shewassureallalongitwasgoin\'tohappen;and,besides,Iguessshe\'sgotallthatfoolishnessprettymuchoutofher,bein\'sosick。ButwhatI
thoughtwas,nousebein\'roughwithher,papa——Iexpectshe\'ssufferedagooddeal——andIdon\'tthinkwe\'doughttobe,onRoscoe\'saccount。You\'ll——you\'llbekindo\'politetoher,won\'tyou,papa？\"
Hemumbledsomethingwhichwassmotheredunderthecoverlethehadpulledoverhishead。
\"What？\"shesaid,timidly。\"Iwasjustsayin\'Ihopedyou\'dtreatSibylallrightwhenshecomes,thisafternoon。Youwill,won\'tyou,papa？\"
Hethrewthecoverletofffuriously。\"Ipresumeso！\"heroared。
Shedepartedguiltily。
ButifhehadacceptedherprofferedwagerthatBibbswouldgotochurchwithMaryVertreesthatmorning,Mrs。Sheridanwouldhavelost。Nevertheless,BibbsandMarydidcertainlysetoutfromMr。Vertrees\'shousewiththepurposeofgoingtochurch。Thatwastheirintention,andtheyhadnoother。Theymeanttogotochurch。
Butithappenedthattheywereattentivelypreoccupiedinaconversationastheycametothechurch;andthoughMarywaslookingtotherightandBibbswaslookingtotheleft,Bibbs\'sleftwardglanceconvergedwithMary\'srightwardglance,andneitherwaslookingfarbeyondtheotheratthistime。
Italsohappenedthat,thoughtheywerealittlejostledamonggroupsofpeopleinthevicinityofthechurch,theypassedthissomewhatprominentedificewithoutbeingawareoftheirproximitytoit,andtheyhadgoneanincrediblenumberofblocksbeyonditbeforetheydiscoveredtheirerror。
However,feelingthattheymightbeembarrassinglylateiftheyreturned,theydecidedthatawalkwouldmakethemasgood。Itwasawindlesswintermorning,withaninchofcrispsnowovertheground。Sotheywalked,andforthemostparttheyweresilent,butontheirwayhome,aftertheyhadturnedbackatnoon,theybegantobetalkativeagain。
\"Mary,\"saidBibbs,afteratime,\"amIasleep—walker？\"
Shelaughedalittle,thenlookedgrave。\"Doesyourfathersayyouare？\"
\"Yes——whenhe\'sinamoodtoflatterme。Othertimes,othernames。Hehasquitealist。\"
\"Youmustn\'tmind,\"shesaid,gently。\"He\'sbeengettingsomeprettysevereshocks。Whatyou\'vetoldmemakesmeprettysorryforhim,Bibbs。I\'vealwaysbeensurehe\'sverybig。\"
\"Yes。Bigand——blind。He\'slikeaHerculeswithouteyesandwithoutanyconsciousnessexceptthatofhisstrengthandofhispurposetogrowstronger。
Strongerforwhat？Fornothing。\"
\"Areyousure,Bibbs？ItCAN\'Tbefornothing;itmustbestrongerforsomething,eventhoughhedoesn\'tknowwhatitis。PerhapswhatheandhiskindarestrugglingforissomethingsogreattheyCOULDN\'Tseeit——sogreatnoneofuscouldseeit。\"
\"No,he\'sjustlikesomeblind,unconsciousthingheavingunderground——\"
\"Tillhebreaksthroughandleapsoutintothedaylight,\"shefinishedforhim,cheerily。
\"Intothesmoke,\"saidBibbs。\"Lookatthepowderofcoal—dustalreadydirtyingthedecentsnow,eventhoughit\'sSunday。That\'sfromthelittlepigs;thebigonesaren\'tsobad,onSunday！There\'safleckofsootonyourcheek。Somepigsentitoutintotheair;hemightaswellhavethrownitonyou。Itwouldhavebeenbraver,forthenhe\'dhavetakenhischanceofmywhippinghimforitifIcould。\"
\"IStheresootonmycheek,Bibbs,orwereyouonlysayingsorhetorically？
