AsBibbscameoutoftheNewHouse,aSundaytriowasincourseofpassageuponthesidewalk:anampleyoungwoman,placidofface;ablack—clad,thinyoungman,whoseexpressionwasoneofhabitualanxiety,habitualwarinessandhabitualeagerness。Hepropelledaperambulatorcontainingthethird——andallthreewerenewlycleaned,Sundayfied,andmadefittodinewiththewife\'srelatives。
\"How\'dyoulikeformetobeTHATyoungfella,mamma？\"thehusbandwhispered。
\"He\'soneofthesons,andthereain\'tbuttwoleftnow。\"
ThewifestaredcuriouslyatBibbs。\"Well,Idon\'tknow,\"shereturned。\"Helookstomelikehehadhisowntroubles。\"
\"Iexpecthehas,likeanybodyelse,\"saidtheyounghusband,\"butIguesswecouldstandagooddealifwehadhismoney。\"
\"Well,maybe,ifyoukeeponthewayyoubeen,baby\'llbeaswellfixedastheSheridans。Youcan\'ttell。\"SheglancedbackatBibbs,whohadturnednorth。\"Hewalkskindofslowandstoopedover,like。\"
\"Somuchmoneyinhispocketsitmakeshimsag,Iguess,\"saidtheyounghusband,withbitteradmiration。
Mary,happeningtoglancefromawindow,sawBibbscoming,andshestarted,claspingherhandstogetherinasuddenalarm。Shemethimatthedoor。
\"Bibbs！\"shecried。\"Whatisthematter？IsawsomethingwasterriblywrongwhenI——Youlook——\"Shepaused,andhecamein,notliftinghiseyestohers。
Alwayswhenhecrossedthatthresholdhehadcomewithhisheadupandhiswistfulgazeseekinghers。\"Ah,poorboy！\"shesaid,withagestureofunderstandingandpity。\"Iknowwhatitis！\"
Hefollowedherintotheroomwheretheyalwayssat,andsankintoachair。
\"Youneedn\'ttellme,\"shesaid。\"They\'vemadeyougiveup。Yourfather\'swon——you\'regoingtodowhathewants。You\'vegivenup。\"
Stillwithoutlookingather,heinclinedhisheadinaffirmation。
Shegavealittlecryofcompassion,andcameandsatnearhim。\"Bibbs,\"shesaid。\"Icanbegladofonething,thoughit\'sselfish。Icanbegladyoucamestraighttome。It\'smoretomethanevenifyou\'dcomebecauseyouwerehappy。\"Shedidnotspeakagainforalittlewhile;thenshesaid:
\"Bibbs——dear——couldyoutellmeaboutit？Doyouwantto？\"
Stillhedidnotlookup,butinavoice,shakenandhuskyheaskedheraquestionsogrotesquethatatfirstshethoughtshehadmisunderstoodhiswords。
\"Mary,\"hesaid,\"couldyoumarryme？\"
\"Whatdidyousay,Bibbs？\"sheasked,quietly。
Histoneandattitudedidnotchange。\"Willyoumarryme？\"
Bothofherhandsleapedtohercheeks——shegrewredandthenwhite。Sheroseslowlyandmovedbackwardfromhim,staringathim,atfirstincredulously,thenwithanintenseperplexitymoreandmoreluminousinherwideeyes;itwaslikeaspokenquestion。Theroomfilledwithstrangenessinthelongsilence——thetwoweresostrangetoeachother。Atlastshesaid:
\"Whatmadeyousaythat？\"
Hedidnotanswer。
\"Bibbs,lookatme！\"Hervoicewasloudandclear。\"Whatmadeyousaythat？
Lookatme！\"
Hecouldnotlookather,andhecouldnotspeak。
\"Whatwasitthatmadeyou？\"shesaid。\"Iwantyoutotellme。\"
Shewentclosertohim,hereyeseverbrighterandwiderwiththatintensityofwonder。\"You\'vegivenup——toyourfather,\"shesaid,slowly,\"andthenyoucametoaskme——\"Shebrokeoff。\"Bibbs,doyouwantmetomarryyou？\"
\"Yes,\"hesaid,justaudibly。
\"No！\"shecried。\"Youdonot。Thenwhatmadeyouaskme？Whatisitthat\'shappened？\"
\"Nothing。\"
