Granicestoppedspeakingandlookedacrossthesmoke-fumesathislistener；butDenver\'sfaceremainedinscrutable。
Atlengthhesaid：“Whydidyouwanttotellmethis？”
ThequestionstartledGranice。Hewasabouttoexplain，ashehadexplainedtoAscham；butsuddenlyitoccurredtohimthatifhismotivehadnotseemedconvincingtothelawyeritwouldcarrymuchlessweightwithDenver。Bothweresuccessfulmen，andsuccessdoesnotunderstandthesubtleagonyoffailure。Granicecastaboutforanotherreason。
“Why，I——thethinghauntsme……remorse，Isupposeyou\'dcallit……“
Denverstrucktheashesfromhisemptypipe。
“Remorse？Bosh！”hesaidenergetically。
Granice\'sheartsank。“Youdon\'tbelievein——REMORSE？”
“Notanatom：inthemanofaction。Themerefactofyourtalkingofremorseprovestomethatyou\'renotthemantohaveplannedandputthroughsuchajob。“
Granicegroaned。“Well——Iliedtoyouaboutremorse。I\'veneverfeltany。“
Denver\'slipstightenedscepticallyabouthisfreshly-filledpipe。“Whatwasyourmotive，then？Youmusthavehadone。“
“I\'lltellyou——“AndGranicebeganagaintorehearsethestoryofhisfailure，ofhisloathingforlife。“Don\'tsayyoudon\'tbelievemethistime……thatthisisn\'tarealreason！”hestammeredoutpiteouslyasheended。
Denvermeditated。“No，Iwon\'tsaythat。I\'veseentoomanyqueerthings。There\'salwaysareasonforwantingtogetoutoflife——thewonderisthatwefindsomanyforstayingin！”
Granice\'sheartgrewlight。“ThenyouDObelieveme？”hefaltered。
“Believethatyou\'resickofthejob？Yes。Andthatyouhaven\'tthenervetopullthetrigger？Oh，yes——that\'seasyenough，too。
Butallthatdoesn\'tmakeyouamurderer——thoughIdon\'tsayitprovesyoucouldneverhavebeenone。“
“IHAVEbeenone，Denver——Isweartoyou。“
“Perhaps。“Hemeditated。“Justtellmeoneortwothings。“
“Oh，goahead。Youwon\'tstumpme！”Graniceheardhimselfsaywithalaugh。
“Well——howdidyoumakeallthosetrialtripswithoutexcitingyoursister\'scuriosity？Iknewyournighthabitsprettywellatthattime，remember。Youwereveryseldomoutlate。Didn\'tthechangeinyourwayssurpriseher？”
“No；becauseshewasawayatthetime。ShewenttopayseveralvisitsinthecountrysoonafterwecamebackfromWrenfield，andwasonlyintownforanightortwobefore——beforeIdidthejob。“
“Andthatnightshewenttobedearlywithaheadache？”
“Yes——blinding。Shedidn\'tknowanythingwhenshehadthatkind。
Andherroomwasatthebackoftheflat。“
Denveragainmeditated。“Andwhenyougotback——shedidn\'thearyou？Yougotinwithoutherknowingit？”
“Yes。Iwentstraighttomywork——tookitupatthewordwhereI\'dleftoff——WHY，DENVER，DON\'TYOUREMEMBER？”Granicesuddenly，passionatelyinterjected。
“Remember——？”
“Yes；howyoufoundme——whenyoulookedinthatmorning，betweentwoandthree……yourusualhour……？”
“Yes，“theeditornodded。
Granicegaveashortlaugh。“Inmyoldcoat——withmypipe：
lookedasifI\'dbeenworkingallnight，didn\'tI？Well，I
hadn\'tbeeninmychairtenminutes！”
Denveruncrossedhislegsandthencrossedthemagain。“Ididn\'tknowwhetherYOUrememberedthat。“
“What？”
“Mycominginthatparticularnight——ormorning。“
Graniceswungroundinhischair。“Why，manalive！That\'swhyI\'mherenow。Becauseitwasyouwhospokeformeattheinquest，whentheylookedroundtoseewhatalltheoldman\'sheirshadbeendoingthatnight——youwhotestifiedtohavingdroppedinandfoundmeatmydeskasusual……IthoughtTHATwouldappealtoyourjournalisticsenseifnothingelsewould！”
Denversmiled。“Oh，myjournalisticsenseisstillsusceptibleenough——andtheidea\'spicturesque，Igrantyou：askingthemanwhoprovedyouralibitoestablishyourguilt。“
“That\'sit——that\'sit！”Granice\'slaughhadaringoftriumph。
“Well，buthowabouttheotherchap\'stestimony——Imeanthatyoungdoctor：whatwashisname？NedRanney。Don\'tyouremembermytestifyingthatI\'dmethimattheelevatedstation，andtoldhimIwasonmywaytosmokeapipewithyou，andhissaying：
\'Allright；you\'llfindhimin。Ipassedthehousetwohoursago，andsawhisshadowagainsttheblind，asusual。\'Andtheladywiththetoothacheintheflatacrosstheway：shecorroboratedhisstatement，youremember。“
“Yes；Iremember。“
Well，then？”
“Simpleenough。BeforestartingIriggedupakindofmannikinwitholdcoatsandacushion——somethingtocastashadowontheblind。Allyoufellowswereusedtoseeingmyshadowthereinthesmallhours——Icountedonthat，andknewyou\'dtakeanyvagueoutlineasmine。“
“Simpleenough，asyousay。Butthewomanwiththetoothachesawtheshadowmove——youremembershesaidshesawyousinkforward，asifyou\'dfallenasleep。“
“Yes；andshewasright。ItDIDmove。Isupposesomeextra-
heavydraymusthavejoltedbytheflimsybuilding——atanyrate，somethinggavemymannikinajar，andwhenIcamebackhehadsunkforward，halfoverthetable。“
Therewasalongsilencebetweenthetwomen。Granice，withathrobbingheart，watchedDenverrefillhispipe。Theeditor，atanyrate，didnotsneerandflouthim。Afterall，journalismgaveadeeperinsightthanthelawintothefantasticpossibilitiesoflife，preparedonebettertoallowfortheincalculablenessofhumanimpulses。
“Well？”Granicefalteredout。
Denverstoodupwithashrug。“Lookhere，man——what\'swrongwithyou？Makeacleanbreastofit！Nervesgonetosmash？I\'dliketotakeyoutoseeachapIknow——anex-prize-fighter——who\'sawonderatpullingfellowsinyourstateoutoftheirhole——“
“Oh，oh——“Granicebrokein。Hestoodupalso，andthetwomeneyedeachother。“Youdon\'tbelieveme，then？”
“Thisyarn——howcanI？Therewasn\'taflawinyouralibi。“
“Buthaven\'tIfilleditfullofthemnow？”
Denvershookhishead。“ImightthinksoifIhadn\'thappenedtoknowthatyouWANTEDto。There\'sthehitch，don\'tyousee？”
Granicegroaned。“No，Ididn\'t。Youmeanmywantingtobefoundguilty——？”
“Ofcourse！Ifsomebodyelsehadaccusedyou，thestorymighthavebeenworthlookinginto。Asitis，achildcouldhaveinventedit。Itdoesn\'tdomuchcredittoyouringenuity。“
Graniceturnedsullenlytowardthedoor。Whatwastheuseofarguing？Butonthethresholdasuddenimpulsedrewhimback。
“Lookhere，Denver——Idaresayyou\'reright。Butwillyoudojustonethingtoproveit？PutmystatementintheInvestigator，justasI\'vemadeit。Ridiculeitasmuchasyoulike。Onlygivetheotherfellowsachanceatit——menwhodon\'tknowanythingaboutme。Setthemtalkingandlookingabout。Idon\'tcareadamnwhetherYOUbelieveme——whatIwantistoconvincetheGrandJury！Ioughtn\'ttohavecometoamanwhoknowsme——
