第3章

Asthepairmovedtowardthestern，enormousandradiantgreenwaveswerecrashingfutilelyafterthesteamer。

Irelandshowedadrearycoastlinetothenorth。AwretchedmanwhohadcrossedtheAtlanticeighty-fourtimeswasdeclaimingtoagroupofnovices。Avenerablebanker，bundledinrugs，wasasleepinhisdeckchair。

"Well，Nora，"saidColeman，"IhopeyoumakeahitinLondon。Youdeserveitifanybodydoes。You"veworkedhard。"

"Workedhard，"criedthegirl。"Ishouldthinkso。EightyearsagoIwasintherearrow。NowIhavethecentreofthestagewheneverIwantit。ImadeChalmerscutoutthatgreatsceneinthesecondactbetweenthequeenandRodolfo。Theidea!DidhethinkIwouldstandthat？AndjustbecausehewasinlovewithClaraTrotwood，too。"

Colemanwasdreamy。"RememberwhenIwasdramaticmanfortheGazetteandwrotethefirstnotice？"

"Indeed，Ido，"answeredthegirlaffectionately。

"Indeed，Ido，Rufus。Ah，thatwasagreatlift。IbelievethatwasthefirstthingthathadaneffectonoldOliver。Beforethat，heneverwouldbelievethatIwasanygood。Givemeyourarm，Rufus。Let"sparadebeforethetwooldwomen。"Colemanglancedatherkeenly。Hervoicehadtrembledslightly。Hereyeswerelustrousasifshewereabouttoweep。

"Goodheavens，"hesaid。"YouarethesameoldNoraBlack。Ithoughtyouwouldbeproudand"aughtybythistime。"

"Nottomyfriends，"shemurmured。，"Nottomyfriends。I"malwaysthesameandIneverforget。Rufus。"

"Neverforgetwhat？"askedColeman。

"IfanybodydoesmeafavourIneverforgetitaslongasI

live，"sheansweredfervently。

"Oh，youmustn"tbesosentimental，Nora。YourememberthatplayyouboughtfromlittleBenWhipple，justbecausehehadoncesentyousomeflowersintheolddayswhenyouwerepoorandhappenedtobedsick。Asenseofgratitudecostyouovereightthousanddollarsthattime，didn"tit？"Colemanlaughedheartily。

"Oh，itwasn"ttheflowersatall，"sheinterruptedseriously。"

OfcourseBenwasalwaysaniceboy，butthenhisplaywasworthathousanddollars。That"sallIgavehim。Ilostsomemoreintryingtomakeitgo。Butitwastoogood。Thatwaswhatwasthematter。Itwasaltogethertoogoodforthepublic。IfeltawfullysorryforpoorlittleBen。"

"Toogood？"sneeredColeman。"Toogood？Tooindifferentlybad，youmean。Mydeargirl，youmustn"timaginethatyouknowagoodplay。Youdon"t，atall。"

Shepausedabruptlyandfacedhim。Thisregal，creaturewaslookingathimsosternlythatColemanfeltawedforamomentasifhe，wereinthepresenceofagreatmind。"DoyoumeantosaythatI"mnotanartist？"sheasked。

Colemanremainedcool。"I"veneverbeendecoratedforinformingpeopleoftheirownaffairs，"heobserved，"butI

shouldsaythatyouwereaboutasmuchofanartistasIam。"

Frowningslightly，shereflecteduponthisreply。Then，ofasudden，shelaughed。"Thereisnouseinbeingangrywithyou，Rufus。Youalwayswereahopelessscamp。But，"sheadded，childishlywistful，"haveyoueverseenFlybyNight？

Don"tyouthinkmydanceinthesecondactisartistic？"

"No，"saidColeman，"Ihaven"tseenFlybyNightyet，butofcourseIknowthatyouarethemostbeautifuldanceronthestage。Everybodyknowsthat。"

Itseemedthatherhandtightenedonhisarm。Herfacewasradiant。"There，"sheexclaimed。"Nowyouareforgiven。Youareaniceboy，Rufus-some-

times。"

WhenMissBlackwenttohercabin，Colemanstrolledintothesmokingroom。Everymantherecovertlyoropenlysurveyedhim。Hedroppedlazilyintoachairatatablewherethewinemerchant，theChicagorailwaykingandtheNewYorkmillionairewereplayingcards。Theymadeanoblepretenseofnotbeingawareofhim。Ontheoilclothtopofthetablethecardsweresnappeddown，turnbyturn。

