第4章
Mrs。Vertrees"satup"forherdaughter,Mr。Vertreeshavingretiredafterarestlessevening,notmuchsoothedbythesocietyofhisLandseers。Maryhadtakenakey,insistingthatheshouldnotcomeforherandseemingconfidentthatshewouldnotlackforescort;nordidthesequelproveherconfidenceunwarranted。ButMrs。Vertreeshadalongvigilofit。
Shewasnotthewomantomakeherselfeasy——noservanthadeverseenherinawrapper——andwithherhairanddressandhershoesjustwhattheyhadbeenwhenshereturnedfromtheafternoon"scall,shesatthroughtheslownighthoursinastifflittlechairunderthegaslightinherownroom,whichwasdirectlyoverthe"fronthall。"There,bookinhand,sheemployedthetimeinherownreminiscences,thoughitwasherbeliefthatshewasreadingMadamedeRemusat"s。
Herthoughtswentbackwardintoherlifeandintoherhusband"s;andthedeeperintothepasttheywent,thebrighterthepicturestheybroughther——
andthereistragedy。Likeherhusband,shethoughtbackwardbecauseshedidnotdarethinkforwarddefinitely。Whatthinkingforwardthistroubledcoupleventuredtooktheformofaslenderhopewhichneitherofthemcouldhavebornetohearputinwords,andyettheyhadtalkeditover,dayafterday,fromtheveryhourwhentheyheardSheridanwastobuildhisNewHousenextdoor。For——soquicklydoesanyidealofhumanbehaviorbecomeanantique——theiryouthwasoftheinnocentolddays,sodead！of"breeding"and"gentility,"andnocrafthadbeenmorestraitlytraineduponthemthanthatoftalkingaboutthingswithoutmentioningthem。HereinwasmarkedthemostvitaldifferencebetweenMr。andMrs。Vertreesandtheirbignewneighbor。
Sheridan,thoughhisyouthwasofthesameepoch,knewnothingofsuchmatters。Hehadbeenchoppingwoodforthemorningfireinthecountrygrocerywhiletheywerestilldancing。
Itwasafteroneo"clockwhenMrs。Vertreesheardstepsandthedelicateclinkingofthekeyinthelock,andthen,withtheopeningofthedoor,Mary"slaugh,and"Yes——ifyouaren"tafraid——to—morrow！"
Thedoorclosed,andsherushedup—stairs,bringingwithherabreathofcoldandbracingairintohermother"sroom。"Yes,"shesaid,beforeMrs。Vertreescouldspeak,"hebroughtmehome！"
Shelethercloakfalluponthebed,and,drawinganoldred—velvetrocking—chairforward,satbesidehermotheraftergivingheralightpatupontheshoulderandaheartykissuponthecheek。
"Mamma！"Maryexclaimed,whenMrs。Vertreeshadexpressedahopethatshehadenjoyedtheeveningandhadnotcaughtcold。"Whydon"tyouaskme？"
Thisinquiryobviouslymadehermotheruncomfortable。"Idon"t——"shefaltered。"Askyouwhat,Mary？"
"HowIgotalongandwhathe"slike。"
"Mary！"
"Oh,itisn"tdistressing！"saidMary。"AndIgotalongsofast——"Shebrokeofftolaugh;continuingthen,"Butthat"sthewayIwentatit,ofcourse。
WeAREinahurry,aren"twe？"
"Idon"tknowwhatyoumean,"Mrs。Vertreesinsisted,shakingherheadplaintively。
"Yes,"saidMary,"I"mgoingoutinhiscarwithhimto—morrowafternoon,andtothetheaterthenextnight——butIstoppeditthere。Yousee,afteryougivethefirstpush,youmustleaveittothemwhileYOUpretendtorunaway！"
"Mydear,Idon"tknowwhatto——"
