"Well,onedayIan'oleDocGurney,wewereinthere,andIundertooktoshowBibbshowtorunhismachine。Hetoldmetolookout,butIwouldn'tlisten,andIdidn'tlookout——andthat'showIgotmyhandhurt,tryin'toshowBibbshowtodosomethingheknewhowtodoandIdidn't。MademesomadIjustwouldn'tevenadmittomyselfitWAShurt——andso,byandby,oleDocGurneyhadtotakekindo'radicalmeasureswithme。He'sarightgooddoctor,too。
　　Don'tyouthinkso,MissVertrees？"
　　"Yes。"
　　"Yes,heisso！"Sheridannowhadtheairofaramblingtalkerandgossipwithalldayonhishands。"TakehimonBibbs'scase。Iwastalkin'aboutBibbs'scasewithhimthismorning。Well,you'dlaughtohearthewayoleGurneytalksaboutTHAT！'CourseheISjustasmuchafriendasheisdoctor——andhetakesasmuchinterestinBibbsasifhewasinthefamily。HesaysBibbsisn'tanywaysbadoffYET;andhethinkshecouldstandthepaceandgetfatonitif——well,thisiswhat'dmadeYOUlaughifyou'dbeenthere,MissVertrees——honestitwould！"Hepausedtochuckle,andstoleaglanceather。Shewasgazingstraightbeforeheratthewall;herlipswereparted,and——visibly——shewasbreathingheavilyandquickly。Hefearedthatshewasgrowingfuriouslyangry;buthehadledtowhathewantedtosay,andhewenton,determinednowtosayitall。Heleanedforwardandalteredhisvoicetooneofconfidentialfriendliness,thoughinithestillmaintainedatonewhichindicatedthatoleDocGurney'sopinionwasonlyajokehesharedwithher。"Yes,sir,youcertainlywould'a'laughed！Why,thatolemanthinksYOUgotsomethingtodowithit。You'llhavetoblameitonhim,younglady,ifitmakesyoufeellikestartin'outtowhipsomebody！He'sactuallygotTHIStheory:hesaysBibbsgottogettin'betterwhileheworkedoverthereattheshopbecauseyoukepthimcheeredupandfeelin'good。Andhesaysifyoucouldmanagetojuststandhimhangin'aroundalittle——maybenotmuch,butjustSOMEtimes——again,hebelievedit'ddoBibbsamightyloto'good。
　　'Course,that'sonlywhatthedoctorsaid。Me,Idon'tknowanythingaboutthat;butIcansaythismuch——IneversawanysuchaMENTALimprovementinanybodyinmylifeasIhavelatelyinBibbs。Iexpectyou'dfindhimagooddealmoreentertainingthanwhatheusedtobe——andIknowit'sakindofembarrassingthingtosuggestafterthewayhepiledinoverherethatdaytoaskyoutostandupbeforethepreacherwithhim,butaccordin'tooleDocGURNEY,he'sgotyouonhisbrainsobad——"
　　Maryjumped。"Mr。Sheridan！"sheexclaimed。
　　Hesighedprofoundly。"There！Inoticedyouweregettin'mad。Ididn't——"
　　"No,no,no！"shecried。"ButIdon'tunderstand——andIthinkyoudon't。
　　Whatisityouwantmetodo？"
　　Hesighedagain,butthistimewithrelief。"Well,well！"hesaid。"You'reright。It'llbeeasiertotalkplain。IoughttoknownIcouldwithyou,allthetime。Ijusthopedyou'dletthatboycomeandseeyousometimes,oncemore。Couldyou？"
　　"Youdon'tunderstand。"Sheclaspedherhandstogetherinasorrowfulgesture。"Yes,wemusttalkplain。BibbsheardthatI'dtriedtomakeyouroldestsoncareformebecauseIwaspoor,andsoBibbscameandaskedmetomarryhim——becausehewassorryforme。AndICAN'Tseehimanymore,"shecriedindistress。"ICAN'T！"
　　Sheridanclearedhisthroatuncomfortably。"Youmeanbecausehethoughtthataboutyou？"
　　"No,no！WhathethoughtwasTRUE！"
