"Openas’loon，"saidthecabby，promptlyandhuskily。"IknowaplaceIcouldtakemoneyinwithbothhands。It’safour—storybrickonacorner。
I’vegotitfiguredout。Secondstory—Chinksandchopsuey;thirdfloor—manicuresandforeignmis—
sions;fourthfloor—poolroom。Ifyouwasthink—
ofputtingupthecapital。
"Oh，no，"saidGillian，Imerelyaskedfromcu—
riosity。Itakeyoubythehour。Drive’tilItellyoutostop。"
EightblocksdownBroadwayGillianpokedupthetrapwithhiscaneandgotout。Ablindmansatuponastoolonthesidewalksellingpencils。Gillianwentoutandstoodbeforehim。
"Excuseme，"hesaid，"butwouldyoumindtell—
ingmewhatyouwoulddoifyoubadathousanddollars？"
"Yougotoutofthatcabthatjustdroveup，didn’tyou？"askedtheblindman。
"Idid，"saidGillian。
"guessyouareallright，"saidthepencildealer，"torideinacabbydaylight。Takealookatthat，ifyoulike。"
Hedrewasmallbookfromhiscoatpocketandhelditout。Gillianopeneditandsawthatitwasabankdepositbook。Itshowedabalanceof$1，785totheblindman’scredit。
Gillianreturnedthebookandgotintothecab。
"Iforgotsomething，"besaid。"YoumaydrivetothelawofficesofTolman&Sharp，at—Broad—
way。"
LawyerTolmanlookedathimhostilelyandin—
quiringlythroughhisgold—rimmedglasses。
"Ibegyourpardon，"saidGillian，cheerfully，"butmayIaskyouaquestion？Itisnotanim—
pertinentone，Ihope。WasMissHaydenleftany—
thingbymyuncle’swillbesidestheringandthe$10？"
"Nothing，"saidMr。Tolman。
"Ithankyouverymuch，sir，"saidGillian，andonhewenttohiscab。Hegavethedriverthead—
dressofhislateuncle’shome。
MissHaydenwaswritinglettersinthelibrary。
Shewassmallandslenderandclothedinblack。Butyouwouldhavenoticedhereyes。Gilliandriftedinwithhisairofregardingtheworldasinconse—
quent。
I’vejustcomefromoldTolman’s，"heexplained。
They’vebeengoingoverthepapersdownthere。
Theyfounda—Gilliansearchedhismemoryforalegalterm—theyfoundanamendmentorapost—
scriptorsomethingtothewill。Itseemedthattheoldboyloosenedupalittleonsecondthoughtsandwilledyouathousanddollars。IwasdrivingupthiswayandTolmanaskedmetobringyouthemoney。
Hereitis。You’dbettercountittoseeifit’sright。"
Gillianlaidthemoneybesideherhandonthedesk。
MissHaydenturnedwhite。"Oh！"shesaid，andagain"Oh！"
Gillianhalfturnedandlookedoutthewindow。
"Isuppose，ofcourse，"besaid，inalowvoice，thatyouknowIloveyou。"
"Iamsorry，"saidMissHayden，takinguphermoney。
"Thereisnouse？"askedGillian，almostlight—
heartedly。
"Iamsorry，"shesaidagain。
"MayIwriteanote？"askedGillian，withasmile，I—reseatedhimselfatthebiglibrarytable。Shesup—
pliedhimwithpaperandpen，andthenwentbacktohersecretaire。
Gillianmadeouthisaccountofhisexpenditureofthethousanddollarsi;ithesewords：
Paidbytheblacksheep，RobertGillian，$1，000
onaccountoftheeternalhappiness，owedbyHeaventothebestanddearestwomanonearth。"
Gillianslippedhiswritingintoanenvelope，bowedandwenthisway。
HiscabstoppedagainattheofficesofTolman&
Sharp。
"Ihaveexpendedthethousanddollars，"hesaidcheerily，toTolmanofthegoldglasses，"andIhavecometorenderaccountofit，asIagreed。Thereisquiteafeelingofsummerintheair—doyounotthinkso，Mr。Tolman？"Hetossedawhiteenvelopeonthelawyer’stable。Youwillfindthereamemo—
randum，sir，ofthemodusoperandiofthevanishingofthedollars。"
Withouttouchingtheenvelope，Mr。Tolmanwenttoadoorandcalledhispartner，Sharp。Togethertheyexploredthecavernsofanimmensesafe。Forththeydragged，astrophyoftheirsearchabigenvelopesealedwithwax。Thistheyforciblyinvaded，andwaggedtheirvenerableheadstogetheroveritscon—
tents。ThenTolmanbecamespokesman。
"Mr。Gillian，"hesaid，formally，"therewasacodiciltoyouruncle’swill。Itwasintrustedtousprivately，withinstructionsthatitbenotopeneduntilyouhadfurnisheduswithafullaccountofyourhandlingofthe$1，000bequestinthewill。Asyouhavefulfilledtheconditions，mypartnerandIhavereadthecodicil。Idonotwishtoencumberyourunderstandingwithitslegalphraseology，butIwillacquaintyouwiththespiritofitscontents。
Intheeventthatyourdispositionofthe$1，000
demonstratesthatyoupossessanyofthequalifica—
tionsthatdeservereward，muchbenefitwillaccruetoyou。Mr。SharpandIarenamedasthejudges，andIassureyouthatwewilldoourdutystrictlyaccordingtojustice—withliberality。
Wearenotatallunfavorablydisposedtowardyou，Mr。Gillian。Butletusreturntotheletterofthecodicil。Ifyourdisposalofthemoneyinquestionhasbeenprudent，wise，orunselflish，itisinourpowertohandyouoverbondstothevalueof$50，000，whichhavebeenplacedinourhandsforthatpurpose。Butif—asourclient，thelateMr。Gillian，explicitlyprovides—youhaveusedthismoneyasyouhavemoneyinthepast，IquotethelateMr。Gillian—inreprehensibledissipationamongdisreputableassociates—the$50，000istobepaidtoMiriamHayden，wardofthelateMr。Gillian，withoutdelay。
Now，Mr。Gillian，Mr。SharpandIwillexamineyouraccountinregardtothe$1，000。Yousubmititinwriting，Ibelieve。Ihopeyouwillreposeconfidenceinourdecision。"
Mr。Tolmanreachedfortheenvelope。Gillianwasalittlethequickerintakingitup。Hetoretheaccountanditscoverleisurelyintostripsanddroppedthemintohispocket。
"It’sallright，"hesaid，smilingly。"Thereisn’tabitofneedtobotheryouwiththis。Idon’tsupposeyou’dunderstandtheseitemizedbets，anyway。I
lostthethousanddollarsontheraces。Good—daytoyou，gentlemen。"
Tolman&SharpshooktheirbeadsmournfullyateachotherwhenGillianleft，fortheyheardhimwhis—
tlinggaylyinthehallwayashewaitedfortheele—
vator。
THEDEFEATOFTHECITY
