"YouknowhewasupatLion’sHeadinFebruary,andgotawinterimpressionofthemountain。Didyouseeit?"
"No。Wasthatwhatyouweretalkingabout?"
"Wetalkedaboutsomethingagreatdealmoreinteresting——theimpressionhegotofme。"
"Winterimpression。"
"Coldenough。HehadcometotheconclusionthatIwasveryselfishandunworthy;thatIusedotherpeopleformyownadvantage,orletthemusethemselves;thatIwastreacherousandvindictive,andifIdidn’tbetrayamanIcouldn’tbehappytillIhadbeatenhim。HesaidthatifIeverbehavedwell,itcameafterIhadbeensuccessfulonewayortheother。"
"Howperfectlyfascinating!"Bessierestedherelbowonthecornerofthetable,andherchininthepalmofthehandwhosethinfingerstappedherredlips;thelightsleevefelldownandshowedherpretty,leanlittleforearm。"Diditstrikeyouastrue,atall?"
"Icouldseehowitmightstrikehimastrue。"
"Nowyouarecandid。Butgoon!Whatdidheexpectyoutodoaboutit?"
"Nothing。Hesaidhedidn’tsupposeIcouldhelpit。"
"Thisisimmense,"saidBessie。"IhopeI’mtakingitallin。Howcamehetogiveyouthisflatteringlittleimpression?Sohopeful,too!Or,perhapsyourfranknessdoesn’tgoanyfarther?"
"Oh,Idon’tmindsaying。Heseemedtothinkitwasasortofabstractdutyheowedtomypeople。"
"Your—folks?"askedBessie。
"Yes,"saidJeff,withacertaindryness。Butasherfacelookedblanklyinnocent,hemusthavedecidedthatshemeantnothingoffensive。Herelaxedintoabroadsmile。"It’saqueerhouseholdupthere,inthewinter。Iwonderwhatyouwouldthinkofit。"
"Youmightdescribeittome,andperhapsweshallsee。"
"Youcouldn’trealizeit,"saidJeff,withafinalitythatpiquedher。
Hereachedoutforthebottleofapollinaris,withsomehowtheeffectofbeinginanotherstudent’sroom,andpouredhimselfaglass。Thiswouldhaveamusedher,ninetimesoutoften,butthetenthtimehadcomewhenshechosetoresentit。
"Isuppose,"shesaid,"youareallverymuchexcitedaboutClassDayatCambridge。"
"Thatsoundslikearemarkmadetoopenthewaytoconversation。"Jeffwentontoburlesqueareplyinthesamespirit。"Oh,verymuchsoindeed,MissLynde!Wearealllookingforwardtoitsoeagerly。Areyoucoming?"
Sherejectedhisleadwithaslightsighsoskilfullydrawnthatitdeceivedhimwhenshesaid,gravely:
"Idon’tknow。It’sapttobeaverybafflingtimeatthebest。Allthementhatyoulikearetakenupwiththeirownpeople,andeventhementhatyoudon’tlikeovervaluethemselves,andthinkthey’redoingyouafavoriftheygiveyouaturnattheGymorbringyouaplateofsomething。"
"Well,theyare,aren’tthey?"
"Isuppose,yes,that’swhatmakesmehateit。Onedoesn’tliketohavesuchmendooneafavor。Andthen,Juniorsgetyoungereveryyear!EvenaniceJuniorisonlyaJunior,"sheconcluded,withasadfallofhermockingvoice。"
"Idon’tbelievethere’saSeniorinHarvardthatwouldn’tforsakehisfamilyandcometotherescueifyourfeelingscouldbeknown,"saidJeff。Heliftedthebottleathiselbowandfounditempty,andthisseemedtoremindhimtorise。
"Don’tmakethemknown,please,"saidBessie。"Ishouldn’twantanovation。"Shesat,afterhehadrisen,asifshewishedtodetainhim,butwhenhecameuptotakeleaveshehadtoputherhandinhis。Shelookedatitthere,andsodidhe;itseemedverylittleandslim,aboutone—thirdthesizeofhispalm,anditseemedtogotonothinginhisgrasp。"Ishouldthink,"sheadded,"thatthejayswouldhavethebesttimeonClassDay。Ishouldliketodanceatoneoftheirspreads,anddoeverythingtheydid。Itwouldbetwicethefun,andtherewouldbesomenatureinit。IshouldliketoseeajayClassDay。"
"Ifyou’llcomeout,I’llshowyouone,"saidJeff,withoutwincing。
"Oh,willyou?"shesaid,takingawayherhand。"Thatwouldbedelightful。Butwhatwouldbecomeofyourfolks?"Shecaughtacornerofhermouthwithherteeth,asifthewordhadslippedout。
"Doyoucallthemfolks?"askedJeff,quietly:
"I——supposed——Don’tyou?"