　　"Well——youmeanhewassomuchin——youmeanhethoughtsomuchofyou——"ThewordswereinconceivablyawkwarduponSheridan'stongue;heseemedtobeindoubtevenaboutpronouncingthem,butafteraghastlypausehebravelyrepeatedthem。"Youmeanhethoughtsomuchofyouthatyoujustcouldn'tstandhimaround？"
　　"NO！Hewassorryforme。Hecaredforme;hewasfondofme;andhe'drespectedme——toomuch！Inthefinestwayhelovedme,ifyoulike,andhe'dhavedoneanythingonearthforme,asIwouldforhim,andasheknewI
　　would。Itwasbeautiful,Mr。Sheridan,"shesaid。"Butthecheap,badthingsonehasdoneseemalwaystocomeback——theywait,andpullyoudownwhenyou'rehappiest。Bibbsfoundmeout,yousee;andhewasn't'inlove'withmeatall。"
　　"Hewasn't？Well,itseemstomehegaveupeverythinghewantedtodo——itwasfoolstuff,buthecertainlywanteditmightybad——hejustthrewitawayandwalkedrightupandtookthejobhesworeheneverwould——justforyou。
　　Anditlookstomeasifamanthat'ddothatmustthinkquiteaheapo'thegirlhedoesitfor！Yousayitwasonlybecausehewassorry,butletmetellyouthere'sonlyONEgirlhecouldfeelTHATsorryfor！Yes,sir！"
　　"No,no,"shesaid。"Bibbsisn'tlikeothermen——hewoulddoanythingforanybody。"
　　Sheridangrinned。"Perhapsnotsomuchasyouthink,nowadays,"hesaid。"Forinstance,Igotkindofasuspicionhedoesn'tbelievein'sentimentinbusiness。'Butthat'sneitherherenorthere。Whathewantedwas,justplainandsimple,foryoutomarryhim。Well,Iwasafraidhisthinkin'somuchOF
　　youhadkindo'sickenedyouofhim——thewayitdoessometimes。Butfromthewayyoutalk,Iunderstandthatain'tthetrouble。"Hecoughed,andhisvoicetrembledalittle。"Nowhere,MissVertrees,Idon'thavetotellyou——becauseyouseethingseasy——IknowIgotnobusinesscomin'toyoulikethis,butIhadtomakeBibbsgomywayinsteadofhisown——Ihadtodoitforthesakeo'mybusinessandonhisownaccount,too——andIexpectyougotsomeideahowithurthimtogiveup。Well,he'smadegood。Hedidn'tcomeinhalf—heartedormean;hecamein——alltheway！Butthereisn'tanythinginittohim;youcanseehe'sjustshuthisteethonitandgoin'aheadwithdustinhismouth。Yousee,onewayoflookin'atit,he'sgotnothin'toworkFOR。Anditseemstomelikeitcosthimyourfriendship,andIbelieve——honest——that'swhathurthimtheworst。Nowyousaidwe'dtalkplain。Whycan'tyoulethimcomeback？"
　　Shecoveredherfacedesperatelywithherhands。"Ican't！"
　　Herose,defeated,andlookingit。
　　"Well,Imustn'tpressyou,"hesaid,gently。
　　Atthatshecriedout,anddroppedherhandsandlethimseeherface。"Ah！
　　Hewasonlysorryforme！"
　　Hegazedatherintently。Marywasproud,butshehadafatalhonesty,anditconfessedthetruthofhernow;shewashelpless。ItwassoclearthatevenSheridan,marvelingandamazed,wasabletoseeit。Thenachangecameoverhim;gloomfellfromhim,andhegrewradient。
　　"Don't！Don't"shecried。"Youmustn't——"
　　"Iwon'ttellhim,"saidSheridan,fromthedoorway。"Iwon'ttellanybodyanything！"
　　Therewasaheavytown—fogthatafternoon,asmoke—mist,densestinthesanctuaryofthetemple。Thepeoplewentaboutinit,busyanddirty,thickeningtheiroutsideandinsideliningsofcoal—tar,asphalt,sulphurousacid,oilofvitriol,andtheotherfamiliarthingsthemenlikedtobreatheandtohaveupontheirskinsandgarmentsandupontheirwivesandbabiesandsweethearts。Thegrowthofthecitywasvisibleinthesmokeandthenoiseandtherush。TherewasmoresmokethantherehadbeenthisdayofFebruaryayearearlier;therewasmorenoise;andthecrowdswerethicker——yetquickerinspiteofthat。