第6章
Bibbs"sroom,thatneatapartmentfortransientstowhichthe"lamidal"
Georgehadshownhimuponhisreturn,stillboretheappearanceoftemporaryquarters,possiblybecauseBibbshadnoclearconceptionofhimselfasapermanentincumbent。However,hehadsetuponthemantelpiecethetwophotographsthatheowned:one,a"group"twentyyearsold——hisfatherandmother,withJimandRoscoeasboys——andtheothera"cabinet"ofEdithatsixteen。Anduponatablewerethebookshehadtakenfromhistrunk:SartorResartus,VirginibusPuerisque,HuckleberryFinn,andAfterwhiles。Thereweresomeotherbooksinthetrunk——alargeone,whichremainedunremovedatthefootofthebed,addingtothegeneralimpressionoftransiency。ItcontainednearlyallthepossessionsaswellasthesecretlifeofBibbsSheridan,andBibbssatbesideit,thedayafterhisinterviewwithhisfather,rakingoverasmallcollectionofmanuscriptsinthetoptray。Someoftheseheglancedthroughdubiously,findinglittlecomfortinthem;butonemadehimsmile。Thenheshookhisheadruefullyindeed,andruefullybegantoreadit。Itwaswrittenonpaperstamped"HoodSanitarium,"andborethetitle,"Leisure。"
Amanmaykeepaquietheartatseventymilesanhour,butnotifheisrunningthetrain。Noristhehabitofcontemplationausefulqualityinthestokerofafoundryfurnace;itwillnotbefoundtorecommendhimtotheapprobationofhissuperiors。Foraprofessionadaptedsolelytothepursuitofhappinessinthinking,Iwouldchoosethatofaninvalid:hismoneyistimeandhemayspenditonOlympus。Itwillnotsufficetobeanamateurinvalid。Tomywayofthinking,theperfectpractitionermustbetoalloutwardpurposesalreadydeadifheistobegintheperfectenjoymentoflife。Hisserenitymustnotbedisturbedbyrumorsofrecovery;hemustliesereneinhislongchairinthesunshine。Theworldmustbeontheothersideofthewall,andthewallmustbesothickandsohighthathecannotheartheroaringofthefurnacefiresandthescreamingofthewhistles。Peace——
Havingreadsofarastheword"peace,"Bibbssufferedaninterruptioninterestingasacoincidenceofcontrast。Highvoicessoundedinthehalljustoutsidehisdoor;anditbecameevidentthatawoman"squarrelwasinprogress,thepartiestoithavingbegunitinEdith"sroom,andcontinuingitvehementlyastheycameoutintothehall。
"Yes,youBETTERgohome！"Bibbsheardhissistervociferating,shrilly。"YoubettergohomeandkeepyourmindalittlemoreonyourHUSBAND！"
"Edie,Edie！"heheardhismotherremonstrating,aspeacemaker。
"Youseehere！"ThiswasSibyl,andhervoicewasbothacridandtremulous。
"Don"tyoutalktomethatway！IcameheretotellMotherSheridanwhatI"dheard,andtolethertellFatherSheridanifshethoughtsheoughtto,andI
diditforyourowngood。"
"Yes,youdid！"AndEdith"sgibinglaughtertootedloudly。"Yes,youdid！
YOUdidn"thaveanyotherreason！OHno！YOUdon"twanttobreakitupbetweenBobbyLamhornandmebecause——"
"Edie,Edie！Now,now！"
"Oh,hushup,mamma！I"dliketoknow,then,ifshesayshernewfriendstellherhe"sgotsuchareputationthatheoughtn"ttocomehere,whatabouthisnotgoingtoHERhouse。How——"
"I"veexplainedthattoMotherSheridan。"Sibyl"svoiceindicatedthatshewasdescendingthestairs。"Marriedpeoplearenotthesame。Somethingsthatshouldbeshieldedfromayounggirl——"
