第6章

Hewasactuallycompelledtogotoherandoffercongratulationsuponherescape，ashehadcongratulatedtheprofessor。

Ifhismannertoherparentshadbeenfilial，hismannertoherwasparental。"Well，Marjory，"hesaidkindly，"youhavebeeninconsiderabledanger。Isupposeyou"regladtobethroughwithit。"Sheatthattimemadenoreply，butbyhercasualturnheknewthathewasexpectedtowalkalongbyherside。Theothersknewit，too，andtherestofthepartyleftthemfreetowalksidebysideintherear。

"Thisisabeautifulcountryhere-aboutsifonegetsagoodchancetoseeit，"heremarked。Thenheadded:"ButIsupposeyouhadaviewofitwhenyouweregoingouttoNikopolis？"

Sheansweredinmuffledtones。"Yes，wethoughtitverybeautiful。"

Didyounotethosestreamsfromthemountains"ThatseemedtomethepurestwaterI"deverseen，butIbetitwouldmakeoneilltodrinkit。Thereis，youknow，aprominentGermanchemistwhohasalmostproventhatreallypurewaterispracticalpoisontothehumanstomach。"

"Yes？"shesaid。

Therewasaperiodofsilence，duringwhichhewasperfectlycomfortablebecauseheknewthatshewasillatease。Ifthesilencewasawkward，shewassufferingfromit。Asforhimself，hehadnoinclinationtobreakit。Hispositionwas，asfarastheentireWainwrightpartywasconcerned，aplacewherehecouldaffordtowait。Sheturnedtohimatlast。"Ofcourse，Iknowhowmuchyouhavedoneforus，andIwantyoutofeelthatweallappreciateitdeeply-deeply。"Therewasdiscernibletotheearacertainnoteofdesperation。

"Oh，notatall，"hesaidgenerously。"Notatall。Ididn"tdoanything。Itwasquiteanaccident。Don"tletthattroubleyouforamoment。"

"Well，ofcourseyouwouldsaythat，"shesaidmoresteadily。"ButI-we-weknowhowgoodandhow-braveitwasinyoutocomeforus，andI——wemustneverforgetit。"

Asamatteroffact，"repliedColeman，withanappearanceofingenuouscandor，"IwassentoutherebytheEclipsetofindyoupeople，andofcourseIworkedratherhardtoreachyou，butthefinalmeetingwaspurelyaccidentalanddoesnotredoundtomycreditintheleast。"

Ashehadanticipated，Marjoryshothimalittleglanceofdisbelief。"Ofcourseyouwouldsaythat，"sherepeatedwithgloomybutflatteringconviction。

"Oh，ifIhadbeenagreathero，"hesaidsmiling，"nodoubtIwouldhavekeptupthissamemannerwhichnowsetssowelluponme，butIamtellingyouthetruthwhenIsaythatIhadnopartinyourrescueatall。"

Shebecameslightlyindignant。"Oh，ifyoucaretotellusconstantlythatyouwereofnoservicetous，Idon"tseewhatwecandobutcontinuetodeclarethatyouwere。"

Suddenlyhefeltvulgar。Hespoketoherthistimewithrealmeaning。"Ibegof"younevertomentionitagain。Thatwillbethebestway。"

Buttothisshewouldnotaccede。"No，wewilloftenwanttospeakofit。"

Hereplied"HowdoyoulikeGreece？Don"tyouthinkthatsomeoftheseruinsareratheroutofshapeinthepopularmind？Now，formypart，IwouldratherlookatagoodstrongfinishatahorseracethantoseetenthousandParthenonsinabunch。"

Shewasimmediatelyinthepositionofdefendinghimfromhimself。"Youwouldratherseenosuchthing。Youshouldn"ttalkinthatutterlytrivialway。IliketheParthenon，ofcourse，butIcan"tthinkofitnowbecausemyhead。istoofullofmyescapefromwhereIwasso-sofrightened。"

Colemangrinned。"Wereyoureallyfrightened？"

"Naturally，"sheanswered。"IsupposeIwasmorefrightenedformotherandfather，butIwasfrightenedenoughformyself。Itwasnot-notanicething。"

"No，itwasn"t，"saidColeman。"Icouldhardlybelievemysenses，whentheministeratAthenstoldmethat，youallhadventuredintosuchatrap，andthereisnodoubtbutwhatyoucanbegladthatyouarewelloutofit。"

