"That'ssensible,"sheresponded,curtly。"You'remostsurprisingofallwhenyou'resensible,Bibbs。"
　　"Yes,"hesighed。"I'madulldog。Shakehandsandforgiveme,Edith。"
　　Thawingsofarastosmile,sheunderwentthisbriefceremony,andGeorgeappeared,summoningBibbstothelibrary;Dr。Gurneywaswaitingthere,heannounced。AndBibbsgavehissisterashybutfriendlytouchupontheshoulderasacomplementtothehandshaking,andlefther。
　　Dr。Gurneywassittingbythelogfire,aloneintheroom,andhemerelyglancedoverhisshoulderwhenhispatientcamein。Hewasnotoverfifty,inspiteofSheridan'shabitual"oleDocGurney。"Hewasgray,however,almostasthinasBibbs,andnearlyalwayshelookeddrowsy。
　　"Yourfathertelephonedmeyesterdayafternoon,Bibbs,"hesaid,notrising。
　　"Wantsmeto'lookyouover'again。Comearoundhereinfrontofme——betweenmeandthefire。IwanttoseeifIcanseethroughyou。"
　　"Youmeanyou'retoosleepytomove,"returnedBibbs,complying。"Ithinkyou'llnoticethatI'mgettingworse。"
　　"Takenonabouttwelvepounds,"saidGurney。"Thirteen,maybe。"
　　"Twelve。"
　　"Well,itwon'tdo。"Thedoctorrubbedhiseyelids。"You'resomuchbetterI'llhavetousesomemachineryonyoubeforewecanknowjustwhereyouare。
　　Youcomedowntomyplacethisafternoon。Walkdown——alltheway。Isupposeyouknowwhyyourfatherwantstoknow。"
　　Bibbsnodded。"Machine—shop。"
　　"Stillhateit？"
　　Bibbsnoddedagain。
　　"Don'tblameyou！"thedoctorgrunted。"Yes,Iexpectit'llmakealumpinyourgizzardagain。Well,whatdoyousay？ShallItellhimyou'vegottheoldlumpthereyet？Youstillwanttowrite,doyou？"
　　"What'stheuse？"Bibbssaid,smilingruefully。"Mykindofwriting！"
　　"Yes,"thedoctoragreed。"Isupposeityoubrokeawayandlivedonrootsandberriesuntilyoubeganto'attractthefavorableattentionofeditors'
　　youmightbeabletohopeforanincomeoffourorfivehundreddollarsayearbythetimeyou'refifty。"
　　"That'saboutit,"Bibbsmurmured。
　　"OfcourseIknowwhatyouwanttodo,"saidGurney,drowsily。"Youdon'thatethemachine—shoponly;youhatethewholeshow——thenoiceandjaranddirt,thescramble——thewholebloomin'crazeto'geton。'You'dliketogosomewhereinAlgiers,ortoTaormina,perhaps,andbaskonabalcony,smellingflowersandwritingsonnets。You'dgrowfatonitandhaveadelicatelittlelifealltoyourself。Well,whatdoyousay？Icanlielikesixty,Bibbs！ShallItellyourfatherhe'llloseanotherofhisboysifyoudon'tgotoSicily？"
　　"Idon'twanttogotoSicily,"saidBibbs。"Iwanttostayrighthere。"
　　Thedoctor'sdrowsinessdisappearedforamoment,andhegavehispatientasharpglance。"It'sarisk,"hesaid。"Ithinkwe'llfindyou'resomuchbetterhe'llsendyoubacktotheshopprettyquick。Something'sgotholdofyoulately;you'renotquitesolackadaisicalasyouusedtobe。ButIwarnyou:Ithinktheshopwillknockyoujustasitdidbefore,andperhapsevenharder,Bibbs。"
　　Herose,shookhimself,andrubbedhiseyelids。"Well,whenwegooveryouthisafternoonwhatarewegoingtosayaboutit？"
　　"TellhimI'mready,"saidBibbs,lookingatthefloor。
　　"Ohno,"Gurneylaughed。"Notquiteyet;butyoumaybealmost。We'llsee。
　　Don'tforgetIsaidtowalkdown。"
