"Yes，yousee，"Fulkersonadded，"nobodycangivein。"
　　"Pardonme，"saidthecolonel，"thecaseisoneinwhichallcangivein。"
　　"Idon'tknowwhich'llbegin，"saidFulkerson。
　　Thecolonelrose。"Mr。Lindaumustbegin，sir。WemustbeginbyseeingMr。Lindau，andsecuringfromhimtheassurancethatintheexpressionofhispeculiarviewshehadnointentionofofferinganypersonaloffencetoMr。Dryfoos。IfIhaveformedacorrectestimateofMr。Lindau，thiswillbeperfectlysimple。"
　　Fulkersonshookhishead。"Butitwouldn'thelp。Dryfoosdon'tcarearapwhetherLindaumeantanypersonaloffenceornot。Asfarasthatisconcerned，he'sgotahidelikeahippopotamus。ButwhathehatesisLindau'sopinions，andwhathesaysisthatnomanwhoholdssuchopinionsshallhaveanyworkfromhim。AndwhatMarchsaysisthatnomanshallbepunishedthroughhimforhisopinions，hedon'tcarewhattheyare。"
　　Thecolonelstoodamomentinsilence。"Andwhatdoyouexpectmetodounderthecircumstances?"
　　"Icametoyouforadvice——Ithoughtyoumightsuggest——?"
　　"DoyouwishmetoseeMr。Dryfoos?"
　　"Well，that'saboutthesizeofit，"Fulkersonadmitted。"Yousee，colonel，"hehastenedon，"Iknowthatyouhaveagreatdealofinfluencewithhim；thatarticleofyoursisabouttheonlythinghe'severreadin'EveryOtherWeek，'andhe'sproudofyouracquaintance。Well，youknow"——
　　andhereFulkersonbroughtinthefigurethatstruckhimsomuchinBeaton'sphraseandhadbeenonhistongueeversince——"you'rethemanonhorsebacktohim；andhe'dbemoreapttodowhatyousaythanifanybodyelsesaidit。"
　　"Youareverygood，sir，"saidthecolonel，tryingtobeproofagainsttheflattery，"butIamafraidyouoverratemyinfluence。"Fulkersonlethimponderitsilently，andhisdaughtergovernedherimpatiencebyholdingherfanagainstherlips。Whatevertheprocesswasinthecolonel'smind，hesaidatlast:"Iseenogoodreasonfordecliningtoactforyou，Mr。Fulkerson，andIshallbeveryhappyifIcanbeofservicetoyou。But"——hestoppedFulkersonfromcuttinginwithprecipitatethanks——"IthinkIhavearight，sir，toaskwhatyourcoursewillbeintheeventoffailure?"
　　"Failure?"Fulkersonrepeated，indismay。
　　"Yes，sir。Iwillnotconcealfromyouthatthismissionisonenotwhollyagreeabletomyfeelings。"
　　"Oh，Iunderstandthat，colonel，andIassureyouthatIappreciate，I——"
　　"Thereisnousetryingtoblinkthefact，sir，thattherearecertainaspectsofMr。Dryfoos'scharacterinwhichheisnotagentleman。
　　Wehavealludedtothisfactbefore，andIneednotdwelluponitnow:I
　　maysay，however，thatmymisgivingswerenotwhollyremovedlastnight。"
　　"No，"Fulkersonassented；thoughinhishearthethoughttheoldmanhadbehavedverywell。
　　"WhatIwishtosaynowisthatIcannotconsenttoactforyou，inthismatter，merelyasanintermediarywhosefailurewouldleavetheaffairinstatequo。"
　　"Isee，"saidFulkerson。
　　"AndIshouldlikesomeintimation，someassurance，astowhichpartyyourownfeelingsarewithinthedifference。"
　　ThecolonelbenthiseyessharplyonFulkerson；MissWoodburnlethersfall；Fulkersonfeltthathewasbeingtested，andhesaid，togaintime，"AsbetweenLindauandDryfoos?"thoughheknewthiswasnotthepoint。
　　"AsbetweenMr。DryfoosandMr。March，"saidthecolonel。
　　Fulkersondrewalongbreathandtookhiscourageinbothhands。"Therecan'tbeanychoiceformeinsuchacase。I'mforMarch，everytime。"
　　Thecolonelseizedhishand，andMissWoodburnsaid，"Iftherehadbeenanychoicefo'youinsuchacase，Ishouldneverhaveletpapastirastepwithyou。"
　　"Why，inregardtothat，"saidthecolonel，witha，literalapplicationoftheidea，"wasityourintentionthatweshouldbothgo?"
　　"Well，Idon'tknow；Isupposeitwas。"
　　"Ithinkitwillbebetterformetogoalone，"saidthecolonel；and，withacolorfromhisexperienceinaffairsofhonor，headded:"Inthesemattersaprincipalcannotappearwithoutcompromisinghisdignity。
　　IbelieveIhaveallthepointsclearlyinmind，andIthinkIshouldactmorefreelyinmeetingMr。Dryfoosalone。"
　　Fulkersontriedtohidetheeagernesswithwhichhemettheseagreeableviews。Hefelthimselfexaltedinsomesorttothelevelofthecolonel'ssentiments，thoughitwouldnotbeeasytosaywhetherthiswasthroughthedesperationbredofhavingcommittedhimselftoMarch'sside，orthroughthebuoyanthopehehadthatthecolonelwouldsucceedinhismission。
　　"I'mnotafraidtotalkwithDryfoosaboutit，"hesaid。
　　"Thereisnoquestionofcourage，"saidthecolonel。"Itisaquestionofdignity——ofpersonaldignity。"
　　"Well，don'tletthatdelayyou，papa，"saidhisdaughter，followinghimtothedoor，whereshefoundhimhishat，andFulkersonhelpedhimonwithhisovercoat。"Ahshallbejostwaldtoknowho'it'stonedoat。"
　　"Won'tyouletmegouptothehousewithyou?"Fulkersonbegan。
　　"Ineedn'tgoin——"
　　"Iprefertogoalone，"saidthecolonel。"Iwishtoturnthepointsoverinmymind，andIamafraidyouwouldfindmeratherdullcompany。"
　　Hewentout，andFulkersonreturnedwithMissWoodburntothedrawing-
　　room，whereshesaidtheLeightonswere。They，werenotthere，butshedidnotseemdisappointed。
　　"Well，Mr。Fulkerson，"shesaid，"youhavegotanahdealoffriendship，sureenough。"
　　"Me?"saidFulkerson。"Oh，myLord!Don'tyouseeIcouldn'tdoanythingelse?AndI'mscaredhalftodeath，anyway。Ifthecoloneldon'tbringtheoldmanround，Ireckonit'sallupwithme。Buthe'llfetchhim。AndI'mjustprostratedwithgratitudetoyou，MissWoodburn。"
　　Shewavedhisthanksasidewithherfan。"Whatdoyoumeanbyitsbeingallupwithyou?"
