第2章

What"s-your-name，you"vecalledheretoseemeabouttwentytimesalreadyandatlastIamgoingtosaysomethingdefiniteaboutyourinvention。"Hislistener"sface，whichhadwornforamomentalookoffrightandbewilderment，gladdenedswiftlytoagratitudethatseemedtheedgeofanoutburstoftears。"Yes，"

continuedColeman，"Iamgoingtosaysomethingdefinite。Iamgoingtosaythatitisthemostimbecilebitofnonsensethathascomewithintherangeofmylargenewspaperexperience。Itissimplytheaberrationofaratherremarkablelunatic。Itisnogood；

itisnotworththepriceofacheesesandwich。Iunderstandthatitsonefeathasbeentobreakyourleg；ifitevergoesoffagain，persuadeittobreakyourneck。AndnowIwantyoutotakethisnurseryrhymeofyoursandgetout。Anddon"tevercomehereagain。DoYouunderstand？Youunderstand，doyou？"

Hearoseandbowedincourteousdismissal。

TheGermanwasregardinghimwiththesurpriseandhorrorofayouthshotmortally。Hecouldnotfindhistongueforamoment。Ultimatelyhegasped:"But，MisterEditor"——Colemaninterruptedhimtigerishly。"YouheardwhatIsaid？Getout。"Themanbowedhisheadandwentslowlytowardthedoor。

Colemanplacedthelittlegreynoteinhisbreastpocket。Hetookhishatandtopcoat，andevadingthedismalbandbyashamelessmanoeuvre，passedthroughthehallstotheentrancetotheelevatorshaft。HeheardamovementbehindhimandsawthattheGermanwasalsowaitingfortheelevator。

Standinginthegloomofthecorridor，ColemanfeltthemournfulowlisheyesoftheGermanrestinguponhim。Hetookacasefromhispocketandelaboratelylitacigarette。Suddenlytherewasaflashoflightandacageofbronze，giltandsteeldropped，magicallyfromabove。Colemanyelled:"Down!"A

doorflewopen。Coleman，followedbytheGerman，steppedupontheelevator。"Well，Johnnie，"hesaidcheerfullytotheladwhooperatedthismachine，"isbusinessgood？""Yes，sir，prettygood，"answeredtheboy，grinning。Thelittlecagesankswiftly；floorafterfloorseemedtoberisingwithmarvellousspeed；thewholebuildingwaswingingstraightintothesky。

Thereweresoaringlights，figuresandtheopalescentglowofgroundglassdoorsmarkedwithblackinscriptions。Otherliftswerespringingheavenward。Alltheloftycorridorsrangwithcries。"Up!"Down!""Down!""Up!"Theboy"shandgraspedaleverandhismachineobeyedhislightestmovementwithsometimesanunbalancingswiftness。

Colemandiscoursedbrisklytotheyouthfulattendant。OnceheturnedandregardedwithaquickstareofinsolentannoyancethedespairingcountenanceoftheGermanwhoseeyeshadneverlefthim。Whentheelevatorarrivedatthegroundfloor，Colemandepartedwiththeoutragedairofamanwhoforatimehadbeencompelledtooccupyacellincompanywithaharmlessspectre。

Hewalkedquicklyaway。OppositeacorneroftheCityHallhewasimpelledtolookbehindhim。Throughthehordesofpeoplewithcablecarsmarchinglikepanopliedelephants，hewasabletodistinguishtheGerman，motionlessandgazingafterhim。Colemanlaughed。"That"sacomicoldboy，"hesaid，tohimself。

Inthegrill-roomofaBroadwayhotelhewasobligedtowaitsomeminutesforthefulfillmentofhisordersandhespentthetimeinreadingandstudyingthelittlegreynote。Whenhisluncheonwasservedheatewithanexpressionofmorosedignity。

CHAPTERIV。

MARJORYpausedagainatherfather"sdoor。Afterhesitatingintheoriginalwaysheenteredthelibrary。Herfatheralmostrepresentedanemblematicfigure，seateduponacolumnofbooks。"Well，"hecried。Then，seeingitwasMarjory，hechangedhistone。"Ah，underthecircumstances，mydear，I

admityourprivilegeofinterruptingmeatanyhouroftheday。

Youhaveimportantbusinesswithme。"Hismannerwassatanicallyindulgent。

Thegirlfingeredabook。Sheturnedtheleavesinabsolutesemblanceofapersonreading。"RufusColemancalled。"

"Indeed，"saidtheprofessor。

"AndI"vecometoyou，father，beforeseeinghim。"