　　Andwhentheexaminationwasconcluded,thatafternoon,thedoctorinformedBibbsthattheresultwasmuchtoosatisfactorytobepleasing。"Here'sanew'situation'foraone—actfarce,"hesaid,gloomily,tohisnextpatientwhenBibbshadgone。"Doctortellsamanhe'swell,andthat'shisdeathsentence,likely。Dam'funnyworld！"
　　Bibbsdecidedtowalkhome,thoughGurneyhadnotinstructedhimuponthispoint。Infact,Gurneyseemedtohavenomoreinstructionsonanypoint,sodiscouragingwastheyoungman'simprovement。Itwasadingyafternoon,andthesmokewasevidentnotonlytoBibbs'ssight,buttohisnostrils,thoughmostofthepedestriansweresosaturatedwiththesmelltheycouldnolongerdetectit。Nearlyallofthemwalkedhurriedly,toointentupontheirdestinationstobemorethanhalfawareofthewayside;theyworetheexpressionsofpeopleunderavagueyetconstantstrain。Theywerealllightlypowdered,insideandout,withfinedustandgritfromthehard—pavedstreets,andtheywereunawareofthatalso。Theydidnotevennoticethattheysawthesmoke,thoughthethickenedairwaslikeashroudingmist。AndwhenBibbspassedthenew"SheridanApartments,"nowalmostcompleted,heobservedthatthemarbleofthevestibulewasalreadystreakywithsoot,likehisgloves,whichwerenew。
　　Thatrecalledtohimthefaintodorofgasoleneinthecoupeonthewayfromhisbrother'sfuneral,andthisincitedatrainofthoughtwhichcontinuedtillhereachedthevicinityofhishome。HisroutewasbyastreetparalleltothatonwhichtheNewHousefronted,andinhispreoccupationhewalkedablockfartherthanheintended,sothat,havingcrossedtohisownstreet,heapproachedtheNewHousefromthenorth,andashecametothecornerofMr。
　　Vertrees'slotMr。Vertrees'sdaughteremergedfromthefrontdoorandwalkedthoughtfullydownthepathtotheoldpicketgate。Shewasunconsciousoftheapproachofthepedestrianfromthenorth,anddidnotseehimuntilshehadopenedthegateandhewasalmostbesideher。Thenshelookedup,andasshesawhimshestartedvisibly。AndifthisthinghadhappenedtoRobertLamhorn,hewouldhavehadathoughtfarbeyondthehorizonoffaint—heartedBibbs'sthoughts。Lamhorn,indeed,wouldhavespokenhisthought。Hewouldhavesaid:
　　"Youjumpedbecauseyouwerethinkingofme！"
　　Marywasthepictureofaladyflustered。Shestoodwithonehandclosingthegatebehindher,andshehadturnedtogointhedirectionBibbswaswalking。Thereappearedtobenothingforitbutthattheyshouldwalktogether,atleastasfarastheNewHouse。ButBibbshadpausedinhisslowstride,andthereelapsedaninstantbeforeeitherspokeormoved——itwasnolongerthanthat,andyetitsufficedforeachtoseemtosay,bylookandattitude,"Why,it'sYOU！"
　　Thentheybothspokeatonce,eachhurriedlypronouncingtheother'snameasifabouttodeliveramessageofimportance。Thenbothcametoastopsimultaneously,butBibbsmadeaheroiceffort,andastheybegantowalkontogetherhecontrivedtofindhisvoice。
　　"I——I——hateafrozenfishmyself,"hesaid。"Ithinkthreemileswastoolongforyoutoputupwithone。"
