\"Ofcourse，\"thedoctorapologized，\"youknowsomuchmoreaboutsuchthings。I’mafraiditwillberatherwastedonme。I’mnojudgeofmusic。\"
\"Nevermindthat。\"Theyoungermanpulledhimselfupinhischair。\"Shegetsitacrosstopeoplewhoaren’tjudges。That’sjustwhatshedoes。\"Herelapsedintohisformerlassitude。\"Ifyouwerestonedeaf，itwouldn’tallbewasted。It’sagreatdealtowatchher。Incidentally，youknow，sheisverybeautiful。Photographsgiveyounoidea。\"
Dr。Archieclaspedhislargehandsunderhischin。\"Oh，I’mcountingonthat。Idon’tsupposehervoicewillsoundnaturaltome。ProbablyIwouldn’tknowit。\"
Ottenburgsmiled。\"You’llknowit，ifyoueverknewit。
It’sthesamevoice，onlymoreso。You’llknowit。\"
\"Didyou，inGermanythattime，whenyouwroteme？
Sevenyearsago，now。Thatmusthavebeenattheverybeginning。\"
\"Yes，somewherenearthebeginning。ShesangoneoftheRhinedaughters。\"Fredpausedanddrewhimselfupagain。\"Sure，Iknewitfromthefirstnote。I’dheardagoodmanyyoungvoicescomeupoutoftheRhine，but，bygracious，Ihadn’theardonelikethat！\"Hefumbledforanothercigarette。\"Mahlerwasconductingthatnight。
Imethimashewasleavingthehouseandhadawordwithhim。`Interestingvoiceyoutriedoutthisevening，’I
said。Hestoppedandsmiled。`MissKronborg，youmean？
Yes，very。Sheseemstosingfortheidea。Unusualinayoungsinger。’I’dneverheardhimadmitbeforethatasingercouldhaveanidea。Shenotonlyhadit，butshegotitacross。TheRhinemusic，thatI’dknownsinceIwasaboy，wasfreshtome，vocalizedforthefirsttime。Yourealizedthatshewasbeginningthatlongstory，adequately，withtheendinview。Everyphraseshesangwasbasic。
ShesimplyWAStheideaoftheRhinemusic。\"Ottenburgroseandstoodwithhisbacktothefire。\"Andattheend，whereyoudon’tseethemaidensatall，thesamethingagain：twoprettyvoicesANDtheRhinevoice。\"Fredsnappedhisfingersanddroppedhishand。
Thedoctorlookedupathimenviously。\"Yousee，allthatwouldbelostonme，\"hesaidmodestly。\"Idon’tknowthedreamnortheinterpretationthereof。I’moutofit。It’stoobadthatsofewofheroldfriendscanappreciateher。\"
\"Takeatryatit，\"Fredencouragedhim。\"You’llgetindeeperthanyoucanexplaintoyourself。Peoplewithnopersonalinterestdothat。\"
\"Isuppose，\"saidArchiediffidently，\"thatcollegeGer—
man，gonetoseed，wouldn’thelpmeoutmuch。IusedtobeabletomakemyGermanpatientsunderstandme。\"
\"Sureitwould！\"criedOttenburgheartily。\"Don’tbe
aboveknowingyourlibretto。That’sallverywellformusicians，butcommonmortalslikeyouandmehavegottoknowwhatshe’ssingingabout。Getoutyourdictionaryandgoatitasyouwouldatanyotherproposition。Herdictionisbeautiful，andifyouknowthetextyou’llgetagreatdeal。Solongasyou’regoingtohearher，getallthat’scomingtoyou。YoubetinGermanypeopleknowtheirlibrettosbyheart！YouAmericansaresoafraidofstoopingtolearnanything。\"
\"IAMalittleashamed，\"Archieadmitted。\"Iguessthat’sthewaywemaskourgeneralignorance。However，I’llstoopthistime；I’mmoreashamednottobeabletofollowher。Thepapersalwayssayshe’ssuchafineac—
tress。\"Hetookupthetongsandbegantorearrangethelogsthathadburnedthroughandfallenapart。\"Isupposeshehaschangedagreatdeal？\"heaskedabsently。
\"We’veallchanged，mydearArchie，——shemorethanmostofus。Yes，andno。She’sallthere，onlythere’sagreatdealmoreofher。I’vehadonlyafewwordswithherinseveralyears。It’sbetternot，whenI’mtiedupthisway。Thelawsarebarbarous，Archie。\"
