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The Landlord At Lions Head
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第3章
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Durgin。She’sdoneherpart,andshe’shadmorethanhershareofhardknocks。Ifshewastough,tosta’twith,she’shadblowsenoughtomellerher。Butthat’sthewayIaccountfortheboy。Is’pose——I’doughtn’ttofeelthewayIdoabouthim,buthe’ssuchapesttothewholeneighborhoodthathe’dhavethemostpop’la’fune’l。Well,IguessI’vesaidenough。I’mmuchobligedtoyou,though,Mr。——"

"Westover,"thepaintersuggested。"Buttheboyisn’tsobadallthetime。"

"Couldn’tbe,"saidWhitwell,withacackleofhumorousenjoyment。

"Hehashisspellsofbein’decent,andhe’spoottysmart,too。Butwhentheotherspellketcheshimit’slikeasifthedevilgota—holdofhim,asIsaidinthefirstplace。Ilostmywifeheretwo—threeyearsalongback,andthatlittlegirlyouseehimtormentin’,she’saregularlittlemothertoherbrother;andwheneverJeffDurginseesherwithhim,seemsasiftheOldScratchgotintohim。Well,I’mgladIdidn’tcomeacrosshimthatday。Howyougittin’alongwithLion’sHead?Setsquietenoughforyou?"Whitwellrosefromthestumpandbrushedtheclingingchipsfromhisthighs。"Folkstroubleyouany,lookin’on?"

"Notyet,"saidWestover。

"Well,thereain’tagreatmanyto,"saidWhitwell,goingbacktohisaxe。"Ishouldliketoseeyouworkin’someday。Do’knowasIeversawanattistatit。"

"Ishouldliketohaveyou,"saidWestover。"Anytime。"

"Allright。"Whitwellpulledhisaxeoutofthecarf,andstruckitinagainwithaforcethatmadeawide,squarechipleapout。HelookedoverhisshoulderatWestover,whowasmovingaway。"Say,stopinsometimeyou’repassin’。Iliveinthatwood—coloredhouseatthefootoftheDurgins’lane。"

VIII。

Inalittlesunkenplace,behindarock,somerodsaway,WestoverfoundJefflurkingwithhisdog,bothsilentandmotionless。"Hello?"hesaid,inquiringly。

"Comebacktoshowyoutheway,"saidtheboy。"Thoughtyoucouldn’tfinditalone。"

"Oh,whydidn’tyousayyou’dwait?"Theboygrinned。"Ishouldn’tthinkafellowlikeyouwouldwanttobeafraidofanyman,evenforthefunofscaringalittlegirl。"Jeffstoppedgrinningandlookedinterested,asifthiswasaviewofthecasethathadnotoccurredtohim。"Butperhapsyouliketobeafraid。"

"Idon’tknowasIdo,"saidtheboy,andWestoverlefthimtothequestionagreatpartofthewayhome。Hedidnotexpressanyregretorpromiseanyreparation。Butafewdaysafterthat,whenhehadbeguntoconvoypartiesofchildrenuptoseeWestoveratwork,inthelateafternoon,ontheirwayhomefromschool,andtoshowthepainterofftothemasasortoffamilyproperty,heoncebroughttheyoungWhitwells。

Heseemedonperfecttermswiththemnow,andwhenthecrowdoflargerchildrenhinderedthelittleboy’sviewofthepicture,Jeff,inhisqualityofhost,liftedhimunderhisarmsandheldhimupsothathecouldlookaslongasheliked。

ThegirlseemedashamedofthegoodunderstandingbeforeWestover。Jeffofferedtomakeaplaceforheramongtheotherchildrenwhohadlookedlongenough,butshepulledthefrontofherbonnetacrossherfaceandsaidthatshedidnotwanttolook,andcaughtherbrotherbythehandandranawaywithhim。Westoverthoughtthischarming,somewhat;helikedtheintenseshynesswhichthechild’sintensepassionhadhiddenfromhimbefore。

Jeffactedashosttotheneighborswhocametoinspectthepicture,andtheyallcame,withinacircuitofseveralmilesaround,andgavehimtheiropinionsfreelyorscantily,accordingtotheirseveraltemperaments。Theyweremainlyfavorable,thoughtherewassomefrankcriticism,too,spokenoverthepainter’sshoulderasopenlyasifhewerenotby。Therewasnoquestionbutoflikeness;allfinerfactswerefarfromthem;theywishedtoseehowgoodaportraitWestoverhadmade,andsomeofthemconsoledhimwiththesuggestionthatthelikenesswouldcomeoutmorewhenthepicturegotdry。

