第1章

I。

SCENE:Inanupperchamberofaboarding—houseinMelanchthonPlace，Boston，amature，plainyounglady，witheveryappearanceofestablishingherselfintheroomforthefirsttime，movesabout，bestowinglittletouchesofdecorationhereandthere，andtalkingwithanotheryounglady，whosevoicecomesthroughtheopendoorwayofaninnerroom。

MISSETHELREED，fromwithin:"Whatintheworldareyoudoing，Nettie？"

MISSHENRIETTASPAULDING:"Oh，stickingupahouseholdgodortwo。

Whatareyoudoing？"

MISSREED:"Despairing。"

MISSSPAULDING:"Still？"

MISSREED，tragically:"Still！Howsoondidyouexpectmetostop？

Iamhereonthesofa，whereIflungmyselftwohoursago，andI

don’tthinkIshallevergetup。ThereisnoreasonWHYIevershould。"

MISSSPAULDING，suggestively:"Dinner。"

MISSREED:"Oh，dinner！Dinner，toabrokenheart！"

MISSSPAULDING:"Idon’tbelieveyourheartisbroken。"

MISSREED:"ButItellyouitis！Ioughttoknowwhenmyownheartisbroken，Ishouldhope。Whatmakesyouthinkitisn’t？"

MISSSPAULDING:"Oh，it’shappenedsooften！"

MISSREED:"Butthisisarealcase。Yououghttofeelmyforehead。

It’sashot！"

MISSSPAULDING:"Yououghttogetupandhelpmeputthisroomtorights，andthenyouwouldfeelbetter。"

MISSREED:"No；Ishouldfeelworse。Theideaofhouseholdgodsmakesmesick。SylvandeitiesarewhatIwant；thegreatgodPanamongthecat—tailsandarrow—headsinthe’ma’sh’atPonkwasset；thedryadsofthebirchwoods——therearenooaks；thenymphsthathaunttheheightsandhollowsofthedearoldmountain；the"—

MISSSPAULDING:"Wha—a—at？Ican’thearawordyousay。"

MISSREED:"That’sbecauseyoukeepfussingaboutso。Whydon’tyoubequiet，ifyouwanttohear？"Sheliftshervoicetoitshighestpitch，withapausefordistinctnessbetweenthewords:"I’mheart—

brokenfor——Ponkwasset。Thedryads——ofthe——birchwoods。Thenymphs——andthegreat——god——Pan——inthereeds——bytheriver。Andall——that——sortof——thing！"

MISSSPAULDING:"Youknowverywellyou’renot。"

MISSREED:"I’mnot？What’sthereasonI’mnot？Then，whatamI

heart—brokenfor？"

MISSSPAULDING:"You’renotheart—brokenatall。Youknowverywellthathe’llcallbeforewe’vebeenheretwenty—fourhours。"

MISSREED:"Who？"

MISSSPAULDING:"ThegreatgodPan。"

MISSREED:"Oh，howcruelyouare，tomockmeso！Comeinhere，andsympathizealittle！Do，Nettie。"

MISSSPAULDING:"No；youcomeouthereandutilizealittle。I’mactingforyourbestgood，astheysayatPonkwasset。"

MISSREED:"Whentheywanttobedisagreeable！"

MISSSPAULDING:"Ifthisroomisn’tinorderbythetimehecalls，you’llbeeverlastinglydisgraced。"

MISSREED:"I’mthatnow。Ican’tbemoreso——there’sthatcomfort。

Whatmakesyouthinkhe’llcall？"

MISSSPAULDING:"Becausehe’sagentleman，andwillwanttoapologize。Hebehavedveryrudelytoyou。"

MISSREED:"No，Nettie；_I_behavedrudelytoHIM。Yes！Besides，ifhebehavedrudely，hewasnogentleman。It’sacontradictioninterms，don’tyousee？ButI’lltellyouwhatI’mgoingtodoifhecomes。I’mgoingtoshowaproperspiritforonceinmylife。I’mgoingtorefusetoseehim。You’vegottoseehim。"

MISSSPAULDING:"Nonsense！"

MISSREED:"Whynonsense？Oh，why？Expound！"

MISSSPAULDING:"Becausehewasn’trudetome，andhedoesn’twanttoseeme。BecauseI’mplain，andyou’repretty。"

MISSREED:"I’mNOT！Youknowitperfectlywell。I’mhideous。"

MISSSPAULDING:"BecauseI’mpoor，andyou’reapersonofindependentproperty。"

