第3章
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  \"Thatcrazymangivesmethecreeps,\"hegroaned。\"He’salwayswakingmeup,andlookingatmeasthoughhewasgoingtoeatme。\"

  \"Shutyourhead,\"saidthesteward。\"He’sabettermancrazythanyou’lleverbewiththelittlesenseyou’vegot。AndhehastwoMauserholesinhim。Crazy,eh?It’sadamnedgoodthingforyouthattherewasaboutfourthousandofusregularsjustascrazyashim,oryou’dneverseenthetopofthehill。\"

  Onemorningtherewasagreatcommotionondeck,andalltheconvalescentsbalancedthemselvesontherail,shiveringintheirpajamas,andpointedoneway。Thetransportwasmovingswiftlyandsmoothlythroughwaterasflatasalake,andmakingagreatnoisewithhersteam-whistle。Thenoisewasechoedbymanymoresteam-whistles;andtheghostsofout-boundshipsandtugsandexcursionsteamersranpastheroutofthemistanddisappeared,salutingjoyously。Alloftheexcursionsteamershadaheavylisttothesidenearestthetransport,andtheghostsonthemcrowdedtothatrailandwavedhandkerchiefsandcheered。Thefogliftedsuddenly,andbetweentheironrailstheLieutenantsawhighgreenhillsoneithersideofagreatharbor。

  Housesandtreesandthousandsofmastssweptpastlikeapanorama;andbeyondwasamirageofthreecities,withcurlingsmoke-wreathsandsky-reachingbuildings,andagreatswingingbridge,andagiantstatueofawomanwavingawelcomehome。

  TheLieutenantsurveyedthespectaclewithcynicaldisbelief。Hewasfartoowiseandfartoocunningtobebewitchedbyit。Inhishearthepitiedthemenabouthim,wholaughedwildly,andshouted,andclimbedrecklesslytotherailsandratlines。Hehadbeendeceivedtoooftennottoknowthatitwasnotreal。Heknewfromcruelexperiencethatinafewmomentsthetallbuildingswouldcrumbleaway,thethousandsofcolumnsofwhitesmokethatflashedlikesnowinthesun,thebusy,shriekingtug-

  boats,andthegreatstatuewouldvanishintothesea,leavingitgrayandbare。Heclosedhiseyesandshutthevisionout。Itwassobeautifulthatittemptedhim;buthewouldnotbemocked,andheburiedhisfaceinhishands。Theywerecarryingthefarcetoofar,hethought。Itwasreallytooabsurd;fornowtheywereatawharfwhichwassorealthat,hadhenotknownbyprevioussuffering,hewouldhavebeenutterlydeceivedbyit。

  Andthereweregreatcrowdsofsmiling,cheeringpeople,andawaitingguardofhonorinfreshuniforms,androwsofpolicepushingthepeoplethiswayandthat;andthesemenabouthimweretakingitallquiteseriously,andmakingreadytodisembark,carryingtheirblanket-rollsandrifleswiththem。

  Abandwasplayingjoyously,andthemaninthenextcot,whowasbeingliftedtoastretcher,said,\"There’stheGovernorandhisstaff;that’shiminthehighhat。\"Itwasreallyverywelldone。TheCustom-houseandtheElevatedRailroadandCastleGardenwereasliketolifeasaphotograph,andthecrowdwasaswellhandledasamobinaplay。Hisheartachedforitsothathecouldnotbearthepain,andheturnedhisbackonit。Itwascrueltokeepitupsolong。Hiskeeperliftedhiminhisarms,andpulledhimintoadirtyuniformwhichhadbelonged,apparently,toamuchlargerman——amanwhohadbeenkilledprobably,forthereweredark-brownmarksofbloodonthetunicandbreeches。Whenhetriedtostandonhisfeet,CastleGardenandtheBatterydisappearedinablackcloudofnight,justasheknewtheywould;butwhenheopenedhiseyesfromthestretcher,theyhadreturnedagain。Itwasamostremarkablyvividvision。Theykeptitupsowell。NowtheyoungDoctorandthehospitalstewardwerepretendingtocarryhimdownagang-

  plankandintoanopenspace;andhesawquiteclosetohimalonglineofpolicemen,andbehindthemthousandsoffaces,someofthemwomen’sfaces——womenwhopointedathimandthenshooktheirheadsandcried,andpressedtheirhandstotheircheeks,stilllookingathim。Hewonderedwhytheycried。Hedidnotknowthem,nordidtheyknowhim。Nooneknewhim;thesepeoplewereonlyghosts。

  Therewasaquickpartinginthecrowd。Amanhehadonceknownshovedtwoofthepolicementooneside,andheheardagirl’svoicespeakinghisname,likeasob;andShecamerunningoutacrosstheopenspaceandfellonherkneesbesidethestretcher,andbentdownoverhim,andhewasclaspedintwoyoung,firmarms。

  \"Ofcourseitisnotreal,ofcourseitisnotShe,\"heassuredhimself。\"BecauseShewouldnotdosuchathing。BeforeallthesepeopleShewouldnotdoit。\"

  Buthetrembledandhisheartthrobbedsocruellythathecouldnotbearthepain。

  Shewaspretendingtocry。

  \"TheywiredusyouhadstartedforTampaonthehospitalship,\"

  Shewassaying,\"andAuntandIwentallthewaytherebeforeweheardyouhadbeensentNorth。Wehavebeenonthecarsaweek。

  ThatiswhyImissedyou。Doyouunderstand?Itwasnotmyfault。Itriedtocome。Indeed,Itriedtocome。\"

  SheturnedherheadandlookedupfearfullyattheyoungDoctor。

  \"Tellme,whydoeshelookatmelikethat?\"sheasked。\"Hedoesn’tknowme。Isheveryill?Tellmethetruth。\"Shedrewinherbreathquickly。\"Ofcourseyouwilltellmethetruth。\"

  Whensheaskedthequestionhefeltherarmsdrawtightabouthisshoulders。Itwasasthoughshewasholdinghimtoherself,andfromsomeonewhohadreachedoutforhim。Inhistroubleheturnedtohisoldfriendandkeeper。Hisvoicewashoarseandverylow。

  \"Isthisthesameyoungladywhowasonthetransport——theoneyouusedtodriveaway?\"

  Inhisembarrassment,thehospitalstewardblushedunderhistan,andstammered。

  \"Ofcourseit’sthesameyounglady,\"theDoctoransweredbriskly。\"AndIwon’tletthemdriveheraway。\"Heturnedtoher,smilinggravely。\"Ithinkhisconditionhasceasedtobedangerous,madam,\"hesaid。

  Peoplewhoinaformerexistencehadbeenhisfriends,andHerbrother,gatheredabouthisstretcherandborehimthroughthecrowdandliftedhimintoacarriagefilledwithcushions,amongwhichhesanklowerandlower。ThenShesatbesidehim,andheheardHerbrothersaytothecoachman,\"Home,anddriveslowlyandkeepontheasphalt。\"

  Thecarriagemovedforward,andSheputherarmabouthimandhisheadfellonhershoulder,andneitherofthemspoke。Thevisionhadlastedsolongnowthathewastornwiththejoythatafterallitmightbereal。Buthecouldnotbeartheawakeningifitwerenot,soheraisedhisheadfearfullyandlookedupintothebeautifuleyesabovehim。Hisbrowswereknit,andhestruggledwithagreatdoubtandanawfuljoy。