　　"Goodgracious！"shecried,turningtohimaglowingfacefromwhichrestraintandembarrassmenthadsuddenlyfled。"Mr。Sheridan,you'relovelytoputitthatway。Butit'salwaysthegirl'splacetosayit'sturningcooler！Ioughttohavebeentheonetoshowthatwedidn'tknoweachotherwellenoughnottosaySOMETHING！Itwasanimpositionformetohavemadeyoubringmehome,andafterIwentintothehouseIdecidedIshouldhavewalked。Besides,itwasn'tthreemilestothecar—line。Ineverthoughtofit！"
　　"No,"saidBibbs,earnestly。"Ididn't,either。ImighthavesaidsomethingifI'dthoughtofanything。I'mtalkingnow,though;Imustrememberthat,andnotworryaboutitlater。IthinkI'mtalking,thoughitdoesn'tsoundintelligenteventome。ImadeupmymindthatifIevermetyouagainI'dturnonmyvoiceandkeepitgoing,nomaterwhatitsaid。I——"
　　Sheinterruptedhimwithlaughter,andMaryVertrees'slaughwasonewhichBibbs'sfatherhaddeclared,afterthehouse—warming,"acripplewouldcrawlfivemilestohear。"AndatthemerryliltingofitBibbs'sfather'ssontookhearttoforgetsomeofhistrepidation。"I'llbeanykindofidiot,"
　　hesaid,"ifyou'lllaughatmesomemore。Itwon'tbedifficultforme。"
　　Shedid;andBibbs'scheeksshowedalittleactualcolor,whichMaryperceived。Itrecalledtoher,bycontrast,hercarelessandirritateddescriptionofhimtohermotherjustaftershehadseenhimforthefirsttime。"Rathertragicandaltogetherimpossible。"Itseemedtohernowthatshemusthavebeenblind。
　　TheyhadpassedtheNewHousewithouteitherofthemshowing——orpossessing——anyconsciousnessthatithadbeenthedestinationofoneofthem。
　　"I'llkeepontalking,"Bibbscontinued,cheerfully,"andyoukeeponlaughing。I'mamountingtosomethingintheworldthisafternoon。I'mmakinganoise,andthatmakesyoumakemusic。Don'tbebotheredbymybleatingoutsuchthingsasthat。I'mreallyfrightened,andthatmakesmebleatanything。I'mfrightenedabouttwothings:I'mafraidofwhatI'llthinkofmyselflaterifIdon'tkeeptalking——talkingnow,Imean——andI'mafraidofwhatI'llthinkofmyselfifIdo。Andbesidesthesetwothings,I'mfrightened,anyhow。Idon'tremembertalkingasmuchasthismorethanonceortwiceinmylife。Isupposeitwasalwaysinmetodoit,though,thefirsttimeImetanyonewhodidn'tknowmewellenoughnottolisten。"
　　"Butyou'renotreallytalkingtome,"saidMary。"You'rejustthinkingaloud。"
　　"No,"hereturned,gravely。"I'mnotthinkingatall;I'monlymakingvocalsoundsbecauseIbelieveit'smoremannerly。Iseemtobethesubjectofwhatlittlemeaningtheypossess,andI'dliketochangeit,butIdon'tknowhow。Ihaven'tanyexperienceintalking,andIdon'tknowhowtomanageit。"
　　"Youneedn'tchangethesubjectonmyaccount,Mr。Sheridan,"shesaid。"Notevenifyoureallytalkedaboutyourself。"Sheturnedherfacetowardhimasshespoke,andBibbscaughthisbreath;hewaspatheticallyamazedbythelookshegavehim。Itwasaglowinglook,warmlyfriendlyandunderstanding,and,whatalmostshockedhim,itwasaneagerlyinterestedlook。Bibbswasnotaccustomedtoanythinglikethat。
　　"I——you——I——I'm——"hestammered,andthefaintcolorinhischeeksgrewalmostvivid。
　　Shewasstilllookingathim,andshesawthestrangeradiancethatcameintohisface。Therewassomethingabouthim,too,thatexplainedhow"queer"
　　manypeoplemightthinkhim;buthedidnotseem"queer"toMaryVertrees;heseemedthemostquaintlynaturalpersonshehadevermet。