Whitwell,whenhecame,attemptedalargerviewoftheartist’swork,butapparentlymoreoutofkindnessforhimthanadmirationofthepicture。

Hesaidhepresumedyoucouldnotalwaysgetathinglikethatjustrightthefirsttime,andthatyouhadtokeeptryingtillyoudidgetit;butitpaidintheend。Jeffhadstolendownfromthehousewithhisdog,drawnbythefascinationwhichonewehaveinjuredalwayshasforus;

whenWhitwellsuddenlyturneduponhimandasked,jocularly,"Whatdoyouthink,Jeff?"theboycouldonlykickhisdoganddriveithome,asameansofhidinghisfeelings。

HebroughttheteachertoseethepicturethelastFridaybeforethepainterwentaway。Shewasacold—looking,austeregirl,prettyenough,witheyesthatwanderedawayfromtheyoungman,althoughJeffusedallhisartstomakeherfeelathomeinhispresence。ShepretendedtohavemerelystoppedonherwayuptoseeMrs。Durgin,andshedidnotventureanycommentonthepainting;but,whenWestoveraskedsomethingaboutherschool,sheansweredhimpromptlyenoughastothenumberandagesandsexesoftheschool—children。HeventuredsofartowardajokewithherastoaskifshehadmuchtroublewithsuchatoughsubjectasJeff,andshesaidhecouldbegoodenoughwhenhehadamind。Ifhecouldgetoverhisteasing,shesaid,withtheairofreadinghimalecture,shewouldnothaveanythingtocomplainof;andJefflookedashamed,butratherofthepraisethantheblame。Hishumiliationseemedcompletewhenshesaid,finally:"He’sagoodscholar。"

OntheTuesdayfollowing,Westovermeanttogo。Itwastheendofhisthirdweek,andithadbroughthimintoSeptember。TheweathersincehehadbeguntopaintLion’sHeadwasperfectforhiswork;but,withthelongdrought,ithadgrownverywarm。Manytreesnowhadflamedintocrimsononthehill—slopes;theyellowingcorninthefieldsgaveoutathin,drysoundasthedelicatewindstirredtheblades;butonlythesoundsandsightswereautumnal。Theheatwasoppressiveatmidday,andatnightthecoldhadlostitsedge。Therewasnodew,andMrs。DurginsatoutwithWestoverontheporchwhilehesmokedafinalpipethere。

Shehadcometojoinhimforsomefixedpurpose,apparently,andshecalledtoherboy,"Yougotobed,Jeff,"asifshewishedtobealonewithWestover;themenfolkswerealreadyinbed;hecouldhearthemcoughnowandthen。

"Mr。Westover,"thewomanbegan,evenasshesweptherskirtsforwardbeforeshesatdown,"Iwanttoaskyouwhetheryouwouldletthatpictureofyoursgoonpartboard?I’llgiveyoubackjustasmuchasyousayofthismoney。"

Helookedroundandsawthatshehadinthehanddroppedinherlapthebillshehadgivenheraftersupper。

"Why,Icouldn’t,verywell,Mrs。Durgin——"hebegan。

"Ipresumeyou’llthinkI’mfoolish,"shepursued。"ButIdowantthatpicture;Idon’tknowwhenI’veeverwantedathingmore。It’sjustlikeLion’sHead,thewayI’veseenit,dayinanddayout,everysummersinceIcomeherethirty—fiveyearsago;it’sbeautiful!"

"Mrs。Durgin,"saidWestover,"yougratifymemorethanIcantellyou。

Iwish——IwishIcouldletyouhavethepicture。I——Idon’tknowwhattosay——"

"Whydon’tyouletmehaveit,then?Ifweeverhadtogoawayfromhere——ifanythinghappenedtous——it’stheonethingIshouldwanttokeepandtakewithme。There!That’sthewayIfeelaboutit。Ican’texplain;butIdowishyou’dletmehaveit。"

Someemotionwhichdidnotutteritselfinthedesiresheexpressedmadehervoiceshakeinthewords。Sheheldoutthebank—notestohim,andtheyrustledwiththetremorofherhand。

"Mrs。Durgin,IsupposeIshallhavetobefrankwithyou,andyoumustn’tfeelhurt。Ihavetolivebymywork,andIhavetogetasmuchasIcanforit——"

