第16章
shewassureallalongitwasgoin"tohappen;and,besides,Iguessshe"sgotallthatfoolishnessprettymuchoutofher,bein"sosick。ButwhatI
thoughtwas,nousebein"roughwithher,papa——Iexpectshe"ssufferedagooddeal——andIdon"tthinkwe"doughttobe,onRoscoe"saccount。You"ll——you"llbekindo"politetoher,won"tyou,papa？"
Hemumbledsomethingwhichwassmotheredunderthecoverlethehadpulledoverhishead。
"What？"shesaid,timidly。"Iwasjustsayin"Ihopedyou"dtreatSibylallrightwhenshecomes,thisafternoon。Youwill,won"tyou,papa？"
Hethrewthecoverletofffuriously。"Ipresumeso！"heroared。
Shedepartedguiltily。
ButifhehadacceptedherprofferedwagerthatBibbswouldgotochurchwithMaryVertreesthatmorning,Mrs。Sheridanwouldhavelost。Nevertheless,BibbsandMarydidcertainlysetoutfromMr。Vertrees"shousewiththepurposeofgoingtochurch。Thatwastheirintention,andtheyhadnoother。Theymeanttogotochurch。
Butithappenedthattheywereattentivelypreoccupiedinaconversationastheycametothechurch;andthoughMarywaslookingtotherightandBibbswaslookingtotheleft,Bibbs"sleftwardglanceconvergedwithMary"srightwardglance,andneitherwaslookingfarbeyondtheotheratthistime。
Italsohappenedthat,thoughtheywerealittlejostledamonggroupsofpeopleinthevicinityofthechurch,theypassedthissomewhatprominentedificewithoutbeingawareoftheirproximitytoit,andtheyhadgoneanincrediblenumberofblocksbeyonditbeforetheydiscoveredtheirerror。
However,feelingthattheymightbeembarrassinglylateiftheyreturned,theydecidedthatawalkwouldmakethemasgood。Itwasawindlesswintermorning,withaninchofcrispsnowovertheground。Sotheywalked,andforthemostparttheyweresilent,butontheirwayhome,aftertheyhadturnedbackatnoon,theybegantobetalkativeagain。
"Mary,"saidBibbs,afteratime,"amIasleep—walker？"
Shelaughedalittle,thenlookedgrave。"Doesyourfathersayyouare？"
"Yes——whenhe"sinamoodtoflatterme。Othertimes,othernames。Hehasquitealist。"
"Youmustn"tmind,"shesaid,gently。"He"sbeengettingsomeprettysevereshocks。Whatyou"vetoldmemakesmeprettysorryforhim,Bibbs。I"vealwaysbeensurehe"sverybig。"
"Yes。Bigand——blind。He"slikeaHerculeswithouteyesandwithoutanyconsciousnessexceptthatofhisstrengthandofhispurposetogrowstronger。
Strongerforwhat？Fornothing。"
"Areyousure,Bibbs？ItCAN"Tbefornothing;itmustbestrongerforsomething,eventhoughhedoesn"tknowwhatitis。PerhapswhatheandhiskindarestrugglingforissomethingsogreattheyCOULDN"Tseeit——sogreatnoneofuscouldseeit。"
"No,he"sjustlikesomeblind,unconsciousthingheavingunderground——"
"Tillhebreaksthroughandleapsoutintothedaylight,"shefinishedforhim,cheerily。
"Intothesmoke,"saidBibbs。"Lookatthepowderofcoal—dustalreadydirtyingthedecentsnow,eventhoughit"sSunday。That"sfromthelittlepigs;thebigonesaren"tsobad,onSunday！There"safleckofsootonyourcheek。Somepigsentitoutintotheair;hemightaswellhavethrownitonyou。Itwouldhavebeenbraver,forthenhe"dhavetakenhischanceofmywhippinghimforitifIcould。"
"IStheresootonmycheek,Bibbs,orwereyouonlysayingsorhetorically？