　　Hewaited,andbecamecoherent。"YOUsaysomethingnow,"hesaid。"Idon'tevenbelonginthechorus,andhereIam,tryingtosingthefunnyman'ssolo！You——"
　　"No,"sheinterrupted。"I'dratherplayyouraccompaniment。"
　　"I'llstopandlistentoit,then。"
　　"Perhaps——"shebegan,butafterpausingthoughtfullyshemadeagesturewithhermuff,indicatingalargebrickchurchwhichtheywereapproaching。"Doyouseethatchurch,Mr。Sheridan？"
　　"IsupposeIcould,"heansweredinsimpletruthfulness,lookingather。
　　"ButIdon'twantto。Once,whenIwasill,thenursetoldmeI'dbettersayanythingthatwasonmymind,andIgotthehabit。TheotherreasonIdon'twanttoseethechurchisthatIhaveafeelingit'swhereyou'regoing,andwhereI'llbesentback。"
　　Sheshookherheadincheerynegation。"Notunlessyouwanttobe。Wouldyouliketocomewithme？"
　　"Why——why——yes,"hesaid。"Anywhere！"Andagainitwasapparentthathespokeinsimpletruthfulness。
　　"Thencome——ifyoucarefororganmusic。Theorganistisanoldfriendofmine,andsometimesheplaysforme。He'sadearoldman。HehadadegreefromBonn,andwasaprofessorafterward,buthegaveupeverythingformusic。That'she,waitinginthedoorway。HelookslikeBeethoven,doesn'the？Ithinkheknowsthat,perhaps,andenjoysitalittle。Ihopeso。"
　　"Yes,"saidBibbs,astheyreachedthechurchsteps。"IthinkBeethovenwouldlikeit,too。Itmustbepleasanttolooklikeotherpeople。"
　　"Ihaven'tkeptyou？"Marysaidtotheorganist。
　　"No,no,"heanswered,heartily。"Iwouldnotmindsoonlyyoushouldshooercome！"
　　"ThisisMr。Sheridan,Dr。Kraft。Hehascometolistenwithme。"
　　Theorganistlookedbluntlysurprised。"IssthatSO？"heexclaimed。"Well,Iamgladifyouwishhim,andifhecanstantmyliddleplayink。Heissmusicianhimself,then,ofcourse。"
　　"No,"saidBibbs,asthethreeenteredthechurchtogether。"I——Iplayedthe——Itriedtoplay——"Fortunatelyhecheckedhimself;hehadbeenabouttooffertheinformationthathehadfailedtomasterthejews'—harpinhisboyhood。"No,I'mnotamusician,"hecontentedhimselfwithsaying。
　　"What？"Dr。Kraft'ssurpriseincreased。"Youngman,youarefortunate！I
　　playforMissVertrees;shecomesalwaysalone。Youarethefirst。YouarethefirstoneEVER！"
　　Theyhadreachedtheheadofthecentralaisle,andastheorganistfinishedspeakingBibbsstoppedshort,turningtolookatMaryVertreesinadazedwaythatwasnotofherpreceiving;for,thoughshestoppedashedid,hergazefollowedtheorganist,whowaswalkingawayfromthemtowardthefrontofthechurch,shakinghiswhiteBeethovianmaneroguishly。
　　"It'sfalsepretensesonmypart,"Bibbssaid。"Youmeantobekindtothesick,butI'mnotaninvalidanymore。I'msowellI'mgoingbacktoworkinafewdays。I'dbetterleavebeforehebeginstoplay,hadn'tI？"
　　"No,"saidMary,beginningtowalkforward。"Notunlessyoudon'tlikegreatmusic。"
　　Hefollowedhertoaseatabouthalf—wayuptheaislewhileDr。Kraftascendedtotheorgan。Itwasanenormousone,theprocessionofpipesrangingfromlong,starvelingwhistlestothunderingfatguns;theycoveredalltherearwallofthechurch,andtheorganist'sfigure,reachingitshighperch,lookedlikethatofsomeLilliputianmagicianludicrouslydaringtheattempttoconrolamonstercertaintooverwhelmhim。
