第8章

Ordestoodquitemotionless，overcomebyastonishment。Herface，itslongovalframedinthebandsofthegrayveilandthedown—

turnedbrimofthehat，lookedupsmilingintohis。Thefreshairhaddeepenedthecolourbeneathherskinandhadblownloosestraylocksofthefineshadow—filledhair。Herredlips，withthequaintlyup—turnedcorners，smiledathimwithanewfrankness，andtheblackeyes——theeyessoblackastoresemblespots——hadlosttheirhalf—indolentreserveandbrimmedoverquitefranklywiththejoyoflife。Shescoopedupahandfulofthedry，cleansandfromeithersideofher，raiseditaloft，andletittrickleslowlybetweenherfingers。Thewindgthappearedatinyblackinsect，strugglingagainsttherolling，overwhelmingsands。

Withgreatcarethegirlscoopedthisnewcomeroutandsethimonthelevelground。ShelookeduphappilyatOrde，thrustingtheloosehairfrominfrontofhereyes。

"Iwasconvincedweoughttodigahole，"saidshegravely。"Now，let’sgosomewhereelse。"

Shearosetoherfeet，shakingthesandfreefromherskirts。

"Ithink，throughthesewoods，"shedecided。"Canwegetbacktotownthisway？"

ReceivingOrde’sassurance，sheturnedatoncedowntheslopethroughthefringeofscrubsprucesandjunipersintothetallwoods。Heretheairfellstill。Sheremarkedonhowwarmitseemed，andbegantountiefromoverherearsthenarrowbandofveilthatheldcloseherhat。

"Yes，"repliedOrde。"Thelumber—jackssaythatthewoodsarethepoorman’sovercoat。"

Shepausedtosavourthis，herheadononeside，herarmsupraisedtotheknot。

"Oh，Ilikethat！"saidshe，continuinghertask。Inamomentorsotheveilhungfree。Sheremoveditandthehat，andswungthembothfromonefinger，andthrewbackherhead。

"Hearallthebirds！"shesaid。

Softlyshebegantoutteracheepingnoisebetweenherlipsandteeth，lowandplaintive。Atoncethevolumeofbird—soundsaboutincreased；thehalf—seenflashesbecamemorefrequent。Asecondlaterthetwigswerealivewithtinywarblersandcreepers，flirtingfrombranchtobranch，withlarger，morecircumspectchewinks，catbirds，andfincheshoppingdownfromabove，verysilent，verygrave。Inthedepthsofthethicketstheshyerhermitandolivethrushesandtheovenbirdsrevealedthemselvesghost—like，orassea—growthsliftintoahalfvisibilitythroughtranslucentshadowsthecolourofthemselves。Allwereveryintent，veryearnest，veryinterested，eachafterhisownmanner，inthecomradeshipofthefeatherhoodheimaginedtobeutteringdistressfulcries。Afew，likethechickadees，quiveredtheirwings，openedtheirlittlemouths，fluttereddowntinybutaggressiveagainstthedisaster。

Othershoppedhereandthererestlessly，utteringplaintive，low—

tonedcheeps。Theshyestcontentedthemselvesbyadiscreet，silent，anddistantsympathy。ThreeorfourfreebootingJays，attractednotsomuchbythesupposedcallsforhelpasbycuriosity，flutteredamongthetopsofthetrees，utteringtheirharshnotes。

Finally，thegirlendedherperformanceinamusicallaugh。

"Runaway，Brighteyes，"shecalled。"It’sallright；nobody’sdamaged。"

Shewavedherhand。Asthoughatasignal，thehostshehadevokedmeltedbackintotheshadowsoftheforest。Onlythechickadee，impudentasever，retreatedscoldingratherostentatiously，andthejays，splendidintheirornateblue，screamedopinionsateachotherfromthetopsoftrees。

