第3章

Asthepairmovedtowardthestern，enormousandradiantgreenwaveswerecrashingfutilelyafterthesteamer。 Irelandshowedadrearycoastlinetothenorth。AwretchedmanwhohadcrossedtheAtlanticeighty-fourtimeswasdeclaimingtoagroupofnovices。Avenerablebanker，bundledinrugs，wasasleepinhisdeckchair。 \"Well，Nora，\"saidColeman，\"IhopeyoumakeahitinLondon。Youdeserveitifanybodydoes。You\'veworkedhard。\" \"Workedhard，\"criedthegirl。\"Ishouldthinkso。EightyearsagoIwasintherearrow。NowIhavethecentreofthestagewheneverIwantit。ImadeChalmerscutoutthatgreatsceneinthesecondactbetweenthequeenandRodolfo。Theidea!DidhethinkIwouldstandthat？AndjustbecausehewasinlovewithClaraTrotwood，too。\" Colemanwasdreamy。\"RememberwhenIwasdramaticmanfortheGazetteandwrotethefirstnotice？\" \"Indeed，Ido，\"answeredthegirlaffectionately。 \"Indeed，Ido，Rufus。Ah，thatwasagreatlift。IbelievethatwasthefirstthingthathadaneffectonoldOliver。Beforethat，heneverwouldbelievethatIwasanygood。Givemeyourarm，Rufus。Let\'sparadebeforethetwooldwomen。\"Colemanglancedatherkeenly。Hervoicehadtrembledslightly。Hereyeswerelustrousasifshewereabouttoweep。 \"Goodheavens，\"hesaid。\"YouarethesameoldNoraBlack。Ithoughtyouwouldbeproudand\'aughtybythistime。\" \"Nottomyfriends，\"shemurmured。，\"Nottomyfriends。I\'malwaysthesameandIneverforget。Rufus。\" \"Neverforgetwhat？\"askedColeman。 \"IfanybodydoesmeafavourIneverforgetitaslongasI live，\"sheansweredfervently。 \"Oh，youmustn\'tbesosentimental，Nora。YourememberthatplayyouboughtfromlittleBenWhipple，justbecausehehadoncesentyousomeflowersintheolddayswhenyouwerepoorandhappenedtobedsick。Asenseofgratitudecostyouovereightthousanddollarsthattime，didn\'tit？\"Colemanlaughedheartily。 \"Oh，itwasn\'ttheflowersatall，\"sheinterruptedseriously。\" OfcourseBenwasalwaysaniceboy，butthenhisplaywasworthathousanddollars。That\'sallIgavehim。Ilostsomemoreintryingtomakeitgo。Butitwastoogood。Thatwaswhatwasthematter。Itwasaltogethertoogoodforthepublic。IfeltawfullysorryforpoorlittleBen。\" \"Toogood？\"sneeredColeman。\"Toogood？Tooindifferentlybad，youmean。Mydeargirl，youmustn\'timaginethatyouknowagoodplay。Youdon\'t，atall。\" Shepausedabruptlyandfacedhim。Thisregal，creaturewaslookingathimsosternlythatColemanfeltawedforamomentasifhe，wereinthepresenceofagreatmind。\"DoyoumeantosaythatI\'mnotanartist？\"sheasked。 Colemanremainedcool。\"I\'veneverbeendecoratedforinformingpeopleoftheirownaffairs，\"heobserved，\"butI shouldsaythatyouwereaboutasmuchofanartistasIam。\" Frowningslightly，shereflecteduponthisreply。Then，ofasudden，shelaughed。\"Thereisnouseinbeingangrywithyou，Rufus。Youalwayswereahopelessscamp。But，\"sheadded，childishlywistful，\"haveyoueverseenFlybyNight？ Don\'tyouthinkmydanceinthesecondactisartistic？\" \"No，\"saidColeman，\"Ihaven\'tseenFlybyNightyet，butofcourseIknowthatyouarethemostbeautifuldanceronthestage。Everybodyknowsthat。\" Itseemedthatherhandtightenedonhisarm。Herfacewasradiant。\"There，\"sheexclaimed。