第11章

"No，sheisnot，"answeredtheprofessor，"andI

donotknowasIshallgomyself。"

"Butyoumustgo。Thinkhowitwouldlook!

Allthestudentsdowntherediningwithoutus，andcuttingupcapers!Youmustcome。"

"Yes，"hesaid，dubiously，"butwhowilllookafterMarjory？"

"Shewantstobeleftalone，"announcedMrs。

Wainwright，asifshewastheparticularheraldofthisnews。"Shewantstobeleftalone。"

"Well，Isupposewemayaswellgodown。"

Beforetheywent，theprofessortiptoedintohisdaughter"sroom。Inthedarknesshecouldonlyseeherwaxenfaceonthepillow，andhertwoeyesgazingfixedlyattheceiling。Hedidnotspeak，butimmedi。

atelywithdrew，closingthedoornoiselesslybehindhim。

I

CHAPTERXXVI。

IFtheprofessorandMrs。Wainwrighthaddescendedsoonertoalowerfloorofthehotel，theywouldhavefoundreigningthereaformofanarchy。

Thestudentswereinasmokingroomwhichwasalsoanentrancehalltothediningroom，andbecausetherewasinthemiddleofthisapartmentafountaincontaininggoldfish，theyhadbeenmovedtolicenseandsin。Theyhadallbeentubbedandpolishedandbrushedanddresseduntiltheywereexuberantlybeyondthemselves。Theproprietorofthehotelbroughtinhisdignityandshowedittothem，buttheymindeditnomorethanifhehadbeenonlyacommonman。

Hedrewhimselftohisheightandlookedgravelyatthemandtheyjoviallysaid:"Hello，Whiskers。"

Americancollegestudentsarenotoriousintheircountryfortheirinclinationtoscoffatrobedandcrownedauthority，and，farfrombeingawedbythedignityofthehotel-keeper，theyweredelightedwithit。Itwassomethingwithwhichtosport。Withimmeasurableimpudence，theycopiedhisattitude，and，standingbeforehim，madecomicspeeches，alwaysalludingwithblindingvividnesstohisbeard。Hisexitdisappointedthem。Hehadnotremainedlongunderfire。Theyfeltthattheycouldhaveinterestedthemselveswithhimanentireevening。"Comeback，Whiskers!Oh，comeback!"Outinthemainhallhemadeages。

tureofdespairtosomeofhisgapingminionsandthenfledtoseclusion。

AformidablemajoritythendecidedthatCokewasagoldfish，andthatthereforehisproperplacewasinthefountain。Theycarriedhimtoitwhilehestrug。

gledmadly。Thisquietroomwithitscrimsonrugsandgildedmirrorsseemedsuddenlytohavebecomeanimportantapartmentinhell。Therebeingasyetnotrafficinthediningroom，thewaiterswereallatlibertytocometotheopendoors，wheretheystoodasmenturnedtostone。Tothem，itwasnolessthanincendiarism。

Coke，standingwithonefootonthefloorandtheotheronthebottomoftheshallowfountain，blas-

phemedhiscomradesinalowtone，butwithinten-

tion。Hewascertainlydesirousofliftinghisfootoutofthewater，butitseemedthatallmovementtothatendwouldhavetowaituntilhehadsuccessfullyex-

pressedhisopinions。Inthemeantime，therewasheardslowfootstepsandtherustleofskirts，andthensomepeopleenteredthesmokingroomontheirwaytodine。Coketookhisfoothastilyoutofthefountain。

Thefacesofthemenofthearrivingpartywentblank，andtheyturnedtheircoldandpebblyeyesstraighttothefront，whiletheladies，afterlittleex。

pressionsofalarm，lookedAsiftheywantedtorun。

Infact，thewholecrowdratherboltedfromthisex-

traordinaryscene。

"There，now，"saidCokebitterlytohiscompanions。

"Yousee？Welookedlikelittleschoolboys-"

"Oh，nevermind，oldman，"saidPeterTounley。

"We"llforgiveyou，althoughyoudidembarrassus。

But，aboveeverything，don"tdrip。Whateveryoudo，don"tdrip。"