\"Yourwifeis——stillthesame？\"thedoctoraskedsympathetically。
\"Absolutely。Hasn’tbeenoutofasanitariumforsevenyearsnow。Noprospectofhereverbeingout，andaslongasshe’sthereI’mtiedhandandfoot。Whatdoessocietygetoutofsuchastateofthings，I’dliketoknow，exceptatangleofirregularities？Ifyouwanttoreform，there’sanopeningforyou！\"
\"It’sbad，oh，verybad；Iagreewithyou！\"Dr。Archieshookhishead。\"Buttherewouldbecomplicationsunderanothersystem，too。Thewholequestionofayoungman’smarryinghaslookedprettygravetomeforalongwhile。
Howhavetheythecouragetokeepondoingit？Itde—
pressesmenowtobuyweddingpresents。\"Forsometimethedoctorwatchedhisguest，whowassunkinbitterreflec—
tions。\"Suchthingsusedtogobetterthantheydonow，Ibelieve。SeemstomeallthemarriedpeopleIknewwhenIwasaboywerehappyenough。\"Hepausedagainandbittheendoffafreshcigar。\"YouneversawThea’smother，didyou，Ottenburg？That’sapity。Mrs。Kronborgwasafinewoman。I’vealwaysbeenafraidTheamadeamistake，notcominghomewhenMrs。Kronborgwasill，nomatterwhatitcosther。\"
Ottenburgmovedaboutrestlessly。\"Shecouldn’t，Archie，shepositivelycouldn’t。Ifeltyouneverunder—
stoodthat，butIwasinDresdenatthetime，andthoughIwasn’tseeingmuchofher，Icouldsizeupthesituationformyself。ItwasbyjustaluckychancethatshegottosingELIZABETHthattimeattheDresdenOpera，acomplica—
tionofcircumstances。Ifshe’drunaway，foranyreason，shemighthavewaitedyearsforsuchachancetocomeagain。Shegaveawonderfulperformanceandmadeagreatimpression。Theyofferedhercertainterms；shehadtotakethemandfollowitupthenandthere。Inthatgameyoucan’tloseasingletrick。Shewasillherself，butshesang。Hermotherwasill，andshesang。No，youmustn’tholdthatagainsther，Archie。Shedidtherightthingthere。\"Ottenburgdrewouthiswatch。\"Hello！Imustbetraveling。Youhearfromherregularly？\"
\"Moreorlessregularly。Shewasnevermuchofaletter—
writer。Shetellsmeaboutherengagementsandcontracts，butIknowsolittleaboutthatbusinessthatitdoesn’tmeanmuchtomebeyondthefigures，whichseemveryimpressive。We’vehadagooddealofbusinesscorrespond—
ence，aboutputtingupastonetoherfatherandmother，and，lately，aboutheryoungestbrother，Thor。Heiswithmenow；hedrivesmycar。To—dayhe’supatthemine。\"
Ottenburg，whohadpickeduphisovercoat，droppedit。
\"Drivesyourcar？\"heaskedincredulously。
\"Yes。TheaandIhavehadagooddealofbotheraboutThor。Wetriedabusinesscollege，andanengineering
school，butitwasnogood。Thorwasbornachauffeurbeforetherewerecarstodrive。Hewasnevergoodforany—
thingelse；layaroundhomeandcollectedpostagestampsandtookbicyclestopieces，waitingfortheautomobiletobeinvented。He’sjustasmuchapartofacarasthesteer—
ing—gear。Ican’tfindoutwhetherhelikeshisjobwithmeornot，orwhetherhefeelsanycuriosityabouthissister。Youcan’tfindanythingoutfromaKronborgnowadays。Themotherwasdifferent。\"
Fredplungedintohiscoat。\"Well，it’saqueerworld，Archie。Butyou’llthinkbetterofit，ifyougotoNewYork。WishIweregoingwithyou。I’lldropinonyouinthemorningatabouteleven。IwantawordwithyouaboutthisInterstateCommerceBill。Good—night。\"
Dr。Archiesawhisguesttothemotorwhichwaswaitingbelow，andthenwentbacktohislibrary，wherehereplen—