\"Wait,\"shesaid。\"Letmethink。It\'ssomethingthathappenedsinceourwalkthismorning——yes,sinceyouleftmeatnoon。Somethinghappenedthat——\"Shestoppedabruptly,withatremulousmurmurofamazementanddawningcomprehension。SherememberedthatSibylhadgonetotheNewHouse。
Bibbsswallowedpainfullyandcontrivedtosay,\"Ido——Idowantyouto——marryme,if——if——youcould。\"
Shelookedathim,andslowlyshookherhead。\"Bibbs,doyou——\"Hervoicewasasunsteadyashis——littlemorethanawhisper。\"DoyouthinkI\'m——inlovewithyou？\"
\"No,\"hesaid。
Somewhereinthestillairoftheroomtherewasawhisperedword;itdidnotseemtocomefromMary\'spartedlips,buthewasawareofit。\"Why？\"
\"I\'vehadnothingbutdreams,\"Bibbssaid,desolately,\"buttheyweren\'tlikethat。Sibylsaidnogirlcouldcareaboutme。\"Hesmiledfaintly,thoughstillhedidnotlookatMary。\"AndwhenIfirstcamehomeEdithtoldmeSibylwassoanxioustomarrythatshe\'dhavemarriedME。ShemeantittoexpressSibyl\'sextremeity,yousee。ButIhardlyneededeitherofthemtotellme。Ihadn\'tthoughtofmyselfas——well,notasparticularlycaptivating！\"
Oddlyenough,Mary\'spallorchangedtoanangryflush。\"Thosetwo！\"sheexclaimed,sharply;andthen,withthoroughgoingcontempt:\"Lamhorn！That\'slikethem！\"Sheturnedaway,wenttothebarelittleblackmantel,andstoodleaninguponit。Presentlysheasked:\"WHENdidMrs。RoscoeSheridansaythat\'nogirl\'couldcareaboutyou？\"
\"To—day。\"
Marydrewadeepbreath。\"IthinkI\'mbeginningtounderstand——alittle。\"
Shebitherlip;therewasangeringoodtruthinhereyesandinhervoice。
\"Answermeoncemore,\"shesaid。\"Bibbs,doyouknownowwhyIstoppedwearingmyfurs？\"
\"Yes。\"
\"Ithoughtso！Yoursister—in—lawtoldyou,didn\'tshe？\"
\"I——Iheardhersay——\"
\"IthinkIknowwhathappened,now。\"Mary\'sbreathcamefastandhervoiceshook,butshespokerapidly。\"You\'heardhersay\'morethanthat。You\'heardhersay\'thatwewerebitterlypoor,andonthataccountItriedfirsttomarryyourbrother——andthen——\"Butnowshefaltered,anditwasonlyafteraconvulsiveeffortthatshewasabletogoon。\"Andthen——thatItriedtomarry——you！You\'heardhersay\'that——andyoubelievethatIdon\'tcareforyouandthat\'nogirl\'couldcareforyou——butyouthinkIaminsuchan\'extremity,\'asSibylwas——thatyou——Andso,notwantingme,andbelievingthatIcouldnotwantyou——exceptformy\'extremity\'——youtookyourfather\'sofferandthencametoaskme——tomarryyou！WhathadIshownyouofmyselfthatcouldmakeyou——\"
Suddenlyshesankdown,kneeling,withherfaceburiedinherarmsuponthelapofachair,tearsoverwhelmingher。
\"Mary,Mary！\"hecried,helplessly。\"OhNO——you——youdon\'tunderstand。\"
\"Ido,though！\"shesobbed。\"Ido！\"
Hecameandstoodbesideher。\"Youkillme！\"hesaid。\"Ican\'tmakeitplain。Fromthefirstofyourlovelinesstome,Iwasallself。ItwasalwaysyouthatgaveandIthattook。Iwasthedependent——Ididnothingbutleanonyou。Wealwaystalkedofme,notofyou。Itwasallaboutmyidioticdistressesandtroubles。Ithoughtofyouasakindofwonderfulbeingthathadnomortalorhumansufferingexceptbysympathy。Youseemedtoleandown——outofarosycloud——tobekindtome。IneverdreamedIcoulddoanythingforYOU！Ineverdreamedyoucouldneedanythingtobedoneforyoubyanybody。Andto—dayIheardthat——thatyou——\"
\"YouheardthatIneededtomarry——someone——anybody——withmoney,\"shesobbed。
