第12章

\"Fixedit。FixeditwithColeman。\" \"FixedwhatwithColeman？ Theprofessor\'swrathnowtookcontrolofhim。 \"Thunderandlightenin\'!YouseemtojumpattheconclusionthatI\'vemadesomehorriblemistake。Forgoodness\'sake，givemecreditforaparticleofsense。\" \"Whatdidyoudo？\"sheaskedinasepulchralvoice。 \"Well，\"saidtheprofessor，inaburningdefiance，\"I\'lltellyouwhatIdid。IwenttoColemanandtoldhimthatonce-asheofcourseknew-Ihadre- fusedhismarriagewithmydaughter，butthatnow——\" \"Grrr，\"saidMrs。Wainwright。 \"Butthatnow-\"continuedtheprofessor，\"Iretractedthatrefusal。\" \"Mercyonus!\"criedMrs。Wainwright，throwingherselfbackinthechair。\"Mercyonus!Whatfoolsmenare!\" \"Now，waitaminute-\" ButMrs。Wainwrightbegantocroon:\"Oh，ifMarjoryshouldhearofthis!Oh，ifsheshouldhearofit!justlether。Hear-\" \"Butshemustnot，\"criedtheprofessor，tigerishly。 justyoudare!\"Andthewomansawbeforeheramanwhoseeyeswerelitwithaflamewhichalmostexpressedatemporaryhatred。 TheprofessorhadleftColemansoabruptlythatthecorrespondentfoundhimselfmurmuringhalf。 coherentgratitudetothecloseddoorofhisroom。 Amazementsoonbegantobemasteredbyexultation。 Heflunghimselfuponthebrandyandsodaandnego- tiatedastrongglass。Pacing。theroomwithnervoussteps，hecaughtavisionofhimselfinatallmirror。 Hehaltedbeforeit。\"Well，well，\"hesaid。\"Rufus，you\'reagrandman。Thereisnotyourequalanywhere。 Youareagreat，bold，strongplayer，fittositdowntoagamewiththe-best。\" Amomentlateritstruckhimthathehadappropriatedtoomuch。Iftheprofessorhadpaidhimavisitandmadeawonderfulannouncement，he，Coleman，hadnotbeentheengineofit。Andthenheenunciatedclearlysomethinginhismindwhich，eveninavagueform，hadbeenresponsibleformuchofhisearlyelation。Marjoryherselfhadcompassedthisthing。 Withshameherejectedafirstwildandpreposterousideathatshehadsentherfathertohim。Hereflectedthatamanwhoforaninstantcouldconceivesuchathingwasanatural-bornidiot。Withanequalfeeling，herejectedalsoanideathatshecouldhaveknownanythingofherfather\'spurpose。Ifshehadknownofhispurpose，therewouldhavebeennovisit。 What，then，wasthecause？ColemansoondecidedthattheprofessorhadwitnessedsomedemonstrationofMarjory\'semotionwhichhadbeensufficientlysevereinitscharactertoforcehimtotheextraordinaryvisit。Butthenthisalsowaswildandpreposterous。 ThatcoldlybeautifulgoddesswouldnothavegivenademonstrationofemotionoverRufusColemansufficientlyalarmingtohaveforcedherfatheronsuchanerrand。Thatwasimpossible。No，hewaswrong；Marjoryevenindirectly，couldnotbeconnectedwiththevisit。Ashearrivedatthisdecision，theenthusiasmpassedoutofhimandheworeadoleful，monkishface。 \"Well，what，then，wasthecause？\"AftereliminatingMarjoryfromthediscussionwaginginhismind，hefoundithardtohituponanythingrational。 Theonlyremainingtheorywastotheeffectthattheprofessor，havingaveryhighsenseofthecorrespond。 ent\'shelpintheescapeoftheWainwrightparty，haddecidedthattheonlywaytoexpresshisgratitudewastorevokeacertaindecisionwhichhenowcouldseehadbeenunfair。TheretorttothistheoryseemedtobethatiftheprofessorhadhadsuchafineconceptionoftheservicesrenderedbyColeman，hehadhadampletimetodisplayhisappreciationontheroadtoArtaandontheroaddownfromArta。