\"Yes,\"saidWestover,\"butthewrongthingsdon’thappenfrompeoplewhoareinthehabitofmeaningtherightones。\"
\"Ibelievetheydo,fullyhalfthetime,\"Jeffreturned;\"and,asfarasthegrandresultisconcerned,youmightaswellthinkthemandintendthemasnot。Idon’tmeanthatyououghttodoit;that’sanotherthing,andifIhadtriedtogetLyndedrunk,andthengonetodancewithhissister,IshouldhavebeenwhatyousayIam。ButIsawhimgettingworsewithoutmeaningtomakehimso;andIwentbacktoherbecause——I
wantedto。\"
\"Andyouthink,Isuppose,\"saidWestover,\"thatshewouldn’thavecaredanymorethanyoucaredifshehadknownwhatyoudid。\"
\"Ican’tsayanythingaboutthat。\"
Thepaintercontinued,bitterly:\"Youusedtocomeinhere,thefirstyear,withnotionsofsocietywomenthatwouldhavedisgracedaGoth,oragorilla。DidyouformyourestimateofMissLyndefromthosepremises?\"
\"I’mnotaboynow,\"Jeffanswered,\"andIhaven’tstayedallthekindsofafoolIwas。\"
\"Thenyoudon’tthinkMissLyndewouldspeaktoyou,orlookatyou,aftersheknewwhatyouhaddone?\"
\"Ishouldliketotellherandsee,\"saidJeff,withahardylaugh。
\"ButIguessIsha’n’thavethechance。I’veneverbeenafavoriteinsociety,andIdon’texpecttomeetheragain。\"
\"Perhapsyou’dliketohavemetellher?\"
\"Why,yes,IbelieveIshould,ifyoucouldtellmewhatshethought——notwhatshesaidaboutit。\"
\"Youareabrute,\"answeredWestover,withapuzzledair。Whatpuzzledhimmostandpleasedhimleastwasthefellow’spatienceunderhisseverity,whichheseemedeithernottofeelornottomind。ItwasofapiecewiththebehavioroftherascallyboywhomhehadcuffedforfrighteningCynthiaandherlittlebrotherlongago,andhewonderedwhatfinalmalevolenceitportended。
Jeffsaid,asiftheircontroversywereatanendandtheymightnowturntomorepersonalthings:\"Youlookprettyslim,Mr。Westover。A’n’ttheresomethingIcandoforyou—getyou?I’vecomeinwithamessagefrommother。ShesaysifyoueverwanttogetthatwinterviewofLion’sHead,now’syourtime。Shewantsyoutocomeupthere;sheandCynthiabothdo。Theycanmakeyouascomfortableasyouplease,andthey’dliketohaveavisitfromyou。Can’tyougo?\"
Westovershookhisheadruefully。\"It’sgoodofthem,andIwantyoutothankthemforme。ButIdon’tknowwhenI’mgoingtogetoutagain。\"
\"Oh,you’llsoongetout,\"saidJeff。\"I’mgoingtolookafteryoualittle,\"andthistimeWestoverwastooweaktoprotest。HedidnotforbidJeff’stakingoffhisovercoat;hesufferedhimtolighthisspirit—lampandmakeapunchofthewhiskeywhichheownedthedoctorwasgivinghim;andwhenJeffhandedhimthesteamingglass,andaskedhim,\"How’sthat?\"heanswered,withapleasureinitwhichheknewtobedeplorable,\"It’sfine。\"
Jeffstayedthewholeeveningwithhim,andmadehimmorecomfortablethanhehadbeensincehiscoldbegan。Westovernowtalkedseriouslyandfranklywithhim,butnolongersoharshly,andinhisrelentinghefeltareturnofhisoldillogicallikingforhim。HefanciedinDurgin’skindnesstohimselfanindirectregret,andadesiretoatoneforwhathehaddone,andhesaid:\"Theeffectisinyou——theworsteffect。Idon’tthinkeitheroftheyoungLyndesveryexemplarypeople。Butyou’dbedoingyourselfagreaterwrongthanyou’vedonethenifyoudidn’trecognizethatyouhadbeenguiltytowardthem。\"
Jeffseemedstruckbythisnotion。\"Whatdoyouwantmetodo?WhatcanIdo?Chasemyselfoutofsociety?Somethinglikethat?I’mwilling。
It’stooeasy,though。AsIsaid,I’veneverbeenwantedmuch,there,andIshouldn’tbemissed。\"
