"Hedidnotevencomehomeforsupper，"shesaid。"StayedovertoNellie’sprobably。You’llmostlikelyfindhimthere。"
　　ButIwasprettycertainhewasnotattheDeans’，forasIpassedtheirhouse，Inoticedthewindowsweredark，indicatingthatthefamily，likemostofrespectableDenboro，hadalreadyretired。I
　　walkedontotheCorners。Eldredge’sstorewasclosed，butthebilliardroomwasradiantandnoisy。IcouldhearTimHallet’svoiceurgingsomeonetotakeanewcue，"’causethatoneain’tpocketedmanyballsyet。"
　　Ilookedacrossatthebank。Thefrontportionofitwasblackenough，butthewindowofthedirectors’roomwasalight。Ihadlocatedtheobjectofmysearch；thecashierwasthere，workingovertime，ashedidsooftennowadays。
　　IhadmykeyinmypocketandIunlockedthebigdoorandenteredquietly。Thedoorofthedirectors’roomwasopenalittlewayandItiptoedoverandpeepedinthroughthecrack。Taylorwasseatedinachairbesidethebigtable，hiselbowsuponthetableandhisheadinhishands。AsIstoodthere，watchinghim，hetookhishandsawayandIsawhisface。Uponitwasanexpressionofabjectmiseryandutterdespair。Iopenedthedoorandentered。
　　Heheardthesoundoftheopeningdoorandleapedtohisfeet。Hischairfellbackwardonthefloorwithaclatter，buthepaidnoattentiontoit。
　　"GoodGod！"hecried，wildly。"Who’sthat？"
　　Hewasdeathlypaleandtremblingviolently。Hisappearancestartledandalarmedme。
　　"It’sallright，"Isaid，hastily。"ItisI——Paine。Isawthelightandknewyoumustbehere。Whatailsyou？WhatISthematter？"
　　Foramomenthestoodtherestaring。Thenheturnedandpickedupthefallenchair。
　　"Oh，it’syou，Ros，isit？"hefaltered。"I——I——Lord，howyouscaredme！I——I——"
　　"George！whatISthematterwithyou？Forheaven’ssake！standup，man！"HewasswayingandIthoughthewasgoingtofaint。
　　"George！GeorgeTaylor！Areyouill？Iamgoingforthedoctor。"
　　"No，no！Staywhereyouare。Iain’tsick。I’llbeallrightinaminute。You——youscaredme，creepinginthatway。Sitdown，sitdown。"
　　Hesteadiedhimselfwithonehandonthetableandwiththeotherreachedtoshutadrawerwhichhadbeenopenbesidehim。Thedrawerwasalmostfullofpapers，and，lyinguponthosepapers，wasarevolver。
　　CHAPTERXVI
　　BeforehecouldclosethedrawercompletelyIcaughthisarmandheldit。
　　"George，"Icried，"George，whatisthematter？Tellme；youmusttellme。"
　　Hetriedtopullhisarmfree。FindingthatIwouldnotlethimdothishegaveuptheattemptand，withapoorattemptatalaugh，answered，"Matter？Why，nothingisthematter。Iamtiredandnervous，sameasI’vetoldyouI’vebeenforthelasttwoorthreemonths，andyouscaredme，tiptoeinginlikeasneakthief，thistimeofnight。"
　　"Timeofnight！Itisbutalittleafternine。Whatisthematterwithyou？"
　　"Nothingisthematter，Itellyou。Letgoofmyarm，Ros。Whatdoyoumeanbyholdingontomelikethis？"
　　"WhatdoYOUmean，George？WhatdoesTHATmean？"
　　Ipointedtothedrawer。Helookedand，withasuddeneffort，jerkedhisarmfreeandclosedthedrawer。
　　"That？"withaforcedlaugh。"Oh，that’snothing。ItwaslateandIwasalonehere，so——"
　　"Iknowbetter。George，you’refrighteningusall。Don’tyousupposewecanseethatsomethingiswrongwithyou？IhaveseeniteversinceIcameheretowork。Youareworryingyourfriends。
　　Youworryme。Giveusachancetohelpyou。GiveMEachance。
　　Youowemethat。TellmeyourtroubleandI’llpullyououtofit；
