第17章
AsBibbscameoutoftheNewHouse,aSundaytriowasincourseofpassageuponthesidewalk:anampleyoungwoman,placidofface;ablack—clad,thinyoungman,whoseexpressionwasoneofhabitualanxiety,habitualwarinessandhabitualeagerness。Hepropelledaperambulatorcontainingthethird——andallthreewerenewlycleaned,Sundayfied,andmadefittodinewiththewife"srelatives。
"How"dyoulikeformetobeTHATyoungfella,mamma？"thehusbandwhispered。
"He"soneofthesons,andthereain"tbuttwoleftnow。"
ThewifestaredcuriouslyatBibbs。"Well,Idon"tknow,"shereturned。"Helookstomelikehehadhisowntroubles。"
"Iexpecthehas,likeanybodyelse,"saidtheyounghusband,"butIguesswecouldstandagooddealifwehadhismoney。"
"Well,maybe,ifyoukeeponthewayyoubeen,baby"llbeaswellfixedastheSheridans。Youcan"ttell。"SheglancedbackatBibbs,whohadturnednorth。"Hewalkskindofslowandstoopedover,like。"
"Somuchmoneyinhispocketsitmakeshimsag,Iguess,"saidtheyounghusband,withbitteradmiration。
Mary,happeningtoglancefromawindow,sawBibbscoming,andshestarted,claspingherhandstogetherinasuddenalarm。Shemethimatthedoor。
"Bibbs！"shecried。"Whatisthematter？IsawsomethingwasterriblywrongwhenI——Youlook——"Shepaused,andhecamein,notliftinghiseyestohers。
Alwayswhenhecrossedthatthresholdhehadcomewithhisheadupandhiswistfulgazeseekinghers。"Ah,poorboy！"shesaid,withagestureofunderstandingandpity。"Iknowwhatitis！"
Hefollowedherintotheroomwheretheyalwayssat,andsankintoachair。
"Youneedn"ttellme,"shesaid。"They"vemadeyougiveup。Yourfather"swon——you"regoingtodowhathewants。You"vegivenup。"
Stillwithoutlookingather,heinclinedhisheadinaffirmation。
Shegavealittlecryofcompassion,andcameandsatnearhim。"Bibbs,"shesaid。"Icanbegladofonething,thoughit"sselfish。Icanbegladyoucamestraighttome。It"smoretomethanevenifyou"dcomebecauseyouwerehappy。"Shedidnotspeakagainforalittlewhile;thenshesaid:
"Bibbs——dear——couldyoutellmeaboutit？Doyouwantto？"
Stillhedidnotlookup,butinavoice,shakenandhuskyheaskedheraquestionsogrotesquethatatfirstshethoughtshehadmisunderstoodhiswords。
"Mary,"hesaid,"couldyoumarryme？"
"Whatdidyousay,Bibbs？"sheasked,quietly。
Histoneandattitudedidnotchange。"Willyoumarryme？"
Bothofherhandsleapedtohercheeks——shegrewredandthenwhite。Sheroseslowlyandmovedbackwardfromhim,staringathim,atfirstincredulously,thenwithanintenseperplexitymoreandmoreluminousinherwideeyes;itwaslikeaspokenquestion。Theroomfilledwithstrangenessinthelongsilence——thetwoweresostrangetoeachother。Atlastshesaid:
"Whatmadeyousaythat？"
Hedidnotanswer。
"Bibbs,lookatme！"Hervoicewasloudandclear。"Whatmadeyousaythat？
Lookatme！"
Hecouldnotlookather,andhecouldnotspeak。
"Whatwasitthatmadeyou？"shesaid。"Iwantyoutotellme。"
Shewentclosertohim,hereyeseverbrighterandwiderwiththatintensityofwonder。"You"vegivenup——toyourfather,"shesaid,slowly,"andthenyoucametoaskme——"Shebrokeoff。"Bibbs,doyouwantmetomarryyou？"
"Yes,"hesaid,justaudibly。
"No！"shecried。"Youdonot。Thenwhatmadeyouaskme？Whatisitthat"shappened？"
"Nothing。"