ishedthefireandsatdownforalongsmoke。AmanofArchie’smodestandrathercredulousnaturedevelopslate，andmakeshislargestgainbetweenfortyandfifty。Atthirty，indeed，aswehaveseen，Archiewasasoft—heartedboyunderamanlyexterior，stillwhistlingtokeepuphiscourage。Prosperityandlargeresponsibilities——aboveall，gettingfreeofpoorMrs。Archie——hadbroughtoutagooddealmorethanheknewwasinhim。Hewasthinkingto—
nightashesatbeforethefire，inthecomforthelikedsowell，thatbutforluckychances，andluckyholesintheground，hewouldstillbeacountrypractitioner，readinghisoldbooksbyhisofficelamp。Andyet，hewasnotsofreshandenergeticasheoughttobe。Hewastiredofbusinessandofpolitics。Worsethanthat，hewastiredofthemenwithwhomhehadtodoandofthewomenwho，ashesaid，hadbeenkindtohim。Hefeltasifhewerestillhuntingforsomething，likeoldJasperFlight。Heknewthatthiswasanunbecomingandungratefulstateofmind，andhereproachedhimselfforit。Buthecouldnothelpwonderingwhyitwasthatlife，evenwhenitgavesomuch，
afterallgavesolittle。Whatwasitthathehadexpectedandmissed？Whywashe，morethanhewasanythingelse，disappointed？
Hefelltolookingbackoverhislifeandaskinghimselfwhichyearsofithewouldliketoliveoveragain，——justastheyhadbeen，——andtheywerenotmany。Hiscollegeyearshewouldliveagain，gladly。AfterthemtherewasnothinghewouldcaretorepeatuntilhecametoTheaKronborg。TherehadbeensomethingstirringaboutthoseyearsinMoonstone，whenhewasarestlessyoungmanonthevergeofbreakingintolargerenterprises，andwhenshewasarestlesschildonthevergeofgrowingupintosome—
thingunknown。Herealizednowthatshehadcountedforagreatdealmoretohimthanheknewatthetime。Itwasacontinuoussortofrelationship。Hewasalwaysonthelookoutforherashewentaboutthetown，alwaysvaguelyexpectingherashesatinhisofficeatnight。HehadneveraskedhimselfthenifitwasstrangethatheshouldfindachildoftwelvethemostinterestingandcompanionablepersoninMoonstone。Ithadseemedapleasant，naturalkindofsolicitude。Heexplaineditthenbythefactthathehadnochildrenofhisown。Butnow，ashelookedbackatthoseyears，theotherinterestswerefadedandinani—
mate。Thethoughtofthemwasheavy。ButwhereverhislifehadtouchedTheaKronborg’s，therewasstillalittlewarmthleft，alittlesparkle。Theirfriendshipseemedtorunoverthosediscontentedyearslikealeafypattern，stillbrightandfreshwhentheotherpatternshadfadedintothedullbackground。Theirwalksanddrivesandconfi—
dences，thenighttheywatchedtherabbitinthemoon—
light，——whywerethesethingsstirringtoremember？
Wheneverhethoughtofthem，theyweredistinctlydif—
ferentfromtheothermemoriesofhislife；alwaysseemedhumorous，gay，withalittlethrillofanticipationandmys—
teryaboutthem。Theycamenearertobeingtendersecretsthananyothershepossessed。Nearerthananythingelse
theycorrespondedtowhathehadhopedtofindintheworld，andhadnotfound。Itcameoverhimnowthattheunexpectedfavorsoffortune，nomatterhowdazzling，donotmeanverymuchtous。Theymayexciteordivertusforatime，butwhenwelookback，theonlythingswecher—
isharethosewhichinsomewaymetouroriginalwant；thedesirewhichformedinusinearlyyouth，undirected，andofitsownaccord。
III
FORthefirstfouryearsafterTheawenttoGermanythingswentonasusualwiththeKronborgfamily。
Mrs。Kronborg’slandinNebraskaincreasedinvalueandbroughtherinagoodrental。Thefamilydriftedintoaneasierwayofliving，halfwithoutrealizingit，asfamilieswill。ThenMr。Kronborg，whohadneverbeenill，diedsud—