\"Andyouthoughtwewereso——sodesperate——youbelievedthatIhad——\"
\"No！\"hesaid,quickly。\"Ididn\'tbelieveyou\'ddoneonekindthingforme——forthat。No,no,no！Iknewyou\'dNEVERthoughtofmeexceptgenerously——togive。IsaidIcouldn\'tmakeitplain！\"hecried,despairingly。
\"Wait！\"Sheliftedherheadandextendedherhandstohimunconsciously,likeachild。\"Helpmeup,Bibbs。\"Then,whenshewasoncemoreuponherfeet,shewipedhereyesandsmileduponhimruefullyandfaintly,butreassuringly,asiftotellhim,inthatway,thatsheknewhehadnotmeanttohurther。
Andthatsmileofhers,solamentable,butsofaithfullyfriendly,mistedhisowneyes,forhisshamefacednessloweredthemnomore。
\"Letmetellyouwhatyouwanttotellme,\"shesaid。\"Youcan\'t,becauseyoucan\'tputitintowords——theyaretoohumiliatingformeandyou\'retoogentletosaythem。Tellme,though,isn\'tittrue？Youdidn\'tbelievethatI\'dtriedtomakeyoufallinlovewithme——\"
\"Never！Neverforaninstant！\"
\"Youdidn\'tbelieveI\'dtriedtomakeyouwanttomarryme——\"
\"No,no,no！\"
\"Ibelieveit,Bibbs。YouthoughtthatIwasfondofyou;youknewIcaredforyou——butyoudidn\'tthinkImightbe——inlovewithyou。ButyouthoughtthatImightmarryyouwithoutbeinginlovewithyoubecauseyoudidbelieveIhadtriedtomarryyourbrother,and——\"
\"Mary,Ionlyknew——forthefirsttime——thatyou——thatyouwere——\"
\"Weredesperatelypoor,\"shesaid。\"Youcan\'tevensaythat！Bibbs,itwastrue:IdidtrytomakeJimwanttomarryme。Idid！\"Andshesankdownintothechair,weepingbitterlyagain。Bibbswasagonized。
\"Mary,\"hegroaned,\"Ididn\'tknowyouCOULDcry！\"
\"Listen,\"shesaid。\"ListentillIgetthrough——Iwantyoutounderstand。Wewerepoor,andweweren\'tfittedtobe。Weneverhadbeen,andwedidn\'tknowwhattodo。We\'dbeenalmostrich;therewasplenty,butmyfatherwantedtotakeadvantageofthegrowthofthetown;hewantedtobericher,butinstead——well,justaboutthetimeyourfatherfinishedbuildingnextdoorwefoundwehadn\'tanything。Peoplesaythat,sometimes,meaningthattheyhaven\'tanythingincomparisonwithotherpeopleoftheirownkind,butwereallyhadn\'tanything——wehadn\'tanythingatall,Bibbs！Andwecouldn\'tDO
anything。YoumightwonderwhyIdidn\'t\'trytobeastenographer\'——andI
wondermyselfwhy,whenafamilylosesitsmoney,peoplealwayssaythedaughters\'oughttogoandbestenographers。\'It\'scurious！——asifawaveofthehandmadeyouintoastenographer。No,I\'dbeenraisedtobeeithermarriedcomfortablyorawell—to—dooldmaid,ifIchosenottomarry。Thepovertycameonslowly,Bibbs,butatlastitwasallthere——andIdidn\'tknowhowtobeastenographer。Ididn\'tknowhowtobeanythingexceptawell—to—dooldmaidorsomebody\'swife——andIcouldn\'tbeawell—to—dooldmaid。Then,Bibbs,IdidwhatI\'dbeenraisedtoknowhowtodo。Iwentouttobefascinatingandbemarried。Ididitopenly,atleast,andwithakindofdecenthonesty。ItoldyourbrotherIhadmeanttofascinatehimandthatIwasnotinlovewithhim,butIlethimthinkthatperhapsImeanttomarryhim。IthinkIdidmeantomaryhim。Ihadnevercaredforanybody,andI
thoughtitmightbetherereallyWASN\'Tanythingmorethanakindofexcitedfondness。Ican\'tbesure,butIthinkthatthoughIdidmeantomarryhimI