　　"Why，iftheoldmanstickstohisposition，andIsticktoMarch，we'vebothgottogooverboardtogether。Dryfoosownsthemagazine；hecanstopit，orhecanstopus，whichamountstothesamething，asfaraswe'reconcerned。"
　　"Andthenwhat?"thegirlpursued。
　　"Andthen，nothing——tillwepickourselvesup。"
　　"DoyoumeanthatMr。Dryfooswillputyoubothoatofyourplaces?"
　　"Hemay。"
　　"AndMr。Mawchtakestheriskofthatjostfo'aprinciple?"
　　"Ireckon。"
　　"Andyoudoitjostfo'anahdeal?"
　　"Itwon'tdotoownit。Imusthavemylittleaxetogrind，somewhere。"
　　"Well，menawesplendid，"sighedthegirl。"Ahwillsayit。"
　　"Oh，they'renotsomuchbetterthanwomen，"saidFulkerson，withanervousjocosity。"IguessMarchwouldhavebackeddownifithadn'tbeenforhiswife。Shewasashotaspepperaboutit，andyoucouldseethatshewouldhavesacrificedallherhusband'srelationssoonerthanlethimbackdownaninchfromthestandhehadtaken。It'sprettyeasyforamantosticktoaprincipleifhehasawomantostandbyhim。
　　Butwhenyoucometoplayitalone——"
　　"Mr。Fulkerson，"saidthegirl，solemnly，"Ahwillstandbahyouinthis，ifallthewoaldtonesagainstyou。"Thetearscameintohereyes，andsheputoutherhandtohim。
　　"Youwill?"heshouted，inarapture。"Ineveryway——andalways——aslongasyoulive?Doyoumeanit?"Hehadcaughtherhandtohisbreastandwasgrapplingittightthereanddrawinghertohim。
　　Thechangingemotionschasedoneanotherthroughherheartandoverherface:dismay，shame，pride，tenderness。"Youdon'tbelieve，"shesaid，hoarsely，"thatAhmeantthat?"
　　"No，butIhopeyoudomeanit；forifyoudon't，nothingelsemeansanything。"
　　Therewasnospace，therewasonlyapointofwavering。"Ahdomeanit。"
　　Whentheyliftedtheireyesfromeachotheragainitwashalf-pastten。
　　"No'youmostgo，"shesaid。
　　"Butthecolonel——ourfate?"
　　"Theco'nelisoftenoatlate，andAh'mnotafraidofouahfate，no'thatwe'vetakenitintoouahownhands。"Shelookedathimwithdewyeyesoftrust，ofinspiration。
　　"Oh，it'sgoingtocomeoutallright，"hesaid。"Itcan'tcomeoutwrongnow，nomatterwhathappens。Butwho'dhavethoughtit，whenI
　　cameintothishouse，insuchastateofsinandmisery，halfanhourago——"
　　"Threehouahsandahalfago!"shesaid。"No!youmostjostgo。Ah'mtahedtodeath。Good-night。Youcancomeinthemawningtosee-papa。"
　　Sheopenedthedoorandpushedhimoutwithenrapturingviolence，andheranlaughingdownthestepsintoherfather'sarms。
　　"Why，colonel!Iwasjustgoinguptomeetyou。"Hehadreallythoughthewouldwalkoffhisexultationinthatdirection。
　　"Iamverysorrytosay，Mr。Fulkerson，"thecolonelbegan，gravely，"thatMr。Dryfoosadherestohisposition。"
　　"Oh，allright，"saidFulkerson，withunabatedjoy。"It'swhatI
　　expected。Well，mycourseisclear；IshallstandbyMarch，andIguesstheworldwon'tcometoanendifhebouncesusboth。ButI'meverlastinglyobligedtoyou，ColonelWoodburn，andIdon'tknowwhattosaytoyou。I——Iwon'tdetainyounow；it'ssolate。I'llseeyouinthemorning。Good-ni——"
　　Fulkersondidnotrealizethatittakestwotopart。Thecolonellaidholdofhisarmandturnedawaywithhim。"Iwillwalktowardyourplacewithyou。IcanunderstandwhyyoushouldbeanxioustoknowtheparticularsofmyinterviewwithMr。Dryfoos"；andinthestatementwhichfollowedhedidnotsparehimthesmallest。Itoutlastedtheirwalkanddetainedthemlongonthestepsofthe'EveryOtherWeek'building。ButattheendFulkersonlethimselfinwithhiskeyaslightofheartasifhehadbeenlisteningtothegayestpromisesthatfortunecouldmake。
　　BythetunehemetMarchattheofficenextmorning，alittle，butonlyaverylittle，misgivingsaddenedhisgoldenheaven。HetookMarch'shandwithhighcourage，andsaid，"Well，theoldmanstickstohispoint，March。"Headded，withthesenseofsayingitbeforeMissWoodburn:"AndIstickbyyou。I'vethoughtitallover，andI'dratherberightwithyouthanwrongwithhim。"
　　"Well，Iappreciateyourmotive，Fulkerson，"saidMarch。"Butperhaps——
　　perhapswecansaveoverourheroicsforanotheroccasion。Lindauseemstohavegotinwithhis，forthepresent。"
　　HetoldhimofLindau'slastvisit，andtheystoodamomentlookingateachotherratherqueerly。Fulkersonwasthefirsttorecoverhisspirits。"Well，"hesaid，cheerily，"thatlet'susout。"
　　"Doesit?I'mnotsureitletsmeout，"saidMarch；buthesaidthisintributetohiscrippledself-respectratherthanasaforecastofanyactioninthematter。
　　"Why，whatareyougoingtodo?"Fulkersonasked。"IfLindauwon'tworkforDryfoos，youcan'tmakehim。"
　　Marchsighed。"Whatareyougoingtodowiththismoney?"Heglancedattheheapofbillshehadflungonthetablebetweenthem。
　　Fulkersonscratchedhishead。"Ah，doggedifIknow:Can'twegiveittothedeservingpoor，somehow，ifwecanfind'em?"
