第2章

What\'s-your-name，you\'vecalledheretoseemeabouttwentytimesalreadyandatlastIamgoingtosaysomethingdefiniteaboutyourinvention。\"Hislistener\'sface，whichhadwornforamomentalookoffrightandbewilderment，gladdenedswiftlytoagratitudethatseemedtheedgeofanoutburstoftears。\"Yes，\" continuedColeman，\"Iamgoingtosaysomethingdefinite。Iamgoingtosaythatitisthemostimbecilebitofnonsensethathascomewithintherangeofmylargenewspaperexperience。Itissimplytheaberrationofaratherremarkablelunatic。Itisnogood； itisnotworththepriceofacheesesandwich。Iunderstandthatitsonefeathasbeentobreakyourleg；ifitevergoesoffagain，persuadeittobreakyourneck。AndnowIwantyoutotakethisnurseryrhymeofyoursandgetout。Anddon\'tevercomehereagain。DoYouunderstand？Youunderstand，doyou？\" Hearoseandbowedincourteousdismissal。 TheGermanwasregardinghimwiththesurpriseandhorrorofayouthshotmortally。Hecouldnotfindhistongueforamoment。Ultimatelyhegasped:\"But，MisterEditor\"——Colemaninterruptedhimtigerishly。\"YouheardwhatIsaid？Getout。\"Themanbowedhisheadandwentslowlytowardthedoor。 Colemanplacedthelittlegreynoteinhisbreastpocket。Hetookhishatandtopcoat，andevadingthedismalbandbyashamelessmanoeuvre，passedthroughthehallstotheentrancetotheelevatorshaft。HeheardamovementbehindhimandsawthattheGermanwasalsowaitingfortheelevator。 Standinginthegloomofthecorridor，ColemanfeltthemournfulowlisheyesoftheGermanrestinguponhim。Hetookacasefromhispocketandelaboratelylitacigarette。Suddenlytherewasaflashoflightandacageofbronze，giltandsteeldropped，magicallyfromabove。Colemanyelled:\"Down!\"A doorflewopen。Coleman，followedbytheGerman，steppedupontheelevator。\"Well，Johnnie，\"hesaidcheerfullytotheladwhooperatedthismachine，\"isbusinessgood？\"\"Yes，sir，prettygood，\"answeredtheboy，grinning。Thelittlecagesankswiftly；floorafterfloorseemedtoberisingwithmarvellousspeed；thewholebuildingwaswingingstraightintothesky。 Thereweresoaringlights，figuresandtheopalescentglowofgroundglassdoorsmarkedwithblackinscriptions。Otherliftswerespringingheavenward。Alltheloftycorridorsrangwithcries。\"Up!\"Down!\"\"Down!\"\"Up!\"Theboy\'shandgraspedaleverandhismachineobeyedhislightestmovementwithsometimesanunbalancingswiftness。 Colemandiscoursedbrisklytotheyouthfulattendant。OnceheturnedandregardedwithaquickstareofinsolentannoyancethedespairingcountenanceoftheGermanwhoseeyeshadneverlefthim。Whentheelevatorarrivedatthegroundfloor，Colemandepartedwiththeoutragedairofamanwhoforatimehadbeencompelledtooccupyacellincompanywithaharmlessspectre。 Hewalkedquicklyaway。OppositeacorneroftheCityHallhewasimpelledtolookbehindhim。Throughthehordesofpeoplewithcablecarsmarchinglikepanopliedelephants，hewasabletodistinguishtheGerman，motionlessandgazingafterhim。Colemanlaughed。\"That\'sacomicoldboy，\"hesaid，tohimself。 Inthegrill-roomofaBroadwayhotelhewasobligedtowaitsomeminutesforthefulfillmentofhisordersandhespentthetimeinreadingandstudyingthelittlegreynote。Whenhisluncheonwasservedheatewithanexpressionofmorosedignity。 CHAPTERIV。 MARJORYpausedagainatherfather\'sdoor。Afterhesitatingintheoriginalwaysheenteredthelibrary。Herfatheralmostrepresentedanemblematicfigure，seateduponacolumnofbooks。\"Well，\"hecried。Then，seeingitwasMarjory，hechangedhistone。\"Ah，underthecircumstances，mydear，I admityourprivilegeofinterruptingmeatanyhouroftheday。 Youhaveimportantbusinesswithme。\"Hismannerwassatanicallyindulgent。 Thegirlfingeredabook。Sheturnedtheleavesinabsolutesemblanceofapersonreading。