nevershouldhavedoneit,becausethatsortofamarriageis——it\'ssacrilege——somethingwouldhavestoppedme。Somethingdidstopme;itwasyoursister—in—law,Sibyl。Shemeantnoharm——butshewashorrible,andsheputwhatIwasdoingintosuchhorriblewords——andtheywerethetruth——oh！ISAW
myself！Shewasproposingamiserablecompactwithme——andIcouldn\'tbreathetheairofthesameroomwithher,thoughI\'dsocheapenedmyselfshehadarighttoassumethatIWOULD。ButIcouldn\'t！Ilefther,andIwrotetoyourbrother——justaquickscrawl。ItoldhimjustwhatI\'ddone;Iaskedhispardon,andIsaidIwouldnotmarryhim。Ipostedtheletter,buthenevergotit。Thatwastheafternoonhewaskilled。That\'sall,Bibbs。NowyouknowwhatIdid——andyouknow——ME！\"Shepressedherclenchedhandstightlyagainsthereyes,leaningfarforward,herheadbowedbeforehim。
Bibbshadforgottenhimselflongago;hisheartbrokeforher。\"Couldn\'tyou——Isn\'tthere——Won\'tyou——\"hestammered。\"Mary,I\'mgoingwithfather。
Isn\'ttheresomewayyoucouldusethemoneywithout——without——\"
Shegaveachokedlittlelaugh。
\"Yougavemesomethingtolivefor,\"hesaid。\"Youkeptmealive,Ithink——andI\'vehurtyoulikethis！\"
\"Notyou——ohno！\"
\"Youcouldforgiveme,Mary？\"
\"Oh,athousandtimes！\"Herrighthandwentoutinafalteringgesture,andjusttouchedhisownforaninstant。\"Butthere\'snothingtoforgive。\"
\"Andyoucan\'t——youcan\'t——\"
\"Can\'twhat,Bibbs？\"
\"Youcouldn\'t——\"
\"Marryyou？\"shesaidforhim。
\"Yes。\"
\"No,no,no！\"Shesprangup,facinghim,and,withoutknowingwhatshedid,shesetherhandsuponhisbreast,pushinghimbackfromheralittle。\"I
can\'t,Ican\'t！Don\'tyouSEE？\"
\"Mary——\"
\"No,no！Andyoumustgonow,Bibbs;Ican\'tbearanymore——please——\"
\"MARY——\"
\"Never,never,never！\"shecried,inapassionoftears。\"Youmustn\'tcomeanymore。Ican\'tseeyou,dear！Never,never,never！\"
Somehow,inhelpless,stumblingobediencetoherbeseechinggesture,hegothimselftothedoorandoutofthehouse。
SibylandRoscoewereuponthepointofleavingwhenBibbsreturnedtotheNewHouse。HewentstraighttoSibylandspoketoherquietly,butsothattheothersmighthear。
\"WhenyousaidthatifI\'dstoptothink,I\'drealizethatnoonewouldbeapttocareenoughaboutmetomarryme,youwereright,\"hesaid。\"Ithoughtperhapsyouweren\'t,andsoIaskedMissVertreestomarryme。Itprovedwhatyousaidofme,anddisprovedwhatyousaidofher。Sherefused。\"
And,havingthusspoken,hequittedtheroomasstraightforwardlyashehadenteredit。
\"He\'sSOqueer！\"Mrs。Sheridangasped。\"Whoonearthwouldthoughtofhisdoin\'THAT？\"
\"Itoldyou,\"saidherhusband,grimly。
\"Youdidn\'ttellushe\'dgooverthereand——\"
\"Itoldyoushewouldn\'thavehim。Itoldyoushewouldn\'thaveJIM,didn\'tI？\"
Sibylwasaltogethertakenaback。\"Doyousuposeit\'strue？DoyousupposesheWOULDN\'T？\"
\"Hedidn\'tlookexactlylikeayoungmanthathadjustgotthingsfixedupfinewithhisgirl,\"saidSheridan。\"Nottome,hedidn\'t！\"
\"Butwhywould——\"
\"Itoldyou,\"heinterrupted,angrily,\"sheain\'tthatkindofagirl！Ifyougottohaveproof,well,I\'lltellyouandgetitoverwith,thoughI\'dprettynearjustassoonnothavetotalkawholelotaboutmydeadboy\'sprivateaffairs。ShewrotetoJimshecouldn\'ttakehim,anditwasagood,straightletter,too。ItcametoJim\'soffice;heneversawit。Shewroteittheafternoonhewashurt。\"
