第17章

andyetIbelieveyouwillnotconsidermeimportunate。If，then，youwillpickupthepiecesofanoldfellow，Iaskyoutohavemysword，theletterenclosedinthis，andthephotographthatstandsonthestoveburiedwithme。MywillandtheacknowledgmentsofmypropertyarebetweentheleavesoftheByroninmytinchest;theyshouldgotoLucyTor——addressthereon。Perhapsyouwilldomethehonourtoretainforyourselfanyofmybooksthatmaygiveyoupleasure。InthePilgrim’sProgressyouwillfindsomeexcellentrecipesforTurkishcoffee，ItalianandSpanishdishes，andwashingwounds。Thelandlady’sdaughterspeaksItalian，andshewould，I

know，liketohaveFreda;thepoordogwillmissme。IhavereadofoldIndianwarriorstakingtheirhorsesanddogswiththemtothehappyhunting—grounds。Fredawouldcome——nobleanimalsaredogs！Sheeatsonceaday——agoodlargemeal——andrequiresmuchsalt。Ifyouhaveanimalsofyourown，sir，don’tforget——allanimalsrequiresalt。Ihavenodebts，thankGod！Themoneyinmypocketswouldburymedecently——notthatthereisanydanger。AndIamashamedtowearyyouwithdetails——theleastamancandoisnottomakeafuss—

—andyethemustbefoundready。——Sir，withprofoundgratitude，yourservant，"ROGERBRUNE。"

Everythingwasashehadsaid。Thephotographonthestovewasthatofayounggirlofnineteenortwenty，dressedinanold—fashionedstyle，withhairgatheredbackwardinaknot。Theeyesgazedatyouwithalittlefrown，thelipsweretightlyclosed;theexpressionofthefacewaseager，quick，wilful，and，aboveall，young。

Thetintrunkwasscentedwithdryfragmentsofsomeherb，thehistoryofwhichinthattrunkmanknowethnot……Therewereafewclothes，butveryfew，allolderthanthoseheusuallywore。BesidestheByronandPilgrim’sProgresswereScott’sQuentinDurward，CaptainMarryat’sMidshipmanEasy，apocketTestament，andalongandfrightfullystiffbookontheartoffortifyingtowns，muchthumbed，andbearingdate1863。ByfarthemostinterestingthingIfound，however，wasadiary，keptdowntotheprecedingChristmas。Itwasapatheticdocument，fullofcalculationsofthepriceofmeals;

resolutionstobecarefuloverthisorthat;doubtswhetherhemustnotgiveupsmoking;sentencesoffearthatFredahadnotenoughtoeat。Itappearedthathehadtriedtoliveonninetypoundsayear，andsendtheotherhundredpoundshometoLucyforthechild;inthisstrugglehewasalwaysfailing，havingtosendlessthantheamount—

theentriesshowedthatthiswasanightmaretohim。Thelastwords，writtenonChristmasDay，werethese"Whatistheuseofwritingthis，sinceitrecordsnothingbutfailure！"

Thelandlady’sdaughterandmyselfwereatthefuneral。ThesameafternoonIwentintotheconcert—room，whereIhadspokentohimfirst。WhenIcameoutFredawaslyingattheentrance，lookingintothefacesofeveryonethatpassed，andsniffingidlyattheirheels。

Closebythelandlady’sdaughterhovered，abiscuitinherhand，andapuzzled，sorrylookonherface。

September1900。

TO

MYBROTHER

HUBERTGALSWORTHY

SALVATIONOFAFORSYTE

I

SwithinForsytelayinbed。Thecornersofhismouthunderhiswhitemoustachedroopedtowardshisdoublechin。Hepanted:

"MydoctorsaysI’minabadway，James。"

Histwin—brotherplacedhishandbehindhisear。"Ican’thearyou。

TheytellmeIoughttotakeacure。There’salwaysacurewantedforsomething。Emilyhadacure。"