"NotinBoston。IdoatLion’sHead。"
"Oh!Well—people。"
"Idon’tknowasthey’recoming。"
"Howdelightful!Idon’tmeanthat;butifthey’renot,andifyoureallyknewsomejays,andcouldgetmealittleglimpseoftheirClassDay——"
"IthinkIcouldmanageitforyou。"Hespokeasbefore,buthelookedatherwithamockeryinhislipsandeyesasintelligentasherown,andthelatentchangeinhismoodgaveherthesenseofbeinginthepresenceofavividemotion。Sheroseinherexcitement;shecouldseethatheadmiredher,andwasenjoyingherinsolencetoo,inaway,thoughinawaythatshedidnotthinkshequiteunderstood;andshehadthewishtomakehimadmireheralittlemore。
Sheletalightoflaughtercomeintohereyes,ofharmlessmischiefplayedtoanend。"Idon’tdeserveyourkindness,andIwon’tcome。
I’vebeenverywicked,don’tyouthink?"
"Notvery——foryou,"saidJeff。
"Oh,howgood!"shebrokeout。"Butbefranknow!I’veoffendedyou。"
"How?IknowI’majay,andinthecountryI’vegotfolks。"
"Ah,Iseeyou’rehurtatmyjoking,andI’mawfullysorry。Iwishtherewassomewayofmakingyouforgiveme。Butitcouldn’tbethatalone,"
shewentonratheraimlesslyastoherwords,trustingtohisanswerforsomeleading,andwillingmeanwhiletoprolongthesituationfortheeffectinhernerves。Ithadbeenaverydullandtediousday,andshewasfindingmuchmorethanshecouldhaveexpectedinthemingledfearandslightwhichheinspiredherwithinsuchsingularmeasure。Thesefemininesubtletiesofmotivearebeyondanybutthefinestnaturesintheothersex,andperhapsallthatJeffperceivedwasthenoteofinsincerityinherwords。
"Couldn’tbewhatalone?"heasked。
"WhatI’vesaid,"sheventured,lettinghereyesfall;buttheywerenoteyesthatfelleffectively,andsheinstantlyliftedthemagaintohis。
"Youhaven’tsaidanything,andifyou’vethoughtanything,whathaveI
gottodowiththat?Ithinkallsortsofthingsaboutpeople——orfolks,asyoucallthem——"
"Oh,thankyou!Nowyouareforgivingme!"
"Ithinkthemaboutyou"
"Oh,dositdownandtellmethekindofthingsyouthinkaboutme!"
Bessieimplored,sinkingbackintoherchair。
"Youmightn’tlikethem。"
"Butiftheywoulddomegood?"
"WhatshouldIwanttodoyougoodfor?"
"That’strue,"sighedBessie,thoughtfully。
"People——folks——"
"Thankyousomuch!"
"Don’ttrytodoeachothergood,unlessthey’recrankslikeLancaster,orboreslikeMrs。Bevidge——"
"YoubelongtotheanalyticalschoolofSeniors!Goon!"
"That’sall,"saidJeff。
"Andyoudon’tthinkI’vetriedtodoyougood?"
Helaughed。Hercomedywasdelicioustohim。Hehadneverfound,anybodysoamusing;healmostrespectedherforit。
"Ifthatisyouropinionofme,Mr。Durgin,"shesaid,verygravely,"Iamsorry。MayIremarkthatIdon’tseewhyyoucome,then?"