\"RufusColemancalled。\" \"Indeed，\"saidtheprofessor。 \"AndI\'vecometoyou，father，beforeseeinghim。\" Theprofessorwassilentforatime。\"Well，Marjory，\"hesaidatlast，\"whatdoyouwantmetosay？\"Hespokeverydeliberately。\"Iamsurethisisasingularsituation。HereappearsthemanIformallyforbidyoutomarry。IamsureIdonotknowwhatIamtosay。\" \"Iwishtoseehim，\"saidthegirl。 \"Youwishtoseehim？\"enquiredtheprofessor。\"Youwishtoseehim\"Marjory，ImayaswelltellyounowthatwithallthebooksandplaysI\'veread，Ireallydon\'tknowhowtheobduratefathershouldconducthimself。 Heisalwayspicturedasanexceedinglydensegentlemanwithwhitewhiskers，whodoesalltheunintelligentthingsintheplot。YouandIaregoingtoplaynodrama，arewe，Marjory？I admitthatIhavewhitewhiskers，andIamanobduratefather。I am，asyouwellmaysay，averyobduratefather。YouarenottomarryRufusColeman。Youunderstandtherestofthematter。 Heishere；youwanttoseehim。Whatwillyousaytohimwhenyouseehim？\" \"Iwillsaythatyourefusetoletmemarryhim，fatherand-\" Shehesitatedamomentbeforesheliftedhereyesfullyandformidablytoherfather\'sface。\"AndthatIshallmarryhimanyhow。\" Theprofessordidnotcavortwhenthisstatementcamefromhisdaughter。Henoddedandthenpassedintoaperiodofreflection。Finallyheasked:\"Butwhen？Thatisthepoint。 When？\" Thegirlmadeasadgesture。\"Idon\'tknow。Idon\'tknow。 PerhapswhenyoucometoknowRufusbetter-\" \"Knowhimbetter。Knowthatrapscallionbetter？Why，I knowhimmuchbetterthanheknowshimself。Iknowhimtoowell。DoyouthinkIamtalkingoffhandaboutthisaffair？DoyouthinkIamtalkingwithoutproperinformation？\" Marjorymadenoreply。 \"Well，\"saidtheprofessor，\"youmayseeColemanonconditionthatyouinformhimatoncethatIforbidyourmarriagetohim。Idon\'tunderstandatallhowtomanagethesesituations。Idon\'tknowwhattodo。IsupposeIshouldgomyselfand-No，youcan\'tseehim，Majory。\" Stillthegirlmadenoreply。Herheadsankforwardandshebreathedatrifleheavily。 \"Marjory，\"criedtheprofessor，itisimpossiblethatyoushouldthinksomuchofthisman。\"Hearoseandwenttohisdaughter。\"Marjory，manywisechildrenhavebeenguidedbyfoolishfathers，butwebothsuspectthatnofoolishchildhaseverbeenguidedbyawisefather。Letuschangeit。Ipresentmyselftoyouasawisefather。FollowmywishesinthisaffairandyouwillbeatleasthappierthanifyoumarrythiswretchedColeman。\" Sheanswered:\"Heiswaitingforme。\" Theprofessorturnedabruptlyfromheranddroppedintohischairatthetable。Heresumedagriponhispen。\"Go，\"hesaid，wearily。\"Go。Butifyouhavearemnantofsense，rememberwhatIhavesaidtoyou。Go。\"Hewavedhishandinadismissalthatwasslightlyscornful。\"Ihopedyouwouldhaveaminorconceptionofwhatyouweredoing。Itseemsapity。\"Droopingintears，thegirlslowlylefttheroom。 Colemanhadanideathathehadoccupiedthechairforseveralmonths。Hegazedaboutatthepicturesandtheoddsandendsofadrawing-roominanattempttotakeaninterestinthem。ThegreatgarlandedpapershadeoverthepianolampconsoledhisimpatienceinamilddegreebecauseheknewthatMarjoryhadmadeit。Henotedtheclustersofclothvioletswhichshehadpinnedupontheyellowpaperandhedreamedoverthefact。Hewasabletoendowthisshadewithcertainqualitiesofsentimentthatcausedhisstaretobecomealmostapartofanintimacy，acommunion。Helookedasifhecouldhaveunburdenedhissoultothisshadeoverthepianolamp。 UpontheappearanceofMarjoryhesprangupandcameforwardrapidly。\"Dearest，\"hemurmured，stretchingoutbothhands。Shegavehimonesetoffingerswithchillingconvention。Shesaidsomethingwhichheunderstoodtobe\" Good-afternoon。\"Hestartedasifthewomanbeforehimhadsuddenlydrawnaknife。