Jeffwrotebackthathehadbeensufferingwithasevereattackoferysipelas——hedecideduponerysipelasforthetimebeing,buthemeanttoletWestoverknowlaterthathehadbeeninarow——andthedoctorwouldnotlethimgooutyet。Hepromisedtocomeinassoonashepossiblycould。IfWestoverthoughtJacksonoughttobegothomeatonce,andwasnotfittotravelalone,heaskedhimtosendahospitalnursewithhim。
WestoverrepliedbyJeff’smessengerthatitwouldworryandalarmJacksontobeputinchargeofanurse;butthathewouldgohomewithhim,andtheywouldstartthenextday。HeurgedJefftocomeandseehisbrotherifitwasatallsafeforhimtodoso。Butifhecouldnot,Westoverwouldgivehismotherareassuringreasonforhisfailure。
Mrs。DurgindidnotwasteanyanxietyforthesicknesswhichpreventedJefffromcominghomewithhisbrother。Shesaidironicallythatitmustbeverybad,andshegaveallherthoughtandcaretoJackson。Thesickmanrallied,asheprophesiedheshould,inhisnativeair,andcelebratedthesenseandscienceofthelastdoctorhehadseeninEurope,whotoldhimthathehadmadeagreatgain,buthehadbetterhurryhomeasfastashecould,forhehadgotalltheadvantagehecouldexpecttohavefromhisstayabroad,andnowhomeairwasthebestthingforhim。
Itcouldnotbeknownhowmuchofthishebelieved;hehad,atanyrate,thepathetichopefulnessofhismalady;buthismotherbelieveditall,andshenursedhimwithafaithinhisrecoverywhichWhitwellconfidedtoWestoverwasaboutasmuchashewantedtosee,foronewhile。Sheseemedtogrowyoungerinthecareofhim,andtogetbacktoherself,moreandmore,fromthefactsofJeff’sbehavior,whichhadagedandbrokenher。ShehadtotellJacksonaboutitall,buthetookitwiththatindifferencetothethingsofthisworldwhichtheapproachofdeathsometimesbrings,andinthelightofhispassivityitnolongerseemedtohersoverybad。ItwasarelieftohaveJacksonsay,Well,perhapsitwasforthebest;anditwasacomforttoseehowheandCynthiatooktoeachother;itwasalmostasifthatdreadfultroublehadnotbeen。
ShetoldJacksonwhathardworkshehadhadtomakeCynthiastaywithher,andhowthegirlhadconsentedtostayonlyuntilJeffcamehome;
butsheguessed,nowthatJacksonhadgotback,hecouldmakeCynthiaseeitallinanotherlight,andperhapsitwouldallcomerightagain。SheconsultedhimaboutJeff’splanofgoingabroad,andJacksonsaiditmightbeaboutaswell;heshouldsoonbearound,andhethoughtifJeffwentitwouldgiveCynthiamoreofachancetogetreconciled。Afterall,hismothersuggested,agoodmanyfellowsbehavedworsethanJeffhaddoneandstillhadmadeitupwiththegirlstheywereengagedto;
andJacksongentlyassented。
HedidnottalkwithCynthiaaboutJeff,outofthatdelicacy,orthatcoldness,commontothemboth。Perhapsitwasnotnecessaryforthemtospeakofhim;perhapstheyunderstoodhimarightintheirunderstandingofeachother。
Westoverstayedon,dayafterday,thinkingsomehowthatheoughttowaittillJeffcame。Therewereonlyafewotherpeopleinthehotel,andthesewereofaquietsort;theywerenotsaddenedbythepresenceofadoomedmanunderthesameroof,asgayersummerfolksmighthavebeen,andtheywerethemselvesnodisturbancetohim。
Hesataboutwiththemontheveranda,andhemadefriendsamongthem,andtheydidwhattheycouldtoencourageandconsolehiminhisimpatiencetotakeuphisoldcaresinthemanagementofthehotel。TheWhitwellseasilylookedafterthewelfareoftheguests,andJacksonwassomuchbettertoeveryone’sperceptionthatWestovercouldhonestlywriteJeffagoodreportofhim。
ThereportmayhavebeensogoodthatJefftooktheaffairtooeasily。
ItwasafortnightafterJackson’sreturntoLion’sHeadwhenhebegantofailsosuddenlyandalarminglythatWestoverdecideduponhisownresponsibilitytotelegraphJeffofhiscondition。ButhehadthesatisfactionofWhitwell’sapprovalwhenhetoldhimwhathehaddone。
\"Ofcourse,Jacksona’n’tlongforthisworld。Anybodybuthimandhismothercouldseethat;andnowhe’sjustmeltingaway,asyoumightsay。
Iha’n’tlikedhisnotcarin’toworkplantchettesincehegotback;
lookedtomefromthestartthathekindofknowedthatitwa’n’tworthwhileforhimtotroubleaboutaworldthathe’llknowallaboutsosoon,anyways;andd’younoticehedon’tseemtocareaboutMars,either?
