第8章

ConsiderableattentionwaspaidtoCokebytheothers。\"Hemadeamonkeyofyou，\"saidPeterTounleywithunction。\"Hetwistedyouuntilyoulookedlikeawet，greyrag。Youhadbetterleavethiswiseguyalone。\" ItwasnotthenightnorwasitmeditationthathadtaughtCokeanything，butheseemedtohavelearnedsomethingfromthemerelapseoftime。Inappearancehewassubdued，buthemanagedtomakeatemporaryjauntinessashesaid:\"Oh，I don\'tknow。\" \"Well，yououghttoknow，\"saidhewhowascalledBillie。 \"Yououghttoknow。Youmadeanegregioussnarkofyourself。Indeed，yousometimesresembledaboojum。Anyhow，youwereaplainchump。Youexplodedyourfaceaboutsomethingofwhichyouknewnothing，andI\'mdamnedifI believeyou\'dmakeevenagoodretriever。\" \"You\'reahalf-bredwater-spaniel，\"blurtedPeterTounley。 \"And，\"headded，musingly，\"thatisaprettylowanimal。\" Cokewasargumentative。\"WhyamI？\"heasked，turninghisheadfromsidetoside。\"Idon\'tseewhereIwassowrong。\" \"Oh，dances，balloons，picnics，paradesandascensions，\" theyretorted，profanely。\"Youswamvoluntarilyintowaterthatwastoodeepforyou。Swimout。Getdry。Here\'satowel。\" Coke，smitteninthefacewithawetclothrolledintoaball，grabbeditandflungitfutilelyatawell-dodgingcompanion\"No，\"hecried，\"Idon\'tseeit。Nowlookhere。I don\'tseewhyweshouldn\'tallresentthisNoraBlackbusiness。\" Onestudentsaid:\"Well，what\'sthematterwithNoraBlack，anyhow？\" Anotherstudentsaid\"Idon\'tseehowyou\'vebeenissuedanylicensetosaythingsaboutNoraBlack。\" Anotherstudentsaiddubiously:\"Well，heknowsherwell。\" Andthenthreeorfourspokeatonce。\"Hewasverybadlyrattledwhensheappeareduponthescene。\" PeterTounleyasked:\"Well，whichofyoupeopleknowanythingwrongaboutNoraBlack？\" Therewasapause，andthenCokesaid:\"Oh，ofcourse-I don\'tknow-but-\" HewhowascalledBilliethenaddressedhiscom-panions。 \"Itwouldn\'tberighttorepeatanyoldlieaboutNoraBlack，andbythesametokenitwouldn\'tberighttoseeoldMotherWainwrightchummin\'withher。Thereisnowisdomingoingfurtherthanthat。OldMotherWainwrightdon\'tknowthatherfaircompanionofyesterdayisthefamouscomicoperastar。Formypart，IbelievethatColemanissimplyafraidtotellher。I don\'tthinkhewishedtoseeNoraBlackyesterdayanymorethanhewishedtoseethedevil。Thediscussion，asI understanditconcerneditselfonlywithwhatColemanhadtodowiththething，andyesterdayanybodycouldseethathewasinapanic。\" Theyheardasteponthestair，anddirectlyColemanentered，followedbyhisdragoman。Theywereladenwiththerawmaterialforbreakfast。Thecorrespondentlookedkeenlyamongthestudents，foritwasplainthattheyhadbeentalkingofhim。 It，filledhimwithrage，andforastiflingmomenthecouldnotthinkwhyhefailedtoimmediatelydecampinchagrinandleaveelevenorphanstowhateverfate。theirgeneralincompetencemightleadthem。Itstruckhimasadeepshamethateventhenheandhispaidmanwerecarryinginthebreakfast。Hewantedtoflingitallonthefloorandwalkout。ThenherememberedMarjory。Shewasthereason。Shewasthereasonforeverything。 Buthecouldnotrepresscertain，ofhisthoughts。\"Say，youpeople，\"hesaid，icily，\"youhadbettersoonlearntohustleforyourselves。Imaybeadragoman，andabutler，andacook，andahousemaid，butI\'mblowedifI\'mawetnurse。\"Inreality，hehadtakenthemostgenerouspleasureinworkingfortheothersbeforetheireyeshadevenbeenopenedfromsleep，butitwasnowallturnedtowormwood。Itiscertainthateventhiscouldnothavedeviatedthisexecutivemanfromlabourandmanagement。becausethesewerehislife。Buthefeltthathewasabouttowalkoutoftheroom，consigningthemalltoHades。 Hisglanceofangry，reproachfasteneditselfmainlyuponPeterTounley，becauseheknewthatofall，Peterwasthemostinnocent。 Peter，Tounleywasabashedbythisglance。Soyou\'vebroughtussomethingtoeat，oldman。Thatistremendouslyniceofyou-we-appreciateitlikeeverything。\" ColemanwasmollifiedbyPeter\'stone。Peterhadhadthatemotionwhichisequivalenttoasenseofguilt，althoughinrealityhewasspeckless。Twoorthreeoftheotherstudentsbobbeduptoasenseofthesituation。