She’llbequicktoseethatwedon’tmeanunkindness，andcan’t，byanythingwesayordo，whenshe’sTom’swife。\"
Shepronouncedthedistastefulwordwithcourage，andwenton：\"Theprettyonemightnothavebeenabletoseethat。
Shemighthavegotitintoherheadthatwewerelookingdownonher；andthoseinsipidpeopleareterriblystubborn。
Wecancometosomeunderstandingwiththisone；I’msureofthat。\"SheendedbydeclaringthatitwasnowtheirdutytohelpTomoutofhisterriblepredicament。
\"Oh，eventheLaphamcloudhasasilverlining，\"saidCorey。
\"Infact，itseemsreallytohaveallturnedoutforthebest，Anna；thoughit’srathercurioustofindyouthechampionoftheLaphamside，atlast。Confess，now，thattherightgirlhassecretlybeenyourchoiceallalong，andthatwhileyousympathisewiththewrongone，yourejoiceinthetenacitywithwhichtherightoneisclingingtoherown！\"Headdedwithfinalseriousness，\"It’sjustthatsheshould，and，sofarasIunderstandthecase，Irespectherforit。\"
\"Ohyes，\"sighedMrs。Corey。\"It’snatural，andit’sright。\"
Butsheadded，\"Isupposethey’regladofhimonanyterms。\"
\"ThatiswhatIhavebeentaughttobelieve，\"saidherhusband。
\"Whenshallweseeourdaughter—in—lawelect？Ifindmyselfratherimpatienttohavethatpartofitover。\"
Mrs。Coreyhesitated。\"Tomthinkswehadbetternotcall，justyet。\"
\"Shehastoldhimofyourterriblebehaviourwhenyoucalledbefore？\"
\"No，Bromfield！Shecouldn’tbesovulgarasthat？\"
\"Butanythingshortofit？\"
XXI。
LAPHAMwasgoneafortnight。Hewasinasullenhumourwhenhecameback，andkepthimselfshutclosewithinhisowndenattheofficethefirstday。Heentereditinthemorningwithoutawordtohisclerksashepassedthroughtheouterroom，andhemadenosignthroughouttheforenoon，excepttostrikesavagelyonhisdesk—bellfromtimetotime，andsendouttoWalkerforsomebookofaccountsoraletter—file。HisboyconfidentiallyreportedtoWalkerthattheoldmanseemedtohavegotalotofpapersround；andatlunchthebook—keepersaidtoCorey，atthelittletablewhichtheyhadtakeninacornertogether，indefaultofseatsatthecounter，\"Well，sir，Iguessthere’sacoldwavecoming。\"
Coreylookedupinnocently，andsaid，\"Ihaven’treadtheweatherreport。\"
\"Yes，sir，\"Walkercontinued，\"it’scoming。Areasofrainalongthewholecoast，andincreasedpressureintheregionoftheprivateoffice。Storm—signalsupattheoldman’sdoornow。\"
Coreyperceivedthathewasspeakingfiguratively，andthathismeteorologywasentirelypersonaltoLapham。
\"Whatdoyoumean？\"heasked，withoutvividinterestintheallegory，hismindbeingfullofhisowntragi—comedy。
\"Why，justthis：Iguesstheoldman’stakin’insail。
AndIguesshe’sgotto。AsItoldyouthefirsttimewetalkedabouthim，theredon’tanyoneknowone—
quarterasmuchabouttheoldman’sbusinessastheoldmandoeshimself；andIain’tbetrayinganyconfidencewhenIsaythatIguessthatoldpartnerofhishasgotprettydeepintohisbooks。Iguesshe’soverheadandearsin’em，andtheoldman’sgoneinafterhim，andhe’sgotadrownin’man’sgriproundhisneck。
