第9章

"That"ssensible,"sheresponded,curtly。"You"remostsurprisingofallwhenyou"resensible,Bibbs。"

"Yes,"hesighed。"I"madulldog。Shakehandsandforgiveme,Edith。"

Thawingsofarastosmile,sheunderwentthisbriefceremony,andGeorgeappeared,summoningBibbstothelibrary;Dr。Gurneywaswaitingthere,heannounced。AndBibbsgavehissisterashybutfriendlytouchupontheshoulderasacomplementtothehandshaking,andlefther。

Dr。Gurneywassittingbythelogfire,aloneintheroom,andhemerelyglancedoverhisshoulderwhenhispatientcamein。Hewasnotoverfifty,inspiteofSheridan"shabitual"oleDocGurney。"Hewasgray,however,almostasthinasBibbs,andnearlyalwayshelookeddrowsy。

"Yourfathertelephonedmeyesterdayafternoon,Bibbs,"hesaid,notrising。

"Wantsmeto"lookyouover"again。Comearoundhereinfrontofme——betweenmeandthefire。IwanttoseeifIcanseethroughyou。"

"Youmeanyou"retoosleepytomove,"returnedBibbs,complying。"Ithinkyou"llnoticethatI"mgettingworse。"

"Takenonabouttwelvepounds,"saidGurney。"Thirteen,maybe。"

"Twelve。"

"Well,itwon"tdo。"Thedoctorrubbedhiseyelids。"You"resomuchbetterI"llhavetousesomemachineryonyoubeforewecanknowjustwhereyouare。

Youcomedowntomyplacethisafternoon。Walkdown——alltheway。Isupposeyouknowwhyyourfatherwantstoknow。"

Bibbsnodded。"Machine—shop。"

"Stillhateit？"

Bibbsnoddedagain。

"Don"tblameyou！"thedoctorgrunted。"Yes,Iexpectit"llmakealumpinyourgizzardagain。Well,whatdoyousay？ShallItellhimyou"vegottheoldlumpthereyet？Youstillwanttowrite,doyou？"

"What"stheuse？"Bibbssaid,smilingruefully。"Mykindofwriting！"

"Yes,"thedoctoragreed。"Isupposeityoubrokeawayandlivedonrootsandberriesuntilyoubeganto"attractthefavorableattentionofeditors"

youmightbeabletohopeforanincomeoffourorfivehundreddollarsayearbythetimeyou"refifty。"

"That"saboutit,"Bibbsmurmured。

"OfcourseIknowwhatyouwanttodo,"saidGurney,drowsily。"Youdon"thatethemachine—shoponly;youhatethewholeshow——thenoiceandjaranddirt,thescramble——thewholebloomin"crazeto"geton。"You"dliketogosomewhereinAlgiers,ortoTaormina,perhaps,andbaskonabalcony,smellingflowersandwritingsonnets。You"dgrowfatonitandhaveadelicatelittlelifealltoyourself。Well,whatdoyousay？Icanlielikesixty,Bibbs！ShallItellyourfatherhe"llloseanotherofhisboysifyoudon"tgotoSicily？"

"Idon"twanttogotoSicily,"saidBibbs。"Iwanttostayrighthere。"

Thedoctor"sdrowsinessdisappearedforamoment,andhegavehispatientasharpglance。"It"sarisk,"hesaid。"Ithinkwe"llfindyou"resomuchbetterhe"llsendyoubacktotheshopprettyquick。Something"sgotholdofyoulately;you"renotquitesolackadaisicalasyouusedtobe。ButIwarnyou:Ithinktheshopwillknockyoujustasitdidbefore,andperhapsevenharder,Bibbs。"

Herose,shookhimself,andrubbedhiseyelids。"Well,whenwegooveryouthisafternoonwhatarewegoingtosayaboutit？"