Thetrafficpolicemanhadahardtime,forthepeoplewereindependent——theyretainedsomehabitsoftheoldmarket—townperiod,andwouldcrossthestreetanywhereandanyhow,whichnotonlygotthemkilledmorefrequentlythaniftheyclungtothelegalcrossings,butkeptthemotormen,thechauffeurs,andthetruck—driversinastewofprofanenervousness。Sothetrafficpolicemenledharriedlives;theythemselveswerekilled,ofcourse,withacertainperiodicity,buttheirmaintroublewasthattheycouldnotmakethecitizensrealizethatitwasactuallyandmortallyperiloustogoabouttheircity。Itwasstrange,fortherewereprobablynocitizensofanylengthofresidencewhohadnotpersonallyknowneithersomeonewhohadbeenkilledorinjuredinanaccident,orsomeonewhohadaccidentallykilledorinjuredothers。Andyet,perhapsitwasnotstrange,seeingthesharppreoccupationofthefaces——thepeoplehadsomethingontheirminds;theycouldnotstoptobotheraboutdirtanddanger。
　　MaryVertreeswasnotoftendown—town;shehadneverseenanaccidentuntilthisafternoon。Shehadcomeuponerrandsforhermotherconnectedwithatimorousrefurbishment;andasshedidthese,inandoutofthedepartmentstores,shehadaninsistentconsciousnessoftheSheridanBuilding。Fromthestreet,anywhere,itwasalmostalwaysinsight,likesomemonstrousgeometricalshadow,murk—coloredandrisinglimitlesslyintotheswimmingheightsofthesmoke—mist。Itwasgauntandgrimyandrepellent;ithadnothingbutstrengthandsize——butinthatconsciousnessofMary'sthegreatstructuremayhavepartakenofbeauty。Sheridanhadmadesomeofthethingshesaidemphaticenoughttoremainwithher。Shewentoverandoverthem——andtheybegantoseemtrue:"OnlyONEgirlhecouldfeelTHATsorryfor！"
　　"Gurneysayshe'sgotyouonhisbrainsobad——"Theman'sclumsytalkbegantosinginherheart。Thesongwasbeguntherewhenshesawtheaccident。
　　ShewasdirectlyoppositetheSheridanBuildingthen,waitingforthetraffictothinbeforeshecrossed,thoughotherpeoplewereriskingthepassage,dartingandhaltinganddodgingparlously。Twomencamefromthecrowdbehindher,talkingearnestly,andstartedacross。Bothworeblack;onewastallandbroadandthick,andtheotherwastaller,butnoticeablyslender。AndMarycaughtherbreath,fortheywereBibbsandhisfather。Theydidnotseeher,andshecaughtaphraseinBibbs'smellowvoice,whichhadtakenacrisperring:"Sixty—eightthousanddollars？Notsixty—eightthousandbuttons！"Itstartledherqueerly,andastherewasaglimpseofhisprofileshesawforthefirsttimearesemblancetohisfather。
　　Shewatchedthem。InthemiddleofthestreetBibbshadtostepaheadofhisfather,andthetwowereseparated。Buttherecklesspassingofatruck,beyondthesecondlineofrails,frightenedagroupofcountrywomenwhowereincourseofpassage;theywerejustinfrontofBibbs,andshovedbackwarduponhimviolently。Toextricatehimselffromthemhesteppedback,directlyinfrontofamovingtrolley—car——noplaceforabsent—mindedness,butBibbswasstillabsorbedinthoughtsconcernedwithwhathehadbeensayingtohisfather。Therewereshrieksandyells;Bibbslookedthewrongway——andthenMarysawtheheavyfigureofSheridanplungestraightforwardinfrontofthecar。Withabsolutedisregardofhisownlife,hehurledhimselfatBibbslikeafootball—playershuntingoffanopponent,andtoMaryitseemedthattheybothwentdowntogether。Butthatwasallshecouldsee——automobiles,trucks,andwagonsclosedinbetween。Shemadeoutthatthetrolley—carstoppedjerkily,andshesawapolicemanbreakinghiswaythroughtheinstantlycondensingcrowd,whilethetrafficcametoastandstill,andpeoplestoodupinautomobilesorclimbeduponthehubsandtiresofwheels,nottomissachanceofseeinganythinghorrible。
