Shehadbeensmiling。nowshewasveryserious。
Forgiveme，Albert，shesaid。Wehavebeenjoking，youandI，buttherewasatimewhenwe——whenyourfriendsdidnotjoke。Oh，Albert，ifyoucouldhaveseentheSnowplaceasIsawitthen。Itwasasifallthehopeandjoyandeverythingworthwhilehadbeencrushedoutofit。Yourgrandmother，poorlittlewoman，wasbraveandquiet，butweallknewshewastryingtokeepupforCaptainZelotes’sake。Andhe——Albert，youcanscarcelyimaginehowthenewsofyourdeathchangedhim……Ah！well，itwasahardtime，adreadfultimefor——foreveryone。
Shepausedandhe，turningtolookather，sawthatthereweretearsinhereyes。Heknewofheraffectionforhisgrandparentsandtheirsforher。Beforehecouldspeakshewassmilingagain。
Butnowthatisallover，isn’tit？shesaid。AndtheSnowsarethehappiestpeopleinthecountry，Idobelieve。ANDtheproudest，ofcourse。Sonowyoumusttellmeallaboutit，aboutyourexperiences，andaboutyourwarcross，andaboutyourliterarywork——oh，abouteverything。
Theall-inclusivenarrativewasnotdestinedtogetveryfar。OldMr。Kendallcamehurryingin，thesermononthecastingdownofBaalinhishand。Thereafterheled，guided，andtoalargeextentmonopolizedtheconversation。HisdiscoursehadproceededperhapsasfarasThirdlywhenAlbert，lookingathiswatch，wassurprisedtofinditalmostdinnertime。Mr。Kendall，stilltalking，departedtohisstudytohuntforanothersermon。Theyoungpeoplesaidgood-byinhisabsence。
Ithasbeenawfullygoodtoseeyouagain，Helen，declaredAlbert。ButItoldyouthatinthebeginning，didn’tI？Youseemlike——well，likeapartofhome，youknow。Andhomemeanssomethingtomenowadays。
I’mgladtohearyouspeakofSouthHarnissashome。OfcourseI
knowyoudon’tmeantomakeitapermanenthome——IimagineMadelinewouldhavesomethingtosayaboutthat——butitisnicetohaveyouspeakasiftheoldtownmeantsomethingtoyou。
Helookedabouthim。
Ilovetheplace，hesaidsimply。
Iamglad。SodoI。butthenIhavelivedhereallmylife。ThenexttimewetalkIwanttoknowmoreaboutyourplansforthefuture——yoursandMadeline’s，Imean。Howproudshemustbeofyou。
Helookedupather。shewasstandingupontheupperstepandheonthewalkbelow。
MadelineandI——hebegan。Thenhestopped。Whatwastheuse？
Hedidnotwanttotalkaboutit。Hewavedhishandandturnedaway。
AfterdinnerhewentoutintothekitchentotalktoMrs。Ellis，whowaswashingdishes。Shewasdoingitasshedidallhershareofthehousework，withanenergyandcapabilitywhichwouldhavedelightedthesoulofascientificmanagementexpert。ExceptwhenunderthespellofasympatheticattackRachelwaseverdistinctlyonthejob。
Andofcourseshewas，asalways，gladtoseeherprotege，herRobertPenfold。Theproprietaryinterestwhichshehadalwaysfeltinhimwasmorethaneverhersnow。Hadnotshebeenthesolepersontohintatthepossibilityofhisbeingalive，wheneveryoneelsehadgivenhimupfordead？Hadnotshebeentheonlyonetosuggestthathemighthavebeentakenprisoner？HadSHEeverdespairedofseeinghimagain——onthisearthandintheflesh？
Indeed，shehadnot。atleast，shehadneveradmittedit，ifshehad。Sothen，hadn’tsheaRIGHTtofeelthatsheownedashareinhim？Nooneventuredtodisputethatright。
Sheturnedandsmiledoveroneampleshoulderwhenheenteredthekitchen。
Hello，shehailedcheerfully。Comecallin’，haveyou，Robert——
Albert，Imean？Itwouldhavebeenagreathelptomeifyou’dbeenchristenedRobert。Icallyouthatsomuchtomyselfitcomesalmostmorenaturalthantheother。Onaccountofyoubein’sojustlikeRobertPenfoldinthebook，youknow，sheadded。
Yes，yes，ofcourse，Rachel，Iunderstand，putinAlberthastily。
HewasnotinthemoodtolistentoadissertationonatexttakenfromFoulPlay。Helookedabouttheroomandsighedhappily。
Thereisn’taspeckanywhere，isthere？heobserved。Itisjustasitusedtobe，justasIusedtothinkofitwhenIwaslaidupoverthere。WhenIwantedtotryandeatabit，soastokeepwhatstrengthIhad，Iwouldthinkaboutthiskitchenofyours，Rachel。
Itdidn’tdotothinkoftheplaceswheretheprisonstuffwascooked。Theywerenot——appetizing。
Mrs。Ellisnodded。Ipresumelikelynot，sheobserved。Well，don’ttellmeabout’em。I’vejustscrubbedthiskitchenfromstemtostern。IfIheardaboutthoseprisonplaces，I’dfeellikestartin’rightinandscrubbin’italloveragain，IknowI
should……Dirtypigs！IwishIhadthescourin’ofsomeofthoseGermans！I’d——Idon’tknowasIwouldn’tskin’emalive。
Albertlaughed。Someofthemprettynearlydeservedit，hesaid。
Rachelsmiledgrimly。Well，let’stalkaboutnicethings，shesaid。Oh，IssyPricewasherethisforenoon。Cap’nLotesenthimoverfromtheofficeonanerrand，andhesaidhesawyouandMr。
Kendallgoin’downstreettogetherjustashewascomin’along。Heholleredatyou，butyoudidn’thearhim。’Cordin’toIssachar’stell，youwasluggin’abasketwithJonah’swhaleinit，orsomethin’likethat。
Albertdescribedhisencounterwiththeminister。Rachelwasmuchinterested。
Oh，soyousawHelen，shesaid。Well，Iguessshewassurprisedtoseeyou。
NotmorethanIwastoseeher。Ididn’tknowshewasintown。
Notasoulhadmentionedit——younorGrandfathernorGrandmother。
Thehousekeeperansweredwithoutturningherhead。Guesswehadsomanythingstotalkaboutweforgotit，shesaid。Yes，she’sbeenhereoveraweeknow。Hightime，fromwhatIhear。Thepooroldparsonhasfailedconsider’bleandMariaPrice’shousekeepin’
andcookin’isenoughtomakeawellmansick——orwishhewas。Buthe’llbelookedafternow。Helenwilllookafterhim。She’sthemostcapablegirlthereisinOstableCounty。DidshetellyouaboutwhatshedoneintheRedCrossandthehospitals？
Shesaidsomethingaboutit，notverymuch。
Um-hm。Shewouldn’t，bein’HelenKendall。ButtheRedCrossfolkssaidenough，andthey’resayin’ityet。Why——
ShewentontotellofHelen’sworkintheRedCrossdepotsandinthecamp，andhospitals。Itwasaninspiringstory。
Theretheywas，saidRachel，thepoorthings，justboysmostof’em，dyin’ofthatdreadfulinfluenzalikerats，asyoumightsay。
And，ofcourseit’sdreadfulcatchin’，andagoodmanywasmoreafraidofitthantheywouldhavebeenofbullets，enoughsight。
ButHelenKendallwa’n’tafraid——no，siree！Why——
Andsoon。Albertlistened，hearingmostofit，butlosingsomeashisthoughtswanderedbacktotheHelenhehadknownasaboyandtheHelenhehadmetthatforenoon。Herface，asshehadwelcomedhimattheparsonagedoor——itwassurprisinghowclearlyitshowedbeforehismind’seye。Hehadthoughtatfirstthatshehadnotchangedinappearance。Thatwasnotquitetrue——shehadchangedalittle，butitwasmerelythefulfillmentofapromise，thatwasall。Hereyes，hersmileaboveahospitalbed——hecouldimaginewhattheymusthaveseemedliketoalonely，homesickboywrestlingwiththeflu。
And，don’ttalk！heheardthehousekeepersay，ashedriftedoutofhisreverie，ifshewa’n’tpopulararoundthathospital，aroundbothhospitals，fur’sthatgoes！Thepatientsidolizedher，andtheothernursestheylovedher，andthedoctors——
Didtheyloveher，too？Albertasked，withasmile，asshehesitated。