\"Marjory，\"hecried，\"whatisthematter？。\"Theywalkedtogethertowardawindow。Thegirllookedathiminpoliteenquiry。\"Why？\"shesaid。\"DoIseemstrange？\"Therewasamoment\'ssilencewhilehegazedintohereyes，eyesfullofinnocenceandtranquillity。Atlastshetappedherfootuponthefloorinexpressionofmildimpatience。 \"Peopledonotliketobeaskedwhatisthematterwhenthereisnothingthematter。Whatdoyoumean？\" Coleman\'sfacehadgraduallyhardened。\"Well，whatiswrong？\"hedemanded，abruptly。\"Whathashappened？Whatisit，Marjory？\" Sheraisedherglanceinaperfectrealityofwonder。\"Whatiswrong？Whathashappened？Howabsurd!Whynothing，ofcourse。\"Shegazedoutofthewindow。\"Look，\"sheadded，brightly，thestudentsarerollingsomebodyinadrift。Oh，thepoorMan!\" Coleman，nowwearingabewilderedair，madesomepretenseofbeingoccupiedwiththescene。\"Yes，\"hesaid，ironically。 \"Veryinteresting，indeed。\" \"Oh，\"saidMarjory，suddenly，\"Iforgottotellyou。FatherisgoingtotakemotherandmetoGreecethiswinterwithhimandtheclass。\" Colemanrepliedatonce。\"Ah，indeed？Thatwillbejolly。\" \"Yes。Won\'titbecharming？\" \"Idon\'tdoubtit，\"hereplied。HiscomposureMayhavedispleasedher，forsheglancedathimfurtivelyandinawaythatdenotedsurprise，perhaps。 \"Oh，ofcourse，\"shesaid，inagladvoice。\"Itwillbemorefun。Weexpecttonaveafinetime。ThereissuchanicelotofboysgoingSometimesfatherchoosesthesedreadfullystudiousones。Butthistimeheactsasifheknewpreciselyhowtomakeupaparty。\" Hereachedforherhandandgraspeditvise-like。\"Marjory，\"hebreathed，passionately，\"don\'ttreatmeso。Don\'ttreatme-\" Shewrenchedherhandfromhiminregalindignation。\"Oneortworingsmakeituncomfortableforthehandthatisgraspedbyanangrygentleman。\"Sheheldherfingersandgazedasifsheexpectedtofindthemmeredebris。\"Iamsorrythatyouarenotinterestedinthestudentsrollingthatmaninthesnow。Itisthegreatestsceneourquietlifecanafford。\" Hewasregardingherasajudgefacesalyingculprit。\"I know，\"hesaid，afterapause。\"Somebodyhasbeentellingyousomestories。Youhavebeenhearingsomethingaboutme。\" \"Somestories？\"sheenquired。\"Somestoriesaboutyou？ Whatdoyoumean？DoyoumeanthatIrememberstoriesImayhappentohearaboutpeople？\" TherewasanotherpauseandthenColeman\'sfaceflaredred。 Hebeathishandviolentlyuponatable。\"GoodGod，Marjory! Don\'tmakeafoolofme。Don\'tmakethiskindofafoolofme，atanyrate。Tellmewhatyoumean。Explain-\" Shelaughedathim。\"Explain？Really，yourvocabularyisgettingextensive，butitisdreadfullyawkwardtoaskpeopletoexplainwhenthereisnothingtoexplain。\" Heglancedather，\"IknowaswellasyoudothatyourfatheristakingyoutoGreeceinordertogetridofme。\" \"AnddopeoplehavetogotoGreeceinordertogetridofyou？\"sheasked，civilly。\"Ithinkyouaregettingexcited。\" \"Marjory，\"hebegan，stormily。 Sheraisedherhand。\"Hush，\"shesaid，\"thereissomebodycoming。\"Abellhadrung。Amaidenteredtheroom。\"Mr。 Coke，\"shesaid。Marjorynodded。Intheintervalofwaiting，Colemangavethegirlaglancethatmingleddespairwithrageandpride。ThenCokeburstwithhalf-tamedraptureintotheroom。\"Oh，MissWainwright，\"healmostshouted，\"Ican\'ttellyouhowgladIam。Ijustheardto-dayyouweregoing。Imagineit。Itwillbemore——oh，howareyouColeman，howareyou\"\" Marjorywelcomedthenew-comerwithacordialitythatmightnothavethrilledColemanwithpleasure。Theytookchairsthatformedatriangleandonesideofitvibratedwithtalk。CokeandMarjoryengagedinatumultuousconversationconcerningtheprospectivetriptoGreece。TheSundayeditor，asremoteasiftheapexofhisanglewasthetopofahill，couldonlystudythegirl\'sclearprofile。