"Whattomakeofanything！"Maryfinishedforher。"Sothat"sallright！NowI"lltellyouallaboutit。Itwasgorgeousanddeafeningandtee—total。Wecouldhavelivedayearonit。I"mnotgoodatfigures,butIcalculatedthatifwelivedsixmonthsonpooroldCharlieandNedandthestation—wagonandtheVictoria,wecouldmanageatleasttwiceaslongonthecostofthe"house—warming。"Ithinktheorchidsalonewouldhavelastedusacoupleofmonths。Theretheywere,beforeme,butIcouldn"tsteal"emandsell"em,andso——well,soIdidwhatIcould！"
Sheleanedbackandlaughedreassuringlytohertroubledmother。"Itseemedtobeasuccess——whatIcould,"shesaid,claspingherhandsbehindherneckandstirringtherockertomotionasarhythmicaccompanimenttohernarrative。"ThegirlEdithandhersister—in—law,Mrs。RoscoeSheridan,weretooanxiousabouttheeffectofthingsonme。Thefather"sworthabushelofbothofthem,iftheyknewit。He"swhatheis。Ilikehim。"Shepausedreflectively,continuing,"Edith"s"interested"inthatLamhornboy;he"sgood—lookingandnotstupid,butIthinkhe"s——"Sheinterruptedherselfwithacheeryoutcry:"Oh！Imustn"tbecallinghimnames！Ifhe"stryingtomakeEdithlikehim,Ioughttorespecthimasacolleague。"
"Idon"tunderstandathingyou"retalkingabout,"Mrs。Vertreescomplained。
"Allthebetter！Well,he"sabadlot,thatLamhornboy;everybody"salwaysknownthat,buttheSheridansdon"tknowtheeverybodiesthatknow。HesatbetweenEdithandMrs。RoscoeSheridan。SHE"Slikethosepeopleyouwonderedaboutatthetheater,thelasttimewewent——dressedinball—gowns;boundtoshowtheirclothesandjewelsSOMEwhere！Sheflattersthefather,andsodidI,forthatmatter——butnotthatway。Itreatedhimoutrageously！"
"Mary！"
"That"swhatflatteredhim。Afterdinnerhemadethewholeregimentofusfollowhimalloverthehouse,whilehelecturedlikeaguideonthePalatine。
Hegavedimensionsandcosts,andthewholeb"ilin"of"emlistenedasiftheythoughtheintendedtomakethemapresentofthehouse。WhathewasproudestofwastheplumbingandthatBayofNaplespanoramainthehall。Hemadeuslookatalltheplumbing——bath—roomsandeverywhereelse——andthenhemadeuslookattheBayofNaples。Hesaiditwasahundredandelevenfeetlong,butIthinkit"smore。Andheledusallintotheready—madelibrarytoseeapoemEdithhadtakenaprizewithatschool。They"dhaditprintedingoldlettersandframedinmother—of—pearl。Butthepoemitselfwasrathersimpleandwistfulandnice——hereadittous,thoughEdithtriedtostophim。Shewasmodestaboutit,andsaidshe"dneverwrittenanythingelse。Andthen,afterawhile,Mrs。RoscoeSheridanaskedmetocomeacrossthestreettoherhousewiththem——herhusbandandEdithandMr。LamhornandJimSheridan——"
Mrs。Vertreeswasshocked。""Jim"！"sheexclaimed。"Mary,PLEASE——"
"Ofcourse,"saidMary。"I"llmakeitaseasyforyouasIcan,mamma。Mr。
JamesSheridan,Junior。Wewentoverthere,andMrs。Roscoeexplainedthat"themenwerealldyingforadrink,"thoughInoticedthatMr。Lamhornwastheonlyoneneardeath"sdooronthataccount。EdithandMrs。RoscoesaidtheyknewI"dbeenboredatthedinner。Theywereobjectionablyapologeticaboutit,andtheyseemedtothinkNOWweweregoingtohavea"goodtime"tomakeupforit。ButIhadn"tbeenboredatthedinner,I"dbeenamused;andthe"goodtime"atMrs。Roscoe"swashorribly,horriblystupid。"
"But,Mary,"hermotherbegan,"is——is——"Andsheseemedunabletocompletethequestion。
"Nevermind,mamma。I"llsayit。IsMr。JamesSheridan,Junior,stupid？I"msurehe"snotatallstupidaboutbusiness。Otherwise——Oh,whatrighthaveI
