第12章

"Oh，she’sprobablygettingoffsomeofthoseyarnsofhers，ortellingaboutsomepeople。Shecan’tstepoutofthehousewithoutcomingbackwithmorethingstotalkaboutthanmostfolkswouldbringbackfromJapan。

Thereain’taridiculouspersonshe’severseenbutwhatshe’sgotsomethingfromthemtomakeyoulaughat；

andIdon’tbelievewe’veeverhadanybodyinthehousesincethegirlcouldtalkthatshehain’tgotsomesayingfrom，orsometrickthat’llpaint’emoutso’tyoucansee’emandhear’em。SometimesIwanttostopher；

butwhenshegetsintooneofhergalesthereain’tanystandingupagainsther。Iguessit’sluckyforIrenethatshe’sgotPentheretohelpentertainhercompany。

Ican’teverfeeldownwherePenis。"

"That’sso，"saidtheColonel。"AndIguessshe’sgotaboutasmuchcultureasanyofthem。Don’tyou？"

"Shereadsagreatdeal，"admittedhermother。"Sheseemstobeatitthewholewhile。Idon’twantsheshouldinjureherhealth，andsometimesIfeellikesnatchin’

thebooksawayfromher。Idon’tknowasit’sgoodforagirltoreadsomuch，anyway，especiallynovels。

Idon’twantsheshouldgetnotions。"

"Oh，IguessPen’llknowhowtotakecareofherself，"

saidLapham。

"She’sgotsenseenough。Butsheain’tsopracticalasIrene。She’smoreupintheclouds——moreofwhatyoumaycalladreamer。Irene’swide—awakeeveryminute；

andIdeclare，anyonetoseethesetwotogetherwhenthere’sanythingtobedone，oranyleadtobetaken，wouldsayIrenewastheoldest，ninetimesoutoften。

It’sonlywhentheygettotalkingthatyoucanseePen’sgottwiceasmuchbrains。"

"Well，"saidLapham，tacitlygrantingthispoint，andleaningbackinhischairinsupremecontent。

"Didyoueverseemuchnicergirlsanywhere？"

Hiswifelaughedathispride。"Ipresumethey’reasmuchswansasanybody’sgeese。"

"No；buthonestly，now！"

"Oh，they’lldo；butdon’tyoubesilly，ifyoucanhelpit，Si。"

Theyoungpeoplecamein，andCoreysaiditwastimeforhisboat。Mrs。Laphampressedhimtostay，buthepersisted，andhewouldnotlettheColonelsendhimtotheboat；

hesaidhewouldratherwalk。Outside，hepushedalongtowardtheboat，whichpresentlyhecouldseelyingatherlandinginthebay，acrossthesandytracttotheleftofthehotels。

Fromtimetotimehealmoststoppedinhisrapidwalk，asamandoeswhosemindisinapleasanttumult；andthenhewentforwardataswifterpace。"She’scharming！"

hesaid，andhethoughthehadspokenaloud。

Hefoundhimselfflounderingaboutinthedeepsand，wideofthepath；hegotbacktoit，andreachedtheboatjustbeforeshestarted。Theclerkcametotakehisfare，andCoreylookedradiantlyupathiminhislantern—light，withasmilethathemusthavebeenwearingalongtime；

hischeekwasstiffwithit。Oncesomepeoplewhostoodnearhimedgedsuddenlyandfearfullyaway，andthenhesuspectedhimselfofhavinglaughedoutright。

XI。

COREYputoffhissetsmilewiththehelpofafrown，ofwhichhefirstbecameawareafterreachinghome，whenhisfatherasked——

"Anythinggonewrongwithyourdepartmentofthefineartsto—day，Tom？"

"Ohno——no，sir，"saidtheson，instantlyrelievinghisbrowsfromthestrainuponthem，andbeamingagain。

"ButIwasthinkingwhetheryouwerenotperhapsrightinyourimpressionthatitmightbewellforyoutomakeColonelLapham’sacquaintancebeforeagreatwhile。"

"Hashebeensuggestingitinanyway？"askedBromfieldCorey，layingasidehisbookandtakinghisleankneebetweenhisclaspedhands。

"Oh，notatall！"theyoungmanhastenedtoreply。

"Iwasmerelythinkingwhetheritmightnotbegintoseemintentional，yournotdoingit。"