\"IrememberIsawherputaletterinthemail—boxthatafternoon,\"saidRoscoe。\"Don\'tyouremember,Sibyl？Itoldyouaboutit——Iwaswaitingforyouwhileyouwereintheresolongtalkingtohermother。Itwasjustbeforewesawthatsomethingwaswrongoverhere,andEdithcameandcalledme。\"
Sibylshookherhead,butsheremembered。Andshewasnotcastdown,for,althoughsomeremnantsofperplexitywereleftinhereyes,theyweredimmedbyanincreasingglowoftriumph;andshedeparted——aftersomefurtherfragmentarydiscourse——visablyelated。Afterall,theguiltyhadnotbeenexalted;andsheperceivedvaguely,butnonethelesssurely,thatherinjuryhadbeencopiouslyavenged。Shebestowedacontentedglanceupontheoldhousewiththecupola,assheandRoscoecrossedthestreet。
Whentheyhadgone,Mrs。Sheridanindulgedinreverie,butafterawhileshesaid,uneasily,\"Papa,youthinkitwouldbeanyusetotellBibbsaboutthatletter？\"
\"Idon\'tknow,\"heanswered,walkingmoodilytothewindow。\"Ibeenthinkin\'
aboutit。\"Hecametoadecision。\"IreckonIwill。\"AndhewentuptoBibbs\'sroom。
\"Well,yougoin\'backonwhatyousaid？\"heinquired,brusquely,asheopenedthedoor。\"Yougoin\'totakeitbackandlaydownonmeagain？\"
\"No,\"saidBibbs。
\"Well,perhapsIdidn\'thaveanycalltoaccuseyouofthat。Idon\'tknowasyoueverdidgobackonanythingyousaid,exactly,thoughtheLordknowsyou\'velaiddownonmeenough。Youcertainlyhave！\"Sheridanwasbaffled。
Thiswasnotwhathewishedtosay,buthiswordswereunmanageable;hefoundhimselfunabletocontrolthem,andhisquerulousabusewentoninspiteofhim。\"Ican\'tsayIexpectmuchofyou——notfromthewayyoualwaysbeen,uptonow——unlessyouturnoveranewleaf,andIdon\'tseeanyencouragementtothinkyou\'regoin\'todoTHAT！Ifyougodownthereandshowasparko\'realGIT—up,Ireckonthewholeoffice\'llfallinafaint。Butifyou\'reevergoin\'toshowany,youbetterbeginrightatthebeginningandbegintoshowitto—morrow。\"
\"Yes——I\'lltry。\"
\"Youbetter,ifit\'sinyou！\"Sheridanwassheerlynonplussed。Headalwaysbeenabletosaywhateverhewishedtosay,buthistongueseemedbewitched。
HehadcometotellBibbsaboutMary\'sletter,andtohisownangryastonishmenthefounditimpossibletodoanythingexcepttoscoldlikeadrudge—driver。\"Youbettercomedowntherewithyourmindmadeuptohustleharderthanthehardestworkin\'—manthat\'sunderyou,oryou\'llnotgetonverygoodwithme,Itellyou！Thewaytogetahead——andyoubettersetitdowninyourbooks——thewaytogetaheadistodotentimestheworkofthehardestworkerthatworksFORyou。Butyoudon\'tknowwhatworkis,yet。Allyou\'veeverdonewasjuststandaroundandfeedamachineachildcouldhandle,andthencomehomeandtakeabathandgocallin\'。Itellyouyou\'reupagainstamightydifferentpropositionnow,andifyou\'reworthyoursalt——andyounevershowedanysignsofityet——notanysignsthatstuckoutenoughtobangsomebodyontheheadandmake\'emsitupandtakenotice——well,Iwanttosay,righthereandnow——andyoubetterlisten,becauseIwanttosayjustwhatIDOsay。Isay——\"
Hemeanderedtoafullstop。Hismouthhungopen,andhismindwasahopelessblank。
Bibbslookeduppatiently——anold,oldlook。\"Yes,father;I\'mlistening。\"
\"That\'sall,\"saidSheridan,frowningheavily。\"That\'sallIcametosay,andyoubettersee\'tyourememberit！\"