"Howwouldyouliketobeabird？"sheinquired。

"Hadn’tthought，"repliedOrde。

"Don’tyoueverindulgeinvainandidlespeculations？"sheinquired。"Nevermind，don’tanswer。It’stoomuchtoexpectofaman。"

Shesetherselfinidlemotiondowntheslope，swingingthehatattheendofitsveil，pausingtolookorlisten，hummingalittlemelodybetweenherclosedlips，throwingherheadbacktobreathedeepthewarmair，revellinginthewoodssoundsandwoodsodoursandwoodslifewithentireself—abandonment。Ordefollowedherinsilence。Sheseemedtobequitewithoutresponsibilityinregardtohim；andyetanoccasionalrandomremarkthrowninhisdirectionprovedthathewasnotforgotten。Finallytheyemergedfromthebeachwoods。

Theyfacedanopenrollingcountry。Asfarastheeyecouldreachweretheoldstumpsofpinetrees。Sometimestheystoodinplace，burnedandscarred，butattestingmutelytheabidingplaceofaspiritlongsincepassedaway。Sometimestheyhadbeenuprootedanddraggedtomarktheboundariesoffields，wheretheyraisedanabatisoftwistedrootstothesky。

Thegirlstoppedshortasshecamefacetofacewiththisopencountry。Theinneruplift，thathadlenttoheraspectthewide—

eyed，carelessjoyofachild，faded。Initsplacecameanewandseriousgravity。Sheturnedonhimtroubledeyes。

"Youdothis，"sheaccusedhimquitesimply。

Foranswerhemotionedtotheleftwherebelowthemlayawideandcultivatedcountryside——farmhousessurroundedbyelms；compactwoodlotsofhardwood；cropsandorchards，allfairandpleasantacrossthebosomofafertilenature。

"Andthis，"saidhe。"Thatvalleywasoncenothingbutapineforest——andsowasallthesouthernpartoftheState，thepeachbeltandthefarms。AndforthatmatterIndiana，too，andalltheotherforestStatesrightouttotheprairies。Wherewouldwebenow，ifweHADN’Tdonethat？"hepointedacrossatthestump—coveredhills。

Mischiefhaddrivenoutthegravityfromthegirl’seyes。Shehadloweredherheadslightlysidewiseasthoughtoconcealtheirexpressionfromhim。

"Iwasbeginningtobeafraidyou’dsay’yes—indeed，’"saidshe。

Ordelookedbewildered，thenrememberedtheIncubus，andlaughed。

"Ihaven’tbeenveryconversational，"heacknowledged。

"CertainlyNOT！"shesaidseverely。"Thatwouldhavebeenverydisappointing。Therehasbeennothingtosay。"Sheturnedandwavedherhatatthebeechwoodsfallingsombreagainsttheloweringsun。

"Good—bye，"shesaidgravely，"andpleasantdreamstoyou。Ihopethoseverysaucylittlebirdswon’tkeepyouawake。"ShelookedupatOrde。"Hewasrathernicetousthisafternoon，"sheexplained，"andit’salwayswelltobepolitetothemanyway。"ShegazedsteadilyatOrdeforsignsofamusement。Heresolutelyheldhisfacesympathetic。

"NowIthinkwe’llgohome，"saidshe。

Theymadetheirwaybetweenthestumpstotheedgeofthesand—hilloverlookingthevillage。Withoneaccordtheystopped。Thelow—

slantingsuncastacrossthevistaasleepylightofevening。

"Howwouldyouliketoliveinaplacelikethatallyourlife？"

askedOrde。

"Idon’tknow。"Sheweighedherwordscarefully。"Itwoulddepend。

Theplaceisn’tofsomuchimportance，itseemstome。It’sthelifeoneiscalledto。It’swhetheronefindshersoul’srealmornotthataplaceisliveableornot。Icanimagineenteringmykingdomatarailwaywater—tank，"shesaidquaintly，"ormissingitentirelyinabigcity。"

