andyetIbelieveyouwillnotconsidermeimportunate。If，then，youwillpickupthepiecesofanoldfellow，Iaskyoutohavemysword，theletterenclosedinthis，andthephotographthatstandsonthestoveburiedwithme。MywillandtheacknowledgmentsofmypropertyarebetweentheleavesoftheByroninmytinchest;theyshouldgotoLucyTor——addressthereon。Perhapsyouwilldomethehonourtoretainforyourselfanyofmybooksthatmaygiveyoupleasure。InthePilgrim’sProgressyouwillfindsomeexcellentrecipesforTurkishcoffee，ItalianandSpanishdishes，andwashingwounds。Thelandlady’sdaughterspeaksItalian，andshewould，I
know，liketohaveFreda;thepoordogwillmissme。IhavereadofoldIndianwarriorstakingtheirhorsesanddogswiththemtothehappyhunting—grounds。Fredawouldcome——nobleanimalsaredogs！Sheeatsonceaday——agoodlargemeal——andrequiresmuchsalt。Ifyouhaveanimalsofyourown，sir，don’tforget——allanimalsrequiresalt。Ihavenodebts，thankGod！Themoneyinmypocketswouldburymedecently——notthatthereisanydanger。AndIamashamedtowearyyouwithdetails——theleastamancandoisnottomakeafuss—
—andyethemustbefoundready。——Sir，withprofoundgratitude，yourservant，\"ROGERBRUNE。\"
Everythingwasashehadsaid。Thephotographonthestovewasthatofayounggirlofnineteenortwenty，dressedinanold—fashionedstyle，withhairgatheredbackwardinaknot。Theeyesgazedatyouwithalittlefrown，thelipsweretightlyclosed;theexpressionofthefacewaseager，quick，wilful，and，aboveall，young。
Thetintrunkwasscentedwithdryfragmentsofsomeherb，thehistoryofwhichinthattrunkmanknowethnot……Therewereafewclothes，butveryfew，allolderthanthoseheusuallywore。BesidestheByronandPilgrim’sProgresswereScott’sQuentinDurward，CaptainMarryat’sMidshipmanEasy，apocketTestament，andalongandfrightfullystiffbookontheartoffortifyingtowns，muchthumbed，andbearingdate1863。ByfarthemostinterestingthingIfound，however，wasadiary，keptdowntotheprecedingChristmas。Itwasapatheticdocument，fullofcalculationsofthepriceofmeals;
resolutionstobecarefuloverthisorthat;doubtswhetherhemustnotgiveupsmoking;sentencesoffearthatFredahadnotenoughtoeat。Itappearedthathehadtriedtoliveonninetypoundsayear，andsendtheotherhundredpoundshometoLucyforthechild;inthisstrugglehewasalwaysfailing，havingtosendlessthantheamount—
theentriesshowedthatthiswasanightmaretohim。Thelastwords，writtenonChristmasDay，werethese\"Whatistheuseofwritingthis，sinceitrecordsnothingbutfailure！\"
Thelandlady’sdaughterandmyselfwereatthefuneral。ThesameafternoonIwentintotheconcert—room，whereIhadspokentohimfirst。WhenIcameoutFredawaslyingattheentrance，lookingintothefacesofeveryonethatpassed，andsniffingidlyattheirheels。
Closebythelandlady’sdaughterhovered，abiscuitinherhand，andapuzzled，sorrylookonherface。
September1900。
TO
MYBROTHER
HUBERTGALSWORTHY
SALVATIONOFAFORSYTE
I
SwithinForsytelayinbed。Thecornersofhismouthunderhiswhitemoustachedroopedtowardshisdoublechin。Hepanted:
\"MydoctorsaysI’minabadway，James。\"
Histwin—brotherplacedhishandbehindhisear。\"Ican’thearyou。
TheytellmeIoughttotakeacure。There’salwaysacurewantedforsomething。Emilyhadacure。\"