Thestudentstookthisquestionofdrippingandplayeduponituntiltheywouldhavemadequiteinsaneanybodybutanotherstudent。Theyworkeditintoallmannerofforms，andhackedandhaggledatCokeuntilhewasdriventohisroomtoseekotherapparel。"Besureandchangebothlegs，"theytoldhim。"Rememberyoucan"tchangeonelegwithoutchangingbothlegs。"

AfterCoke"sdeparture，theUnitedStatesministerenteredtheroom，andinstantlytheyweresubdued。

Itwasnothisloftystation-thataffectedthem。Thereareprobablyfewstationsthatwouldhaveatallaf-

fectedthem。Theybecamesubduedbecausetheyun-

feignedlylikedtheUnitedStatesminister。They，weresuddenlyagroupofwell-bred，correctlyattiredyoungmenwhohadnotputCoke"sfootinthefountain。

Norhadtheydesecratedthemajestyofthehotelkeeper。

"Well，Iamdelighted，"saidtheminister，laughingasheshookhandswiththemall。"IwasnotsureI

wouldeverseeyouagain。Youarenottobetrusted，and，goodboysasyouare，I"llbegladtoseeyouonceandforeverovertheboundaryofmyjurisdiction。

LeaveGreece，youvagabonds。However，Iamtrulydelightedtoseeyouallsafe。"

"Thankyou，sir，"theysaid。

"Howintheworlddidyougetoutofit？Youmustberemarkablechaps。Ithoughtyouwereinahopelessposition。IwiredandcabledeverywhereI

could，butIcouldfindoutnothing。"

"Acorrespondent，"saidPeterTounley。"Idon"tknowifyouhavemethim。HisnameisColeman。

Hefoundus。"

"Coleman？"askedtheminister，quickly。

"Yes，sir。Hefoundusandbroughtusoutsafely。"

"Well，glorybetoColeman，"exclaimedthemin-

ister，afteralongsighofsurprise。"GlorybetoCole-

man!Ineverthoughthecoulddoit。"

Thestudentswerealertimmediately。"Why，didyouknowaboutit，sir？Didhetellyouhewascomingafterus？"

"Ofcourse。HecametomehereinAthens。andaskedwhereyouwere。Itoldhimyouwereinapeckoftrouble。Heactedquietlyandsomewhatqueerly，。andsaidthathewouldtrytolookyouup。

Hesaidyouwerefriendsofhis。Iwarnedhimagainsttryingit。Yes，Isaiditwasimpossible，I

hadnoideathathewouldreallycarrythethingout。

Butdidn"thetellyouanythingaboutthishimself？"

"No，sir""answeredPeterTounley。"Heneversaidmuchaboutit。Ithinkheusuallycontendedthatitwasmainlyanaccident。"

"Itwasnoaccident，"saidtheminister，sharply。

"Whenamanstartsouttodoathinganddoesit，youcan"tsayitisanaccident。"

"Ididn"tsayso，sir，"saidPeterTounleydiffidently。

"Quitetrue，quitetrue!Youdidn"t，but-thisColemanmustbeaman!"

"Wethinkso，sir，"saidbewhowascalledBillie。

"Hecertainlybroughtusthroughinstyle。"

"Buthowdidhemanageit？"criedtheminister，keenlyinterested。"Howdidhedoit？"

"Itishardtosay，sir。Buthedidit。HemetusinthedeadofnightoutnearNikopolis-"

"NearNikopolis？"

"Yes，sir。Andhehidusinaforestwhileafightwasgoingon，andtheninthemorninghebroughtusinsidetheGreeklines。Oh，thereisalottotell-"

Whereupontheytoldit，orasmuchastheycouldofit。Intheend，theministersaid:"Well，wherearetheprofessorandMrs。Wainwright？Iwantyoualltodinewithmeto-night。Iamdininginthepublicroom，butyouwon"tmindthatafterEpirus。"

"Theyshouldbedownnow，sir，"answeredaStudent。

PeoplewerenowcomingrapidlytodinnerandpresentlytheprofessorandMrs。Wainwrightappeared。

Theoldmanlookedhaggardandwhite。Heacceptedtheminister"swarmgreetingwithastrainedpatheticsmile。"Thankyou。Wearegladtoreturnsafely。"