Theprofessorwassilentforatime。"Well，Marjory，"hesaidatlast，"whatdoyouwantmetosay？"Hespokeverydeliberately。"Iamsurethisisasingularsituation。HereappearsthemanIformallyforbidyoutomarry。IamsureIdonotknowwhatIamtosay。"

"Iwishtoseehim，"saidthegirl。

"Youwishtoseehim？"enquiredtheprofessor。"Youwishtoseehim"Marjory，ImayaswelltellyounowthatwithallthebooksandplaysI"veread，Ireallydon"tknowhowtheobduratefathershouldconducthimself。

Heisalwayspicturedasanexceedinglydensegentlemanwithwhitewhiskers，whodoesalltheunintelligentthingsintheplot。YouandIaregoingtoplaynodrama，arewe，Marjory？I

admitthatIhavewhitewhiskers，andIamanobduratefather。I

am，asyouwellmaysay，averyobduratefather。YouarenottomarryRufusColeman。Youunderstandtherestofthematter。

Heishere；youwanttoseehim。Whatwillyousaytohimwhenyouseehim？"

"Iwillsaythatyourefusetoletmemarryhim，fatherand-"

Shehesitatedamomentbeforesheliftedhereyesfullyandformidablytoherfather"sface。"AndthatIshallmarryhimanyhow。"

Theprofessordidnotcavortwhenthisstatementcamefromhisdaughter。Henoddedandthenpassedintoaperiodofreflection。Finallyheasked:"Butwhen？Thatisthepoint。

When？"

Thegirlmadeasadgesture。"Idon"tknow。Idon"tknow。

PerhapswhenyoucometoknowRufusbetter-"

"Knowhimbetter。Knowthatrapscallionbetter？Why，I

knowhimmuchbetterthanheknowshimself。Iknowhimtoowell。DoyouthinkIamtalkingoffhandaboutthisaffair？DoyouthinkIamtalkingwithoutproperinformation？"

Marjorymadenoreply。

"Well，"saidtheprofessor，"youmayseeColemanonconditionthatyouinformhimatoncethatIforbidyourmarriagetohim。Idon"tunderstandatallhowtomanagethesesituations。Idon"tknowwhattodo。IsupposeIshouldgomyselfand-No，youcan"tseehim，Majory。"

Stillthegirlmadenoreply。Herheadsankforwardandshebreathedatrifleheavily。

"Marjory，"criedtheprofessor，itisimpossiblethatyoushouldthinksomuchofthisman。"Hearoseandwenttohisdaughter。"Marjory，manywisechildrenhavebeenguidedbyfoolishfathers，butwebothsuspectthatnofoolishchildhaseverbeenguidedbyawisefather。Letuschangeit。Ipresentmyselftoyouasawisefather。FollowmywishesinthisaffairandyouwillbeatleasthappierthanifyoumarrythiswretchedColeman。"

Sheanswered:"Heiswaitingforme。"

Theprofessorturnedabruptlyfromheranddroppedintohischairatthetable。Heresumedagriponhispen。"Go，"hesaid，wearily。"Go。Butifyouhavearemnantofsense，rememberwhatIhavesaidtoyou。Go。"Hewavedhishandinadismissalthatwasslightlyscornful。"Ihopedyouwouldhaveaminorconceptionofwhatyouweredoing。Itseemsapity。"Droopingintears，thegirlslowlylefttheroom。

Colemanhadanideathathehadoccupiedthechairforseveralmonths。Hegazedaboutatthepicturesandtheoddsandendsofadrawing-roominanattempttotakeaninterestinthem。ThegreatgarlandedpapershadeoverthepianolampconsoledhisimpatienceinamilddegreebecauseheknewthatMarjoryhadmadeit。Henotedtheclustersofclothvioletswhichshehadpinnedupontheyellowpaperandhedreamedoverthefact。Hewasabletoendowthisshadewithcertainqualitiesofsentimentthatcausedhisstaretobecomealmostapartofanintimacy，acommunion。Helookedasifhecouldhaveunburdenedhissoultothisshadeoverthepianolamp。

UpontheappearanceofMarjoryhesprangupandcameforwardrapidly。"Dearest，"hemurmured，stretchingoutbothhands。Shegavehimonesetoffingerswithchillingconvention。Shesaidsomethingwhichheunderstoodtobe"