"Wait,"shesaid。"Letmethink。It"ssomethingthathappenedsinceourwalkthismorning——yes,sinceyouleftmeatnoon。Somethinghappenedthat——"Shestoppedabruptly,withatremulousmurmurofamazementanddawningcomprehension。SherememberedthatSibylhadgonetotheNewHouse。
Bibbsswallowedpainfullyandcontrivedtosay,"Ido——Idowantyouto——marryme,if——if——youcould。"
Shelookedathim,andslowlyshookherhead。"Bibbs,doyou——"Hervoicewasasunsteadyashis——littlemorethanawhisper。"DoyouthinkI"m——inlovewithyou？"
"No,"hesaid。
Somewhereinthestillairoftheroomtherewasawhisperedword;itdidnotseemtocomefromMary"spartedlips,buthewasawareofit。"Why？"
"I"vehadnothingbutdreams,"Bibbssaid,desolately,"buttheyweren"tlikethat。Sibylsaidnogirlcouldcareaboutme。"Hesmiledfaintly,thoughstillhedidnotlookatMary。"AndwhenIfirstcamehomeEdithtoldmeSibylwassoanxioustomarrythatshe"dhavemarriedME。ShemeantittoexpressSibyl"sextremeity,yousee。ButIhardlyneededeitherofthemtotellme。Ihadn"tthoughtofmyselfas——well,notasparticularlycaptivating！"
Oddlyenough,Mary"spallorchangedtoanangryflush。"Thosetwo！"sheexclaimed,sharply;andthen,withthoroughgoingcontempt:"Lamhorn！That"slikethem！"Sheturnedaway,wenttothebarelittleblackmantel,andstoodleaninguponit。Presentlysheasked:"WHENdidMrs。RoscoeSheridansaythat"nogirl"couldcareaboutyou？"
"To—day。"
Marydrewadeepbreath。"IthinkI"mbeginningtounderstand——alittle。"
Shebitherlip;therewasangeringoodtruthinhereyesandinhervoice。
"Answermeoncemore,"shesaid。"Bibbs,doyouknownowwhyIstoppedwearingmyfurs？"
"Yes。"
"Ithoughtso！Yoursister—in—lawtoldyou,didn"tshe？"
"I——Iheardhersay——"
"IthinkIknowwhathappened,now。"Mary"sbreathcamefastandhervoiceshook,butshespokerapidly。"You"heardhersay"morethanthat。You"heardhersay"thatwewerebitterlypoor,andonthataccountItriedfirsttomarryyourbrother——andthen——"Butnowshefaltered,anditwasonlyafteraconvulsiveeffortthatshewasabletogoon。"Andthen——thatItriedtomarry——you！You"heardhersay"that——andyoubelievethatIdon"tcareforyouandthat"nogirl"couldcareforyou——butyouthinkIaminsuchan"extremity,"asSibylwas——thatyou——Andso,notwantingme,andbelievingthatIcouldnotwantyou——exceptformy"extremity"——youtookyourfather"sofferandthencametoaskme——tomarryyou！WhathadIshownyouofmyselfthatcouldmakeyou——"
Suddenlyshesankdown,kneeling,withherfaceburiedinherarmsuponthelapofachair,tearsoverwhelmingher。
"Mary,Mary！"hecried,helplessly。"OhNO——you——youdon"tunderstand。"
"Ido,though！"shesobbed。"Ido！"
Hecameandstoodbesideher。"Youkillme！"hesaid。"Ican"tmakeitplain。Fromthefirstofyourlovelinesstome,Iwasallself。ItwasalwaysyouthatgaveandIthattook。Iwasthedependent——Ididnothingbutleanonyou。Wealwaystalkedofme,notofyou。Itwasallaboutmyidioticdistressesandtroubles。Ithoughtofyouasakindofwonderfulbeingthathadnomortalorhumansufferingexceptbysympathy。Youseemedtoleandown——outofarosycloud——tobekindtome。IneverdreamedIcoulddoanythingforYOU！Ineverdreamedyoucouldneedanythingtobedoneforyoubyanybody。Andto—dayIheardthat——thatyou——"
"YouheardthatIneededtomarry——someone——anybody——withmoney,"shesobbed。