Swithinreplied:"Youmumbleso。Ihearmyman，Adolph。Itrainedhim……Yououghttohaveanear—trumpet。You’regettingveryshaky，James。"

Therewassilence;thenJamesForsyte，asifgalvanised，remarked:"I

s’poseyou’vemadeyourwill。Is’poseyou’veleftyourmoneytothefamily;you’venobodyelsetoleaveitto。TherewasDansondiedtheotherday，andlefthismoneytoahospital"

ThehairsofSwithin’swhitemoustachebristled。"Myfoolofadoctortoldmetomakemywill，"hesaid，"Ihateafellowwhotellsyoutomakeyourwill。Myappetite’sgood;Iateapartridgelastnight。I’mallthebetterforeating。Hetoldmetoleaveoffchampagne！Ieatagoodbreakfast。I’mnoteighty。You’rethesameage，James。Youlookveryshaky。"

JamesForsytesaid:"Yououghttohaveanotheropinion。HaveBlank;

he’sthefirstmannow。IhadhimforEmily;costmetwohundredguineas。HesenthertoHomburg;that’sthefirstplacenow。ThePrincewasthere——everybodygoesthere。"

SwithinForsyteanswered:"Idon’tgetanysleepatnight，nowI

can’tgetout;andI’veboughtanewcarriage——gaveapotofmoneyforit。D’youeverhavebronchitis？Theytellmechampagne’sdangerous;it’smybeliefIcouldn’ttakeabetterthing。"

JamesForsyterose。

"Yououghttohaveanotheropinion。Emilysentherlove;shewouldhavecomein，butshehadtogotoNiagara。Everybodygoesthere;

it’stheplacenow。Rachelgoeseverymorning:sheoverdoesit——

she’llbelaiduponeofthesedays。There’safancyballthereto—

night;theDukegivestheprizes。"

SwithinForsytesaidangrily:"Ican’tgetthingsproperlycookedhere;attheclubIgetspinachdecentlydone。"Thebed—clothesjerkedatthetremorofhislegs。

JamesForsytereplied:"YoumusthavedonewellwithTintos;youmusthavemadealotofmoneybythem。Yourground—rentsmustbefallingin，too。Youmusthaveanyamountyoudon’tknowwhattodowith。"

Hemouthedthewords，asifhislipswerewatering。

SwithinForsyteglared。"Money！"hesaid;"mydoctor’sbill’senormous。"

JamesForsytestretchedoutacold，damphand"Goodbye！Yououghttohaveanotheropinion。Ican’tkeepthehorseswaiting:they’reanewpair——stoodmeinthreehundred。Yououghttotakecareofyourself。

IshallspeaktoBlankaboutyou。Yououghttohavehim——everybodysayshe’sthefirstman。Good—bye！"

SwithinForsytecontinuedtostareattheceiling。Hethought:’A

poorthing，James！aselfishbeggar！Mustbeworthacoupleofhundredthousand！’Hewheezed，meditatingonlife……

Hewasillandlonely。Formanyyearshehadbeenlonely，andfortwoyearsill;butashehadsmokedhisfirstcigar，sohewouldlivehislife—stoutly，toitspredestinedend。Everydayhewasdriventotheclub;sittingforwardonthespringcushionsofasinglebrougham，hishandsonhisknees，swayingalittle，strangelysolemn。

Heascendedthestepsintothatmarblehall——thefoldsofhischinwedgedintotheapertureofhiscollar——walkingsquarelywithastick。Laterhewoulddine，eatingmajestically，andsavouringhisfood，behindabottleofchampagnesetinanice—pail——hiswaistcoatdefendedbyanapkin，hiseyesrollingalittleorgluedinastareonthewaiter。Neverdidhesufferhisheadorbacktodroop，foritwasnotdistinguishedsotodo。

Becausehewasoldanddeaf，hespoketonoone;andnoonespoketohim。Theclubgossip，anIrishman，saidtoeachnewcomer:"OldForsyte！Lookat’um！Mustha’hadsomethinginhislifetosour’um！"ButSwithinhadhadnothinginhislifetosourhim。