Shelaughed。Someof’emdid，Ical’late，sheanswered。Yousee，IgotmostofmynewsaboutitallfromBessieRyder，CorneliusRyder’sniece，livesupontheroadtotheCenter。youusedtoknowher，Albert。Bessiewasnursin’inthatsamehospital，theoneHelenwasatfirst。’Cordin’toher，therewassomedoctororofficertryin’toshineuptoHelenmostofthetime。WhenshewasatEastview，soBessieheard，therewasarealbig-bugintheArmy，asortofAdmiralorCommodoreamongstthedoctorshewas，andHEwastrottin’afterher，orwouldhavebeenifshe’dlethim。’CourseyouhavetomakesomeallowancesforBessie——shewouldn’tbeaRyderifshedidn’ttakesomanywordstosaysolittlethatthetruthgetsstretchedprettythinaforeshefinished——buttheremusthavebeenSOMETHIN’init。Andallaboutherbein’suchawonderfulnurseanddoin’somuchfortheRedCrossIKNOWistrue……Eh？Didyousayanything，Albert？
Albertshookhishead。No，Rachel，hereplied。Ididn’tspeak。
IthoughtIheardyouorsomebodysaysomethin’。I——Why，LabanKeeler，whatareyoudoin’awayfromyourdeskthistimeintheafternoon？
Labangrinnedasheenteredthekitchen。
DidIhearyousayyouthoughtyouheardsomebodysayin’somethin’，Rachel？heinquired。That’squeer，ain’tit？Seemedtome_I_
heardsomebodysayin’somethin’asIcomeupthepathjustnow。
Seemedasiftheywassayin’itrighthereinthekitchen，too。
’Twasn’tyourvoice，Albert，anditcouldn’thavebeenRachel’s，’causesheNEVERtalks——’speciallytoyou。It’stoobad，theprejudiceshe’sgotagainstyou，Albert，headded，withawink。
Um-hm，toobad——yes，’tis——yes，yes。
Mrs。Ellissniffed。
Andthat’swhatthenewspapersinwartimeusedtocall——er——er——
oh，dear，whatwasit？——camel——seems’sif’twassomethin’aboutacamel——
Camouflage？suggestedAlbert。
That’sit。Allthattalkaboutmeisjustcamouflagetosavehimanswerin’myquestion。Buthe’sgoin’toanswerit。Whatareyoudoin’awayfromtheofficethistimeintheafternoon，Iwanttoknow？
Mr。Keelerperchedhissmallfigureonthecornerofthekitchentable。
Well，totellyouthetruth，Rachel，hesaidsolemnly。I’mheretodowhatthefolksinbookscalldemandanexplanation。YouandI，Rachel，arejustasgoodasengagedtobemarried，ain’twe？
I’vebeenkeepin’companywithyouforthelasttwenty，fortyorsixtyyears，somesuchspellasthat。Now，justasI’mgettin’
usedtoitandbeginnin’toconsideritasettledarrangement，asyoumaysay，Icomeintothishouseandfindyoushutupinthekitchenwithanotherman。Now，what——
Thehousekeeperadvancedtowardhimwiththedrippingdishcloth。
LabanKeeler，shethreatened，ifyoudon’tstopyourfoolishnessandanswermyquestion，IdeclareI’ll——
Labanslidfromhisperchandretiredbehindthetable。
Anotherman，herepeated。AndSOMEfolks——notmany，ofcourse，butsome——mightbecrazyenoughtosayhewasabetter-lookin’manthanIam。Now，bein’ragin’jealous，——Allright，Rachel，allright，Isurrender。Don’thitmewithallthosesoapsuds。Idon’twanttogobacktotheofficefoamin’atthemouth。ThereasonI’mhereisthatIhadtogodownstreettoseeaboutthesheathin’fortheRedMen’slodgeroom。Issytooktheorder，buthewasn’trealsurewhether’twassheathin’orscantlin’theywanted，soItoldCap’nLoteI’drundownmyselfandstraightenitout。OnthewaybackIsawyoutwothroughthewindowandIthoughtI’ddropinandworryyou。SohereIam。
Mrs。Ellisnodded。Yes，shesniffed。Andallthatcamel——
camel——Oh，DEAR，whatDOESailme？Allthatcamel——Nouse，I’veforgotitagain。
Nevermind，Rachel，saidMr。Keelerconsolingly。Allthe——er——
menageriewasjustthatandnothin’more。Oh，bytheway，Al，headded，speakin’ofcamels——don’tyouthinkI’vedoneprettywelltogosolongwithoutany——er——liquidnourishment？NotadropsinceyouandIenlistedtogether……Oh，sheknowsaboutitnow，headded，withajerkofhisheadinthehousekeeper’sdirection。Ifelt’twasfairlysafeandsettled，soItoldher。
Itoldher。Yes，yes，yes。Um-hm，soIdid。
Albertturnedtothelady。
Youshouldbeveryproudofhim，Rachel，hesaidseriously。I
thinkIrealizealittlesomethingofthefighthehasmade，anditisbully。Youshouldbeproudofhim。
Rachellookeddownatthelittleman。
Iam，shesaidquietly。Iguesslikelyheknowsit。
Labansmiled。ThefolksinWashingtonaredoin’theirbesttohelpmeout，hesaid。They’regoin’totakethestuffawayfromeverybodyso’stomakesure_I_don’tgetanymore。They’llprobablyputupamonumenttomeforstartin’thething。don’tyouthinktheywill，Al？Eh？Don’tyou，now？
Albertandhewalkeduptheroadtogether。LabantoldalittlemoreofhisbattlewithJohnBarleycorn。
IhadhalfadozenspellswhenIhadtosetmyteeth，thoseI’vegotleft，andhangon，hesaid。Andthehangin’-onwa’n’taseasyasstickin’tofly-paper，neither。Honest，though，Ithinkthehardestwaswhenthenewscamethatyouwasalive，Al。I——I
justwantedtostartinandcelebrate。Wantedtowhoopherup，I
did。Hepausedamomentandthenadded，Itriedwhoopin’onsass’parillaandvanillasody，but’twa’n’tsatisfactory。Couldn’tseemtoraisearealloudwhisper，letaloneawhoop。No，I
couldn’t——no，no。
Albertlaughedandlaidahandonhisshoulder。You’reallright，Labe，hedeclared。Iknowyou，andIsayso。
Labanslowlyshookhishead。Hissmile，asheanswered，wasratherpathetic。
I’malong，longwaysfrombein’allright，Al，hesaid。Alongwaysfromthat，Iam。IfI’dmademyfightthirtyyearago，I
mighthavebeennighertoamountin’tosomethin’……Oh，well，forRachel’ssakeI’mgladI’vemadeitnow。She’sstucktomewheneverybodywouldhavepraisedherforchuckin’metoTophet。I
wasreadin’oneofThackeray’sbookst’othernight——HenryEsmond，’twas。you’vereadit，Al，ofcourse。Iwasreadin’itt’othernightfortheninety-ninthtimeorthereabouts，andIrunacrosstheplacewhereitsaysit’sstrangewhatamancandoandawomanstillkeepthinkin’he’sanangel。That’strue，too，Al。Not，
withthereturnoftheslightsmile，thatRacheleverwentsofarastocallmeanangel。No，no。There’slimitswhereyoucan’tstretchhercommon-senseanyfarther。Callin’meanangelwouldbejustpastthelimit。Yes，yes，yes。IguessSO。
TheyspokeofCaptainZelotesandOliveandoftheirgriefanddiscouragementwhenthenewsofAlbert’ssupposeddeathreachedthem。
Doyouknow，saidLabe，IbelieveHelenKendall’scomin’thereforaweekdid’emmoregoodthananythingelse。Shegotawayfromhersoldiernursin’somehow——musthavebeenabletopullthestringsconsider’bleharder’ntheaveragetodoit——andjustcamedowntotheSnowplaceandsortoftookchargealongwithRachel。
Courseshedidn’tlivethere，herfatherthoughtshewasvisitin’
him，Iguesslikely，butshewaswithCap’nLoteandOlivemostofthetime。Rachelsaysshenevermadeafuss，youunderstand，justwasthereandhelpedandwasquietandsoft-spokenandcapableand——
andcomfortin’，that’sabouttheword，Iguess。RachelalwaysthoughtasightofHelenaforethat，butsincethensheswearsbyher。
Thatevening——or，rather，thatnight，fortheydidnotleavethesittingroomuntilaftertwelve——Mrs。Snowheardhergrandsonwalkingthefloorofhisroom，andcalledtoaskifhewassick。
I’mallright，Grandmother，hecalledinreply。Justtakingalittleexercisebeforeturningin，that’sall。SorryifI
disturbedyou。
Theexercisewas，asamatteroffact，almostentirelymental，thepacingupanddownmerelyanunconsciousphysicalaccompaniment。
AlbertSperanzawasindulginginintrospection。Hewasreviewingandassortinghisthoughtsandhisimpulsesandtryingtodeterminejustwhattheywereandwhytheywereandwhithertheyweretending。Itwasamentalandspiritualpickingtopiecesandtheresultwashumiliatingandinitsturnresultedinabrand-newdetermination。