"Andyouthoughtwewereso——sodesperate——youbelievedthatIhad——"
"No！"hesaid,quickly。"Ididn"tbelieveyou"ddoneonekindthingforme——forthat。No,no,no！Iknewyou"dNEVERthoughtofmeexceptgenerously——togive。IsaidIcouldn"tmakeitplain！"hecried,despairingly。
"Wait！"Sheliftedherheadandextendedherhandstohimunconsciously,likeachild。"Helpmeup,Bibbs。"Then,whenshewasoncemoreuponherfeet,shewipedhereyesandsmileduponhimruefullyandfaintly,butreassuringly,asiftotellhim,inthatway,thatsheknewhehadnotmeanttohurther。
Andthatsmileofhers,solamentable,butsofaithfullyfriendly,mistedhisowneyes,forhisshamefacednessloweredthemnomore。
"Letmetellyouwhatyouwanttotellme,"shesaid。"Youcan"t,becauseyoucan"tputitintowords——theyaretoohumiliatingformeandyou"retoogentletosaythem。Tellme,though,isn"tittrue？Youdidn"tbelievethatI"dtriedtomakeyoufallinlovewithme——"
"Never！Neverforaninstant！"
"Youdidn"tbelieveI"dtriedtomakeyouwanttomarryme——"
"No,no,no！"
"Ibelieveit,Bibbs。YouthoughtthatIwasfondofyou;youknewIcaredforyou——butyoudidn"tthinkImightbe——inlovewithyou。ButyouthoughtthatImightmarryyouwithoutbeinginlovewithyoubecauseyoudidbelieveIhadtriedtomarryyourbrother,and——"
"Mary,Ionlyknew——forthefirsttime——thatyou——thatyouwere——"
"Weredesperatelypoor,"shesaid。"Youcan"tevensaythat！Bibbs,itwastrue:IdidtrytomakeJimwanttomarryme。Idid！"Andshesankdownintothechair,weepingbitterlyagain。Bibbswasagonized。
"Mary,"hegroaned,"Ididn"tknowyouCOULDcry！"
"Listen,"shesaid。"ListentillIgetthrough——Iwantyoutounderstand。Wewerepoor,andweweren"tfittedtobe。Weneverhadbeen,andwedidn"tknowwhattodo。We"dbeenalmostrich;therewasplenty,butmyfatherwantedtotakeadvantageofthegrowthofthetown;hewantedtobericher,butinstead——well,justaboutthetimeyourfatherfinishedbuildingnextdoorwefoundwehadn"tanything。Peoplesaythat,sometimes,meaningthattheyhaven"tanythingincomparisonwithotherpeopleoftheirownkind,butwereallyhadn"tanything——wehadn"tanythingatall,Bibbs！Andwecouldn"tDO
anything。YoumightwonderwhyIdidn"t"trytobeastenographer"——andI
wondermyselfwhy,whenafamilylosesitsmoney,peoplealwayssaythedaughters"oughttogoandbestenographers。"It"scurious！——asifawaveofthehandmadeyouintoastenographer。No,I"dbeenraisedtobeeithermarriedcomfortablyorawell—to—dooldmaid,ifIchosenottomarry。Thepovertycameonslowly,Bibbs,butatlastitwasallthere——andIdidn"tknowhowtobeastenographer。Ididn"tknowhowtobeanythingexceptawell—to—dooldmaidorsomebody"swife——andIcouldn"tbeawell—to—dooldmaid。Then,Bibbs,IdidwhatI"dbeenraisedtoknowhowtodo。Iwentouttobefascinatingandbemarried。Ididitopenly,atleast,andwithakindofdecenthonesty。ItoldyourbrotherIhadmeanttofascinatehimandthatIwasnotinlovewithhim,butIlethimthinkthatperhapsImeanttomarryhim。IthinkIdidmeantomaryhim。Ihadnevercaredforanybody,andI
thoughtitmightbetherereallyWASN"Tanythingmorethanakindofexcitedfondness。Ican"tbesure,butIthinkthatthoughIdidmeantomarryhimI