  \"Dearest,\"hesaid,\"isitreal?\"

  \"Isitreal?\"sherepeated。

  Evenasadream,itwassowonderfullybeautifulthathewassatisfiedifitcouldonlycontinueso,ifbutforalittlewhile。

  \"Doyouthink,\"hebeggedagain,trembling,\"thatitisgoingtolastmuchlonger?\"

  Shesmiled,and,bendingherheadslowly,kissedhim。

  \"Itisgoingtolast——always,\"shesaid。

  THEMANWITHONETALENT

  Themass-meetingintheMadisonSquareGardenwhichwastohelpsetCubafreewasfinished,andthepeoplewerepushingtheirwayoutoftheoverheatedbuildingintothesnowandsleetofthestreets。Theyhadbeengreatlystirredandthespellofthelastspeakerstillhungsoheavilyuponthemthatastheypresseddownthelongcorridortheywerestillspeakingloudlyinhispraise。

  Ayoungmanmovedeagerlyamongstthem,andpushedhiswaytowhereveravoicewasraisedabovetherest。Hestrainedforward,listeningopenly,asthoughhetriedtojudgetheeffectofthemeetingbytheverdictofthoseabouthim。

  Butthewordsheoverheardseemedtoclashwithwhathewishedthemtobe,andtheeagerlookonhisfacechangedtooneofdoubtandofgravedisappointment。Whenhehadreachedthesidewalkhestoppedandstoodlookingbackalternatelyintothelightedhallandatthehurryingcrowdswhichweredispersingrapidly。Hemadeamovementasthoughhewouldrecallthem,asthoughhefelttheywerestillunconvinced,asthoughtherewasmuchstillleftunsaid。

  Afatstrangerhaltedathiselbowtolighthiscigar,andglancingupnoddedhisheadapprovingly。

  \"Finespeaker,SenatorStanton,ain’the?\"hesaid。

  Theyoungmanansweredeagerly。\"Yes,\"heassented,\"heisagreatorator,buthowcouldhehelpbutspeakwellwithsuchasubject?\"

  \"Oh,yououghttohaveheardhimlastNovemberatTammanyHall,\"

  thefatstrangeranswered。\"Hewasn’tquiteuptohimselfto-

  night。Hewasn’tsointerested。ThoseCubansareforeigners,yousee,butyououghttoheardhimlastSt。Patrick’sdayonHomeRuleforIreland。Thenhewastalking!ThatspeechmadehimaUnitedStatessenator,Iguess。Idon’tjustseehowheexpectstowinoutonthisCubagame。TheCubanshaven’tgotnovotes。\"

  Theyoungmanopenedhiseyesinsomebewilderment。

  \"HespeaksforthegoodofCuba,forthesakeofhumanity,\"heventured。

  \"What?\"inquiredthefatstranger。\"Oh,yes,ofcourse。Well,I

  mustbegettingon。Good-night,sir。\"

  Thestrangermovedonhisway,buttheyoungmanstilllingereduncertainlyinthesnow-sweptcorridorshiveringviolentlywiththecoldandstampinghisfeetforgreatercomfort。Hisfacewasburnedtoadeepred,whichseemedtohavecomefromsomelongexposuretoatropicalsun,butwhichheldnosignofhealth。

  Hischeekswerehollowandhiseyeswerelightedwiththefireoffeverandfromtimetotimehewasshakenbyviolentburstsofcoughingwhichcausedhimtoreachtowardoneofthepillarsforsupport。

  AsthelastofthelightswentoutintheGarden,thespeakeroftheeveningandthreeofhisfriendscamelaughingandtalkingdownthelongcorridor。SenatorStantonwasaconspicuousfigureatanytime,andeveninthoseplaceswherehisportraitshadnotpenetratedhewasatoncerecognizedasapersonage。

  Somethinginhiserectcarriageandanunusualgraceofmovement,andthepowerandsuccessinhisface,madementurntolookathim。HehadbeentoldthatheresembledtheearlyportraitsofHenryClay,andhehadneverquiteforgottenthecoincidence。

  Thesenatorwaswrappingthecollarofhisfurcoataroundhisthroatandpuffingcontentedlyatafreshcigar,andashepassed,thenightwatchmanandtheushersbowedtothegreatmanandstoodlookingafterhimwiththehalf-humorous,half-enviousdeferencethattheAmericanvoterpaystothesuccessfulpolitician。Atthesidewalk,thepolicemenhurriedtoopenthedoorofhiscarriageandintheireagernessmadeadoubleline,throughwhichhepassednoddingtothemgravely。Theyoungmanwhohadstoodsolonginwaitingpushedhiswaythroughthelinetohisside。

  \"SenatorStanton,\"hebegantimidly,\"mightIspeaktoyouamoment?MynameisArkwright;IamjustbackfromCuba,andIwanttothankyouforyourspeech。IamanAmerican,andI

  thankGodthatIamsinceyouaretoo,sir。Noonehassaidanythingsincethewarbeganthatcompareswithwhatyousaidto-

  night。Youputitnobly,andIknow,forI’vebeenthereforthreeyears,onlyIcan’tmakeotherpeopleunderstandit,andI

  amthankfulthatsomeonecan。You’llforgivemystoppingyou,sir,butIwantedtothankyou。Ifeelitverymuch。\"

  SenatorStanton’sfriendshadalreadyseatedthemselvesinhiscarriageandwerelookingoutofthedoorandsmilingwithmockpatience。Butthesenatormadenomovetofollowthem。Thoughtheywerehisadmirerstheyweresometimesskeptical,andhewasnotsorrythattheyshouldhearthisuninvitedtribute。Sohemadeapretenceofbuttoninghislongcoatabouthim,andnoddedencouraginglytoArkwrighttocontinue。\"I’mgladyoulikedit,sir,\"hesaidwiththepleasant,gracioussmilethathadwonhimafriendwhereverithadwonhimavote。\"ItisverysatisfactorytoknowfromonewhoiswellinformedonthesubjectthatwhatIhavesaidiscorrect。Thesituationthereistrulyterrible。Youhavejustreturned,yousay?Wherewereyou——inHavana?\"

  \"No,intheotherprovinces,sir,\"Arkwrightanswered。\"Ihavebeenallovertheisland,Iamacivilengineer。ThetruthhasnotbeenhalftoldaboutCuba,Iassureyou,sir。Itismassacrethere,notwar。Itispartlysothroughignorance,butneverthelessitismassacre。Andwhatmakesitworseis,thatitisthemassacreoftheinnocents。ThatiswhatIlikedbestofwhatyousaidinthatgreatspeech,thepartaboutthewomenandchildren。\"

  Hereachedouthishandsdetainingly,andthendrewbackasthoughinapologyforhavingalreadykeptthegreatmansolongwaitinginthecold。\"IwishIcouldtellyousomeoftheterriblethingsIhaveseen,\"hebeganagain,eagerlyasStantonmadenomovementtodepart。\"Theyaremuchworsethanthoseyouinstancedto-night,andyoucouldmakesomuchbetteruseofthemthananyoneelse。Ihaveseenstarvingwomennursingdeadbabies,andsometimesstarvingbabiessuckingtheirdeadmother’sbreasts;Ihaveseenmencutdownintheopenroadsandwhiledigginginthefields——andtwohundredwomenimprisonedinoneroomwithoutfoodandeatenwithsmall-pox,andhutsburnedwhilethepeopleinthemslept——\"