Sheseemedtohavesomestrugglewithherselfandthenshedeliberatelysaid:"Thankstoyou。"

Colemanembarkedonwhatheintendedtomakeaseriesofhigh-mindedprotests。"Notatall-"butatthatmomentthedragomanwhirledbackfromthevan-guardwithagreatcollectionofthedifficultieswhichhadbeengatheringuponhim。ColemanwasobligedtoresignMarjoryandagaintakeuptheactiveleadership。Hedisposedofthedragoman"sdifficultiesmainlybydeclaringthattheywerenotdifficultiesatall。Hehadlearnedthatthiswasthewaytodealwithdragomen。

Thefoghadalreadyliftedfromthevalleyand，astheypassedalongthewoodedmountain-sidethefragranceofleavesandearthcametothem。Ahead，alongthehoodedroad，theycouldseethebluecladfiguresofGreekinfantrymen。

Finallytheypassedanencampmentofabattalionwhoselinewasatarightangletothehighway。AhundredyardsinadvancewasthebridgeacrosstheLourosriver。Andthereabatteryofartillerywasencamped。ThedragomanbecameinvolvedinallsortsofdiscussionswithotherGreeks，butColemanstucktohiselbowandstifledallaimlessoration。TheWainwrightpartywaitedforthemintherearinanobservantbutpatientgroup。

Acrossaplain，thehillsdirectlybehindArtaloomedupshowingthestraightyellowscarofamodernentrenchment。TothenorthofArtaweresomegreymountainswithadimlymarkedroadwindingtothesummit。Ononesideofthisroadweretwoshadows。Ittookamomentfortheeyetofindtheseshadows，butwhenthiswasaccomplisheditwasplainthattheyweremen。ThecaptainofthebatteryexplainedtothedragomanthathedidnotknowthattheywerenotalsoTurks。

InwhichcasetheroadtoArtawasadangerouspath。ItwasnogoodnewstoColeman。HewaitedamomentinordertogaincomposureandthenwalkedbacktotheWainwrightparty。

Theymusthaveknownatoncefromhispeculiargravitythatallwasnotwell。Fiveofthestudentsandtheprofessorimmediatelyasked:"Whatisit？"

Hehadatfirstsomeold-fashionedideaofconcealingtheilltidingsfromtheladies，butheperceivedwhatflagrantnonsensethiswouldbeincircumstancesinwhichallwerefairlylikelytoincurequaldangers，andatanyratehedidnotseehiswaycleartoallowtheirimaginationtorunriotoverasituationwhichmightnotturnouttobetoobad。Hesaidslowly:"Youseethosemountainsoverthere？Well，troopshavebeenseenthereandthecaptainofthisbatterythinkstheyareTurks。IftheyareTurkstheroadtoArtaisdistinctly-er-unsafe。"

ThisnewblowfirstaffectedtheWainwrightpartyasbeingtoomuchtoendure。"Theythoughttheyhadgonethroughenough。Thiswasageneralsentiment。Afterwardtheemotiontookcolouraccordingtotheindividualcharacter。Onestudentlaughedandsaid:"Well，Iseeourfinish。"

Anotherstudentpipedout:"HowdotheyknowtheyareTurks？WhatmakesthemthinktheyareTurks"

Anotherstudentexpressedhimselfwithasigh。"ThisisalongwayfromtheBowery。"

Theprofessorsaidnothingbutlookedannihilated；Mrs。

Wainwrightweptprofoundly；MarjorylookedexpectantlytowardColeman。

Asforthecorrespondenthewasadamantineandreliableandstern，forhehadnottheslightestideathatthosemenonthedistanthillwereTurksatall。

CHAPTERXIV。

"OH，"saidastudent，"thisgameoughttoquit。Ifeellikethirtycents。Wedidn"tcomeoutheretobepursuedaboutthecountrybytheseTurks。Whydon"ttheystopit？"

Colemanwasremarking:"Really，theonlysensiblethingtodonowistohavebreakfast。Thereisnouseinworryingourselvessillyoverthisthinguntilwe"vegotto。"