OnceatdinnertheministerlaunchedimmediatelyintothesubjectofColeman。"Hemustbealtogetheramostremarkableman。Whenhetoldme，veryquietly，thathewasgoingtotrytorescueyou，I

franklywarnedhimagainstanysuchattempt。I

thoughthewouldmerelyaddonemoretoapartyofsufferingpeople。Butthe。boystell-methathedidactuallyrescueyou。"

"Yes，hedid，"saidtheprofessor。"Itwasaverygallantperformance，andweareverygrateful。"

"Ofcourse，"spokeMrs。Wainwright，"wemighthaverescuedourselves。Wewereontherightroad，andallwehadtodowastokeepgoingon。"

"Yes，butIunderstand-"saidtheminister。"I

understandhetookyouintoawoodtoprotectyoufromthatfight，andgenerallyprotectedyoufromall，kindsoftrouble。Itseemswonderfultome，notsomuchbecauseitwasdoneasbecauseitwasdonebythemanwho，sometimeago，calmyannouncedtomethathewasgoingtodoit。Extraordinary。"

"Ofcourse，"saidMrs。Wainwright。"Oh，ofcourse。"

"Andwhereishenow？"askedtheministersuddenly。

"Hashenowleftyoutothemerciesofcivilisation？"

Therewasamoment"scuriousstillness，andthenMrs。Wainwrightusedthathighvoicewhich-thestudentsbelieved-couldonlycometoherwhenshewasabouttosaysomethingpeculiarlydestructivetothesensibilities。"Oh，ofcourse，Mr。Colemanrenderedusagreatservice，butinhisprivatecharacterheisnotamanwhomweexactlycaretoassociatewith。"

"Indeed"saidtheministerstaring。Thenhehastilyaddressedthestudents。"Well，isn"tthisacomicwar？Didyoueverimaginewarcouldbelikethis？"Theprofessorremainedlookingathiswifewithanairofstupefaction，asifshehadopeneduptohimvisionsofimbecilityofwhichhehadnotevendreamed。Thestudentsloyallybegantochatterattheminister。"Yes，sir，itisaqueerwar。Afteralltheirbragging，itisfunnytohearthattheyarerunningawaywithsuchagility。Wethought，ofcourse，oftheoldGreekwars。"

Later，theministeraskedthemalltohisroomsforcoffeeandcigarettes，buttheprofessorandMrs。

Wainwrightapologeticallyretiredtotheirownquarters。

Theministerandthestudentsmadecloudsofsmoke，throughwhichsangtheeloquentdescriptionsoflateadventures。

TheministerhadspentdaysoflisteningtoquestionsfromtheStateDepartmentatWashingtonastothewhereaboutsoftheWainwrightparty。"Isupposeyouknowthatyou，areveryprominentpeoplein，theUnitedStatesjustnow？Yourpicturesmusthavebeeninallthepapers，andtheremusthavebeencolumnsprintedaboutyou。Mylifeherewasmadealmostinsupportablebyyourfriends，whoconsist，I

shouldthink，ofabouthalfthepopulationofthecountry。Ofcoursetheylaidregularsiegetothede。

partment。IamangryatColemanforonlyonething。

Whenhecabledthenewsofyourrescuetohisnews。

paperfromArta，heshouldhavealsowiredme，ifonlytorelievemyfailingmind。MyfirstnewsofyourescapewasfromWashington-thinkofthat。"

"ColemanhadusallonhishandsatArta，"saidPeterTounley。"Hewasafairlybusyman。"

"Isupposeso，"saidtheminister。"Bytheway，"

heaskedbluntly，"whatiswrongwithhim？WhatdidMrs。Wainwrightmean？"

Theyweresilentforatime，butitseemedplaintohimthatitwasnotevidencethathisquestionhaddemoralisedthem。Theyseemedtobedeliberatingupontheformofanswer。UltimatelyPeterTounleycoughedbehindhishand。"Yousee，sir，"hebegan，"thereis-well，thereisawomaninthecase。Notthatanybodywouldcaretospeakofitexceptingtoyou。Butthatiswhatisthecauseofthings，andthen，yousee，Mrs。Wainwrightis-well-"Hehesitatedamomentandthencompletedhissentenceintheingenuousprofanityofhisageandcondition。"Sheisratheranextraordinaryoldbird。"

"Butwhoisthewoman？

"Why，itisNoraBlaick，theactress。"