RobertWalmsley’sdescentuponthecityresultedinaKilkennystruggle。Hecameoutofthefightvictorbyafortuneandareputation。Ontheotherband，hewasswallowedupbythecity。Thecitygavehimwhathedemandedandthenbrandedhimwithitsbrand。Itremodelled，cut，trimmedandstampedhimtothepatternitapproves。Itopeneditssocialgatestohimandshuthiminonaclose—
cropped，formallawnwiththeselectherdofrumi—
nants。Indress，habits，manners，provincialism，routineandnarrownessheacquiredthatcharmingin—
solence，thatirritatingcompleteness，thatsophisti—
catedcrassness，thatoverbalancedpoisethatmakestheManhattangentlemansodelightfullysmallinhisgreatness。
Oneoftheup—stateruralcountiespointedwithpridetothesuccessfulyoungmetropolitanlawyerasaproductofitssoil。Sixyearsearlierthiscountyhadremovedthewheatstrawfrombetweenitshuckle—
berry—stainedteethandemittedaderisiveandbucoliclaughasoldmanWalmsley’sfreckle—faced"Bobabandonedthecertainthree—per—diemmealsoftheone—horsefarmforthediscontinuousquicklunchcountersofthethree—ringedmetropolis。Attheendofthesixyearsnomurdertrial，coachingparty，au—
tomobileaccidentorcotillionwascompleteinwhichthenameofRobertWalmsleydidnotfigure。Tailorswaylaidhiminthestreettogetanewwrinklefromthecutofhisunwrinkledtrousers。Hyphenatedfel—
lowsintheclubsandmembersoftheoldestsubpoenaedfamiliesweregladtoclaphimonthebackandallowhimthreelettersofhisname。
ButtheMatterhornofRobertWalmsley’ssuccesswasnotscaleduntilbemarriedAliciaVanDerPool。
IcitetheMatterhorn，forjustsohighandcoolandwhiteandinaccessiblewasthisdaughteroftheoldburghers。ThesocialAlpsthatrangedaboutheroverwhosebleakpassesathousandclimbersstruggled——reachedonlytoherknees。Shetoweredinherownatmosphere，serene，chaste，prideful，wadinginnofountains，diningnomonkeys，breedingnodogsforbenchshows。ShewasaVanDerPool。Fountainsweremadetoplayforher;monkeysweremadeforotherpeople’sancestors;dogs，sheunderstood，werecreatedtobecompanionsofblindpersonsandobjec—
tionablecharacterswhosmokedpipes。
ThiswastheMatterhornthatRobertWalmsleyaccomplished。Ifhefound，withthegoodpoetwiththegamefootandartificiallycurledhair，thathewhoascendstomountaintopswillfindtheloftiestpeaksmostwrappedincloudsandsnow，heconcealedhischilblainsbeneathabraveandsmilingexterior。Hewasaluckymanandknewit，eventhoughhewereimitatingtheSpartanboywithanice—creamfreezerbeneathhisdoubletfrappeeingtheregionofhisheart。
Afterabriefweddingtourabroad，thecouplere—
turnedtocreateadecidedrippleinthecalmcistern（soplacidandcoolandsunlessitis）ofthebestso—
ciety。Theyentertainedattheirredbrickmausoleumofancientgreatnessinanoldsquarethatisaceme—
teryofcrumbledglory。AndRobertWalmsleywasproudofhiswife;althoughwhileoneofhishandsshookhisguests’theotherheldtightlytohisalpen—
stockandthermometer。
OnedayAliciafoundaletterwrittentoRobertbyhismother。Itwasanuneruditeletter，fullofcropsandmotherlyloveandfarmnotes。Itchronicledthehealthofthepigandtherecentredcalf，andaskedconcerningRobert’sinreturn。Itwasaletterdirectfromthesoil，straightfromhome，fullofbiographiesofbees，talesofturnips，peaansofnew—laideggs，neg—
lectedparentsandtheslumpindriedapples。
"WhyhaveInotbeenshownyourmother’slet—
ters？"askedAlicia。Therewasalwayssomethinginhervoicethatmadeyouthinkoflorgnettes，ofac—
countsatTiffany’s，ofsledgessmoothlyglidingonthetrailfromDawsontoFortyMile，ofthetinklingofpendantprismsonyourgrandmothers’chandeliers，ofsnowlyingonaconventroof;ofapolicesergeantrefusingbail。"Yourmother，"continuedAlicia，"invitesustomakeavisittothefarm。Ihaveneverseenafarm。Wewillgothereforaweekortwo，Robert。"
"Wewill，"saidRobert，withthegrandairofanassociateSupremeJusticeconcurringinanopinion。
"IdidnotlaytheinvitationbeforeyoubecauseI
thoughtyouwouldnotcaretogo。Iammuchpleasedatyourdecision。"
"Iwillwritetohermyself，"answeredAlicia，withafaintforeshadowingofenthusiasm。"Feliceshallpackmytrunksatonce。Seven，Ithink，willbeenough。Idonotsupposethatyourmotherentertainsagreatdeal。Doesshegivemanyhouseparties？"
Robertarose，andasattorneyforruralplacesfiledademurreragainstsixoftheseventrunks。Heen—
deavoredtodefine，picture，elucidate，setforthanddescribeafarm。Hisownwordssoundedstrangeinhisears。Hehadnotrealizedhowthoroughlyurbsi—
dizedhehadbecome。
Aweekpassedandfoundthemlandedatthelittlecountrystationfivehoursoutfromthecity。Agrin—
ning，stentorian，sarcasticyouthdrivingamuletoaspringwagonhailedRobertsavagely。
"Hallo，Mr。Walmsley。Foundyourwaybackatlast，haveyou？SorryIcouldn’tbringintheauto—
mobileforyou，butdad’sbull—tonguingtheten—acrecloverpatchwithitto—day。Guessyou’llexcusemy，notwearingadresssuitovertomeetyou——itain’tsixo’clockyet，youknow。"
"I’mgladtoseeyou，Tom，"saidRobert，grasp—
inghisbrother’sband。"Yes，I’vefoundmywayatlast。You’vearighttosay’atlast。’It’sbeenovertwoyearssincethelasttime。Butitwillbeoftenerafterthis，myboy。"
Alicia，coolinthesummerbeatasanArcticwraith，whiteasaNorsesnowmaideninherflimsymuslinandflutteringlaceparasol，cameroundthecornerofthestation;andTomwasstrippedofhisassurance。Hebecamechieflyeyesightclothedinbluejeans，andonthehomewarddrivetothemulealonedidheconfideinlanguagetheinwardnessofhisthoughts。
Theydrovehomeward。Thelowsundroppedaspendthriftfloodofgolduponthefortunatefieldsofwheat。Thecitieswerefaraway。Theroadlaycurl—