"That’swhatIsay。Idon’twanttobeatyoudownonit。I’llgiveyouwhateveryouthinkisright。It’smymoney,andmyhusbandfeelsjustasIdoaboutit,"sheurged。

"Youdon’tquiteunderstand,"hesaid,gently。"IexpecttohaveanexhibitionofmypicturesinBostonthisfall,andIhopetogettwoorthreehundreddollarsforLion’sHead。"

"I’vebeenaproperfool,"criedthewoman,andshedrewinalongbreath。

"Oh,don’tmind,"hebegged;"it’sallright。I’veneverhadanyofferforapicturethatI’drathertakethanyours。Iknowthethingcan’tbealtogetherbadafterwhatyou’vesaid。AndI’lltellyouwhat!I’llhaveitphotographedwhenIgettoBoston,andI’llsendyouaphotographofit。"

"Howmuchwillthatbe?"Mrs。Durginasked,asiftaughtcautionbyherofferforthepainting。

"Nothing。Andifyou’llacceptitandhangitupheresomewhereIshallbeveryglad。"

"Thankyou,"saidMrs。Durgin,andthemeekness,thewoundedpride,hefanciedinher,touchedhim。

Hedidnotknowatfirsthowtobreakthesilencewhichsheletfollowuponherwords。Atlasthesaid:

"Youspoke,justnow,abouttakingitwithyou。Ofcourse,youdon’tthinkofleavingLion’sHead?"

Shedidnotanswerforsolongatimethathethoughtshehadnotperhapsheardhimorheededwhathesaid;butsheanswered,finally:"Wedidthinkofit。Thedayyoucomewehadaboutmadeupourmindstoleave。"

"Oh!"

"ButI’vebeenthinkin’ofsomethingsinceyou’vebeenherethatIdon’tknowbutyou’llsayisaboutaswildaswantin’tobuyathree—hundred—

dollarpicturewithaweek’sboard。"Shegaveashort,self—scornfullaugh;butitwasalaugh,anditrelievedthetension。

"Itmaynotbeworthanymore,"hesaid,gladoftherelief。

"Oh,Iguessitis,"sherejoined,andthenshewaitedforhimtoprompther。

"Well?"

"Well,it’sthis;andIwantedtoaskyou,anyway。Youthinkthere’dbeanychanceofmygettin’summerfolkstocomehereandboardifIwastoputanadvertisementinaBostonpaper?Iknowit’salonesomeplace,andthereain’twhatyoumaycallattractions。Butthefolksfromthehotels,sometimes,whentheyrideoverinastagetoseetheview,praiseupthescenery,andIguessitissightly。Iknowthatwellenough;andIain’tafraidbutwhatIcandoforboardersaswellassome,ifnotbetter。Whatdoyouthink?"

"Ithinkthat’sacapitalidea,Mrs。Durgin。"

"It’sthatorgo,"shesaid。"Thereain’talivin’forusonthefarmanymore,andwegottodosomethin’。IftherewasanythingelseIcoulddo!ButI’vethoughtitoutandthoughtitout,andIguessthereain’tanythingIcandobuttakeboarders——ifIcangetthem。"

"Ishouldthinkyou’dfinditratherpleasantonsomeaccounts。Yourboarderswouldbecompanyforyou,"saidWestover。

"We’recompanyenoughforourselves,"saidMrs。Durgin。"Iain’teverbeenlonesomehere,fromthefirstminute。IguessIhadcompanyenoughwhenIwasagirltolastmethesortthathotelfolksare。IpresumeMr。Whitwellspoketoyouaboutmyfather?"

"Yes;hedid,Mrs。Durgin。"

"Idon’tpresumehesaidanythingthatwa’n’ttrue。It’sallright。ButIknowhowmymotherusedtoslave,andhowIusedtoslavemyself;andI

alwayssaidI’dratherdoanythingthanwaitonboarders;andnowIguessIgottocometoit。Thesightofsummerfolksmakesmesick!IguessI

could’a’had’emlongagoifI’dwantedto。There!I’vesaidenough。"

Sherose,withasuddenliftofherpowerfulframe,andstoodamomentasifexpectingWestovertosaysomething。

Hesaid:"Well,whenyou’vemadeyourmindup,sendyouradvertisementtome,andI’llattendtoitforyou。"

"Andyouwon’tforgetaboutthepicture?"