EversincehismeetingwithHelen，ameetingwhichhadbeenquiteunpremeditated，hehadthoughtofbutlittleexcepther。Duringhistalkwithherintheparsonagesittingroomhehadbeen——therewasnousepretendingtohimselfthatitwasotherwise——morecontentedwiththeworld，moreoptimistic，happier，thanhehadbeenformonths，itseemedtohimforyears。Evenwhilehewasspeakingtoherofhisuneasinessanddissatisfactionhewasdimlyconsciousthatatthatmomenthewaslessuneasyandlessdissatisfied，consciousthatthesolidgroundwasbeneathhisfeetatlast，thatherewasthehavenafterthestorm，herewas——
Hepulledupsharply。Thislineofthoughtwassilly，dangerous，wicked。Whatdiditmean？Threedaysbefore，onlythreedays，hehadleftMadelineFosdick，thegirlwhomhehadworshiped，adored，andwhohadlovedhim。Yes，therewasnousepretendingthere，either。heandMadelineHADlovedeachother。Ofcourseherealizednowthattheirlovehadnothingpermanentlysubstantialaboutit。Itwastheromanceofyouth，adreamwhichtheyhadsharedtogetherandfromwhich，fortunatelyforboth，theyhadawakenedintime。Andofcourseherealized，too，thattheawakeninghadbegunlong，longbeforetheactualpartingtookplace。Butneverthelessonlythreedayshadelapsedsincethatparting，andnow——Whatsortofamanwashe？
Washelikehisfather？WasitwhatCaptainZelotesusedtocallthePortygeestreakwhichwasnowcroppingout？Theoperasingerhadbeenofthebutterflytype——inhislateryearsamiddle-agedbutterflywhosewingscreakedsomewhat——butdecidedlyaflitterfromflowertoflower。Asaboy，Alberthadbeenaware，inanuncertainfashion，ofhisfather’sfondnessforthesex。Now，older，hisjudgmentofhisparentwasnotaslenient，wasclearer，morediscerning。Heunderstoodnow。WashisownPortygeestreak，hisinheritedtemperament，responsibleforhisleavingonegirlonaTuesdayandonFridayfindinghisthoughtsconcernedsodeeplywithanother？
Well，nomatter，nomatter。Onethingwascertain——Helenshouldneverknowofthatfeeling。Hewouldcrushitdown，hewouldusehiscommon-sense。Hewouldbeadecentmanandnotablackguard。
Forhehadhadhischanceandhadtosseditaway。WhatwouldshethinkofhimnowifhecametoherafterMadelinehadthrownhimover——thatiswhatMrs。Fosdickwouldsay，wouldtakepainsthateveryoneelseshouldsay，thatMadelinehadthrownhimover——whatwouldHelenthinkofhimifhecametoherwithasecond-handlovelikethat？
Andofcourseshewouldnotthinkofhimasaloveratall。Whyshouldshe？Intheboyandgirldaysshehadrefusedtolethimspeakofsuchathing。Shewashisfriend，aglorious，awonderfulfriend，butthatwasall，allsheeverdreamedofbeing。
Well，thatwasright。thatwasasitshouldbe。Heshouldbethankfulforsuchafriend。Hewas，ofcourse。Andhewouldconcentrateallhisenergiesuponhiswork，uponhiswriting。
Thatwasit，thatwasit。Good，itwassettled！
Sohewenttobedand，eventually，tosleep。
CHAPTERXIX
Whiledressinginthecoldlightofdawnhisperturbationsofthepreviousnightappearedinretrospectasratherboyishandunnecessary。HissuddenandunexpectedmeetingwithHelenandtheirtalktogetherhadtendedtomakehimover-sentimental，thatwasall。Heandsheweretobefriends，ofcourse，buttherewasnorealdangerofhisallowinghimselftothinkofherexceptasafriend。No，indeed。Heopenedthebureaudrawerinsearchofatie，andtherewasthepackageofsnapshotsjustwherehehadtossedthemthatnightwhenhefirstreturnedhomeaftermuster-
out。Helen’sphotographwastheuppermost。Helookedatit——
lookedatitforseveralminutes。Thenheclosedthedraweragainandhurriedlyfinishedhisdressing。Apart，atleast，ofhisresolveofthenightbeforehadbeensoundcommon-sense。Hisbrainwassufferingfromlackofexercise。Workwaswhatheneeded，hardwork。
Sotoworkhewentwithoutdelay。Aplacetoworkinwasthefirstconsideration。Hesuggestedthegarret，buthisgrandmotherandRachelhelduptheirhandsandliftedtheirvoicesinprotest。
No，INDEED，declaredOlive。Zeloteshasalwaystalkedaboutwritin’folksandpoetsstarvin’ingarrets。Ifyouwentupattictoworkhe’dbeteasin’mefrommornin’tonight。Besides，you’dfreezeupthere，ifthesmellofmoth-ballsdidn’tchokeyoufirst。
No，youwait。I’vegotanotion。There’sthatoldtabledeskofZelotes’inthesettin’room。Hedon’thardlyeveruseitnowadays。Youtakeitupstairstoyourownroomandworkinthere。
Youcanhavetheoil-heatertokeepyouwarm。
Sothatwasthearrangementmade，andinhisownroomAlbertsatdownatthebatteredolddesk，whichhadbeennotonlyhisgrandfather’sbuthisgreat-grandfather’sproperty，toconcentrateuponthefirstoftheseriesofstoriesorderedbytheNewYorkmagazine。Hehadalreadydecideduponthegeneralschemefortheseries。Aboy，ragamuffinsonofimmigrantparents，rising，afterawrongstart，bysheergritandnaturalshrewdnessandability，stepbysteptocompetenceandsuccess，winningaplaceinandtherespectofacommunity。Therewasnothingnewintheideaitself。
SomethingshissoldierchumMikeKelleyhadtoldhimconcerninganuncleofhis——Mike’s——suggestedit。Thenoveltyhehopedmightcomefromtheincidents，thevariousproblemsfacedbyhishero，thesolutionofeachbeingastepupwardinthelatter’scareerandintheformationofhischaracter。Hewantedtowrite，ifhecould，thestoryofthebuildingofonemoreworth-whileAmerican，forAlbertSperanza，likesomanyotherssettothinkingbythewarandthewarexperiences，wasrealizingstronglythatthegabblingofaformulaandtheswearingofanoathofnaturalizationdidnotnecessarilymakeanAmerican。Thereweretoomanyeagertotakethatoathwithtongueincheekandknifeinsleeve。Toomany，forthefirsttimeintheirlivesbreathingandspeakingasfreemen，thankstotheprotectionofColumbia’sarm，yetplanningtostabtheirprotectressintheback。
SoAlbert’sherowastobeanAmerican，anAmericantowhomthetermmeantthehighestandthebest。Ifhehadhuntedalifetimeforsomethingtopleaseandinteresthisgrandfatherhecouldnothavehitthemarknearerthecenter。Cap’nLote，ofcourse，pretendedacertainmeasureofindifference，butthatwasforOliveandRachel’sbenefit。Itwouldneverdoforthescoffertobecomeaconvertopenlyandatonce。Thefemininemembersofthehouseholdclamoredeacheveningtohavetheauthorreadaloudhisday’sinstallment。Thecaptainsniffed。
Oh，dear，dear，withagroan，nowI’vegottohearallthatmade-upstuffthathappenedtoaparcelofmade-upfolksthatneverlivedandneverwill。Wasteoftime，wasteoftime。Where’smyTranscript？
Butitwasnoticed——andcommentedupon，youmaybesure——byhiswifeandhousekeeperthattheTranscriptwaslikelytobe，beforethereadinghadprogressedfar，eitherinthecaptain’slaporonthefloor。AndwhenthediscussionfollowingthereadingwasunderwayCaptainZelotes’opinionswereexpressedquiteasfreelyasanyone’selse。LabanKeelergotintothehabitofdroppingintolisten。
OnefatefuleveningthereadingwasinterruptedbythearrivalofMr。Kendall。Thereverendgentlemanhadcometomakeapastoralcall。Albert’sherowasinthemiddleofasituation。Theoldclergymaninsisteduponthecontinuationofthereading。Itwascontinuedandsowasthediscussionfollowingit。infact，thediscussionseemedlikelytogoonindefinitely，forthevisitorshowednoinclinationofleaving。Atten-thirtyhisdaughterappearedtoinquireabouthimandtoescorthimhome。Thenhewent，butunderprotest。Albertwalkedtotheparsonagewiththem。
Nowwe’vestartedsomethin’，groanedthecaptain，asthedoorclosed。Thatoldcritter’llbecruisin’overheresixnightsoutoffivefromnowontotellAljusthowtospinthoseyarnsofhis。
Andhe’lltalk——andtalk——andtalk。Ain’titastonishin’howsuchafeeble-lookin’craftasheiscankeepblowin’offsteamthatwayandstillbeabletonavigate。