TherewasnonecessityforhiswaitinguntiltheirarrivalinAthens。 Itwasimpossibletoconcedethattheprofessor\'semotioncouldbeanewone；ifhehaditnow，hemusthavehaditinfarstrongermeasuredirectlyafterhehadbeenhauledoutofdanger。 So，itmaybeseenthatafterColemanhadeliminatedMarjoryfromthediscussionthatwaswaginginhismind，hehadpracticallysucceededineliminatingtheprofessoraswell。This，hethought，mournfully，waseliminatingwithavengeance。Ifhedissolvedallthefactorshecouldhardlyproceed。 Themindofalovermovesinacircle，oratleastonamorecircularcoursethanotherminds，someofwhichattimesevenseemtomovealmostinastraightline。Presently，Colemanwasatthepointwherehebadstarted，andhedidnotpauseuntilhereachedthattheorywhichassertedthattheprofessorhadbeeninspiredtohisvisitbysomesightorknowledgeofMarjoryindistress。Ofcourse，Colemanwaswistfullydesirousofprovingtohimselfthetruthofthistheory。 Thepalpableagitationoftheprofessorduringtheinterviewseemedtosupportit。Ifhehadcomeonamerejourneyofconscience，hewouldhavehardlyappearedasawhiteandtremblingold，man。Butthen，saidColeman，hehimselfprobablyexaggeratedthisideaoftheprofessor\'sappearance。Itmighthavebeenthathewasonlysouranddistressedovertheperformanceofaverydisagreeableduty。 Thecorrespondentpacedhisroomandsmoked。 Sometimeshehaltedatthelittletablewherewasthebrandyandsoda。HethoughtsohardthatsometimesitseemedthatMarjoryhadbeentohimtoproposemarriage，andatothertimesitseemedthattherehadbeennovisitfromanyoneatall。 Adesiretotalktosomebodywasuponhim。Hestrolleddownstairsandintothesmokingandreadingrooms，hopingtoseeamanheknew，evenifitwereCoke。Buttheonlyoccupantsweretwostrangers，furiouslydebatingthewar。Passingtheminister\'sroom，Colemansawthattherewasalightwithin，andhecouldnotforbearknocking。Hewasbiddentoenter，andopenedthedoorupontheminister，care- fullyreadinghisSpectatorfreshfromLondon。 Helookedupandseemedveryglad。\"Howareyou？\"hecried。\"Iwastremendouslyanxioustoseeyou，doyouknow!Ilookedforyoutodinewithmeto-night，butyouwerenotdown？\" \"No；Ihadagreatdealofwork。\" \"OvertheWainwrightaffair？Bytheway，Iwantyoutoacceptmypersonalthanksforthatwork。InaweekmoreIwouldhavegonedementedandspenttherestofmylifeinsomekindofacage，shakingthebarsandhowlingoutStateDepartmentmessagesabouttheWainwrights。Yousee，inmyterritorytherearenomissionariestogetintotrouble，andI waslivingalifeofundisturbedandinnocentcalm，ridiculingthesentimentsofmenfromSmyrnaandotherinterestingtownswhomaintainedthatthediplomaticservicewasexciting。However，whentheWainwrightpartygotlost，mylifeatoncebecameactive。Iwasallbuthelpless，too；whichwastheworstofit。IsupposeTerryatConstantinoplemusthavegotgrandlystirredup，also。Pityhecan\'tseeyoutothankyouforsavinghimfromprobablygoingmad。Bytheway，\"headded，whilelookingkeenlyatColeman，\"theWainwrightsdon\'tseemtobesmotheringyouwithgratitude？\" \"Oh，asmuchasIdeserve-sometimesmore，\" answeredColeman。\"Myexploitwasmoreorlessofafake，youknow。Iwasbetweenthelinesbyaccident，orthroughtheeffortsofthatblockheadofadragoman。Ididn\'tintendit。Andthen，inthenight，whenwewerewaitingintheroadbecauseofafight，theyalmostbunkedintous。