tobecallingpeople"stupid"becausethey"renotexactlymykind？Onthebigdinner—tabletheyhadenormousicingmodelsoftheSheridanBuilding——"
"Oh,no！"Mrs。Vertreescried。"Surelynot！"
"Yes,andtwootherthingsofthatkind——Idon"tknowwhat。But,afterall,I
wonderediftheyweresobad。IfI"dbeenatadinneratapalaceinItaly,andarelieforinscriptionononeoftheoldsilverpeiceshadreferredtosomegreatdeedorachievementofthefamily,Ishouldn"thavefeltsuperior;
I"dhavethoughtitpicturesqueandstately——I"dhavebeenimpressed。Andwhat"stherealdifference？Theicingistemporary,andthat"smuchmoremodest,isn"tit？Andwhyisitvulgartofeelimportantmoreonaccountofsomethingyou"vedoneyourselfthanbecauseofsomethingoneofyourancestorsdid？Besides,ifwegobackafewgenerations,we"veallgotsuchhundredsofancestorsitseemsidiotictogopickingoutoneortwotobeproudofourselvesabout。Well,then,mamma,ImanagednottofeelsuperiortoMr。
JamesSheridan,Junior,becausehedidn"tseeanythingoutofplaceintheSheridanBuildinginsugar。"
Mrs。Vertrees"sexpressionhadlostnoneofitsanxietypendingtheconclusionofthislivelybitofanalysis,andsheshookherheadgravely。"Mydear,dearchild,"shesaid,"itseemstome——Itlooks——I"mafraid——"
"Sayasmuchofitasyoucan,mamma,"saidMary,encouragingly。"Icangetit,ifyou"lljustgivemeonekey—word。"
"Everythingyousay,"Mrs。Vertreesbegan,timidly,"seemstohavetheairof——Itisasifyouwereseekingto——tomakeyourself——"
"Oh,Isee！YoumeanIsoundasifIweretryingtoforcemyselftolikehim。"
"Notexactly,Mary。Thatwasn"tquitewhatImeant,"saidMrs。Vertrees,speakingdirectuntruthwithperfectunconsciousness。"Butyousaidthat——
thatyoufoundthelatterpartoftheeveningatyoungMrs。Sheridan"sunentertaining——"
"AndasMr。JamesSheridanwasthere,andIsawmoreofhimthanatdinner,andhadahorriblystupidtimeinspiteofthat,youthinkI——"AndthenitwasMarywholeftthedeductionunfinished。
Mrs。Vertreesnodded;andthoughboththemotherandthedaughterunderstood,Maryfeltitbettertomaketheunderstandingdefinite。
"Well,"sheasked,gravely,"isthereanythingelseIcando？Youandpapadon"twantmetodoanythingthatdistressesme,andso,asthisistheonlythingtobedone,itseemsit"suptomenottoletitdistressme。That"sallthereisaboutit。isn"tit？"
"ButnothingMUSTdistressyou！"themothercried。
"That"swhatIsay！"saidMary,cheerfully。"Andsoitdoesn"t。It"sallright。"Sheroseandtookhercloakoverherarm,asiftogotoherownroom。Butonthewaytothedoorshestopped,andstoodleaningagainstthefootofthebed,contemplatingathreadbarerugatherfeet。"Mother,you"vetoldmeathousandtimesthatitdoesn"treallymatterwhomagirlmarries。"
"No,no！"Mrs。Vertreesprotested。"Ineversaidsucha——"
"No,notinwords;ImeanwhatyouMEANT。It"strue,isn"tit,thatmarriagereallyis"notabedofroses,butafieldofbattle"？Togetrightdowntoit,agirlcouldfightitoutwithanybody,couldn"tshe？Onemanaswellasanother？"
"Oh,mydear！I"msureyourfatherandI——"
"Yes,yes,"saidMary,indulgently。"Idon"tmeanyouandpapa。Butisn"titpropinquitythatmakesmarriages？Somanypeoplesayso,theremustbesomethinginit。"