ThisseemedtohavenoverysoothingeffectuponEdith。""Shieldedfromayounggirl"！"sheshrilled。"Youseemprettywillingtobetheshield！YoulookoutRoscoedoesn"tnoticewhatkindofashieldyouare！"
Sibyl"sanswerwasinaudible,butMrs。Sheridan"sflurriedattemptsatpacificationwererenewed。"Now,Edie,Edie,shemeansitforyourgood,andyou"doughtn"tto——"
"Oh,hushup,mamma,andletmealone！Ifyoudaretellpapa——"
"Now,now！I"mnotgoingtotellhimto—day,andmaybe——"
"You"vegottopromiseNEVERtotellhim！"thegirlcried,passionately。
"Well,we"llsee。Youjustcomebackinyourownroom,andwe"ll——"
"No！IWON"T"talkitover"！Stoppullingme！LetmeALONE！"AndEdith,flingingherselfviolentlyuponBibbs"sdoor,jerkeditopen,swungrounditintotheroom,slammedthedoorbehindher,andthrewherself,facedown,uponthebedinsuchariotofemotionthatshehadnoperceptionofBibbs"spresenceintheroom。Gaspingandsobbinginapassionoftears,shebeatthecoverletandpillowswithherclenchedfists。"Sneak！"shebabbledaloud。
"Sneak！Snake—in—the—grass！Cat！"
Bibbssawthatshedidnotknowhewasthere,andhewentsoftlytowardthedoor,hopingtogetawaybeforeshebecameawareofhim;butsomesoundofhismovementreachedher,andshesatup,startled,facinghim。
"Bibbs！IthoughtIsawyougooutawhileago。"
"Yes。Icameback,though。I"msorry——"
"DidyouhearmequarrelingwithSibyl？"
"Onlywhatyousaidinthehall。Youliedownagain,Edith。I"mgoingout。"
"No;don"tgo。"Sheappliedahandkerchieftohereyes,emittedasob,andrepeatedherrequest。"Don"tgo。Idon"tmindyou;you"requiet,anyhow。
Mamma"ssofussy,andnevergetsanywhere。Idon"tmindyouatall,butI
wishyou"dsitdown。"
"Allright。"Andhereturnedtohischairbesidethetrunk。"Goaheadandcryallyouwant,Edith,"hesaid。"Noharminthat！"
"Sibyltoldmamma——OH！"shebegan,choking。"MaryVertreeshadmammaandSibylandItotea,oneafternoontwoweeksorsoago,andshehadsomewomentherethatSibyl"sbeencrazytogetinwith,andshejustlaidherselfouttomakeahitwith"em,andshe"sbeenrunningafter"emeversince,andnowshecomesoverhereandsaysTHEYsayBobbyLamhornissobadthat,eventhoughtheylikehisfamily,noneofthenicepeopleintownwouldlethimintheirhouses。Inthefirstplace,it"safalsehood,andIdon"tbelieveawordofit;andinthesecondplaceIknowthereasonshedidit,and,what"smore,sheKNOWSIknowit！Iwon"tSAYwhatitis——notyet——becausepapaandallofyouwouldthinkI"mascrazyassheissnaky;andRoscoe"ssuchafoolhe"dprobablyquitspeakingtome。Butit"strue！Justyouwatchher;
that"sallIask。Justyouwatchthatwoman。You"llsee！"
Asithappened,Bibbswasliterallywatching"thatwoman。"Glancingfromthewindow,hesawSibylpauseuponthepavementinfrontoftheoldhousenextdoor。Shestoodamoment,indeepthought,thenwalkedquicklyupthepathtothedoor,undoubtedlywiththeintentionofcalling。Buthedidnotmentionthistohissister,who,afterdeliveringherselfofarathervaguejeremiaduponthesubjectofhersister—in—law"streacheries,departedtoherownchamber,leavinghimtohisspeculations。Thechiefoftheseconcernedthesocialelasticitiesofwomen。Sibylhadjustbeenaparticipantinaviolentscene;shehadsufferedhotinsultofakindthatcouldnotfailtosetherquiveringwithresentment;andyetsheelectedtobetakeherselftothepresenceofpeoplewhomsheknewnomorethan"formally。"Bibbsmarveled。Surely,hereflected,sometracesofemotionmustlingeruponSibyl"sfaceorinhermanner;shecouldnothaveironeditallquiteoutinthethreeorfourminutesittookhertoreachtheVertreeses"door。