MISSREED:"DEPENDENTproperty，Ishouldcallit:justenoughtobeuselesson！Butthat’sinsultingtoHIM。Howcanyousayit’sbecauseIhavealittlemoney？"

MISSSPAULDING:"Well，then，Iwon’t。Itakeitback。I’llsayit’sbecauseyou’reyoung，andI’mold。"

MISSREED:"You’reNOTold。You’reasyoungasanybody，NettieSpaulding。AndyouknowI’mnotyoung；I’mtwenty—seven，ifI’maday。I’mjustdroppingintothegrave。ButIcan’targuewithyou，milesoffso，anylonger。"MissReedappearsattheopendoor，dragginglanguidlyafterhertheshawlwhichshehadevidentlydrawnroundheronthesofa；herfairhairisalittledisordered，andshepressesitintoshapewithonehandasshecomesforward；alovelyflushvieswithaheavenlypallorinhercheeks；shelooksalittlepensiveinthearchingeyebrows，andalittlehumorousaboutthedimpledmouth。"NowIcanprovethatyouareentirelywrong。Where—

—wereyou？——Thisroomisratheranimprovementovertheonewehadlastwinter。Thereismoreofaview"——shegoestothewindow——"ofthehousesacrossthePlace；andIalwaysthinktheswellfrontgivesaprettyshapetoaroom。I’msorrythey’vestoppedbuildingthem。

Yourpianogoesverynicelyintothatlittlealcove。Yes，we’requitepalatial。And，onthewhole，I’mgladthere’snofireplace。

It’sapleasureattimes；butforthemostpartit’savanityandavexation，gettingdustandashesovereverything。Yes；afterall，givemethegoodold—fashioned，clean，convenientregister！Ugh！Myfeetarelikeice。"Shepullsaneasy—chairuptotheregisterinthecorneroftheroom，andpushesopenitsvalveswiththetoeofherslipper。Asshesettlesherselfluxuriouslyinthechair，andpoisesherfeetdaintilyovertheregister:"Ah，thisissomethinglike！HenriettaSpaulding，ma’am！DidIevertellyouthatyouwerethebestfriendIhaveintheworld？"

MISSSPAULDING，whocontinuesherworkofarrangingtheroom:

"Often。"

MISSREED:"Didyoueverbelieveit？"

MISSSPAULDING:"Never。"

MISSREED:"Why？"

MISSSPAULDING，thoughtfullyregardingavasewhichsheholdsinherhand，afterseveraltimesshiftingitfromabrackettothecornerofherpianoandback:"IwishIcouldtellwhereyoudolookbest！"

MISSREED，leaningforwardwistfully，withherhandsclaspedandrestingonherknees:"IwishyouwouldtellmeWHYyoudon’tbelieveyou’rethebestfriendIhaveintheworld。"

MISSSPAULDING，finallyplacingthevaseonthebracket:"Becauseyou’vesaidsotoooften。"

MISSREED:"Oh，that’snoreason！Icanprovetoyouthatyouare。

Whoelsebutyouwouldhavetakeninahomelessandfriendlesscreaturelikeme，andletherstaybotheringroundindemoralizingidleness，whileyouwereseriouslyteachingtheyoungideahowtodrubthepiano？"

MISSSPAULDING:"Anybodywhowantedaroom—mateasmuchasIdid，andcouldhavefoundonewillingtopaymorethanhershareofthelodging。"

MISSREED，thoughtfully:"Doyouthinkso，Henrietta？"

MISSSPAULDING:"Iknowso。"

MISSREED:"Andyou’renotafraidthatyouwrongyourself？"

MISSSPAULDING:"Nottheleast。"

MISSREED:"Well，beitso——astheysayinnovels。Iwillnotcontradictyou；IwillnotsayyouaremyBESTfriend；IwillmerelysaythatyouaremyONLYfriend。Comehere，Henrietta。Drawupyourchair，andputyourlittlehandinmine。"

MISSSPAULDING，withseveredistrust:"Whatdoyouwant，EthelReed？"

MISSREED:"Iwant——Iwant——totalkitoverwithyou。"

MISSSPAULDING，recoiling:"Iknewit！Well，now，we’vetalkeditoverenough；we’vetalkeditovertillthere’snothingleftofit。"

MISSREED:"Oh，there’severythingleft！Itremainsinallitsoriginalenormity。Perhapsweshallgetsomenewlightuponit。"