Thereseemstobeakindofalull——kindofadeadcalm，Icallit——inthepaintmarketjustnow；andthenagainaten—hundred—thousand—dollarmandon’tbuildahundred—thousand—dollarhousewithoutfeelingthedrain，unlessthere’saregularboom。Andjustnowthereain’tanyboomatall。Oh，Idon’tsaybutwhattheoldman’sgotanchorstowindward；guessheHAS；butifhe’sGOIN’
toleavemehismoney，Iwishhe’dleftitsixweeksago。
Yes，sir，Iguessthere’sacoldwavecomin’；butyoucan’tgenerally’mostalwaystell，asausualthing，wheretheoldman’sconcerned，andit’sONLYaguess。\"
Walkerbegantofeedinhisbreadedchopwiththesamenervousexcitementwithwhichheabandonedhimselftotheslangyandfigurativeexcessesofhistalks。
Coreyhadlistenedwithamiserablecuriosityandcompassionuptoacertainmoment，whenabroadlightofhopeflasheduponhim。ItcamefromLapham’spotentialruin；
andthewayoutofthelabyrinththathadhithertoseemedsohopelesswasclearenough，ifanother’sdisasterwouldbefriendhim，andgivehimtheopportunitytoprovetheunselfishnessofhisconstancy。Hethoughtofthesumofmoneythatwashisown，andthathemightoffertolend，orpracticallygive，ifthetimecame；andwithhiscrudehopesandpurposesformlesslyexultinginhisheart，hekeptonlisteningwithanunchangedcountenance。
Walkercouldnotresttillhehaddevelopedthewholesituation，sofarasheknewit。\"Lookatthestockwe’vegotonhand。
There’sgoingtobeanawfulshrinkageonthat，now！Andwheneverybodyisshuttingdown，orrunninghalf—time，theworksupatLaphamaregoingfullchip，justthesameasever。Well，it’shispride。Idon’tsaybutwhatit’sagoodsortofpride，buthelikestomakehisbragsthatthefire’sneverbeenoutintheworkssincetheystarted，andthatnoman’sworkorwageshaseverbeencutdownyetatLapham，itdon’tmatterWHATthetimesare。Ofcourse，\"
explainedWalker，\"Ishouldn’ttalksotoeverybody；
don’tknowasIshouldtalksotoanybodybutyou，Mr。Corey。\"
\"Ofcourse，\"assentedCorey。
\"Littleoffyourfeedto—day，\"saidWalker，glancingatCorey’splate。
\"Igotupwithaheadache。\"
\"Well，sir，ifyou’relikemeyou’llcarryitroundallday，then。Idon’tknowamuchmeanerthingthanaheadache——unlessit’searache，ortoothache，orsomeotherkindofacheI’mprettyhardtosuit，whenitcomestodiseases。Noticehowyellowtheoldmanlookedwhenhecameinthismorning？Idon’tliketoseeamanofhisbuildlookyellow——much。\"Aboutthemiddleoftheafternoonthedust—colouredfaceofRogers，nowfamiliartoLapham’sclerks，showeditselfamongthem。
\"HasColonelLaphamreturnedyet？\"heasked，inhisdry，woodentones，ofLapham’sboy。
\"Yes，he’sinhisoffice，\"saidtheboy；andasRogersadvanced，heroseandadded，\"Idon’tknowasyoucanseehimto—day。Hisordersarenottoletanybodyin。\"
\"Oh，indeed！\"saidRogers；\"IthinkhewillseeME！\"
andhepressedforward。
\"Well，I’llhavetoask，\"returnedtheboy；andhastilyprecedingRogers，heputhisheadinatLapham’sdoor，andthenwithdrewit。\"Pleasetositdown，\"hesaid；
\"he’llseeyouprettysoon；\"and，withanairofsomesurprise，Rogersobeyed。Hissere，dull—brownwhiskersandthemoustacheclosingoverbothlipswereincongruouslyandillogicallyclericalineffect，andtheeffectwasheightenedfornoreasonbytheparchmenttextureofhisskin；thebaldnessextendingtothecrownofhisheadwaslikeabaldnessmadeupforthestage。