Finallythewinemerchant，withoutliftinghisheadto-

addressaparticularperson，said:"Newconquest。"

HailingastewardColemanaskedforabrandyandsoda。

Themillionairesaid:"He"saslycuss，anyhow。"Therailwaymangrinned。Afteranelaboratesilencethewinemerchantasked:"KnowMissBlacklong，Rufus？"Colemanlookedscornfullyathisfriends。"What"swrongwithyouthere，fellows，anyhow？"TheChicagomanansweredairily。"Oh，nothin"。Nothin"，whatever。"

Atdinnerinthecrowdedsalon，ColemanwasawarethatmorethanonepassengerglancedfirstatNoraBlackandthenathim，asifconnectingtheminsometrainofthought，movedtoitbythenarrowhorizonofshipboardandbyasenseofthemysterythatsurroundsthelivesofthebeautiesofthestage。

Nearthecaptain"srighthandsattheglowingandsplendidNora，exhibitingunderthegazeofthepersistenteyesofmanymeanings，apracticedandprofoundcomposurethattothepopulacewasterrfyingdignity。

Strollingtowardthesmokingroomafterdinner，ColemanmettheNewYorkmillionaire，whoseemedagitated。HetookColemanfraternallybythearm。"Say，oldman，introduceme，won"tyou？I"mcrazytoknowher。"

"DoyoumeanMissBlack？"askedColeman。

"Why，Idon"tknowthatIhavearight。Ofcourse，youknow，shehasn"tbeenmeetinganybodyaboard。I"llaskher，though-

certainly。"

"Thanks，oldman，thanks。I"dbetickledtodeath。Comealongandhaveadrink。Whenwillyouaskher？"

"Why，Idon"tknowwhenI"llseeher。To-morrow，Isuppose-"

Theyhadnotbeenlonginthesmokingroom，however，whenthedeckstewardcamewithacardtoColeman。Uponitwaswritten:"Comefor"astroll？"Everybody，sawColemanreadthiscardandthenlookupandwhispertothedecksteward。

Thedeckstewardbenthisheadandwhispereddiscreetlyinreply。Therewasanabruptpauseinthehumofconversation。

Theinterestwasacute。

Colemanleanedcarelesslybackinhischair，puffingathiscigar。Hemingledcalmlyinadiscussionofthecomparativemeritsofcertaintrans-Atlanticlines。Afteratimehethrewawayhiscigarandarose。Mennodded。"Didn"tItellyou？"Hisstudiouslylanguidexitwasmadedramaticbytheeagle-eyedattentionofthesmokingroom。

OndeckhefoundNorapacingtoandfro。"Youdidn"thurryyourself，"shesaid，ashejoinedher。ThelightsofQueenstownweretwinkling。Awarmwind，wetwiththemoistureofrain-

strickensod，wascomingfromtheland。

"Why，"saidColeman，"we"vegotalltheseduffersverymuchexcited。"

"Wellwhatdoyoucare？"askedhtegirl。"Youdon"t，caredoyou？"

"No，Idon"tcare。Onlyit"sratherabsurdtobewatchedallthetime。"Hesaidthispreciselyasifheabhorredbeingwatchedinthiscase。

"Ohbytheway，"headded。Thenhepausedforamoment。"Aw——afriendofmine——notabadfellow——

heaskedmeforanintroduction。Ofcourse，I

toldhimI"daskyou。"

Shemadeacontemptuousgesture。"Oh，anotherWillie。

Tellhimno。Tellhimtogohometohisfamily。Tellhimtorunaway。"

"Heisn"tabadfellow。He——"saidColemandiffidently，"hewouldprobablybeatthetheatreeverynightinabox。"

"yes，andgetdrunkandthrowawinebottleonthestageinsteadofabouquet。No，"shedeclaredpositively，"Iwon"tseehim。"

Colemandidnotseemtobeoppressedbythisultimatum。

"Oh，allright。Ipromisedhim——thatwasall。"

"Besides，areyouinagreathurrytogetridofme？"

"Ridofyou？Nonsense。"

Theywalkedintheshadow。"HowlongareyougoingtobeinLondon，Rufus？"askedNorasoftly。

"Who？I？Oh，I"mgoingrightofftoGreece。Firsttrain。There"sgoingtobeawar，youknow。"