SheextendsapleadinghandtowardsMissSpaulding。"Come，Henrietta，myonlyfriend，shake！——asthe’goodIndians’say。LetyourEthelpourherhackneyedsorrowsintoyourbosom。Suchanuncomfortableimage，italwaysseems，doesn’tit，pouringsorrowsintobosoms！Come！"

MISSSPAULDING，decidedly:"No，Iwon’t！Andyouneedn’ttrywheedlinganylonger。Iwon’tsympathizewithyouonthatbasisatall。"

MISSREED:"WhatshallItry，then，ifyouwon’tletmetrywheedling？"

MISSSPAULDING，goingtothepianoandopeningit:"Trycourage；tryself—respect。"

MISSREED:"Oh，dear！whenIhaven’tamorselofeither。Areyougoingtopractise，youcruelmaid？"

MISSSPAULDING:"OfcourseIam。It’shalf—pastfour，andifI

don’tdoitnowIsha’n’tbepreparedto—morrowforMissRobins:shetakesthispiece。"

MISSREED:"Well，well，perhapsit’sallforthebest。Ifmusicbethefoodof——umph—ump！——youknowwhat！——playon。"Theybothlaugh，andMissSpauldingpushesbackalittlefromthepiano，andwheelstowardherfriend，lettingonehandrestslightlyonthekeys。

MISSSPAULDING:"EthelReed，you’rethemostridiculousgirlintheworld。"

MISSREED:"Correct！"

MISSSPAULDING:"AndIdon’tbelieveyoueverwereinlove，oreverwillbe。"

MISSREED:"Ah，thereyouwrongme，Henrietta！Ihavebeen，andI

shallbe——lotsoftimes。"

MISSSPAULDING:"Well，whatdoyouwanttosaynow？Youmusthurry，forIcan’tloseanymoretime。"

MISSREED:"Iwillfreemymindwithneatnessanddespatch。I

simplywishtogooverthewholeaffair，fromAlfredtoOmaha；andyou’vegottoletmetalkasmuchslangandnonsenseasIwant。AndthenI’llskipallthedetailsIcan。Willyou？"

MISSSPAULDING，withimpatientpatience:"Oh，Isupposeso！"

MISSREED:"That’sverysweetofyou，thoughyoudon’tlookit。

Now，wherewasI？Oh，yes，doyouthinkitwasforth—puttingatall，toaskhimifhewouldgivemethelessons？"

MISSSPAULDING:"Itdependsuponwhyyouaskedhim。"

MISSREED:"Iaskedhimfrom——from——Letmesee；Iaskedhimbecause—

—from——Yes，Isayitboldly；Iaskedhimfromanenthusiasmforart，andasincerewishtolearntheuseofoil，ashecalledit。Yes！"

MISSSPAULDING:"Areyousure？"

MISSREED:"Sure？Well，wewillsaythatIam，forthesakeofargument。And，havingsecuredthisbasis，thequestioniswhetherI

wasn’tboundtoofferhimpayattheend，andwhetherhewasn’twrongtotakemydoingsoindudgeon。"

MISSSPAULDING:"Yes，Ithinkhewaswrong。Andthetermsofhisrefusalwereveryungentlemanly。Heoughttoapologizemostamplyandhumbly。"AtacertainexpressioninMissReed’sface，sheadds，withseverity:"Unlessyou’rekeepingbackthemainpoint。Youusuallydo。Areyou？"

MISSREED:"No，no。I’vetoldyoueverything——everything！"

MISSSPAULDING:"ThenIsay，asIsaidfromthebeginning，thathebehavedverybadly。Itwasveryawkwardandverypainful，butyou’vereallynothingtoblameyourselffor。"

MISSREED，ruefully:"No—o—o！"

MISSSPAULDING:"Whatdoyoumeanbythatsortof’No’？"

MISSREED:"Nothing。"

MISSSPAULDING，sternly:"Yes，youdo，Ethel。"

MISSREED:"Idon’t，really。Whatmakesyou’thinkIdo？"

MISSSPAULDING:"Itsoundedverydishonest。"

MISSREED:"Didit？Ididn’tmeanitto。"Herfriendbreaksdownwithalaugh，whileMissReedpreservesademurecountenance。

MISSSPAULDING:"WhatAREyoukeepingback？"

MISSREED:"Nothingatall——lessthannothing！Ineverthoughtitwasworthmentioning。"

MISSSPAULDING:"Areyoutellingmethetruth？"

