’Comehereaminute，oldman。I’mintrouble’——’Heavensendhe’lllistentome！’TherewassomethingverylikeanoathfromBessie’slips。ShewasafraidofDick，anddisappeareddownthestaircaseinpanic，butitseemedanagebeforeTorpenhowenteredthestudio。Hewenttothemantelpiece，buriedhisheadonhisarms，andgroanedlikeawoundedbull。
’Whatthedevilrighthaveyoutointerfere？’hesaid，atlast。
’Who’sinterferingwithwhich？Yourownsensetoldyoulongagoyoucouldn’tbesuchafool。Itwasatoughrack，St。Anthony，butyou’reallrightnow。’
’Ioughtn’ttohaveseenhermovingabouttheseroomsasiftheybelongedtoher。That’swhatupsetme。Itgivesalonelymanasortofhankering，doesn’tit？’saidTorpenhow，piteously。
’Nowyoutalksense。Itdoes。But，sinceyouaren’tinaconditiontodiscussthedisadvantagesofdoublehousekeeping，doyouknowwhatyou’regoingtodo？’
’Idon’t。IwishIdid。’
’You’regoingawayforaseasononabrillianttourtoregaintone。You’regoingtoBrighton，orScarborough，orPrawlePoint，toseetheshipsgoby。Andyou’regoingatonce。Isn’titodd？I’lltakecareofBinkie，butoutyougoimmediately。Neverresistthedevil。Heholdsthebank。Flyfromhim。Packyourthingsandgo。’
’Ibelieveyou’reright。WhereshallIgo？’
’Andyoucallyourselfaspecialcorrespondent！Packfirstandinquireafterwards。’
AnhourlaterTorpenhowwasdespatchedintothenightforahansom。
’You’llprobablythinkofsomeplacetogotowhileyou’removing，’saidDick。’OntoEuston，tobeginwith，and——ohyes——getdrunkto—night。’
Hereturnedtothestudio，andlightedmorecandles，forhefoundtheroomverydark。
’Oh，youJezebel！youfutilelittleJezebel！Won’tyouhatemeto—morrow！——Binkie，comehere。’
Binkieturnedoveronhisbackonthehearth—rug，andDickstirredhimwithameditativefoot。
’Isaidshewasnotimmoral。Iwaswrong。Shesaidshecouldcook。Thatshowedpremeditatedsin。Oh，Binkie，ifyouareamanyouwillgotoperdition；butifyouareawoman，andsaythatyoucancook，youwillgotoamuchworseplace。’？
CHAPTERX
What’syouthatfollowsatmyside？——
Thefoethatyemustfight，mylord。——
ThathirplesswiftasIcanride？——
Theshadowofthenight，mylord。——
Thenwheelmyhorseagainstthefoe！——
He’sdownandoverpast，mylord。
Yewaragainstthesunsetglow；
Thedarknessgathersfast，mylord。
——TheFightofHeriot’sFord。？
’THISisacheerfullife，’saidDick，somedayslater。’Torp’saway；Bessiehatesme；Ican’tgetatthenotionoftheMelancolia；Maisie’slettersarescrappy；andIbelieveIhaveindigestion。Whatgiveamanpainsacrosstheheadandspotsbeforehiseyes，Binkie？Shallustakesomeliverpills？’
DickhadjustgonethroughalivelyscenewithBessie。ShehadforthefiftiethtimereproachedhimforsendingTorpenhowaway。SheexplainedherenduringhatredforDick，andmadeitcleartohimthatsheonlysatforthesakeofhismoney。’AndMr。Torpenhow’stentimesabettermanthanyou，’sheconcluded。
’Heis。That’swhyhewentaway。Ishouldhavestayedandmadelovetoyou。’
Thegirlsatwithherchinonherhand，scowling。’Tome！I’dliketocatchyou！IfIwasn’tafraido’beinghungI’dkillyou。That’swhatI’ddo。
D’youbelieveme？’
Dicksmiledwearily。Itisnotpleasanttoliveinthecompanyofanotionthatwillnotworkout，afox—terrierthatcannottalk，andawomanwhotalkstoomuch。Hewouldhaveanswered，butatthatmomentthereunrolleditselffromonecornerofthestudioaveil，asitwere，oftheflimsiestgauze。Herubbedhiseyes，butthegrayhazewouldnotgo。
’Thisisdisgracefulindigestion。Binkie，wewillgotoamedicine—man。Wecan’thaveoureyesinterferedwith，forbythesewegetourbread；alsomutton—chopbonesforlittledogs。’
Thedoctorwasanaffablelocalpractitionerwithwhitehair，andhesaidnothingtillDickbegantodescribethegrayfilminthestudio。
’Weallwantalittlepatchingandrepairingfromtimetotime，’hechirped。’Likeaship，mydearsir，——exactlylikeaship。Sometimesthehullisoutoforder，andweconsultthesurgeon；sometimestherigging，andthenIadvise；sometimestheengines，andwegotothebrain—specialist；
sometimesthelook—outonthebridgeistired，andthenweseeanoculist。I
shouldrecommendyoutoseeanoculist。Alittlepatchingandrepairingfromtimetotimeisallwewant。Anoculist，byallmeans。’
Dicksoughtanoculist，——thebestinLondon。Hewascertainthatthelocalpractitionerdidnotknowanythingabouthistrade，andmorecertainthatMaisiewouldlaughathimifhewereforcedtowearspectacles。
’I’veneglectedthewarningsofmylordthestomachtoolong。Hencethesespotsbeforetheeyes，Binkie。IcanseeaswellasIevercould。’
Asheenteredthedarkhallthatledtotheconsulting—roomamancannonedagainsthim。Dicksawthefaceasithurriedoutintothestreet。
’That’sthewriter—type。HehasthesamemodellingoftheforeheadasTorp。Helooksverysick。Probablyheardsomethinghedidn’tlike。’
Evenashethought，agreatfearcameuponDick，afearthatmadehimholdhisbreathashewalkedintotheoculist’swaitingroom，withtheheavycarvedfurniture，thedark—greenpaper，andthesober—huedprintsonthewall。Herecognisedareproductionofoneofhisownsketches。
Manypeoplewerewaitingtheirturnbeforehim。Hiseyewascaughtbyaflamingred—and—goldChristmas—carolbook。Littlechildrencametothateye—doctor，andtheyneededlarge—typeamusement。
’That’sidolatrousbadArt，’hesaid，drawingthebooktowardshimself。
’Fromtheanatomyoftheangels，ithasbeenmadeinGermany。’Heopenedinmechanically，andthereleapedtohiseyesaverseprintedinredink——
ThenextgoodjoythatMaryhad，Itwasthejoyofthree，ToseehergoodSonJesusChristMakingtheblindtosee；
Makingtheblindtosee，goodLord，Andhappywemaybe。
PraiseFather，Son，andHolyGhostToalleternity！？
Dickreadandre—readtheversetillhisturncame，andthedoctorwasbendingabovehimseatedinanarm—chair。Theblazeofthegas—microscopeinhiseyesmadehimwince。Thedoctor’shandtouchedthescarofthesword—cutonDick’shead，andDickexplainedbrieflyhowhehadcomebyit。Whentheflamewasremoved，Dicksawthedoctor’sface，andthefearcameuponhimagain。Thedoctorwrappedhimselfinamistofwords。Dickcaughtallusionsto’scar，’’frontalbone，’’opticnerve，’’extremecaution，’andthe’avoidanceofmentalanxiety。’
’Verdict？’hesaidfaintly。’Mybusinessispainting，andIdaren’twastetime。Whatdoyoumakeofit？’
Againthewhirlofwords，butthistimetheyconveyedameaning。
’Canyougivemeanythingtodrink？’
Manysentenceswerepronouncedinthatdarkenedroom，andtheprisonersoftenneededcheering。Dickfoundaglassofliqueurbrandyinhishand。
’AsfarasIcangather，’hesaid，coughingabovethespirit，’youcallitdecayoftheopticnerve，orsomething，andthereforehopeless。Whatismytime—limit，avoidingallstrainandworry？’
’Perhapsoneyear。’
’MyGod！AndifIdon’ttakecareofmyself？’
’Ireallycouldnotsay。Onecannotascertaintheexactamountofinjuryinflictedbythesword—cut。Thescarisanoldone，and——exposuretothestronglightofthedesert，didyousay？——withexcessiveapplicationtofinework？Ireallycouldnotsay？’
