"Oh,she’sprobablygettingoffsomeofthoseyarnsofhers,ortellingaboutsomepeople。Shecan’tstepoutofthehousewithoutcomingbackwithmorethingstotalkaboutthanmostfolkswouldbringbackfromJapan。
  Thereain’taridiculouspersonshe’severseenbutwhatshe’sgotsomethingfromthemtomakeyoulaughat;
  andIdon’tbelievewe’veeverhadanybodyinthehousesincethegirlcouldtalkthatshehain’tgotsomesayingfrom,orsometrickthat’llpaint’emoutso’tyoucansee’emandhear’em。SometimesIwanttostopher;
  butwhenshegetsintooneofhergalesthereain’tanystandingupagainsther。Iguessit’sluckyforIrenethatshe’sgotPentheretohelpentertainhercompany。
  Ican’teverfeeldownwherePenis。"
  "That’sso,"saidtheColonel。"AndIguessshe’sgotaboutasmuchcultureasanyofthem。Don’tyou?"
  "Shereadsagreatdeal,"admittedhermother。"Sheseemstobeatitthewholewhile。Idon’twantsheshouldinjureherhealth,andsometimesIfeellikesnatchin’
  thebooksawayfromher。Idon’tknowasit’sgoodforagirltoreadsomuch,anyway,especiallynovels。
  Idon’twantsheshouldgetnotions。"
  "Oh,IguessPen’llknowhowtotakecareofherself,"
  saidLapham。
  "She’sgotsenseenough。Butsheain’tsopracticalasIrene。She’smoreupintheclouds——moreofwhatyoumaycalladreamer。Irene’swide—awakeeveryminute;
  andIdeclare,anyonetoseethesetwotogetherwhenthere’sanythingtobedone,oranyleadtobetaken,wouldsayIrenewastheoldest,ninetimesoutoften。
  It’sonlywhentheygettotalkingthatyoucanseePen’sgottwiceasmuchbrains。"
  "Well,"saidLapham,tacitlygrantingthispoint,andleaningbackinhischairinsupremecontent。
  "Didyoueverseemuchnicergirlsanywhere?"
  Hiswifelaughedathispride。"Ipresumethey’reasmuchswansasanybody’sgeese。"
  "No;buthonestly,now!"
  "Oh,they’lldo;butdon’tyoubesilly,ifyoucanhelpit,Si。"
  Theyoungpeoplecamein,andCoreysaiditwastimeforhisboat。Mrs。Laphampressedhimtostay,buthepersisted,andhewouldnotlettheColonelsendhimtotheboat;
  hesaidhewouldratherwalk。Outside,hepushedalongtowardtheboat,whichpresentlyhecouldseelyingatherlandinginthebay,acrossthesandytracttotheleftofthehotels。
  Fromtimetotimehealmoststoppedinhisrapidwalk,asamandoeswhosemindisinapleasanttumult;andthenhewentforwardataswifterpace。"She’scharming!"
  hesaid,andhethoughthehadspokenaloud。
  Hefoundhimselfflounderingaboutinthedeepsand,wideofthepath;hegotbacktoit,andreachedtheboatjustbeforeshestarted。Theclerkcametotakehisfare,andCoreylookedradiantlyupathiminhislantern—light,withasmilethathemusthavebeenwearingalongtime;
  hischeekwasstiffwithit。Oncesomepeoplewhostoodnearhimedgedsuddenlyandfearfullyaway,andthenhesuspectedhimselfofhavinglaughedoutright。
  XI。
  COREYputoffhissetsmilewiththehelpofafrown,ofwhichhefirstbecameawareafterreachinghome,whenhisfatherasked——
  "Anythinggonewrongwithyourdepartmentofthefineartsto—day,Tom?"