"No;Iwon’tforgetthat。"

Thenextmorninghemadereadyforanearlystart,andinhispreparationshehadthezealousandevenaffectionatehelpofJeffDurgin。Theboyseemedtowishhimtocarryawaythebestimpressionofhim,or,atleast,tomakehimforgetallthathadbeensinisterorunpleasantinhisbehavior。Theyhadbeengoodcomradessincethefirstevilday;theyhadbecomegoodfriendseven;andWestoverwastouchedbytheboy’sdevotionatparting。Hehelpedthepaintergethispacktogetheringoodshape,andhetookprideinstrappingitonWestover’sshoulders,adjustingandreadjustingitwithcare,andfasteningitsothatallshouldbesafeandsnug。Helingeredaboutattheriskofbeinglateforschool,asiftoseethelastofthepainter,andhewavedhishattohimwhenWestoverlookedbackatthehousefromhalfdownthelane。Thenhevanished,andWestoverwentslowlyontillhereachedthatcorneroftheorchardwheretheslantinggravestonesofthefamilyburial—groundshowedabovethelowwall。There,suddenly,astormburstuponhim。Theairrainedapples,thatstruckhimonthehead,theback,theside,andpeltedinviolentsuccessiononhisknapsackandcanvases,camp—stoolandeasel。Heseemedassailedbyfourorfiveskilfulmarksmen,whosemissilesalltold。

Whenhecouldlifthisfacetolookroundheheardashrill,accusingvoice,"Oh,JeffDurgin!"andhesawanotherstormofapplesflythroughtheairtowardthelittleWhitwellgirl,whododgedandranalongtheroadbelowandescapedinthedirectionoftheschoolhouse。Thentheboy’sfaceshoweditselfoverthetopofoneofthegravestones,allagrinwithjoy。HewaitedandwatchedWestoverkeepslowlyon,asifnothinghadhappened,andpresentlyheletsomeapplesfallfromhishandsandwalkedslowlybacktothehouse,withhisdogathisheels。

WhenWestoverreachedtheleveloftheroadandtheshelterofthewoodsnearWhitwell’shouse,heunstrappedhisloadtoseehowmuchharmhadbeendonetohispicture。Hefounditunhurt,andbeforehehadgottheburdenbackagainhesawJeffDurginleapingalongtheroadtowardtheschool—house,whirlinghissatchelofbooksabouthisheadandshoutinggaylytothegirl,nowhiddenbythebushesattheotherendofthelane:

"Cynthy!Oh,Cynthy!Waitforme!Iwanttotellyousomething!"

IX。

Westover,receivednextspringthecopyforanadvertisementfromMrs。

Durgin,whichsheaskedtohavehimputinsomepaperforher。ShesaidthathersonJacksonhadwrittenitout,andWestoverfounditsowellwrittenthathehadscarcelytochangethewording。Itofferedthebestoffarm—board,withplentyofmilkandeggs,berriesandfruit,forfivedollarsaweekatLion’sHeadFarm,anditclaimedforthefarmthemeritofthefinestviewofthecelebratedLion’sHeadMountain。Itwassigned,asherletterwassigned,"Mrs。J。M。Durgin,"withherpost—

officeaddress,anditgaveWestoverasareference。

Theletterwasinthesamehandwritingastheadvertisement,whichhetooktobethatofJacksonDurgin。ItenclosedadollarnotetopayforthreeinsertionsoftheadvertisementintheeveningTranscript,anditended,almostcasually:"Idonotknowasyouhaveheardthatmyhusband,JamesMonroeDurgin,passedtospiritlifethisspring。Mysonwillhelpmetorunthehouse。"

ThisdeathcouldnotmoveWestovermorethanithadapparentlymovedthewidow。Duringthethreeweekshehadpassedunderhisroof,hehadscarcelyexchangedthreewordswithJamesMonroeDurgin,whoremainedtohimanimpressionoflarge,round,dull—blueeyes,astubblyupperlip,andcheeksandchintaggedwithcoarse,hay—coloredbeard。Theimpressionwassolargelytheimpressionthathehadkeptofthedull—