\"Nowyouareforgiven。Youareaniceboy，Rufus-some- times。\" WhenMissBlackwenttohercabin，Colemanstrolledintothesmokingroom。Everymantherecovertlyoropenlysurveyedhim。Hedroppedlazilyintoachairatatablewherethewinemerchant，theChicagorailwaykingandtheNewYorkmillionairewereplayingcards。Theymadeanoblepretenseofnotbeingawareofhim。Ontheoilclothtopofthetablethecardsweresnappeddown，turnbyturn。 Finallythewinemerchant，withoutliftinghisheadto- addressaparticularperson，said:\"Newconquest。\" HailingastewardColemanaskedforabrandyandsoda。 Themillionairesaid:\"He\'saslycuss，anyhow。\"Therailwaymangrinned。Afteranelaboratesilencethewinemerchantasked:\"KnowMissBlacklong，Rufus？\"Colemanlookedscornfullyathisfriends。\"What\'swrongwithyouthere，fellows，anyhow？\"TheChicagomanansweredairily。\"Oh，nothin\'。Nothin\'，whatever。\" Atdinnerinthecrowdedsalon，ColemanwasawarethatmorethanonepassengerglancedfirstatNoraBlackandthenathim，asifconnectingtheminsometrainofthought，movedtoitbythenarrowhorizonofshipboardandbyasenseofthemysterythatsurroundsthelivesofthebeautiesofthestage。 Nearthecaptain\'srighthandsattheglowingandsplendidNora，exhibitingunderthegazeofthepersistenteyesofmanymeanings，apracticedandprofoundcomposurethattothepopulacewasterrfyingdignity。 Strollingtowardthesmokingroomafterdinner，ColemanmettheNewYorkmillionaire，whoseemedagitated。HetookColemanfraternallybythearm。\"Say，oldman，introduceme，won\'tyou？I\'mcrazytoknowher。\" \"DoyoumeanMissBlack？\"askedColeman。 \"Why，Idon\'tknowthatIhavearight。Ofcourse，youknow，shehasn\'tbeenmeetinganybodyaboard。I\'llaskher，though- certainly。\" \"Thanks，oldman，thanks。I\'dbetickledtodeath。Comealongandhaveadrink。Whenwillyouaskher？\" \"Why，Idon\'tknowwhenI\'llseeher。To-morrow，Isuppose-\" Theyhadnotbeenlonginthesmokingroom，however，whenthedeckstewardcamewithacardtoColeman。Uponitwaswritten:\"Comefor\'astroll？\"Everybody，sawColemanreadthiscardandthenlookupandwhispertothedecksteward。 Thedeckstewardbenthisheadandwhispereddiscreetlyinreply。Therewasanabruptpauseinthehumofconversation。 Theinterestwasacute。 Colemanleanedcarelesslybackinhischair，puffingathiscigar。Hemingledcalmlyinadiscussionofthecomparativemeritsofcertaintrans-Atlanticlines。Afteratimehethrewawayhiscigarandarose。Mennodded。\"Didn\'tItellyou？\"Hisstudiouslylanguidexitwasmadedramaticbytheeagle-eyedattentionofthesmokingroom。 OndeckhefoundNorapacingtoandfro。\"Youdidn\'thurryyourself，\"shesaid，ashejoinedher。ThelightsofQueenstownweretwinkling。Awarmwind，wetwiththemoistureofrain- strickensod，wascomingfromtheland。 \"Why，\"saidColeman，\"we\'vegotalltheseduffersverymuchexcited。\" \"Wellwhatdoyoucare？\"askedhtegirl。\"Youdon\'t，caredoyou？\" \"No，Idon\'tcare。Onlyit\'sratherabsurdtobewatchedallthetime。\"Hesaidthispreciselyasifheabhorredbeingwatchedinthiscase。 \"Ohbytheway，\"headded。Thenhepausedforamoment。\"Aw——afriendofmine——notabadfellow—— heaskedmeforanintroduction。