Swithinreplied:\"Youmumbleso。Ihearmyman，Adolph。Itrainedhim……Yououghttohaveanear—trumpet。You’regettingveryshaky，James。\"
Therewassilence;thenJamesForsyte，asifgalvanised，remarked:\"I
s’poseyou’vemadeyourwill。Is’poseyou’veleftyourmoneytothefamily;you’venobodyelsetoleaveitto。TherewasDansondiedtheotherday，andlefthismoneytoahospital\"
ThehairsofSwithin’swhitemoustachebristled。\"Myfoolofadoctortoldmetomakemywill，\"hesaid，\"Ihateafellowwhotellsyoutomakeyourwill。Myappetite’sgood;Iateapartridgelastnight。I’mallthebetterforeating。Hetoldmetoleaveoffchampagne！Ieatagoodbreakfast。I’mnoteighty。You’rethesameage，James。Youlookveryshaky。\"
JamesForsytesaid:\"Yououghttohaveanotheropinion。HaveBlank;
he’sthefirstmannow。IhadhimforEmily;costmetwohundredguineas。HesenthertoHomburg;that’sthefirstplacenow。ThePrincewasthere——everybodygoesthere。\"
SwithinForsyteanswered:\"Idon’tgetanysleepatnight，nowI
can’tgetout;andI’veboughtanewcarriage——gaveapotofmoneyforit。D’youeverhavebronchitis？Theytellmechampagne’sdangerous;it’smybeliefIcouldn’ttakeabetterthing。\"
JamesForsyterose。
\"Yououghttohaveanotheropinion。Emilysentherlove;shewouldhavecomein，butshehadtogotoNiagara。Everybodygoesthere;
it’stheplacenow。Rachelgoeseverymorning:sheoverdoesit——
she’llbelaiduponeofthesedays。There’safancyballthereto—
night;theDukegivestheprizes。\"
SwithinForsytesaidangrily:\"Ican’tgetthingsproperlycookedhere;attheclubIgetspinachdecentlydone。\"Thebed—clothesjerkedatthetremorofhislegs。
JamesForsytereplied:\"YoumusthavedonewellwithTintos;youmusthavemadealotofmoneybythem。Yourground—rentsmustbefallingin，too。Youmusthaveanyamountyoudon’tknowwhattodowith。\"
Hemouthedthewords，asifhislipswerewatering。
SwithinForsyteglared。\"Money！\"hesaid;\"mydoctor’sbill’senormous。\"
JamesForsytestretchedoutacold，damphand\"Goodbye！Yououghttohaveanotheropinion。Ican’tkeepthehorseswaiting:they’reanewpair——stoodmeinthreehundred。Yououghttotakecareofyourself。
IshallspeaktoBlankaboutyou。Yououghttohavehim——everybodysayshe’sthefirstman。Good—bye！\"
SwithinForsytecontinuedtostareattheceiling。Hethought:’A
poorthing，James！aselfishbeggar！Mustbeworthacoupleofhundredthousand！’Hewheezed，meditatingonlife……
Hewasillandlonely。Formanyyearshehadbeenlonely，andfortwoyearsill;butashehadsmokedhisfirstcigar，sohewouldlivehislife—stoutly，toitspredestinedend。Everydayhewasdriventotheclub;sittingforwardonthespringcushionsofasinglebrougham，hishandsonhisknees，swayingalittle，strangelysolemn。
Heascendedthestepsintothatmarblehall——thefoldsofhischinwedgedintotheapertureofhiscollar——walkingsquarelywithastick。Laterhewoulddine，eatingmajestically，andsavouringhisfood，behindabottleofchampagnesetinanice—pail——hiswaistcoatdefendedbyanapkin，hiseyesrollingalittleorgluedinastareonthewaiter。Neverdidhesufferhisheadorbacktodroop，foritwasnotdistinguishedsotodo。
Becausehewasoldanddeaf，hespoketonoone;andnoonespoketohim。Theclubgossip，anIrishman，saidtoeachnewcomer:\"OldForsyte！Lookat’um！Mustha’hadsomethinginhislifetosour’um！\"ButSwithinhadhadnothinginhislifetosourhim。