’Ibegyourpardon，butithascomewithoutanywarning。Ifyouwillletme，I’llsithereforaminute，andthenI’llgo。Youhavebeenverygoodintellingmethetruth。Withoutanywarning；withoutanywarning。
Thanks。’
Dickwentintothestreet，andwasrapturouslyreceivedbyBinkie。
’We’vegotitverybadly，littledog！Justasbadlyaswecangetit。We’llgototheParktothinkitout。’
TheyheadedforacertaintreethatDickknewwell，andtheysatdowntothin，becausehislegsweretremblingunderhimandtherewascoldfearatthepitofhisstomach。
’Howcouldithavecomewithoutanywarning？It’sassuddenasbeingshot。It’sthelivingdeath，Binkie。We’retobeshutupinthedarkinoneyearifwe’recareful，andweshan’tseeanybody，andweshallneverhaveanythingwewant，notthoughwelivetobeahundred！’Binkiewaggedhistailjoyously。’Binkie，wemustthink。Let’sseehowitfeelstobeblind。’Dickshuthiseyes，andflamingcommasandCatherine—wheelsfloatedinsidethelids。YetwhenhelookedacrosstheParkthescopeofhisvisionwasnotcontracted。Hecouldseeperfectly，untilaprocessionofslow—wheelingfireworksdefiledacrosshiseyeballs。
’Littledorglums，wearen’tatallwell。Let’sgohome。IfonlyTorpwereback，now！’
ButTorpenhowwasinthesouthofEngland，inspectingdockyardsinthecompanyoftheNilghai。Hisletterswerebriefandfullofmystery。
Dickhadneveraskedanybodytohelphiminhisjoysorhissorrows。Heargued，inthelonelinessofhisstudio，henceforwardtobedecoratedwithafilmofgraygauzeinonecorner，that，ifhisfatewereblindness，alltheTorpenhowsintheworldcouldnotsavehim。’Ican’tcallhimoffhistriptositdownandsympathisewithme。Imustpullthroughthisbusinessalone，’hesaid。Hewaslyingonthesofa，eatinghismoustacheandwonderingwhatthedarknessofthenightwouldbelike。ThencametohismindthememoryofaquaintsceneintheSoudan。Asoldierhadbeennearlyhackedintwobyabroad—bladedArabspear。Foroneinstantthemanfeltnopain。Lookingdown，hesawthathislife—bloodwasgoingfromhim。ThestupidbewildermentonhisfacewassointenselycomicthatbothDickandTorpenhow，stillpantingandunstrungfromafightforlife，hadroaredwithlaughter，inwhichthemanseemedasifhewouldjoin，but，ashislipspartedinasheepishgrin，theagonyofdeathcameuponhim，andhepitchedgruntingattheirfeet。Dicklaughedagain，rememberingthehorror。Itseemedsoexactlylikehisowncase。
’ButIhavealittlemoretimeallowedme，’hesaid。Hepacedupanddowntheroom，quietlyatfirst，butafterwardswiththehurriedfeetoffear。Itwasasthoughablackshadowstoodathiselbowandurgedhimtogoforward；andtherewereonlyweavingcirclesandfloatingpin—dotsbeforehiseyes。
’Weneedtobecalm，Binkie；wemustbecalm。’Hetalkedaloudforthesakeofdistraction。’Thisisn’tniceatall。Whatshallwedo？Wemustdosomething。Ourtimeisshort。Ishouldn’thavebelievedthatthismorning；
butnowthingsaredifferent。Binkie，wherewasMoseswhenthelightwentout？’
Binkiesmiledfromeartoear，asawell—bredterriershould，butmadenosuggestion。
’\"Weretherebutworldenoughandtime，Thiscoyness，Binkie，werenotcrime……ButatmybackIalwayshear————\"’Hewipedhisforehead，whichwasunpleasantlydamp。’WhatcanIdo？WhatcanIdo？Ihaven’tanynotionsleft，andIcan’tthinkconnectedly，butImustdosomething，orIshallgooffmyhead。’
Thehurriedwalkrecommenced，Dickstoppingeverynowandagaintodragforthlong—neglectedcanvasesandoldnote—books；forheturnedtohisworkbyinstinct，asathingthatcouldnotfail。’Youwon’tdo，andyouwon’tdo，’hesaid，ateachinspection。’Nomoresoldiers。Icouldn’tpaint’em。Suddendeathcomeshometoonearly，andthisisbattleandmurderforme。’
Thedaywasfailing，andDickthoughtforamomentthatthetwilightoftheblindhadcomeuponhimunaware。’AllahAlmighty！’hecrieddespairingly，’helpmethroughthetimeofwaiting，andIwon’twhinewhenmypunishmentcomes。WhatcanIdonow，beforethelightgoes？’
Therewasnoanswer。Dickwaitedtillhecouldregainsomesortofcontroloverhimself。Hishandswereshaking，andhepridedhimselfontheirsteadiness；hecouldfeelthathislipswerequivering，andthesweatwasrunningdownhisface。Hewaslashedbyfear，drivenforwardbythedesiretogettoworkatonceandaccomplishsomething，andmaddenedbytherefusalofhisbraintodomorethanrepeatthenewsthathewasabouttogoblind。’It’sahumiliatingexhibition，’hethought，’andI’mgladTorpisn’theretosee。ThedoctorsaidIwastoavoidmentalworry。
Comehereandletmepetyou，Binkie。’
ThelittledogyelpedbecauseDicknearlysqueezedthebarkoutofhim。
Thenheheardthemanspeakinginthetwilight，and，doglike，understoodthathistroublestoodofffromhim——
’Allahisgood，Binkie。Notquitesogentleaswecouldwish，butwe’lldiscussthatlater。IthinkIseemywaytoitnow。AllthosestudiesofBessie’sheadwerenonsense，andtheynearlybroughtyourmasterintoascrape。Iholdthenotionnowasclearascrystal，——\"theMelancoliathattranscendsallwit。\"ThereshallbeMaisieinthathead，becauseIshallnevergetMaisie；andBess，ofcourse，becausesheknowsallaboutMelancolia，thoughshedoesn’tknowsheknows；andthereshallbesomedrawinginit，anditshallallendupwithalaugh。That’sformyself。Shallshegiggleorgrin？No，sheshalllaughrightoutofthecanvas，andeverymanandwomanthateverhadasorrowoftheirownshall——whatisitthepoemsays？——
’UnderstandthespeechandfeelastirOffellowshipinalldisastrousfight。
\"Inalldisastrousfight\"？That’sbetterthanpaintingthethingmerelytopiqueMaisie。IcandoitnowbecauseIhaveitinsideme。Binkie，I’mgoingtoholdyouupbyyourtail。You’reanomen。Comehere。’
Binkieswungheaddownwardforamomentwithoutspeaking。
’Ratherlikeholdingaguinea—pig；butyou’reabravelittledog，andyoudon’tyelpwhenyou’rehungup。Itisanomen。’
Binkiewenttohisownchair，andasoftenashelookedsawDickwalkingupanddown，rubbinghishandsandchuckling。ThatnightDickwrotealettertoMaisiefullofthetenderestregardforherhealth，butsayingverylittleabouthisown，anddreamedoftheMelancoliatobeborn。Nottillmorningdidherememberthatsomethingmighthappentohiminthefuture。
Hefelltowork，whistlingsoftly，andwasswallowedupintheclean，clearjoyofcreation，whichdoesnotcometomantoooften，lestheshouldconsiderhimselftheequalofhisGod，andsorefusetodieattheappointedtime。HeforgotMaisie，Torpenhow，andBinkieathisfeet，butrememberedtostirBessie，whoneededverylittlestirring，intoatremendousrage，thathemightwatchthesmoulderinglightsinhereyes。
Hethrewhimselfwithoutreservationintohiswork，anddidnotthinkofthedoomthatwastoovertakehim，forhewaspossessedwithhisnotion，andthethingsofthisworldhadnopoweruponhim。
’You’repleasedto—day，’saidBessie。