"Mary,Ican"tbearforyoutotalklikethat。"AndMrs。Vertreesliftedpleadingeyestoherdaughter——eyesthatbeggedtobespared。"Itsounds——almostreckless！"
Marycaughttheappeal,cametoher,andkissedhergaily。"Neverfret,dear！
I"mnotlikelytodoanythingIdon"twanttodo——I"vealwaysbeentoothorough—goingalittlepig！AndifitISpropinquitythatdoesourchoosingforus,well,atleastnogirlintheworldcouldaskformorethanTHAT！Howcouldtherebeanymorepropinquitythantheveryhousenextdoor？"
Shegavehermotherafinalkissandwentgailyallthewaytothedoorthistime,pausingforherpostscriptwithherhandontheknob。"Oh,theonethatcaughtmelookinginthewindow,mamma,theyoungestone——"
"Didhespeakofit？"Mrs。Vertreesasked,apprehensively。
"No。Hedidn"tspeakatall,thatIsaw,toanyone。Ididn"tmeethim。Butheisn"tinsane,I"msure;orifheis,hehaslongintervalswhenhe"snot。
Mr。JamesSheridanmentionedthathelivedathomewhenhewas"wellenough";
anditmaybehe"sonlyaninvalid。Helooksdreadfullyill,buthehaspleasanteyes,anditstruckmethatif——ifonewereintheSheridanfamily"——shelaughedalittleruefully——"hemightbeinterestingtotalktosometimes,whentherewastoomuchstocksandbonds。Ididn"tseehimafterdinner。"
"Theremustbesomethingwrongwithhim,"saidMrs。Vertrees。"They"dhaveintroducedhimiftherewasn"t。"
"Idon"tknow。He"sbeenillsomuchandawaysomuch——sometimespeoplelikethatjustdon"tseemto"count"inafamily。Hisfatherspokeofsendinghimbacktoamachine—shoporsomesort;Isupposehemeantwhenthepoorthinggetsbetter。Iglancedathimjustthen,whenMr。Sheridanmentionedhim,andhehappenedtobelookingstraightatme;andhewaspathetic—lookingenoughbeforethat,butthemosttragicchangecameoverhim。Heseemedjusttodie,rightthereatthetable！"
"Youmeanwhenhisfatherspokeofsendinghimtotheshopplace？"
"Yes。"
"Mr。Sheridanmustbeveryunfeeling。"
"No,"saidMary,thoughtfully,"Idon"tthinkheis;buthemightbeuncomprehending,andcertainlyhe"sthekindofmantodoanythingheoncesetsouttodo。ButIwishIhadn"tbeenlookingatthatpoorboyjustthen！
I"mafraidI"llkeepremembering——"
"Iwouldn"t。"Mrs。Vertreessmiledfaintly,andinhersmiletherewastheremotestghostofagenteelroguishness。"I"dkeepmymindonpleasanterthings,Mary。"
Marylaughedandnodded。"Yes,indeed！Plentypleasantenough,andprobably,ifallwereknown,toogood——evenforme！"
AndwhenshehadgoneMrs。Vertreesdrewalongbreath,asifaburdenwereoffhermind,and,smiling,begantoundressinagentlereverie。
Edith,glancingcasuallyintothe"ready—made"library,stoppedabruptly,seeingBibbstherealone。Hewasstandingbeforethepearl—framedandgolden—
letteredpoem,musinglyinspectingit。Hereadit:
FugitiveIwillforgetthethingsthatsting:
Thelashinglook,thebarbedword。
IknowtheveryhandsthatflingThestonesatmehadneverstirredToangerbutfortheirownscars。
They"vesufferedso,that"swhytheystrike。
I"llkeepmyheartamongthestarsWherenoneshallhuntitout。Oh,likeThesewoundedonesImustnotbe,For,wounded,Imightstrikeinturn！
So,noneshallhurtme。FarandfreeWheremyheartfliesnooneshalllearn。
"Bibbs！"Edith"svoicewasangry,andhercolordeepenedsuddenlyasshecameintotheroom,precededbyascentofvioletsmuchmorepowerfulthanthatwarrantedbytheactualbunchofthemuponthelapelofhercoat。