  Theyoungmanhadbeenspeakingimpetuously,buthestoppedassuddenly,forthesenatorwasnotlisteningtohim。HehadloweredhiseyesandwaslookingwithaglanceofmingledfascinationanddisgustatArkwright’shands。Inhisearnestnesstheyoungmanhadstretchedthemout,andastheyshowedbehindthelineofhisraggedsleevestheotherscouldsee,evenintheblurredlightandfallingsnow,thatthewristsofeachhandweregashedandcutindark-brownlinesliketheskinofamulatto,andinplaceswerearawred,wherethefreshskinhadbutjustclosedover。Theyoungmanpausedandstoodshivering,stillholdinghishandsoutrigidlybeforehim。

  Thesenatorraisedhiseyesslowlyanddrewaway。

  \"Whatisthat?\"hesaidinalowvoice,pointingwithaglovedfingerattheblacklinesonthewrists。

  Asergeantinthegroupofpolicemenwhohadclosedaroundthespeakersansweredhimpromptlyfromhisprofoundfundofprofessionalknowledge。

  \"That’shandcuffs,senator,\"hesaidimportantly,andglancedatStantonasthoughtosignifythatatawordfromhimhewouldtakethissuspiciouscharacterintocustody。Theyoungmanpulledthefrayedcuffsofhisshirtoverhiswristsandtuckedhishands,whichthecoldhadfrozenintoanashyblue,underhisarmpitstowarmthem。

  \"No,theydon’tusehandcuffsinthefield,\"hesaidinthesamelow,eagertone;\"theyuseropesandleatherthongs;theyfastenedmebehindahorseandwhenhestumbledgoingdownthetrailitjerkedmeforwardandthecordswouldtightenandteartheflesh。Buttheyhavehadalongtimetohealnow。Ihavebeeneightmonthsinprison。\"

  Theyoungmenatthecarriagewindowhadceasedsmilingandwerelisteningintently。Oneofthemsteppedoutandstoodbesidethecarriagedoorlookingdownattheshiveringfigurebeforehimwithacloseandcuriousscrutiny。

  \"Eightmonthsinprison!\"echoedthepolicesergeantwithanoteoftriumph;\"whatdidItellyou?\"

  \"Holdyourtongue!\"saidtheyoungmanatthecarriagedoor。

  Therewassilenceforamoment,whilethemenlookedatthesenator,asthoughwaitingforhimtospeak。

  \"Wherewereyouinprison,Mr。Arkwright?\"heasked。

  \"FirstinthecalabooseatSantaClarafortwomonths,andtheninCabanas。TheCubanswhoweretakenwhenIwas,wereshotbythefusilladeondifferentdaysduringthislastmonth。Twoofthem,theEzetas,werefatherandson,andtheVolunteerbandplayedallthetimetheexecutionwasgoingon,sothattheotherprisonersmightnothearthemcry’CubaLibre’whentheordercametofire。Butweheardthem。\"

  Thesenatorshiveredslightlyandpulledhisfurcollarupfartheraroundhisface。\"I’dliketotalkwithyou,\"hesaid,\"ifyouhavenothingtodoto-morrow。I’dliketogointothisthingthoroughly。Congressmustbemadetotakesomeaction。\"

  Theyoungmanclaspedhishandseagerly。\"Ah,Mr。Stanton,ifyouwould,\"hecried,\"ifyouwouldonlygivemeanhour!I

  couldtellyousomuchthatyoucoulduse。AndyoucanbelievewhatIsay,sir——itisnotnecessarytolie——Godknowsthetruthisbadenough。IcangiveyounamesanddatesforeverythingI

  say。OrIcandobetterthanthat,sir。Icantakeyouthereyourself——inthreemonthsIcanshowyouallyouneedtosee,withoutdangertoyouinanyway。Andtheywouldnotknowme,nowthatIhavegrownabeard,andIamaskeletontowhatIwas。

  Icanspeakthelanguagewell,andIknowjustwhatyoushouldsee,andthenyoucouldcomebackasonespeakingwithauthorityandnothavetosay,’Ihaveread,’or’havebeentold,’butyoucansay,’ThesearethethingsIhaveseen’——andyoucouldfreeCuba。\"

  Thesenatorcoughedandputthequestionasideforthemomentwithawaveofthehandthatheldhiscigar。\"Wewilltalkofthatto-morrowalso。Cometolunchwithmeatone。MyapartmentsareintheBerkeleyonFifthAvenue。Butaren’tyouafraidtogobackthere?\"heaskedcuriously。\"Ishouldthinkyou’dhadenoughofit。Andyou’vegotatouchoffever,haven’tyou?\"Heleanedforwardandpeeredintotheother’seyes。

  \"Itisonlytheprisonfever,\"theyoungmananswered;\"foodandthiscoldwilldrivethatoutofme。AndImustgoback。Thereissomuchtodothere,\"headded。\"Ah,ifIcouldtellthem,asyoucantellthem,whatIfeelhere。\"Hestruckhischestsharplywithhishand,andontheinstantfellintoafitofcoughingsoviolentthattheyoungmanatthecarriagedoorcaughthimaroundthewaist,andoneofthepolicemensupportedhimfromtheotherside。

  \"Youneedadoctor,\"saidthesenatorkindly。\"I’llaskminetohavealookatyou。Don’tforget,then,atoneo’clockto-

  morrow。Wewillgointothisthingthoroughly。\"HeshookArkwrightwarmlybythehandandstoopingsteppedintothecarriage。Theyoungmanwhohadstoodatthedoorfollowedhimandcrowdedbackluxuriouslyagainstthecushions。Thefootmanswunghimselfupbesidethedriver,andsaid\"UptownDelmonico’s,\"ashewrappedthefurrugaroundhislegs,andwithasalutefromthepolicemenandascrapingofhoofsontheslipperyasphaltthegreatmanwasgone。

  \"Thatpoorfellowneedsadoctor,\"hesaidasthecarriagerolleduptheavenue,\"andheneedsanovercoat,andheneedsfood。Heneedsaboutalmosteverything,bythelooksofhim。\"

  Butthevoiceoftheyoungmaninthecornerofthecarriageobjecteddrowsily——

  \"Onthecontrary,\"hesaid,\"itseemedtomethathehadtheonethingneedful。\"

  Byoneo’clockofthedayfollowing,SenatorStanton,havingreadthereportsofhisspeechinthemorningpapers,punctuatedwith\"Cheers,\"\"Tremendousenthusiasm\"andmore\"Cheers,\"wasstillinawillingframeofmindtowardCubaandherself-appointedenvoy,youngMr。Arkwright。

  Overnighthehadhaddoubtsbutthattheyoungman’senthusiasmwouldborehimonthemorrow,butMr。Arkwright,whenheappeared,developed,onthecontrary,apracticalturnofmindwhichrenderedhissuggestionsbothflatteringandfeasible。Hewasstillterriblyinearnest,buthewascleverenoughorseriousenoughtoseethatthemotiveswhichappealedtohimmightnothavesufficientforcetomoveasuccessfulstatesmanintoaction。Soheplacedbeforethesenatoronlythoseargumentsandreasonswhichheguessedwerethebestadaptedtosecurehisinterestandhishelp。Hisproposalashesetitforthwassimplicityitself。