\"Well,then,howwouldyouliketoleaveittothepeopleatLion’sHeadtosaywhatyoushoulddo?\"Westoversuggested。
Ishouldn’tlikeit,\"saidJeff,promptly。\"They’djudgeitasyoudo——asifthey’ddoneitthemselves。That’sthereasonwomenarenotfittojudge。\"Hisgayfacedarkened。\"Buttell’emifyouwantto。\"
\"Bah!\"criedthepainter。\"WhyshouldIwanttoI’mnotawomanineverything。\"
\"Ibegyourpardon,Mr。Westover。Ididn’tmeanthat。Ionlymeantthatyou’reanidealist。Ilookatthisthingasifsomeoneelsehaddoneit;Ibelievethat’sthepracticalway;andIshouldn’tgoinforpunishinganyoneelseforsuchathingveryseverely。\"Hemadeanotherpunch——forhimselfthistime,hesaid;butWestoverjoinedhiminaglassofit。
\"Itwon’tdototakethatviewofyourfaults,Jeff,\"hesaid,gravely。
\"What’sthereason?\"Jeffdemanded;andnoweitherthepunchhadbeguntoworkinWestover’sbrain,orsomeotherinfluenceoflikeforceandquality。Heperceivedthatinthisearth—boundtemperamentwasthepotentialityofallthesuccessitaimedat。Theacceptanceofthemoralfactasitwas,withouttheunconsciousefforttobetterit,ortoholdhimselfstrictlytoaccountforit,wasthesecretofthepowerinthemanwhichwouldbringaboutthematerialresultshedesired;andthissimplicityofthemotiveinvolvedhaditscharm。
WestoverwasawareoflikingDurginatthatmomentmuchmorethanheought,andoflikinghimhelplessly。Inthelightofhisgood—naturedselfishness,theinjurytotheLyndesshowedmuchlessasacrilegethanithadseemed;WestoverbegantoseeitwithJeff’seyes,andtoseeitwithreferencetowhatmightbelowandmeaninthem,insteadofwhatmightbefineandhigh。
HewassensibleofthegrowthJeffhadmadeintellectually。HehadnotbeenatHarvardnearlyfouryearsfornothing。Hehadphrasesandcouldhandlethem。Inwhateverobscureorperversefashion,hehadprofitedbyhisopportunities。Thefellowwhocouldaccusehimofbeinganidealist,andcouldinsomesortproveit,wasnolongeranaughtyboytobetutoredandpunished。Therevoltlatentinhimwouldbeviolentinproportiontothepressureputuponhim,andWestoverbegantobewithoutthewishtopresshisfaulthometohimsostrongly。Intheoptimismgeneratedbythepunch,hefeltthathemightleavethecasetoJeffhimself;orelseinthecomfortweallexperienceinsinkingtoalowerlevel,hewasunwillingtomaketheefforttokeephisownmoralelevation。Buthedidmakeanefforttosavehimselfbysaying:\"Youcan’tgetwhatyou’vedonebeforeyourselfasyoucantheactionofsomeoneelse。It’spartofyou,andyouhavetojudgethemotiveaswellastheeffect。\"
\"Well,that’swhatI’mdoing,\"saidJeff;\"butitseemstomethatyou’retryingtohavemejudgeoftheeffectfromamotiveIdidn’thave。AsfarasIcanmakeout,Ihadn’tanymotiveatall。\"
Helaughed,andallthatWestovercouldsaywas,\"Thenyou’restillresponsiblefortheresult。\"Butthisnolongerappearedsotruetohim。
XXXVIII。
ItwasnotaconditionofWestover’swelcomeatLion’sHeadthatheshouldseempeculiarlythefriendofJeffDurgin,buthecouldnothelpmakingitso,andhebegantooveractthepartassoonashemetJeff’smother。HehadtospeakofhiminthankingherforrememberinghiswishtopaintLion’sHeadinthewinter,andhehadtotellherofJeff’sthoughtfulnessduringthepastfortnight;hehadtosaythathedidnotbelieveheshouldeverhavegotawayifithadnotbeenforhim。Thiswastrue;DurginhadevencomeinfromCambridgetoseehimoffonthetrain;hebehavedasiftheincidentwithLyndeandalltheirtalkaboutithadcementedthefriendshipbetweenWestoverandhimself,andhecouldnotbetoodevoted。ItnowcameoutthathehadwrittenhomeallaboutWestover,andmadehismotherputupastoveinthepainter’soldroom,sothatheshouldhavetheinstantuseofitwhenhearrived。
