Bibbs'sroom,thatneatapartmentfortransientstowhichthe"lamidal"
　　Georgehadshownhimuponhisreturn,stillboretheappearanceoftemporaryquarters,possiblybecauseBibbshadnoclearconceptionofhimselfasapermanentincumbent。However,hehadsetuponthemantelpiecethetwophotographsthatheowned:one,a"group"twentyyearsold——hisfatherandmother,withJimandRoscoeasboys——andtheothera"cabinet"ofEdithatsixteen。Anduponatablewerethebookshehadtakenfromhistrunk:SartorResartus,VirginibusPuerisque,HuckleberryFinn,andAfterwhiles。Thereweresomeotherbooksinthetrunk——alargeone,whichremainedunremovedatthefootofthebed,addingtothegeneralimpressionoftransiency。ItcontainednearlyallthepossessionsaswellasthesecretlifeofBibbsSheridan,andBibbssatbesideit,thedayafterhisinterviewwithhisfather,rakingoverasmallcollectionofmanuscriptsinthetoptray。Someoftheseheglancedthroughdubiously,findinglittlecomfortinthem;butonemadehimsmile。Thenheshookhisheadruefullyindeed,andruefullybegantoreadit。Itwaswrittenonpaperstamped"HoodSanitarium,"andborethetitle,"Leisure。"
　　Amanmaykeepaquietheartatseventymilesanhour,butnotifheisrunningthetrain。Noristhehabitofcontemplationausefulqualityinthestokerofafoundryfurnace;itwillnotbefoundtorecommendhimtotheapprobationofhissuperiors。Foraprofessionadaptedsolelytothepursuitofhappinessinthinking,Iwouldchoosethatofaninvalid:hismoneyistimeandhemayspenditonOlympus。Itwillnotsufficetobeanamateurinvalid。Tomywayofthinking,theperfectpractitionermustbetoalloutwardpurposesalreadydeadifheistobegintheperfectenjoymentoflife。Hisserenitymustnotbedisturbedbyrumorsofrecovery;hemustliesereneinhislongchairinthesunshine。Theworldmustbeontheothersideofthewall,andthewallmustbesothickandsohighthathecannotheartheroaringofthefurnacefiresandthescreamingofthewhistles。Peace——
　　Havingreadsofarastheword"peace,"Bibbssufferedaninterruptioninterestingasacoincidenceofcontrast。Highvoicessoundedinthehalljustoutsidehisdoor;anditbecameevidentthatawoman'squarrelwasinprogress,thepartiestoithavingbegunitinEdith'sroom,andcontinuingitvehementlyastheycameoutintothehall。
　　"Yes,youBETTERgohome！"Bibbsheardhissistervociferating,shrilly。"YoubettergohomeandkeepyourmindalittlemoreonyourHUSBAND！"
　　"Edie,Edie！"heheardhismotherremonstrating,aspeacemaker。
　　"Youseehere！"ThiswasSibyl,andhervoicewasbothacridandtremulous。
　　"Don'tyoutalktomethatway！IcameheretotellMotherSheridanwhatI'dheard,andtolethertellFatherSheridanifshethoughtsheoughtto,andI
　　diditforyourowngood。"
　　"Yes,youdid！"AndEdith'sgibinglaughtertootedloudly。"Yes,youdid！
　　YOUdidn'thaveanyotherreason！OHno！YOUdon'twanttobreakitupbetweenBobbyLamhornandmebecause——"
　　"Edie,Edie！Now,now！"
　　"Oh,hushup,mamma！I'dliketoknow,then,ifshesayshernewfriendstellherhe'sgotsuchareputationthatheoughtn'ttocomehere,whatabouthisnotgoingtoHERhouse。How——"
　　"I'veexplainedthattoMotherSheridan。"Sibyl'svoiceindicatedthatshewasdescendingthestairs。"Marriedpeoplearenotthesame。Somethingsthatshouldbeshieldedfromayounggirl——"