"TellhimI"mready,"saidBibbs,lookingatthefloor。

"Ohno,"Gurneylaughed。"Notquiteyet;butyoumaybealmost。We"llsee。

Don"tforgetIsaidtowalkdown。"

Andwhentheexaminationwasconcluded,thatafternoon,thedoctorinformedBibbsthattheresultwasmuchtoosatisfactorytobepleasing。"Here"sanew"situation"foraone—actfarce,"hesaid,gloomily,tohisnextpatientwhenBibbshadgone。"Doctortellsamanhe"swell,andthat"shisdeathsentence,likely。Dam"funnyworld！"

Bibbsdecidedtowalkhome,thoughGurneyhadnotinstructedhimuponthispoint。Infact,Gurneyseemedtohavenomoreinstructionsonanypoint,sodiscouragingwastheyoungman"simprovement。Itwasadingyafternoon,andthesmokewasevidentnotonlytoBibbs"ssight,buttohisnostrils,thoughmostofthepedestriansweresosaturatedwiththesmelltheycouldnolongerdetectit。Nearlyallofthemwalkedhurriedly,toointentupontheirdestinationstobemorethanhalfawareofthewayside;theyworetheexpressionsofpeopleunderavagueyetconstantstrain。Theywerealllightlypowdered,insideandout,withfinedustandgritfromthehard—pavedstreets,andtheywereunawareofthatalso。Theydidnotevennoticethattheysawthesmoke,thoughthethickenedairwaslikeashroudingmist。AndwhenBibbspassedthenew"SheridanApartments,"nowalmostcompleted,heobservedthatthemarbleofthevestibulewasalreadystreakywithsoot,likehisgloves,whichwerenew。

Thatrecalledtohimthefaintodorofgasoleneinthecoupeonthewayfromhisbrother"sfuneral,andthisincitedatrainofthoughtwhichcontinuedtillhereachedthevicinityofhishome。HisroutewasbyastreetparalleltothatonwhichtheNewHousefronted,andinhispreoccupationhewalkedablockfartherthanheintended,sothat,havingcrossedtohisownstreet,heapproachedtheNewHousefromthenorth,andashecametothecornerofMr。

Vertrees"slotMr。Vertrees"sdaughteremergedfromthefrontdoorandwalkedthoughtfullydownthepathtotheoldpicketgate。Shewasunconsciousoftheapproachofthepedestrianfromthenorth,anddidnotseehimuntilshehadopenedthegateandhewasalmostbesideher。Thenshelookedup,andasshesawhimshestartedvisibly。AndifthisthinghadhappenedtoRobertLamhorn,hewouldhavehadathoughtfarbeyondthehorizonoffaint—heartedBibbs"sthoughts。Lamhorn,indeed,wouldhavespokenhisthought。Hewouldhavesaid:

"Youjumpedbecauseyouwerethinkingofme！"

Marywasthepictureofaladyflustered。Shestoodwithonehandclosingthegatebehindher,andshehadturnedtogointhedirectionBibbswaswalking。Thereappearedtobenothingforitbutthattheyshouldwalktogether,atleastasfarastheNewHouse。ButBibbshadpausedinhisslowstride,andthereelapsedaninstantbeforeeitherspokeormoved——itwasnolongerthanthat,andyetitsufficedforeachtoseemtosay,bylookandattitude,"Why,it"sYOU！"

Thentheybothspokeatonce,eachhurriedlypronouncingtheother"snameasifabouttodeliveramessageofimportance。Thenbothcametoastopsimultaneously,butBibbsmadeaheroiceffort,andastheybegantowalkontogetherhecontrivedtofindhisvoice。

"I——I——hateafrozenfishmyself,"hesaid。"Ithinkthreemileswastoolongforyoutoputupwithone。"

