforeevenhisfatherhadcomedown—stairs。
Therewasafogoutdoors,saturatedwithafinepowderofsoot,andthoughBibbsnoticedabsentlythedimshapeofanautomobileatthecurbbeforeRoscoe\'shouse,hedidnotrecognizeitasDr。Gurney\'s,butwentcheerilyonhiswaythroughthedingymist。Andwhenhewasoncemoreinstalledbesidehisfaithfulzinc—eaterhewhistledandsangtoit,asotherworkmendidtotheirownmachinessometimes,whenthingswentwell。Hiscomradesintheshopglancedathimamusedlynowandthen。Theylikedhim,andheatehislunchatnoonwithagroupofSocialistswhoapprovedofhisideasandtalkedofelectinghimtotheirassociation。
Theshortdaysoftheyearhadcome,anditwasdarkbeforethewhistlesblew。
Whenthesignalcame,Bibbswenttotheoffice,wherehedivestedhimselfofhisoveralls——hissingledivergencefromtheroutineofhisfellow—workmen——andafterthatheusedsoapandwatercopiously。Thiswashistransformationscene:hepassedintotheofficearatherfrailyoungworking—mannoticeablybegrimed,andpassedoutofittothepavementacheerfullypre—occupiedsampleofgentry,fastidioustothepointofelegance。
Thesidewalkwascrowdedwiththebearersofdinner—pails,menandboysandwomenandgirlsfromthework—roomsthatclosedatfive。Manyhurriedandsomeloitered;theywentbotheastandwest,jostlingoneanother,andBibbs,turninghisfacehomeward,wasforcedtogoslowly。
Comingtowardhim,asslowly,throughthecrowd,atallgirlcaughtsightofhislong,thinfigureandstoodstilluntilhehadalmostpassedher,forinthethickcrowdandthethickergloomhedidnotrecognizeher,thoughhisshoulderactuallytouchedhers。Hewouldhavegoneby,butshelaugheddelightedly;andhestoppedshort,startled。Twoboys,onechasingtheother,sweptbetweenthem,andBibbsstoodstill,peeringabouthimindeepperplexity。Sheleanedtowardhim。
\"IknewYOU！\"shesaid。
\"Goodheavens！\'criedBibbs。\"Ithouhgtitwasyourvoicecomingoutofastar！\"
\"There\'sonlysmokeoverhead,\"saidMary,andlaughedagain。\"Therearen\'tanystars。\"
\"Ohyes,therewere——whenyoulaughed！\"
Shetookhisarm,andtheywenton。\"I\'vecometowalkhomewithyou,Bibbs。
Iwantedto。\"
\"Butwereyouhereinthe——\"
\"Inthedark？Yes！Waiting？Yes！\"
Bibbswasradiant;hefeltsuffocatedwithhappiness。Hebegantoscoldher。
\"Butit\'snotsafe,andI\'mnotworthit。Youshouldn\'thave——Yououghttoknowbetter。Whatdid——\"
\"Ionlywaitedabouttwelveseconds,\"shelaughed。\"I\'djustgothere。\"
\"Buttocomeallthiswayandtothispartoftowninthedark,you——\"
\"Iwasinthispartoftownalready,\"shesaid。\"Atleast,Iwasonlysevenoreightblocksaway,anditwasdarkwhenIcameout,andI\'dhavehadtogohomealone——andIpreferredgoinghomewithyou。\"
\"It\'sprettybeautifulforme,\"saidBibbs,withadeepbreath。\"You\'llneverknowwhatitwastohearyourlaughinthedarkness——andthento——toseeyoustandingthere！Oh,itwaskike——itwaslike——HowcanITELLyouwhatitwaslike？\"Theyhadpassedbeyondthecrowdnow,andacrossing—lampshoneuponthem,whichrevealedthefactthatagainshewaswithoutherfurs。Herewasapuzzle。WhydidthatadorablelittlevanityofhersbringheroutwithoutthemintheDARK？Butofcourseshehadgoneoutlongbeforedark。Forundefinablereasonsthisexplanationwasnotquitesatisfactory;however,allowingittostand,hissolicitudeforhertookanotherturn。\"Ithinkyououghttohaveacar,\"hesaid,\"especiallywhenyouwanttobeoutafterdark。