Itwasanair—tightwood—stove,anditfilledthechamberwithaheatinwhichWestoverdrowsedassoonasheenteredit。Hethrewhimselfonthebed,andsleptawaythefatigueofhisrailroadjourneyandthecoldofhisdrivewithJombateestefromthestation。Hisnapwaslong,andhewokefromitinapleasantlanguor,withthedream—cloudsstillhanginginhisbrain。Heopenedthedamperofhisstove,andsetitroaringagain;thenhepulleddowntheuppersashofhiswindowandlookedoutonaworldwhoseelementsofwoodandsnowandstonehetriedtoco—
ordinate。Therewasnothingelseinthatworldbutthesethings,sorepellentofoneanother。Hesufferedfromtheincongruityofthewoodenbulkofthehotel,withthewhitedriftsdeepaboutit,andwiththegranitecliffsofLion’sHeadbeforeit,wherethegraycragsdarkenedunderthepinkafternoonlightwhichwasbeginningtoplayuponitscrestfromtheearlysunset。Thewindthathadseemedtoborethroughhisthickcapandhisskullitself,andthathadtossedthedrysnowlikedustagainsthiseyesonhiswayfromtherailroad,hadnowfallen,andanincomparablequietwrappedthesolitudeofthehills。A
teasingsenseoftheimpossibilityofthescene,asfarashisartwasconcerned,filledhimfullofafonddespairofrenderingitsfeeling。
Hecouldgiveitslightandcolorandforminasufficientlyvividsuggestionofthefact,buthecouldnotmakethatpinkflushseemtoexhale,likealongbreath,uponthoseruggedshapes;hecouldnotimpartthatsentimentofdelicately,almostofelegance,whichhefoundinthewilderness,whileeverydetailofcivilizationphysicallydistressedhim。
Inoneplacethesnowhadbeendugdowntothepineplankingofthepathwayroundthehouse;andthecontactofthiswoodennesswiththefrozengroundpiercedhisnervesandsethisteethonedgelikeaharshnoise。Whenoncehesawithehadtomakeanefforttotakehiseyesfromit,andinasortunknowntohiminsummerheperceivedtheoffenceofthehotelitselfamidthepureandlonelybeautyofthewinterlandscape。Itwasanoteofintolerablebanality,ofphilistinepretenceandvulgarconvention,suchasWhitwell’slow,unpaintedcottageatthefootofthehilldidnotgive,northelittleredschool—house,ontheotherhand,showingthroughthenakedtrees。Thereshouldhavebeenreallynohumanhabitationvisibleexceptawigwamintheshelterofthepines,hereandthere;andwhenhesawWhitwellmakinghiswayupthehill—sideroad,Westoverfeltthatiftheremustbeanyhumanpresenceitshouldbesomesavagecladinskins,insteadofthephilosopherinhisrubberbootsandhisclothing—storeulster。Hepreferredthesmall,wiryshapeofJombateeste,inhisbluewoollencapandhisCanadianfootgear,asheranroundthecornerofthehousetowardthebarn,andleftthebreathofhispipeinthefineairbehindhim。
Thelightbegantodeepenfromthepalepinktoacrimsonwhichstainedthetopsandsteepsofsnow,anddeepenedthedarkofthewoodsmassedonthemountainslopesbetweentheirregularfieldsofwhite。Theburnishedbrownofthehard—woodtrees,thedullcarbonshadowsoftheevergreens,seemedtowithertooneblackastheredstrengthenedinthesky。
Westoverrealizedthathehadlostthebestofanypossiblepictureinlettingthatfirstdelicatecolorescapehim。Thiscrimsonwasharshandvulgarincomparison;itwouldhavealmostachromoquality;hecensuredhispleasureinitassomethinggrossandmaterial,likethatofeating;