yourcursedincredulityisinfectious。Idon\'tputmycasewell，becauseIknowinadvanceit\'sdiscredited，andIalmostendbynotbelievingitmyself。That\'swhyIcan\'tconvinceYOU。It\'saviciouscircle。“HelaidahandonDenver\'sarm。“Sendastenographer，andputmystatementinthepaper。
ButDenverdidnotwarmtotheidea。“Mydearfellow，youseemtoforgetthatalltheevidencewasprettythoroughlysiftedatthetime，everypossiblecluefollowedup。ThepublicwouldhavebeenreadyenoughthentobelievethatyoumurderedoldLenman——
youoranybodyelse。Alltheywantedwasamurderer——themostimprobablewouldhaveserved。Butyouralibiwastooconfoundedlycomplete。Andnothingyou\'vetoldmehasshakenit。“Denverlaidhiscoolhandovertheother\'sburningfingers。
“Lookhere，oldfellow，gohomeandworkupabettercase——thencomeinandsubmitittotheInvestigator。“
IV
TheperspirationwasrollingoffGranice\'sforehead。Everyfewminuteshehadtodrawouthishandkerchiefandwipethemoisturefromhishaggardface。
Foranhourandahalfhehadbeentalkingsteadily，puttinghiscasetotheDistrictAttorney。LuckilyhehadaspeakingacquaintancewithAllonby，andhadobtained，withoutmuchdifficulty，aprivateaudienceontheverydayafterhistalkwithRobertDenver。Intheintervalbetweenhehadhurriedhome，gotoutofhiseveningclothes，andgoneforthagainatonceintothedrearydawn。HisfearofAschamandthealienistmadeitimpossibleforhimtoremaininhisrooms。Anditseemedtohimthattheonlywayofavertingthathideousperilwasbyestablishing，insomesaneimpartialmind，theproofofhisguilt。Evenifhehadnotbeensoincurablysickoflife，theelectricchairseemednowtheonlyalternativetothestrait-
jacket。
AshepausedtowipehisforeheadhesawtheDistrictAttorneyglanceathiswatch。Thegesturewassignificant，andGraniceliftedanappealinghand。“Idon\'texpectyoutobelievemenow——
butcan\'tyouputmeunderarrest，andhavethethinglookedinto？”
Allonbysmiledfaintlyunderhisheavygrayishmoustache。Hehadaruddyface，fullandjovial，inwhichhiskeenprofessionaleyesseemedtokeepwatchoverimpulsesnotstrictlyprofessional。
“Well，Idon\'tknowthatweneedlockyouupjustyet。ButofcourseI\'mboundtolookintoyourstatement——“
Granicerosewithanexquisitesenseofrelief。SurelyAllonbywouldn\'thavesaidthatifhehadn\'tbelievedhim！
“That\'sallright。ThenIneedn\'tdetainyou。Icanbefoundatanytimeatmyapartment。“Hegavetheaddress。
TheDistrictAttorneysmiledagain，moreopenly。“Whatdoyousaytoleavingitforanhourortwothisevening？I\'mgivingalittlesupperatRector\'s——quiet，littleaffair，youunderstand：
justMissMelrose——Ithinkyouknowher——andafriendortwo；andifyou\'lljoinus……“
Granicestumbledoutoftheofficewithoutknowingwhatreplyhehadmade。
Hewaitedforfourdays——fourdaysofconcentratedhorror。
Duringthefirsttwenty-fourhoursthefearofAscham\'salienistdoggedhim；andasthatsubsided，itwasreplacedbytheexasperatingsensethathisavowalhadmadenoimpressionontheDistrictAttorney。Evidently，ifhehadbeengoingtolookintothecase，Allonbywouldhavebeenheardfrombeforenow……
Andthatmockinginvitationtosuppershowedclearlyenoughhowlittlethestoryhadimpressedhim！
Granicewasovercomebythefutilityofanyfartherattempttoinculpatehimself。Hewaschainedtolife——a“prisonerofconsciousness。“Wherewasithehadreadthephrase？Well，hewaslearningwhatitmeant。Intheglaringnight-hours，whenhisbrainseemedablaze，hewasvisitedbyasenseofhisfixedidentity，ofhisirreducible，inexpugnableSELFNESS，keener，moreinsidious，moreunescapable，thananysensationhehadeverknown。Hehadnotguessedthatthemindwascapableofsuchintricaciesofself-realization，ofpenetratingsodeepintoitsowndarkwindings。Oftenhewokefromhisbriefsnatchesofsleepwiththefeelingthatsomethingmaterialwasclingingtohim，wasonhishandsandface，andinhisthroat——andashisbrainclearedheunderstoodthatitwasthesenseofhisownloathedpersonalitythatstucktohimlikesomethickviscoussubstance。
Then，inthefirstmorninghours，hewouldriseandlookoutofhiswindowattheawakeningactivitiesofthestreet——atthestreet-cleaners，theash-cartdrivers，andtheotherdingyworkersflittinghurriedlybythroughthesallowwinterlight。
Oh，tobeoneofthem——anyofthem——totakehischanceinanyoftheirskins！Theywerethetoilers——themenwhoselotwaspitied——thevictimsweptoverandrantedaboutbyaltruistsandeconomists；andhowgladlyhewouldhavetakenuptheloadofanyoneofthem，ifonlyhemighthaveshakenoffhisown！But，no——
theironcircleofconsciousnessheldthemtoo：eachonewashand-cuffedtohisownhideousego。Whywishtobeanyonemanratherthananother？Theonlyabsolutegoodwasnottobe……
AndFlint，comingintodrawhisbath，wouldaskifhepreferredhiseggsscrambledorpoachedthatmorning？
OnthefifthdayhewrotealongurgentlettertoAllonby；andforthesucceedingtwodayshehadtheoccupationofwaitingforananswer。Hehardlystirredfromhisrooms，inhisfearofmissingtheletterbyamoment；butwouldtheDistrictAttorneywrite，orsendarepresentative：apoliceman，a“secretagent，“
orsomeothermysteriousemissaryofthelaw？
OnthethirdmorningFlint，steppingsoftly——asif，confoundit！
hismasterwereill——enteredthelibrarywhereGranicesatbehindanunreadnewspaper，andproferredacardonatray。
Granicereadthename——J。B。Hewson——andunderneath，inpencil，“FromtheDistrictAttorney\'soffice。“Hestartedupwithathumpingheart，andsignedanassenttotheservant。
Mr。Hewsonwasaslightsallownondescriptmanofaboutfifty——
thekindofmanofwhomoneissuretoseeaspecimeninanycrowd。“Justthetypeofthesuccessfuldetective，“Granicereflectedasheshookhandswithhisvisitor。
AnditwasinthatcharacterthatMr。Hewsonbrieflyintroducedhimself。HehadbeensentbytheDistrictAttorneytohave“aquiettalk“withMr。Granice——toaskhimtorepeatthestatementhehadmadeabouttheLenmanmurder。
Hismannerwassoquiet，soreasonableandreceptive，thatGranice\'sself-confidencereturned。Herewasasensibleman——amanwhoknewhisbusiness——itwouldbeeasyenoughtomakeHIM
seethroughthatridiculousalibi！GraniceofferedMr。Hewsonacigar，andlightingonehimself——toprovehiscoolness——beganagaintotellhisstory。