ingaroundwoodanddaleandbilllikearibbonlostfromtherobeofcarelesssummer。ThewindfollowedlikeawhinnyingcoltinthetrackofPhoebus’ssteeds。
Byandbythefarmhousepeepedgrayoutofitsfaithfulgrove;theysawthelonglanewithitsconvoyofwalnuttreesrunningfromtheroadtothehouse;
theysmelledthewildroseandthebreathofcool，dampwillowsinthecreek’sbed。AndtheninunisonallthevoicesofthesoilbeganachantaddressedtothesoulofRobertWalmsley。Outofthetiltedaislesofthedimwoodtheycamehollowly;theychirpedandbuzzedfromtheparchedgrass;theytrilledfromtheripplesofthecreekford;theyfloatedupinclearPan’spipenotesfromthedimmingmeadows;thewhippoorwillsjoinedinastheypursuedmidgesintheupperair;slow—goingcow—bellsstruckoutahomelyaccompaniment——andthiswaswhateachonesaid：
"You’vefoundyourwaybackatlast，haveyou？"
Theoldvoicesofthesoilspoketohim。Leafandbudandblossomconversedwithhimintheoldvocabu—
laryofhiscarelessyouth—theinanimatethings，thefamiliarstonesandrails，thegatesandfurrowsandroofsandturnsoftheroadhadaneloquence，too，andapowerinthetransformation。Thecountryhadsmiledandhehadfeltthebreathofit，andhisheartwasdrawnasifinamomentbacktohisoldlove。
Thecitywasfaraway。
Thisruralatavism，then，seizedRobertWalmsleyandpossessedhim。Aqueerthinghenoticedincon—
nectionwithitwasthatAlicia，sittingathisside，suddenlyseemedtohimastranger。Shedidnotbe—
longtothisrecurrentphase。Neverbeforehadsheseemedsoremote，socolorlessandhigh—sointan—
gibleandunreal。Andyethehadneveradmiredhermorethanwhenshesattherebyhiminthericketyspringwagon，chimingnomorewithhismoodandwithherenvironmentthantheMatterhornchimeswithapeasant’scabbagegarden。
Thatnightwhenthegreetingsandthesupperwereover，theentirefamily，includingBuff，theyellowdog，bestreweditselfuponthefrontporch。Alicia，nothaughtybutsilent，satintheshadowdressedinanexquisitepale—grayteagown。Robert’smotherdis—
coursedtoherhappilyconcerningmarmaladeandlumbago。Tomsatonthetopstep;SistersMillieandPamontheloweststeptocatchthelightningbugs。Motherhadthewillowrocker。Fathersatinthebigarmchairwithoneofitsarmsgone。Buffsprawledinthemiddleoftheporchineverybody’sway。Thetwilightpixiesandpucksstoleforthun—
seenandplungedotherpoignantshaftsofmemoryintotheheartofRobert。Aruralmadnessenteredhissoul。Thecitywasfaraway。
Fathersatwithouthispipe，writhinginhisheavyboots，asacrificetorigidcourtesy。Robertshouted：
"No，youdon’t！"Hefetchedthepipeandlitit;beseizedtheoldgentleman’sbootsandtorethemoff。
Thelastoneslippedsuddenly，andMr。RobertWalmsley，ofWashingtonSquare，tumbledofftheporchbackwardwithBuffontopofhim，bowlingfearfully。Tomlaughedsarcastically。
Roberttoreoffhiscoatandvestandhurledthemintoalilacbush。
"Comeouthere，youlandlubber，"becriedtoTom，andI’llputgrassseedonyourback。IthinkyouCalledmea’dude’awhileago。Comealongandcutyourcapers。"
Tomunderstoodtheinvitationandaccepteditwithdelight。Threetimestheywrestledonthegrass，"sideholds，"evenasthegiantsofthemat。AndtwicewasTomforcedtobitegrassatthehandsofthedistinguishedlawyer。Dishevelled，panting，eachstillboastingofhisownprowess，theystumbledbacktotheporch。Milliecastapertreflectionuponthequalitiesofacitybrother。InaninstantRoberthadsecuredahorridkatydidinhisfingersandboredownuponher。Screamingwildly，shefledupthelane，pursuedbytheavengingglassofform。Aquarterofamileandtheyreturned，shefullofapologytothevictorious"dude。"Therusticmaniapossessedhimunabatedly。
Icandoupacowpenfulofyouslowhayseeds，"
heproclaimed，vaingloriously。"Bringonyourbull—
dogs，yourhiredmenandyourlog—rollers。"
HeturnedhandspringsonthegrassthatproddedTomtoenvioussarcasm。Andthen，withawhoop，heclatteredtotherearandbroughtbackUnclelike，abatteredcoloredretainerofthefamily，withhisbanjo，andstrewedsandontheporchanddanced"ChickenintheBreadTray"anddidbuck—and—
wingwondersforhalfanhourlonger。Incredibly，wildandboisterousthingshedid。Hesang，hetoldstoriesthatsetallbutoneshrieking，heplayedtheyokel，thehumorousclodhopper;hewasmad，andwiththerevivaloftheoldlifeinhisblood。
Hebecamesoextravagantthatoncehismothersoughtgentlytoreprovehim。ThenAliciamovedasthoughshewereabouttospeak，butshedidnot。
Throughitallshesatimmovable，aslim，whitespiritintheduskthatnomanmightquestionorread。
Byandbysheaskedpermissiontoascendtoherroom，sayingthatshewastired。OnherwayshepassedRobert。Hewasstandinginthedoor，thefigureofvulgarcomedy，withruffledhair，reddenedfaceandunpardonableconfusionofattire——notracethereoftheimmaculateRobertWalmsley，thecourtedclubmanandornamentofselectcircles。Hewasdo—
ingaconjuringtrickwithsomehouseholdutensils，andthefamily，nowwonovertohimwithoutexcep—
tion，wasbeholdinghimwithworshipfuladmiration。
AsAliciapassedinRobertstartedsuddenly。Hehadforgottenforthemomentthatshewaspresent。
Withoutaglanceathimshewentonupstairs。
Afterthatthefungrewquiet。Anhourpassedintalk，andthenRobertwentuphimself。
Shewasstandingbythewindowwhenheenteredtheirroom。Shewasstillclothedaswhentheywereontheporch。Outsideandcrowdingagainstthewindowwasagiantappletree，fullblossomed。
Robertsighedandwentnearthewindow。Hewasreadytomeethisfate。Aconfessedvulgarian，heforesawtheverdictofjusticeintheshapeofthatwhitecladform。HeknewtherigidlinesthataVanDerPoolwoulddraw。Hewasapeasantgam—