  "Ohno——no,sir,"saidtheson,instantlyrelievinghisbrowsfromthestrainuponthem,andbeamingagain。
  "ButIwasthinkingwhetheryouwerenotperhapsrightinyourimpressionthatitmightbewellforyoutomakeColonelLapham’sacquaintancebeforeagreatwhile。"
  "Hashebeensuggestingitinanyway?"askedBromfieldCorey,layingasidehisbookandtakinghisleankneebetweenhisclaspedhands。
  "Oh,notatall!"theyoungmanhastenedtoreply。
  "Iwasmerelythinkingwhetheritmightnotbegintoseemintentional,yournotdoingit。"
  "Well,Tom,youknowIhavebeenleavingitaltogethertoyou————"
  "Oh,Iunderstand,ofcourse,andIdidn’tmeantourgeanythingofthekind————"
  "YouaresoverymuchmoreofaBostonianthanIam,youknow,thatI’vebeenwaitingyourmotioninentireconfidencethatyouwouldknowjustwhattodo,andwhentodoit。
  IfIhadbeenleftquitetomyownlawlessimpulses,IthinkIshouldhavecalleduponyourpadroneatonce。
  ItseemstomethatmyfatherwouldhavefoundsomewayofshowingthatheexpectedasmuchasthatfrompeopleplacedintherelationtohimthatweholdtoColonelLapham。"
  "Doyouthinkso?"askedtheyoungman。
  "Yes。ButyouknowIdon’tpretendtobeanauthorityinsuchmatters。Asfarastheygo,Iamalwaysinthehandsofyourmotherandyouchildren。"
  "I’mverysorry,sir。IhadnoideaIwasover—rulingyourjudgment。Ionlywantedtospareyouaformalitythatdidn’tseemquiteanecessityyet。I’mverysorry,"
  hesaidagain,andthistimewithmorecomprehensiveregret。
  "Ishouldn’tliketohaveseemedremisswithamanwhohasbeensoconsiderateofme。Theyareallverygood—natured。"
  "Idaresay,"saidBromfieldCorey,withthesatisfactionwhichnoeldercanhelpfeelingindisablingthejudgmentofayoungerman,"thatitwon’tbetoolateifIgodowntoyourofficewithyouto—morrow。"
  "No,no。Ididn’timagineyourdoingitatonce,sir。"
  "Ah,butnothingcanpreventmefromdoingathingwhenonceItakethebitinmyteeth,"saidthefather,withthepleasurewhichmenofweakwillsometimestakeinrecognisingtheirweakness。"Howdoestheirnewhousegeton?"
  "IbelievetheyexpecttobeinitbeforeNewYear。"
  "Willtheybeagreatadditiontosociety?"
  askedBromfieldCorey,withunimpeachableseriousness。
  "Idon’tquiteknowwhatyoumean,"returnedtheson,alittleuneasily。
  "Ah,Iseethatyoudo,Tom。"
  "Noonecanhelpfeelingthattheyareallpeopleofgoodsenseand——rightideas。"
  "Oh,thatwon’tdo。Ifsocietytookinallthepeopleofrightideasandgoodsense,itwouldexpandbeyondthecallingcapacityofitsmostactivemembers。
  Evenyourmother’ssocialconscientiousnesscouldnotcompassit。Societyisaverydifferentsortofthingfromgoodsenseandrightideas。Itisbaseduponthem,ofcourse,buttheairy,graceful,winningsuperstructurewhichweallknowdemandsdifferentqualities。
  Haveyourfriendsgotthesequalities,——whichmaybefelt,butnotdefined?"
  Thesonlaughed。"Totellyouthetruth,sir,Idon’tthinktheyhavethemostelementalideasofsociety,asweunderstandit。Idon’tbelieveMrs。Laphamevergaveadinner。"
  "Andwithallthatmoney!"sighedthefather。
  "Idon’tbelievetheyhavethehabitofwineattable。
  Isuspectthatwhentheydon’tdrinkteaandcoffeewiththeirdinner,theydrinkice—water。"
  "Horrible!"saidBromfieldCorey。
  "Itappearstomethatthisdefinesthem。"
  "Ohyes。Therearepeoplewhogivedinners,andwhoarenotcognoscible。Butpeoplewhohaveneveryetgivenadinner,howissocietytoassimilatethem?"
  "Itdigestsagreatmanypeople,"suggestedtheyoungman。
  "Yes;buttheyhavealwaysbroughtsomesortofsaucepiquantewiththem。Now,asIunderstandyou,thesefriendsofyourshavenosuchsauce。"
  "Oh,Idon’tknowaboutthat!"criedtheson。
  "Oh,rude,nativeflavours,Idaresay。Butthatisn’twhatImean。Well,then,theymustspend。Thereisnootherwayforthemtowintheirwaytogeneralregard。
  WemusthavetheColonelelectedtotheTenO’clockClub,andhemustputhimselfdowninthelistofthosewillingtoentertain。Anyonecanmanagealargesupper。Yes,Iseeagleamofhopeforhiminthatdirection。"
  InthemorningBromfieldCoreyaskedhissonwhetherheshouldfindLaphamathisplaceasearlyaseleven。
  "Ithinkyoumightfindhimevenearlier。I’veneverbeentherebeforehim。Idoubtiftheporteristheremuchsooner。"
  "Well,supposeIgowithyou,then?"
