\"Enemy?\"
\"Well,friend。It’sthesamething。\"
\"Isee,\"saidthegirl。\"YoubelongtothepessimisticschoolofSeniors。\"
\"Whydon’tyoutrytomakeanoptimistofme?\"
\"Woulditbeworthwhile?\"
\"Thatisn’tformetosay。\"
\"Don’tbediffident!That’sstaleryet。\"
\"I’llbeanythingyoulike。\"
\"I’mnotsureyoucould。\"ForaninstantJeffdidnotfeelthepoint,andhehadnotthemagnanimity,whenhedid,toownhimselftouchedagain。Apparently,ifthisgirlcouldnotrattlehim,shecouldbeathimatfence,andthewilltodominateherbegantostirinhim。Ifhecouldhavethoughtofanysarcasm,nomatterhowcrushing,hewouldhavecomebackatherwithit。Hecouldnotthinkofanything,andhewalkedatherside,inwardlychafingforthechancewhichwouldnotcome。
\"Whentheyreachedherdoortherewasayoungmanatthelockwithalatch—key,whichhewasnotmakingwork,for,afterabatedblasphemyofhisfailure,heturnedandtwitchedthebellimpatiently。
MissLyndelaughedprovokingly,andhelookedoverhisshoulderatherandatJeff,whofelthisinjuryincreasedbythedisadvantagethisyoungmanputhimat。Jeffwasascorrectlydressed;heworeasilkhatofthelastshape,andalongfrock—coat;hewasproperlyglovedandshod;hisclothesfittedhim,andwerefromthebesttailor;butatsightofthisyoungmaninclothesofthesamedesignhefeltill—dressed。Hewasinlikesortawareofbeingrudelyblockedoutphysically,andcoarselycoloredastohisblondtintsofhairandeyeandcheek。Eventhesinistersomethingintheyoungman’slookhaddistinction,andtherewasstyleinthesignsofdissipationinhishandsomefacewhichJeffsawwithahungertooutdohim。
MissLyndesaidtoJeff,\"Mybrother,Mr。Durgin,\"andthensheaddedtotheother,\"Yououghttoringfirst,Arthur,andtryyourkeyafterward。\"
\"Thekey’sallright,\"saidtheyoungman,withoutpayinganyattentiontoJeffbeyondaglanceofrecognition;heturnedhisback,andwaitedforthedoortobeopened。
Hissistersuggested,withanamiabilitywhichJefffeltwasmeantinreparationtohim,\"Perhapsanightlatchneverworksbeforedark——orverywellbeforemidnight。\"Thedoorwasopened,andshesaidtoJeff,withwinningentreaty,\"Won’tyoucomein,Mr。Durgin?\"
Jeffexcusedhimself,forheperceivedthatherpolitenesswasnotsomuchaninvitationtohimasadefiancetoherbrother;hegavehercreditfornomorethanitwasworth,andhedidnotwishanythelesstogetevenwithherbecauseofit。
XXX。
Atdinner,intheabsenceofthebutler,AlanLyndeattackedhissisteracrossthetableforlettingherselfbeseenwithajay,whowasnotonlyajay,butacad,andpersonallysooffensivetomostofthecollegementhathehadnevergotintoadecentcluborsociety;hehadbeensuspendedthefirstyear,andifhehadnothadthedensestkindofcheekhewouldneverhavecomeback。Lyndesaidhewouldliketoknowwhereshehadpickedthefellowup。
Sheansweredthatshehadpickedhimup,ifthatwasthephraseheliked,atMrs。Bevidge’s;andthenAlansworealittle,soasnottobeheardbytheiraunt,whosatattheheadofthetable,andlookeddownitslengthbetweenthem,serenelyignorant,inherslightdeafness,ofwhatwasgoingonbetweenthem。ToherperceptionAlanwasnomorevehementthanusual,andBessienomoresmilinglyself—contained。HesaidhesupposedthatitwassomemoreofLancaster’sdamnedmissionarywork,then,andhewonderedthatagentlemanlikeMorlandhadeverletLancasterworksuchajayinonhim;hehadseenher’afficher’herselfwiththefellowatMorland’stea;hecommandedhertostopit;andheprofessedtospeakforhergood。
BessiereturnedthatsheknewhowstronglyhefeltfromthewayhehadmisbehavedwhensheintroducedhimtoMr。Durgin,butthatshesupposedhehadbeenattheclubandhisnerveswereunstrung。Wasthatthereason,perhaps,whyhecouldnotmakehislatchkeywork?Mr。Durginmightbeacad,andshewouldnotsayhewasnotajay,butsofarhehadnotswornather;and,ifhehadbeensuspendedandcomeback,thereweresomepeoplewhohadnotbeensuspendedorcomeback,either,thoughthatmighthavebeenforwantofcheek。
Sheendedbydeclaringshewasusedtogoingintosocietywithoutherbrother’sprotection,orevenhiscompany,andshewoulddoherbesttogetonwithouthisadvice。Orwasithisconducthewishedhertoprofitby?
