第11章

\"No，sheisnot，\"answeredtheprofessor，\"andI donotknowasIshallgomyself。\" \"Butyoumustgo。Thinkhowitwouldlook! Allthestudentsdowntherediningwithoutus，andcuttingupcapers!Youmustcome。\" \"Yes，\"hesaid，dubiously，\"butwhowilllookafterMarjory？\" \"Shewantstobeleftalone，\"announcedMrs。 Wainwright，asifshewastheparticularheraldofthisnews。\"Shewantstobeleftalone。\" \"Well，Isupposewemayaswellgodown。\" Beforetheywent，theprofessortiptoedintohisdaughter\'sroom。Inthedarknesshecouldonlyseeherwaxenfaceonthepillow，andhertwoeyesgazingfixedlyattheceiling。Hedidnotspeak，butimmedi。 atelywithdrew，closingthedoornoiselesslybehindhim。 I CHAPTERXXVI。 IFtheprofessorandMrs。Wainwrighthaddescendedsoonertoalowerfloorofthehotel，theywouldhavefoundreigningthereaformofanarchy。 Thestudentswereinasmokingroomwhichwasalsoanentrancehalltothediningroom，andbecausetherewasinthemiddleofthisapartmentafountaincontaininggoldfish，theyhadbeenmovedtolicenseandsin。Theyhadallbeentubbedandpolishedandbrushedanddresseduntiltheywereexuberantlybeyondthemselves。Theproprietorofthehotelbroughtinhisdignityandshowedittothem，buttheymindeditnomorethanifhehadbeenonlyacommonman。 Hedrewhimselftohisheightandlookedgravelyatthemandtheyjoviallysaid:\"Hello，Whiskers。\" Americancollegestudentsarenotoriousintheircountryfortheirinclinationtoscoffatrobedandcrownedauthority，and，farfrombeingawedbythedignityofthehotel-keeper，theyweredelightedwithit。Itwassomethingwithwhichtosport。Withimmeasurableimpudence，theycopiedhisattitude，and，standingbeforehim，madecomicspeeches，alwaysalludingwithblindingvividnesstohisbeard。Hisexitdisappointedthem。Hehadnotremainedlongunderfire。Theyfeltthattheycouldhaveinterestedthemselveswithhimanentireevening。\"Comeback，Whiskers!Oh，comeback!\"Outinthemainhallhemadeages。 tureofdespairtosomeofhisgapingminionsandthenfledtoseclusion。 AformidablemajoritythendecidedthatCokewasagoldfish，andthatthereforehisproperplacewasinthefountain。Theycarriedhimtoitwhilehestrug。 gledmadly。Thisquietroomwithitscrimsonrugsandgildedmirrorsseemedsuddenlytohavebecomeanimportantapartmentinhell。Therebeingasyetnotrafficinthediningroom，thewaiterswereallatlibertytocometotheopendoors，wheretheystoodasmenturnedtostone。Tothem，itwasnolessthanincendiarism。 Coke，standingwithonefootonthefloorandtheotheronthebottomoftheshallowfountain，blas- phemedhiscomradesinalowtone，butwithinten- tion。Hewascertainlydesirousofliftinghisfootoutofthewater，butitseemedthatallmovementtothatendwouldhavetowaituntilhehadsuccessfullyex- pressedhisopinions。Inthemeantime，therewasheardslowfootstepsandtherustleofskirts，andthensomepeopleenteredthesmokingroomontheirwaytodine。Coketookhisfoothastilyoutofthefountain。 Thefacesofthemenofthearrivingpartywentblank，andtheyturnedtheircoldandpebblyeyesstraighttothefront，whiletheladies，afterlittleex。 pressionsofalarm，lookedAsiftheywantedtorun。 Infact，thewholecrowdratherboltedfromthisex- traordinaryscene。 \"There，now，\"saidCokebitterlytohiscompanions。 \"Yousee？Welookedlikelittleschoolboys-\" \"Oh，nevermind，oldman，\"saidPeterTounley。 \"We\'llforgiveyou，althoughyoudidembarrassus。 But，aboveeverything，don\'tdrip。Whateveryoudo，don\'tdrip。