"Oh，"criedtheminister，enlightened。"HerWhy，Isawherhere。Shewasverybeautiful，butsheseemedharmlessenough。Shewassomewhat-er-

confident，perhaps，butshedidnotalarmme。Shecalleduponme，andIconfessI-why，sheseemedcharming。"

"She"ssweetonlittleRufus。That"sthepoint，"

saidanoracularvoice。

"Oh，"criedthehost，suddenly。"Iremember。Sheaskedmewherehewas。ShesaidshehadheardhewasinGreece，andItoldherhehadgoneknight-

errantingoffafteryoupeople。Iremembernow。I

supposeshepostedafterhimuptoArta，eh？"

"That"sit。Andsosheaskedyouwherehewas？

"Yes。"

"Why，thatoldflamingo-Mrs。Wainwrightinsiststhatitwasarendezvous。"

Everyoneexchangedglancesandlaughedalittle。

"Anddidyouseeanyactualfighting？"askedtheminister。

"No。Weonlybeardit-"

Afterward，astheyweretroopinguptotheirrooms，PeterTounleyspokemusingly。"Well，itlookstomenowasifOldMotherWainwrightwasjustabad-mindedoldhen。"

"Oh，Idon"tknow。Howisonegoingtotellwhatthetruthis？"

"Atanyrate，wearesurenowthatColemanhadnothingtodowithNora"sdebutinEpirus。"

TheyhadtalkedmuchofColeman，butintheirtonestherealwayshadbeenanoteofindifferenceorcarelessness。Thismatter，whichtosomepeoplewasasvitalandfundamentalasexistence，remainedtootherswhoknewofitonlyaharmlessdetailoflife，withnoterriblepowers，anditssignificancehadfadedgreatlywhenhadendedthecloseassociat。ionsofthelateadventure。

Afterdinnertheprofessorhadgonedirectlytohisdaughter"sroom。Apparentlyshehadnotmoved。

Hekneltbythebedsideagainandtookoneofherhands。Shewasnotweeping。Shelookedathimandsmiledthroughthedarkness。"Daddy，Iwouldliketodie，"shesaid。"Ithink-yes-Iwouldliketodie。"

Foralongtimetheoldmanwassilent，buthearoseatlastwithadefiniteabruptnessandsaidhoarsely"Wait!"

Mrs。Wainwrightwasstandingbeforehermirrorwithherelbowsthrustoutatanglesaboveherhead，whileherfingersmovedinadisarrangementof"herhair。IntheglassshesawareflectionofherhusbandcomingfromMarjory"sroom，andhisfacewassetwithsomekindofalarmingpurpose。Sheturnedtowatchhimactually，buthewalkedtowardthedoorintothecorridoranddidnotinanywiseheedher。

"Harrison!"shecalled。"Whereareyougoing？"

Heturnedatroubledfaceuponher，and，asifshehadhailedhiminhissleep，hevacantlysaid:

"What？"

"Whereareyougoing？"shedemandedwithincreasingtrepidation。

Hedroppedheavilyintoachair。"Going？"herepeated。

Shewasangry。"Yes!Going？Whereareyougoing？"

"Iamgoing-"heanswered，"IamgoingtoseeRufusColeman。"

Mrs。Wainwrightgavevoicetoamuffledscream。

"NotaboutMarjory？"

"Yes，"hesaid，"aboutMarjory。"

ItwasnowMrs。Wainwright"sturntolookatherhusbandwithanairofstupefactionasifhehadopeneduptohervisionsofimbecilityofwhichshehadnotevendreamed。"AboutMarjory!"shegurgled。Thensuddenlyherwrathflamedout。

"Well，uponmyword，HarrisonWainwright，youare，ofallmenintheworld，themostsillyandstupid。

Youareabsolutelybeyondbelief。Ofallprojects!

AndwhatdoyouthinkMarjorywouldhavetosayofitifsheknewit？Isupposeyouthinkshewouldlikeit？Why，Itellyoushewouldkeepherrighthandinthefireuntilitwasburnedoffbeforeshewouldallowyoutodosuchathing。"

"Shemustneverknowit，"respondedtheprofessor，indullmisery。

"Thenthinkofyourself!Thinkoftheshameofit!Theshameofit!"

Theprofessorraisedhiseyesforanironicalglanceathiswife。"OhIhavethoughtoftheshameofit!"