Ithadcometothefishgoingoutbythistime,andAlan,whohadeatenwithnoappetite,anddrunkenfeverishlyofapollinaris,flungdownhisnapkinandwentout,too。
\"Whatisthematter?\"askedhisaunt,lookingafterhim。
Bessieshrugged,butshesaid,presently,withherlipsmorethanhervoice:\"Idon’tthinkhefeelsverywell。\"
\"Doyouthinkhe——\"
Thegirlfrownedassent,andthemealwentontoitsend。Thensheandherauntwentintothelarge,dulllibrary,wheretheypassedtheeveningswhichBessiedidnotspendinsomesocialfunction。Theseeveningsweregrowingrathermorefrequent,withheradvancingyears,forshewasnownearlytwenty—five,andtherewerefewSeniorssoold。
ShewasnotthekindofgirltorenewheryouthwiththeSophomoresandFreshmenintheclassessucceedingtheclasswithwhichshehaddancedthroughcollege;sofarasshehadkeptuptheoldrelationwithstudents,shecontinueditwiththemenwhohadgoneintothelaw—school。
Butshesawlessandlessofthesewithoutseeingmoreofothermen,andperhapsinthelastanalysisshewasnotafavorite。Shewasallowedtobefascinating,butshewasnotfelttobeflattering,andpeoplewouldratherbeflatteredthanfascinated。Infact,themenweremostlyafraidofher;andithasbeenobservedofgirlsofthiskindthatthemenwhoarenotafraidofthemaresuchastheywoulddowelltobeafraidof。
WhetherthatwasquitethecasewithBessieLyndeornot,itwascertainthatshewhowasalwaysthecleverestgirlintheroom,andifnottheprettiest,thenthemosteffective,hadnotthebestmenabouther。Hermenwereapttobethosewhomtheothergirlscalledstupidorhorrid,andwhomitwouldnotbeeasy,thoughitmightbemorejust,toclassifyotherwise。Theothergirlswonderedwhatshecouldseeinthem;butperhapsitwasnotnecessarythatsheshouldseeanythinginthem,iftheycouldseeallshewishedthemtosee,andnomore,inher。
Theroomwhereteawasnowbroughtandputbeforeherwasvolumedroundbythecollectionsofhergrandfather,exceptforthespacesfilledbyhisportraitandthatofearlierancestors,goingbacktothetimewhenCopleymademasterpiecesofhisfellow—Bostonians。Herauntherselflookedafamilyportraitofthemiddleperiod,alittleanteriortoherfather’s,butsubsequenttohergreat—grandfather’s。Shehadacomelyface,withlarge,smoothcheeksandprominenteyes;theedgesofherdecorousbrownwigwerecombedratherneartheircorners,andafittingcappalliatedbutdidnotdenythewig。Shehadthequietbutratherdulllookofpeopleslightlydeaf,andshehadperhapsbeenstupefiedbyalifeofunalloyedprosperityandpropriety。Shehadgrownanoldmaidnaturally,butnotinvoluntarily,andshewaswithoutthesadnessortheharshnessofdisappointment。Shehadneverknownmuchoftheworld,thoughshehadalwayslivedinit。Sheknewthatitwasmadeupoftwokindsofpeople——peoplewhowerelikeherandpeoplewhowerenotlikeher;andshehadlivedsolelyinthesocietyofpeoplewhowerelikeher,andintheshelteroftheiropinionsandideals。Shedidnotcontemnorexcludethepeoplewhowereunlikeher,butshehadneverhadanymorecontactwiththemthanshenowhadwiththeweatherofthestreets,asshesat,fillingherlargearm—chairfullofherladylikecorrectness,inthelibraryofthehandsomehouseherfatherhadlefther。