I’vetriedtowakehimuponittwo—threetimes,butyoucan’tgithimtotakeaninterest。IguessJeffcan’tgithereanytoosoononJackson’saccount;butasfarforthasIgo,hecouldn’tgitheretoolate。I
shouldliketotakethetopofhisheadoff。\"
WestoverhadbeeninWhitwell’sconfidencesincetheirfirstchanceofspeechtogether。Henowsaid:
\"Iknowitwillberatherpainfultoyoutohavehimhereforsomereasons,but——\"
\"YoumeanCynthy?Well!IguesswhenCynthycan’tgetalongwiththesightofJeffDurgin,she’llbeadifferentgirlfromwhatshe’severbeenbefore。Ifshe’sgottoseethatskunkag’in,Iguessthisisaboutthebesttimetodoit。\"
ItwasWestoverwhodrovetomeetJeffatthestation,whenhegothisdespatch,namingthetrainhewouldtake,andhefoundhimlookingverywell,andperhapsstouterthanhehadbeen。
Theyleftthestationinsilence,aftertheirgreetingandJeff’sinquiriesaboutJackson。Jeffhadtakenthereins,andnowheputthemwiththewhipinonehand,andpusheduphishatwiththeother,andturnedhisfacefulluponWestover。\"Noticeanythinginparticular?\"hedemanded。
\"No;yes——someslightmarks。\"
\"Iguessthatfellowfixedmeupprettywell:paintsblackeyes,andthatkindofthing。Igottoscrappingwithaman,ClassDay;wewantedtosettlealittlebusinesswebeganattheTree,andhelefthismarksonme。ImeanttotellyouthetruthassoonasIcouldgetatyou;butI
hadtosayerysipelasinmyletter。Iguess,ifyoudon’tmind,we’llleterysipelasstand,withtherest。\"
\"Ishouldn’thavecared,\"Westoversaid,\"ifyou’dletitstandwithme。\"
\"Oh,thankyou,\"Jeffreturned。
TherecouldhavebeennoshowofaffectionathismeetingwithJacksoneveniftherehadbeenanyfactofit;thatwasnotthelawoftheirlife。ButJeffhadalwaysbeenaturbulent,rebellious,youngerbrother,resentfulofJackson’scontrol,toomuchhisjuniortohavetheassociationsofanequalcompanionshipinthepast,andyettoonearhiminagetohaveanythinglikeafilialregardforhim。Theyshookhands,andeachaskedtheotherhowhewas,andthentheyseemedtohavedonewitheachother。Jeff’smotherkissedhiminadditiontothehandshaking,butmadehimfeelherpreoccupationwithJackson;sheaskedhimifhehadhurriedhomeonJackson’saccount,andhepromptlyliedheroutofthisanxiety。
HeshookhandswithCynthia,too,butitwasacrossthebarrierwhichhadnotbeenloweredbetweenthemsincetheyparted。HespoketoJacksonabouther,thedayafterhecamehome,whenJacksonsaidhewasfeelingunusuallystrongandwell,andthetwobrothershadstrolledoutthroughtheorchardtogether。Nowandthenhegavethesickmanhisarm,andwhenhewantedtositdowninasunnyplacehespreadtheshawlhecarriedforhim。
\"Isupposemother’stoldyouaboutCynthyandme,Jackson?\"hebegan。
Jacksonanswered,withlack—lustreeyes,\"Yes。\"Presentlyheasked:
\"What’sbecomeoftheothergirl?\"
\"Damnher!Idon’tknowwhat’sbecomeofher,andIdon’tcare!\"Jeffexploded,furiously。
\"Thenyoudon’tcareforheranymore?\"Jacksonpursued,withthesamelanguidcalm。
\"Inevercaredforher。\"
Jacksonwassilent,andthematterseemedtohavefadedoutofhismind。
ButitwaskeenlyaliveinJeff’smind,andhewasinthestrangenecessitywhichmenintheflushoflifeandhealthoftenfeelofseekingcounselofthosewhostandinthepresenceofdeath,asiftheirwordsshouldhavesomethingofthemysticalauthorityoftheunknownwisdomtheyareabouttopenetrate。
\"WhatIwanttoknowis,whatIamgoingtodoaboutCynthy?\"
\"Idon’tknow,\"Jacksonanswered,vaguely,andheexpressedbyhisindirectionthesensehemustsometimeshavehadofhisimpendingfate——