nevershouldhavedoneit,becausethatsortofamarriageis——it"ssacrilege——somethingwouldhavestoppedme。Somethingdidstopme;itwasyoursister—in—law,Sibyl。Shemeantnoharm——butshewashorrible,andsheputwhatIwasdoingintosuchhorriblewords——andtheywerethetruth——oh！ISAW
myself！Shewasproposingamiserablecompactwithme——andIcouldn"tbreathetheairofthesameroomwithher,thoughI"dsocheapenedmyselfshehadarighttoassumethatIWOULD。ButIcouldn"t！Ilefther,andIwrotetoyourbrother——justaquickscrawl。ItoldhimjustwhatI"ddone;Iaskedhispardon,andIsaidIwouldnotmarryhim。Ipostedtheletter,buthenevergotit。Thatwastheafternoonhewaskilled。That"sall,Bibbs。NowyouknowwhatIdid——andyouknow——ME！"Shepressedherclenchedhandstightlyagainsthereyes,leaningfarforward,herheadbowedbeforehim。
Bibbshadforgottenhimselflongago;hisheartbrokeforher。"Couldn"tyou——Isn"tthere——Won"tyou——"hestammered。"Mary,I"mgoingwithfather。
Isn"ttheresomewayyoucouldusethemoneywithout——without——"
Shegaveachokedlittlelaugh。
"Yougavemesomethingtolivefor,"hesaid。"Youkeptmealive,Ithink——andI"vehurtyoulikethis！"
"Notyou——ohno！"
"Youcouldforgiveme,Mary？"
"Oh,athousandtimes！"Herrighthandwentoutinafalteringgesture,andjusttouchedhisownforaninstant。"Butthere"snothingtoforgive。"
"Andyoucan"t——youcan"t——"
"Can"twhat,Bibbs？"
"Youcouldn"t——"
"Marryyou？"shesaidforhim。
"Yes。"
"No,no,no！"Shesprangup,facinghim,and,withoutknowingwhatshedid,shesetherhandsuponhisbreast,pushinghimbackfromheralittle。"I
can"t,Ican"t！Don"tyouSEE？"
"Mary——"
"No,no！Andyoumustgonow,Bibbs;Ican"tbearanymore——please——"
"MARY——"
"Never,never,never！"shecried,inapassionoftears。"Youmustn"tcomeanymore。Ican"tseeyou,dear！Never,never,never！"
Somehow,inhelpless,stumblingobediencetoherbeseechinggesture,hegothimselftothedoorandoutofthehouse。
SibylandRoscoewereuponthepointofleavingwhenBibbsreturnedtotheNewHouse。HewentstraighttoSibylandspoketoherquietly,butsothattheothersmighthear。
"WhenyousaidthatifI"dstoptothink,I"drealizethatnoonewouldbeapttocareenoughaboutmetomarryme,youwereright,"hesaid。"Ithoughtperhapsyouweren"t,andsoIaskedMissVertreestomarryme。Itprovedwhatyousaidofme,anddisprovedwhatyousaidofher。Sherefused。"
And,havingthusspoken,hequittedtheroomasstraightforwardlyashehadenteredit。
"He"sSOqueer！"Mrs。Sheridangasped。"Whoonearthwouldthoughtofhisdoin"THAT？"
"Itoldyou,"saidherhusband,grimly。
"Youdidn"ttellushe"dgooverthereand——"
"Itoldyoushewouldn"thavehim。Itoldyoushewouldn"thaveJIM,didn"tI？"
Sibylwasaltogethertakenaback。"Doyousuposeit"strue？DoyousupposesheWOULDN"T？"
"Hedidn"tlookexactlylikeayoungmanthathadjustgotthingsfixedupfinewithhisgirl,"saidSheridan。"Nottome,hedidn"t！"
"Butwhywould——"
"Itoldyou,"heinterrupted,angrily,"sheain"tthatkindofagirl！Ifyougottohaveproof,well,I"lltellyouandgetitoverwith,thoughI"dprettynearjustassoonnothavetotalkawholelotaboutmydeadboy"sprivateaffairs。ShewrotetoJimshecouldn"ttakehim,anditwasagood,straightletter,too。ItcametoJim"soffice;heneversawit。Shewroteittheafternoonhewashurt。"