Theirruptionofherbrother’ssonanddaughterintoitscloisteredquiethadscarcelybrokenitsinvulnerableorder。Itwasrightandfittheyshouldbethereafterhisdeath,anditwasnotstrangethatinthecourseoftimetheyshouldbothshowcertainunregulatedtendencieswhich,sincetheywerenotknowntobeLyndetendencies,musthavebeenderivedfromtheSouthwesternwomanherbrotherhadmarriedduringhissocialandfinancialpericlitationsinaregionwhollyinconceivabletoher。Theirmotherwasdead,too,andtheiraunt’slifeclosedaboutthemwithfullacceptance,ifnotcomplacence,aspartofherworld。Theyhadgrowntomanhoodandwomanhoodwithoutmateriallydiscomposingherfaithintheold—fashionedUnitariandeity,whoseserviceshehadalwaysattended。
WhenAlanleftcollegeinhisFreshmanyear,anddidnotgoback,butwentrathertoEuropeandEgyptandJapan,itappearedtohermyopicoptimismthathisescapadeshadbeenprettywellhushedupbytimeanddistance。Afterhecamehomeanddevotedhimselftohisclub,shecouldhavewishedthathehadtakenupsomeprofessionorbusiness;butsincetherewasmoneyenough,shewaitedinnogreatdisquietuntilheshowedasdecidedatasteforsomethingelseasheseemedforthepresenttohaveonlyforhorses。Inthemeanwhile,fromtimetotime,itcametoherdoctor’sadvisinghisgoingtoacertainretreat。Buthecameoutthefirsttimesomuchbetterandremainedwellsolongthathisauntfeltakindofsecurityinhisgoingagainandagain,wheneverhebecameatallworse。Healwayscamebackbetter。AsshetookthecupofteathatBessiepouredoutforher,sherecurredtothequestionthatshehadpartlyaskedalready:
\"DoyouthinkAlanisgettingworseagain?\"
\"Notsoverymuch,\"saidthegirl,candidly。\"He’sbeenattheclub,Isuppose,butheleftthetablepartlybecauseIvexedhim。\"
\"Becauseyouwhat?\"
\"BecauseIvexedhim。Hewasscoldingme,andIwouldn’tstandit。\"
Heraunttastedhertea,andfounditsoquitewhatshelikedthatshesaid,fromanaturalsatisfactionwithBessie,\"Idon’tseewhathehadtoscoldyouabout。\"
\"Well,\"returnedBessie,andshegotherprettyvoicetothelevelofheraunt’shearing,withsomestraining,andkeptitthere,\"whenheisinthatstate,hehastoscoldsomeone;andIhadbeenratherannoying,I
suppose。\"
\"Whathadyoubeendoing?\"askedheraunt,makingoutherwordsmorefromthesightthanfromthesound,afterall。
\"Ihadbeenwalkinghomewithajay,andwefoundAlantryingtogetinatthefrontdoorwithhiskey,andIintroducedhimtothejay。\"
MissLouisaLyndehadheardthewordsooftenfromhernieceandnephew,thatsheimaginedherselfinfullpossessionofitsmeaning。Sheasked:
\"Wherehadyoumethim?\"
\"Imethimfirst,\"saidthegirl,\"atWillieMorland’stea,lastweek,andto—dayIfoundhimatMrs。Bevidge’saltruistictoot。\"
\"Ididn’tknow,\"saidheraunt,afteramomentaryattentiontohertea,\"thatjayswereinterestedinthatsortofthing。\"
Thegirllaughed。\"Ibelievethey’renot。Ithasn’tquitereachedthem,yet;andIdon’tthinkitwilleverreachmyjay。Mrs。Bevidgetriedtoworkhimintothecause,butherefusedsopromptly,andso—