Dickwavedhismahl—stickinmysticcirclesandwenttothesideboardforadrink。Intheevening，whentheexaltationofthedayhaddieddown，hewenttothesideboardagain，andaftersomevisitsbecameconvincedthattheeye—doctorwasaliar，sincehecouldstillseeeverythingveryclearly。
HewasofopinionthathewouldevenmakeahomeforMaisie，andthatwhethershelikeditornotsheshouldbehiswife。Themoodpassednextmorning，butthesideboardandalluponitremainedforhiscomfort。
Againhesettowork，andhiseyestroubledhimwithspotsanddashesandblurstillhehadtakencounselwiththesideboard，andtheMelancoliabothonthecanvasandinhisownmindappearedlovelierthanever。Therewasadelightfulsenseofirresponsibilityuponhim，suchastheyfeelwhowalkingamongtheirfellow—menknowthatthedeath—sentenceofdiseaseisuponthem，and，seeingthatfearisbutwasteofthelittletimeleft，areriotouslyhappy。Thedayspassedwithoutevent。
Bessiearrivedpunctuallyalways，and，thoughhervoiceseemedtoDicktocomefromadistance，herfacewasalwaysverynear。TheMelancoliabegantoflameonthecanvas，inthelikenessofawomanwhohadknownallthesorrowintheworldandwaslaughingatit。Itwastruethatthecornersofthestudiodrapedthemselvesingrayfilmandretiredintothedarkness，thatthespotsinhiseyesandthepainsacrosshisheadwereverytroublesome，andthatMaisie’sletterswerehardtoreadandharderstilltoanswer。Hecouldnottellherofhistrouble，andhecouldnotlaughatheraccountsofherownMelancoliawhichwasalwaysgoingtobefinished。Butthefuriousdaysoftoilandthenightsofwilddreamsmadeamendsforall，andthesideboardwashisbestfriendonearth。
Bessiewassingularlydull。SheusedtoshriekwithragewhenDickstaredatherbetweenhalf—closedeyes。Nowshesulked，orwatchedhimwithdisgust，sayingverylittle。
Torpenhowhadbeenabsentforsixweeks。Anincoherentnoteheraldedhisreturn。’News！greatnews！’hewrote。’TheNilghaiknows，andsodoestheKeneu。We’reallbackonThursday。Getlunchandcleanyouraccoutrements。’
DickshowedBessietheletter，andsheabusedhimforthathehadeversentTorpenhowawayandruinedherlife。
’Well，’saidDick，brutally，’you’rebetterasyouare，insteadofmakinglovetosomedrunkenbeastinthestreet。’HefeltthathehadrescuedTorpenhowfromgreattemptation。
’Idon’tknowifthat’sanyworsethansittingtoadrunkenbeastinastudio。Youhaven’tbeensoberforthreeweeks。You’vebeensoakingthewholetime；andyetyoupretendyou’rebetterthanme！’
’Whatd’youmean？’saidDick。
’Mean！You’llseewhenMr。Torpenhowcomesback。’
Itwasnotlongtowait。TorpenhowmetBessieonthestaircasewithoutasignoffeeling。HehadnewsthatwasmoretohimthanmanyBessies，andtheKeneuandtheNilghaiweretramplingbehindhim，callingforDick。
’Drinkinglikeafish，’Bessiewhispered。’He’sbeenatitfornearlyamonth。’Shefollowedthemenstealthilytohearjudgmentdone。
Theycameintothestudio，rejoicing，tobewelcomedovereffusivelybyadrawn，lined，shrunken，haggardwreck，——unshaven，blue—whiteaboutthenostrils，stoopingintheshoulders，andpeeringunderhiseyebrowsnervously。ThedrinkhadbeenatworkassteadilyasDick。
’Isthisyou？’saidTorpenhow。
’Allthat’sleftofme。Sitdown。Binkie’squitewell，andI’vebeendoingsomegoodwork。’Hereeledwherehestood。
’You’vedonesomeoftheworstworkyou’veeverdoneinyourlife。Manalive，you’re————’
Torpenhowturnedtohiscompanionsappealingly，andtheylefttheroomtofindlunchelsewhere。Thenhespoke；but，sincethereproofofafriendismuchtoosacredandintimateathingtobeprinted，andsinceTorpenhowusedfiguresandmetaphorswhichwereunseemly，andcontemptuntranslatable，itwillneverbeknownwhatwasactuallysaidtoDick，whoblinkedandwinkedandpickedathishands。Afteratimetheculpritbegantofeeltheneedofalittleself—respect。Hewasquitesurethathehadnotinanywaydepartedfromvirtue，andtherewerereasons，too，ofwhichTorpenhowknewnothing。Hewouldexplain。
Herose，triedtostraightenhisshoulders，andspoketothefacehecouldhardlysee。
’Youareright，’hesaid。’ButIamright，too。AfteryouwentawayIhadsometroublewithmyeyes。SoIwenttoanoculist，andheturnedagasogene——Imeanagas—engine——intomyeye。Thatwasverylongago。Hesaid，\"Scaronthehead，——sword—cutandopticnerve。\"Makeanoteofthat。SoIamgoingblind。IhavesomeworktodobeforeIgoblind，andI
supposethatImustdoit。Icannotseemuchnow，butIcanseebestwhenIamdrunk。IdidnotknowIwasdrunktillIwastold，butImustgoonwithmywork。Ifyouwanttoseeit，thereitis。’HepointedtotheallbutfinishedMelancoliaandlookedforapplause。
Torpenhowsaidnothing，andDickbegantowhimperfeebly，forjoyatseeingTorpenhowagain，forgriefatmisdeeds——ifindeedtheyweremisdeeds——thatmadeTorpenhowremoteandunsympathetic，andforchildishvanityhurt，sinceTorpenhowhadnotgivenawordofpraisetohiswonderfulpicture。
Bessielookedthroughthekeyholeafteralongpause，andsawthetwowalkingupanddownasusual，Torpenhow’shandonDick’sshoulder。
HereatshesaidsomethingsoimproperthatitshockedevenBinkie，whowasdribblingpatientlyonthelandingwiththehopeofseeinghismasteragain。
CHAPTERXI
ThelarkwillmakeherhymntoGod，Thepartridgecallherbrood，WhileIforgettheheathItrod，ThefieldswhereinIstood。
’Tisduletoknownotnightfrommorn，ButdeeperduletoknowIcanbuthearthehunter’shornThatonceIusedtoblow。——TheOnlySon。？
ITWASthethirddayafterTorpenhow’sreturn，andhisheartwasheavy。
’Doyoumeantotellmethatyoucan’tseetoworkwithoutwhiskey？It’sgenerallytheotherwayabout。’
’Canadrunkardswearonhishonour？’saidDick。
’Yes，ifhehasbeenasgodamanasyou。’
’ThenIgiveyoumywordofhonour，’saidDick，speakinghurriedlythroughparchedlips。’Oldman，Icanhardlyseeyourfacenow。You’vekeptmesoberfortwodays，——ifIeverwasdrunk，——andI’vedonenowork。
Don’tkeepmebackanymore。Idon’tknowwhenmyeyesmaygiveout。
Thespotsanddotsandthepainsandthingsarecrowdingworsethanever。IswearIcanseeallrightwhenI’m——whenI’mmoderatelyscrewed，asyousay。GivemethreemoresittingsfromBessieandall——thestuffI
want，andthepicturewillbedone。Ican’tkillmyselfinthreedays。ItonlymeansatouchofD。T。attheworst。’
’IfIgiveyouthreedaysmorewillyoupromisemetostopworkand——theotherthing，whetherthepicture’sfinishedornot？’
’Ican’t。Youdon’tknowwhatthatpicturemeanstome。ButsurelyyoucouldgettheNilghaitohelpyou，andknockmedownandtiemeup。I
shouldn’tfightforthewhiskey，butIshouldforthework。’
’Goon，then。Igiveyouthreedays；butyou’renearlybreakingmyheart。’
Dickreturnedtohiswork，toilingasonepossessed；andtheyellowdevilofwhiskeystoodbyhimandchasedawaythespotsinhiseyes。TheMelancoliawasnearlyfinished，andwasallornearlyallthathehadhopedshewouldbe。DickjestedwithBessie，whoremindedhimthathewas’adrunkenbeast’；butthereproofdidnotmovehim。