bollingindecorouslyinthevalley，andthepure，cold，white，unthawedsummitoftheMatterhorncouldnotbutfrownonhim。Hehadbeenunmaskedbyhisownactions。Allthepolish，thepoise，theformthatthecityhadgivenhimhadfallenfromhimlikeanill—fittingmantleatthefirstbreathofacountrybreeze。Dullybeawaitedtheapproachingcondemna—
tion。
"Robert，"saidthecalm，coolvoiceofhisjudge，"IthoughtImarriedagentleman。"
Yes，itwascoming。Andyet，inthefaceofit，RobertWalmsleywaseagerlyregardingacertainbranchoftheappletreeuponwhichbeusedtoclimboutofthatverywindow。Hebelievedhecoulddoitnow。Hewonderedbowmanyblossomstherewereonthetree——tenmillions？Butherewassomeonespeakingagain：
"IthoughtImarriedagentleman，"thevoicewenton，"but——"
Whyhadshecomeandwasstandingsoclosebyhisside？
"ButIfindthatIhavemarried"——wasthisAliciatalking？——"somethingbetter——aman——
Bob，dear，kissme，won’tyou？"
Thecitywasfaraway。
THESHOCKSOFDOOM
Hereisanaristocracyofthepublicparksandevenofthevagabondswhousethemfortheirprivateapartments。Vallancefeltratherthanknewthis，butwhenhesteppeddownoutofhisworldintochaoshisfeetbroughthimdirectlytoMadisonSquare。
Rawandastringentasaschoolgirl——oftheoldorder——youngMaybreathedausterelyamongthebuddingtrees。Vallancebuttonedhiscoat，lightedhislastcigaretteandtookhisseatuponabench。
Forthreeminutesbemildlyregrettedthelasthundredofhislastthousandthatithadcosthimwhenthebicyclecopputanendtohislastautomobileride。
Thenhefeltineverypocketandfoundnotasinglepenny。Hehadgivenuphisapartmentthatmorning。Hisfurniturehadgonetowardcertaindebts。Hisclothes，savewhatwereuponhim，haddescendedtohisman—servantforbackwages。Ashesattherewasnotinthewholecityforhimabedorabroiledlobsterorastreet—carfareoracarnationforbuttonholeunlessbeshouldobtainthembyspong—
onhisfriendsorbyfalsepretenses。Thereforeliehadchosenthepark。
Andallthiswasbecauseanunclehaddisinheritedhim，andcutdownhisallowancefromliberalitytonothing。Andallthatwasbecausehisnephewhaddisobeyedhimconcerningacertaingirl，whocomesnotintothisstory——therefore，allreaderswhobrushtheirhairtowarditsrootsmaybewarnedtoreadnofurther。Therewasanothernephew，ofadifferentbranch，whohadoncebeentheprospectiveheirandfavorite。Beingwithoutgraceorhope，hehadlongagodisappearedinthemire。Nowdrag—
netswereoutforhim;hewastoberehabilitatedandrestored。AndsoVallancefellgrandlyasLucifertothelowestpit，joiningthetatteredghostsinthelittlepark。
Sittingthere，heleanedfarbackonthehardbenchandlaughedajetofcigarettesmokeuptothelowesttreebranches。Thesuddenseveringofallhislife’stieshadbroughthimafree，thrilling，almostjoyouselation。Hefeltpreciselythesensationoftheaero—
nautwhenhecutsloosehisparachuteandletshisballoondriftaway。
Thehourwasnearlyten。Notmanyloungerswereonthebenches。Thepark—dweller，thoughastubbornfighteragainstautumnalcoolness，isslowtoattacktheadvancelineofspring’schillycohorts。
Thenaroseonefromaseatneartheleapingfoun—
tain，andcameandsathimselfatVallance’sside。
Hewaseitheryoungorold;cheaplodging—houseshadflavoredhimmustily;razorsandcombshadpassedhimby;inhimdrinkhadbeenbottledandsealedinthedevil’sbond。Hebeggedamatch，whichistheformofintroductionamongparkbenchers，andthenhebegantotalk。
"You’renotoneoftheregulars，"hesaidtoVal—
lance。"IknowtailoredclotheswhenIsee’em。
Youjuststoppedforamomentonyourwaythroughthepark。Don’tmindmytalkingtoyouforawhile？
I’vegottobewithsomebody。I’mafraid——I’mafraid。I’vetoldtwoorthreeofthosebummersoveraboutit。TheythinkI’mcrazy。Say——lettellyou——allI’vehadtoeatto—daywasacouplepretzelsandanapple。To—morrowI’llstandintoinheritthreemillions;andthatrestaurantyoueeovertherewiththeautosarounditwillbetooformetoeatin。Don’tbelieveit，doyou？
"Withouttheslightesttrouble，"saidVallance，withalaugh。"Ilunchedthereyesterday。To—
nightIcouldn’tbuyafive—centcupofcoffee。"
"Youdon’tlooklikeoneofus。Well，Iguessthosethingshappen。Iusedtobeahigh—flyermyselfyearsago。Whatknockedyououtofthegame？"
"I——oh，Ilostmyjob，"saidVallance。
"It’sundilutedHades，thiscity，"wentontheother。"Onedayyou’reeatingfromchina;thenextyouareeatinginChina——achop—sueyjoint。
I’vehadmorethanmyshareofhardluck。ForfiveyearsI’vebeenlittlebetterthanapanhandler。I
wasraiseduptoliveexpensivelyanddonothing。
Say——Idon’tmindtellingyou——I’vegottotalktosomebody，yousee，becauseI’mafraid——I’mafraid。Myname’sIde。Youwouldn’tthinkthatoldPaulding，oneofthemillionairesonRiversideDrive，wasmyuncle，wouldyou？Well，heis。I
livedinhishouseonce，andhadallthemoneyI
wanted。Say，haven’tyougotthepriceofacoupleofdrinksaboutyou——er——what’syourname"
"Dawson，"saidVallance。"No;I’msorrytosaythatI’mallin，financially。"
"I’vebeenlivingforaweekinacoalcellaronDivisionStreet，"wentonIde，"withacrooktheycalled’Blinky’Morris。Ididn’thaveanywhereelsetogo。WhileIwasoutto—dayachapwithsomepa—
persinhispocketwasthere，askingforme。Ididn’tknowbutwhathewasaflycop，soIdidn’tgoaroundagaintillafterdark。Therewasalettertherebehadleftforme。Say——Dawson，itwasfromabigdowntownlawyer，Mead。I’veseenhissignonAnnStreet。Pauldingwantsmetoplaytheprodigalnephew——wantsmetocomebackandbehisheiragainandblowinhismoney。I’mtocallatthelawyer’sofficeattento—morrowandstepintomyoldshoesagain——heirtothreemillion，Dawson，and$10，000ayearpocketmoney。And——I’mafraid——I’mafraid"
Thevagrantleapedtohisfeetandraisedbothtremblingarmsabovehisbead。Hecaughthisbreathandmoanedhysterically。
Vallanceseizedhisarmandforcedhimbacktothebench。