ISthere？"
"Isthere？ThereAREsootonyourcheeks,Mary——afleckoneach。OnelandedsinceImentionedthefirst。"
Shehaltedimmediately,givinghimherhandkerchief,andhesucceededintransferringmostoftheblackfromherfacetothecambric。Theywereentirelymatter—of—courseaboutit。
Anelderlycouple,itchanced,hadbeenwalkingbehindBibbsandMaryforthelastblockorso,andpassedaheadduringtheremovalofthesoot。"There！"
saidtheelderlywife。"You"realwayswrongwhenyoubeginguessingaboutstrangers。Thosetwoyoungpeoplearen"thoneymoonersatall——they"vebeenmarriedforyears。Ablindmancouldseethat。"
"IwishIdidknowwhothrewthatsootonyou,"saidBibbs,lookingupattheneighboringchimneys,astheywenton。"Theyarrestchildrenforthrowingsnowballsatthestreet—cars,but——"
"Buttheydon"tarrestthestreet—carsforshakingallthepicturesinthehousescrookedeverytimetheygoby。Norfortheuproartheymake。Iwonderwhat"sthecostinnervesforthenoiseofthecityeachyear。Yes,wepaythepriceforlivingina"growingtown,"whetherwehavemoneytopayornone。"
"Whoisitgetsthepay？"saidBibbs。
"NotI！"shelaughed。
"Nobodygetsit。Thereisn"tanypay;there"sonlymoney。Andonlysomeofthemendown—towngetmuchofthat。That"swhatmyfatherwantsmetoget。"
"Yes,"shesaid,smilingtohim,andnodding。"Andyoudon"twantit,andyoudon"tneedit。"
"Butyoudon"tthinkI"masleep—walker,Mary？"Hehadtoldherofhisfather"snewplansforhim,thoughhehadnotdescribedthevigorandpicturesquenessoftheirsettingforth。"YouthinkI"mright？"
"Athousandtimes！"shecried。"Therearen"tsomanyhappypeopleinthisworld,Ithink——andyousayyou"vefoundwhatmakesyouhappy。Ifit"sadream——keepit！"
"Thethoughtofgoingdownthere——intothemoneyshuffle——IhateitasIneverhatedtheshop！"hesaid。"Ihateit！Andthecityitself,thecitythatthemoneyshufflehasmade——justlookatit！Lookatitinwinter。Thesnow"striedhardtomaketheuglinessbearable,buttheuglinessiswinning;it"smakingthesnowhideous;thesnow"sgettingdirtyontop,andit"sfoulunderneathwiththedirtanddiseaseoftheuncleanstreet。Andthedirtandtheuglinessandtherushandthenoisearen"ttheworstofit;it"swhatthedirtanduglinessandrushandnoiseMEAN——that"stheworst！Theoutwardthingsareinsufferable,butthey"reonlytheexpressionofaspirit——ablindenbryoofaspirit,notyetasoul——oh,justgreed！Andthis"goahead"
nonsense！Oughtn"titalltobeafellowship？Ishouldn"twanttogetaheadifIcould——I"dwanttohelptheotherfellowtokeepupwithme。"
"Ireadsomethingtheotherdayandremembereditforyou,"saidMary。"ItwassomethingBurne—Jonessaidofapicturehewasgoingtopaint:"InthefirstpictureIshallmakeamanwalkinginthestreetofagreatcity,fullofallkindsofhappylife:children,andloverswalking,andladiesleaningfromthewindowsalldowngreatlengthsofstreetleadingtothecitywalls;andtherethegatesarewideopen,lettinginaspaceofgreenfieldandcornfieldinharvest;andallroundhisheadagreatrainofswirlingautumnleavesblowingfromalttlewalledgraveyard。"