ISthere？\"
\"Isthere？ThereAREsootonyourcheeks,Mary——afleckoneach。OnelandedsinceImentionedthefirst。\"
Shehaltedimmediately,givinghimherhandkerchief,andhesucceededintransferringmostoftheblackfromherfacetothecambric。Theywereentirelymatter—of—courseaboutit。
Anelderlycouple,itchanced,hadbeenwalkingbehindBibbsandMaryforthelastblockorso,andpassedaheadduringtheremovalofthesoot。\"There！\"
saidtheelderlywife。\"You\'realwayswrongwhenyoubeginguessingaboutstrangers。Thosetwoyoungpeoplearen\'thoneymoonersatall——they\'vebeenmarriedforyears。Ablindmancouldseethat。\"
\"IwishIdidknowwhothrewthatsootonyou,\"saidBibbs,lookingupattheneighboringchimneys,astheywenton。\"Theyarrestchildrenforthrowingsnowballsatthestreet—cars,but——\"
\"Buttheydon\'tarrestthestreet—carsforshakingallthepicturesinthehousescrookedeverytimetheygoby。Norfortheuproartheymake。Iwonderwhat\'sthecostinnervesforthenoiseofthecityeachyear。Yes,wepaythepriceforlivingina\'growingtown,\'whetherwehavemoneytopayornone。\"
\"Whoisitgetsthepay？\"saidBibbs。
\"NotI！\"shelaughed。
\"Nobodygetsit。Thereisn\'tanypay;there\'sonlymoney。Andonlysomeofthemendown—towngetmuchofthat。That\'swhatmyfatherwantsmetoget。\"
\"Yes,\"shesaid,smilingtohim,andnodding。\"Andyoudon\'twantit,andyoudon\'tneedit。\"
\"Butyoudon\'tthinkI\'masleep—walker,Mary？\"Hehadtoldherofhisfather\'snewplansforhim,thoughhehadnotdescribedthevigorandpicturesquenessoftheirsettingforth。\"YouthinkI\'mright？\"
\"Athousandtimes！\"shecried。\"Therearen\'tsomanyhappypeopleinthisworld,Ithink——andyousayyou\'vefoundwhatmakesyouhappy。Ifit\'sadream——keepit！\"
\"Thethoughtofgoingdownthere——intothemoneyshuffle——IhateitasIneverhatedtheshop！\"hesaid。\"Ihateit！Andthecityitself,thecitythatthemoneyshufflehasmade——justlookatit！Lookatitinwinter。Thesnow\'striedhardtomaketheuglinessbearable,buttheuglinessiswinning;it\'smakingthesnowhideous;thesnow\'sgettingdirtyontop,andit\'sfoulunderneathwiththedirtanddiseaseoftheuncleanstreet。Andthedirtandtheuglinessandtherushandthenoisearen\'ttheworstofit;it\'swhatthedirtanduglinessandrushandnoiseMEAN——that\'stheworst！Theoutwardthingsareinsufferable,butthey\'reonlytheexpressionofaspirit——ablindenbryoofaspirit,notyetasoul——oh,justgreed！Andthis\'goahead\'
nonsense！Oughtn\'titalltobeafellowship？Ishouldn\'twanttogetaheadifIcould——I\'dwanttohelptheotherfellowtokeepupwithme。\"
\"Ireadsomethingtheotherdayandremembereditforyou,\"saidMary。\"ItwassomethingBurne—Jonessaidofapicturehewasgoingtopaint:\'InthefirstpictureIshallmakeamanwalkinginthestreetofagreatcity,fullofallkindsofhappylife:children,andloverswalking,andladiesleaningfromthewindowsalldowngreatlengthsofstreetleadingtothecitywalls;andtherethegatesarewideopen,lettinginaspaceofgreenfieldandcornfieldinharvest;andallroundhisheadagreatrainofswirlingautumnleavesblowingfromalttlewalledgraveyard。\"