"Goodgracious！"shecried,turningtohimaglowingfacefromwhichrestraintandembarrassmenthadsuddenlyfled。"Mr。Sheridan,you"relovelytoputitthatway。Butit"salwaysthegirl"splacetosayit"sturningcooler！Ioughttohavebeentheonetoshowthatwedidn"tknoweachotherwellenoughnottosaySOMETHING！Itwasanimpositionformetohavemadeyoubringmehome,andafterIwentintothehouseIdecidedIshouldhavewalked。Besides,itwasn"tthreemilestothecar—line。Ineverthoughtofit！"

"No,"saidBibbs,earnestly。"Ididn"t,either。ImighthavesaidsomethingifI"dthoughtofanything。I"mtalkingnow,though;Imustrememberthat,andnotworryaboutitlater。IthinkI"mtalking,thoughitdoesn"tsoundintelligenteventome。ImadeupmymindthatifIevermetyouagainI"dturnonmyvoiceandkeepitgoing,nomaterwhatitsaid。I——"

Sheinterruptedhimwithlaughter,andMaryVertrees"slaughwasonewhichBibbs"sfatherhaddeclared,afterthehouse—warming,"acripplewouldcrawlfivemilestohear。"AndatthemerryliltingofitBibbs"sfather"ssontookhearttoforgetsomeofhistrepidation。"I"llbeanykindofidiot,"

hesaid,"ifyou"lllaughatmesomemore。Itwon"tbedifficultforme。"

Shedid;andBibbs"scheeksshowedalittleactualcolor,whichMaryperceived。Itrecalledtoher,bycontrast,hercarelessandirritateddescriptionofhimtohermotherjustaftershehadseenhimforthefirsttime。"Rathertragicandaltogetherimpossible。"Itseemedtohernowthatshemusthavebeenblind。

TheyhadpassedtheNewHousewithouteitherofthemshowing——orpossessing——anyconsciousnessthatithadbeenthedestinationofoneofthem。

"I"llkeepontalking,"Bibbscontinued,cheerfully,"andyoukeeponlaughing。I"mamountingtosomethingintheworldthisafternoon。I"mmakinganoise,andthatmakesyoumakemusic。Don"tbebotheredbymybleatingoutsuchthingsasthat。I"mreallyfrightened,andthatmakesmebleatanything。I"mfrightenedabouttwothings:I"mafraidofwhatI"llthinkofmyselflaterifIdon"tkeeptalking——talkingnow,Imean——andI"mafraidofwhatI"llthinkofmyselfifIdo。Andbesidesthesetwothings,I"mfrightened,anyhow。Idon"tremembertalkingasmuchasthismorethanonceortwiceinmylife。Isupposeitwasalwaysinmetodoit,though,thefirsttimeImetanyonewhodidn"tknowmewellenoughnottolisten。"

"Butyou"renotreallytalkingtome,"saidMary。"You"rejustthinkingaloud。"

"No,"hereturned,gravely。"I"mnotthinkingatall;I"monlymakingvocalsoundsbecauseIbelieveit"smoremannerly。Iseemtobethesubjectofwhatlittlemeaningtheypossess,andI"dliketochangeit,butIdon"tknowhow。Ihaven"tanyexperienceintalking,andIdon"tknowhowtomanageit。"

"Youneedn"tchangethesubjectonmyaccount,Mr。Sheridan,"shesaid。"Notevenifyoureallytalkedaboutyourself。"Sheturnedherfacetowardhimasshespoke,andBibbscaughthisbreath;hewaspatheticallyamazedbythelookshegavehim。Itwasaglowinglook,warmlyfriendlyandunderstanding,and,whatalmostshockedhim,itwasaneagerlyinterestedlook。Bibbswasnotaccustomedtoanythinglikethat。

"I——you——I——I"m——"hestammered,andthefaintcolorinhischeeksgrewalmostvivid。

Shewasstilllookingathim,andshesawthestrangeradiancethatcameintohisface。Therewassomethingabouthim,too,thatexplainedhow"queer"

manypeoplemightthinkhim;buthedidnotseem"queer"toMaryVertrees;heseemedthemostquaintlynaturalpersonshehadevermet。