Ordelookedoutovertherawlittlevillagewithanewinterest。

"OfcourseIcanseehowaman’sworkcanlieinasmallplace，"

saidhe；"butawomanisdifferent。"

"Whyisawomandifferent？"shechallenged。"Whatisher’work，’asyoucallit；andwhyshouldn’tit，aswellasaman’s，lieinasmallplace？Whatiswork——outsideofdrudgery——unlessitiscorrespondenceofone’sabilitiestoone’stask？"

"Butthecompensations——"beganOrdevaguely。

"Compensations？"shecried。"Whatdoyoumean？Herearethewoodsandfields，theriver，thelake，thebirds，andthebreezes。We’llcheckthemoffagainstthetheatreandballs。Bookscanbehadhereaswellasanywhere。Astopeople：inalargecityyoumeetagreatmany，andthey’reallbusy，andunlessyoumakeanespecialandparticulareffort——whichyou’renotlikelyto——you’llseethemonlycasuallyandonceinagreatwhile。Inasmallplaceyouknowfewerpeople；butyouknowthemintimately。"Shebrokeoffwithahalf—

laugh。"I’mfromNewYork，"shestatedhumorously，"andyou’vemagickedmeintoaneloquentdefenseofPodunk！"ShelaughedupatOrdequitefrankly。"GiantStrides！"shechallengedsuddenly。Sheturnedofftheedgeofthesand—hill，andbegantoplungedownitsslope，leaningfarback，herarmsextended，increasingasmuchaspossiblethelengthofeachstep。Ordefollowedatfullspeed。

Whenthebottomwasreached，hesteadiedhertoahalt。Sheshookherself，straightenedherhat，andwoundtheveilaroundit。Herwholeaspectseemedtohavechangedwiththedescentintotheconventionalityofthevillagestreet。Theold，gentlethoughcapableandself—containedreservehadreturned。ShemovedbesideOrdewithdignity。

"IcamedownwithJaneandMrs。HubbardtoseeMr。HubbardoffontheboatforMilwaukeelastnight，"shetoldhim。"OfcoursewehadtowaitoverSunday。Mrs。HubbardandJanehadtoseesomerelativeorother；butIpreferredtotakeawalk。"

"Whereareyoustaying？"askedOrde。

"AttheBennetts’。Doyouknowwhereitis？"

"Yes，"repliedOrde。

TheysaidlittlemoreuntiltheBennetts’gatewasreached。Ordedeclinedtocomein。

"Good—night，"shesaid。"Iwanttothankyou。YoudidnotonceactasthoughyouthoughtIwassillyorcrazy。Andyoudidn’ttry，asalltherestofthemwould，toactsillytoo。Youcouldn’thavedoneit；andyoudidn’ttry。Oh，youmayhavefeltit——Iknow！"

Shesmiledoneofherquaintandquizzicalsmiles。"Butmenaren’tbuiltforfoolishness。Theyhavetoleavethattous。You’vebeenverynicethisafternoon；andit’shelpedalot。I’mgoodforquitealongstretchnow。Good—night。"

Shenoddedtohimandlefthimtongue—tiedbythegate。

Orde，however，walkedbacktothehotelinablackragewithhimselfoverwhathetermedhisimbecility。Asherememberedit，hehadmadejustoneconsecutivespeechthatafternoon。

"Joe，"saidhetoNewmark，atthehoteloffice，"what’sthepluralformofIncubus？Idimlyrememberitisn’t’busses。’"

"Incubi，"answeredNewmark。

"Thanks，"saidOrdegloomily。

XIII

IhaveHeinzman’scontractalldrawn，"saidNewmarkthenextmorning，"andIthinkI’llgoaroundwithyoutotheoffice。"

AttheappointedtimetheyfoundthelittleGermanawaitingthem，arotundsmileoffalsegood—natureilluminatinghisrosyface。Ordeintroducedhispartner。Newmarkimmediatelytookchargeoftheinterview。