Hiswifetookhimtotask。Theidea，sheprotested，ofyourcallin’yourownministera’critter’！Ishouldthinkyou’dbeashamed……But，oh，dear，I’mafraidheWILLbeoverhereanawfullot。
Herfearswererealized。Mr。Kendall，althoughnotonhandsixnightsoutoffive，asthecaptainprophesied，wasafrequentvisitorattheSnowplace。AsAlbert’sstory-writingprogressedthediscussionsconcerningthegrowthanddevelopmentofthehero’scharacterbecamemoreandmoreinvolvedandspirited。Theywereforthemostpartconfined，whentheministerwaspresent，tohimandMrs。SnowandRachel。Laban，ifhehappenedtobethere，satwellbackinthecorner，sayinglittleexceptwhenappealedto，andthenansweringwithoneofhisdry，characteristicobservations。
CaptainLote，intherocker，hislegscrossed，hishandstrokinghisbeard，andwiththetwinkleinhiseyes，listened，andspokebutseldom。Occasionally，whenheandhisgrandsonexchangedglances，thecaptainwinked，indicatingappreciationofthesituation。
Say，Al，hesaid，oneevening，aftertheoldclergymanhaddeparted，itmustbekindofrestfultohaveyourworkalllaidoutforyouthisway。Takeitto-night，forinstance。Idon’tseebutwhateverything’splannedforthisyoungfelleryou’rewritin’
aboutsoyounorhewon’thavetothinkforyourselvesforahundredyearorsuchmatter。Coursethere’ssomelittledifferenceintheplans。Rachelwantshimtogetwreckedonanislandorbeputinjail，andMother，shewantshimtobeasoldierandapoet，andMr。Kendallthinksit’shightimehejoinedthechurchorsignedthepledgeorstoppedswearin’orchewin’gum。
Zelotes，howridiculousyoudotalk！
Allright，Mother，allright。Whatstrikesme，Al，istheydon’tanyof’emstoptoaskyouwhatYOUmeantohavehimdo。CourseI
know’tain’tanyofyourbusiness，butstill——seems’sifyoumightbealittlemiteinterestedintheboyyourself。
Albertlaughed。Don’tworry，Grandfather，hesaid。I’menjoyingitallverymuch。AndsomeofthesuggestionsmaybejustwhatI’mlookingfor。
Well，son，we’llhopeso。Say，Labe，I’vegotanotionforkeepin’theministerfromdoin’allthetalkin。’We’llaskIssyPricetodropin。eh？
Labanshookhishead。Idon’tknow，Cap’nLote，heobserved。
Soundstomeagooddeallikelettin’inahurricanetoblowoutamatchwith……Um-hm。Seemssotome。Yes，yes。
Mr。Kendall’scallswouldhavebeenmorefrequentstillhadHelennotinterfered。Veryoften，whenhecamesheherselfdroppedinalittlelaterandinsisteduponhismakinganearlystartforhome。
Occasionallyshecamewithhim。She，too，seemedmuchinterestedintheprogressofthestories，butsheofferedfewsuggestions。
Whendirectlyappealedto，sheexpressedherviews，andtheywereworthwhile。
Albertwasresolutelyadheringtohisdeterminationnottopermithimselftothinkofherexceptasafriend。Thatis，hehopedhewas。thoughtsarehardtocontrolattimes。Hesawheroften。
Theymetonthestreet，atchurchonSunday——hisgrandmotherwassodelightedwhenheaccompaniedhertomeetingthathedidsorathermorefrequently，perhaps，thanheotherwisewould——atthehomesofacquaintances，and，ofcourse，attheSnowplace。Whenshewalkedhomewithherfatherafterastoryeveningheusuallywentwiththemasadditionalescort。
ShehadnotquestionedhimconcerningMadelinesincetheirfirstmeetingthatmorningattheparsonage。Heknew，therefore，thatsomeone——hisgrandmother，probably——hadtoldherofthebrokenengagement。Whentheywerealonetogethertheytalkedofmanythings，casualthings，thegeneralitiesofwhich，sohetoldhimself，aconversationbetweenmerefriendswascomposed。Butoccasionally，afterdoingescortduty，afterMr。Kendallhadgoneintothehousetotakehisthroatmedicine——amedicinewhichCaptainZelotesdeclaredwouldhavetobedouble-strengthprettysoontooffsetthewearandtearofthestoryevenings——theytalkedofmattersmorespecificandwhichmoredirectlyconcernedthemselves。Shespokeofherhospitalwork，ofherteachingbeforethewar，andofherplansforthefuture。Thelatter，ofcourse，wereveryindefinitenow。
Fatherneedsme，shesaid，andIshallnotleavehimwhilehelives。
TheyspokeofAlbert’sworkandplansmostofall。Hebegantoaskforadviceconcerningtheformer。Whenthosestorieswerewritten，whatthen？Shehopedhewouldtrythenovelhehadhintedat。
I’msureyoucandoit，shesaid。Andyoumustn’tgiveupthepoemsaltogether。Itwasthepoetry，youknow，whichwasthebeginning。
YOUwerethebeginning，hesaidimpulsively。PerhapsIshouldneverhavewrittenatallifyouhadn’turgedme，shamedmeoutofmylaziness。
Iwasapresumingyoungperson，I’mafraid，shesaid。Iwonderyoudidn’ttellmetomindmyownbusiness。Ibelieveyoudid，butIwouldn’tmind。
JunebroughtthesummerweatherandthesummerboarderstoSouthHarniss。OneofthenewssensationswhichcameatthesametimewasthatthenewFosdickcottagehadbeensold。Thepeoplewhohadoccupieditthepreviousseasonhadboughtit。Mrs。Fosdick，sorumorsaid，wasnotstrongandherdoctorshaddecidedthattheseaairdidnotagreewithher。
Crimustee！exclaimedIssachar，asheimpartedthenewstoMr。
Keeler，ifthatain’ttheworst。Spendyourmoney，andapileofmoney，too，buyin’ground，layin’ofitouttobuildahouseontolivein，thenbuildin’thathouseandthen，bycrimus，sellin’ittosomebodyelseforTHEMtolivein。ThatbeatsanyfoolishnessevercomeMYway。
Andthere’ssomeconsider’blecomeyourwayatthat，ain’tthey，Is？observedLaban，busywithhisbookkeeping。
Issacharnodded。You’rerighttherehas，hesaidcomplacently。
I……Whatdoyoumeanbythat？Tryin’tobefunnyagain，ain’tyou？
Albertheardthenewswithadistinctfeelingofrelief。WhilethefeelingonhisparttowardMadelinewasofthekindliest，andMadeline’swas，hefeltsure，thesametowardhim，neverthelesstomeetherdayafterday，aspeoplemustmeetinavillagenobiggerthanSouthHarniss，wouldbeawkwardforboth。AndtomeetMrs。
Fosdickmightbemoreawkwardstill。Hesmiledashesurmisedthattherealizationbytheladyofthatveryawkwardnesswasprobablyresponsibleforthediscoverythatseaairwasnotbeneficial。
Thestory-writingandthestoryeveningscontinued。Overthefourthstoryintheseriesdiscussionwaswarm，forthereweremarkeddifferencesofopinionamongthelisteners。OneoftheexperiencesthroughwhichAlberthadbroughthisherowasthatofworkingasgeneralassistanttoasharp，unscrupulousandsmooth-
tonguedrascalwhowasproprietorofacircussideshowandfakemuseum。Hewasakind-heartedswindler，butonewhoneverletaquestionofhonestyinterferewiththegettingofadollar。Inthisfourthstory，tothetownwherethehero，nowamanoftwenty-
five，hadestablishedhimselfinbusiness，camethischeatofotherdays，butnowhecameasadulyordainedclergymaninanswertothecallofthelocalchurch。Theherolearnedthathehadnottoldthegoverningbodyofthatchurchofhisformercareer。Hadhedoneso，theymostcertainlywouldnothavecalledhim。Theleadingmaninthatchurchbodywasthehero’spatronandkindestfriend。Thequestion：Whatwasthehero’sdutyinthematter？
Ofcoursethefirstquestionaskedwaswhetherornottheex-
sideshowproprietorwassincerelyrepentantandhonestlytryingtowalkthestraightpathandleadothersalongit。Albertrepliedthathisherohadinterviewedhimandwassatisfiedthathewas。
hehadbeenconvertedatarevivalandwasnowareligiousenthusiastwhoseoneideawastosavesinners。
ThatwasenoughforCaptainZelotes。