　　"Isupposewe'venorighttouseitinanyway。YoumustgiveittoDryfoos。"
　　"Tothedeservingrich?Well，youcanalwaysfindthem。Ireckonyoudon'twanttoappearinthetransaction!Idon't，either；butIguessI
　　must。"FulkersongatheredupthemoneyandcarriedittoConrad。
　　Hedirectedhimtoaccountforitinhisbooksasconscience-money，andheenjoyedthejokemorethanConradseemedtodowhenhewastoldwhereitcamefrom。
　　Fulkersonwasabletowearoffthedisagreeableimpressiontheaffairleftduringthecourseofthefore-noon，andhemetMissWoodburnwithallalover'sbuoyancywhenhewenttolunch。Shewasashappyashewhenhetoldherhowfortunatelythewholethinghadended，andhetookherviewthatitwasarewardofhiscourageinhavingdaredtheworst。
　　Theybothfelt，asthenewlyplightedalwaysdo，thattheywereinthebestrelationswiththebeneficentpowers，andthattheirfelicityhadbeenespeciallylookedtointhedispositionofevents。Theywereinaglowofrapturouscontentwiththemselvesandradiantworshipofeachother；shewassurethathemeritedthebrightfutureopeningtothemboth，asmuchasifheoweditdirectlytosomenobleactionofhisown；
　　hefeltthathewasindebtedforthefavorofHeavenentirelytothestillincredibleaccidentofherpreferenceofhimoverothermen。
　　ColonelWoodburn，whowasnotyetinthesecretoftheirlove，perhapsfailedforthisreasontosharetheirsatisfactionwitharesultsounexpectedlybroughtabout。TheblessingontheirhopesseemedtohisignorancetoinvolvecertainsacrificesofpersonalfeelingatwhichhehintedinsuggestingthatDryfoosshouldnowbeaskedtomakesomeabstractconcessionsandacknowledgments；hisdaughterhastenedtodenythatthesewereatallnecessary；andFulkersoneasilyexplainedwhy。
　　Thethingwasover；whatwastheuseofopeningitupagain?
　　"Perhapsnone，"thecoloneladmitted。Butheadded，"IshouldliketheopportunityoftakingMr。Lindau'shandinthepresenceofMr。DryfoosandassuringhimthatIconsideredhimamanofprincipleandamanofhonor——agentleman，sir，whomIwasproudandhappytohaveknown。"
　　"Well，Ah'venodoabt，"saidhisdaughter，demurely，"thatyou'llhavethechancesomeday；andwewouldalllahketojoinyou。Butatthesametahme，AhthinkMr。Fulkersoniswelloatofitfo'thepresent。"
　　EndAHazardofNewFortunesV5
　　ByWilliamDeanHowellsPARTFIFTH
　　I。
　　Superficially，theaffairsof'EveryOtherWeek'settledintotheirwontedformagain，andforFulkersontheyseemedthoroughlyreinstated。
　　ButMarchhadafeelingofimpermanencyfromwhathadhappened，mixedwithafantasticsenseofshametowardLindau。HedidnotsympathizewithLindau'sopinions；hethoughthisremedyforexistingevilsaswildlyimpracticableasColonelWoodburn's。Butwhilehethoughtthis，andwhilehecouldjustlyblameFulkersonforLindau'spresenceatDryfoos'sdinner，whichhiszealhadbroughtaboutinspiteofMarch'sprotests，stillhecouldnotridhimselfofthereproachofuncandorwithLindau。Heoughttohavetoldhimfranklyabouttheownershipofthemagazine，andwhatmannerofmanthemanwaswhosemoneyhewastaking。
　　Buthesaidthathenevercouldhaveimaginedthathewasseriousinhispreposterousattitudeinregardtoaclassofmenwhoembodyhalftheprosperityofthecountry；andhehadmomentsofrevoltagainsthisownhumiliationbeforeLindau，inwhichhefounditmonstrousthatheshouldreturnDryfoos'smoneyasifithadbeenthespoilofarobber。Hiswifeagreedwithhiminthesemoments，andsaiditwasagreatreliefnottohavethattiresomeoldGermancomingabout。Theyhadtoaccountforhisabsenceevasivelytothechildren，whomtheycouldnotverywelltellthattheirfatherwaslivingonmoneythatLindaudisdainedtotake，eventhoughLindauwaswrongandtheirfatherwasright。ThisheightenedMrs。
　　March'sresentmenttowardbothLindauandDryfoos，whobetweenthemhadplacedherhusbandinafalseposition。Ifanything，sheresentedDryfoos'sconductmorethanLindau's。HehadneverspokentoMarchabouttheaffairsinceLindauhadrenouncedhiswork，oraddedtotheapologeticmessageshehadsentbyFulkerson。SofarasMarchknew，DryfooshadbeenlefttosupposethatLindauhadsimplystoppedforsomereasonthatdidnotpersonallyaffecthim。Theyneverspokeofhim，andMarchwastooproudtoaskeitherFulkersonorConradwhethertheoldmanknewthatLindauhadreturnedhismoney。HeavoidedtalkingtoConrad，fromafeelingthatifbedidheshouldinvoluntarilyleadhimontospeakofhisdifferenceswithhisfather。BetweenhimselfandFulkerson，even，hewasuneasilyawareofawantoftheiroldperfectfriendliness。
　　Fulkersonhadfinallybehavedwithhonorandcourage；buthisprovisionalreluctancehadgivenMarchthemeasureofFulkerson'scharacterinonedirection，andhecouldnotignorethefactthatitwassmallerthanhecouldhavewished。
　　HecouldnotmakeoutwhetherFulkersonsharedhisdiscomfortornot。