That\'sall。\" \"Theytellitbetter，\"saidtheminister，severely。 \"Especiallytheyoungsters。\" \"ThosekidsgotintoahigholdfightatatownuptherebeyondAgrinion。Tellyouaboutthat，didthey？Ithoughtnot。Cleverkids。Youhavenotedthattherearesignsofafewbruisesandscratches？\" \"Yes，butIdidn\'task-\" \"Well，theyarefromthefight。ItseemsthepeopletookusforGermans，andtherewasanawfulpalaver，whichendedinaproperandhandsomeshindig。Itraisedthetown，Itellyou。\" Theministersighedinmockdespair。\"Takethesepeoplehome，willyou？Oratanyrate，conductthemoutofthefieldofmyresponsibility。Now，theywouldlikeItalyimmensely，Iamsure。\" Colemanlaughed，andtheysmokedforatime。 \"That\'sacharminggirl-MissWainwright，\"saidtheminister，musingly。\"Andwhatabeauty!Itdoesmyexiledeyesgoodtoseeher。Isupposeallthoseyoungstersaremadlyinlovewithher？Idon\'tseehowtheycouldhelpit。\" \"Yes，\"saidColeman，glumly。\"Morethanhalfofthem。\" Theministerseemedstruckwithasuddenthought。 \"Yououghttotrytowinthatsplendidprizeyourself。 Therescuer!Perseus!Whatmorefitting？\" Colemanansweredcalmly:\"Well***IthinkI\'lltakeyouradvice。\" CHAPTERXXVIII。 THEnextmorningColemanawokewithasignofaresolutedecisiononhisface，asifithadbeenadevelopmentofhissleep。HewouldseeMarjoryassoonaspossible，seeherdespiteanybarbed-wireentanglementswhichmightbeplacedinthewaybyhermother，whomheregardedashisstrenuousenemy。 AndhewouldaskMarjory\'shandinthepresenceofallAthensifitbecamenecessary。 HesatalongtimeathisbreakfastinordertoseetheWainwrightsenterthediningroom，andashewasabouttosurrendertothewilloftime，theycamein，theprofessorplacidandself-satisfied，Mrs。WainwrightworriedandinjuredandMarjorycool，beautiful，serene。Iftherehadbeenanykindofastormtherewasnotraceofitonthewhitebrowofthegirl。 Colemanstudiedhercloselybutfurtivelywhilehismindspunaroundhiscircleofspeculation。 Finallyhenotedthewaiterwhowasobservinghimwithapainedairasifitwasonthetipofhistonguetoaskthisguestifhewasgoingtoremainatbreakfastforever。ColemanpassedouttothereadingroomwhereuponthetableamultitudeofgreatredguidebookswerecrushingthefragilemagazinesofLondonandParis。Onthewallswerevariousdepressingmapswiththenameofatouristagencyluridlyuponthem，andtherewerealsosomepicturesofhotelswiththeirrates-infrancs-printedbeneath。 Theroomwascold，dark，empty，withthetrailofthetouristuponit。 ColemanwenttothepictureofahotelinCorfuandstaredatitpreciselyasifhewasinterested。HewasstandingbeforeitwhenheheardMarjory\'svoicejustwithoutthedoor。\"Allright!I\'llwait。\"Hedidnotmoveforthereasonthatthehuntermovesnotwhentheunsuspectingdeerapproacheshishidingplace。SheenteredratherquicklyandwaswelltowardthecentreoftheroombeforesheperceivedColeman。\"Oh，\"shesaidandstopped。Thenshespoketheimmortalsentence，asentencewhich，curiouslyenoughiscommontothedrama，tothenovel，andtolife。\"Ithoughtnoonewashere。\" Shelookedasifshewasgoingtoretreat，butitwouldhavebeenhardtomakesuchretreatgraceful，andprobablyforthisreasonshestoodherground。 Colemanimmediatelymovedtoapointbetweenherandthedoor。\"Youarenotgoingtorunawayfromme，MarjoryWainwright，\"hecried，angrily。 \"Youatleastoweittometotellmedefinitelythatyoudon\'tloveme-thatyoucan\'tloveme-\" Shedidnotfacehimwithallofheroldspirit，butshefacedhim，andinheranswertherewastheoldMarjory。\"Amostcommonquestion。Doyouaskallyourfeminineacquaintancesthat？\" \"Imean-\"hesaid。\"ImeanthatIloveyouand-\" \"Yesterday-no。To-day-yes。To-morrow-whoknows。Really，yououghttotakesomestepstoknowyourownmind。\" \"Knowmyownmind，\"heretortedinaburstofin- dignation。\"Youmeanyououghttotakestepstoknowyourownmind。\" \"Myownmind!You-\"Thenshehaltedinacuteconfusionandallherfacewentpink。Shehadbeenfarquickerthanthemantodefinethescene。 Sheloweredherhead。Letmepast，please-\" ButColemansturdilyblockedthewayandeventookoneofherstrugglinghands。\"Marjory-\" Andthenhisbrainmusthaveroaredwithathousandquicksentencesfortheycametumblingout，oneovertheother。**Herresistancetothegripofhisfingersgrewsomewhatfeeble。Oncesheraisedhereyesinaquickglanceathim。**Thensuddenlyshewilted。Shesurrendered，sheconfessedwithoutwords。\"Oh，Marjory，thankGod，thankGod-\" PeterTounleymadeadramaticentranceonthegallop。Hestopped，petrified。\"Whoo!\"hecried。 \"Mystars!\"Heturnedandfled。ButColemancalledafterhiminalowvoice，intensewithagitation。 \"Comebackhere，youyoungscoundrel!ComebaokhereI\" Peterreturned，lookingverysheepish。\"Ihadn\'ttheslightestideayou-\" \"Nevermindthatnow。Butlookhere，ifyoutellasinglesoul-particularlythoseotheryoungscoundrels-I\'llbreak-\" \"Iwon\'t，Coleman。Honest，Iwon\'t。\"HewasfarmoreembarrassedthanColemanandalmostequallysowithMarjory。Hewaslikeahorsetuggingatatether。\"Iwon\'t，Coleman!Honest!\" \"Well，allright，then。\"Peterescaped。 Theprofessorandhiswifewereintheirsittingroomwritingletters。Thecablegramshadallbeenanswered，butastheprofessorintendedtoprolonghisjourneyhomewardintoamonthofParisandLondon，thereremainedthearduousdutyoftellingtheirfriendsatlengthexactlywhathadhappened。TherewasconsiderableoftheloreofoldenGreeceintheprofessor\'sdescriptionsoftheirescape，andinthoseofMrs。Wainwrighttherewasmuchaboutthelackofhair-pinsandsoap。 Theirheadswereloweredovertheirwritingwhenthedoorintothecorridoropenedandshutquickly，anduponlookinguptheysawintheroomaradiantgirl，anewMarjory。Shedroppedtoherkneesbyherfather\'schairandreachedherarmstohisneck。 \"Oh，daddy!I\'mhappyII\'msohappy!\" \"Why-what-\"begantheprofessorstupidly。 \"Oh，Iamsohappy，daddy! Ofcoursehecouldnotbelonginmakinghisconclusion。 TheonewhocouldgivesuchjoytoMarjorywastheonewho，lastnight，gavehersuchgrief。 Theprofessorwasonlyamomentinunderstanding。 Helaidhishandtenderlyuponherhead\"Blessmysoul，\"hemurmured。\"Andso-andso-he-\" Atthepersonalpronoun，Mrs。Wainwrightlum- beredfranticallytoherfeet。\"What？\"sheshouted。 Coleman？\" \"Yes，\"answeredMarjory。\"Coleman。\"Asshespokethenamehereyeswereshotwithsoftyettropicflashesoflight。 Mrs。Wainwrightdroppedsuddenlybackintoherchair。\"Well-of-all-things!\" Theprofessorwasstrokinghisdaughter\'shairandalthoughforatimeafterMrs。Wainwright\'soutbreaktherewaslittlesaid，theoldmanandthegirlseemedingentlecommunion，shemakinghimfeelherhappiness，hemakingherfeelhisappreciation。ProvidentiallyMrs。