Whathisfaceexpressedchieflywasablandandbeneficentcaution。Here，youmusthavesaidtoyourself，isamanofjust，sober，andprudentviews，fixedpurposes，andthegoodcitizenshipthatavoidsdebtandhazardofeverykind。
\"Whatdoyouwant？\"askedLapham，wheelingroundinhisswivel—chairasRogersenteredhisroom，andpushingthedoorshutwithhisfoot，withoutrising。
Rogerstookthechairthatwasnotofferedhim，andsatwithhishat—brimonhisknees，anditscrownpointedtowardsLapham。\"Iwanttoknowwhatyouaregoingtodo，\"
heansweredwithsufficientself—possession。
\"I’lltellyou，first，whatI’vedone，\"saidLapham。
\"I’vebeentoDubuque，andI’vefoundoutallaboutthatmillingpropertyyouturnedinonme。DidyouknowthattheG。L。&P。hadleasedtheP。Y。&X。？\"
\"Isomesuspectedthatitmight。\"
\"Didyouknowitwhenyouturnedthepropertyinonme？
DidyouknowthattheG。L。&P。wantedtobuythemills？\"
\"Ipresumedtheroadwouldgiveafairpriceforthem，\"
saidRogers，winkinghiseyesinoutwardexpressionofinwardlyblinkingthepoint。
\"Youlie，\"saidLapham，asquietlyasifcorrectinghiminaslighterror；andRogerstookthewordwithequalsangfroid。\"Youknewtheroadwouldn’tgiveafairpriceforthemills。Youknewitwouldgivewhatitchose，andthatIcouldn’thelpmyself，whenyouletmetakethem。
You’reathief，MiltonK。Rogers，andyoustolemoneyIlentyou。\"Rogerssatlistening，asifrespectfullyconsideringthestatements。\"YouknewhowIfeltaboutthatoldmatter——ormywifedid；andthatIwantedtomakeituptoyou，ifyoufeltanywaybadlyused。
Andyoutookadvantageofit。You’vegotmoneyoutofme，inthefirstplace，onsecuritiesthatwa’n’tworththirty—fivecentsonthedollar，andyou’veletmeinforthisthing，andthatthing，andyou’vebledmeeverytime。
AndallI’vegottoshowforitisamillingpropertyonalineofroadthatcansqueezeme，wheneveritwantsto，asdryasitpleases。AndyouwanttoknowwhatI’mgoingtodo？I’mgoingtosqueezeYOU。I’mgoingtosellthesecollateralsofyours，\"——hetouchedabundleofpapersamongothersthatlitteredhisdesk，——\"andI’mgoingtoletthemillsgoforwhatthey’llfetch。
Iain’tgoingtofighttheG。L。&P。\"
Laphamwheeledaboutinhischairandturnedhisburlybackonhisvisitor，whosatwhollyunmoved。
\"Therearesomeparties，\"hebegan，withadrytranquillityignoringLapham’swords，asiftheyhadbeenanoutburstagainstsomethirdperson，whoprobablymeritedthem，butinwhomhewassolittleinterestedthathehadbeenobligedtousepatienceinlisteningtohiscondemnation，——\"therearesomeEnglishpartieswhohavebeenmakinginquiriesinregardtothosemills。\"
\"Iguessyou’relying，Rogers，\"saidLapham，withoutlookinground。
\"Well，allthatIhavetoaskisthatyouwillnotacthastily。\"
\"Iseeyoudon’tthinkI’minearnest！\"criedLapham，facingfiercelyabout。\"YouthinkI’mfooling，doyou？\"
Hestruckhisbell，and\"William，\"heorderedtheboywhoansweredit，andwhostoodwaitingwhilehedashedoffanotetothebrokersandencloseditwiththebundleofsecuritiesinalargeenvelope，\"takethesedowntoGallop&Paddock’s，inStateStreet，rightaway。Nowgo！\"