　　Itcertainlyworeaway，evenwithMarch，astimepassed，andwithFulkerson，intheblissofhisfortunatelove，itwasprobablyfarmoretransient，ifitexistedatall。Headvancedintothewinterasradiantlyasiftomeetthespring，andhesaidthatiftherewereanypleasantermonthoftheyearthanNovember，itwasDecember，especiallywhentheweatherwasgoodandwetandmuddymostofthetime，sothatyouhadtokeepindoorsalongwhileafteryoucalledanywhere。
　　ColonelWoodburnhadtheanxiety，inviewofhisdaughter'sengagement，whensheaskedhisconsenttoit，thatsuchadreamermusthaveinregardtoanyrealitythatthreatenstoaffectthecourseofhisreveries。Hehadnotperhapstakenhermarriageintoaccount，exceptasaremotecontingency；andcertainlyFulkersonwasnotthekindofson-in-lawthathehadimaginedindealingwiththatabstraction。Butbecausehehadnothingofthesortdefinitelyinmind，hecouldnotopposetheselectionofFulkersonwithsuccess；hereallyknewnothingagainsthim，andheknew，manythingsinhisfavor；Fulkersoninspiredhimwiththelikingthateveryonefeltforhiminameasure；heamusedhim，hecheeredhim；
　　andthecolonelhadbeensomuchusedtoleavingactionofallkindstohisdaughterthatwhenhecametoclosequarterswiththequestionofason-in-lawhefelthelplesstodecideit，andheletherdecideit，asifitwerestilltobedecidedwhenitwassubmittedtohim。Shewascompetenttotreatitinallitsphases:notmerelythoseofpersonalinterest，butthoseofdutytothebrokenSouthernpast，sentimentallydeartohim，andpracticallyabsurdtoher。NosuchSouthasherememberedhadeverexistedtoherknowledge，andnosuchcivilizationasheimaginedwouldeverexist，toherbelief，anywhere。Shetooktheworldasshefoundit，andmadethebestofit。ShetrustedinFulkerson；shehadprovedhismagnanimityinaseriousemergency；andinsmallthingsshewaswillingfearlesslytochanceitwithhim。Shewasnotasentimentalist，andtherewasnothingfantasticinherexpectations；shewasagirlofgoodsenseandrightmind，andshelikedtheimmediatepracticalityaswellasthefinalhonorofFulkerson。Shedidnotidealizehim，butinthehighesteffectsherealizedhim；shedidhimjustice，andshewouldnothavebelievedthatshedidhimmorethanjusticeifshehadsometimesknownhimtodohimselfless。
　　TheirengagementwasafacttowhichtheLeightonhouseholdadjusteditselfalmostassimplyastheloversthemselves；MissWoodburntoldtheladiesatonce，anditwasnotathingthatFulkersoncouldkeepfromMarchverylong。HesentwordofittoMrs。Marchbyherhusband；andhisengagementperhapsdidmorethananythingelsetoconfirmtheconfidenceinhimwhichhadbeenshakenbyhisearlybehaviorintheLindauepisode，andnotwhollyrestoredbyhistardyfidelitytoMarch。
　　Butnowshefeltthatamanwhowishedtogetmarriedsoobviouslyandentirelyforlovewasfullofallkindsofthebestinstincts，andonlyneededtheguidanceofawife，tobecomeverynoble。Sheinterestedherselfintenselyinbalancingtherespectivemeritsoftheengagedcouple，andafterhercalluponMissWoodburninhernewcharactershepridedherselfuponrecognizingtheworthofsomestrictlySouthernqualitiesinher，whilemaintainingthegeneralaverageofNewEnglandsuperiority。ShecouldnotreconcileherselftotheVirginiancustomillustratedinherhavingbeenchristenedwiththesurnameofMadison；
　　andshesaidthatitspetformofMad，whichFulkersonpromptlyinvented，onlymadeitmoreridiculous。
　　FulkersonwasslowerintellingBeaton。Hewasafraid，somehow，ofBeaton'stakingthematterinthecynicalway；MissWoodburnsaidshewouldbreakofftheengagementifBeatonwaslefttoguessitorfinditoutbyaccident，andthenFulkersonpluckeduphiscourage。Beatonreceivedthenewswithgravity，andwithasortofmelancholymeeknessthatstronglymovedFulkerson'ssympathy，andmadehimwishthatBeatonwasengaged，too。
　　ItmadeBeatonfeelveryold；itsomehowlefthimbehindandforgotten；
　　inamanner，itmadehimfeeltrifledwith。Somethingoftheunfriendlinessoffateseemedtoovercasthisresentment，andheallowedthesadnessofhisconvictionthathehadnotthemeanstomarryontotingehisrecognitionofthefactthatAlmaLeightonwouldnothavewantedhimtomarryherifhehad。Hewasnowofteninthatmartyrmoodinwhichhewishedtohelphisfather；notonlytodenyhimselfChianti，buttoforegoafur-linedovercoatwhichheintendedtogetforthewinter，HepostponedthemomentofactualsacrificeasregardedtheChianti，andheboughttheovercoatinananguishofself-reproach。
　　HeworeitthefirsteveningafterhegotitingoingtocallupontheLeightons，anditseemedtohimapieceofghastlyironywhenAlmacomplimentedhispicturesquenessinitandaskedhimtolethersketchhim。
　　"Oh，youcansketchme，"hesaid，withsomuchgloomthatitmadeherlaugh。
　　"Ifyouthinkit'ssoserious，I'drathernot。"
　　"No，no!Goahead!Howdoyouwantme?"