Andinthishewasnotmistaken,forMaryVertreeswasatthatmomentwonderingwhatinternalexcitementMrs。RoscoeSheridanwasstrivingtomaster。ButSibylhadnoideathatshewasallowingherselftoexhibitanythingexceptthegaietywhichsheconceivedpropertothemannerofacasualcaller。Shewaswhollyintentuponfulfillingthesuddenpurposethatbroughther,andshewasnomoreself—consciousthanshewasfinelyintelligent。ForSibylSheridanbelongedtoatypeScripturalinitsantiquity。Shewasmerelytheidleandhalf—educatedintriguerwhomayanddoesdeludemen,ofcourse,andthebestanddullestofherownsexaswell,findinginvariablystrongsupportersamongtheselatter。Itisatypethathaswroughtsomedamageintheworldandwouldhavewroughtgreater,saveforthecheckputuponitspowerbyintelligentwomenandbyitsown"lackofperspective,"foritisatypethatneverseesitself。Sibylfollowedherimpulseswithnoreflectionorquestion——itwaslikeahoundonthegallopafteramasteronhorseback。Shehadnoteventheinstincttostopandconsiderhereffect。Ifshewishedtomakeacertainimpressionshebelievedthatshemadeit。Shebelievedthatshewasbelieved。
"Mymotheraskedmetosaythatshewassorryshecouldn"tcomedown,"Marysaid,whentheywereseated。
Sibylranthescaleofacooingsimulanceoflaughter,whichshehadbeenbroughtuptoconsiderthepolitethingtodoafteraremarkaddressedtoherbyanypersonwithwhomshewasnotonfamiliarterms。Itwasintendedpartlyasacourtesyandpartlyasthefoundationforanimpressionofsweetness。
"JustthoughtI"dflyinaminute,"shesaid,continuingthecooingtorelievethelastdoubtofhergentiality。"IthoughtI"djustbehavelikeREALcountryneighbors。Wearealmostoutinthecountry,sofarfromdown—town,aren"twe？AnditseemedsuchaLOVELYday！IwantedtotellyouhowmuchIenjoyedmeetingthosenicepeopleatteathatafternoon。Yousee,cominghereabrideandneverhavinglivedherebefore,I"vehadtodependonmyhusband"sfriendsalmostentirely,andIreally"veknownscarcelyanybody。Mr。Sheridanhasbeensoengrossedinbusinesseversincehewasamereboy,why,ofcourse——"
Shepaused,withtheairofhavingcompletedanexplanation。
"Ofcourse,"saidMary,sympatheticallyacceptingit。
"Yes。I"vebeenseeingquitealotoftheKittersbyssincethatafternoon,"
Sibylwenton。"They"rereallydelightfulpeople。Indeedtheyare！Yes——"
Shestoppedwithunconsciousabruptness,hermindplainlywanderingtoanothermatter;andMaryperceivedthatshehadcomeuponadefiniteerrand。
Moreover,atensingofSibyl"seyelids,inthatmomentofabstractionasshelookedasidefromherhostess,indicatedthattheerrandwasaseriousoneforthecallerandeasilytobeconnectedwiththeslightbutperceptibleagitationunderlyingherassumptionofcheerfulease。Therewasarestlessnesofbreathing,arestlessnessofhands。