’Youcan’tunderstand，Bess。Weareinsightoflandnow，andsoonweshallliebackandthinkaboutwhatwe’vedone。I’llgiveyouthreemonths’paywhenthepicture’sfinished，andnexttimeIhaveanymoreworkinhand——butthatdoesn’tmatter。Won’tthreemonths’paymakeyouhatemeless？’
’No，itwon’t！Ihateyou，andI’llgoonhatingyou。Mr。Torpenhowwon’tspeaktomeanymore。He’salwayslookingatmaps。’
BessiedidnotsaythatshehadagainlaidsiegetoTorpenhow，orthatattheendofourpassionatepleadinghehadpickedherup，givenherakiss，andputheroutsidethedoorwiththerecommendationnottobealittlefool。HespentmostofhistimeinthecompanyoftheNilghai，andtheirtalkwasofwarinthenearfuture，thehiringoftransports，andsecretpreparationsamongthedockyards。HedidnotwishtoseeDicktillthepicturewasfinished。
’He’sdoingfirst—classwork，’hesaidtotheNilghai，’andit’squiteoutofhisregularline。But，forthematterofthat，so’shisinfernalsoaking。’
’Nevermind。Leavehimalone。Whenhehascometohissensesagainwe’llcarryhimofffromthisplaceandlethimbreathecleanair。PoorDick！Idon’tenvyyou，Torp，whenhiseyesfail。’
’Yes，itwillbeacaseof\"Godhelpthemanwho’schainedtoourDavie。\"
Theworstisthatwedon’tknowwhenitwillhappen，andIbelievetheuncertaintyandthewaitinghavesentDicktothewhiskeymorethananythingelse。’
’HowtheArabwhocuthisheadopenwouldgrinifheknew！’
’He’satperfectlibertytogrinifhecan。He’sdead。That’spoorconsolationnow。’
IntheafternoonofthethirddayTorpenhowheardDickcallingforhim。
’Allfinished！’heshouted。’I’vedoneit！Comein！Isn’tsheabeauty？Isn’tsheadarling？I’vebeendowntohelltogether；butisn’tsheworthit？’
Torpenhowlookedattheheadofawomanwholaughed，——afull—lipped，hollow—eyedwomanwholaughedfromoutofthecanvasasDickhadintendedshewould。
’Whotaughtyouhowtodoit？’saidTorpenhow。’Thetouchandnotionhavenothingtodowithyourregularwork。Whatafaceitis！Whateyes，andwhatinsolence！’Unconsciouslyhethrewbackhisheadandlaughedwithher。’She’sseenthegameplayedout，——Idon’tthinkshehadagoodtimeofit，——andnowshedoesn’tcare。Isn’tthattheidea？’
’Exactly。’
’Wheredidyougetthemouthandchinfrom？Theydon’tbelongtoBess。’
’They’re——someoneelse’s。Butisn’titgood？Isn’titthunderinggood？
Wasn’titworththewhiskey？Ididit。AloneIdidit，andit’sthebestI
cando。’Hedrewhisbreathsharply，andwhispered，’JustGod！whatcouldInotdotenyearshence，ifIcandothisnow！——Bytheway，whatdoyouthinkofit，Bess？’
Thegirlwasbitingherlips。SheloathedTorpenhowbecausehehadtakennonoticeofher。
’Ithinkit’sjustthehorridest，beastliestthingIeversaw，’sheanswered，andturnedaway。
’Morethanyouwillbeofthatwayofthinking，youngwoman。——Dick，there’sasortofmurderous，viperinesuggestioninthepoiseoftheheadthatIdon’tunderstand，’saidTorpenhow。
That’strick—work，’saidDick，chucklingwithdelightatbeingcompletelyunderstood。’Icouldn’tresistonelittlebitofsheerswagger。It’saFrenchtrick，andyouwouldn’tunderstand；butit’sgotatbyslewingroundtheheadatrifle，andatiny，tinyforeshorteningofonesideofthefacefromtheangleofthechintothetopoftheleftear。That，anddeepeningtheshadowunderthelobeoftheear。Itwasflagranttrick—work；but，havingthenotionfixed，Ifeltentitledtoplaywithit，——Oh，youbeauty！’
’Amen！Sheisabeauty。Icanfeelit。’
’Sowilleverymanwhohasanysorrowofhisown，’saidDick，slappinghisthigh。’Heshallseehistroublethere，and，bytheLordHarry，justwhenhe’sfeelingproperlysorryforhimselfheshallthrowbackhisheadandlaugh，——assheislaughing。I’veputthelifeofmyheartandthelightofmyeyesintoher，andIdon’tcarewhatcomes……I’mtired，——awfullytired。IthinkI’llgettosleep。Takeawaythewhiskey，ithasserveditsturn，andgiveBessiethirty—sixquid，andthreeoverforluck。Coverthepicture。’
Hedroppedasleepinthelongchair，hidfacewhiteandhaggard，almostbeforehehadfinishedthesentence。BessietriedtotakeTorpenhow’shand。’Aren’tyounevergoingtospeaktomeanymore？’shesaid；butTorpenhowwaslookingatDick。
’Whatastockofvanitythemanhas！I’lltakehiminhandto—morrowandmakemuchofhim。Hedeservesit。——Eh！whatwasthat，Bess？’
’Nothing。I’llputthingstidyherealittle，andthenI’llgo。Youcouldn’tgivethethatthreemonths’paynow，couldyou？Hesaidyouwereto。’
Torpenhowgaveheracheckandwenttohisownrooms。Bessiefaithfullytidiedupthestudio，setthedoorajarforflight，emptiedhalfabottleofturpentineonaduster，andbegantoscrubthefaceoftheMelancoliaviciously。Thepaintdidnotsmudgequicklyenough。Shetookapalette—knifeandscraped，followingeachstrokewiththewetduster。Infiveminutesthepicturewasaformless，scarredmuddleofcolours。Shethrewthepaint—staineddusterintothestudiostove，stuckouthertongueatthesleeper，andwhispered，’Bilked！’assheturnedtorundownthestaircase。ShewouldneverseeTorpenhowanymore，butshehadatleastdoneharmtothemanwhohadcomebetweenherandherdesireandwhousedtomakefunofher。CashingthecheckwastheverycreamofthejesttoBessie。ThenthelittleprivateersailedacrosstheThames，tobeswallowedupinthegraywildernessofSouth—the—Water。
Dickslepttilllateintheevening，whenTorpenhowdraggedhimofftobed。Hiseyeswereasbrightashisvoicewashoarse。’Let’shaveanotherlookatthepicture，’hesaid，insistentlyasachild。
’You——go——to——bed，’saidTorpenhow。’Youaren’tatallwell，thoughyoumayn’tknowit。You’reasjumpyasacat。’
’Ireformto—morrow。Good—night。’
Asherepassedthroughthestudio，Torpenhowliftedtheclothabovethepicture，andalmostbetrayedhimselfbyoutcries：’Wipedout！——scrapedoutandturpedout！He’sonthevergeofjumpsasitis。That’sBess，——thelittlefiend！Onlyawomancouldhavedonethat！—withtheinknotdryonthecheck，too！Dickwillberavingmadto—morrow。Itwasallmyfaultfortryingtohelpgutter—devils。Oh，mypoorDick，theLordishittingyouveryhard！’
Dickcouldnotsleepthatnight，partlyforpurejoy，andpartlybecausethewell—knownCatherine—wheelsinsidehiseyeshadgivenplacetocracklingvolcanoesofmany—colouredfire。’Spoutaway，’hesaidaloud。
’I’vedonemywork，andnowyoucandowhatyouplease。’Helaystill，staringattheceiling，thelong—pent—updeliriumofdrinkinhisveins，hisbrainonfirewithracingthoughtsthatwouldnotstaytobeconsidered，andhishandscrispedanddry。HehadjustdiscoveredthathewaspaintingthefaceoftheMelancoliaonarevolvingdomeribbedwithmillionsoflights，andthatallhiswondrousthoughtsstoodembodiedhundredsoffeetbelowhistinyswingingplank，shoutingtogetherinhishonour，whensomethingcrackedinsidehistempleslikeanoverstrainedbowstring，theglitteringdomebrokeinward，andhewasaloneinthethicknight。
’I’llgotosleep。Theroom’sverydark。Let’slightalampandseehowtheMelancolialooks。Thereoughttohavebeenamoon。’