　　Oh，flingyourselfdownonachairinoneofyourattitudesofstudiednegligence；andtwistonecornerofyourmustachewithaffectedabsenceofmind。"
　　"AndyouthinkI'malwaysstudied，alwaysaffected?"
　　"Ididn'tsayso。"
　　"Ididn'taskyouwhatyousaid。"
　　"AndIwon'ttellyouwhatIthink。"
　　"Ah，Iknowwhatyouthink。"
　　"Whatmadeyouask，then?"Thegirllaughedagainwiththesatisfactionofhersexincorneringaman。
　　Beatonmadeashowofnotdeigningtoreply，andputhimselfintheposeshesuggested，frowning。
　　"Ah，that'sit。Butalittlemoreanimation——
　　"'Aswhenagreatthoughtstrikesalongthebrain，Andflushesallthecheek。'"
　　Sheputherforeheaddownonthebackofherhandandlaughedagain。
　　"Yououghttobephotographed。Youlookasifyouweresittingforit。"
　　Beatonsaid:"That'sbecauseIknowIambeingphotographed，inoneway。
　　Idon'tthinkyououghttocallmeaffected。Ineveramsowithyou；I
　　knowitwouldn'tbeofanyuse。"
　　"Oh，Mr。Beaton，youflatter。"
　　"No，Ineverflatteryou。"
　　"Imeantyouflatteredyourself。"
　　"How?"
　　"Oh，Idon'tknow。Imagine。"
　　"Iknowwhatyoumean。YouthinkIcan'tbesincerewithanybody。"
　　"Ohno，Idon't。"
　　"Whatdoyouthink?"
　　"Thatyoucan't——try。"Almagaveanothervictoriouslaugh。
　　MissWoodburnandFulkersonwouldoncehavebothfeignedagreatinterestinAlma'ssketchingBeaton，andmadeitthesubjectoftalk，inwhichtheyapproachedasnearlyaspossibletherealinterestoftheirlives。
　　Nowtheyfranklyremainedawayinthedining-room，whichwasverycozyafterthedinnerhaddisappeared；thecolonelsatwithhislampandpaperinthegallerybeyond；Mrs。Leightonwasaboutherhousekeepingaffairs，inthecontentshealwaysfeltwhenAlmawaswithBeaton。
　　"Theyseemtobehavingaprettygoodtimeinthere，"saidFulkerson，detachinghimselffromhisownabsolutegoodtimeaswellashecould。
　　"AtleastAlmadoes，"saidMissWoodburn。
　　"Doyouthinkshecaresforhim?"
　　"Quahteasmochashedesoves。"
　　"WhatmakesyoualldownonBeatonaroundhere?He'snotsuchabadfellow。"
　　"Weawenotalldoanonhim。Mrs。Leightonisn'tdoanonhim。"
　　"Oh，Iguessifitwastheoldlady，therewouldn'tbemuchquestionaboutit。"
　　Theybothlaughed，andAlmasaid，"Theyseemtobegreatlyamusedwithsomethinginthere。"
　　"Me，probably，"saidBeaton。"Iseemtoamuseeverybodyto-night。"
　　"Don'tyoualways?"
　　"Ialwaysamuseyou，I'mafraid，Alma。"
　　Shelookedathimasifsheweregoingtosnubhimopenlyforusinghername；butapparentlyshedecidedtodoitcovertly。"Youdidn'tatfirst。Ireallyusedtobelieveyoucouldbeserious，once。"
　　"Couldn'tyoubelieveitagain?Now?"
　　"Notwhenyouputonthatwind-harpstop。"
　　"Wetmorehasbeentalkingtoyouaboutme。Hewouldsacrificehisbestfriendtoaphrase。Hespendshistimemakingthem。"
　　"He'smadesomeveryprettyonesaboutyou。"
　　"Liketheoneyoujustquoted?"
　　"No，notexactly。Headmiresyoueversomuch。Hesays"Shestopped，teasingly。
　　"What?"
　　"Hesaysyoucouldbealmostanythingyouwished，ifyoudidn'twishtobeeverything。"
　　"ThatsoundsmoreliketheschoolofWetmore。That'swhatyousay，Alma。
　　Well，ifthereweresomethingyouwishedmetobe，Icouldbeit。"
　　"WemightadaptKingsley:'Begood，sweetman，andletwhowillbeclever。'"Hecouldnothelplaughing。Shewenton:"Ialwaysthoughtthatwasthemostpatronizingandexasperatingthingeveraddressedtoahumangirl；andwe'vehadtostandagooddealinourtime。Ishouldliketohaveitappliedtotheother'sect'awhile。Asifanygirlthatwasagirlwouldbegoodifshehadtheremotestchanceofbeingclever。"
　　"Thenyouwouldn'twishmetobegood?"Beatonasked。
　　"Notifyouwereagirl。"
　　"Youwanttoshockme。Well，IsupposeIdeserveit。ButifIwereone-
　　tenthpartasgoodasyouare，Alma，IshouldhavealighterheartthanI
　　havenow。IknowthatI'mfickle，butI'mnotfalse，asyouthinkIam。"
　　"WhosaidIthoughtyouwerefalse?"
