第1章

Itwaswellalongintheforenoonofabitterwinter"sday。ThetownofEastport，inthestateofMaine，layburiedunderadeepsnowthatwasnewlyfallen。Thecustomarybustleinthestreetswaswanting。Onecouldlooklongdistancesdownthemandseenothingbutadead-whiteemptiness，withsilencetomatch。OfcourseIdonotmeanthatyoucouldseethesilence——no，youcouldonlyhearit。Thesidewalksweremerelylong，deepditches，withsteepsnowwallsoneitherside。Hereandthereyoumighthearthefaint，farscrapeofawoodenshovel，andifyouwerequickenoughyoumightcatchaglimpseofadistantblackfigurestoopinganddisappearinginoneofthoseditches，andreappearingthenextmomentwithamotionwhichyouwouldknowmeanttheheavingoutofashovelfulofsnow。Butyouneededtobequick，forthatblackfigurewouldnotlinger，butwouldsoardropthatshovelandscudforthehouse，thrashingitselfwithitsarmstowarmthem。Yes，itwastoovenomouslycoldforsnow-shovelersoranybodyelsetostayoutlong。

Presentlytheskydarkened；thenthewindroseandbegantoblowinfitful，vigorousgusts，whichsentcloudsofpowderysnowaloft，andstraightahead，andeverywhere。Undertheimpulseofoneofthesegusts，greatwhitedriftsbankedthemselveslikegravesacrossthestreets；amomentlateranothergustshiftedthemaroundtheotherway，drivingafinesprayofsnowfromtheirsharpcrests，asthegaledrivesthespumeflakesfromwave-crestsatsea；athirdgustsweptthatplaceascleanasyourhand，ifitsawfit。Thiswasfooling，thiswasplay；buteachandallofthegustsdumpedsomesnowintothesidewalkditches，forthatwasbusiness。

AlonzoFitzClarencewassittinginhissnugandelegantlittleparlor，inalovelybluesilkdressing-gown，withcuffsandfacingsofcrimsonsatin，elaboratelyquilted。Theremainsofhisbreakfastwerebeforehim，andthedaintyandcostlylittletableserviceaddedaharmoniouscharmtothegrace，beauty，andrichnessofthefixedappointmentsoftheroom。Acheeryfirewasblazingonthehearth。

Afuriousgustofwindshookthewindows，andagreatwaveofsnowwashedagainstthemwithadrenchingsound，sotospeak。Thehandsomeyoungbachelormurmured:

"Thatmeans，nogoingoutto-day。Well，Iamcontent。Butwhattodoforcompany？Motheriswellenough，AuntSusaniswellenough；butthese，likethepoor，Ihavewithmealways。Onsogrimadayasthis，oneneedsanewinterest，afreshelement，towhetthedulledgeofcaptivity。Thatwasveryneatlysaid，butitdoesn"tmeananything。

Onedoesn"twanttheedgeofcaptivitysharpenedup，youknow，butjustthereverse。"

HeglancedathisprettyFrenchmantel-clock。

"Thatclock"swrongagain。Thatclockhardlyeverknowswhattimeitis；

andwhenitdoesknow，itliesaboutit——whichamountstothesamething。

Alfred!"

Therewasnoanswer。

"Alfred!……Goodservant，butasuncertainastheclock。"

Alonzotouchedanelectricbellbuttoninthewall。Hewaitedamoment，thentoucheditagain；waitedafewmomentsmore，andsaid:

"Batteryoutoforder，nodoubt。ButnowthatIhavestarted，Iwillfindoutwhattimeitis。"Hesteppedtoaspeaking-tubeinthewall，blewitswhistle，andcalled，"Mother!"andrepeatedittwice。

"Well，that"snouse。Mother"sbatteryisoutoforder，too。Can"traiseanybodydown-stairs——thatisplain。"

Hesatdownatarosewooddesk，leanedhischinontheleft-handedgeofitandspoke，asiftothefloor:"AuntSusan!"