Theyouthfulvoicesofthetwoothersranglikebells。HedidnotscowlatCoke；hemerelylookedathimasifbegentlydisdainedhismentalcalibre。Infactallthetalkseemedtotirehim；itwaschildish；asforhim，heapparentlyfoundthisbabblealmostinsupportable。 \"And，justthinkofthecamelrideswe\'llhave，\"criedCoke。 \"Camelrides，\"repeatedColeman，dejectedly。\"MydearCoke。\" Finallyhearoselikeanoldmanclimbingfromasickbed。 \"Well，IamafraidImustgo，MissWainwright。\"ThenhesaidaffectionatelytoCoke:\"Good-bye，oldboy。Ihopeyouwillhaveagoodtime。\" Marjorywalkedwithhimtothedoor。Heshookherhandinafriendlyfashion。\"Good-bye，Marjory，\'hesaid。\"PerhapsitmayhappenthatIshan\'tseeyouagainbeforeyoustartforGreeceandsoIhadbestbidyouGod-speed——orwhateverthetermisnow。Youwillhaveacharmingtime；Greecemustbeadelightfulplace。Really，Ienvyyou，Marjory。Andnowmydearchild\"-hisvoicegrewbrotherly，filledwiththepatronageofgenerousfraternallove，\"althoughImayneverseeyouagainletmewishyoufiftyashappyyearsasthislastonehasbeenforme。\"Hesmiledfranklyintohereyes；thendroppingherhand，hewentaway。 CokerenewedhistempestoftalkasMarjoryturnedtowardhim。Butafteraseriesofsplendideruptions，whoseredfireilluminedallofancientandmodemGreece，hetoowentaway。 Theprofessorwasinhis。libraryapparentlyabsorbedinabookwhenatotteringpale-facedwomanappearedtohimand，inhercoursetowardacouchinacorneroftheroom，describedalmostasemi-circle。Sheflungherselffacedownward。Athickstrandofhairsweptoverhershoulder。\"Oh，myheartisbroken!Myheartisbroken!\" Theprofessorarose，grizzledandthrice-oldwithpain。Hewenttothecouch，buthefoundhimselfahandless，fetlessman。\"Mypoorchild，\"hesaid。\"Mypoorchild。\"Heremainedlisteningstupidlytoherconvulsivesobbing。Aghastlykindofsolemnitycameupontheroom。 Suddenlythegirlliftedherselfandsweptthestrandofhairawayfromherface。Shelookedattheprofessorwiththewide- opendilatedeyesofonewhostillsleeps。\"Father，\"shesaidinahollowvoice，\"hedon\'tloveme。Hedon\'tloveme。Hedon\'tloveme。atall。Youwereright，father。\"Shebegantolaugh。 \"Marjory，\"saidtheprofessor，trembling。\"Bequiet，child。Bequiet。\" \"But，\"shesaid，\"Ithoughthelovedme——Iwassureofit。Butitdon\'t-don\'tmatter。I——Ican\'tgetoverit。Women-women，the- butitdon\'tmatter。\" \"Marjory，\"saidtheprofessor。\"Marjory，mypoordaughter。\" Shedidnotheedhisappeal，butcontinuedinadullwhisper。 \"Hewasplayingwithme。Hewas——was-wasflirtingwithme。 Hedidn\'tcarewhenItoldhim——Itoldhim—— Iwasgoing-goingaway。\"Sheturnedherfacewildlytothecushionsagain。Heryoungshouldersshookasiftheymightbreak。\"Wo-men-women-theyalways——\" CHAPTERV。 ByastrangemishapofmanagementthetrainwhichboreColemanbacktowardNewYorkwasfetchedintoanobscureside-trackofsomelonelyregionandtherecompelledtobideachangeoffate。Theenginewheezedandsneezedlikeapausedfatman。Thelampsinthecarspervadedastuffyodorofsmokeandoil。Colemanexaminedhiscaseandfoundonlyonecigar。 Importantbrakemenproceededrapidlyalongtheaisles，andwhentheyswungopenthedoors，apolarwindcircledthelegsofthepassengers。\"Well，now，whatisallthisfor？\"demandedColeman，furiously。\"IwanttogetbacktoNewYork。\" Theconductorrepliedwithsarcasm，\"MaybeyouthinkI\'mstuckonit\"Iain\'trunningtheroad。I\'mrunningthistrain，andI runitaccordingtoorders。\"Amidthedismalcomfortsofthewaitingcars，Colemanfeltalltheprofoundmiseryoftherebuffedtruelover。Hehadbeensentenced，hethought，toapenalservitudeoftheheart，ashewatchedthedusky，vagueribbonsofsmokecomefromthelampsandfelttohiskneesthecoldwindsfromthebrakemen\'sbusyflights。