　　"Noone，"saidBeaton。"Itisn'tnecessary，whenyoulookit——liveit。"
　　"Oh，dear!Ididn'tknowIdevotedmywholetimetothesubject。"
　　"IknowI'mdespicable。Icouldtellyousomething——thehistoryofthisday，even——thatwouldmakeyoudespiseme。"Beatonhadinmindhispurchaseoftheovercoat，whichAlmawasgettinginsoeffectively，withthemoneyheoughttohavesenthisfather。"But，"hewenton，darkly，withasensethatwhathewasthatmomentsufferingforhisselfishnessmustsomehowbeakindofatonement，whichwouldfinallyleavehimtotheguiltlessenjoymentoftheovercoat，"youwouldn'tbelievethedepthsofbasenessIcoulddescendto。"
　　"Iwouldtry，"saidAlma，rapidlyshadingthecollar，"ifyou'dgivemesomehint。"
　　Beatonhadasuddenwishtopourouthisremorsetoher，buthewasafraidofherlaughingathim。Hesaidtohimselfthatthiswasaverywholesomefear，andthatifhecouldalwayshaveherathandheshouldnotmakeafoolofhimselfsooften。Amanconceivesofsuchanofficeastheverynoblestforawoman；heworshipsherforitifheismagnanimous。ButBeatonwassilent，andAlmaputbackherheadfortherightdistanceonhersketch。"Mr。FulkersonthinksyouarethesublimestofhumanbeingsforadvisinghimtogetColonelWoodburntointerviewMr。DryfoosaboutLindau。WhathaveyoueverdonewithyourJudas?"
　　"Ihaven'tdoneanythingwithit。Nadelthoughthewouldtakeholdofitatonetime，buthedroppeditagain。Afterall，Idon'tsupposeitcouldbepopularized。Fulkersonwantedtoofferitasapremiumtosubscribersfor'EveryOtherWeek，'butIsatdownonthat。"
　　Almacouldnotfeeltheabsurdityofthis，andshemerelysaid，"'EveryOtherWeek'seemstobegoingonjustthesameasever。"
　　"Yes，thetroublehasallblownover，Ibelieve。Fulkerson，"saidBeaton，withareturntowhattheyweresaying，"hasmanagedthewholebusinessverywell。Butheexaggeratesthevalueofmyadvice。"
　　"Verylikely，"Almasuggested，vaguely。"Or，no!Excuseme!Hecouldn't，hecouldn't!"ShelaugheddelightedlyatBeaton'sfoolishlookofembarrassment。
　　Hetriedtorecoverhisdignityinsaying，"He's'averygoodfellow，andhedeserveshishappiness。"
　　"Oh，indeed!"saidAlma，perversely。"Doesanyonedeservehappiness?"
　　"IknowIdon't，"sighedBeaton。
　　"Youmeanyoudon'tgetit。"
　　"Icertainlydon'tgetit。"
　　"Ah，butthatisn'tthereason。"
　　"Whatis?"
　　"That'sthesecretoftheuniverse，"Shebitinherlowerlip，andlookedathimwitheyes，ofgleamingfun。
　　"Areyouneverserious?"heasked。
　　"Withseriouspeoplealways。"
　　"Iamserious；andyouhavethesecretofmyhappiness——"Hethrewhimselfimpulsivelyforwardinhischair。
　　"Oh，pose，pose!"shecried。
　　"Iwon'tpose，"heanswered，"andyouhavegottolistentome。YouknowI'minlovewithyou；andIknowthatonceyoucaredforme。Can'tthattime——won'tit——comebackagain?Trytothinkso，Alma!"
　　"No，"shesaid，brieflyandseriouslyenough。
　　"Butthatseemsimpossible。WhatisitI'vedonewhathaveyouagainstme?"
　　"Nothing。Butthattimeispast。Icouldn'trecallitifIwished。Whydidyoubringitup?You'vebrokenyourword。YouknowIwouldn'thaveletyoukeepcominghereifyouhadn'tpromisednevertorefertoit。"
　　"HowcouldIhelpit?Withthathappinessnearus——Fulkerson——"
　　"Oh，it'sthat?Imighthaveknownit!"
　　"No，itisn'tthat——it'ssomethingfardeeper。Butifit'snothingyouhaveagainstme，whatisit，Alma，thatkeepsyoufromcaringformenowasyoudidthen?Ihaven'tchanged。"
　　"ButIhave。Ishallnevercareforyouagain，Mr。Beaton；youmightaswellunderstanditonceforall。Don'tthinkit'sanythinginyourself，orthatIthinkyouunworthyofme。I'mnotsoself-satisfiedasthat；
　　IknowverywellthatI'mnotaperfectcharacter，andthatI'venoclaimonperfectioninanybodyelse。Ithinkwomenwhowantthatarefools；
　　theywon'tgetit，andtheydon'tdeserveit。ButI'velearnedagood。
　　dealmoreaboutmyselfthanIknewinSt。Barnaby，andalifeofwork，ofart，andofartalonethat'swhatI'vemadeupmymindto。"
　　"Awomanthat'smadeuphermindtothathasnohearttohinderher!"
　　"Wouldamanhavethathaddoneso?"
　　"ButIdon'tbelieveyou，Alma。You'remerelylaughingatme。And，besides，withmeyouneedn'tgiveupart。Wecouldworktogether。YouknowhowmuchIadmireyourtalent。IbelieveIcouldhelpit——serveit；
　　Iwouldbeitswillingslave，andyours，Heavenknows!"