Good-afternoon。"Hestartedasifthewomanbeforehimhadsuddenlydrawnaknife。"Marjory，"hecried，"whatisthematter？。"Theywalkedtogethertowardawindow。Thegirllookedathiminpoliteenquiry。"Why？"shesaid。"DoIseemstrange？"Therewasamoment"ssilencewhilehegazedintohereyes，eyesfullofinnocenceandtranquillity。Atlastshetappedherfootuponthefloorinexpressionofmildimpatience。

"Peopledonotliketobeaskedwhatisthematterwhenthereisnothingthematter。Whatdoyoumean？"

Coleman"sfacehadgraduallyhardened。"Well，whatiswrong？"hedemanded，abruptly。"Whathashappened？Whatisit，Marjory？"

Sheraisedherglanceinaperfectrealityofwonder。"Whatiswrong？Whathashappened？Howabsurd!Whynothing，ofcourse。"Shegazedoutofthewindow。"Look，"sheadded，brightly，thestudentsarerollingsomebodyinadrift。Oh，thepoorMan!"

Coleman，nowwearingabewilderedair，madesomepretenseofbeingoccupiedwiththescene。"Yes，"hesaid，ironically。

"Veryinteresting，indeed。"

"Oh，"saidMarjory，suddenly，"Iforgottotellyou。FatherisgoingtotakemotherandmetoGreecethiswinterwithhimandtheclass。"

Colemanrepliedatonce。"Ah，indeed？Thatwillbejolly。"

"Yes。Won"titbecharming？"

"Idon"tdoubtit，"hereplied。HiscomposureMayhavedispleasedher，forsheglancedathimfurtivelyandinawaythatdenotedsurprise，perhaps。

"Oh，ofcourse，"shesaid，inagladvoice。"Itwillbemorefun。Weexpecttonaveafinetime。ThereissuchanicelotofboysgoingSometimesfatherchoosesthesedreadfullystudiousones。Butthistimeheactsasifheknewpreciselyhowtomakeupaparty。"

Hereachedforherhandandgraspeditvise-like。"Marjory，"hebreathed，passionately，"don"ttreatmeso。Don"ttreatme-"

Shewrenchedherhandfromhiminregalindignation。"Oneortworingsmakeituncomfortableforthehandthatisgraspedbyanangrygentleman。"Sheheldherfingersandgazedasifsheexpectedtofindthemmeredebris。"Iamsorrythatyouarenotinterestedinthestudentsrollingthatmaninthesnow。Itisthegreatestsceneourquietlifecanafford。"

Hewasregardingherasajudgefacesalyingculprit。"I

know，"hesaid，afterapause。"Somebodyhasbeentellingyousomestories。Youhavebeenhearingsomethingaboutme。"

"Somestories？"sheenquired。"Somestoriesaboutyou？

Whatdoyoumean？DoyoumeanthatIrememberstoriesImayhappentohearaboutpeople？"

TherewasanotherpauseandthenColeman"sfaceflaredred。

Hebeathishandviolentlyuponatable。"GoodGod，Marjory!

Don"tmakeafoolofme。Don"tmakethiskindofafoolofme，atanyrate。Tellmewhatyoumean。Explain-"

Shelaughedathim。"Explain？Really，yourvocabularyisgettingextensive，butitisdreadfullyawkwardtoaskpeopletoexplainwhenthereisnothingtoexplain。"

Heglancedather，"IknowaswellasyoudothatyourfatheristakingyoutoGreeceinordertogetridofme。"

"AnddopeoplehavetogotoGreeceinordertogetridofyou？"sheasked，civilly。"Ithinkyouaregettingexcited。"

"Marjory，"hebegan，stormily。

Sheraisedherhand。"Hush，"shesaid，"thereissomebodycoming。"Abellhadrung。Amaidenteredtheroom。"Mr。

Coke，"shesaid。Marjorynodded。Intheintervalofwaiting，Colemangavethegirlaglancethatmingleddespairwithrageandpride。ThenCokeburstwithhalf-tamedraptureintotheroom。"Oh，MissWainwright，"healmostshouted，"Ican"ttellyouhowgladIam。Ijustheardto-dayyouweregoing。Imagineit。Itwillbemore——oh，howareyouColeman，howareyou""

Marjorywelcomedthenew-comerwithacordialitythatmightnothavethrilledColemanwithpleasure。Theytookchairsthatformedatriangleandonesideofitvibratedwithtalk。CokeandMarjoryengagedinatumultuousconversationconcerningtheprospectivetriptoGreece。TheSundayeditor，asremoteasiftheapexofhisanglewasthetopofahill，couldonlystudythegirl"sclearprofile。Theyouthfulvoicesofthetwoothersranglikebells。HedidnotscowlatCoke；hemerelylookedathimasifbegentlydisdainedhismentalcalibre。Infactallthetalkseemedtotirehim；itwaschildish；asforhim，heapparentlyfoundthisbabblealmostinsupportable。