Lethimalone，then，saidthecaptain。He’stryin’tobeadecentman。Whatdoyouwanttodo？Tellonhimandhavehimchuckedoverboardfromonechurchafteranotheruntilhegetsdiscouragedandtakestoswindlin’again？
RachelElliscouldnotseeitthatway。
Ifhewasasavedsinner，shedeclared，andrepentantofhissins，thenhe’doughttorepent’emoutloud。Hidin’’emain’trepentin’。And，besides，there’sDonald’sDonaldwasthehero’snamethere’sDonald’sdutytothemanthat’sbeensogoodtohim。
Isitfairtothatmantokeepstillandlethimhireaministerthat，likeasnot，willstealthecollection，boxandall，aforehegetsthrough？No，sir，DonaldoughttotellTHATman，anyhow。
Olivewasprettydubiousaboutthewholescheme。ShedoubtedifanybodyconnectedwithacircusCOULDeverbecomeaminister。
Thewhole——er——er——tradeissodifferent，shesaid。
Mr。Kendallwasnottherethatevening，hisattendancebeingrequiredatameetingoftheSundaySchoolteachers。Helen，however，wasnotatthatmeetingandCaptainZelotesdeclaredhisintentionofaskingheropinionbytelephone。
She’llsaysameasIdo——youseeifshedon’t，hedeclared。Whenhecalledtheparsonage，however，MariaPriceansweredthephoneandinformedhimthatHelenwasspendingtheeveningwitholdMrs。
Crowell，wholivedbutalittlewayfromtheSnowplace。ThecaptainpromptlycalleduptheCrowellhouse。
She’sthereandshe’llstopinhereonherwayalong，hesaidtriumphantly。Andshe’llbackmeup——yousee。
Butshedidnot。Shedidnotbackupanyone。Shemerelysmiledanddeclaredtheproblemtoocomplicatedtoansweroffhand。
Whydon’tyouaskAlbert？sheinquired。Afterall，heistheonewhomustsettleiteventually。
Hewon’ttell，saidOlive。He’srealprovokin’，isn’the？Andnowyouwon’ttell，either，Helen。
Oh，Idon’tknow——yet。ButIthinkhedoes。
Albert，asusual，walkedhomewithher。
Howareyougoingtoansweryourhero’sriddle？sheasked。
BeforeItellyou，supposeyoutellmewhatyouranswerwouldbe。
Shereflected。Well，shesaid，itseemstomethat，allthingsbeingastheyare，heshoulddothis：Heshouldgotothesideshowman——theministernow——andhaveaveryfranktalkwithhim。Heshouldtellhimthathehaddecidedtosaynothingabouttheoldlifeandtohelphimineveryway，tobehisfriend——providedthathekeepstraight，thatisall。Ofcoursemorethanthatwouldbemeant，thealternativewouldbethereandunderstood，butheneednotsayit。Ithinkthatcourseofactionwouldbefairtohimselfandtoeverybody。Thatismyanswer。Whatisyours？
Helaughedquietly。Justthat，ofcourse，hesaid。Youwouldseeit，Iknew。Youalwaysseedowntotheheartofthings，Helen。
Youhavethegift。
Sheshookherhead。Itdidn’treallyneedagift，thisparticularproblem，didit？shesaid。Itisnot——excuseme——itisn’texactlyanewone。
No，itisn’t。Itisasoldasthehills，buttherearealwaysnewtwiststoit。
Astherearetoallouroldproblems。
Yes。Bytheway，youradviceabouttheendingofmythirdstorywasexactlywhatIneeded。Theeditorwrotemeheshouldneverhaveforgivenmeifithadendedinanyotherway。ItprobablyWOULDhaveendedinanotherwayifithadn’tbeenforyou。Thankyou，Helen。
Oh，youknowtherewasreallynothingtothankmefor。Itwasallyou，asusual。Haveyouplannedthenextstory，thefifth，yet？
Notentirely。Ihavesomevagueideas。Doyouwanttohearthem？
Ofcourse。
Sotheydiscussedthoseideasastheywalkedalongthesidewalkofthestreetleadingdowntotheparsonage。Itwasawarmevening，alightmist，whichwasnotsubstantialenoughtobeafog，hanginglowovereverything，wrappingthemandthetreesandthelittlefrontyardsandlowhousesoftheoldvillageinasortofcozy，velvety，confidentialquiet。Thescentoflilacswasheavyintheair。
Theybothweresilent。Justwhentheyhadceasedspeakingneithercouldhavetold。TheywalkedonarminarmandsuddenlyAlbertbecameawarethatthissilencewasdangerousforhim。thatinitallhisresolvesandbravedeterminationsweremeltingintomistlikethatabouthim。thathemusttalkandtalkatonceanduponasubjectwhichwasnotpersonal，which——
AndthenHelenspoke。
Doyouknowwhatthisremindsmeof？shesaid。Allthistalkofours？Itremindsmeofhowweusedtotalkoverthosefirstpoemsofyours。Youhavegonealongwaysincethen。
IhavegonetoKaiservilleandback。
YouknowwhatImean。Imeanyourworkhasimprovedwonderfully。
Youwritewithasurehandnow，itseemstome。Andyourviewissomuchbroader。
IhopeI’mnotthenarrow，conceitedlittleroosterIusedtobe。
Itoldyou，Helen，thatthewarhandedmeanawfuljolt。Well，itdid。Ithinkit，ormysicknessorthewholebusinesstogether，knockedmostofthatself-confidenceofminegalley-west。ForsomuchI’mthankful。
Idon’tknowthatIam，altogether。Idon’twantyoutoloseconfidenceinyourself。Youshouldbeconfidentnowbecauseyoudeservetobe。Andyouwritewithconfidence，oritreadsasifyoudid。Don’tyoufeelthatyoudo，yourself？Truly，don’tyou？
Well，perhaps，alittle。Ihavebeenatitforsometimenow。I
oughttoshowsomeprogress。PerhapsIdon’tmakeasmanymistakes。
Ican’tseethatyouhavemadeany。
Ihavemadeone……adamnableone。
Why，whatdoyoumean？
Oh，nothing。Ididn’tmeantosaythat……Helen，doyouknowitisawfullygoodofyoutotakeallthisinterestinme——inmywork，Imean。Whydoyoudoit？
Why？
Yes，why？
Why，because——Whyshouldn’tI？Haven’twealwaystalkedaboutyourwritingstogether，almostsincewefirstkneweachother？
Aren’tweoldfriends？
Thereitwasagain——friends。Itwaslikeasplashofcoldwaterintheface，atonceawakeningandchilling。Albertwalkedoninsilenceforafewmomentsandthenbeganspeakingofsometrivialsubjectentirelydisconnectedwithhimselforhisworkorher。
Whentheyreachedtheparsonagedoorhesaidgoodnightatonceandstrodeofftowardhome。
Backinhisroom，however，hegavehimselfanothermentalpickingtopieces。Hewasrealizingmostdistinctlythatthissortofthingwouldnotdo。ItwaseasytosaythathisattitudetowardHelenKendallwastobethatofafriendandnothingmore，butitwasgrowingharderandhardertomaintainthatattitude。Hehadcomewithinabreaththatverynightofsayingwhatwasinhisheart。
Well，ifhehadsaidit，ifhedidsayit——whatthen？Afterall，wasthereanyrealreasonwhyheshouldnotsayit？Itwastruethathehadloved，orfanciedthatheloved，Madeline，thathehadbeenbetrothedtoher——butagain，whatofit？Brokenengagementswerecommonenough，andtherewasnothingdisgracefulinthisone。
WhynotgotoHelenandtellherthathisfanciedloveforMadelinehadbeenthedamnablemistakehehadconfessedmaking。WhynottellherthatsincethemomentwhenhesawherstandinginthedoorwayoftheparsonageonthemorningfollowinghisreturnfromNewYorkhehadknownthatshewastheonlywomanintheworldforhim，thatitwasherimagehehadseeninhisdreams，inthedeliriumoffever，thatitwasshe，andnotthatother，who——
Butthere，allthiswasfoolishness，andheknewit。Hedidnotdaresayit。Notforoneinstanthadshe，byspeechorlookoraction，givenhimtheslightestencouragementtothinkherfeelingforhimwasanythingbutfriendship。Andthatfriendshipwasfartooprecioustorisk。Hemustnotriskit。Hemustkeepstill，hemusthidehisthoughts，shemustneverguess。Someday，perhaps，afterayearortwo，afterhispositioninhisprofessionwasmoreassured，thenhemightspeak。Buteventhentherewouldbethatrisk。Andtheideaofwaitingwasnotpleasant。WhathadRacheltoldhimconcerningthehostsofdoctorsandofficersandgeneralswhohadbeenshininguptoher。Someriskthere，also。