　　"ThisafternoonsomeHandel！"heturnedtoshout。
　　Marynodded。"Willyoulikethat？"sheaskedBibbs。
　　"Idon'tknow。Ineverheardanyexcept'Largo。'Idon'tknowanythingaboutmusic。Idon'tevenknowhowtopretendIdo。IfIknewenoughtopretend,Iwould。"
　　"No,"saidMary,lookingathimandsmilingfaintly,"youwouldn't。"
　　Sheturnedawayasagreatsoundbegantoswimandtrembleintheair;thehughemptyspaceofthechurchfilledwithit,andthetwopeoplelisteningfilledwithit;theuniverseseemedtofillandthrillwithit。Thetwosatintenselystill,thegreatsoundallroundaboutthem,whilethechurchgrewdusky,andonlytheorganist'slampmadeatinystaroflight。Hiswhiteheadmovedfromsidetosidebeneathitrhythmically,orlungedandrecoveredwiththefiercenessofaduelistthrusting,buthewasmagnificentlythemasterofhisgiant,anditsangtohismagicashebadeit。
　　Bibbswassweptawayuponthatmightysinging。Suchathingwaswhollyunknowntohim;therehadbeennomusicinhismeagerlife。Unlikethetale,itwasthePrincessBedrulbudourwhohadbroughthimtotheenchantedcave,andthat——forBibbs——waswhatmadeitsmagicdazing。Itseemedtohimalong,longtimesincehehadbeenwalkinghomedrearilyfromDr。Gurney'soffice;itseemedtohimthathehadsetoutuponahappyjourneysincethen,andthathehadreachedanotherplanet,whereMaryVertreesandhesatalonetogetherlisteningtoavastchoiringofinvisiblesoldiersandholyangels。
　　Therewerearmiesofvoicesaboutthemsingingpraiseandthanksgiving;andyettheywerealone。Itwasincrediblethatthewallsofthechurchwerenottheboundariesoftheuniverse,toremainsoforever;incrediblethattherewasasmokystreetjustyonder,wherehousemaidswerebringingineveningpapersfromfrontstepsandwherechildrenweretakingtheirlastspinsonroller—skatesbeforebeinghaledindoorsfordinner。
　　Hehadacurioussenseofcommunicationwithhisnewfriend。Heknewitcouldnotbeso,andyethefeltasifallthetimehespoketoher,saying:
　　"Youhearthisstrain？Youhearthatstrain？Youknowthedreamthatthesesoundsbringtome？"Anditseemedtohimasthoughsheansweredcontinually:"Ihear！Ihearthatstrain,andIhearthenewonethatyouarehearingnow。Iknowthedreamthatthesesoundsbringtoyou。Yes,yes,Ihearitall！Wehear——together！"
　　Andthoughthechurchgrewsodimthatallwasmysteriousshadowexceptthevagueplanesofthewindowsandtheorganist'slight,withthewhiteheadmovingbeneathit,Bibbshadnoconsciousnessthatthegirlsittingbesidehimhadgrownshadowy;heseemedtoseeherasplainlyaseverinthedarkness,thoughhedidnotlookather。Andallthemightychantingoftheorgan'smultitudinousvoicesthatafternoonseemedtoBibbstobechorusingofherandinterpretingher,singingherthoughtsandsingingforhimtheworldofhumblegratitudethatwasinhisheartbecauseshewassokindtohim。ItallmeantMary。
　　Butwhensheaskedhimwhatitmeant,ontheirhomewardway,hewassilent。
　　Theyhadcomeafewpacesfromthechurchwithoutspeaking,walkingslowly。
　　"I'lltellyouwhatitmeanttome,"shesaid,ashedidnotimmediatelyreply。"AlmostanymusicofHandel'salwaysmeansonethingaboveallotherstome:courage！That'sit。Itmakescowardiceofwhiningseemsoinfinitesimal——itmakesMOSTthingsinourhustlinglittlelivesseeminfinitesimal。"