Whenthetrainstartedwithawhistleandajolt，hewaselateasifinhisabjectionhisbeloved\'shandhadreachedtohimfromtheclouds。 WhenhehadarrivedinNewYork，acabrattledhimtoanuptownhotelwithspeed。Intherestauranthefirstorderedalargebottleofchampagne。Thelastofthewinehefinishedinsombremoodlikeanunbrokenanddefiantmanwhochewsthestrawthatlittershisprisonhouse。Duringhisdinnerhewascontinuallysendingoutmessengerboys。Hewasarrangingapokerparty。ThroughawindowhewatchedthebeautifulmovinglifeofupperBroadwayatnight，withitscrowdsandclangingcablecarsanditselectricsigns，mammothandglittering，likethejewelsofagiantess。 Wordwasbroughttohimthatthepokerplayerswerearriving。Hearosejoyfully，leavinghischeese。Inthebroadhall，occupiedmainlybymiscellaneouspeopleandactors，alldeepinleatherchairs，hefoundsomeofhisfriendswaiting。TheytroopedupstairstoColeman\'srooms，whereasapreliminary，Colemanbegantohurlbooksandpapersfromthetabletothefloor。Aboycamewithdrinks。Mostofthemen，inordertoprepareforthegame，removedtheircoatsandcuffsanddrewupthesleevesoftheirshirts。Theelectricglobesshedablindinglightuponthetable。Thesoundofclinkingchipsarose；theelectedbankerspunthecards，carelessanddexterous。 Later，duringapauseofdealing，Colemansaid: \"Billie，whatkindofaladisthatyoungCokeupatWashurst？\" Headdressedanoldcollegefriend。 \"Oh，youmeantheSophomoreCoke？\"askedthefriend。 \"Seemsadecentsortofafellow。Idon\'tknow。Why？\" \"Well，whoishe？Wheredoeshecomefrom？Whatdoyouknowabouthim？\" \"He\'soneofthoseOhioCokes-regularthing——fathermillionaire-usedtobeabarber-goodoldboy-why？\" \"Nothin\'，\"saidColeman，lookingathiscards。\"Iknowthelad。Ithoughthewasagooddealofanass。Iwonderedwhohispeoplewere。\" \"Oh，hispeopleareallright-inoneway。Fatherownsrollingmills。Doyouraiseit，Henry？Well，inordertomakeviceabhorrenttotheyoung，I\'mobligedtoraiseback。\" \"I\'llseeit，\"observedColeman，slowlypushingforwardtwobluechips。Afterwardhereachedbehindhimandtookanotherglassofwine。 TotheothersColemanseemedtohavesomethingbitteruponhismind。Heplayedpokerquietly，steadfastly，and，withoutchangeofeye，followingthemathematicalreligionofthegame。Outsideoftheplayhewassavage，almostinsupportable。 \"What\'sthematterwithyou，Rufus？\"saidhisoldcollegefriend。\"Lostyourjob？Girlgonebackonyou？You\'reahellof-ahost。Wedon\'tgetany。thingbutinsultsanddrinks。\" LateatnightColemanbegantolosesteadily。Inthemeantimehedrankglassafterglassofwine。Finallyhemaderecklessbetsonamediocrehandandanopponentfollowedhimthoughtfullybetbybet，undaunted，calm，absolutelywithoutemotion。Colemanlost；hehurleddownhiscards。\" Nobodybutadamnedfoolwouldhaveseenthatlastraiseonanythinglessthanafullhand。\" \"Steady。Comeoff。What\'swrongwithyou，Rufus？\"criedhisguests。 \"You\'renotdrunk，areyou？\"saidhisoldcollegefriend，puritanically。 \"\'Drunk\'？\"repeatedColeman。 \"Oh，say，\"criedaman，\"let\'splaycards。What\'sallthisgabbling？\" Itwaswhenagrey，dirtylightofdawnevadedthethickcurtainsandfoughtonthefloorwiththefeebledelectricglowthatColeman，inthemidstofplay，lurchedhischestheavilyuponthetable。Somechipsrattledtothefloor。\"I\'llcallyou，\" hemurmured，sleepily。 \"Well，\"repliedaman，sternly，\"threekings。\" TheotherplayerswithdifficultyextractedfivecardsfrombeneathColeman\'spillowedhead。\"Notapair!Come，come，thiswon\'tdo。Oh，let\'sstopplaying。ThisistherottenestgameI eversatin。Let\'sgohome。Whydon\'tyouputhim。tobed，Billie？\" WhenColemanawokenextmorning，helookedbackuponthepokergameassomethingthathadtranspiredinpreviousyears。