\" Thestudentstookthisquestionofdrippingandplayeduponituntiltheywouldhavemadequiteinsaneanybodybutanotherstudent。Theyworkeditintoallmannerofforms，andhackedandhaggledatCokeuntilhewasdriventohisroomtoseekotherapparel。\"Besureandchangebothlegs，\"theytoldhim。\"Rememberyoucan\'tchangeonelegwithoutchangingbothlegs。\" AfterCoke\'sdeparture，theUnitedStatesministerenteredtheroom，andinstantlytheyweresubdued。 Itwasnothisloftystation-thataffectedthem。Thereareprobablyfewstationsthatwouldhaveatallaf- fectedthem。Theybecamesubduedbecausetheyun- feignedlylikedtheUnitedStatesminister。They，weresuddenlyagroupofwell-bred，correctlyattiredyoungmenwhohadnotputCoke\'sfootinthefountain。 Norhadtheydesecratedthemajestyofthehotelkeeper。 \"Well，Iamdelighted，\"saidtheminister，laughingasheshookhandswiththemall。\"IwasnotsureI wouldeverseeyouagain。Youarenottobetrusted，and，goodboysasyouare，I\'llbegladtoseeyouonceandforeverovertheboundaryofmyjurisdiction。 LeaveGreece，youvagabonds。However，Iamtrulydelightedtoseeyouallsafe。\" \"Thankyou，sir，\"theysaid。 \"Howintheworlddidyougetoutofit？Youmustberemarkablechaps。Ithoughtyouwereinahopelessposition。IwiredandcabledeverywhereI could，butIcouldfindoutnothing。\" \"Acorrespondent，\"saidPeterTounley。\"Idon\'tknowifyouhavemethim。HisnameisColeman。 Hefoundus。\" \"Coleman？\"askedtheminister，quickly。 \"Yes，sir。Hefoundusandbroughtusoutsafely。\" \"Well，glorybetoColeman，\"exclaimedthemin- ister，afteralongsighofsurprise。\"GlorybetoCole- man!Ineverthoughthecoulddoit。\" Thestudentswerealertimmediately。\"Why，didyouknowaboutit，sir？Didhetellyouhewascomingafterus？\" \"Ofcourse。HecametomehereinAthens。andaskedwhereyouwere。Itoldhimyouwereinapeckoftrouble。Heactedquietlyandsomewhatqueerly，。andsaidthathewouldtrytolookyouup。 Hesaidyouwerefriendsofhis。Iwarnedhimagainsttryingit。Yes，Isaiditwasimpossible，I hadnoideathathewouldreallycarrythethingout。 Butdidn\'thetellyouanythingaboutthishimself？\" \"No，sir\'\"answeredPeterTounley。\"Heneversaidmuchaboutit。Ithinkheusuallycontendedthatitwasmainlyanaccident。\" \"Itwasnoaccident，\"saidtheminister，sharply。 \"Whenamanstartsouttodoathinganddoesit，youcan\'tsayitisanaccident。\" \"Ididn\'tsayso，sir，\"saidPeterTounleydiffidently。 \"Quitetrue，quitetrue!Youdidn\'t，but-thisColemanmustbeaman!\" \"Wethinkso，sir，\"saidbewhowascalledBillie。 \"Hecertainlybroughtusthroughinstyle。\" \"Buthowdidhemanageit？\"criedtheminister，keenlyinterested。\"Howdidhedoit？\" \"Itishardtosay，sir。Buthedidit。HemetusinthedeadofnightoutnearNikopolis-\" \"NearNikopolis？\" \"Yes，sir。Andhehidusinaforestwhileafightwasgoingon，andtheninthemorninghebroughtusinsidetheGreeklines。Oh，thereisalottotell-\" Whereupontheytoldit，orasmuchastheycouldofit。Intheend，theministersaid:\"Well，wherearetheprofessorandMrs。Wainwright？Iwantyoualltodinewithmeto-night。Iamdininginthepublicroom，butyouwon\'tmindthatafterEpirus。\" \"Theyshouldbedownnow，sir，\"answeredaStudent。 PeoplewerenowcomingrapidlytodinnerandpresentlytheprofessorandMrs。Wainwrightappeared。 Theoldmanlookedhaggardandwhite。Heacceptedtheminister\'swarmgreetingwithastrainedpatheticsmile。\"Thankyou。Wearegladtoreturnsafely。\" OnceatdinnertheministerlaunchedimmediatelyintothesubjectofColeman。\"Hemustbealtogetheramostremarkableman。