"And，justthinkofthecamelrideswe"llhave，"criedCoke。

"Camelrides，"repeatedColeman，dejectedly。"MydearCoke。"

Finallyhearoselikeanoldmanclimbingfromasickbed。

"Well，IamafraidImustgo，MissWainwright。"ThenhesaidaffectionatelytoCoke:"Good-bye，oldboy。Ihopeyouwillhaveagoodtime。"

Marjorywalkedwithhimtothedoor。Heshookherhandinafriendlyfashion。"Good-bye，Marjory，"hesaid。"PerhapsitmayhappenthatIshan"tseeyouagainbeforeyoustartforGreeceandsoIhadbestbidyouGod-speed——orwhateverthetermisnow。Youwillhaveacharmingtime；Greecemustbeadelightfulplace。Really，Ienvyyou，Marjory。Andnowmydearchild"-hisvoicegrewbrotherly，filledwiththepatronageofgenerousfraternallove，"althoughImayneverseeyouagainletmewishyoufiftyashappyyearsasthislastonehasbeenforme。"Hesmiledfranklyintohereyes；thendroppingherhand，hewentaway。

CokerenewedhistempestoftalkasMarjoryturnedtowardhim。Butafteraseriesofsplendideruptions，whoseredfireilluminedallofancientandmodemGreece，hetoowentaway。

Theprofessorwasinhis。libraryapparentlyabsorbedinabookwhenatotteringpale-facedwomanappearedtohimand，inhercoursetowardacouchinacorneroftheroom，describedalmostasemi-circle。Sheflungherselffacedownward。Athickstrandofhairsweptoverhershoulder。"Oh，myheartisbroken!Myheartisbroken!"

Theprofessorarose，grizzledandthrice-oldwithpain。Hewenttothecouch，buthefoundhimselfahandless，fetlessman。"Mypoorchild，"hesaid。"Mypoorchild。"Heremainedlisteningstupidlytoherconvulsivesobbing。Aghastlykindofsolemnitycameupontheroom。

Suddenlythegirlliftedherselfandsweptthestrandofhairawayfromherface。Shelookedattheprofessorwiththewide-

opendilatedeyesofonewhostillsleeps。"Father，"shesaidinahollowvoice，"hedon"tloveme。Hedon"tloveme。Hedon"tloveme。atall。Youwereright，father。"Shebegantolaugh。

"Marjory，"saidtheprofessor，trembling。"Bequiet，child。Bequiet。"

"But，"shesaid，"Ithoughthelovedme——Iwassureofit。Butitdon"t-don"tmatter。I——Ican"tgetoverit。Women-women，the-

butitdon"tmatter。"

"Marjory，"saidtheprofessor。"Marjory，mypoordaughter。"

Shedidnotheedhisappeal，butcontinuedinadullwhisper。

"Hewasplayingwithme。Hewas——was-wasflirtingwithme。

Hedidn"tcarewhenItoldhim——Itoldhim——

Iwasgoing-goingaway。"Sheturnedherfacewildlytothecushionsagain。Heryoungshouldersshookasiftheymightbreak。"Wo-men-women-theyalways——"

CHAPTERV。

ByastrangemishapofmanagementthetrainwhichboreColemanbacktowardNewYorkwasfetchedintoanobscureside-trackofsomelonelyregionandtherecompelledtobideachangeoffate。Theenginewheezedandsneezedlikeapausedfatman。Thelampsinthecarspervadedastuffyodorofsmokeandoil。Colemanexaminedhiscaseandfoundonlyonecigar。

Importantbrakemenproceededrapidlyalongtheaisles，andwhentheyswungopenthedoors，apolarwindcircledthelegsofthepassengers。"Well，now，whatisallthisfor？"demandedColeman，furiously。"IwanttogetbacktoNewYork。"

Theconductorrepliedwithsarcasm，"MaybeyouthinkI"mstuckonit"Iain"trunningtheroad。I"mrunningthistrain，andI

runitaccordingtoorders。"Amidthedismalcomfortsofthewaitingcars，Colemanfeltalltheprofoundmiseryoftherebuffedtruelover。Hehadbeensentenced，hethought，toapenalservitudeoftheheart，ashewatchedthedusky，vagueribbonsofsmokecomefromthelampsandfelttohiskneesthecoldwindsfromthebrakemen"sbusyflights。Whenthetrainstartedwithawhistleandajolt，hewaselateasifinhisabjectionhisbeloved"shandhadreachedtohimfromtheclouds。

