第3章
Butasthemantelclockstruckwheezilysixtherewastherattleofanouterdoor,andarichandbeautifulpealoflaughterwentringingthroughthehouse。ThuscheerfullydidMaryVertreesheraldherreturnwithhermotherfromtheirexpeditionamongthebarbarians。
Shecamerushingintothelibraryandthrewherselfintoadeepchairbythehearth,laughingsouncontrollablythattearswereinhereyes。Mrs。Vertreesfolloweddecorously,nomirthabouther;onthecontrary,shelookedvaguelydisturbed,asifshehadeatensomethingnotquitecertaintoagreewithher,andregrettedit。
"Papa！Oh,oh！"AndMissVertreeswasfaintoapplyahandkerchiefuponhereyes。"I"mSOgladyoumadeusgo！Iwouldn"thavemissedit——"
Mrs。Vertreesshookherhead。"IsupposeI"mverydull,"shesaid,gently。"I
didn"tseeanythingamusing。They"remostordinary,andthehouseisaltogetherinbadtaste,butweanticipatedthat,and——"
"Papa！"Marycried,breakingin。"TheyaskedustoDINNER！"
"What！"
"AndI"mGOING！"sheshouted,andwasseizedwithfreshparoxysms。"Thinkofit！Neverintheirhousebefore;nevermetanyofthembutthedaughter——andjustBARELYmether——"
"Whataboutyou？"interrruptedMr。Vertrees,turningsharplyuponhiswife。
Shemadealittlefaceasifpositivenowthatwhatshehadeatenwouldnotagreewithher。"Icouldn"t！"shesaid。"I——"
"Yes,that"sjust——justthewayshe——shelookedwhentheyaskedher！"criedMary,choking。"Andthenshe——sherealizedit,andtriedtoturnitintoacough,andshedidn"tknowhow,anditsoundedlike——likeasqueal！"
"Isuppose,"saidMrs。Vertrees,muchinjured,"thatMarywillhaveanuproarioustimeatmyfuneral。Shemakesfunof——"
Maryjumpedupinstantlyandkissedher;thenshewenttothemanteland,leaninganelbowuponit,gazedthoughtfullyatthebuckleofhershoe,twinklinginthefirelight。
"THEYdidn"tnoticeanything,"shesaid。"Sofarastheywereconcerned,mamma,itwasoneofthefinestcoughsyouevercoughed。"
"Whowere"they"？"askedherfather。"Whomdidyousee？"
"Onlythemotheranddaughter,"Maryanswered。"Mrs。Sheridanisdumpyandrustly;andMissSheridanisprettyandpushing——dressesbythefashionmagazinesandtalksaboutNewYorkpeoplethathavetheirpicturesin"em。Shetutorsthemother,butnotverysuccessfully——partlybecauseherownfoundationistooflimsyandpartlybecauseshebegantoolate。They"vegotanenormousMoorofpaintedplasterorsomethinginthehall,andthegirlevidentlythoughtitwastohercreditthatsheselectedit！"
"Theyhaveoil—paintings,too,"addedMrs。Vertrees,withaglanceofgentlepriceattheLandseers。"I"vealwaysthoughtoil—paintingsinaprivatehousetheworstoftaste。"
"Oh,ifoneownedaRaphaeloraTitian！"saidMr。Vertrees,finishingtheimplication,notinwords,butwithawaveofhishand。"Goon,Mary。Noneoftherestofthemcamein？Youdidn"tmeetMr。Sheridanor——"Hepausedandadjustedalumpofcoalinthefiredelicatelywiththepoker。"Oroneofthesons？"
Mary"sglancecrossedhis,atthat,withaflashofuttercomprehension。Heturnedinstantlyaway,butshehadbeguntolaughagain。
"No,"shesaid,"nooneexceptthewomen,butmammainquiredaboutthesonsthoroughly！"
"Mary！"Mrs。Vertreesprotested。
"Oh,mostadroitly,too！"laughedthegirl。"Onlyshecouldn"thelpunconsciouslyturningtolookatme——whenshedidit！"
"MaryVertrees！"
"Nevermind,mamma！Mrs。SheridanandMissSheridanneitherofTHEMcouldhelpunconsiouslyturningtolookatme——speculatively——atthesametime！Theyallthreekeptlookingatmeandtalkingabouttheoldestson,Mr。JamesSheridan,Junior。Mrs。Sheridansaidhisfatherisveryanxious"togetJimtomarryandsettledown,"andsheassuredmethat"Jimisrightcultivated。"
