\"Ohyes,Ido,\"saidthepainter。\"Weneverknowwhenwemaybeuponthepointofrevelation。Iwouldn’tmissanychance。\"
WhetherWhitwellfeltanironicslantinthewordsornot,hepausedamomentbeforehesaid:\"Wanttostartherup,Jackson?\"
Jacksonbroughttothefloortheforefeetofhischair,whichhehadtiltedfromitinleaningback,andwithoutotheranswerputhishandontheplanchette。Itbegantoflyoverthelargesheetofpaperspreaduponthetable,incurvesandanglesandeccentrics。
\"Feelspoottylivelyto—night,\"saidWhitwell,withaglanceatWestover。
ThelittleCanuck,asifhehadnownofurtherconcerninthematter,satdowninacornerandsmokedsilently。Whitwellasked,afteramoment’simpatience:
\"Can’tyougitherdowntobusiness,Jackson?\"
Jacksongasped:\"She’llcomedownwhenshewantsto。\"
Thelittleinstrumentseemed,infact,tryingtocontrolitself。Itsmovementsbecamelesswildandlarge;thezigzagsbegantoshapethemselvesintosomethinglikecharacters。Jackson’swastedfacegavenotokenofinterest;Whitwelllaidhalfhisgauntlengthacrossthetableintheendeavortomakeoutsomemeaninginthem;theCanuck,withhishandscrossedonhisstomach,smokedon,withthesamegleaminhispipeandeye。
Theplanchettesuddenlystoodmotionless。
\"Shedone?\"murmuredWhitwell。
\"Iguesssheis,foraspell,anyway,\"saidJackson,wearily。
\"Let’strytomakeoutwhatshesays。\"WhitwelldrewthesheetstowardhimselfandWestover,whosatnexthim。\"You’vegottolookfortheletterseverywhere。Sometimesshe’llgiveyoufairandsquarewritin’,andthenagainshe’llslatthelettersdowneverywhichway,andyou’vegottohunt’emoutforyourself。Here’saBI’vegot。Thatbeginsalongprettyearlyinthealphabet。Let’sseewhatwecanfindnext。\"
WestoverfanciedhecouldmakeoutanFandaT。
WhitwellexultedinanunmistakableKandN;andhemadesureofanI,andanE。ThepainterwasnotsosureofanS。\"Well,callitanS,\"
saidWhitwell。\"AndIguessI’vegotanOhere,andanH。Hello!
Here’sanAaslargeaslife。Poottymuchofamixture。\"
\"Yes;Idon’tseethatwe’remuchbetteroffthanwewerebefore,\"saidWestover。
\"Well,Idon’tknowaboutthat,\"saidWhitwell。
\"Write’emdowninarowandseeifwecan’tpickoutsomesense。I’vehadworsefindsthanthis;novowelsatallsometimes;buthere’sthree。\"
Hewrotethelettersdown,whileJacksonleanedbackagainstthewall,inpatientquiet。
\"Well,sir,\"saidWhitwell,pushingthepaper,wherehehadwrittenthelettersinaline,toWestover,\"makeanythingoutof’em?\"
Westoverstruggledwiththemamoment。\"Icanmakeoutoneword—shaft。\"
\"Anythingelse?\"demandedWhitwell,withaglanceoftriumphatJackson。
Westoverstudiedtheremainingletters。\"Yes,Igetoneotherword—
broken。\"
\"JustwhatIdone!ButIwantedyoutospeakfirst。It’sBrokenShaft。
Jackson,shecaughtrightontowhatwewastalkin’about。Thislife,\"heturnedtoWestover,insolemnexegesis,\"isabrokenshaftwhendeathcomes。Itrestsupontheearth,butyougottolookforthetopofitintheskies。That’sthewayIlookatit。Whatdoyouthink,Jackson?