Hewasconscious，asheproceeded，oftellingitbetterthaneverbefore。Practicehelped，nodoubt；andhislistener\'sdetached，impartialattitudehelpedstillmore。HecouldseethatHewson，atleast，hadnotdecidedinadvancetodisbelievehim，andthesenseofbeingtrustedmadehimmorelucidandmoreconsecutive。
Yes，thistimehiswordswouldcertainlycarryconviction……
V
Despairingly，Granicegazedupanddowntheshabbystreet。
Besidehimstoodayoungmanwithbrightprominenteyes，asmoothbutnottoosmoothly-shavenface，andanIrishsmile。Theyoungman\'snimbleglancefollowedGranice\'s。
“Sureofthenumber，areyou？”heaskedbriskly。
“Oh，yes——itwas104。“
“Well，then，thenewbuildinghasswalloweditup——that\'scertain。“
Hetiltedhisheadbackandsurveyedthehalf-finishedfrontofabrickandlimestoneflat-housethatreareditsflimsyeleganceabovearowoftotteringtenementsandstables。
“Deadsure？”herepeated。
“Yes，“saidGranice，discouraged。“AndevenifIhadn\'tbeen，I
knowthegaragewasjustoppositeLeffler\'soverthere。“Hepointedacrossthestreettoatumble-downstablewithablotchedsignonwhichthewords“LiveryandBoarding“werestillfaintlydiscernible。
Theyoungmandashedacrosstotheoppositepavement。“Well，that\'ssomething——maygetacluethere。Leffler\'s——samenamethere，anyhow。Yourememberthatname？”
“Yes——distinctly。“
GranicehadfeltareturnofconfidencesincehehadenlistedtheinterestoftheExplorer\'s“smartest“reporter。Ifthereweremomentswhenhehardlybelievedhisownstory，therewereotherswhenitseemedimpossiblethateveryoneshouldnotbelieveit；
andyoungPeterMcCarren，peering，listening，questioning，jottingdownnotes，inspiredhimwithanexquisitesenseofsecurity。McCarrenhadfastenedonthecaseatonce，“likealeech，“ashephrasedit——jumpedatit，thrilledtoit，andsettleddownto“drawthelastdropoffactfromit，andhadnotletgotillhehad。“NooneelsehadtreatedGraniceinthatway——evenAllonby\'sdetectivehadnottakenasinglenote。Andthoughaweekhadelapsedsincethevisitofthatauthorizedofficial，nothinghadbeenheardfromtheDistrictAttorney\'soffice：Allonbyhadapparentlydroppedthematteragain。ButMcCarrenwasn\'tgoingtodropit——nothe！HepositivelyhungonGranice\'sfootsteps。Theyhadspentthegreaterpartofthepreviousdaytogether，andnowtheywereoffagain，runningdownclues。
ButatLeffler\'stheygotnone，afterall。Leffler\'swasnolongerastable。Itwascondemnedtodemolition，andintherespitebetweensentenceandexecutionithadbecomeavagueplaceofstorage，ahospitalforbroken-downcarriagesandcarts，presidedoverbyablear-eyedoldwomanwhoknewnothingofFlood\'sgarageacrosstheway——didnotevenrememberwhathadstoodtherebeforethenewflat-housebegantorise。
“Well——wemayrunLefflerdownsomewhere；I\'veseenharderjobsdone，“saidMcCarren，cheerfullynotingdownthename。
AstheywalkedbacktowardSixthAvenueheadded，inalesssanguinetone：“I\'dundertakenowtoputthethingthroughifyoucouldonlyputmeonthetrackofthatcyanide。“
Granice\'sheartsank。Yes——therewastheweakspot；hehadfeltitfromthefirst！ButhestillhopedtoconvinceMcCarrenthathiscasewasstrongenoughwithoutit；andheurgedthereportertocomebacktohisroomsandsumupthefactswithhimagain。
“Sorry，Mr。Granice，butI\'mdueattheofficenow。Besides，it\'dbenousetillIgetsomefreshstufftoworkon。SupposeI
callyouuptomorrowornextday？”
HeplungedintoatrolleyandleftGranicegazingdesolatelyafterhim。
Twodayslaterhereappearedattheapartment，ashadelessjauntyindemeanor。
“Well，Mr。Granice，thestarsintheircoursesareagainstyou，asthebardsays。Can\'tgetatraceofFlood，orofLefflereither。AndyousayyouboughtthemotorthroughFlood，andsolditthroughhim，too？”
“Yes，“saidGranicewearily。
“Whoboughtit，doyouknow？”
Granicewrinkledhisbrows。“Why，Flood——yes，Floodhimself。I
solditbacktohimthreemonthslater。“
“Flood？Thedevil！AndI\'veransackedthetownforFlood。Thatkindofbusinessdisappearsasiftheearthhadswallowedit。“
Granice，discouraged，keptsilence。
“Thatbringsusbacktothepoison，“McCarrencontinued，hisnote-bookout。“Justgooverthatagain，willyou？”
AndGranicewentoveritagain。Ithadallbeensosimpleatthetime——andhehadbeensocleverincoveringuphistraces！Assoonashedecidedonpoisonhelookedaboutforanacquaintancewhomanufacturedchemicals；andtherewasJimDawes，aHarvardclassmate，inthedyeingbusiness——justtheman。Butatthelastmomentitoccurredtohimthatsuspicionmightturntowardsoobviousanopportunity，andhedecidedonamoretortuouscourse。
Anotherfriend，CarrickVenn，astudentofmedicinewhomirremediableill-healthhadkeptfromthepracticeofhisprofession，amusedhisleisurewithexperimentsinphysics，fortheexerciseofwhichhehadsetupasimplelaboratory。GranicehadthehabitofdroppingintosmokeacigarwithhimonSundayafternoons，andthefriendsgenerallysatinVenn\'swork-shop，atthebackoftheoldfamilyhouseinStuyvesantSquare。Offthiswork-shopwasthecupboardofsupplies，withitsrowofdeadlybottles。CarrickVennwasanoriginal，amanofrestlesscurioustastes，andhisplace，onaSunday，wasoftenfullofvisitors：acheerfulcrowdofjournalists，scribblers，painters，experimentersindiversformsofexpression。Comingandgoingamongsomany，itwaseasyenoughtopassunperceived；andoneafternoonGranice，arrivingbeforeVennhadreturnedhome，foundhimselfaloneinthework-shop，andquicklyslippingintothecupboard，transferredthedrugtohispocket。
Butthathadhappenedtenyearsago；andVenn，poorfellow，waslongsincedeadofhisdraggingailment。Hisoldfatherwasdead，too，thehouseinStuyvesantSquarehadbeenturnedintoaboarding-house，andtheshiftinglifeofNewYorkhadpasseditsrapidspongeovereverytraceoftheirobscurelittlehistory。
EventheoptimisticMcCarrenseemedtoacknowledgethehopelessnessofseekingforproofinthatdirection。
“Andthere\'sthethirddoorslammedinourfaces。“Heshuthisnote-book，andthrowingbackhishead，restedhisbrightinquisitiveeyesonGranice\'sfurrowedface。
“Lookhere，Mr。Granice——youseetheweakspot，don\'tyou？”
Theothermadeadespairingmotion。“Iseesomany！”
“Yes：buttheonethatweakensalltheothers。Whythedeucedoyouwantthisthingknown？Whydoyouwanttoputyourheadintothenoose？”