Whenhetoldme，veryquietly，thathewasgoingtotrytorescueyou，I franklywarnedhimagainstanysuchattempt。I thoughthewouldmerelyaddonemoretoapartyofsufferingpeople。Butthe。boystell-methathedidactuallyrescueyou。\" \"Yes，hedid，\"saidtheprofessor。\"Itwasaverygallantperformance，andweareverygrateful。\" \"Ofcourse，\"spokeMrs。Wainwright，\"wemighthaverescuedourselves。Wewereontherightroad，andallwehadtodowastokeepgoingon。\" \"Yes，butIunderstand-\"saidtheminister。\"I understandhetookyouintoawoodtoprotectyoufromthatfight，andgenerallyprotectedyoufromall，kindsoftrouble。Itseemswonderfultome，notsomuchbecauseitwasdoneasbecauseitwasdonebythemanwho，sometimeago，calmyannouncedtomethathewasgoingtodoit。Extraordinary。\" \"Ofcourse，\"saidMrs。Wainwright。\"Oh，ofcourse。\" \"Andwhereishenow？\"askedtheministersuddenly。 \"Hashenowleftyoutothemerciesofcivilisation？\" Therewasamoment\'scuriousstillness，andthenMrs。Wainwrightusedthathighvoicewhich-thestudentsbelieved-couldonlycometoherwhenshewasabouttosaysomethingpeculiarlydestructivetothesensibilities。\"Oh，ofcourse，Mr。Colemanrenderedusagreatservice，butinhisprivatecharacterheisnotamanwhomweexactlycaretoassociatewith。\" \"Indeed\"saidtheministerstaring。Thenhehastilyaddressedthestudents。\"Well，isn\'tthisacomicwar？Didyoueverimaginewarcouldbelikethis？\"Theprofessorremainedlookingathiswifewithanairofstupefaction，asifshehadopeneduptohimvisionsofimbecilityofwhichhehadnotevendreamed。Thestudentsloyallybegantochatterattheminister。\"Yes，sir，itisaqueerwar。Afteralltheirbragging，itisfunnytohearthattheyarerunningawaywithsuchagility。Wethought，ofcourse，oftheoldGreekwars。\" Later，theministeraskedthemalltohisroomsforcoffeeandcigarettes，buttheprofessorandMrs。 Wainwrightapologeticallyretiredtotheirownquarters。 Theministerandthestudentsmadecloudsofsmoke，throughwhichsangtheeloquentdescriptionsoflateadventures。 TheministerhadspentdaysoflisteningtoquestionsfromtheStateDepartmentatWashingtonastothewhereaboutsoftheWainwrightparty。\"Isupposeyouknowthatyou，areveryprominentpeoplein，theUnitedStatesjustnow？Yourpicturesmusthavebeeninallthepapers，andtheremusthavebeencolumnsprintedaboutyou。Mylifeherewasmadealmostinsupportablebyyourfriends，whoconsist，I shouldthink，ofabouthalfthepopulationofthecountry。Ofcoursetheylaidregularsiegetothede。 partment。IamangryatColemanforonlyonething。 Whenhecabledthenewsofyourrescuetohisnews。 paperfromArta，heshouldhavealsowiredme，ifonlytorelievemyfailingmind。MyfirstnewsofyourescapewasfromWashington-thinkofthat。\" \"ColemanhadusallonhishandsatArta，\"saidPeterTounley。\"Hewasafairlybusyman。\" \"Isupposeso，\"saidtheminister。\"Bytheway，\" heaskedbluntly，\"whatiswrongwithhim？WhatdidMrs。Wainwrightmean？\" Theyweresilentforatime，butitseemedplaintohimthatitwasnotevidencethathisquestionhaddemoralisedthem。Theyseemedtobedeliberatingupontheformofanswer。UltimatelyPeterTounleycoughedbehindhishand。\"Yousee，sir，\"hebegan，\"thereis-well，thereisawomaninthecase。Notthatanybodywouldcaretospeakofitexceptingtoyou。Butthatiswhatisthecauseofthings，andthen，yousee，Mrs。Wainwrightis-well-\"Hehesitatedamomentandthencompletedhissentenceintheingenuousprofanityofhisageandcondition。\"Sheisratheranextraordinaryoldbird。\" \"Butwhoisthewoman？ \"Why，itisNoraBlaick，theactress。\" \"Oh，\"criedtheminister，enlightened。\"HerWhy，Isawherhere。Shewasverybeautiful，butsheseemedharmlessenough。Shewassomewhat-er- confident，perhaps，butshedidnotalarmme。Shecalleduponme，andIconfessI-why，sheseemedcharming。\" \"She\'ssweetonlittleRufus。That\'sthepoint，\" saidanoracularvoice。 \"Oh，\"criedthehost，suddenly。\"Iremember。Sheaskedmewherehewas。ShesaidshehadheardhewasinGreece，andItoldherhehadgoneknight- errantingoffafteryoupeople。Iremembernow。I supposeshepostedafterhimuptoArta，eh？\" \"That\'sit。Andsosheaskedyouwherehewas？ \"Yes。\" \"Why，thatoldflamingo-Mrs。Wainwrightinsiststhatitwasarendezvous。\" Everyoneexchangedglancesandlaughedalittle。 \"Anddidyouseeanyactualfighting？\"askedtheminister。 \"No。Weonlybeardit-\" Afterward，astheyweretroopinguptotheirrooms，PeterTounleyspokemusingly。\"Well，itlookstomenowasifOldMotherWainwrightwasjustabad-mindedoldhen。\" \"Oh，Idon\'tknow。Howisonegoingtotellwhatthetruthis？\" \"Atanyrate，wearesurenowthatColemanhadnothingtodowithNora\'sdebutinEpirus。\" TheyhadtalkedmuchofColeman，butintheirtonestherealwayshadbeenanoteofindifferenceorcarelessness。Thismatter，whichtosomepeoplewasasvitalandfundamentalasexistence，remainedtootherswhoknewofitonlyaharmlessdetailoflife，withnoterriblepowers，anditssignificancehadfadedgreatlywhenhadendedthecloseassociat。ionsofthelateadventure。 Afterdinnertheprofessorhadgonedirectlytohisdaughter\'sroom。Apparentlyshehadnotmoved。 Hekneltbythebedsideagainandtookoneofherhands。Shewasnotweeping。Shelookedathimandsmiledthroughthedarkness。\"Daddy，Iwouldliketodie，\"shesaid。\"Ithink-yes-Iwouldliketodie。\" Foralongtimetheoldmanwassilent，buthearoseatlastwithadefiniteabruptnessandsaidhoarsely\"Wait!\" Mrs。Wainwrightwasstandingbeforehermirrorwithherelbowsthrustoutatanglesaboveherhead，whileherfingersmovedinadisarrangementof\'herhair。IntheglassshesawareflectionofherhusbandcomingfromMarjory\'sroom，andhisfacewassetwithsomekindofalarmingpurpose。Sheturnedtowatchhimactually，buthewalkedtowardthedoorintothecorridoranddidnotinanywiseheedher。 \"Harrison!\"shecalled。\"Whereareyougoing？\" Heturnedatroubledfaceuponher，and，asifshehadhailedhiminhissleep，hevacantlysaid: \"What？\" \"Whereareyougoing？\"shedemandedwithincreasingtrepidation。 Hedroppedheavilyintoachair。\"Going？\"herepeated。 Shewasangry。\"Yes!Going？Whereareyougoing？\" \"Iamgoing-\"heanswered，\"IamgoingtoseeRufusColeman。\" Mrs。Wainwrightgavevoicetoamuffledscream。 \"NotaboutMarjory？\" \"Yes，\"hesaid，\"aboutMarjory。\" ItwasnowMrs。Wainwright\'sturntolookatherhusbandwithanairofstupefactionasifhehadopeneduptohervisionsofimbecilityofwhichshehadnotevendreamed。\"AboutMarjory!\"shegurgled。Thensuddenlyherwrathflamedout。 \"Well，uponmyword，HarrisonWainwright，youare，ofallmenintheworld，themostsillyandstupid。 Youareabsolutelybeyondbelief。Ofallprojects! AndwhatdoyouthinkMarjorywouldhavetosayofitifsheknewit？Isupposeyouthinkshewouldlikeit？Why，Itellyoushewouldkeepherrighthandinthefireuntilitwasburnedoffbeforeshewouldallowyoutodosuchathing。\" \"Shemustneverknowit，\"respondedtheprofessor，indullmisery。 \"Thenthinkofyourself!Thinkoftheshameofit!Theshameofit!\" Theprofessorraisedhiseyesforanironicalglanceathiswife。