"Awar？Why，whoisgoingtofight？TheGreeksandthe——the——thewhat？"

"TheTurks。I"mgoingrightoverthere。"

"Why，that"sdreadful，Rufus，"saidthegirl，mournfullandshocked。"Youmightgethurtorsomething。"

Presentlysheasked:"Andaren"tyougoingtobeinLondonanytimeatall？"

"Oh，"heanswered，puffingouthislips，"ImaystopinLondomforthreeorfourdaysonmywayhome。I"mnotsureofit。"

"Andwhenwillthatbe？"

"Oh，Ican"ttell。Itmaybeinthreeorfourmonths，oritmaybeayearfromnow。Whenthewarstops。"

Therewasalongsilenceasthewalkedupanddowntheswayingdeck。

"Doyouknow，"saidNoraatlast，"Ilikeyou，RufusColeman。

Idon"tknowanygoodreasonforiteither，unlessitisbecauseyouaresuchabrute。Now，whenIwasaskingyouifyouweretobeinLondonyouwereperfectlydetestable。YouknowIwasanxious。"

"I——detestable？"criedColeman，feigningamazement。

"Why，whatdidIsay？"

"Itisn"tsomuchwhatyousaid——"beganNoraslowlly。

Thenshesuddenlychangedhermanner。

"Oh，well，don"tlet"stalkaboutitanymore。It"stoofoolish。Only-youareadisagreeablepersonsometimes。"

Inthemorning，asthevesselsteameduptheIrishchannel，Colemanwasondeck，keepingfurtivewatchonthecabinstairs。Aftertwohoursofwaiting，hescribbledamessageonacardandsentitbelow。HereceivedananswerthatMissBlackhadaheadache，andfelttooilltocomeondeck。Hewenttothesmokingroom。Thethreecard-playersglancedup，grinning。

"What"sthematter？"askedthewinemerchant。"Youlookangry。"Asamatteroffact，Colemanhadpurposelywreathedhisfeaturesinapleasantandsatisfiedexpression，sohewasforamomentfuriousatthewinemerchant。

"Confoundthegirl，"hethoughttohimself。"Shehassucceededinmakingallthesebeggarslaughatme。"Hemusedthatifhehadanotherchancehewouldshowherhowdisagreeableordetestableorscampishhewasundersomecircumstances。Hereflectedruefullythatthecomplacencewithwhichhehadacceptedthecomradeshipofthebelleofthevoyagemighthavebeensomewhatoverdone。Perhapshehadgotalittleoutofproportion。Hewasannoyedatthestaresoftheothermeninthesmokingroom，whoseemednowtobereadinghisdiscomfiture。AsforNoraBlackhethoughtofherwistfullyandangrilyasasuperbwomanwhosecompanywashonourandjoy，apaymentforanysacrifices。

"What"sthematter？"persistedthewinemerchant。"Youlookgrumpy。"

Colemanlaughed。"DoI？"

AtLiverpool，asthesteamerwasbeingslowlywarpedtothelandingstagebysometugs，thepassengerscrowdedthedeckwiththeirhand-bags。Adieuswerefallingasdeadleavesfallfromagreattree。Thestewardswerehandlingsmallhillsofluggagemarkedwithflamingredlabels。TheshipwasfirmlyagainstthedockbeforeMissBlackcamefromhercabin。

Colemanwasatthetimegazingshoreward，buthisthreeparticularfriendsinstantlynudgedhim。"What？""Theresheis？""Oh，MissBlack？"Hecomposedlywalkedtowardher。Itwasimpossibletotellwhethershesawhimcomingorwhetheritwasaccident，butatanyrateshesuddenlyturnedandmovedtowardthesternoftheship。TenwatchfulgossipshadnotedColeman"stravelinherdirectionandmorethanhalfthepassengersnotedhisdefeat。Hewheeledcasuallyandreturnedtohisthreefriends。Theywerecolic-strickenwithacoarseandyetsilentmerriment。Colemanwasgladthatthevoyagewasover。

AfterthepolitebusinessofanEnglishcustomhouse，thetravellerspassedouttothewaitingtrain。Animblelittletheatricalagentofsomekind，sentfromLondon，dashedforwardtoreceiveMissBlack。Hehadafirst-classcompartmentengagedforherandhebundledherandhermaidintoitinanexuberanceofenthusiasmandadmiration……ColemanpassingmoodilyalongthelineofcoachesheardNora"svoicehailinghim。