"Well，Tom，youknowIhavebeenleavingitaltogethertoyou————"

"Oh，Iunderstand，ofcourse，andIdidn’tmeantourgeanythingofthekind————"

"YouaresoverymuchmoreofaBostonianthanIam，youknow，thatI’vebeenwaitingyourmotioninentireconfidencethatyouwouldknowjustwhattodo，andwhentodoit。

IfIhadbeenleftquitetomyownlawlessimpulses，IthinkIshouldhavecalleduponyourpadroneatonce。

ItseemstomethatmyfatherwouldhavefoundsomewayofshowingthatheexpectedasmuchasthatfrompeopleplacedintherelationtohimthatweholdtoColonelLapham。"

"Doyouthinkso？"askedtheyoungman。

"Yes。ButyouknowIdon’tpretendtobeanauthorityinsuchmatters。Asfarastheygo，Iamalwaysinthehandsofyourmotherandyouchildren。"

"I’mverysorry，sir。IhadnoideaIwasover—rulingyourjudgment。Ionlywantedtospareyouaformalitythatdidn’tseemquiteanecessityyet。I’mverysorry，"

hesaidagain，andthistimewithmorecomprehensiveregret。

"Ishouldn’tliketohaveseemedremisswithamanwhohasbeensoconsiderateofme。Theyareallverygood—natured。"

"Idaresay，"saidBromfieldCorey，withthesatisfactionwhichnoeldercanhelpfeelingindisablingthejudgmentofayoungerman，"thatitwon’tbetoolateifIgodowntoyourofficewithyouto—morrow。"

"No，no。Ididn’timagineyourdoingitatonce，sir。"

"Ah，butnothingcanpreventmefromdoingathingwhenonceItakethebitinmyteeth，"saidthefather，withthepleasurewhichmenofweakwillsometimestakeinrecognisingtheirweakness。"Howdoestheirnewhousegeton？"

"IbelievetheyexpecttobeinitbeforeNewYear。"

"Willtheybeagreatadditiontosociety？"

askedBromfieldCorey，withunimpeachableseriousness。

"Idon’tquiteknowwhatyoumean，"returnedtheson，alittleuneasily。

"Ah，Iseethatyoudo，Tom。"

"Noonecanhelpfeelingthattheyareallpeopleofgoodsenseand——rightideas。"

"Oh，thatwon’tdo。Ifsocietytookinallthepeopleofrightideasandgoodsense，itwouldexpandbeyondthecallingcapacityofitsmostactivemembers。

Evenyourmother’ssocialconscientiousnesscouldnotcompassit。Societyisaverydifferentsortofthingfromgoodsenseandrightideas。Itisbaseduponthem，ofcourse，buttheairy，graceful，winningsuperstructurewhichweallknowdemandsdifferentqualities。

Haveyourfriendsgotthesequalities，——whichmaybefelt，butnotdefined？"

Thesonlaughed。"Totellyouthetruth，sir，Idon’tthinktheyhavethemostelementalideasofsociety，asweunderstandit。Idon’tbelieveMrs。Laphamevergaveadinner。"

"Andwithallthatmoney！"sighedthefather。

"Idon’tbelievetheyhavethehabitofwineattable。

Isuspectthatwhentheydon’tdrinkteaandcoffeewiththeirdinner，theydrinkice—water。"

"Horrible！"saidBromfieldCorey。

"Itappearstomethatthisdefinesthem。"

"Ohyes。Therearepeoplewhogivedinners，andwhoarenotcognoscible。Butpeoplewhohaveneveryetgivenadinner，howissocietytoassimilatethem？"

"Itdigestsagreatmanypeople，"suggestedtheyoungman。

"Yes；buttheyhavealwaysbroughtsomesortofsaucepiquantewiththem。Now，asIunderstandyou，thesefriendsofyourshavenosuchsauce。"

"Oh，Idon’tknowaboutthat！"criedtheson。

"Oh，rude，nativeflavours，Idaresay。Butthatisn’twhatImean。Well，then，theymustspend。Thereisnootherwayforthemtowintheirwaytogeneralregard。

WemusthavetheColonelelectedtotheTenO’clockClub，andhemustputhimselfdowninthelistofthosewillingtoentertain。Anyonecanmanagealargesupper。Yes，Iseeagleamofhopeforhiminthatdirection。"