Hewaited,andbecamecoherent。"YOUsaysomethingnow,"hesaid。"Idon"tevenbelonginthechorus,andhereIam,tryingtosingthefunnyman"ssolo！You——"

"No,"sheinterrupted。"I"dratherplayyouraccompaniment。"

"I"llstopandlistentoit,then。"

"Perhaps——"shebegan,butafterpausingthoughtfullyshemadeagesturewithhermuff,indicatingalargebrickchurchwhichtheywereapproaching。"Doyouseethatchurch,Mr。Sheridan？"

"IsupposeIcould,"heansweredinsimpletruthfulness,lookingather。

"ButIdon"twantto。Once,whenIwasill,thenursetoldmeI"dbettersayanythingthatwasonmymind,andIgotthehabit。TheotherreasonIdon"twanttoseethechurchisthatIhaveafeelingit"swhereyou"regoing,andwhereI"llbesentback。"

Sheshookherheadincheerynegation。"Notunlessyouwanttobe。Wouldyouliketocomewithme？"

"Why——why——yes,"hesaid。"Anywhere！"Andagainitwasapparentthathespokeinsimpletruthfulness。

"Thencome——ifyoucarefororganmusic。Theorganistisanoldfriendofmine,andsometimesheplaysforme。He"sadearoldman。HehadadegreefromBonn,andwasaprofessorafterward,buthegaveupeverythingformusic。That"she,waitinginthedoorway。HelookslikeBeethoven,doesn"the？Ithinkheknowsthat,perhaps,andenjoysitalittle。Ihopeso。"

"Yes,"saidBibbs,astheyreachedthechurchsteps。"IthinkBeethovenwouldlikeit,too。Itmustbepleasanttolooklikeotherpeople。"

"Ihaven"tkeptyou？"Marysaidtotheorganist。

"No,no,"heanswered,heartily。"Iwouldnotmindsoonlyyoushouldshooercome！"

"ThisisMr。Sheridan,Dr。Kraft。Hehascometolistenwithme。"

Theorganistlookedbluntlysurprised。"IssthatSO？"heexclaimed。"Well,Iamgladifyouwishhim,andifhecanstantmyliddleplayink。Heissmusicianhimself,then,ofcourse。"

"No,"saidBibbs,asthethreeenteredthechurchtogether。"I——Iplayedthe——Itriedtoplay——"Fortunatelyhecheckedhimself;hehadbeenabouttooffertheinformationthathehadfailedtomasterthejews"—harpinhisboyhood。"No,I"mnotamusician,"hecontentedhimselfwithsaying。

"What？"Dr。Kraft"ssurpriseincreased。"Youngman,youarefortunate！I

playforMissVertrees;shecomesalwaysalone。Youarethefirst。YouarethefirstoneEVER！"

Theyhadreachedtheheadofthecentralaisle,andastheorganistfinishedspeakingBibbsstoppedshort,turningtolookatMaryVertreesinadazedwaythatwasnotofherpreceiving;for,thoughshestoppedashedid,hergazefollowedtheorganist,whowaswalkingawayfromthemtowardthefrontofthechurch,shakinghiswhiteBeethovianmaneroguishly。

"It"sfalsepretensesonmypart,"Bibbssaid。"Youmeantobekindtothesick,butI"mnotaninvalidanymore。I"msowellI"mgoingbacktoworkinafewdays。I"dbetterleavebeforehebeginstoplay,hadn"tI？"

"No,"saidMary,beginningtowalkforward。"Notunlessyoudon"tlikegreatmusic。"

Hefollowedhertoaseatabouthalf—wayuptheaislewhileDr。Kraftascendedtotheorgan。Itwasanenormousone,theprocessionofpipesrangingfromlong,starvelingwhistlestothunderingfatguns;theycoveredalltherearwallofthechurch,andtheorganist"sfigure,reachingitshighperch,lookedlikethatofsomeLilliputianmagicianludicrouslydaringtheattempttoconrolamonstercertaintooverwhelmhim。