　　"Yes,"hesaid。"Itseemsodd,doesn'tit,thatpeopledown—townarehurryingtotrainsandhangingtostrapsintrolley—cars,welteringeverywaytogethomeandfeedandsleepsotheycangetdown—townto—morrow。Andyetthereisn'tanythingdownthereworthgettingto。They'relikeservantsdrudgingtokeepthehousegoing,andbelievingthedrudgeryitselfisthegreatthing。Theymakesomuchnoiseandfussanddirttheyforgetthatthehousewasmeanttolivein。Thehouseworkhastobedone,butthepeoplewhodoithavebeensooverpaidthatthey'reconfusedandworshipthehousework。
　　They'reoverpaid,andyet,poorthings！theyhaven'tanythingthatachickencan'thave。Ofcourse,whentheworldgetstopayingitswagessensiblythatwillbedifferent。"
　　"Doyoumean'communism'？"sheasked,andshemadetheirslowpacealittleslower——theyhadonlythreeblockstogo。
　　"Whateverthewordis,Ionlymeanthatthingsdon'tlookverysensiblenow——especiallytoamanthatwantstokeepoutof'emandcan't！
　　'Communism'？Well,atleastany'decentsport'wouldsayit'sfairforallthestrongrunnerstostartfromthesamemarkandgivetheweakonesafairdistanceahead,sothatallcanrunsomethinglikeevenonthestretch。Andwouldn'titbepleasant,really,iftheycouldallcrossthewinning—linetogether？Whoreallyenjoysbeatinganybody——ifheseesthebeatenman'sface？Theonlywaywecanenjoygettingaheadofotherpeoplenowadaysisbyforgettingwhattheotherpeoplefeel。Andthat,"headded,"isnothingofwhatthemusicmeanttome。Yousee,ifIkeeptalkingaboutwhatitdidn'tmeanIcankeepfromtellingyouwhatitdidmean。"
　　"Didn'titmeancouragetoyou,too——alittle？"sheasked。"Triumphandpraisewereinit,andsomehowthosethingsmeancouragetome。"
　　"Yes,theywereallthere,"Bibbssaid。"Idon'tknowthenameofwhatheplayed,butIshouldn'tthinkitwouldmattermuch。Themanthatmakesthemusicmustleaveittoyouwhatitcanmeantoyou,andthenameheputstoitcan'tmakemuchdifference——excepttohimselfandpeopleverymuchlikehim,Isuppose。"
　　"Isupposethat'strue,thoughI'dneverthoughtofitlikethat。"
　　"Iimagemusicmustmakefeelingsandpaintpicturesinthemindsofthepeoplewhohearit,"Bibbswenton,musingly,"accordingtotheirownnaturesasmuchasaccordingtothemusicitself。Themusicianmightcomposesomethingandplayit,wantingyoutothinkoftheHolyGrail,andsomepeoplewhohearditwouldthinkofaprayer—meeting,andsomewouldthinkofhowgoodtheywerethemselves,andaboymightthinkofhimselfattheheadofasolemnprocession,carryingabannerandridingawhitehorse。Andthen,ifthereweresomejubilantpassagesinthemusic,he'dthinkofacircus。"
　　Theyhadreachedhergate,andshesetherhanduponit,butdidnotopenit。
　　Bibbsfeltthatthiswasalmostthekindestofherkindnesses——nottobepromptinleavinghim。
　　"Afterall,"shesaid,"youdidn'ttellmewhetheryoulikedit。"
　　"No。Ididn'tneedto。"
　　"No,that'strue,andIdidn'tneedtoask。Iknew。Butyousaidyouweretryingtokeepfromtellingmewhatitdidmean。"
　　"Ican'tkeepfromtellingitanylonger,"hesaid。"Themusicmeanttome——itmeantthekindnessof——ofyou。"
　　"Kindness？How？"
　　"YouthoughtIwasasortoflonelytramp——andsick——"