InthemorningBromfieldCoreyaskedhissonwhetherheshouldfindLaphamathisplaceasearlyaseleven。

"Ithinkyoumightfindhimevenearlier。I’veneverbeentherebeforehim。Idoubtiftheporteristheremuchsooner。"

"Well，supposeIgowithyou，then？"

"Why，ifyoulike，sir，"saidtheson，withsomedeprecation。

"Oh，thequestionis，willHElike？"

"Ithinkhewill，sir；"andthefathercouldseethathissonwasverymuchpleased。

Laphamwasrendinganimpatientcoursethroughthemorning’snewswhentheyappearedatthedoorofhisinnerroom。

Helookedupfromthenewspaperspreadonthedeskbeforehim，andthenhestoodup，makinganindifferentfeintofnotknowingthatheknewBromfieldCoreybysight。

"Goodmorning，ColonelLapham，"saidtheson，andLaphamwaitedforhimtosayfurther，"Iwishtointroducemyfather。"Thenheanswered，"Goodmorning，"andaddedrathersternlyfortheelderCorey，"Howdoyoudo，sir？Willyoutakeachair？"andhepushedhimone。

Theyshookhandsandsatdown，andLaphamsaidtohissubordinate，"Haveaseat；"butyoungCoreyremainedstanding，watchingthemintheirobservanceofeachotherwithanamusementwhichwasalittleuneasy。

Laphammadehisvisitorspeakfirstbywaitingforhimtodoso。

"I’mgladtomakeyouracquaintance，ColonelLapham，andIoughttohavecomesoonertodoso。Myfatherinyourplacewouldhaveexpecteditofamaninmyplaceatonce，Ibelieve。ButIcan’tfeelmyselfaltogetherastrangerasitis。IhopeMrs。Laphamiswell？Andyourdaughter？"

"Thankyou，"saidLapham，"they’requitewell。"

"Theywereverykindtomywife————"

"Oh，thatwasnothing！"criedLapham。"There’snothingMrs。Laphamlikesbetterthanachanceofthatsort。

Mrs。Coreyandtheyoungladieswell？"

"Verywell，whenIheardfromthem。They’reoutoftown。"

"Yes，soIunderstood，"saidLapham，withanodtowardtheson。"IbelieveMr。Corey，here，toldMrs。Lapham。"

Heleanedbackinhischair，stifflyresolutetoshowthathewasnotincommodedbytheexchangeofthesecivilities。

"Yes，"saidBromfieldCorey。"TomhashadthepleasurewhichIhopeforofseeingyouall。Ihopeyou’reabletomakehimusefultoyouhere？"CoreylookedroundLapham’sroomvaguely，andthenoutattheclerksintheirrailedenclosure，wherehiseyefinallyrestedonanextremelyprettygirl，whowasoperatingatype—writer。

"Well，sir，"repliedLapham，softeningforthefirsttimewiththisapproachtobusiness，"Iguessitwillbeourownfaultifwedon’t。Bytheway，Corey，"headded，totheyoungerman，ashegatheredupsomelettersfromhisdesk，"here’ssomethinginyourline。SpanishorFrench，Iguess。"

"I’llrunthemover，"saidCorey，takingthemtohisdesk。

Hisfathermadeanoffertorise。

"Don’tgo，"saidLapham，gesturinghimdownagain。

"Ijustwantedtogethimawayaminute。Idon’tcaretosayittohisface，——Idon’tliketheprinciple，——butsinceyouaskmeaboutit，I’djustasliefsaythatI’veneverhadanyyoungmantakeholdhereequaltoyourson。

Idon’tknowasyoucare"

"Youmakemeveryhappy，"saidBromfieldCorey。

"Veryhappyindeed。I’vealwayshadtheideathattherewassomethinginmyson，ifhecouldonlyfindthewaytoworkitout。Andheseemstohavegoneintoyourbusinessfortheloveofit。"

"Hewenttoworkintherightway，sir！Hetoldmeaboutit。

Helookedintoit。Andthatpaintisathingthatwillbearlookinginto。"

"Ohyes。Youmightthinkhehadinventedit，ifyouheardhimcelebratingit。"

"Isthatso？"demandedLapham，pleasedthroughandthrough。"Well，thereain’tanyotherway。

You’vegottobelieveinathingbeforeyoucanputanyheartinit。Why，Ihadapartnerinthisthingonce，alongbackjustafterthewar，andheusedtobealwayswantingtotinkerwithsomethingelse。’Why，’saysI，’you’vegotthebestthinginGod’suniversenow。