Formanydaysnowhehadlaininbedinaroomexudingsilver，crimson，andelectriclight，smellingofopopanaxandofcigars。Thecurtainsweredrawn，thefirelightgleamed;onatablebyhisbedwereajugofbarley—waterandtheTimes。Hemadeanattempttoread，failed，andfellagaintothinking。Hisfacewithitssquarechin，lookedlikeablockofpaleleatherbeddedinthepillow。Itwaslonely！Awomanintheroomwouldhavemadeallthedifference！
Whyhadhenevermarried？Hebreathedhard，staringfroglikeattheceiling;amemoryhadcomeintohismind。Itwasalongtimeago——
fortyoddyears——butitseemedlikeyesterday……
Ithappenedwhenhewasthirty—eight，forthefirstandonlytimeinhislifetravellingontheContinent，withhistwin—brotherJamesandamannamedTraquair。OnthewayfromGermanytoVenice，hehadfoundhimselfattheHotelGoldeneAlpatSalzburg。ItwaslateAugust，andweatherforthegods:sunshineonthewallsandtheshadowsofthevine—leaves，andatnight，themoonlight，andagainonthewallstheshadowsofthevine—leaves。Aversetothesuggestionsofotherpeople，SwithinhadrefusedtovisittheCitadel;hehadspentthedayaloneinthewindowofhisbedroom，smokingasuccessionofcigars，anddisparagingtheappearanceofthepassers—
by。Afterdinnerhewasdrivenbyboredomintothestreets。Hischestpuffedoutlikeapigeon’s，andwithsomethingofapigeon’scoldandinquiringeye，hestrutted，annoyedatthefrequencyofuniforms，whichseemedtohimbothneedlessandoffensive。Hisspleenroseatthiscrowdofforeigners，whospokeanunintelligiblelanguage，worehairontheirfaces，andsmokedbadtobacco。’Aqueerlot！’hethought。Thesoundofmusicfromacafeattractedhim;hewalkedin，vaguelymovedbyawishforthedistinctionofadventure，withoutthetroublewhichadventureusuallybroughtwithit;spurredtoo，perhaps，byanafter—dinnerdemon。Thecafewasthebier—halleofthe’Fifties，withadoorateitherend，andlightedbyalargewoodenlantern。Onasmalldaisthreemusicianswerefiddling。
Solitarymen，orgroups，satatsomedozentables，andthewaitershurriedaboutreplenishingglasses;theairwasthickwithsmoke。
Swithinsatdown。\"Wine！\"hesaidsternly。Theastonishedwaiterbroughthimwine。Swithinpointedtoabeerglassonthetable。
\"Here！\"hesaid，withthesameferocity。Thewaiterpouredoutthewine。’Ah！’thoughtSwithin，’theycanunderstandiftheylike。’A
groupofofficersclosebywerelaughing;Swithinstaredatthemuneasily。Ahollowcoughsoundedalmostinhisear。Tohisleftamansatreading，withhiselbowsonthecornersofajournal，andhisgauntshouldersraisedalmosttohiseyes。Hehadathin，longnose，broadeningsuddenlyatthenostrils;ablack—brownbeard，spreadinasavagefanoverhischest;whatwasvisibleofthefacewasthecolourofoldparchment。Astrange，wild，haughty—lookingcreature！
Swithinobservedhisclotheswithsomedispleasure——theyweretheclothesofajournalistorstrollingactor。Andyethewasimpressed。Thiswassingular。Howcouldhebeimpressedbyafellowinsuchclothes！Themanreachedoutahand，coveredwithblackhairs，andtookupatumblerthatcontainedadark—colouredfluid。