"Mrs。Kittersbyandherdaughterwerechattingaboutsometothepeoplehereintowntheotherday,"saidSibyl,repeatingthecooingandprotractingit。
"TheysaidsomethingthattookMEbysurprise！Weweretalkingaboutourmutualfriend,Mr。RobertLamhorn——"
Maryinterruptedherpromptly。"Doyoumean"mutual"toincludemymotherandme？"sheasked。
"Why,yes;theKittersbysandyouandallofusSheridans,Imean。"
"No,"saidMary。"Weshouldn"tconsiderMr。RobertLamhornafriendofours。"
Tohersurprise,Sibylnoddedeagerly,asifgreatlypleased。"That"sjustthewayMrs。Kittersbytalked！"shecried,withavehemencethatmadeMarystare。"Yes,andIhearthat"sthewayALLyouoldfamiliesherespeakofhim！"
Marylookedaside,butotherwiseshewasabletomaintainhercomposure。"I
hadtheimpressionhewasafriendofyours,"shesaid;adding,hastily,"andyourhusband"s"
"Ohyes,"saidthecaller,absently。"Heis,certainly。Aman"sreputationforalittlegaietyoughtn"ttomakeagreatdifferencetomarriedpeople,ofcourse。It"swhereyounggirlsareinquestion。THENitmaybevery,verydangerous。Thereareagreatmanythingssafeandproperformarriedpeoplethatmightbeawf"lyimprudentforayounggirl。Don"tyouagree,MissVertrees？"
"Idon"tknow,"returnedthefrankMary。"DoyoumeanthatyouintendtoremainafriendofMr。Lamhorn"s,butdisapproveofMissSheridan"sdoingso？"
"That"sitexactly！"wasthenaiveandardentresponseofSibyl。"WhatI
feelaboutitisthatamanwithhisreputationisn"tatallsuitableforEdith,andthefamilyoughttobemadetounderstandit。Itellyou,"shecried,withasuddenaccessofvehemence,"herfatheroughttoputhisfootdown！"
Hereyesflashedwithagreenspark;somethingseemedtoleapoutandthenretreat,butnotbeforeMaryhadcaughtaglimpseofit,asonemightcatchaglimpseofathingdartingforthandthenscuttlingbackintohidingunderabush。
"Ofcourse,"saidSibyl,muchmorecomposedly,"Ihardlyneedsaythatit"sentirelyonEdith"saccountthatI"mworriedaboutthis。I"masfondofEdithasifshewasreallymysister,andIcan"thelpfrettingaboutit。ItwouldbreakmyhearttohaveEdith"slifespoiled。"
Thistunewasoffthekey,toMary"sear。Sibyltriedtosingwithpathos,butsheflatted。
Andwhenaladyreceivesacallfromanotherwhosuffersunderthestressofsomefeelingwhichshewishestoconceal,thereisnotuncommonlydevelopedaphenomenonofdualitycomparabletotheeffectobtainedbyplacingtwomirrorsoppositeeachother,oneclearandtheotherflawed。Inthiscase,particularly,SibylhadanimperfectconsciousnessofMary。TheMaryVertreesthatshesawwasmerelysomethingtobecozenedtoherownfranticpurpose——aMaryVertreeswhowasincapableofpenetratingthatpurpose。
Sibylsattherebelievingthatshewasprojectingtheimageofherselfthatshedesiredtoproject,neverdreamingthatwitheveryword,everylook,andeverygestureshewasmoreandmorefullydisclosingthepitiabletruthtothecleareyesofMary。AndtheSibylthatMarysawwasanoverdressedwoman,inmannerhalfrustic,andinmindasshallowasapan,butpossessedbyemotionsthatappearedtobestrong——perhapsevenviolent。WhatthoseemotionswereMaryhadnotguessed,butshebegantosuspect。