Jombateeste?\"
Ithinkanybodycan’tseethat。Bettergoandgetsomeheye—glass。\"
Westoverremainedinashamefulminority。Hesaid,meekly:\"Itsuggestsabeautifulhope。\"
Jacksonbroughthischair—legsdownagain,andputhishandontheplanchette。
\"Feelthattinglin’?\"asked。Whitwell,andJacksonmadeyeswithsilentlips。\"Afterhe’sbeenworkin’theplantchetteforaspell,andthenleavesoff,andshewantstosaysomethingmore,\"WhitwellexplainedtoWestover,\"heseemstofeelakindoftinglin’inhisarm,asifitwasasleep,andthenhe’sgottotackleheragain。Writin’steadyenoughnow,Jackson!\"hecried,joyously。\"Let’ssee。\"Heleanedoverandread,\"ThomasJefferson——\"Theplanchettestopped,\"My,Ididn’tgotodothat,\"saidWhitwell,apologetically。\"YoumuchacquaintedwithJefferson’swritin’s?\"heaskedofWestover。
Thepainterhadtoownhisignoranceofallexceptthedictionthatthegovernmentisbestwhichgovernsleast;buthewasnotinapositiontodenythatJeffersonhadeversaidanythingaboutabrokenshaft。
\"Itmayhavecometohimontheotherside,\"saidWhitwell。
\"Perhaps,\"Westoverassented。
Theplanchettebegantostiritselfagain。\"She’sgoin’ahead!\"criedWhitwell。Heleanedoverthetablesoastogeteveryletterasitwasformed。\"D——Yes!Death。DeathistheBrokenShaft。Goon!\"Afteramomentoffalteringtheplanchetteformedanotherletter。ItwasaU,anditwasfollowedbyanR,andsoon,tillDurginhadbeenspelled。
\"Thunder!\"criedWhitwell。\"Ifanything’shappenedtoJeff!\"
Jacksonliftedhishandfromtheplanchette。
\"Oh,goon,Jackson!\"Whitwellentreated。\"Don’tleaveitso!\"
\"Ican’tseemtogoon,\"Jacksonwhispered,andWestovercouldnotresistthefearthatsuddenlyroseamongthem。Buthemadethefirststruggleagainstit。\"Thisisnonsense。Or,ifthere’sanysenseinit,itmeansthatJeff’sshiphasbrokenhershaftandputback。\"
Whitwellgavealoudlaughofrelief。\"That’sso!You’vehitit,Mr。
Westover。\"
Jacksonsaid,quietly:\"Hedidn’tmeantostarthometilltomorrow。Andhowcouldhesendanymessageunlesshewas——\"
\"Easily!\"criedWestover。\"It’ssimplyaninstanceofmentalimpression—
oftelepathy,astheycallit。\"
\"That’sso!\"shoutedWhitwell,witheagerandinstantconviction。
WestovercouldseethatJacksonstilldoubted。\"Ifyoubelievethatadisembodiedspiritcancommunicatewithyou,whynotanembodiedspirit?
Ifanythinghashappenedtoyourbrother’sship,hismindwouldbestronglyonyouathome,andwhycouldn’titconveyitsthoughttoyou?\"
\"Becauseheha’n’tstartedyet,\"saidJackson。
Westoverwantedtolaugh;buttheyallheardvoiceswithout,whichseemedtobecomingnearer,andhelistenedwiththerest。HemadeoutFrankWhitwell’svoice,andhissister’s;andthenanothervoice,louderandgayer,roseboisterouslyabovethem。Whitwellflungthedooropenandplungedoutintothenight。Hecameback,haulingJeffDurgininbytheshoulder。
\"Here,now,\"beshoutedtoJackson,\"youjustletthisfellerandplantchettefightitouttogether!\"
\"What’sthematterwithplantchette?\"saidJeff,beforehesaidtohisbrother,\"Hello,Jackson!\"andtotheCanuck,\"Hello,Jombateeste!\"