  \"Hereisamapoftheisland,\"hesaid;\"onitIhavemarkedtheplacesyoucanvisitinsafety,andwhereyouwillmeetthepeopleyououghttosee。IfyouleaveNewYorkatmidnightyoucanreachTampaonthesecondday。FromTampawecrossinanotherdaytoHavana。ThereyoucanvisittheAmericansimprisonedinMorroandCabanas,andinthestreetsyoucanseethestarvingpacificos。FromHavanaIshalltakeyoubyrailtoJucaro,Matanzas,SantaClaraandCienfuegos。Youwillnotbeabletoseetheinsurgentsinthefields——itisnotnecessarythatyoushould——butyoucanvisitoneofthesugarplantationsandsomeoftheinsurgentchiefswillrunthefortsbynightandcomeintotalkwithyou。Iwillshowyouburningfieldsandhouses,andstarvingmenandwomenbythethousands,andmenandwomendyingoffevers。YoucanseeCubanprisonersshotbyafiringsquadandyoucannotehowtheserebelsmeetdeath。YoucanseeallthisinthreeweeksandbebackinNewYorkinamonth,asanyonecanseeitwhowishestolearnthetruth。Why,EnglishmembersofParliamentgoallthewaytoIndiaandBritishColumbiatoinformthemselvesaboutthosecountries,theytravelthousandsofmiles,butonlyonememberofeitherofourhousesofCongresshastakenthetroubletocrosstheseeightymilesofwaterthatliebetweenusandCuba。Youcaneithergoquietlyandincognito,asitwere,oryoucanadvertisethefactofyourgoing,whichwouldbebetter。Andfromthemomentyoustarttheinterestinyourvisitwillgrowandincreaseuntiltherewillbenotopicdiscussedinanyofourpapersexceptyourself,andwhatyouaredoingandwhatyoumeantodo。

  \"Bythetimeyoureturnthepeoplewillbewaiting,readyandeagertohearwhateveryoumayhavetosay。Yourwordwillbethelastwordforthem。Itisnotasthoughyouweresomedemagogueseekingnotoriety,orahotelpiazzacorrespondentatKeyWestorJacksonville。Youaretheonlystatesmanwehave,theonlyoratorAmericanswilllistento,andItellyouthatwhenyoucomebeforethemandbringhometothemasonlyyoucanthehorrorsofthiswar,youwillbetheonlymaninthiscountry。YouwillbethePatrickHenryofCuba;youcangodowntohistoryasthemanwhoaddedthemostbeautifulislandintheseastotheterritoryoftheUnitedStates,whosavedthousandsofinnocentchildrenandwomen,andwhodaredtodowhatnootherpoliticianhasdaredtodo——togoandseeforhimselfandtocomebackandspeakthetruth。Itonlymeansamonthoutofyourlife,amonth’stroubleanddiscomfort,butwithnorisk。Whatisamonthoutofalifetime,whenthatmonthmeansimmortalitytoyouandlifetothousands?Inamonthyouwouldmakeahalfdozenafter-dinnerspeechesandcauseyourfriendstolaughandapplaud。Whynotwringtheirheartsinstead,andholdthisthingupbeforethemasitis,andshakeitintheirfaces?Showittotheminallitshorror——bleeding,diseasedandnaked,anoffencetoourhumanity,andtoourpratedloveofliberty,andtoourGod。\"

  Theyoungmanthrewhimselfeagerlyforwardandbeatthemapwithhisopenpalm。Butthesenatorsatapparentlyunmovedgazingthoughtfullyintotheopenfire,andshookhishead。

  WhiletheluncheonwasinprogresstheyounggentlemanwhothenightbeforehadleftthecarriageandstoodatArkwright’sside,hadenteredtheroomandwaslisteningintently。Hehadinvitedhimselftosomefreshcoffee,andhadthenrelapsedintoanattentivesilence,followingwhattheotherssaidwithanamusedandinterestedcountenance。StantonhadintroducedhimasMr。

  Livingstone,andappearedtotakeitforgrantedthatArkwrightwouldknowwhohewas。HeseemedtoregardhimwithacertaindeferencewhichArkwrightjudgedwasduetosomefixedpositiontheyoungmanheld,eitherofsocialorofpoliticalvalue。

  \"Idonotknow,\"saidStantonwithconsideration,\"thatIampreparedtoadvocatetheannexationoftheisland。Itisaseriousproblem。\"

  \"Iamnoturgingthat,\"Arkwrightinterruptedanxiously;\"theCubansthemselvesdonotagreeastothat,andinanyeventitisanafterthought。Ourobjectnowshouldbetopreventfurtherbloodshed。Ifyouseeamanbeatingaboytodeath,youfirstsavetheboy’slifeanddecideafterwardwhereheistogotoschool。Iftherewereanyoneelse,senator,\"Arkwrightcontinuedearnestly,\"Iwouldnottroubleyou。Butweallknowyourstrengthinthiscountry。Youareindependentandfearless,andmenofbothpartieslistentoyou。Surely,Godhasgivenyouthisgreatgiftoforatory,ifyouwillforgivemyspeakingso,touseonlyinagreatcause。Agrandorganinacathedralisplacedtheretoliftmen’sthoughtstohighresolvesandpurposes,nottomakepeopledance。Astreetorgancandothat。

  Now,hereisacauseworthyofyourgreattalents,worthyofaDanielWebster,ofaHenryClay。\"

  Thesenatorfrownedatthefireandshookhisheaddoubtfully。

  \"IftheyknewwhatIwasdowntherefor,\"heasked,\"wouldn’ttheyputmeinprisontoo?\"

  Arkwrightlaughedincredulously。

  \"Certainlynot,\"hesaid;\"youwouldgothereasaprivatecitizen,asatouristtolookonandobserve。Spainisnotseekingcomplicationsofthatsort。ShehastroublesenoughwithoutimprisoningUnitedStatessenators。\"

  \"Yes;butthesefeversnow,\"persistedStanton,\"they’renorespecterofpersons,Iimagine。AUnitedStatessenatorisnotabovesmallpoxorcholera。\"

  Arkwrightshookhisheadimpatientlyandsighed。

  \"Itisdifficulttomakeitcleartoonewhohasnotbeenthere,\"

  hesaid。\"Thesepeopleandsoldiersaredyingoffeverbecausetheyareforcedtolivelikepigs,andtheyarealreadysickwithstarvation。AhealthymanlikeyourselfwouldbeinnomoredangerthanyouwouldbeinwalkingthroughthewardsofaNewYorkhospital。\"

  SenatorStantonturnedinhisarmchair,andhelduphishandimpressively。

  \"IfIweretotellthemthethingsyouhavetoldme,\"hesaidwarningly,\"ifIweretosayIhaveseensuchthings——Americanpropertyinflames,Americaninterestsruined,andthatfivetimesasmanywomenandchildrenhavediedoffeverandstarvationinthreemonthsinCubaastheSultanhasmassacredinArmeniainthreeyears——itwouldmeanwarwithSpain。\"

  \"Well?\"saidArkwright。

  Stantonshruggedhisshouldersandsankbackagaininhischair。

  \"Itwouldeithermeanwar,\"Arkwrightwenton,\"oritmightmeanthesendingoftheRedCrossarmytoCuba。ItwenttoConstantinople,fivethousandmilesaway,tohelptheArmenianChristians——whyhasitwaitedthreeyearstogoeightymilestofeedandclothetheCubanwomenandchildren?ItislikesendinghelptoahungrypeasantinRussiawhileamandiesonyourdoorstep。\"

  \"Well,\"saidthesenator,rising,\"Iwillletyouknowto-morrow。

  Ifitistherightthingtodo,andifIcandoit,ofcourseitmustbedone。WestartfromTampa,yousay?Iknowthepresidentsofallofthoseroadsandthey’llprobablygivemeaprivatecarforthetripdown。Shallwetakeanynewspapermenwithus,orshallIwaituntilIgetbackandbeinterviewed?