Whyain’tyousatisfied？’Ihadtogetridofhimatlast。

Istucktomypaint，andthatfellow’sdriftedroundprettymuchalloverthewholecountry，whittlinghiscapitaldownallthewhile，tillheretheotherdayIhadtolendhimsomemoneytostarthimnew。No，sir，you’vegottobelieveinathing。AndIbelieveinyourson。

AndIdon’tmindtellingyouthat，sofarashe’sgone，he’sasuccess。"

"That’sverykindofyou。"

"Nokindnessaboutit。AsIwassayingtheotherdaytoafriendofmine，I’vehadmanyafellowrightoutofthestreetthathadtoworkhardallhislife，anddidn’tbegintotakeholdlikethissonofyours。"

Laphamexpandedwithprofoundself—satisfaction。Asheprobablyconceivedit，hehadsucceededinpraising，inaperfectlycasualway，thesupremeexcellenceofhispaint，andhisownsagacityandbenevolence；

andherehewassittingfacetofacewithBromfieldCorey，praisinghissontohim，andreceivinghisgratefulacknowledgmentsasifhewerethefatherofsomeoffice—boywhomLaphamhadgivenaplacehalfbutofcharity。

"Yes，sir，whenyoursonproposedtotakeholdhere，Ididn’thavemuchfaithinhisideas，that’sthetruth。

ButIhadfaithinhim，andIsawthathemeantbusinessfromthestart。Icouldseeitwasborninhim。

Anyonecould。"

"I’mafraidhedidn’tinherititdirectlyfromme，"

saidBromfieldCorey；"butit’sintheblood，onbothsides。""Well，sir，wecan’thelpthosethings，"

saidLaphamcompassionately。"Someofushavegotit，andsomeofushaven’t。TheideaistomakethemostofwhatweHAVEgot。"

"Ohyes；thatistheidea。Byallmeans。"

"Andyoucan’tevertellwhat’sinyoutillyoutry。

Why，whenIstartedthisthing，Ididn’tmorethanhalfunderstandmyownstrength。Iwouldn’thavesaid，lookingback，thatIcouldhavestoodthewearandtearofwhatI’vebeenthrough。ButIdevelopedasIwentalong。

It’sjustlikeexercisingyourmusclesinagymnasium。

Youcanlifttwiceorthreetimesasmuchafteryou’vebeenintrainingamonthasyoucouldbefore。AndI

canseethatit’sgoingtobejustsowithyourson。

Hisgoingthroughcollegewon’thurthim，——he’llsoonsloughallthatoff，——andhisbringingupwon’t；don’tbeanxiousaboutit。Inoticedinthearmythatsomeofthefellowsthathadthemostgo—aheadwerefellowsthathadn’teverhadmuchmoretodothangirlsbeforethewarbrokeout。

Yoursonwillgetalong。"

"Thankyou，"saidBromfieldCorey，andsmiled——whetherbecausehisspiritwassafeinthehumilityhesometimesboasted，orbecauseitwastriplyarmedinprideagainstanythingtheColonel’skindnesscoulddo。

"He’llgetalong。He’sagoodbusinessman，andhe’safinefellow。MUSTyougo？"askedLapham，asBromfieldCoreynowrosemoreresolutely。"Well，gladtoseeyou。

Itwasnaturalyoushouldwanttocomeandseewhathewasabout，andI’mgladyoudid。Ishouldhavefeltjustsoaboutit。Hereissomeofourstuff，"hesaid，pointingoutthevariouspackagesinhisoffice，includingthePersisBrand。

"Ah，that’sverynice，veryniceindeed，"saidhisvisitor。

"Thatcolourthroughthejar——veryrich——delicious。

IsPersisBrandaname？"

Laphamblushed。

"Well，Persisis。Idon’tknowasyousawaninterviewthatfellowpublishedintheEventsawhileback？"

"WhatistheEvents？"

"Well，it’sthatnewpaperWitherby’sstarted。"