Heshookhandsconventionallywiththemboth,andthenwiththepainter,whomhegreetedwithgreaterinterest。\"Gladtoseeyouhere,Mr。
Westover。DidItakeyoubysurprise?\"heaskedofthecompanyatlarge。
\"No,sir,\"saidWhitwell。\"Didn’tsurpriseusany,ifyouareafortnightaheadoftime,\"headded,withawinkattheothers。
\"Well,ItookanotionIwouldn’twaitforthecattle—ship,andIstartedbackonaFrenchboat。ThoughtI’dtryit。Theylivewell。ButIhopedIshouldastonishyoualittle,too。Imightaswellwaited。\"
Whitwelllaughed。\"Weheardfromyou——plantchettekeptrightroundafteryou。\"
\"Thatso?\"askedJeff,carelessly。
\"Fact。Haveagoodvoyage?\"Whitwellhadtheairofputtingacasualquestion。
\"First—rate,\"saidJeff。\"Plantchettesaynot?\"
\"No。Onlyaboutthebrokenshaft。\"
\"Brokenshaft?Wedidn’thaveanybrokenshaft。Plantchette’sgotmixedalittle。Gotthewrongship。\"
Afteramomentofchop—fallenness,Whitwellsaid:
\"Thensomebody’sbeenmakin’freewithyourname。Curioushowthemdevilscutupoftentimes。\"
Heexplained,andJefflaugheduproariouslywhenheunderstoodthewholecase。\"Plantchette’sbeenhavin’funwithyou。\"
Whitwellgavehimselftimeforreflection。\"No,sir,Idon’tlookatitthatway。Iguessthewiresgotcrossedsomeway。Ifthere’ssuchathingasthespiritso’thelivin’influencin’plantchette,accordin’toMr。Westover’ssay,here,Idon’tseewhyitwa’n’t。Jeff’sbeingsonearthatgotcontrolofherandmadehersignhisnametosomebodyelse’swords。Itshowsthere’ssomethinginit。\"
\"Well,I’mgladtocomebackalive,anyway,\"saidJeff,withajovialitynewtoWestover。\"Itellyou,therea’n’tmanyplacesfinerthanoldLion’sHead,afterall。Don’tyouthinkso,Mr。Westover?Iwanttogetthedaylightonit,butitdoeswellbymoonlight,even。\"Helookedroundatthetallgirl,whohadbeenlingeringtohearthetalkofplanchette;atthebackwardtilthegavehishead,togetherinrange,shefrownedasifshefelthiswordsabetrayal,andslippedoutoftheroom;theboyhadalreadygone,andwasmakinghimselfheardinthelowroomoverhead。
\"There’salotoffolksherethissummer,mothersays,\"heappealedfromthecheckhehadgottoJackson。\"Everyroomtakenforthewholemonth,shesays。\"
\"We’vebeenprettyfullallJuly,too,\"saidJackson,blankly。
\"Well,it’sagreatbusiness;andI’vepickedupalotofhintsoverthere。We’renotsosmartaswethinkweare。TheSwisscanteachusathingortwo。Theyknowhowtokeepahotel。\"
\"GotoSwitzerland?\"askedWhitwell。
\"Islippedoverintotheedgeofit。\"
\"Iwanttoknow!Well,nowthemAlps,now——theysomuchbigger’ntheWhiteHills,afterall?\"
\"Well,Idon’tknowaboutallof’em,\"saidJeff。\"Theremaybesomethatwouldcomparewithourhills,butIshouldsaythatyoucouldtakeMountWashingtonupandsetitinthelapofalmostanyoneoftheAlpsI
saw,anditwouldlooklikeababyonitsmother’sknee。\"
\"Iwanttoknow!\"saidWhitwellagain。Histoneexpresseddisappointment,butimpartiality;hewoulddojusticetoforeignsuperiorityifhemust。\"Andabouttheocean。Whataboutwavesrunnin?