"Rufus。"Thereshewas，framedinacarriagewindow，beautifulandsmilingbrightly。Everynear。bypersonturnedtocontemplatethisvision。

"Oh，"saidColemanadvancing，"IthoughtIwasnotgoingtogetachancetosaygood-byetoyou。"Heheldouthishand。

"Good-bye。"

Shepouted。"Why，there"splentyofroominthiscompartment。"Seeingthatsomefortypeopleweretransfixedinobservationofher，shemovedashortwayback。"Comeoninthiscompartment，Rufus，"shesaid。

"Thanks。Iprefertosmoke，"saidColeman。Hewentoffabruptly。

OnthewaytoLondon，hebroodedinhiscorneronthetwodivergentemotionshehadexperiencedwhenrefusingherinvitation。AtEustonStationinLondon，hewasdirectingaporter，whohadhisluggage，whenheheardNoraspeakathisshoulder。"Well，Rufus，yousulkyboy，"shesaid，"IshallbeattheCecil。Ifyouhavetime，comeandseeme。"

"Thanks，I"msure，mydearNora，"answeredColemaneffusively。"Buthonestly，I"moffforGreece。"

Abroughamwasdrawnupnearthemandthenimblelittleagentwaswaiting。Themaidwasdirectingtheestablishmentofamassofluggageonandinafour-wheelercab。"Well，putmeintomycarriage，anyhow，"saidNora。"Youwillhavetimeforthat。"

Afterwardsheaddressedhimfromthedarkinterior。

Now，Rufus，youmustcometoseemetheminuteyoustrikeLondonagain-ofShehesitatedamomentandthensmilinggorgeouslyuponhim，shesaid:"Brute!"

CHAPTERVIII。

AssoonasColemanhadplantedhisbelongingsinahotelhewasbowledinahansombrisklyalongthesmokyStrand，throughadarkcitywhosewallsdrippedlikethewallsofacaveandwhosepassageswereonlyilluminatedbyflaringyellowandredsigns。

WalkleytheLondoncorrespondentoftheEclipse，whirledfromhischairwithashoutofjoyandrelief-atsightofColeman。

"Cables，"hecried。"Nothin"butcables!AllthepeopleinNewYorkarewritingcablestoyou。Thewiresgroanwiththem。Andwegroanwiththemtoo。Theycomeinhereinbales。However，thereisnoreasonwhyyoushouldreadthemall。Manyaresimilarinwordsandmanymorearesimilarinspirit。ThesenseofthewholethingisthatyougettoGreecequickly，takingwithyouimmensesumsofmoneyandenormouspowersovernations。"

"Well，whendoestherowbegin？"

"ThemostastutejournalistsinEuropehavebeenpredictingageneralEuropeansmash-upeveryyearsince1878，"saidWalkley，"andtheprophetsweep。TheEnglisharetheonlypeoplewhocanpulloffwarsonscheduletime，andtheyhavetodoitinoddcornersoftheglobe。Ifearthewarbusinessisgettingtuckered。Thereissorrowinthelodgesofthelonewolves，thewarcorrespondents。However，myboy，don"tburyyourfaceinyourblanket。ThisGreekbusinesslooksverypromising，verypromising。"Hethenbegantoproclaimtrainsandconnections。

"Dover，Calais，Paris，Brindisi，Corfu，Patras，Athens。Thatisyourgame。Youaresupposedtosky-rocketyourselfoverthatrouteintheshortestpossibletime，butyouwouldgainnotimebystartingbeforeto-morrow，soyoucancoolyourheelshereinLondonuntilthen。IwishIwasgoingalong。"

Colemanreturnedtohishotel，aknightimpatientandsavageatbeingkeptforatimeoutofthesaddle。Hewentforalatesuppertothegrillroomandashewasseatedtherealone，apartyoffourorfivepeoplecametooccupythetabledirectlybehindhim。Theytalkedagreatdealevenbeforetheyarrayedthem。selvesatthetable，andheatoncerecognisedthevoiceofNoraBlack。Shewasqueeningit，apparently，overalittlebandofawedmasculineworshippers。