Granicelookedathimhopelessly，tryingtotakethemeasureofhisquicklightirreverentmind。Noonesofullofacheerfulanimallifewouldbelieveinthecravingfordeathasasufficientmotive；andGranicerackedhisbrainforonemoreconvincing。Butsuddenlyhesawthereporter\'sfacesoften，andmelttoanaivesentimentalism。
“Mr。Granice——hasthememoryofitalwayshauntedyou？”
Granicestaredamoment，andthenleaptattheopening。“That\'sit——thememoryofit……always……“
McCarrennoddedvehemently。“Doggedyoursteps，eh？Wouldn\'tletyousleep？ThetimecamewhenyouHADtomakeacleanbreastofit？”
“Ihadto。Can\'tyouunderstand？”
Thereporterstruckhisfistonthetable。“God，sir！Idon\'tsupposethere\'sahumanbeingwithadropofwarmbloodinhimthatcan\'tpicturethedeadlyhorrorsofremorse——“
TheCelticimaginationwasaflame，andGranicemutelythankedhimfortheword。WhatneitherAschamnorDenverwouldacceptasaconceivablemotivetheIrishreporterseizedonasthemostadequate；and，ashesaid，onceonecouldfindaconvincingmotive，thedifficultiesofthecasebecamesomanyincentivestoeffort。
“Remorse——REMORSE，“herepeated，rollingthewordunderhistonguewithanaccentthatwasacluetothepsychologyofthepopulardrama；andGranice，perversely，saidtohimself：“IfI
couldonlyhavestruckthatnoteIshouldhavebeenrunninginsixtheatresatonce。“
HesawthatfromthatmomentMcCarren\'sprofessionalzealwouldbefannedbyemotionalcuriosity；andheprofitedbythefacttoproposethattheyshoulddinetogether，andgoonafterwardtosomemusic-hallortheatre。ItwasbecomingnecessarytoGranicetofeelhimselfanobjectofpre-occupation，tofindhimselfinanothermind。HetookakindofgraypenumbralpleasureinrivetingMcCarren\'sattentiononhiscase；andtofeignthegrimacesofmoralanguishbecameapassionatelyengrossinggame。
Hehadnotenteredatheatreformonths；buthesatoutthemeaninglessperformanceinrigidtolerance，sustainedbythesenseofthereporter\'sobservation。
Betweentheacts，McCarrenamusedhimwithanecdotesabouttheaudience：hekneweveryonebysight，andcouldliftthecurtainfromeveryphysiognomy。Granicelistenedindulgently。Hehadlostallinterestinhiskind，butheknewthathewashimselftherealcentreofMcCarren\'sattention，andthateverywordthelatterspokehadanindirectbearingonhisownproblem。
“Seethatfellowoverthere——thelittledried-upmaninthethirdrow，pullinghismoustache？HISmemoirswouldbeworthpublishing，“McCarrensaidsuddenlyinthelastentr\'acte。
Granice，followinghisglance，recognizedthedetectivefromAllonby\'soffice。Foramomenthehadthethrillingsensethathewasbeingshadowed。
“Caesar，ifHEcouldtalk——！”McCarrencontinued。“Knowwhoheis，ofcourse？Dr。JohnB。Stell，thebiggestalienistinthecountry——“
Granice，withastart，bentagainbetweentheheadsinfrontofhim。“THATman——thefourthfromtheaisle？You\'remistaken。
That\'snotDr。Stell。“
McCarrenlaughed。“Well，IguessI\'vebeenincourtenoughtoknowStellwhenIseehim。Hetestifiesinnearlyallthebigcaseswheretheypleadinsanity。“
AcoldshiverrandownGranice\'sspine，butherepeatedobstinately：“That\'snotDr。Stell。“
“NotStell？Why，man，IKNOWhim。Look——herehecomes。Ifitisn\'tStell，hewon\'tspeaktome。“
Thelittledried-upmanwasmovingslowlyuptheaisle。AshenearedMcCarrenhemadeaslightgestureofrecognition。
“How\'do，DoctorStell？Prettyslimshow，ain\'tit？”thereportercheerfullyflungoutathim。AndMr。J。B。Hewson，withanodofamicableassent，passedon。
Granicesatbenumbed。Heknewhehadnotbeenmistaken——themanwhohadjustpassedwasthesamemanwhomAllonbyhadsenttoseehim：aphysiciandisguisedasadetective。Allonby，then，hadthoughthiminsane，liketheothers——hadregardedhisconfessionasthemaunderingofamaniac。ThediscoveryfrozeGranicewithhorror——heseemedtoseethemad-housegapingforhim。
“Isn\'tthereamanagooddeallikehim——adetectivenamedJ。B。
Hewson？”
ButheknewinadvancewhatMcCarren\'sanswerwouldbe。“Hewson？
J。B。Hewson？Neverheardofhim。ButthatwasJ。B。Stellfastenough——Iguesshecanbetrustedtoknowhimself，andyousawheansweredtohisname。“
VI
SomedayspassedbeforeGranicecouldobtainawordwiththeDistrictAttorney：hebegantothinkthatAllonbyavoidedhim。
ButwhentheywerefacetofaceAllonby\'sjovialcountenanceshowednosignofembarrassment。Hewavedhisvisitortoachair，andleanedacrosshisdeskwiththeencouragingsmileofaconsultingphysician。
Granicebrokeoutatonce：“Thatdetectiveyousentmetheotherday——“
Allonbyraisedadeprecatinghand。
“——Iknow：itwasStellthealienist。Whydidyoudothat，Allonby？”
Theother\'sfacedidnotloseitscomposure。“BecauseIlookedupyourstoryfirst——andthere\'snothinginit。“
“Nothinginit？”Granicefuriouslyinterposed。
“Absolutelynothing。Ifthereis，whythedeucedon\'tyoubringmeproofs？Iknowyou\'vebeentalkingtoPeterAscham，andtoDenver，andtothatlittleferretMcCarrenoftheExplorer。Haveanyofthembeenabletomakeoutacaseforyou？No。Well，whatamItodo？”
Granice\'slipsbegantotremble。“Whydidyouplaymethattrick？”
“AboutStell？Ihadto，mydearfellow：it\'spartofmybusiness。StellISadetective，ifyoucometothat——everydoctoris。“
ThetremblingofGranice\'slipsincreased，communicatingitselfinalongquivertohisfacialmuscles。Heforcedalaughthroughhisdrythroat。“Well——andwhatdidhedetect？”
“Inyou？Oh，hethinksit\'soverwork——overworkandtoomuchsmoking。Ifyoulookinonhimsomedayathisofficehe\'llshowyoutherecordofhundredsofcaseslikeyours，andadviseyouwhattreatmenttofollow。It\'soneofthecommonestformsofhallucination。Haveacigar，allthesame。“
“But，Allonby，Ikilledthatman！”
TheDistrictAttorney\'slargehand，outstretchedonhisdesk，hadanalmostimperceptiblegesture，andamomentlater，asifananswertothecallofanelectricbell，aclerklookedinfromtheouteroffice。
“Sorry，mydearfellow——lotofpeoplewaiting。DropinonStellsomemorning，“Allonbysaid，shakinghands。
McCarrenhadtoownhimselfbeaten：therewasabsolutelynoflawinthealibi。Andsincehisdutytohisjournalobviouslyforbadehiswastingtimeoninsolublemysteries，heceasedtofrequentGranice，whodroppedbackintoadeeperisolation。ForadayortwoafterhisvisittoAllonbyhecontinuedtoliveindreadofDr。Stell。WhymightnotAllonbyhavedeceivedhimastothealienist\'sdiagnosis？Whatifhewerereallybeingshadowed，notbyapoliceagentbutbyamad-doctor？Tohavethetruthout，hesuddenlydeterminedtocallonDr。Stell。