　　"No,"shesaid,decidedly。"Ithoughtperhapsyou'dliketohearDr。Kraftplay。Andyoudid。"
　　"It'scurious;sometimesitseemedtomethatitwasyouwhowereplaying。"
　　Marylaughed。"I？Istrum！Piano。AlittleChopin——Grieg——Chaminade。Youwouldn'tlisten！"
　　Bibbsdrewadeepbreath。"I'mfrightenedagain,"hesaid,inanunsteadyvoice。"I'mafraidyou'llthinkI'mpushing,but——"Hepaused,andthewordssanktoamurmur。
　　"Oh,ifyouwantMEtoplayforyou！"shesaid。"Yes,gladly。Itwillbemerelyabsurdafterwhatyouheardthisafternoon。Iplaylikeahundredthousandothergirls,andIlikeit。I'mgladwhenanyone'swillingtolisten,andifyou——"Shestopped,checkedbyasuddenrecollection,andlaughedruefully。"Butmypianowon'tbehereafterto—night。I——I'msendingitawayto—morrow。I'mafraidthatifyou'dlikemetoplaytoyouyou'dhavetocomethisevening。"
　　"You'llletme？"hecried。
　　"Certainly,ifyoucareto。"
　　"IfIcouldplay——"hesaid,wistfully,"ifIcouldplaylikethatoldmaninthechurchIcouldthankyou。"
　　"Ah,butyouhaven'theardmeplay。IKNOWyoulikedthisafternoon,but——"
　　"Yes,"saidBibbs。"ItwasthegreatesthappinessI'veeverknown。"
　　Itwastoodarktoseehisface,buthisvoiceheldsuchplainhonesty,andhespokewithsuchcompleteunconsciousnessofsayinganythingespeciallysignificant,thatsheknewitwasthetruth。Foramomentshewasnonplussed,thensheopenedthegateandwentin。"You'llcomeafterdinner,then？"
　　"Yes,"hesaid,notmoving。"WouldyoumindifIstoodhereuntiltimetocomein？"
　　Shehadreachedthesteps,andatthatsheturned,offeringhimtheresponseoflaughterandagaygestureofhermufftowardthelightedwindowsoftheNewHouse,asthoughbiddinghimtorunhometohisdinner。
　　Thatnight,Bibbssatwritinginhisnote—book。
　　Musiccancomeintoablanklife,andfillit。Everythingthatisbeautifulismusic,ifyoucanlisten。
　　Thereisnogracefulnesslikethatofagracefulwomanatagrandpiano。
　　Thereisaswimminglovelinessoflinethatseemstomergewiththerunningofthesound,andyouseem,asyouwatchher,toseewhatyouarehearingandtohearwhatyouareseeing。
　　Therearewomenwhomakeyouthinkofpinewoodscomingdowntoasparklingsea。Theairaboutsuchawomanisbracing,andwhensheisnearyou,youfeelstrongandambitious;youforgetthattheworlddoesn'tlikeyou。Youthinkthatperhapsyouareagreatfellow,afterall。ThenyoucomeawayandfeellikeaboywhohasfalleninlovewithhisSunday—schoolteacher。
　　You'llbewhippedforit——andoughttobe。
　　TherearewomenwhomakeyouthinkofDiana,crownedwiththemoon。Buttheydonothavethe"Greekprofile。"IdonotbelieveHelenofTroyhada"Greekprofile";theywouldnothavefoughtaboutherifhernosehadbeenquitethatlong。TheGreeknoseisnottheadorablenose。Theadorablenoseisaboutaneighthofaninchshorter。
　　MuchofthemusicofWagner,itappears,isnotsuitabletothepiano。
　　Wagnerwasacomposerwhocouldinterpretintomusicsuchthingsastheprimitiveimpulsesofhumanity——hecouldhavemadeamachine—shopintomusic。
　　Butnotifhehadtoworkinit。Wagnerwasalwaysdealinginimmensities——amachine—shopwouldhaveputamajesticlumpinsograndagizzardasthat。