\"Idon’tknowwhatshe’sgoingtodo,herormother,either。\"
\"Yes,\"Jeffassented,\"that’swhatIthinkof。AndI’ddoanythingthatIcould——thatyouthoughtwasright。\"
Jacksonapparentlyconcentratedhisminduponthequestionbyaneffort。
\"DoyoucareasmuchforCynthyasyouusedto?\"
\"Yes,\"saidJeff,afteramoment,\"asmuchasIeverdid;andmore。ButI’vebeenthinking,sincethethinghappened,that,ifI’dcaredforherthewayshedidforme,itwouldn’thavehappened。Lookhere,Jackson!
YouknowI’veneverpretendedtobelikesomemen——likeMr。Westover,forexample——alwayslookingoutfortherightandthewrong,andallthat。Ididn’tmakemyself,andIguessiftheAlmightydon’tmakemegorightit’sbecauseHedon’twantmeto。ButIhavegotaconscienceaboutCynthy,andI’dbewillingtohelpoutalittleifIknewhow,abouther。Thedevilofitis,I’vegottobeingafraid。Idon’tmeanthatI’mnotfitforher;anyman’sfitforanywomanifhewantsherbadenough;butI’mafraidIsha’n’tevercareforherintherightway。
That’sthepoint。I’vecaredforjustonewomaninthisworld,andita’n’tCynthy,asfarasIcanmakeout。Butshe’sgone,andIguessI
couldcoaxCynthyroundagain,andIcouldbewhatshewantsmetobe,afterthis。\"
Jacksonlayuponhisshawl,lookingupattheskyfullofislandsofwarmcloudsinitsseaofblue;hewassilentsolongthatJeffbegantothinkhehadnotbeenlistening;hecouldnothearhimbreathe,andhecameforwardtohimquicklyfromtheshadowofthetreewherehesat。
\"Well?\"Jacksonwhispered,turninghiseyesuponhim。
\"Well?\"Jeffreturned。
\"Iguessyou’dbetterletitalone,\"saidJackson。
\"Allright。That’swhatIthink,too。\"
XLIX。
Jacksondiedaweeklater,andtheyburiedhimintheoldfamilylotinthefarthestcorneroftheorchard。HismotherandCynthiaputonmourningforhim,andtheystoodtogetherbyhisopengrave,Mrs。Durginleaninguponherson’sarmandthegirluponherfather’s。Thewomenweptquietly,butJeff’seyesweredry,thoughhisfacewasdischargedofallitsprepotentimpudence。Westover,standingacrossthegravefromhim,noticedthemarksonhisforeheadthathesaidwerefromhisscrapping,andwonderedwhatreallymadethem。Herecognizedthespotwheretheywerestandingasthatwheretheboyhadobeyedthelawofhisnatureandrevengedthestressputuponhimforrighteousness。OverthestoneofthenearestgraveJeffhadshownafaceoftriumphantderisionwhenhepeltedWestoverwithapples。Thepainter’smindfellintoachaosofconjectureandmisgiving,sothathescarcelytookinthewordsofthecompositeservicewhichtheministerfromtheUnionChapelattheHuddlereadoverthedead。
Someoftheguestsfromthehotelcametothefuneral,butotherswhowerenotingoodhealthremainedaway,andtherewasageneralsenseamongthem,whichimparteditselftoWestover,thatJackson’sdyingso,atthebeginningoftheseason,wasnotafortunateincident。AshesattalkingwithJeffatacornerofthepiazzalateintheafternoon,FrankWhitwellcameuptothemandsaidthereweresomepeopleintheofficewhohaddrivenoverfromanotherhoteltoseeaboutboard,buttheyhadheardtherewassicknessinthehouse,andwishedtotalkwithhim。
\"Iwon’tcome,\"saidJeff。
\"They’renotsatisfiedwithwhatI’vesaid,\"theboyurged。\"WhatshallItellthem?\"
\"Tellthemto—gotothedevil,\"saidJeff,andwhenFrankWhitwellmadeoffwiththismessagefordeliveryinsuchdecenttermsashecouldimagineforit,Jeffsaid,rathertohimselfthantoWestover,\"Idon’tseehowwe’regoingtorunthishotelwiththatoldfamilylotdownthereintheorchardmuchlonger。\"