Thephysicianreceivedhimkindly，andrevertedwithoutembarrassmenttotheconditionsoftheirpreviousmeeting。“Wehavetodothatoccasionally，Mr。Granice；it\'soneofourmethods。AndyouhadgivenAllonbyafright。“
Granicewassilent。Hewouldhavelikedtoreaffirmhisguilt，toproducethefreshargumentswhichhadoccurredtohimsincehislasttalkwiththephysician；buthefearedhiseagernessmightbetakenforasymptomofderangement，andheaffectedtosmileawayDr。Stell\'sallusion。
“Youthink，then，it\'sacaseofbrain-fag——nothingmore？”
“Nothingmore。AndIshouldadviseyoutoknockofftobacco。
Yousmokeagooddeal，don\'tyou？”
Hedevelopedhistreatment，recommendingmassage，gymnastics，travel，oranyformofdiversionthatdidnot——thatinshort——
Graniceinterruptedhimimpatiently。“Oh，Iloatheallthat——andI\'msickoftravelling。“
“H\'m。Thensomelargerinterest——politics，reform，philanthropy？
Somethingtotakeyououtofyourself。“
“Yes。Iunderstand，“saidGranicewearily。
“Aboveall，don\'tloseheart。Iseehundredsofcaseslikeyours，“thedoctoraddedcheerfullyfromthethreshold。
OnthedoorstepGranicestoodstillandlaughed。Hundredsofcaseslikehis——thecaseofamanwhohadcommittedamurder，whoconfessedhisguilt，andwhomnoonewouldbelieve！Why，therehadneverbeenacaselikeitintheworld。WhatagoodfigureStellwouldhavemadeinaplay：thegreatalienistwhocouldn\'treadaman\'smindanybetterthanthat！
Granicesawhugecomicopportunitiesinthetype。
Butashewalkedaway，hisfearsdispelled，thesenseoflistlessnessreturnedonhim。ForthefirsttimesincehisavowaltoPeterAschamhefoundhimselfwithoutanoccupation，andunderstoodthathehadbeencarriedthroughthepastweeksonlybythenecessityofconstantaction。Nowhislifehadoncemorebecomeastagnantbackwater，andashestoodonthestreetcornerwatchingthetidesoftrafficsweepby，heaskedhimselfdespairinglyhowmuchlongerhecouldenduretofloataboutinthesluggishcircleofhisconsciousness。
Thethoughtofself-destructionrecurredtohim；butagainhisfleshrecoiled。Heyearnedfordeathfromotherhands，buthecouldnevertakeitfromhisown。And，asidefromhisinsuperablephysicalreluctance，anothermotiverestrainedhim。
Hewaspossessedbythedoggeddesiretoestablishthetruthofhisstory。Herefusedtobesweptasideasanirresponsibledreamer——evenifhehadtokillhimselfintheend，hewouldnotdosobeforeprovingtosocietythathehaddeserveddeathfromit。
Hebegantowritelongletterstothepapers；butafterthefirsthadbeenpublishedandcommentedon，publiccuriositywasquelledbyabriefstatementfromtheDistrictAttorney\'soffice，andtherestofhiscommunicationsremainedunprinted。Aschamcametoseehim，andbeggedhimtotravel。RobertDenverdroppedin，andtriedtojokehimoutofhisdelusion；tillGranice，mistrustfuloftheirmotives，begantodreadthereappearanceofDr。Stell，andsetaguardonhislips。Butthewordshekeptbackengenderedothersandstillothersinhisbrain。Hisinnerselfbecameahummingfactoryofarguments，andhespentlonghoursrecitingandwritingdownelaboratestatementsofhiscrime，whichheconstantlyretouchedanddeveloped。Thengraduallyhisactivitylanguishedunderthelackofanaudience，thesenseofbeingburiedbeneathdeepeningdriftsofindifference。Inapassionofresentmenthesworethathewouldprovehimselfamurderer，evenifhehadtocommitanothercrimetodoit；andforasleeplessnightortwothethoughtflamedredonhisdarkness。Butdaylightdispelledit。Thedeterminingimpulsewaslackingandhehatedtoopromiscuouslytochoosehisvictim……
Sohewasthrownbackontheunavailingstruggletoimposethetruthofhisstory。Asfastasonechannelclosedonhimhetriedtopierceanotherthroughtheslidingsandsofincredulity。
Buteveryissueseemedblocked，andthewholehumanraceleaguedtogethertocheatonemanoftherighttodie。
Thusviewed，thesituationbecamesomonstrousthathelosthislastshredofself-restraintincontemplatingit。Whatifhewerereallythevictimofsomemockingexperiment，thecentreofaringofholiday-makersjeeringatapoorcreatureinitsblinddashesagainstthesolidwallsofconsciousness？But，no——menwerenotsouniformlycruel：therewereflawsintheclosesurfaceoftheirindifference，cracksofweaknessandpityhereandthere……
Granicebegantothinkthathismistakelayinhavingappealedtopersonsmoreorlessfamiliarwithhispast，andtowhomthevisibleconformitiesofhislifeseemedafinaldisproofofitsonefiercesecretdeviation。Thegeneraltendencywastotakeforthewholeoflifetheslitseenbetweentheblindersofhabit：andinhiswalkdownthatnarrowvistaGranicecutacorrectenoughfigure。Toavisionfreetofollowhiswholeorbithisstorywouldbemoreintelligible：itwouldbeeasiertoconvinceachanceidlerinthestreetthanthetrainedintelligencehamperedbyasenseofhisantecedents。Thisideashotupinhimwiththetropicluxurianceofeachnewseedofthought，andhebegantowalkthestreets，andtofrequentout-
of-the-waychop-housesandbarsinhissearchfortheimpartialstrangertowhomheshoulddisclosehimself。
Atfirsteveryfacelookedencouragement；butatthecrucialmomenthealwaysheldback。Somuchwasatstake，anditwassoessentialthathisfirstchoiceshouldbedecisive。Hedreadedstupidity，timidity，intolerance。Theimaginativeeye，thefurrowedbrow，werewhathesought。Hemustrevealhimselfonlytoaheartversedinthetortuousmotionsofthehumanwill；andhebegantohatethedullbenevolenceoftheaverageface。Onceortwice，obscurely，allusively，hemadeabeginning——oncesittingdownataman\'ssideinabasementchop-house，anotherdayapproachingaloungeronaneast-sidewharf。Butinbothcasesthepremonitionoffailurecheckedhimonthebrinkofavowal。Hisdreadofbeingtakenforamanintheclutchofafixedideagavehimanunnaturalkeennessinreadingtheexpressionofhisinterlocutors，andhehadprovidedhimselfinadvancewithaseriesofverbalalternatives，trap-doorsofevasionfromthefirstdartofridiculeorsuspicion。