Youneedoneinwinter,anyhow。Haveyoueveraskedyourfatherforone？\"
\"No,\"saidMary。\"Idon\'tthinkI\'dcareforoneparticularly。\"
\"Iwishyouwould。\"Bibbs\'stonewasearnestandtroubled。\"Ithinkinwinteryou——\"
\"No,no,\"sheinterrupted,lightly。\"Idon\'tneed——\"
\"Butmymothertriedtoinsistonsendingoneoverhereeveryafternoonforme。Iwouldn\'tlether,becauseIlikethewalk,butagirl——\"
\"Agirllikestowalk,too,\"saidMary。\"LetmetellyouwhereI\'vebeenthisafternoonandhowIhappenedtobenearenoughttomakeyoutakemehome。
I\'vebeentoseealittleoldmanwhomakespicturesofthesmoke。Hehasasortofwarehouseforastudio,andhelivestherewithhismotherandhiswifeandtheirsevenchildren,andhe\'sgloriouslyhappy。I\'dseenoneofhispicturesatanexhibition,andIwantedtoseemoreofthem,soheshowedthemtome。Hehasalmosteverthingheeverpainted;Idon\'tsupposehe\'ssoldmorethanfourorfivepicturesinhislife。Hegivesdrawing—lessonstokeepalive。\"
\"Howdoyoumeanhepaintsthesmoke？\"Bibbsasked。
\"Literally。Hepaintsfromhisstudiowindowandfromthestreet——anywhere。
Hejustpaintswhat\'saroundhim——andit\'sbeautiful。\"
\"Thesmoke？\"
\"Wonderful！Heseestheskythroughit,somehow。Hedoestheuglyroofsofcheaphousesthroughahazeofsmoke,andhedoessmokysunsetsandsmokysunrises,andhehasotherthingswiththeheavy,solid,slowcolumnsofsmokegoingfaroutandgrowingmoreetherealandmixingwiththehazylightinthedistance;andhehasotherswiththebrokensky—lineofdown—town,allmistedwiththesmokeandpuffsandjetsofvaporthathavecolorslikeanorchardinmid—April。I\'mgoingtotakeyoutheresomeSundayafternoon,Bibbs。\"
\"You\'reshowingmethetown,\"hesaid。\"Ididn\'tknowwhatwasinitatall。\"
\"Thereareworkersinbeautyhere,\"shetoldhim,gently。\"Thereareotherpaintersmoreprosperousthanmyfriend。Thereareallsortsofthings。\"
\"Ididn\'tknow。\"
\"No。Sincethetownbegangrowingsogreatthatitcalleditself\'greater,\'
onecouldlivehereallone\'slifeandknowonlythesideofitthatshows。\"
\"Thebeauty—workersseemburiedverydeep,\"saidBibbs。\"AndIimaginethatyourfriendwhomakesthesmokebeautifulmustbeburieddeepestofall。Myfatherlovesthesmoke,butIcan\'timaginehisbuyingoneofyourfriend\'spictures。He\'dbuythe\'BayofNaples,\"buthewouldn\'tgetoneofthose。
He\'dthinksmokeinapicturewashorrible——unlesshecoulduseitforanadvertisement。\"
\"Yes,\"shesaid,thoughtfully。\"Andreallyhe\'sthetown。TheyAREburiedprettydeep,itseems,sometimes,Bibbs。\"
\"Andyetit\'sallwonderful,\"hesaid。\"It\'swonderfultome。\"
\"Youmeanthetowniswonderfultoyou？\"
\"Yes,becauseeverythingis,sinceyoucalledmeyourfriend。Thecityisonlyarumbleonthehorizonforme。Itcan\'tcomeanycloserthanthehorizonsolongasyouletmeseeyoustandingbymyoldzinc—eateralldaylong,helpingme。Mary——\"Hestoppedwithagasp。\"That\'sthefirsttimeI\'vecalledyou\'Mary\'！\"
\"Yes。\"Shelaughed,alittletremuously。\"ThoughIwantedyouto！\"