MISSREED:"I’mtellingyouthetruthandsomethingmore。Youcan’taskbetterthanthat，canyou？"

MISSSPAULDING，turningtohermusicagain:"Certainlynot。"

MISSREED:inapatheticwail:"OHenrietta！doyouabandonmethus？Well，Iwilltellyou，heartlessgirl！I’veonlykeptitbacktillnowbecauseitwassoextremelymortifyingtomyprideasanartist——asastudentofoil。Willyouhearme？"

MISSSPAULDING，beginningtoplay:"No。"

MISSREED，withburlesquewildness:"Youshall！"MissSpauldinginvoluntarilydesists。"Therewasamoment——afatalmoment——whenhesaidhethoughtheoughttotellmethatifIfoundoilamusingI

couldgoon；butthathedidn’tbelieveIshouldeverlearntouseit，andhecouldn’tletmetakelessonsfromhimwiththeexpectationthatIshould。There！"

MISSSPAULDING，withawfulreproach:"Andyoucallthatlessthannothing？I’vealmostamindnevertospeaktoyouagain，Ethel。HowCOULDyoudeceivemeso？"

MISSREED:"Wasitreallydeceiving？_I_shouldn’tcallitso。AndIneededyoursympathysomuch，andIknewIshouldn’tgetitunlessyouthoughtIwasaltogetherintheright。"

MISSSPAULDING:"Youarealtogetherinthewrong！Andit’sYOUthatoughttoapologizetoHIM——onyourbendedknees。HowCOULDyouofferhimmoneyafterthat？Iwonderatyou，Ethel！"

MISSREED:"Why——don’tyousee，Nettie？——Ididkeepontakingthelessonsofhim。Ididfindoilamusing——ortheoilist——andIkepton。OfcourseIhadto，offthereinafarmhousefullofladyboarders，andhetheonlygentlemanshortofCrawford’s。Strike，buthearme，HenriettaSpaulding！WhatwasItodoaboutthehalf—dozenlessonsIhadtakenbeforehetoldmeIshouldneverlearntouseoil？WasItooffertopayhimforthese，andnotfortherest；orwasItotreatthewholeseriesasgratuitous？Iusedtolieawakethinkingaboutit。I’vegotlittletact，butIcouldn’tfindanywayoutofthetrouble。Itwasabox——yes，aboxofthedeepestdye！

Andthewholeaffairhavinggottobe——somethingelse，don’tyouknow？——madeitalltheworse。Andifhe’donly——only——Buthedidn’t。

Notasyllable，notabreath！AndthereIwas。IHADtoofferhimthemoney。Andit’salmostkilledme——thewayhetookmyofferingit，andnowthewayyoutakeit！Andit’sallofapiece。"MissReedsuddenlysnatchesherhandkerchieffromherpocket，andburiesherfaceinit。——"Oh，dear——oh，dear！Oh！——hu，hu，hu！"

MISSSPAULDING，relenting:"Itwasawkward。"

MISSREED:"Awkward！YouseemtothinkthatbecauseIcarrythingsofflightlyIhavenofeeling。"

MISSSPAULDING:"YouknowIdon’tthinkthat，Ethel。"

MISSREED，pursuingheradvantage:"Idon’tknowitfromyou，Nettie。I’vetriedandTRIEDtopassitoffasajoke，andtotreatitassomethingfunny；butIcantellyouit’snojokeatall。"

MISSSPAULDING，sympathetically:"Isee，dear。"

MISSREED:"It’snotthatIcareforhim"—

MISSSPAULDING:"Why，ofcourse。"

MISSREED:"ForIdon’tintheleast。Heishorrideveryway:

blunt，andrude，andhorrid。Inevercaredforhim。ButIcareformyself！Hehasputmeinthepositionofhavingdoneanunkindthing——anunladylikething——whenIwasonlydoingwhatIhadtodo。

Whyneedhehavetakenitthewayhedid？Whycouldn’thehavesaidpolitelythathecouldn’tacceptthemoneybecausehehadn’tearnedit？EvenTHATwouldhavebeenmortifyingenough。Buthemustgoandbesoviolent，andrushoff，and——Oh，Inevercouldhavetreatedanybodyso！"

MISSSPAULDING:"Notunlessyouwereveryfondofthem。"

MISSREED:"What？"

MISSSPAULDING:"Notunlessyouwereveryfondofthem。"