mountainshigh?\"
\"Well,wedidn’thaveitveryrough。ButIdon’tbelieveIsawanywavesmuchhigherthanLion’sHead。\"JefflaughedtofindWhitwelltakinghimseriously。\"Won’tthatsatisfyyou?\"
\"Oh,itsatisfiesme。Truthalwaysdoes。But,now,aboutLondon。Youdidn’tseemtosaysomuchaboutLondoninyourletters,now。Isitsobigastheyleton?Big——thatis,tothenakedeye,asyoumaysay?\"
\"Therea’n’tanyoneplacewhereyoucangetacompletebird’s—eyeviewofit,\"saidJeff,\"andtwo—thirdsofitwouldbehidinsmoke,anyway。
You’vegottothinkofaplacethatwouldtakeinthewholepopulationofNewEngland,outsideofMassachusetts,andnotfeelasifithadmorethanacomfortablemeal。\"
Whitwelllaughedforjoyintheboldfigure。
\"I’lltellyou。Whenyou’velandedandcrossedupfromLiverpool,andstruckLondon,youfeelasifyou’dgonetoseaagain。It’sanocean——
awholeAtlanticofhouses。\"
\"That’sright!\"crowedWhitwell。\"That’sthewayIthoughtitwas。
Growin’any?\"
Jeffhesitated。\"Itgrowsinthenight。You’veheardaboutChicagogrowing?\"
\"Yes。\"
\"Well,LondongrowsawholeChicagoeverynight。\"
\"Good!\"saidWhitwell。\"Thatsuitsme。AndaboutParis,now。Parisstrikeyouthesameway?\"
\"Itdon’tneedto,\"saidJeff。\"That’saplacewhereI’dliketolive。
Everybody’sathomethere。It’saman’shouseandhisfrontyard,andI
tellyoutheykeepitclean。Parisiswasheddowneverymorning;
scrubbedandmoppedandrubbeddry。Youcouldn’tfindanymoredirtthanyoucouldinmother’skitchenaftershe’shungoutherwash。Thatso,Mr。Westover?\"
WestoverconfirmedingeneralJeff’sreportofthecleanlinessofParis。
\"Andbeautiful!Youdon’tknowwhatagood—lookingtownistillyoustrikeParis。Andthey’reproudofit,too。Everymanactsasifheownedit。They’vehadthestatueofAlsaceinthatPlacedelaConcordeofyours,Mr。Whitwell,wheretheyhadtheguillotinealldrapedinblackeversincethewarwithGermany;andtheymeantohaveherback,someday。\"
\"Greatcountry,Jombateeste!\"WhitwellshoutedtotheCanuck。
Thelittlemanrousedhimselffromthemuseinwhichhewaslisteningandsmoking。\"Me,I’mFrantsh,\"hesaid。
\"Yes,that’swhatJeffwassayin’,\"saidWhitwell。\"ImeantFrance。\"
\"Oh,\"answeredJombateeste,impatiently,\"IthoughtyoumeantheHunitedState。\"
\"Well,notthistime,\"saidWhitwell,amidthegenerallaughter。
\"GoodforJombateeste,\"saidJeff。\"StandupforCanadaeverytime,John。It’sthelivestcountry,intheworldthreemonthsoftheyear,andtheicekeepsitperfectlysweettheothernine。\"
Whitwellcouldnotbrookadiversionfromthehighandseriousinquirytheyhadenteredupon。\"Itmusthavemadethiscountrylookprettyslimwhenyougotback。How’dNewYorklook,afterParis?\"
\"Likeapigpen,\"saidJeff。Helefthischairandwalkedroundthetabletowardadooropeningintotheadjoiningroom。ForthefirsttimeWestovernoticedafigureinwhiteseatedthere,andapparentlyraptinthetalkwhichhadbeengoingon。AttheapproachofJeff,andbeforehecouldhavemadehimselfseenatthedoorway,atremorseemedtopassoverthefigure;itflutteredtoitsfeet,andthenitvanishedintothefartherdarkoftheroom。WhenJeffdisappearedwithin,therewasasoundofrustlingskirtsandskurryingfeetandthecrashofaclosingdoor,andthenthefreeriseoflaughingvoiceswithout。Afteradiscreetinterval,Westoversaid:\"Mr。Whitwell,Imustsaygood—night。
I’vegotanotherday’sworkbeforeme。It’sbeenamostinterestingevening。\"