Formanydaysnowhehadlaininbedinaroomexudingsilver，crimson，andelectriclight，smellingofopopanaxandofcigars。Thecurtainsweredrawn，thefirelightgleamed;onatablebyhisbedwereajugofbarley—waterandtheTimes。Hemadeanattempttoread，failed，andfellagaintothinking。Hisfacewithitssquarechin，lookedlikeablockofpaleleatherbeddedinthepillow。Itwaslonely！Awomanintheroomwouldhavemadeallthedifference！

Whyhadhenevermarried？Hebreathedhard，staringfroglikeattheceiling;amemoryhadcomeintohismind。Itwasalongtimeago——

fortyoddyears——butitseemedlikeyesterday……

Ithappenedwhenhewasthirty—eight，forthefirstandonlytimeinhislifetravellingontheContinent，withhistwin—brotherJamesandamannamedTraquair。OnthewayfromGermanytoVenice，hehadfoundhimselfattheHotelGoldeneAlpatSalzburg。ItwaslateAugust，andweatherforthegods:sunshineonthewallsandtheshadowsofthevine—leaves，andatnight，themoonlight，andagainonthewallstheshadowsofthevine—leaves。Aversetothesuggestionsofotherpeople，SwithinhadrefusedtovisittheCitadel;hehadspentthedayaloneinthewindowofhisbedroom，smokingasuccessionofcigars，anddisparagingtheappearanceofthepassers—

by。Afterdinnerhewasdrivenbyboredomintothestreets。Hischestpuffedoutlikeapigeon’s，andwithsomethingofapigeon’scoldandinquiringeye，hestrutted，annoyedatthefrequencyofuniforms，whichseemedtohimbothneedlessandoffensive。Hisspleenroseatthiscrowdofforeigners，whospokeanunintelligiblelanguage，worehairontheirfaces，andsmokedbadtobacco。’Aqueerlot！’hethought。Thesoundofmusicfromacafeattractedhim;hewalkedin，vaguelymovedbyawishforthedistinctionofadventure，withoutthetroublewhichadventureusuallybroughtwithit;spurredtoo，perhaps，byanafter—dinnerdemon。Thecafewasthebier—halleofthe’Fifties，withadoorateitherend，andlightedbyalargewoodenlantern。Onasmalldaisthreemusicianswerefiddling。

Solitarymen，orgroups，satatsomedozentables，andthewaitershurriedaboutreplenishingglasses;theairwasthickwithsmoke。

Swithinsatdown。"Wine！"hesaidsternly。Theastonishedwaiterbroughthimwine。Swithinpointedtoabeerglassonthetable。

"Here！"hesaid，withthesameferocity。Thewaiterpouredoutthewine。’Ah！’thoughtSwithin，’theycanunderstandiftheylike。’A

groupofofficersclosebywerelaughing;Swithinstaredatthemuneasily。Ahollowcoughsoundedalmostinhisear。Tohisleftamansatreading，withhiselbowsonthecornersofajournal，andhisgauntshouldersraisedalmosttohiseyes。Hehadathin，longnose，broadeningsuddenlyatthenostrils;ablack—brownbeard，spreadinasavagefanoverhischest;whatwasvisibleofthefacewasthecolourofoldparchment。Astrange，wild，haughty—lookingcreature！

Swithinobservedhisclotheswithsomedispleasure——theyweretheclothesofajournalistorstrollingactor。Andyethewasimpressed。Thiswassingular。Howcouldhebeimpressedbyafellowinsuchclothes！Themanreachedoutahand，coveredwithblackhairs，andtookupatumblerthatcontainedadark—colouredfluid。

’Brandy！’thoughtSwithin。Thecrashofafallingchairstartledhim——hisneighbourhadrisen。Hewasofimmenseheight，andverythin;hisgreatbeardseemedtosplashawayfromhismouth;hewasglaringatthegroupofofficers，andspeaking。Swithinmadeouttwowords:"Hunde！DeutscheHunde！"’Hounds！Dutchhounds！’hethought:

’Ratherstrong！’Oneoftheofficershadjumpedup，andnowdrewhissword。Thetallmanswunghischairup，andbroughtitdownwithathud。Everybodyroundstartedupandclosedonhim。Thetallmancriedout，"Tome，Magyars！"

Swithingrinned。Thetallmanfightingsuchoddsexcitedhisunwillingadmiration;hehadamomentaryimpulsetogotohisassistance。’Onlygetabrokennose！’hethought，andlookedforasafecorner。Butatthatmomentathrownlemonstruckhimonthejaw。Hejumpedoutofhischairandrushedattheofficers。TheHungarian，swinginghischair，threwhimalookofgratitude——Swithinglowedwithmomentaryadmirationofhimself。Aswordbladegrazedhis——arm;hefeltasuddendislikeoftheHungarian。’Thisistoomuch，’hethought，and，catchingupachair，flungitatthewoodenlantern。Therewasacrash——facesandswordsvanished。Hestruckamatch，andbythelightofitboltedforthedoor。Asecondlaterhewasinthestreet。

II

AvoicesaidinEnglish，"Godblessyou，brother！"

Swithinlookedround，andsawthetallHungarianholdingouthishand。Hetookit，thinking，’WhatafoolI’vebeen！’TherewassomethingintheHungarian’sgesturewhichsaid，"Youareworthyofme！’

Itwasannoying，butratherimpressive。Themanseemedeventallerthanbefore;therewasacutonhischeek，thebloodfromwhichwastricklingdownhisbeard。"YouEnglish！"hesaid。"IsawyoustoneHaynau——IsawyoucheerKossuth。Thefreebloodofyourpeoplecriesouttous。"HelookedatSwithin。"Youareabigman，youhaveabigsoul——andstrong，howyouflungthemdown！Ha！"Swithinhadanimpulsetotaketohisheels。"Myname，"saidtheHungarian，"isBoleskey。Youaremyfriend。"HisEnglishwasgood。

’Bulsh—kai—ee，Burlsh—kai—ee，’thoughtSwithin;’whatadevilofaname！’"Mine，"hesaidsulkily，"isForsyte。"

TheHungarianrepeatedit。

"You’vehadanastyjabonthecheek，"saidSwithin;thesightofthemattedbeardwasmakinghimfeelsick。TheHungarianputhisfingerstohischeek，broughtthemawaywet，staredatthem，thenwithanindifferentairgatheredawispofhisbeardandcrammeditagainstthecut。

"Ugh！"saidSwithin。"Here！Takemyhandkerchief！"

TheHungarianbowed。"Thankyou！"hesaid;"Icouldn’tthinkofit！

Thankyouathousandtimes！"

"Takeit！"growledSwithin;itseemedtohimsuddenlyofthefirstimportance。HethrustthehandkerchiefintotheHungarian’shand，andfeltapaininhisarm。’There！’hethought，’I’vestrainedamuscle。’

TheHungariankeptmuttering，regardlessofpassers—by，"Swine！Howyouthrewthemover！Twoorthreecrackedheads，anyway——thecowardlyswine！"

"Lookhere！"saidSwithinsuddenly;"whichismywaytotheGoldeneAlp？"

TheHungarianreplied，"Butyouarecomingwithme，foraglassofwine？"

Swithinlookedattheground。’NotifIknowit！’hethought。

"Ah！"saidtheHungarianwithdignity，"youdonotwishformyfriendship！"

’Touchybeggar！’thoughtSwithin。"Ofcourse，"hestammered，"ifyouputitinthatway——"

TheHungarianbowed，murmuring，"Forgiveme！"

Theyhadnotgoneadozenstepsbeforeayouth，withabeardlessfaceandhollowcheeks，accostedthem。"FortheloveofChrist，gentlemen，"hesaid，"helpme！"