hesaidtoRogers，whentheboyhadclosedthedoorafterhim；
andheturnedoncemoretohisdesk。
Rogersrosefromhischair，andstoodwithhishatinhishand。Hewasnotmerelydispassionateinhisattitudeandexpression，hewasimpartial。Heworetheairofamanwhowasreadytoreturntobusinesswheneverthewaywardmoodofhisinterlocutorpermitted。
\"ThenIunderstand，\"hesaid，\"thatyouwilltakenoactioninregardtothemillstillIhaveseenthepartiesIspeakof。\"
Laphamfacedaboutoncemore，andsatlookingupintothevisageofRogersinsilence。\"Iwonderwhatyou’reupto，\"
hesaidatlast；\"Ishouldliketoknow。\"ButasRogersmadenosignofgratifyinghiscuriosity，andtreatedthislastremarkofLapham’sasoftheirrelevanceofalltherest，hesaid，frowning，\"Youbringmeapartythatwillgivemeenoughforthosemillstoclearmeofyou，andI’lltalktoyou。Butdon’tyoucomeherewithanymanofstraw。
AndI’llgiveyoujusttwenty—fourhourstoproveyourselfaswindleragain。\"
OncemoreLaphamturnedhisback，andRogers，afterlookingthoughtfullyintohishatamoment，clearedhisthroat，andquietlywithdrew，maintainingtothelasthisunprejudiceddemeanour。
Laphamwasnotagainheardfrom，asWalkerphrasedit，duringtheafternoon，exceptwhenthelastmailwastakenintohim；thenthesoundofrendingenvelopes，mixedwiththatofwhatseemedsuppressedswearing，penetratedtotheouteroffice。Somewhatearlierthantheusualhourforclosing，heappearedtherewithhishatonandhisovercoatbuttonedabouthim。Hesaidbrieflytohisboy，\"William，Ishan’tbebackagainthisafternoon，\"
andthenwenttoMissDeweyandleftanumberoflettersonhertabletobecopied，andwentout。Nothinghadbeensaid，butasenseoftroublesubtlydiffuseditselfthroughthosewhosawhimgoout。
Thateveningashesatdownwithhiswifealoneattea，heasked，\"Ain’tPencomingtosupper？\"
\"No，sheain’t，\"saidhiswife。\"Idon’tknowasI
likethewayshe’sgoingon，anytoowell。I’mafraid，ifshekeepson，she’llbedownsick。She’sgotdeeperfeelingsthanIrene。\"
Laphamsaidnothing，buthavinghelpedhimselftotheabundanceofhistableinhisusualfashion，hesatandlookedathisplatewithanindifferencethatdidnotescapethenoticeofhiswife。\"What’sthematterwithYOU？\"sheasked。
\"Nothing。Ihaven’tgotanyappetite。\"
\"What’sthematter？\"shepersisted。
\"Trouble’sthematter；badluckandlotsofit’sthematter，\"
saidLapham。\"Ihaven’teverhidanythingfromyou，Persis，wellyouaskedme，andit’stoolatetobeginnow。
I’minafix。I’lltellyouwhatkindofafix，ifyouthinkit’lldoyouanygood；butIguessyou’llbesatisfiedtoknowthatit’safix。\"
\"Howmuchofaone？\"sheaskedwithalookofgrave，steadycourageinhereyes。
\"Well，Idon’tknowasIcantell，justyet，\"saidLapham，avoidingthislook。\"Thingshavebeendullallthefall，butIthoughtthey’dbriskupcomewinter。Theyhaven’t。
Therehavebeenalotoffailures，andsomeof’emowedme，andsomeof’emhadmeontheirpaper；and————\"Laphamstopped。
\"Andwhat？\"promptedhiswife。
Hehesitatedbeforeheadded，\"Andthen——Rogers。\"
\"I’mtoblameforthat，\"saidMrs。Lapham。\"Iforcedyoutoit。\"
\"No；Iwasaswillingtogointoitaswhatyouwere，\"