andonasuddenhefelthungry。Hewonderedwhattimetheywouldgivehimsupper,andhetookslightaccountofthefactthatacapriceofthewindhadtornitshoodofsnowfromthemountainsummit,andthattheprofileoftheLion’sHeadshowedalmostasdistinctlyasinsummer。Hestoodbeforethepicturewhichforthatdayatleastwaslosttohim,andquestionedwhethertherewouldbeaheartymeal,somethinglikeadinner,orwhethertherewouldbesomethinglikeafarmhousesupper,mainlyofdoughnutsandtea。
Hepulleduphiswindowandwasgoingtoliedownagain,whensomeoneknocked,andFrankWhitwellstoodatthedoor。\"Doyouwantweshouldbringyoursuppertoyouhere,Mr。Westover,orwillyou——\"
\"Oh,letmejoinyouall!\"criedthepainter,eagerly。\"Isitready——
shallIcomenow?\"
\"Well,inaboutfiveminutesorso。\"Frankwentaway,aftersettingdownintheroomthelamphehadbrought。ItwasalampwhichWestoverthoughtherememberedfromthefarm—houseperiod,andonhiswaydownherealizedashehadsomehownotdoneinhissummersojourns,theentiretyoftheoldhouseinthehotelwhichhadencompassedit。Theprimitivecoldofitsstairwaysandpassagesstruckuponhimassoonashelefthisownroom,andhefoundtheparlordoorclosedagainstthechill。Therewasahotstove—firewithin,andakerosene—lampturnedlow,buttherewasnoonethere,andhehadthephotographofhisfirstpictureofLion’sHeadtohimselfinthedimlight。ThevoicesofMrs。DurginandCynthiacametohimfromthedining—room,andfromthekitchenbeyond,withtheoccasionalclashofcrockery,andtheclangofironuponironaboutthestove,andthequicktreadofwomen’sfeetuponthebarefloor。
Withthesepleasantnoisescamethesmellofcooking,andlatertherewasanopeningandshuttingofdoors,withathrillofthefreezingairfromwithout,andthedullthumpingofWhitwell’srubberboots,andthequickerflappingofJombateeste’ssoftleathernsoles。Thentherewasthesweepofskirtedfeetattheparlordoor,andCynthiaWhitwellcameinwithoutperceivinghim。Shewenttothetablebythedarkeningwindow,andquicklyturnedupthelightofthelamp。Inherignoranceofhispresence,hesawherasifshehadbeenalone,almostasifshewereoutofthebody;hereceivedfromherunconsciousnesstheimpressionofsomethingrarelypureandfine,andhehadasuddencompassionforher,asforsomethingpreciousthatisfatedtobewastedormisprized。Atalittlemovementwhichhemadetorelievehimselffromasenseofeavesdropping,shegaveastart,andshutherlipsuponthelittlecrythatwouldhaveescapedfromanothersortofwoman。
\"Ididn’tknowyouwerehere,\"shesaid;andsheflushedwiththeshynessofhimwhichshealwaysshowedatfirst。Shehadmethimalreadywiththerest,buttheyhadscarcelyspokentogether;andheknewofthestruggleshemustnowbemakingwithherselfwhenshewenton:\"Ididn’tknowyouhadbeencalled。Ithoughtyouwerestillsleeping。\"
\"Yes。Iseemedtosleepforcenturies,\"saidWestover,\"andIwokeupfeelingcoevalwithLion’sHead。ButIhopetogrowyoungeragain。\"
Shefaltered,andthensheasked:\"Didyouseethelightonitwhenthesunwentdown?\"
\"IwishIhadn’t。Icouldnevergetthatlight——evenifitevercameagain。\"
\"It’sthereeveryafternoon,whenit’sclear。\"
\"I’msorryforthat;Ishallhavetotryforit,then。\"
\"Wasn’tthatwhatyoucamefor?\"sheasked,byoneoftheeffortsshewasmakingwitheverythingshesaid。Hecouldhavebelievedhesawthepulsethrobbinginherneck。Butsheheldherselfstone—still,andhedivinedherresolutiontoconquerherself,ifsheshoulddieforit。