"AreyouaGerman？"askedBoleskey。

"Yes，"saidtheyouth。

"Thenyoumayrot！"

"Master，lookhere！"Tearingopenhiscoat，theyouthdisplayedhisskin，andaleatherbeltdrawntightroundit。AgainSwithinfeltthatdesiretotaketohisheels。Hewasfilledwithhorridforebodings——asenseofperpendingintimacywiththingssuchasnogentlemanhaddealingswith。

TheHungariancrossedhimself。"Brother，"hesaidtotheyouth，"comeyouin！"

Swithinlookedatthemaskance，andfollowed。Byadimlighttheygropedtheirwayupsomestairsintoalargeroom，intowhichthemoonwasshiningthroughawindowbulgingoverthestreet。Alampburnedlow;therewasasmellofspiritsandtobacco，withafaint，peculiarscent，asofroseleaves。Inonecornerstoodaczymbal，inanotheragreatpileofnewspapers。Onthewallhungsomeold—

fashionedpistols，andarosaryofyellowbeads。Everythingwastidilyarranged，butdusty。Nearanopenfireplacewasatablewiththeremainsofameal。Theceiling，floor，andwallswereallofdarkwood。Inspiteofthestrangedisharmony，theroomhadasortofrefinement。TheHungariantookabottleoutofacupboardand，fillingsomeglasses，handedonetoSwithin。Swithinputitgingerlytohisnose。’Youneverknowyourluck！Come！’hethought，tiltingitslowlyintohismouth。Itwasthick，toosweet，butofafineflavour。

"Brothers！"saidtheHungarian，refilling，"yourhealths！"

Theyouthtossedoffhiswine。AndSwithinthistimedidthesame;

hepitiedthispoordevilofayouthnow。"Comeroundto—morrow！"hesaid，"I’llgiveyouashirtortwo。"Whentheyouthwasgone，however，herememberedwithreliefthathehadnotgivenhisaddress。

’Betterso，’hereflected。’Ahumbug，nodoubt。’

"Whatwasthatyousaidtohim？"heaskedoftheHungarian。

"Isaid，"answeredBoLeskey，"’Youhaveeatenanddrunk;andnowyouaremyenemy！’"

"Quiteright！"saidSwithin，"quiteright！Abeggariseveryman’senemy。"

"Youdonotunderstand，"theHungarianrepliedpolitely。"Whilehewasabeggar——I，too，havehadtobeg"（Swithinthought，’GoodGod！

thisisawful！’），"butnowthatheisnolongerhungry，whatishebutaGerman？NoAustriandogsoilsmyfloors！"

Hisnostrils，asitseemedtoSwithin，haddistendedinanunpleasantfashion;andawhollyunnecessaryraucousnessinvadedhisvoice。"I

amanexile——allofmybloodareexiles。ThoseGodlessdogs！"

Swithinhurriedlyassented。

Ashespoke，afacepeepedinatthedoor。

"Rozsi！"saidtheHungarian。Ayounggirlcamein。Shewasrathershort，withadeliciouslyroundfigureandathickplaitofhair。

Shesmiled，andshowedhereventeeth;herlittle，bright，wide—setgreyeyesglancedfromonemantotheother。Herfacewasround，too，highinthecheekbones，thecolourofwildroses，withbrowsthathadatwist—upatthecorners。Withagestureofalarm，sheputherhandtohercheek，andcalled，"Margit！"Anoldergirlappeared，taller，withfineshoulders，largeeyes，aprettymouth，andwhatSwithindescribedtohimselfafterwardsasa"pudding"nose。Bothgirls，withlittlecooingsounds，beganattendingtotheirfather’sface。

Swithinturnedhisbacktothem。Hisarmpainedhim。

’Thisiswhatcomesofinterfering，’hethoughtsulkily;’Imighthavehadmyneckbroken！’Suddenlyasoftpalmwasplacedinhis，twoeyes，half—fascinated，half—shy，lookedathim;thenavoicecalled，"Rozsi！"thedoorwasslammed，hewasaloneagainwiththeHungarian，harassedbyasenseofsoftdisturbance。