Eitherbyaccidentorforsomecuriousreason，shetookachairbacktobackwithColeman"schair。Hersleeveoffragrantstuffalmosttouchedhisshoulderandhefeltappealingtohimseductivelyaperfumeoforrisrootandviolet。Hewasdrinkingbottledstoutwithhischop；besatwithafaceofwood。

"Oh，thelittlelord？"Norawascryingtosomeslave。

"Now，doyouknow，hewon"tdoatall。Heistooawfullycharming。Hesitsandruminatesforfifteenminutesandthenhepaysmealovelycompliment。Thenheruminatesforanotherfifteenminutesandcooksupanotherfinething。Itistootiresome。Doyouknowwhatkindofman。Ilike？"sheaskedsoftlyandconfidentially。Andhereshesankbackinherchairuntil。Colemanknewfromthetinglethatherheadwasbutafewinchesfromhishead。Her，sleevetouchedhim。Heturnedmorewoodenunderthespelloftheorrisrootandviolet。Hercourtiersthoughtitallagracefulpose，butColemanbelievedotherwise。Hervoicesanktotheliquid，sirennoteofasuccubus。"DoyouknowwhatkindofamanIlike？Reallylike？Ilikeamanthatawomancan"tbendinathousanddifferentwaysinfiveminutes。Hemusthavesomesteelinhim。

Heobligesmetoadmirehimthemostwhenheremainsstolid；

stolidtomelures。Ah，thatistheonlykindofamanwhocapeverbreakaheartamonguswomenoftheworld。Hisstolidityisnotreal；no；itismereart，butitisahighlyfinishedartandoftenenoughwecan"tcutthroughit。Reallywecan"t。And，thenwemayactuallycometo——er——carefortheman。Reallywemay。

Isn"titfunny？"

AlttheendColemanaroseandstrolledoutofthe。room，smokingacigarette。Hedidnotbetray，asign。Before。thedoorclashedsoftlybehindhim，Noralaughedalittledefiantly，perhapsalittleloudly。Itmadeeverymaninthegrill-roomperkuphisears。

Asforhercourtiers，theywereentranced。Inherdescriptionoftheconqueringman，shehadeasilycontrivedthateachoneofthemwonderedifshemightnotmeanhim。Eachmanwasperfectlysurethathehadplentyofsteelinhiscompositionandthatseemedtobeamainpoint。

Colemandelayedforatimeinthesmokingroomandthenwenttohisownquarters。InrealityhewasSomewhatpuzzledinhismindbyaprojectionofthebeautiesofNoraBlackuponhisdesireforGreeceandMarjory，Histhoughtsformedaduality。

OncehewasonthepointofsendinghiscardtoNoraBlack"sparlour，inasmuchasGreecewasverydistantandhecouldnotstartuntilthemorrow。Buthesuspectedthathewasholdingtheinterestoftheactressbecauseofhisrecentappearanceofimpregnableserenityinthepresenceofherfascinations。Ifhenowsenthiscard，itwasaformofsurrenderandheknewhertobeonetotakeamercilessadvantage。Hewouldnotmakethistacticalmistake。Onthecontraryhewouldgotobedandthinkofwar，Inrealityhefounditeasytofastenhismindupontheprospectivewar。Heregardedhimselfcynicallyinmostaffairs，buthecouldnotbecynicalofwar，becausehadhe-

seennoneofit。Hisrejuvenatedimaginationbegantothrilltotherollofbattle，throughhisthoughtpassingallthelightninginthepicturesofDetaille，deNeuvilleandMorot；lashedbatteryhorseroaringoverbridges；grandcuirassiersdashingheadlongagainststolidinvinciblered-facedlinesofGermaninfantry；furiousandbloodygrapplingsinthestreetsoflittlevillagesofnortheasternFrance。Therewasonethingatleastofwhichhecouldstillfeelthespiritofadebutante。Inthismatterofwarhewasnot，too，unlikeayounggirlembarkinguponherfirstseasonofopera。Walkely，thenextmorning，sawthismoodsittingquaintlyuponColemanandcackledwithastonishmentandglee。Coleman"susualmannerdidnotreturnuntilhedetectedWalkely"sappreciationofhisstateandthenhesnubbedhimaccordingtotheritualoftheSundayeditoroftheNewYorkEclipse。Parenthetically，itmightbesaidthatifColemannowrecalledNoraBlacktohismindatall，itwasonlytothinkofherforamomentwithironicalcomplacence。Hehadbeatenher。