\"OhIhavethoughtoftheshameofit!\" \"Andyou\'llaccomplishnothing，\"criedMrs。Wain- wright。\"You\'llaccomplishnothing。He\'llonlylaughatyou。\" \"Ifhelaughsatme，hewilllaughatnothingbutapoor，weak，unworldlyoldman。Itismydutytogo。\" Mrs。Wainwrightopenedhermouthasifshewasabouttoshriek。Afterchokingamomentshesaid: \"Yourduty？Yourdutytogoandbendthekneetothatman？Yourduty？\" \"\'Itismydutytogo，\"\'herepeatedhumbly。\"IfIcanfindevenonechanceformydaughter\'shappi- nessinapersonalsacrifice。Hecandonomorethanhecandonomorethanmakemealittlesadder。\" Hiswifeevidentlyunderstoodhishumilityasatributetoherargumentsandaclearindicationthatshehadfatallyunderminedhisoriginalintention。 \"Oh，hewouldhavemadeyousadder，\"shequothgrimly。\"Nofear!Why，itwasthemostinsaneideaIeverheardof。\" Theprofessorarosewearily。\"Well，Imustbegoingtothiswork。Itisathingtohaveendedquickly。\"Therewassomethingalmostbiblicalinhismanner。 \"Harrison!\"burstouthiswifeinamazedlamenta- tion。Youarenotreallygoingtodoit？Notreally!\" \"Iamgoingtodoit，\"heanswered。 \"Well，there!\"ejaculatedMrs。Wainwrighttotheheavens。Shewas，sotospeak，prostrate。\"Well，there!\" Astheprofessorpassedoutofthedoorshecriedbeseechinglybutfutilelyafterhim。\"Harrison。\"Inamechanicalwaysheturnedthenbacktothemirrorandresumedthedisarrangementofherhair。Shead- dressedherimage。\"Well，ofallstupidcreaturesunderthesun，menaretheveryworst!\"Andherimagesaidthistoherevenassheinformedit，andafterwardtheystaredateachotherinaprofoundandtragicreceptionandacceptanceofthisgreattruth。 PresentlyshebegantoconsidertheadvisabilityofgoingtoMarjdrywiththewholestory。Really，HarrisonmustnotbeallowedtogoonblunderinguntilthewholeworldheardthatMarjorywastryingtobreakherheartoverthatcommonscampofaColeman。 Itseemedtobeabouttimeforher，Mrs。Wainwright，tocomeintothesituationandmendmatters。 CHAPTERXXVIL WHENtheprofessorarrivedbeforeColeman\'sdoor，hepausedamomentandlookedatit。Previously，hecouldnothaveimaginedthatasimpledoorwouldeversoaffecthim。Everylineofitseemedtoexpresscoldsuperiorityanddisdain。Itwasonlythedoorofaformerstudent，oneofhisoldboys，whom，astheneedarrived，hehadwhippedwithhissatireintheclassroomsatWashurstuntilthementalbloodhadcome，andallwithoutaconceptionofhisultimatelyarrivingbeforethedoorofthisboyintheattitudeofasupplicant。Hewouldnotsayit；Colemanprobablywouldnotsayit；but-theywouldbothknowit。A singlethoughtofit，madehimfeellikerunningaway。 Hewouldneverdaretoknockonthatdoor。Itwouldbetoomonstrous。Andevenashedecidedthathewasafraidtoknock，heknocked。 Coleman\'svoicesaid；\"Comein。\"Theprofessoropenedthedoor。Thecorrespondent，withoutacoat，wasseatedatapaper-litteredtable。Nearhiselbow，uponanothertable，wasatrayfromwhichhehadevidentlydinedandalsoabrandybottlewithseveralrecumbentbottlesofsoda。Althoughhehadsolatelyarrivedatthehotelhehadcontrivedtodiffusehistrapsovertheroominanorganiseddisarraywhichrepresentedalongandcarelessoccupationifitdidnotrepresentt\'lesceneofascuffle。Hispipewasinhismouth。 Afterafirstmurmurofsurprise，hearoseandreachedinsomehasteforhiscoat。\"Comein，professor，comein，\"hecried，wrigglingdeeperintohisjacketasheheldouthishand。Hehadlaidasidehispipeandhadalsobeenverysuccessfulinflinginganewspapersothatithidthebrandyandsoda。