\"Youmusttryitagain,\"saidWhitwell,hospitably。\"Weha’n’tgottothebottomofthatbrokenshaftyet。You’llsee’tplantchette’llhavesomethingmoretosayaboutit:Heigh,Jackson?\"HerosetoreceiveWestover’sgoodnight;theothersnoddedtohim。
Asthepainterclimbedthehilltothehotelhesawtwofiguresontheroadbelow;theoneinwhitedraperylookedseveredbyadarklineslantingacrossitatthewaist。Inthecountry,heknew,suchanappearancemightmarktheearlieststagesoflove—making,ormereyouthfultenderness,inwhichtherewasnothingmoreimpliedorexpected。
Butwhateverthefactwas,Westoverfeltavaguedistasteforit,which,asitrelateditselftoamoreseriouspossibility,deepenedtosomethinglikepain。Itwasprobablethatitshouldcometothisbetweenthosetwo,butWestoverrebelledagainsttheeventwithasenseofitsunfitnessforwhichhecouldnotgivehimselfanyvalidreason;andintheendheaccusedhimselfofbeingafool。
Twoladiessatontheverandaofthehotelandwatchedacloud—wreathtryingtoliftitselffromthesummitofLion’sHead。Intheeffortitthinnedawaytotransparencyinplaces;inothers,ittoreitsfrailtextureasunderandletpartsofthemountainshowthrough;thenthefragmentsknittedthemselveslooselytogether,andthevaporlayagainindreamyquiescence。
Theladieswereolderandyounger,andapparentlymotheranddaughter。
Themotherhadkeptheryouthinfaceandfiguresoadmirablythatinanotherlightshewouldhavelookedscarcelytheelder。Itwasthecandorofthemorningwhichconfessedthefineverticallinesrunningupanddowntoherlips,onlyashadepalerthanthegirl’s,andthatshowedherhairatriflethinnerinitscopperybrown,herblueeyesalittledimmer。Theywerebothverygraceful,andtheyhadsoft,caressingvoices;theynowbegantotalkverypolitelytoeachother,asiftheywerestrangers,orasifstrangerswereby。Theytalkedofthelandscape,andofthestrangecloudeffectbeforethem。TheysaidthattheysupposedtheyshouldseetheLion’sHeadwhenthecloudlifted,andtheywerebothsuretheyhadneverbeenquitesonearacloudbefore。
TheyagreedthatthiswasbecauseinSwitzerlandthemountainsweresomuchhigherandfartheroff。Thenthedaughtersaid,withoutchangingthedirectionofhereyesorthetoneofhervoice,\"Thegentlemanwhocameoverfromthestationwithuslastnight,\"andthemotherwasawareofJeffDurginadvancingtowardthecorneroftheverandawheretheysat。
\"Ihopeyouhavegotrested,\"hesaid,withthejovialbluntnesswhichwascharacteristicofhimwithwomen。
\"Oh,yesindeed,\"saidtheelderlady。Jeffhadspokentoher,buthadlookedchieflyattheyounger。\"Isleptbeautifully。Soquiethere,andwiththisdeliciousair!Haveyoujusttastedit?\"
\"No;I’vebeenupeversincedaylight,drivinground,\"saidJeff。\"I’mgladyouliketheair,\"hesaid,afteracertainhesitation。\"WealwayswanttohavepeopledothatatLion’sHead。There’snoairlikeit,thoughperhapsIshouldn’tsayso。\"
\"Shouldn’t?\"theladyrepeated。
\"Yes;weowntheairhere——thispartofit。\"Jeffsmiledeasilydownatthelady’spuzzledface。
\"Oh!Thenyouare——areyouasonofthehouse?\"
\"Sonofthehotel,yes,\"saidJeff,withincreasingease。Theladycontinuedherquestioninalook,andhewenton:\"I’vebeenscouringthecountryforbutterandeggsthismorning。WeshallgetalloursuppliesfromBostonnextyear,Ihope,butwedependontheneighborsalittleyet。\"
\"Howveryinteresting!\"saidthelady。\"Youmusthaveagreatmanyqueeradventures,\"shesuggestedinaprovisionaltone。
\"Well,nothing’squeertomeinthehillcountry。Butyouseesomecharactershere。\"HenoddedoverhisshouldertowhereWhitwellstoodbytheflag—staff,waitingthemorningimpulseoftheladies。\"There’soneofthegreatestofthemnow。\"