"ThisafternoonsomeHandel！"heturnedtoshout。

Marynodded。"Willyoulikethat？"sheaskedBibbs。

"Idon"tknow。Ineverheardanyexcept"Largo。"Idon"tknowanythingaboutmusic。Idon"tevenknowhowtopretendIdo。IfIknewenoughtopretend,Iwould。"

"No,"saidMary,lookingathimandsmilingfaintly,"youwouldn"t。"

Sheturnedawayasagreatsoundbegantoswimandtrembleintheair;thehughemptyspaceofthechurchfilledwithit,andthetwopeoplelisteningfilledwithit;theuniverseseemedtofillandthrillwithit。Thetwosatintenselystill,thegreatsoundallroundaboutthem,whilethechurchgrewdusky,andonlytheorganist"slampmadeatinystaroflight。Hiswhiteheadmovedfromsidetosidebeneathitrhythmically,orlungedandrecoveredwiththefiercenessofaduelistthrusting,buthewasmagnificentlythemasterofhisgiant,anditsangtohismagicashebadeit。

Bibbswassweptawayuponthatmightysinging。Suchathingwaswhollyunknowntohim;therehadbeennomusicinhismeagerlife。Unlikethetale,itwasthePrincessBedrulbudourwhohadbroughthimtotheenchantedcave,andthat——forBibbs——waswhatmadeitsmagicdazing。Itseemedtohimalong,longtimesincehehadbeenwalkinghomedrearilyfromDr。Gurney"soffice;itseemedtohimthathehadsetoutuponahappyjourneysincethen,andthathehadreachedanotherplanet,whereMaryVertreesandhesatalonetogetherlisteningtoavastchoiringofinvisiblesoldiersandholyangels。

Therewerearmiesofvoicesaboutthemsingingpraiseandthanksgiving;andyettheywerealone。Itwasincrediblethatthewallsofthechurchwerenottheboundariesoftheuniverse,toremainsoforever;incrediblethattherewasasmokystreetjustyonder,wherehousemaidswerebringingineveningpapersfromfrontstepsandwherechildrenweretakingtheirlastspinsonroller—skatesbeforebeinghaledindoorsfordinner。

Hehadacurioussenseofcommunicationwithhisnewfriend。Heknewitcouldnotbeso,andyethefeltasifallthetimehespoketoher,saying:

"Youhearthisstrain？Youhearthatstrain？Youknowthedreamthatthesesoundsbringtome？"Anditseemedtohimasthoughsheansweredcontinually:"Ihear！Ihearthatstrain,andIhearthenewonethatyouarehearingnow。Iknowthedreamthatthesesoundsbringtoyou。Yes,yes,Ihearitall！Wehear——together！"

Andthoughthechurchgrewsodimthatallwasmysteriousshadowexceptthevagueplanesofthewindowsandtheorganist"slight,withthewhiteheadmovingbeneathit,Bibbshadnoconsciousnessthatthegirlsittingbesidehimhadgrownshadowy;heseemedtoseeherasplainlyaseverinthedarkness,thoughhedidnotlookather。Andallthemightychantingoftheorgan"smultitudinousvoicesthatafternoonseemedtoBibbstobechorusingofherandinterpretingher,singingherthoughtsandsingingforhimtheworldofhumblegratitudethatwasinhisheartbecauseshewassokindtohim。ItallmeantMary。

Butwhensheaskedhimwhatitmeant,ontheirhomewardway,hewassilent。

Theyhadcomeafewpacesfromthechurchwithoutspeaking,walkingslowly。

"I"lltellyouwhatitmeanttome,"shesaid,ashedidnotimmediatelyreply。"AlmostanymusicofHandel"salwaysmeansonethingaboveallotherstome:courage！That"sit。Itmakescowardiceofwhiningseemsoinfinitesimal——itmakesMOSTthingsinourhustlinglittlelivesseeminfinitesimal。"