"IrememberIsawherputaletterinthemail—boxthatafternoon,"saidRoscoe。"Don"tyouremember,Sibyl？Itoldyouaboutit——Iwaswaitingforyouwhileyouwereintheresolongtalkingtohermother。Itwasjustbeforewesawthatsomethingwaswrongoverhere,andEdithcameandcalledme。"
Sibylshookherhead,butsheremembered。Andshewasnotcastdown,for,althoughsomeremnantsofperplexitywereleftinhereyes,theyweredimmedbyanincreasingglowoftriumph;andshedeparted——aftersomefurtherfragmentarydiscourse——visablyelated。Afterall,theguiltyhadnotbeenexalted;andsheperceivedvaguely,butnonethelesssurely,thatherinjuryhadbeencopiouslyavenged。Shebestowedacontentedglanceupontheoldhousewiththecupola,assheandRoscoecrossedthestreet。
Whentheyhadgone,Mrs。Sheridanindulgedinreverie,butafterawhileshesaid,uneasily,"Papa,youthinkitwouldbeanyusetotellBibbsaboutthatletter？"
"Idon"tknow,"heanswered,walkingmoodilytothewindow。"Ibeenthinkin"
aboutit。"Hecametoadecision。"IreckonIwill。"AndhewentuptoBibbs"sroom。
"Well,yougoin"backonwhatyousaid？"heinquired,brusquely,asheopenedthedoor。"Yougoin"totakeitbackandlaydownonmeagain？"
"No,"saidBibbs。
"Well,perhapsIdidn"thaveanycalltoaccuseyouofthat。Idon"tknowasyoueverdidgobackonanythingyousaid,exactly,thoughtheLordknowsyou"velaiddownonmeenough。Youcertainlyhave！"Sheridanwasbaffled。
Thiswasnotwhathewishedtosay,buthiswordswereunmanageable;hefoundhimselfunabletocontrolthem,andhisquerulousabusewentoninspiteofhim。"Ican"tsayIexpectmuchofyou——notfromthewayyoualwaysbeen,uptonow——unlessyouturnoveranewleaf,andIdon"tseeanyencouragementtothinkyou"regoin"todoTHAT！Ifyougodownthereandshowasparko"realGIT—up,Ireckonthewholeoffice"llfallinafaint。Butifyou"reevergoin"toshowany,youbetterbeginrightatthebeginningandbegintoshowitto—morrow。"
"Yes——I"lltry。"
"Youbetter,ifit"sinyou！"Sheridanwassheerlynonplussed。Headalwaysbeenabletosaywhateverhewishedtosay,buthistongueseemedbewitched。
HehadcometotellBibbsaboutMary"sletter,andtohisownangryastonishmenthefounditimpossibletodoanythingexcepttoscoldlikeadrudge—driver。"Youbettercomedowntherewithyourmindmadeuptohustleharderthanthehardestworkin"—manthat"sunderyou,oryou"llnotgetonverygoodwithme,Itellyou！Thewaytogetahead——andyoubettersetitdowninyourbooks——thewaytogetaheadistodotentimestheworkofthehardestworkerthatworksFORyou。Butyoudon"tknowwhatworkis,yet。Allyou"veeverdonewasjuststandaroundandfeedamachineachildcouldhandle,andthencomehomeandtakeabathandgocallin"。Itellyouyou"reupagainstamightydifferentpropositionnow,andifyou"reworthyoursalt——andyounevershowedanysignsofityet——notanysignsthatstuckoutenoughtobangsomebodyontheheadandmake"emsitupandtakenotice——well,Iwanttosay,righthereandnow——andyoubetterlisten,becauseIwanttosayjustwhatIDOsay。Isay——"
Hemeanderedtoafullstop。Hismouthhungopen,andhismindwasahopelessblank。
Bibbslookeduppatiently——anold,oldlook。"Yes,father;I"mlistening。"
"That"sall,"saidSheridan,frowningheavily。"That"sallIcametosay,andyoubettersee"tyourememberit！"