  Whatdoyouthink?\"

  \"Iwouldwaituntilmyreturn,\"Arkwrightanswered,hiseyesglowingwiththehopethesenator’swordshadinspired,\"andthenspeaktoamass-meetinghereandinBostonandinChicago。Threespeecheswillbeenough。BeforeyouhavefinishedyourlastonetheAmericanwarshipswillbeintheharborofHavana。\"

  \"Ah,youth,youth!\"saidthesenator,smilinggravely,\"itisnolightresponsibilitytourgeacountryintowar。\"

  \"Itisnolightresponsibility,\"Arkwrightanswered,\"toknowyouhavethechancetosavethelivesofthousandsoflittlechildrenandhelplesswomenandtoletthechancepass。\"

  \"Quiteso,thatisquitetrue,\"saidthesenator。\"Well,good-

  morning。Ishallletyouknowto-morrow。\"

  YoungLivingstonewentdownintheelevatorwithArkwright,andwhentheyhadreachedthesidewalkstoodregardinghimforamomentinsilence。

  \"Youmustn’tcounttoomuchonStanton,youknow,\"hesaidkindly;\"hehasawayofdisappointingpeople。\"

  \"Ah,hecanneverdisappointme,\"Arkwrightansweredconfidently,\"nomatterhowmuchIexpected。Besides,Ihavealreadyheardhimspeak。\"

  \"Idon’tmeanthat,Idon’tmeanheisdisappointingasaspeaker。Stantonisagreatorator,Ithink。MostofthoseSouthernersare,andhe’stheonlyrealoratorIeverheard。ButwhatImeanis,thathedoesn’tgointothingsimpulsively;hefirstconsidershimself,andthenheconsiderseveryothersideofthequestionbeforehecommitshimselftoit。Beforehelaunchesoutonapopularwavehetriestofindoutwhereitisgoingtolandhim。Helikesthesortofpopularwavethatcarrieshimalongwithitwhereeveryonecanseehim;hedoesn’tfancybeinghurleduponthebeachwithhismouthfullofsand。\"

  \"Youaresayingthatheisselfish,self-seeking?\"Arkwrightdemandedwithachallengeinhisvoice。\"Ithoughtyouwerehisfriend。\"

  \"Yes,heisselfish,andyes,Iamhisfriend,\"theyoungmananswered,smiling;\"atleast,heseemswillingtobemine。IamsayingnothingagainsthimthatIhavenotsaidtohim。Ifyou’llcomebackwithmeuptheelevatorI’lltellhimhe’saself-seekerandselfish,andwithnothoughtabovehisowninterests。Hewon’tmind。He’dsayIcannotcomprehendhismotives。Why,you’veonlytolookathisrecord。WhentheVenezuelanmessagecameoutheattackedthePresidentanddeclaredhewastryingtomakepoliticalcapitalandtodragusintowar,andthatwhatwewantedwasarbitration;butwhenthePresidentbroughtouttheArbitrationTreatyheattackedthattoointheSenateanddestroyedit。Why?Notbecausehehadconvictions,butbecausethePresidenthadrefusedaforeignappointmenttoafriendofhisintheSouth。Hehasbeenafreesilvermanforthelasttenyears,hecomesfromafreesilverstate,andthemembersofthelegislaturethatelectedhimwereallforsilver,butthislastelectionhisWallStreetfriendsgotholdofhimandworkedonhisfeelings,andherepudiatedhisparty,hisstate,andhisconstituentsandcameoutforgold。\"

  \"Well,butsurely,\"Arkwrightobjected,\"thattookcourage?Toownthatfortenyearsyouhadbeenwrong,andtocomeoutfortherightatthelast。\"

  Livingstonestaredandshruggedhisshoulders。\"It’sallaquestionofmotives,\"hesaidindifferently。\"Idon’twanttoshatteryouridol;Ionlywanttosaveyoufromcountingtoomuchonhim。\"

  WhenArkwrightcalledonthemorrowSenatorStantonwasnotathome,andthedayfollowinghewasbusy,andcouldgivehimonlyabriefinterview。Therewerepreviousengagementsandotherdifficultiesinthewayofhisgoingwhichhehadnotforeseen,hesaid,andhefearedheshouldhavetopostponehisvisittoCubaindefinitely。HeaskedifMr。Arkwrightwouldbesokindastocallagainwithinaweek;hewouldthenbebetterabletogivehimadefiniteanswer。

  Arkwrightlefttheapartmentwithasensationofsuchkeendisappointmentthatitturnedhimillanddizzy。Hefeltthatthegreatpurposeofhislifewasbeingplayedwithandputaside。Buthehadnotselfishresentmentonhisownaccount;hewasonlythemoredeterminedtopersevere。Heconsiderednewargumentsandframednewappeals;andonemomentblamedhimselfbitterlyforhavingfoolishlydiscouragedthestatesmanbytoovividpicturesofthehorrorshemightencounter,andthenext,questionedifhehadnotbeentoopracticalandsofailedbecausehehadnotmadetheterribleneedofimmediatehelphissoleargument。Everyhourwastedindelaymeant,asheknew,thesacrificeofmanylives,andtherewereother,moresordidandmorepractical,reasonsforspeedyaction。ForhissupplyofmoneywasrunninglowandtherewasnowbarelyenoughremainingtocarryhimthroughthemonthoftravelhehadplannedtotakeatStanton’sside。Whatwouldhappentohimwhenthatmomentoustripwasoverwasofnoconsequence。Hewouldhavedonetheworkasfarashissmallshareinitlay,hewouldhavesetinmotionagreatpowerthatwastomoveCongressandthepeopleoftheUnitedStatestoaction。Ifhecouldbutdothat,whatbecameofhimcountedfornothing。

  Butattheendoftheweekhisfearsandmisgivingswerescatteredgloriouslyandasinglelinefromthesenatorsethisheartleapingandbroughthimtohiskneesingratitudeandthanksgiving。Onreturningoneafternoontothemeanlodgingintowhichhehadmovedtosavehismoney,hefoundatelegramfromStantonandhetoreitopentremblingbetweenhopeandfear。

  \"HavearrangedtoleaveforTampawithyouMonday,atmidnight\"

  itread。\"Callformeatteno’clocksameevening。——STANTON。\"

  Arkwrightreadthemessagethreetimes。Therewasaheavy,suffocatingpressureathisheartasthoughithadceasedbeating。Hesankbacklimplyupontheedgeofhisbedandclutchingthepieceofpaperinhistwohandsspokethewordsaloudtriumphantlyasthoughtoassurehimselfthattheyweretrue。Thenafloodofunspeakablerelief,ofhappinessandgratitude,sweptoverhim,andheturnedandslippedtothefloor,buryinghisfaceinthepillow,andweptouthisthanksuponhisknees。

  AmansodeeplyimmersedinpublicaffairsaswasStantonandwithsuchamultiplicityofpersonalinterests,couldnotpreparetoabsenthimselfforamonthwithouthisintentionbecomingknown,andonthedaywhenhewastostartforTampathemorningnewspapersproclaimedthefactthathewasabouttovisitCuba。