\"Isaiditwithoutthinking。Itmustbebecauseyoucametheretowalkhomewithme。Thatmustbeit。\"\"Womenliketohavethingssaid,\"Maryinformedhim,hertremulouslaughtercontinuing。\"WereyougladIcameforyou？\"
\"No——not\'glad。\'IfeltasifIwerebeingcarriedstraightupandupandup——overtheclouds。Ifeellikethatstill。IthinkI\'mthatwaymostofthetime。IwonderwhatIwaslikebeforeIknewyou。ThepersonIwasthenseemstohavebeensomebodyelse,notBibbsSheridanatall。Itseemslong,longago。Iwasgloomyandsickly——somebodyelse——somebodyIdon\'tunderstandnow,acowardafraidofshadows——afraidofthingsthatdidn\'texist——afraidofmyoldzinc—eater！AndnowI\'monlyafraidofwhatmightchangeanything。\"
Shewassilentamoment,andthen,\"You\'rehappy,Bibbs？\"sheasked。
\"Ah,don\'tyousee？\"hecried。\"Iwantittolastforathousand,thousandyears,justasitis！You\'vemademesorich,I\'mamiser。Iwouldn\'thaveonethingdifferent——nothing,nothing！\"
\"DearBibbs！\"shesaid,andlaughedhappily。
Bibbscontinuedtoliveintheshelterofhisdream。HehadtoldEdith,afterhisineffectiveefforttobeusefulinheraffairs,thathehaddecidedthathewas\"amemberofthefamily\";butheappearedtohaverelapsedtotheretiredlistafterthatoneattemptatparticipancy——hewasfarenoughdetachedfrommembershipnow。ThesewereturbulentdaysintheNewHouse,butBibbshadnopartwhateverintheturbulence——heseemedanabsent—mindedstranger,presentbyaccidentandnotwhollyawarethathewaspresent。Hewouldsit,faintlysmilingoverpleasantimaginingsanddearreminiscencesofhisown,whilebattleragedbetweenEdithandherfather,orwhileSheridanunloosedjeremiadsuponthesullenRoscoe,whodrankheavilytoendurethem。
Thehappydreamerwanderedintostorm—areaslikeasomnambulist,andwanderedoutagainunawakened。HewassorryforhisfatherandforRoscoe,andforEdithandforSibyl,buttheirsufferingsandoutcriesseemedfaraway。
SibylwasunderGurney\'scare。RoscoehadsentforhimonSundaynight,notlongafterBibbsreturnedtheabandonedwraps;andduringthefirstdaysofSibyl\'sillnessthedoctorfounditnecessarytobewithherfrequently,andtoinstallamuscularnurse。Andwhetherhewouldorno,Gurneyreceivedfromhishystericalpatientavarietyofpungentinformationwhichwouldhavestaggeredanybodybutafamilyphysician。AmongotherthingshewasgiventocomprehendthechangeinBibbs,andwhythezinc—eaterwasnotputtingalumpintheoperator\'sgizzardasofyore。
Sibylwasnotdelirious——shewasathinlittleegowrithingandshriekinginpain。Lifehadhurther,andhaddrivenherintohurtingherself;herconditionwasonlytheadult\'sterribleexaggerationofthatofachildafterabadbruise——theremustbescreamingandtellingmotherallaboutthehurtandhowithappened。SibylbabbledherselfhoarsewhenGurneywithheldmorphine。Shewentfromthebeginningtotheendinabreath。Noproteststoppedher;nothingstoppedher。
\"Yououghttoletmedie！\"shewailed。\"It\'scruelnottoletmedie！WhatharmhaveIeverdonetoanybodythatyouwanttokeepmealive？Justlookatmylife！IonlymarriedRoscoetogetawayfromhome,andlookwhatthatgotmeinto！——lookwhereIamnow！Hebroughtmetothistown,andwhatdidI
haveinmylifebuthisFAMILY？Andtheydidn\'tevenknowtherightcrowd！