"Yourdaughter’snameisRosy？"hesaid;"wehaveitinEngland——fromrose，aflower。"

"Rozsi（Rozgi），"theHungarianreplied;"yourEnglishisahardtongue，harderthanFrench，German，orCzechish，harderthanRussian，orRoumanian——Iknownomore。"

"What？"saidSwithin，"sixlanguages？"Privatelyhethought，’Heknowshowtolie，anyway。’

"Ifyoulivedinacountrylikemine，"mutteredtheHungarian，"withallmen’shandsagainstyou！Afreepeople——dying——butnotdead！"

Swithincouldnotimaginewhathewastalkingof。Thisman’sface，withitslinenbandage，gloomyeyes，andgreatblackwispsofbeard，hisfiercemutterings，andhollowcough，wereallmostunpleasant。

Heseemedtobesufferingfromsomekindofmentaldog—bite。Hisemotionindeedappearedsoindecent，souncontrolledandopen，thatitsobvioussincerityproducedasortofaweinSwithin。Itwaslikebeingforcedtolookintoafurnace。Boleskeystoppedroamingupanddown。"Youthinkit’sover？"hesaid;"Itellyou，inthebreastofeachoneofusMagyarsthereisahell。Whatissweeterthanlife？

Whatismoresacredthaneachbreathwedraw？Ah！mycountry！"

Thesewordswereutteredsoslowly，withsuchintensemournfulness，thatSwithin’sjawrelaxed;heconvertedthemovementtoayawn。

"Tellme，"saidBoleskey，"whatwouldyoudoiftheFrenchconqueredyou？"

Swithinsmiled。Thensuddenly，asthoughsomethinghadhurthim，hegrunted，"The’Froggies’？Let’emtry！"

"Drink！"saidBoleskey——"thereisnothinglikeit";hefilledSwithin’sglass。"Iwilltellyoumystory。"

Swithinrosehurriedly。"It’slate，"hesaid。"Thisisgoodstuff，though;haveyoumuchofit？"

"Itisthelastbottle。"

"What？"saidSwithin;"andyougaveittoabeggar？"

"MynameisBoleskey——Stefan，"theHungariansaid，raisinghishead;

"oftheKomornBoleskeys。"Thesimplicityofthisphrase——aswhoshallsay:Whatneedoffurtherdescription？——madeanimpressiononSwithin;hestoppedtolisten。Boleskey’sstorywentonandon。

"Thereweremanyabuses，"boomedhisdeepvoice，"muchwrongdone——

muchcowardice。Icouldseecloudsgathering——rollingoverourplains。TheAustrianwishedtostranglethebreathofourmouths——totakefromustheshadowofourliberty——theshadow——allwehad。Twoyearsago——theyearof’48，wheneverymanandboyansweredthegreatvoice——brother，adog’slife！——touseapenwhenallofyourbloodarefighting，butitwasdecreedforme！Mysonwaskilled;mybrotherstaken——andmyselfwasthrownoutlikeadog——Ihadwrittenoutmyheart，Ihadwrittenoutallthebloodthatwasinmybody！"

Heseemedtotower，agauntshadowofaman，withgloomy，flickeringeyesstaringatthewall。

Swithinrose，andstammered，"Muchobliged——veryinteresting。"

Boleskeymadenoefforttodetainhim，butcontinuedstaringatthewall。"Good—night！"saidSwithin，andstampedheavilydownstairs。