MISSREED，puttingawayherhandkerchief:"Oh，nonsense，Nettie！Henevercaredanythingforme，orhecouldn’thaveactedso。Butnomatterforthat。Hehasfixedeverythingsothatitcanneverbegotstraight——neverintheworld。Itwilljusthavetoremainahideousmassof——of——_I_don’tknowwhat；andIhavesimplygottoonwitheringwithdespairatthepointwhereIleftoff。ButIdon’tcare！That’sonecomfort。"

MISSSPAULDING:"Idon’tbelievehe’llletyouwitherlong，Ethel。"

MISSREED:"He’sletmewitherfortwenty—fourhoursalready！Butit’snothingtome，now，howlongheletsmewither。I’mperfectlysatisfiedtohavetheaffairremainasitis。Iamintheright，andifhecomesIshallrefusetoseehim。"

MISSSPAULDING:"Oh，no，youwon’t，Ethel！"

MISSREED:"Yes，Ishall。Ishallreceivehimverycoldly。Iwon’tlistentoanyexcusefromhim。"

MISSSPAULDING:"Oh，yes，youwill，Ethel！"

MISSREED:"No，Ishallnot。Ifhewishesmetolistenhemustbeginbyhumblinghimselfinthedust——yes，thedust，Nettie！I

won’ttakeanythingshortofit。IinsistthatheshallrealizethatIhavesuffered。"

MISSSPAULDING:"Perhapshehassufferedtoo！"

MISSREED:"Oh，HEsuffered！"

MISSSPAULDING:"Youknowthathewasperfectlydevotedtoyou。"

MISSREED:"Heneversaidso。"

MISSSPAULDING:"Perhapshedidn’tdare。"

MISSREED:"Hedaredtobeveryinsolenttome。"

MISSSPAULDING:"Andyouknowyoulikedhimverymuch。"

MISSREED:"Iwon’tletyousaythat，NettieSpaulding。IDIDN’T

likehim。Irespectedandadmiredhim；butIdidn’tLIKEhim。Hewillcomenearme；butifhedoeshehastobeginby——by——Letmesee，whatshallImakehimbeginbydoing？"Shecastsuphereyesforinspirationwhilesheleansforwardovertheregister。"Yes，Iwill！

Hehasgottobeginbytakingthatmoney！"

MISSSPAULDING:"Ethel，youwouldn’tputthataffrontuponasensitiveandhigh—spiritedman！"

MISSREED:"Wouldn’tI？YouwaitandSEE，MissSpaulding！Heshalltakethemoney，andheshallsignareceiptforit。I’lldrawupthereceiptnow，soastohaveitready，andIshallaskhimtosignittheverymomentheentersthisdoor——theveryinstant！"Shetakesaportfoliofromthetablenearher，withoutrising，andwrites:

"’ReceivedfromMissEthelReedonehundredandtwenty—fivedollars，infull，fortwenty—fivelessonsinoil—painting。’There——whenMr。

OliverRansomhassignedthislittledocumenthemaybegintotalk；

notbefore！"Sheleansbackinherchairwithanairofpitilessdetermination。

MISSSPAULDING:"But，Ethel，youdon’tmeantomakehimtakemoneyforthelessonshegaveyouafterhetoldyouyoucouldn’tlearnanything？"

MISSREED，afteramoment’spause:"Yes，Ido。Thisistopunishhim。Idon’twishforjusticenow；Iwishforvengeance！AtfirstI

wouldhavecompromisedonthesixlessons，oronnoneatall，ifhehadbehavednicely；butafterwhat’shappenedIshallinsistuponpayinghimforeverylesson，soastomakehimfeelthatthewholething，fromfirsttolast，wasapurelybusinesstransactiononmypart。Yes，aPURELY——BUSINESS——TRANSACTION！"

MISSSPAULDING，turningtohermusic:"ThenI’vegotnothingmoretosaytoyou，EthelReed。"

MISSREED:"Idon’tsaybutwhat，afterhe’stakenthemoneyandsignedthereceipt，I’lllistentoanythingelsehe’sgottosay，verywillingly。"MissSpauldingmakesnoanswer，butbeginstoplaywithascientificabsorption，feelingherwayfitfullythroughthenewpiece，whileMissReed，seatedbytheregister，trifleswiththebookshehastakenfromthetable。

II。

TheinterioroftheroomofMissSpauldingandMissReedremainsinview，whilethescenediscloses，ontheothersideofthepartitionwallinthesamehouse，thebachelorapartmentofMr。SamuelGrinnidge。Mr。Grinnidgeinhisdressing—gownandslippers，withhispipeinhismouth，hastheeffectofhavingjustcomein；hisfriendMr。OliverRansomstandsatthewindow，staringoutintotheNovemberweather。