Anotherofthesons,theyoungestone,caughtmelookinginthewindowthisafternoon;buttheydidn"tseemtoconsiderhimquiteoneofthemselves,somehow,thoughMrs。Sheridanmentionedthatacoupleofyearsorsoagohehadbeen"rightsick,"andhadbeentosomecureorother。Theyseemedrelievedtobringthesubjectbackto"Jim"andhisvirtues——andtolookatme！Theotherbrotheristhemiddleone,Roscoe;he"stheonethatownsthenewhouseacrossthestreet,wherethatyoungblack—sheepoftheLamhorns,Robert,goessooften。Isawashort,darkyoungmanstandingontheporchwithRobertLamhorntheretheotherday,soIsupposethatwasRoscoe。"Jim"
stilllurksinthemists,butIshallmeethimto—night。Papa——"Shesteppednearertohimsothathehadtofaceher,andhiseyesweretroubledashedid。Theremayhavebeenatroubledeepwithinherown,butshekepttheirsurfacemerrywithlaughter。"Papa,Bibbsistheyoungestone"sname,andBibbs——tothebestofourinformation——isalunatic。Roscoeismarried。
Papa,doesithavetobeJim？"
"Mary！"Mrs。Vertreescried,sharply。"You"reoutrageous！That"saperfectlyhorriblewayoftalking！"
"Well,I"mclosetotwenty—four,"saidMary,turningtoher。"Ihaven"tbeenabletolikeanybodyyetthat"saskedmetomarryhim,andmaybeInevershall。UntilayearorsoagoI"vehadeverythingIeverwantedinmylife——youandpapagaveitalltome——andit"sabouttimeIbegantopayback。
Unfortunately,Idon"tkowhowtodoanything——butsomething"sgottobedone。"
"Butyouneedn"ttalkofitlikeTHAT！"insistedthemother,plaintively。
"It"snot——it"snot——"
"No,it"snot,"saidMary。"Iknowthat！"
"Howdidtheyhappentoaskyoutodinner？"Mr。Vertreesinquired,uneasily。
""Stextrawdn"rything！"
"Climbers"hospitality,"Marydefinedit。"Weweresoverycordialandeasy！
IthinkMrs。Sheridanherselfmighthavedoneitjustasanykindoldwomanonafarmmightaskaneighbor,butitwasMissSheridanwhodidit。Sheplayedarounditawhile;youcouldseeshewantedto——she"sinadreadfulhurrytogetintothings——andIfanciedshehadanideaitmightimpressthatLamhornboytofindusthereto—night。It"sasortofhouse—warmingdinner,andtheytalkedaboutitandtalkedaboutit——andthenthegirlgothercourageupandblurtedouttheinvitation。Andmamma——"HereMarywasoncemoreavictimtoincorrigiblemerriment。"Mammatriedtosayyes,andCOULDN"T！Sheswallowedandsquealed——Imeanyoucoughed,dear！Andthen,papa,shesaidthatyouandshehadpromisedtogotoalectureattheEmersonClubto—night,butthatherdaughterwouldbedelightedtocometotheBigShow！SothereIam,andthere"sMr。JimSheridan——andthere"stheclock。Dinner"satseven—thirty！"
Andsheranoutoftheroom,scoopingupherfallenfurswithagestureofflyinggraceasshesped。
Whenshecamedown,attwentymunutesafterseven,herfatherstoodinthehall,atthefootofthestairs,waitingtobeherescortthroughthedark。Helookedupandwatchedherasshedescended,andhisgazewasfondandproud——andprofoundlydisturbed。Butshesmiledandnoddedgaily,and,whenshereachedthefloor,putahandonhisshoulder。
"Atleastnoonecouldsuspectmeto—night,"shesaid。"ILOOKrich,don"tI,papa？"
Shedid。Shehadalookthatworshipfulgirlfriendsbravelycalled"regal。"
Aheadtallerthanherfather,shewasasstraightandjauntilypoisedasaboyathlete;andherbrownhairandherbrowneyeswerelikehermother"s,butfortherestshewentbacktosomestrongerandlivelierancestorthaneitherofherparents。
"Don"tIlooktoorichtobesuspected？"sheinsisted。
"Youlookeverythingbeautiful,Mary,"hesaid,huskily。