　　"Idon'twantanyslave——noranyslavery。Iwanttobefreealways。Nowdoyousee?Idon'tcareforyou，andInevercouldintheoldway；butIshouldhavetocareforsomeonemorethanIbelieveIevershalltogiveupmywork。Shallwegoon?"Shelookedathersketch。
　　"No，weshallnotgoon，"hesaid，gloomily，asherose。
　　"Isupposeyoublameme，"shesaid，risingtoo。
　　"Ohno!Iblamenoone——oronlymyself。Ithrewmychanceaway。"
　　"I'mgladyouseethat；andI'mgladyoudidit。Youdon'tbelieveme，ofcourse。Whydomenthinklifecanbeonlytheonethingtowomen?
　　Andifyoucometotheselfishview，whoarethehappywomen?I'msurethatifworkdoesn'tfailme，healthwon't，andhappinesswon't。"
　　"Butyoucouldworkonwithme——"
　　"Secondfiddle。DoyousupposeIshouldn'tbewomanenoughtowishmyworkalwayslessandlowerthanyours?AtleastI'veheartenoughforthat!"
　　"You'veheartenoughforanything，Alma。Iwasafooltosayyouhadn't。"
　　"Ithinkthewomenwhokeeptheirheartshaveanevenchance，atleast，ofhavingheart——"
　　"Ah，there'swhereyou'rewrong!"
　　"Butmineisn'tminetogiveyou，anyhow。AndnowIdon'twantyouevertospeaktomeaboutthisagain。"
　　"Oh，there'snodanger!"hecried，bitterly。"Ishallneverwillinglyseeyouagain。"
　　"That'sasyoulike，Mr。Beaton。We'vehadtobeveryfrank，butIdon'tseewhyweshouldn'tbefriends。Still，weneedn't，ifyoudon'tlike。"
　　"AndImaycome——Imaycomehere——as——asusual?"
　　"Why，ifyoucanconsistently，"shesaid，withasmile，andsheheldoutherhandtohim。
　　Hewenthomedazed，andfeelingasifitwereabadjokethathadbeenputuponhim。Atleasttheaffairwentsodeepthatitestrangedtheaspectofhisfamiliarstudio。Someofthethingsinitwerenotveryfamiliar；hehadspentlatelyagreatdealonrugs，onstuffs，onJapanesebric-a-brac。Whenhesawthesethingsintheshopshehadfeltthathemusthavethem；thattheywerenecessarytohim；andhewaspartlyindebtforthem，stillwithouthavingsentanyofhisearningstopayhisfather。Ashelookedatthemnowhelikedtofancysomethingweirdandconsciousinthemasthesilentwitnessesofabrokenlife。
　　Hefeltaboutamongsomeofthesmallerobjectsonthemantelforhispipe。Beforeheslepthewasaware，intheluxuryofhisdespair，ofaremoterelief，anescape；and，afterall，theunderstandinghehadcometowithAlmawasonlytheexplicitformulationoftermslongtacitbetweenthem。Beatonwouldhavebeenpuzzledmorethanheknewifshehadtakenhimseriously。Itwasinevitablethatheshoulddeclarehimselfinlovewithher；buthewasnotdisappointedatherrejectionofhislove；perhapsnotsomuchashewouldhavebeenatitsacceptance，thoughhetriedtothinkotherwise，andtogivehimselfairsoftragedy。
　　Hedidnotreallyfeelthattheresultwasworsethanwhathadgonebefore，anditlefthimfree。
　　ButhedidnotgototheLeightonsagainforsolongatimethatMrs。
　　LeightonaskedAlmawhathadhappened。Almatoldher。
　　"Andhewon'tcomeanymore?"hermothersighed，withreservedcensure。
　　"Oh，Ithinkhewill。Hecouldn'tverywellcomethenextnight。Buthehasthehabitofcoming，andwithMr。Beatonhabitiseverything——eventhehabitofthinkinghe'sinlovewithsomeone。"
　　"Alma，"saidhermother，"Idon'tthinkit'sveryniceforagirltoletayoungmankeepcomingtoseeheraftershe'srefusedhim。"
　　"Whynot，ifitamuseshimanddoesn'thurtthegirl?"
　　"Butitdoeshurther，Alma。It——it'sindelicate。Itisn'tfairtohim；
　　itgiveshimhopes。"
　　"Well，mamma，ithasn'thappenedinthegivencaseyet。IfMr。Beatoncomesagain，Iwon'tseehim，andyoucanforbidhimthehouse。"
　　"IfIcouldonlyfeelsure，Alma，"saidhermother，takingupanotherbranchoftheinquiry，"thatyoureallyknewyourownmind，Ishouldbeeasieraboutit。"
　　"Thenyoucanrestperfectlyquiet，mamma。Idoknowmyownmind；and，what'sworse，IknowMr。Beaton'smind。"
　　"Whatdoyoumean?"
　　"ImeanthathespoketometheothernightsimplybecauseMr。
　　Fulkerson'sengagementhadbrokenhimallup。"
　　"Whatexpressions!"Mrs。Leightonlamented。
　　"Heletitouthimself，"Almawenton。"Andyouwouldn'thavethoughtitwasveryflatteringyourself。WhenI'mmadeloveto，afterthis，Iprefertobemadelovetoinanoff-year，whenthereisn'tanotherengagedcoupleanywhereabout。"
　　"Didyoutellhimthat，Alma?"
　　"Tellhimthat!Whatdoyoumean，mamma?Imaybeindelicate，butI'mnotquitesoindelicateasthat。"
　　"Ididn'tmeanyouwereindelicate，really，Alma，butIwantedtowarnyou。IthinkMr。Beatonwasverymuchinearnest。"
　　"Oh，sodidhe!"
　　"Andyoudidn't?"
　　"Ohyes，forthetimebeing。Isupposehe'sverymuchinearnestwithMissVanceattimes，andwithMissDryfoosatothers。Sometimeshe'sapainter，andsometimeshe'sanarchitect，andsometimeshe'sasculptor。
　　Hehastoomanygifts——toomanytastes。"
　　"AndifMissVanceandMissDryfoos——"
　　"Oh，dosaySculptureandArchitecture，mamma!It'sgettingsodreadfullypersonal!"