Alow，pleasantvoiceanswered，"Isthatyou，Alonzo？"

"Yes。I"mtoolazyandcomfortabletogodownstairs；Iaminextremity，andIcan"tseemtoscareupanyhelp。"

"Dearme，whatisthematter？"

"Matterenough，Icantellyou!"

"Oh，don"tkeepmeinsuspense，dear!Whatisit？"

"Iwanttoknowwhattimeitis。"

"Youabominableboy，whataturnyoudidgiveme!Isthatall？"

"All——onmyhonor。Calmyourself。Tellmethetime，andreceivemyblessing。"

"Justfiveminutesafternine。Nocharge——keepyourblessing。"

"Thanks。Itwouldn"thaveimpoverishedme，aunty，norsoenrichedyouthatyoucouldlivewithoutothermeans。"

Hegotup，murmuring，"Justfiveminutesafternine，"andfacedhisclock。"Ah，"saidhe，"youaredoingbetterthanusual。Youareonlythirty-fourminuteswrong。Letmesee……，letmesee……

Thirty-threeandtwenty-onearefifty-four；fourtimesfifty-fouraretwohundredandthirty-six。Oneoff，leavestwohundredandthirty-five。

That"sright。"

Heturnedthehandsofhisclockforwardtilltheymarkedtwenty-fiveminutestoone，andsaid，"Nowseeifyoucan"tkeeprightforawhile——elseI"llraffleyou!"

Hesatdownatthedeskagain，andsaid，"AuntSusan!"

"Yes，dear。"

"Hadbreakfast？"

"Yes，indeed，anhourago。"

"Busy？"

"No——exceptsewing。Why？"

"Gotanycompany？"

"No，butIexpectsomeathalfpastnine。"

"IwishIdid。I"mlonesome。Iwanttotalktosomebody。"

"Verywell，talktome。"

"Butthisisveryprivate。"

"Don"tbeafraid——talkrightalong，there"snobodyherebutme。"

"Ihardlyknowwhethertoventureornot，but——"

"Butwhat？Oh，don"tstopthere!Youknowyoucantrustme，Alonzo——youknow，youcan。"

"Ifeelit，aunt，butthisisveryserious。Itaffectsmedeeply——me，andallthefamily——eventhewholecommunity。"

"Oh，Alonzo，tellme!Iwillneverbreatheawordofit。Whatisit？"

"Aunt，ifImightdare——"

"Oh，pleasegoon!Iloveyou，andfeelforyou。Tellmeall。

Confideinme。Whatisit？"

"Theweather!"

"Plaguetaketheweather!Idon"tseehowyoucanhavethehearttoservemeso，Lon。"

"There，there，auntydear，I"msorry；Iam，onmyhonor。Iwon"tdoitagain。Doyouforgiveme？"

"Yes，sinceyouseemsosincereaboutit，thoughIknowIoughtn"tto。

YouwillfoolmeagainassoonasIhaveforgottenthistime。"

"No，Iwon"t，honorbright。Butsuchweather，oh，suchweather!You"vegottokeepyourspiritsupartificially。Itissnowy，andblowy，andgusty，andbittercold!Howistheweatherwithyou？"

"Warmandrainyandmelancholy。Themournersgoaboutthestreetswiththeirumbrellasrunningstreamsfromtheendofeverywhalebone。There"sanelevateddoublepavementofumbrellas，stretchingdownthesidesofthestreetsasfarasIcansee。I"vegotafireforcheerfulness，andthewindowsopentokeepcool。Butitisvain，itisuseless:nothingcomesinbutthebalmybreathofDecember，withitsburdenofmockingodorsfromtheflowersthatpossesstherealmoutside，andrejoiceintheirlawlessprofusionwhilstthespiritofmanislow，andflaunttheirgaudysplendorsinhisfacewhilehissoulisclothedinsackclothandashesandhisheartbreaketh。"

Alonzoopenedhislipstosay，"Yououghttoprintthat，andgetitframed，"butcheckedhimself，forheheardhisauntspeakingtosomeoneelse。Hewentandstoodatthewindowandlookedoutuponthewintryprospect。Thestormwasdrivingthesnowbeforeitmorefuriouslythanever；window-shutterswereslammingandbanging；aforlorndog，withbowedheadandtailwithdrawnfromservice，waspressinghisquakingbodyagainstawindwardwallforshelterandprotection；ayounggirlwasplowingknee-deepthroughthedrifts，withherfaceturnedfromtheblast，andthecapeofherwaterproofblowingstraightrearwardoverherhead。Alonzoshuddered，andsaidwithasigh，"Bettertheslop，andthesultryrain，andeventheinsolentflowers，thanthis!"