Theyspreadtheblanketsonthegroundandsataboutafeastofbread，watercressandtinnedbeef。Colemanwastherealhost，buthecontrivedtomaketheprofessorappearasthathonourableperson。Theyate，castingtheireyesfromtimetotimeatthedistantmountainwithitstwoshadows。PeoplebegantoflydowntheroadfromJannina，peasantshurriedlydrivinglittleflocks，womenandchildrenondonkeysandlittlehorseswhichtheyclubbedunceasingly。Onemanrodeatagallop，shriekingandflailinghisarmsintheair。TheywereallChristianpeasantsofTurkey，buttheywereinflightnowbecausetheydidnotwishtobeathomeiftheTurkwasgoingtoreturnandreaprevengeforhismortification。TheWainwrightpartylookedatColemaninabruptquestioning。

"Oh，it"sallright，"hesaid，easily。"Theyarealwaystakingonthatway。"

SuddenlythedragomangaveashoutanddasheduptheroadtothesceneofameleewherealittleratfacedgroomwasvociferouslydefendingthreehorsesfromsomeGreekofficers，whoasvociferouslywerestatingtheirrighttorequisitionthem。

Colemanranafterhisdragoman。Therewasasickeningpow-wow，butintheendColeman，straightandeasyinthesaddle，camecanteringbackonasuperbopen-mouthedsnortingbayhorse。Hedidnotmindifthehalf-wildanimalplungedcrazily。Itwaspartofhisrole。"Theyweretryingtostealmyhorses，"heexplained。Heleapedtotheground，andholdingthehorsebythebridle，headdressedhisadmiringcompanions。"Thegroom-

themanwhohaschargeofthehorses-saysthathethinksthatthepeopleonthemountain-sideareTurks，butIdon"tseehowthatispossible。Yousee-"hepointedwisely-"thatroadleadsdirectlysouthtoArta，anditishardlypossiblethattheGreekarmywouldcomeoverhereandleavethatapproachtoArtautterlyunguarded。Itwouldbetoofoolish。Theymusthaveleftsomementocoverit，andthatiscertainlywhatthosetroopsare。Ifyouareallreadyandwilling，Idon"tseeanythingtodobutmakeagood，stout-hearteddashforArta。Itwouldbenomoredangerousthantosithere。"

Theprofessorwasatlastabletomakehisformalspeech。"Mr。Coleman，"hesaiddistinctly，"weplaceourselvesentirelyinyourhands。"Itwassome。howpitiful。Thismanwho，foryearsandyearshadreignedinalittlecollegetownalmostasamonarch，passingjudgmentwiththeairofonewhowordsthelaw，dealingcriticismupontheuniverseasonetowhomallthingsareplain，publiclydisdainingdefeatasonetowhomallthingsareeasy-thismanwasnowveritablyappealingtoColemantosavehiswife，hisdaughterandhimself，andreallydeclaredhimselfde。pendentforsafetyupontheingenuityandcourageofthecorrespondent。

Theattitudeofthestudentswasutterlyindifferent。Theydidnotconsiderthemselveshelplessatall。theywereevidentlyquitereadytowithstandanythingbuttheylookedfranklyuptoColemanastheirintelligentleader。Iftheysufferedany，theironlyexpressionofitwasinthesimplegrimslangoftheirperiod。

"IwishIwasatConeyIsland。"

"Thisisnotsobadastrigonometry，butit"sworsethanplayingbilliardsforthebeers。"

AndCokesaidprivatelytoColeman:"Say，whatinhellarethesetwodamnpeoplesfightingfor，anyhow？"

Whenhesawthatallopinionswereinfavouroffollowinghimloyally，Colemanwasimpelledtofeelaresponsibility。Hewasnownoerrantrescuer，butaproperlyelectedleaderoffellowbeingsindistress。Whileoneofthestudentsheldhishorse，hetookthedragomanforanotherconsultationwiththecaptainofthebattery。Theofficerwassittingonalargestone，withhiseyesfixedintohisfieldglasses。Whenagainquestionedhecouldgivenosatisfactionastotheidentityofthetroopsonthedistantmountain。HemerelyshruggedhisshouldersandsaidthatiftheywereGreeksitwasverygood，butiftheywereTurksitwasverybad。Heseemedmoreoccupiedintryingtoimpressthecorrespondentthatitwasamatterofsoldierlyindifferencetohimself。

Coleman，afterloathinghimsufficientlyinsilence，returnedtotheothersandsaid:"Well，we"llchanceit。"

Theylookedtohimtoarrangethecaravan。Speakingtothemenofthepartyhesaid:"Ofcourse，anyoneofyouiswelcometomyhorseifyoucanrideit，but-ifyou"renottootired-IthinkIhadmyselfbetterride，sothatIcangoaheadattimes。"