\"AndifIpainted,\"Bibbsreturned,\"I\'dpaintaladywalkinginthestreetofagreatcity,fullofallkindsofuproariousandfutilelife——childrenbeingtaughtonlyhowtomakemoney,andlovershurryingtogetricher,andladieswho\'dgivenuptryingtowashtheirwindowsclean,andthegatesofthecitywideopen,lettinginslumsandslaughter—housesandfreight—yards,andallroundthislady\'sheadagreatrainofswirlingsoot——\"Hepaused,adding,thoughtfully:\"AndyetIbelieveI\'mgladthatsootgotonyourcheek。ItwasjustasifIwereyourbrother——thewayyougavemeyourhandkerchieftorubitoffforyou。Still,Edithnever——\"
\"Didn\'tshe？\"saidMary,ashepausedagain。
\"No。AndI——\"Hecontentedhimselfwithshakinghisheadinsteadofofferingmoredefiniteinformation。ThenherealizedthattheywerepassingtheNewHouse,andhesighedprofoundly。\"Mary,ourwalk\'salmostover。\"
Shelookedasblank。\"Soitis,Bibbs。\"
Theysaidnomoreuntiltheycametohergate。Astheydriftedslowlytoastop,thedoorofRoscoe\'shouseopened,andRoscoecameoutwithSibyl,whowasstartlinglypale。Sheseemedlittleenfeebledbyherillness,however,walkingratherquicklyatherhusband\'ssideandnottakinghisarm。ThetwocrossedthestreetwithoutappearingtoseeMaryandhercompanion,andenteringtheNewHouse,werelosttosight。Marygazedafterthemgravely,butBibbs,lookingatMary,didnotseethem。
\"Mary,\"hesaid,\"youseemveryserious。Isanythingbotheringyou？\"
\"No,Bibbs。\"Andshegavehimabright,quicklookthatmadehiminstantlyunreasonablyhappy。
\"Iknowyouwanttogoin——\"hebegan。
\"No。Idon\'twantto。\"
\"Imustn\'tkeepyoustandingher,andImustn\'tgoinwithyou——but——Ijustwantedtosay——I\'veseemedverystupidtomyselfthismorning,grumblingaboutsootandallthat——whileallthetimeI——Mary,Ithinkit\'sbeentheveryhappiestofallthehoursyou\'vegivenme。Ido。And——Idon\'tknowjustwhy——butit\'sseemedtomethatitwasoneI\'dalwaysremember。Andyou,\"headded,falteringly,\"youlookso——sobeautifulto—day！\"
\"Itmusthavebeenthesootonmycheek,Bibbs。\"
\"Mary,willyoutellmesomething？\"heasked。
\"IthinkIwill。\"
\"It\'ssomethingI\'vehadalotoftheoriesabout,butnoneofthemeverjustfits。Youusedtowearfursinthefall,butnowit\'ssomuchcolder,youdon\'t——youneverwearthematallanymore。Whydon\'tyou？\"
Hereyesfellforamoment,andshegrewred。Thenshelookedupgaily。
\"Bibbs,ifItellyoutheanswerwillyoupromisenottoaskanymorequestions？\"
\"Yes。Whydidyoustopwearingthem？\"
\"BecauseIfoundI\'dbewarmerwithoutthem！\"Shecaughthishandquicklyinherownforaninstant,laughedintohiseyes,andranintothehouse。
Itistheconsolingattributeofunusedbooksthattheirdecorativewarmthwillsooftenmakeevenaready—madelibrarytheactual\"living—room\"ofafamilytowhomtheshelvedvolumesareindeedsealed。ThusitwaswithSheridan,whoreadnothingexceptnewspapers,businessletters,andfigures;
wholookeduponbooksashelookeduponbric—a—bracorcrocheting——whenhewasathome,andnotabedoreating,hewasinthelibrary。
Hestoodinthemany—coloredlightofthestained—glasswindowatthefarendofthelongroom,whenRoscoeandhiswifecamein,andheexhaledasolemnity。HisdeferencetotheSabbathwasmanifest,asalways,inthelengthofhiscoatandtheclosenessofhisSaturday—nightshave;andhisexpression,tomatchthisreligiouspomp,wasmorethanSabbatical,butthemostdismayingofhisdemonstrationswashiskeepinghishandinhissling。