Ofcourse，I toldhimI\'daskyou。\" Shemadeacontemptuousgesture。\"Oh，anotherWillie。 Tellhimno。Tellhimtogohometohisfamily。Tellhimtorunaway。\" \"Heisn\'tabadfellow。He——\"saidColemandiffidently，\"hewouldprobablybeatthetheatreeverynightinabox。\" \"yes，andgetdrunkandthrowawinebottleonthestageinsteadofabouquet。No，\"shedeclaredpositively，\"Iwon\'tseehim。\" Colemandidnotseemtobeoppressedbythisultimatum。 \"Oh，allright。Ipromisedhim——thatwasall。\" \"Besides，areyouinagreathurrytogetridofme？\" \"Ridofyou？Nonsense。\" Theywalkedintheshadow。\"HowlongareyougoingtobeinLondon，Rufus？\"askedNorasoftly。 \"Who？I？Oh，I\'mgoingrightofftoGreece。Firsttrain。There\'sgoingtobeawar，youknow。\" \"Awar？Why，whoisgoingtofight？TheGreeksandthe——the——thewhat？\" \"TheTurks。I\'mgoingrightoverthere。\" \"Why，that\'sdreadful，Rufus，\"saidthegirl，mournfullandshocked。\"Youmightgethurtorsomething。\" Presentlysheasked:\"Andaren\'tyougoingtobeinLondonanytimeatall？\" \"Oh，\"heanswered，puffingouthislips，\"ImaystopinLondomforthreeorfourdaysonmywayhome。I\'mnotsureofit。\" \"Andwhenwillthatbe？\" \"Oh，Ican\'ttell。Itmaybeinthreeorfourmonths，oritmaybeayearfromnow。Whenthewarstops。\" Therewasalongsilenceasthewalkedupanddowntheswayingdeck。 \"Doyouknow，\"saidNoraatlast，\"Ilikeyou，RufusColeman。 Idon\'tknowanygoodreasonforiteither，unlessitisbecauseyouaresuchabrute。Now，whenIwasaskingyouifyouweretobeinLondonyouwereperfectlydetestable。YouknowIwasanxious。\" \"I——detestable？\"criedColeman，feigningamazement。 \"Why，whatdidIsay？\" \"Itisn\'tsomuchwhatyousaid——\"beganNoraslowlly。 Thenshesuddenlychangedhermanner。 \"Oh，well，don\'tlet\'stalkaboutitanymore。It\'stoofoolish。Only-youareadisagreeablepersonsometimes。\" Inthemorning，asthevesselsteameduptheIrishchannel，Colemanwasondeck，keepingfurtivewatchonthecabinstairs。Aftertwohoursofwaiting，hescribbledamessageonacardandsentitbelow。HereceivedananswerthatMissBlackhadaheadache，andfelttooilltocomeondeck。Hewenttothesmokingroom。Thethreecard-playersglancedup，grinning。 \"What\'sthematter？\"askedthewinemerchant。\"Youlookangry。\"Asamatteroffact，Colemanhadpurposelywreathedhisfeaturesinapleasantandsatisfiedexpression，sohewasforamomentfuriousatthewinemerchant。 \"Confoundthegirl，\"hethoughttohimself。\"Shehassucceededinmakingallthesebeggarslaughatme。\"Hemusedthatifhehadanotherchancehewouldshowherhowdisagreeableordetestableorscampishhewasundersomecircumstances。Hereflectedruefullythatthecomplacencewithwhichhehadacceptedthecomradeshipofthebelleofthevoyagemighthavebeensomewhatoverdone。Perhapshehadgotalittleoutofproportion。Hewasannoyedatthestaresoftheothermeninthesmokingroom，whoseemednowtobereadinghisdiscomfiture。AsforNoraBlackhethoughtofherwistfullyandangrilyasasuperbwomanwhosecompanywashonourandjoy，apaymentforanysacrifices。 \"What\'sthematter？\"persistedthewinemerchant。\"Youlookgrumpy。\" Colemanlaughed。\"DoI？