"Yes,"hesaid。"Itseemsodd,doesn"tit,thatpeopledown—townarehurryingtotrainsandhangingtostrapsintrolley—cars,welteringeverywaytogethomeandfeedandsleepsotheycangetdown—townto—morrow。Andyetthereisn"tanythingdownthereworthgettingto。They"relikeservantsdrudgingtokeepthehousegoing,andbelievingthedrudgeryitselfisthegreatthing。Theymakesomuchnoiseandfussanddirttheyforgetthatthehousewasmeanttolivein。Thehouseworkhastobedone,butthepeoplewhodoithavebeensooverpaidthatthey"reconfusedandworshipthehousework。

They"reoverpaid,andyet,poorthings！theyhaven"tanythingthatachickencan"thave。Ofcourse,whentheworldgetstopayingitswagessensiblythatwillbedifferent。"

"Doyoumean"communism"？"sheasked,andshemadetheirslowpacealittleslower——theyhadonlythreeblockstogo。

"Whateverthewordis,Ionlymeanthatthingsdon"tlookverysensiblenow——especiallytoamanthatwantstokeepoutof"emandcan"t！

"Communism"？Well,atleastany"decentsport"wouldsayit"sfairforallthestrongrunnerstostartfromthesamemarkandgivetheweakonesafairdistanceahead,sothatallcanrunsomethinglikeevenonthestretch。Andwouldn"titbepleasant,really,iftheycouldallcrossthewinning—linetogether？Whoreallyenjoysbeatinganybody——ifheseesthebeatenman"sface？Theonlywaywecanenjoygettingaheadofotherpeoplenowadaysisbyforgettingwhattheotherpeoplefeel。Andthat,"headded,"isnothingofwhatthemusicmeanttome。Yousee,ifIkeeptalkingaboutwhatitdidn"tmeanIcankeepfromtellingyouwhatitdidmean。"

"Didn"titmeancouragetoyou,too——alittle？"sheasked。"Triumphandpraisewereinit,andsomehowthosethingsmeancouragetome。"

"Yes,theywereallthere,"Bibbssaid。"Idon"tknowthenameofwhatheplayed,butIshouldn"tthinkitwouldmattermuch。Themanthatmakesthemusicmustleaveittoyouwhatitcanmeantoyou,andthenameheputstoitcan"tmakemuchdifference——excepttohimselfandpeopleverymuchlikehim,Isuppose。"

"Isupposethat"strue,thoughI"dneverthoughtofitlikethat。"

"Iimagemusicmustmakefeelingsandpaintpicturesinthemindsofthepeoplewhohearit,"Bibbswenton,musingly,"accordingtotheirownnaturesasmuchasaccordingtothemusicitself。Themusicianmightcomposesomethingandplayit,wantingyoutothinkoftheHolyGrail,andsomepeoplewhohearditwouldthinkofaprayer—meeting,andsomewouldthinkofhowgoodtheywerethemselves,andaboymightthinkofhimselfattheheadofasolemnprocession,carryingabannerandridingawhitehorse。Andthen,ifthereweresomejubilantpassagesinthemusic,he"dthinkofacircus。"

Theyhadreachedhergate,andshesetherhanduponit,butdidnotopenit。

Bibbsfeltthatthiswasalmostthekindestofherkindnesses——nottobepromptinleavinghim。

"Afterall,"shesaid,"youdidn"ttellmewhetheryoulikedit。"

"No。Ididn"tneedto。"

"No,that"strue,andIdidn"tneedtoask。Iknew。Butyousaidyouweretryingtokeepfromtellingmewhatitdidmean。"

"Ican"tkeepfromtellingitanylonger,"hesaid。"Themusicmeanttome——itmeantthekindnessof——ofyou。"

"Kindness？How？"

"YouthoughtIwasasortoflonelytramp——andsick——"