Sibyladvancedtothemiddleoftheroomandhaltedthere,notlookingathim,butdownathermuff,inwhich,itcouldbeseen,herhandswerenervouslymoving。Roscoewenttoachairinanotherpartoftheroom。Therewasadeadlysilence。
ButSibylfoundashakyvoice,afteranintervalofgulping,thoughshewasunabletolifthereyes,andthedarklinglidscontinuedtoveilthem。Shespokehurriedly,likeanungiftedchildrecitingsomethingcommittedtomemory,buthersinceritywasnonethelessevidentforthat。
\"FatherSheridan,youandmotherSheridanhavealwaysbeensokindtome,andIwouldhatetohaveyouthinkIdon\'tappreciateit,fromthewayIacted。
I\'vecometotellyouIamsorryforthewayIdidthatnight,andtosayI
knowaswellasanybodythewayIbehaved,anditwillneverhappenagain,becauseit\'sbeenaprettyhardlesson;andwhenwecomeback,someday,I
hopeyou\'llseethatyou\'vegotadaughter—in—lawyouneverneedtobeashamedofagain。IwanttoaskyoutoexcusemeforthewayIdid,andIcansayI
haven\'tanyfeelingstowardEdithnow,butonlywishherhappinessandgoodinhernewlife。Ithankyouforallyourkindnesstome,andIknowImadeapoorreturnforit,butifyoucanoverlookthewayIbehavedIknowIwouldfeelagooddealhappier——andIknowRoscoewould,too。Iwishtopromisenottobeasfoolishinthefuture,andthesameerrorwouldneveroccuragaintomakeusallsounhappy,ifyoucanbecharitableenoughttoexcuseitthistime。\"
Helookedsteadilyatherwithoutreplying,andshestoodbeforehim,neverliftinghereyes;motionless,savewherethemovingfurprovedtheagitationofherhandswithinthemuff。
\"Allright,\"hesaidatlast。
Shelookedupthenwithvastrelief,thoughtherewasarevelationofheavytearswhentheeyelidslifted。
\"Thankyou,\"shesaid。\"There\'ssomethingelse——aboutsomethingdifferent——I
wanttosaytoyou,butIwantmotherSheridantohearit,too。\"
\"She\'sup—stairsinherroom,\"saidSheridan。\"Roscoe——\"
Sibylinterrupted。ShehadjustseenBibbspassthroughthehallandbegintoascendthestairs;andinaflashsheinstinctivelyperceivedthechanceforpreciselytheeffectshewanted。
\"No,letmego,\"shesaid。\"Iwanttospeaktoheraminutefirst,anyway。\"
Andshewentawayquickly,gainingthetopofthestairsintimetoseeBibbsenterhisroomandclosethedoor。SibylknewthatBibbs,inhisroom,hadoverheardherquarrelwithEdithinthehalloutside;forbitterEdith,thinkingthemoretoshameher,hadsubsequentlyinformedherofthecircumstance。Sibylhadjustrememberedthis,andwiththerecollectiontherehadflashedthethought——outofherownexperience——thatpeopleareoftenmuchmoredeeplyimpressedbywordstheyoverhearthanbywordsdirectlyaddressedtothem。SibylintendedtomakeitimpossibleforBibbsnottooverhear。Shedidnothesitate——herheartwashotwiththeoldsore,andshebelievedwhollyinthejusticeofhercauseandinthetruthofwhatshewasgoingtosay。Fatewasvirtuousattimes;ithaddeliveredintoherhandsthegirlwhohadaffrontedher。
Mrs。Sheridanwasinherownroom。TheapproachofSibylandRoscoehaddrivenherfromthelibrary,forshehadmiscalculatedherhusband\'smood,andshefeltthatifheusedhisinjuredhandasamarkofemphasisagain,inherpresence,shewould（asshethoughtofit）\"haveafitrightthere。\"SheheardSibyl\'sstep,andpretendedtobeputtingatouchtoherhairbeforeamirror。