’Brandy！’thoughtSwithin。Thecrashofafallingchairstartledhim——hisneighbourhadrisen。Hewasofimmenseheight，andverythin;hisgreatbeardseemedtosplashawayfromhismouth;hewasglaringatthegroupofofficers，andspeaking。Swithinmadeouttwowords:\"Hunde！DeutscheHunde！\"’Hounds！Dutchhounds！’hethought:
’Ratherstrong！’Oneoftheofficershadjumpedup，andnowdrewhissword。Thetallmanswunghischairup，andbroughtitdownwithathud。Everybodyroundstartedupandclosedonhim。Thetallmancriedout，\"Tome，Magyars！\"
Swithingrinned。Thetallmanfightingsuchoddsexcitedhisunwillingadmiration;hehadamomentaryimpulsetogotohisassistance。’Onlygetabrokennose！’hethought，andlookedforasafecorner。Butatthatmomentathrownlemonstruckhimonthejaw。Hejumpedoutofhischairandrushedattheofficers。TheHungarian，swinginghischair，threwhimalookofgratitude——Swithinglowedwithmomentaryadmirationofhimself。Aswordbladegrazedhis——arm;hefeltasuddendislikeoftheHungarian。’Thisistoomuch，’hethought，and，catchingupachair，flungitatthewoodenlantern。Therewasacrash——facesandswordsvanished。Hestruckamatch，andbythelightofitboltedforthedoor。Asecondlaterhewasinthestreet。
II
AvoicesaidinEnglish，\"Godblessyou，brother！\"
Swithinlookedround，andsawthetallHungarianholdingouthishand。Hetookit，thinking，’WhatafoolI’vebeen！’TherewassomethingintheHungarian’sgesturewhichsaid，\"Youareworthyofme！’
Itwasannoying，butratherimpressive。Themanseemedeventallerthanbefore;therewasacutonhischeek，thebloodfromwhichwastricklingdownhisbeard。\"YouEnglish！\"hesaid。\"IsawyoustoneHaynau——IsawyoucheerKossuth。Thefreebloodofyourpeoplecriesouttous。\"HelookedatSwithin。\"Youareabigman，youhaveabigsoul——andstrong，howyouflungthemdown！Ha！\"Swithinhadanimpulsetotaketohisheels。\"Myname，\"saidtheHungarian，\"isBoleskey。Youaremyfriend。\"HisEnglishwasgood。
’Bulsh—kai—ee，Burlsh—kai—ee，’thoughtSwithin;’whatadevilofaname！’\"Mine，\"hesaidsulkily，\"isForsyte。\"
TheHungarianrepeatedit。
\"You’vehadanastyjabonthecheek，\"saidSwithin;thesightofthemattedbeardwasmakinghimfeelsick。TheHungarianputhisfingerstohischeek，broughtthemawaywet，staredatthem，thenwithanindifferentairgatheredawispofhisbeardandcrammeditagainstthecut。
\"Ugh！\"saidSwithin。\"Here！Takemyhandkerchief！\"
TheHungarianbowed。\"Thankyou！\"hesaid;\"Icouldn’tthinkofit！
Thankyouathousandtimes！\"
\"Takeit！\"growledSwithin;itseemedtohimsuddenlyofthefirstimportance。HethrustthehandkerchiefintotheHungarian’shand，andfeltapaininhisarm。’There！’hethought，’I’vestrainedamuscle。’
TheHungariankeptmuttering，regardlessofpassers—by，\"Swine！Howyouthrewthemover！Twoorthreecrackedheads，anyway——thecowardlyswine！\"
\"Lookhere！\"saidSwithinsuddenly;\"whichismywaytotheGoldeneAlp？\"
TheHungarianreplied，\"Butyouarecomingwithme，foraglassofwine？\"
Swithinlookedattheground。’NotifIknowit！’hethought。
\"Ah！\"saidtheHungarianwithdignity，\"youdonotwishformyfriendship！\"
’Touchybeggar！’thoughtSwithin。\"Ofcourse，\"hestammered，\"ifyouputitinthatway——\"
TheHungarianbowed，murmuring，\"Forgiveme！\"
Theyhadnotgoneadozenstepsbeforeayouth，withabeardlessfaceandhollowcheeks，accostedthem。\"FortheloveofChrist，gentlemen，\"hesaid，\"helpme！\"