Wainwrighthadbeensostunnedbythefirstblowthatshewasevidentlyrenderedincapableofspeech。 \"Andareyousureyouwillbehappywithhim？ askedherfathergently。 \"Allmylifelong，\"sheanswered。 \"Iamglad!Iamglad!\"saidthefather，butevenashespokeagreatsadnesscametoblendwithhisjoy。Thehourwhenhewastogivethisbeautifulandbelovedlifeintothekeepingofanotherhadbeenheraldedbythegodofthesexes，the \"Iamglad，\"repeatedtheprofessor。 Thegirlarosefromherknees。\"Imustgoawayand-thinkallaboutit，\"shesaid，smiling。Whenthedoorofherroomcloseduponher，themotheraroseinmajesty。 \"HarrisonWainwright，\"shedeclaimed，\"youarenotgoingtoallowthismonstrousthing!\" Theprofessorwasarousedfromareveriebythesewords。\"Whatmonstrousthing？\"hegrowled。 \"Why，thisbetweenColemanandMarjory。\" \"Yes，\"heansweredboldly。 \"Harrison!Thatmanwho-\" Theprofessorcrashedhishanddownonthetable。 \"Mary!Iwillnothearanotherwordofit!\" \"Well，\"saidMrs。Wainwright，sullenandominous，\"timewilltell!Timewilltell!\" WhenColemanbadturnedfromthefleeingPeterTounleyagaintoMarjory，hefoundhermakingthepreliminarymovementsofaflight。\"What\'sthematter？\"hedemandedanxiously。 \"Oh，it\'stoodreadful\" \"Nonsense，\"lieretortedstoutly。\"OnlyPeterTounley!Hedon\'tcount。Whatofthat？\" \'Oh，dear!\"Shepressedherpalmtoaburningcheek。Shegavehimastar-like，beseechingglance。 Letmegonow-please。\" \"Well，\"heanswered，somewhataffronted，\"ifyoulike——\" Atthedoorsheturnedtolookathim，andthisglanceexpressedinitselusivewayascoreofthingswhichshehadnotyetbeenabletospeak。Itexplainedthatshewaslothtoleavehim，thatsheaskedforgivenessforleavinghim，thatevenforashortabsenceshewishedtotakehisimageinhereyes，thathemustnotbullyher，thattherewassomethingnowinherheartwhichfrightenedher，thatshelovedhim，thatshewashappy—— Whenshehadgone，ColemanwenttotheroomsoftheAmericanminister。AGreekwastherewhotalkedwildlyashewavedhiscigarette。Colemanwaitedinwell-concealedimpatienceforthedvapora- tionofthisman。Oncetheminister，regardingthecorrespondenthurriedly，interpolatedacomment。 \"Youlookverycheerful？\" \"Yes，\"answeredColeman，\"I\'vebeentakingyouradvice。\" \"Oh，ho!\"saidtheminister。 TheGreekwiththecigarettejawedendlessly。 Colemanbegantomarvelattheenduringgoodman- nersoftheminister，whocontinuedtonodandnodinpoliteappreciationoftheGreek\'sharangue，which，Colemanfirmlybelieved，hadnopointofinterestwhatever。Butatlasttheman，afteraneffusivefarewell，wenthisway。 \"Now，\"saidtheminister，wheelinginhischairtellmeallaboutit。\" Colemanarose，andthrustinghishandsdeepinhistrousers\'pockets，begantopacetheroomwithlongstrides。He，saidnothing，butkepthiseyesonthefloor。 \"CanIhaveadrink？\"heasked，abruptlypausing。 \"Whatwouldyoulike？\"askedtheminister，benevolently，ashetouchedthebell。 \"Abrandyandsoda。I\'dlikeitverymuch。Yousee，\"hesaid，asheresumedhiswalk，\"Ihavenokindofrighttoburdenyouwithmyaffairs，but，totellthetruth，ifIdon\'tgetthisnewsoffmymindandintosomebody\'sear，I\'lldie。It\'sthis-IaskedMarjoryWainwrighttomarryme，and-sheaccepted，and- that\'sall。\" \"Well，Iamveryglad，\"criedtheminister，arisingandgivinghishand。\"Andasforburdeningmewithyouraffairs，noonehasabetterright，youknow，sinceyoureleasedmefromthepersecutionofWashingtonandthefriendsoftheWainwrights。