\"Iwasjustcomingdown,\"shesaid,asthedooropened。
\"Yes,hewantsyouto,\"saidSibyl。\"It\'sallright,motherSheridan。He\'sforgivenme。\"
Mrs。Sheridansniffedinstantly;tearsappeared。Shekissedherdaughter—in—law\'scheek;then,insilence,regardedthemirrorafresh,wipedhereyes,andappliedpowder。
\"AndIhopeEdithwillbehappy,\"Sibyladded,incitingmoreapplicationsofMrs。Sheridan\'shandkerchiefandpowder。
\"Yes,yes,\"murmuredthegoodwoman。\"Wemustn\'tmaketheworstofthings。\"
\"Well,therewassomethingelseIhadtosay,andhewantsyoutohearit,too,\"saidSibyl。\"Webettergodown,motherSheridan。\"
Sheledtheway,Mrs。Sheridanfollowingobediently,butwhentheycametoaspotclosebyBibbs\'sdoor,Sibylstopped。\"Iwanttotellyouaboutitfirst,\"shesaid,abruptly。\"Itisn\'tasecret,ofcourse,inanyway;it\'ssomethingthewholefamilyhastoknow,andthesoonerthewholefamilyknowsitthebetter。It\'ssomethingitwouldn\'tbeRIGHTforusALLnottounderstand,andofcoursefatherSheridanmostofall。ButIwanttojustkindofgooveritfirstwithyou;it\'llkindofhelpmetoseeIgotitallstratight。Ihaven\'tgotanyreasonforsayingitexceptthegoodofthefamily,andit\'snothingtome,onewayortheother,ofcourse,exceptforthat。Ioughtn\'tto\'vebehavedthewayIdidthatnight,anditseemstomeifthere\'sanythingIcandotohelpthefamily,Ioughtto,becauseitwouldhelpshowIfelttherightway。Well,whatIwanttodoistotellthisso\'stokeepthefamilyfrombeingmadeafoolof。Idon\'twanttoseethefamilyjustmadeuseofandtwistedaroundherfingerbysomebodythat\'sgotnomoreheartthansomuchice,andjustassuretobringtroublesinthelongrunas——asEdith\'smistakeis。Well,then,thisisthewayitis。I\'lljusttellyouhowitlookstomeandseeifitdon\'tstrikeyouthesameway。\"
Withintheroom,Bibbs,muchannoyed,tappedhisearwithhispencil。Hewishedtheywouldn\'tstandtalkingnearhisdoorwhenhewastryingtowrite。
HehadjusttakenfromhistrunkthemanuscriptofapoembeguntheprecedingSundayafternoon,andhehadsomeideashewantedtofixuponpaperbeforetheymaliciouslyseizedthefirstopportunitytovanish,fortheywerebutgossamer。Bibbswaspleasedwiththebeginningsofhispoem,andifhecouldcarryitthroughhemeanttodaregreatlywithit——hewouldventureituponaneditor。Forhehadhisplanoflifenow:hisdaywouldbeofmanuallaborandthinking——hecouldthinkofhisfriendandhecouldthinkincadencesforpoems,tothecrashingofthestrongmachine——andifhisfatherturnedhimoutofhomeandoutoftheWorks,hewouldworkelsewhereandliveelsewhere。Hisfatherhadtheright,anditmatteredverylittletoBibbs——hefacedtheprospectofaworking—man\'slodging—housewithouttrepidation。Hecouldfindawashstandtowriteupon,hethought;andeveryeveningwhenheleftMaryhewouldwritealittle;andhewouldwriteonholidaysandonSundays——onSundaysintheafternoon。Inalodging—house,atleasthewouldn\'tbeinterruptedbyhissister—in—law\'schoosingtheimmediatevicinityofhisdoorforconversationsevidentlyimportanttoherself,butmerelydisturbingtohim。Hefrownedplaintively,wishinghecouldthinkofsomepolitewayofaskinghertogoaway。But,asshewenton,hestartedviolently,droppingmanuscriptandpenciluponthefloor。