intelligently,don’tyouknow——andsoalmostbrutally,thatpoorFreddyLancasterhadtocomeandapologizetohimforherwantoftact。\"Bessieenjoyedthefact,whichshehadcoloredalittle,inanotherlaugh,butshehadapparentlynotpossessedherauntofthehumorofit。Sheremainedseriously—attentive,andthegirlwenton:\"Hewasnottheleastabashedathavingrefused;hestayedtillthelast,andaswecameouttogetherandhewasgoingmyway,Ilethimwalkhomewithme。He’sajay,butheisn’tacommonjay。\"BessieleanedforwardandtriedtoimplantsomenotionofJeff’scharacterandpersonalityinheraunt’smind。
MissLyndelistenedattentivelyenough,butshemerelyasked,whenallwassaid:\"AndwhywasAlanvexedwithyouabouthim?\"
\"Well,\"saidthegirl,fallingbackintoherchair,\"generallybecausethisman’sajay,andparticularlybecausehe’sbeenratherabaddishjay,Ibelieve。Hewassuspendedinhisfirstyearforsomethingorother,andyouknowpoorAlan’sveryparticular!ButMollyEnderbysaysFreddyLancastergiveshimthebestofcharactersnow。\"Bessiepulleddownhermouth,withaneffectbefittingthenotionofrepentanceandatonement。Thensheflashedout:\"Perhapshehadbeendrinkingwhenhegotintotrouble。Alancouldneverforgivehimforthat。\"
\"Ithink,\"saidheraunt,\"itistoyourbrother’screditthatheisanxiousaboutyourassociations。\"
\"Oh,verymuch!\"shoutedBessie,withaburstoflaughter。\"Andasheisn’tpracticallyso,Ioughttohavebeenmorepatientwithhistheory。
ButwhenhebegantoscoldmeIlostmytemper,andIgavehimafewwholesometruthsintheguiseoftaunts。Thatwaswhatmadehimgoaway,Isuppose。\"
\"ButIdon’treallysee,\"herauntpursued,——\"whatoccasionhehadtobeangrywithyouinthisinstance。\"
\"Oh,Ido!\"saidBessie。\"Mr。Durginisn’tonetoinspirethecasualbeholderwiththenotionofhisspiritualdistinction。Hisfaceissorudeandstrong,andhehassuchaprimitiveeffectinhisclothes,thatyoufeelasifyouwerecomingdownthestreetwithaprehistoricmanthatthebarbersandtailorshadputa’findesiecle’surfaceon。\"Atthemystificationwhichappearedinheraunt’sfacethegirllaughedagain。\"Ishouldhavebeenquiteasanxious,ifIhadbeeninAlan’splace,andIshalltellhimso,sometime。IfIhadnotbeensointerestedinthesituationIdon’tbelieveIcouldhavekeptmycourage。
WheneverIlookedround,andfoundthatprehistoricmanatmyelbow,itgavemethecreeps,alittle,asifhewerereallycarryingmeofftohiscave。IshalltrytoexpressthattoAlan。\"
XXXI。
Theladiesfinishedtheirtea,andthebutlercameandtookthecupsaway。MissLynderemainedsilentinherchairatherendofthelibrary—
table,andby—and—byBessiegotabookandbegantoread。Whenherauntwokeupitwashalfpastnine。\"WasthatAlancomingin?\"sheasked。
\"Idon’tthinkhe’sbeenout,\"saidthegirl。\"Itisn’tlateenoughforhimtocomein——orearlyenough。\"
\"IbelieveI’llgotobed,\"MissLyndereturned。\"Ifeelratherdrowsy。\"
Bessiedidnotsmileatacomedywhichwasapttoberepeatedeveryeveningthatsheandherauntspentathometogether;theypartedforthenightwiththedecenciesoffamilyaffection,andBessiedeliveredtheelderladyovertohermaid。Thenthegirlsankdownagain,andlaymusinginherdeepchairbeforethefirewithherbookshutonherthumb。