HeassumedtheairoffullauthorityatLion’sHead;andWestoverfeltthestressofapainfulconjectureinregardtotheWhitwellsintensifieduponhimfromthemomentheturnedawayfromJackson’sgrave。
CynthiaandherfatherhadgonebacktotheirownhouseassoonasJeffreturned,andthoughthegirlcamehomewithMrs。Durginafterthefuneral,andhelpedherintheircommondutiesthroughtheafternoonandevening,Westoversawhertakingherwaydownthehillwithherbrotherwhenthelongday’sworkwasover。Jeffsawhertoo;hewassittingwithWestoverattheofficedoorsmoking,andhewastalkingoftheWhitwells。
\"Isupposetheywon’tstay,\"hesaid,\"andIcan’texpectit;butIdon’tknowwhatmotherwilldo,exactly。\"
AtthesamemomentWhitwellcameroundthecornerofthehotelfromthebarn,andapproachedthem:\"Jeff,IguessIbettertellyoustraightoffthatwe’regoin’,thechildrenandme。\"
\"Allright,Mr。Whitwell,\"saidJeff,withrespectfulgravity;\"Iwasafraidofit。\"
Westovermadeamotiontorise,butWhitwelllaidadetaininghanduponhisknee。\"Thereain’tanythingsoprivateaboutit,sofarasIknow。\"
\"Don’tgo,Mr。Westover,\"saidJeff,andWestoverremained。
\"Wea’n’ta—goin’toleaveyouinthelurch,andwewantyoushouldtakeyourtime,especiallyMis’Durgin。Butthesoonerthebetter。Heigh?\"
\"Yes,Iunderstandthat,Mr。Whitwell;Iguessmotherwillmissyou,butifyoumustgo,youmust。\"Thetwomenremainedsilentamoment,andthenJeffbrokeoutpassionately,risingandflinginghiscigaraway:
\"IwishIcouldgo,instead!Thatwouldbetherightway,andIguessmotherwouldlikeitfullaswell。Doyouseeanywaytomanageit?
\"Heputhisfootupinhischair,anddroppedhiselbowonhisknee,withhischinproppedinhishand。Westovercouldseethathemeantwhathewassaying。\"Iftherewasanyway,I’ddoit。Iknowwhatyouthinkofme,andIshouldbejustlikeyou,inyourplace。Idon’tfeelrighttoturnyououthere,Idon’t,Mr。Whitwell,andyetifIstay,I’vegottodoit。What’sthereasonIcan’tgo?\"
\"Youcan’t,\"saidWhitwell,\"andthat’sallaboutit。Weshouldn’tletyou,ifyoucould。ButIa’n’tsurprisedyoufeelthewayyoudo,\"headded,unsparingly。\"Asyousay,IshouldfeeljustsomyselfifIwasinyourplace。Well,goodnight,Mr。Westover。\"
Whitwellturnedandsloucheddownthehill,leavingthepaintertothemostpainfulmomenthehadknownwithJeffDurgin,andnearersympathy。
\"That’sallright,Mr。Westover,\"Jeffsaid,\"Idon’tblamehim。\"
HeremainedinaconstraintfromwhichhepresentlybrokewithmockinghilaritywhenJombateestecameroundthecornerofthehouse,asifhehadbeenwaitingforWhitwelltobegone,andtoldJeffhemustgetsomebodyelsetolookafterthehorses。
\"Whydon’tyouwaitandtakethehorseswithyou,Jombateeste?\"
heinquired。\"They’llbehandingintheirresignation,thenextthing。
Whynotgoaltogether?\"
ThelittleCanuckpaused,asifuncertainwhetherhewasmadetheobjectofunfriendlyderisionornot,andlookedatWestoverforhelp。
Apparentlyhedecidedtochanceitinasbitterananswerashecouldinvent。\"The’osscan’t’elp’imself,Mr。Durgin。’Estay。Butyoudon’hownEVERYBODY。\"
\"That’sso,Jombateeste,\"saidJeff。\"That’sagoodhit。Itmakesmefeelawfully。Haveacigar?\"TheCanuckdeclinedwithadignifiedbow,andJeffsaid:\"Youdon’tsmokeanymore?Oh,Isee!It’smytobaccoyou’redownon。What’sthematter,Jombateeste?Whatareyougoingawayfor?\"JefflightedforhimselfthecigartheCanuckhadrefused,andsmokeddownuponthelittleman。
\"Mr。W’itwellgoin’,\"Jombateestesaid,alittleconfusedanddaunted。
\"What’sMr。Whitwellgoingfor?\"
\"YouhaskMr。W’itwell。\"
\"Allright。AndifIcangethimtostaywillyoustaytoo,Jombateeste?