\" AtLiverpool，asthesteamerwasbeingslowlywarpedtothelandingstagebysometugs，thepassengerscrowdedthedeckwiththeirhand-bags。Adieuswerefallingasdeadleavesfallfromagreattree。Thestewardswerehandlingsmallhillsofluggagemarkedwithflamingredlabels。TheshipwasfirmlyagainstthedockbeforeMissBlackcamefromhercabin。 Colemanwasatthetimegazingshoreward，buthisthreeparticularfriendsinstantlynudgedhim。\"What？\"\"Theresheis？\"\"Oh，MissBlack？\"Hecomposedlywalkedtowardher。Itwasimpossibletotellwhethershesawhimcomingorwhetheritwasaccident，butatanyrateshesuddenlyturnedandmovedtowardthesternoftheship。TenwatchfulgossipshadnotedColeman\'stravelinherdirectionandmorethanhalfthepassengersnotedhisdefeat。Hewheeledcasuallyandreturnedtohisthreefriends。Theywerecolic-strickenwithacoarseandyetsilentmerriment。Colemanwasgladthatthevoyagewasover。 AfterthepolitebusinessofanEnglishcustomhouse，thetravellerspassedouttothewaitingtrain。Animblelittletheatricalagentofsomekind，sentfromLondon，dashedforwardtoreceiveMissBlack。Hehadafirst-classcompartmentengagedforherandhebundledherandhermaidintoitinanexuberanceofenthusiasmandadmiration……ColemanpassingmoodilyalongthelineofcoachesheardNora\'svoicehailinghim。 \"Rufus。\"Thereshewas，framedinacarriagewindow，beautifulandsmilingbrightly。Everynear。bypersonturnedtocontemplatethisvision。 \"Oh，\"saidColemanadvancing，\"IthoughtIwasnotgoingtogetachancetosaygood-byetoyou。\"Heheldouthishand。 \"Good-bye。\" Shepouted。\"Why，there\'splentyofroominthiscompartment。\"Seeingthatsomefortypeopleweretransfixedinobservationofher，shemovedashortwayback。\"Comeoninthiscompartment，Rufus，\"shesaid。 \"Thanks。Iprefertosmoke，\"saidColeman。Hewentoffabruptly。 OnthewaytoLondon，hebroodedinhiscorneronthetwodivergentemotionshehadexperiencedwhenrefusingherinvitation。AtEustonStationinLondon，hewasdirectingaporter，whohadhisluggage，whenheheardNoraspeakathisshoulder。\"Well，Rufus，yousulkyboy，\"shesaid，\"IshallbeattheCecil。Ifyouhavetime，comeandseeme。\" \"Thanks，I\'msure，mydearNora，\"answeredColemaneffusively。\"Buthonestly，I\'moffforGreece。\" Abroughamwasdrawnupnearthemandthenimblelittleagentwaswaiting。Themaidwasdirectingtheestablishmentofamassofluggageonandinafour-wheelercab。\"Well，putmeintomycarriage，anyhow，\"saidNora。\"Youwillhavetimeforthat。\" Afterwardsheaddressedhimfromthedarkinterior。 Now，Rufus，youmustcometoseemetheminuteyoustrikeLondonagain-ofShehesitatedamomentandthensmilinggorgeouslyuponhim，shesaid:\"Brute!\" CHAPTERVIII。 AssoonasColemanhadplantedhisbelongingsinahotelhewasbowledinahansombrisklyalongthesmokyStrand，throughadarkcitywhosewallsdrippedlikethewallsofacaveandwhosepassageswereonlyilluminatedbyflaringyellowandredsigns。 WalkleytheLondoncorrespondentoftheEclipse，whirledfromhischairwithashoutofjoyandrelief-atsightofColeman。 \"Cables，\"hecried。\"Nothin\'butcables!AllthepeopleinNewYorkarewritingcablestoyou。Thewiresgroanwiththem。Andwegroanwiththemtoo。Theycomeinhereinbales。