Maygoodluckfollowyoubothforever。You，inmyopinion，areavery，veryfortunateman。And，forherpartshehasnotdonetoobadly。\" SeeingthatitwasimportantthatColemanshouldhavehisspiritspacifiedinpart，theministercontinued: \"Now，Ihavegottowriteanofficialletter，soyoujustwalkupanddownhereanduseupthissurplussteam。Elseyou\'llexplode。\" ButColemanwasnottobedetained。Nowthathehadinformedtheminister，hemustrushoffsome。 where，anywhere，anddo-heknewnotwhat。 Allright，\"saidtheminister，laughing。\"YouhaveawilderheadthanIthought。Butlookhere，\" hecalled，asColemanwasmakingforthedoor。\"AmItokeepthisnewsasecret？\" Colemanwithhishandontheknob，turnedim。 pressively。Hespokewithdeliberation。\"AsfarasIamconcerned，Iwouldbegladtoseeamanpaintitinredletters，eightfeethigh，onthefrontoftheking\'spalace。\" Theminister，leftalone，wrotesteadilyanddidnotevenlookupwhenPeterTounleyandtwoothersentered，inresponsetohiscryofpermission。However，hepresentlyfoundtimetospeakoverhisshouldertothem。\"Hearthenews？\" \"No，sir，\"theyanswered。 \"Well，begoodboys，now，andreadthepapersandlookatpicturesuntilIfinishthisletter。ThenIwilltellyou。\" Theysurveyedhimkeenly。Theyevidentlyjudgedthatthenewswasworthhearing，but，obediently，theysaidnothing。Ultimatelytheministeraffixedarapidsignaturetotheletter，andturning，lookedatthestudentswithasmile。 \"Haven\'theardthenews，eh？\" \"No，Sir。\" \"Well，MarjoryWainwrightisengagedtomarryColeman。\" Theministerwasamazedtoseetheeffectofthisannouncementuponthethreestudents。Hehadexpectedthecrowsandcacklesofratherabsurdmerrimentwithwhichunbeardedyouthoftengreets，suchnews。Buttherewasnocroworcackle。Oneyoungmanblushedscarletandlookedguiltilyatthefloor。Withagreatefforthemuttered:\"Shestoogoodforhim。\"Anotherstudenthadturnedghastlypateandwasstaring。ItwasPeterTounleywhorelievedtheminister\'smind，foruponthatyoungman\'sfacewasabroadjack-o-lanterngrin，andtheministersawthat，atanyrate，hehadnotmadeacompletemassacre。 PeterTounleysaidtriumphantly:\"Iknewit!\" Theministerwasanxiousoverthehavochehadwroughtwiththetwootherstudents，butslowlythecolourabatedinonefaceandgrewintheother。Togivethemopportunity，theministertalkedbusilytoPeterTounley。\"Andhowdidyouknowit，youyoungscamp？\" Peterwasjubilant。\"Oh，-Iknewit!IknewitI Iamveryclever。\" Thestudentwhohadblushednowaddressedtheministerinaslightlystrainedvoice。\"Areyoupositivethatitistrue，Mr。Gordner？，\" \"Ihaditonthebestauthority，\"repliedtheministergravely。 Thestudentwhohadturnedpalesaid:\"Oh，it\'strue，ofcourse。\" \"Well，\"saidcrudelytheonewhohadblushed，she\'sagreatsighttoogoodforColemanoranybodylikehim。That\'sallI\'vegottosay。\" \"Oh，Colemanisagoodfellow，\"saidPeterTounley，reproachfully。\"You\'venorighttosaythat-exactly。 Youdon\'tknowwhereyou\'d。benowifitwerenotforColeman。\" The，responsewas，first，anangrygesture。\"Oh，don\'tkeepeverlastingrubbingthatin。Forheaven\'ssake，letup-SupposingIdon\'t。knowwhereI\'dbenowif，itwerenotforRufusColeman？Whatofit？ FortherestofmylifehaveIgotto——\" Theministersaw。thatthiswastheembitteredspeechofareallydefeatedyouth，so，tosavescenes，hegentlyejectedthetrio。