"AndifIpainted,"Bibbsreturned,"I"dpaintaladywalkinginthestreetofagreatcity,fullofallkindsofuproariousandfutilelife——childrenbeingtaughtonlyhowtomakemoney,andlovershurryingtogetricher,andladieswho"dgivenuptryingtowashtheirwindowsclean,andthegatesofthecitywideopen,lettinginslumsandslaughter—housesandfreight—yards,andallroundthislady"sheadagreatrainofswirlingsoot——"Hepaused,adding,thoughtfully:"AndyetIbelieveI"mgladthatsootgotonyourcheek。ItwasjustasifIwereyourbrother——thewayyougavemeyourhandkerchieftorubitoffforyou。Still,Edithnever——"
"Didn"tshe？"saidMary,ashepausedagain。
"No。AndI——"Hecontentedhimselfwithshakinghisheadinsteadofofferingmoredefiniteinformation。ThenherealizedthattheywerepassingtheNewHouse,andhesighedprofoundly。"Mary,ourwalk"salmostover。"
Shelookedasblank。"Soitis,Bibbs。"
Theysaidnomoreuntiltheycametohergate。Astheydriftedslowlytoastop,thedoorofRoscoe"shouseopened,andRoscoecameoutwithSibyl,whowasstartlinglypale。Sheseemedlittleenfeebledbyherillness,however,walkingratherquicklyatherhusband"ssideandnottakinghisarm。ThetwocrossedthestreetwithoutappearingtoseeMaryandhercompanion,andenteringtheNewHouse,werelosttosight。Marygazedafterthemgravely,butBibbs,lookingatMary,didnotseethem。
"Mary,"hesaid,"youseemveryserious。Isanythingbotheringyou？"
"No,Bibbs。"Andshegavehimabright,quicklookthatmadehiminstantlyunreasonablyhappy。
"Iknowyouwanttogoin——"hebegan。
"No。Idon"twantto。"
"Imustn"tkeepyoustandingher,andImustn"tgoinwithyou——but——Ijustwantedtosay——I"veseemedverystupidtomyselfthismorning,grumblingaboutsootandallthat——whileallthetimeI——Mary,Ithinkit"sbeentheveryhappiestofallthehoursyou"vegivenme。Ido。And——Idon"tknowjustwhy——butit"sseemedtomethatitwasoneI"dalwaysremember。Andyou,"headded,falteringly,"youlookso——sobeautifulto—day！"
"Itmusthavebeenthesootonmycheek,Bibbs。"
"Mary,willyoutellmesomething？"heasked。
"IthinkIwill。"
"It"ssomethingI"vehadalotoftheoriesabout,butnoneofthemeverjustfits。Youusedtowearfursinthefall,butnowit"ssomuchcolder,youdon"t——youneverwearthematallanymore。Whydon"tyou？"
Hereyesfellforamoment,andshegrewred。Thenshelookedupgaily。
"Bibbs,ifItellyoutheanswerwillyoupromisenottoaskanymorequestions？"
"Yes。Whydidyoustopwearingthem？"
"BecauseIfoundI"dbewarmerwithoutthem！"Shecaughthishandquicklyinherownforaninstant,laughedintohiseyes,andranintothehouse。
Itistheconsolingattributeofunusedbooksthattheirdecorativewarmthwillsooftenmakeevenaready—madelibrarytheactual"living—room"ofafamilytowhomtheshelvedvolumesareindeedsealed。ThusitwaswithSheridan,whoreadnothingexceptnewspapers,businessletters,andfigures;
wholookeduponbooksashelookeduponbric—a—bracorcrocheting——whenhewasathome,andnotabedoreating,hewasinthelibrary。
Hestoodinthemany—coloredlightofthestained—glasswindowatthefarendofthelongroom,whenRoscoeandhiswifecamein,andheexhaledasolemnity。HisdeferencetotheSabbathwasmanifest,asalways,inthelengthofhiscoatandtheclosenessofhisSaturday—nightshave;andhisexpression,tomatchthisreligiouspomp,wasmorethanSabbatical,butthemostdismayingofhisdemonstrationswashiskeepinghishandinhissling。