  TheygavetohismissionalltheimportanceanddisplaythatArkwrighthadforetold。SomeofthenewspapersstatedthathewasgoingasaspecialcommissionerofthePresidenttostudyandreport;othersthathewasactinginbehalfoftheCubanlegationinWashingtonandhadplenipotentiarypowers。Oppositionorganssuggestedthathewasactingintheinterestsofthesugartrust,andhisownparticularorgandeclaredthatitwashisintentiontofreeCubaattheriskofhisownfreedom,safety,andevenlife。

  TheSpanishministerinWashingtonsentacableforpublicationtoMadrid,statingthatadistinguishedAmericanstatesmanwasabouttovisitCuba,toinvestigate,and,later,todenythetruthofthedisgracefullibelspublishedconcerningtheSpanishofficialsontheislandbythepapersoftheUnitedStates。Atthesametimehecabledinciphertothecaptain-

  generalinHavanatoseethatthedistinguishedstatesmanwascloselyspieduponfromthemomentofhisarrivaluntilhisdeparture,andtoplaceonthe\"suspect\"listallAmericansandCubanswhoventuredtogivehimanyinformation。

  Theafternoonpapersenlargedontheimportanceofthevisitandonthegoodthatwouldsurelycomeofit。TheytoldthatSenatorStantonhadrefusedtobeinterviewedortodisclosetheobjectofhisjourney。Butitwasenough,theysaid,thatsomeoneinauthoritywasatlasttoseekoutthetruth,andaddedthatnoonewouldbelistenedtowithgreaterrespectthanwouldtheSouthernsenator。Onthisalltheeditorialwriterswereagreed。

  ThedaypasseddrearilyforArkwright。Earlyinthemorninghepackedhisvaliseandpaidhislandlord,andfortheremainderofthedaywalkedthestreetsorsatinthehotelcorridorwaitingimpatientlyforeachfresheditionofthepapers。Inthemhereadthesignsofthegreatupheavalofpopularfeelingthatwastorestorepeaceandhealthandplentytotheislandforwhichhehadgivenhislastthreeyearsofenergyandlife。

  Hewastremblingwithexcitement,aswellaswiththecold,whenatteno’clockpreciselyhestoodatSenatorStanton’sdoor。Hehadforgottentoeathisdinner,andthewarmthofthedimlylithallandtheodorofrichfoodwhichwaswaftedfromaninnerroomtouchedhissenseswithtantalizingcomfort。

  \"Thesenatorsaysyouaretocomethisway,sir,\"theservantdirected。HetookArkwright’svalisefromhishandandpartedtheheavycurtainsthathidthedining-room,andArkwrightsteppedinbetweenthemandthenstoppedinsomeembarrassment。

  Hefoundhimselfinthepresenceofanumberofgentlemenseatedatalongdinner-table,whoturnedtheirheadsasheenteredandpeeredathimthroughthesmokethatfloatedinlightlayersabovethewhitecloth。Thedinnerhadbeenserved,butthesenator’sguestsstillsatwiththeirchairspushedbackfromatablelightedbycandlesunderyellowshades,andcoveredwithbeautifulflowersandwithbottlesofvariedsizesinstandsofquaintandintricatedesign。SenatorStanton’stallfigureshoweddimlythroughthesmoke,andhisdeepvoicehailedArkwrightcheerilyfromthefartherendoftheroom。\"Thisway,Mr。Arkwright,\"hesaid。\"Ihaveachairwaitingforyouhere。\"

  HegraspedArkwright’shandwarmlyandpulledhimintothevacantplaceathisside。AnelderlygentlemanonArkwright’sothersidemovedtomakemoreroomforhimandshovedaliqueurglasstowardhimwithafriendlynodandpointedatanopenboxofcigars。Hewasafine-lookingman,andArkwrightnoticedthathewasregardinghimwithaglanceofthekeenestinterest。AllofthoseatthetableweremenoftwiceArkwright’sage,exceptLivingstone,whomherecognizedandwhonoddedtohimpleasantlyandatthesametimegaveanordertoaservant,pointingatArkwrightashedidso。Someofthegentlemenworetheirbusinesssuits,andoneoppositeArkwrightwasstillinhisovercoat,andheldhishatinhishand。Theselatterseemedtohavearrivedafterthedinnerhadbegun,fortheyformedasecondlinebackofthosewhohadplacesatthetable;theyallseemedtoknowoneanotherandweretalkingwithmuchvivacityandinterest。

  StantondidnotattempttointroduceArkwrighttohisguestsindividually,butsaid:\"Gentlemen,thisisMr。Arkwright,ofwhomIhavebeentellingyou,theyounggentlemanwhohasdonesuchmagnificentworkforthecauseofCuba。\"ThosewhocaughtArkwright’seyenoddedtohim,andothersraisedtheirglassesathim,butwithasmilethathecouldnotunderstand。Itwasasthoughtheyallknewsomethingconcerninghimofwhichhewasignorant。Henotedthatthefacesofsomewerestrangelyfamiliar,andhedecidedthathemusthaveseentheirportraitsinthepublicprints。AfterhehadintroducedArkwright,thesenatordrewhischairslightlyawayfromhimandturnedinwhatseemedembarrassmenttothemanonhisotherside。TheelderlygentlemannexttoArkwrightfilledhisglass,aservantplacedasmallcupofcoffeeathiselbow,andhelitacigarandlookedabouthim。

  \"Youmustfindthisweatherverytryingafterthetropics,\"hisneighborsaid。

  Arkwrightassentedcordially。Thebrandywasflowingthroughhisveinsandwarminghim;heforgotthathewashungry,andthekind,interestedglancesofthoseabouthimsethimathisease。

  Itwasapropitiousstart,hethought,apleasantleave-takingforthesenatorandhimself,fullofgoodwillandgoodwishes。

  HeturnedtowardStantonandwaiteduntilhehadceasedspeaking。

  \"Thepapershavebegunwell,haven’tthey?\"heasked,eagerly。

  Hehadspokeninalowvoice,almostinawhisper,butthoseaboutthetableseemedtohaveheardhim,fortherewassilenceinstantlyandwhenheglanceduphesawtheeyesofallturneduponhimandhenoticedontheirfacesthesamesmilehehadseentherewhenheentered。

  \"Yes,\"Stantonansweredconstrainedly。\"Yes,I——\"heloweredhisvoice,butthesilencestillcontinued。Stantonhadhiseyesfixedonthetable,butnowhefrownedandhalfrosefromhischair。

  \"Iwanttospeakwithyou,Arkwright,\"hesaid。\"Supposewegointothenextroom。I’llbebackinamoment,\"headded,noddingtotheothers。

  Butthemanonhisrightremovedhiscigarfromhislipsandsaidinanundertone,\"No,sitdown,staywhereyouare;\"andtheelderlygentlemanatArkwright’ssidelaidhishanddetaininglyonhisarm。\"Oh,youwon’ttakeMr。Arkwrightawayfromus,Stanton?\"heasked,smiling。

  Stantonshruggedhisshouldersandsatdownagain,andtherewasamoment’spause。Itwasbrokenbythemanintheovercoat,wholaughed。

  \"He’spayingyouacompliment,Mr。Arkwright,\"hesaid。HepointedwithhiscigartothegentlemanatArkwright’sside。