ItwasthenthatTorpenhowheardhisnamecalledbyavoicethathedidnotknow，——intherattlingaccentsofdeadlyfear。
’He’slookedatthepicture，’washisfirstthought，ashehurriedintothebedroomandfoundDicksittingupandbeatingtheairwithhishands。
’Torp！Torp！whereareyou？Forpity’ssake，cometome！’
’What’sthematter？’
Dickclutchedathisshoulder。’Matter！I’vebeenlyinghereforhoursinthedark，andyouneverheardme。Torp，oldman，don’tgoaway。I’mallinthedark。Inthedark，Itellyou！’
TorpenhowheldthecandlewithinafootofDick’seyes，buttherewasnolightinthoseeyes。Helitthegas，andDickheardtheflamecatch。ThegripofhisfingersonTorpenhow’sshouldermadeTorpenhowwince。
’Don’tleaveme。Youwouldn’tleavemealonenow，wouldyou？Ican’tsee。D’youunderstand？It’sblack，——quiteblack，——andIfeelasifIwasfallingthroughitall。’
’Steadydoesit。’TorpenhowputhisarmroundDickandbegantorockhimgentlytoandfro。
’That’sgood。Nowdon’ttalk。IfIkeepveryquietforawhile，thisdarknesswilllift。Itseemsjustonthepointofbreaking。H’sh！’Dickknithisbrowsandstareddesperatelyinfrontofhim。ThenightairwaschillingTorpenhow’stoes。
’Canyoustaylikethataminute？’hesaid。’I’llgetmydressing—gownandsomeslippers。’
Dickclutchedthebed—headwithbothhandsandwaitedforthedarknesstoclearaway。’Whatatimeyou’vebeen！’hecried，whenTorpenhowreturned。’It’sasblackasever。Whatareyoubangingaboutinthedoor—way？’
’Longchair，——horse—blanket，——pillow。Goingtosleepbyyou。Liedownnow；you’llbebetterinthemorning。’
’Ishan’t！’Thevoicerosetoawail。’MyGod！I’mblind！I’mblind，andthedarknesswillnevergoaway。’Hemadeasiftoleapfromthebed，butTorpenhow’sarmswereroundhim，andTorpenhow’schinwasonhisshoulder，andhisbreathwassqueezedoutofhim。Hecouldonlygasp，’Blind！’andwrigglefeebly。
’Steady，Dickie，steady！’saidthedeepvoiceinhisear，andthegriptightened。’Biteonthebullet，oldman，anddon’tletthemthinkyou’reafraid，’Thegripcoulddrawnocloser。Bothmenwerebreathingheavily。
Dickthrewhisheadfromsidetosideandgroaned。
’Letmego，’hepanted。’You’recrackingmyribs。We—wemustn’tletthemthinkwe’reafraid，mustwe，——allthepowersofdarknessandthatlot？’
’Liedown。It’sallovernow。’
’Yes，’saidDick，obediently。’Butwouldyoumindlettingmeholdyourhand？IfeelasifIwantedsomethingtoholdonto。Onedropsthroughthedarkso。’
Torpenhowthrustoutalargeandhairypawfromthelongchair。Dickclutchedittightly，andinhalfanhourhadfallenasleep。Torpenhowwithdrewhishand，and，stoopingoverDick，kissedhimlightlyontheforehead，asmendosometimeskissawoundedcomradeinthehourofdeath，toeasehisdeparture。
InthegraydawnTorpenhowheardDicktalkingtohimself。Hewasadriftontheshorelesstidesofdelirium，speakingveryquickly——
’It’sapity，——agreatpity；butit’shelped，anditmustbeeaten，MasterGeorge。Sufficientuntothedayistheblindnessthereof，and，further，puttingasideallMelancoliasandfalsehumours，itisofobviousnotoriety——suchasminewas——thatthequeencandonowrong。Torpdoesn’tknowthat。I’lltellhimwhenwe’realittlefartherintothedesert。
Whatabunglethoseboatmenaremakingofthesteamer—ropes！They’llhavethatfour—inchhawserchafedthroughinaminute。Itoldyouso——thereshegoes！Whitefoamongreenwater，andthesteamerslewinground。Howgoodthatlooks！I’llsketchit。No，Ican’t。I’mafflictedwithophthalmia。ThatwasoneofthetenplaguesofEgypt，anditextendsuptheNileintheshapeofcataract。Ha！that’sajoke，Torp。Laugh，yougravenimage，andstandclearofthehawser……It’llknockyouintothewaterandmakeyourdressalldirty，Maisiedear。’
’Oh！’saidTorpenhow。’Thishappenedbefore。Thatnightontheriver。’
’She’llbesuretosayit’smyfaultifyougetmuddy，andyou’requitenearenoughtothebreakwater。Maisie，that’snotfair。Ah！Iknewyou’dmiss。
Lowandtotheleft，dear。Butyou’venoconviction。Don’tbeangry，darling。I’dcutmyhandoffifitwouldgiveyouanythingmorethanobstinacy。Myrighthand，ifitwouldserve。’
’Nowwemustn’tlisten。Here’sanislandshoutingacrossseasofmisunderstandingwithavengeance。Butit’sshoutingtruth，Ifancy，’saidTorpenhow。
Thebabblecontinued。ItallboreuponMaisie。SometimesDicklecturedatlengthonhiscraft，thenhecursedhimselfforhisfollyinbeingenslaved。HepleadedtoMaisieforakiss——onlyonekiss——beforeshewentaway，andcalledtohertocomebackfromVitry—sur—Marne，ifshewould；butthroughallhisravingshebadeheavenandearthwitnessthatthequeencoulddonowrong。
Torpenhowlistenedattentively，andlearnedeverydetailofDick’slifethathadbeenhiddenfromhim。ForthreedaysDickravedthroughthepast，andthenanaturalsleep。’Whatastrainhehasbeenrunningunder，poorchap！’saidTorpenhow。’Dick，ofallmen，handinghimselfoverlikeadog！AndIwaslecturinghimonarrogance！Ioughttohaveknownthatitwasnousetojudgeaman。ButIdidit。Whatademonthatgirlmustbe！Dick’sgivenherhislife，——confoundhim！——andshe’sgivenhimonekissapparently。’
’Torp，’saidDick，fromthebed，’gooutforawalk。You’vebeenheretoolong。I’llgetup。Hi！Thisisannoying。Ican’tdressmyself。Oh，it’stooabsurd！’
Torpenhowhelpedhimintohisclothesandledhimtothebigchairinthestudio。Hesatquietlywaitingunderstrainednervesforthedarknesstolift。Itdidnotliftthatday，northenext。Dickadventuredonavoyageroundthewalls。Hehithisshinsagainstthestove，andthissuggestedtohimthatitwouldbebettertocrawlonallfours，onehandinfrontofhim。Torpenhowfoundhimonthefloor。
’I’mtryingtogetthegeographyofmynewpossessions，’saidhe。’D’yourememberthatniggeryougougedinthesquare？Pityyoudidn’tkeeptheoddeye。Itwouldhavebeenuseful。Anylettersforme？Givemealltheonesinfatgrayenvelopeswithasortofcrownthingoutside。They’reofnoimportance。’
TorpenhowgavehimaletterwithablackM。ontheenvelopeflap。Dickputitintohispocket。TherewasnothinginitthatTorpenhowmightnothaveread，butitbelongedtohimselfandtoMaisie，whowouldneverbelongtohim。
’WhenshefindsthatIdon’twrite，she’llstopwriting。It’sbetterso。I
couldn’tbeanyusetohernow，’Dickargued，andthetemptersuggestedthatheshouldmakeknownhiscondition。Everynerveinhimrevolted。’I
havefallenlowenoughalready。I’mnotgoingtobegforpity。Besides，itwouldbecrueltoher。’HestrovetoputMaisieoutofhisthoughts；buttheblindhavemanyopportunitiesforthinking，andasthetidesofhisstrengthcamebacktohiminthelongemploylessdaysofdeaddarkness，Dick’ssoulwastroubledtothecore。Anotherletter，andanother，camefromMaisie。Thentherewassilence，andDicksatbythewindow，thepulseofsummerintheair，andpicturedherbeingwonbyanotherman，strongerthanhimself。Hisimagination，thekeenerforthedarkbackgrounditworkedagainst，sparedhimnosingledetailthatmightsendhimragingupanddownthestudio，tostumbleoverthestovethatseemedtobeinfourplacesatonce。Worstofall，tobaccowouldnottasteinthedarkness。Thearroganceofthemanhaddisappeared，andinitsplaceweresettleddespairthatTorpenhowknew，andblindpassionthatDickconfidedtohispillowatnight。Theintervalsbetweentheparoxysmswerefilledwithintolerablewaitingandtheweightofintolerabledarkness。