III

WhenatlastSwithinreachedtheGoldeneAlp，hefoundhisbrotherandfriendstandinguneasilyatthedoor。Traquair，aprematurelydried—upman，withwhiskersandaScotchaccent，remarked，"Ye’reairly，man！"Swithingrowledsomethingunintelligible，andswunguptobed。Hediscoveredaslightcutonhisarm。Hewasinasavagetemper——theelementshadconspiredtoshowhimthingshedidnotwanttosee;yetnowandthenamemoryofRozsi，ofhersoftpalminhis，asenseofhavingbeenstrokedandflattered，cameoverhim。DuringbreakfastnextmorninghisbrotherandTraquairannouncedtheirintentionofmovingon。JamesForsyte，indeed，remarkedthatitwasnoplacefora"collector，"sinceallthe"old"shopswereinthehandsofJewsorverygraspingpersons——hehaddiscoveredthisatonce。Swithinpushedhiscupaside。"Youmaydowhatyoulike，"hesaid，"I’mstayinghere。"

JamesForsytereplied，tumblingoverhisownwords:"Why！whatdoyouwanttostayherefor？There’snothingforyoutodohere——there’snothingtoseehere，unlessyougouptheCitadel，an’youwon’tdothat。"

Swithingrowled，"Whosaysso？"Havinggratifiedhisperversity，hefeltinabettertemper。Hehadslunghisarminasilksash，andaccountedforitbysayinghehadslipped。Laterhewentoutandwalkedontothebridge。Inthebrilliantsunshinespireswereglisteningagainstthepearlybackgroundofthehills;thetownhadaclean，joyousair。SwithinglancedattheCitadelandthought，’Looksastrongplace！Shouldn’twonderifitwereimpregnable！’Andthisforsomeoccultreasongavehimpleasure。ItoccurredtohimsuddenlytogoandlookfortheHungarian’shouse。

Aboutnoon，afterahuntoftwohours，hewasgazingabouthimblankly，palewithheat，butmoreobstinatethanever，whenavoiceabovehimcalled，"Mister！"HelookedupandsawRozsi。Shewasleaningherroundchinonherroundhand，gazingdownathimwithherdeepset，clevereyes。WhenSwithinremovedhishat，sheclappedherhands。Againhehadthesenseofbeingadmired，caressed。Withacarelessair，thatsatgrotesquelyonhistallsquareperson，hewalkeduptothedoor;bothgirlsstoodinthepassage。Swithinfeltaconfuseddesiretospeakinsomeforeigntongue。"Maam’selles，"hebegan，"er——bongjour—er，yourfather——pare，comment？"

"WealsospeakEnglish，"saidtheeldergirl;"willyoucomein，please？"

Swithinswallowedamisgiving，andentered。Theroomhadawornappearancebydaylight，asifithadalwaysbeenthenestoftragicorvividlives。Hesatdown，andhiseyessaid:"Iamastranger，butdon’ttrytogetthebetterofme，please——thatisimpossible。"

Thegirlslookedathiminsilence。Rozsiworearathershortskirtofblackstuff，awhiteshirt，andacrosshershouldersanembroideredyoke;hersisterwasdressedindarkgreen，withacoralnecklace;bothgirlshadtheirhairinplaits。AfteraminuteRozsitouchedthesleeveofhishurtarm。

"It’snothing！"mutteredSwithin。

"Fatherfoughtwithachair，butyouhadnochair，"shesaidinawonderingvoice。

Hedoubledthefistofhissoundarmandstruckablowatspace。Tohisamazementshebegantolaugh。Nettledatthis，heputhishandbeneaththeheavytableandliftedit。Rozsiclappedherhands。"AhInowIsee——howstrongyouare！"Shemadehimacurtseyandwhiskedroundtothewindow。Hefoundthequickintelligenceofhereyesconfusing;sometimestheyseemedtolookbeyondhimatsomethinginvisible——this，too，confusedhim。FromMargithelearnedthattheyhadbeentwoyearsinEngland，wheretheirfatherhadmadehislivingbyteachinglanguages;theyhadnowbeenayearinSalzburg。

"Wewait，"suddenlysaid。Rozsi;andMargit，withasolemnface，repeated，"Wewait。"