Shelookedratheroldandworninherreverie;herfacelosttheairofgaybanterwhich,afterthebeautyofherqueereyesandhervividmouth,wasitscharm。Theeyeswereratherdullnow,andthemouthwasalittlewithered。
Shewaswaitingforherbrothertocomedown,ashewasapttodoifhewasinthehouse,aftertheirauntwenttobed,tosmokeacigarinthelibrary。Hewasinhishouseshoeswhenheshuffledintotheroom,butherearhaddetectedhispresencebeforeahiccoughannouncedit。Shedidnotlookup,butlethimmakeseveralfailurestolighthiscigar,anddamnthematchesunderhisbreath,beforeshepushedthedrop—lighttohiminsilentsuggestion。Asheleanedoverherchair—backtoreachitschimneywithhiscigarinhismouth,shesaid,\"You’reallright,Alan。\"
Hewaitedtillhegotroundtohisaunt’seasy—chairanddroppedintoitbeforeheanswered,\"Soareyou,Bess。\"
\"I’mnotsosureofthat,\"saidthegirl,\"asIshouldbeifyouwerestillscoldingme。Iknewthathewasajay,wellenough,andI’djustseenhimbehavingverylikeacadtoMrs。Bevidge。\"
\"ThenIdon’tunderstandhowyoucametobewithhim。\"
\"Ohyes,youdo,Alan。Youmustn’tbelogical!Youmightaswellsayyoucan’tunderstandhowyoucametobemoreseriousthansober。\"Thebrotherlaughedhelplessly。\"Itwastheexcitement。\"
\"Butyoucan’tgivewaytothatsortofthing,Bess,\"saidherbrother,withthegravityofamanfeelingtheconsequencesofhisownerrors。
\"IknowIcan’t,butIdo,\"shereturned。\"Iknowit’sbadforme,ifitisn’tforotherpeople。Come!I’llswearoffifyouwill!\"
\"I’malwaysready,toswearoff,\"saidtheyoungman,gloomily。Headded,\"Butyou’vegotbrains,Bess,andIhatetoseeyouplayingthefool。\"
\"Doyoureally,Alan?\"askedthegirl,pleasedperhapsasmuchbyhisreproachasbyhispraise。\"DoyouthinkI’vegotbrains?\"
\"You’retheonlygirlthathas。\"
\"Oh,Ididn’tmeantoasksomuchasthat!Butwhat’sthereasonIcan’tdoanythingwiththem?Othergirlsdraw,andplay,andwrite。Idon’tdoanythingbutgoinfortheexcitementthat’sbadforme。Iwishyou’dexplainit。\"
AlanLyndedidnottry。Thequestionseemedtoturnhisthoughtsbackuponhimselftodispiritingeffect。\"I’vegotbrains,too,Ibelieve,\"
hebegan。
\"Lotsofthem!\"criedhissister,generously。\"Thereisn’tanyofthementocomparewithyou。IfIhadyoutotalkwithallthetime,I
shouldn’twantjays。Idon’tmeantoflatter。You’reaconstantfeastofreason;Idon’tcareforflowsofsoul。Youalwaystakerightviewsofthingswhenyou’reyourself,andevenwhenyou’resomebodyelseyou’renotstupid。Youcouldbeanythingyouchose。\"
\"ThedevilofitisIcan’tchoose,\"hereplied。
\"Yes,Isupposethat’sthedevilofit,\"saidthegirl。
\"Yououghtn’ttousesuchlanguageasthat,Bess,\"saidherbrother,severely。
\"Oh,Idon’twitheverybody,\"shereturned。\"Neverwithladies!\"
Helookedatheroutofthecornerofhiseyewithasmileatonceruefulandcomic。
\"Yougotme,Iguess,thattime,\"heowned。
\"’Touche’,’Mr。Durginsays。Hefences,itseems,andhespeaksFrench。
ItwaslikeananimalspeakingFrench;youalwaysexpectthemtospeakEnglish。ButIdon’tmindyourswearingbeforeme;Iknowthatithelpstocarryofftheelectricity。\"Shelaughed,andmadehimlaughwithher。