TheyrantoColeman，andwithpolitecriestookhisprovisionsfromhim。Onedroppedabunchoflettuceonthefloor，andothersreproachedhimwithscholasticcurses。Cokewasseatednearthewindow，halfmilitant，halfconciliatory。ItwasimpossibleforhimtokeepupamannerofdeadlyenmitywhileColemanwasbringinginhisbreakfast。HewouldhavemuchpreferredthatColemanhadnotbroughtinhisbreakfast。Hewouldhavemuchpreferredtohaveforegonebreakfastaltogether。Hewouldhavemuchpreferredanything。Thereseemedtobeaconspiracyofcircumstancetoputhiminthewrongandmakehimappearasaridiculousyoungpeasant。Hewasthevictimofabenefaction，andhehatedColemanhardernowthanatanyprevioustime。Hesawthatifhestalkedoutandtookhisbreakfastaloneinacafe，theotherswouldconsiderhimstillmoreofanoutsider。Colemanhadexpressedhimselflikeamanoftheworldandagentleman，andCokewasconvincedthathewasasuperiormanoftheworldandasuperiorgentleman，butthathesimplyhadnothadwordstoexpresshispositionatthepropertime。Colemanwasglib。 Therefore，Cokehadbeenthevictimofanattitudeaswellasofabenefaction。AndsohedeeplyhatedColeman。 Theothersweretalkingcheerfully。\"Whatthedeucearethese，Coleman？Sausages？Oh，my。Andlookattheseburlesquefishes。Say，theseGreeksdon\'tcarewhattheyeat。 Themtharthingsamsardinesinthecrudestate。No？GreatGod，lookatthosethings。Look。What？Yes，theyare。 Radishes。Greeksynonymforradishes。\" Theprofessorentered。\"Oh，\"hesaidapologetically，asifhewereintrudinginaboudoir。AllhisseriousdesiretoprobeColemantothebottomendedinembarrassment。 Mayhapitwasnotalawoffeeling，butithappenedatanyrate。 \"Hehadcomeinapuzzledframeofmind，evenanaccusativeframeofmind，andalmostimmediatelyhefoundhimselfsuffer。 inglikeaculpritbeforehisjudge。Itisaphenomenonofwhatwecallguiltandinnocence。 \"Colemanwelcomedhimcordially。\"Well，professor，good-morning。I\'veroundedupsomethingsthatatleastmaybeeaten。\" \"Youareverygood\"veryconsiderate，Mr。Coleman，\" answeredtheprofessor，hastily。\"I\'amsurewearemuchindebtedtoyou。\"Hehadscannedthecorrespondent\'sface，landithadbeensodevoidofguilethathewasfearfulthathissuspicion，abasesuspicion，ofthisnoblesoulwouldbedetected。\"No，no，wecanneverthankyouenough。\" Someofthestudentsbegantocaperwithasortofdecoroushilaritybeforetheirteacher。\"Lookatthesausage，professor。 Didyoueverseesuchsausage\"Isn\'titsalubrious\"Andseetheseotherthings，sir。Aren\'ttheycurious\"Ishouldn\'twonderiftheywerealive。Turnips，sir？No，sir。IthinktheyarePharisees。IhaveseenaPhariseelooklikeapelican，butIhaveneverseenaPhariseelooklikeaturnip，soIthinktheseturnipsmustbePharisees，sir，Yes，theymaybewalrus。We\'renotsure。 Anyhow，theiranglesaregeometricallyallwrong。Peter，lookout。\" Somegreenstuffwasflungacrosstheroom。Theprofessorlaughed； Colemanlaughed。DespiteCoke，dark-browed，sulking。andyetdesirousofreinstatinghimself，theroomhadwaxedwarmwiththeoldcollegefeeling，thefeelingofladswhoseemednevertotreatanythingrespectfullyandyetatthesametimemanagedtotreattherealthingswithrespect。TheprofessorhimselfcontributedtotheirwildcarouseoverthestrangeGreekviands。 Itwasavivaciousmomentcommontothisclassintimesofrelaxation，anditwasunderstoodperfectly。 Cokearose。\"Idon\'tseethatIhaveanyfriendshere，\"hesaid，hoarsely，\"andinconsequenceIdon\'tseewhyIshouldremainhere。\" Alllookedathim。AtthesamemomentMrs。WainwrightandMarjoryenteredtheroom。 CHAPTERXIX。 \"Good-morning，\"saidMrs。WainwrightjoviallytothestudentsandthenshestaredatColemanasifhewereasweepatawedding。 \"Good-morning，\"saidMarjory。 Colemanandthestudentsmadereply。\"Good-morning。 Good-morning。Good-morning。Good-morning——\" Itwascurioustoseethisgreeting，thiscommonphrase，thisbitofoldware，thisantique，comeuponadramaticsceneandpulveriseit。Nothingremainedbutaridiculousdust。Coke，glowering，withhislipsstilltremblingfromheroicspeech，wasanangryclown，apantalooninrage。Nothingwastobedonetokeephimfromlookinglikeanass。