Swithin’seyesswelledalittlewithhisdesiretoseewhattheywerewaitingfor。Howqueertheywere，withtheireyesthatgazedbeyondhim！Helookedattheirfigures。’Shewouldpayfordressing，’hethought，andhetriedtoimagineRozsiinaskirtwithproperflounces，athinwaist，andhairdrawnbackoverherears。Shewouldpayfordressing，withthatsupplefigure，fluffyhair，andlittlehands！Andinstantlyhisownhands，face，andclothesdisturbedhim。

Hegotup，examinedthepistolsonthewall，andfeltresentmentatthefaded，dustyroom。’Smellslikeapot—house！’hethought。HesatdownagainclosetoRozsi。

"Doyoulovetodance？"sheasked;"todanceistolive。Firstyouhearthemusic——howyourfeetitch！Itiswonderful！Youbeginslow，quick——quicker;youfly——youknownothing——yourfeetareintheair。Itiswonderful！"

AslowflushhadmountedintoSwithin’sface。

"Ah！"continuedRozsi，hereyesfixedonhim，"whenIamdancing——outthereIseetheplains——yourfeetgoone——two——three——quick，quick，quick，quicker——youfly。"

Shestretchedherself，ashiverseemedtopassalldownher。

"Margit！dance！"and，toSwithin’sconsternation，thetwogirls——

theirhandsoneachother’sshoulders——beganshufflingtheirfeetandswayingtoandfro。Theirheadswerethrownback，theireyeshalf—

closed;suddenlythestepquickened，theyswungtooneside，thentotheother，andbeganwhirlingroundinfrontofhim。Thesuddenfragranceofroseleavesenvelopedhim。Roundtheyflewagain。

Whiletheywerestilldancing，Boleskeycameintotheroom。HecaughtSwithinbybothhands。

"Brother，welcome！Ah！yourarmishurt！Idonotforget。"Hisyellowfaceanddeep—seteyesexpressedadignifiedgratitude。"LetmeintroducetoyoumyfriendBaronKasteliz。"

Swithinbowedtoamanwithasmallforehead，whohadappearedsoftly，andstoodwithhisglovedhandstouchinghiswaist。Swithinconceivedasuddenaversionforthiscatlikeman。AboutBoleskeytherewasthatwhichmadecontemptimpossible——thesenseofcomradeshipbegotteninthefight;theman’sheight;somethingloftyandsavageinhisface;andanobscureinstinctthatitwouldnotpaytoshowdistaste;butthisKasteliz，withhisneatjaw，lowbrow，andvelvety，volcaniclook，excitedhisproperEnglishanimosity。"Yourfriendsaremine，"murmuredKasteliz。Hespokewithsuavity，andhissedhiss’s。Along，vibratingtwangquaveredthroughtheroom。

SwithinturnedandsawRozsisittingattheczymbal;thenotesrangunderthelittlehammersinherhands，incessant，metallic，risingandfallingwiththatstrangemelody。Kastelizhadfixedhisglowingeyesonher;Boleskey，noddinghishead，wasstaringatthefloor;

Margit，withapaleface，stoodlikeastatue。

’Whatcantheyseeinit？’thoughtSwithin;’it’snotatune。’Hetookuphishat。Rozsisawhimandstopped;herlipshadpartedwithafaintlydismayedexpression。Hissenseofpersonalinjurydiminished;heevenfeltalittlesorryforher。Shejumpedupfromherseatandtwirledroundwithapout。AninspirationseizedonSwithin。"Comeanddinewithme，"hesaidtoBoleskey，"to—morrow——

theGoldeneAlp——bringyourfriend。"Hefelttheeyesofthewholeroomonhim——theHungarian’sfineeyes;Margit’swideglance;thenarrow，hotgazeofKasteliz;andlastly——Rozsi’s。Aglowofsatisfactionrandownhisspine。Whenheemergedintothestreethethoughtgloomily，’NowI’vedoneit！’Andnotforsomepacesdidhelookround;then，withaforcedsmile，turnedandremovedhishattothefacesatthewindow。