blueeyesandthegaunt,slantedfigureofAndrewJacksonDurginthathecouldnotbeverydistinctinhissenseofwhichwasnowthepresenceandwhichtheabsence。Heremembered,withaneffort,thattheson’sbeardwasstraw—colored,buthehadtomakenoefforttorecalltherobusteffectofMrs。Durginandheryoungestson。Hewonderednow,ashehadoftenwonderedbefore,whethersheknewofthefinalviolencewhichhadavengedtheboyfortheprolongedstrainofrepressionJeffhadinflicteduponhimselfduringWestover’sstayatthefarm。Afterseveralimpulsestogobackandbeathim,tofollowhimtoschoolandexposehimtotheteacher,towritetohismotherandtellherofhismisbehavior,Westoverhaddecidedtodonothing。Ashehadcomeoffunhurtinpersonandproperty,hecouldaffordtobemoregenerouslyamusedthanifhehadsuffereddamageineither。Themorehethoughtoftheincident,themorehewasdisposedtobelenientwiththeboy,whomhewasawareofhavingbaffledandsubduedbyhissuperiorwitandvirtueinperhapsintolerablemeasure。Hecouldnotquitemakeoutthatitwasanactofbadfaith;

therewasnoreasontothinkthatthegood—naturedthingsthefellowhaddone,theconstantlittleofficesofzealandfriendliness,werelesssincerethanthisviolentoutbreak。

TheletterfromLion’sHeadFarmbroughtbackhisthreeweeksthereveryvividly,andmadeWestoverwishhewasgoingthereforthesummer。ButhewasgoingovertoFranceforanindefiniteperiodofworkintheonlyairwherehebelievedmodernmenweredoinggoodthingsintherightway。

HeWasaleinthewinter,andhehadsoldpicturesenoughtoprovidethemeansforthissojournabroad;thoughhislion’sHeadMountainhadnotbroughtthetwohundredandfiftyorthreehundreddollarshehadhopedfor。Itbroughtonlyahundredandsixty;butthetimehadalmostcomealreadywhenWestoverthoughtitbroughttoomuch。Now,theletterfromMrs。Durginremindedhimthathehadneversentherthephotographofthepicturewhichhehadpromisedher。Heencasedthephotographatonce,andwrotetoherwithmanyavowalsofcontritionforhisneglect,andstrongregretthathewasnotsoontoseetheoriginalofthepaintingagain。Hepaidadecentreverencetothebereavementshehadsuffered,andhesenthisregardstoall,especiallyhiscomradeJeff,whomheadvisedtokeepoutoftheapple—orchard。

FiveyearslaterWestovercamehomeinthefirstweekofagaspingAugust,whosehotbreaththickenedroundtheCunarderbeforeshegothalf—wayuptheharbor。Hewaitedonlytoseehispicturesthroughthecustom—house,andthenheleftforthemountains。ThemountainsmeantLion’sHeadforhim,andeighthoursafterhewasdismountingfromthetrainatastationontheroadwhichhadbeenpushedthroughonanewlinewithinfourmilesofthefarm。ItwascalledLion’sHeadHousenow,ashereadonthesideofthemountain—wagonwhichhesawwaitingattheplatform,andheknewataglancethatitwasJeffDurginwhowascomingforwardtomeethimandtakehishand—bag。

Theboyhadbeentheprophecyofthemaninevenadisappointingdegree。

Westoverhadfanciedhimgrowinguptotheheightofhisfatherandbrother,butJeffDurgin’sstalwartframewasnotableforstrengthratherthanheight。Hecouldnothavebeentallerthanhismother,whosestaturewasabovethestandardofhersex,buthewasmassivewithoutbeingbulky。Hischestwasdeep,hissquareshouldersbroad,hispowerfullegsborehimwithabackwardbulgeofthecalvesthatshowedthroughhisshapelytrousers;hecaughtupthetrunksandthrewthemintothebaggage—wagonwithaswellingofthemusclesonhisshort,thickarmswhichpulledhiscoat—sleevesfromhisheavywristsandbroad,shorthands。

HehadgivenoneofthesetoWestovertoshakewhentheymet,butwithsomethingconditionalinhiswelcome,andwithalookwhichwasnotsomuchfurtiveaslatent。Thethatchofyellowhairheusedtowearwasnowcroppedclosetohisskull,whichwasasortofdun—color;andithadsomedropsofsweatalongthelighteredgewherehishathadshadedhisforehead。HeputhishatontheseatbetweenhimselfandWestover,anddroveawayfromthestationbareheaded,tocoolhimselfafterhisboutwiththebaggage,whichwasfollowingmoreslowlyinitswagon。Therewasagooddealofit,andtherewerehalfadozenpeople——women,ofcourse——goingtoLion’sHeadHouse。WestoverclimbedtotheplacebesideJefftoletthemhavetheothertwoseatstothemselves,andtohaveachanceoftalking;buttheladieshadtobequietedintheirseveralanxietiesconcerningtheirbaggage,andthelettersandtelegramstheyhadsentabouttheirrooms,beforetheysettleddowntoanexchangeofapprehensionsamongthemselves,andleftJeffDurginfreetolistentoWestover。