GRINNIDGE:"Howlonghaveyoubeenwaitinghere？"

RANSOM:"Tenminutes——tenyears。HowshouldIknow？"

GRINNIDGE:"Well，Idon’tknowwhoelseshould。Getbackto—day？"

RANSOM:"Lastnight。"

GRINNIDGE:"Well，takeoffyourcoat，andpulluptotheregister，andwarmyourpoorfeet。"Heputshishandoutovertheregister。

"Confoundit！somebody’sgottheregisteropeninthenextroom！Yousee，onepipecomesupfromthefurnaceandbranchesintoaVjustunderthefloor，andprofessestoheatbothrooms。Butitdon’t。

Therewasafellowintherelastwinterwhousedtogetallmyheat。

Usedtogooutandleavehisregisteropen，andI’dcomeinherejustbeforedinnerandfindthisplaceascoldasabarn。Wehadarunningfightofitallwinter。Themanwhogothisregisteropenfirstinthemorninggotalltheheatfortheday，foritneverturnedtheotherwaywhenitstartedinonedirection。Usedtoalmostsuffocate——warm，muggydays——maintainingmyrights。Somepiano—pounderintherethiswinter，itseems。Hear？Andshehasn’tlostanytimeinlearningthetrickoftheregister。Whatkeptyousolateinthecountry？"

RANSOM，afteranabsent—mindedpause:"Grinnidge，Iwishyouwouldgivemesomeadvice。"

GRINNIDGE:"Youcanhaveallyouwantofitatthemarketprice。"

RANSOM:"Idon’tmeanyourlegaladvice。"

GRINNIDGE:"I’msorry。Whathaveyoubeendoing？"

RANSOM:"I’vebeenmakinganassofmyself。"

GRINNIDGE:"Wasn’tthatrathersuperfluous？"

RANSOM:"Ifyouplease，yes。Butnow，ityou’recapableoflisteningtomewithoutanyfurtherdisplayofyourcross—examinationwit，Ishouldliketotellyouhowithappened。"

GRINNIDGE:"Iwilldomybesttoveilmybrilliancy。Goon。"

RANSOM:"IwentuptoPonkwassetearlyinSeptemberforthefoliage。"

GRINNIDGE:"AndstaidtilllateinOctober。Theremusthavebeenareasonforthat。Whatwashername？Foliage？"

RANSOM，cominguptothecornerofthechimney—piece，nearwhichhisfriendsits，andtalkingtohimdirectlyovertheregister:"Ithinkyou’llhavetogetalongwithoutthenameforthepresent。I’lltellyoubyandby。"AsMr。Ransompronouncesthesewords，MissReed，onhersideofthepartition，liftsherheadwithastartledair，and，afteramomentofvaguecircumspection，listenskeenly。"Butshewasbeautiful。Shewasablonde，andshehadtheloveliesteyes——eyes，youknow，thatcouldbefunnyortender，justasshechose——thekindofeyesIalwaysliked。"MissReedleadsforwardovertheregister。

"Shehadoneofthosefacesthatalwaysleaveyouindoubtwhetherthey’relaughingatyou，andsokeepyouinwholesomesubjection；butyoufeelcertainthatthey’reGOOD，andthatiftheydidhurtyoubylaughingatyou，they’dlooksorryforyouafterward。Whenshewalkedyousawwhatanexquisitecreatureshewas。ItalwaysmadememadtothinkIcouldn’tPAINTherwalk。"

GRINNIDGE:"Isupposeyousawagooddealofherwalk。"

RANSOM:"Yes；wewereoffinthewoodsandfieldshalfthetimetogether。"Hetakesaturntowardsthewindow。

MISSREED，suddenlyshuttingtheregisteronherside:"Oh！"

MISSSPAULDING，lookingupfromhermusic:"Whatisit，Ethel？"

MISSREED:"Nothing，nothing；I——I——thoughtitwasgettingtoowarm。

Goon，dear；don’tletmeinterruptyou。"Afteramomentofheroicself—denialshesoftlypressestheregisteropenwithherfoot。

RANSOM，comingbacktotheregister:"Itallbeganinthatway。I

hadthegoodfortuneonedaytorescueherfroma——cow。"

MISSREED:"Oh，forshame！"