Thisactwasafeatofdeferencetotheprofessor\'swellknownprinciples。 \"Won\'tyousitdown，sir？\"saidColemancordially。 Hisquickglanceofsurprisehadbeenimmediatelysuppressedandhismannerwasnowasifthepro- fessor\'scallwasacommonmatter。 \"Thankyou，Mr。Coleman，I-yes，Iwillsitdown，\"。 repliedtheoldman。Hishandshookashelaiditonthebackofthechairandsteadiedhimselfdownintoit。\"Thankyou!\"- Colemanlookedathimwithagreatdealofex- pectation。 \"Mr。Coleman!\" \"Yes，sir。\" \"I——\" Hehaltedthenandpassedhishandoverhisface。 HiseyesdidnotseemtorestonceuponColeman，buttheyoccupiedthemselvesinfurtiveandfrightenedglancesovertheroom。Colemancouldmakeneitherheadnortailoftheaffair。Hewouldnothavebelievedanyman\'sstatementthattheprofessorcouldactinsuchanextraordinaryfashion。\"Yes，sir，\"hesaidagainsuggestively。Thesimplestrategyresultedinasilencethatwasactuallyawkward。Coleman，despitehisbewilderment，hastenedintoapreservinggossip。\"I\'vehadagreatmanycableswaitingformeforheavenknows-howlongandothershavebeenarrivinginflocksto-night。YouhavenoideaoftherowinAmerica，professor。Why，everybodymusthavegonewildoverthelostsheep。Mypaperhascabledsomethingsthatareevidentlyforyou。Forinstance，hereisonethatsaysanewpuzzle-gamecalledFindtheWainwrightPartyhashadabigsuccess。 Thinkofthat，wouldyou。\"Colemangrinnedattheprofessor。\"FindtheWainwrightParty，anewpuzzle-game。\" TheprofessorhadseemedgratefulforColeman\'stangentoffintomattersofalightvein。\"Yes？\"hesaid，almosteagerly。\"Aretheysellingagamereallycalledthat？\" \"Yes，really，\"repliedColeman。\"Andofcourseyouknowthat-er-well，alltheSundaypaperswouldofcoursehavebigillustratedarticles-fullpages- withyourphotographsandgeneralprivatehistoriespertainingmostlytothingswhicharenoneoftheirbusiness。\" \"Yes，Isupposetheywoulddothat，\"admittedtheprofessor。\"ButIdaresayitmaynotbeasbadasyousuggest。\" \"Verylikenot，\"saidColeman。\"Iputittoyouforciblysothatinthefuturetheblowwillnotbetoocruel。Theyareoftenaweirdlot。\" \"Perhapstheycan\'tfindanythingverybadaboutus。\" \"Oh，no。AndbesidesthewholeepisodewillprobablybeforgottenbythetimeyoureturntotheUnitedStates。\" Theytalkedoninthiswayslowly，strainedly，untiltheyeachfoundthatthesituationwouldsoonbecomeinsupportable。TheprofessorhadcomeforadistinctpurposeandColemanknewit；theycouldnotsittherelyingateachotherforever。Yetwhenhesawthepaindeepeningintheprofessor\'seyes，thecorrespondentagainordereduphistrivialities。\"Funnything。Mypaperhasbeencongratulatingme，youknow，sir，inawholesalefashion，andIthink-Ifeelsure-thattheyhavebeenexploitingmynamealloverthecountryastheHeroicRescuer。Thereisnosenseintryingtostopthem，becausetheydon\'tcarewhetheritistrueornottrue。Alltheywantistheprivilegeofhowlingoutthattheircorrespondentrescuedyou，andtheywouldtakethatprivilegewithoutinanywaysworryingifIrefusedmyconsent。Yousee，sir？Iwouldn\'tlikeyoutofeelthatIwassuchastridentidiotasIdoubtlessamappearingnowbeforethepublic。\" \"No，\"saidtheprofessorabsently。Itwasplainthathehadbeenaveryslacklistener。\"I-Mr。Coleman-\" hebegan。 \"Yes，sir，\"answeredColemanpromptlyandgently。 Itwasobviouslyonlyarecognitionofthefutilityoffurtherdallyingthatwasdrivingtheoldmanon- ward。Heknew，ofcourse，thatifhewasresolvedtotakethisstep，alongerdelaywouldsimplymakeitharderforhim。