　　Marytriedtogetthrough;itwasimpossible。Otherpolicemencametohelpthefirst,andinaminuteortwothetrafficwasinmotionagain。Thecrowdbecamepliant,dispersing——therewasnofigureupontheground,andnoambulancecame。Butoneofthepolicemenwasdetainedbytheclingingandbeseechingofaglovedhand。
　　"WhatISthematter,lady？"
　　"Wherearethey？"Marycried。
　　"Who？OlemanSheridan？IreckonHEwasn'tmuchhurt！"
　　"HisSON——"
　　"Wasthatwhotheotheronewas？Iseenhimknockhim——oh,he'snotbadoff,Iguess,lady。Theolemangothimoutofthewayallright。Thefendershovedtheolemanaroundsome,butIreckonheonlygotshookup。TheybothwentonintheSheridanBuildingwithoutanyhelp。Excuseme,lady。"
　　SheridanandBibbs,infact,wereatthatmomentintheelevator,ascending。
　　"Whisk—broomupintheoffice,"Sheridanwassaying。"Yougottolookoutonthosecornersnowadays,Itellyou。Idon'tknowIgotanycalltoblow,though——becauseItriedtocrossafteryoudid。That'showIhappenedtorunintoyou。Well,youwantremembertolookoutafterthis。Weweretalkin'
　　aboutMurtrie'saskin'sixty—eightthousandflatforthatninety—nine—yearlease。It'shislookoutifhe'drathertakeitthatway,andIdon'tknowbut——"
　　"No,"saidBibbs,emphatically,astheelevatorstopped;"hewon'tgetit。NotfromUs,hewon't,andI'llshowyouwhy。Icanconvinceyouinfiveminutes。"Hefollowedhisfatherintotheofficeanteroom——andconvincedhim。
　　Then,havingbeendiligentlybrushedbyayouthofcolor,Bibbswentintohisownroomandclosedthedoor。
　　Hewasmoreshakenthanhehadallowedhisfathertoperceive,andhissidewassorewhereSheridanhadstruckhim。Hedesiredtobealone;hewantedtorubhimselfand,foronce,todosomeuselessthinkingagain。Heknewthathisfatherhadnot"happened"torunintohim;heknewthatSheridanhadinstantly——andinstinctively——provedthatheheldhisownlifeofnoaccountwhatevercomparedtothatofhissonandheir。Bibbshadbeenunabletospeakofthat,ortoseemtoknowit;forSheridan,justasinstinctively,hadsweptthematteraside——asofnoimportance,sinceallwaswell——revertingimmediatelytobusiness。
　　Bibbsbegantothinkintentlyofhisfather。Heperceived,ashehadneverperceivedbefore,theshadowingofsomethingenormousandindomitable——andlawless;nottobedauntedbythewillofnature'sveryself;laughingatthelightningandatwoundsandmutilation;conquering,irresistible——andblindlynoble。ForthefirsttimeinhislifeBibbsbegantounderstandthemeaningofbeingtrulythisman'sson。
　　Hewouldbethemoretrulyhissonhenceforth,though,asSheridansaid,Bibbshadnotcomedown—townwithhimmeanlyorhalf—heartedly。Hehadgivenhiswordbecausehehadwantedthemoney,simply,forMaryVertreesinherneed。