Hismannerwassofineashesaidthisthatthestudentsseemedfairlytoworshiphim。Ofcourseithadbeenmostimprobablethatanyofthemcouldhaveriddenthatvolcanicanimalevenifoneofthemhadtriedit。

HesawMrs。WainwrightandMarjoryuponthebacksoftheirtwolittlenatives，andhoistedtheprofessorintothesaddleofthegroom"shorse，leavinginstructionswiththeservanttoleadtheanimalalwaysandcarefully。Heandthedragomanthenmountedattheheadoftheprocession，andamidcuriousquestioningsfromthesoldierytheycrossedthebridgeandstartedonthetrailtoArta。Therearwasbroughtupbythelittlegreyhorsewiththeluggage，ledbyonestudentandfloggedbyanother。

Coleman，checkingwithdifficultythebattlingdispositionofhishorse，wasveryuneasyinhismindbecausethelastwordsofthecaptainofthebatteryhadmadehimfeelthatperhapsonthisridehewouldbeplacedinapositionwhereonlythebestcouragewouldcount，andhedidnotseehiswaycleartofeelingveryconfidentabouthisconductinsuchacase。

Lookingbackuponthecaravan，hesawitasamostunwieldything，notevencapableofrunningaway。Hehurrieditwithsudden，sharpcontemptuousphrases。

Onthe。marchthereincidentallyflasheduponhimanewtruth。MorethanhalfofthatstudentbandweredeeplyinlovewithMarjory。Ofcourse，whenhehadbeendistantfromherhehadhadaneternaljealousreflectiontothateffect。ItwasnaturalthatheshouldhavethoughtoftheintimatecampingrelationsbetweenMarjoryandtheseyoungstudentswithagreatdealofbitterness，grindinghisteethwhenpicturingtheiropportunitiestomakeMarjoryfallinlovewithsomeoneofthem。HehadragedparticularlyaboutCoke，whosefatherhadmillionsofdollars。Buthehadforgottenallthesejealousiesinthegeneralsplendourofhisexploits。Now，whenhesawthetruth，itseemed。tobringhimbacktohiscommonlifeandhesawhimselfsuddenlyasnotbeingfranticallysuperiorinanywaytothoseotheryoungmen。Themorecloselyhelookedatthislastfact，themoreconvincedhewasofitstruth。HeseemedtoseethathehadbeenimpropererlyelatedoverhisservicestotheWainwrights，andthat，intheend，thegirlmightfancyamanbecausethemanhaddonehernoserviceatall。Hesawhisproudpositionloweritselftobeapawninthegame。Lookingbackoverthestudents，hewonderedwhichoneMarjorymightlove。ThishideousNikopolishadgiveneightmenchancetowinher。HisscornandhismalicequitecentereduponCoke，forhecouldneverforgetthattheman"sfatherhadmillionsofdollars。TheunfortunateCokechosethatmomenttoaddresshimquerulously:"Lookhere，Coleman，can"tyoutellushowfaritistoArta？"

"Coke，"saidColeman，"Idon"tsupposeyoutakemeforatouristagency，butifyoucanonlytrytodistinguishbetweenmeandamapwiththescaleofmilesprintedinthelowerleft-

handcorner，youwillnotcontributesomuchtothesufferingsofthepartywhichyounowadorn。"

ThestudentswithinhearingguffawedandCokeretired，inconfusion。

Themarchwasnotrapid。Colemanalmostworeouthisarmsholdingincheckhisimpetuoushorse。Oftenthecaravanflounderedthroughmud，whileatthesametimeahot，yellowdustcamefromthenorth。

TheywereperhapshalfwaytoArtawhenColemandecidedthatarestandluncheonwerethethingstobeconsidered。Hehaltedhistroopthenintheshadeofsomegreattrees，andprivatelyhebadehisdragomanpreparethebestfeastwhichcouldcomeoutofthosesaddle-bagsfreshfromAthens。Theresultwasrathergorgeousintheeyesofthepoorwanderers。

Firstofalltherewerethreeknives，threeforks，threespoons，threetincupsandthreetinplaies，whichtheentirepartyoftwelveusedonamostamiablesocialisticprinciple。Therewerecrisp，saltybiscuitsandolives，forwhichtheyspearedinthebottle。Therewaspottedturkey，andpottedham，andpottedtongue，alltastingpreciselyalike。Thereweresardinesand

TherewasanagitationontheroadtowardArta。Somepeoplewerecomingonhorses。Hepaidsmallheeduntilheheardathumpofpausinghoofsnearhim，andamusicalvoicesay:"Rufus!"