Well，nevermind。Hewouldtrytokeeponashehadbeengoingforthepresent。Hewouldtrynottoseeherasfrequently。Ifthestrainbecameunbearablehemightgoawaysomewhere——foratime。
Hedidnotgoaway，buthemadeitapointnottoseeherasfrequently。However，theymetoftenevenasitwas。Andhewasconsciousalwaysthattheicebeneathhisfeetwasvery，verythin。
OnewonderfulAugusteveninghewasinhisroomupstairs。Hewasnotwriting。Hehadcomeupthereearlybecausehewishedtothink，toconsider。Apropositionhadbeenmadetohimthatafternoon，asurprisingproposition——tohimithadcomeasacompletesurprise——
andbeforementioningiteventohisgrandparentshewishedtothinkitoververycarefully。
Aboutteno’clockhisgrandfathercalledtohimfromthefootofthestairsandaskedhimtocomedown。
Mr。Kendall’sonthephone，saidCaptainZelotes。He’sworriedaboutHelen。She’suptoWestHarnisssittin’upalongofLuranyHowes，who’sbeensicksolong。Sheain’tcomehome，andtheoldgentleman’sfrettin’aboutherwalkin’downfromtherealonesolate。ItoldhimIcal’latedyou’djustassoonharnessJessanddriveupandgether。Youtalkwithhimyourself，Al。
Albertdidand，afterassuringthenervousclergymanthathewouldseethathisdaughterreachedhomesafely，putonhishatandwentouttothebarn。Jessaminewasasleepinherstall。AshewasabouttoleadherouthesuddenlyrememberedthatoneofthetraceshadbrokenthatmorningandCaptainZeloteshadleftitattheharness-maker’stobemended。Itwasthereyet。Thecaptainhadforgottenthefact，andsohadhe。ThatsettledtheideaofusingJessamineandthebuggy。Nevermind，itwasabeautifulnightandthewalkwasbutlittleoveramile。
Whenhereachedthetinystory-and-a-halfHowescottage，sittingbackfromtheroadupontheknollamidthetangleofsilverleafsprouts，itwasHelenherselfwhoopenedthedoor。Shewassurprisedtoseehim，andwhenheexplainedhiserrandshewasalittlevexed。
TheideaofFather’sworrying，shesaid。Suchawonderfulnightasthis，brightmoonlight，andinSouthHarniss，too。NothingeverhappenstopeopleinSouthHarniss。Iwillbereadyinaminuteortwo。Mrs。Howes’nieceisherenowandwillstaywithheruntilto-morrow。Thenhersisteriscomingtostayamonth。AssoonasIgethermedicinereadywecango。
Thedoorofthetinybedroomadjoiningthesittingroomwasopen，andAlbert，sittingupontheloungewiththefadedlikenessofapinkdogprintedontheplushcover，couldhearthequerulousvoiceoftheinvalidwithin。ThewidowHoweswasdeafand，asLabanKeelerdescribedit，alwaysholleredloudenoughtomakeherselfhearwhenshespoke。Helenwasmovingquietlyaboutthesickroomandspeakinginalowtone。Albertcouldnothearwhatshesaid，buthecouldhearLurania。
You’reawonder，that’swhatyoube，declaredthelatter，andI
toldyourpasolasttimehewashere。’She’sasaint，’saysI，’ifevertherewasoneonthisearth。She’sthenicest，smartest，best-lookin’girlinTHIStownand……’eh？
Therehadbeenamurmur，presumablyofremonstrance，fromHelen。
Eh？
Anothermurmur。
EH？WHO’Dyousaywasthere？
Athirdmurmur。
WHO？……Oh，thatSperanzyone？LoteSnow’sgrandson？TheonetheyusedtocallthePortygee？……Eh？Well，allright，I
don’tcareifhedidhearme。Ifhedon’tknowyou’reniceandsmartandgood-lookin’，it’shightimehedid。
Helen，atrifleembarrassedbutlaughing，emergedamomentlater，andwhenshehadputonherhatsheandAlbertlefttheHowescottageandbegantheirwalkhome。ItwasoneofthosenightssuchasCapeCodders，year-roundersorvisitors，experiencethreeorfourtimesduringasummerandboastoftheremainderoftheyear。
Askyclear，deep，stretchedcloudlessfromhorizontohorizon。
Everylightatseaoronshore，incottagewindoworatmastheadorinlighthouseoronlightshipatwinklingdiamondpoint。Amoon，apparentlyasbigasabarrel-head，hungupintheeastandbelowitacarpetofcoldfire，ofdancing，spangledsilverspreadupontheocean。Thesoundofthesurf，distant，soothing。andfortherestquietandthefragranceofthesummerwoodsandfields。
Theywalkedratherfastatfirstandtheconversationwasbrisk，butasthenightbegantoworkitsspelluponthemtheirprogresswasslowerandtherewereintervalsofsilenceofwhichneitherwasaware。TheycametothelittlehillwherethenarrowroadfromWestHarnisscomestojointhebroaderhighwayleadingtotheCenter。Thereweretreeshere，apinegrove，onthelandwardside，andtowardtheseanothingtobreakthegloriousview。
Helencaughtherbreath。Oh，itisbeautiful，beautiful！shesaid。
Albertdidnotanswer。Whydon’tyoutalk？sheasked。Whatareyouthinkingabout？
Hedidnottellherwhathewasthinkingabout。Instead，havingcaughthimselfjustintime，hebegantellingherofwhathehadbeenthinkingwhenhisgrandfathercalledhimtothetelephone。
Helen，hesaid，Iwanttoaskyouradvice。Ihadanastonishingproposalmadetomethisafternoon。Imustmakeadecision，Imustsayyesorno，andI’mnotsurewhichtosay。
Shelookedupathiminquiringly。
Thisafternoon，hewenton，DoctorParkercalledmeintohisoffice。Therewasagroupofmenthere，prominentmeninpoliticsfromaboutthecountry。JudgeBaxterfromOstablewasthere，andCaptainWarrenfromSouthDenboro，andotherslikethem。Whatdoyousupposetheywantmetodo？
Ican’timagine。
TheyoffermethepartynominationforCongressfromthissection。
Thatis，ofcourse，theywantmetopermitmynametostandandtheyseemsuremynominationwillbeconfirmedbythevoters。Thenomination，theysay，isequivalenttoelection。Theyseemcertainofit……AndtheywereinsistentthatIaccept。
Oh——oh，Albert！
Yes。Theysaidagoodmanyflatteringthings，thingsIshouldliketobelieve。Theysaidmywarrecordandmywritingandallthathadmademeaprominentmaninthecounty——Pleasedon’tthinkItakeanystockinthat——
But_I_do。Goon。
Well，thatisall。TheyseemedconfidentthatIwouldmakeagoodcongressman。Iamnotsosure。Ofcoursethething……well，itdoestemptme，Iconfess。Icouldkeeponwithmywriting，ofcourse。Ishouldhavetoleavethehomepeopleforapartoftheyear，butIcouldbewiththemornearthemtherest。And……
well，Helen，I——IthinkIshouldlikethejob。Justnow，whenAmericaneedsAmericansandthethingthatisn’tAmericanmustbefought，Ishouldlike——ifIweresureIwascapableofit——
Oh，butyouare——youARE。
Doyoureallythinkso？Wouldyouliketohavemetry？
Hefeltherarmtrembleuponhis。Shedrewalongbreath。
Oh，IshouldbesoPROUD！shebreathed。
Therewasaquiverinhervoice，almostasob。Hebenttowardher。
Shewaslookingofftowardthesea，themoonlightuponherfacewaslikeaglory，hereyeswereshining——andthereweretearsinthem。
Hisheartthrobbedwildly。
Helen！hecried。Helen！
Sheturnedandlookedupintohisface。Thenextmomentherownfacewashiddenagainsthisbreast，hisarmswereabouther，and……andtherisk，theriskhehadfearedtotake，wastaken。
Theywalkedhomeafteratime，butitwasaslow，averyslowwalkwithmanyinterruptions。
Oh，Helen，hekeptsaying，Idon’tseehowyoucan。Howcanyou？Inspiteofitall。I——Itreatedyousobadly。IwasSUCH
anidiot。Andyoureallycare？Youreallydo？
Shelaughedhappily。Ireallydo……and……andIreallyhave，allthetime。
Always？
Always。
Well——well，byGeorge！And……Helen，doyouknowIthink——
IthinkIdidtoo——always——onlyIwassuchayoungfoolIdidn’trealizeit。WHATayoungfoolIwas！
Don’tsaythat，dear，don’t……Youaregoingtobeagreatman。Youareafamousonealready。youaregoingtobegreat。
Don’tyouknowthat？
Hestoopedandkissedher。