"Andyou"llaccomplishnothing，"criedMrs。Wain-

wright。"You"llaccomplishnothing。He"llonlylaughatyou。"

"Ifhelaughsatme，hewilllaughatnothingbutapoor，weak，unworldlyoldman。Itismydutytogo。"

Mrs。Wainwrightopenedhermouthasifshewasabouttoshriek。Afterchokingamomentshesaid:

"Yourduty？Yourdutytogoandbendthekneetothatman？Yourduty？"

""Itismydutytogo，""herepeatedhumbly。"IfIcanfindevenonechanceformydaughter"shappi-

nessinapersonalsacrifice。Hecandonomorethanhecandonomorethanmakemealittlesadder。"

Hiswifeevidentlyunderstoodhishumilityasatributetoherargumentsandaclearindicationthatshehadfatallyunderminedhisoriginalintention。

"Oh，hewouldhavemadeyousadder，"shequothgrimly。"Nofear!Why，itwasthemostinsaneideaIeverheardof。"

Theprofessorarosewearily。"Well，Imustbegoingtothiswork。Itisathingtohaveendedquickly。"Therewassomethingalmostbiblicalinhismanner。

"Harrison!"burstouthiswifeinamazedlamenta-

tion。Youarenotreallygoingtodoit？Notreally!"

"Iamgoingtodoit，"heanswered。

"Well，there!"ejaculatedMrs。Wainwrighttotheheavens。Shewas，sotospeak，prostrate。"Well，there!"

Astheprofessorpassedoutofthedoorshecriedbeseechinglybutfutilelyafterhim。"Harrison。"Inamechanicalwaysheturnedthenbacktothemirrorandresumedthedisarrangementofherhair。Shead-

dressedherimage。"Well，ofallstupidcreaturesunderthesun，menaretheveryworst!"Andherimagesaidthistoherevenassheinformedit，andafterwardtheystaredateachotherinaprofoundandtragicreceptionandacceptanceofthisgreattruth。

PresentlyshebegantoconsidertheadvisabilityofgoingtoMarjdrywiththewholestory。Really，HarrisonmustnotbeallowedtogoonblunderinguntilthewholeworldheardthatMarjorywastryingtobreakherheartoverthatcommonscampofaColeman。

Itseemedtobeabouttimeforher，Mrs。Wainwright，tocomeintothesituationandmendmatters。

CHAPTERXXVIL

WHENtheprofessorarrivedbeforeColeman"sdoor，hepausedamomentandlookedatit。Previously，hecouldnothaveimaginedthatasimpledoorwouldeversoaffecthim。Everylineofitseemedtoexpresscoldsuperiorityanddisdain。Itwasonlythedoorofaformerstudent，oneofhisoldboys，whom，astheneedarrived，hehadwhippedwithhissatireintheclassroomsatWashurstuntilthementalbloodhadcome，andallwithoutaconceptionofhisultimatelyarrivingbeforethedoorofthisboyintheattitudeofasupplicant。Hewouldnotsayit；Colemanprobablywouldnotsayit；but-theywouldbothknowit。A

singlethoughtofit，madehimfeellikerunningaway。

Hewouldneverdaretoknockonthatdoor。Itwouldbetoomonstrous。Andevenashedecidedthathewasafraidtoknock，heknocked。

Coleman"svoicesaid；"Comein。"Theprofessoropenedthedoor。Thecorrespondent，withoutacoat，wasseatedatapaper-litteredtable。Nearhiselbow，uponanothertable，wasatrayfromwhichhehadevidentlydinedandalsoabrandybottlewithseveralrecumbentbottlesofsoda。Althoughhehadsolatelyarrivedatthehotelhehadcontrivedtodiffusehistrapsovertheroominanorganiseddisarraywhichrepresentedalongandcarelessoccupationifitdidnotrepresentt"lesceneofascuffle。Hispipewasinhismouth。

Afterafirstmurmurofsurprise，hearoseandreachedinsomehasteforhiscoat。"Comein，professor，comein，"hecried，wrigglingdeeperintohisjacketasheheldouthishand。Hehadlaidasidehispipeandhadalsobeenverysuccessfulinflinginganewspapersothatithidthebrandyandsoda。Thisactwasafeatofdeferencetotheprofessor"swellknownprinciples。

"Won"tyousitdown，sir？"saidColemancordially。

Hisquickglanceofsurprisehadbeenimmediatelysuppressedandhismannerwasnowasifthepro-

fessor"scallwasacommonmatter。

"Thankyou，Mr。Coleman，I-yes，Iwillsitdown，"。

repliedtheoldman。Hishandshookashelaiditonthebackofthechairandsteadiedhimselfdownintoit。"Thankyou!"-

Colemanlookedathimwithagreatdealofex-

pectation。

"Mr。Coleman!"