However，thereisnoreasonwhyyoushouldreadthemall。Manyaresimilarinwordsandmanymorearesimilarinspirit。ThesenseofthewholethingisthatyougettoGreecequickly，takingwithyouimmensesumsofmoneyandenormouspowersovernations。\" \"Well，whendoestherowbegin？\" \"ThemostastutejournalistsinEuropehavebeenpredictingageneralEuropeansmash-upeveryyearsince1878，\"saidWalkley，\"andtheprophetsweep。TheEnglisharetheonlypeoplewhocanpulloffwarsonscheduletime，andtheyhavetodoitinoddcornersoftheglobe。Ifearthewarbusinessisgettingtuckered。Thereissorrowinthelodgesofthelonewolves，thewarcorrespondents。However，myboy，don\'tburyyourfaceinyourblanket。ThisGreekbusinesslooksverypromising，verypromising。\"Hethenbegantoproclaimtrainsandconnections。 \"Dover，Calais，Paris，Brindisi，Corfu，Patras，Athens。Thatisyourgame。Youaresupposedtosky-rocketyourselfoverthatrouteintheshortestpossibletime，butyouwouldgainnotimebystartingbeforeto-morrow，soyoucancoolyourheelshereinLondonuntilthen。IwishIwasgoingalong。\" Colemanreturnedtohishotel，aknightimpatientandsavageatbeingkeptforatimeoutofthesaddle。Hewentforalatesuppertothegrillroomandashewasseatedtherealone，apartyoffourorfivepeoplecametooccupythetabledirectlybehindhim。Theytalkedagreatdealevenbeforetheyarrayedthem。selvesatthetable，andheatoncerecognisedthevoiceofNoraBlack。Shewasqueeningit，apparently，overalittlebandofawedmasculineworshippers。 Eitherbyaccidentorforsomecuriousreason，shetookachairbacktobackwithColeman\'schair。Hersleeveoffragrantstuffalmosttouchedhisshoulderandhefeltappealingtohimseductivelyaperfumeoforrisrootandviolet。Hewasdrinkingbottledstoutwithhischop；besatwithafaceofwood。 \"Oh，thelittlelord？\"Norawascryingtosomeslave。 \"Now，doyouknow，hewon\'tdoatall。Heistooawfullycharming。Hesitsandruminatesforfifteenminutesandthenhepaysmealovelycompliment。Thenheruminatesforanotherfifteenminutesandcooksupanotherfinething。Itistootiresome。Doyouknowwhatkindofman。Ilike？\"sheaskedsoftlyandconfidentially。Andhereshesankbackinherchairuntil。Colemanknewfromthetinglethatherheadwasbutafewinchesfromhishead。Her，sleevetouchedhim。Heturnedmorewoodenunderthespelloftheorrisrootandviolet。Hercourtiersthoughtitallagracefulpose，butColemanbelievedotherwise。Hervoicesanktotheliquid，sirennoteofasuccubus。\"DoyouknowwhatkindofamanIlike？Reallylike？Ilikeamanthatawomancan\'tbendinathousanddifferentwaysinfiveminutes。Hemusthavesomesteelinhim。 Heobligesmetoadmirehimthemostwhenheremainsstolid； stolidtomelures。Ah，thatistheonlykindofamanwhocapeverbreakaheartamonguswomenoftheworld。Hisstolidityisnotreal；no；itismereart，butitisahighlyfinishedartandoftenenoughwecan\'tcutthroughit。Reallywecan\'t。And，thenwemayactuallycometo——er——carefortheman。Reallywemay。 Isn\'titfunny？\" AlttheendColemanaroseandstrolledoutofthe。room，smokingacigarette。Hedidnotbetray，asign。Before。thedoorclashedsoftlybehindhim，Noralaughedalittledefiantly，perhapsalittleloudly。Itmadeeverymaninthegrill-roomperkuphisears。 