\"AreyouaGerman？\"askedBoleskey。
\"Yes，\"saidtheyouth。
\"Thenyoumayrot！\"
\"Master，lookhere！\"Tearingopenhiscoat，theyouthdisplayedhisskin，andaleatherbeltdrawntightroundit。AgainSwithinfeltthatdesiretotaketohisheels。Hewasfilledwithhorridforebodings——asenseofperpendingintimacywiththingssuchasnogentlemanhaddealingswith。
TheHungariancrossedhimself。\"Brother，\"hesaidtotheyouth，\"comeyouin！\"
Swithinlookedatthemaskance，andfollowed。Byadimlighttheygropedtheirwayupsomestairsintoalargeroom，intowhichthemoonwasshiningthroughawindowbulgingoverthestreet。Alampburnedlow;therewasasmellofspiritsandtobacco，withafaint，peculiarscent，asofroseleaves。Inonecornerstoodaczymbal，inanotheragreatpileofnewspapers。Onthewallhungsomeold—
fashionedpistols，andarosaryofyellowbeads。Everythingwastidilyarranged，butdusty。Nearanopenfireplacewasatablewiththeremainsofameal。Theceiling，floor，andwallswereallofdarkwood。Inspiteofthestrangedisharmony，theroomhadasortofrefinement。TheHungariantookabottleoutofacupboardand，fillingsomeglasses，handedonetoSwithin。Swithinputitgingerlytohisnose。’Youneverknowyourluck！Come！’hethought，tiltingitslowlyintohismouth。Itwasthick，toosweet，butofafineflavour。
\"Brothers！\"saidtheHungarian，refilling，\"yourhealths！\"
Theyouthtossedoffhiswine。AndSwithinthistimedidthesame;
hepitiedthispoordevilofayouthnow。\"Comeroundto—morrow！\"hesaid，\"I’llgiveyouashirtortwo。\"Whentheyouthwasgone，however，herememberedwithreliefthathehadnotgivenhisaddress。
’Betterso，’hereflected。’Ahumbug，nodoubt。’
\"Whatwasthatyousaidtohim？\"heaskedoftheHungarian。
\"Isaid，\"answeredBoLeskey，\"’Youhaveeatenanddrunk;andnowyouaremyenemy！’\"
\"Quiteright！\"saidSwithin，\"quiteright！Abeggariseveryman’senemy。\"
\"Youdonotunderstand，\"theHungarianrepliedpolitely。\"Whilehewasabeggar——I，too，havehadtobeg\"（Swithinthought，’GoodGod！
thisisawful！’），\"butnowthatheisnolongerhungry，whatishebutaGerman？NoAustriandogsoilsmyfloors！\"
Hisnostrils，asitseemedtoSwithin，haddistendedinanunpleasantfashion;andawhollyunnecessaryraucousnessinvadedhisvoice。\"I
amanexile——allofmybloodareexiles。ThoseGodlessdogs！\"
Swithinhurriedlyassented。
Ashespoke，afacepeepedinatthedoor。
\"Rozsi！\"saidtheHungarian。Ayounggirlcamein。Shewasrathershort，withadeliciouslyroundfigureandathickplaitofhair。
Shesmiled，andshowedhereventeeth;herlittle，bright，wide—setgreyeyesglancedfromonemantotheother。Herfacewasround，too，highinthecheekbones，thecolourofwildroses，withbrowsthathadatwist—upatthecorners。Withagestureofalarm，sheputherhandtohercheek，andcalled，\"Margit！\"Anoldergirlappeared，taller，withfineshoulders，largeeyes，aprettymouth，andwhatSwithindescribedtohimselfafterwardsasa\"pudding\"nose。Bothgirls，withlittlecooingsounds，beganattendingtotheirfather’sface。
Swithinturnedhisbacktothem。Hisarmpainedhim。
’Thisiswhatcomesofinterfering，’hethoughtsulkily;’Imighthavehadmyneckbroken！’Suddenlyasoftpalmwasplacedinhis，twoeyes，half—fascinated，half—shy，lookedathim;thenavoicecalled，\"Rozsi！\"thedoorwasslammed，hewasaloneagainwiththeHungarian，harassedbyasenseofsoftdisturbance。