"AndEdith"slifeWOULDbespoiled,"Sibylcontinued。"Itwouldbeadreadfulthingforthewholefamily。She"stheveryappleofFatherSheridan"seye,andhe"sasproudofherasheisofJimandRoscoe。ItwouldbeahorriblethingforhimtohavehermarryamanlikeRobertLamhorn;buthedoesn"tKNOWanythingabouthim,andifsomebodydoesn"ttellhim,whatI"mmostafraidofisthatEdithmightgethisconsentandhurryontheweddingbeforehefindsout,andthenitwouldbetoolate。Yousee,MissVertrees,it"sverydifficultformetodecidejustwhatit"smydutytodo。"
"Isee,"saidMary,lookingatherthoughtfully,"DoesMissSheridanseemto——tocareverymuchabouthim？"
"He"sdeliberatelyfascinatedher,"returnedthevisitor,beginningtobreathequicklyandheavily。"Oh,shewasn"tdifficult！Sheknewshewasn"tinrightinthistown,andshewascrazytomeetthepeoplethatwere,andshethoughthewasoneof"em。Butthatwasonlythestartthatmadeiteasyforhim——andhedidn"tneedit。Hecouldhavedoneit,anyway！"Sibylwaslaunchednow;hereyeswerefuriousandhervoiceshook。"Hewentafterherdeliberately,thewayhedoeseverything;he"sascold—bloodedasafish。
Allhecaresaboutishisownpleasure,andlatelyhe"sdecideditwouldbepleasanttogetholdofapieceofrealmoney——andtherewasEdith！Andhe"llmarryher！Nothingonearthcanstophimunlesshefindsoutshewon"tHAVEanymoneyifshemarrieshim,andtheonlypersonthatcouldmakehimunderstandthatisFatherSheridan。Somehow,that"sgottobemanaged,becauseLamhornisgoingtohurryitonasfastashecan。Hetoldmesolastnight。Hesaidhewasgoingtomarryherthefirstminutehecouldpersuadehertoit——andlittleEdith"sallreadytobepersuaded！"Sibyl"seyesflashedgreenagain。"Andhesworehe"ddoit,"shepanted。"Hesworehe"dmarryEdithSheridan,andnothingonearthcouldstophim！"
AndthenMaryunderstood。Herlipspartedandshestaredatthebabblingcreatureincredulously,asuddenvividpictureinhermind,acanvasofunconsciousSibyl"spainting。Marybehelditwithpityandhorror:shesawSibylclingingtoRobertLamhorn,raging,inawhisper,perhaps——forRoscoemighthavebeeninthehouse,orservantsmighthavehead。ShesawSibylentreating,beseeching,threateningdespairingly,andLamhorn——tiredofher——firstevasive,thenbrutallylettingherhavethetruth;andatlast,infuriated,"swearing"tomarryherrival。IfSibylhadnotbabbledouttheword"swore"itmighthavebeenlessplain。
Thepoorwomanblunderedon,whollyunawareofwhathehadconfessed。"Yousee,"shesaid,morequietly,"whatever"sgoingtobedoneoughttodonerightaway。IwentoverandtoldMotherSheridanwhatI"dheardaboutLamhorn——oh,Iwasopenandaboveboard！ItoldherrightbeforeEdith。I
thinkitoughtalltobedonewithperfectfrankness,becausenobodycansayitisn"tforthegirl"sowngoodandwhatherbestfriendwoulddo。ButMotherSheridan"sunderEdith"sthumb,andshe"safraidtoevercomerightoutwithanything。FatherSheridan"sdifferent。Edithcangetanythingshewantsoutofhiminthewayofmoneyorordinaryindulgence,butwhenitcomestoamatterlikethishe"dbeasteelrock。Ifit"saquestionofhiswillagainstanybodyelse"she"dmakehiswillruleifitkilled"emboth！
Now,he"dneverintheworldletLamhorncomenearthehouseagainifheknewhisreputation。So,yousee,somebody"sgottotellhim。Itisn"taveryeasypositionforme,isit,MissVertrees？"
"No,"saidMary,gravely。