Hedressedandwentdowntothegrill-room。Forhisbreakfastheorderedsomeeggsontoastandapintofchampagne。AprivilegeoflibertybelongedtoacertainIrishwaiter，andthiswaiterlookedathim，grinning。\"Maybeyouhadaprettylivelytimelastnight，MrColeman？\" \"Yes，Pat，\"answeredColeman，\"Idid。Itwasallbecauseofanunrequitedaffection，Patrick。\"Themanstoodnear，anapkinoverhisarm。Colemanwentonimpressively。\"Thewaysofthemodernloverarestrange。Now，I，Patrick，amamodernlover，andwhen，yesterday，thedaggerofdisappointmentwasdrivendeepintomyheart，IimmediatelyplayedpokerashardasI couldandincidentallygotloaded。Thisisthemodernpointofview。Iunderstandongoodauthoritythatinoldtimesloversusedto。languish。Thatisprobablyalie，butatanyratewedonot，inthesetimes，languishtoanygreatextent。Wegetdrunk。 Doyouunderstand，Patrick？\" ThewaiterwasusedtoaharangueatColeman\'sbreakfasttime。Heplacedhishandoverhismouthandgiggled。\"Yessir。\" \"Ofcourse，\"continuedColeman，thoughtfully。\"Itmightbepointedoutbyuneducatedpersonsthatitisdifficulttomaintainahighstandardofdrunkennessfortheadequatelengthoftime，butintheseriesofexperimentswhichIamabouttomakeIamsureIcaneasilyprovethemtobeinthewrong。\" \"Iamsure，sir，\"saidthewaiter，\"theyoungladieswouldnotliketobehearingyoutalkthisway。\" \"Yes；nodoubt，nodoubt。Theyoungladieshavestillquitemedievalideas。Theydon\'tunderstand。Theystillpreferloverstolanguish。\" \"Atanyrate，sir，Idon\'tseethatyourheartissureenoughbroken。Youseemtotakeitveryeasy。\" \"Broken!\"criedColeman。\"Easy？Man，myheartisinfragments。Bringmeanothersmallbottle。\" CHAPTERVI。 Sixweekslater，ColemanwenttotheofficeoftheproprietoroftheEclipse。Colemanwasoneofthosesmooth-shavenold-youngmenwhowearuponsomeoccasionsasingularairoftemperanceandpurity。Atthesetimes，hisfeatureslosttheirqualityofworldlyshrewdnessandendlesssuspicionandbloomedasthefaceofsomeinnocentboy。Itthenwouldbehardtotellthathehadeverencounteredevensuchacrimeasalieoracigarette。Ashewalkedintotheproprietor\'sofficehewasaperfectsemblanceofafine，inexperiencedyouth。PeopleusuallyconcludedthischangewasduetoaTurkishbathorsomeotherexpedientofrecuperation，butitwasdueprobablytothepowerofaphysicalcharacteristic。 \"Bossin？\"saidColeman。 \"Yeh，\"saidthesecretary，jerkinghisthumbtowardaninnerdoor。Inhisprivateoffice，Sturgeonsatontheedgeofthetabledanglingoneleganddreamilysurveyingthewall。AsColemanenteredhelookedupquickly。\"Rufus，\"hecried，\"you\'rejustthemanIwantedtosee。I\'vegotascheme。Agreatscheme。\" Heslidfromthetableandbegantopacebrisklytoandfro，hishandsdeepinhistrousers\'pockets，hischinsunkinhiscollar，hislightblueeyesafirewithinterest。\"Nowlisten。 Thisisimmense。TheEclipseenlistsabattalionofmentogotoCubaandfighttheSpaniardsunderitsownflag-theEclipseflag。 Collecttrainedofficersfromhereandthere-enlisteveryyoungdevilwesee-drill\'em——bestrifles-loadsofammunition- provisions-staffofdoctorsandnurses-acoupleofdynamiteguns-everythingcompletebestintheworld。Now，isn\'tthatgreat？What\'sthematterwiththatnow？Eh？Eh？Isn\'tthatgreat？It\'sgreat，isn\'tit？Eh？Why，myboy，we\'llfree-\" Colemandidnotseemtoignite。\"Ihavebeenarrestedfourorfivetimesalreadyonfoolmattersconnectedwiththenewspaperbusiness，\"heobserved，gloomily，\"butI\'veneveryetbeenhung。Ithinkyourschemeisabeauty。\" Sturgeonpausedinastonishment。\"Why，whathappenstobethematterwithyou？Whatareyoukickingabout？\" Colemanmadeaslowgesture。\"I\'mtired，\"heanswered。