"Bequiet！"hecommanded，withsomethinglikedisgustinhistones。"Onewouldthinkyouhadlostafortune，insteadofbeingabouttoacquireone。Ofwhatareyouafraid？"
Idecoweredandshiveredonthebench。HeclungtoVallance’ssleeve，andeveninthedimglowoftheBroadwaylightsthelatestdisinheritedonecouldseedropsontheother’sbrowwrungoutbysomestrangeterror。
"Why，I’mafraidsomethingwillhappentomebe—
foremorning。Idon’tknowwhat——somethingtokeepmefromcomingintothatmoney。I’mafraidatreewillfallonme——I’mafraidacabwillrunoverme，orastonedroponmefromahousetop，orsome—
thing。Ineverwasafraidbefore。I’vesatinthisparkahundrednightsascalmasagravenimagewithoutknowingwheremybreakfastwastocomefrom。Butnowit’sdifferent。Ilovemoney，Daw—
son—I’mhappyasagodwhenit’stricklingthroughmyfingers，andpeoplearebowingtome，withthemusicandtheflowersandfineclothesallaround。AslongasIknewIwasoutofthegameIdidn’tmind。
Iwasevenhappysittinghereraggedandhungry，listeningtothefountainjumpandwatchingthecarriagesgouptheavenue。Butit’sinreachofmyhandagainnow——almost——andIcan’tstandittowaittwelvehours，Dawson——Ican’tstandit。
Therearefiftythingsthatcouldhappentome——I
couldgoblind——Imightbeattackedwithheartdisease——theworldmightcometoanendbeforeI
could——"
Idesprangtohisfeetagain，withashriek。Peo—
plestirredonthebenchesandbegantolook。Val—
lancetookhisarm。
"Comeandwalk，"hesaid，soothingly。"Andtrytocalmyourself。Thereisnoneedtobecomeex—
citedoralarmed。Nothingisgoingtohappentoyou。Onenightislikeanother。"
"That’sright，"saidIde。"Staywithme，Daw—
son——that’sagoodfellow。Walkaroundwithmeawhile。Ineverwenttopieceslikethisbefore，andI’vehadagoodmanyhardknocks。Doyouthinkyoucouldhustlesomethinginthewayofalittlelunch，oldman？I’mafraidmynerve’stoofargonetotryanypanhandling"
VallanceledhiscompanionupalmostdesertedFifthAvenue，andthenwestwardalongtheThirtiestowardBroadway。"Waithereafewminutes，"hesaid，leavingIdeinaquietandshadowedspot。Heenteredafamiliarhotel，andstrolledtowardthebarquiteinhisoldassuredway。
"There’sapoordeviloutside，Jimmy，"hesaidtothebartender，"whosayshe’shungryandlooksit。
Youknowwhattheydowhenyougivethemmoney。
Fixupasandwichortwoforhim;andI’llseethathedoesn’tthrowitaway。"
"Certainly，Mr。Vallance，"saidthebartender。
"Theyain’tallfakes。Don’tliketoseeanybodygohungry。"
Idefoldedaliberalsupplyofthefreelunchintoanapkin。Vallancewentwithitandjoinedhiscom—
panion。Idepounceduponthefoodravenously。"I
haven’thadanyfreelunchasgoodasthisinayear，"besaid。"Aren’tyougoingtoeatany，Dawson？
"I’mnothungry—thanks，"saidVallance。
"We’llgobacktotheSquare，"saidIde。"Thecopswon’tbotherusthere。I’llrolluptherestofthishamandstuffforourbreakfast。Iwon’teatanymore;I’mafraidI’llgetsick。SupposeI’ddieofcrampsorsomethingto—night，andnevergettotouchthatmoneyagain！It’selevenhoursyettilltimetoseethatlawyer。Youwon’tleaveme，willyou，Dawson？I’mafraidsomethingmighthappen。
Youhaven’tanyplacetogo，haveyou？"
"No，"saidVallance，"nowhereto—night。I’llhaveabenchwithyou。"
"Youtakeitcool，"saidIde，"ifyou’vetoldittomestraight。Ishouldthinkamanputonthebumfromagoodjobjustinonedaywouldbetearinghishair。"
"IbelieveI’vealreadyremarked，"saidVallance，laughing，"thatIwouldhavethoughtthatamanwhowasexpectingtocomeintoafortuneonthenextdaywouldbefeelingprettyeasyandquiet。"
"It’sfunnybusiness，"philosophizedIde，"aboutthewaypeopletakethings，anyhow。Here’syourbench，Dawson，rightnexttomine。Thelightdon’tshineinyoureyeshere。Say，Dawson，I’llgettheoldmantogiveyoualettertosomebodyaboutajobwhenIgetbackhome。You’vehelpedmealotto—
night。Idon’tbelieveIcouldhavegonethroughthenightifIhadn’tstruckyou。"
"Thankyou，"saidVallance。"Doyouliedownorsituponthesewhenyousleep？
ForhoursVallancegazedalmostwithoutwinkingatthestarsthroughthebranchesofthetreesandlistenedtothesharpslappingofhorses’hoofsontheseaofasphalttothesouthHismindwasactive，buthisfeelingsweredormant。Everyemotionseemedtohavebeeneradicated。Idefeltnoregrets，nofears，nopainordiscomfort。Evenwhenbethoughtofthegirl，itwasasofaninhabitantofoneofthoseremotestarsatwhichbegazed。Here—
memberedtheabsurdanticsofhiscompanionandlaughedsoftly，yetwithoutafeelingofmirth。Soonthedailyarmyofmilkwagonsmadeofthecityaroaringdrumtowhichtheymarched。Vallancefellasleeponhiscomfortlessbench。
Atteno’clockonthenextdaythetwostoodatthedoorofLawyerMead’sofficeinAnnStreet。
Ide’snervesflutteredworsethaneverwhenthehourapproached;andVallancecouldnotdecidetoleavehimapossiblepreytothedangershedreaded。
Whentheyenteredtheoffice，LawyerMeadlookedatthemwonderingly。HeandVallancewereoldfriends。Afterhisgreeting，heturnedtoIde，whostoodwithwhitefaceandtremblinglimbsbeforetheexpectedcrisis。
"Isentasecondlettertoyouraddresslastnight，Mr。Ide，"hesaid。"Ilearnedthismorningthatyouwerenottheretoreceiveit。ItwillinformyouthatMr。Pauldinghasreconsideredhisoffertotakeyoubackintofavor。Hehasdecidednottodoso，anddesiresyoutounderstandthatnochangewillbemadeintherelationsexistingbetweenyouandhim。"
Ide’stremblingsuddenlyceased。Thecolorcamebacktohisface，andbestraightenedhisback。Hisjawwentforwardhalfaninch，andagleamcameintohiseye。Hepushedbackhisbatteredbatwithonehand，andextendedtheother，withlevelledfin—
gers，towardthelawyer。Hetookalongbreathandthenlaughedsardonically。
"TelloldPauldinghemaygotothedevil，"hesaid，loudlyandclearly，andturnedandwalkedoutoftheofficewithafirmandlivelystep。