’ComeoutintothePark，’saidTorpenhow。’Youhaven’tstirredoutsincethebeginningofthings。’
’What’stheuse？There’snomovementinthedark；and，besides，’——hepausedirresolutelyattheheadofthestairs，——’somethingwillrunoverme。’
’NotifI’mwithyou。Proceedgingerly。’
TheroarofthestreetsfilledDickwithnervousterror，andheclungtoTorpenhow’sarm。’Fancyhavingtofeelforagutterwithyourfoot！’hesaidpetulantly，asheturnedintothePark。’Let’scurseGodanddie。’
’Sentriesareforbiddentopayunauthorisedcompliments。ByJove，therearetheGuards！’
Dick’sfigurestraightened。’Let’sgetnear’em。Let’sgoinandlook。Let’sgetonthegrassandrun。Icansmellthetrees。’
’Mindthelowrailing。That’sallright！’Torpenhowkickedoutatuftofgrasswithhisheel。’Smellthat，’hesaid。’Isn’titgood？’Dicksniffedluxuriously。’Nowpickupyourfeetandrun。’Theyapproachedasneartotheregimentaswaspossible。TheclankofbayonetsbeingunfixedmadeDick’snostrilsquiver。
’Let’sgetnearer。They’reincolumn，aren’tthey？’
’Yes。Howdidyouknow？’
’Feltit。Oh，mymen！——mybeautifulmen！’Heedgedforwardasthoughhecouldsee。’Icoulddrawthosechapsonce。Who’lldraw’emnow？’
’They’llmoveoffinaminute。Don’tjumpwhenthebandbegins。’
’Huh！I’mnotanewcharger。It’sthesilencesthathurt。Nearer，Torp！——nearer！Oh，myGod，whatwouldn’tIgivetosee’emforaminute！——onehalf—minute！’
Hecouldhearthearmedlifealmostwithinreachofhim，couldheartheslingstightenacrossthebandsman’schestasheheavedthebigdrumfromtheground。
’Stickscrossedabovehishead，’whisperedTorpenhow。
’Iknow。Iknow！WhoshouldknowifIdon’t？H’sh！’
Thedrum—sticksfellwithaboom，andthemenswungforwardtothecrashoftheband。Dickfeltthewindofthemassedmovementinhisface，heardthemaddeningtrampoffeetandthefrictionofthepouchesonthebelts。Thebigdrumpoundedoutthetune。Itwasamusic—hallrefrainthatmadeaperfectquickstep——
Hemustbeamanofdecentheight，Hemustbeamanofweight，HemustcomehomeonaSaturdaynightInathoroughlysoberstate；
Hemustknowhowtoloveme，Andhemustknowhowtokiss；
Andifhe’senoughtokeepusbothIcan’trefusehimbliss。
’What’sthematter？’saidTorpenhow，ashesawDick’sheadfallwhenthelastoftheregimenthaddeparted。
’Nothing。Ifeelalittlebitoutoftherunning，——that’sall。Torp，takemeback。Whydidyoubringmeout？’？
CHAPTERXII
Therewerethreefriendsthatburiedthefourth，ThemouldinhismouthandthedustinhiseyesAndtheywentsouthandeast，andnorth，——
Thestrongmanfights，butthesickmandies。
Therewerethreefriendsthatspokeofthedead，——
Thestrongmanfights，butthesickmandies。——
’Andwouldhewerewithusnow，’theysaid，’Thesuninourfaceandthewindinoureyes。’
——Ballad。
THENILGHAIwasangrywithTorpenhow。Dickhadbeensenttobed，——blindmenareeverundertheordersofthosewhocansee，——andsincehehadreturnedfromtheParkhadfluentlyswornatTorpenhowbecausehewasalive，andalltheworldbecauseitwasaliveandcouldsee，whilehe，Dick，wasdeadinthedeathoftheblind，who，atthebest，areonlyburdensupontheirassociates。TorpenhowhadsaidsomethingaboutaMrs。Gummidge，andDickhadretiredinablackfurytohandleandre—handlethreeunopenedlettersfromMaisie。
TheNilghai，fat，burly，andaggressive，wasinTorpenhow’srooms。
BehindhimsattheKeneu，theGreatWarEagle，andbetweenthemlayalargemapembellishedwithblack—and—white—headedpins。
’IwaswrongabouttheBalkans，’saidtheNilghai。’ButI’mnotwrongaboutthisbusiness。ThewholeofourworkintheSouthernSoudanmustbedoneoveragain。Thepublicdoesn’tcare，ofcourse，butthegovernmentdoes，andtheyaremakingtheirarrangementsquietly。YouknowthataswellasIdo。’
’IrememberhowthepeoplecurseduswhenourtroopswithdrewfromOmdurman。Itwasboundtocropupsoonerorlater。ButIcan’tgo，’saidTorpenhow。Hepointedthroughtheopendoor；itwasahotnight。’Canyoublameme？’
TheKeneupurredabovehispipelikealargeandveryhappycat——
’Don’tblameyouintheleast。It’suncommonlygoodofyou，andalltherestofit，buteveryman——evenyou，Torp——mustconsiderhiswork。Iknowitsoundsbrutal，butDick’soutoftherace，——down，——gastadosexpended，finished，donefor。Hehasalittlemoneyofhisown。Hewon’tstarve，andyoucan’tpulloutofyourslideforhissake。Thinkofyourownreputation。’
’Dick’swasfivetimesbiggerthanmineandyoursputtogether。’
’Thatwasbecausehesignedhisnametoeverythinghedid。It’sallendednow。Youmustholdyourselfinreadinesstomoveout。Youcancommandyourownprices，andyoudobetterworkthananythreeofus。’
’Don’ttellmehowtemptingitis。I’llstayheretolookafterDickforawhile。He’sascheerfulasabearwithasorehead，butIthinkhelikestohavemenearhim。’
TheNilghaisaidsomethinguncomplimentaryaboutsoft—headedfoolswhothrowawaytheircareersforotherfools。Torpenhowflushedangrily。TheconstantstrainofattendanceonDickhadwornhisnervesthin。
’Thereremainsathirdfate，’saidtheKeneu，thoughtfully。’Considerthis，andbenotlargerfoolsthannecessary。Dickis——orratherwas——anable—bodiedmanofmoderateattractionsandacertainamountofaudacity。’
’Oho！’saidtheNilghai，whorememberedanaffairatCairo。’Ibegintosee，——Torp，I’msorry。’
Torpenhownoddedforgiveness：’Youweremoresorrywhenhecutyouout，though。——Goon，Keneu。’
’I’veoftenthought，whenI’veseenmendieoutinthedesert，thatifthenewscouldbesentthroughtheworld，andthemeansoftransportwerequickenough，therewouldbeonewomanatleastateachman’sbedside。’
’Therewouldbesomemightyquaintrevelations。Letusbegratefulthingsareastheyare，’saidtheNilghai。
’LetusratherreverentlyconsiderwhetherTorp’sthree—corneredministrationsareexactlywhatDickneedsjustnow。——Whatdoyouthinkyourself，Torp？’
’Iknowtheyaren’t。ButwhatcanIdo？’
’Laythematterbeforetheboard。WeareallDick’sfriendshere。You’vebeenmostinhislife。’
’ButIpickeditupwhenhewasoffhishead。’
’Thegreaterchanceofitsbeingtrue。Ithoughtweshouldarrive。Whoisshe？’
ThenTorpenhowtoldataleinplainwords，asaspecialcorrespondentwhoknowshowtomakeaverbalprecisshouldtellit。Themenlistenedwithoutinterruption。
’Isitpossiblethatamancancomebackacrosstheyearstohiscalf—love？’
saidtheKeneu。’Isitpossible？’
’Igivethefacts。Hesaysnothingaboutitnow，buthesitsfumblingthreelettersfromherwhenhethinksI’mnotlooking。WhatamItodo？’
’Speaktohim，’saidtheNilghai。