  "Why,ifyoulike,sir,"saidtheson,withsomedeprecation。
  "Oh,thequestionis,willHElike?"
  "Ithinkhewill,sir;"andthefathercouldseethathissonwasverymuchpleased。
  Laphamwasrendinganimpatientcoursethroughthemorning’snewswhentheyappearedatthedoorofhisinnerroom。
  Helookedupfromthenewspaperspreadonthedeskbeforehim,andthenhestoodup,makinganindifferentfeintofnotknowingthatheknewBromfieldCoreybysight。
  "Goodmorning,ColonelLapham,"saidtheson,andLaphamwaitedforhimtosayfurther,"Iwishtointroducemyfather。"Thenheanswered,"Goodmorning,"andaddedrathersternlyfortheelderCorey,"Howdoyoudo,sir?Willyoutakeachair?"andhepushedhimone。
  Theyshookhandsandsatdown,andLaphamsaidtohissubordinate,"Haveaseat;"butyoungCoreyremainedstanding,watchingthemintheirobservanceofeachotherwithanamusementwhichwasalittleuneasy。
  Laphammadehisvisitorspeakfirstbywaitingforhimtodoso。
  "I’mgladtomakeyouracquaintance,ColonelLapham,andIoughttohavecomesoonertodoso。Myfatherinyourplacewouldhaveexpecteditofamaninmyplaceatonce,Ibelieve。ButIcan’tfeelmyselfaltogetherastrangerasitis。IhopeMrs。Laphamiswell?Andyourdaughter?"
  "Thankyou,"saidLapham,"they’requitewell。"
  "Theywereverykindtomywife————"
  "Oh,thatwasnothing!"criedLapham。"There’snothingMrs。Laphamlikesbetterthanachanceofthatsort。
  Mrs。Coreyandtheyoungladieswell?"
  "Verywell,whenIheardfromthem。They’reoutoftown。"
  "Yes,soIunderstood,"saidLapham,withanodtowardtheson。"IbelieveMr。Corey,here,toldMrs。Lapham。"
  Heleanedbackinhischair,stifflyresolutetoshowthathewasnotincommodedbytheexchangeofthesecivilities。
  "Yes,"saidBromfieldCorey。"TomhashadthepleasurewhichIhopeforofseeingyouall。Ihopeyou’reabletomakehimusefultoyouhere?"CoreylookedroundLapham’sroomvaguely,andthenoutattheclerksintheirrailedenclosure,wherehiseyefinallyrestedonanextremelyprettygirl,whowasoperatingatype—writer。
  "Well,sir,"repliedLapham,softeningforthefirsttimewiththisapproachtobusiness,"Iguessitwillbeourownfaultifwedon’t。Bytheway,Corey,"headded,totheyoungerman,ashegatheredupsomelettersfromhisdesk,"here’ssomethinginyourline。SpanishorFrench,Iguess。"
  "I’llrunthemover,"saidCorey,takingthemtohisdesk。
  Hisfathermadeanoffertorise。
  "Don’tgo,"saidLapham,gesturinghimdownagain。
  "Ijustwantedtogethimawayaminute。Idon’tcaretosayittohisface,——Idon’tliketheprinciple,——butsinceyouaskmeaboutit,I’djustasliefsaythatI’veneverhadanyyoungmantakeholdhereequaltoyourson。
  Idon’tknowasyoucare"
  "Youmakemeveryhappy,"saidBromfieldCorey。
  "Veryhappyindeed。I’vealwayshadtheideathattherewassomethinginmyson,ifhecouldonlyfindthewaytoworkitout。Andheseemstohavegoneintoyourbusinessfortheloveofit。"
  "Hewenttoworkintherightway,sir!Hetoldmeaboutit。
  Helookedintoit。Andthatpaintisathingthatwillbearlookinginto。"
  "Ohyes。Youmightthinkhehadinventedit,ifyouheardhimcelebratingit。"
  "Isthatso?"demandedLapham,pleasedthroughandthrough。"Well,thereain’tanyotherway。