"Andmydress？"Shethrewopenherdarkvelvetcloak,showingasplendorofwhiteandsilver。"AnythingbetteratNicenextwinter,doyouthink？"Shelaughed,shroudingherglitteringfigureinthecloakagain。"Twoyearsold,andnoonewoulddreamit！Ididitover。"
"Youcandoanything,Mary。"
Therewasacurioushumilityinhistone,andsomethingmore——asignificancenotveiledandyetabysmallyapologetic。Itwasasifhesuggestedsomethingtoherandbeggedherforgivenessinthesamebreath。
Anduponthat,forthemoment,shebecameasseriousashe。Sheliftedherhandfromhisshoulderandthensetitbackmorefirmly,sothatheshouldfeelthereassuranceofitspressure。
"Don"tworry,"shesaid,inalowvoiceandgravely。"Iknowexactlywhatyouwantmetodo。"
Itwasabraveandlustrousbanquet;andanoisyone,too,becausetherewasanorchestraamongsomeplantsatoneendofthelongdining—room,andafterapreliminarystiffnesstheguestswereimpelledtoconverse——necessarilyatthetopsoftheirvoices。Thewholecompanyoffiftysatatagreatoblongtable,improvisedfortheoccasionbycarpenters;but,notbetrayingitselfasanimprovisation,itseemedapermanentcontinentofdamaskandlace,withshoresofcrystalandsilverrunninguptospreadinggrovesoforchidsandliliesandwhiteroses——aninhabitedcontinent,evidently,fortherewerethreemarvelous,gleamingbuildings:oneinthecenterandoneateachend,whitemiracleswroughtbysomeinspiredcraftsmaninsculpturalicing。Theyweremodelsinminiature,andtheyrepresentedtheSheridanBuilding,theSheridanApartments,andthePumpWorks。Nearlyalltheguestsrecognizedthemwithouthavingtobetoldwhattheywere,andpronouncedthelikenessessuperb。
Thearrangementofthetablewasvisablybaronial。AttheheadsatthegreatThane,withtheflowerofhisfamilyandoftheguestsabouthim;thenoneachsidecametheneighborsofthe"old"house,gradingdowntovassalsandretainers——superintendents,cashiers,headsofdepartments,andthelike——atthefoot,wheretheThane"sladytookherplaceasaconsolationforthelessimportant。Here,too,amongthethrallsandbondmen,satBibbsSheridan,ameekBanquo,wonderinghowanybodycouldlookathimandeat。
Nevertheless,therewasavast,continuouseating,forthesewerewholesomefolkwhounderstoodthatdinnermeantsomethingintendedforintroductionintothesystembymeansofanapertureintheface,devisedbynatureforthatexpresspurpose。Andbesides,nobodylookedatBibbs。
Hewasbettercontenttobelefttohimself;hisvoicewasnotstrongenoughtomakeitselfheardoverthehubbubwithoutanexhaustingeffort,andthetalkthatwentonabouthimwastoofastandtoofragmentaryforhisdrawltokeeppacewithit。Sohefeltrelievedwheneachofhisneighborsinturn,afterapoliteinquiryabouthishealth,turnedtoseeklivelierreponsesinotherdirections。Forthetalkwentonwiththeeating,incessantly。Itroseoverthethrobbingoftheorchestraandtheclatterandclinkingofsilverandchinaandglass,andtherewasamightybabble。
"Yes,sir！Startedwithoutadollar。"……"Yellowflouncesontheoverskirt——"……"Isays,"Wilkie,yourdepartment"sgottogobiggerthisyear,"Isays。"……"Fifteenpercent。turnoverinthirty—oneweeks。"……
"Oneofthebigestmeninthebigest——"……"Thewifesaysshe"llhavetoletoutmypantsifmyappetite——"……"Say,didyouseethatstatueofaTurkinthehall？OneofthefinestthingsIever——"……"Notadollar,notanickel,notoneredcentdoyougetouto"me,"Isays,andsoheupsand——"……"Yes,thebabymakesfour,they"velostnow。"……"Well,theygottheirraise,andtheywentinbig。"……"Yes,sir！Notadollartohisname,andlookatwhat——"……"Youwait！Thepopulationofthistown"sgoin"tohitthemillionmarkbeforeshestops。"……"Well,ifyoucanshowmeabiggerdealthan——"