Helookedupquickly，andthenallpresentsawhiseyesreallybulge。ThereonafatandglossyhorsesatNoraBlack，dressedinprobablyoneofthemostcorrectridinghabitswhichhadeverbeenseenintheEast。Shewassmilingaradiantsmile，whichheldtheeightstudentssimptyspell-bound。TheywouldhaverecognisedherifithadnotbeenforthisapparitionalcominginthewildsofsoutheasternEurope。Behindherwereherpeople-someservantsandanoldladyonaverylittlepony。

"Well，Rufus？"shesaid。

Colemanmadethemistakeofhesitating。Forafractionofamomenthehadactedasifhewereembarrassed，andwasonlygoingtonodandsay:"Howd"do？"

Hearoseandcameforwardtoolate。Shewaslookingathimwithamenacingglancewhichmeantdifficultiesforhimifhewasnotskilful。Keenasaneagle，shesweptherglanceoverthefaceandfigureofMarjory。Without。furtherintroduction，thegirlsseemedtounderstandthattheywereenemies。

Despitehisfeelingofawkwardness，Coleman"smindwasmainlyoccupiedbypureastonishment。"NoraBlack？"hesaid，asifeventhenhecouldnotbelievehissenses。"Howintheworlddidyougetdownhere？

Shewasnottooamiable，evidently，overhisreception，andsheseemedtoknowperfectlythatitwasinherpowertomakehimfeelextremelyunpleasant。"Oh，it"snotsofar，"sheanswered。"Idon"tseewhereyoucomeintoaskmewhatI"mdoinghere。Whatareyoudoinghere？"SheliftedhereyesandshotthehalfofaglanceatMarjory。Intoherlastquestionshehadinterjectedaspiritofownershipinwhichhesawfuturewoe。Itturnedhimcowardly。"Why，youknowIwassentupherebythepapertorescuetheWainwrightparty，andI"vegotthem。I"mtakingthemtoArta。Butwhyareyouhere？"

"Iamhere，"shesaid，givinghimthemostdefiantofglances，"principallytolookforyou。"

Eventhehorsesherodebetrayedanintentionofabidinguponthatspotforever。ShehadmadehercommunicationwithColemanappeartotheWainwrightpartyasasortoftenderreunion。

Colemanlookedatherwithasteelyeye。"Nora，youcancertainlybeadevilwhenyouchoose。"

"Whydon"tyoupresentmetoyourfriends？Mis，；NoraBlack，specialcorrespondentoftheNewYorkDaylighi，ifyouplease。Ibelongtoyouropposition。Iamyourrival，Rufus，andIdrawabiggersalary-see？Funnylookinggang，that。

WhoistheoldJohnnieinthewhitewig？"

"Er-whereyougoin"-youcan"t"-blunderedColemanmiserably"Aw-thearmyisinretreatandyoumustgobackto-

don"tyousee？"

"Isit？"sheagked。Afterapausesheaddedcoolly:"ThenI

shallgobacktoArtawithyouandyourpreciousWainwrights。"

CHAPTERXV。

GIVINGColemananotherglanceofsubtlemenaceNorarepeated:"Whydon"tyoupresentmetoyourfriends？"

Colemanhadbeenswiftlysearchingthewholeworldforawayclearofthisunhappiness，butheknewatlastthathecouldonlydieathisguns。"Why，certainly，"hesaidquickly，"ifyouwishit。"Hesaunteredeasilybacktotheluncheonblanket。

"ThisisMissBlackoftheNewYorkDaylightandshesaysthatthosepeopleonthemountainareGreeks。"Thestudentsweregapingathim，andMarjoryandherfathersatinthesamesilence。ButtothereliefofColemanandtothehighedificationofthestudents，Mrs。Wainwrightcriedout:"Why，issheanAmericanwoman？"AndseeingColeman"snodofassentsherustledtoherfeetandadvancedhastilyuponthecomplacenthorsewoman。"I"mdelightedtoseeyou。WhowouldthinkofseeinganAmericanwomanwayoverhere。Haveyoubeenherelong？Areyougoingonfurther？Oh，we"vehadsuchadreadfultime。"ColemanremainedlongenoughtohearNorasay:"

Thankyouverymuch，butIshan"tdismount。IamgoingtoridebacktoArtapresently。"