  You’vegottobelieveinathingbeforeyoucanputanyheartinit。Why,Ihadapartnerinthisthingonce,alongbackjustafterthewar,andheusedtobealwayswantingtotinkerwithsomethingelse。’Why,’saysI,’you’vegotthebestthinginGod’suniversenow。
  Whyain’tyousatisfied?’Ihadtogetridofhimatlast。
  Istucktomypaint,andthatfellow’sdriftedroundprettymuchalloverthewholecountry,whittlinghiscapitaldownallthewhile,tillheretheotherdayIhadtolendhimsomemoneytostarthimnew。No,sir,you’vegottobelieveinathing。AndIbelieveinyourson。
  AndIdon’tmindtellingyouthat,sofarashe’sgone,he’sasuccess。"
  "That’sverykindofyou。"
  "Nokindnessaboutit。AsIwassayingtheotherdaytoafriendofmine,I’vehadmanyafellowrightoutofthestreetthathadtoworkhardallhislife,anddidn’tbegintotakeholdlikethissonofyours。"
  Laphamexpandedwithprofoundself—satisfaction。Asheprobablyconceivedit,hehadsucceededinpraising,inaperfectlycasualway,thesupremeexcellenceofhispaint,andhisownsagacityandbenevolence;
  andherehewassittingfacetofacewithBromfieldCorey,praisinghissontohim,andreceivinghisgratefulacknowledgmentsasifhewerethefatherofsomeoffice—boywhomLaphamhadgivenaplacehalfbutofcharity。
  "Yes,sir,whenyoursonproposedtotakeholdhere,Ididn’thavemuchfaithinhisideas,that’sthetruth。
  ButIhadfaithinhim,andIsawthathemeantbusinessfromthestart。Icouldseeitwasborninhim。
  Anyonecould。"
  "I’mafraidhedidn’tinherititdirectlyfromme,"
  saidBromfieldCorey;"butit’sintheblood,onbothsides。""Well,sir,wecan’thelpthosethings,"
  saidLaphamcompassionately。"Someofushavegotit,andsomeofushaven’t。TheideaistomakethemostofwhatweHAVEgot。"
  "Ohyes;thatistheidea。Byallmeans。"
  "Andyoucan’tevertellwhat’sinyoutillyoutry。
  Why,whenIstartedthisthing,Ididn’tmorethanhalfunderstandmyownstrength。Iwouldn’thavesaid,lookingback,thatIcouldhavestoodthewearandtearofwhatI’vebeenthrough。ButIdevelopedasIwentalong。
  It’sjustlikeexercisingyourmusclesinagymnasium。
  Youcanlifttwiceorthreetimesasmuchafteryou’vebeenintrainingamonthasyoucouldbefore。AndI
  canseethatit’sgoingtobejustsowithyourson。
  Hisgoingthroughcollegewon’thurthim,——he’llsoonsloughallthatoff,——andhisbringingupwon’t;don’tbeanxiousaboutit。Inoticedinthearmythatsomeofthefellowsthathadthemostgo—aheadwerefellowsthathadn’teverhadmuchmoretodothangirlsbeforethewarbrokeout。
  Yoursonwillgetalong。"
  "Thankyou,"saidBromfieldCorey,andsmiled——whetherbecausehisspiritwassafeinthehumilityhesometimesboasted,orbecauseitwastriplyarmedinprideagainstanythingtheColonel’skindnesscoulddo。
  "He’llgetalong。He’sagoodbusinessman,andhe’safinefellow。MUSTyougo?"askedLapham,asBromfieldCoreynowrosemoreresolutely。"Well,gladtoseeyou。
  Itwasnaturalyoushouldwanttocomeandseewhathewasabout,andI’mgladyoudid。Ishouldhavefeltjustsoaboutit。Hereissomeofourstuff,"hesaid,pointingoutthevariouspackagesinhisoffice,includingthePersisBrand。
  "Ah,that’sverynice,veryniceindeed,"saidhisvisitor。
  "Thatcolourthroughthejar——veryrich——delicious。
  IsPersisBrandaname?"
  Laphamblushed。
  "Well,Persisis。Idon’tknowasyousawaninterviewthatfellowpublishedintheEventsawhileback?"
  "WhatistheEvents?"