WhenhehadarrivedinNewYork，acabrattledhimtoanuptownhotelwithspeed。Intherestauranthefirstorderedalargebottleofchampagne。Thelastofthewinehefinishedinsombremoodlikeanunbrokenanddefiantmanwhochewsthestrawthatlittershisprisonhouse。Duringhisdinnerhewascontinuallysendingoutmessengerboys。Hewasarrangingapokerparty。ThroughawindowhewatchedthebeautifulmovinglifeofupperBroadwayatnight，withitscrowdsandclangingcablecarsanditselectricsigns，mammothandglittering，likethejewelsofagiantess。

Wordwasbroughttohimthatthepokerplayerswerearriving。Hearosejoyfully，leavinghischeese。Inthebroadhall，occupiedmainlybymiscellaneouspeopleandactors，alldeepinleatherchairs，hefoundsomeofhisfriendswaiting。TheytroopedupstairstoColeman"srooms，whereasapreliminary，Colemanbegantohurlbooksandpapersfromthetabletothefloor。Aboycamewithdrinks。Mostofthemen，inordertoprepareforthegame，removedtheircoatsandcuffsanddrewupthesleevesoftheirshirts。Theelectricglobesshedablindinglightuponthetable。Thesoundofclinkingchipsarose；theelectedbankerspunthecards，carelessanddexterous。

Later，duringapauseofdealing，Colemansaid:

"Billie，whatkindofaladisthatyoungCokeupatWashurst？"

Headdressedanoldcollegefriend。

"Oh，youmeantheSophomoreCoke？"askedthefriend。

"Seemsadecentsortofafellow。Idon"tknow。Why？"

"Well，whoishe？Wheredoeshecomefrom？Whatdoyouknowabouthim？"

"He"soneofthoseOhioCokes-regularthing——fathermillionaire-usedtobeabarber-goodoldboy-why？"

"Nothin"，"saidColeman，lookingathiscards。"Iknowthelad。Ithoughthewasagooddealofanass。Iwonderedwhohispeoplewere。"

"Oh，hispeopleareallright-inoneway。Fatherownsrollingmills。Doyouraiseit，Henry？Well，inordertomakeviceabhorrenttotheyoung，I"mobligedtoraiseback。"

"I"llseeit，"observedColeman，slowlypushingforwardtwobluechips。Afterwardhereachedbehindhimandtookanotherglassofwine。

TotheothersColemanseemedtohavesomethingbitteruponhismind。Heplayedpokerquietly，steadfastly，and，withoutchangeofeye，followingthemathematicalreligionofthegame。Outsideoftheplayhewassavage，almostinsupportable。

"What"sthematterwithyou，Rufus？"saidhisoldcollegefriend。"Lostyourjob？Girlgonebackonyou？You"reahellof-ahost。Wedon"tgetany。thingbutinsultsanddrinks。"

LateatnightColemanbegantolosesteadily。Inthemeantimehedrankglassafterglassofwine。Finallyhemaderecklessbetsonamediocrehandandanopponentfollowedhimthoughtfullybetbybet，undaunted，calm，absolutelywithoutemotion。Colemanlost；hehurleddownhiscards。"

Nobodybutadamnedfoolwouldhaveseenthatlastraiseonanythinglessthanafullhand。"

"Steady。Comeoff。What"swrongwithyou，Rufus？"criedhisguests。

"You"renotdrunk，areyou？"saidhisoldcollegefriend，puritanically。

""Drunk"？"repeatedColeman。

"Oh，say，"criedaman，"let"splaycards。What"sallthisgabbling？"

Itwaswhenagrey，dirtylightofdawnevadedthethickcurtainsandfoughtonthefloorwiththefeebledelectricglowthatColeman，inthemidstofplay，lurchedhischestheavilyuponthetable。Somechipsrattledtothefloor。"I"llcallyou，"

hemurmured，sleepily。

"Well，"repliedaman，sternly，"threekings。"

TheotherplayerswithdifficultyextractedfivecardsfrombeneathColeman"spillowedhead。"Notapair!Come，come，thiswon"tdo。Oh，let"sstopplaying。ThisistherottenestgameI

eversatin。Let"sgohome。Whydon"tyouputhim。tobed，Billie？"