ThenheheardMrs。Wainwrightcry:"Oh，areyouindeed？

Whywe，too，aregoingatoncetoArta。Wecanallgotogether。"Colemanfledthentothebosomofthestudents，whoalllookedathimwitheyesofcynicalpenetration。HecastaglanceatMarjorymorethanfearingaglarewhichdenotedanimplacableresolutionnevertoforgivethisthing。Onthecontraryhehadneverseenhersocontentandserene。"Youhaveallowedyourcoffeetogetchilled，"shesaidconsiderately。"Won"tyouhavethemanwarmyousomemore？"

"Thanks，no，"heansweredwithgratitude。

Nora，changinghermind，haddismountedandwascomingwithMrs。Wainwright。Thatworthyladyhadlonghadafundofinformationandanecdotethesoundofwhichneitherherhusbandnorherdaughterwouldendureforamoment。Ofcoursetherascallystudentswereoutofthequestion。Here，then，wasreallythefirstearamiablyandcheerfullyopen，andshewastalkingatwhatthestudentscalledher"thirtyknotgait。"

"Losteverything。Absolutelyeverything。Neitherofushaveevenabrushandcomb，oracakeofsoap，orenoughhairpinstoholdupourhair。I"mgoingtotakeMarjory"sawayfromherandletherbraidherhairdownherback。Youcanimaginehowdreadfulitis——"

FromtimetotimethecoolvoiceofNorasoundedwithouteffortthroughthisclamour。"Oh，itwillbenotroubleatall。Ihavemorethanenoughofeverything。Wecandivideverynicely。"

Colemanbrokesomewhatimperiouslyintothisfemininechat。

"Well，wemustbemoving，youknow，"andhisvoicestartedthemenintoactivity。WhenthetrapswereallpackedagainonthehorseColemanlookedbacksurprisedtoseethethreewomenengagedinthemostfriendlydiscussion。Thecombinedpartiesnowmadeaveryrespectablesquadron。Colemanrodeoffatitsheadwithoutglancingbehindatall。Heknewthattheywerefollowingfromthesoftpoundingofthehorseshoofsonthesodandfromthemellowhumofhumanvoices。

Foralongtimehedidnotthinktolookuponhimselfasanythingbutamanmuchinjuredbycircumstances。Amonghisfriendshecouldcountnumberswhohadlivedlongliveswithouthavingthispeculiarclassofmisfortunecometothem。

Infactitwassounusualamisfortunethatmenoftheworldhadnotfounditnecessarytopassfrommindtomindaperfectformulafordealingwithit。ButhesoonbegantoconsiderhimselfanextraordinarilyluckypersoninasmuchasNoraBlackhadcomeuponhimwithhersaddlebagspackedwithinflammablesubstances，sotospeak，andtherehadbeenasyetonlyenoughfiretoboilcoffeeforluncheon。HelaughedtenderlywhenhethoughtoftheinnocenceofMrs。

Wainwright，buthisfaceandbackflushedwithheatwhenliethoughtofthecanninessoftheeightAmericancollegestudents。

HeheardahorsecanteringuponhisleftsideandlookinghesawNoraBlack。Shewasbeamingwithsatisfactionandgoodnature。"Well，Rufus，"shecriedflippantly，"howgoesitwiththegallantrescuer？You"vemadeahit，myboy。Youarethesuccessoftheseason。"

ColemanreflectedupontheprobableresultofadirectappealtoNora。Heknewofcoursethatsuchappealswereusuallyidle，buthedidnotconsiderNoraanordinaryperson。Hisdecisionwastoventureit。Hedrewhishorseclosetohers。"Nora，"hesaid，"doyouknowthatyouareraisingtheverydevil？"

Sheliftedherfinelypenciledeyebrowsandlookedathimwiththebaby-stare。"How？"sheenquired。

"Youknowwellenough，"hegrittedoutwrathfully。

"Raisingtheverydevil？"sheasked。"Howdoyoumean？"

Shewaspalpablyinterestedforhisanswer。Shewaitedforhisreplyforaninterval，andthensheaskedhimoutright。"RufusColemandoyoumeanthatIamnotarespectablewoman？"