\"There，there，now!Runalonghomelikegoodboys。I\'llbebusyuntilluncheon。 AndI-daresayyouwon\'tfindColemansuchabadchap。\"\' Inthecorridor，oneofthestudentssaidoffensivelytoPeterTounley:\"Say，howinhelldidyoufindoutallthissoearly？\" Peter\'sreplywasamiableintone。\"YouareadamnedbleatinglittlekidandyoumadeaholyshowofyourselfbeforeMr。Gordner。There\'swhereyoustand。Didn\'tyouseethatheturnedusoutbecausehedidn\'tknowbutwhatyouweregoingtoblubberorsomething-youareasuckingpig，andifyouwanttoknowhowIfindoutthingsgoasktheDelphicOracle，youblindass。\" \"Youbetterlookoutoryoumaygetapunchintheeye!，\" \"Youtakeonepunchinthegeneraldirectionofmyeye，meson，\"said-Petercheerfully，\"andI\'lldistributeyourremains，overthishotelinawaythatwillcauseyour，friendsyearsoftroubletocollectyou。 Insteadofanticipatinganattackuponmyeye，youhadmuchbetterbeengagedinimprovingyourmind，whichisatpresentnotafitmachinetocopewithexcitingsituations。There\'sCoke!Hello，Coke，hearthenews？Well，MarjoryWainwrightandRufusColeman，areengaged……Straight？Certainly!Goasktheminister。\" CokedidnottakePeter\'sword。\"Isthatso？\"heaskedtheothers。 \"Sotheministertoldus，\"theyanswered，andthenthesetwo，whoseemedsounhappy，watchedCoke\'sfacetoseeiftheycouldnotfindsurprisedmiserythere。ButCokecoollysaid:\"Well，then，Isupposeit\'strue。\" Itsoonbecameevidentthatthestudentsdidnotcareforeachother\'ssociety。PeterTounleywasprobablyanexception，buttheothersseemedtolongforquietcorners。Theyweredistrustingeachother，and，inaboyishway，theywereevencapableofmaligantthings。Theirexcusesforseparationwerebadlymade。 \"I-IthinkI\'llgoforawalk。\" \"I\'mgoingupstairstoread。\" \"Well，solong，oldman。\'\"Solong。\"Therewasnohearttoit。 PeterTounleywenttoColeman\'sdoor，whereheknockedwithnoisyhilarity。\"ComeinI\"Thecorrespondentapparentlyhadjustcomefromthestreet，forhishatwasonhisheadandalighttop-coatwasonhisback。Hewassearchinghurriedlythroughsome，papers。\"Hello，youyoungdevilWhatareyoudoinghere？ Peter\'sentrancewasasomewhatelaboratecomedywhichColemanwatchedinicysilence。Peterafteralong，andimpudentpantomimehaltedabruptlyandfixingColemanwithhiseyedemanded:\"Well？\" \"Well-what？。\"saidColeman，bristlingatrifle。 \"Isittrue？\" \"Iswhattrue？\" \"Isittrue？\"Peterwasextremelysolemn。 \"Say，mebucko，\"saidColemansuddenly，\"ifyou\'ve。comeupheretotwistthebeardofthepatriarch，don\'tyouthinkyouarerunningachance？\" \"Allright。I\'llbegood，\"saidPeter，andhesatonthebed。\"But-isittrue？ \"Iswhattrue？\" \"Whatthewholehotelissaying。\" ]\"Ihaven\'theardthehotelmakinganyremarkslately。Beentalkingtotheotherbuildings，Isup- pose。\" \"Well，IwanttotellyouthateverybodyknowsthatyouandMarjoryhavedonegoneandgotyourselvesengaged，\"saidPeterbluntly。 \"Andwell？\"askedColemanimperturbably。 \"Oh，nothing，\"repliedPeter，wavinghishand。 \"Only-Ithoughtitmightinterestyou。\" Colemanwassilentforsometime。Hefingeredhispapers。Atlastheburstoutjoyously。\"Andsotheyknowitalready，dothey？Well-damnthem- letthemknowit。Butyoudidn\'ttellthemyourself？\" \"I!\"quothPeterwrathfully。\"No!Theministertoldus。