\"Yourdaughter’snameisRosy？\"hesaid;\"wehaveitinEngland——fromrose，aflower。\"
\"Rozsi（Rozgi），\"theHungarianreplied;\"yourEnglishisahardtongue，harderthanFrench，German，orCzechish，harderthanRussian，orRoumanian——Iknownomore。\"
\"What？\"saidSwithin，\"sixlanguages？\"Privatelyhethought，’Heknowshowtolie，anyway。’
\"Ifyoulivedinacountrylikemine，\"mutteredtheHungarian，\"withallmen’shandsagainstyou！Afreepeople——dying——butnotdead！\"
Swithincouldnotimaginewhathewastalkingof。Thisman’sface，withitslinenbandage，gloomyeyes，andgreatblackwispsofbeard，hisfiercemutterings，andhollowcough，wereallmostunpleasant。
Heseemedtobesufferingfromsomekindofmentaldog—bite。Hisemotionindeedappearedsoindecent，souncontrolledandopen，thatitsobvioussincerityproducedasortofaweinSwithin。Itwaslikebeingforcedtolookintoafurnace。Boleskeystoppedroamingupanddown。\"Youthinkit’sover？\"hesaid;\"Itellyou，inthebreastofeachoneofusMagyarsthereisahell。Whatissweeterthanlife？
Whatismoresacredthaneachbreathwedraw？Ah！mycountry！\"
Thesewordswereutteredsoslowly，withsuchintensemournfulness，thatSwithin’sjawrelaxed;heconvertedthemovementtoayawn。
\"Tellme，\"saidBoleskey，\"whatwouldyoudoiftheFrenchconqueredyou？\"
Swithinsmiled。Thensuddenly，asthoughsomethinghadhurthim，hegrunted，\"The’Froggies’？Let’emtry！\"
\"Drink！\"saidBoleskey——\"thereisnothinglikeit\";hefilledSwithin’sglass。\"Iwilltellyoumystory。\"
Swithinrosehurriedly。\"It’slate，\"hesaid。\"Thisisgoodstuff，though;haveyoumuchofit？\"
\"Itisthelastbottle。\"
\"What？\"saidSwithin;\"andyougaveittoabeggar？\"
\"MynameisBoleskey——Stefan，\"theHungariansaid，raisinghishead;
\"oftheKomornBoleskeys。\"Thesimplicityofthisphrase——aswhoshallsay:Whatneedoffurtherdescription？——madeanimpressiononSwithin;hestoppedtolisten。Boleskey’sstorywentonandon。
\"Thereweremanyabuses，\"boomedhisdeepvoice，\"muchwrongdone——
muchcowardice。Icouldseecloudsgathering——rollingoverourplains。TheAustrianwishedtostranglethebreathofourmouths——totakefromustheshadowofourliberty——theshadow——allwehad。Twoyearsago——theyearof’48，wheneverymanandboyansweredthegreatvoice——brother，adog’slife！——touseapenwhenallofyourbloodarefighting，butitwasdecreedforme！Mysonwaskilled;mybrotherstaken——andmyselfwasthrownoutlikeadog——Ihadwrittenoutmyheart，Ihadwrittenoutallthebloodthatwasinmybody！\"
Heseemedtotower，agauntshadowofaman，withgloomy，flickeringeyesstaringatthewall。
Swithinrose，andstammered，\"Muchobliged——veryinteresting。\"
Boleskeymadenoefforttodetainhim，butcontinuedstaringatthewall。\"Good—night！\"saidSwithin，andstampedheavilydownstairs。
III