　　ThisseemedtohavenoverysoothingeffectuponEdith。"'Shieldedfromayounggirl'！"sheshrilled。"Youseemprettywillingtobetheshield！YoulookoutRoscoedoesn'tnoticewhatkindofashieldyouare！"
　　Sibyl'sanswerwasinaudible,butMrs。Sheridan'sflurriedattemptsatpacificationwererenewed。"Now,Edie,Edie,shemeansitforyourgood,andyou'doughtn'tto——"
　　"Oh,hushup,mamma,andletmealone！Ifyoudaretellpapa——"
　　"Now,now！I'mnotgoingtotellhimto—day,andmaybe——"
　　"You'vegottopromiseNEVERtotellhim！"thegirlcried,passionately。
　　"Well,we'llsee。Youjustcomebackinyourownroom,andwe'll——"
　　"No！IWON'T'talkitover'！Stoppullingme！LetmeALONE！"AndEdith,flingingherselfviolentlyuponBibbs'sdoor,jerkeditopen,swungrounditintotheroom,slammedthedoorbehindher,andthrewherself,facedown,uponthebedinsuchariotofemotionthatshehadnoperceptionofBibbs'spresenceintheroom。Gaspingandsobbinginapassionoftears,shebeatthecoverletandpillowswithherclenchedfists。"Sneak！"shebabbledaloud。
　　"Sneak！Snake—in—the—grass！Cat！"
　　Bibbssawthatshedidnotknowhewasthere,andhewentsoftlytowardthedoor,hopingtogetawaybeforeshebecameawareofhim;butsomesoundofhismovementreachedher,andshesatup,startled,facinghim。
　　"Bibbs！IthoughtIsawyougooutawhileago。"
　　"Yes。Icameback,though。I'msorry——"
　　"DidyouhearmequarrelingwithSibyl？"
　　"Onlywhatyousaidinthehall。Youliedownagain,Edith。I'mgoingout。"
　　"No;don'tgo。"Sheappliedahandkerchieftohereyes,emittedasob,andrepeatedherrequest。"Don'tgo。Idon'tmindyou;you'requiet,anyhow。
　　Mamma'ssofussy,andnevergetsanywhere。Idon'tmindyouatall,butI
　　wishyou'dsitdown。"
　　"Allright。"Andhereturnedtohischairbesidethetrunk。"Goaheadandcryallyouwant,Edith,"hesaid。"Noharminthat！"
　　"Sibyltoldmamma——OH！"shebegan,choking。"MaryVertreeshadmammaandSibylandItotea,oneafternoontwoweeksorsoago,andshehadsomewomentherethatSibyl'sbeencrazytogetinwith,andshejustlaidherselfouttomakeahitwith'em,andshe'sbeenrunningafter'emeversince,andnowshecomesoverhereandsaysTHEYsayBobbyLamhornissobadthat,eventhoughtheylikehisfamily,noneofthenicepeopleintownwouldlethimintheirhouses。Inthefirstplace,it'safalsehood,andIdon'tbelieveawordofit;andinthesecondplaceIknowthereasonshedidit,and,what'smore,sheKNOWSIknowit！Iwon'tSAYwhatitis——notyet——becausepapaandallofyouwouldthinkI'mascrazyassheissnaky;andRoscoe'ssuchafoolhe'dprobablyquitspeakingtome。Butit'strue！Justyouwatchher;
　　that'sallIask。Justyouwatchthatwoman。You'llsee！"
　　Asithappened,Bibbswasliterallywatching"thatwoman。"Glancingfromthewindow,hesawSibylpauseuponthepavementinfrontoftheoldhousenextdoor。Shestoodamoment,indeepthought,thenwalkedquicklyupthepathtothedoor,undoubtedlywiththeintentionofcalling。Buthedidnotmentionthistohissister,who,afterdeliveringherselfofarathervaguejeremiaduponthesubjectofhersister—in—law'streacheries,departedtoherownchamber,leavinghimtohisspeculations。Thechiefoftheseconcernedthesocialelasticitiesofwomen。Sibylhadjustbeenaparticipantinaviolentscene;shehadsufferedhotinsultofakindthatcouldnotfailtosetherquiveringwithresentment;andyetsheelectedtobetakeherselftothepresenceofpeoplewhomsheknewnomorethan"formally。"Bibbsmarveled。Surely,hereflected,sometracesofemotionmustlingeruponSibyl'sfaceorinhermanner;shecouldnothaveironeditallquiteoutinthethreeorfourminutesittookhertoreachtheVertreeses'door。