"Ihaveexecutedherethecontract，andthebondssecuredbyMr。

Orde’sandmysharesofstockinthenewcompany，"heexplained。

"Itisonlynecessarythatyouaffixyoursignatureandsummontherequiredwitnesses。"

Heinzmanreachedhishandsforthepapers，beamingoverhisglassesatthetwoyoungmen。

Asheread，however，hissmilevanished，andhelookedupsharply。

"Vatisthis？"heinquired，anewcrispnessinhisvoice。"Youtoltme，"heaccusedOrde，"dotyouwerenotbreparedtobreakouttherollways。Youtoltmeyouwouldegspectmetodothatformyself。"

"Certainly，"agreedOrde。

"Vell，whydoyouputinthis？"demandedHeinzman，readingfromthepaperinhishand。"’Incasesaidrollwaysbelongingtosaidpartiesofthesecondpartarenotbrokenoutbythetimethedrivehasreachedthem，andincaseondemandsaidpartiesofthesecondpartdorefuseordonotexerciseduediligenceinbreakingoutsaidrollways，thesaidpartiesofthefirstpartshallthemselvesbreakoutsaidrollways，andthesaidpartiesofthesecondpartdoherebyagreetoreimbursesaidpartiesofthefirstpartattherateofadollarperthousandboardfeet。’"

"Thatismerelytoprotectourselves，"struckinNewmark。

"But，"explodedHeinzman，hisfacepurpling，"adollaratousandisabsurd！"

"Ofcourseitis，"agreedNewmark。"Weexpectittobe。Butalsoweexpectyoutobreakoutyourownrollwaysintime。Itisintendedasapenaltyincaseyoudon’t。"

"Ivillnotstandforsuchfoolishness，"poundedHeinzmanonthearmofhischair。

"Verywell，"saidNewmarkcrisply，reachingforthecontract。

ButHeinzmanclungtoit。

"Itisabsurd，"herepeatedinamildertone。"See，Ivillstrikeitout。"Hedidsowithafewdashesofthepen。

"Wehavenointention，"statedNewmarkwithdecision，"ofgivingyouthechancetohangupourdrive。"

Heinzmancaughthisbreathlikeachildabouttocryout。

"Sothatiswhatyouthink！"heshoutedatthem。"That’sthesortofmenyouthinkweare！I’llshowyouyoucannotcomeintohonestmen’sofficestoinsooltthembysuchinsinuations！"Hetorethecontractinpiecesandthrewitinthewastebasket。"Getoudtofhere！"hecried。

Newmarkaroseasdryandpreciseasever。Ordewasgoingredandwhitebyturns，andhishandstwitched。

"ThenIunderstandyoutorefuseouroffer？"askedNewmarkcoolly。

"Refuse！Yes！Youandyourwholekapoodle！"yelledHeinzman。

Hehoppeddownandfollowedthemtothegrilldoor，repeatingoverandoverthathehadbeeninsulted。Theclerksstaredinamazement。

Onceatthefootofthedarkstairsandintheopenstreet，Ordelookedupattheskywithadeepbreathofrelief。

"Whew！"saidhe，"thatwasaterror！We’vegoneoffthewrongfootthattime。"

Newmarklookedathimwithsomeamusement。

"Youdon’tmeantosaythatfooledyou！"hemarvelled。

"What？"askedOrde。

"Allthattalkaboutinsults，andtherestoftherubbish。Hesawwehadspottedhislittlescheme；andhehadtoretreatsomehow。Itwasasplainasthenoseonyourface。"

"Youthinkso？"doubtedOrde。

"Iknowso。Ifhewasmadatall，itwasonlyatbeingfoundout。"

"Maybe，"saidOrde。

"We’vegotanenemyonourhandsinanycase，"concludedNewmark，"andonewe’llhavetolookoutfor，Idon’tknowhowhe’lldoit；

buthe’lltrytomaketroubleontheriver。Perhapshe’lltrytoblockthestreambynotbreakinghisrollways。"