answeredLapham。\"Idon’twanttoblameanybody。\"
Mrs。Laphamhadawoman’spassionforfixingresponsibility；
shecouldnothelpsaying，assoonasacquitted，\"Iwarnedyouagainsthim，Silas。Itoldyounottolethimgetinanydeeperwithyou。\"
\"Ohyes。Ihadtohelphimtotrytogetmymoneyback。
Imightaswellpouredwaterintoasieve。Andnow——\"
Laphamstopped。
\"Don’tbeafraidtospeakouttome，SilasLapham。
Ifitcomestotheworst，Iwanttoknowit——I’vegottoknowit。WhatdidIevercareforthemoney？I’ve。
hadahappyhomewithyoueversinceweweremarried，andIguessIshallhaveaslongasyoulive，whetherwegoontotheBackBay，orgobacktotheoldhouseatLapham。Iknowwho’stoblame，andIblamemyself。
ItwasmyforcingRogersontoyou。\"Shecamebacktothiswithherhelplesslonging，inbredinallPuritansouls，tohavesomeonespecificallysufferfortheevilintheworld，evenifitmustbeherself。
\"Ithasn’tcometotheworstyet，Persis，\"saidherhusband。
\"ButIshallhavetoholduponthenewhousealittlewhile，tillIcanseewhereIam。\"
\"Ishouldn’tcareifwehadtosellit，\"criedhiswife，inpassionateself—condemnation。\"IshouldbeGLADifwehadto，asfarasI’mconcerned。\"
\"Ishouldn’t，\"saidLapham。
\"Iknow！\"saidhiswife；andsherememberedruefullyhowhisheartwassetonit。
Hesatmusing。\"Well，Iguessit’sgoingtocomeoutallrightintheend。Or，ifitain’t，\"hesighed，\"wecan’thelpit。MaybePenneedn’tworrysomuchaboutCorey，afterall，\"hecontinued，withabitterironynewtohim。
\"It’sanillwindthatblowsnobodygood。Andthere’sachance，\"heended，withastillbittererlaugh，\"thatRogerswillcometotime，afterall。\"
\"Idon’tbelieveit！\"exclaimedMrs。Lapham，withagleamofhopeinhereyes。\"Whatchance？\"
\"Oneintenmillion，\"saidLapham；andherfacefellagain。
\"HesaystherearesomeEnglishpartiesafterhimtobuythesemills。\"
\"Well？\"
\"Well，Igavehimtwenty—fourhourstoprovehimselfaliar。\"
\"Youdon’tbelievethereareanysuchparties？\"
\"NotinTHISworld。\"
\"Butiftherewere？\"
\"Well，iftherewere，Persis————Butpshaw！\"
\"No，no！\"shepleadedeagerly。\"Itdon’tseemasifheCOULDbesuchavillain。Whatwouldbetheuseofhispretending？Ifhebroughtthepartiestoyou\"
\"Well，\"saidLaphamscornfully，\"I’dletthemhavethemillsatthepriceRogersturned’eminonmeat。
Idon’twanttomakeanythingon’em。ButguessIshallhearfromtheG。L。&P。first。Andwhentheymaketheiroffer，IguessI’llhavetoacceptit，whateveritis。
Idon’tthinkthey’llhaveagreatmanycompetitors。\"
Mrs。Laphamcouldnotgiveupherhope。\"IfyoucouldgetyourpricefromthoseEnglishpartiesbeforetheyknewthattheG。L。&P。wantedtobuythemills，woulditletyououtwithRogers？\"
\"Justabout，\"saidLapham。
\"ThenIknowhe’llmoveheavenandearthtobringitabout。
IKNOWyouwon’tbeallowedtosufferfordoinghimakindness，Silas。HeCAN’Tbesoungrateful！Why，whySHOULDhepretendtohaveanysuchpartiesinviewwhenhehasn’t？Don’tyoubedown—hearted，Si。You’llseethathe’llberoundwiththemto—morrow。\"
Laphamlaughed，butsheurgedsomanyreasonsforherbeliefinRogersthatLaphambegantorekindlehisownfaithalittle。