\"Isthereanythingtohim?\"hegrowled,whentheystoppedlaughing。
\"Yes,agooddeal,\"saidBessie,withanairofthoughtfulness;andthenshewentontotellallthatJeffhadtoldherofhimself,andshedescribedhisaplombindealingwiththebenevolentBevidge,asshecalledher,andsketchedhischaracter,asitseemedtoher。Thesketchwasfullofshrewdguesses,andshemadeitamusingtoherbrother,whofromthevantageofhisownbaddishnessnodoubtjudgedtheoriginalmoreintelligently。
\"Well,you’dbetterlethimalone,afterthis,\"hesaid,attheend。
\"Yes,\"shepensivelyassented。\"Isupposeit’sasifyoutooktosomeverycommonkindofwhiskey,isn’tit?Iseewhatyoumean。Ifonemust,itoughttobechampagne。\"
Sheturneduponhimalookofthatkeenbutlimitedknowledgewhichrenderswomen’sconjecturesofevilalwayssoamusing,orsopathetic,tomen。
\"Betterletthechampagnealone,too,\"saidherbrother,darkly。
\"Yes,Iknowthat,\"sheadmitted,andshelaybackinherchair,lookingdreamilyintothefire。Afterawhilesheasked,abruptly:\"WillyougiveitupifIwill?\"
\"IamafraidIcouldn’t。\"
\"Youcouldtry。\"
\"Oh,I’musedtothat。\"
\"Thenit’sabargain,\"shesaid。Shejumpedfromherchairandwentovertohim,andsmoothedhishairoverhisforeheadandkissedtheplaceshehadsmoothed,thoughitwasunpleasantlydamptoherlips。\"Poorboy,poorboy!Now,remember!Nomorejaysforme,andnomorejagsforyou。
Goodnight。\"
Herbrotherbrokeintoawildlaughatherslanging,whichhadsuchabizarreeffectinrelationtoherphysicaldelicacy。
XXXII。
JeffdidnotknowwhetherMissBessieLyndemeanttogotoMrs。Bevidge’sThursdaysornot。Hethoughtshemighthavebeenbanteringhimbywhatshesaid,andhedecidedthathewouldriskgoingtothefirstofthemonthechanceofmeetingher。Shewasnotthere,andtherewasnoonetherewhomheknew。Mrs。Bevidgemadenoefforttoenlargehisacquaintance,andafterhehaddrunkacupofherteahewentawaywithrageagainstsocietyinhisheart,whichhepromisedhimselftoventatthefirstchanceofrefusingitsfavors。Butthechanceseemednottocome。Theworldwhichhadopeneditsgatestohimwasfastshutagain,andhehadtomakewhathecouldofrenouncingit。Heworkedprettyhard,andherenewedhimselfinhisfealtytoCynthia,whilehismindstrayedcuriouslytothatothergirl。Buthehadalmostabandonedthehopeofmeetingheragain,whenalargepartywasgivenontheeveoftheHarvardMid—YearExaminations,whichendtheyoungergayetiesofBoston,forafortnightatleast,inJanuary。Thepartywassolargethattheinvitationsoverflowedthestrictboundsofsocietyatsomepoints。InthecaseofJeffDurgintheexcesswasintentionalbeyondthevaguebenevolencewhichpromptedthegiverofthepartytoaskcertainotheroutsiders。Shewasaladyofasoulseveralsizeslargerthanthesoulsofsomeothersocietyleaders;shewasnotafraidtodoassheliked;forinstance,shehadnotonlymettheVostrandsatWestover’stea,severalyearsbefore,butshehadafterwardofferedsomehospitalitiestothoseladieswhichhaddischargedherwholedutytowardthemwithoutinvolvingherinanydisadvantages。