’Ohyes！Writetoher，——Idon’tknowherfullname，remember，——andaskhertoaccepthimoutofpity。IbelieveyouoncetoldDickyouweresorryforhim，Nilghai。Yourememberwhathappened，eh？GointothebedroomandsuggestfullconfessionandanappealtothisMaisiegirl，whoeversheis。Ihonestlybelievehe’dtrytokillyou；andtheblindnesshasmadehimrathermuscular。’
’Torpenhow’scourseisperfectlyclear，’saidtheKeneu。’HewillgotoVitry—sur—Marne，whichisontheBezieres—LandesRailway，——singletrackfromTourgas。ThePrussiansshelleditoutin’70becausetherewasapoplaronthetopofahilleighteenhundredyardsfromthechurchspireThere’sasquadronofcavalryquarteredthere，——oroughttobe。WherethisstudioTorpspokeaboutmaybeIcannottell。ThatisTorp’sbusiness。Ihavegivenhimhisroute。Hewilldispassionatelyexplainthesituationtothegirl，andshewillcomebacktoDick，——themoreespeciallybecause，touseDick’swords，\"thereisnothingbutherdamnedobstinacytokeepthemapart。\"’
’Andtheyhavefourhundredandtwentypoundsayearbetween’em。
Dickneverlosthisheadforfigures，eveninhisdelirium。Youhaven’ttheshadowofanexcusefornotgoing，’saidtheNilghai。
Torpenhowlookedveryuncomfortable。’Butit’sabsurdandimpossible。I
can’tdragherbackbythehair。’
’Ourbusiness——thebusinessforwhichwedrawourmoney——istodoabsurdandimpossiblethings，——generallywithnoreasonwhateverexcepttoamusethepublic。Herewehaveareason。Therestdoesn’tmatter。I
shallsharetheseroomswiththeNilghaitillTorpenhowreturns。Therewillbeabatchofunbridled\"specials\"comingtotowninalittlewhile，andthesewillserveastheirheadquarters。AnotherreasonforsendingTorpenhowaway。ThusProvidencehelpsthosewhohelpothers，and’——heretheKeneudroppedhismeasuredspeech——’wecan’thaveyoutiedbythelegtoDickwhenthetroublebegins。It’syouronlychanceofgettingaway；andDickwillbegrateful。’
’Hewill，——worseluck！Icanbutgoandtry。Ican’tconceiveawomaninhersensesrefusingDick。’
’Talkthatoutwiththegirl。IhaveseenyouwheedleanangryMahdiehwomanintogivingyoudates。Thiswon’tbeatitheasdifficult。Youhadbetternotbehereto—morrowafternoon，becausetheNilghaiandIwillbeinpossession。Itisanorder。Obey。’？
’Dick，’saidTorpenhow，nextmorning，’canIdoanythingforyou？’
’No！Leavemealone。HowoftenmustIremindyouthatI’mblind？’
’NothingIcouldgofortofetchfortocarryfortobring？’
’No。Takethoseinfernalcreakingbootsofyoursaway。’
’Poorchap！’saidTorpenhowtohimself。’Imusthavebeensittingonhisnerveslately。Hewantsalighterstep。’Then，aloud，’Verywell。Sinceyou’resoindependent，I’mgoingoffforfourorfivedays。Saygood—byeatleast。Thehousekeeperwilllookafteryou，andKeneuhasmyrooms。’
Dick’sfacefell。’Youwon’tbelongerthanaweekattheoutside？IknowI’mtouchedinthetemper，butIcan’tgetonwithoutyou。’
’Can’tyou？You’llhavetodowithoutmeinalittletime，andyou’llbegladI’mgone。’
Dickfelthiswaybacktothebigchair，andwonderedwhatthesethingsmightmean。Hedidnotwishtobetendedbythehousekeeper，andyetTorpenhow’sconstanttendernessjarredonhim。Hedidnotexactlyknowwhathewanted。Thedarknesswouldnotlift，andMaisie’sunopenedlettersfeltwornandoldfrommuchhandling。Hecouldneverreadthemforhimselfaslongaslifeendured；butMaisiemighthavesenthimsomefreshonestoplaywith。TheNilghaienteredwithagift，——apieceofredmodelling—wax。HefanciedthatDickmightfindinterestinusinghishands。Dickpokedandpattedthestuffforafewminutes，and，’Isitlikeanythingintheworld？’hesaiddrearily。’Takeitaway。Imaygetthetouchoftheblindinfiftyyears。DoyouknowwhereTorpenhowhasgone？’
TheNilghaiknewnothing。’We’restayinginhisroomstillhecomesback。Canwedoanythingforyou？’
’I’dliketobeleftalone，please。Don’tthinkI’mungrateful；butI’mbestalone。’
TheNilghaichuckled，andDickresumedhisdrowsybroodingandsullenrebellionagainstfate。Hehadlongsinceceasedtothinkabouttheworkhehaddoneintheolddays，andthedesiretodomoreworkhaddepartedfromhim。Hewasexceedinglysorryforhimself，andthecompletenessofhistendergriefsoothedhim。ButhissoulandhisbodycriedforMaisie——Maisiewhowouldunderstand。HismindpointedoutthatMaisie，havingherownworktodo，wouldnotcare。Hisexperiencehadtaughthimthatwhenmoneywasexhaustedwomenwentaway，andthatwhenamanwasknockedoutoftheracetheotherstrampledonhim。’Thenattheleast，’saidDick，inreply，’shecouldusemeasIusedBinat，——forsomesortofastudy。Iwouldn’taskmorethantobenearheragain，eventhoughIknewthatanothermanwasmakinglovetoher。Ugh！whatadogIam！’
Avoiceonthestaircasebegantosingjoyfully——
’Whenwego——go——goawayfromhere，Ourcreditorswillweepandtheywillwail，Ourabsencemuchregrettingwhentheyfindthatthey’vebeengettingOutofEnglandbynextTuesday’sIndianmail。’？
Followingthetramplingoffeet，slammingofTorpenhow’sdoor，andthesoundofvoicesinstrenuousdebate，someonesqueaked，’Andsee，yougoodfellows，Ihavefoundanewwater—bottle——firs’—classpatent——eh，howyousay？Openhimselfinsideout。’
Dicksprangtohisfeet。Heknewthevoicewell。’That’sCassavetti，comebackfromtheContinent。NowIknowwhyTorpwentaway。There’sarowsomewhere，and——I’moutofit！’
TheNilghaicommandedsilenceinvain。’That’sformysake，’Dicksaidbitterly。’Thebirdsaregettingreadytofly，andtheywouldn’ttellme。I
canhearMorten—SutherlandandMackaye。HalftheWarCorrespondentsinLondonarethere；——andI’moutofit。’
HestumbledacrossthelandingandplungedintoTorpenhow’sroom。Hecouldfeelthatitwasfullofmen。’Where’sthetrouble？’saidhe。’IntheBalkansatlast？Whydidn’tsomeonetellme？’
’Wethoughtyouwouldn’tbeinterested，’saidtheNilghai，shamefacedly。
’It’sintheSoudan，asusual。’
’Youluckydogs！Letmesitherewhileyoutalk。Ishan’tbeaskeletonatthefeast。——Cassavetti，whereareyou？YourEnglishisasbadasever。’
Dickwasledintoachair。Heheardtherustleofthemaps，andthetalksweptforward，carryinghimwithit。Everybodyspokeatonce，discussingpresscensorships，railway—routes，transport，water—supply，thecapacitiesofgenerals，——theseinlanguagethatwouldhavehorrifiedatrustingpublic，——rangint，asserting，denouncing，andlaughingatthetopoftheirvoices。TherewasthegloriouscertaintyofwarintheSoudanatanymoment。TheNilghaisaidso，anditwaswelltobeinreadiness。TheKeneuhadtelegraphedtoCairoforhorses；Cassavettihadstolenaperfectlyinaccuratelistoftroopsthatwouldbeorderedforward，andwasreadingitoutamidprofaneinterruptions，andtheKeneuintroducedtoDicksomemanunknownwhowouldbeemployedaswarartistbytheCentralSouthernSyndicate。’It’shisfirstouting，’saidtheKeneu。’Givehimsometips——aboutridingcamels。’