LawyerMeadturnedonhisheeltoVallanceandsmiled。
"Iamgladyoucamein，"hesaid，genially。
"Yourunclewantsyoutoreturnhomeatonce。Heisreconciledtothesituationthatledtohishastyaction，anddesirestosaythatallwillbeas——"
"Hey，Adams！"criedLawyerMead，breakinghissentence，andcallingtohisclerk。"BringaglassofwaterMr。Vallancehasfainted。"
THEPLUTONIANFIRE
ThereareafeweditormenwithwhomIamprivi—
legedtocomeincontact。Ithasnotbeenlongsinceitwastheirhabittocomeincontactwithme。Thereisadifference。
Theytellmethatwithalargenumberofthemanuscriptsthataresubmittedtothemcomeadvices（inthewayofaboost）fromtheauthorasseveratingthattheincidentsinthestoryaretrue。Thedes—
tinationofsuchcontributionsdependswhollyuponthequestionoftheenclosureofstamps。Somearereturned，therestarethrownonthefloorinacornerontopofapairofgumshoes，anoverturnedstatu—
etteoftheWingedVictory，andapileofoldmaga—
zinescontainingapictureoftheeditorintheactofreadingthelatestcopyofLePetitJournal，rightsideup—youcantellbytheillustrations。Itisonlyalegendthattherearewastebasketsineditors’
offices。
Thusistruthheldindisrepute。Butintimetruthandscienceandnaturewilladaptthemselvestoart。
Thingswillhappenlogically，andthevillainbedis—
comfitedinsteadofbeingelectedtotheboardofdirectors。Butinthemeantimefictionmustnotonlybedivorcedfromfact，butmustpayalimonyandbeawardedcustodyofthepressdespatches。
Thispreambleistowarnyouoffthegradecross—
ingofatruestory。Beingthat，itshallbetoldsim—
ply，withconjunctionssubstitutedforadjectiveswhereverpossible，andwhateverevidencesofstylemayappearinitshallbeduetothelinotypeman。
Itisastoryoftheliterarylifeinagreatcity，anditshouldbeofinteresttoeveryauthorwithina20—
mileradiusofGosport，Ind。，whosedeskholdsaMS。
storybeginningthus："Whilethecheersfollowinghisnominationwerestillringingthroughtheoldcourthouse，Harwoodbrokeawayfromthecongrat—
ulatinghandclaspsofhishenchmenandhurriedtoJudgeCreswell’shousetofindIda。"
PettitcameupoutofAlabamatowritefiction。
TheSouthernpapershadprintedeightofhisstoriesunderaneditorialcaptionidentifyingtheauthorasthesonof"thegallantMajorPettingillPettit，ourformerCountyAttorneyandheroofthebattleofLookoutMountain。"
Pettitwasaruggedfellow，withakindofshame—
facedculture，andmygoodfriend。HisfatherkeptageneralstoreinalittletowncalledHosea。Pettithadbeenraisedinthepine—woodsandbroom—sedgefieldsadjacentthereto。HehadinhisgripsacktwomanuscriptnovelsoftheadventuresinPicardyofoneGastonLaboulaye，VicomptedeMontrepos，intheyear1329。That’snothing。Wealldothat。
Andsomedaywhenwemakeahitwiththelittlesketchaboutanewsyandhislamedog，theeditorprintstheotheroneforus——or"onus，"asthesay—
ingis——andthen——andthenwehavetogetabigvaliseandpeddlethosepatentair—draftgasburners。
At$1。25everybodyshouldhave’em。
ItookPettittothered—brickhousewhichwastoappearinanarticleentitled"LiteraryLandmarksofOldNewYork，"somedaywhenwegotthroughwithit。Heengagedaroomthere，drawingonthegeneralstoreforhisexpenses。IshowedNewYorktohim，andhedidnotmentionhowmuchnarrowerBroadwayisthanLeeAvenueinHosea。Thisseemedagoodsign，soIputthefinaltest。
"Supposeyoutryyourbandatadescriptivearti—
cle，"Isuggested，"givingyourimpressionsofNewYorkasseenfromtheBrooklynBridge。Thefreshpointofview，the——"
"Don’tbeafool，"saidPettit。"Let’sgohavesomebeer。OnthewholeIratherlikethecity。"
WediscoveredandenjoyedtheonlytrueBohemia。
Everydayandnightwerepairedtooneofthosepalacesofmarbleandglassandtilework，wheregoesonatremendousandsoundingepicoflife。Valhallaitselfcouldnotbemoregloriousandsonorous。Theclassicmarbleonwhichweate，thegreat，light—
flooded，vitreousfront，adornedwithsnow—whitescrolls;thegrandWagneriandinofclankingcupsandbowlstheflashingstaccatoofbrandishingcut—
lery，thepiercingrecitativeofthewhite—apronedgrub—maidensatthemorgue—likebanquettables;therecurrentlied—motifofthecash—register——itwasagigantic，triumphantweldingofartandsound，adeafening，soul—upliftingpageantofheroicandem—
blematiclife。Andthebeanswereonlytencents。
Wewonderedwhyourfellow—artistscaredtodineatsadlittletablesintheirso—calledBohemianrestau—
rants;andweshudderedlesttheyshouldseekoutourresortsandmakethemconspicuouswiththeirpres—
ence。
Pettitwrotemanystories，whichtheeditorsre—
turnedtohim。Hewrotelovestories，athingIhavealwayskeptfreefrom，holdingthebeliefthatthewell—knownandpopularsentimentisnotproperlyamatterforpublication，butsomethingtobeprivatelyhandledbythealienistsandflorists。Buttheeditorshadtoldhimthattheywantedlovestories，becausetheysaidthewomenreadthem。
Now，theeditorsarewrongaboutthat，ofcourse。
Womendonotreadthelovestoriesinthemagazines。
Theyreadthepoker—gamestoriesandtherecipesforcucumberlotion。Thelovestoriesarereadbyfatcigardrummersandlittleten—year—oldgirls。I
amnotcriticisingthejudgmentofeditors。Theyaremostlyveryfinemen，butamancanbebutoneman，withindividualopinionsandtastes。Iknewtwoassociateeditorsofamagazinewhowerewon—
derfullyalikeinalmosteverything。AndyetoneofthemwasveryfondofFlaubert，whiletheotherpreferredgin。
Pettitbroughtmehisreturnedmanuscripts，andwelookedthemovertogethertofindoutwhytheywerenotaccepted。Theyseemedtomeprettyfairstories，writteninagoodstyle，andended，astheyshould，atthebottomofthelastpage。
Theywerewellconstructedandtheeventsweremarshalledinorderlyandlogicalsequence。ButI