"Icantellyou,"saidJeff,andheadvanceduponherwhereshesatsoabruptlythatshestartedandshrankbackinherchair。"Icomebecauseyou’vegotbrains,andyou’retheonlygirlthathas——here。"TheywereAlan’swords,almosthiswords,andforaninstantshethoughtofherbrother,endwonderedwhathewouldthinkofthisjay’spraisingherinhisterms。"Because,"Jeffwenton,"you’vegotmoresenseandnonsense——thanallthewomenhereputtogether。Becauseit’sbetterthanaplaytohearyoutalk——andact;andbecauseyou’regraceful——andfascinating,andchic,and——Good—night,MissLynde。"
Heputouthishand,butshedidnottakeitassherosehaughtily。
"We’vesaidgood—nightonce。Iprefertosaygood—byethistime。I’msureyouwillunderstandwhyafterthisIcannotseeyouagain。"Sheseemedtoexaminehimfortheeffectofthesewordsuponhimbeforeshewenton。
"No,Idon’tunderstand,"heanswered,coolly;"butitisn’tnecessaryI
should;andI’mquitewillingtosaygood—bye,ifyouprefer。Youhaven’tbeensofrankwithmeasIhavewithyou;butthatdoesn’tmakeanydifference;perhapsyounevermeanttobe,orcouldn’tbe,ifyoumeant。Good—bye。"Hebowedandturnedtowardthedoor。
Sheflutteredbetweenhimandit。"Iwishtoknowwhatyouaccusemeof!"
"I?Nothing。"
"YouimplythatIhavebeenunjusttowardyou。"
"Ohno!"
"AndIcan’tletyougotillyouproveit。"
"Provetoawomanthat——Willyouletmepass?"
"No!"Shespreadherslenderarmsacrossthedoorway。
"Oh,verywell!"Jefftookherhandsandputthembothintheholdofoneofhislarge,strongbands。Then,withthecontact,itcametohim,fromavariedexperienceofgirlsinhisrusticpast,thatthisyounglady,whowasnothingbutagirlafterall,wasplayinghercomedywithacertainpurpose,howeverlittleshemightknowitorownit。Heputhisotherlarge,stronghanduponherwaist,andpulledhertohimandkissedher。Anothersortofman,nomatterwhathehadbelievedofher,wouldhavefelthisactasacrilegethenandthere。Jeffonlyknewthatshehadnotmadethefainteststraggleagainsthim;shehadeventrembledtowardhim,andhebrutallyexultedinthebeliefthathehaddonewhatshewished,whetheritwaswhatshemeantornot。
She,forherpart,realizedthatshehadbeenkissedasonceshehadhappenedtoseeoneofthemaidskissedbythegrocer’sboyatthebasementdoor。Inaninstantthismanhadabolishedallherdefencesoffamily,ofsociety,ofpersonality,andputhimselfonalevelwithherinthemostsacredthingsoflife。Hermindgraspedthefactandsherealizeditintellectually,whileasyetallheremotionsseemedparalyzed。Shedidnotknowwhethersheresenteditasanabominableoutrageornot;whethershehatedthemanforitornot。Butperhapshewasinlovewithher,andhisloveoverpoweredhim;inthatcaseshecouldforgivehim,ifshewereinlovewithhim。Sheaskedherselfwhethershewas,andwhethershehadbetrayedherselftohimsothathewassomehowwarrantedinwhathedid。Shewonderedifanothersortofmanwouldhavedoneit,agentleman,whobelievedshewasinlovewithhim。Shewonderedifshewereasmuchshockedasshewasastonished。
Sheknewthattherewaseverythinginthesituationtomakethefactshocking,butshegotnodistinctreplyfromherjarredconsciousness。
Itoughttobeknown,andknownatonce;sheoughttotellherbrother,assoonasshesawhim;shethoughtoftellingheraunt,andshefanciedhavingtoshouttheaffairintoherear,andhavingtorepeat,"Hekissedme!Don’tyouunderstand?Kissedme!"Thenshereflectedwithastartthatshecouldnevertellanyone,thatinthemidstofherworldshewasaloneinrelationtothis;shewasashelplessandfriendlessasthepoorestandlowliestgirlcouldbe。Shewasmoreso,forifshewerelikethemaidwhomthegrocer’sboykissedshewouldbeofanorderofthingsinwhichshecouldadvisewithsomeoneelsewhohadbeenkissed;