　　seeifIdon’t。"
　　Myconfidencewas，ofcourse，onlypretence，butmyearnestnesshadsomeeffect。Helookedatmewistfully，andshookhishead。
　　"Nobodycanpullmeout，"hesaid。"You’reagoodfellowtowanttohelp，butyoucan’t。Thereain’tanytrouble。I’mjustnervous——"
　　"Iknowbetter。You’relying，George。Yes，youare；you’relying。"
　　"Humph！You’reprettyplainspoken，RosPaine。Thereain’tmanypeopleI’dtakethatfrom。"
　　"You’lltakeitfromme，becauseyoucan’thelpitandbecauseyouknowitistrue。Come，George；come。Youhavebeenafriendtome；theonlyrealfriendIhavehadinyears。Ihavebeenlookingforachancetogetevenforwhatyouhavedoneforme。Maybehereisthechance。Letmehelpyou。Iwill。"
　　Hewaswavering；Icouldseeit。Butagainheshookhishead。
　　"Nobodycanhelpme，"hesaid。
　　"George，formysake——well，then，ifnotformysakeoryourown，thenforNellie’s，givemeachance。Youaren’ttreatingherright，George。Youshouldthinkofher。You——"
　　"Stop！Damnyou，RosPaine！whatrighthaveyouto——"
　　"Therightofafriend，herfriendandyours。You’refrighteningthepoorgirltodeath。Sheisbeginningtobeafraidyoudon’tcareforher。"
　　"I？Idon’tcareforHER？Idon’t——Oh，myGod！"
　　Tomyutteramazementhebegantolaugh。Andthen，allatonce，hislaughterceased，heswayed，choked，and，suddenlycollapsinginthechair，droppedhisheaduponhisarmsonthetableandsobbed，sobsthatshookhimfromheadtoheel。
　　Foronestrong，healthy，normalmantoseeanothercryisadisconcertinganduncomfortableexperience。MasculinetearsdonotfloweasilyandpoorGeorge，onthevergeofhysterics，wasapitifulanddistressingspectacle。Iwasalmostascompletelydisorganizedashe。Ifeltashamedforhimandashamedofmyselfforhavingseenhiminsuchacondition。IwanteddesperatelytohelphimandIdidnotknowwhattodo，sobeyondpattinghimonthebackandbegginghimrepeatedlytobraceupandnotbehavelikethat，Ididnothing。Atlasthissobsceasedandhewassilent。I
　　hadrisenfrommychairandnowIstoodtherewithahandonhisshoulder；thetickingoftheancienteight—sidedclockonthewallsoundedloudintheroom。
　　Suddenlyhesatupandthrewoffmyhand。
　　"Well，"hesaid，bitterly，"I’mafinespecimenofaman，ain’tI。
　　Ain’tyouproudofme？"
　　"Iammightysorryforyou，"Ianswered。"AndImeantohelpyou。"
　　"Youcan’t。"
　　"Howdoyouknow？"
　　"BecauseIdoknow，Ros，"heturnedandlookedmestraightintheeye。"Iamgoingtogiveyousomegoodadvice。Takeit，foryourownsake。Clearoutofhereandleaveme。Don’thaveanythingmoretodowithme。Clearout。"
　　Ididnotmove。
　　"AreyougoingtodoasItellyou？"hedemanded。"Mind，I’mtellingyouthisforyourowngood。Willyouclearoutandleaveme？"
　　Ismiled。"Ofcoursenot，"Ianswered。
　　"Don’tbeafool。Youcan’taffordtobemyfriend。Clearoutandleaveme，doyouhear？"
　　"Ihear。Now，George，whatisit？"
　　Hisfingerstappedthetable。Icouldseehewasmakinguphismind。
　　"Youwanttoknow？"hesaid。"Youwon’tbesatisfieduntilyoudo？"
　　"Ihavemadethatfairlyplain，Ihope。AtleastI’vetriedto。"
　　Hisfistclenchedandhestruckthetable。
　　"Then，bytheAlmighty，I’lltellyou！"hecried，fiercely。"It’llbealloverthecountyinaweek。Youmightaswellknowitnow。
　　I’macrook。I’mathief。I’vestolenmoneyfromthisbankandI