\"Yes,Icameforthat,\"saidWestover。\"That’swhatmakesitsodismaying。IfIhadonlyhappenedonit,Ishouldn’thavebeenresponsibleforthefailureIshallmakeofit。\"
Shesmiled,asifshelikedhislightness,butdoubtedifsheought。
\"Wedon’toftengetLion’sHeadclearofsnow。\"
\"Yes;that’sanotherhardship,\"saidthepainter。\"Everythingisagainstme!Ifwedon’thaveasnowovernight,andacloudydayto—morrow,I
shallbeindespair。\"
Sheplayedwiththelittlewheelofthewick;shelookeddown,andthen,withaglanceflashedathim,shegasped:\"Ishallhavetotakeyourlampforthetableteaisready。\"
\"Oh,well,ifyouwillonlytakemewithit。I’mfrightfullyhungry。\"
Apparentlyshecouldnotsayanythingtothat。Hetriedtogetthelamptocarryitoutforher,butshewouldnotlethim。\"Itisn’theavy,\"
shesaid,andhurriedoutbeforehim。
Itwasallnothing,butitwasallverycharming,andWestoverwasrichlycontentwithit;andyetnotcontent,forhefeltthatthepleasureofitwasnottrulyhis,butwasamomentofmerelyborrowedhappiness。
Thetablewaslaidintheoldfarm—housesitting—roomwherehehadbeenservedalonewhenhefirstcametoLion’sHead。Butnowhesatdownwiththewholefamily,eventoJombateeste,whobroughtinafaintodorofthebarnwithhim。
Theyhadeachbeenincontactwiththefinerworldwhichrevisitsnatureinthesummer—time,andtheymustallhaveknownsomethingofitsusages,buttheyhadrevertedinformandsubstancetotherusticlivingoftheirneighbors。TheyhadsteakforWestover,andbakedpotatoes;butforthemselvestheyhadsuchfarmfareasMrs。Durginhadgivenhimthefirsttimehesuppedthere。Theymadetheirmealchieflyofdoughnutsandtea,andhotbiscuit,withsomesweetdishesofafestivesortaddedinrecognitionofhispresence;andtherewasmince—pieforall。Mrs。
DurginandWhitwellatewiththeirknives,andJombateestefilledhimselfsosoonwitheveryimplementathandthathewasabletoaskexcuseoftheothersifheleftthemforthehorsesbeforetheyhadhalffinished。
FrankWhitwellfedwithakindofofficialorfunctionalconformitytothewaysofsummerfolks;butCynthia,atwhomWestoverglancedwithanxiety,onlydranksometeaandatealittlebreadandbutter。Hewasashamedofhisanxiety,forhehadownedthatitoughtnottohavematteredifshehadusedherknifelikeherfather;anditseemedtohimasifhehadpromptedMrs。Durginbyhiscuriousglancetosay:\"Wedon’tknowhalfthetimehowthechildlives。Cynthy!Takesomethingtoeat!\"
Cynthiapleadedthatshewasnothungry;Mrs。Durgindeclaredthatshewoulddieifshekeptonasshewasgoing;andthenthegirlescapedtothekitchenononeoftheerrandswhichshemadefromtimetotimebetweenthestoveandthetable。
\"Ipresumeit’syourcoming,Mr。Westover,\"Mrs。Durginwenton,withthecomfortablesuperiorityofelderlypeopletoallthetrialsoftheyoung。
\"Idon’tknowwhysheshouldmakeastrangerofyou,everytime。You’veknownherprettymuchallherlife。\"
\"EversinceyougiveJeffwhathedeservedforscaringherandFrankwithhisdog,\"saidWhitwell。
\"PoorFox!\"Mrs。Durginsighed。\"HedidhavetheleastsenseforadogI
eversaw。AndJeffusedtobesofondofhim!Well,Iguesshegottiredofhim,too,towardthelast。\"
\"He’sgonetothehappyhunting—groundsnow。Coloradydidn’tagreewithhim—oroldage,\"saidWhitwell。\"Idon’tseewhytheInjunswa’n’tright,\"hepursued,thoughtfully。\"Ifthey’vegotsouls,whyha’n’ttheirdogs?IsupposeMr。Westoverherewouldsaytherewa’n’tanycertaintyabouttheInjunsthemselves!\"
\"Youknowmyweakpoint,Mr。Whitwell,\"thepainterconfessed。\"ButI
can’tprovetheyhaven’t。\"