Idon’tliketoseearatleavingaship;theship’ssuretosink,ifhedoes。HowdoyousupposeI’mgoingtorunLion’sHeadwithoutyoutothrowdownhaytothehorses?Itwillberuintome,sure,Jombateeste。
Alltheguestsknowhowyouplayonthepitchforkoutthere,andthey’llleaveinabodyiftheyhearyou’vequit。Dosayyou’llstay,andI’llreduceyourwagesone—halfonthespot。\"
Jombateestewaitedtohearnomoreinjuries。Hesaid:\"You’lldon’gotmoneyenough,Mr。Durgin,bygosh!toreducemywages,\"andhestarteddownthehilltowardWhitwell’shousewithasgreatloftinessascouldcomportwithadown—hillgaitandhisstature。
\"Well,Iseemtobegettingitallround,Mr。Westover,\"saidJeff。
\"Thismustmakeyoufeelgood。Idon’tknowbutIbegintobelievethere’saGodinIsrael,myself。\"
Hewalkedawaywithoutsayinggood—night,andWestoverwenttobedwithoutthechanceofsettinghimselfright。Inthemorning,whenhecamedowntobreakfast,andstoppedatthedesktoengageaconveyanceforthestationfromFrankWhitwelltheboyforestalledhimwithagraveface。\"Youdon’tknowaboutMrs。Durgin?\"
\"No;whatabouther?\"
\"Well,wecan’ttellexactly。Fatherthinksit’sashock;JombateestegoneovertoLovewellforthedoctor。Cynthia’swithher。Itseemedtocomeoninthenight。\"
Hespokesoftly,thatnooneelsemighthear;butbynoonthefactthatMrs。Durginhadbeenstrickenwithparalysiswasallovertheplace。ThegloomcastupontheopeningseasonbyJackson’sdeathwasdeepenedamongtheguests。SomewhohadtalkedofstayingthroughJulywentawaythatday。ButunderCynthia’smanagementthehousekeepingwasreallyunaffectedbyMrs。Durgin’scalamity,andthepeoplewhostayedfoundthemselvesascomfortableasever。Jeffcamefullyintothehotelmanagement,andintheirbusinessrelationCynthiaandhewerecontinuallytogether;therewasnolongeraquestionoftheWhitwellsleavinghim;evenJombateestepersuadedhimselftostay,andWestoverfeltobligedtoremainatleasttillthepresentdangerinMrs。Durgin’scasewaspast。
Withthefirstreturnofphysicalstrength,Mrs。Durginwasimpatienttobeseenaboutthehouse,andtoretrievetheseasonthatherafflictionhadmadesolargelyaloss。Thepeoplewhohadbecomeaccustomedtoitstayedon,andthehousefilledupasshegrewbetter,buteventhesightofherinawheeledchairdidnotbringbacktheprosperityofotheryears。Shelamentedoveritwithakeenandfullperceptionofthefact,butinacloudyassociationofitwiththejointfutureofJeffandCynthia。
Oneday,afterMrs。Durginhaddeclaredthatshedidnotknowwhattheyweretodo,ifthingskeptonastheyweregoing,Whitwellaskedhisdaughter:
\"DoyousupposeshethinksyouandJeffhavemadeitupagain?\"
\"Idon’tknow,\"saidthegirl,withatroubledvoice,\"andIdon’tknowwhattodoaboutit。Itdon’tseemasifIcouldtellher,andyetit’swrongtolethergoon。\"
\"Whydidn’thetellher?\"demandedherfather。\"’Ta’n’tfairhisleavin’
ittoyou。Butit’slikehim。\"