Bibbsdidnotturnhishead,butwaggeditsolemnly,seemingdepressedbythepoem。"Prettyyoung,isn"tit？"hesaid。"Theremusthavebeensomethingaboutyourlooksthatgottheprize,Edith;Ican"tbelievethepoemdidit。"
Sheglancedhurriedlyoverhershoulderandspokesharply,butinalowvoice:
"Idon"tthinkit"sveryniceofyoutobringitupatall,Bibbs。I"dlikeachancetoforgetthewholesillybusiness。Ididn"twantthemtoframeit,andIwishtogoodnesspapa"dquittalkingaboutit;buthere,thatnight,afterthedinner,didn"thegoandreaditaloudtothewholecrowdof"em！
AndthentheyallwantedtoknowwhatotherpoemsI"dwrittenandwhyIdidn"tkeepitupandwritesomemore,andifIdidn"t,whydidn"tI,andwhythisandwhythat,tillIthoughtI"ddieofshame！"
"Youcouldtell"emyouhadwriter"scramp,"Bibbssuggested。
"Icouldn"ttell"emanything！Ijustchokewithmortificationeverytimeanybodyspeaksofthething。"
Bibbslookedgrieved。"Thepoemisn"tTHATbad,Edith。Yousee,youwereonlyseventeenwhenyouwroteit。"
"Oh,hushup！"shesnapped。"IwishithadburntmyfingersthefirsttimeI
touchedit。ThenImighthavehadsenseenoughtoleaveitwhereitwas。I
hadnobusinesstotakeit,andI"vebeenashamed——"
"No,no,"hesaid,comfortingly。"Itwastheverymostflatteringthingeverhappentome。ItwasalmostmylastflightbeforeIwenttothemachine—shop,andit"spleasanttothinksomebodylikeditenoughto——"
"ButIDON"Tlikeit！"sheexclaimed。"Idon"tevenunderstandit——andpapamadesomuchfussoveritsgettingtheprize,Ijusthateit！ThetruthisI
neverdreamedit"dgettheprize。"
"Maybetheyexpectedfathertoendowtheschool,"Bibbsmurmered。
"Well,Ihadtohavesomethingtoturnin,andIcouldn"twriteaLINE！I
hatepoetry,anyhow;andBobbyLamhorn"salwaysteasingmeabouthowI"keepmyheartamongthestars。"Hemakesitseemsuchamushykindofthing,thewayhesaysit。Ihateit！"
"You"llhavetoliveitdown,Edith。Perhapsabroadandunderanothernameyoumightfind——"
"Oh,hushup！I"llhiresomeonetostealitandburnitthefirstchanceI
get。"Sheturnedawaypetulantly,movingtothedoor。"I"dliketothinkI
couldhopetohearthelastofitbeforeIdie！"
"Edith！"hecalled,asshewentintothehall。
"What"sthematter？"
"Iwanttoaskyou:DoIreallylookbetter,orhaveyoujustgotusedtome？"
"Whatonearthdoyoumean？"shesaid,comingbackasfarasthethreshold。
"WhenIfirstcameyoucouldn"tlookatme,"Bibbsexplained,inhisimpersonalway。"ButI"venoticedyoulookatmelately。IwonderedifI"d——"
"It"sbecauseyoulooksomuchbetter,"shetoldhim,cheerfully。"Thismonthyou"vebeenhere"sdoneyounoendofgood。It"sthechange。"
"Yes,that"swhattheysaidatthesanitarium——thechange。"
"Youlookworsethan"mostanybodyIeversaw,"saidEdith,withsupremecandor。"ButIdon"tknowmuchaboutit。I"veneverseenacorpseinmylife,andI"veneverevenseenanybodythatwasterriblysick,soyoumustn"tjudgebyme。Ionlyknowyoudolookbetter,I"mgladtosay。Butyou"rerightaboutmynotbeingabletolookatyouatfirst。Youhadakindofwhitenessthat——Well,you"realmostasthin,Isuppose,butyou"vegotmorejustordinarilypale;notthatghastlylook。Anybodycouldlookatyounow,Bibbs,andno——notget——"
"Sick？"
"Well——almostthat！"shelaughed。"Andyou"regettingabettercoloreveryday,Bibbs;youreallyare。You"regettingalongsplendidly。"