Heendedbyaskingforahotcupoftea；andMrs。Laphamsentthepotoutandhadafreshonesteepedforhim。
Afterthathemadeaheartysupperintherevulsionfromhisentiredespair；andtheyfellasleepthatnighttalkinghopefullyofhisaffairs，whichhelaidbeforeherfully，asheusedtodowhenhefirststartedinbusiness。
Thatbroughttheoldtimesback，andhesaid：\"Ifthishadhappenedthen，Ishouldn’thavecaredmuch。
Iwasyoungthen，andIwasn’tafraidofanything。
ButInoticedthatafterIpassedfiftyIbegantogetscaredeasier。Idon’tbelieveIcouldpickup，now，fromaregularknock—down。\"
\"Pshaw！YOUscared，SilasLapham？\"criedhiswifeproudly。
\"Ishouldliketoseethethingthateverscaredyou；
ortheknockdownthatYOUcouldn’tpickupfrom！\"
\"Isthatso，Persis？\"heasked，withthejoyhercouragegavehim。
Inthemiddleofthenightshecalledtohim，inavoicewhichthedarknessrenderedstillmoredeeplytroubled：
\"Areyouawake，Silas？\"
\"Yes；I’mawake。\"
\"I’vebeenthinkingaboutthoseEnglishparties，Si————\"
\"So’veI。\"
\"AndIcan’tmakeitoutbutwhatyou’dbejustasbadasRogers，everybitandgrain，ifyouweretoletthemhavethemills————\"
\"Andnottell’emwhatthechanceswerewiththeG。L。&
P。？Ithoughtofthat，andyouneedn’tbeafraid。\"
Shebegantobewailherself，andtosobconvulsively：\"O
Silas！OSilas！\"Heavenknowsinwhatmeasurethepassionofhersoulwasmiredwithprideinherhusband’shonesty，relieffromanapprehendedstruggle，andpityforhim。
\"Hush，hush，Persis！\"hebesoughther。\"You’llwakePenifyoukeeponthatway。Don’tcryanymore！Youmustn’t。\"
\"Oh，letmecry，Silas！It’llhelpme。Ishallbeallrightinaminute。Don’tyoumind。\"Shesobbedherselfquiet。
\"Itdoesseemtoohard，\"shesaid，whenshecouldspeakagain，\"thatyouhavetogiveupthischancewhenProvidencehadfairlyraiseditupforyou。\"
\"Iguessitwa’n’tProvidenceraiseditup，\"saidLapham。
\"Anyrate，it’sgottogo。MostlikelyRogerswaslyin’，andthereain’tanysuchparties；butiftherewere，theycouldn’thavethemillsfrommewithoutthewholestory。
Don’tyoubetroubled，Persis。I’mgoingtopullthroughallright。\"\"Oh，Iain’tafraid。Idon’tsupposebutwhatthere’splentywouldhelpyou，iftheyknewyouneededit，Si。\"
\"TheywouldiftheyknewIDIDN’Tneedit，\"
saidLaphamsardonically。
\"DidyoutellBillhowyoustood？\"
\"No，Icouldn’tbearto。I’vebeentherichonesolong，thatIcouldn’tbringmyselftoownupthatIwasindanger。\"
\"Yes。\"
\"Besides，itdidn’tlooksouglytillto—day。ButIguessweshan’tletuglylooksscareus。\"
\"No。\"
XXII。
THEmorningpostmanbroughtMrs。LaphamaletterfromIrene，whichwaschieflysignificantbecauseitmadenoreferencewhatevertothewriterorherstateofmind。
Itgavethenewsofheruncle’sfamily；ittoldoftheirkindnesstoher；hercousinWillwasgoingtotakeherandhissistersice—boatingontheriver，whenitfroze。
Bythetimethislettercame，Laphamhadgonetohisbusiness，andthemothercarriedittoPenelopetotalkover。
\"Whatdoyoumakeoutofit？\"sheasked；andwithoutwaitingtobeansweredshesaid，\"Idon’tknowasI
believeincousinsmarrying，agreatdeal；butifIreneandWillweretofixitupbetween’em————\"ShelookedvaguelyatPenelope。