He，strodetowardthedoormumblingaboutawalkbeforebreakfast。 Mrs。Wainwrightbeameduponhim。\"Why，Mr。Coke，notbeforebreakfast？Yousurelywon\'thavetime。\"Itwasgrimpunishment。Heappearedtogoblind，andhefairlystaggeredoutofthedoormumblingagain，mumblingthanksorapologiesorexplanations。AboutthemouthofColemanplayedasinistersmile。Theprofessorcast。uponhiswifeaglanceexpressingweariness。Itwasasifhesaid\"Thereyougoagain。Youcan\'tkeepyourfootoutofit。\"Sheunderstoodtheglance，andsosheaskedblankly:\"Why，What\'sthematter？Oh。\" HerbelatedmindgraspedthatitwawanaftermathofthequarrelofColemanandCoke。Marjorylookedasifshewasdistressedinthebeliefthathermotherhadbeenstupid。Colemanwasoutwardlyserene。ItwasPeterTounleywhofinallylaughedacheery，healthylaughandtheyalllookedathimwithgratitudeasifhissuddenmirthhadbeenarealstatementorrecon-ciliationandconsequentpeace。 Thedragomanandothersdisportedthemselvesuntilabreakfastwaslaiduponthefloor。Theadventurerssquatteduponthefloor。Theymadealargecompany。TheprofessorandColemandiscussedthemeansofgettingtoAthens。PeterTounleysatnexttoMarjory。\"Peter，\"shesaid，privately，\"whatwasallthistroublebetweenColemanandCoke？\" Peteransweredblandly:\"Oh，nothingatNothingatall。\" \"Well，but——\"shepersisted，\"whatwasthecauseofit？\" Helookedatherquaintly。Hewasnotoneofthoseinlovewithher，butbewasinterestedintheaffair。\"Don\'tyouknow？\"heasked。 Sheunderstoodfromhismannerthatshehadbeensomekindofanissueinthequarrel。\"No，\"sheanswered，hastily。\"I don\'t。\" \"Oh，Idon\'tmeanthat，\"saidPeter。\"Ionlymeant——Ionlymeant——oh，well，itwasnothing-really。\" \"Itmusthavebeenaboutsomething，\"continuedMarjory。 Shecontinued，becausePeterhaddeniedthatshewasconcernedinit。\"Whosefault？\" \"Ireallydon\'tknow。Itwasallratherconfusing，\"liedPeter，tranquilly。 Colemanandtheprofessordecidedtoacceptaplanofthecorrespondent\'sdragomantostartsoononthefirststageofthejourneytoAthens。Thedragomanhadsaidthathehadfoundtwolargecarriagesrentable。 Coke，theoutcast，walkedaloneinthenarrowstreets。Theflightofthecrownprince\'sarmyfromLarissahadjustbeenannouncedinArta，butCokewasprobablythemostwoebegoneobjectontheGreekpeninsula。 Heencounteredastrangesightonthestreets。AwomangarbedinthestyleforwalkingofanafternoononupperBroadwaywasapproachinghimthroughamassofkiltedmountaineersandsoldiersinsoiledovercoats。OfcourseherecognisedNoraBlack。 Inhisconvictionthateverybodyintheworldwasatthistimeconsideringhimamereworm，hewassurethatshewouldnotheedhim。Beyondthathehadbeenpresentedtohernoticeinbutatransientandcursoryfashion。Butcontrarytohisconviction，sheturnedaradiantsmileuponhim。\"Oh，\"shesaid，brusquely，\"youareoneofthestudents。Goodmorning。\"Inhermannerwasalltheconfidenceofanoldwarrior，aveteran，whoaddressestheuniversewithassurancebecauseofhispastbattles。 Cokegrinnedatthisstrangegreeting。\"Yes，MissBlack，\"heanswered，\"Iamoneofthestudents。\" Shedidnotseemtoquiteknowhowtoformulatehernextspeech。\"Er-Isupposeyou\'regoingtoAthensatonce\"Youmustbegladafteryourhorridexperiences。\" \"IbelievetheyaregoingtostartforAthenstoday，\"saidCoke。 Norawasallattention。\"\'They？\'\"sherepeated。 \"Aren\'tyougoingwiththem？\" \"Well，\"hesaid，\"**Well——\" Shesawofcoursethattherehadbeensomekindoftrouble。 Shelaughed。\"Youlookasifsomebodyhadkickedyoudownstairs，\"shesaid，candidly。Sheatonceassumedanintimatemannertowardhimwhichwaslikeatemporarymotherhood。\" Come，walkwithmeandtellmeallaboutit。\"Therewasinhertoneamostartisticsuggestionthatwhateverhadhappenedshewasonhisside。Hewasnotloath。Thestreetwasfullofsoldierswhosetonguesclatteredsoloudlythatthetwoforeignersmighthavebeenwanderinginagreatcaveofthewinds。\"Well，whatwastherowabout？\"askedNora。\"Andwhowasinit？\" ItwouldhavebeennosolacetoCoketopourouthistaleevenifithadbeenastorythathecouldhavetoldNora。 