\"Idon\'tknowwhetheryouheardit,motherSheridan,\"shesaid,\"butthisoldVertreeshouse,nextdoor,hadbeensoldonforeclosure,andallTHEYgotoutofitwasanagreementthatlet\'s\'emlivetherealittlelonger。Roscoetoldme,andhesaysheheardMr。Vertreeshasbeenupanddownthestreetsmore\'ntwoyears,tryin\'togetajobhecouldcalla\'position,\'andcouldn\'tlandit。Youheardanythingaboutit,motherSheridan？\"
\"Well,IDIDknowtheybeendoin\'theirownhouse—workagoodwhileback,\"
saidMrs。Sheridan。\"Andnowthey\'redoin\'thecookin\',too。\"
Sibylsentforthalittletitterwithasharpedge。\"Ihopetheyfindsomethingtocook！ShesoldherpianomightyquickafterJimdied！\"
Bibbsjumpedup。Hewastremblingfromheadtofootandhewasdizzy——ofalltherealthingshecouldneverhavedreamedinhisdreamthelastwouldhavebeenwhatheheardnow。Hefeltthatsomethingincrediblewashappening,andthathewaspowerlesstostopit。ItseemedtohimthatheavyblowswerefallingonhisheadanduponMary\'s;itseemedtohimthatheandMarywerebeingstruckandbeatenphysically——andthatsomethinghideousimpended。HewantedtoshouttoSibyltobesilent,buthecouldnot;hecouldonlystand,swallowingandtrembling。
\"WhatIthinkthewholefamilyoughttounderstandisjustthis,\"saidSibyl,sharply。\"ThosepeopleweresohardupthatthisMissVertreesstartedafterBibbsbeforetheyknewwhetherhewasINSANEornot！They\'dgotanotionhemightbe,fromhisbeinginasanitarium,andMrs。VertreesASKEDmeifhewasinsane,theveryfirstdayBibbstookthedaughteroutauto—riding！\"Shepausedamoment,lookingatMrs。Sheridan,butlisteningintently。Therewasnosoundfromwithintheroom。
\"No！\"exclaimedMrs。Sheridan。
\"It\'sthetruth,\"Sibyldeclared,loudly。\"Oh,ofcoursewewereallcrazyaboutthatgirlatfirst。Wewereprettygreenwhenwemoveduphere,andwethoughtshe\'dgetusIN——butitdidn\'ttakeMElongtoreadher！Herfamilyweredownandoutwhenitcametomoney——andtheyhadtogoafterit,onewayoranother,SOMEHOW！SoshestartedforRoscoe;butshefoundoutprettyquickhewasmarried,andsheturnedrightaroundtoJim——andshelandedhim！
There\'snodoubtaboutit,shehadJim,andifhe\'dlivedyou\'dhadanotherdaughter—in—lawbeforethis,assureasIstandheretellingyoutheGod\'struthaboutit！Well——whenJimwasleftinthecemeteryshewaswaitingouttheretodrivehomewithBibbs！Jimwasn\'tCOLD——andshedidn\'tknowwhetherBibbswasinsaneornot,buthewastheonlyoneoftherichSheridanboysleft。Shehadtogethim。\"
Thetextureofwhatwasthetruthmadeanevenfabricwithwhatwasnot,inSibyl\'smind;shebelievedeverywordthatsheuttered,andshespokewiththerapidityandvehemenceoffierceconviction。
\"WhatIfeelaboutitis,\"shesaid,\"itoughtn\'ttobeallowedtogoon。It\'stoomean！IlikepoorBibbs,andIdon\'twanttoseehimmadesuchafoolof,andIdon\'twanttoseethefamilymadesuchafoolof！IlikepoorBibbs,butifhe\'donlystoptothinkaminutehimselfhe\'dhavetorealizeheisn\'tthekindofmanANYgirlwouldbeapttofallinlovewith。He\'sbetter—lookinglately,maybe,butyouknowhowheWAS——justkindofalongwhiteragingoodclothes。AndgirlslikemenwithsomeSOto\'em——SOMEsortofdashingness,anyhow！NobodyeverlookedatpoorBibbsbefore,andneither\'dshe——no,SIR！nottillshe\'dtriedbothRoscoeandJimfirst！Itwasonlywhenherandherfamilygotdesperatethatshe——\"