Heturnedfromthewindow，movedastep，andstoppedinalisteningattitude。Thefaint，sweetnotesofafamiliarsongcaughthisear。Heremainedthere，withhisheadunconsciouslybentforward，drinkinginthemelody，stirringneitherhandnorfoot，hardlybreathing。Therewasablemishintheexecutionofthesong，buttoAlonzoitseemedanaddedcharminsteadofadefect。Thisblemishconsistedofamarkedflattingofthethird，fourth，fifth，sixth，andseventhnotesoftherefrainorchorusofthepiece。Whenthemusicended，Alonzodrewadeepbreath，andsaid，"Ah，Ineverhaveheard"IntheSweetBy-and-by"sunglikethatbefore!"

Hesteppedquicklytothedesk，listenedamoment，andsaidinaguarded，confidentialvoice，"Aunty，whoisthisdivinesinger？"

"SheisthecompanyIwasexpecting。Stayswithmeamonthortwo。

Iwillintroduceyou。Miss——"

"Forgoodness"sake，waitamoment，AuntSusan!Youneverstoptothinkwhatyouareabout!"

Heflewtohisbedchamber，andreturnedinamomentperceptiblychangedinhisoutwardappearance，andremarking，snappishly:

"Hangit，shewouldhaveintroducedmetothisangelinthatsky-bluedressing-gownwithred-hotlapels!Womenneverthink，whentheygeta-going。"

Hehastenedandstoodbythedesk，andsaideagerly，"Now，Aunty，Iamready，"andfelltosmilingandbowingwithallthepersuasivenessandelegancethatwereinhim。

"Verywell。MissRosannahEthelton，letmeintroducetoyoumyfavoritenephew，Mr。AlonzoFitzClarence。There!Youarebothgoodpeople，andIlikeyou；soIamgoingtotrustyoutogetherwhileIattendtoafewhouseholdaffairs。Sitdown，Rosannah；sitdown，Alonzo。Good-by；I

sha"n"tbegonelong。"

Alonzohadbeenbowingandsmilingallthewhile，andmotioningimaginaryyoungladiestositdowninimaginarychairs，butnowhetookaseathimself，mentallysaying，"Oh，thisisluck!Letthewindsblownow，andthesnowdrive，andtheheavensfrown!LittleIcare!"

Whiletheseyoungpeoplechatthemselvesintoanacquaintanceship，letustakethelibertyofinspectingthesweeterandfairerofthetwo。Shesatalone，athergracefulease，inarichlyfurnishedapartmentwhichwasmanifestlytheprivateparlorofarefinedandsensiblelady，ifsignsandsymbolsmaygoforanything。Forinstance，byalow，comfortablechairstoodadainty，top-heavyworkstand，whosesummitwasafancifullyembroideredshallowbasket，withvaricoloredcrewels，andotherstringsandodds，andendsprotrudingfromunderthegapinglidandhangingdowninnegligentprofusion。OnthefloorlaybrightshredsofTurkeyred，Prussianblue，andkindredfabrics，bitsofribbon，aspoolortwo，apairofscissors，andarollorsooftintedsilkenstuffs。

Onaluxurioussofa，upholsteredwithsomesortofsoftIndiangoodswroughtinblackandgoldthreadsinterwebbedwithotherthreadsnotsopronouncedincolor，layagreatsquareofcoarsewhitestuff，uponwhosesurfacearichbouquetofflowerswasgrowing，underthedeftcultivationofthecrochet-needle。Thehouseholdcatwasasleeponthisworkofart。