Hewasnotstoppedbythefactthathehadgottenhimselfinthequarrelbecausehehadinsultedthenameofthegirtathisside。Hedidnotthinkofitatthattime。Thewholethingwasnowextremelyvagueinoutlinetohimandheonlyhadadullfeelingofmiseryandloneliness。Hewantedhertocheerhim。 Noralaughedagain。\"Why，you\'rearegularlittlekid。Doyoumeantosayyou\'vecomeoutheresulkingalonebecauseofsomenurseryquarrel？\"Hewasruffledbyhermanner。Itdidnotcontainthecheeringherequired。\"Oh，Idon\'tknowthatI\'msucharegularlittlekid，\"hesaid，sullenly。\"Thequarrelwasnotanurseryquarrel。\" \"Whydon\'tyouchallengehimtoaduel？\"askedNora，suddenly。Shewaswatchinghimclosely。 \"Who？\"saidCoke。 \"Coleman，youstupid，\"answeredNora。 Theystaredateachother，Cokepayingherfirstthetributeofastonishmentandthenthetributeofadmiration。\"Why，howdidyouguessthat？\"hedemanded。 \"Oh，\"saidNora。，\"I\'veknownRufusColemanforyears，andheisalwaysrowingwithpeople。\" \"Thatisjustit，\"criedCokeeagerly。\"Thatisjustit。 Ifairlyhatetheman。Almostalloftheotherfellowswillstandhisabuse，butitrilesme，Itellyou。Ithinkheisabeast。And，ofcourse，ifyouseriouslymeantwhatyousaidaboutchallenginghimtoaduel——I meanifthereisanysenseinthatsortofthing-IwouldchallengeColeman。IswearIwould。Ithinkhe\'sagreatbluffer，anyhow。Shouldn\'twonderifhewouldbackout。 Really，Ishouldn\'t。 Norasmiledhumourouslyatahouseonhersideofthenarrowway。\"Iwouldn\'twonderifhedideither\"sheanswered。Afteratimeshesaid\"Well，doyoumeantosaythatyouhavedefinitelyshakenthem？Aren\'tyougoingbacktoAthenswiththemoranything？\" \"I-Idon\'tseehowIcan，\"hesaid，morosely。 \"Oh，\"shesaid。Shereflectedforatime。Atlastsheturnedtohimarchlyandasked:\"Somewordsoveralady？\" Cokelookedatherblankly。Hesuddenlyrememberedthehorriblefacts。\"No-no-notoveralady。\" \"Mydearboy，youarealiar，\"saidNora，freely。\"Youarealittleunskilfulliar。Itwassomewordsoveralady，andthelady\'snameisMarjoryWainwright。\" Cokefeltasthoughhehadsuddenlybeenletoutofacell，buthecontinuedamechanicaldenial。\"No，no**Itwasn\'ttruly**uponmyword**\" \"Nonsense，\"saidNora。\"Iknowbetter。Don\'tyouthinkyoucanfoolme，youlittlecub。Iknowyou\'reinlovewithMarjoryWainwright，andyouthinkColemanisyourrival。Whatablockheadyouare。Can\'tyouunderstandthatpeopleseethesethings？\" \"Well-\"stammeredCoke。 \"Nonsense，\"saidNoraagain。\"Don\'ttrytofoolme，youmayaswellunderstandthatit\'suseless。I amtoowise。\" \"Well-\"stammeredCoke。 \"Goahead，\"urgedNora。\"Tellmeaboutit。Haveitout。\" Hebeganwithgreatimportanceandsolemnity。\"Now，totellyouthetruth**thatiswhyIhatehim**Ihatehimlikeanything。**Ican\'tseewhyeverybodyadmireshimso。 Idon\'tseeanythingtohimmyself。Idon\'tbelievehe\'sgotanymoreprinciplethanawolf。Iwouldn\'ttrusthimwithtwodollars。Why，Iknowstoriesabouthimthatwouldmakeyourhaircurl。WhenIthinkofagirllikeMarjory——\" Hisspeechhadbecomeatorrent。ButhereNoraraisedherhand。\"Oh!Oh!Oh!Thatwilldo。Thatwilldo。 Don\'tloseyoursenses。Idon\'tseewhythisgirlMarjoryisanytoogood。Sheisnochicken，I\'llbet。Don\'tletyourselfgetfooledwiththatsortofthing。\" Cokewasunawareofhisincautiousexpressions。Heflounderedon。whileNoralookedathimasifshewantedtowringhisneck。\"No-she\'stoofineandtoogood-forhimoranybodylikehim-she\'stoofineandtoogood-\" \"Aw，rats，\"interruptedNora，furiously。\"Youmakemetired。\" Cokehadawooden-headedconvictionthathemustmakeNoraunderstandMarjory\'sinfinitesuperioritytoallothersofhersex，andsohepassedintoapariegyric，eachwordofwhichwasahotcoaltothegirladdressed。Nothingwouldstophim，apparently。Heevenmadethemoststupidrepetitions。Norafinallystampedherfootformidably。\"Willyoustop？ Willyoustop？\"shesaidthroughherclenchedteeth。 \"DoyouthinkIwanttolistentoyoureverlastingtwaddleabouther？Why，she\'s-she\'snobetterthanotherpeople，youignorantlittlemamma\'sboy。She\'snobetterthanotherpeople，youswab!\" Cokelookedatherwiththeeyesofafish。Hedidnotunderstand。\"Butsheisbetterthanotherpeople，\"hepersisted。 