JeffhadbeenpresentedtoheratWestover’s,butshedislikedhimsopromptlyanddecidedlythatshehadlefthimoutofeventhethingsthatsheaskedsomeotherjaysto,likelecturesandparlorreadingsforgoodobjects。Itwasnotuntiloneofherdaughtersmethim,firstatWillieMorland’steaandthenatMrs。Bevidge’smeeting,thathersocialconscienceconcerneditselfwithhim。Atthefirstherdaughterhadnotspokentohim,asmightverywellhavehappened,sinceBessieLyndehadkepthimawaywithhernearlyallthetime;butatthelastshehadbowedpleasantlytohimacrosstheroom,andJeffhadrespondedwithastiffobeisance,whosecoldnessshefeltthemoreforhavingbeensomewhatsoftenedherselfinMrs。Bevidge’saltruisticatmosphere。
\"Ithinkhewashurt,mamma,\"thegirlexplainedtohermother,\"thatyou’veneverhadhimtoanything。Isupposetheymustfeelit。\"
\"Oh,well,sendhimacard,then,\"saidhermother;andwhenJeffgotthecard,ratherneartheeleventhhour,hemadehastetoaccept,notbecausehecaredtogotoMrs。Enderby’shouse,butbecausehehopedheshouldmeetMissLyndethere。
Bessiewasthefirstpersonhemetafterheturnedfrompayinghisdutytothehostess。Shewaswithheraunt,andshepresentedhim,andpromisedhimadance,whichshelethimwriteonhercard。Shesatoutanotherdancewithhim,andhetookhertosupper。
ToWestover,whohadgonewiththeincreasingforlornnessamanfeelsinsuchpleasuresafterthirty—five,itseemedasifthetwowereineachother’scompanythewholeevening。TheimpressionwassostrongwithhimthatwhenJeffrestoredBessietoherauntforthedancethatwastobeforsomeoneelse,andcamebacktothesupper—room,thepaintertriedtosatisfyacertainuneasinessbymakingtalkwithhim。ButJeffwouldnottalk;hegotawaywithabottleofchampagne,whichhehadcaptured,andaplateheapedwithcroquettesandpease,andgalantineandsalad。Therewerenoladiesleftintheroombythattime,andfewyoungmen;buttheoldsterscrowdedtheplace,withtheirbaldheadsdevoutlybowedovertheirvictual,ortheirfrostymustachesbathedintheirdrink,singlyoringroups;thenoiseoftheirtalkandlaughtermixedwiththesoundoftheireatinganddrinking,andtheclashoftheknivesanddishes。OvertheirstoopedshouldersandpasttheirroundedstomachsWestoversawAlanLyndevaguelymakinghiswaywithaglassinhishand,andlookingvaguelyaboutforwine;hesawJeffcatchhiswanderingeye,andmakeofferofhisbottle,andthensawLynde,afteramomentofhaughtypause,unbendandacceptit。Histhinfacewasflushed,andhishairtossedoverhisforehead,butJeffseemednottotakenoteofthat。HelaughedboisterouslyatsomethingLyndesaid,andkeptfillinghisglassforhim。
Hisowncolorremainedclearandcool。Itwasasifhispowerfulphysiqueabsorbedthewinebeforeitcouldreachhisbrain。
Westoverwantedtointerfere,andsofarasJeffwasconcernedhewouldnothavehesitated;butLyndewasconcerned,too,andyoucannotsavesuchamanfromhimselfwithoutoffence。Hemadehiswaytotheyoungman,hopinghemightsomehowhavethecouragehewanted。
Jeffheldupthebottle,andcalledtohim,\"Getyourselfaglass,Mr。
Westover。\"Heputontheairofahost,andwouldhardlybedenied。
\"KnowMr。Westover,Mr。Lynde?Justtalkingaboutyou,\"heexplainedtoWestover。