Inabay-windowstoodaneaselwithanunfinishedpictureonit，andapaletteandbrushesonachairbesideit。Therewerebookseverywhere:

Robertson"sSermons，Tennyson，MoodyandSankey，Hawthorne，RabandHisFriends，cook-books，prayer-books，pattern-books——andbooksaboutallkindsofodiousandexasperatingpottery，ofcourse。Therewasapiano，withadeck-loadofmusic，andmoreinatender。Therewasagreatplentyofpicturesonthewalls，ontheshelvesofthemantelpiece，andaroundgenerally；wherecoignsofvantageofferedwerestatuettes，andquaintandprettygimcracks，andrareandcostlyspecimensofpeculiarlydevilishchina。Thebay-windowgaveuponagardenthatwasablazewithforeignanddomesticflowersandfloweringshrubs。

Butthesweetyounggirlwasthedaintiestthingthesepremises，withinorwithout，couldofferforcontemplation:delicatelychiseledfeatures，ofGreciancast；hercomplexionthepuresnowofajaponicathatisreceivingafaintreflectedenrichmentfromsomescarletneighborofthegarden；great，softblueeyesfringedwithlong，curvinglashes；anexpressionmadeupofthetrustfulnessofachildandthegentlenessofafawn；abeautifulheadcrownedwithitsownprodigalgold；alitheandroundedfigure，whoseeveryattitudeandmovementwasinstinctwithnativegrace。

Herdressandadornmentweremarkedbythatexquisiteharmonythatcancomeonlyofafinenaturaltasteperfectedbyculture。Hergownwasofasimplemagentatulle，cutbias，traversedbythreerowsoflight-blueflounces，withtheselvageedgesturnedupwithashes-of-roseschenille；

overdressofdarkbaytarlatanwithscarletsatinlambrequins；corn-

coloredpolonaise，enzanier，loopedwithmother-of-pearlbuttonsandsilvercord，andhauledaftandmadefastbybuffvelvetlashings；basqueoflavenderreps，pickedoutwithvalenciennes；lowneck，shortsleeves；

maroonvelvetnecktieedgedwithdelicatepinksilk；insidehandkerchiefofsomesimplethree-plyingrainfabricofasoftsaffrontint；coralbraceletsandlocket-chain；coiffureofforget-me-notsandlilies-of-the-valleymassedaroundanoblecalla。

Thiswasall；yeteveninthissubduedattireshewasdivinelybeautiful。

Thenwhatmustshehavebeenwhenadornedforthefestivalortheball？

AllthistimeshehadbeenbusilychattingwithAlonzo，unconsciousofourinspection。Theminutesstillsped，andstillshetalked。Butbyandbyshehappenedtolookup，andsawtheclock。Acrimsonblushsentitsrichfloodthroughhercheeks，andsheexclaimed:

"There，good-by，Mr。FitzClarence；Imustgonow!"

Shesprangfromherchairwithsuchhastethatshehardlyheardtheyoungman"sansweringgood-by。Shestoodradiant，graceful，beautiful，andgazed，wondering，upontheaccusingclock。Presentlyherpoutinglipsparted，andshesaid:

"Fiveminutesaftereleven!Nearlytwohours，anditdidnotseemtwentyminutes!Oh，dear，whatwillhethinkofme!"

Attheself-samemomentAlonzowasstaringathisclock。Andpresentlyhesaid:

"Twenty-fiveminutestothree!Nearlytwohours，andIdidn"tbelieveitwastwominutes!Isitpossiblethatthisclockishumbuggingagain？

MissEthelton!Justonemoment，please。Areyouthereyet？"

"Yes，butbequick；I"mgoingrightaway。"

"Wouldyoubesokindastotellmewhattimeitis？"

Thegirlblushedagain，murmuredtoherself，"It"srightdowncruelofhimtoaskme!"andthenspokeupandansweredwithadmirablycounterfeitedunconcern，"Fiveminutesaftereleven。"

"Oh，thankyou!Youhavetogo，now，haveyou？"

"I"msorry。"

Noreply。

"MissEthelton!"