　　"Alma，youknowthatIonlywishtogetatyourrealfeelinginthematter。"
　　"AndyouknowthatIdon'twanttoletyou——especiallywhenIhaven'tgotanyrealfeelinginthematter。ButIshouldthink——speakingintheabstractentirely——thatifeitherofthoseartswasevergoingtobeinearnestabouthim，itwouldwanthisexclusivedevotionforaweekatleast。"
　　"Ididn'tknow，"saidMrs。Leighton，"thathewasdoinganythingnowattheothers。Ithoughthewasentirelytakenupwithhisworkon'EveryOtherWeek。'"
　　"Oh，heis!heis!"
　　"Andyoucertainlycan'tsay，mydear，thathehasn'tbeenverykind——
　　veryusefultoyou，inthatmatter。"
　　"AndsoIoughttohavesaidyesoutofgratitude?Thankyou，mamma!I
　　didn'tknowyouheldmesocheap。"
　　"YouknowwhetherIholdyoucheapornot，Alma。Idon'twantyoutocheapenyourself。Idon'twantyoutotriflewithanyone。Iwantyoutobehonestwithyourself。"
　　"Well，comenow，mamma!Supposeyoubegin。I'vebeenperfectlyhonestwithmyself，andI'vebeenhonestwithMr。Beaton。Idon'tcareforhim，andI'vetoldhimIdidn't；sohemaybesupposedtoknowit。Ifhecomeshereafterthis，he'llcomeasaplain，unostentatiousfriendofthefamily，andit'sforyoutosaywhetherheshallcomeinthatcapacityornot。Ihopeyouwon'ttriflewithhim，andlethimgetthenotionthathe'scomingonanyotherbasis。"
　　Mrs。Leightonfeltthecomfortofthecriticalattitudefartookeenlytoabandonitforanythingconstructive。Sheonlysaid，"Youknowverywell，Alma，that'samatterIcanhavenothingtodowith。"
　　"Thenyouleavehimentirelytome?"
　　"Ihopeyouwillregardhisrighttocandidandopentreatment。"
　　"He'shadnothingbutthemostopenandcandidtreatmentfromme，mamma。
　　It'syouthatwantstoplayfastandloosewithhim。And，totellyouthetruth，Ibelievehewouldlikethatagooddealbetter；Ibelievethat，ifthere'sanythinghehates，it'sopennessandcandor。"
　　Almalaughed，andputherarmsroundhermother，whocouldnothelplaughingalittle，too。
　　II。
　　ThewinterdidnotrenewforChristineandMelathesocialopportunitywhichthespringhadoffered。AfterthemusicaleatMrs。Horn's，theybothmadetheirparty-call，asMelasaid，indueseason；buttheydidnotfindMrs。Hornathome，andneithershenorMissVancecametoseethemafterpeoplereturnedtotowninthefall。TheytriedtobelieveforatimethatMrs。Hornhadnotgottheircards；thispretencefailedthem，andtheyfellbackupontheirpride，orratherChristine'spride。Melahadlittlebuthergood-naturetoavailherinanyexigency，andifMrs。
　　HornorMissVancehadcometocallafterayearofneglect，shewouldhavereceivedthemasamiablyasiftheyhadnotlostadayincoming。
　　ButChristinehaddrawnalinebeyondwhichtheywouldnothavebeenforgiven；andshehadplannedthewordsandthebehaviorwithwhichshewouldhavepunishedthemiftheyhadappearedthen。Neithersisterimaginedherselfinanywiseinferiortothem；butChristinewassuspicious，atleast，anditwasMelawhoinventedthehypothesisofthelostcards。Asnothinghappenedtoproveortodisprovethefact，shesaid，"ImoveweputCoonroduptogittun'itoutofMissVance，atsomeoftheirmeetun's。"
　　"Ifyoudo，"saidChristine，"I'llkillyou。"
　　Christine，however，hadthevisitsofBeatontoconsoleher，and，iftheseseemedtohavenodefiniteaim，shewaswillingtorestinthepleasuretheygavehervanity；butMelahadnothing。Sometimessheevenwishedtheywereallbackonthefarm。
　　"Itwouldbethebestthingforbothofyou，"saidMrs。Dryfoos，inanswertosuchaburstofdesperation。"Idon'tthinkNewYorkisanyplaceforgirls。"
　　"Well，whatIhate，mother，"saidMela，"is，itdon'tseemtobeanyplaceforyoungmen，either。"ShefoundthissogoodwhenshehadsaiditthatshelaughedoverittillChristinewasangry。
　　"Abodywouldthinktherehadneverbeenanyjokebefore。"
　　"Idon'tseeasit'sajoke，"saidMrs。Dryfoos。"It'stheplaintruth。"
　　"Oh，don'tmindher，mother，"saidMela。"She'sputoutbecauseheroldMr。Beatonha'r'tbeenroundforacoupleo'weeks。Ifyoudon'twatchout，thatfellow'llgiveyoutheslipyit，Christine，afterallyourpains。"
　　"Well，thereain'tanybodytogiveyoutheslip，Mela，"Christineclawedback。
　　"No；Iha'n'teversetmytrapsforanybody。"ThiswaswhatMelasaidforwantofabetterretort；butitwasnotquitetrue。WhenKendrickscamewithBeatontocallafterherfather'sdinner，sheusedallhercunningtoensnarehim，andshehadhimtoherselfaslongasBeatonstayed；Dryfoossentdownwordthathewasnotverywellandhadgonetobed。ThenoveltyofMelahadwornoffforKendricks，andshefoundhim，asshefranklytoldhim，nothalfasentertainingashewasatMrs。