andshewouldknowwhattofeel。
Sheaskedherselfwhethershewasatallmovedatheart;tillnowitseemedtoherthatithadnotbeendifferentwithhertowardhimfromwhatithadbeentowardalltheothermenwhosemeaningshewouldhavelikedtofindout。Shehadnotintheleastrespectedthem,andshedidnotrespecthim;butifithappenedbecausehewasovercomebyhisloveforher,andcouldnothelpit,thenperhapsshemustforgivehimwhethershecaredforhimornot。
Theseideaspresentedthemselveswiththesimultaneityofthingsinadreaminthatinstantwhenshelingeredhelplesslyinhishold,andsheevenwonderedifbyanychanceAndrewhadseenthem;butsheheardhissteponthefloorbelow;andatthesametimeitappearedtoherthatshemustbeinlovewiththismanifshedidnotresentwhathehaddone。
XLIII
Westoverwassittingatanopenwindowofhisstudiosmokingoutintotheeveningair,andlookingdownintothethinlyfoliagedtopsofthepublicgarden,wheretheelectricsfaintedandflushedandhissed。Carstroopedbyinthetroubledstreet,scrapingthewiresoverheadthatscreamedasifwithpainatthetouchoftheirtrolleys,andkindlingnowandagainasoftplanet,asthetrolleysstruckthebatlikeplatesthatconnectedthecrossinglines。Thepainterwasgettingalmostasmuchpleasureoutoftheplanetsaspainoutofthescreams,andhewasinanafter—dinnerlanguorinwhichhewasveryreluctanttorecognizeastep,whichhethoughtheknew,onhisstairsandhisstairs—landing。Aknockathisdoorfollowedthesoundoftheapproachingsteps。Heliftedhimself,andcalledout,inhospitably,"Comein!"and,asheexpected,JeffDurgincamein。Westover’smeetingswithhimhadbeenanincreasingdiscomfortsincehisreturnfromLion’sHead。TheuneasinesswhichhecommonlyfeltatthefirstmomentofencounterwithhimyieldedlessandlesstotheinfluenceofJeff’scynicalbonhomie,anditreturnedinforceassoonastheyparted。
Itwasratherdimintheplace,exceptforthelightthrownupintoitfromtheturmoiloflightsoutside,buthecouldseethattherewasnothingofthesmilingmockeryonJeff’sfacewhichhabituallyexpressedhisinnerhardihood。Itwasafrowningmockery。
"Hello!"saidWestover,"Hello!"answeredJeff。"AnycommandsforLion’sHead?"
"Whatdoyoumean?"
"I’mgoingupthereto—morrow。I’vegottoseeCynthia,andtellherwhatI’vebeendoing。"
Westoverwaitedamomentbeforeheasked:"Doyouwantmetoaskwhatyou’vebeendoing?"
"Ishouldn’tmindit。"
Thepainterpausedagain。"Idon’tknowthatIcaretoask。Isitanygood?"
"No!"shoutedJeff。"It’stheworstthingyet,Iguessyou’llthink。
Icouldn’thavebelieveditmyself,ifIhadn’tbeenthroughit。
Ishouldn’thavesupposedIwassuchafool。Idon’tcareforthegirl;
Ineverdid。"
"Cynthia?"
"Cynthia?No!MissLynde。Oh,trytotakeitin!"Jeffcried,withalaughatthedazeinWestover’sface。"Youmusthaveknownabouttheflirtation;ifyouhaven’t,you’retheonlyone。"Hisvanityinthefactbetrayeditselfinhisvoice。"Itcametoacrisislastweek,andwetriedtomakeeachotherbelievethatwewereinearnest。Buttherewon’tbeanyreallovelost。"
Westoverdidnotspeak。Hecouldnotmakeoutwhetherhewassurprisedorwhetherhewasshocked,anditseemedtohimthathewasneithersurprisednorshocked。Hewonderedwhetherhehadreallyexpectedsomethingofthekind,soonerorlater,orwhetherhewasnotalwayssoapprehensiveofsomedeviltryinDurginthatnothinghedidcouldquitetakehimunawares。Atlasthesaid:"Isupposeit’strue——eventhoughyousayit。It’sprobablytheonlytruthinyou。"
"That’ssomethinglike,"saidJeff,asifthecontemptgavehimasortofpleasure;andhisheavyfacelightedupandthendarkenedagain。