"Well？"

"Youyou"rethereyet，ain"tyou？"

"Yes；butpleasehurry。Whatdidyouwanttosay？"

"Well，I——well，nothinginparticular。It"sverylonesomehere。It"saskingagreatdeal，Iknow，butwouldyoumindtalkingwithmeagainbyandby——thatis，ifitwillnottroubleyoutoomuch？"

"Idon"tknowbutI"llthinkaboutit。I"lltry。"

"Oh，thanks!MissEthelton!……Ah，me，she"sgone，andherearetheblackcloudsandthewhirlingsnowandtheragingwindscomeagain!

Butshesaidgood-by。Shedidn"tsaygoodmorning，shesaidgood-by!……

Theclockwasright，afterall。Whatalightning-wingedtwohoursitwas!"

Hesatdown，andgazeddreamilyintohisfireforawhile，thenheavedasighandsaid:

"Howwonderfulitis!TwolittlehoursagoIwasafreeman，andnowmyheart"sinSanFrancisco!"

AboutthattimeRosannahEthelton，proppedinthewindow-seatofherbedchamber，bookinhand，wasgazingvacantlyoutovertherainyseasthatwashedtheGoldenGate，andwhisperingtoherself，"HowdifferentheisfrompoorBurley，withhisemptyheadandhissinglelittleantictalentofmimicry!"

II

FourweekslaterMr。SidneyAlgernonBurleywasentertainingagayluncheoncompany，inasumptuousdrawing-roomonTelegraphHill，withsomecapitalimitationsofthevoicesandgesturesofcertainpopularactorsandSanFranciscanliterarypeopleandBonanzagrandees。Hewaselegantlyupholstered，andwasahandsomefellow，barringatriflingcastinhiseye。Heseemedveryjovial，butneverthelesshekepthiseyeonthedoorwithanexpectantanduneasywatchfulness。Byandbyanobby。

lackeyappeared，anddeliveredamessagetothemistress，whonoddedherheadunderstandingly。ThatseemedtosettlethethingforMr。Burley；

hisvivacitydecreasedlittlebylittle，andadejectedlookbegantocreepintooneofhiseyesandasinisteroneintotheother。

Therestofthecompanydepartedinduetime，leavinghimwiththemistress，towhomhesaid:

"Thereisnolongeranyquestionaboutit。Sheavoidsme。Shecontinuallyexcusesherself。IfIcouldseeher，ifIcouldspeaktoheronlyamomentbutthissuspense——"

"Perhapsherseemingavoidanceismereaccident，Mr。Burley。Gotothesmalldrawing-roomup-stairsandamuseyourselfamoment。Iwilldespatchahouseholdorderthatisonmymind，andthenIwillgotoherroom。Withoutdoubtshewillbepersuadedtoseeyou。"

Mr。Burleywentup-stairs，intendingtogotothesmalldrawing-room，butashewaspassing"AuntSusan"s"privateparlor，thedoorofwhichstoodslightlyajar，heheardajoyouslaughwhichherecognized；sowithoutknockorannouncementhesteppedconfidentlyin。Butbeforehecouldmakehispresenceknownheheardwordsthatharroweduphissoulandchilledhisyoungblood，dieheardavoicesay:

"Darling，ithascome!"

ThenheheardRosannahEthelton，whosebackwastowardhim，say:

"Sohasyours，dearest!"

Hesawherbowedformbendlower；heheardherkisssomething——notmerelyonce，butagainandagain!Hissoulragedwithinhim。Theheartbreakingconversationwenton:

"Rosannah，Iknewyoumustbebeautiful，butthisisdazzling，thisisblinding，thisisintoxicating!"