IthinkIshallhavetobe，hesaid，ifIamgoingtobeworthyofyou。
CHAPTERXX
Albert，sittingintheprivateofficeofZ。SnowandCo。，droppedhisnewspaperandlookedupwithasmileashisgrandfathercamein。CaptainZelotes’floridfacewasreddereventhanusual，foritwasacloudydayinOctoberandblowingagale。
Whew！puffedthecaptain，pullingoffhisovercoatandstridingovertowarmhishandsatthestove。it’srawasJanuarycomin’
overthetopsofthoseTrumethills，andblowin’hardenoughtopartyourbackhair，besides。OnetimethereIdidn’tknowbutI’dhavetoreef，cal’lateIwouldifI’dknownhowtoreefanautomobile。
Isthecarrunningaswellasever？askedAlbert。
Youbetyou！Tookallbuttwoofthosehillsonfullsteamandneversloweddownamite。Thinkofgoin’toTrumetandbackinaforenoon，andhavin’timeenoughtodothetalkin’Iwenttodobesides。Why，Jesswouldhaveneededthewholedaytomakethedowncruise，tosaynothin’ofthereturntrip。Well，theoldgal’shavin’agoodrestnow，nothin’muchtodobuteatandsleep。
Shedeservesit。she’sbeenagoodhorseforyourgrandmaandme。
Herubbedhishandsbeforethestoveandchuckled。
Olive’sstillscaredtodeathforfearI’llgetruninto，orrunoversomebodyorsomethin’，heobserved。ItellherIcannavigatethatcarnowthewayIusedtonavigatetheoldPresidentHayes，andIcoulddothatwalkin’inmysleep。There’salittleexaggerationthere，headded，withagrin。IttakesaboutallmygumptionwhenI’mwideawaketoturntheflivveraroundinanarrowroad，butImanagetodoit……Well，whatareyoudoin’inhere，Al？headded。Readin’theItem’sprophesyabouthowbigyourmajority’sgoin’tobe？
Albertsmiled。Idroppedinheretowaitforyou，Grandfather，
hereplied。Thenovel-writingmillwasn’tworkingparticularlywell，soIgaveitupandtookawalk。
Totheparsonage，Ipresumelikely？
Well，Ididstopthereforaminuteortwo。
Youdon’tsay！I’msurprisedtohearit。HowisHelenthismornin’？Didshethinkyou’dchangedmuchsinceyousawherlastnight？
Idon’tknow。Shedidn’tsaysoifshedid。ShesentherlovetoyouandGrandmother——
Whatshehadleftover，youmean。
Andsaidtotellyounottotireyourselfoutelectioneeringforme。Thatwasgoodadvice，too。Grandfather，don’tyouknowthatyoushouldn’tmotorallthewaytoTrumetandbackamorninglikethis？I’drather——muchrathergowithoutthevotesthanhaveyoudosuchthings。
CaptainZelotesseatedhimselfinhisdeskchair。
Butyouain’tgoin’todowithout’em，hechuckled。ObedNye——
he’schairmanoftheTrumetcommittee——figgersyou’llhaveafive-
to-onemajority。Hetoldmetopracticecallin’you’theHonorable’becausethat’swhatyou’dbebyTuesdaynightofweekafternext。AndnextwinterMotherandIwillbetakin’atriptoWashin’tonsoastosetinthegalleryandlistentoyoumakin’
speeches。We’llbesomeconsider’bleproudofyou，too，boy，headded，withanod。
Hisgrandsonlookedaway，outofthewindow，overthebleakyardwithitspilesoflumber。ThevoiceofIssacherraisedinexpostulationwiththedriverofCahoon’struck-wagoncouldbefaintlyheard。
IshallhatetoleaveyouandGrandmotherandtheoldplace，hesaid。IfIamelected——
WHENyou’reelected。thereisn’tany’if。’
Well，allright。IshallhatetoleaveSouthHarniss。EverypersonIreallycareforwillbehere。Helen——andyoupeopleathome。
It’stoobadyouandHelencan’tbemarriedandgotoWashin’tontogether。Nottostaypermanent，headdedquickly，butjustwhileCongressisinsession。Yourgrandmasaysthenshe’dfeelasifyouhadsomebodytolookafteryou。Shealwaysfiggers，youknow，thatamanain’tcapableoflookin’outforhimself。There’doughttobeatleastonewomantotakecareofhim，seethathedon’tgethisfeetwetandgoestomeetin’reg’larandsoon。iftherecouldbetwo，somuchthebetter。MotherwouldhavemadeaprettygoodMormon，insomeways。
Albertlaughed。Helenfeelsshemuststaywithherfatherforthepresent，hesaid。Ofcoursesheisright。Perhapsbyandbywecanfindsomegoodcapablehousekeepertosharetheresponsibility，butnotthiswinter。IFIamsenttoWashingtonIshallcomebackoften，youmaybesure。
WhenAREyoucal’latin’tobemarried，ifthatain’tasecret？
Perhapsnextspring。Certainlynextfall。ItwilldependuponMr。Kendall’shealth。But，Grandfather，Idofeelratherlikeadeserter，goingoffandleavingyouhere——
GoodLord！Youdon’tcal’lateI’Mbreakin’down，runnin’strongtotalkandweakenin’everywhereelse，likeoldMinisterKendall，doyou？
Well，hardly。But……well，yousee，IhavefeltalittleungratefuleversinceIcamebackfromthewar。InawayIamsorrythatIfeelImustgivemyselfentirelytomywriting——andmypoliticalwork。IwishImighthavegoneonhereinthisoffice，acceptedthatpartnershipyouwouldhavegivenme——
Youcanhaveityet，youknow。Mighttakeitandjustkeepittofallbackonincasethatstory-millofyoursbustsaltogetherorallhandsinOstableCountygocrazyandvotethewrongticket。
Justtakeitandwait。Alwayswelltohaveananchorreadytoletgo，youknow。
Thanks，butthatwouldn’tbefair。IwishIMIGHThavetakenit——
foryoursake。IwishforyoursakeIweresoconstitutedastobegoodforsomethingatit。OfcourseIdon’tmeanbythatthatI
shouldbewillingtogiveupmywriting——but——well，yousee，Grandfather，Ioweyouanawfullotinthisworld……andIknowyouhadsetyourheartonmybeingyourpartnerinZ。SnowandCo。
Iknowyou’redisappointed。
CaptainLotedidnotanswerinstantly。Heseemedtobethinking。
ThenheopenedadrawerinhisdeskandtookoutaboxofcigarssimilartothosehehadofferedtheHonorableFletcherFosdickontheoccasionoftheirmemorableinterview。
Smoke，Al？heasked。Albertdeclinedbecauseofthenearnesstodinnertime，butthecaptain，whoneverpermittedmealsoranythingelsetointerferewithhissmoking，lightedoneofthecigarsandleanedbackinhischair，puffingsteadily。
We-ll，Al，hesaidslowly，I’lltellyouaboutthat。Therewasatime——I’llownupthattherewasatimewhentheideayouwasn’tgoin’toturnoutabusinessmanandthepartnerwhowouldtakeoverthisconcernafterIgotmyclearancepaperswasanotionI
wouldn’tletmyselfthinkofforaminute。Iwouldn’tTHINKofit，that’sall。ButI’vechangedmymindaboutthat，asIhaveaboutsomeotherthings。Hepaused，tuggedathisbeard，andthenadded，AndIguesslikelyImightaswellownuptothewholetruthwhileI’maboutit：Ididn’tchangeitbecauseIwantedto，butbecauseIcouldn’thelpit——’twaschangedforme。
Hemadethisstatementmoreasifhewerethinkingaloudthanasifheexpectedareply。Amomentlaterhecontinued。
Yes，sir，hesaid，’twaschangedforme。And，withashrug，I’dratherpridedmyselfthatwhenmymindwasmadeupitstayedthatway。But——but，well，consarnit，I’veaboutcometotheconclusionthatIwasapig-headedoldfool，Al，insomeways。
Nonsense，Grandfather。Youarethelastmanto——
Oh，Idon’tmeanacandidateforthefeeble-mindedschool。Thereain’tbeenanySnowsputtherethatIcanremember，notourbranchof’em，anyhow。But，consarnit，I——I——hewasplainlyfindingithardtoexpresshisthought，I——well，IusedtothinkIknewconsider’ble，hadwhatIlikedtothinkwasgood，hardsense。
’Twashardenough，Ical’late——prettynighpetrifiedinspots。
Albertlaidahandonhisknee。
Don’ttalklikethat，herepliedimpulsively。Idon’tliketohearyou。
Don’tyou？ThenIwon’t。But，yousee，Al，itbothersme。LookhowIusedtotalkaboutmakin’uppoetryandwritin’yarnsandallthat。Usedtocallitsillinessandawasteoftime，Idid——worsenamesthanthat，generally。Andlookwhatyou’remakin’atitinmoney，tosaynothin’ofitsshovin’youintoCongress，andkeepin’