Hepassedthegreaterpartofthedayinthestreets，cominghomeatirregularhours，dreadingthesilenceandorderlinessofhisapartment，andthecriticalscrutinyofFlint。Hisreallifewasspentinaworldsoremotefromthisfamiliarsettingthathesometimeshadthemysterioussenseofalivingmetempsychosis，afurtivepassagefromoneidentitytoanother——yettheotherasunescapablyhimself！
Onehumiliationhewasspared：thedesiretoliveneverrevivedinhim。Notforamomentwashetemptedtoashabbypactwithexistingconditions。Hewantedtodie，wanteditwiththefixedunwaveringdesirewhichaloneattainsitsend。Andstilltheendeludedhim！Itwouldnotalways，ofcourse——hehadfullfaithinthedarkstarofhisdestiny。Andhecouldproveitbestbyrepeatinghisstory，persistentlyandindefatigably，pouringitintoindifferentears，hammeringitintodullbrains，tillatlastitkindledaspark，andsomeoneofthecarelessmillionspaused，listened，believed……
ItwasamildMarchday，andhehadbeenloiteringonthewest-
sidedocks，lookingatfaces。Hewasbecominganexpertinphysiognomies：hiseagernessnolongermaderashdartsandawkwardrecoils。Heknewnowthefaceheneeded，asclearlyasifithadcometohiminavision；andnottillhefounditwouldhespeak。Ashewalkedeastwardthroughtheshabbyreekingstreetshehadapremonitionthatheshouldfinditthatmorning。
Perhapsitwasthepromiseofspringintheair——certainlyhefeltcalmerthanformanydays……
HeturnedintoWashingtonSquare，struckacrossitobliquely，andwalkedupUniversityPlace。Itsheterogeneouspassersalwaysalluredhim——theywerelesshurriedthaninBroadway，lessenclosedandclassifiedthaninFifthAvenue。Hewalkedslowly，watchingforhisface。
AtUnionSquarehefeltasuddenrelapseintodiscouragement，likeavotarywhohaswatchedtoolongforasignfromthealtar。
Perhaps，afterall，heshouldneverfindhisface……Theairwaslanguid，andhefelttired。Hewalkedbetweenthebaldgrass-plotsandthetwistedtrees，makingforanemptyseat。
Presentlyhepassedabenchonwhichagirlsatalone，andsomethingasdefiniteasthetwitchofacordmadehimstopbeforeher。Hehadneverdreamedoftellinghisstorytoagirl，hadhardlylookedatthewomen\'sfacesastheypassed。Hiscasewasman\'swork：howcouldawomanhelphim？Butthisgirl\'sfacewasextraordinary——quietandwideasacleareveningsky。Itsuggestedahundredimagesofspace，distance，mystery，likeshipshehadseen，asaboy，quietlyberthedbyafamiliarwharf，butwiththebreathoffarseasandstrangeharboursintheirshrouds……Certainlythisgirlwouldunderstand。Hewentuptoherquietly，liftinghishat，observingtheforms——wishinghertoseeatoncethathewas“agentleman。“
“Iamastrangertoyou，“hebegan，sittingdownbesideher，“butyourfaceissoextremelyintelligentthatIfeel……IfeelitisthefaceI\'vewaitedfor……lookedforeverywhere；andI
wanttotellyou——“
Thegirl\'seyeswidened：sherosetoherfeet。Shewasescapinghim！
Inhisdismayheranafewstepsafterher，andcaughtherroughlybythearm。
“Here——wait——listen！Oh，don\'tscream，youfool！”heshoutedout。
Hefeltahandonhisownarm；turnedandconfrontedapoliceman。
Instantlyheunderstoodthathewasbeingarrested，andsomethinghardwithinhimwasloosenedandrantotears。
“Ah，youknow——youKNOWI\'mguilty！”
Hewasconsciousthatacrowdwasforming，andthatthegirl\'sfrightenedfacehaddisappeared。Butwhatdidhecareaboutherface？Itwasthepolicemanwhohadreallyunderstoodhim。Heturnedandfollowed，thecrowdathisheels……
VII
Inthecharmingplaceinwhichhefoundhimselfthereweresomanysympatheticfacesthathefeltmorethaneverconvincedofthecertaintyofmakinghimselfheard。
Itwasabadblow，atfirst，tofindthathehadnotbeenarrestedformurder；butAscham，whohadcometohimatonce，explainedthatheneededrest，andthetimeto“review“hisstatements；itappearedthatreiterationhadmadethemalittleconfusedandcontradictory。Tothisendhehadwillinglyacquiescedinhisremovaltoalargequietestablishment，withanopenspaceandtreesaboutit，wherehehadfoundanumberofintelligentcompanions，some，likehimself，engagedinpreparingorreviewingstatementsoftheircases，andothersreadytolendaninterestedeartohisownrecital。
Foratimehewascontenttolethimselfgoonthetranquilcurrentofthisexistence；butalthoughhisauditorsgavehimforthemostpartanencouragingattention，which，insome，wentthelengthofreallybrilliantandhelpfulsuggestion，hegraduallyfeltarecurrenceofhisolddoubts。Eitherhishearerswerenotsincere，orelsetheyhadlesspowertoaidhimthantheyboasted。Hisinterminableconferencesresultedinnothing，andasthebenefitofthelongrestmadeitselffelt，itproducedanincreasedmentalluciditywhichrenderedinactionmoreandmoreunbearable。Atlengthhediscoveredthatoncertaindaysvisitorsfromtheouterworldwereadmittedtohisretreat；andhewroteoutlongandlogicallyconstructedrelationsofhiscrime，andfurtivelyslippedthemintothehandsofthesemessengersofhope。
Thisoccupationgavehimafreshleaseofpatience，andhenowlivedonlytowatchforthevisitors\'days，andscanthefacesthatsweptbyhimlikestarsseenandlostintheriftsofahurryingsky。
Mostly，thesefaceswerestrangeandlessintelligentthanthoseofhiscompanions。Buttheyrepresentedhislastmeansofaccesstotheworld，akindofsubterraneanchannelonwhichhecouldsethis“statements“afloat，likepaperboatswhichthemysteriouscurrentmightsweepoutintotheopenseasoflife。
Oneday，however，hisattentionwasarrestedbyafamiliarcontour，apairofbrightprominenteyes，andachininsufficientlyshaved。HesprangupandstoodinthepathofPeterMcCarren。
Thejournalistlookedathimdoubtfully，thenheldouthishandwithastartleddeprecating，“WHY——？”
“Youdidn\'tknowme？I\'msochanged？”Granicefaltered，feelingthereboundoftheother\'swonder。
“Why，no；butyou\'relookingquieter——smoothedout，“McCarrensmiled。
“Yes：that\'swhatI\'mherefor——torest。AndI\'vetakentheopportunitytowriteoutaclearerstatement——“
Granice\'shandshooksothathecouldhardlydrawthefoldedpaperfromhispocket。Ashedidsohenoticedthatthereporterwasaccompaniedbyatallmanwithgravecompassionateeyes。ItcametoGraniceinawildthrillofconvictionthatthiswasthefacehehadwaitedfor……
“Perhapsyourfriend——heISyourfriend？——wouldglanceoverit——
orIcouldputthecaseinafewwordsifyouhavetime？”
Granice\'svoiceshooklikehishand。Ifthischanceescapedhimhefeltthathislasthopewasgone。McCarrenandthestrangerlookedateachother，andtheformerglancedathiswatch。