"Well,"saidWestover,"whatarewegoingtodo?You’vecometotellme。"
"I’mgoingtobreakwithher。Idon’tcareforher——that!"Hesnappedhisfingers。"ItoldherIcaredbecausesheprovokedmeto。Ithappenedbecauseshewantedittoandleduptoit。"
"Ah!"saidWestover。"Youputitonher!"ButhewaitedforDurgin’sjustificationwithadreadthatheshouldfindsomethinginit。
"Pshaw!What’stheuse?It’sbeenagamefromthebeginning,andaquestionwhichshouldruin。Iwon。Shemeanttothrowmeover,ifthetimecameforher,butitcameformefirst,andit’sonlyaquestionnowwhichshallbreakfirst;we’vebothbeennearitonceortwicealready。
Idon’tmeansheshallgetthestartofme。"
Westoverhadaglimpseoftheinnateenmityofthesexesinthisgame;
ofitspresenceinpassionthatwaslivedandofitsprevalenceinpassionthatwasplayed。Butthefateofneithergamblerconcernedhim;
hewasimpatientofhisinterestinwhatJeffnowwentontotellhim,withoutscrupleconcerningher,orpalliationofhimself。Hescarcelyrealizedthathewaslistening,butafterwardheremembereditall,withalittlepityforBessieandnoneforJeff,butwithmoreshameforher,too。Loveseemsmoresacredlyconfidedtowomenthantomen;itisandmustbeahigherandfineraswellasaholierthingwiththem;theirblameforitsbetrayalmustalwaysbetheheavier。HehadsometimessuspectedBessie’swillingnesstoamuseherselfwithJeff,aswithanyothermanwhowouldletherplaywithhim;andhewouldnothaverelieduponanythinginhimtodefeatherpurpose,ifithadbeenanythingsoseriousasapurpose。
AttheendofDurgin’sstoryhemerelyasked:"AndwhatareyougoingtodoaboutCynthia?"
"Iamgoingtotellher,"saidJeff。"That’swhatIamgoinguptherefor。"
Westoverrose,butJeffremainedsittingwherehehadputhimselfastrideofachair,withhisfaceovertheback。Thepainterwalkedslowlyupanddownbeforehiminthecapriciousplayofthestreetlight。Heturnedalittlesick,andhestoppedamomentatthewindowforabreathofair。
"Well?"askedJeff。
"Oh!Youwantmyadvice?"Westoverstillfeltphysicallyincapableoftheindignationwhichhestronglyimagined。"Idon’tknowwhattosaytoyou,Durgin。Youtranscendmypowers。Areyouabletoseethiswholethingyourself?"
"Iguessso,"Jeffanswered。"Idon’tidealizeit,though。Ilookatfacts;they’rebadenough。Youdon’tsupposethatMissLyndeisgoingtobreakherheartover——"
"Idon’tbelieveIcareforMissLyndeanymorethanIcareforyou。
ButIbelieveIwishyouwerenotgoingtobreakwithher。"
"Why?"
"Becauseyouandshearefitforeachother。Ifyouwantmyadvice,I
adviseyoutobetruetoher——ifyoucan。"
"AndCynthia?"
"Breakwithher。"
"Oh!"Jeffgaveasnortofderision。
"You’renotfitforher。Youcouldn’tdoacruelerthingforherthantokeepfaithwithher。"
"Doyoumeanit?"
"Yes,Imeanit。SticktoMissLynde——ifshe’llletyou。"
JeffseemedpuzzledbyWestover’sattitude,whichwaseithertoosincereortooironicalforhim。Hepushedhishat,whichhehadkepton,backfromhisforehead。"DamnedifIdon’tbelieveshewould,"hemusedaloud。Thenotionseemedtoflatterhimandrepayhimforwhathemusthavebeensuffering。Hesmiled,buthesaid:"Shewouldn’tdo,evenifshewereanygood。Cynthiaisworthamillionofher。Ifshewantstogivemeupaftersheknowsallaboutme,wellandgood。Ishu’n’tblameher。ButIshallgiveherafairchance,andIshu’n’twhitewashmyself;
youneedn’tbeafraidofthat,Mr。Westover。"
"WhyshouldIcarewhatyoudo?"askedthepainter,scornfully。
"Well,youcan’t,onmyaccount,"Durginallowed。"Butyoudocareonheraccount。"
"Yes,Ido,"saidWestover,sittingdownagain,andhedidnotsayanythingmore。
Durginwaitedalongwhileforhimtospeakbeforeheasked:"Thenthat’sreallyyouradvice,isit?"