thenewspapersbusyprintin’stuffaboutyou……Well，well，
withasighofresignation，Idon’tunderstandityet，butknowit’sso，andifI’dhadmypig-headedway’twouldn’thavebeenso。
It’sadreadfulbelittlin’feelin’toamanatmytimeoflife，amanthat’scommandedten-thousand-tonsteamersandhandledcrewsandbossedabusinesslikethis。Itmakeshimwonderhowmanyotherfoolthingshe’sdone……Why，doyouknow，Al，headded，inasuddenburstofconfidence，Iwasconsider’bleprejudicedagainstyouwhenyoufirstcamehere。
Hemadethestatementasifheexpectedittocomeasastunningsurprise。Albertwouldnothavelaughedfortheworld，norinonewaydidhefeellikeit，butitwasfunny。
Well，perhapsyouwere，alittle，hesaidgravely。Idon’twonder。
Oh，Idon’tmeanjustbecauseyouwasyourfather’sson。Imeanonyourownaccount，inaway。Somehow，yousee，Icouldn’tbelieve——eh？Oh，comein，Labe！It’sallright。AlandIarejusttalkin’aboutnothin’inparticularandallcreationingeneral。
Mr。Keelerenteredwithapaperinhishand。
Sorrytobotheryou，Cap’nLote，hesaid，butthisbillofColbyandSonsforthatlastlotofhardwareain’taccordin’toagreement。
Thepricesonthosebuttsain’tright，andneither’sthosehalf-inchscrews。Bettersenditbacktoem，eh？
CaptainZelotesinspectedthebill。
Humph！hegrunted。You’reright，Labe。Yougenerallyare，I
notice。Yes，senditbackandtell’em——anythingyouwantto。
Labansmiled。Iwantto，allright，hesaid。Thisisthethirdtimethey’vesentwrongbillsinsideoftwomonths。Well，Al，
turningtowardhim，Ical’latethismakesyoukindofhomesick，don’tit，thistalkaboutbillsandscrewsandboltsandsuch？
Wa’n’tteasin’foryouroldjobbackagain，wasyou，Al？Cal’latehecouldhaveit，couldn’the，Cap’n？We’llneedsomebodytoheaveabucketofwateronIssyprettysoon。he’sgettin’kindofpertanduppishagain。Prettymuchso。Yes，yes，yes。
Hedeparted，chuckling。CaptainZeloteslookedafterhim。Hetuggedathisbeard。
Al，hesaid，doyouknowwhatI’veaboutmadeupmymindtodo？
Albertshookhishead。
I’veaboutmadeupmymindtotakeLabeKeelerintothefirmofZ。SnowandCo。YOUwon’tcomein，and，withatwinkle，Ineedsomebodytokeepmynamefromgettin’lonesomeonthesign。
Albertwasdelighted。
Bullyforyou，Grandfather！heexclaimed。Youcouldn’tdoabetterthingforLabeorforthefirm。Andhedeservesit，too。
Ye-es，Ithinkhedoes。Labe’samightyfaithful，capablefeller，andnowthathe’sswornoffonthosevacationsofhishecanbetrustedanywheres。Yes，I’veasgoodasmadeupmymindtotakehimin。Ofcourse，withthetwinkleinevidenceoncemore，Issachar’llbealittlemitejealous，butwe’llhavetobearupunderthatasbestwecan。
IwonderwhatLabewillsaywhenyoutellhim？
He’llsayyes。I’lltellRachelfirstandshe’lltellhimtosayit。AndthenI’lltell’embothIwon’tdoitunlesstheyagreetogetmarried。I’vealwayssaidIdidn’twanttodietillI’dbeentothatweddin’。IwanttohearRacheltelltheministershe’ll’obey’Labe。Ho，ho！
Doyousupposetheyeverwillbemarried？
Why，yes，Ikindofthinkso。Ishouldn’twonderiftheywouldberightoffnowifitwasn’tthatRachelwouldn’tthinkofgivin’upkeepin’houseforyourgrandmother。Shewouldn’tdothatandLabewouldn’twantherto。I’vegottofixthatsomehow。Perhapstheycouldlivealongwithus。Landknowsthere’sroomenough。They’reallright，thosetwo。Kindoffunnytolookat，andtheymatchupinsizelikearubberbootandaslipper，butIdeclareIdon’tknowwhichhasgotthemostcommon-senseorthebiggestheart。And’twouldbehardtotellwhichthinksthemostofyou，Al……
Eh？Why，it’safterhalf-pasttwelveo’clock！Olive’llbeforcombin’ourtopknotswithabelayin’pinifwekeepherdinnerwaitin’likethis。
Astheywereputtingontheircoatsthecaptainspokeagain。
Ihadn’tfinishedwhatIwassayin’toyouwhenLabecamein，heobserved。’Twasn’tmuchaccount。justasortofconfession，andtheysaythat’sgoodforthesoul。Iwasjustgoin’tosaythatwhenyoufirstcamehereIwasprejudicedagainstyou，notonlybecauseyourfatherandIdidn’tagree，butbecausehewaswhathewas。Becausehewas——was——
Albertfinishedthesentenceforhim。
APortygee，hesaid。
Why，yes，that’swhatIcalledhim。That’swhatIusedtocallabouteverybodythatwasn’tbornrightdownhereinYankeeland。I
usedtobeprejudicedagainstyoubecauseyouwaswhatIcalledahalf-breed。I’msorry，Al。I’mashamed。Seewhatyou’veturnedouttobe。Ideclare，I——
Shh！shh！Don’t，Grandfather。WhenIcamehereIwasalittlesnob，aconceited，insufferablelittle——
Here，here！Holdon！No，youwa’n’t，neither。Orifyouwas，youwasonlyaboy。Iwasaman，andIoughtto——
No，I’mgoingtofinish。WhateverIamnow，orwhateverImaybe。
Iowetoyou，andtoGrandmother，andRachelandLaban——andHelen。
Youmademeoverbetweenyou。Iknowthatnow。
Theywalkedhomeinsteadofridinginthenewcar。CaptainZelotesdeclaredhehadhungontothatsteeringwheelalltheforenoonandhewasafraidifhetookitagainhisfingerswouldgrowfasttotherim。Astheyemergedfromtheofficeintotheopenair，hesaid：
Al，regardin’thatmakin’-overbusiness，Ishouldn’tbesurprisedifitwasakindof——er——mutualthingbetweenyouandme。Webothhadsomeprejudicestogetridof，eh？
Perhapsso。I’msureIdid。
AndI’msartinsureIdid。Andthewarandallthatcamewithitputthefinishin’touchestothejob。WhenIthinkofwhatthethousandsandthousandsofmendidoverthereinthosehell-holesoftrenches，menwithnamesthatrunallthewayfromJonesandKellyto——er——
Speranza。
Yes，andWhiskervitchandthelandknowswhatmore。WhenIthinkofthatI’mreadytotakeoffmyhatto’emandswearI’llneverbesonarrowagainastolookdownonafellerbecausehedon’thappentobeborninOstableCounty。There’sonlyonethingIaskof’em，andthatisthatwhentheycomeheretolive——tostay——underourlawsandtakin’advantageoftheprivilegesweoffer’em——they’llstopbein’PortygeesorRussiansorPolacksorwhatevertheyusedtobeortheirfolkswere，andjustbeAmericans——likeyou，Al。
That’swhatwemustworkfornow，Grandfather。It’sabigjob，butitmustbedone。
Theywalkedoninsilenceforatime。Thenthecaptainsaid：
It’saprettyfinecountry，afterall，ain’tit，Albert？
Albertlookedabouthimovertherollinghills，theroofsofthelittletown，thesea，thedunes，thepinegroves，thescenewhichhadgrownsofamiliartohimandwhichhadbecomeinhiseyessoprecious。
ItisMYcountry，hedeclared，withemphasis。
Hisgrandfathercaughthismeaning。
I’mgladyoufeelthatway，son，hesaid，but’twasn’tjustSouthHarnissImeantthen。Imeantallofit，thewholeUnitedStates。It’sgotitsfaults，ofcourse，lotsof’em。AndifIwasanEnglishmanoraFrenchmanI’dprobablysayitwasn’tasgoodasEnglandorFrance，whicheverithappenedtobe。That’sallright。
Iain’tfindin’anyfaultwith’emforthat——that’sthewaythey’doughttofeel。ButyouandI，Al，we’reAmericans。Sotherestoftheworldmustexcuseusifwesaythat，takeitbyandlarge，it’samightygoodcountry。We’veplannedforit，andworkedforit，andfoughtforit，andweknow。Eh？
Yes。Weknow。
Yes。Andnohowlin’，wild-eyedbunchfromsomewhereelsethathaven’tdoneanyofthesethingsaregoin’tocomehereandrunittheirwayifwecanhelpit——weAmericans。eh？
AlbertoMiguelCarlosSperanza，American，drewalongbreath。
No！hesaid，withemphasis。
Youbet！Well，unlessI’mmistaken，Ismellsaltfishandpotatoes，which，accordin’toCapeCodnotion，isagoodAmericandinner。
Idon’tknowhowyoufeel，Al，butI’mhungry。
End