Thesickwoman’sholduponthefactweakenedmostwhenshewastired。
Whenshewasbetter,sheknewhowitwaswiththem。CommonlyitwaswhenCynthiahadgothertobedforthenightthatshesentforJeff,andwishedtoaskhimwhathewasgoingtodo。\"Youcan’texpectCynthytostayhereanotherwinterhelpin’you,withJacksonaway。You’vegottoeithertakeherwithyou,orelsecomehereyourself。Giveupyourlastyearincollege,whydon’tyou?Idon’twantyoushouldstay,andI
don’tknowwhodoes。IfIwasinCynthia’splace,I’dletyouworkoffyourownconditions,nowyou’vegiveupthelaw。She’llkillherself,tryin’tokeepyoualong。\"
SometimesherspeechbecamesoindistinctthatnoonebutCynthiacouldmakeitout;andJeff,listeningwithafaceasnearlydischargedasmightbeofitslaughingirony,hadtoturntoCynthiaforthewordwhichnooneelsecouldcatch,andwhichthestrickenwomanremaineddistressfullywaitingforhertorepeattohim,withheranxiouseyesuponthegirl’sface。Hewasdutifullypatientwithallhismother’swhims。Hecamewhenevershesentforhim,andsatquietundertheseveritieswithwhichshevisitedallhispastunworthiness。\"Whoyoubeenhectorin’now,Ishouldliketoknow,\"shebeganonhimoneeveningwhenhecameathersummons。\"BetweenyouandFox,Igotnopeaceofmylife。Whereisthedog?\"
\"Foxisallright,mother,\"Jeffresponded。\"You’refeelingalittlebetterto—night,a’n’tyou?\"
\"Idon’tknow;Ican’ttell,\"shereturned,withagleamofintelligenceinhereye。Thenshesaid:\"Idon’tseewhyI’mlefttostrangersallthetime。\"
\"Youdon’tcallCynthiaastranger,doyou,mother?\"heasked,coaxingly。
\"Oh——Cynthy!\"saidMrs。Durgin,withaglanceasofsurpriseatseeingher。\"No,Cynthy’sallright。Butwhere’sJacksonandyourfather?IfI’vetoldthemnottobeoutinthedewonce,I’vetold’emahundredtimes。Cynthy’dbetterlookafterherhousekeepin’ifshedon’twantthewholeplacetorunbehind,andnotasoulleftinthehouse。Whattimeo’yearisitnow?\"shesuddenlyasked,afteralittlewearypause。
\"It’sthelastofAugust,mother。\"
\"Oh,\"shesighed,\"Ithoughtitwasthebeginnin’ofMay。Didn’tyoucomeuphereinMay?\"
\"Yes。\"
\"Well,then——Or,mebbethat’soneo’themtormentin’dreams;theydopesterso!Whatdidyoucomefor?\"
JeffwassittingononesideofherbedandCynthiaontheother:Shewaslookingatthesufferer’sface,andshedidnotmeettheglanceofamusementwhichJeffturneduponheratbeingsofairlycornered。\"Well,Idon’tknow,\"hesaid。\"Ithoughtyoumightliketoseeme。\"
\"What’dhecomefor?\"——thesickwomanturnedtoCynthia。
\"You’dbettertellher,\"saidthegirl,coldly,toJeff。\"Shewon’tbesatisfiedtillyoudo。She’llkeepcomingbacktoit。\"
\"Well,mother,\"saidJeff,stillwithsomethingofhishardyamusement,\"Ihadn’tbeenactingjustright,andIthoughtI’dbettertellCynthy。\"
\"Youbetterletthechildalone。IfIevercatchyouteasin’themchildrenagain,I’llmakeJacksonshootFox。\"