Whenthetraindrewoutofthestation，Colemanfelthimselfthrill。Waseverfatelessperverse？Warandlove-warandMarjory-wereinconjunctionbothinGreece-andhecouldtiltwithonelanceatbothgods。Itwasagreatfinegametoplayandnomanwaseversoblessedinvacations。Hewassmilingcontinuallytohimselfandsometimesactuallyonthepointoftalkingaloud。Thiswasdespitethepresenceinthecompartmentoftwofellowpassengerswhopreservedintheiruncomfortablyrigid，icyanduncompromisingmannersmanyofthemoreorlessridiculoustraditionsoftheEnglishfirstclasscarriage。Coleman"sfinehumourbetrayedhimonceintoaddressingoneofthesepassengersandthemanrespondedsimplywithawidelookofincredulity，asifhediscoveredthathewastravellinginthesamecompartmentwithazebu。ItturnedColemansuddenlytoeviltemperandhewantedtoaskthemanquestionsconcerninghiseducationandhispresentmentalcondition:andsountilthetrainarrivedatDover，hisballooningsoulwasindangerofcollapsing。Onthepacketcrossingthechannel，too，healmostreturnedtotheusualRufusColemansincealltheworldwasseasickandhecouldnotgetacabininwhichtohidehimselffromit。Howeverhereapedmuchconsolationbyorderingabottleofchampagneanddrinkingitinsightofthepeople，whichmadethemstillmoreseasick。FromCalaistoBrindisireallynothingmethisdisapprovalsavethespeedofthetrain，theconductofsomeofthepassengers，thequalityofthefoodserved，themannersoftheguards，thetemperatureofthecarriages，thepriceschargedandthelengthofthejourney。

IntimehepassedasinavisionfromwretchedBrindisitocharmingCorfu，fromCorfutothelittlewar-bittencityofPatrasandfromPatrasbyrailatthespeedofanox-carttoAthens。

Withasmileofgrimcontentandsurroundedinhiscarriagewithallhisbeautifulbrownluggage，hesweptthroughthedustystreetsoftheGreekcapital。Evenasthevehiclearrivedinagreatterracedsquareinfrontoftheyellowpalace，GreekrecruitsingarmentsrepresentingmanytradesandmanycharactersweremarchingupcheeringforGreeceandtheking。

Officersstooduponthelittleironchairsinfrontofthecafes；alltheurchinscamerunningandshouting；ladieswavedtheirhandkerchiefsfromthebalconies；thewholecitywasvivifiedwithaleapingandjoyousenthusiasm。TheAthenians——asdragomenorotherwise-hadpreservedanardorfortheirglorioustraditions，anditwasasifthatinthewhitedustwhichliftedfromtheplazaandfloatedacrosstheold-ivoryfaceofthepalace，therewerethesoulsofthecapablesoldiersofthepast。

Colemanwasalmostintoxicatedwithit。Itseemedtocelebratehisownreasons，hisreasonsofloveandambitiontoconquerinlove。

WhenthecarriagearrivedinfrontoftheHotelD"Angleterre，Colemanfoundtheservantsoftheplacewithmorethanoneeyeuponthesceneintheplaza，buttheysoonpaidheedtothearrivalofagentlemanwithsuchanamountofbeautifulleatherluggage，allmarkedboldlywiththeinitials"R。C。"ColemanletthemleadhimandfollowhimandconducthimandusebadEnglishuponhimwithoutnotingeithertheirwords，theirsalaamsortheirwork。HismindhadquicklyfixeduponthefactthatherewastheprobableheadquartersoftheWainwrightpartyand，withtherushofhiswesternracefleetingthroughhisveins，hefeltthathewouldchokeanddieifhedidnotlearnoftheWainwrightsinthefirsttwominutes。ItwasatragicventuretoattempttomaketheLevantinemindunderstandsomethingoffthecourse，thatthenewarrival"sfirstthoughtwastoestablishaknowlegeofthewhereaboutsofsomeofhisfriendsratherthantoswarmhelter-skelterintothatpartofthehotelforwhichhewaswillingtopayrent。Infacthefailedtothusimpressthem；failedindarkwrath，but，nevertheless，failed。Atlasthewassimplyforcedtoconcedethetraveloffilesofmenupthebroad，redcarpetedstair-case，eachmanbeingloadedwithColeman"sluggage。Themeninthehotel-bureauwerethenabletocomprehendthattheforeigngentlemanmighthavesomethingelseonhismind。Theyraisedtheireye-browslanguidlywhenhespokeoftheWainwrightpartyingentlesurprisethathehadnotyetlearnedthattheyweregonesometime。Theyweredepartedonsomeexcursion。