Bibbs——whiterthanwhenhecamefromthesanitarium——openedthedoor。Hesteppedacrossitsthresholdandstooklookingather。Bothwomenscreamed。
\"Oh,goodheavens！\"criedSibyl。\"WereyouinTHERE？Oh,Iwouldn\'t——\"SheseizedMrs。Sheridan\'sarm,pullinghertowardthestairway。\"Comeon,motherSheridan！\"sheurged,andasthebefuddledandconfusedladyobeyed,Sibylleftatrailofnoisyexclamations:\"Goodgracious！Oh,Iwouldn\'t——Toobad！
Ididn\'tDREAMhewasthere！Iwouldn\'thurthisfeelings！Notfortheworld！OfcoursehehadtoknowSOMEtime！But,goodheavens——\"
SheheardhisdoorcloseassheandMrs。Sheridanreachedthetopofthestairs,andsheglancedoverhershoulderquickly,butBibbswasnotfollowing;hehadgonebackintohisroom。
\"He——helooked——oh,terriblebad！\"stammeredMrs。Sheridan。\"I——Iwish——\"
\"Still,it\'sagooddealbetterheknowsaboutit,\"saidSibyl。\"Ishouldn\'twonderitmightturnouttheverybestthingcouldhappened。Comeon！\"
Andcompletingtheirdescenttothelibrary,thetwomadetheirappearancetoRoscoeandhisfather。Sibylatoncegaveafullandtruthfulaccountofwhathadtakenplace,repeatingherownremarks,andomittingonlythefactthatitwasthroughherdesignthatBibbshadoverheardthem。
\"ButasItoldmotherSheridan,\"shesaid,inconclusion,\"itmightturnoutfortheverybestthathedidhear——justthatway。Don\'tyouthinkso,fatherSheridan？\"
Hemerelygruntedinreply,andsatrubbingthethickhaironthetopofhisheadwithhislefthandandlookingatthefire。HehadgivennosignofbeingimpressedinanymannerbyherexposureofMaryVertrees\'scharacter;
buthisimpassivitydidnotdismaySibyl——itwasBibbswhomshedesiredtoimpress,andshewascontentinthatmatter。
\"I\'msureitwasallforthebest,\"shesaid。\"It\'sovernow,andheknowswhatsheis。InonewayIthinkitwaslucky,because,justhearingathingthatway,apersoncantellit\'sSO——andheknowsIhaven\'tgotanyaxtogrindexcepthisowngoodandthegoodofthefamily。\"
Mrs。Sheridanwentnervouslytothedoorandstoodthere,lookingtowardthestairway。\"Iwish——IwishIknewwhathewasdoin\',\"shesaid。\"Hedidlookterriblebad。Itwaslikesomethinghadbeendonetohimthatwas——Idon\'tknowwhat。Ineversawanybodylooklikehedid。Helooked——soqueer。Itwaslikeyou\'d——\"Shecalleddownthehall,\"George！\"
\"Yes\'m？\"
\"WereyouupinMr。Bibbs\'sroomjustnow？\"
\"Yes,m。Heringbell;tolememakehimfiahinhisgrate。Idonebuil\'himnicefiah。Ireckonheain\'feelin\'sowell。Yes\'m。\"Hedeparted。
\"Whatdoyouexpecthewantsafirefor？\"sheasked,turningtowardherhusband。\"Thehouseiswarmascanbe,IdowishI——\"
\"Oh,quitfrettin\'！\"saidSheridan。
\"Well,I——Ikindo\'wishyouhadn\'tsaidanything,Sibyl。Iknowyoumeantitforthebestandall,butIdon\'tbelieveitwouldbeensomuchharmif——\"
\"MotherSheridan,youdon\'tmeanyouWANTthatkindofagirlinthefamily？
Why,she——\"