Noraseemedtodecidesuddenlythattherewouldbenoaccomplishmentinflyingdesperatelyagainstthisrock-walledconviction。\"Oh，well，\"shesaid，withmarvellousgoodnature，\"perhapsyouareright，numbskull。But，lookhere；doyouthinkshecaresforhim？\" Inhisheart，hisjealousheart，hebelievedthatMarjorylovedColeman，buthereiteratedeternallytohimselfthatitwasnottrue。Asforspeakingitto，another，thatwasoutofthequestion。\"No，\"hesaid，stoutly，\"shedoesn\'tcareasnapforhim。\"Ifhehadadmittedit，itwouldhaveseemedtohimthat。 hewassomehowadvancingColeman\'schances。 \"\'Oh，shedoesn\'t，eh？\"saidNoraenigmatically。 \"Shedoesn\'t？\"Hestudiedherfacewithanabrupt，miserablesuspicion，butherepeateddoggedly:\"No，shedoesn\'t。\" \"Ahem，\"repliedNora。\"Why，she\'ssethercapforhimallright。She\'safterhimforcertain。It\'sasplainasday。Can\'tyouseethat，stupidity？\" \"No，\"hesaidhoarsely。 \"Youareafool，\"saidNora。\"Itisn\'tColemanthat\'safterher。ItisshethatisafterColeman。\" Cokewasmulish。\"Nosuchthing。Coleman\'scrazyabouther。Everybodyhasknowniteversincehewasincollege。Youaskanyoftheotherfellows。\" Norawasnowveryserious，almostdoleful。Sheremainedstillforatime，castingatCokelittleglancesofhatred。\"Idon\'tseemywaycleartoaskanyoftheotherfellows，\"shesaidatlast，withconsiderablebitterness。\"I\'mnotinthehabitofconductingsuchenquiries。\" Cokefeltnowthathedislikedher，andhereadplainlyherdislikeofhim。Iftheywerethetwovillainsoftheplay，theywerenothavingfuntogetheratall。Eachhadsomekindofadeepknowledgethattheiraspirations，farfromcolliding，wereofsuchcharacterthatthesuccessofonewouldmeanatleastassistancetotheother，butneithercouldseehowtoconfessif。Pethaptitwasfromshame，perhapsitwasbecauseNorathoughtCoketohavelittlewit； perhapsitwasbecauseCokethoughtNoratohavelittleconscience。Theirtalkwasmainlyrudderless。 FromtimetotimeNorahadaninspirationtocomeboldlyatthepoint，butthisinspirationwascommonlydefeatedby，someextraordinarymanifestationofCoke\'sincapacity。Tohermind，then，itseemedlikeapropositiontoallyherselftoabutcher-boyinamatterpurelysentimental。SheWonderedindignantlyhowshewasgoingtoconspireWiththislad，whopuffedouthisinfantilecheeksinordertoconceitedlydemonstratethathedidnotunderstandthegameatall。ShehatedMarjoryforit。Evidentlyitwasonlytheweaklingswhofellinlovewiththatgirl。 Colemanwasanexception，butthen，Colemanwasmisled，byextraordinaryartifices。ShemeditatecfforamomentifsheshouldtellCoketogohomeandnotbotherher。Whatatlastdecidedthequestionwashisunhappiness。Shdclungtothisunhappinessforitsvalueasitstoodalone，andbecauseitsreasonforexistencewasrelatedtoherownunhappiness。\"YouSayyouarenotgoingbacktoAthenswithyourparty。 Idon\'tsupposeyou\'regoingtostayhere。I\'mgoingbacktoAthensto-day。Icameupheretoseeabattle，butitdoesn\'tseemthattherearetobeanymorebattles。，Thefightingwillnowallbeontheothersideof\'themountains。\"ApparentshehadlearnedinsomehaphazardwaythattheGreekpeninsulawasdividedbyaspineofalmostinaccessiblemountains，andthewarwasthussplitintotwosimultaneouscampaigns。TheArtacampaignwasknowntobeended。\"IfyouwanttogobacktoAthenswithoutconsortingwithyourfriends，youhadbettergobackwithme。Icantakeyouinmycarriageasfarasthebeginningoftherailroad。Don\'tyouworry。 You\'vegotmoneyenough，haven\'tyou？Thepro- fessorisn\'tkeepingyourmoney？\" \"Yes，\"hesaidslowly，\"I\'vegotmoneyenough。\" Hewasapparentlydubiousovertheproposal。 IntheirabstractedwalktheyhadarrivedinfrontofthehouseoccupiedbyColemanandtheWainwrightparty。Twocarriages，forlornindustyage，stoodbe- forethedoor。Menwerecarryingoutnewleatherluggageandflingingitintothetrapsamidagreatdealoftalkwhichseemedtorefertonothing。NoraandCokestoodlookingatthescenewithouteitherthinkingoftheimportanceofrunningaway，whenouttumbledsevenstudents，followedimmediatelybutinmoredecorousfashionbytheWainwrightsandColeman。 Somestudentsetupawhoop。