"Oneofthefirstthingswe’lldowillbetoboomthroughachannelwhereMr。Man’srollwayswillbe，"saidOrde。

AfaintgleamofapprovallitNewmark’seyes。

"Iguessyou’llbeequaltotheoccasion，"saidhedrily。

Beforetheafternoontrain，thereremainedfourhours。Thepartnersatoncehuntedoutthelittleone—storyframebuildingneartheriverinwhichJohnsonconductedhisbusiness。

Johnsonreceivedthemwithanevidentreserveofsuspicion。

"Iseenouseinit，"saidhe，passinghishandoverhishair"slicked"downinthelumber—jackfashion。"Icanrunmeownwidouthelpfromanyman。"

"Whichseemstosettlethat！"saidNewmarktoOrdeaftertheyhadleft。

"Oh，well，hisdriveissmall；andhe’sbehindus，"Ordepointedout。

"True，"saidNewmarkthoughtfully。

"Now，"saidNewmark，astheytrudgedbacktotheirhoteltogetlunchandtheirhand—bags。"I’llgettoworkatmypartofit。

ThispropositionofHeinzman’shasgivenmeanidea。I’mnotgoingtotrytosellthisstockoutside，buttothemenwhoowntimberalongtheriver。Thentheywon’tbeobjectingtothetolls；forifthecompanymakesanyprofits，partwillgotothem。"

"Goodidea！"criedOrde。

"I’lltakethesecontracts，toshowwecandothebusiness。"

"Allcorrect。"

"AndI’llseeaboutincorporation。AlsoI’lllookaboutandgetaproperofficeandequipments，andgetholdofabook—keeper。Ofcoursewe’llhavetomakethisourheadquarters。"

"Isupposeso，"saidOrdealittleblankly。Afteraninstanthelaughed。"Doyouknow，Ihadn’tthoughtofthat？We’llhavetolivehere，won’twe？"

"Also，"wentonNewmarkcalmly，"I’llbuythesuppliestothebestadvantageIcan，andseethattheygethereingoodshape。Ihaveourpreliminarylists，andasfastasyouthinkyouneedanything，sendarequisitionintome，andI’llseetoit。"

"AndI？"inquiredOrde。

"You’llgetrightattheconstruction。Gettheboomsbuiltandimprovetheriverwhereitneedsit。Begintogetyourcrew——I’mnotgoingtotellyouhow；youknowbetterthanIdo。Onlygeteverythinginshapefornextspring’sdrive。Youcanstartrightoff。Wehavemymoneytobeginon。"

Ordelaughedandstretchedhisarmsoverhishead。

"My！She’sanicebigjob，isn’tshe？"hecriedjoyously。

XIV

Orde，inspiteofhisactivities，managedtoseeCarrollBishoptwiceduringtheensuingweek。

OnhisreturnhomelateMondayafternoon，GrandmaOrdeinformedhimwithashrewdtwinklethatshewantedhimsurelyathomethefollowingevening。

"I’veaskedinthreeorfouroftheyoungpeopleforacandypull，"

saidshe。

"Who，mother？"askedOrde。

"Yourcrowd。TheSmiths，Collinses，JaneHubbard，andHer，"saidGrandmaOrde，whichprobablywenttoshowthatshehadinthemeantimebeenmakinginquiries，andwassatisfiedwiththem。

"Doyousupposethey’llcareforcandypulling？"hazardedOrdealittledoubtfully。

"Youmean，willshe？"counteredGrandma。"Well，Ihopeforbothyoursakessheisnotbeyondalittleold—fashionedfun。"

Soitproved。Theyoungpeoplestraggledinatanearlyhouraftersupper——everyonehadsupperinthosedays。CarrollBishopandJanearrivednearlythelast。Ordesteppedintothehalltohelpthemwiththeirwraps。Huponthevitalpointoftheevening。Hehadsaidsomethingaboutaplanfortheweekfollowing。