\"Idon\'tknow,Idon\'tknow,\"thetroubledwomanquavered。\"Ifhelikedheritseemskindofapitytospoilit。He\'ssoqueer,andhehasn\'tevertakenmuchenjoyment。Andbesides,Ibelievethewayitwas,therewasmorechanceofhimbein\'willin\'todowhatpapawantshimto。Ifshewantstomarryhim——\"
Sheridaninterruptedherwithahootinglaugh。\"Shedon\'t！\"hesaid。\"You\'rebarkin\'upthewrongtree,Sibyl。Sheain\'tthatkindofagirl。\"
\"But,fatherSheridan,didn\'tshe——\"
Hecuthershort。\"That\'senough。Youmaymeanallright,butyouguesswrong。Sodoyou,mamma。\"
Sibylcriedout,\"Oh！ButjustLOOKhowsheranafterJim——\"
\"Shedidnot,\"hesaid,curtly。\"Shewouldn\'ttakeJim。Sheturnedhimdowncold。\"
\"Butthat\'simpossi——\"
\"It\'snot。IKNOWshedid。\"
Sibyllookedflatlyincredulous。
\"AndYOUneedn\'tworry,\"hesaid,turningtohiswife。\"Thiswon\'thaveanyeffectonyouridea,becausetherewasn\'tanysensetoit,anyhow。D\'youthinkshe\'dbeverylikelytotakeBibbs——aftershewouldn\'ttakeJIM？She\'sagood—heartedgirl,andsheletsBibbscometoseeher,butifshe\'devergivenhimonesignofencouragementthewayyouwomenthink,hewouldn\'tofactedthestubbornfoolhehas——he\'d\'a\'beenatmelongago,beggin\'meforsomekindofajobhecouldsupportawifeon。There\'snothin\'init——andI\'vegotthesameoldfightwithhimonmyhandsI\'vehadallhislife——andtheLordknowswhathewon\'tdotobalkme！What\'shappenednow\'llprobablyonlymakehimtwiceassrubborn,but——\"
\"SH！\"Mrs。Sheridan,stillinthedoorway,liftedherhand。\"That\'shisstep——he\'scomin\'down—stairs。\"SheshrankawayfromthedoorasifshefearedtohaveBibbsseeher。\"I——Iwonder——\"shesaid,almostinawhisper——\"Iwonderwhathe\'dgoin\'——todo。\"
Hertimorousnesshaditseffectupontheothers。Sheridanrose,frowning,butremainedstandingbesidehischair;andRoscoemovedtowardSibyl,whostareduneasilyattheopendoorway。Theylistenedastheslowstepsdescendedthestairsandcametowardthelibrary。
Bibbsstoppeduponthethreshold,andwithsickandhaggardeyeslookedslowlyfromonetotheotheruntilatlasthisgazeresteduponhisfather。Thenhecameandstoodbeforehim。
\"I\'msorryyou\'vehadsomuchtroublewithme,\"hesaid,gently。\"Youwon\'t,anymore。I\'lltakethejobyouofferedme。\"
Sheridandidnotspeak——hestared,astoundedandincredulous;andBibbshadlefttheroombeforeanyofitsoccupantsutteredasound,thoughhewentasslowlyashecame。Mrs。Sheridanwasthefirsttomove。Shewentnervouslybacktothedoorway,andthenoutintothehall。Bibbshadgonefromthehouse。
Bibbs\'smotherhadafeelingabouthimthenthatshehadneverknownbefore;
itwasindefiniteandvague,butverypoignant——somethinginhermournedforhimuncomprehendingly。Shefeltthatanawfulthinghadbeendonetohim,thoughshedidnotknowwhatitwas。Shewentuptohisroom。
ThefireGeorgehadbuiltforhimwasalmostsmotheredunderthick,charredashesofpaper。Thelidofhistrunkstoodopen,andthelargeuppertray,whichsherememberedtohaveseenfullofpapersandnote—books,wasempty。
AndsomehowsheunderstoodthatBibbshadgivenupthemysteriousvocationhehadhopedtofollow——andthathehadgivenitupforever。Shethoughtitwasthewisestthinghecouldhavedone——andyet,foranunknownreason,shesatuponthebedandweptalittlebeforeshewentdown—stairs。
SoSheridanhadhiswaywithBibbs,allthrough。