  \"Idon’tunderstand,\"Arkwrightanswereddoubtfully。

  \"It’sacomplimenttoyoureloquence——he’safraidtoleaveyoualonewiththesenator。Livingstone’sbeentellingusthatyouareabettertalkerthanStanton。\"Arkwrightturnedatroubledcountenancetowardthemenaboutthetable,andthentowardLivingstone,butthatyoungmanhadhiseyesfixedgravelyontheglassesbeforehimanddidnotraisethem。

  Arkwrightfeltasudden,unreasonablefearofthecircleofstrong-featured,sereneandconfidentmenabouthim。Theyseemedtobemakinghimthesubjectofajest,tobeenjoyingsomethingamongthemselvesofwhichhewasinignorance,butwhichconcernedhimclosely。HeturnedawhitefacetowardStanton。

  \"Youdon’tmean,\"hebeganpiteously,\"that——thatyouarenotgoing?Isthatit——tellme——isthatwhatyouwantedtosay?\"

  Stantonshiftedinhischairandmutteredsomewordsbetweenhislips,thenturnedtowardArkwrightandspokequiteclearlyanddistinctly。

  \"Iamverysorry,Mr。Arkwright,\"hesaid,\"butIamafraidI’llhavetodisappointyou。ReasonsIcannotnowexplainhavearisenwhichmakemygoingimpossible——quiteimpossible,\"headdedfirmly——\"notonlynow,butlater,\"hewentonquickly,asArkwrightwasabouttointerrupthim。

  Arkwrightmadenosecondattempttospeak。Hefeltthemusclesofhisfaceworkingandthetearscomingtohiseyes,andtohidehisweaknesshetwistedinhischairandsatstaringaheadofhimwithhisbackturnedtothetable。HeheardLivingstone’svoicebreakthesilencewithsomehurriedquestion,andimmediatelyhisembarrassmentwashiddeninamurmurofanswersandthemovingofglassesasthemenshiftedintheirchairsandthelaughterandtalkwentonasbrisklyasbefore。Arkwrightsawasideboardbeforehimandaservantarrangingsomesilverononeoftheshelves。Hewatchedthemandothiswithaconcentratedinterestasthoughthedull,numbedfeelinginhisbraincaughtatthetrifleinordertoputoff,aslongaspossible,theconsiderationofthetruth。

  Andthenbeyondthesideboardandthetapestryonthewallaboveit,hesawthesunshiningdownupontheislandofCuba,hesawtheroyalpalmswavingandbending,thedustycolumnsofSpanishinfantrycrawlingalongthewhiteroadsandleavingblazinghutsandsmokingcane-fieldsintheirwake;hesawskeletonsofmenandwomenseekingforfoodamongtherefuseofthestreet;heheardtheordergiventothefiringsquad,thesplashofthebulletsastheyscatteredtheplasterontheprisonwall,andhesawakneelingfigurepitchforwardonitsface,withauselessbandagetiedacrossitssightlesseyes。

  SenatorStantonbroughthimbackwithasharpshakeoftheshoulder。Hehadalsoturnedhisbackontheothers,andwasleaningforwardwithhiselbowsonhisknees。Hespokerapidly,andinavoiceonlyslightlyraisedaboveawhisper。

  \"Iammorethansorry,Arkwright,\"hesaidearnestly。\"Youmustn’tblamemealtogether。Ihavehadahardtimeofitthisafternoon。Iwantedtogo。Ireallywantedtogo。Thethingappealedtome,ittouchedme,itseemedasifIowedittomyselftodoit。Buttheyweretoomanyforme,\"headdedwithabackwardtossofhisheadtowardthemenaroundhistable。

  \"IfthepapershadnottoldonmeIcouldhavegotwellaway,\"hewentoninaneagertone,\"butassoonastheyreadofit,theycameherestraightfromtheiroffices。Youknowwhotheyare,don’tyou?\"heasked,andeveninhisearnestnesstherewasanaddedtouchofimportanceinhistoneashespokethenameofhisparty’sleader,ofmenwhostoodprominentlyinWallStreetandwhowereattheheadofgreattrusts。

  \"Youseehowitis,\"hesaidwithashrugofhisshoulders。

  \"Theyhaveenormousinterestsatstake。TheysaidIwoulddragthemintowar,thatIwoulddisturbvalues,thatthebusinessinterestsofthecountrywouldsuffer。I’munderobligationstomostofthem,theyhaveadvisedmeinfinancialmatters,andtheythreatened——theythreatenedtomakeitunpleasantforme。\"Hisvoicehardenedandhedrewinhisbreathquickly,andlaughed。

  \"Youwouldn’tunderstandifIweretotellyou。It’sratherinvolved。Andafterall,theymayberight,agitationmaybebadforthecountry。Andyourpartyleaderafterallisyourpartyleader,isn’the,andifhesays’no’whatareyoutodo?

  Mysympathiesarejustaskeenforthesepoorwomenandchildrenasever,butasthesemensay,’charitybeginsathome,’andwemustn’tdoanythingtobringonwarpricesagain,ortosendstockstumblingaboutourheads,mustwe?\"Heleanedbackinhischairagainandsighed。\"Sympathyisanexpensiveluxury,I

  find,\"headded。

  ArkwrightrosestifflyandpushedStantonawayfromhimwithhishand。Hemovedlikeamancomingoutofadream。

  \"Don’ttalktomelikethat,\"hesaidinalowvoice。Thenoiseaboutthetableendedontheinstant,butArkwrightdidnotnoticethatithadceased。\"YouknowIdon’tunderstandthat,\"

  hewenton;\"whatdoesitmattertome!\"Heputhishanduptothesideofhisfaceandhelditthere,lookingdownatStanton。

  Hehadthedull,heavylookinhiseyesofamanwhohasjustcomethroughanoperationundersomeheavydrug。\"’WallStreet,’

  ’trusts,’’partyleaders,’\"herepeated,\"whataretheytome?

  Thewordsdon’treachme,theyhavelosttheirmeaning,itisalanguageIhaveforgotten,thankGod!\"headded。Heturnedandmovedhiseyesaroundthetable,scanningthefacesofthemenbeforehim。

  \"Yes,youaretwelvetoone,\"hesaidatlast,stillspeakingdullyandinalowvoice,asthoughheweretalkingtohimself。

  \"Youhavewonanoblevictory,gentlemen。Icongratulateyou。

  ButIdonotblameyou,weareallselfishandself-seeking。I

  thoughtIwasworkingonlyforCuba,butIwasworkingformyself,justasyouare。IwantedtofeelthatitwasIwhohadhelpedtobringrelieftothatplague-spot,thatitwasthroughmyeffortsthehelphadcome。Yes,ifhehaddoneasIasked,I

  supposeIwouldhavetakenthecredit。\"

  Heswayedslightly,andtosteadyhimselfcaughtatthebackofhischair。Butatthesamemomenthiseyesglowedfiercelyandheheldhimselferectagain。Hepointedwithhisfingeratthecircleofgreatmenwhosatlookingupathimincurioussilence。

  \"Youarelikearingofgamblersaroundagamingtable,\"hecriedwildly,\"whoseenothingbutthegreenclothandthewheelandthepilesofmoneybeforethem,whoforgetinwatchingthemoneyriseandfall,thatoutsidethesunisshining,thathumanbeingsaresickandsuffering,thatmenaregivingtheirlivesforanidea,forasentiment,foraflag。Youarethemoney-

  changersinthetempleofthisgreatrepublicandthedaywillcome,IpraytoGod,whenyouwillbescourgedanddrivenoutwithwhips。Doyouthinkyoucanformcombinesanddealsthatwillcheatyouintoheaven?Canyour’trusts’saveyoursouls——

  is’WallStreet’thestraitandnarrowroadtosalvation?\"