WhenatlastSwithinreachedtheGoldeneAlp，hefoundhisbrotherandfriendstandinguneasilyatthedoor。Traquair，aprematurelydried—upman，withwhiskersandaScotchaccent，remarked，\"Ye’reairly，man！\"Swithingrowledsomethingunintelligible，andswunguptobed。Hediscoveredaslightcutonhisarm。Hewasinasavagetemper——theelementshadconspiredtoshowhimthingshedidnotwanttosee;yetnowandthenamemoryofRozsi，ofhersoftpalminhis，asenseofhavingbeenstrokedandflattered，cameoverhim。DuringbreakfastnextmorninghisbrotherandTraquairannouncedtheirintentionofmovingon。JamesForsyte，indeed，remarkedthatitwasnoplacefora\"collector，\"sinceallthe\"old\"shopswereinthehandsofJewsorverygraspingpersons——hehaddiscoveredthisatonce。Swithinpushedhiscupaside。\"Youmaydowhatyoulike，\"hesaid，\"I’mstayinghere。\"
JamesForsytereplied，tumblingoverhisownwords:\"Why！whatdoyouwanttostayherefor？There’snothingforyoutodohere——there’snothingtoseehere，unlessyougouptheCitadel，an’youwon’tdothat。\"
Swithingrowled，\"Whosaysso？\"Havinggratifiedhisperversity，hefeltinabettertemper。Hehadslunghisarminasilksash，andaccountedforitbysayinghehadslipped。Laterhewentoutandwalkedontothebridge。Inthebrilliantsunshinespireswereglisteningagainstthepearlybackgroundofthehills;thetownhadaclean，joyousair。SwithinglancedattheCitadelandthought，’Looksastrongplace！Shouldn’twonderifitwereimpregnable！’Andthisforsomeoccultreasongavehimpleasure。ItoccurredtohimsuddenlytogoandlookfortheHungarian’shouse。
Aboutnoon，afterahuntoftwohours，hewasgazingabouthimblankly，palewithheat，butmoreobstinatethanever，whenavoiceabovehimcalled，\"Mister！\"HelookedupandsawRozsi。Shewasleaningherroundchinonherroundhand，gazingdownathimwithherdeepset，clevereyes。WhenSwithinremovedhishat，sheclappedherhands。Againhehadthesenseofbeingadmired，caressed。Withacarelessair，thatsatgrotesquelyonhistallsquareperson，hewalkeduptothedoor;bothgirlsstoodinthepassage。Swithinfeltaconfuseddesiretospeakinsomeforeigntongue。\"Maam’selles，\"hebegan，\"er——bongjour—er，yourfather——pare，comment？\"
\"WealsospeakEnglish，\"saidtheeldergirl;\"willyoucomein，please？\"
Swithinswallowedamisgiving，andentered。Theroomhadawornappearancebydaylight，asifithadalwaysbeenthenestoftragicorvividlives。Hesatdown，andhiseyessaid:\"Iamastranger，butdon’ttrytogetthebetterofme，please——thatisimpossible。\"
Thegirlslookedathiminsilence。Rozsiworearathershortskirtofblackstuff，awhiteshirt，andacrosshershouldersanembroideredyoke;hersisterwasdressedindarkgreen，withacoralnecklace;bothgirlshadtheirhairinplaits。AfteraminuteRozsitouchedthesleeveofhishurtarm。
\"It’snothing！\"mutteredSwithin。
\"Fatherfoughtwithachair，butyouhadnochair，\"shesaidinawonderingvoice。
Hedoubledthefistofhissoundarmandstruckablowatspace。Tohisamazementshebegantolaugh。Nettledatthis，heputhishandbeneaththeheavytableandliftedit。Rozsiclappedherhands。\"AhInowIsee——howstrongyouare！\"Shemadehimacurtseyandwhiskedroundtothewindow。Hefoundthequickintelligenceofhereyesconfusing;sometimestheyseemedtolookbeyondhimatsomethinginvisible——this，too，confusedhim。FromMargithelearnedthattheyhadbeentwoyearsinEngland，wheretheirfatherhadmadehislivingbyteachinglanguages;theyhadnowbeenayearinSalzburg。
\"Wewait，\"suddenlysaid。Rozsi;andMargit，withasolemnface，repeated，\"Wewait。\"