"Well,tobefrank,"saidSibyl,smiling,"that"swhyI"vecometoyou。"
"ToME！"Maryfrowned。
Sibylrippledandcooedagain。"Thereisn"tANYBODYevenmadesuchahitwithFatherSheridaninhislifeasyouhave。AndofcourseweALLhopeyou"renotgoingtobeexactlyanoutsiderintheaffairsofthefamily！"
（Thissallywithanotherandloudereffectoflaughter。）"Andifit"sMY
duty,why,inaway,Ithinkitmightbethoughtyours,too。"
"No,no！"exclaimedMary,sharply。
"Listen,"saidSibyl。"NowsupposeIgotoFatherSheridanwiththisstory,andEdithsaysit"snottrue;supposeshesaysLamhornhasagoodreputationandthatI"mrepeatingirresponsiblegossip,orsuppose（what"smostlikely）
sheloseshertemperandsaysIinventedit,thenwhatamIgoingtodo？
FatherSheridandoesn"tknowMrs。Kittersbyandherdaughter,andthey"reoutofthequestion,anyway。ButsupposeIcouldsay:"Allright,ifyouwantproof,askMissVertrees。Shecamewithme,andshe"swaitinginthenextroomrightnow,to——"
"No,no,"saidMary,quickly。"Youmustn"t——"
"Listenjustaminutemore,"Sibylurged,confidingly。Shewasoneasygroundnow,toherownmind,andhadnodoubtofhersuccess。"Younaturallydon"twanttobeginbytakingpartinafamilyquarrel,butifYOUtakepartinit,itwon"tbeone。Youdon"tknowyourselfwhatweightyoucarryoverthere,andnoonewouldhavetherighttosayyoudiditexceptoutofthepurestkindness。Don"tyouseethatJimandhisfatherwouldadmireyouallthemoreforit？MissVertrees,listen！Don"tyouseeweOUGHTtodoit,youandI？DoyousupposeRobertLamhorncaresasnapofhisfingerforher？
DoyousupposeamanlikehimwouldLOOKatEdithSheridanifitwasn"tforthemoney？"AndagainSibyl"semotionrosetothesurface。"Itellyouhe"safternothingonearthbuttogethisfingerinthatoldman"smoney—pile,overthere,nextdoor！He"dmarryANYBODYtodoit。MarryEdith？"shecried。"Itellyouhe"dmarrytheirniggercookforTHAT！"
Shestopped,afraid——atthewrongtime——thatshehadbeentoovehement,butaglaceatMaryreassuredher,andSibyldecidedthatshehadproducedtheeffectshewished。Marywasnotlookingather;shewasstaringstraightbeforeheratthewall,hereyeswideandshining。ShebecamevisiblyalittlepalerasSibyllookedather。
"Afternothingonearthbuttogethisfingerinthatoldman"smoney—pile,overthere,nextdoor！"Thevoicewasvulgar,thewordswerevulgar——andtheplaintruthwasvulgar！HowitranginMaryVertrees"sears！Theclearmirrorhadcaughtitsownimageclearlyintheflawedoneatlast。
Sibylputforthherbestbidtoclenchthematter。Sheofferedherbargain。
"Nowdon"tyouworry,"shesaid,sunnily,"aboutthissettingEdithagainstyou。She"llgetoveritafterawhile,anyway,butifshetriedtobespitefulandmakeituncomfortableforyouwhenyoudropinoverthere,ormanagedsoastosortofleaveyouout,why,I"vegotahouse,andJimlikestocomethere。Idon"tTHINKEdithWOULDbethatway;she"stoocrazytohaveyoutakeheraroundwiththesmartcrowd,butifsheDID,youneedn"tworry。Andanotherthing——Iguessyouwon"tmindJim"sownsister—in—lawspeakingofit。Ofcourse,Idon"tknowjusthowmattersstandbetweenyouandJim,butJimandRoscoeareaboutasmuchalikeastwobrotherscanbe,andRoscoewasveryslowmakinguphismind;sometimesIusedtothinkheactuallyneverWOULD。Now,whatImeanis,sisters—in—lawcandolotsofthingstohelpmattersonlikethat。There"slotsoflittlethingscanbesaid,andlots——"