  "Well,it’sthatnewpaperWitherby’sstarted。"
  "No,"saidBromfieldCorey,"Ihaven’tseenit。
  IreadTheDaily,"heexplained;bywhichhemeantTheDailyAdvertiser,theonlydailythereisintheold—
  fashionedBostoniansense。
  "HeputalotofstuffinmymouththatIneversaid,"
  resumedLapham;"butthat’sneitherherenorthere,solongasyouhaven’tseenit。Here’sthedepartmentyourson’sin,"andheshowedhimtheforeignlabels。
  Thenhetookhimoutintothewarehousetoseethelargepackages。Attheheadofthestairs,wherehisgueststoppedtonodtohissonandsay"Good—bye,Tom,"
  Laphaminsistedupongoingdowntothelowerdoorwithhim"Well,callagain,"hesaidinhospitabledismissal。
  "Ishallalwaysbegladtoseeyou。Thereain’tagreatdealdoingatthisseason。"BromfieldCoreythankedhim,andlethishandremainperforceinLapham’slingeringgrasp。
  "Ifyoueverliketorideafteragoodhorse————"
  theColonelbegan。
  "Oh,no,no,no;thankyou!Thebetterthehorse,themoreIshouldbescared。Tomhastoldmeofyourdriving!"
  "Ha,ha,ha!"laughedtheColonel。"Well!everyonetohistaste。Well,goodmorning,sir!"andhesufferedhimtogo。
  "Whoistheoldmanblowingtothismorning?"askedWalker,thebook—keeper,makinganerrandtoCorey’sdesk。
  "Myfather。"
  "Oh!Thatyourfather?IthoughthemustbeoneofyourItaliancorrespondentsthatyou’dbeenshowinground,orSpanish。"
  Infact,asBromfieldCoreyfoundhiswayathisleisurelypaceupthroughthestreetsonwhichtheprosperityofhisnativecitywasfounded,hardlyanyfigurecouldhavelookedmorealientoitslife。Heglancedupanddownthefacadesandthroughthecrookedvistaslikeastranger,andtheswarthyfruitererofwhomheboughtanapple,apparentlyforthepleasureofholdingitinhishand,wasnotsurprisedthatthepurchaseshouldbetransactedinhisowntongue。
  LaphamwalkedbackthroughtheouterofficetohisownroomwithoutlookingatCorey,andduringthedayhespoketohimonlyofbusinessmatters。ThatmusthavebeenhiswayoflettingCoreyseethathewasnotovercomebythehonourofhisfather’svisit。ButhepresentedhimselfatNantasketwiththeeventsoperceptiblyonhismindthathiswifeasked:"Well,Silas,hasRogersbeenborrowinganymoremoneyofyou?Idon’twantyoushouldletthatthinggotoofar。You’vedoneenough。"
  "Youneedn’tbeafraid。I’veseenthelastofRogersforonewhile。"Hehesitated,togivethefactaneffectofnoimportance。"Corey’sfathercalledthismorning。"
  "Didhe?"saidMrs。Lapham,willingtohumourhisfeintofindifference。"DidHEwanttoborrowsomemoneytoo?"
  "NotasIunderstood。"Laphamwassmokingatgreatease,andhiswifehadsomecrochetingontheothersideofthelampfromhim。
  Thegirlswereonthepiazzalookingatthemoononthewateragain。"There’snomaninitto—night,"
  Penelopesaid,andIrenelaughedforlornly。
  "WhatDIDhewant,then?"askedMrs。Lapham。
  "Oh,Idon’tknow。Seemedtobejustafriendlycall。
  Saidheoughttohavecomebefore。"
  Mrs。Laphamwassilentawhile。Thenshesaid:"Well,Ihopeyou’resatisfiednow。"
  Laphamrejectedthesympathytooopenlyoffered。
  "Idon’tknowaboutbeingsatisfied。Iwa’n’tinanyhurrytoseehim。"
  Hiswifepermittedhimthispretencealso。"Whatsortofapersonishe,anywayl"
  "Well,notmuchlikehisson。There’snosortofbusinessabouthim。Idon’tknowjusthowyou’ddescribehim。
  He’stall;andhe’sgotwhitehairandamoustache;
  andhisfingersareverylongandlimber。Icouldn’thelpnoticingthemashesattherewithhishandsonthetopofhiscane。Didn’tseemtobedressedverymuch,andactedjustlikeanybody。Didn’ttalkmuch。GuessIdidmostofthetalking。SaidhewasgladIseemedtobegettingalongsowellwithhisson。HeaskedafteryouandIrene;