“I\'msorrywecan\'tstayandtalkitovernow，Mr。Granice；butmyfriendhasanengagement，andwe\'reratherpressed——“
Granicecontinuedtoprofferthepaper。“I\'msorry——IthinkI
couldhaveexplained。Butyou\'lltakethis，atanyrate？”
Thestrangerlookedathimgently。“Certainly——I\'lltakeit。“
Hehadhishandout。“Good-bye。“
“Good-bye，“Graniceechoed。
Hestoodwatchingthetwomenmoveawayfromhimthroughthelonglighthall；andashewatchedthematearrandownhisface。Butassoonastheywereoutofsightheturnedandwalkedhastilytowardhisroom，beginningtohopeagain，alreadyplanninganewstatement。
Outsidethebuildingthetwomenstoodstill，andthejournalist\'scompanionlookedupcuriouslyatthelongmonotonousrowsofbarredwindows。
“SothatwasGranice？”
“Yes——thatwasGranice，poordevil，“saidMcCarren。
“Strangecase！Isupposethere\'sneverbeenonejustlikeit？
He\'sstillabsolutelyconvincedthathecommittedthatmurder？”
“Absolutely。Yes。“
Thestrangerreflected。“Andtherewasnoconceivablegroundfortheidea？Noonecouldmakeouthowitstarted？Aquietconventionalsortoffellowlikethat——wheredoyousupposehegotsuchadelusion？Didyouevergettheleastcluetoit？”
McCarrenstoodstill，hishandsinhispockets，hisheadcockedupincontemplationofthebarredwindows。Thenheturnedhisbrighthardgazeonhiscompanion。
“Thatwasthequeerpartofit。I\'veneverspokenofit——butI
DIDgetaclue。“
“ByJove！That\'sinteresting。Whatwasit？”
McCarrenformedhisredlipsintoawhistle。“Why——thatitwasn\'tadelusion。“
Heproducedhiseffect——theotherturnedonhimwithapallidstare。
“Hemurderedthemanallright。Itumbledonthetruthbythemerestaccident，whenI\'dprettynearlychuckedthewholejob。“
“Hemurderedhim——murderedhiscousin？”
“Sureasyoulive。Onlydon\'tsplitonme。It\'saboutthequeerestbusinessIeverraninto……DOABOUTIT？Why，whatwasItodo？Icouldn\'thangthepoordevil，couldI？Lord，butIwasgladwhentheycollaredhim，andhadhimstowedawaysafeinthere！”
Thetallmanlistenedwithagraveface，graspingGranice\'sstatementinhishand。
“Here——takethis；itmakesmesick，“hesaidabruptly，thrustingthepaperatthereporter；andthetwomenturnedandwalkedinsilencetothegates。
TheEndTHEDILETTANTE
asfirstpublishedinHarper\'sMonthly，December1903
Itwasonanimpulsehardlyneedingtheargumentshefoundhimselfadvancinginitsfavor，thatThursdale，onhiswaytotheclub，turnedasusualintoMrs。Vervain\'sstreet。
The“asusual“washisownqualificationoftheact；aconvenientwayofbridgingtheinterval——indaysandothersequences——thatlaybetweenthisvisitandthelast。Itwascharacteristicofhimthatheinstinctivelyexcludedhiscalltwodaysearlier，withRuthGaynor，fromthelistofhisvisitstoMrs。Vervain：
thespecialconditionsattendingithadmadeitnomorelikeavisittoMrs。Vervainthananengraveddinnerinvitationislikeapersonalletter。YetitwastotalkoverhiscallwithMissGaynorthathewasnowreturningtothesceneofthatepisode；
anditwasbecauseMrs。Vervaincouldbetrustedtohandlethetalkingoverasskilfullyastheinterviewitselfthat，athercorner，hehadfeltthedilettante\'sirresistiblecravingtotakealastlookataworkofartthatwaspassingoutofhispossession。
Onthewhole，heknewnoonebetterfittedtodealwiththeunexpectedthanMrs。Vervain。Sheexcelledintherareartoftakingthingsforgranted，andThursdalefeltapardonableprideinthethoughtthatsheowedherexcellencetohistraining。
EarlyinhiscareerThursdalehadmadethemistake，attheoutsetofhisacquaintancewithalady，oftellingherthathelovedherandexactingthesameavowalinreturn。Thelatterpartofthatepisodehadbeenlikethelongwalkbackfromapicnic，whenonehastocarryallthecrockeryonehasfinishedusing：itwasthelasttimeThursdaleeverallowedhimselftobeencumberedwiththedebrisofafeast。Hethusincidentallylearnedthattheprivilegeoflovingherisoneoftheleastfavorsthatacharmingwomancanaccord；andinseekingtoavoidthepitfallsofsentimenthehaddevelopedascienceofevasioninwhichthewomanofthemomentbecameamereimplementofthegame。Heowedagreatdealofdelicateenjoymenttothecultivationofthisart。Theperilsfromwhichithadbeenhisrefugebecamenaivelyharmless：wasitpossiblethathewhonowtookhiseasywayalongthelevelshadoncepreferredtogaspontherawheightsofemotion？Youthisahigh-coloredseason；buthehadthesatisfactionoffeelingthathehadenteredearlierthanmostintothatchiar\'oscuroofsensationwhereeveryhalf-tonehasitsvalue。
AsapromoterofthispleasurenoonehehadknownwascomparabletoMrs。Vervain。Hehadtaughtagoodmanywomennottobetraytheirfeelings，buthehadneverbeforehadsuchfinematerialtoworkin。Shehadbeensurprisinglycrudewhenhefirstknewher；
capableofmakingthemostawkwardinferences，ofplungingthroughthinice，ofrecklesslyundressingheremotions；butshehadacquired，underthedisciplineofhisreticencesandevasions，askillalmostequaltohisown，andperhapsmoreremarkableinthatitinvolvedkeepingtimewithanytuneheplayedandreadingatsightsomeuncommonlydifficultpassages。
IthadtakenThursdalesevenyearstoformthisfinetalent；buttheresultjustifiedtheeffort。Atthecrucialmomentshehadbeenperfect：herwayofgreetingMissGaynorhadmadehimregretthathehadannouncedhisengagementbyletter。Itwasanevasionthatconfessedadifficulty；adeviationimplyinganobstacle，where，bycommonconsent，itwasagreedtoseenone；itbetrayed，inshort，alackofconfidenceinthecompletenessofhismethod。Ithadbeenhispridenevertoputhimselfinapositionwhichhadtobequitted，asitwere，bythebackdoor；
buthere，asheperceived，themainportalswouldhaveopenedforhimoftheirownaccord。Allthis，andmuchmore，hereadinthefinishednaturalnesswithwhichMrs。VervainhadmetMissGaynor。
Hehadneverseenabetterpieceofwork：therewasnoover-
eagerness，nosuspiciouswarmth，aboveallandthisgaveherartthegraceofanaturalqualitytherewerenoneofthosedamnableimplicationswherebyawoman，inwelcomingherfriend\'sbetrothed，maykeephimonpinsandneedleswhileshelapstheladyincomplacency。Somasterlyaperformance，indeed，hardlyneededtheoffsetofMissGaynor\'sdoor-stepwords——“Tobesokindtome，howshemusthavelikedyou！”——thoughhecaughthimselfwishingitlaywithintheboundsoffitnesstotransmitthem，asafinaltribute，totheonewomanheknewwhowasunfailinglycertaintoenjoyagoodthing。ItwasperhapstheonedrawbacktohisnewsituationthatitmightdevelopgoodthingswhichitwouldbeimpossibletohandontoMargaretVervain。