Where？Oh，really-itwasalmostlaughable，indeed-theydidn"tknow。Weretheysure？Why，yes-itwasalmostlaughable，indeed-theywerequitesure。Wherecouldthegentlemanfindoutaboutthem？Well，they-astheyhadexplained-didnotknow，but-itwaspossible-theAmericanministermightknow。Wherewashetobefound？Oh，thatwasverysimple。ItwaswellknownthattheAmericanministerhadapartmentsinthehotel。Washein？Ah，thattheycouldnotsay。

SoColeman，rejoicingathisfinalemancipationandwiththegrimeoftravelstilluponhim，burstinsomewhatviolentlyuponthesecretaryoftheHon。ThomasM。GordnerofNebraska，theUnitedStatesministertoGreece。Fromhisdeskthesecretaryarosefrombehindanaccidentalbulwarkofbooksandgovermentalpamphets。"Yes，certainly。Mr。Gordnerisin。Ifyouwouldgivemeyourcard-"

Directly。Colemanwasintroducedintoanotherroomwhereaquietmanwhowasrollingacigarettelookedhimfranklybutcarefullyintheeye。"TheWainwrights"saidtheministerimmediatelyafterthequestion。"Why，Imyselfamimmenselyconcernedaboutthematpresent。I"mafraidthey"vegottenthemselvesintotrouble。"

"Really？"saidColeman。

"Yes。Thatlittleprofessorisratherer——stubborn；Isn"the？

HewantedtomakeanexpeditiontoNikopolisandIexplainedtohimallthepossibilitiesofwarandbeggedhimtoatleastnottakehiswifeanddaughterwithhim。"

"Daughter，"murmuredColeman，asifinhissleep。

"Butthatlittleoldmanhadaheadlikeastoneandonlylaughedatme。Ofcoursethosevillainousyoungstudentswereonlytoodelightedataprospectofwar，butitwasastupidandabsurd。thingforthemantotakehiswifeanddaughterthere。Theyareuptherenow。Ican"tgetawordfromthemorgetawordtothem。"

Colemanhadbeenchoking。"WhereisNikopolis？"heasked。

Theministergazedsuddenlyincomprehensionofthemanbeforehim。"NikopolisisinTurkey，"heansweredgently。

Turkeyatthattimewasbelievedtobeacountryofdelay，corruption，turbulenceandmassacre。Itmeanteverything。MorethanahalfoftheChristiansoftheworldshudderedatthenameofTurkey。Coleman"slipstightenedandperhapsblanched，andhischinmovedoutstrangely，once，twice，thrice。"HowcanI

gettoNikopolis？"hesaid。

Theministersmiled。"Itwouldtakeyouthebetterpartoffourdaysifyoucouldgetthere，butasamatteroffactyoucan"tgetthereatthepresenttime。AGreekarmyandaTurkisharmyarelookingateachotherfromthesidesoftheriveratArta-theriveristherethefrontier-andNikopolishappenstobeonthewrongside。Youcan"treachthem。TheforcesatArtawillfightwithinthreedays。Iknowit。OfcourseI"venotifiedourlegationatConstantinople，but，withTurkishmethodsofcommunication，NikopolisisaboutasfarfromConstantinopleasNewYorkisfromPekin。"

Colemanarose。"They"verunthemselvesintoanicemess，"

hesaidcrossly。"Well，I"mathousandtimesobligedtoyou，I"msure。"

Theministeropenedhiseyesatrifle。Youarenotgoingtotrytoreachthem，areyou？"

"Yes，"answeredColeman，abstractedly。"I"mgoingtohaveatryatit。Friendsofmine，youknow-"

Atthebureauofthehotel，thecorrespondentfoundseveralcablesawaitinghimfromthealertofficeoftheNewYorkEclipse。

Oneofthemread:"StateDepartmentgivesoutbadplightofWainwrightpartylostsomewhere；findthem。Eclipse。"WhenColemanperusedthemessagehebegantosmilewithseraphicbliss。Couldfatehaveeverbeenlessperverse。