\"Oh，thereheis。 There\'sCoke。Hey，Coke，whereyoubeen？Hereheis，professor。\" Foramomentafterthehoodlumhadsubsided，thetwocampsstaredateachotherinsilence。 CHAPTERXX。 NORAandCokewereanoddlookingpairatthetime。Theystoodindeedasifrootedtothespot，staringvacuously，liketwovillagers，atthesurprisingtravellers。Itwasnotaneternitybeforethepracticedgirlofthestagerecoveredherpoise，buttotheendoftheincidentthegreenyouthlookedlikeaculpritandafool。Mrs。Wainwright\'sglowerofoffensiveincredulitywasamasterpiece。Marjorynoddedpleasantly；theprofessornodded。Thesevenstudentsclamberedboisterouslyintotheforwardcarriagemakingitclangwithnoiselikearook\'snest。TheyshoutedtoCoke。\"Comeon；allaboard；comeon，Coke；-we\'reoff。Hey，there，Cokey，hurryup。\" Theprofessor，assoonashehadseatedhimselfontheforwardseatof\'thesecondcarriage，turnedinCoke\'sgeneraldirectionandaskedformally:\"Mr。 Coke，youarecomingwithus？\"Hefeltseeminglymuchindoubtastotheproprietyofabandoningtheheadstrongyoungman，andthisdoubtwasnotatalldecreasedbyCoke\'sappearancewithNoraBlack。Asfarashecouldtell，anyassertionofauthorityonhispartwouldendonlyinasceneinwhichCokewouldprobablyinsulthimwithsomegrossviolationofcollegiateconduct。Asatfirsttheyoungmanmadenoreply，theprofessorafterwaitingspokeagain。 \"Youunderstand，Mr。Coke，thatifyouseparateyourselffromthepartyyouencountermystrongestdisapproval，andifIdidnotfeelresponsibletothecollegeandyourfatherforyoursafejourneytoNewYorkI-Idon\'tknowbutwhatIwouldhaveyouex- pelledbycableifthatwerepossible。\" AlthoughCokehadbeensilent，andNoraBlackhadhadtheappearanceofbeingsilent，inrealityshehadloweredherchinandwhisperedsidewaysandswiftly。 Shehadsaid:\"Now，here\'syourtime。Decidequickly，anddon\'tlooksuchawoodenIndian。\" Cokepulledhimselftogetherwithavisibleeffort，andspoketotheprofessorfromaninspirationinwhichhehadnofaith。\"Iunderstandmydutiestoyou，sir，perfectly。Ialsounderstandmydutytothecollege。ButIfailtoseewhereeitheroftheseobligationsrequiremetoaccepttheintroductionofobjectionablepeopleintotheparty。IfIoweadutytothecollegeandtoyou，Idon\'toweanytoColeman，and，asIunderstandit，Colemanwasnotintheoriginalplanofthisexpedition。Ifsuchhadbeenthecase，Iwouldnothavebeenhere。Ican\'ttellwhatthecollegemayseefittodo，butasformyfatherI Ihavenodoubtofhowhewillviewit。\" ThefirstonetobeelectrifiedbythespeechwasCokehimself。Hesawwithakindofsub-consciousamazementthisvolleyofbird-shottakeeffectuponthefaceoftheoldprofessor。ThefaceofMarjoryflushedcrimsonasifhermindhadsprungtoafearthatifCokecoulddevelopabilityinthissingularfashionhemightsucceedinhumiliatingherfatherinthestreetinthepresenceofthesevenstudents，hermother，Colemanand-herself。Shehadfeltthebird- shotstingherfather。 WhenCokehadlaunchedforth，Colemanwithhislegsstretchedfaraparthadjuststruckamatchonthewallofthehouseandwasabouttolightacigar。 Hisgroomwasleadinguphishorse。HesawthevalueofCoke\'sargumentmoreappreciativelyandsoonerperhapsthandidCoke。Thematchdroppedfromhisfingers，andinthewhitesunshineandstillairitburntonthepavementorangecolouredandwithlangour。Colemanheldhiscigarwithallfivefingers-inamanneroutofallthelawsofsmoking。 HeturnedtowardCoke。Therewasdangerinthemoment，buttheninaflashitcameuponhimthathisrolewasnotofsquabblingwithCoke，farlessofpunchinghim。Onthecontrary，hewastoactthepartofacoolandinstructedmanwhorefusedtobewaylaidintofoolishnessbytheoutcriesofthispoutingyoungsterandwhoplacedhimselfincompletedeferencetothewishesoftheprofessor。BeforetheprofessorhadtimetoembarkuponanyreplytoCoke，Colemanwasatthesideofthecarriageand，withafineassumptionofdistress，wassaying:\"Professor，IcouldveryeasilyridebacktoAgrinionalone。Itwouldbeallright。Idon\'twantto-\" Tohissurprisetheprofessorwavedathimtobesilentasifhewereamerechild。Theoldman\'sfacewassetwiththeresolutionofexactlywhathewasgoingtosaytoCoke。