　　can’tpayitbackbecauseIhaven’tgotitandcan’tgetit。I’macrook，Itellyou，andinaweekorsoit’llbethecountyjailformine。Unless——unless，"withasignificantglanceatthedrawer，"somethingelsehappenstomeinthemeantime。There；nowyouknow。Areyousatisfied？Areyouhappybecauseyou’vefoundout？"
　　Ididnotanswer。TotellthetruthIwasnotentirelyovercomebysurpriseatthedisclosure。Ihadbeguntosuspectsomethingofthesort。Yet，nowthatmysuspicionswereconfirmed，Iwastoogreatlyshockedandhorrifiedtospeakatonce。
　　"Well？"hesneered。"Nowwillyouclearoutandletmesettlethismyownway？"
　　Ipulledmychairforwardandsatdown。
　　"Tellmeallaboutit，George，"Isaid，ascalmlyasIcould。"Howmuchisit？"
　　Hestaredatmeaghast。"Youwon’tgo？"hecried。"You——youaregoingtostickbymeeven——even——"
　　"There！there！pullyourselftogether，oldfellow。Wewon’tgiveuptheshipyet。Howmuchisit？Itcan’tbeagreatsum。"
　　"Itain’t。But，Ros——you——youcan’t——youmustn’tbemixedupinthis。Ishan’tletyou。Don’tyousee？"
　　Iarguedandpleadedandreasonedwithhimforwhatseemedalongtimebeforehewouldconsenttotellmethewholestory。Andwhenitwastoldtherewasnothingnewornovelinit。Theoldtaleofanhonestmanwhohadnotmeanttogowrong，but，temptedbyoneofthosewilesofthedevil，an"insidetip"onthestockmarket，hadboughtheavilyonmargins，expectingtoclearahandsomeprofitinashorttime。ThestockwasLouisvilleandTranscontinentalandthestruggleforitscontrolbycertainbiginterestshadmadecopyforfinancialwritersfornearlyayear。Georgehadboughtatatimewhenonesyndicatehad，soitbelieved，securedthecontrol。
　　Thensomethingwentwronginthedealandthesharesbegantodeclineinvalue。Heputupmoremarginsandstillmore，butitcontinuedtodecline。Finallyunderthespurofanother"tip，"thelastofhisownsavingshavinggonetotheinsatiatebrokers，hesent，tobolsterhisaccountandtosavehimfromutterruin，somebondsbelongingtothebank。
　　"Notmuch，"hedeclared，"onlyaboutthirty—fivehundreddollars’
　　worth，that’sall。Ineverwouldhavedoneit，Ros，butIwaswild，desperate，yousee。HereIwas，gettingreadytobemarried；
　　NellieandCap’nJedandtherestbelievingmetobecomfortablyfixed。It’seasyenoughnowtosaythatIoughttohavegonetoherandtoldher。IfIhadn’tbeencertainthatthemarketwouldturnandI’dbeallrightinaweek，I’dhavedoneit。ButIwassureI’dbeallrightandIcouldn’ttakethechance。Iknewwhatherfatherwouldsayabouthermarryingapauper，andIjustcouldn’ttaketheriskoflosingher；Icouldn’t。Shemeansmoretomethan——than——oh，waituntilyourtimecomes！Waituntilthegirlcomesalongthatyoucareformorethanthewholeworld。Andthenseewhatyou’ddo。Seewhatitwouldmeantogiveherup！
　　Justwait——waitandsee！"
　　"Yes，yes，"Iputin，hastily。"Iunderstand，George。Butthestock，LouisvilleandTranscontinental，howisitnow？"
　　"Justthesame。Itisdead，practicallyspeaking。Ithasn’tmovedhalfapointforsixweeks。I’vebeenexpectingitwould，butithasn’t。It’sallright；thevalueisthere；Iknowit。IfIcouldonlyhangonandwaitIcouldgetmymoneyback，partofit，anyhow。ButIcan’t。Ican’twait。Andthebrokerpeoplehavegotthosebonds。Ros，I’vebeenfightingthisthingforweeksandweeks。Iain’tsleptanightforyears，orsoitseems。Andnextweek——nextWEEKIwastobemarried。MyGod！thinkofit！"