　　Andinthishewasnotmistaken,forMaryVertreeswasatthatmomentwonderingwhatinternalexcitementMrs。RoscoeSheridanwasstrivingtomaster。ButSibylhadnoideathatshewasallowingherselftoexhibitanythingexceptthegaietywhichsheconceivedpropertothemannerofacasualcaller。Shewaswhollyintentuponfulfillingthesuddenpurposethatbroughther,andshewasnomoreself—consciousthanshewasfinelyintelligent。ForSibylSheridanbelongedtoatypeScripturalinitsantiquity。Shewasmerelytheidleandhalf—educatedintriguerwhomayanddoesdeludemen,ofcourse,andthebestanddullestofherownsexaswell,findinginvariablystrongsupportersamongtheselatter。Itisatypethathaswroughtsomedamageintheworldandwouldhavewroughtgreater,saveforthecheckputuponitspowerbyintelligentwomenandbyitsown"lackofperspective,"foritisatypethatneverseesitself。Sibylfollowedherimpulseswithnoreflectionorquestion——itwaslikeahoundonthegallopafteramasteronhorseback。Shehadnoteventheinstincttostopandconsiderhereffect。Ifshewishedtomakeacertainimpressionshebelievedthatshemadeit。Shebelievedthatshewasbelieved。
　　"Mymotheraskedmetosaythatshewassorryshecouldn'tcomedown,"Marysaid,whentheywereseated。
　　Sibylranthescaleofacooingsimulanceoflaughter,whichshehadbeenbroughtuptoconsiderthepolitethingtodoafteraremarkaddressedtoherbyanypersonwithwhomshewasnotonfamiliarterms。Itwasintendedpartlyasacourtesyandpartlyasthefoundationforanimpressionofsweetness。
　　"JustthoughtI'dflyinaminute,"shesaid,continuingthecooingtorelievethelastdoubtofhergentiality。"IthoughtI'djustbehavelikeREALcountryneighbors。Wearealmostoutinthecountry,sofarfromdown—town,aren'twe？AnditseemedsuchaLOVELYday！IwantedtotellyouhowmuchIenjoyedmeetingthosenicepeopleatteathatafternoon。Yousee,cominghereabrideandneverhavinglivedherebefore,I'vehadtodependonmyhusband'sfriendsalmostentirely,andIreally'veknownscarcelyanybody。Mr。Sheridanhasbeensoengrossedinbusinesseversincehewasamereboy,why,ofcourse——"
　　Shepaused,withtheairofhavingcompletedanexplanation。
　　"Ofcourse,"saidMary,sympatheticallyacceptingit。
　　"Yes。I'vebeenseeingquitealotoftheKittersbyssincethatafternoon,"
　　Sibylwenton。"They'rereallydelightfulpeople。Indeedtheyare！Yes——"
　　Shestoppedwithunconsciousabruptness,hermindplainlywanderingtoanothermatter;andMaryperceivedthatshehadcomeuponadefiniteerrand。
　　Moreover,atensingofSibyl'seyelids,inthatmomentofabstractionasshelookedasidefromherhostess,indicatedthattheerrandwasaseriousoneforthecallerandeasilytobeconnectedwiththeslightbutperceptibleagitationunderlyingherassumptionofcheerfulease。Therewasarestlessnesofbreathing,arestlessnessofhands。