Thecorrespondent，leaningforward，waswatchinghimalmostbreathlessly。 \"Mr。Coleman，Iunderstand-oratleastIamledtobelieve-thatyou-atonetime，proposedmarriagetomydaughter？\" Thefalteringwordsdidnotsoundasifeithermanhadaughttodowiththem。Theywereanexpressionbythetragicmuseherself。Coleman\'sjawfellandhelookedglassilyattheprofessor。Hesaid:\"Yes!\" Butalreadyhisbloodwasleapingashismindflashedeverywhereinspeculation。 \"Irefusedmyconsenttothatmarriage，\"saidtheoldmanmoreeasily。\"Idonotknowifthematterhasremainedimportanttoyou，butatanyrate，I-I retractmyrefusal。\" SuddenlytheblankexpressionleftColeman\'sfaceandhesmiledwithsuddenintelligence，asifinforma- tionofwhattheprofessorhadbeensayinghadjustreachedhim。Inthissmiletherewasasuddenbe。 trayal，too，ofsomethingkeenandbitterwhichhadlainhiddenintheman\'smind。Hearoseandmadeasteptowardstheprofessorandheldouthishand。 \"Sir，Ithankyodfromthebottomofmyheart!\" AndtheybothseemedtonotewithsurprisethatColeman\'svoicehadbroken。 TheprofessorhadarisentoreceiveColeman\'shand。 Hisnervewasnowofironandhewasveryformal。 \"IjudgefromyourtonethatIhavenotmadeamis- take-somcthingwhichIfeared。\" Colemandidnotseemtomindtheprofessor\'sformality。 \"Don\'tfearanything。Won\'tyousitdownagain？Willyouhaveacigar。**No，Icouldn\'ttellyouhowgladIam。HowgladIam。Ifeellikeafool。It——\" ButtheprofessorfixedhimwithanArcticeyeandbluntlysaid:\"Youloveher？\" ThequestionsteadiedColemanatonce。Helookedundauntedlystraightintotheprofessor\'sface。 Hesimplysaid:\"Iloveher!\" \"Youloveher？\"repeatedtheprofessor。 \"Iloveher，\"repeatedColeman。 Aftersomesecondsofpregnantsilence，theprofessorarose。\"Well，ifshecarestogiveherlifetoyouIwillallowit，butImustsaythatIdonotconsideryounearlygoodenough。Good-night。\"Hesmiledfaintlyasheheldouthishand。 \"Good-night，sir，\"saidColeman。\"AndIcan\'ttell，you，now-\" Mrs。Wainwright，inherroomwaslanguishinginachairandapplyingtoherbrowahandkerch-iefwetwithcolognewater。She，keptherfeverishglariceuponthedoor。Rememberingwellthemannerofherhusbandwhenhewentoutshecouldhardlyidentifyhimwhenhecamein。Serenity，composure，evenself-satisfaction，waswrittenuponhim。He，paidnoattentiontoher，butgoingtoachairsatdownwithagroanofcontentment。 \"Well？\"criedMrs。Wainwright，startingup。 \"Well？\" \"Well-what？\"heasked。 Shewavedherhandimpatiently。\"Harrison，don\'tbeabsurd。YouknowperfectlywellwhatI mean。Itisapityyoucouldn\'tthinkoftheanxietyIhavebeenin。\"Shewasgoingtoweep。 \"Oh，I\'lltellyouafterawhile，\"hesaidstretchingouthislegswiththecomplacencyofarichmerchantafterasuccessfulday。 \"No!Tellmenow，\"sheimploredhim。\"Can\'tyouseeI\'veworriedmyselfnearlytodeath？\"Shewasnotgoingtoweep，shewasgoingtowaxangry。 \"Well，totellthetruth，\"saidtheprofessorwithconsiderablepomposity，\"I\'vearrangedit。Didn\'tthinkIcoulddoitatfirst，butitturnedout\" \"IArrangedit，\"\'wailedMrs。Wainwright。\"Arrangedwhat？\" Ithereseemedtostriketheprofessorsuddenlythathewasnotsuchaflamingexamplefordiplomatistsashemighthaveimagined。\"Arranged，\"hestammered。\"Arranged。\" \"Arrangedwhat？\" \"Why，Ifixed-Ifixeditup。\" \"Fixedwhatup？\" \"It-it-\"begantheprofessor。Thenheswelledwithindignation。\"Why，can\'tyouunderstandanythingatall？I-Ifixedit。\" \"Fixedwhat？\"