"Alonzo，itissuchhappinesstohearyousayit。Iknowitisnottrue，butIamsogratefultohaveyouthinkitis，nevertheless!Iknewyoumusthaveanobleface，butthegraceandmajestyoftherealitybeggarthepoorcreationofmyfancy。"

Burleyheardthatrattlingshowerofkissesagain。

"Thankyou，myRosannah!Thephotographflattersme，butyoumustnotallowyourselftothinkofthat。Sweetheart？"

"Yes，Alonzo。"

"Iamsohappy，Rosannah。"

"Oh，Alonzo，nonethathavegonebeforemeknewwhatlovewas，nonethatcomeaftermewilleverknowwhathappinessis。Ifloatinagorgeouscloudland，aboundlessfirmamentofenchantedandbewilderingecstasy!"

"Oh，myRosannah!foryouaremine，areyounot？"

"Wholly，oh，whollyyours，Alonzo，nowandforever!Allthedaylong，andallthroughmynightlydreams，onesongsingsitself，anditssweetburdenis，"AlonzoFitzClarence，AlonzoFitzClarence，Eastport，stateofMaine!""

"Cursehim，I"vegothisaddress，anyway!"roaredBurley，inwardly，andrushedfromtheplace。

JustbehindtheunconsciousAlonzostoodhismother，apictureofastonishment。Shewassomuffledfromheadtoheelinfursthatnothingofherselfwasvisiblebuthereyesandnose。Shewasagoodallegoryofwinter，forshewaspowderedalloverwithsnow。

BehindtheunconsciousRosannahstood"Aunt"Susan，"anotherpictureofastonishment。Shewasagoodallegoryofsummer，forshewaslightlyclad，andwasvigorouslycoolingtheperspirationonherfacewithafan。

Bothofthesewomenhadtearsofjoyintheireyes。

"Soho!"exclaimedMrs。FitzClarence，"thisexplainswhynobodyhasbeenabletodragyououtofyourroomforsixweeks，Alonzo!"

"Soho!"exclaimedAuntSusan，"thisexplainswhyyouhavebeenahermitforthepastsixweeks，Rosannah!"

Theyoungcouplewereontheirfeetinaninstant，abashed，andstandinglikedetecteddealersinstolengoodsawaitingjudgeLynch"sdoom。

"Blessyou，myson!Iamhappyinyourhappiness。Cometoyourmother"sarms，Alonzo!"

"Blessyou，Rosannah，formydearnephew"ssake!Cometomyarms!"

ThenwasthereaminglingofheartsandoftearsofrejoicingonTelegraphHillandinEastportSquare。

Servantswerecalledbytheelders，inbothplaces。Untoonewasgiventheorder，"Pilethisfirehigh，withhickorywood，andbringmearoasting-hotlemonade。"

Untotheotherwasgiventheorder，"Putoutthis，fire，andbringmetwopalm-leaffansandapitcherofice-water。"

Thentheyoungpeopleweredismissed，andtheelderssatdowntotalkthesweetsurpriseoverandmaketheweddingplans。

SomeminutesbeforethisMr。BurleyrushedfromthemansiononTelegraphHillwithoutmeetingortakingformalleaveofanybody。Hehissedthroughhisteeth，inunconsciousimitationofapopularfavoriteinmelodrama，"Himshallsheneverwed!Ihaveswornit!EregreatNatureshallhavedoffedherwinter"serminetodontheemeraldgaudsofspring，sheshallbemine!"

III

Twoweekslater。Everyfewhours，duringsamethreeorfourdays，averyprimanddevout-lookingEpiscopalclergyman，withacastinhiseye，hadvisitedAlonzo。Accordingtohiscard，hewastheRev。MeltonHargrave，ofCincinnati。Hesaidhehadretiredfromtheministryonaccountofhishealth。Ifhehadsaidonaccountofill-health，hewouldprobablyhaveerred，tojudgebyhiswholesomelooksandfirmbuild。Hewastheinventorofanimprovementintelephones，andhopedtomakehisbreadbysellingtheprivilegeofusingit。"Atpresent，"hecontinued，"amanmaygoandtapatelegraphwirewhichisconveyingasongoraconcertfromonestatetoanother，andhecanattachhisprivatetelephoneandstealahearingofthatmusicasitpassesalong。Myinventionwillstopallthat。"