"ButyouforgetthatbythattimeIshallbegone，"saidshe。

"Gone！"heechoedblankly。"Where？"

"Home，"saidshe。"Don’tyourememberIamtogoSundaymorning？"

"Ithoughtyouweregoingtostayamonth。"

"Iwas，butI——certainthingscameupthatmadeitnecessaryformetoleavesooner。"

"I——I’msorryyou’regoing，"stammeredOrde。

"SoamI，"saidshe。"I’vehadaverynicetimehere。"

"ThenIwon’tseeyouagain，"saidOrde，stillgropingforrealisation。"ImustgotoMonroviato—morrow。ButI’llbedowntoseeyouoff。"

"Docome，"saidshe。

"It’snottobeforgood？"heexpostulated。"You’llbecomingback。"

Shethrewherhandspalmout，withaprettygestureofignorance。

"Thatisinthelapofthegods，"saidshe。

"WilewassurprisedasheapproachedMissBishoptolifthercloakfromhershoulders，tofindthatthetopofherdaintilypoisedhead，withitssoft，finehair，camewellbelowthelevelofhiseyes。Somehowherpoise，herslendergraceofmovementandofattitude，hadlenthertheimpressionofastatureshedidnotpossess。To—nighthereyes，whilefathomlessasever，shonequietlyinanticipation。

"Doyouknow，"shetoldOrdedelightedly，"Ihaveneverbeentoarealcandypullinmylife。Itwassogoodofyourmothertoaskme。Whatadearshelooksto—night。Andisthatyourfather？I’mgoingtospeaktohim。"

Sheturnedthroughthenarrowdoorintothelighted，low—ceilingedparlourwherethecompanywerechattingbusily。Ordemechanicallyfollowedher。HewasarrestedbythesoundofJaneHubbard’sslowgood—humouredvoicebehindhim。

"Now，Jack，"shedrawled，"Iagreewithyouperfectly；butthatisNOreasonwhyIshouldbeneglectedentirely。Comeandhangupmycoat。"

Fullofremorse，Ordeturned。JaneHubbardstoodaccusinglyinthemiddleofthehall，herplain，shrewd，good—humouredfacesmilingfaintly。Ordemetherfrankwideeyeswithsomeembarrassment。

"Hereitis，"saidJane，holdingoutthecoat。"Idon’tmuchcarewhetheryouhangitupornot。Ijustwantedtocallyoubacktowishyouluck。"Herslowsmilewidened，andhergrayeyesmethisstillmoreknowingly。

Ordeseizedthecoatandherhandatthesametime。

"Jane，you’reatrump，"saidhe。"Nowonderyou’rethemostpopulargirlintown。"

"OfcourseIam，Jack，"sheagreedindolently。Sheenteredtheparlour。

Thecandypullingwasasuccess。Ofcourseeverybodygotburnedalittleandspatteredagooddeal；butthatwastobeexpected。

Aftertheproducthadbeenbrokenandbeenpiledondishes，alltroopedtotheinformal"backsitting—room，"whereanopenfireinvitedtostoriesandgamesofthequietersort。Someofthegirlssatinchairs，thoughmostjoinedthemenonthehearth。

CarrollBishop，however，seemedpossessedofaspiritofrestlessness。Theplaceseemedtointeresther。Shewanderedhereandthereintheroom，lookingnowatthewalnut—framedphotographofUncleJimOrde，nowatthegreatpinkconchshellseithersidethedoor，nowatthemarble—toppedtablewithitssquarepaper—

weightofpolishedagateanditsglass"bell，"beneathwhichstoodaverylife—likerobin。This"backsitting—room"containedlittleinthewayofornament。Itwasfilled，onthecontrary，witholdcomfortablechairs，andworncalf—backedbooks。Thegirlpeeredatthetitlesofthese；butthegas—jetshadbeenturnedlowinfavourofthefirelight，andshehadtogiveovertheefforttoidentifythevolumes。OnceshewanderedclosetoGrandmaOrde’scushionedwoodenrocker，andpassedherhandlightlyovertheoldlady’sshoulder。