AndthroughtheintersticesofthisclamoringBibbscouldhearthecontinualboomingofhisfather"sheavyvoice,andoncehecaughtthesentence,"Yes,younglady,that"sjustwhatdiditforme,andthat"sjustwhat"lldoitformyboys——theygottomaketwobladeso"grassgrowwhereonegrewbefore！"Itwashisfamiliarflourish,anoldstorytoBibbs,andnowjoviallydeclaimedfortheedificationofMaryVertrees。
ItwasagreatnightforSheridan——theverycrestofhiswave。HesatthereknowinghimselfThaneandmasterbyhisownendeavor;andhisbig,smooth,redfacegrewmoreandmoreradiantwithgoodwillandwiththesimplest,happiest,mostboy—likevanity。Hewasthepictureofhealth,ofgoodcheer,andofpoweronaholiday。Hehadthirtyteeth,nonebought,andshowedmostofthemwhenhelaughed;hisgrizzledhairwasthick,andasunrulyasafarmlaborer"s;hischestwasdeepandbigbeneathitsvastfacadeofstarchedwhitelinen,wherelittlediamondstwinkled,circlingthreelargepearls;hishandswerestubbyandstrong,andheusedthemfreelyingesturesofmarkedpicturesqueness;and,thoughhehadgrownfatatchinandwaistandwrist,hehadnotlostthelookofreadinessandactivity。
Hedominatedthetable,shoutingjocularquestionsandrailleriesateveryone。Hisideawasthatwhenpeoplewerehavingagoodtimetheywerenoisy;
andhisownadditionstothehubbubincreasedhispleasure,and,ofcourse,metthewarmestencouragementfromhisguests。Edithhaddiscoveredthathehadveryfoggynotionsofthedifferencebetweenabandandanorchestra,andwhenitwasmadecleartohimhehadheldoutforabanduntilEdiththreatenedtears;butthesizeoftheorchestratheyhiredconsoledhim,andhehadnownoregretsinthematter。
Hekepttimetothemusiccontinually——withhisfeet,orpoundingonthetablewithhisfist,andsometimeswithspoonorknifeuponhisplateoraglass,withoutpermittingtheseside—productstointerferewiththerealbusinessofeatingandshouting。
"Tell"emtoplay"NancyLee"！"hewouldbellowdownthelengthofthetabletohiswife,whilethemusicianswereinthemidstofthe"Toreador"song,perhaps。"Askthatfellowiftheydon"tknow"NancyLee"！"AndwhentheleaderwouldshakehisheadapologeticallyinanswertoanobedientshriekfromMrs。Sheridan,the"Toreador"continuingvehemently,Sheridanwouldroarhalf—rememberedfragmentsof"NancyLee,"naturallyminglingsomeBizetwiththeairofthatuxorioustribute。
"Oh,thereshestandsandwavesherhandswhileI"maway！"Asail—er"swifeasail—er"sstarshouldbe！Yoho,oh,oh！"Oh,Nancy,Nancy,NancyLee！Oh,Na—hancyLee！"
"HAY,there,oldlady！"hewouldbellow。"Tell"emtoplay"IntheGloaming。"
Inthegloaming,oh,mydarling,la—la—lum—tee——Well,iftheydon"tknowthat,what"sthematterwith"LarboardWatch,Ahoy"？THAT"Sgoodmusic！That"sthekindo"musicIlike！Comeon,now！Mrs。Callin,get"emsingin"downinyourparto"thetable。What"sthematteryoufolksdownthere,anyway？
Larboardwatch,ahoy！"
"Whatjoyhefeels,as——ta—tum—dum—tee—dee—dumsteals。La—a—r—boardwatch,ahoy！"
Noexternalbubblingcontributedtothiseffervescence;theSheridans"tablehadneverbornewine,and,morebecauseoftimidityaboutitthanconviction,itborenonenow;though"mineralwaters"werecopiouslypouredfrombottleswrapped,forsomereason,innapkins,andprovedwhollysatisfactorytoalmostalloftheguests。Andcertainlynowinecouldhaveinspiredmoreturbulentgoodspiritsinthehost。NotevenBibbswasanalloyinthisnight"shappiness,for,asMrs。Sheridanhadsaid,hehad"plansforBibbs"——planswhichweregoingtostraightenoutsomethingsthathadgonewrong。