denlyofcanceroftheliver，andafterhisdeathMrs。
Kronborgwent，asherneighborssaid，intoadecline。
Hearingdiscouragingreportsofherfromthephysicianwhohadtakenoverhispractice，Dr。ArchiewentupfromDenvertoseeher。Hefoundherinbed，intheroomwherehehadmorethanonceattendedher，ahandsomewomanofsixtywithabodystillfirmandwhite，herhair，fadednowtoaverypaleprimrose，intwothickbraidsdownherback，hereyesclearandcalm。Whenthedoctorarrived，shewassittingupinherbed，knitting。Hefeltatoncehowgladshewastoseehim，buthesoongatheredthatshehadmadenodeterminationtogetwell。Shetoldhim，indeed，thatshecouldnotverywellgetalongwithoutMr。Kron—
borg。Thedoctorlookedatherwithastonishment。Wasitpossiblethatshecouldmissthefoolisholdmansomuch？
Heremindedherofherchildren。
\"Yes，\"shereplied；\"thechildrenareallverywell，buttheyarenotfather。Weweremarriedyoung。\"
Thedoctorwatchedherwonderinglyasshewentonknitting，thinkinghowmuchshelookedlikeThea。Thedifferencewasoneofdegreeratherthanofkind。Thedaughterhadacompellingenthusiasm，themotherhadnone。Buttheirframework，theirfoundation，wasverymuchthesame。
InamomentMrs。Kronborgspokeagain。\"HaveyouheardanythingfromThealately？\"
Duringhistalkwithher，thedoctorgatheredthatwhatMrs。KronborgreallywantedwastoseeherdaughterThea。
Lyingtheredayafterday，shewanteditcalmlyandcon—
tinuously。Hetoldherthat，sinceshefeltso，hethoughttheymightaskTheatocomehome。
\"I’vethoughtagooddealaboutit，\"saidMrs。Kronborgslowly。\"Ihatetointerrupther，nowthatshe’sbeguntogetadvancement。Iexpectshe’sseensomeprettyhardtimes，thoughshewasneveronetocomplain。Perhapsshe’dfeelthatshewouldliketocome。Itwouldbehard，losingbothofuswhileshe’soffthere。\"
WhenDr。ArchiegotbacktoDenverhewrotealonglettertoThea，explaininghermother’sconditionandhowmuchshewishedtoseeher，andaskingTheatocome，ifonlyforafewweeks。Theahadrepaidthemoneyshehadborrowedfromhim，andheassuredherthatifshehap—
penedtobeshortoffundsforthejourney，shehadonlytocablehim。
AmonthlaterhegotafranticsortofreplyfromThea。
ComplicationsintheoperaatDresdenhadgivenheranunhoped—foropportunitytogooninabigpart。Beforethisletterreachedthedoctor，shewouldhavemadeherdebutasELIZABETH，in\"Tannhauser。\"Shewantedtogotohermothermorethanshewantedanythingelseintheworld，but，unlessshefailed，——whichshewouldnot，——sheabso—
lutelycouldnotleaveDresdenforsixmonths。Itwasnotthatshechosetostay；shehadtostay——orloseevery—
thing。Thenextfewmonthswouldputherfiveyearsahead，orwouldputherbacksofarthatitwouldbeofnousetostrugglefurther。Assoonasshewasfree，shewouldgotoMoonstoneandtakehermotherbacktoGermanywithher。Hermother，shewassure，couldliveforyearsyet，andshewouldlikeGermanpeopleandGermanways，andcouldbehearingmusicallthetime。Theasaidshewaswritinghermotherandbegginghertohelpheronelasttime；togetstrengthandtowaitforhersixmonths，and
thenshe（Thea）woulddoeverything。Hermotherwouldneverhavetomakeaneffortagain。
Dr。ArchiewentuptoMoonstoneatonce。HehadgreatconfidenceinMrs。Kronborg’spowerofwill，andifThea’sappealtookholdofherenough，hebelievedshemightgetbetter。Butwhenhewasshownintothefamiliarroomofftheparlor，hisheartsank。Mrs。Kronborgwaslyingsereneandfatefulonherpillows。OnthedresseratthefootofherbedtherewasalargephotographofTheainthecharacterinwhichshewastomakeherdebut。Mrs。