  andhesaidhecouldn’tfeeljustlikeastranger。
  Saidyouhadbeenverykindtohiswife。OfcourseIturneditoff。Yes,"saidLaphamthoughtfully,withhishandsrestingonhisknees,andhiscigarbetweenthefingersofhislefthand,"Iguesshemeanttodotherightthing,everyway。Don’tknowasIeversawamuchpleasanterman。
  Dunnobutwhathe’saboutthepleasantestmanIeverdidsee。"Hewasnotlettinghiswifeseeinhisavertedfacethestrugglethatrevealeditselfthere——thestruggleofstalwartachievementnottofeelflatteredatthenoticeofsterileelegance,nottobesneakinglygladofitsamiability,buttostandupandlookatitwitheyesonthesamelevel。God,whomadeussomuchlikehimself,butoutofthedust,aloneknowswhenthatstrugglewillend。ThetimehadbeenwhenLaphamcouldnothaveimaginedanyworldlysplendourwhichhisdollarscouldnotbuyifhechosetospendthemforit;
  buthiswife’shalfdiscoveries,takingformagaininhisignoranceoftheworld,filledhimwithhelplessmisgiving。
  Acloudyvisionofsomethingunpurchasable,wherehehadsupposedtherewasnothing,hadcowedhiminspiteoftheburlyresistanceofhispride。
  "Idon’tseewhyheshouldn’tbepleasant,"saidMrs。Lapham。
  "He’sneverdoneanythingelse。"
  Laphamlookedupconsciously,withanuneasylaugh。
  "Pshaw,Persis!youneverforgetanything?"
  "Oh,I’vegotmorethanthattoremember。Isupposeyouaskedhimtorideafterthemare?"
  "Well,"saidLapham,reddeningguiltily,"hesaidhewasafraidofagoodhorse。"
  "Then,ofcourse,youhadn’taskedhim。"Mrs。Laphamcrochetedinsilence,andherhusbandleanedbackinhischairandsmoked。
  Atlasthesaid,"I’mgoingtopushthathouseforward。
  They’reloafingonit。There’snoreasonwhyweshouldn’tbeinitbyThanksgiving。Idon’tbelieveinmovinginthedeadofwinter。"
  "Wecanwaittillspring。We’reverycomfortableintheoldplace,"answeredhiswife。Thenshebrokeoutonhim:
  "Whatareyouinsuchahurrytogetintothathousefor?DoyouwanttoinvitetheCoreystoahouse—warming?"
  Laphamlookedatherwithoutspeaking。
  "Don’tyousupposeIcanseethroughyouIdeclare,SilasLapham,ifIdidn’tknowdifferent,Ishouldsayyouwereaboutthebiggestfool!Don’tyouknowANYthing?
  Don’tyouknowthatitwouldn’tdotoaskthosepeopletoourhousebeforethey’veaskedustotheirs?They’dlaughinourfaces!"
  "Idon’tbelievethey’dlaughinourfaces。What’sthedifferencebetweenouraskingthemandtheiraskingus?"
  demandedtheColonelsulkily。
  "Oh,well!Ifyoudontsee!"
  "Well,IDON’Tsee。ButIdon’twanttoaskthemtothehouse。Isuppose,ifIwantto,IcaninvitehimdowntoafishdinneratTaft’s。"
  Mrs。Laphamfellbackinherchair,andletherworkdropinherlapwiththat"Tckk!"inwhichhersexknowshowtoexpressuttercontemptanddespair。
  "What’sthematter?"
  "Well,ifyouDOsuchathing,Silas,I’llneverspeaktoyouagain!It’snoUSE!It’sNOuse!Ididthink,afteryou’dbehavedsowellaboutRogers,Imighttrustyoualittle。ButIseeIcan’t。Ipresumeaslongasyouliveyou’llhavetobenosedaboutlikeaperfect——Idon’tknowwhat!"
  "Whatareyoumakingsuchafussabout?"demandedLapham,terriblycrestfallen,buttryingtopluckupaspirit。
  "Ihaven’tdoneanythingyet。Ican’taskyouradviceaboutanythinganymorewithouthavingyouflyout。
  Confoundit!IshalldoasIpleaseafterthis。"
  Butasifhecouldnotendurethatcontemptuousatmosphere,hegotup,andhiswifeheardhiminthedining—roompouringhimselfoutaglassofice—water,andthenheardhimmountthestairstotheirroom,andslamitsdoorafterhim。
  "Doyouknowwhatyourfather’swantingtodonow?"