　　"Mrs。Kittersbyandherdaughterwerechattingaboutsometothepeoplehereintowntheotherday,"saidSibyl,repeatingthecooingandprotractingit。
　　"TheysaidsomethingthattookMEbysurprise！Weweretalkingaboutourmutualfriend,Mr。RobertLamhorn——"
　　Maryinterruptedherpromptly。"Doyoumean'mutual'toincludemymotherandme？"sheasked。
　　"Why,yes;theKittersbysandyouandallofusSheridans,Imean。"
　　"No,"saidMary。"Weshouldn'tconsiderMr。RobertLamhornafriendofours。"
　　Tohersurprise,Sibylnoddedeagerly,asifgreatlypleased。"That'sjustthewayMrs。Kittersbytalked！"shecried,withavehemencethatmadeMarystare。"Yes,andIhearthat'sthewayALLyouoldfamiliesherespeakofhim！"
　　Marylookedaside,butotherwiseshewasabletomaintainhercomposure。"I
　　hadtheimpressionhewasafriendofyours,"shesaid;adding,hastily,"andyourhusband's"
　　"Ohyes,"saidthecaller,absently。"Heis,certainly。Aman'sreputationforalittlegaietyoughtn'ttomakeagreatdifferencetomarriedpeople,ofcourse。It'swhereyounggirlsareinquestion。THENitmaybevery,verydangerous。Thereareagreatmanythingssafeandproperformarriedpeoplethatmightbeawf'lyimprudentforayounggirl。Don'tyouagree,MissVertrees？"
　　"Idon'tknow,"returnedthefrankMary。"DoyoumeanthatyouintendtoremainafriendofMr。Lamhorn's,butdisapproveofMissSheridan'sdoingso？"
　　"That'sitexactly！"wasthenaiveandardentresponseofSibyl。"WhatI
　　feelaboutitisthatamanwithhisreputationisn'tatallsuitableforEdith,andthefamilyoughttobemadetounderstandit。Itellyou,"shecried,withasuddenaccessofvehemence,"herfatheroughttoputhisfootdown！"
　　Hereyesflashedwithagreenspark;somethingseemedtoleapoutandthenretreat,butnotbeforeMaryhadcaughtaglimpseofit,asonemightcatchaglimpseofathingdartingforthandthenscuttlingbackintohidingunderabush。
　　"Ofcourse,"saidSibyl,muchmorecomposedly,"Ihardlyneedsaythatit'sentirelyonEdith'saccountthatI'mworriedaboutthis。I'masfondofEdithasifshewasreallymysister,andIcan'thelpfrettingaboutit。ItwouldbreakmyhearttohaveEdith'slifespoiled。"
　　Thistunewasoffthekey,toMary'sear。Sibyltriedtosingwithpathos,butsheflatted。
　　Andwhenaladyreceivesacallfromanotherwhosuffersunderthestressofsomefeelingwhichshewishestoconceal,thereisnotuncommonlydevelopedaphenomenonofdualitycomparabletotheeffectobtainedbyplacingtwomirrorsoppositeeachother,oneclearandtheotherflawed。Inthiscase,particularly,SibylhadanimperfectconsciousnessofMary。TheMaryVertreesthatshesawwasmerelysomethingtobecozenedtoherownfranticpurpose——aMaryVertreeswhowasincapableofpenetratingthatpurpose。
　　Sibylsattherebelievingthatshewasprojectingtheimageofherselfthatshedesiredtoproject,neverdreamingthatwitheveryword,everylook,andeverygestureshewasmoreandmorefullydisclosingthepitiabletruthtothecleareyesofMary。AndtheSibylthatMarysawwasanoverdressedwoman,inmannerhalfrustic,andinmindasshallowasapan,butpossessedbyemotionsthatappearedtobestrong——perhapsevenviolent。WhatthoseemotionswereMaryhadnotguessed,butshebegantosuspect。