　　"Here，here！Don’tdothat，"Iurged。"Braceup。YouandImustworkthisout。Wasn’tthereanyoneyoucouldgoto？Anyoneyoucouldborrowthemoneyof？Thirty—fivehundredisn’tsuchalot。"
　　"WhomcouldIgoto？Itried。LordknowsItried！IdidborrowathousandofCap’nElishaWarren；trumpedupsomeexcuseorotherandgotthat。Butthatwasallhecouldletmehave。AndIknowhethoughtmyaskingforthatwasqueer。"
　　"DidyouconsidergoingstraighttoCap’nDeanand——"
　　"Dean？Cap’nJed？Herfather？Oh，Ros，don’tbeafoolaltogether！
　　Ibegyourpardon，oldman！Idon’tmeanit。Youmustn’tmind。I
　　ain’tresponsibleforwhatIsayjustnow。ButIcouldn’tgotoCap’nJed。Youknowhim。He’sasstraightandsquareandhonestasheisobstinateandcranky。IfIwenttohimIcouldn’ttellhimthetruth。AndifIliedhe’dsuspectandwanttoknowwhyIneededtoborrowmoney。AndNellie——don’tyousee？There’stherealawfulnessofthewholething。Icouldn’tgotoherandtellherI
　　wasathief。Icouldn’tseeherfacewhenItoldher。Andyetshe’sgottoknowit。She’sgottoknowit！"
　　"Butwhy？Thestockmaygoupanydayandthenyoucouldwithdrawpartofyourmargin。"
　　Hestruckthetablewithanotherblow。"Thestockain’tmovedforsixweeks，Itellyou，"hedeclared。"And，Ros，"heleanedforward，hishaggardfaceworkingwithemotion，"thosebondsain’tinoursafehere，wheretheyshouldbe，andthebankexaminerisdueherewithinthenextfourdays。He’satMiddleboronow。I
　　’phonedBearse，thecashierthere，thisveryforenoononamatterofbusiness，andhehappenedtomentionthattheexaminerwasinhisbankandworkinghiswaydowntheCape。It’sallupwithme！
　　Allup！AndNellie！poorgirl；Ican’tbeherewhenshefindsitout。IknowyouthinkI’mapoorspecimenofaman，Ros，butI
　　can’tfacethemusic。No，"desperately，"andIwon’t。"
　　Hewasgivingwayagain，butIseizedhisshoulderandshookhim。
　　"Stopit！"Icommanded。"Stopit，George！Letmethink。Bequietnowandletmethink。Theremustbeawayoutsomewhere。Letmethink。"
　　Heleanedbackinhischair。"Allright，"hesaid，hopelessly；
　　"think，ifyouwantto。ThoughwhyyoushouldwanttothinkaboutathinglikemeIdon’tsee。AndIusedtodespiseacrookasmuchasanyone！andacowardstillmore！AndnowI’mbothacrookandacoward。"
　　IknewhiscowardicewasmerelyonNellie’saccount。GeorgeTaylorwasnocowardintheordinarysenseoftheword，norwasheacrook。Iroseandpacedupanddowntheroom。Hewatchedmelistlessly；itwasplainthathefeltnoconfidencewhateverinmybeingabletohelphim。Afteratimehespoke。
　　"It’snouse，Ros，"hesaid。"Don’tworryyourheadaboutme；I
　　ain’tworthit。Iftherewasanywayout，anywayatall，I’dhavesighteditlongago。Thereain’t。Takemyadviceandleaveme。
　　Youdon’twanttobemixedupwithanembezzler。"
　　Iturnedonhim，impatiently。"Ihavebeenmixedup，asyoucallit，withonebefore，"Isaid，sharply。"IsmyownfamilyrecordsocleanthatIneedtopretend——there，George！don’tbeanidiot。
　　Letmethink。"
　　Theclockchimedten。Istoppedinmywalkandturnedtohim。
　　"George，"Isaid，"tellmethis：Ifyouhadthemoneytobuybackthesebondsbelongingtothebankyouwouldbeallright，wouldn’tyou？Ifyouhaditinyourhandsbyto—morrowmorning，Imean。"
　　"Yes；IFIhadit——butIhaven’t。"
　　"Youcouldsendthemoneytothebrokersand——"
　　"Send！Iwouldn’tsend；I’dgomyselfandfetchthebondsbackwithme。OnceIhadtheminthatsafeagainI——"