TheladyputupalorgnetteandinspectedWhitwell。\"Whatarethosestrangethingshehasgotinhishatband?\"
\"Theflowersandthefungioftheseason,\"saidJeff。\"Hetakespartiesoftheladieswalking,andthatcollectioniswhathecallshisalmanac。\"
\"Really?\"criedthegirl。\"That’scharming!\"
\"Delightful!\"saidthemother,movedbythesameimpulse,apparently。
\"Yes,\"saidJeff。\"Yououghttohearhimtalk。I’llintroducehimtoyouafterbreakfast,ifyoulike。\"
\"Oh,weshouldonlybetoohappy,\"saidthemother,andherdaughter,fromherinflection,knewthatshewouldbewillingtodeferherhappiness。
ButJeffdidnot。\"Mr。Whitwell!\"hecalledout,andWhitwellcameacrossthegrasstotheedgeoftheveranda。\"IwanttointroduceyoutoMrs。Vostrand——andMissVostrand。\"
Whitwelltooktheirslimhandssuccessivelyintohisbroad,flatpalm,andmadeMrs。Vostrandrepeathernametohim。\"StrangersatLion’sHead,Ipresume?\"Mrs。Vostrandownedasmuch;andheadded:\"Well,Iguessyouwon’tfindamuchsightlierplaceanywhere;though,accordin’
toJeff’ssay,here,they’vegotbiggermountainsontheotherside。
EverbeeninEurope?\"
\"Why,yes,\"saidMrs。Vostrand,withalittlemouthofdeprecation。
\"Infact,we’vejustcomehome。We’vebeenlivingthere。\"
\"Thatso?\"returnedWhitwell,inhumoroustoleration。\"Gladtogetback,Ipresume?\"
\"Ohyes——yes,\"saidMrs。Vostrand,inasortofwillowyconcession,asifthecharacterbeforeherwerenottobecrossedorgainsaid。
\"Well,it’lldoyougoodhere,\"saidWhitwell。\"’N’theyounglady,too。Afewtrampsoverthesehills’llmakeyoulooklikeanotherwoman。\"Headded,asifhehadperhapsmadehisremarkstoopersonaltothegirl,\"Bothofyou。\"
\"Ohyes,\"themotherassented,fervently。\"Weshallcountuponyourshowingusalltheir—mysteries。\"
Whitwelllookedpleased。\"I’lldomybest—wheneveryou’reready。\"
Hewenton:\"Why,Jeff,here,hasjustgotback,too。Jeff,whatwasthenameofthatFrenchboatyousaidyoucrossedon?IwanttoseeifI
can’tmakeoutwhatplantchettemeantbythatbrokenshaft。Shemusthavemeantsomething,andifIcouldfindoutthenameoftheship——
Telltheladiesaboutit?\"Jefflaughed,withashakeofthehead,andWhitwellcontinued,\"Why,itwaslikethis,\"andhepossessedtheladiesofafactwhichtheyprofessedtofindextremelyinteresting。AttheendoftheirpoliteexpressionsheaskedJeffagain:\"Whatdidyousaythenamewas?\"
\"Aquitaine,\"saidJeff,briefly。
\"Why,wecameontheAquitaine!\"saidMrs。Vostrand,withasmileforJeff。\"Buthowdidwehappennottoseeoneanother?\"
\"Oh,Icamesecond—cabin,\"saidJeff。\"Iworkedmywayoveronacattle—
shiptoLondon,and,whenIdecidednottoworkmywayback,IfoundI
hadn’tenoughmoneyforafirst—cabinpassage。IwasinahurrytogetbackintimetogetsettledatHarvard,andsoIcamesecond—cabin。Itwasn’tbad。Iusedtoseeyouacrosstherail。\"
\"Well!\"saidWhitwell。
\"Howvery——amusing!\"saidMrs。Vostrand。\"Whatasmallworlditis!\"
Withthesewordsshefellintoavagary;herdaughterrecalledherfromitwithaslightmovement。\"Breakfast?Howimpatientyouare,Genevieve!Well!\"ShesmiledthesweetestpartingtoWhitwell,andsufferedherselftobeledawaybyJeff。
\"Andyou’reatHarvard?I’msointerested!Myownboywillbegoingtheresoon。\"
\"Well,there’snoplacelikeHarvard,\"saidJeff。\"I’minmySophomoreyearnow。\"
\"Oh,aSophomore!Fancy!\"criedMrs。Vostrand,asifnothingcouldgivehermorepleasure。\"MysonisgoingtoprepareatSt。Mark’s。Didyoupreparethere?\"