　　Andheshiveredwithhorrorofhimself,thinkinghowhehadgonetohertoofferit,askinghertomarryhim——withhisheadonhisbreastinshamefulfearthatshewouldaccepthim！Hehadnotknownher;theknowinghadlosthertohim,andthishadbeenhisrealawakening;forheknewnowhowdeephadbeenthatslumberwhereinhedreamilycelebratedthesuperiorityof"friendship"！Thesleep—walkerhadwakenedtobitterknowledgeofloveandlife,findinghimselfafailureinboth。Hehadmadeaburntofferingofhisdreams,andthesacrificehadbeenanunforgivablehurttoMary。Allthatwasleftforhimwastheworkhehadnotchosen,butatleasthewouldnotfailinthat,thoughitwasindeednomorethan"dustinhismouth。"Iftherehadbeenanything"toworkfor——"
　　Hewenttothewindow,raisedit,andletintheuproarofthestreetsbelow。
　　Helookeddownattheblurred,hurryingswarms——andhelookedacross,overtheroofswiththeirpantingjetsofvapor,intothevast,foggyheartofthesmoke。Dizzytraceriesofsteelwererisingdimlyagainstit,chatteringwithsteelonsteel,andscreechinginsteam,whiletinyfiguresofmenwalkedonthreadsinthedullsky。BuildingswouldovertoptheSheridan。Bignesswasbeingserved。
　　Butwhatfor？TheoldquestioncametoBibbswithanewdespair。Here,wherehiseyesfell,hadoncebeengreenfieldsandrunningbrooks,andhowhadthekindearthbeendespoiledanddisfigured！Thepioneershadbegunthework,butintheiroldagetheiroratorshadsaidforthemthattheyhadtoiledandriskedandsacrificedthattheirposteritymightliveinpeaceandwisdom,enjoyingthefruitsoftheearth。Well,theirposteritywashere——andtherewasonlyturmoil。Wherewasthepromisedland？Ithadbeenpromisedbythesoldiersofallthewars;ithadbeenpromisedtothisgenerationbythepioneers;butherewastheveryposteritytowhomithadbeenpromised,toilingandriskingandsacrificinginturn——forwhat？
　　Theharshroarofthecitycameinthroughtheopenwindow,continuouslybeatinguponBibbs'searuntilhebegantodistinguishapulsationinit——abrokenandirregularcadence。Itseemedtohimthatitwaslikeatitanicvoice,discordant,hoarse,rustilymetallic——thevoiceofthegod,Bigness。
　　AndthevoicesummonedBibbsasitsummonedallitsservants。
　　"Comeandwork！"itseemedtoyell。"ComeandworkforMe,allmen！ByyouryouthandyourhopeIsummonyou！ByyourageandyourdespairIsommonyoutoworkforMeyetalittle,withwhatstrengthyouhave。ByyourloveofhomeIsummonyou！ByyourloveofwomanIsummonyou！ByyourhopeofchildrenIsummonyou！
　　"YoushallbeblindslavesofMine,blindtoeverythingbutMe,youMasterandDriver！Foryourrewardyoushallgazeonlyuponmyugliness。Youshallgiveyourtoilandyourlives,youshallgomadforloveandworshipofmyugliness！YoushallperishstillworshippingMe,andyourchildrenshallperishknowingnoothergod！"
　　Andthen,asBibbsclosedthewindowdowntight,heheardhisfather'svoiceboominginthenextroom;hecouldnotdistinguishthewords,butthetonewasexultant——andtherecametheTHUMP！THUMP！ofthemaimedhand。BibbsguessedthatSheridanwasbraggingofthecityandofBignesstosomevisitorfromout—of—town。
　　AndhethoughthowtrulySheridanwasthehighpriestofBigness。Butwiththeold,oldthoughtagain,,"Whatfor？"Bibbscaughtaglimmeroffar,faintlight。HesawthatSheridanhadallhislifestruggledandconquered,andmustallhislifegoonstrugglingandinevitablyconquering,aspartofavastimpulsenothisown。Sheridanservedblindly——butwastheimpulseblind？
　　Bibbsaskedhimselfifitwasnothewhohadbeeninthegreaterhurry,afterall。Thekilnmustbefiredbeforethevaseisglazed,andtheAcropoliswasnotcrownedwithmarbleinaday。