"No，"saidBromfieldCorey，"Ihaven’tseenit。

IreadTheDaily，"heexplained；bywhichhemeantTheDailyAdvertiser，theonlydailythereisintheold—

fashionedBostoniansense。

"HeputalotofstuffinmymouththatIneversaid，"

resumedLapham；"butthat’sneitherherenorthere，solongasyouhaven’tseenit。Here’sthedepartmentyourson’sin，"andheshowedhimtheforeignlabels。

Thenhetookhimoutintothewarehousetoseethelargepackages。Attheheadofthestairs，wherehisgueststoppedtonodtohissonandsay"Good—bye，Tom，"

Laphaminsistedupongoingdowntothelowerdoorwithhim"Well，callagain，"hesaidinhospitabledismissal。

"Ishallalwaysbegladtoseeyou。Thereain’tagreatdealdoingatthisseason。"BromfieldCoreythankedhim，andlethishandremainperforceinLapham’slingeringgrasp。

"Ifyoueverliketorideafteragoodhorse————"

theColonelbegan。

"Oh，no，no，no；thankyou！Thebetterthehorse，themoreIshouldbescared。Tomhastoldmeofyourdriving！"

"Ha，ha，ha！"laughedtheColonel。"Well！everyonetohistaste。Well，goodmorning，sir！"andhesufferedhimtogo。

"Whoistheoldmanblowingtothismorning？"askedWalker，thebook—keeper，makinganerrandtoCorey’sdesk。

"Myfather。"

"Oh！Thatyourfather？IthoughthemustbeoneofyourItaliancorrespondentsthatyou’dbeenshowinground，orSpanish。"

Infact，asBromfieldCoreyfoundhiswayathisleisurelypaceupthroughthestreetsonwhichtheprosperityofhisnativecitywasfounded，hardlyanyfigurecouldhavelookedmorealientoitslife。Heglancedupanddownthefacadesandthroughthecrookedvistaslikeastranger，andtheswarthyfruitererofwhomheboughtanapple，apparentlyforthepleasureofholdingitinhishand，wasnotsurprisedthatthepurchaseshouldbetransactedinhisowntongue。

LaphamwalkedbackthroughtheouterofficetohisownroomwithoutlookingatCorey，andduringthedayhespoketohimonlyofbusinessmatters。ThatmusthavebeenhiswayoflettingCoreyseethathewasnotovercomebythehonourofhisfather’svisit。ButhepresentedhimselfatNantasketwiththeeventsoperceptiblyonhismindthathiswifeasked："Well，Silas，hasRogersbeenborrowinganymoremoneyofyou？Idon’twantyoushouldletthatthinggotoofar。You’vedoneenough。"

"Youneedn’tbeafraid。I’veseenthelastofRogersforonewhile。"Hehesitated，togivethefactaneffectofnoimportance。"Corey’sfathercalledthismorning。"

"Didhe？"saidMrs。Lapham，willingtohumourhisfeintofindifference。"DidHEwanttoborrowsomemoneytoo？"

"NotasIunderstood。"Laphamwassmokingatgreatease，andhiswifehadsomecrochetingontheothersideofthelampfromhim。

Thegirlswereonthepiazzalookingatthemoononthewateragain。"There’snomaninitto—night，"

Penelopesaid，andIrenelaughedforlornly。

"WhatDIDhewant，then？"askedMrs。Lapham。

"Oh，Idon’tknow。Seemedtobejustafriendlycall。

Saidheoughttohavecomebefore。"

Mrs。Laphamwassilentawhile。Thenshesaid："Well，Ihopeyou’resatisfiednow。"

Laphamrejectedthesympathytooopenlyoffered。

"Idon’tknowaboutbeingsatisfied。Iwa’n’tinanyhurrytoseehim。"

Hiswifepermittedhimthispretencealso。"Whatsortofapersonishe，anywayl"

"Well，notmuchlikehisson。There’snosortofbusinessabouthim。Idon’tknowjusthowyou’ddescribehim。

He’stall；andhe’sgotwhitehairandamoustache；

andhisfingersareverylongandlimber。Icouldn’thelpnoticingthemashesattherewithhishandsonthetopofhiscane。Didn’tseemtobedressedverymuch，andactedjustlikeanybody。Didn’ttalkmuch。GuessIdidmostofthetalking。SaidhewasgladIseemedtobegettingalongsowellwithhisson。HeaskedafteryouandIrene；

andhesaidhecouldn’tfeeljustlikeastranger。

Saidyouhadbeenverykindtohiswife。OfcourseIturneditoff。Yes，"saidLaphamthoughtfully，withhishandsrestingonhisknees，andhiscigarbetweenthefingersofhislefthand，"Iguesshemeanttodotherightthing，everyway。Don’tknowasIeversawamuchpleasanterman。