Sohepoundedthetableandboomedhisechoesofoldsongs,andthen,forgettingthese,wouldrenewhisfriendlyrailleries,orperhaps,turningtoMaryVertrees,whosatnearhim,roundthecornerofthetableathisright,hewouldbecomeautobiographical。Gentlemenlessnaivethanhehadpaidherthattribute,forshewasagirlwhoinspiredtheautobiographicalimpulseineverymanwhomether——itneededbutthesightofher。
Thedinnerseemed,somehow,tocenteraboutMaryVertreesandthejocundhostasaplaycentersaboutitsheroandheroine;theyweretherubicundkingandthestarryprincessofthisspectacle——theypaidcourttoeachother,andeverybodypaidcourttothem。DownnearthesugarPumpWorks,whereBibbssat,therewasaudiblespeculationandadmiration。"Wonderwhothatladyis——makin"suchahitwiththeoldman。""Mustbesomeheiress。""Heiress？
Golly,IguessIcouldstandittomarryrich,then！"
EdithandSibylwereradiant:atfirsttheyhadwatchedMissVertreeswithanalmosthaggardanxiety,wonderingwhatdisasterouseffectSheridan"spastoralgaieties——andotherthings——wouldhaveuponher,butsheseemeddelightedwitheverything,andwithhimmostofall。Shetreatedhimasifheweresomedelicious,foolisholdjokethatsheunderstoodperfectly,laughingathimalmostviolentlywhenhebragged——probablyhisfirstexperienceofthatkindinhislife。Itenchantedhim。
Asheproclaimedtothetable,shehad"awaywithher。"Shehad,indeed,asRoscoeSheridan,uponherright,discoveredjustafterthefeastbegan。Sincehismarriagethreeyearsbefore,noladyhadbestoweduponhimsoprotractedafullviewofbrillianteyes;and,withthelook,hislovelyneighborsaid——anditwasherfirstspeechtohim——
"Ihopeyou"reverysusceptible,Mr。Sheridan！"
HonestRoscoewastakenaback,and"Why？"wasallhemanagedtosay。
Sherepeatedthelookdeliberately,whichwasnoted,withamystificationequaltohisown,byhissisteracrossthetable。Noone,reflectedEdith,couldimageMaryVertreesthesortofgirlwhowould"reallyflirt"withmarriedmen——shewasobviouslythe"oppositeofallthat。"Edithdefinedherasa"thoroughbred,"a"nicegirl";andthelookgiventoRoscoewasastounding。Roscoe"swifesawit,too,andshewasanotherwhomitpuzzled——thoughnotbecauseitsrecipientwasmarried。
"Because！"saidMaryVertrees,replyingtoRoscoe"smonosyllable。"Andalsobecausewe"renext—doorneighborsattable,andit"sdulltimesaheadforbothofusifwedon"tgetalong。"
Roscoewasaliteralyoungman,allstocksandbonds,andhehadbeenbroughtuptobelievethatwhenamanmarriedhe"marriedandsettleddown。"Itwas"allright,"hefelt,foramanasoldashisfathertopayfloridcomplimentstoasprettyagirlasthisMissVertrees,butforhimself——"ayoungmarriedman"——itwouldn"tdo;anditwouldn"tevenbequitemoral。Heknewthatyoungmarriedpeoplemighthavefriendships,likehiswife"sforLamhorn;butSibylandLamhornnever"flirted"——theywerealwaysverymatter—of—factwitheachother。RoscoewouldhavebeentroubledifSibylhadevertoldLamhornshehopedhewassusceptible。
"Yes——we"reneighbors,"hesaid,awkwardly。
"Next—doorneighborsinhouses,too,"sheadded。
"No,notexactly。Iliveacrossthestreet。"
"Why,no！"sheexclaimed,andseemedstartled。"Yourmothertoldmethisafternoonthatyoulivedathome。"
"Yes,ofcourseIliveathome。Ibuiltthatnewhouseacrossthestreet。"
"Butyou——"shepaused,confused,andthenslowlyadeepcolorcameintohercheek。"ButIunderstood——"
"No,"hesaid;"mywifeandIlivedwiththeoldfolksthefirstyear,butthat"sall。EdithandJimlivewiththem,ofcourse。"
"I——Isee,"shesaid,thedeepcolorstilldeepeningassheturnedfromhimandsaw,writtenuponacardbeforethegentlemanatherleftthename,"Mr。