　　"Andyouwouldnottakeanymorerisks，evenifthemarketdroppedandtheyhadtoselloutyouraccount？Evenifyoulosteverycentofyourinvestment？"
　　Thefierceearnestnessofhisanswersatisfiedevenme。"WhatdoyouthinkIam？"hedemanded。"Investmentbehanged！It’smynameasanhonestmanthatIcareabout。OnceletmegetthatbackagainandI’llfacethepoorhouse。Yes，andI’lltellNelliethetruth，allexceptthatIwasathief；Ican’ttellherthat。ButI
　　willtellherthatIhaven’tgotacentexceptmysalary。Thenifshewantstogivemeup，allright。I’llbearitasbestIcan。
　　Or，ifshedoesn’t，andIlosemyjobhere，I’llgetanotheronesomewhereelse；I’llworkatanything。SheandIcanwaitand……
　　Butwhatistheuseoftalkinglikethis？I’vebeenovereveryinchofthegroundathousandtimes。Thereain’tarayoflightanywhere。Theexaminerwillbehere，thebondswillbemissing，andI——I’llbeinjail，orinhell，oneortheother。"
　　"No，youwon’t，"Isaid，firmly。
　　"Iwon’t！Whynot？"
　　"BecausethereISarayoflight。Morethanaray。George，yougohomeandgotobed。To—morrowmorningImayhavenewsforyou，goodnews。"
　　Thebloodrushedtohisface。Heseizedthearmofhischair。
　　"Goodnews！"hegasped。"GoodnewsforME！Ros——Ros，fortheLord’ssake，whatdoyoumean？Youdon’tmeanyouseeawayto——"
　　"NevermindwhatImean。ButIshouldliketoknowwhatyoumeanbynotcomingtomebefore？Whatarefriendsfor，ifnottohelpeachother？WhotoldyouthatIwasdeadbroke？"
　　"You？Why，youain’tgot……Haveyou？RosPaine，youain’tgotthirty—fivehundredtospare。Why，youtoldmeyourself——"
　　"Shutup！Getupfromthatchairandcomewithme。Yes，you；andnow，thisminute。Givemethatthingyou’vegotinthedrawerthere。No，I’lltakeitmyself。Yououghttobeashamedofitsbeingthere，George。Iamashamedofyou，and，ifIthoughtyoureallymeanttouseit，Ishouldbestillmoreashamed。Come！
　　don’tkeepmewaiting。"
　　"But——butRos——"
　　"WillyoudoasItellyou？"
　　Idraggedhim，almostliterallydraggedhim，fromthechair。Then，afterextinguishingthelamp，Iledhimtothedoorofthebankandlockedit，puttingthekeyinmypocket。
　　"Now，"saidI，"Iwantyoutomakemeapromise。Iwantyoutoquitbehavinglikeacoward，becauseyouarenotone，andpromisemethatyouwillgostraighthomeandtobed。I’llseeyouagainthefirstthinginthemorning。Then，Ithink——yes，Ithinkyourtroubles，theworstpartofthem，willbeover。"
　　"But，Ros，PLEASE——Ican’tbelieveit！Won’tyoutellme——"
　　"Notaword。Willyoupromisemetobehavelikeamanandgohome？
　　OrmustIgowithyou？"
　　"No。I’ll——I’llpromise。I’llgostraighthome。But，ohRos，I
　　can’tunderstand——"
　　"Goodnight。"
　　Ilefthimstandingthere，stammeringincoherentlylikeamanawakeningfromanightmare，andhurriedaway。
　　IcouldnotdescribemyprogressdownthedarkLowerRoadandalongtheShoreLane。Idonotrememberanyportionofit。IthinkI
　　ranmostofthewayandifImetanyone——whichisnotlikely，consideringthetime——heorshemusthavethoughtmecrazy。Mythoughtswerecenteredupononefixedpurpose。Ihadmadeupmymindtodoacertainthingand，ifpossible，todoitthatverynight。IfIdidnot，ifIhadtimeinwhichtoreflect，toconsiderconsequences，Imightlosemynerveanditwouldnotbedoneatall。
　　Itwaswithafeelingofgreatreliefthat，asIcameinsightoftheColtonhouse，Isawlightsintheroomsonthelowerfloor。