"Yes，sir。"

"I——"

Hehaltedthenandpassedhishandoverhisface。

HiseyesdidnotseemtorestonceuponColeman，buttheyoccupiedthemselvesinfurtiveandfrightenedglancesovertheroom。Colemancouldmakeneitherheadnortailoftheaffair。Hewouldnothavebelievedanyman"sstatementthattheprofessorcouldactinsuchanextraordinaryfashion。"Yes，sir，"hesaidagainsuggestively。Thesimplestrategyresultedinasilencethatwasactuallyawkward。Coleman，despitehisbewilderment，hastenedintoapreservinggossip。"I"vehadagreatmanycableswaitingformeforheavenknows-howlongandothershavebeenarrivinginflocksto-night。YouhavenoideaoftherowinAmerica，professor。Why，everybodymusthavegonewildoverthelostsheep。Mypaperhascabledsomethingsthatareevidentlyforyou。Forinstance，hereisonethatsaysanewpuzzle-gamecalledFindtheWainwrightPartyhashadabigsuccess。

Thinkofthat，wouldyou。"Colemangrinnedattheprofessor。"FindtheWainwrightParty，anewpuzzle-game。"

TheprofessorhadseemedgratefulforColeman"stangentoffintomattersofalightvein。"Yes？"hesaid，almosteagerly。"Aretheysellingagamereallycalledthat？"

"Yes，really，"repliedColeman。"Andofcourseyouknowthat-er-well，alltheSundaypaperswouldofcoursehavebigillustratedarticles-fullpages-

withyourphotographsandgeneralprivatehistoriespertainingmostlytothingswhicharenoneoftheirbusiness。"

"Yes，Isupposetheywoulddothat，"admittedtheprofessor。"ButIdaresayitmaynotbeasbadasyousuggest。"

"Verylikenot，"saidColeman。"Iputittoyouforciblysothatinthefuturetheblowwillnotbetoocruel。Theyareoftenaweirdlot。"

"Perhapstheycan"tfindanythingverybadaboutus。"

"Oh，no。AndbesidesthewholeepisodewillprobablybeforgottenbythetimeyoureturntotheUnitedStates。"

Theytalkedoninthiswayslowly，strainedly，untiltheyeachfoundthatthesituationwouldsoonbecomeinsupportable。TheprofessorhadcomeforadistinctpurposeandColemanknewit；theycouldnotsittherelyingateachotherforever。Yetwhenhesawthepaindeepeningintheprofessor"seyes，thecorrespondentagainordereduphistrivialities。"Funnything。Mypaperhasbeencongratulatingme，youknow，sir，inawholesalefashion，andIthink-Ifeelsure-thattheyhavebeenexploitingmynamealloverthecountryastheHeroicRescuer。Thereisnosenseintryingtostopthem，becausetheydon"tcarewhetheritistrueornottrue。Alltheywantistheprivilegeofhowlingoutthattheircorrespondentrescuedyou，andtheywouldtakethatprivilegewithoutinanywaysworryingifIrefusedmyconsent。Yousee，sir？Iwouldn"tlikeyoutofeelthatIwassuchastridentidiotasIdoubtlessamappearingnowbeforethepublic。"

"No，"saidtheprofessorabsently。Itwasplainthathehadbeenaveryslacklistener。"I-Mr。Coleman-"

hebegan。

"Yes，sir，"answeredColemanpromptlyandgently。

Itwasobviouslyonlyarecognitionofthefutilityoffurtherdallyingthatwasdrivingtheoldmanon-

ward。Heknew，ofcourse，thatifhewasresolvedtotakethisstep，alongerdelaywouldsimplymakeitharderforhim。Thecorrespondent，leaningforward，waswatchinghimalmostbreathlessly。

"Mr。Coleman，Iunderstand-oratleastIamledtobelieve-thatyou-atonetime，proposedmarriagetomydaughter？"

Thefalteringwordsdidnotsoundasifeithermanhadaughttodowiththem。Theywereanexpressionbythetragicmuseherself。Coleman"sjawfellandhelookedglassilyattheprofessor。Hesaid:"Yes!"