"I——I"mafraidso,"hesaid,ruefully。
""Afraidso"！Well,ifyouaren"tthequeerest！Isupposeyoumeanfathermightsendyoubacktothemachine—shopifyougetwellenough。Iheardhimsaysomethingaboutitthenightofthe——"Thejingleofadistantbellinterruptedher,andsheglancedatherwatch。"BobbyLamhorn！I"mgoingtomotorhimouttolookataplaceinthecountry。Afternoon,Bibbs！"
Whenshehadgone,Bibbsmoonedpessimisticallyfromshelftoshelf,hiseyewanderingamongthetitlesofthebooks。Thelibraryconsistedalmostentirelyofhandsome"uniformeditions":Irving,Poe,Cooper,Goldsmith,Scott,Byron,Burns,Longfellow,Tennyson,Hume,Gibbon,Prescott,Thackeray,Dickens,DeMusset,Balzac,Gautier,Flaubert,Goethe,Schiller,Dante,andTasso。Therewereshelvesandshelvesofencyclopedias,ofanthologies,of"famousclassics,"of"Orientalmasterpieces,"of"masterpiecesoforatory,"
andmoreshelvesof"selectedlibraries"of"literature,"of"thedrama,"andof"modernscience。"Theymadeaneffectivedecorationfortheroom,allthesebig,expensivebooks,withaglossybindinghereandtheretwinklingareflectionoftheflamesthatcrackledinthesplendidGothicfireplace;butBibbshadanimpressionthatthebooksellerwhoselectedthemconsideredthemarelief,andthatwhite—jacketconsideredthemaburdenofdust,andthatnobodyelseconsideredthematall。Himself,hedisturbednotone。
Therecameachimeofbellsfromaclockinanotherpartofthehouse,andwhite—jacketappearedbeaminglyinthedoorway,bearingfurs。"Awready,Mist"
Bibbs,"heannounced。"You"masaywrapupwawmf"you"ride,an"shecain"
gowithyouto—day,an"notf"gitgoseeyou"paatfo""clock。Awready,suh。"
HeequippedBibbsforthedailydriveDr。Gurneyhadcommanded;andinthemannerofamasterofceremoniesunctuouslyledtheway。InthehalltheypassedtheMoor,andBibbspausedbeforeitwhilewhite—jacketopenedthedoorwithaflourishandwavedcondescendinglytothechauffeurinthecarwhichstoodwaitinginthedriveway。
"ItseemstomeIaskedyouwhatyouthoughtaboutthis"statue"whenIfirstcamehome,George,"saidBibbs,thoughtfully。"Whatdidyoutellme？"
"Yessuh！"Georgechuckled,perfectlyunderstandingthatforsomeunknownreasonBibbsenjoyedhearinghimrepeathisopinionoftheMoor。"Youastmewhenyoufirs"comehome,an"youastmenex"day,an"mightynearev"ydayalltimeyoubeenhere;an"las"Sundayyouastmetwicet。"Heshookhisheadsolemnly。"Looktomemus"besomep"mmightlamiDAL"bout"atstatue！"
"Mightywhat？"
"MightylamiDAL！"George,burstoutlaughing。"WhatDO"atwordmean,Mist"
Bibbs？"
"It"snewtome,George。Wheredidyouhearit？"
"Inev"DIDhearit！"saidGeorge。"Iuzdesssittin"thinkumtomyse"fan"
shepopinmyhead——"lamiDAL,"desslike"at！An"shesoun"sogood,seemlikesheGOTTAmeansomep"m！"
"Cometothinkofit,Ibelieveshedoesmeansomething。Why,yes——"
"Doshe？"criedGeorge。"WHATshemean？"
"It"sexactlythewordforthestatue,"saidBibbs,withconviction,asheclimbedintothecar。"It"salamiDALstatue。"
"Hiyi！"Georgeexulted。"Man！Man！Listen！Well,suh,shemightylamiDAL
statue,butlamiDALstatueheapo"troubletodus"！""Iexpectsheis！"saidBibbs,astheenginebegantochurn;andamomentlaterhewassweptfromsight。