Asforhercourtiers，theywereentranced。Inherdescriptionoftheconqueringman，shehadeasilycontrivedthateachoneofthemwonderedifshemightnotmeanhim。Eachmanwasperfectlysurethathehadplentyofsteelinhiscompositionandthatseemedtobeamainpoint。 Colemandelayedforatimeinthesmokingroomandthenwenttohisownquarters。InrealityhewasSomewhatpuzzledinhismindbyaprojectionofthebeautiesofNoraBlackuponhisdesireforGreeceandMarjory，Histhoughtsformedaduality。 OncehewasonthepointofsendinghiscardtoNoraBlack\'sparlour，inasmuchasGreecewasverydistantandhecouldnotstartuntilthemorrow。Buthesuspectedthathewasholdingtheinterestoftheactressbecauseofhisrecentappearanceofimpregnableserenityinthepresenceofherfascinations。Ifhenowsenthiscard，itwasaformofsurrenderandheknewhertobeonetotakeamercilessadvantage。Hewouldnotmakethistacticalmistake。Onthecontraryhewouldgotobedandthinkofwar，Inrealityhefounditeasytofastenhismindupontheprospectivewar。Heregardedhimselfcynicallyinmostaffairs，buthecouldnotbecynicalofwar，becausehadhe- seennoneofit。Hisrejuvenatedimaginationbegantothrilltotherollofbattle，throughhisthoughtpassingallthelightninginthepicturesofDetaille，deNeuvilleandMorot；lashedbatteryhorseroaringoverbridges；grandcuirassiersdashingheadlongagainststolidinvinciblered-facedlinesofGermaninfantry；furiousandbloodygrapplingsinthestreetsoflittlevillagesofnortheasternFrance。Therewasonethingatleastofwhichhecouldstillfeelthespiritofadebutante。Inthismatterofwarhewasnot，too，unlikeayounggirlembarkinguponherfirstseasonofopera。Walkely，thenextmorning，sawthismoodsittingquaintlyuponColemanandcackledwithastonishmentandglee。Coleman\'susualmannerdidnotreturnuntilhedetectedWalkely\'sappreciationofhisstateandthenhesnubbedhimaccordingtotheritualoftheSundayeditoroftheNewYorkEclipse。Parenthetically，itmightbesaidthatifColemannowrecalledNoraBlacktohismindatall，itwasonlytothinkofherforamomentwithironicalcomplacence。Hehadbeatenher。 Whenthetraindrewoutofthestation，Colemanfelthimselfthrill。Waseverfatelessperverse？Warandlove-warandMarjory-wereinconjunctionbothinGreece-andhecouldtiltwithonelanceatbothgods。Itwasagreatfinegametoplayandnomanwaseversoblessedinvacations。Hewassmilingcontinuallytohimselfandsometimesactuallyonthepointoftalkingaloud。Thiswasdespitethepresenceinthecompartmentoftwofellowpassengerswhopreservedintheiruncomfortablyrigid，icyanduncompromisingmannersmanyofthemoreorlessridiculoustraditionsoftheEnglishfirstclasscarriage。Coleman\'sfinehumourbetrayedhimonceintoaddressingoneofthesepassengersandthemanrespondedsimplywithawidelookofincredulity，asifhediscoveredthathewastravellinginthesamecompartmentwithazebu。ItturnedColemansuddenlytoeviltemperandhewantedtoaskthemanquestionsconcerninghiseducationandhispresentmentalcondition:andsountilthetrainarrivedatDover，hisballooningsoulwasindangerofcollapsing。Onthepacketcrossingthechannel，too，healmostreturnedtotheusualRufusColemansincealltheworldwasseasickandhecouldnotgetacabininwhichtohidehimselffromit。