Sibyladvancedtothemiddleoftheroomandhaltedthere,notlookingathim,butdownathermuff,inwhich,itcouldbeseen,herhandswerenervouslymoving。Roscoewenttoachairinanotherpartoftheroom。Therewasadeadlysilence。
ButSibylfoundashakyvoice,afteranintervalofgulping,thoughshewasunabletolifthereyes,andthedarklinglidscontinuedtoveilthem。Shespokehurriedly,likeanungiftedchildrecitingsomethingcommittedtomemory,buthersinceritywasnonethelessevidentforthat。
"FatherSheridan,youandmotherSheridanhavealwaysbeensokindtome,andIwouldhatetohaveyouthinkIdon"tappreciateit,fromthewayIacted。
I"vecometotellyouIamsorryforthewayIdidthatnight,andtosayI
knowaswellasanybodythewayIbehaved,anditwillneverhappenagain,becauseit"sbeenaprettyhardlesson;andwhenwecomeback,someday,I
hopeyou"llseethatyou"vegotadaughter—in—lawyouneverneedtobeashamedofagain。IwanttoaskyoutoexcusemeforthewayIdid,andIcansayI
haven"tanyfeelingstowardEdithnow,butonlywishherhappinessandgoodinhernewlife。Ithankyouforallyourkindnesstome,andIknowImadeapoorreturnforit,butifyoucanoverlookthewayIbehavedIknowIwouldfeelagooddealhappier——andIknowRoscoewould,too。Iwishtopromisenottobeasfoolishinthefuture,andthesameerrorwouldneveroccuragaintomakeusallsounhappy,ifyoucanbecharitableenoughttoexcuseitthistime。"
Helookedsteadilyatherwithoutreplying,andshestoodbeforehim,neverliftinghereyes;motionless,savewherethemovingfurprovedtheagitationofherhandswithinthemuff。
"Allright,"hesaidatlast。
Shelookedupthenwithvastrelief,thoughtherewasarevelationofheavytearswhentheeyelidslifted。
"Thankyou,"shesaid。"There"ssomethingelse——aboutsomethingdifferent——I
wanttosaytoyou,butIwantmotherSheridantohearit,too。"
"She"sup—stairsinherroom,"saidSheridan。"Roscoe——"
Sibylinterrupted。ShehadjustseenBibbspassthroughthehallandbegintoascendthestairs;andinaflashsheinstinctivelyperceivedthechanceforpreciselytheeffectshewanted。
"No,letmego,"shesaid。"Iwanttospeaktoheraminutefirst,anyway。"
Andshewentawayquickly,gainingthetopofthestairsintimetoseeBibbsenterhisroomandclosethedoor。SibylknewthatBibbs,inhisroom,hadoverheardherquarrelwithEdithinthehalloutside;forbitterEdith,thinkingthemoretoshameher,hadsubsequentlyinformedherofthecircumstance。Sibylhadjustrememberedthis,andwiththerecollectiontherehadflashedthethought——outofherownexperience——thatpeopleareoftenmuchmoredeeplyimpressedbywordstheyoverhearthanbywordsdirectlyaddressedtothem。SibylintendedtomakeitimpossibleforBibbsnottooverhear。Shedidnothesitate——herheartwashotwiththeoldsore,andshebelievedwhollyinthejusticeofhercauseandinthetruthofwhatshewasgoingtosay。Fatewasvirtuousattimes;ithaddeliveredintoherhandsthegirlwhohadaffrontedher。
Mrs。Sheridanwasinherownroom。TheapproachofSibylandRoscoehaddrivenherfromthelibrary,forshehadmiscalculatedherhusband"smood,andshefeltthatifheusedhisinjuredhandasamarkofemphasisagain,inherpresence,shewould（asshethoughtofit）"haveafitrightthere。"SheheardSibyl"sstep,andpretendedtobeputtingatouchtoherhairbeforeamirror。