　　Thereisamysteryaboutpianos,itseems。Sometimestheyhavetobe"sentaway。"Thatishowsomepeoplespeakofthepenitentiary。"Sentaway"isaeuphuismfor"senttoprison。"Butpianosarenotsenttoprison,andtheyarenotsenttothetuner——thetunerissenttothem。Whyarepianos"sentaway"——andwhere？
　　Sometimesagloriousdayshinesintothemostordinaryanduselesslife。
　　Happinessandbeautycomecarolingoutoftheairintothegloomyhouseofthatlifeasifsomestrayangeljusthappenedtoperchontheroof—tree,restingandsinging。Andthenightaftersuchadayislustrousandsplendidwiththememoryofit。Musicandbeautyandkindness——thosearethethreegreatestthingsGodcangiveus。Tobringthemallinonedaytoonewhoexpectednothing——ah！theheartthatreceivedthemshouldbeashumbleasitisthankful。Butitishardtobehumblewhenoneissorichwithnewmemories。Itisimpossibletobehumbleafteradayofglory。
　　Yes——theadorablenoseismorethananeighthofaninchshorterthantheGreeknose。Itisafullquarterofaninchshorter。
　　Therearewomenwhowillbekindertoasicktrampthantoaconqueringhero。
　　Butthesicktramphadbetterrememberthat'swhatheis。Takecare,takecare！Humble'stheword！
　　That"mysteryaboutpianos"whichtroubledBibbshadbeenamysterytoMr。
　　Vertrees,anditwasbeingexplainedtohimataboutthetimeBibbsscribbledthereferencetoitinhisnotes。Maryhadgoneup—stairsuponBibbs'sdepartureatteno'clock,andMr。andMrs。Vertreessatuntilaftermidnightinthelibrary,talking。Andinallthattimetheyfoundnotonecheerfultopic,butbecamemoredepressedwitheverythingandwitheveryphaseofeverythingthattheydiscussed——noextraordinarystateofaffairsinafamilywhichhasalways"heldupitshead,"onlytoarriveintheendatapointwhereallitcandoistolookonhelplesslyattheprocessesofitsownfinancialdissolution。Forthatwasthepointwhichthisdespairingcouplehadreached——theycoulddonothingexceptlookonandtalkaboutit。Theywereonlyvaporing,andtheyknewit。
　　"Sheneedn'ttohavedonethataboutherpiano,"vaporedMr。Vertrees。"Wecouldhavemanagedsomehowwithoutit。Atleastsheoughttohaveconsultedme,andifsheinsistedIcouldhavearrangedthedetailswiththe——thedealer。"
　　"Shethoughtthatitmightbe——annoyingforyou,"Mrs。Vertreesexplained。
　　"Really,sheplannedforyounottoknowaboutituntiltheyhadremoved——untilafterto—morrow,thatis,butIdecidedto——tomentionit。
　　Yousee,shedidn'teventellmeaboutituntilthismorning。Shehasanotherides,too,I'mafraid。It's——it's——"
　　"Well？"heurged,asshefounditdifficulttogoon。
　　"Herotherideais——thatis,itwas——Ithinkitcanbeavoided,ofcourse——itwasaboutherfurs。"
　　"No！"heexclaimed,quickly。"Iwon'thaveit！Youmustseetothat。I'drathernottalktoheraboutit,butyoumustn'tlether。"
　　"I'lltrynot,"hiswifepromised。"Ofcourse,they'reveryhandsome。"
　　"Allthemorereasonforhertokeepthem！"hereturned,irritably。"We'renotTHATfargone,Ithink！"
　　"Perhapsnotyet,"Mrs。Vertreessaid。"Sheseemstobetroubledaboutthe——thecoalmatterand——aboutTilly。Ofcoursethepianowilltakecareofsomethingslikethoseforawhileand——"
　　"Idon'tlikeit。Igaveherthepianotoplayon,notto——"
　　"Youmustn'tbedistressedaboutitinONEway,"shesaid,comfortingly。