　　"AndEdith'slifeWOULDbespoiled,"Sibylcontinued。"Itwouldbeadreadfulthingforthewholefamily。She'stheveryappleofFatherSheridan'seye,andhe'sasproudofherasheisofJimandRoscoe。ItwouldbeahorriblethingforhimtohavehermarryamanlikeRobertLamhorn;buthedoesn'tKNOWanythingabouthim,andifsomebodydoesn'ttellhim,whatI'mmostafraidofisthatEdithmightgethisconsentandhurryontheweddingbeforehefindsout,andthenitwouldbetoolate。Yousee,MissVertrees,it'sverydifficultformetodecidejustwhatit'smydutytodo。"
　　"Isee,"saidMary,lookingatherthoughtfully,"DoesMissSheridanseemto——tocareverymuchabouthim？"
　　"He'sdeliberatelyfascinatedher,"returnedthevisitor,beginningtobreathequicklyandheavily。"Oh,shewasn'tdifficult！Sheknewshewasn'tinrightinthistown,andshewascrazytomeetthepeoplethatwere,andshethoughthewasoneof'em。Butthatwasonlythestartthatmadeiteasyforhim——andhedidn'tneedit。Hecouldhavedoneit,anyway！"Sibylwaslaunchednow;hereyeswerefuriousandhervoiceshook。"Hewentafterherdeliberately,thewayhedoeseverything;he'sascold—bloodedasafish。
　　Allhecaresaboutishisownpleasure,andlatelyhe'sdecideditwouldbepleasanttogetholdofapieceofrealmoney——andtherewasEdith！Andhe'llmarryher！Nothingonearthcanstophimunlesshefindsoutshewon'tHAVEanymoneyifshemarrieshim,andtheonlypersonthatcouldmakehimunderstandthatisFatherSheridan。Somehow,that'sgottobemanaged,becauseLamhornisgoingtohurryitonasfastashecan。Hetoldmesolastnight。Hesaidhewasgoingtomarryherthefirstminutehecouldpersuadehertoit——andlittleEdith'sallreadytobepersuaded！"Sibyl'seyesflashedgreenagain。"Andhesworehe'ddoit,"shepanted。"Hesworehe'dmarryEdithSheridan,andnothingonearthcouldstophim！"
　　AndthenMaryunderstood。Herlipspartedandshestaredatthebabblingcreatureincredulously,asuddenvividpictureinhermind,acanvasofunconsciousSibyl'spainting。Marybehelditwithpityandhorror:shesawSibylclingingtoRobertLamhorn,raging,inawhisper,perhaps——forRoscoemighthavebeeninthehouse,orservantsmighthavehead。ShesawSibylentreating,beseeching,threateningdespairingly,andLamhorn——tiredofher——firstevasive,thenbrutallylettingherhavethetruth;andatlast,infuriated,"swearing"tomarryherrival。IfSibylhadnotbabbledouttheword"swore"itmighthavebeenlessplain。
　　Thepoorwomanblunderedon,whollyunawareofwhathehadconfessed。"Yousee,"shesaid,morequietly,"whatever'sgoingtobedoneoughttodonerightaway。IwentoverandtoldMotherSheridanwhatI'dheardaboutLamhorn——oh,Iwasopenandaboveboard！ItoldherrightbeforeEdith。I
　　thinkitoughtalltobedonewithperfectfrankness,becausenobodycansayitisn'tforthegirl'sowngoodandwhatherbestfriendwoulddo。ButMotherSheridan'sunderEdith'sthumb,andshe'safraidtoevercomerightoutwithanything。FatherSheridan'sdifferent。Edithcangetanythingshewantsoutofhiminthewayofmoneyorordinaryindulgence,butwhenitcomestoamatterlikethishe'dbeasteelrock。Ifit'saquestionofhiswillagainstanybodyelse'she'dmakehiswillruleifitkilled'emboth！
　　Now,he'dneverintheworldletLamhorncomenearthehouseagainifheknewhisreputation。So,yousee,somebody'sgottotellhim。Itisn'taveryeasypositionforme,isit,MissVertrees？"
　　"No,"saidMary,gravely。
　　"Well,tobefrank,"saidSibyl,smiling,"that'swhyI'vecometoyou。"