JamesSheridan,Jr。"AndfromthatmomentRoscoehadlittleenoughcauseforwonderingwhatheoughttoreplytoherdisturbingcoquetries。
Mr。JamesSheridanhadbeenanxiouslywaitingforthedazzlingvisitorto"getthroughwitholdRoscoe,"ashethoughtofit,andgiveabachelorachance。
"OldRoscoe"wastheyounger,buthehadalwaysbeenthesteadywheel—horseofthefamily。Jimwas"steady"enough,butwasconsideredlivelierthanRoscoe,whichintruthisnotsayingmuchforJim"sliveliness。Astheirfatherhabituallyboasted,bothbrotherswere"capable,hard—workingyoungbusinessmen,"andtheprincipaldifferencebetweenthemwasmerelythatwhichresultedfromJim"sbeingstillabachelor。Physicallytheywereofthesametype:
darkofeyesandofhair,fresh—coloredandthick—set,andthoughRoscoewasseveralinchestallerthanJim,neitherwasoftheheight,breadth,ordepthofthefather。Bothworeyoungbusinessmen"smustaches,andeithercouldhavesatforthetailor—shoplithographsofyoungbusinessmenwearing"richsuitingsindarkmixtures。"
Jim,approvingwarmlyofhisneighbor"sprofile,perceivedheraccessofcolor,whichincreasedhisapprobation。"What"sthatoldRoscoesayingtoyou,MissVertrees？"heasked。"Theseyoungmarriedmenaremightyforwardnowadays,butyoumustn"tlet"emmakeyoublush。"
"AmIblushing？"shesaid。"Areyousure？"Andwiththatshegavehimampleopportunitytomakesure,repeatingwithinterestthelookwasteduponRoscoe。
"Ithinkyoumustbemistaken,"shecontinued。"Ithinkit"syourbrotherwhoisblushing。I"vethrownhimintoconfusion。"
"How？"
Shelaughed,andthen,leaningtohimalittle,saidinatoneasconfidentialasshecouldmakeit,undercoveroftheuproar。"BytryingtobeginwithhimacourtshipImeantforYOU！"
ThismightwellbeastylenewtoJim;anditwas。Hesupposeditanonsensicalformofbadinage,andyetittookhisbreath。Herealizedthathewishedwhatshesaidtobetheliteraltruth,andhewasinstantlysnaredbythatrealization。
"ByGeorge！"hesaid。"Iguessyou"rethekindofgirlthatcansayanything——yes,andgetawaywithit,too！"
Shelaughedagain——inherway,sothathecouldnottellwhethershewaslaughingathimoratherselforatthenonsenseshewastalking;andshesaid:"ButyouseeIdon"tcarewhetherIgetawaywithitornot。Iwishyou"dtellmefranklyifyouthinkI"vegotachangetogetawaywithYOU？"
"Morelikeifyou"vegotachancetogetawayFROMme！"Jimwasinspiredtoreply。"Notoneintheworld,especiallyafterbeginningbymakingfunofmelikethat。"
"Imightn"tbesomuchinfunasyouthink,"shesaid,regardinghimwithsuddengravity。
"Well,"saidJim,insimplehonesty,"you"reafunnygirl！"
Hergravitycontinuedaninstantlonger。"ImaynotturnouttobefunnyforYOU。"
"Solongasyouturnouttobeanythingatallforme,IexpectIcanmanagetobesatisfied。"Andwiththat,tohisownsurprise,itwashisturntoblush,whereuponshelaughedagain。
"Yes,"hesaid,plaintively,notwhollylackingintuition,"Icanseeyou"rethesortofgirlthatwouldlaughtheminuteyouseeamanreallymeansanything！"
""Laugh"！"shecried,gaily。"Why,itmightbeamatteroflifeanddeath！
Butifyouwanttragedy,I"dbetterputthequestionatonce,consideringthemistakeImadewithyourbrother。"
Jimwasdazed。Sheseemedtobeplayingalittlegameofmockeryandnonsensewithhim,buthehadglimpsesofaflashingdangerinit;hewasbuttoosensibleofbeingoutclassed,andhadsomewhereaconsciousnessthathecouldneverquiteknowthisgiddyandalluringlady,nomatterhowlongitpleasedhertoplaywithhim。Buthemightilywantedhertokeeponplayingwithhim。
"Putwhatquestion？"hesaid,breathlessly。