WhenColemanawokenextmorning，helookedbackuponthepokergameassomethingthathadtranspiredinpreviousyears。Hedressedandwentdowntothegrill-room。Forhisbreakfastheorderedsomeeggsontoastandapintofchampagne。AprivilegeoflibertybelongedtoacertainIrishwaiter，andthiswaiterlookedathim，grinning。"Maybeyouhadaprettylivelytimelastnight，MrColeman？"

"Yes，Pat，"answeredColeman，"Idid。Itwasallbecauseofanunrequitedaffection，Patrick。"Themanstoodnear，anapkinoverhisarm。Colemanwentonimpressively。"Thewaysofthemodernloverarestrange。Now，I，Patrick，amamodernlover，andwhen，yesterday，thedaggerofdisappointmentwasdrivendeepintomyheart，IimmediatelyplayedpokerashardasI

couldandincidentallygotloaded。Thisisthemodernpointofview。Iunderstandongoodauthoritythatinoldtimesloversusedto。languish。Thatisprobablyalie，butatanyratewedonot，inthesetimes，languishtoanygreatextent。Wegetdrunk。

Doyouunderstand，Patrick？"

ThewaiterwasusedtoaharangueatColeman"sbreakfasttime。Heplacedhishandoverhismouthandgiggled。"Yessir。"

"Ofcourse，"continuedColeman，thoughtfully。"Itmightbepointedoutbyuneducatedpersonsthatitisdifficulttomaintainahighstandardofdrunkennessfortheadequatelengthoftime，butintheseriesofexperimentswhichIamabouttomakeIamsureIcaneasilyprovethemtobeinthewrong。"

"Iamsure，sir，"saidthewaiter，"theyoungladieswouldnotliketobehearingyoutalkthisway。"

"Yes；nodoubt，nodoubt。Theyoungladieshavestillquitemedievalideas。Theydon"tunderstand。Theystillpreferloverstolanguish。"

"Atanyrate，sir，Idon"tseethatyourheartissureenoughbroken。Youseemtotakeitveryeasy。"

"Broken!"criedColeman。"Easy？Man，myheartisinfragments。Bringmeanothersmallbottle。"

CHAPTERVI。

Sixweekslater，ColemanwenttotheofficeoftheproprietoroftheEclipse。Colemanwasoneofthosesmooth-shavenold-youngmenwhowearuponsomeoccasionsasingularairoftemperanceandpurity。Atthesetimes，hisfeatureslosttheirqualityofworldlyshrewdnessandendlesssuspicionandbloomedasthefaceofsomeinnocentboy。Itthenwouldbehardtotellthathehadeverencounteredevensuchacrimeasalieoracigarette。Ashewalkedintotheproprietor"sofficehewasaperfectsemblanceofafine，inexperiencedyouth。PeopleusuallyconcludedthischangewasduetoaTurkishbathorsomeotherexpedientofrecuperation，butitwasdueprobablytothepowerofaphysicalcharacteristic。

"Bossin？"saidColeman。

"Yeh，"saidthesecretary，jerkinghisthumbtowardaninnerdoor。Inhisprivateoffice，Sturgeonsatontheedgeofthetabledanglingoneleganddreamilysurveyingthewall。AsColemanenteredhelookedupquickly。"Rufus，"hecried，"you"rejustthemanIwantedtosee。I"vegotascheme。Agreatscheme。"

Heslidfromthetableandbegantopacebrisklytoandfro，hishandsdeepinhistrousers"pockets，hischinsunkinhiscollar，hislightblueeyesafirewithinterest。"Nowlisten。

Thisisimmense。TheEclipseenlistsabattalionofmentogotoCubaandfighttheSpaniardsunderitsownflag-theEclipseflag。

Collecttrainedofficersfromhereandthere-enlisteveryyoungdevilwesee-drill"em——bestrifles-loadsofammunition-

provisions-staffofdoctorsandnurses-acoupleofdynamiteguns-everythingcompletebestintheworld。Now，isn"tthatgreat？What"sthematterwiththatnow？Eh？Eh？Isn"tthatgreat？It"sgreat，isn"tit？Eh？Why，myboy，we"llfree-"

Colemandidnotseemtoignite。"Ihavebeenarrestedfourorfivetimesalreadyonfoolmattersconnectedwiththenewspaperbusiness，"heobserved，gloomily，"butI"veneveryetbeenhung。Ithinkyourschemeisabeauty。"

Sturgeonpausedinastonishment。"Why，whathappenstobethematterwithyou？Whatareyoukickingabout？"

Colemanmadeaslowgesture。"I"mtired，"heanswered。"I

needavacation。"