"Iwasjustcomingdown,"shesaid,asthedooropened。
"Yes,hewantsyouto,"saidSibyl。"It"sallright,motherSheridan。He"sforgivenme。"
Mrs。Sheridansniffedinstantly;tearsappeared。Shekissedherdaughter—in—law"scheek;then,insilence,regardedthemirrorafresh,wipedhereyes,andappliedpowder。
"AndIhopeEdithwillbehappy,"Sibyladded,incitingmoreapplicationsofMrs。Sheridan"shandkerchiefandpowder。
"Yes,yes,"murmuredthegoodwoman。"Wemustn"tmaketheworstofthings。"
"Well,therewassomethingelseIhadtosay,andhewantsyoutohearit,too,"saidSibyl。"Webettergodown,motherSheridan。"
Sheledtheway,Mrs。Sheridanfollowingobediently,butwhentheycametoaspotclosebyBibbs"sdoor,Sibylstopped。"Iwanttotellyouaboutitfirst,"shesaid,abruptly。"Itisn"tasecret,ofcourse,inanyway;it"ssomethingthewholefamilyhastoknow,andthesoonerthewholefamilyknowsitthebetter。It"ssomethingitwouldn"tbeRIGHTforusALLnottounderstand,andofcoursefatherSheridanmostofall。ButIwanttojustkindofgooveritfirstwithyou;it"llkindofhelpmetoseeIgotitallstratight。Ihaven"tgotanyreasonforsayingitexceptthegoodofthefamily,andit"snothingtome,onewayortheother,ofcourse,exceptforthat。Ioughtn"tto"vebehavedthewayIdidthatnight,anditseemstomeifthere"sanythingIcandotohelpthefamily,Ioughtto,becauseitwouldhelpshowIfelttherightway。Well,whatIwanttodoistotellthisso"stokeepthefamilyfrombeingmadeafoolof。Idon"twanttoseethefamilyjustmadeuseofandtwistedaroundherfingerbysomebodythat"sgotnomoreheartthansomuchice,andjustassuretobringtroublesinthelongrunas——asEdith"smistakeis。Well,then,thisisthewayitis。I"lljusttellyouhowitlookstomeandseeifitdon"tstrikeyouthesameway。"
Withintheroom,Bibbs,muchannoyed,tappedhisearwithhispencil。Hewishedtheywouldn"tstandtalkingnearhisdoorwhenhewastryingtowrite。
HehadjusttakenfromhistrunkthemanuscriptofapoembeguntheprecedingSundayafternoon,andhehadsomeideashewantedtofixuponpaperbeforetheymaliciouslyseizedthefirstopportunitytovanish,fortheywerebutgossamer。Bibbswaspleasedwiththebeginningsofhispoem,andifhecouldcarryitthroughhemeanttodaregreatlywithit——hewouldventureituponaneditor。Forhehadhisplanoflifenow:hisdaywouldbeofmanuallaborandthinking——hecouldthinkofhisfriendandhecouldthinkincadencesforpoems,tothecrashingofthestrongmachine——andifhisfatherturnedhimoutofhomeandoutoftheWorks,hewouldworkelsewhereandliveelsewhere。Hisfatherhadtheright,anditmatteredverylittletoBibbs——hefacedtheprospectofaworking—man"slodging—housewithouttrepidation。Hecouldfindawashstandtowriteupon,hethought;andeveryeveningwhenheleftMaryhewouldwritealittle;andhewouldwriteonholidaysandonSundays——onSundaysintheafternoon。Inalodging—house,atleasthewouldn"tbeinterruptedbyhissister—in—law"schoosingtheimmediatevicinityofhisdoorforconversationsevidentlyimportanttoherself,butmerelydisturbingtohim。Hefrownedplaintively,wishinghecouldthinkofsomepolitewayofaskinghertogoaway。But,asshewenton,hestartedviolently,droppingmanuscriptandpenciluponthefloor。