MISSSPAULDING，desistingfromherpiano:"WhatISthematter？"

MISSREED，clappingtheregisterto:"Thisridiculousbook！Butdon’t——don’tmindme，Nettie。"Breathlessly:"Go——go——on！"MissSpauldingresumes，andagainMissReedsoftlypressestheregisteropen。

RANSOM，afterapause:"Thecowwasgrazing，andhadnomorethoughtofhookingMiss——"

MISSREED:"Oh，Ididn’tsupposeheWOULD！——Goon，Nettie，goon！

Thehero——SUCHagoose！"

RANSOM:"Idroveherawaywithmycamp—stool，andMiss——theyounglady——wasasgratefulasifIhadrescuedherfromamenagerieofwildanimals。Iwalkedhomewithhertothefarmhouse，andthetroublebeganatonce。"PantomimeofindignantprotestandburlesquemenaceonthepartofMissReed。"Therewasn’tanotherwellwomaninthehouse，exceptherfriendMissSpaulding，whowasratheroldandratherplain。"Hetakesanotherturntothewindow。

MISSREED:"Oh！"Sheshutstheregister，butinstantlyopensitagain。"Louder，Nettie。"

MISSSPAULDING，inastonishment:"What？"

MISSREED:"DidIspeak？Ididn’tknowit。I"—

MISSSPAULDING，desistingfrompractice:"Whatisthatstrange，hollow，rumbling，mumblingkindofnoise？"

MISSREED，softlyclosingtheregisterwithherfoot:"Idon’thearanystrange，hollow，rumbling，mumblingkindofnoise。DoyouhearitNOW？"

MISSSPAULDING:"No。ItwastheBrightonwhistle，probably。"

MISSREED:"Oh，verylikely。"AsMissSpauldingturnsagaintoherpracticeMissReedre—openstheregisterandlistensagain。Alittleintervalofsilenceensues，whileRansomlightsacigarette。

GRINNIDGE:"Soyousoughtopportunitiesofrescuingherfromothercows？"

RANSOM，returning:"Thatwasn’tnecessary。Theyoungladywassoimpressedbymybehavior，thatsheaskedifIwouldgivehersomelessonsintheuseofoil。"

GRINNIDGE:"Shethoughtifsheknewhowtopaintpictureslikeyoursshewouldn’tneedanyonetodrivethecowsaway。"

RANSOM:"Don’tbefarcical，Grinnidge。Thatsortofthingwilldowithsomevictimonthewitness—standwhocan’thelphimself。OfcourseIsaidIwould，andwewereoffhalfthetimetogether，paintingtheloveliestandloneliestbitsaroundPonkwasset。Itallwentonverywell，tillonedayIfeltboundinconsciencetotellherthatIdidn’tthinkshewouldeverlearntopaint，andthat——ifshewasseriousaboutitshe’dbetterdropitatonce，forshewaswastinghertime。"

GRINNIDGE，gettinguptofillhispipe:"Thatwasapleasantthingtodo。"

RANSOM:"Itoldherthatifitamusedher，tokeepon；Iwouldbeonlytoogladtogiveherall——thehintsIcould，butthatIoughtn’ttoencourageher。Sheseemedagooddealhurt。IfanciedatthetimethatshethoughtIwastiredofhavingherwithmesomuch。"

MISSREED:"Oh，DIDyou，indeed！"ToMissSpaulding，whobendsanastonishedglanceuponherfromthepiano:"ThemaninthisbookisthemostCONCEITEDcreature，Nettie。Playchords——somethingverysubdued——ah！"

MISSSPAULDING:"Whatareyoutalkingabout，Ethel？"

RANSOM:"Thatwasatnight；butthenextdayshecameupsmiling，andsaidthatifIdidn’tmindshewouldkeepon——foramusement；shewasn’tabitdiscouraged。"

MISSREED:"Oh！——Goon，Nettie；don’tletmyoutburstsinterruptyou。"

RANSOM:"Iusedtofancysometimesthatshewasalittlesweetonme。"

MISSREED:"Youwretch！——Oh，scales，Nettie！Playscales！"

MISSSPAULDING:"EthelReed，areyoucrazy？"

Ransom，afterathoughtfulmoment:"Well，soitwentonforthenextsevenoreightweeks。Whenweweren’tsketchinginthemeadows，oronthemountain—side，orintheoldpuntonthepond，wewerewalkingupanddownthefarmhousepiazzatogether。SheusedtoreadtomewhenIwasatwork。Shehadaheavenlyvoice，Grinnidge。"