Howeverhereapedmuchconsolationbyorderingabottleofchampagneanddrinkingitinsightofthepeople，whichmadethemstillmoreseasick。FromCalaistoBrindisireallynothingmethisdisapprovalsavethespeedofthetrain，theconductofsomeofthepassengers，thequalityofthefoodserved，themannersoftheguards，thetemperatureofthecarriages，thepriceschargedandthelengthofthejourney。 IntimehepassedasinavisionfromwretchedBrindisitocharmingCorfu，fromCorfutothelittlewar-bittencityofPatrasandfromPatrasbyrailatthespeedofanox-carttoAthens。 Withasmileofgrimcontentandsurroundedinhiscarriagewithallhisbeautifulbrownluggage，hesweptthroughthedustystreetsoftheGreekcapital。Evenasthevehiclearrivedinagreatterracedsquareinfrontoftheyellowpalace，GreekrecruitsingarmentsrepresentingmanytradesandmanycharactersweremarchingupcheeringforGreeceandtheking。 Officersstooduponthelittleironchairsinfrontofthecafes；alltheurchinscamerunningandshouting；ladieswavedtheirhandkerchiefsfromthebalconies；thewholecitywasvivifiedwithaleapingandjoyousenthusiasm。TheAthenians——asdragomenorotherwise-hadpreservedanardorfortheirglorioustraditions，anditwasasifthatinthewhitedustwhichliftedfromtheplazaandfloatedacrosstheold-ivoryfaceofthepalace，therewerethesoulsofthecapablesoldiersofthepast。 Colemanwasalmostintoxicatedwithit。Itseemedtocelebratehisownreasons，hisreasonsofloveandambitiontoconquerinlove。 WhenthecarriagearrivedinfrontoftheHotelD\'Angleterre，Colemanfoundtheservantsoftheplacewithmorethanoneeyeuponthesceneintheplaza，buttheysoonpaidheedtothearrivalofagentlemanwithsuchanamountofbeautifulleatherluggage，allmarkedboldlywiththeinitials\"R。C。\"ColemanletthemleadhimandfollowhimandconducthimandusebadEnglishuponhimwithoutnotingeithertheirwords，theirsalaamsortheirwork。HismindhadquicklyfixeduponthefactthatherewastheprobableheadquartersoftheWainwrightpartyand，withtherushofhiswesternracefleetingthroughhisveins，hefeltthathewouldchokeanddieifhedidnotlearnoftheWainwrightsinthefirsttwominutes。ItwasatragicventuretoattempttomaketheLevantinemindunderstandsomethingoffthecourse，thatthenewarrival\'sfirstthoughtwastoestablishaknowlegeofthewhereaboutsofsomeofhisfriendsratherthantoswarmhelter-skelterintothatpartofthehotelforwhichhewaswillingtopayrent。Infacthefailedtothusimpressthem；failedindarkwrath，but，nevertheless，failed。Atlasthewassimplyforcedtoconcedethetraveloffilesofmenupthebroad，redcarpetedstair-case，eachmanbeingloadedwithColeman\'sluggage。Themeninthehotel-bureauwerethenabletocomprehendthattheforeigngentlemanmighthavesomethingelseonhismind。Theyraisedtheireye-browslanguidlywhenhespokeoftheWainwrightpartyingentlesurprisethathehadnotyetlearnedthattheyweregonesometime。Theyweredepartedonsomeexcursion。 Where？Oh，really-itwasalmostlaughable，indeed-theydidn\'tknow。Weretheysure？Why，yes-itwasalmostlaughable，indeed-theywerequitesure。Wherecouldthegentlemanfindoutaboutthem？