"DoyoumindifIlookatthings？"sheasked。"It’ssodearandsweetandoldanddifferentfromourNewYorkhomes。"

"Lookallyouwantto，dearie，"saidGrandmaOrde。

Afteramomentshepassedintothedining—room。HereOrdefoundher，herhandslinkedinfrontofher。

"Oh，itissoquaintanddelightful，"sheexhaledslowly。"Thisdear，dearoldhousewithitslowceilingsanditsqueerhaphazardlines，anditsdeepwindows，anditsoldpictures，andqueerunexpectedthingsthattakeyourbreathaway。"

"Itisoneoftheoldesthousesintown，"saidOrde，"andIsupposeitispicturesque。But，yousee，Iwasbroughtuphere，soI’musedtoit。"

"Waituntilyouleaveit，"saidsheprophetically，"andliveawayfromit。Thenallthesethingswillcomebacktoyoutomakeyourheartacheforthem。"

Theyrambledabouttogether，Orde’senthusiasmgraduallykindlingattheflameofherown。HeshowedherthemarvellousandpainstakingpencilsketchofNapoleonlookingoutoveramaltese—crosssunsetdonebyAuntMarthaattheageoften。Ithungframedintheupperhall。

"Ithasalwaysbeenthere，eversinceIcanremember，"saidOrde，"andithasseemedtobelongthere。I’veneverthoughtofitasgoodorbad，justasbelonging。"

"Iknow，"shenodded。

InthisspiritalsotheyviewedtheplasterstatueofWashingtoninthelowerhall，andtheRoger’sgroupintheparlour。Theglasscabinetof"curiosities"interestedhergreatly——thecarvedivorychessmen，thedriedsea—weeds，thestonefromSugarLoafRock，thebitfromthlyouwritemeoccasionally？"hebegged。

"Astothat——"shebegan——"I’maverypoorcorrespondent。"

"Butwon’tyouwrite？"heinsisted。

"Idonotmakeitacustomdeespeciallyhadaninfinitudeofdetailsonhishands。Thefatnote—

bookinhissidepocketfilledrapidlywithroughsketches，lists，andestimates。Constantlyheinterviewedmenofallkinds——

rivermen，millmen，contractors，boatbuilders，hardwaredealers，pile—drivercaptains，builders，wholesalegrocerymen，cooks，axe—

men，choreboys——allalittleworldinitself。

Thesignsofprogresssoonmanifestedthemselves。BelowBigBendthepile—driverswereatwork，thesquaremassesoftheirhammersrisingrapidlytothetopsofthederricks，theretopauseamomentbeforedroppingswiftlytoadullTHUMP！Theywereplacingalong，compactrow，whichshouldbetheouterbulwarksseparatingthesorting—boomsfromthechanneloftheriver。Ashorethecarpenterswereknockingtogetheralong，lowstructureforthecook—houseandalargerbuilding，destinedtoserveasbunk—housefortheregularboom—crew。Therewouldalsobeablacksmith’sforge，astorehouse，atoolandsupply—house，abarn，andsmallseparateshantiesforthemarriedmen。Belowmorelabourerswithpicks，ewreckoftheNORTHSTAR，thegoldandsilvershells，theglitteringgeodesandpyrites，thesandal—woodfan，andallthehundredandoneknick—knacksitwasthenthecustomtocollectunderglass。Theyevenventuredpartwayupthecreakyatticstairs，butitwastoodarktoenterthatmysteriousregion。

"Ihearthedripofwater，"shewhispered，herfingeronherlips。

"It’sthetank，"saidOrde。

"AndhasitaDarkPlacebehindit？"shebegged。

"That’sjustwhatithas，"saidhe。

"And——tellme——arethererealhairtrunkswithbrassknobson’em？"