MISSREED:"Oh，yousilly，sillything！——Reallythisbookmakesmesick，Nettie。"

RANSOM:"Well，thelongandtheshortofitwas，Iwashit——HARD，andIlostallcourage。YouknowhowIam，Grinnidge。"

MISSREED，softly:"Oh，poorfellow！"

RANSOM:"SoIletthetimegoby，andattheendIhadn’tsaidanything。"

MISSREED:"No，sir！YouHADN’T！"

MISSSPAULDINGgraduallyceasestoplay，andfixesherattentionwhollyuponMissReed，whobendsforwardovertheregisterwithanintenselyexcitedface。

RANSOM:"Thensomethinghappenedthatmademeglad，fortwenty—fourhoursatleast，thatIhadn’tspoken。Shesentmethemoneyfortwenty—fivelessons。ImaginehowIfelt，Grinnidge！WhatcouldI

supposebutthatshehadbeenquietlybidinghertime，andstoringupherresentmentformyhavingtoldhershecouldn’tlearntopaint，tillshecouldpaymebackwithinterestinonesupremeinsult？"

MISSREED，inalowvoice:"Oh，howcouldyouthinksuchacruel，vulgarthing？"MissSpauldingleavesthepiano，andsoftlyapproachesher，whereshehassunkonherkneesbesidetheregister。

RANSOM:"Itwastantamounttotellingmethatshehadbeenamusingherselfwithmeinsteadofmylessons。Itremandedourwholeassociation，whichIhadgottothinkingsoromantic，totherelationofteacherandpupil。Itwasasnub——aheartless，killingsnub；andIcouldn’tseeitinanyotherlight。"Ransomwalksawaytothewindow，andlooksout。

MISSREED，flingingherselfbackwardfromtheregister，andhidingherfaceinherhands:"Oh，itwasn’t！itwasn’t！itwasn’t！Howcouldyouthinkso？"

MISSSPAULDING，rushingforward，andcatchingherfriendinherarms:

"Whatisthematterwithyou，EthelReed？Whatareyoudoinghere，overtheregister？Areyoutryingtosuffocateyourself？Haveyoutakenleaveofyoursenses？"

GRINNIDGE:"Ourfairfriendontheothersideofthewallseemstobeontherampage。"

MISSSPAULDING，shuttingtheregisterwithaviolentclash:"Ugh！

howhotitishere！"

GRINNIDGE:"Doesn’tlikeyourconversation，apparently。"

MISSREED，franticallypressingforwardtoopentheregister:"Oh，don’tshutit，Nettie，dear！IfyoudoIshalldie！Do—o—n’tshuttheregister！"

MISSSPAULDING:"Don’tshutit？Why，we’vegotalltheheatofthefurnaceintheroomnow。Surelyyoudon’twantanymore？"

MISSREED:"No，no；notanymore。But——but——Oh，dear！whatshallI

do？"Shestillstrugglesintheembraceofherfriend。

GRINNIDGE，remainingquietlyattheregister，whileRansomwalksawaytothewindow:"Well，whatdidyoudo？"

MISSREED:"There，there！They’recommencingagain！DOopenit，Nettie。IWILLhaveitopen！"Shewrenchesherselffree，anddashestheregisteropen。

GRINNIDGE:"Ah，she’sopeneditagain。"

MissReed，inastage—whisper:"That’stheotherone！"

RANSOM，fromthewindow:"Do？I’lltellyouwhatIdid。"

MISSREED:"That’sOl——Mr。Ransom。And，oh，Ican’tmakeoutwhathe’ssaying！Hemusthavegoneawaytotheothersideoftheroom——

andit’satthemostimportantpoint！"

MISSSPAULDING，inanawfulundertone:"WasthatthehollowrumblingIheard？Andhaveyoubeenlisteningattheregistertowhatthey’vebeensaying？OETHEL！"

MISSREED:"Ihaven’tbeenlistening，exactly。"

MISSSPAULDING:"Youhave！Youhavebeeneavesdropping！"

MISSREED:"Eavesdroppingislisteningthroughakey—hole，oraroundacorner。Thisisverydifferent。Besides，it’sOliver，andhe’sbeentalkingaboutME。Hark！"Sheclutchesherfriend’shand，wheretheyhavecroucheduponthefloortogether，andpullsherforwardtotheregister。"Oh，dear，howhotitis！Iwishtheywouldcutofftheheatdownbelow。"