Thefactthathehadmadethemistakeofunderratinghisfriend\'spowers，theconsciousnessthathiswritingmusthavebetrayedhisdistrustofherefficiency，seemedanaddedreasonforturningdownherstreetinsteadofgoingontotheclub。Hewouldshowherthatheknewhowtovalueher；hewouldaskhertoachievewithhimafeatinfinitelyrarerandmoredelicatethantheonehehadappearedtoavoid。Incidentally，hewouldalsodisposeoftheintervaloftimebeforedinner：eversincehehadseenMissGaynoroff，anhourearlier，onherreturnjourneytoBuffalo，hehadbeenwonderinghowheshouldputintherestoftheafternoon。Itwasabsurd，howhemissedthegirl……Yes，thatwasit；thedesiretotalkaboutherwas，afterall，atthebottomofhisimpulsetocallonMrs。Vervain！Itwasabsurd，ifyoulike——butitwasdelightfullyrejuvenating。Hecouldrecallthetimewhenhehadbeenafraidofbeingobvious：nowhefeltthatthisreturntotheprimitiveemotionsmightbeasrestorativeasaholidayintheCanadianwoods。Anditwaspreciselybythegirl\'scandor，herdirectness，herlackofcomplications，thathewastaken。Thesensethatshemightsaysomethingrashatanymomentwaspositivelyexhilarating：ifshehadthrownherarmsabouthimatthestationhewouldnothavegivenathoughttohiscrumpleddignity。ItsurprisedThursdaletofindwhatfreshnessofhearthebroughttotheadventure；andthoughhissenseofironypreventedhisascribinghisintactnesstoanyconsciouspurpose，hecouldbutrejoiceinthefactthathissentimentaleconomieshadlefthimsuchalargesurplustodrawupon。
Mrs。Vervainwasathome——asusual。Whenonevisitsthecemeteryoneexpectstofindtheangelonthetombstone，anditstruckThursdaleasanotherproofofhisfriend\'sgoodtastethatshehadbeeninnounduehastetochangeherhabits。Thewholehouseappearedtocountonhiscoming；thefootmantookhishatandovercoatasnaturallyasthoughtherehadbeennolapseinhisvisits；andthedrawing-roomatonceenvelopedhiminthatatmosphereoftacitintelligencewhichMrs。Vervainimpartedtoherveryfurniture。
Itwasasurprisethat，inthisgeneralharmonyofcircumstances，Mrs。Vervainshouldherselfsoundthefirstfalsenote。
“You？”sheexclaimed；andthebooksheheldslippedfromherhand。
Itwascrude，certainly；unlessitwereatouchofthefinestart。ThedifficultyofclassifyingitdisturbedThursdale\'sbalance。
“Whynot？”hesaid，restoringthebook。“Isn\'titmyhour？”Andasshemadenoanswer，headdedgently，“Unlessit\'ssomeoneelse\'s？”
Shelaidthebookasideandsankbackintoherchair。“Mine，merely，“shesaid。
“Ihopethatdoesn\'tmeanthatyou\'reunwillingtoshareit？”
“Withyou？Bynomeans。You\'rewelcometomylastcrust。“
Helookedatherreproachfully。“Doyoucallthisthelast？”
Shesmiledashedroppedintotheseatacrossthehearth。“It\'sawayofgivingitmoreflavor！”
Hereturnedthesmile。“Avisittoyoudoesn\'tneedsuchcondiments。“
Shetookthiswithjusttherightmeasureofretrospectiveamusement。
“Ah，butIwanttoputintothisoneaveryspecialtaste，“sheconfessed。
Hersmilewassoconfident，soreassuring，thatitlulledhimintotheimprudenceofsaying，“Whyshouldyouwantittobedifferentfromwhatwasalwayssoperfectlyright？”
Shehesitated。“Doesn\'tthefactthatit\'sthelastconstituteadifference？”
“Thelast——mylastvisittoyou？”
“Oh，metaphorically，Imean——there\'sabreakinthecontinuity。“
Decidedly，shewaspressingtoohard：unlearninghisartsalready！
“Idon\'trecognizeit，“hesaid。“Unlessyoumakeme——“headded，withanotethatslightlystirredherattitudeoflanguidattention。
Sheturnedtohimwithgraveeyes。“Yourecognizenodifferencewhatever？”
“None——exceptanaddedlinkinthechain。“
“Anaddedlink？”
“Inhavingonemorethingtolikeyoufor——yourlettingMissGaynorseewhyIhadalreadysomany。“Heflatteredhimselfthatthisturnhadtakentheleasthintoffatuityfromthephrase。
Mrs。Vervainsankintoherformereasypose。“Wasitthatyoucamefor？”sheasked，almostgaily。
“Ifitisnecessarytohaveareason——thatwasone。“
“TotalktomeaboutMissGaynor？”
“Totellyouhowshetalksaboutyou。“
“Thatwillbeveryinteresting——especiallyifyouhaveseenhersincehersecondvisittome。“
“Hersecondvisit？”Thursdalepushedhischairbackwithastartandmovedtoanother。“Shecametoseeyouagain？”
“Thismorning，yes——byappointment。“
Hecontinuedtolookatherblankly。“Yousentforher？”
“Ididn\'thaveto——shewroteandaskedmelastnight。Butnodoubtyouhaveseenhersince。“
Thursdalesatsilent。Hewastryingtoseparatehiswordsfromhisthoughts，buttheystillclungtogetherinextricably。“Isawheroffjustnowatthestation。“
“Andshedidn\'ttellyouthatshehadbeenhereagain？”
“Therewashardlytime，Isuppose——therewerepeopleabout——“hefloundered。
“Ah，she\'llwrite，then。“
Heregainedhiscomposure。“Ofcourseshe\'llwrite：veryoften，Ihope。YouknowI\'mabsurdlyinlove，“hecriedaudaciously。
Shetiltedherheadback，lookingupathimasheleanedagainstthechimney-piece。Hehadleanedtheresooftenthattheattitudetouchedapulsewhichsetupathrobbinginherthroat。
“Oh，mypoorThursdale！”shemurmured。
“Isupposeit\'sratherridiculous，“heowned；andassheremainedsilent，headded，withasuddenbreak——“Orhaveyouanotherreasonforpityingme？”
Heranswerwasanotherquestion。“Haveyoubeenbacktoyourroomssinceyoulefther？”
“SinceIleftheratthestation？Icamestraighthere。“
“Ah，yes——youCOULD：therewasnoreason——“Herwordspassedintoasilentmusing。
Thursdalemovednervouslynearer。“Yousaidyouhadsomethingtotellme？”
“PerhapsIhadbetterletherdoso。Theremaybealetteratyourrooms。“
“Aletter？Whatdoyoumean？AletterfromHER？Whathashappened？”
Hispalenessshookher，andsheraisedahandofreassurance。
“Nothinghashappened——perhapsthatisjusttheworstofit。YoualwaysHATED，youknow，“sheaddedincoherently，“tohavethingshappen：youneverwouldletthem。“
“Andnow——？”
“Well，thatwaswhatshecameherefor：Isupposedyouhadguessed。Toknowifanythinghadhappened。“
“Hadhappened？”Hegazedatherslowly。“Betweenyouandme？”
hesaidwitharushoflight。