Hebeganinmeasuredtone，speakingwithfeeling，butwithnotraceofanger。 \"Mr。Coke，ithasprobablyescapedyourattentionthatMr。Coleman，atwhatIconsideragreatdealofperiltohimself，cameouttorescuethisparty-youandothers-andalthoughhestudiouslydisclaimsallmeritinhisfindingusandbringingusin，Idonotregarditinthatway，andIamsurprisedthatanymemberofthispartyshouldconducthimselfinthismannertowardamanwhohasbeenmostdevotedlyandgenerouslyatourservice。\"ItwasatthistimethattheprofessorraisedhimselfandshookhisfingeratCoke，hisvoicenowringingwithscorn。Insuchmomentswordscametohimandformedthemselvesintosentencesalmosttoorapidlyforhimtospeakthem。\"YouareoneofthemostremarkableproductsofourcivilisationwhichIhaveyetcomeupon。Whatdoyoumean，sir？Whereareyoursenses？Doyouthinkthatallthispullingandpuckingismanhood？IwilltellyouwhatIwilldowithyou。IthoughtIbroughtouteightstudentstoGreece，butwhenIfindthatIbroughtout，sevenstudentsand——er——an——ourang-outang——don\'tgetangry，sir——Idon\'tcareforyouranger——IsaywhenI discoverthisIamnaturallypuzzledforamoment。I willleaveyoutothejudgmentofyourpeers。Younggentlemen!\" Ofthesevenheadsoftheforwardcarriagenonehadtobeturned。Allhadbeenturnedsincethebeginningofthetalk。Iftheprofessor\'sspeechhadbeendeliveredinoneoftheclass-roomsofWashursttheywouldhaveglowedwithdelightoverthebutcheryofCoke，buttheyfeltitsportentousaspect。 ButcheryhereinGreecethousandsofmilesfromhomepresentedtothemmoreoftheemphasisofdownrightdeathanddestruction。Theprofessorcalledout\"Younggentlemen，IhavedoneallthatI candowithoutusingforce，which，muchtomyregret，isimpracticable。IfyouwillpersuadeyourfellowstudenttoaccompanyyouIthinkourconscienceswillbethebetterfornothavingleftaweakmindedbrotheraloneamongtheby-paths。\" Thevaluableaggregationofintelligenceandrefine- mentwhichdecoratedtheinteriorofthefirstcarriagedidnothesitateoveransweringthisappeal。Infact，hisfellowstudentshadworriedamongthemselvesoverCoke，andtheirdesiretoseehimcomeoutofhistroublesinfairconditionwasintensifiedbythefactthattheyhadlatelyconcentratedmuchthoughtuponhim。TherewasasomewhatcomicpretenseofspeakingsothatonlyCokecouldhear。Theirchoruswaslawsung。\"Oh，cheeseit，Coke。Letuponyour-self，youblindass。WaittillyougettoAthensandthengoandactlikeamonkey。Allthisisnogood-\" Theadvicewhichcamefromthecarriagewasallinonedirection，andtherewassomuchofitthatthehumofvoicessoundedlikeawindblowingthroughaforest。 CokespunsuddenlyandsaidsomethingtoNoraBlack。Noralaughedratherloudly，andthenthetwoturnedsquarelyandtheWainwrightpartycontemplatedwhatweresurelyatthattimethetwomostinsolentbacksintheworld。 Theprofessorlookedasifhemightbegoingtohaveafit。Mrs。Wainwrightliftedhereyestowardheaven，andflingingouthertremblinghands，cried: \"Oh，whatanoutrage。Whatanoutrage!Thatminx-\"TheconcensusofopinioninthefirstcarriagewasperfectlyexpressedbyPeterTounley，whowithadeepdrawnbreath，said:\"Well，I\'mdamned!\" Marjoryhadmoanedandloweredherheadasfromasenseofcompletepersonalshame。Colemanlithiscigarandmountedhishorse。\"Well，Isupposethereisnothingforitbuttobeoff，professor？\"Histonewasfullofregret，withsortofpoeticregret。Foramomenttheprofessorlookedathimblankly，andthengraduallyrecoveredpartofhisusualmanner。\"Yes，\" hesaidsadly，\"thereisnothingforitbuttogoon。\" Atawordfromthedragoman，thetwoimpatientdriversspokegutturallytotheirhorsesandthecar- riageswhirledoutofArta。Coleman，hisdragomanandthegroomtrottedinthedustfromthewheelsoftheWainwrightcarriage。Thecorrespondentalwaysfoundhisreflectivefacultiesimprovedbytheconstantpoundingofahorseonthetrot，andhewasnotsorrytohavenowaperiodforreflection，aswellasthisartificialstimulant。Asheviewedthegamehehadinhishandaboutallthecardsthatwerevaluable。Infact，heconsideredthattheonlyaceagainsthimwasMrs。 Wainwright。