Kronborgpointedtoit。
\"Isn’tshelovely，doctor？It’snicethatshehasn’tchangedmuch。I’veseenherlooklikethatmanyatime。\"
TheytalkedforawhileaboutThea’sgoodfortune。Mrs。
Kronborghadhadacablegramsaying，\"Firstperformancewellreceived。Greatrelief。\"InherletterTheasaid；\"Ifyou’llonlygetbetter，dearmother，there’snothingIcan’tdo。Iwillmakeareallygreatsuccess，ifyou’lltrywithme。
Youshallhaveeverythingyouwant，andwewillalwaysbetogether。Ihavealittlehouseallpickedoutwherewearetolive。\"
\"Bringingupafamilyisnotallit’scrackeduptobe，\"
saidMrs。Kronborgwithaflickerofirony，asshetuckedtheletterbackunderherpillow。\"Thechildrenyoudon’tespeciallyneed，youhavealwayswithyou，likethepoor。
Butthebrightonesgetawayfromyou。Theyhavetheirownwaytomakeintheworld。Seemslikethebrightertheyare，thefarthertheygo。Iusedtofeelsorrythatyouhadnofamily，doctor，butmaybeyou’reaswelloff。\"
\"Thea’splanseemssoundtome，Mrs。Kronborg。
There’snoreasonIcanseewhyyoushouldn’tpullupandliveforyearsyet，underpropercare。You’dhavethebestdoctorsintheworldoverthere，anditwouldbewon—
derfultolivewithanybodywholookslikethat。\"Henoddedatthephotographoftheyoungwomanwhomusthavebeensinging\"DICH，THEUREHALLE，GRUSS’ICHWIEDER，\"
hereyeslookingup，herbeautifulhandsoutspreadwithpleasure。
Mrs。Kronborglaughedquitecheerfully。\"Yes，wouldn’tit？Iffatherwerehere，Imightrousemyself。Butsometimesit’shardtocomeback。Orifshewereintrouble，maybeIcouldrousemyself。\"
\"But，dearMrs。Kronborg，sheisintrouble，\"heroldfriendexpostulated。\"Asshesays，she’sneverneededyouassheneedsyounow。Imakemyguessthatshe’sneverbeggedanybodytohelpherbefore。\"
Mrs。Kronborgsmiled。\"Yes，it’sprettyofher。Butthatwillpass。Whenthesethingshappenfarawaytheydon’tmakesuchamark；especiallyifyourhandsarefullandyou’vedutiesofyourowntothinkabout。MyownfatherdiedinNebraskawhenGunnerwasborn，——wewerelivinginIowathen，——andIwassorry，butthebabymadeituptome。Iwasfather’sfavorite，too。That’sthewayitgoes，yousee。\"
ThedoctortookoutThea’slettertohim，andreaditovertoMrs。Kronborg。Sheseemedtolisten，andnottolisten。
Whenhefinished，shesaidthoughtfully：\"I’dcountedonhearinghersingagain。ButIalwaystookmypleasuresastheycome。Ialwaysenjoyedhersingingwhenshewashereaboutthehouse。WhileshewaspracticingIoftenusedtoleavemyworkandsitdowninarockerandgivemyselfuptoit，thesameasifI’dbeenatanentertainment。
Iwasneveroneofthesehousekeepersthatlettheirworkdrivethemtodeath。AndwhenshehadtheMexicansoverhere，Ialwaystookitin。Firstandlast，\"——sheglancedjudiciallyatthephotograph，——\"IguessIgotaboutasmuchoutofThea’svoiceasanybodywilleverget。\"
\"Iguessyoudid！\"thedoctorassentedheartily；\"andI
gotagooddealmyself。YourememberhowsheusedtosingthoseScotchsongsforme，andleaduswithherhead，herhairbobbing？\"
\"`FlowGently，SweetAfton，’——Icanhearitnow，\"
saidMrs。Kronborg；\"andpoorfatherneverknewwhenhesangsharp！Heusedtosay，`Mother，howdoyoualwaysknowwhentheymakemistakespracticing？’\"Mrs。Kron—
borgchuckled。
Dr。Archietookherhand，stillfirmlikethehandofayoungwoman。\"Itwasluckyforherthatyoudidknow。
Ialwaysthoughtshegotmorefromyouthanfromanyofherteachers。\"