Well，they-astheyhadexplained-didnotknow，but-itwaspossible-theAmericanministermightknow。Wherewashetobefound？Oh，thatwasverysimple。ItwaswellknownthattheAmericanministerhadapartmentsinthehotel。Washein？Ah，thattheycouldnotsay。 SoColeman，rejoicingathisfinalemancipationandwiththegrimeoftravelstilluponhim，burstinsomewhatviolentlyuponthesecretaryoftheHon。ThomasM。GordnerofNebraska，theUnitedStatesministertoGreece。Fromhisdeskthesecretaryarosefrombehindanaccidentalbulwarkofbooksandgovermentalpamphets。\"Yes，certainly。Mr。Gordnerisin。Ifyouwouldgivemeyourcard-\" Directly。Colemanwasintroducedintoanotherroomwhereaquietmanwhowasrollingacigarettelookedhimfranklybutcarefullyintheeye。\"TheWainwrights\"saidtheministerimmediatelyafterthequestion。\"Why，Imyselfamimmenselyconcernedaboutthematpresent。I\'mafraidthey\'vegottenthemselvesintotrouble。\' \"Really？\"saidColeman。 \"Yes。Thatlittleprofessorisratherer——stubborn；Isn\'the？ HewantedtomakeanexpeditiontoNikopolisandIexplainedtohimallthepossibilitiesofwarandbeggedhimtoatleastnottakehiswifeanddaughterwithhim。\" \"Daughter，\"murmuredColeman，asifinhissleep。 \"Butthatlittleoldmanhadaheadlikeastoneandonlylaughedatme。Ofcoursethosevillainousyoungstudentswereonlytoodelightedataprospectofwar，butitwasastupidandabsurd。thingforthemantotakehiswifeanddaughterthere。Theyareuptherenow。Ican\'tgetawordfromthemorgetawordtothem。\" Colemanhadbeenchoking。\"WhereisNikopolis？\"heasked。 Theministergazedsuddenlyincomprehensionofthemanbeforehim。\"NikopolisisinTurkey，\"heansweredgently。 Turkeyatthattimewasbelievedtobeacountryofdelay，corruption，turbulenceandmassacre。Itmeanteverything。MorethanahalfoftheChristiansoftheworldshudderedatthenameofTurkey。Coleman\'slipstightenedandperhapsblanched，andhischinmovedoutstrangely，once，twice，thrice。\"HowcanI gettoNikopolis？\"hesaid。 Theministersmiled。\"Itwouldtakeyouthebetterpartoffourdaysifyoucouldgetthere，butasamatteroffactyoucan\'tgetthereatthepresenttime。AGreekarmyandaTurkisharmyarelookingateachotherfromthesidesoftheriveratArta-theriveristherethefrontier-andNikopolishappenstobeonthewrongside。Youcan\'treachthem。TheforcesatArtawillfightwithinthreedays。Iknowit。OfcourseI\'venotifiedourlegationatConstantinople，but，withTurkishmethodsofcommunication，NikopolisisaboutasfarfromConstantinopleasNewYorkisfromPekin。\" Colemanarose。\"They\'verunthemselvesintoanicemess，\" hesaidcrossly。\"Well，I\'mathousandtimesobligedtoyou，I\'msure。\" Theministeropenedhiseyesatrifle。Youarenotgoingtotrytoreachthem，areyou？\" \"Yes，\"answeredColeman，abstractedly。\"I\'mgoingtohaveatryatit。Friendsofmine，youknow-\" Atthebureauofthehotel，thecorrespondentfoundseveralcablesawaitinghimfromthealertofficeoftheNewYorkEclipse。 Oneofthemread:\"StateDepartmentgivesoutbadplightofWainwrightpartylostsomewhere；findthem。Eclipse。\"WhenColemanperusedthemessagehebegantosmilewithseraphicbliss。Couldfatehaveeverbeenlessperverse。