GeorgeturnedtoMist"Jackson,whohadbeenlisteningbenevolentlyinthehallway。"Sameheaw—wayssay,Mist"Jackson——"Iexpec"sheis！"Ev"ydayhetryt"gitmetalk"bout"atlamiDALstatue,an"aw—ways,las"thingHEsay,"Iexpec"sheis！"Youknow,Mist"Jackson,ifhegitwell,"atyoungmango"
beprideo"thefamily,Mist"Jackson。Yes—suh,rightnowIpick"imfo"
firs"money！"
"Lookoutwithall"atmoney,George！"Jacksonwarnedtheenthusiast。"Whitefolks"n"ishouseknow"imheaplonger"nyou。Youtheon"ymanbettin"on"im！"
"Iriskit！"criedGeorge,merrily。"Iputherallonnow——ev"ycent！"Atboy"sgo"beflowero"theflock！"
Thissingularprophecy,foundedsomewhatrecklesslyupongratitudeforthemeaningof"lamiDAL,"differedradicallyfromanotherpredictionconcerningBibbs,setforthforthebenefitofafairauditorsometwentyminuteslater。
JimSheridan,skirtingtheedgesofthetownwithMaryVertreesbesidehim,inhisownswiftmachine,encounteredtheinvaliduponthehighroad。Thetwocarsweregoinginoppositedirections,andtheoccupantsofJim"shadonlyaswayingglimpseofBibbssittingaloneonthebackseat——hiswhitefacestartlinglywhiteagainstcapandcollarofblackfur——butheflashedintorecognitionasMarybowedtohim。
Jimwavedhislefthandcarelessly。"It"sBibbs,takinghisconstitutional,"
heexplained。
"Yes,Iknow,"saidMary。"Ibowedtohim,too,thoughI"venevermethim。Infact,I"veonlyseenhimonce——no,twice。Ihopehewon"tthinkI"mverybold,bowingtohim。"
"Idoubtifhenoticedit,"saidhonestJim。
"Oh,no！"shecried。
"What"sthetrouble？"
"I"malmostsurepeoplenoticeitwhenIbowtothem。"
"Oh,Isee！"saidJim。"Ofcoursetheywouldordinarily,butBibbsisfunny。"
"Ishe？How？"sheasked。"Hestrikesmeasanythingbutfunny。"
"Well,I"mhisbrother,"Jimsaid,deprecatingly,"butIdon"tknowwhathe"slike,and,totellthetruth,I"veneverfeltexactlylikeIWAShisbrother,thewayIdoRoscoe。Bibbsneverdidseemmorethanhalfalivetome。OfcourseRoscoeandIareolder,andwhenwewereboysweweretoobigtoplaywithhim,butheneverplayedanyway,withboyshisownage。He"dratherjustsitinthehouseandmopearoundbyhimslef。NobodycouldevergethimtoDO
anything;youcan"tgethimtodoanythingnow。HeneverhadanyLIFEinhim;
andhonestly,ifheismybrother,ImustsayIbelieveBibbsSheridanisthelaziestmanGodevermade！Fatherputhiminthemachine—shopoveratthePumpWorks——bestthingintheworldforhim——andhewasjustplainnoaccount。
Itmadehimsick！Ifhe"dhadtherightkindofenergy——thekindfather"sgot,forinstance,orRoscoe,either——why,itwouldn"tmadehimsick。Andsupposeitwaseitherofthem——yes,orme,either——doyouthinkanyofuswouldhavestoppedifweWEREsick？Notmuch！Ihatetosayit,butBibbsSheridan"llneveramounttoanythingaslongashelives。"
Marylookedthoughtful。"Isthereanyparticularreasonwhyheshould？"sheasked。
"Goodgracious！"heexclaimed。"Youdon"tmeanthat,doyou？Don"tyoubelieveinaman"sknowinghowtoearnhissalt,nomatterhowmuchmoneyhisfather"sgot？Hasn"tthebusinessofthisworldgottobecarriedonbyeverybodyinit？Arewegoingtolaybackonwhatwe"vegotandseeotherfellowsgetaheadofus？Ifwe"vegotbigthingsalready,isn"titeveryman"sbusinesstogoaheadandmake"embigger？Isn"tithisduty？Don"twealwayswanttogetbiggerandbigger？"
"Ye—es——Idon"tknow。ButIfeelrathersorryforyourbrother。Helookedsolonely——andsick。"