Hehadalwaysregardedherasastupidperson，concealingherselfbehindamassoftrivialitieswhichwereallconventional，buthethoughtnowthatthemorestupidshewasandthemoreconventionalinhertrivialitythemoresheapproachedtobeingtheveryaceoftrumpsitself。Shewasjustthesortofacardthatwouldcomeuponthetablemidtheneatplayofexpertsandbysomeinexplicablearrangementofcircumstance，loseawholegameforthewrongman。 AfterMrs。Wainwrightheworriedoverthestudents。 Hebelievedthemtobereasonableenough； infact，hehonouredthemdistinctlyinregardtotheirpowersofreason，butheknewthatpeoplegenerallyhatedarow。It，putthemofftheirbalance，madethemsweatoveralotofprosandcons，andpreventedthemfromthinkingforatimeatleastonlyofthemselves。 Thentheycametoresenttheprincipalsinarow。Ofcoursetheprincipal，whowasthoughttobeinthewrong，wasthemostrescnted，butColemanbe- lievedthat，afterall，peoplealwayscametoresenttheotherprincipal，oratleastbeimpatientandsuspiciousofhim。Ifhewasacorrectperson，whywasheinarowatall？Theprincipalwhohadbeenintherightoftenbroughtthisimpatienceandsuspicionuponhimself，nodoubt，byneverlettingthematterend，continuingtoyawpabouthisvirtuoussuffering，andnotallowingpeopletoreturntothesteadycontemplationoftheirownaffairs。Asaprecautionarymeasurehedecidedtosaynothingatallaboutthelatetrouble，unlesssomeoneaddressedhimuponit。 Eventhenhewouldbeserenelylaconic。Hefeltthathemustbepopularwiththesevenstudents。Inthefirstplace，itwasnicethatinthepresenceofMarjorytheyshouldlikehim，andinthesecondplacehefearedtodispleasethemasabodybecausehebelievedthathehadsomedignity。Hoodlumsareseldomdangeroustootherhoodlums，butiftheycatchpomposityaloneinthefield，pomposityistheirprey。 Theytearhimtomerebloodyribbons，amidheartlessshrieks。WhenColemanputhimselfonthesamebasiswiththestudents，hecouldcopewiththemeasily，buthedidnotwantthewildpackafterhimwhenMarjorycouldseethechase。Andsoberea- sonedthathisbestattitudewastobeoneofrathertaciturnserenity。 Onthehardmilitaryroadthehoofsofthehorsesmadesuchclatterthatitwaspracticallyimpossibletoholdtalkbetweenthecarriagesandthehorsemenwithoutallpartiesbellowing。Theprofessor，how- ever，strovetoovercomethedifficulties。HewasapparentlyundergoingagreatamiabilitytowardColeman。Frequentlyheturnedwithabrightface，andpointingtosomeobjectinthelandscape，obviouslytriedtoconveysomethingentertainingtoColeman\'smind。Colemancouldseehislipsmouththewords。 Healwaysnoddedcheerilyinanswerandyelled。 Theroadultimatelybecamethatstraightlance-handlewhichColeman-itseemedasifmanyyearshadpassed-hadtraversedwithhisdragomanandthefunnylittlecarriers。HewasfixinginhismindapossiblestorytotheWainwrightsaboutthesnakeandhisfirstdeadTurk。ButsuddenlythecarriagesleftthisroadandbeganacircuitoftheGulfofArta，windingaboutanendlessseriesofpromontories。Thejourneydevelopedintoanexcessofdustwhirlingfromaroad，whichhalfcircledthewaistofcapeaftercape。 Alldramaticswerelostintherumbleofwheelsandintheclickofhoofs。Theypassedalittlesoldierleadingaprisonerbyastring。Theypassedmorefrightenedpeasants，whoseemedresolvedtofleedownintotheverybootsofGreece。Andpeoplelookedatthemwithscowls，envyingthemtheirspeed。AtthelittletownfromwhichColemanembarkedatonestageoftheupwardjourney，theyfoundcrowdsinthestreets。Therewasnolongeranylaughter，anyconfidence，anyvim。AllthespiritofthevisibleGreeknationseemedtohavebeenknockedoutofitintwoblows。Butstilltheytalkedandneverceasedtalking。 Colemannoticedthatthemostcuriouschangeshadcomeuponthemsincehisjourneytothefrontier。 Theynolongerapprovedofforeigners。Theyseemedtoblamethetravellersforsomethingwhichhadtranspiredinthepastfewdays。Itwasnotthattheyreallyblamedthetravellersforthenation\'scalamity: Itwassimplythattheirmindswerehalfstunnedbythenewsofdefeats，and，notthinkingforamomenttoblamethemselves，orevennotthinkingtoattributethedefeatstomerenumbersandskill，theyweresavagelyeagertofastenituponsomethingnearenoughathandfortheoperationofvengeance。