　　"ToME！"Maryfrowned。
　　Sibylrippledandcooedagain。"Thereisn'tANYBODYevenmadesuchahitwithFatherSheridaninhislifeasyouhave。AndofcourseweALLhopeyou'renotgoingtobeexactlyanoutsiderintheaffairsofthefamily！"
　　（Thissallywithanotherandloudereffectoflaughter。）"Andifit'sMY
　　duty,why,inaway,Ithinkitmightbethoughtyours,too。"
　　"No,no！"exclaimedMary,sharply。
　　"Listen,"saidSibyl。"NowsupposeIgotoFatherSheridanwiththisstory,andEdithsaysit'snottrue;supposeshesaysLamhornhasagoodreputationandthatI'mrepeatingirresponsiblegossip,orsuppose（what'smostlikely）
　　sheloseshertemperandsaysIinventedit,thenwhatamIgoingtodo？
　　FatherSheridandoesn'tknowMrs。Kittersbyandherdaughter,andthey'reoutofthequestion,anyway。ButsupposeIcouldsay:'Allright,ifyouwantproof,askMissVertrees。Shecamewithme,andshe'swaitinginthenextroomrightnow,to——"
　　"No,no,"saidMary,quickly。"Youmustn't——"
　　"Listenjustaminutemore,"Sibylurged,confidingly。Shewasoneasygroundnow,toherownmind,andhadnodoubtofhersuccess。"Younaturallydon'twanttobeginbytakingpartinafamilyquarrel,butifYOUtakepartinit,itwon'tbeone。Youdon'tknowyourselfwhatweightyoucarryoverthere,andnoonewouldhavetherighttosayyoudiditexceptoutofthepurestkindness。Don'tyouseethatJimandhisfatherwouldadmireyouallthemoreforit？MissVertrees,listen！Don'tyouseeweOUGHTtodoit,youandI？DoyousupposeRobertLamhorncaresasnapofhisfingerforher？
　　DoyousupposeamanlikehimwouldLOOKatEdithSheridanifitwasn'tforthemoney？"AndagainSibyl'semotionrosetothesurface。"Itellyouhe'safternothingonearthbuttogethisfingerinthatoldman'smoney—pile,overthere,nextdoor！He'dmarryANYBODYtodoit。MarryEdith？"shecried。"Itellyouhe'dmarrytheirniggercookforTHAT！"
　　Shestopped,afraid——atthewrongtime——thatshehadbeentoovehement,butaglaceatMaryreassuredher,andSibyldecidedthatshehadproducedtheeffectshewished。Marywasnotlookingather;shewasstaringstraightbeforeheratthewall,hereyeswideandshining。ShebecamevisiblyalittlepalerasSibyllookedather。
　　"Afternothingonearthbuttogethisfingerinthatoldman'smoney—pile,overthere,nextdoor！"Thevoicewasvulgar,thewordswerevulgar——andtheplaintruthwasvulgar！HowitranginMaryVertrees'sears！Theclearmirrorhadcaughtitsownimageclearlyintheflawedoneatlast。
　　Sibylputforthherbestbidtoclenchthematter。Sheofferedherbargain。
　　"Nowdon'tyouworry,"shesaid,sunnily,"aboutthissettingEdithagainstyou。She'llgetoveritafterawhile,anyway,butifshetriedtobespitefulandmakeituncomfortableforyouwhenyoudropinoverthere,ormanagedsoastosortofleaveyouout,why,I'vegotahouse,andJimlikestocomethere。Idon'tTHINKEdithWOULDbethatway;she'stoocrazytohaveyoutakeheraroundwiththesmartcrowd,butifsheDID,youneedn'tworry。Andanotherthing——Iguessyouwon'tmindJim'sownsister—in—lawspeakingofit。Ofcourse,Idon'tknowjusthowmattersstandbetweenyouandJim,butJimandRoscoeareaboutasmuchalikeastwobrotherscanbe,andRoscoewasveryslowmakinguphismind;sometimesIusedtothinkheactuallyneverWOULD。Now,whatImeanis,sisters—in—lawcandolotsofthingstohelpmattersonlikethat。There'slotsoflittlethingscanbesaid,andlots——"