thoughtIdetectedalackoflivingsubstance——itwasmuchasifIgazedatasymmetricalarrayofpresentableclamshellsfromwhichthesucculentandvitalinhabitantshadbeenremoved。Iintimatedthattheauthormightdowelltogetbetteracquaintedwithhistheme。
"Yousoldastorylastweek，"saidPettit，"aboutagunfightinanArizonaminingtowninwhichtheherodrewhisColt’s。45andshotsevenbanditsasfastastheycameinthedoor。Now，ifasix—shootercould——"
"Oh，well，"saidI，"that’sdifferent。ArizonaisalongwayfromNewYork。Icouldhaveamanstabbedwithalariatorchasedbyapairofchap—
arrerasifIwantedto，anditwouldn’tbenoticeduntiltheusualerror—sharpfromaroundMcAdamsJunctionisolatestheerratumandwritesintothepa—
persaboutit。Butyouareupagainstanotherproposition。ThisthingtheycallloveisascommonaroundNewYorkasitisinSheboyganduringtheyoungonionseason。Itmaybemixedherewithalittlecommercialism——theyreadByron，buttheylookupBradstreet’s，too，whilethey’reamongtheB’s，andBrighamalsoiftheyhavetime——butit’sprettymuchthesameoldinternaldisturbanceevery—
where。Youcanfoolaneditorwithafakepictureofacowboymountingaponywithhislefthandonthesaddlehorn，butyoucan’tputhimupatreewithalovestory。So，you’vegottofallinloveandthenwritetherealthing。"
Pettitdid。Ineverknewwhetherhewastakingmyadviceorwhetherbefellanaccidentalvictim。
Therewasagirlbehadmetatoneofthesestudiocontrivances—aglorious，impudent，lucid，open—
mindedgirlwithhairthecolorofCulmbacher，andagood—naturedwayofdespisingyou。ShewasaNewYorkgirl。
Well（asthenarrativestylepermitsustosayin—
frequently），Pettitwenttopieces。Allthosepains，thoselover’sdoubts，thoseheart—burningsandtremorsofwhichbehadwrittensounconvincinglywerehis。TalkaboutShylock’spoundofflesh！
Twenty—fivepoundsCupidgotfromPettit。Whichistheusurer？
OnenightPettitcametomyroomexalted。Paleandhaggardbutexalted。Shehadgivenhimajonquil。
"OldHoss，"saidhe，withanewsmileflickeringaroundhismouth，"IbelieveIcouldwritethatstoryto—night——theone，youknow，thatistowinout。
"Icanfeelit。Idon’tknowwhetheritwillcomeoutornot，butIcanfeelit。"
Ipushedhimoutofmydoor。"Gotoyourroomandwriteit，"Iordered。"ElseIcanseeyourfin—
ish。Itoldyouthismustcomefirst。Writeitto—
nightandputitundermydoorwhenitisdone。Putitundermydoorto—nightwhenitisfinished——
don’tkeepituntilto—morrow。"
IwasreadingmybullyoldpalMontaigneattwoo’clockwhenIbeardthesheetsrustleundermydoor。
Igatheredthemupandreadthestory。
Thehissingofgeese，thelanguishingcooingofdoves，thebrayingofdonkeys，thechatterofirre—
sponsiblesparrows—thesewereinmymind’searasIread。"SufferingSappho！"Iexclaimedtomyself。
"Isthisthedivinefirethatissupposedtoignitegeniusandmakeitpracticableandwage—earning？"
Thestorywassentimentaldrivel，fullofwhim—
peringsoftheartednessandgushingegoism。AlltheartthatPettithadacquiredwasgone。Ape—
rusalofitsbutteryphraseswouldhavemadeacynicofasighingchambermaid。
InthemorningPettitcametomyroom。Ireadhimhisdoommercilessly。Helaughedidiotically。
"Allright，OldHoss，"hesaid，cheerily，"makecigar—lightersofit。What’sthedifference？I’mgoingtotakehertolunchatClaremontto—day。"
Therewasaboutamonthofit。AndthenPettitcametomebearinganinvisiblemitten，withtheforti—
tudeofadish—rag。HetalkedofthegraveandSouthAmericaandprussicacid;andIlostanafter—
noongettinghimstraight。Itookhimoutandsawthatlargeandcurativedosesofwhiskeyweread—
ministeredtohim。Iwarnedyouthiswasatruestory——’wareyourwhiteribbonsifonlyfollowthistale。FortwoweeksIfedhimwhiskeyandOmar，andreadtohimregularlyeveryeveningthecolumnintheeveningpaperthatrevealsthesecretsoffe—
malebeauty。Irecommendthetreatment。
AfterPettitwascuredbewrotemorestories。Herecoveredhisold—timefacilityanddidworkjustshortofgoodenough。Thenthecurtainroseonthethirdact。
Alittle，dark—eyed，silentgirlfromNewHamp—
shire，whowasstudyingapplieddesign，felldeeplyinlovewithhim。Shewastheintensesort，butex—
ternallyglace，suchasNewEnglandsometimesfoolsuswith。Pettitlikedhermildly，andtookheraboutagooddeal。Sheworshippedhim，andnowandthenignoredhim。
Therecameaclimaxwhenshetriedtojumpoutofawindow，andhehadtosaveherbysomeperfunc—
tary，unmeantwooing。EvenIwasshakenbythedepthsoftheabsorbingaffectionsheshowed。Home，friends，traditions，creedswentuplikethistle—downinthescaleagainstherlove。Itwasreallydiscom—
posing。
OnenightagainPettitsaunteredin，yawning。Ashehadtoldmebefore，hesaidhefeltthathecoulddoagreatstory，andasbeforeIhuntedhimtohisroomandsawhimopenhisinkstand。Atoneo’clockthesheetsofpaperslidundermydoor。
Ireadthatstory，andIjumpedup，lateasitwas，withawhoopofjoy。OldPettithaddoneit。Justasthoughitlaythere，redandbleeding，awoman’sheartwaswrittenintothelines。Youcouldn’tseethejoining，butart，exquisiteart，andpulsingna—
turehadbeencombinedintoalovestorythattookyoubythethroatlikethequinsy。IbrokeintoPettit’sroomandbeathimonthebackandcalledhimname——nameshighupinthegalaxyoftheim—
mortalsthatweadmired。AndPettityawnedandbeggedtobeallowedtosleep。
Onthemorrow，Idraggedhimtoaneditor。Thegreatmanread，and，rising，gavePettithishand。
Thatwasadecoration，awreathofbay，andaguar—
anteeofrent。
AndthenoldPettitsmiledslowly。IcallhimGen—
tlemanPettitnowtomyself。It’samiserablenametogiveaman，butitsoundsbetterthanitlooksinprint。