\"Nordogs,neither,Iguess,\"saidWhitwell,tolerantly。\"It’scurious,though,ifanimalshavegotsouls,thatweha’n’teverhadanycommunicationsfrom’em。Youmightsaythatag’in’theidea。\"
\"No,I’llletyousayit,\"returnedWestover。\"Butagoodmanyofthecommunicationsseemtocomefromthelowerintelligences,ifnottheloweranimals。\"
Whitwelllaughedouthisdelightinthethrust。\"Well,Iguessthat’ssomethingso。AndthemoldEgyptiandevils,overthere,thatyousaydiscoveredthedoctrineofimmortality,seemedtothinkacatwasaboutasgoodasaman。What’sthat,\"heappealedtoMrs。Durgin,\"Jacksonsaidinhislastletterabouttheircatmummies?\"
\"Well,IguessI’llfinishmysupperfirst,\"saidMrs。Durgin,whosenervesWestoverwouldnototherwisehavesuspectedoffaintness。\"ButJackson’sletters,\"shecontinued,loyally,\"areaboutthebestletters!\"
\"Knowthey’dgotsomeof’eminthepapers?\"Whitwellasked;andatthesurprisethatWestovershowedhetoldhimhowafellowwhowastryingtomakeapapergooverattheHuddle,hadheardofJackson’slettersandteasedforsomeofthem,andhadprintedthemasneighborhoodnewsinthatsideofhispaperwhichhedidnotbuyreadyprintedinBoston。
Mrs。DurginstudiedwithmodestdeprecationtheeffectofthefactuponWestover,andseemedsatisfiedwithit。\"Well,ofcourse,it’sinterestin’toJackson’soldfriendsinthecountry,here。Theyknowhe’dlookatthings,overthere,prettymuchastheywould。Well,Ihadtolendthelettersroundsomuch,anyway,itwasakindofarelieftohave’eminthepaper,whereeverybodycouldsee’em,andbedonewithit。Mr。Whit’ellhere,hefixes’emupso’stoleaveoutthefamilypart,andIguessthey’reprettywellthoughtof。\"
Westoversaidhehadnodoubttheywere,andheshouldwanttoseealltheletterstheycouldshowhim,inprintandoutofprint。
\"IfJacksononlyhadJeff’shealthandopportunities——\"themotherbegan,withasuppressedpassioninherregret。
FrankWhitwellpushedbackhischair。\"IguessI’llasktobeexcused,\"
hesaidtotheheadoftable。
\"There!Ia’n’tgoin’tosayanymoreaboutthat,ifthat’swhatyou’reafraidof,Frank,\"saidMrs。Durgin。\"Well,IpresumeIdotalkagooddealaboutJacksonwhenIgetgoin’,andIpresumeit’snaturalCynthyshouldn’twantIshouldtalkaboutJeffbeforefolks。Frank,a’n’tyougoin’towaitforthatplateofhotbiscuit?——ifsheevergitsithere!\"
\"IguessIdon’tcareforanythingmore,\"saidFrank,andhegothimselfoutoftheroommoreinarticulatelythanheneed,Westoverthought。
His,fatherfollowedhisretreatwithaneyeofhumorousintelligence。
\"IguessFrankdon’twanttokeeptheyoungladieswaitin’agreatwhile。
There’sachurchsociableover’ttheHuddle,\"heexplainedtoWestover。
\"Oh,that’sit,isit?\"Mrs。Durginputin。\"Whydidn’thesayso。\"
\"Well,theyoungfolksdon’tanyof’emseemtowanttotalkaboutsuchthingsnowadays,andIdon’tknowastheyeverdid。\"WhitwelltookWestoverintohisconfidencewithawink。
ThebiscuitthatCynthiabroughtinwereburnedalittleontop,andMrs。
Durginrecognizedthefactwiththequestion,\"Didyougettostudyin’,outthere?Takeone,do,Mr。Westover!Youha’n’tmadehalfameal!
IfIdidn’tkeeproundafterher,Idon’tknowwhatwouldbecomeofusall。TheyoungladiesdownatBoston,anyof’em,trytokeepupwiththefellowsincollege?\"
\"IsupposetheydointheHarvardAnnex,\"saidWestover,simply,inspiteoftheglancewithwhichMrs。Durgintriedtoconveyacovertmeaning。
Heunderstooditafterward,butforthepresenthissingle—mindednesssparedthegirl。