　　Shestopped,puzzled。MaryVertreeshadgonefrompaletoscarlet,andnow,stillscarletindeed,sherose,withoutawordofexplanation,oranyotherkindofword,andwalkedslowlytotheopendoorandoutoftheroom。
　　Sibylwasalittletakenaback。ShesupposedMaryhadrememberedsomethingneglectedandnecessaryfortheinstructionofaservant,andthatshewouldreturninamoment;butitwasratherarudeexcessofabsent—mindednessnottohaveexcusedherself,especiallyasherguestwastalking。And,Mary'sreturnbeingdelayed,Sibylfoundtimetothinkthisunprefacedexitodderandruderthanshehadfirstconsideredit。Theremighthavebeenmoreexcuseforit,shethought,hadshebeenspeakingofmatterslessimportant——offeringtodothegirlallthekindnessinherpower,too！
　　Sibylyawnedandswunghermuffimpatiently;sheexaminedthesoleofhershow;shedecidedonanewshapeofheel;shemadeaninventoryofthefurnitureoftheroom,oftherugs,ofthewall—paperandengravings。Thenshelookedatherwatchandfrowned;wenttoawindowandstoodlookingoutuponthebrownlawn,thencamebacktothechairshehadabandoned,andsatagain。Therewasnosoundinthehouse。
　　Astrangeexpressionbeganimperceptiblytoaltertheplanesofherface,andslowlyshegrewasscarletasMary——scarlettotheears。Shelookedatherwatchagain——andtwenty—fiveminuteshadelapsedsinceshehadlookedatitbefore。
　　Shewentintothehall,glancedoverhershoulderoddly;thensheletherselfsoftlyoutofthefrontdoor,andwentacrossthestreettoherownhouse。
　　Roscoemetheruponthethreshold,gloomily。"Sawyoufromthewindow,"heexplained。"Youmustfindalottosaytothatoldlady。"
　　"Whatoldlady？"
　　"Mrs。Vertrees。Ibeenwaitingforyoualongtime,andIsawthedaughtercomeout,fifteenminutesago,andpostaletter,andthenwalkonupthestreet。Don'tstandoutontheporch,"hesaid,crossly。"Comeinhere。
　　There'ssomethingit'scometimeI'llhavetotalktoyouabout。Comein！"
　　Butasshewasmovingtoobeyheglancedacrossathisfather'shouseandstarted。Heliftedhishandtoshieldhiseyesfromthesettingsun,staringfixedly。"Something'sthematteroverthere,"hemuttered,andthen,moreloudly,asalarmcameintohisvoice,hesaid,"What'sthematteroverthere？"
　　Bibbsdashedoutofthegateinanautomobilesetatitshightestspeed,andashesawRoscoehemadeagenturesingularlyeloquentofcalamity,andwaslostatonceinacloudofdustdownthestreet。Edithhadfollowedpartofthewaydownthedrive,anditcouldbeseenthatshewascryingbitterly。
　　SheliftedbotharmstoRoscoe,summoninghim。
　　"ByGeorge！"gaspedRoscoe。"Ibelievesomebody'sdead！"
　　AndhestartedfortheNewHouseatarun。
　　Sheridanhaddecidedtoconcludehisday'sworkearlythatafternoon,andatabouttwoo'clockhelefthisofficewithamanofaffairsfromforeignparts,whohadtraveledfarforabusinessconferencewithSheridanandhiscolleagues。HerrFavre,inspiteofhisFrenchname,wasagentlemanofBavaria。Itwashisfirstvisittoourcountry,andSheridantookpleasureinshowinghimthesightsofthecountry'sfinestcity。TheygotintoanopencaratthemainentranceoftheSheridanBuilding,andweredrivenfirst,slowlyandmomentously,throughthewholesaledistrictandtheretaildistrict;thenmorerapidlytheyinspectedthepacking—housesandthestock—yards;thenskirmishedoverthe"parksystem"and"boulevards";andafterthatwhizzedthroughthe"residencesection"ontheirwaytothefactoriesandfoundries。