　　Thefamily，notbeingnativebornDenboroites，hadnotretiredeventhoughitwaswellafterten。Ihastenedupthelongdrive，andstoodbeforethebigdoor，myhandupraisedtotheknocker。Andthen，justforamoment，Ihesitated。
　　IfIliftedthatknockerandletitfall；ifIsummonedtheservantandannouncedthatIwishedtospeakwithMr。Colton；ifIdidwhatIhadcometheretodo，itwouldbealloverwithmeinthevillage。Mynewbornpopularity，therespectwhichCap’nWarrenandCap’nJedandtherestofthetownspeoplehadshowntowardmeoflate，thecordialrecognitionwhichhadbeenmineduringthepastfewweeksandwhich，inspiteofpretendedindifference，Ihadcometoexpectandenjoy，allthesewouldbelostifIpersistedinmypurpose。MyfutureinDenborodependeduponwhetherornotI
　　knockedatthatdoor。Anditwasnottoolatetobackout，evenyet。IhadonlytoturnquietlyawayandtellGeorge，whenIsawhiminthemorning，thatIcouldnothelphimasIhadhoped。AndthenIthoughtofhisfaceasIsawitwhenIenteredthebank——andofNellie’slettertome。
　　Iseizedtheknockerandrappedsharply。
　　Forafewmomentsmyknockwasunanswered。ThenIheardfootstepsandthedoorwasopened。Johnson，thebutler，openedit，andhisclericalcountenanceassumedamostastonishedexpressionwhenhesawmestandingbeforehim。
　　"IsMr。Coltonin？"Iasked。
　　"What？What——sir？"stammeredJohnson。The"sir"wasaddedunderprotest。Hedidnotwishtoshowmorerespectthanwasabsolutelynecessarytoacountryman，buthescarcelydaredspeakasdisrespectfullyashefelt。Thereforehecompromisedbyvoicingtherespectandlookingtheotherway。
　　"IsMr。Coltonin？"Irepeated。
　　"Idon’tknow。I——Idon’tthinkso——sir。"
　　Thewindowsatmyleftwere，Iknew，thoseofthelibrary，theroomwhere"BigJim"andIhadhadourfirstlivelydiscussionoftheShoreLanematter。Iglancedatthem。
　　"Ithinkheis，"Isaid。"InfactIknowit；thereishisshadowonthecurtain。TellhimMr。Painewishestospeakwithhim。"
　　Johnsonlookedasinsolentashedared，andstillhesitated。
　　"Itisverylate，"hesaid。"Mr。Coltonisnotinthe’abitofreceivingcallersatthistimeofnightand——"
　　Hewasinterrupted。Thedoorbehindhim，thedoorleadingfromthelibrarytothehall，openedandColtonhimselfappeared。
　　"Whatisit，Johnson？"heasked。"Anythingwrong？"
　　Thebutlerhastenedtoexplain。
　　"Nosir，"hesaid；"nothingwrongexactly，sir。Thereisaperson’eretoseeyou，sir，and——"
　　"Toseeme，eh？Whoisit？Why，hello，Paine！isthatyou？"
　　"Mr。Colton，"saidI，"Iamsorrytodisturbyouatsuchalatehour，but——"
　　"Comein，comein，"heinterrupted。"Whatareyoustandingouttherefor？Johnson，whydidn’tyouaskMr。Painein？Whatdoyoumeanbykeepinghimoutthere？"
　　Mr。Johnsonlookedtroubled。
　　"Itwassolate，sir，"hestammered，"Ithought——"
　　"Youthought！IfIhadwantedanyonetothinkInevershouldhavehiredyou。Comein，Paine。Comeintothelibrary。"
　　HeledthewaytothelibraryandIfollowedhim。Itwasmysecondvisittothebig，handsomelyfurnishedroomandagain，asonthefirstoccasion，thesightofthebooksandalltheotherrefinementsandluxurieswhichmoneybringstoitspossessorgavemeapangofenvyandresentment。Itaddedincreasedbitternesstothehumiliationofmyerrand。Ihadleftthatroomdefiantlyexpressingmyindependence。Ihadcomebacktoit——"
　　"Sitdown，"orderedColton，pullingforwardthebig，leather—
　　coveredchair。"Haveacigar？"
　　"Nothankyou。"