"Idon’tknowbutIoughttohavetelegraphedyouthatIwascoming,"

Westoversaid;"butIcouldn’trealizethatyouweredoingthingsonthehotelscale。Perhapsyouwon’thaveroomforme?"

"Guesswecanputyouup,"saidJeff。

"Nochanceofgettingmyoldroom,Isuppose?"

"Ishouldn’twonder。Ifthere’sanyoneinit,Iguessmothercouldchange’em。"

"Isthatso?"askedWestover,withalikingforbeingliked,whichhistoneexpressed。"Howisyourmother?"

Jeffseemedtothinkamomentbeforeheanswered:

"Justexactlythesame。"

"Alittleolder?"

"NotasIcansee。"

"Doesshehatekeepingahotelasbadlyassheexpected?"

"That’swhatshesays,"answeredJeff,withatwinkle。Allthetime,whilehewastalkingwithWestover,hewasbreakingouttohishorses,whichhegovernedwithhisvoice,trottingthemuphillanddown,andwalkingthemontheshort,infrequentlevels,inthemountainfashion。

Westoveralmostfearedtoask:"AndhowisJackson?"

"First—rate——thatis,forhim。He’saswellaseverhewas,Iguess,andhedon’tappearadayolder。You’vechangedsome,"saidJeff,withalookroundatWestover。

"Yes;I’mtwenty—ninenow,andIwearaheavierbeard。"WestovernoticedthatJeffwascleanshavedofanysignofanapproachingbeard,andartisticallyherejoicedinthefellow’syoung,manlybeauty,whichwasveryregularandsculpturesque。"You’reabouteighteen?"

"Nearernineteen。"

"IsJacksonasmuchinterestedintheotherworldasheusedtobe?"

"Spirits?"

"Yes。"

"IguesshekeepsitupwithMr。Whitwell。Hedon’tsaymuchaboutitathome。Hekeepsallthebooks,andhelpsmotherrunthehouse。Shecouldn’tverywellgetalongwithouthim。"

"Andwheredoyoucomein?"

"Well,Ilookafterthetransportation,"saidJeff,withanodtowardhishorses——"whenI’mathome,thatis。I’vebeenattheAcademyinLovewellthelastthreewinters,andthatmeansagoodpieceofthesummer,too,firstandlast。ButIguessI’llletmothertalktoyouaboutthat。"

"Allright,"saidWestover。"WhatIdon’tknowabouteducationisn’tworthknowing。"

Jefflaughed,andsaidtotheoffhorse,whichseemedtoknowthathewasmeant:"Getup,there!"

"AndCynthia?IsCynthiaathome?"Westoverasked。

"Yes;they’realldowninthelittlewood—coloredhouseyet。Cynthiateacheswinters,andsummersshehelpsmother。Shehaschargeofthedining—room。"

"DoesFrankycryasmuchasever?"

"No,Frank’safineboy。He’sinthehouse,too。Kindofbell—boy。"

"Andyouhaven’tworkedMr。Whitwellinanywhere?"

"Well,hetalkstotheladies,andtakespartiesof’emmountain—

climbing。Iguesswecouldn’tgetalongwithoutMr。Whitwell。Hetalksreligionto’em。"HecastamockingglanceatWestoveroverhisshoulder。"Womenseemtolikereligion,whethertheybelongtochurchornot。"

Westoverlaughedandasked:"AndFox?How’sFox?"

"Well,"saidJeff,"wehadtogiveFoxaway。Hewasalwayscrosswiththeboarders’children。MybrotherwasonfromColorado,andhetookFoxbackwithhim。"

"Ididn’tsuppose,"saidWestover,"thatIshouldhavebeensorrytomissFox。ButIguessIshallbe。"

Jeffseemedtoenjoytheimplicationofhiswords。"Hewasn’tabaddog。

Hewasstupid。"

【推荐阅读】幽幽深宫,醒来一梦似千年,重生于下堂妃身躯中的她,将如何手刃仇人? 点击阅读

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