Inrealityhehadmeantnothingofthekind，butthisdirectthrottlingofagreatquestionstupefiedhimutterly，forhesawnowthatshe"wouldprobablyneverunderstandhimintheleastandthatshewouldatanyratealwayspretendnottounderstandhimandthatthemorehesaidthemoreharmhemanufactured。Shestudiedhimovercarefullyandthenwheeledherhorsetowardstherearwithsomepartingremarks。"Isupposeyoushouldattendmorestrictlytoyourownaffairs，Rufus。InsteadofraisingthedevilI

amlendinghairpins。Ihaveseenyouinsultpeople，butIhaveneverseenyouinsultanyonequiteforthewhimofthething。

Gosoakyourhead。"

NotconsideringitadvisabletothenindulgeinsuchimmersionColemanrodemoodilyonward。Thehotdustcontinuedtostingthecheeksofthetravellersandinsomeplacesgreatcloudsofdeadleavesroaredincirclesaboutthem。

AlloftheWainwrightpartywereutterlyfagged。Colemanfelthisskincrackleandhisthroatseemedtobecoatedwiththewhitedust。HeworriedhisdragomanastothedistancetoArtauntilthedragomanliedtothepointwherehealwaysdeclaredthatArtawasonlyoffsomehundredsofyards。

AttheirplacesintheprocessionMrs。WainwrightandMarjorywereanimatedlytalkingtoNoraandtheoldladyonthelittlepony。Theyhadatfirstsufferedgreatamazementatthevoluntarypresenceoftheoldlady，butshewastherereallybecausesheknewnobetter。Hercolossalignorancetooktheform，mainly，ofamostobstreperouspatriotism，andindeedshealwaysactedinaforeigncountryasifshewerethespecialcommissionerofthePresident，orperhapsasaspecialcommissionercouldnotactatall。Shewasveryaggressive，andwhenanyofthetravellingarrangementsinEuropedidnotsuitherideasshewaswon"ttoshrillyexclaim:"Well!NewYorkisgoodenoughforme。"Nora，morbidlyafraidthatherex-

pensebilltotheDaylightwouldnotbelargeenough，haddraggedherbodilyofftoGreeceashercompanion，friendandprotection。AtArtatheyhadheardofthegrandsuccessoftheGreekarmy。TheTurkshadnotstoodforamomentbeforethatgallantandterribleadvance；no；theyhadscamperedhowlingwithfearintothenorth。Janninawouldfall-well，JanninawouldfallassoonastheGreeksarrived。Therewasnodoubtofit。Thecorrespondentandherfriend，deludedandhurriedbythelight-heartedconfidenceoftheGreeksinArta，hadhastenedoutthenonaregulartourist"sexcursiontoseeJanninaafteritscapture。NoraconcealedfromherfriendthefactthattheeditoroftheDaylightparticularlywishedhertoseeabattlesothatshemightwriteanarticleonactualwarfarefromawoman"spointofview。

Withhernameasaqueenofcomicopera，suchanarticlefromherpenwouldbeaburning，sensation。

ColemanhadbeenthefirsttopointouttoNorathatinsteadofgoingonapicnictoJannina，shehadbetterrunbacktoArta。Whentheoldladyheardthattheyhadnotbeenentirelysafe，shewasfuriouswithNora。"Theidea!"sheexclaimedtoMrs。Wainwright。"Theymighthavecaughtus!Theymighthavecaughtus!"

"Well，"saidMrs。Wainwright。"IverilybelievetheywouldhavecaughtusifithadnotbeenforMr。Coleman。"

"Ishethegentlemanonthefinehorse？"

"Yes；that"shim。Oh，hehasbeensim-pleesplendid。I

confessIwasalittlebit-er-surprised。Hewasincollegeundermyhusband。Idon"tknowthatwethoughtverygreatthingsofhim，butifeveramanwongoldenopinionshehasdonesofromus。"

"Oh，thatmustbetheColemanwhoissuchagreatfriendofNora"s。"

"Yes？"saidMrs。Wainwrightinsidiously。"Ishe？Ididn"tknow。Ofcourseheknowssomanypeople。"HermindhadbeensuddenlyilluminedbytheoldladyandshethoughtextravagantlyofthearrivalofNorauponthescene。Sheremainedallsweetnesstotheoldlady。"Didyouknowhewashere？Didyouexpecttomeethim？Iseemedsuchadelightfulcoincidence。"Intruthshewasbeingsubterraneouslyclever。