\"I needavacation。\" \"Vacation!\"criedSturgeon。\"Whydon\'tyoutakeonethen？\" \"That\'swhatI\'vecometoseeyouabout。I\'vehadaprettyheavystrainonmeforthreeyearsnow，andIwanttogetalittlerest。\" \"Well，whointhunderhasbeenkeepingyoufromit？Ithasn\'tbeenme。\" \"Iknowithasn\'tbeenyou，but，ofcourse，IwantedthepapertogoandIwantedtohavemyshareinitssuccess，butnowthateverythingisallrightIthinkImightgoawayforatimeifyoudon\'tmind。\" \"Mind!\"exclaimedSturgeonfallingintohischairandreachingforhischeckbook。\"Wheredoyouwanttogo？Howlongdoyouwanttobegone？Howmuchmoneydoyouwant？\" \"Idon\'twantverymuch。AndasforwhereIwanttogo，I thoughtImightliketogotoGreeceforawhile。\" Sturgeonhadbeenwritingacheck。Hepoisedhispenintheairandbegantolaugh。\"That\'saqueerplacetogoforarest。 Why，thebiggestwarofmoderntimes——awarthatmayinvolveallEurope-islikelytostartthereatanymoment。YouarenotlikelytogetanyrestinGreece。\" \"Iknowthat，\"answeredColeman。\"Iknowthereislikelytobeawarthere。ButIthinkthatisexactlywhatwouldrestme。I wouldliketoreportthewar。\" \"Youareaqueerbird，\"answeredSturgeondeeplyfascinatedwiththisnewidea。HehadapparentlyforgottenhisvisionofaCubanvolunteerbattalion。\"WarcorrespondenceisaboutthemostoriginalmediumforarestIeverheardof。\" \"Oh，itmayseemfunny，butreally，anychangewillbegoodformenow。I\'vebeenwhackingatthisoldSundayeditionuntilI\'msickofit，andsome，。timesIwishtheEclipsewasinhell。\" That\'sallright，\"laughedtheproprietoroftheEclipse。\"ButIstilldon\'tseehowyou\'aregoingtogetanyvacationoutofawarthatwillupsetthewholeofEurope。Butthat\'syouraffair。Ifyouwanttobecomethechiefcorrespondentinthefieldincaseofanysuchwar，why，ofcourse，Iwouldbegladtohaveyou。Icouldn\'tgetanybodybetter。ButIdon\'tseewhereyourvacationcomesin。\" \"I\'lltakecareofthat，\"answeredColeman。\"WhenItakeavacationIwanttotakeitmyownway，andIthinkthiswillbeavacationbecauseitwillbedifferent-don\'tyousee-different？\" \"No，Idon\'tseeanysenseinit，butifyouthinkthatisthewaythatsuitsyou，why，goahead。Howmuchmoneydoyouwant？\" \"Idon\'twantmuch。justenoughtoseemethroughnicely。\" Sturgeonscribbledonhischeckbookandthenrippedacheckfromit。\"Here\'sathousanddollars。Willthatdoyoutostartwith？\" \"That\'splenty。\" \"Whendoyouwanttostart？\" \"To-morrow。\" \"Oh，\"saidSturgeon。\"You\'reinahurry。\"Thisimpetuousmannerofexitfrombusinessseemedtoappealtohim。\"To-morrow，\"herepeatedsmiling。Inrealityhewassomekindofapoetusinghismillionsromantically，spendingwildlyonasentimentthatmightbewithbeautyorwithoutbeauty，accordingtothemomentaryvacillation。Thevaguely-defineddesperationinColeman\'slastannouncementappearedtodelighthim。Hegrinnedandplacedthepointsofhisfingerstogetherstretchingouthislegsinacarefulattitudeofindifferencewhichmightevenmeandisapproval。\"To-morrow，\" hemurmuredteasingly。 \"Byjiminy，\"exclaimedColeman，ignoringtheotherman\'smood，\"I\'msickofthewholebusiness。I\'vegotoutaSundaypaperonceaweekforthreeyearsandIfeelabsolutelyincapableofgettingoutanotheredition。Itwouldbeallrightifwewererunningonordinarylines，butwheneachissueismoreorlessofanattempttobeatthepreviousissue，itbecomesratherwearing，youknow。IfIcan\'tgetavacationnowItakeonelaterinalunaticasylum。\" \"Why，I\'mnotobjectingtoyourhavingavacation。I\'msimplymarvellingatthekindofvacationyouwanttotake。And\'to-morrow，\'too，eh？\" \"Well，itsuitsme，\"mutteredColeman，sulkily。 \"Well，ifitsuitsyou，that\'senough。Here\'syourcheck。Clearoutnowanddon\'tletmeseeyouagainuntilyouarethoroughlyrested，evenifittakesayear。