\"Itwouldn’tmakeanydifferenceasfarasIwasconcerned，\"
repliedthegirllistlessly。
Mrs。Laphamlostherpatience。
\"Well，then，I’lltellyouwhat，Penelope！\"sheexclaimed。
\"Perhapsit’llmakeadifferencetoyouifyouknowthatyourfather’sinREALtrouble。He’sharassedtodeath，andhewasawakehalfthenight，talkingaboutit。
ThatabominableRogershasgotalotofmoneyawayfromhim；
andhe’slostbyothersthathe’shelped，\"——Mrs。Laphamputitinthiswaybecauseshehadnotimetobeexplicit，——\"andIwantyoushouldcomeoutofyourroomnow，andtrytobeofsomehelpandcomforttohimwhenhecomeshometo—night。
IguessIrenewouldn’tmoperoundmuch，ifshewashere，\"
shecouldnothelpadding。
Thegirlliftedherselfonherelbow。\"What’sthatyousayaboutfather？\"shedemandedeagerly。\"Isheintrouble？Ishegoingtolosehismoney？Shallwehavetostayinthishouse？\"
\"WemaybeveryGLADtostayinthishouse，\"saidMrs。Lapham，halfangrywithherselfforhavinggivencauseforthegirl’sconjectures，andhalfwiththehabitofprosperityinherchild，whichcouldconceivenobetterofwhatadversitywas。\"AndIwantyoushouldgetupandshowthatyou’vegotsomefeelingforsomebodyintheworldbesidesyourself。\"
\"Oh，I’llgetUP！\"saidthegirlpromptly，almost。cheerfully。
\"Idon’tsayit’sasbadnowasitlookedalittlewhileago，\"
saidhermother，conscientiouslyhedgingalittlefromthestatementwhichshehadbasedratheruponherfeelingsthanherfacts。\"Yourfatherthinkshe’llpullthroughallright，andIdon’tknowbutwhathewill。
ButIwantyoushouldseeifyoucan’tdosomethingtocheerhimupandkeephimfromgettingsoperfectlydown—heartedasheseemstoget，undertheloadhe’sgottocarry。
Andstopthinkingaboutyourselfawhile，andbehaveyourselflikeasensiblegirl。\"
\"Yes，yes，\"saidthegirl；\"Iwill。Youneedn’tbetroubledaboutmeanymore。\"
Beforesheleftherroomshewroteanote，andwhenshecamedownshewasdressedtogoout—of—doorsandpostitherself。ThenotewastoCorey：——
\"Donotcometoseemeanymoretillyouhearfromme。
IhaveareasonwhichIcannotgiveyounow；andyoumustnotaskwhatitis。\"
Alldayshewentaboutinabuoyantdesperation，andshecamedowntomeetherfatheratsupper。
\"Well，Persis，\"hesaidscornfully，ashesatdown，\"wemightaswellsavedourgoodresolutionstilltheywerewanted。IguessthoseEnglishpartieshavegonebackonRogers。\"
\"Doyoumeanhedidn’tcome？\"
\"Hehadn’tcomeuptohalf—pastfive，\"saidLapham。
\"Tchk！\"utteredhiswife。\"ButIguessIshallpullthroughwithoutMr。Rogers，\"continuedLapham。\"AfirmthatIdidn’tthinkCOULDweatheritisstillafloat，andsofarforthasthedangergoesofbeingdraggedunderwithit，I’mallright。\"Penelopecamein。\"Hello，Pen！\"
criedherfather。\"Itain’toftenImeetYOUnowadays。\"
Heputuphishandasshepassedhischair，andpulledherdownandkissedher。
\"No，\"shesaid；\"butIthoughtI’dcomedownto—nightandcheeryouupalittle。Ishallnottalk；thesightofmewillbeenough。\"
Herfatherlaughedout。\"Motherbeentellingyou？Well，IWASprettybluelastnight；butIguessIwasmorescaredthanhurt。How’dyouliketogotothetheatreto—night？
SellersatthePark。Heigh？\"