"Yes,breakwithher。"
"AndsticktoMissLynde。"
"Ifshe’llletyou。"
Jeffwassilentinhisturn。Hestartedfromhissilencewithalaugh。
"She’dmakeadaisylandladyforLion’sHead。Ibelieveshewouldliketotryitawhilejustforthefun。Butaftertheballwasover——well,itwouldbeagoodjoke,ifitwasajoke。Cynthiaisawoman——shea’n’tanycorpse—light。Sheunderstandsme,andshedon’toverrateme,either。
SheknewjusthowmuchIwasworth,andshetookmeatherownvaluation。
I’vegotmywayinlifemarkedout,andshebelievesinitasmuchasI
do。Ifanybodycankeepmelevelandmakethebestofme,shecan,andshe’sgoingtohavethechance,ifshewantsto。I’mgoingtoactsquarewithheraboutthewholething。Iguessshe’sthebestjudgeinacaselikethis,andIshalllaythewholecasebeforeher,don’tyoubeafraidofthat。Andshe’sgottohaveafreefield。Why,eveniftherewa’n’tanyquestionofher,"hewenton,fallingmoreandmoreintohisvernacular,"Idon’tbelieveIshouldcareinthelongrunforthisotherone。Wecouldn’tmakeitgoforanytimeatall。Shewantsexcitement,andafterthesummerfolksbegantoleave,andwe’dbeentoFloridaforawinter,andthencamebacktoLion’sHead—well!Thisplanethasn’tgotexcitementenoughinitforthatgirl,andIdoubtifthesolarsystemhas。Atanyrate,I’mnotgoingtoactasadvance—agentforher。"
"Isee,"saidWestover,"thatyou’vebeenreasoningitallout,andI’mnotsurprisedthatyou’vekeptyourownadvantagesteadilyinmind。
Idon’tsupposeyouknowwhatasavageyouare,andIdon’tsupposeI
couldteachyou。Isha’n’ttry,atanyrate。I’lltakeyouonyourownground,andItellyouagainyouhadbetterbreakwithCynthia。Iwon’tsaythatit’swhatyouoweher,forthatwon’thaveanyeffectwithyou,butit’swhatyouoweyourself。Youcan’tdoawrongthingandprosperonit——"
"Ohyes,youcan,"Jeffinterrupted,withasneeringlaugh。"Howdoyousupposeallthebigfortunesweremade?BykeepingtheCommandments?"
"No。Butyou’reanunluckymaniflifehasn’ttaughtyouthatyoumustpayinsufferingofsomekind,soonerorlater,foreverywrongthingyoudo——"
"Nowthat’soneofyourold—fashionedsuperstitions,Mr。Westover,"saidJeff,withagrowingkindlinessinhistone,asifthepatheticdelusionofsuchamanreallytouchedhim。"Youpay,oryoudon’tpay,justasithappens。Ifyougethitsoonafteryou’vedonewrong,youthinkit’sretribution,andifitholdsofftillyou’veforgottenallaboutit,youthinkit’sastrangeProvidence,andyoupuzzleoverit,butyoudon’treform。Youkeeprightalongintheoldway。Prosperityandadversity,they’vegotnothingtodowithconduct。Ifyou’reastrongman,yougetthere,andifyou’reaweakman,alltherighteousnessintheuniversewon’thelpyou。ButIproposetodowhat’srightaboutCynthia,andnotwhat’swrong;andaccordingtoyourowntheory,oflife——whichwon’tholdwateraminute——Ioughttobeblessedtothethirdandfourthgeneration。
Idon’tlookforthat,though。IshallbeblessedifIlookoutformyself;andifIdon’t,Ishallsufferformywantofforesight。ButI
sha’n’tsufferforanythingelse。Well,I’mgoingtocutsomeofmyrecitations,andI’mgoinguptoLion’sHead,to—morrow,tosettlemybusinesswithCynthia。I’vegotalittlebusinesstolookafterherewithsomeoneelsefirst,andIguessIshallhavetobeaboutit。I
don’tknowwhichIshalllikethebest。"Herose,andwentovertowhereWestoverwassitting,andheldouthishandtohim。
"Whatisit?"askedWestover。
"AnycommandsforLion’sHead?"Jeffsaid,asatfirst。
"No,"saidWestover,turninghisfaceaway。
"Oh,allright。"Durginputhishandintohispocketunshaken。