"Vacation!"criedSturgeon。"Whydon"tyoutakeonethen？"

"That"swhatI"vecometoseeyouabout。I"vehadaprettyheavystrainonmeforthreeyearsnow，andIwanttogetalittlerest。"

"Well，whointhunderhasbeenkeepingyoufromit？Ithasn"tbeenme。"

"Iknowithasn"tbeenyou，but，ofcourse，IwantedthepapertogoandIwantedtohavemyshareinitssuccess，butnowthateverythingisallrightIthinkImightgoawayforatimeifyoudon"tmind。"

"Mind!"exclaimedSturgeonfallingintohischairandreachingforhischeckbook。"Wheredoyouwanttogo？Howlongdoyouwanttobegone？Howmuchmoneydoyouwant？"

"Idon"twantverymuch。AndasforwhereIwanttogo，I

thoughtImightliketogotoGreeceforawhile。"

Sturgeonhadbeenwritingacheck。Hepoisedhispenintheairandbegantolaugh。"That"saqueerplacetogoforarest。

Why，thebiggestwarofmoderntimes——awarthatmayinvolveallEurope-islikelytostartthereatanymoment。YouarenotlikelytogetanyrestinGreece。"

"Iknowthat，"answeredColeman。"Iknowthereislikelytobeawarthere。ButIthinkthatisexactlywhatwouldrestme。I

wouldliketoreportthewar。"

"Youareaqueerbird，"answeredSturgeondeeplyfascinatedwiththisnewidea。HehadapparentlyforgottenhisvisionofaCubanvolunteerbattalion。"WarcorrespondenceisaboutthemostoriginalmediumforarestIeverheardof。"

"Oh，itmayseemfunny，butreally，anychangewillbegoodformenow。I"vebeenwhackingatthisoldSundayeditionuntilI"msickofit，andsome，。timesIwishtheEclipsewasinhell。"

That"sallright，"laughedtheproprietoroftheEclipse。"ButIstilldon"tseehowyou"aregoingtogetanyvacationoutofawarthatwillupsetthewholeofEurope。Butthat"syouraffair。Ifyouwanttobecomethechiefcorrespondentinthefieldincaseofanysuchwar，why，ofcourse，Iwouldbegladtohaveyou。Icouldn"tgetanybodybetter。ButIdon"tseewhereyourvacationcomesin。"

"I"lltakecareofthat，"answeredColeman。"WhenItakeavacationIwanttotakeitmyownway，andIthinkthiswillbeavacationbecauseitwillbedifferent-don"tyousee-different？"

"No，Idon"tseeanysenseinit，butifyouthinkthatisthewaythatsuitsyou，why，goahead。Howmuchmoneydoyouwant？"

"Idon"twantmuch。justenoughtoseemethroughnicely。"

Sturgeonscribbledonhischeckbookandthenrippedacheckfromit。"Here"sathousanddollars。Willthatdoyoutostartwith？"

"That"splenty。"

"Whendoyouwanttostart？"

"To-morrow。"

"Oh，"saidSturgeon。"You"reinahurry。"Thisimpetuousmannerofexitfrombusinessseemedtoappealtohim。"To-morrow，"herepeatedsmiling。Inrealityhewassomekindofapoetusinghismillionsromantically，spendingwildlyonasentimentthatmightbewithbeautyorwithoutbeauty，accordingtothemomentaryvacillation。Thevaguely-defineddesperationinColeman"slastannouncementappearedtodelighthim。Hegrinnedandplacedthepointsofhisfingerstogetherstretchingouthislegsinacarefulattitudeofindifferencewhichmightevenmeandisapproval。"To-morrow，"

hemurmuredteasingly。

"Byjiminy，"exclaimedColeman，ignoringtheotherman"smood，"I"msickofthewholebusiness。I"vegotoutaSundaypaperonceaweekforthreeyearsandIfeelabsolutelyincapableofgettingoutanotheredition。Itwouldbeallrightifwewererunningonordinarylines，butwheneachissueismoreorlessofanattempttobeatthepreviousissue，itbecomesratherwearing，youknow。IfIcan"tgetavacationnowItakeonelaterinalunaticasylum。"

"Why，I"mnotobjectingtoyourhavingavacation。I"msimplymarvellingatthekindofvacationyouwanttotake。And"to-morrow，"too，eh？"