Shestopped,puzzled。MaryVertreeshadgonefrompaletoscarlet,andnow,stillscarletindeed,sherose,withoutawordofexplanation,oranyotherkindofword,andwalkedslowlytotheopendoorandoutoftheroom。
Sibylwasalittletakenaback。ShesupposedMaryhadrememberedsomethingneglectedandnecessaryfortheinstructionofaservant,andthatshewouldreturninamoment;butitwasratherarudeexcessofabsent—mindednessnottohaveexcusedherself,especiallyasherguestwastalking。And,Mary"sreturnbeingdelayed,Sibylfoundtimetothinkthisunprefacedexitodderandruderthanshehadfirstconsideredit。Theremighthavebeenmoreexcuseforit,shethought,hadshebeenspeakingofmatterslessimportant——offeringtodothegirlallthekindnessinherpower,too！
Sibylyawnedandswunghermuffimpatiently;sheexaminedthesoleofhershow;shedecidedonanewshapeofheel;shemadeaninventoryofthefurnitureoftheroom,oftherugs,ofthewall—paperandengravings。Thenshelookedatherwatchandfrowned;wenttoawindowandstoodlookingoutuponthebrownlawn,thencamebacktothechairshehadabandoned,andsatagain。Therewasnosoundinthehouse。
Astrangeexpressionbeganimperceptiblytoaltertheplanesofherface,andslowlyshegrewasscarletasMary——scarlettotheears。Shelookedatherwatchagain——andtwenty—fiveminuteshadelapsedsinceshehadlookedatitbefore。
Shewentintothehall,glancedoverhershoulderoddly;thensheletherselfsoftlyoutofthefrontdoor,andwentacrossthestreettoherownhouse。
Roscoemetheruponthethreshold,gloomily。"Sawyoufromthewindow,"heexplained。"Youmustfindalottosaytothatoldlady。"
"Whatoldlady？"
"Mrs。Vertrees。Ibeenwaitingforyoualongtime,andIsawthedaughtercomeout,fifteenminutesago,andpostaletter,andthenwalkonupthestreet。Don"tstandoutontheporch,"hesaid,crossly。"Comeinhere。
There"ssomethingit"scometimeI"llhavetotalktoyouabout。Comein！"
Butasshewasmovingtoobeyheglancedacrossathisfather"shouseandstarted。Heliftedhishandtoshieldhiseyesfromthesettingsun,staringfixedly。"Something"sthematteroverthere,"hemuttered,andthen,moreloudly,asalarmcameintohisvoice,hesaid,"What"sthematteroverthere？"
Bibbsdashedoutofthegateinanautomobilesetatitshightestspeed,andashesawRoscoehemadeagenturesingularlyeloquentofcalamity,andwaslostatonceinacloudofdustdownthestreet。Edithhadfollowedpartofthewaydownthedrive,anditcouldbeseenthatshewascryingbitterly。
SheliftedbotharmstoRoscoe,summoninghim。
"ByGeorge！"gaspedRoscoe。"Ibelievesomebody"sdead！"
AndhestartedfortheNewHouseatarun。
Sheridanhaddecidedtoconcludehisday"sworkearlythatafternoon,andatabouttwoo"clockhelefthisofficewithamanofaffairsfromforeignparts,whohadtraveledfarforabusinessconferencewithSheridanandhiscolleagues。HerrFavre,inspiteofhisFrenchname,wasagentlemanofBavaria。Itwashisfirstvisittoourcountry,andSheridantookpleasureinshowinghimthesightsofthecountry"sfinestcity。TheygotintoanopencaratthemainentranceoftheSheridanBuilding,andweredrivenfirst,slowlyandmomentously,throughthewholesaledistrictandtheretaildistrict;thenmorerapidlytheyinspectedthepacking—housesandthestock—yards;thenskirmishedoverthe"parksystem"and"boulevards";andafterthatwhizzedthroughthe"residencesection"ontheirwaytothefactoriesandfoundries。