"Well，"answeredAlonzo，"iftheownerofthemusiccouldnotmisswhatwasstolen，whyshouldhecare？"

"Heshouldn"tcare，"saidtheReverend。

"Well？"saidAlonzo，inquiringly。

"Suppose，"repliedtheReverend，"supposethat，insteadofmusicthatwaspassingalongandbeingstolen，theburdenofthewirewaslovingendearmentsofthemostprivateandsacrednature？"

Alonzoshudderedfromheadtoheel。"Sir，itisapricelessinvention，"

saidhe；"Imusthaveitatanycost。"

ButtheinventionwasdelayedsomewhereontheroadfromCincinnati，mostunaccountably。TheimpatientAlonzocouldhardlywait。ThethoughtofRosannah"ssweetwordsbeingsharedwithhimbysomeribaldthiefwasgallingtohim。TheReverendcamefrequentlyandlamentedthedelay，andtoldofmeasureshehadtakentohurrythingsup。ThiswassomelittlecomforttoAlonzo。

OneforenoontheReverendascendedthestairsandknockedatAlonzo"sdoor。Therewasnoresponse。Heentered，glancedeagerlyaround，。

closedthedoorsoftly，thenrantothetelephone。Theexquisitelysoftandremotestrainsofthe"SweetBy-and-by"camefloatingthroughtheinstrument。Thesingerwasflatting，asusual，thefivenotesthatfollowthefirsttwointhechorus，whentheReverendinterruptedherwiththisword，inavoicewhichwasanexactimitationofAlonzo"s，withjustthefaintestflavorofimpatienceadded:

"Sweetheart？"

"Yes，Alonzo？"

"Pleasedon"tsingthatanymorethisweek-trysomethingmodern。"

Theagilestepthatgoeswithahappyheartwasheardonthestairs，andtheReverend，smilingdiabolically，soughtsuddenrefugebehindtheheavyfoldsofthevelvetwindowcurtains。Alonzoenteredandflewtothetelephone。Saidhe:

"Rosannah，dear，shallwesingsomethingtogether？"

"Somethingmodern？"askedshe，withsarcasticbitterness。

"Yes，ifyouprefer。"

"Singityourself，ifyoulike!"

Thissnappishnessamazedandwoundedtheyoungman。Hesaid:

"Rosarmah，thatwasnotlikeyou。"

"Isupposeitbecomesmeasmuchasyourverypolitespeechbecameyou，Mr。FitzClarence。"

"MisterFitzClarence!Rosannah，therewasnothingimpoliteaboutmyspeech。"

"Oh，indeed!Ofcourse，then，Imisunderstoodyou，andImosthumblybegyourpardon，ha-ha-ha!Nodoubtyousaid，"Don"tsingitanymoreto-day。""

"Singwhatanymoreto-day？"

"Thesongyoumentioned，ofcourse，Howveryobtuseweare，allofasudden!"

"Inevermentionedanysong。"

"Oh，youdidn"t？"

"No，Ididn"t!"

"Iamcompelledtoremarkthatyoudid。"

"AndIamobligedtoreiteratethatIdidn"t。"

"Asecondrudeness!Thatissufficient，sir。Iwillneverforgiveyou。

Allisoverbetweenus。"

Thencameamuffledsoundofcrying。Alonzohastenedtosay:

"Oh，Rosannah，unsaythosewords!Thereissomedreadfulmysteryhere，somehideousmistake。IamutterlyearnestandsincerewhenIsayI

neversaidanythingaboutanysong。Iwouldnothurtyouforthewholeworld……Rosannah，dearspeaktome，won"tyou？"

Therewasapause；thenAlonzoheardthegirl"ssobbingsretreating，andknewshehadgonefromthetelephone。Herosewithaheavysigh，andhastenedfromtheroom，sayingtohimself，"Iwillransackthecharitymissionsandthehauntsofthepoorformymother。ShewillpersuadeherthatInevermeanttowoundher。"

AminutelatertheReverendwascrouchingoverthetelephonelikeacatthatknoweththewaysoftheprey。Hehadnotverymanyminutestowait。