\"ExceptWunsch；hewasarealmusician，\"saidMrs。
Kronborgrespectfully。\"IgaveherwhatchanceIcould，inacrowdedhouse。Ikepttheotherchildrenoutoftheparlorforher。ThatwasaboutallIcoulddo。Ifshewasn’tdisturbed，sheneedednowatching。Shewentafteritlikeaterrierafterratsfromthefirst，poorchild。Shewasdown—
rightafraidofit。That’swhyIalwaysencouragedhertakingThorofftooutlandishplaces。Whenshewasoutofthehouse，thenshewasridofit。\"
Aftertheyhadrecalledmanypleasantmemoriesto—
gether，Mrs。Kronborgsaidsuddenly：\"Ialwaysunder—
stoodabouthergoingoffwithoutcomingtoseeusthattime。Oh，Iknow！Youhadtokeepyourowncounsel。
Youwereagoodfriendtoher。I’veneverforgotthat。\"
Shepattedthedoctor’ssleeveandwentonabsently。
\"Therewassomethingshedidn’twanttotellme，andthat’swhyshedidn’tcome。SomethinghappenedwhenshewaswiththosepeopleinMexico。Iworriedforagoodwhile，butIguessshe’scomeoutofitallright。She’dhadaprettyhardtime，scratchingalongalonelikethatwhenshewassoyoung，andmyfarmsinNebraskaweredownsolowthatIcouldn’thelphernone。That’snowaytosendagirlout。ButIguess，whatevertherewas，shewouldn’tbeafraidtotellmenow。\"Mrs。Kronborglookedupatthephotographwithasmile。\"Shedoesn’tlooklikeshewasbeholdingtoanybody，doesshe？\"
\"Sheisn’t，Mrs。Kronborg。Sheneverhasbeen。Thatwaswhysheborrowedthemoneyfromme。\"
\"Oh，Iknewshe’dneverhavesentforyouifshe’ddoneanythingtoshameus。Shewasalwaysproud。\"Mrs。
Kronborgpausedandturnedalittleonherside。\"It’sbeenquiteasatisfactiontoyouandme，doctor，havinghervoiceturnoutsofine。Thethingsyouhopefordon’talwaysturnoutlikethat，byalongsight。AslongasoldMrs。Kohlerlived，sheusedalwaystotranslatewhatitsaidaboutTheaintheGermanpapersshesent。Icouldmakesomeofitoutmyself，——it’snotverydifferentfromSwedish，——butitpleasedtheoldlady。SheleftTheaherpiece—pictureoftheburningofMoscow。I’vegotitputawayinmoth—ballsforher，alongwiththeoboehergrand—
fatherbroughtfromSweden。Iwanthertotakefather’soboebacktheresomeday。\"Mrs。Kronborgpausedamomentandcompressedherlips。\"ButIguessshe’lltakeafinerinstrumentthanthatwithher，backtoSweden！\"
sheadded。
Hertonefairlystartledthedoctor，itwassovibratingwithafierce，defiantkindofpridehehadheardofteninThea’svoice。Helookeddownwonderinglyathisoldfriendandpatient。Afterall，oneneverknewpeopletothecore。
Didshe，withinher，hidesomeofthatstillpassionofwhichherdaughterwasall—compact？
\"Thatlastsummerathomewasn’tveryniceforher，\"
Mrs。Kronborgbeganasplacidlyasifthefirehadneverleapedupinher。\"Theotherchildrenwereacting—upbecausetheythoughtImightmakeafussoverherandgiveherthebig—head。Wegaveherthedare，somehow，thelotofus，becausewecouldn’tunderstandherchangingteachersandallthat。That’sthetroubleaboutgivingthedaretothemquiet，unboastfulchildren；youneverknowhowfarit’lltake’em。Well，weoughtnottocomplain，doctor；she’sgivenusagooddealtothinkabout。\"
ThenexttimeDr。ArchiecametoMoonstone，hecametobeapall—beareratMrs。Kronborg’sfuneral。Whenhe
lastlookedather，shewassosereneandqueenlythathewentbacktoDenverfeelingalmostasifhehadhelpedtoburyTheaKronborgherself。ThehandsomeheadinthecoffinseemedtohimmuchmorereallyTheathandidtheradiantyoungwomaninthepicture，lookingaboutattheGothicvaultingsandgreetingtheHallofSong。