\" ThenColemanwasagainsilentforatimeandPeterTounleysatonthe。bedreflectivelylookingattheceiling。\"Funnything，Marjory\'wayoverhereinGreece，andthenyouhappeningoverherethewayyoudid。\" \"Itisn\'tfunnyatall。\" \"Whyisn\'tit？\" \"Because，\"saidColemanimpressively，，\"thatiswhyIcametoGreece。Itwasallplanned。See？\" \"Whirroo，\"exclaimedPeter。\"Thishereismagic。\" \"Nomagicatall。\"Colemandisplayedsomecomplacence。 \"Nomagicatall。justpure，plain—— whateveryouchoosetocallit。\" \"Holysmoke，\"saidPeter，admiringthesituation。 \"Why，thisisplumromance，Coleman。I\'mblowedifitisn\'t。\" Colemanwasgrinningwithdelight。HetookafreshcigarandhisbrighteyeslookedatPeterthroughthesmoke。，\"Seemslikeit，don\'tit？Yes。Regularromance。Haveadrink，myboy，justtocelebratemygoodluck。AndbepatientifItalkagreatdealofmy-my-future。Myheadspinswithit。\"Hearosetopacetheroomflingingoutbisarmsinagreatgesture。\"God!WhenIthinkyesterdaywasnotliketo-dayIwonderhowIstoodit。\"TherewasaknockatthedoorandawaiterleftanoteinColeman\'shand\"DearRufus:-Wearegoingforadrivethisafternoonatthree，andmotherwishesyoutocome，ifyou。 careto。Itoowishit，ifyoucareto。Yours，\"MARJORY。\" Witharadiantface，Colemangavethenotealittlecracklingflourishintheair。\"Oh，youdon\'tknowwhatlifeis，kid。\" \"S-steadytheBlues，\"saidPeterTounleyseriously。 You\'llloseyourheadifyoudon\'twatchout。\" \"NotI\"criedColemanwithirritation。\"Butamanmustturnloosesometimes，mustn\'the？\" Whenthefour，studentshadseparatedinthecorri- dor，CokehadpostedatoncetoNoraBlack\'ssittingroom。Hisentrancewassomewhatprecipitate，buthecooleddownalmostatonce，forhereflectedthathewasnotbearinggoodnews。Heendedbyperchinginawkwardfashiononthebrinkofhischairandfumblinghishatuneasily。Norafloatedtohiminacloudofawhitedressinggown。Shegavehimaplumphand。\"Well，youngman？\"shesaid，withaglowingsmile。Shetookachair，andthestuffofhergownfellincurvesoverthearmsofit。，Cokelookedhotandbothered，asifhecouldhavemorethanhalfwantedtoretracthisvisit。\"I-aw- wehaven\'tseenmuchofyoulately，\"hebegan，sparing。 Hehadexpectedtotellhisnewsatonce。 No，\"saidNora，languidly。\"Ihavebeenrestingafterthathorriblejourney-thathorriblejourney。 Dear，dear!Nothing，willeverinducemetoleaveLondon，NewYorkandParis。Iamathomethere。 ButhereIWhy，itisworsethanlivinginBrooklyn。 Andthatjourneyintothewilds!No。no；notforme!\" \"Isupposewe\'llallbegladtogethome，\"saidCoke，aimlessly。 Atthemomentawaiterenteredtheroomandbegantolaythetableforluncheon。Hekeptopenthedoortothecorridor，andhehadtheluncheonatapointjustoutsidethedoor。Hisexcursionstothetrayswereflyingones，sothat，asfarasCoke\'spurposewasconcerned，thewaiterwasalwaysintheroom。Moreover，Cokewasobliged，naturally，todepartatonce。Hehadbungledeverything。 Ashearosehewhisperedhastily:\"DoesthiswaiterunderstandEnglish？\" \"Yes，\"answeredNora。\"Why？\" \"BecauseIhavesomethingtotellyou-important。\" \"Whatisit？\"whisperedNora，eagerly。 Heleanedtowardherandreplied:\"MarjoryWainwrightandColemanareengaged。\" Tohisunfeignedastonishment，NoraBlackburstintopealsofsilverylaughter，\"Oh，indeed？Andsothisisyourtragicstory，poor，innocentlambkin？ Andwhatdidyouexpect？ThatIwouldfaint？\"-