"Allcray,"observedHerrFavre,smilingly。
""Cray"？"echoedSheridan。"Idon"tknowwhatyoumean。"Cray"？"
"Nowhite,"saidHerrFavre,withawaveofhishandtowardthelongrowsofhousesonbothsidesofthestreet。"Nowhitelacewindow—curtains;allcraylacewindow—curtains。"
"Oh。Isee！"Sheridanlaughedindulgently。"Youmean"GRAY。"No,theyain"t,they"rewhite。Ineversawanygrayones。"
HerrFavreshookhishead,muchamused。"ThereareNOwhiteones,"hesaid。
"ThereisnowhiteANYTHINGinyourcity;nowhitewindow—curtains,nowhitehouse,nowhitepeeble！"Hepointedupward。"Smoke！"Thenhesniffedtheairandclaspedhisnosebetweenforefingerandthumb。"Smoke！Smokeef"rywhere。Smokeinyourinsites。"Hetappedhischest。"Smokeinyourlunks！"
"Oh！SMOKE！"Sheridancriedwithgusto,drawinginadeepbreathandpatentlyfindingitdelicious。"YouBETwegotsmoke！"
"Exbensif！"saidHerrFavre。"Ruinsfoliage;ruinsfabrics。Maybeinsummeritissnotsobad,butIwonderyourwifeswillbearit。"
Sheridanlaugheduproariously。"Theyknowitmeansnewspringhatsfor"em！"
"Theymustneedmany,too！"saidthevistior。"Newhats,newallthings,butnothingwhite。InMunchenwecouldnotdoit;weareasafingpeeble。"
"Where"sthat？"
"InMunchen。Yousay"Munich。""
"Well,IneverbeentoMunich,butItookintheMediterraneantrip,andI
tellyou,outsideo"somerightgoodscenery,allIsawwasmightydirtyandmightyshiftlessandmightyrun—downattheheel。Nowcomin"rightdownTO
it,Mr。Farver,wouldn"tyouratherlivehereinthistownthaninMunich？I
knowyougotmoreenterpriseuptherethanthepartoftheoldcountryIsaw,andIknowYOU"REalivebusinessmanandyou"reassociatedwithotherslikeyou,butwhenitcomestoLIVIN"inaplace,wouldn"tyouheapratherbeherethanoverthere？"
"Forme,"saidHerrFavre,"no。HereIshouldnotthinkIwasliving。Itwouldbeliketheminerwhogoesintotheminetowork;nothingelse。"
"Wegotagoodmanygoodcitizensherefromyourparto"theworld。THEY
likeit。"
"Ohyes。"AndHerrFavrelaugheddeprecatingly。"Thefirstgeneration,theybringtheirGermanywiththem;then,afterthat,theyareAmericans,likeyou。"Hetappedhishost"sbigkneegenially。"Youarepatriot;soarethey。"
"Well,Ireckonyoumustbeaprettyhotlittlepatriotyourself,Mr。
Farver！"Sheridanexclaimed,gaily。"Youcertainlystandupforyourowntown,ifyousticktosayin"you"dratherlivetherethanyouwouldhere。
Yes,SIR！YousurearesomepatriottosayTHAT——afteryou"veseenourcity！
Itain"treasonableinyou,butImustsayIkindofadmireyouforit;everymanoughttostickupforhisown,evenwhenheseestheotherfellow"sgotthegoodsonhim。YetIexpectwaydowndeepinyourheart,Mr。Farver,you"dratherliverightherethananyplaceelseintheworld,ifyouhadyourchoice。Manalive！thisisGod"scountry,Mr。Farver,andablindmancouldn"thelpseein"it！Youcouldn"tstandwhereyoudoinabusinesswayandNOTseeit。Soho,boy！Hereweare。Thisisthebigworks,andI"llshowyousomethingnowthat"llmakeyoureyesstickout！"