　　Thenthevoicecametohimagain,buttherewasastraininitasofsomehughmusicstrugglingtobebornoftheturmoil。"UglyIam,"itseemedtosaytohim,"butneverforgetthatIAMagod！"Andthevoicegrewinsonorousnessandindignity。"Thehighestshouldserve,butsolongasyouworshipmeformyownsakeIwillnotserveyou。Itismanwhomakesmeugly,byhisworshipofme。Ifmanwouldletmeservehim,Ishouldbebeautiful！"
　　Lookingoncemorefromthewindow,Bibbssculpturedforhimself——inthevaguecontortionsofthesmokeandfogabovetheroofs——agiganitcfigurewithfeetpedestaleduponthegreatbuildingsandshouldersdisappearingintheclouds,acolossusofsteelandwhollyblackenedwithsoot。ButBibbscarriedhisfancyfurther——fortherewasstillalittlepoetlingeringinthebackofhishead——andhethoughtthatupovertheclouds,unseenfrombelow,thegiantlaboredwithhishandsinthecleansunshine;andBibbshadaglimpseofwhathemadethere——perhapsforafellowshipofthechildrenofthechildrenthatwerechildrennow——anobleandjoyouscity,unbelievablywhite——"
　　Itwasthetelephonethatcalledhimfromhisvision。Itrangfiercely。
　　Heliftedthethingfromhisdeskandanswered——andasthesmallvoiceinsideitspokehedroppedthereceiverwithacrash。Hetrembledviolentlyashepickeditup,buthetoldhimselfhewaswrong——hehadbeenmistaken——yetitwasastartlinglybeautifulvoice;startlinglykind,too,andineffablyliketheonehehungeredmosttohear。
　　"Who？"hesaid,hisownvoiceshaking——likehishand。
　　"Mary。"
　　Herespondedwithtwohushedandincredulouswords:"ISIT？"
　　Therewasalittlethrillofpathetichalf—laughterintheinstrument。
　　"Bibbs——Iwantedto——justtoseeifyou——"
　　"Yes——Mary？"
　　"Iwaslookingwhenyouweresonearlyrunover。Isawit,Bibbs。Theysaidyouhadn'tbeenhurt,theythought,butIwantedtoknowformyself。"
　　"No,no,Iwasn'thurtatall——Mary。Itwasfatherwhocamenearerit。Hesavedme。"
　　"Yes,Isaw;butyouhadfallen。Icouldn'tgetthroughthecrowduntilyouhadgone。AndIwantedtoKNOW。"
　　"Mary——wouldyou——haveminded？"hesaid。
　　Therewasalongintervalbeforesheanswered。
　　"Yes。"
　　"Thenwhy——"
　　"Yes,Bibbs？"
　　"Idon'tknowwhattosay,"hecried。"It'ssowonderfultohearyourvoiceagain——I'mshaking,Mary——I——Idon'tknow——Idon'tknowanythingexceptthatI
　　AMtalkingtoyou！ItISyou——Mary？"
　　"Yes,Bibbs！"
　　"Mary——I'veseenyoufrommywindowathome——onlyfivetimessinceI——sincethen。Youlooked——oh,howcanItellyou？Itwaslikeamanchainedinacavecatchingaglimpseofthebluesky,Mary。Mary,won'tyou——letmeseeyouagain——near？IthinkIcouldmakeyoureallyforgiveme——you'dhaveto——"
　　"IDID——then。"
　　"No——notreally——oryouwouldn'thavesaidyoucouldn'tseemeanymore。"
　　"Thatwasn'tthereason。"Thevoicewasverylow。
　　"Mary,"hesaid,evenmoretremulouslythanbefore,"Ican't——youCOULDN'T
　　meanitwasbecause——youcan'tmeanitwasbecauseyou——care？"
　　Therewasnoanswer。
　　"Mary？"hecalled,huskily。"IfyoumeanTHAT——you'dletmeseeyou——
　　wouldn'tyou？"
　　Andnowthevoicewassolowhecouldnotbesureitspokeatall,butifitdid,thewordswere,"Yes,Bibbs——dear。"
　　Butthevoicewasnotintheinstrument——itwassogentleandsolight,soalmostnothing,itseemedtobemadeofair——anditcamefromtheair。
　　Slowlyandincredulouslyheturned——andgloryfelluponhisshiningeyes。Thedoorofhisfather'sroomhadopened。
　　Marystooduponthethreshold。