Swithin’seyesswelledalittlewithhisdesiretoseewhattheywerewaitingfor。Howqueertheywere，withtheireyesthatgazedbeyondhim！Helookedattheirfigures。’Shewouldpayfordressing，’hethought，andhetriedtoimagineRozsiinaskirtwithproperflounces，athinwaist，andhairdrawnbackoverherears。Shewouldpayfordressing，withthatsupplefigure，fluffyhair，andlittlehands！Andinstantlyhisownhands，face，andclothesdisturbedhim。
Hegotup，examinedthepistolsonthewall，andfeltresentmentatthefaded，dustyroom。’Smellslikeapot—house！’hethought。HesatdownagainclosetoRozsi。
\"Doyoulovetodance？\"sheasked;\"todanceistolive。Firstyouhearthemusic——howyourfeetitch！Itiswonderful！Youbeginslow，quick——quicker;youfly——youknownothing——yourfeetareintheair。Itiswonderful！\"
AslowflushhadmountedintoSwithin’sface。
\"Ah！\"continuedRozsi，hereyesfixedonhim，\"whenIamdancing——outthereIseetheplains——yourfeetgoone——two——three——quick，quick，quick，quicker——youfly。\"
Shestretchedherself，ashiverseemedtopassalldownher。
\"Margit！dance！\"and，toSwithin’sconsternation，thetwogirls——
theirhandsoneachother’sshoulders——beganshufflingtheirfeetandswayingtoandfro。Theirheadswerethrownback，theireyeshalf—
closed;suddenlythestepquickened，theyswungtooneside，thentotheother，andbeganwhirlingroundinfrontofhim。Thesuddenfragranceofroseleavesenvelopedhim。Roundtheyflewagain。
Whiletheywerestilldancing，Boleskeycameintotheroom。HecaughtSwithinbybothhands。
\"Brother，welcome！Ah！yourarmishurt！Idonotforget。\"Hisyellowfaceanddeep—seteyesexpressedadignifiedgratitude。\"LetmeintroducetoyoumyfriendBaronKasteliz。\"
Swithinbowedtoamanwithasmallforehead，whohadappearedsoftly，andstoodwithhisglovedhandstouchinghiswaist。Swithinconceivedasuddenaversionforthiscatlikeman。AboutBoleskeytherewasthatwhichmadecontemptimpossible——thesenseofcomradeshipbegotteninthefight;theman’sheight;somethingloftyandsavageinhisface;andanobscureinstinctthatitwouldnotpaytoshowdistaste;butthisKasteliz，withhisneatjaw，lowbrow，andvelvety，volcaniclook，excitedhisproperEnglishanimosity。\"Yourfriendsaremine，\"murmuredKasteliz。Hespokewithsuavity，andhissedhiss’s。Along，vibratingtwangquaveredthroughtheroom。
SwithinturnedandsawRozsisittingattheczymbal;thenotesrangunderthelittlehammersinherhands，incessant，metallic，risingandfallingwiththatstrangemelody。Kastelizhadfixedhisglowingeyesonher;Boleskey，noddinghishead，wasstaringatthefloor;
Margit，withapaleface，stoodlikeastatue。
’Whatcantheyseeinit？’thoughtSwithin;’it’snotatune。’Hetookuphishat。Rozsisawhimandstopped;herlipshadpartedwithafaintlydismayedexpression。Hissenseofpersonalinjurydiminished;heevenfeltalittlesorryforher。Shejumpedupfromherseatandtwirledroundwithapout。AninspirationseizedonSwithin。\"Comeanddinewithme，\"hesaidtoBoleskey，\"to—morrow——
theGoldeneAlp——bringyourfriend。\"Hefelttheeyesofthewholeroomonhim——theHungarian’sfineeyes;Margit’swideglance;thenarrow，hotgazeofKasteliz;andlastly——Rozsi’s。Aglowofsatisfactionrandownhisspine。Whenheemergedintothestreethethoughtgloomily，’NowI’vedoneit！’Andnotforsomepacesdidhelookround;then，withaforcedsmile，turnedandremovedhishattothefacesatthewindow。