Heshookhisheadwarningly,andwentout,closingthedoorbehindhimwithacrash。However,nosoundoffootstepsindicatedhisdeparture。Hestoppedjustoutsidethedoor,andstoodthereaminuteormore。Thenabruptlyheturnedtheknobandexhibitedtohissonaforeheadliberallycoveredwithperspiration。
\"Lookhere,\"hesaid,crossly。\"ThatgirloveryonderwroteJimaletter——\"
\"Iknow,\"saidBibbs。\"Shetoldme。\"
\"Well,Ithoughtyouneedn\'tfeelsomuchupsetaboutit——\"Thedoorclosedonhisvoiceashewithdrew,buttheconclusionofthesentencewasneverthelessaudible——\"ifyouknewshewouldn\'thaveJim,either。\"
Andhestampedhiswaydown—stairstotellhiswifetoquitherfrettin\'andnotbotherhimwithanymorefool\'serrands。ShewasabouttoinquirewhatBibbs\"said,\"butafterasecondthoughtshedecidednottospeakatall。Shemerelymurmuredawordlessassent,andverbalcommunicationwasgivenoverbetweenthemfortherestofthatafternoon。
BibbsandhisfatherweregonewhenMrs。Sheridanwoke,thenextmorning,andshehadadrearyday。ShemissedEdithwoefully,andsheworriedaboutwhatmightbetakingplaceintheSheridanBuilding。ShefeltthateverythingdependedonhowBibbs\"tookhold,\"anduponherhusband\'sreturnintheeveningsheseizeduponthefirstopportunitytoaskhimhowthingshadgone。
Hewasnon—committal。Whatcouldanybodytellbythefirstday？He\'dseenplentygoatthingswellenoughrightatthestartandthenblowup。Prettynearanybodycouldshowupfairthefirstdayorso。Therewasabigjobahead。Thismaterial,suchasitwas——Bibbs,infact——hadtobebrokenintohandlingtheworkRoscoehaddone;andthen,atleastasanoverseer,hemusttakeJim\'spositionintheRealtyCompanyaswell。Hetoldhertoaskhimagaininamonth。
ButduringthecourseofdinnershegatheredfromsomedisjointedremarksofhisthatheandBibbshadlunchedtogetheratthesmallrestaurantwhereithadbeenSheridan\'scustomtolunchwithJim,andshetookthistobeanencouragingsign。Bibbswenttohisroomassoonastheyleftthetable,andherhusbandwasnotcommunicativeafterreadinghispaper。
ShebecameananxiousspectatorofBibbs\'sprogressasamanofbusiness,althoughitwasaprogressshecouldglimpsebutdimlyandonlyintheevening,throughhisremarksandhisfather\'satdinner。UsuallyBibbswassilent,exceptwhendirectlyaddressed,butonthefirsteveningofthethirdweekofhisnewcareerheofferedanopinionwhichhadapparentlybeenthesubjectofpreviousargument。
\"I\'dlikeyoutounderstandjustwhatImeantaboutthosestorage—rooms,father,\"hesaid,asJacksonplacedhiscoffeebeforehim。\"Abercrombieagreedwithme,butyouwouldn\'tlistentohim。\"
\"Youcantalk,ifyouwantto,andI\'lllisten,\"Sheridanreturned,\"butyoucan\'tshowmethatJimevertookupwithabadthing。Therooffellbecauseithadn\'thadtimetosettleandonaccountofweatherconditions。IwantthatbuildingputjustthewayJimplannedit。\"
\"Youcan\'thaveit,\"saidBibbs。\"Youcan\'t,becauseJimplannedforthebuildingtostandup,anditwon\'tdoit。Theotherone——theonethatdidn\'tfall——issoshotwithcrackswehaven\'tdareduseitforstorage。Itwon\'tstandweight。There\'sonlyonethingtodo:getbothbuildingsdownasquicklyaswecan,andbuildover。Brick\'sthebestandcheapestinthelongrunforthattype。\"
Sheridanlookedsarcastic。\"Fine！Whatwegoin\'todoforstorage—roomswhilewe\'rewaitin\'forthosefewbrickstobelaid？\"