"Oh，no；Idon"tthinkso。Ididn"thearNoramentionit。Ofcourseshewouldhavetoldme。Youknow，ourcomingtoGreecewassuchasurprise。NorahadanengagementinLondonattheFollyTheatreinFlybyNight，butthemanagerwasinsufferable，oh，insufferable。So，ofcourse，Norawouldn"tstanditaminute，andthenthesenewspaperpeoplecamealongandaskedhertogotoGreeceforthemandsheaccepted。IamsureI

neverexpectedtofindus-aw-fleeingfromtheTurksorI

shouldn"thaveCome。"

"Mrs。Wainwrightwasgasping。"Youdon"tmeanthatsheis——

sheisNoraBlack，theactress。"

"Ofcoursesheis，"saidtheoldladyjubilantly。

"Why，howstrange，"chokedMrs。Wainwrignt。NothingsheknewofNoracouldaccountforherstupefactionandgrief。

Whathappenedglaringlytoherwastheduplicityofman。

Colemanwasaribalddeceiver。HemusthaveknownandyethehadpretendedthroughoutthatthemeetingwasapureaccidentSheturnedwithanervousimpulsetosympathistwithherdaughter，butdespitethelovelytranquillityofthegirl"sfacetherewassomethingaboutherwhichforbadethemothertomeddle。AnyhowMrs。WainwrightwassorrythatshehadtoldnicethingsofColeman"sbehaviour，soshesaidtotheoldlady:

"Youngmenofthesetimesgetafalseagesoquickly。Wehavealwaysthoughtitagreatpity，aboutMr。Coleman。"

"Why，howso？"askedtheoldlady。

"Oh，reallynothing。Only，tousheseemedrather——er-

prematurelyexperiencedorsomethingofthatkind。

Theoldladydidnotcatchthemeaningofthephrase。

Sheseemedsurprised。"Why，I"veneverseenanyfull-grownpersoninthisworldwhogotexperienceanytooquickforhisowngood。"

Atthetailoftheprocessiontherewastalkbetweenthetwostudentswhohadinchargethelittlegreyhorse-onetoleadandonetoflog。"Billie，"saidone，"itnowbecomesnecessarytolosethishobbyintothehandsofsomeoftheotherfellows。WherebywewillgainopportunitytopayhomagetothegreatNora。Why，youegregiousthick-head，thisisthechanceofalife-time。I"mdamnedifI"mgoingtotowthisbeastofburdenmuchfurther。"

"Youwouldn"tstandashow，"saidBilliepessimistically。"LookatColeman。"

"That"sallright。DoyoumeantosaythatyouprefertocontinuetowingpackhorsesinthepresenceofthisqueenofsongandthedancejustbecauseyouthinkColemancanthrowouthischestalittlemorethanyou。Notso。Thinkofyourbrightandsparklingyouth。There"sCokeandPeteTounleynearMarjory。We"llcall"em。"Whereuponhesetupacry。"Say，youpeople，we"renotgettinga，salaryforthis。Supposin"youtryforatime。It"lldoyougood。"Whenthetwoaddressedbadhaltedtoawaitthearrivalofthelittlegreyhorse，theytookonglumexpressions。"Youlooklikepoisonedpups，"saidthestudentwholedthehorse。"Toostrongforlightwork。Grabontothehalter，now，Peter，andtow。

WearegoingaheadtotalktoNoraBlack。"

"Goodtimeyou"llhave，"answeredPeterTounley。

"Colemaniscuttin"upscandalous。Youwon"tstandashow。"

"Whatdoyouthinkofhim？"saidCoke。"Seemscurious，all"round。Doyousupposeheknewshewouldshowup？Itwasnervyto——"

"Nervytowhat？"askedBillie。

"Well，"saidCoke，"seemstomeheisplayingbothendsagainstthemiddle。Idon"tknowanythingaboutNoraBlack，but-"

Thethreeotherstudentsexpressedthemselveswithconvictionandinchorus。"Coleman"sallright。"

"Well，anyhow，"continuedCoke，"Idon"tseemywayfreetoadmiringhimintroducingNoraBlacktotheWainwrights。"

"Hedidn"t，"saidtheothers，stillinchorus。

"Queergame，"saidPeterTounley。"Heseemstoknowherprettywell。"

"Prettydamnwell，"saidBillie。

"Anyhowhe"sabrick，"saidPeterTounley。"Wemustn"tforgetthat。Lo，IbegintofeelthatourRufusisaflyguyofmanydifferentkinds。Anyplaythatheisincommandsmyrespect。Hewon"tbehitbyachimneyinthedaytime，foruntohimhascomemuchwisdom，I

don"tthinkI"llworry。"