"Yes，motherhastwoorthree。"

"O—o—h！"shebreathedsoftly。"Don’ttellmewhat’sinthem。I

wanttobelieveinbrocadesandsashes。Doyouknow，"shelookedathimsoberly，"Ineverhadanydarkplacesbehindthetank，normysterioustrunks，whenIwasachild。"

"Youmightbeginnow，"suggestedOrde。

"DoyoumeantoinsinuateIhaven’tgrownup？"shemocked。"Thankyou！LookOUT！"shecriedsuddenly，"theBoojumwillcatchus，"andpickingupherskirtsshefairlyflewdownthenarrowstairs。Ordecouldhearthelightswishofherdraperiesdownthehall，andthenthepatofherfeetonthestaircarpetofthelowerflight。

Hefollowedratherdreamily。Aglanceintothesitting—roomshowedthegroupgatheredclosearoundthefirelisteningtoLemCollin’sattemptataghoststory。Shewasnotthere。Hefoundher，then，intheparlour。Shewaskneelingonthefloorbeforetheglasscabinetofcuriosities，andshehadquiteflattenedherlittlenoseagainstthepane。Athisexclamationshelookedupwithalaugh。

"Thisistheproperaltitudefromwhichtoviewacabinetofcuriosities，"saidshe，"andsomethingtellsmeyououghttoflattenyournose，too。"Sheheldoutbothhandstobehelpedup。"Oh，WHATahouseforachild！"shecried。

Afterthecompanyhadgone，Ordestoodlongbythefrontgatelookingupintotheinfinitespaces。Somehow，andvaguely，hefeltthenighttobeakintoherelusivespirit。Fartherandfartherhissoulpenetratedintoitsdepths；andyetotherdepthslaybeyond，othermysteries，otherunguessedrealms。Andyetitsbeautywasthesimplicityofspaceanddarkandthestars。

Thenexttimehesawherwasatherownhouse——orratherthehouseofthefriendshevisited。OrdewenttocallonFridayeveningandwasluckyenoughtofindthegirlshomeandalone。AfteradecentintervalJanemadeanexcuseandwentout。Theytalkedonagreatvarietyofsubjects，andwithaconsiderableapproachtowardintimacy。NotuntilnearlytimetogodidOrdestumbletowritetoyoungmen。"

"Oh！"hecried，believinghimselfenlightened。"WillyouanswerifIwriteyou？"

"Thatdepends。"

"Onwhat？"

"Onwhetherthereisareplytomake。"

"ButmayIwriteyou？"

"IsupposeIcouldn’tverywellpreventyou，ifyouweresuretoputonathree—centstamp。"

"Doyouwantmeto？"persistedOrde。

Shebegangentlytolaugh，quitetoherself，asthoughenjoyingajokeentirelywithinherownpersonalprivilege。

"Youaresodirectandpersistentandboy—like，"saidshepresently。

"Nowifyou’llbeverygood，andnotwhispertotheotherlittlepupils，I’lltellyouhowtheydosuchthingsusually。"Shesatupstraightfromthedepthsofherchair，herwhite，delicatelytaperingforearmsrestinglightlyonherknees。"Youngmendesiringtocommunicatewithyoungladiesdonotaskthembluntly。Theymakesomeexcuse，likesendingabook，amagazine，amarkednewspaper，orevenabitofdesiredinformation。Atthesametime，theysendnotesinformingthegirlofthefact。Thegirlisnaturallyexpectedtoacknowledgethepoliteness。Ifshewishesthecorrespondencetocontinue，sheasksaquestion，orinsomeotherwayleavesanopening。Doyousee？"

"Yes，Isee，"saidOrde，slightlycrestfallen。"Butthat’salongtimetowait。Iliketofeelsettledaboutathing。Iwantedtoknow。"

Shedroppedbackagainstthecushionedslantofhereasychair，andlaughedagain。