Iftheyhad,itmighthavebeenSOMETHING！Ihadnothing——nothing——nothingintheworld！Iwantedtohaveagoodtime——andhowcouldI？Where\'sanygoodtimeamongtheseSheridans？Theyneverevenhadwineonthetable！IthoughtIwasmarryingintoarichfamilywhereI\'dmeetattractivepeopleI\'dreadabout,andtravel,andgotodances——and,oh,myLord！allIgotwastheseSheridans！IdidthebestIcould;Idid,indeed！Oh,IDID！Ijusttriedtolive。Everywoman\'sgotarighttolive,sometimeinherlife,Iguess！
Thingswerejustbeginningtolookbrighter——we\'dmoveduphere,andthatfrozencrowdacrossthestreetwereafterJimfortheirdaughter,andthey\'dhavestarteduswiththerightpeople——andthenIsawhowEdithwasgettinghimawayfromme。Shedidit,too！Shegothim！Agirlwithmoneycandothattoamarriedwoman——yes,shecan,everytime！AndwhatcouldIdo？Whatcananywomandoinmyfix？Icouldn\'tdoANYTHINGbuttrytostandit——andI
couldn\'tstandit！Iwenttothaticicle——thatVertreesgirl——andshecouldhavehelpedmealittle,anditwouldn\'thavehurther。Itwouldn\'thavedoneheranyharmtohelpmeTHATlittle！ShetreatedmeasifI\'dbeendirtthatshewouldn\'teventakethetroubletosweepoutofherhouse！LetherWAIT！\"
Sibyl\'svoice,hoarsefrombabbling,becamenomorethanahuskywhisper,thoughshestrovetomakeitlouder。Shestruggledhalfupright,andthenurserestrainedher。\"I\'dgetupoutofthisbedtoshowhershecan\'tdosuchthingsotme！Iwasabsolutelyladylike,andshewalkedoutandleftmetherealone！She\'llSEE！ShestartedafterBibbsbeforeJim\'scasketwasfairlyunderground,andshethinksshe\'slandedthatpoorloon——butshe\'llsee！She\'llsee！IfI\'meverabletowalkacrossthestreetagainI\'llshowherhowtotreatawomanintroublethatcomestoherforhelp！Itwouldn\'thavehurtherany——itwouldn\'t——itwouldn\'t。AndEdithneedn\'thavetoldwhatshetoldRoscoe——itwouldn\'thavehurthertoletmealone。AndHEtoldherI
boredhim——telephoninghimIwantedtoseehim。Heneedn\'thavedoneit！Heneedn\'t——needn\'t——\"Hervoicegrewfainter,forthatwhile,withexhaustion,thoughshewouldgooveritallagainassoonasherstrengthreturned。Shelaypanting。Then,seeingherhusbandstandingdisheveledinthedoorway,\"Don\'tcomein,Roscoe,\"shemurmured。\"Idon\'twanttoseeyou。\"Andasheturnedawaysheadded,\"I\'mkindofsorryforyou,Roscoe。\"
Herantagonist,Edith,wasnotmorecoherentinherownwailings,andshehadtheadvantageofamotherforlistener。Shehadalsothedisadvantageofamotherforduenna,andMrs。Sheridan,underherhusband\'ssharptutelage,provedaneffectiveone。EdithwasreducedtotelephoningLamhornfromshopswhenevershecouldjugglehermotherintoamomentarydistractionoveracounter。
EdithwasincomparablymoreinlovethanbeforeLamhorn\'sexpulsion。Herwholebeingwasnothingbutthedeterminationtohurdleeverythingthatseparatedherfromhim。Shewasinastatethatcouldbealteredbyonlythelightestandmostdelicatediplomacyofsuggestion,butSheridan,likelegionsofotherparents,intensifiedherpassionandfedithourlyfuelbyopposingtoitanintolerableforce。Hesworesheshouldcool,andthussetheronfire。
Edithplannedneatly。Shefoughthard,everyotherevening,withherfather,andkeptherbedbetweentimestolethimseewhathisviolencehaddonetoher。Then,whenthemeresightofhersethimtobreathingfast,shesaidpitiablythatshemightbearhertroublebetterifshewentaway;itwasimpossibletobeinthesametownwithLamhornandnotthinkalwaysofhim。