Heshookhisheadwarningly,andwentout,closingthedoorbehindhimwithacrash。However,nosoundoffootstepsindicatedhisdeparture。Hestoppedjustoutsidethedoor,andstoodthereaminuteormore。Thenabruptlyheturnedtheknobandexhibitedtohissonaforeheadliberallycoveredwithperspiration。
"Lookhere,"hesaid,crossly。"ThatgirloveryonderwroteJimaletter——"
"Iknow,"saidBibbs。"Shetoldme。"
"Well,Ithoughtyouneedn"tfeelsomuchupsetaboutit——"Thedoorclosedonhisvoiceashewithdrew,buttheconclusionofthesentencewasneverthelessaudible——"ifyouknewshewouldn"thaveJim,either。"
Andhestampedhiswaydown—stairstotellhiswifetoquitherfrettin"andnotbotherhimwithanymorefool"serrands。ShewasabouttoinquirewhatBibbs"said,"butafterasecondthoughtshedecidednottospeakatall。Shemerelymurmuredawordlessassent,andverbalcommunicationwasgivenoverbetweenthemfortherestofthatafternoon。
BibbsandhisfatherweregonewhenMrs。Sheridanwoke,thenextmorning,andshehadadrearyday。ShemissedEdithwoefully,andsheworriedaboutwhatmightbetakingplaceintheSheridanBuilding。ShefeltthateverythingdependedonhowBibbs"tookhold,"anduponherhusband"sreturnintheeveningsheseizeduponthefirstopportunitytoaskhimhowthingshadgone。
Hewasnon—committal。Whatcouldanybodytellbythefirstday？He"dseenplentygoatthingswellenoughrightatthestartandthenblowup。Prettynearanybodycouldshowupfairthefirstdayorso。Therewasabigjobahead。Thismaterial,suchasitwas——Bibbs,infact——hadtobebrokenintohandlingtheworkRoscoehaddone;andthen,atleastasanoverseer,hemusttakeJim"spositionintheRealtyCompanyaswell。Hetoldhertoaskhimagaininamonth。
ButduringthecourseofdinnershegatheredfromsomedisjointedremarksofhisthatheandBibbshadlunchedtogetheratthesmallrestaurantwhereithadbeenSheridan"scustomtolunchwithJim,andshetookthistobeanencouragingsign。Bibbswenttohisroomassoonastheyleftthetable,andherhusbandwasnotcommunicativeafterreadinghispaper。
ShebecameananxiousspectatorofBibbs"sprogressasamanofbusiness,althoughitwasaprogressshecouldglimpsebutdimlyandonlyintheevening,throughhisremarksandhisfather"satdinner。UsuallyBibbswassilent,exceptwhendirectlyaddressed,butonthefirsteveningofthethirdweekofhisnewcareerheofferedanopinionwhichhadapparentlybeenthesubjectofpreviousargument。
"I"dlikeyoutounderstandjustwhatImeantaboutthosestorage—rooms,father,"hesaid,asJacksonplacedhiscoffeebeforehim。"Abercrombieagreedwithme,butyouwouldn"tlistentohim。"
"Youcantalk,ifyouwantto,andI"lllisten,"Sheridanreturned,"butyoucan"tshowmethatJimevertookupwithabadthing。Therooffellbecauseithadn"thadtimetosettleandonaccountofweatherconditions。IwantthatbuildingputjustthewayJimplannedit。"
"Youcan"thaveit,"saidBibbs。"Youcan"t,becauseJimplannedforthebuildingtostandup,anditwon"tdoit。Theotherone——theonethatdidn"tfall——issoshotwithcrackswehaven"tdareduseitforstorage。Itwon"tstandweight。There"sonlyonethingtodo:getbothbuildingsdownasquicklyaswecan,andbuildover。Brick"sthebestandcheapestinthelongrunforthattype。"
Sheridanlookedsarcastic。"Fine！Whatwegoin"todoforstorage—roomswhilewe"rewaitin"forthosefewbrickstobelaid？"