　　"Allcray,"observedHerrFavre,smilingly。
　　"'Cray'？"echoedSheridan。"Idon'tknowwhatyoumean。'Cray'？"
　　"Nowhite,"saidHerrFavre,withawaveofhishandtowardthelongrowsofhousesonbothsidesofthestreet。"Nowhitelacewindow—curtains;allcraylacewindow—curtains。"
　　"Oh。Isee！"Sheridanlaughedindulgently。"Youmean'GRAY。'No,theyain't,they'rewhite。Ineversawanygrayones。"
　　HerrFavreshookhishead,muchamused。"ThereareNOwhiteones,"hesaid。
　　"ThereisnowhiteANYTHINGinyourcity;nowhitewindow—curtains,nowhitehouse,nowhitepeeble！"Hepointedupward。"Smoke！"Thenhesniffedtheairandclaspedhisnosebetweenforefingerandthumb。"Smoke！Smokeef'rywhere。Smokeinyourinsites。"Hetappedhischest。"Smokeinyourlunks！"
　　"Oh！SMOKE！"Sheridancriedwithgusto,drawinginadeepbreathandpatentlyfindingitdelicious。"YouBETwegotsmoke！"
　　"Exbensif！"saidHerrFavre。"Ruinsfoliage;ruinsfabrics。Maybeinsummeritissnotsobad,butIwonderyourwifeswillbearit。"
　　Sheridanlaugheduproariously。"Theyknowitmeansnewspringhatsfor'em！"
　　"Theymustneedmany,too！"saidthevistior。"Newhats,newallthings,butnothingwhite。InMunchenwecouldnotdoit;weareasafingpeeble。"
　　"Where'sthat？"
　　"InMunchen。Yousay'Munich。'"
　　"Well,IneverbeentoMunich,butItookintheMediterraneantrip,andI
　　tellyou,outsideo'somerightgoodscenery,allIsawwasmightydirtyandmightyshiftlessandmightyrun—downattheheel。Nowcomin'rightdownTO
　　it,Mr。Farver,wouldn'tyouratherlivehereinthistownthaninMunich？I
　　knowyougotmoreenterpriseuptherethanthepartoftheoldcountryIsaw,andIknowYOU'REalivebusinessmanandyou'reassociatedwithotherslikeyou,butwhenitcomestoLIVIN'inaplace,wouldn'tyouheapratherbeherethanoverthere？"
　　"Forme,"saidHerrFavre,"no。HereIshouldnotthinkIwasliving。Itwouldbeliketheminerwhogoesintotheminetowork;nothingelse。"
　　"Wegotagoodmanygoodcitizensherefromyourparto'theworld。THEY
　　likeit。"
　　"Ohyes。"AndHerrFavrelaugheddeprecatingly。"Thefirstgeneration,theybringtheirGermanywiththem;then,afterthat,theyareAmericans,likeyou。"Hetappedhishost'sbigkneegenially。"Youarepatriot;soarethey。"
　　"Well,Ireckonyoumustbeaprettyhotlittlepatriotyourself,Mr。
　　Farver！"Sheridanexclaimed,gaily。"Youcertainlystandupforyourowntown,ifyousticktosayin'you'dratherlivetherethanyouwouldhere。
　　Yes,SIR！YousurearesomepatriottosayTHAT——afteryou'veseenourcity！
　　Itain'treasonableinyou,butImustsayIkindofadmireyouforit;everymanoughttostickupforhisown,evenwhenheseestheotherfellow'sgotthegoodsonhim。YetIexpectwaydowndeepinyourheart,Mr。Farver,you'dratherliverightherethananyplaceelseintheworld,ifyouhadyourchoice。Manalive！thisisGod'scountry,Mr。Farver,andablindmancouldn'thelpseein'it！Youcouldn'tstandwhereyoudoinabusinesswayandNOTseeit。Soho,boy！Hereweare。Thisisthebigworks,andI'llshowyousomethingnowthat'llmakeyoureyesstickout！"