"Isee，"saidoldPettit，ashetookuphisstoryandbegantearingitintosmallstrips。"Iseethegamenow。Youcan’twritewithink，andyoucan’twritewithyourownheart’sblood，butyoucanwritewiththeheart’sbloodofsomeoneelse。Youhavetobeacadbeforeyoucanbeanartist。Well，IamforoldAlabamandtheMajor’sstore。Haveyougotalight，OldHoss？"
IwentwithPettittothedepotanddiedhard。
"Shakespeare’ssonnets？"Iblurted，makingalaststand。"Howabouthim？"
"Acad，"saidPettit。"Theygiveittoyou，andyousellit——love，youknow。I’drathersellploughsforfather。"
"But，"Iprotested，"youarereversingthede—
cisionoftheworld’sgreatest——"
"Good—by，OldHoss，"saidPettit。
"Critics，"Icontinued。"But——say——iftheMajorcanuseafairlygoodsalesmanandbook—
keeperdownthereinthestore，letmeknow，willyou？"
NEMESISANDTHECANDYMAN
"WesailateightinthemorningontheCeltic，"saidHonoria，pluckingaloosethreadfromherlacesleeve。
"Iheardso，"saidyoungIves，droppinghishat，andmuffingitashetriedtocatchit，"andIcamearoundtowishyouapleasantvoyage。"
"Ofcourseyouheardit，"saidHonoria，coldlysweet，"sincewehavehadnoopportunityofinform—
ingyouourselves。"
Iveslookedatherpleadingly，butwithlittlehope。
Outsideinthestreetahigh—pitchedvoicechanted，notunmusically，acommercialgamutof"Cand—de—ee—ee—s！Nice，freshcand—ee—ee—ee—ees！d"It’souroldcandyman，"saidHonoria，leaningoutthewindowandbeckoning。"Iwantsomeofhismottokisses。There’snothingintheBroadwayshopshalfsogood。"
ThecandymanstoppedhispushcartinfrontoftheoldMadisonAvenuehome。Hehadaholidayandfestivalairunusualtostreetpeddlers。Histiewasnewandbrightred，andahorseshoepin，almostlife—size，glitteredspeciouslyfromitsfolds。Hisbrown，thinfacewascrinkledintoasemi—foolishsmile。Stripedcuffswithdog—headbuttonscoveredthetanonhiswrists。
"Idobelievehe’sgoingtogetmarried，"saidHonoria，pityingly。"Ineversawhimtakenthatwaybefore。Andto—dayisthefirsttimeinmonthsthathehascriedhiswares，Iamsure。"
Ivesthrewacointothesidewalk。Thecandymanknowshiscustomers。Hefilledapaperbag，climbedtheold—fashionedstoopandbandeditin。
"Iremember——"saidIves。
"Wait，"saidHonoria。
Shetookasmallportfoliofromthedrawerofawritingdeskandfromtheportfolioaslipofflimsypaperone—quarterofaninchbytwoinchesinsize。
"This，"saidHonoria，inflexibly，"waswrappedaboutthefirstoneweopened。"
"Itwasayearago，"apologizedIves，asheheldouthishandforit，"AslongasskiesaboveareblueToyou，mylove，Iwillbetrue。"
Thishereadfromtheslipofflimsypaper。
"Weweretohavesailedafortnightago，"saidHonoria，gossipingly。"Ithasbeensuchawarmsummer。Thetownisquitedeserted。Thereisno—
wheretogo。YetIamtoldthatoneortwooftheroofgardensareamusing。The，singing——andthedancing——ononeortwoseemtohavemetwithap—
proval。"
Ivesdidnotwince。Whenyouareintheringyouarenotsurprisedwhenyouradversarytapsyouontheribs。
"Ifollowedthecandymanthattime，"saidIves，irrelevantly，"andgavehimfivedollarsatthecornerofBroadway。"
HereachedforthepaperbaginHonoria’slap，tookoutoneofthesquare，wrappedconfectionsandslowlyunrolledit。
SaraChillingworth’sfather，"saidHonoria，"hasgivenheranautomobile。"
"Readthat，"saidIves，handingovertheslipthathadbeenwrappedaroundthesquareofcandy。
"Lifeteachesus——howtolive，Loveteachesus——toforgive。"
Honoria’schecksturnedpink。
"Honoria！"criedIves，startingupfromhischair。
"MissClinton，"correctedHonoria，risinglikeVenusfromtheheadonthesurf。"Iwarnedyounottospeakthatnameagain。"’
"Honoria，"repeatedIves，"youmustbearme。I
knowIdonotdeserveyourforgiveness，butImusthaveit。Thereisamadnessthatpossessesonesome—
timesforwhichhisbetternatureisnotresponsible。
Ithroweverythingelsebutyoutothewinds。I
strikeoffthechainsthathaveboundme。Ire—
nouncethesirenthatluredmefromyou。Lettheboughtverseofthatstreetpeddlerpleadforme。ItisyouonlywhomIcanlove。Letyourloveforgive，andIsweartoyouthatminewillbetrue’aslongasskiesaboveareblue。’
Onthewestside，betweenSixthandSeventhAve—
nues，analleycutstheblockinthemiddle。Itper—
ishesinalittlecourtinthecentreoftheblock。Thedistrictistheatrical;theinhabitants，thebubblingfrothofhalfadozennations。TheatmosphereisBohemian，thelanguagepolyglot，thelocalitypre—
carious。
Inthecourtattherearofthealleylivedthecandyman。Atseveno’clockbepushedhiscartintothenarrowentrance，resteditupontheirregularstoneslatsandsatupononeofthehandlestocoolhimself。
Therewasagreatdraughtofcoolwindthroughthealley。
Therewasawindowabovethespotwherebeal—
waysstoppedhispushcart。Inthecooloftheafter—
noon，Mlle。Adele，drawingcardoftheAerialRoofGarden，satatthewindowandtooktheair。Gen—
erallyherponderousmassofdarkauburnhairwasdown，thatthebreezemighthavethefelicityofaid—
ingSidonie，themaid，indryingandairingit。
Abouthershoulders——thepointofherthatthepho—
tographersalwaysmadethemostof——waslooselydrapedaheliotropescarf。Herarmstotheelbowwerebare——therewerenosculptorstheretoraveoverthem——buteventhestolidbricksinthewallsofthealleyshouldnothavebeensoinsensateastodisapprove。WhileshesatthusFe1ice，anothermaid，anointedandbathedthesmallfeetthattwinkledandsocharmedthenightlyAerialaudiences。
GraduallyMademoisellebegantonoticethecandymanstoppingtomophisbrowandcoolhimselfbe—
neathherwindow。Inthehandsofhermaidsshewasdeprivedforthetimeofhervocation——thecharmingandbindingtoherchariotofman。TolosetimewasdispleasingtoMademoiselle。Herewasthecandyman—nofitgameforherdarts，truly——butofthesexuponwhichshehadbeenborntomakewar。
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