Butalreadyhisbloodwasleapingashismindflashedeverywhereinspeculation。

"Irefusedmyconsenttothatmarriage，"saidtheoldmanmoreeasily。"Idonotknowifthematterhasremainedimportanttoyou，butatanyrate，I-I

retractmyrefusal。"

SuddenlytheblankexpressionleftColeman"sfaceandhesmiledwithsuddenintelligence，asifinforma-

tionofwhattheprofessorhadbeensayinghadjustreachedhim。Inthissmiletherewasasuddenbe。

trayal，too，ofsomethingkeenandbitterwhichhadlainhiddenintheman"smind。Hearoseandmadeasteptowardstheprofessorandheldouthishand。

"Sir，Ithankyodfromthebottomofmyheart!"

AndtheybothseemedtonotewithsurprisethatColeman"svoicehadbroken。

TheprofessorhadarisentoreceiveColeman"shand。

Hisnervewasnowofironandhewasveryformal。

"IjudgefromyourtonethatIhavenotmadeamis-

take-somcthingwhichIfeared。"

Colemandidnotseemtomindtheprofessor"sformality。

"Don"tfearanything。Won"tyousitdownagain？Willyouhaveacigar。**No，Icouldn"ttellyouhowgladIam。HowgladIam。Ifeellikeafool。It——"

ButtheprofessorfixedhimwithanArcticeyeandbluntlysaid:"Youloveher？"

ThequestionsteadiedColemanatonce。Helookedundauntedlystraightintotheprofessor"sface。

Hesimplysaid:"Iloveher!"

"Youloveher？"repeatedtheprofessor。

"Iloveher，"repeatedColeman。

Aftersomesecondsofpregnantsilence，theprofessorarose。"Well，ifshecarestogiveherlifetoyouIwillallowit，butImustsaythatIdonotconsideryounearlygoodenough。Good-night。"Hesmiledfaintlyasheheldouthishand。

"Good-night，sir，"saidColeman。"AndIcan"ttell，you，now-"

Mrs。Wainwright，inherroomwaslanguishinginachairandapplyingtoherbrowahandkerch-iefwetwithcolognewater。She，keptherfeverishglariceuponthedoor。Rememberingwellthemannerofherhusbandwhenhewentoutshecouldhardlyidentifyhimwhenhecamein。Serenity，composure，evenself-satisfaction，waswrittenuponhim。He，paidnoattentiontoher，butgoingtoachairsatdownwithagroanofcontentment。

"Well？"criedMrs。Wainwright，startingup。

"Well？"

"Well-what？"heasked。

Shewavedherhandimpatiently。"Harrison，don"tbeabsurd。YouknowperfectlywellwhatI

mean。Itisapityyoucouldn"tthinkoftheanxietyIhavebeenin。"Shewasgoingtoweep。

"Oh，I"lltellyouafterawhile，"hesaidstretchingouthislegswiththecomplacencyofarichmerchantafterasuccessfulday。

"No!Tellmenow，"sheimploredhim。"Can"tyouseeI"veworriedmyselfnearlytodeath？"Shewasnotgoingtoweep，shewasgoingtowaxangry。

"Well，totellthetruth，"saidtheprofessorwithconsiderablepomposity，"I"vearrangedit。Didn"tthinkIcoulddoitatfirst，butitturnedout"

"IArrangedit，""wailedMrs。Wainwright。"Arrangedwhat？"

Ithereseemedtostriketheprofessorsuddenlythathewasnotsuchaflamingexamplefordiplomatistsashemighthaveimagined。"Arranged，"hestammered。"Arranged。"

"Arrangedwhat？"

"Why，Ifixed-Ifixeditup。"

"Fixedwhatup？"

"It-it-"begantheprofessor。Thenheswelledwithindignation。"Why，can"tyouunderstandanythingatall？I-Ifixedit。"

"Fixedwhat？"