"No,"shesaid,decidedly。"Ithoughtperhapsyou"dliketohearDr。Kraftplay。Andyoudid。"

"It"scurious;sometimesitseemedtomethatitwasyouwhowereplaying。"

Marylaughed。"I？Istrum！Piano。AlittleChopin——Grieg——Chaminade。Youwouldn"tlisten！"

Bibbsdrewadeepbreath。"I"mfrightenedagain,"hesaid,inanunsteadyvoice。"I"mafraidyou"llthinkI"mpushing,but——"Hepaused,andthewordssanktoamurmur。

"Oh,ifyouwantMEtoplayforyou！"shesaid。"Yes,gladly。Itwillbemerelyabsurdafterwhatyouheardthisafternoon。Iplaylikeahundredthousandothergirls,andIlikeit。I"mgladwhenanyone"swillingtolisten,andifyou——"Shestopped,checkedbyasuddenrecollection,andlaughedruefully。"Butmypianowon"tbehereafterto—night。I——I"msendingitawayto—morrow。I"mafraidthatifyou"dlikemetoplaytoyouyou"dhavetocomethisevening。"

"You"llletme？"hecried。

"Certainly,ifyoucareto。"

"IfIcouldplay——"hesaid,wistfully,"ifIcouldplaylikethatoldmaninthechurchIcouldthankyou。"

"Ah,butyouhaven"theardmeplay。IKNOWyoulikedthisafternoon,but——"

"Yes,"saidBibbs。"ItwasthegreatesthappinessI"veeverknown。"

Itwastoodarktoseehisface,buthisvoiceheldsuchplainhonesty,andhespokewithsuchcompleteunconsciousnessofsayinganythingespeciallysignificant,thatsheknewitwasthetruth。Foramomentshewasnonplussed,thensheopenedthegateandwentin。"You"llcomeafterdinner,then？"

"Yes,"hesaid,notmoving。"WouldyoumindifIstoodhereuntiltimetocomein？"

Shehadreachedthesteps,andatthatsheturned,offeringhimtheresponseoflaughterandagaygestureofhermufftowardthelightedwindowsoftheNewHouse,asthoughbiddinghimtorunhometohisdinner。

Thatnight,Bibbssatwritinginhisnote—book。

Musiccancomeintoablanklife,andfillit。Everythingthatisbeautifulismusic,ifyoucanlisten。

Thereisnogracefulnesslikethatofagracefulwomanatagrandpiano。

Thereisaswimminglovelinessoflinethatseemstomergewiththerunningofthesound,andyouseem,asyouwatchher,toseewhatyouarehearingandtohearwhatyouareseeing。

Therearewomenwhomakeyouthinkofpinewoodscomingdowntoasparklingsea。Theairaboutsuchawomanisbracing,andwhensheisnearyou,youfeelstrongandambitious;youforgetthattheworlddoesn"tlikeyou。Youthinkthatperhapsyouareagreatfellow,afterall。ThenyoucomeawayandfeellikeaboywhohasfalleninlovewithhisSunday—schoolteacher。

You"llbewhippedforit——andoughttobe。

TherearewomenwhomakeyouthinkofDiana,crownedwiththemoon。Buttheydonothavethe"Greekprofile。"IdonotbelieveHelenofTroyhada"Greekprofile";theywouldnothavefoughtaboutherifhernosehadbeenquitethatlong。TheGreeknoseisnottheadorablenose。Theadorablenoseisaboutaneighthofaninchshorter。

MuchofthemusicofWagner,itappears,isnotsuitabletothepiano。

Wagnerwasacomposerwhocouldinterpretintomusicsuchthingsastheprimitiveimpulsesofhumanity——hecouldhavemadeamachine—shopintomusic。

Butnotifhehadtoworkinit。Wagnerwasalwaysdealinginimmensities——amachine—shopwouldhaveputamajesticlumpinsograndagizzardasthat。