"Asyouareanewneighborofmineandofmyfamily,"shereturned,speakingslowlyandwithacross—examiner"sseverity,"Ithinkitwouldbewellformetoknowatoncewhetheryouarealreadywalkingoutwithanyyoungladyornot。Mr。Sheridan,thinkwell！Areyouspokenfor？"
"Notyet,"hegasped。"Areyou？"
"NO！"shecried,andwiththattheybothlaughedagain;andthepastimeproceeded,increasingbothinitsgaietyandinitsgravity。
Observingitscontinuance,Mr。RobertLamhorn,opposite,turnedfromalivelyconversationwithEdithandremarkedcovertlytoSibylthatMissVertreeswas"startingratherpicturesquelywithJim。"Andheadded,languidly,"DoyousupposesheWOULD？"
ForthemomentSibylgavenosignofhavingheardhim,butseemedinterestedintheclaspofalong"rope"ofpearls,aloopofwhichshewasallowingtoswingfromherfingers,restingherelbowuponthetableandfollowingwithhereyesthetwinkleofdiamondsandplatinumintheclaspattheendoftheloop。Sheworemanyjewels。Shewaspretty,butherswasnotthekindofprettinesstobeloadedwithtoosumptuousaccessories,andjeweledhead—dressesaredangerous——theymayemphasizethewrongnessofthewearer。
"IsaidMissVertreesseemstobestartingprettystrongwithJim,"repeatedMr。Lamhorn。
"Iheardyou。"Therewasalatentdiscontentalwayssomewhereinhereyes,nomatterwhatshethrewuponthesurfaceofcoverit,andjustnowshedidnotcaretocoverit;shelookedsullen。"StartinganystrongerthanyoudidwithEdith？"sheinquired。
"Oh,keepthepeace！"hesaid,crossly。"That"soff,ofcourse。"
"Youhaven"tbeenmakingherseeitthisevening——precisely,"saidSibyl,lookingathimsteadily。"You"vetalkedtoherfor——"
"ForHeaven"ssake,"hebegged,"keepthepeace！"
"Well,whathaveyoujustbeendoing？！"
"SH！"hesaid。"Listentoyourfather—in—law。"
Sheridanwasboomingandbrayinglouderthanever,theorchestrahavingbeguntoplay"TheRosary,"tohisvastcontent。
"ICOUNTTHEMOVER,LA—LA—TUM—TEE—DUM,"heroared,beatingthemeasureswithhisfork。"EACHHOURAPEARL,EACHPEARLTEE—DUM—TUM—DUM——What"sthematterwithallyoufolks？Why"n"tyouSING？MissVertrees,IbetathousanddollarsYOUsing！Why"n"t——"
"Mr。Sheridan,"shesaid,turningcheerfullyfromtheardentJim,"youdon"tknowwhatyouinterrupted！Yoursonisn"tusedtomyroughways,andmysoldier"swooingfrightenshim,butIthinkhewasabouttosaysomethingimportant。"
"I"llsaysomethingimportanttohimifhedoesn"t！"thefatherthreatened,moredelightedwithherthanever。"Bygosh！ifIwashisage——orawidowerrightNOW——"
"Oh,wait！"criedMary。"Ifthey"donlymakelessnoice！IwantMrs。
Sheridantohear。"
"She"dsaythesame,"heshouted。"She"dtellmeIwasmightyslowifI
couldn"tgetaheado"Jim。Why,whenIwashisage——"
"Youmustlistentoyourfather,"Maryinterrupted,turningtoJim,whohadgrownreadagain。"He"sgoingtotellushow,whenhewasyourage,hemadethosetwobladesofgrassgrowoutofateacup——andyoucouldseeforyourselfhedidn"tgetthemoutofhissleeve！"
AtthatSheridanpoundedthetabletillitjumped。"Lookhere,younglady！"
heroared。"Someo"thesedaysI"meithergoin"toslapyou——orI"mgoin"tokissyou！"
Edithlookedaghast;shewasafraidthiswasindeed"tooawful,"butMaryVertreesburstintoringinglaughter。
"Both！"shecried。"Both！Theonetomakemeforgettheother！"
"Butwhich——"hebegan,andthensuddenlygaveforthsuchstentoriantrumpetingsofmirththatforoncethewholetablestoppedtolisten。"Jim,"
heroared,"ifyoudon"tproposetothatgirlto—nightI"llsendyoubacktothemachine—shopwithBibbs！"
AndBibbs——downamongtheretainersbythesugarPumpWorks,andwatchingMaryVertreesasaraggedboyinthestreetmightwatcharichlittlegirlinagarden——Bibbsheard。Heheard——andheknewwhathisfather"splanswerenow。