"Idon"tknowwhetheryouheardit,motherSheridan,"shesaid,"butthisoldVertreeshouse,nextdoor,hadbeensoldonforeclosure,andallTHEYgotoutofitwasanagreementthatlet"s"emlivetherealittlelonger。Roscoetoldme,andhesaysheheardMr。Vertreeshasbeenupanddownthestreetsmore"ntwoyears,tryin"togetajobhecouldcalla"position,"andcouldn"tlandit。Youheardanythingaboutit,motherSheridan？"
"Well,IDIDknowtheybeendoin"theirownhouse—workagoodwhileback,"
saidMrs。Sheridan。"Andnowthey"redoin"thecookin",too。"
Sibylsentforthalittletitterwithasharpedge。"Ihopetheyfindsomethingtocook！ShesoldherpianomightyquickafterJimdied！"
Bibbsjumpedup。Hewastremblingfromheadtofootandhewasdizzy——ofalltherealthingshecouldneverhavedreamedinhisdreamthelastwouldhavebeenwhatheheardnow。Hefeltthatsomethingincrediblewashappening,andthathewaspowerlesstostopit。ItseemedtohimthatheavyblowswerefallingonhisheadanduponMary"s;itseemedtohimthatheandMarywerebeingstruckandbeatenphysically——andthatsomethinghideousimpended。HewantedtoshouttoSibyltobesilent,buthecouldnot;hecouldonlystand,swallowingandtrembling。
"WhatIthinkthewholefamilyoughttounderstandisjustthis,"saidSibyl,sharply。"ThosepeopleweresohardupthatthisMissVertreesstartedafterBibbsbeforetheyknewwhetherhewasINSANEornot！They"dgotanotionhemightbe,fromhisbeinginasanitarium,andMrs。VertreesASKEDmeifhewasinsane,theveryfirstdayBibbstookthedaughteroutauto—riding！"Shepausedamoment,lookingatMrs。Sheridan,butlisteningintently。Therewasnosoundfromwithintheroom。
"No！"exclaimedMrs。Sheridan。
"It"sthetruth,"Sibyldeclared,loudly。"Oh,ofcoursewewereallcrazyaboutthatgirlatfirst。Wewereprettygreenwhenwemoveduphere,andwethoughtshe"dgetusIN——butitdidn"ttakeMElongtoreadher！Herfamilyweredownandoutwhenitcametomoney——andtheyhadtogoafterit,onewayoranother,SOMEHOW！SoshestartedforRoscoe;butshefoundoutprettyquickhewasmarried,andsheturnedrightaroundtoJim——andshelandedhim！
There"snodoubtaboutit,shehadJim,andifhe"dlivedyou"dhadanotherdaughter—in—lawbeforethis,assureasIstandheretellingyoutheGod"struthaboutit！Well——whenJimwasleftinthecemeteryshewaswaitingouttheretodrivehomewithBibbs！Jimwasn"tCOLD——andshedidn"tknowwhetherBibbswasinsaneornot,buthewastheonlyoneoftherichSheridanboysleft。Shehadtogethim。"
Thetextureofwhatwasthetruthmadeanevenfabricwithwhatwasnot,inSibyl"smind;shebelievedeverywordthatsheuttered,andshespokewiththerapidityandvehemenceoffierceconviction。
"WhatIfeelaboutitis,"shesaid,"itoughtn"ttobeallowedtogoon。It"stoomean！IlikepoorBibbs,andIdon"twanttoseehimmadesuchafoolof,andIdon"twanttoseethefamilymadesuchafoolof！IlikepoorBibbs,butifhe"donlystoptothinkaminutehimselfhe"dhavetorealizeheisn"tthekindofmanANYgirlwouldbeapttofallinlovewith。He"sbetter—lookinglately,maybe,butyouknowhowheWAS——justkindofalongwhiteragingoodclothes。AndgirlslikemenwithsomeSOto"em——SOMEsortofdashingness,anyhow！NobodyeverlookedatpoorBibbsbefore,andneither"dshe——no,SIR！nottillshe"dtriedbothRoscoeandJimfirst！Itwasonlywhenherandherfamilygotdesperatethatshe——"