  ThemenaboutthetableleanedbackandstaredatArkwrightinasgreatamazementasthoughhehadviolentlyattemptedanassaultupontheirpockets,orhadsuddenlygonemadintheirpresence。

  Someofthemfrowned,andothersappearednottohaveheard,andotherssmiledgrimlyandwaitedforhimtocontinueasthoughtheywerespectatorsataplay。

  ThepoliticalleaderbrokethesilencewithalowasidetoStanton。\"DoesthegentlemanbelongtotheSalvationArmy?\"heasked。

  Arkwrightwhirledaboutandturneduponhimfiercely。

  \"Oldgodsgivewaytonewgods,\"hecried。\"Hereisyourbrother。Iamspeakingforhim。Doyoueverthinkofhim?Howdareyousneeratme?\"hecried。\"Youcancrackyourwhipoverthatman’sheadandturnhimfromwhatinhisheartandconscienceheknowsisright;youcancrackyourwhipoverthemenwhocallthemselvesfree-bornAmericancitizensandwhohavemadeyoutheirboss——sneeratthemifyoulike,butyouhavenocollaronmyneck。Ifyouarealeader,whydon’tyouleadyourpeopletowhatisgoodandnoble?WhydoyoustopthismanintheworkGodsenthimheretodo?Youwouldmakeapartyhackofhim,apoliticalprostitute,somethinglowerthanthewomanwhowalksthestreets。Shesellsherbody——thismanissellinghissoul。\"

  Heturned,tremblingandquivering,andshookhisfingerabovetheupturnedfaceofthesenator。

  \"Whathaveyoudonewithyourtalents,Stanton?\"hecried。\"Whathaveyoudonewithyourtalents?\"

  Themanintheovercoatstruckthetablebeforehimwithhisfistsothattheglassesrang。

  \"ByGod,\"helaughed,\"IcallhimabetterspeakerthanStanton!

  Livingstone’sright,heISbetterthanStanton——buthelacksStanton’sknackofmakinghimselfpopular,\"headded。Helookedaroundthetableinvitingapprobationwithasmile,butnoonenoticedhim,norspoketobreakthesilence。

  Arkwrightheardthewordsdullyandfeltthathewasbeingmocked。Hecoveredhisfacewithhishandsandstoodbreathingbrokenly;hisbodywasstilltremblingwithanexcitementhecouldnotmaster。

  Stantonrosefromhischairandshookhimbytheshoulder。\"Areyoumad,Arkwright?\"hecried。\"Youhavenorighttoinsultmyguestsorme。Becalm——controlyourself。\"

  \"WhatdoesitmatterwhatIsay?\"Arkwrightwentondesperately。

  \"Iammad。Yes,thatisit,Iammad。TheyhavewonandIhavelost,anditdrovemebesidemyself。Icountedonyou。Iknewthatnooneelsecouldletmypeoplego。ButI’llnottroubleyouagain。Iwishyougood-night,sir,andgood-bye。IfIhavebeenunjust,youmustforgetit。\"

  Heturnedsharply,butStantonplacedadetaininghandonhisshoulder。\"Wait,\"hecommandedquerulously;\"whereareyougoing?Willyou,still——?\"

  Arkwrightbowedhishead。\"Yes,\"heanswered。\"Ihavebutjusttimenowtocatchourtrain——mytrain,Imean。\"

  HelookedupatStantonandtakinghishandinbothofhis,drewthemantowardhim。Allthewildnessandintoleranceinhismannerhadpassed,andasheraisedhiseyestheywerefullofafirmresolve。

  \"Come,\"hesaidsimply;\"thereisyettime。Leavethesepeoplebehindyou。Whatcanyouanswerwhentheyaskwhathaveyoudonewithyourtalents?\"

  \"GoodGod,Arkwright,\"thesenatorexclaimedangrily,pullinghishandaway;\"don’ttalklikeahymn-book,anddon’tmakeanotherscene。Whatyouaskisimpossible。TellmewhatIcandotohelpyouinanyotherway,and——\"

  \"Come,\"repeatedtheyoungmanfirmly。

  \"Theworldmayjudgeyoubywhatyoudoto-night。\"

  Stantonlookedattheboyforabriefmomentwithastrainedandeagerscrutiny,andthenturnedawayabruptlyandshookhisheadinsilence,andArkwrightpassedaroundthetableandonoutoftheroom。

  Amonthlater,astheSouthernsenatorwaspassingthroughthereading-roomoftheUnionClub,Livingstonebeckonedtohim,andhandinghimanafternoonpaperpointedataparagraphinsilence。

  TheparagraphwasdatedSagualaGrande,andread:

  \"ThebodyofHenryArkwright,anAmericancivilengineer,wasbroughtintoSaguato-daybyaSpanishcolumn。Itwasfoundlyinginaroadthreemilesbeyondthelineofforts。Arkwrightwassurprisedbyaguerillaforcewhileattemptingtomakehiswaytotheinsurgentcamp,andonresistingwasshot。ThebodyhasbeenhandedovertotheAmericanconsulforinterment。Itisbadlymutilated。\"

  Stantonloweredthepaperandstoodstaringoutofthewindowatthefallingsnowandthecheerylightsandbustlingenergyoftheavenue。

  \"Poorfellow,\"hesaid,\"hewantedsomuchtohelpthem。Andhedidn’taccomplishanything,didhe?\"

  Livingstonestaredattheoldermanandlaughedshortly。

  \"Well,Idon’tknow,\"hesaid。\"Hedied。Someofusonlylive。\"

  THEVAGRANT

  HisExcellencySirCharlesGreville,K。CM。G。,GovernoroftheWindlessIslands,stoodupontheverandaofGovernmentHousesurveyingthenewdaywithcriticalandsearchingeyes。SirCharleshadbeensolongabsolutemonarchoftheWindlessIslesthathehadassumedunconsciouslyamentalattitudeofsuzeraintyovereventheglitteringwatersoftheCaribbeanSea,andthecoralreefsunderthewaters,andtherainbowskiesthatfloatedabovethem。ButonthisparticularmorningnoteventhecriticaleyeoftheGovernorcoulddistinguishasingleflawinthetropicallandscapebeforehim。

  Thelawnathisfeetrandowntomeetthedazzlingwatersofthebay,thebluewatersofthebayrantomeetagreatstretchofabsinthegreen,thegreenjoinedafairyskyofpinkandgoldandsaffron。Islandsofcoralfloatedontheseaofabsinthe,andderelictcloudsofmother-of-pearlswunglowabovethem,startingfromnowhereandgoingnowhere,butdriftingbeautifully,likegiantsoap-bubblesoflightandcolor。Wherethelawntouchedthewatersofthebaythecocoanut-palmsreachedtheircrookedlengthsfarupintothesunshine,andasthesea-

  breezestirredtheirfrondstheyfilledthehotairwithwhispersandmurmursliketheflutteringofmanyfans。NaturesmiledboldlyupontheGovernor,confidentinherbountifulbeauty,asthoughshesaid,\"Surelyyoucannotbutbepleasedwithmeto-

  day。\"And,asthoughinanswer,thecriticalandsearchingglanceofSirCharlesrelaxed。

点击下载App,搜索"The Lion and the Unicorn",免费读到尾