"Rent,"Bibbsreturned,promptly。"We"lllosemoneyifwedon"trent,anyhow——theywerewaitingsolongforyoutogivethewarehousematteryourattentionaftertherooffell。Youdon"tknowwhatanamountofstuffthey"vegotpileduponusoverthere。We"dhavetorentuntilwecouldpatchupthoseprocessperils——andtheKrivitchManufacturingCompany"splantisempty,rightacrossthestreet。Itookanoptiononitforusthismorning。"
Sheridan"sexpressionwasqueer。"Lookhere！"hesaid,sharply。"Didyougoanddothatwithoutconsultingme？"
"Itdidn"tcostanything,"saidBibbs。"It"sonlyuntilto—morrowafternoonattwoo"clock。Iundertooktoconvinceyoubeforethen。"
"Oh,youdid？"Sheridan"stonewassardonic。"Well,justsupposeyoucouldn"tconvinceme。"
"Ican,though——andIintendto,"saidBibbs,quietly。"Idon"tthinkyouunderstandtheconditionofthosebuildingsyouwantpatchedup。"
"Now,seehere,"saidSheridan,withslowemphasis;"supposeIhadmymindsetaboutthis。JIMthoughtthey"dstand,andsupposeitwas——well,kindofamatterofsentimentwithmetoprovehewasright。"
Bibbslookedathimcompassionately。"I"msorryifyouhaveasentimentaboutit,father,"hesaid。"Butwhetheryouhaveornotcan"tmakeadifference。
You"llgetotherpeoplehurtifyoutrustthatprocess,andthatwon"tdo。
AndifyouwantamonumenttoJim,atleastyouwantonethatwillstand。
Besides,Idon"tthinkyoucanreasonablydefendsentimentinthisparticularkindofaffair。"
"Oh,youdon"t？"
"No,butI"msorryyoudidn"ttellmeyoufeltit。"
Sheridanwaspuzzledbyhisson"stone。"Whyareyou"sorry"？"heasked,curiously。
"BecauseIhadthebuildinginspectorupthere,thisnoon,"saidBibbs,"andI
hadhimcondemnboththosebuildings。"
"What？"
"He"dbeenafraidtodoitbefore,untilheheardfromus——afraidyou"dseehelosthisjob。Buthecan"tun—condemnthem——they"vegottocomedownnow。"
Sheridangavehimalongandpiercingstarefrombeneathloweredbrows。
Finallyhesaid,"Howlongdidtheygiveyouonthatoptiontoconvinceme？"
"Untiltwoo"clockto—morrowafternoon。"
"Allright,"saidSheridan,notrelaxing。"I"mconvinced。"
Bibbsjumpedup。"Ithoughtyouwouldbe。I"lltelephonetheKrivitchagent。
Hegavemetheoptionuntilto—morrow,butItoldhimI"dsettleitthisevening。"
Sheridangazedafterhimashelefttheroom,andthen,thoughhisexpressiondidnotalterintheslightest,asoundcamefromhimthatstartledhiswife。
Ithadbeenalongtimesinceshehadheardanythingresemblingachucklefromhim,andthissound——althoughitwasgrimanddry——borethatresemblance。
Shebrightenedeagerly。"Lookslikehewasstartin"rightwell,don"tit,papa？"
"Startin"？Lord！Hegotmeonthehip！Why,HEknewwhatIwanted——that"swhyhehadtheinspectorupthere,so"the"dhavemebeatbeforeweevenstartedtotalkaboutit。Anddidyouhearhim？"Can"treasonablydefendSENTIMENT！"Andthewayhesays"Us":"TookanoptionforUs"！"StuffpileduponUs"！"
TherewasalwaysanalloyforMrs。sheridan。"Idon"tjustlikethewayhelooks,though,papa。"
"Oh,there"sgottobesomething！Onlyonechickleftathome,soyoustarttofrettin"aboutIT！"
"No。He"schanged。There"skindofasettishlooktohisface,and——"
"Iguessthat"sthecommonsensecomin"outonhim,then,"saidSheridan。
"You"llseesymptomslikethatinagoodmanybusinessmen,Iexpect。"