　　"Humph！That’swhatyousaidwhenyouwereherebefore。You’reyoung，Paine。WhenyougettobeasoldasIamyou’llneverrefuseagoodcigar，oranythingelsethatisgood，whenitisofferedyou。Well，you’restillstanding。Aren’tgoingtorefusetositdown，areyou？"
　　ThatwasexactlywhatIwasgoingtodo。Iwouldnotsitdowninthathouse。Iwouldnotaccepttheslightestcourtesyfromthismanoranyofhispeople。IwouldgetridoftheunpleasanttaskI
　　hadcometodoandthengoaway，nevertoreturn。Theymightmakethemostofthetriumphwhichwastobetheirs，butIwouldcompelthemtounderstandthatIwasnotseekingtheirfavor。Iwouldnotaccepttheirpatronageandtheyshouldknowit。This，asIlookbackatitnow，seemssillyandchildishenough，butIwasnotmyselfthatnight。
　　"Mr。Colton，"saidI，ignoringtheprofferedchair，"Ihavecometoseeyouonamatterofbusiness。"
　　"Business，eh？Umph！Ithoughtprobablyyouweregoingtoaskmetogofishingwithyouagain。I’mallreadyforanothertusslewiththose——whatdoyoucall’em——squid——squit——goodLord！whatanameforadecentfish！ButIdon’tcareacontinentalwhatyoucall’em。I’mreadytogetat’emwhenyousaytheword。"
　　"Mybusinesswillnotdetaineitherofuslong。I——"
　　"Sitdown，man，sitdown。Youmakemenervousstandingthere。"
　　"No。Iwon’tsit。"
　　Helookedatme。
　　"Whatisthematterwithyou？"heasked。"Youhaven’tgotabalkydigestion，haveyou？I’vebeenfightingoneforthelastweek。
　　ThatfoolofacountrydoctortellsmeifI’mnotcarefulwhatI
　　eatI’llkeeloverprettysoon。ItoldhimI’deatenwhatIdashedpleaseeversinceI’dhadteethandIwasn’tgoingtoquitnow。
　　ButIdofeellikethedevil。Lookit，don’tI？"
　　Hedidlookill，thatwasafact，thoughIhadnotnoticeditbeforeandwasfarfromfeelingpityforhimthen。InfactIwasrathergladtoknowthathewasuncomfortable。Iwantedhimtobe。
　　"Whatisthematterwithyou？"hedemanded。"Youlookasifyouhadseenyourgrandmother’sghost。"
　　Iignoredthequestion。"Mr。Colton，"Ibeganagain。"Youmadeanoffernotlongago。"
　　Ihadcaughthisattentionatlast。Heleanedbackinhischair。
　　"Idid，"hesaid。"Ye—es，Idid。Doyoumeanyouaregoingtoacceptit？"
　　"Inaway——yes。"
　　"Inaway？Whatdoyoumeanbythat？Itellyoufrankly，Paine，ifyougotoworkformetheremustbeno’ifs’or’buts’aboutit。
　　You’llentermyofficeandyou’lldoasI，orthemenunderme，tellyoutodo。"
　　Iwasgladhesaidthat，gladthathemisunderstoodme。Itgavemeanopportunitytoexpressmyfeelingstowardhim——asIwasfeelingthen。
　　"Don’tletthattroubleyou，"Isaid，sarcastically。"Therewillbeno’ifs’and’buts’sofarasthatisconcerned。Ihavenodesiretoworkforyou，Mr。Colton，andIdon’tintenddoingso。
　　ThatwasnottheofferImeant。"
　　Hewassurprised，Iamsure，buthedidnotexpressastonishment。
　　Hebentforwardandlookedatmemorekeenlythanever。
　　"TherewasonlyoneotherofferthatIremembermakingyou，"hesaid，slowly。"Thatwasforthatlandofyours。Iofferedyoufivethousanddollarsforit。Doyoumeanyouacceptthatoffer？"
　　"Notexactly。"
　　"Humph！Paine，we’rewastingalotoftimehere，itseemstome。
　　Mytimeismoreorlessvaluable，andmydigestionis，asItoldyou，prettybad。Come！getitover。Whatdoyoumean？Areyougoingtosellmethatland？"
　　"Yes。"
　　Hepuffeddeliberatelyathiscigar。Hisgazedidnotleavemyface。
　　"Why？"heasked，afteramoment。
　　"Thatismyownaffair。Iwillsellyoutheland，butnotforfivethousanddollars。"