Dunnobutwhathe’saboutthepleasantestmanIeverdidsee。"Hewasnotlettinghiswifeseeinhisavertedfacethestrugglethatrevealeditselfthere——thestruggleofstalwartachievementnottofeelflatteredatthenoticeofsterileelegance，nottobesneakinglygladofitsamiability，buttostandupandlookatitwitheyesonthesamelevel。God，whomadeussomuchlikehimself，butoutofthedust，aloneknowswhenthatstrugglewillend。ThetimehadbeenwhenLaphamcouldnothaveimaginedanyworldlysplendourwhichhisdollarscouldnotbuyifhechosetospendthemforit；

buthiswife’shalfdiscoveries，takingformagaininhisignoranceoftheworld，filledhimwithhelplessmisgiving。

Acloudyvisionofsomethingunpurchasable，wherehehadsupposedtherewasnothing，hadcowedhiminspiteoftheburlyresistanceofhispride。

"Idon’tseewhyheshouldn’tbepleasant，"saidMrs。Lapham。

"He’sneverdoneanythingelse。"

Laphamlookedupconsciously，withanuneasylaugh。

"Pshaw，Persis！youneverforgetanything？"

"Oh，I’vegotmorethanthattoremember。Isupposeyouaskedhimtorideafterthemare？"

"Well，"saidLapham，reddeningguiltily，"hesaidhewasafraidofagoodhorse。"

"Then，ofcourse，youhadn’taskedhim。"Mrs。Laphamcrochetedinsilence，andherhusbandleanedbackinhischairandsmoked。

Atlasthesaid，"I’mgoingtopushthathouseforward。

They’reloafingonit。There’snoreasonwhyweshouldn’tbeinitbyThanksgiving。Idon’tbelieveinmovinginthedeadofwinter。"

"Wecanwaittillspring。We’reverycomfortableintheoldplace，"answeredhiswife。Thenshebrokeoutonhim：

"Whatareyouinsuchahurrytogetintothathousefor？DoyouwanttoinvitetheCoreystoahouse—warming？"

Laphamlookedatherwithoutspeaking。

"Don’tyousupposeIcanseethroughyouIdeclare，SilasLapham，ifIdidn’tknowdifferent，Ishouldsayyouwereaboutthebiggestfool！Don’tyouknowANYthing？

Don’tyouknowthatitwouldn’tdotoaskthosepeopletoourhousebeforethey’veaskedustotheirs？They’dlaughinourfaces！"

"Idon’tbelievethey’dlaughinourfaces。What’sthedifferencebetweenouraskingthemandtheiraskingus？"

demandedtheColonelsulkily。

"Oh，well！Ifyoudontsee！"

"Well，IDON’Tsee。ButIdon’twanttoaskthemtothehouse。Isuppose，ifIwantto，IcaninvitehimdowntoafishdinneratTaft’s。"

Mrs。Laphamfellbackinherchair，andletherworkdropinherlapwiththat"Tckk！"inwhichhersexknowshowtoexpressuttercontemptanddespair。

"What’sthematter？"

"Well，ifyouDOsuchathing，Silas，I’llneverspeaktoyouagain！It’snoUSE！It’sNOuse！Ididthink，afteryou’dbehavedsowellaboutRogers，Imighttrustyoualittle。ButIseeIcan’t。Ipresumeaslongasyouliveyou’llhavetobenosedaboutlikeaperfect——Idon’tknowwhat！"

"Whatareyoumakingsuchafussabout？"demandedLapham，terriblycrestfallen，buttryingtopluckupaspirit。

"Ihaven’tdoneanythingyet。Ican’taskyouradviceaboutanythinganymorewithouthavingyouflyout。

Confoundit！IshalldoasIpleaseafterthis。"

Butasifhecouldnotendurethatcontemptuousatmosphere，hegotup，andhiswifeheardhiminthedining—roompouringhimselfoutaglassofice—water，andthenheardhimmountthestairstotheirroom，andslamitsdoorafterhim。

"Doyouknowwhatyourfather’swantingtodonow？"