\"Rent,\"Bibbsreturned,promptly。\"We\'lllosemoneyifwedon\'trent,anyhow——theywerewaitingsolongforyoutogivethewarehousematteryourattentionaftertherooffell。Youdon\'tknowwhatanamountofstuffthey\'vegotpileduponusoverthere。We\'dhavetorentuntilwecouldpatchupthoseprocessperils——andtheKrivitchManufacturingCompany\'splantisempty,rightacrossthestreet。Itookanoptiononitforusthismorning。\"
Sheridan\'sexpressionwasqueer。\"Lookhere！\"hesaid,sharply。\"Didyougoanddothatwithoutconsultingme？\"
\"Itdidn\'tcostanything,\"saidBibbs。\"It\'sonlyuntilto—morrowafternoonattwoo\'clock。Iundertooktoconvinceyoubeforethen。\"
\"Oh,youdid？\"Sheridan\'stonewassardonic。\"Well,justsupposeyoucouldn\'tconvinceme。\"
\"Ican,though——andIintendto,\"saidBibbs,quietly。\"Idon\'tthinkyouunderstandtheconditionofthosebuildingsyouwantpatchedup。\"
\"Now,seehere,\"saidSheridan,withslowemphasis;\"supposeIhadmymindsetaboutthis。JIMthoughtthey\'dstand,andsupposeitwas——well,kindofamatterofsentimentwithmetoprovehewasright。\"
Bibbslookedathimcompassionately。\"I\'msorryifyouhaveasentimentaboutit,father,\"hesaid。\"Butwhetheryouhaveornotcan\'tmakeadifference。
You\'llgetotherpeoplehurtifyoutrustthatprocess,andthatwon\'tdo。
AndifyouwantamonumenttoJim,atleastyouwantonethatwillstand。
Besides,Idon\'tthinkyoucanreasonablydefendsentimentinthisparticularkindofaffair。\"
\"Oh,youdon\'t？\"
\"No,butI\'msorryyoudidn\'ttellmeyoufeltit。\"
Sheridanwaspuzzledbyhisson\'stone。\"Whyareyou\'sorry\'？\"heasked,curiously。
\"BecauseIhadthebuildinginspectorupthere,thisnoon,\"saidBibbs,\"andI
hadhimcondemnboththosebuildings。\"
\"What？\"
\"He\'dbeenafraidtodoitbefore,untilheheardfromus——afraidyou\'dseehelosthisjob。Buthecan\'tun—condemnthem——they\'vegottocomedownnow。\"
Sheridangavehimalongandpiercingstarefrombeneathloweredbrows。
Finallyhesaid,\"Howlongdidtheygiveyouonthatoptiontoconvinceme？\"
\"Untiltwoo\'clockto—morrowafternoon。\"
\"Allright,\"saidSheridan,notrelaxing。\"I\'mconvinced。\"
Bibbsjumpedup。\"Ithoughtyouwouldbe。I\'lltelephonetheKrivitchagent。
Hegavemetheoptionuntilto—morrow,butItoldhimI\'dsettleitthisevening。\"
Sheridangazedafterhimashelefttheroom,andthen,thoughhisexpressiondidnotalterintheslightest,asoundcamefromhimthatstartledhiswife。
Ithadbeenalongtimesinceshehadheardanythingresemblingachucklefromhim,andthissound——althoughitwasgrimanddry——borethatresemblance。
Shebrightenedeagerly。\"Lookslikehewasstartin\'rightwell,don\'tit,papa？\"
\"Startin\'？Lord！Hegotmeonthehip！Why,HEknewwhatIwanted——that\'swhyhehadtheinspectorupthere,so\'the\'dhavemebeatbeforeweevenstartedtotalkaboutit。Anddidyouhearhim？\'Can\'treasonablydefendSENTIMENT！\'Andthewayhesays\'Us\':\'TookanoptionforUs\'！\'StuffpileduponUs\'！\"
TherewasalwaysanalloyforMrs。sheridan。\"Idon\'tjustlikethewayhelooks,though,papa。\"
\"Oh,there\'sgottobesomething！Onlyonechickleftathome,soyoustarttofrettin\'aboutIT！\"
\"No。He\'schanged。There\'skindofasettishlooktohisface,and——\"
\"Iguessthat\'sthecommonsensecomin\'outonhim,then,\"saidSheridan。
\"You\'llseesymptomslikethatinagoodmanybusinessmen,Iexpect。\"