\"No,IpreparedatLovewellAcademy,overhere。\"Jeffnoddedinasoutherlydirection。
\"Oh,indeed!\"saidMrs。Vostrand,asifsheknewwhereLovewellwas,andinstantlyrecognizedthenameoftheancientschool。
Theyhadreachedthediningroom,andJeffpushedthescreen—dooropenwithonehand,andfollowedtheladiesin。Hehadtheeffectofwelcomingthemlikeinvitedguests;heplacedtheladieshimselfatawindow,wherehesaidMrs。Vostrandwouldbeoutofthedraughts,andtheycouldhaveagoodviewofLion’sHead。
Heleanedoverbetweenthem,whentheywereseated,togetsightofthemountain,and,\"There!\"hesaid。\"Thatcloud’sgoneatlast。\"Then,asifitwouldbemodesterintheproprietoroftheviewtoleavethemtotheirflatteringrapturesinit,hemovedawayandstoodtalkingamomentwithCynthiaWhitwellnearthedooroftheserving—room。Hetalkedgayly,withmanytossesoftheheadandturnsabout,whileshelistenedwithavaguesmile,motionlessly。
\"She’sverypretty,\"saidMissVostrandtohermother。
\"Yes。TheNewEnglandtype,\"murmuredthemother。
\"Theyallhavethesamelook,agooddeal,\"saidthegirl,glancingovertheroomwherethewaitressesstoodrangedagainstthewallwiththeirhandsfoldedattheirwaists。\"Theyhavebetterfacesthanfigures,butsheisbeautifuleveryway。Doyousupposetheyareallschoolteachers?
Theylookintellectual。Orisittheirglasses?\"
\"Idon’tknow,\"saidthemother。\"Theyusedtobe;butthingschangeheresorapidlyitmayallbedifferent。Doyoulikeit?\"
\"Ithinkit’scharminghere,\"saidtheyoungerlady,evasively。
\"Everythingissoexquisitelyclean。Andthefoodisverygood。Isthiscorn—bread——thatyou’vetoldmeaboutsomuch?\"
\"Yes,thisiscorn—bread。Youwillhavetogetaccustomedtoit。\"
\"Perhapsitwon’ttakelong。Icouldfancythatgirlknowingabouteverything。Don’tyoulikeherlooks?\"
\"Oh,verymuch。\"Mrs。VostrandturnedforanotherglanceatCynthia。
\"Whatsay?\"Theirsmilingwaitresscameforwardfromthewallwhereshewasleaning,asifshethoughttheyhadspokentoher。
\"Oh,wewerespeaking——theyoungladytowhomMr。Durginwastalking——sheis——\"
\"She’sthehousekeeper——MissWhitwell。\"
\"Oh,indeed!Sheseemssoyoung——\"
\"Iguesssheknowswhattodo—o—o,\"thewaitresschanted。\"Wethinkshe’saboutri—i—ght。\"Shesmiledtolerantlyuponthemisgivingofthestranger,ifitwasthat,andthenretreatedwhenthemotheranddaughterbegantalkingtogetheragain。
Theyhadpraisedthemountainwiththecloudoff,toJeff,verypolitely,andnowthemothersaid,alittlemoreintimately,butstillwiththedeferenceofasocietyacquaintance:\"Heseemsverygentlemanly,andIamsureheisverykind。Idon’tquiteknowwhattodoaboutit,doyou?\"
\"No,Idon’t。It’sallstrangetome,youknow。\"
\"Yes,Isupposeitmustbe。Butyouwillgetusedtoitifweremaininthecountry。Doyouthinkyouwilldislikeit?\"
\"Ohno!It’sverydifferent。\"
\"Yes,it’sdifferent。Heisveryhandsome,inacertainway。\"Thedaughtersaidnothing,andthemotheradded:\"Iwonderifhewastryingtoconcealthathehadcomesecond—cabin,andwasnotgoingtoletusknowthathecrossedwithus?\"
\"Doyouthinkhewasboundtodoso?\"
\"No。Butitwasveryodd,hisnotmentioningit。Andhisgoingoutonacattle—steamer?\"themotherobserved。
\"Oh,butthat’sverychic,I’veheard,\"thedaughterreplied。\"I’veheardthattheyoungmenlikeitandthinkitagreatchance。Theyhavegreatfun。Itisn’tatalllikesecond—cabin。\"
\"Youyoungpeoplehaveyourownworld,\"themotheranswered,caressingly。