PerhapsinNewYorkshemightforgetalittle。Shehadwrittentoaschoolfriend,establishedquietlywithanauntinapartments——andamonthorsooftheatersandrestaurantsmightbringpeace。Sheridanshoutedwithrelief;hegaveheracopiouscheque,andsheleftuponaMondaymorning,wearingvioletswithhermourningandhavingkissedeverybodygood—byexceptSibylandBibbs。
ShemighthavekissedBibbs,buthefailedtorealizethatthedayofherdeparturehadarrived,andwassurprised,onreturningfromhiszinc—eater,thatevening,tofindhergone。\"Isupposethey\'llbemariedther,\"hesaid,casually。
Sheridan,seated,warminghisstockingedfeetatthefire,jumpedup,fuming。
\"Eitheryougoouto\'here,orIwill,Bibbs！\"hesnorted。\"Idon\'twanttobeinthesameroomwiththeparticularkindofidiotyouare！She\'sthroughwiththatriff—raff;allsheneededwastobekeptawayfromhimafewweeks,andIKEPTheraway,anditdidthebusiness。ForHeaven\'ssake,goonouto\'
here！\"
Bibbsobeyedthegestureofahandstillbandaged。AndtheblacksilkslingwasstillroundSheridan\'sneck,butnotwordofGurney\'sandnoexcruciatingtwingeofpaincouldkeepSheridan\'shandinthesling。Thewounds,slightenoughoriginally,hadbecomeinfectedthefirsttimehehaddislodgedthebandages,andhealingwaslongdelayed。Sheridanhadthehabitofgesture;hecouldnot\"taketimetoremember,\"hesaid,thathemustbecareful,andhehadalsoacuriousindignationwithhishurt;herefusedtopayitthecomplimentofadmittingitsexistence。
TheSaturdayfollowingEdith\'sdepartureGurneycametotheSheridanBuildingtodressthewoundsandtohaveatalkwithSheridanwhichthedoctorfelthadbecomenecessary。Buthewasalittlebeforetheappointedtimeandwasobligedtowaitafewminutesinananteroom——therewasadirectors\'meetingofsomesortinSheridan\'soffice。Thedoorwasslightlyajar,leakingcigar—smokeandoratory,thelatterallSheridan\'s,andGurneylistened。
\"No,sir;no,sir;no,sir！\"heheardthebigvoicerumbling,andthen,breakingintothunder,\"ItellyouNO！Someo\'youmenmakemesick！You\'dloseyourconfidenceinAlmightyGodifadoodle—bugflippedhishindlegatyou！Yousaymoney\'stightalloverthecountry。Well,whatifitis？
There\'snoreasonforittobetight,andit\'snotgoin\'tokeepOURmoneytight！You\'realwaysrunnin\'tothewoodshedtohideyournickelsinacrackbecausesomefoolnewspapersaysthemarket\'salittleskeery！Youlistentoeverystreet—cornercroakerandthencomeandsethereandtrytoscareMEoutofabigthing！We\'reINonthis——understand？ItellyouthereneverWAS
bettertimes。Thesearegoodtimesandbigtimes,andIwon\'tstandforanyotherkindo\'talk。Thiscountry\'sonitsfeetasitneverwasbefore,andthiscity\'sonitsfeetandgoin\'tostaythere！\"AndGurneyheardaseriesofwhacksandthumpsuponthedesk。\"\'Badtimes\'！\"Sheridanvociferated,withaccompanyingthumps。\"Rabbittalk！Thesetimesareglorious,Itellyou！
We\'reinthepromisedland,andwe\'regoin\'toSTAYthere！That\'sall,gentlemen。Theloangoes！\"
Thedirectorscameforth,flushedandmurmurous,andGurneyhastenedin。Hisguesswascorrect:Sheridanhadbeenthumpingthedeskwithhisrighthand。
Thephysicianscoldedwearily,makinggoodthefreshdamageasbesthemight;