Thereisamysteryaboutpianos,itseems。Sometimestheyhavetobe"sentaway。"Thatishowsomepeoplespeakofthepenitentiary。"Sentaway"isaeuphuismfor"senttoprison。"Butpianosarenotsenttoprison,andtheyarenotsenttothetuner——thetunerissenttothem。Whyarepianos"sentaway"——andwhere？

Sometimesagloriousdayshinesintothemostordinaryanduselesslife。

Happinessandbeautycomecarolingoutoftheairintothegloomyhouseofthatlifeasifsomestrayangeljusthappenedtoperchontheroof—tree,restingandsinging。Andthenightaftersuchadayislustrousandsplendidwiththememoryofit。Musicandbeautyandkindness——thosearethethreegreatestthingsGodcangiveus。Tobringthemallinonedaytoonewhoexpectednothing——ah！theheartthatreceivedthemshouldbeashumbleasitisthankful。Butitishardtobehumblewhenoneissorichwithnewmemories。Itisimpossibletobehumbleafteradayofglory。

Yes——theadorablenoseismorethananeighthofaninchshorterthantheGreeknose。Itisafullquarterofaninchshorter。

Therearewomenwhowillbekindertoasicktrampthantoaconqueringhero。

Butthesicktramphadbetterrememberthat"swhatheis。Takecare,takecare！Humble"stheword！

That"mysteryaboutpianos"whichtroubledBibbshadbeenamysterytoMr。

Vertrees,anditwasbeingexplainedtohimataboutthetimeBibbsscribbledthereferencetoitinhisnotes。Maryhadgoneup—stairsuponBibbs"sdepartureatteno"clock,andMr。andMrs。Vertreessatuntilaftermidnightinthelibrary,talking。Andinallthattimetheyfoundnotonecheerfultopic,butbecamemoredepressedwitheverythingandwitheveryphaseofeverythingthattheydiscussed——noextraordinarystateofaffairsinafamilywhichhasalways"heldupitshead,"onlytoarriveintheendatapointwhereallitcandoistolookonhelplesslyattheprocessesofitsownfinancialdissolution。Forthatwasthepointwhichthisdespairingcouplehadreached——theycoulddonothingexceptlookonandtalkaboutit。Theywereonlyvaporing,andtheyknewit。

"Sheneedn"ttohavedonethataboutherpiano,"vaporedMr。Vertrees。"Wecouldhavemanagedsomehowwithoutit。Atleastsheoughttohaveconsultedme,andifsheinsistedIcouldhavearrangedthedetailswiththe——thedealer。"

"Shethoughtthatitmightbe——annoyingforyou,"Mrs。Vertreesexplained。

"Really,sheplannedforyounottoknowaboutituntiltheyhadremoved——untilafterto—morrow,thatis,butIdecidedto——tomentionit。

Yousee,shedidn"teventellmeaboutituntilthismorning。Shehasanotherides,too,I"mafraid。It"s——it"s——"

"Well？"heurged,asshefounditdifficulttogoon。

"Herotherideais——thatis,itwas——Ithinkitcanbeavoided,ofcourse——itwasaboutherfurs。"

"No！"heexclaimed,quickly。"Iwon"thaveit！Youmustseetothat。I"drathernottalktoheraboutit,butyoumustn"tlether。"

"I"lltrynot,"hiswifepromised。"Ofcourse,they"reveryhandsome。"

"Allthemorereasonforhertokeepthem！"hereturned,irritably。"We"renotTHATfargone,Ithink！"

"Perhapsnotyet,"Mrs。Vertreessaid。"Sheseemstobetroubledaboutthe——thecoalmatterand——aboutTilly。Ofcoursethepianowilltakecareofsomethingslikethoseforawhileand——"

"Idon"tlikeit。Igaveherthepianotoplayon,notto——"

"Youmustn"tbedistressedaboutitinONEway,"shesaid,comfortingly。