\"Hearoseandstoodsmiling。Hewasmightilypleasedwithhimself。Helikedtoperforminthisway。HewasalmostseraphicashethrustthecheckforathousanddollarstowardColeman。 Thenhismannerchangedabruptly。\"Holdonaminute。I mustthinkalittleaboutthisthingifyouaregoingtomanagethecorrespondence。Ofcourseitwillbealongandbloodywar。\" \"Youbet。\" \"ThebigchanceisthatallEuropewillbedraggedintoit。OfcoursethenyouwouldhavetocomeoutofGreeceandtakeupabetterposition-sayVienna。\" \"No，Iwouldn\'tcaretodothat，\"saidColemanpositively。\"I justwanttotakecareoftheGreekendofit。\" \"Itwillbeanidioticwaytotakeavacation，\"observedSturgeon。 \"Well，itsuitsme，\"mutteredColemanagain。\"Itellyouwhatitis-\"headdedsuddenly。\"I\'vegotsomeprivatereasons- see？\" Sturgeonwasradiantwithjoy。\"Privatereasons。\"HewascharmedbythesombrepaininColeman\'seyesandhisownabilitytoejectit。\"Good。Gonowandbeblowed。IwillcablefinalinstructiontomeetyouinLondon。AssoonasyougettoGreece，cablemeanaccountofthesituationthereandwewillarrangeourplans。\"Hebegantolaugh。\"Privatereasons。Comeouttodinnerwithme。\" \"Ican\'tverywell，\"saidColeman。\"IfIgotomorrow，I\'vegottopack-\" Butheretherealtyrantappeared，emergingsuddenlyfrombehindthecurtainofsentiment，appearinglikeareddevilinapantomine。\"Youcan\'t？\"snappedSturgeon。\"Nonsense——\" CHAPTERVII。 SWEEPINGoutfrombetweentworemote，half-submergeddunesonwhichstoodslendersentrylight。houses，thesteamerbegantorollwithagentleinsinuatingmotion。Passengersintheirstateroomssawatrhythmicalintervalsthesprayracingfleetlypasttheportholes。Thewavesgrappledhurriedlyatthesidesofthegreatflyingsteamerandboileddiscomfitedasterninaturmoilofgreenandwhite。Fromthetopsoftheenormousfunnelsstreamedlevelmassesofsmokewhichwereimmediatelytorntonothingbytheheadlongwind。Meanwhileasthesteamerrushedintothenortheast，menincapsandulsterscomfortablyparadedthedecksandstewardsarrangeddeckchairsforthereceptionofvariouswomenwhowerecomingfromtheircabinswithrugs。 Inthesmokingroom，oldvoyagersweresettlingdowncomfortablywhilenewvoyagerswereregardingthemwithadiffidentrespect。AmongthepassengersColemanfoundanumberofpeoplewhomheknew，includingawholesalewinemerchant，aChicagorailwaymagnateandaNewYorkmillionaire。Theylivedpracticallyinthesmokingroom。 Necessitydrovethemfromtimetotimetothesalon，ortotheirberths。Onceindeedthemillionairewasabsent，fromthegroupwhilepenningashortnotetohiswife。 WhentheIrishcoastwassightedColemancameondecktolookatit。Atallyoungwomanimmediatelyhaltedinherwalkuntilhehadsteppeduptoher。\"Well，ofallungallantmen，RufusColeman，youarethestar，\"shecriedlaughingandheldoutherhand。 \"Awfullysorry，I\'msure，\"hemurmured。\"Beenplayingpokerinthesmokingroomallvoyage。Didn\'thavealookatthepassengerlistuntiljustnow。Whydidn\'tyousendmeword？\" Theseliesweretoldsomodestlyandsincerelythatwhenthegirlflashedher，brillianteyesfullupontheirauthortherewasamixtofadmirationintheindignation。 \"Sendyouacard\"Idon\'tbelieveyoucanread，elseyouwouldhaveknownIwastosailonthissteamer。IfIhadn\'tbeenilluntilto-dayyouwouldhaveseenmeinthesalon。IopenattheFollyTheatrenextweek。Dearol\'Lunnon，y\'know。\" \"Ofcourse，Iknewyouweregoing，\"saidColeman。 \"ButIthoughtyouweretogolater。Whatdoyouopenin？\" \"FlybyNight。Comewalkalongwithme。Seethosetwooldladies\"They\'vebeenwatchingformelikehawkseversinceweleftNewYork。Theyexpectedmetoflirtwitheverymanonboard。ButI\'vefooledthem。I\'vebeenjustasg-o-o-d。Ihadtobe。\"