"Well，itsuitsme，"mutteredColeman，sulkily。

"Well，ifitsuitsyou，that"senough。Here"syourcheck。Clearoutnowanddon"tletmeseeyouagainuntilyouarethoroughlyrested，evenifittakesayear。"Hearoseandstoodsmiling。Hewasmightilypleasedwithhimself。Helikedtoperforminthisway。HewasalmostseraphicashethrustthecheckforathousanddollarstowardColeman。

Thenhismannerchangedabruptly。"Holdonaminute。I

mustthinkalittleaboutthisthingifyouaregoingtomanagethecorrespondence。Ofcourseitwillbealongandbloodywar。"

"Youbet。"

"ThebigchanceisthatallEuropewillbedraggedintoit。OfcoursethenyouwouldhavetocomeoutofGreeceandtakeupabetterposition-sayVienna。"

"No，Iwouldn"tcaretodothat，"saidColemanpositively。"I

justwanttotakecareoftheGreekendofit。"

"Itwillbeanidioticwaytotakeavacation，"observedSturgeon。

"Well，itsuitsme，"mutteredColemanagain。"Itellyouwhatitis-"headdedsuddenly。"I"vegotsomeprivatereasons-

see？"

Sturgeonwasradiantwithjoy。"Privatereasons。"HewascharmedbythesombrepaininColeman"seyesandhisownabilitytoejectit。"Good。Gonowandbeblowed。IwillcablefinalinstructiontomeetyouinLondon。AssoonasyougettoGreece，cablemeanaccountofthesituationthereandwewillarrangeourplans。"Hebegantolaugh。"Privatereasons。Comeouttodinnerwithme。"

"Ican"tverywell，"saidColeman。"IfIgotomorrow，I"vegottopack-"

Butheretherealtyrantappeared，emergingsuddenlyfrombehindthecurtainofsentiment，appearinglikeareddevilinapantomine。"Youcan"t？"snappedSturgeon。"Nonsense——"

CHAPTERVII。

SWEEPINGoutfrombetweentworemote，half-submergeddunesonwhichstoodslendersentrylight。houses，thesteamerbegantorollwithagentleinsinuatingmotion。Passengersintheirstateroomssawatrhythmicalintervalsthesprayracingfleetlypasttheportholes。Thewavesgrappledhurriedlyatthesidesofthegreatflyingsteamerandboileddiscomfitedasterninaturmoilofgreenandwhite。Fromthetopsoftheenormousfunnelsstreamedlevelmassesofsmokewhichwereimmediatelytorntonothingbytheheadlongwind。Meanwhileasthesteamerrushedintothenortheast，menincapsandulsterscomfortablyparadedthedecksandstewardsarrangeddeckchairsforthereceptionofvariouswomenwhowerecomingfromtheircabinswithrugs。

Inthesmokingroom，oldvoyagersweresettlingdowncomfortablywhilenewvoyagerswereregardingthemwithadiffidentrespect。AmongthepassengersColemanfoundanumberofpeoplewhomheknew，includingawholesalewinemerchant，aChicagorailwaymagnateandaNewYorkmillionaire。Theylivedpracticallyinthesmokingroom。

Necessitydrovethemfromtimetotimetothesalon，ortotheirberths。Onceindeedthemillionairewasabsent，fromthegroupwhilepenningashortnotetohiswife。

WhentheIrishcoastwassightedColemancameondecktolookatit。Atallyoungwomanimmediatelyhaltedinherwalkuntilhehadsteppeduptoher。"Well，ofallungallantmen，RufusColeman，youarethestar，"shecriedlaughingandheldoutherhand。

"Awfullysorry，I"msure，"hemurmured。"Beenplayingpokerinthesmokingroomallvoyage。Didn"thavealookatthepassengerlistuntiljustnow。Whydidn"tyousendmeword？"

Theseliesweretoldsomodestlyandsincerelythatwhenthegirlflashedher，brillianteyesfullupontheirauthortherewasamixtofadmirationintheindignation。

"Sendyouacard"Idon"tbelieveyoucanread，elseyouwouldhaveknownIwastosailonthissteamer。IfIhadn"tbeenilluntilto-dayyouwouldhaveseenmeinthesalon。IopenattheFollyTheatrenextweek。Dearol"Lunnon，y"know。"

"Ofcourse，Iknewyouweregoing，"saidColeman。

"ButIthoughtyouweretogolater。Whatdoyouopenin？"

"FlybyNight。Comewalkalongwithme。Seethosetwooldladies"They"vebeenwatchingformelikehawkseversinceweleftNewYork。Theyexpectedmetoflirtwitheverymanonboard。ButI"vefooledthem。I"vebeenjustasg-o-o-d。Ihadtobe。"