Bibbs——whiterthanwhenhecamefromthesanitarium——openedthedoor。Hesteppedacrossitsthresholdandstooklookingather。Bothwomenscreamed。
"Oh,goodheavens！"criedSibyl。"WereyouinTHERE？Oh,Iwouldn"t——"SheseizedMrs。Sheridan"sarm,pullinghertowardthestairway。"Comeon,motherSheridan！"sheurged,andasthebefuddledandconfusedladyobeyed,Sibylleftatrailofnoisyexclamations:"Goodgracious！Oh,Iwouldn"t——Toobad！
Ididn"tDREAMhewasthere！Iwouldn"thurthisfeelings！Notfortheworld！OfcoursehehadtoknowSOMEtime！But,goodheavens——"
SheheardhisdoorcloseassheandMrs。Sheridanreachedthetopofthestairs,andsheglancedoverhershoulderquickly,butBibbswasnotfollowing;hehadgonebackintohisroom。
"He——helooked——oh,terriblebad！"stammeredMrs。Sheridan。"I——Iwish——"
"Still,it"sagooddealbetterheknowsaboutit,"saidSibyl。"Ishouldn"twonderitmightturnouttheverybestthingcouldhappened。Comeon！"
Andcompletingtheirdescenttothelibrary,thetwomadetheirappearancetoRoscoeandhisfather。Sibylatoncegaveafullandtruthfulaccountofwhathadtakenplace,repeatingherownremarks,andomittingonlythefactthatitwasthroughherdesignthatBibbshadoverheardthem。
"ButasItoldmotherSheridan,"shesaid,inconclusion,"itmightturnoutfortheverybestthathedidhear——justthatway。Don"tyouthinkso,fatherSheridan？"
Hemerelygruntedinreply,andsatrubbingthethickhaironthetopofhisheadwithhislefthandandlookingatthefire。HehadgivennosignofbeingimpressedinanymannerbyherexposureofMaryVertrees"scharacter;
buthisimpassivitydidnotdismaySibyl——itwasBibbswhomshedesiredtoimpress,andshewascontentinthatmatter。
"I"msureitwasallforthebest,"shesaid。"It"sovernow,andheknowswhatsheis。InonewayIthinkitwaslucky,because,justhearingathingthatway,apersoncantellit"sSO——andheknowsIhaven"tgotanyaxtogrindexcepthisowngoodandthegoodofthefamily。"
Mrs。Sheridanwentnervouslytothedoorandstoodthere,lookingtowardthestairway。"Iwish——IwishIknewwhathewasdoin","shesaid。"Hedidlookterriblebad。Itwaslikesomethinghadbeendonetohimthatwas——Idon"tknowwhat。Ineversawanybodylooklikehedid。Helooked——soqueer。Itwaslikeyou"d——"Shecalleddownthehall,"George！"
"Yes"m？"
"WereyouupinMr。Bibbs"sroomjustnow？"
"Yes,m。Heringbell;tolememakehimfiahinhisgrate。Idonebuil"himnicefiah。Ireckonheain"feelin"sowell。Yes"m。"Hedeparted。
"Whatdoyouexpecthewantsafirefor？"sheasked,turningtowardherhusband。"Thehouseiswarmascanbe,IdowishI——"
"Oh,quitfrettin"！"saidSheridan。
"Well,I——Ikindo"wishyouhadn"tsaidanything,Sibyl。Iknowyoumeantitforthebestandall,butIdon"tbelieveitwouldbeensomuchharmif——"
"MotherSheridan,youdon"tmeanyouWANTthatkindofagirlinthefamily？
Why,she——"