’Oh，thosecamels！’groanedCassavetti。’Ishalllearntoridehimagain，andnowIamsomuchallsoft！Listen，yougoodfellows。Iknowyourmilitaryarrangementverywell。TherewillgotheRoyalArgalshireSutherlanders。Soitwasreadtomeuponbestauthority。’
Aroaroflaughterinterruptedhim。
’Sitdown，’saidtheNilghai。’Thelistsaren’tevenmadeoutintheWarOffice。’
’WilltherebeanyforceatSuakin？’aidavoice。
Thentheoutcriesredoubled，andgrewmixed，thus：’HowmanyEgyptiantroopswilltheyuse？——GodhelptheFellaheen！——There’sarailwayinPlumsteadmarshesdoingdutyasafives—court。——WeshallhavetheSuakin—Berberlinebuiltatlast。——Canadianvoyageursaretoocareful。Givemeahalf—drunkKroomaninawhale—boat。——WhocommandstheDesertcolumn？——No，theyneverblewupthebigrockintheGhinehbend。Weshallhavetobehauledup，asusual。——Somebodytellmeifthere’sanIndiancontingent，orI’llbreakeverybody’shead。——Don’ttearthemapintwo。——It’sawarofoccupation，Itellyou，toconnectwiththeAfricancompaniesintheSouth。——There’sGuinea—worminmostofthewellsonthatroute。’ThentheNilghai，despairingofpeace，bellowedlikeafog—hornandbeatuponthetablewithbothhands。
’ButwhatbecomesofTorpenhow？’saidDick，inthesilencethatfollowed。
’Torp’sinabeyancejustnow。He’sofflove—makingsomewhere，I
suppose，’saidtheNilghai。
’Hesaidhewasgoingtostayathome，’saidtheKeneu。
’Ishe？’saidDick，withanoath。’Hewon’t。I’mnotmuchgoodnow，butifyouandtheNilghaiholdhimdownI’llengagetotrampleonhimtillheseesreason。He’llstaybehind，indeed！He’sthebestofyouall。There’llbesometoughworkbyOmdurman。Weshallcometheretostay，thistime。
ButIforgot。IwishIweregoingwithyou。’
’Sodoweall，Dickie，’saidtheKeneu。
’AndImostofall，’saidthenewartistoftheCentralSouthernSyndicate。
’Couldyoutellme————’
’I’llgiveyouonepieceofadvice，’Dickanswered，movingtowardsthedoor。’Ifyouhappentobecutovertheheadinascrimmage，don’tguard。
Tellthemantogooncutting。You’llfinditcheapestintheend。Thanksforlettingmelookin。’
’There’sgritinDick，’saidtheNilghai，anhourlater，whentheroomwasemptiedofallsavetheKeneu。
’Itwasthesacredcallofthewar—trumpet。Didyounoticehowheansweredtoit？Poorfellow！Let’slookathim，’saidtheKeneu。
Theexcitementofthetalkhaddiedaway。Dickwassittingbythestudiotable，withhisheadonhisarms，whenthemencamein。Hedidnotchangehisposition。
’Ithurts，’hemoaned。’Godforgiveme，butithurtscruelly；andyet，y’know，theworldhasaknackofspinningroundallbyitself。ShallIseeTorpbeforehegoes？’
’Oh，yes。You’llseehim，’saidtheNilghai。
CHAPTERXIII
Thesunwentdownanhourago，IwonderifIfacetowardshome；
IfIlostmywayinthelightofdayHowshallIfinditnownightiscome？
——OldSong。？
’MAISIE，cometobed。’
’It’ssohotIcan’tsleep。Don’tworry。’
Maisieputherelbowsonthewindow—sillandlookedatthemoonlightonthestraight，poplar—flankedroad。SummerhadcomeuponVitry—sur—Marneandparchedittothebone。Thegrasswasdry—burntinthemeadows，theclaybythebankoftheriverwascakedtobrick，theroadsideflowerswerelongsincedead，andtherosesinthegardenhungwitheredontheirstalks。Theheatinthelittlelowbedroomundertheeaveswasalmostintolerable。TheverymoonlightonthewallofKami’sstudioacrosstheroadseemedtomakethenighthotter，andtheshadowofthebigbell—handlebytheclosedgatecastabarofinkyblackthatcaughtMaisie’seyeandannoyedher。
’Horridthing！Itshouldbeallwhite，’shemurmured。’Andthegateisn’tinthemiddleofthewall，either。Inevernoticedthatbefore。’
Maisiewashardtopleaseatthathour。First，theheatofthepastfewweekshadwornherdown；secondly，herwork，andparticularlythestudyofafemaleheadintendedtorepresenttheMelancoliaandnotfinishedintimefortheSalon，wasunsatisfactory；thirdly，Kamihadsaidasmuchtwodaysbefore；fourthly，——butsocompletelyfourthlythatitwashardlyworththinkingabout，——Dick，herproperty，hadnotwrittentoherformorethansixweeks。Shewasangrywiththeheat，withKami，andwithherwork，butshewasexceedinglyangrywithDick。
Shehadwrittentohimthreetimes，——eachtimeproposingafreshtreatmentofherMelancolia。Dickhadtakennonoticeofthesecommunications。Shehadresolvedtowritenomore。WhenshereturnedtoEnglandintheautumn——forherpride’ssakeshecouldnotreturnearlier——shewouldspeaktohim。ShemissedtheSundayafternoonconferencesmorethanshecaredtoadmit。AllthatKamisaidwas，’Continuez，mademoiselle，continueztoujours，’andhehadbeenrepeatingthewearisomecounselthroughthehotsummer，exactlylikeacicada，——anoldgraycicadainablackalpacacoat，whitetrousers，andahugefelthat。
ButDickhadtrampedmasterfullyupanddownherlittlestudionorthofthecoolgreenLondonpark，andhadsaidthingstentimesworsethancontinuez，beforehesnatchedthebrushoutofherhandandshowedherwheretheerrorlay。Hislastletter，Maisieremembered，containedsometrivialadviceaboutnotsketchinginthesunordrinkingwateratwaysidefarmhouses；andhehadsaidthatnotonce，butthreetimes，——asifhedidnotknowthatMaisiecouldtakecareofherself。
Butwhatwashedoing，thathecouldnottroubletowrite？Amurmurofvoicesintheroadmadeherleanfromthewindow。AcavalrymanofthelittlegarrisoninthetownwastalkingtoKami’scook。Themoonlightglitteredonthescabbardofhissabre，whichhewasholdinginhishandlestitshouldclankinopportunely。Thecook’scapcastdeepshadowsonherface，whichwasclosetotheconscript’s。Heslidhisarmroundherwaist，andtherefollowedthesoundofakiss。
’Faugh！’saidMaisie，steppingback。
’What’sthat？’saidthered—hairedgirl，whowastossinguneasilyoutsideherbed。
’Onlyaconscriptkissingthecook，’saidMaisie。
’They’vegoneawaynow。’Sheleanedoutofthewindowagain，andputashawloverhernightgowntoguardagainstchills。Therewasaverysmallnight—breezeabroad，andasun—bakedrosebelownoddeditsheadasonewhoknewunutterablesecrets。WasitpossiblethatDickshouldturnhisthoughtsfromherworkandhisownanddescendtothedegradationofSuzanneandtheconscript？Hecouldnot！Therosenoddeditsheadandoneleaftherewith。Itlookedlikeanaughtylittledevilscratchingitsear。
Dickcouldnot，’because，’thoughtMaisie，’heismind，——mine，——mine。Hesaidhewas。I’msureIdon’tcarewhathedoes。Itwillonlyspoilhisworkifhedoes；anditwillspoilminetoo。’
Therosecontinuedtonoditthefutilewaypeculiartoflowers。TherewasnoearthlyreasonwhyDickshouldnotdisporthimselfashechose，exceptthathewascalledbyProvidence，whichwasMaisie，toassistMaisieinherwork。AndherworkwasthepreparationofpicturesthatwentsometimestoEnglishprovincialexhibitions，asthenoticesinthescrap—bookproved，andthatwereinvariablyrejectedbytheSalonwhenKamiwasplaguedintoallowinghertosendthemup。Herworkinthefuture，itseemed，wouldbethepreparationofpicturesonexactlysimilarlineswhichwouldberejectedinexactlythesameway—