"Idon"tknow,Idon"tknow,"thetroubledwomanquavered。"Ifhelikedheritseemskindofapitytospoilit。He"ssoqueer,andhehasn"tevertakenmuchenjoyment。Andbesides,Ibelievethewayitwas,therewasmorechanceofhimbein"willin"todowhatpapawantshimto。Ifshewantstomarryhim——"
Sheridaninterruptedherwithahootinglaugh。"Shedon"t！"hesaid。"You"rebarkin"upthewrongtree,Sibyl。Sheain"tthatkindofagirl。"
"But,fatherSheridan,didn"tshe——"
Hecuthershort。"That"senough。Youmaymeanallright,butyouguesswrong。Sodoyou,mamma。"
Sibylcriedout,"Oh！ButjustLOOKhowsheranafterJim——"
"Shedidnot,"hesaid,curtly。"Shewouldn"ttakeJim。Sheturnedhimdowncold。"
"Butthat"simpossi——"
"It"snot。IKNOWshedid。"
Sibyllookedflatlyincredulous。
"AndYOUneedn"tworry,"hesaid,turningtohiswife。"Thiswon"thaveanyeffectonyouridea,becausetherewasn"tanysensetoit,anyhow。D"youthinkshe"dbeverylikelytotakeBibbs——aftershewouldn"ttakeJIM？She"sagood—heartedgirl,andsheletsBibbscometoseeher,butifshe"devergivenhimonesignofencouragementthewayyouwomenthink,hewouldn"tofactedthestubbornfoolhehas——he"d"a"beenatmelongago,beggin"meforsomekindofajobhecouldsupportawifeon。There"snothin"init——andI"vegotthesameoldfightwithhimonmyhandsI"vehadallhislife——andtheLordknowswhathewon"tdotobalkme！What"shappenednow"llprobablyonlymakehimtwiceassrubborn,but——"
"SH！"Mrs。Sheridan,stillinthedoorway,liftedherhand。"That"shisstep——he"scomin"down—stairs。"SheshrankawayfromthedoorasifshefearedtohaveBibbsseeher。"I——Iwonder——"shesaid,almostinawhisper——"Iwonderwhathe"dgoin"——todo。"
Hertimorousnesshaditseffectupontheothers。Sheridanrose,frowning,butremainedstandingbesidehischair;andRoscoemovedtowardSibyl,whostareduneasilyattheopendoorway。Theylistenedastheslowstepsdescendedthestairsandcametowardthelibrary。
Bibbsstoppeduponthethreshold,andwithsickandhaggardeyeslookedslowlyfromonetotheotheruntilatlasthisgazeresteduponhisfather。Thenhecameandstoodbeforehim。
"I"msorryyou"vehadsomuchtroublewithme,"hesaid,gently。"Youwon"t,anymore。I"lltakethejobyouofferedme。"
Sheridandidnotspeak——hestared,astoundedandincredulous;andBibbshadlefttheroombeforeanyofitsoccupantsutteredasound,thoughhewentasslowlyashecame。Mrs。Sheridanwasthefirsttomove。Shewentnervouslybacktothedoorway,andthenoutintothehall。Bibbshadgonefromthehouse。
Bibbs"smotherhadafeelingabouthimthenthatshehadneverknownbefore;
itwasindefiniteandvague,butverypoignant——somethinginhermournedforhimuncomprehendingly。Shefeltthatanawfulthinghadbeendonetohim,thoughshedidnotknowwhatitwas。Shewentuptohisroom。
ThefireGeorgehadbuiltforhimwasalmostsmotheredunderthick,charredashesofpaper。Thelidofhistrunkstoodopen,andthelargeuppertray,whichsherememberedtohaveseenfullofpapersandnote—books,wasempty。
AndsomehowsheunderstoodthatBibbshadgivenupthemysteriousvocationhehadhopedtofollow——andthathehadgivenitupforever。Shethoughtitwasthewisestthinghecouldhavedone——andyet,foranunknownreason,shesatuponthebedandweptalittlebeforeshewentdown—stairs。
SoSheridanhadhiswaywithBibbs,allthrough。