第13章

\"Ithought-Idon\'tknow-\"murmuredCokeinconfusion。 Norabecamesuddenlybusiness-like。\"Buthowdoyouknow？Areyousure？Whotoldyou？Anyhow，staytoluncheon。Do-likeagoodboy。Oh，youmust。\" Cokedroppedagainintohischair。Hestudiedherinsomewonder。\"Ithoughtyou\'dbesurprised，\" hesaid，ingenuously。 \"Oh，youdid，didyou？Well，youseeI\'mnot。 Andnowtellmeallaboutit。\" \"There\'sreallynothingtotellbuttheplainfact。 Someoftheboysdroppedinattheminister\'sroomsalittlewhileago，and，hetoldthemofit。 That\'sall。\" Well，howdidheknow？ \"IamsureIcan\'ttellyou。Gotitfirsthand，I suppose。HelikesColeman，andColemanisalwayshangingupthere。\" \"Oh，perhapsColemanwaslying，\"saidNoraeasily。Thensuddenlyherfacebrightenedandshespokewithanimation。\"Oh，Ihaven\'ttoldyouhowmylittleGreekofficerhasturnedout。HaveI？ No？Well，itissimplylovely。Doyouknow，hebelongstooneofthebestfamiliesinAthens？Hedoes。 Andthey\'rerich-richascanbe。Mycouriertellsmethatthemarblepalacewheretheyliveisenoughtoblindyou，andthatiftitleshadn\'tgoneoutofstyle-orsomething-hereinGreece，mylittleofficerwouldbeaprince!Thinkofthat!Thecourierdidn\'tknowituntilwegottoAthens，andthelittleofficer-theprince-gavemehiscard，ofcourse。Oneoftheoldest，noblestandrichestfamiliesinGreece。 Thinkofthat!ThereIthoughthewasonlyabothersomelittleofficerwhocameinhandyattimes，andthereheturnsouttobeaprince。IcouldhardlykeepmyselffromrushingrightofftofindhimandapologisetohimforthewayItreatedhim。Itwasawful!And-\"addedthefairNora，pensively，\"ifhedoesmeetmeinParis，I\'llmakehimwearthattitledowntoashred，youcanbet。What\'sthegoodofhavingatitleunlessyoumakeitwork？\" CHAPTERXXIX。 COKEdidnotstaytoluncheonwithNoraBlack。 Hewentawaysayingtohimselfeitherthatgirldon\'tcareastrawforColemanorshehasgotaheartabsolutelyofflint，orsheisthegreatestactressonearthor-thereissomeotherreason。\" Athisdeparture，Noraturnedandcalledintoanadjoiningroom。\"MaudeI\"Thevoiceofhercompanionandfriendansweredherpeevishly。\"What？\" \"Don\'tbotherme。I\'mreading。\" \"Well，anyhow，luncheonisready，soyouwillhavetostiryourpreciousself，\"respondedNora。\"You\'relazy。\" \"Idon\'twantanyluncheon。Don\'tbotherme。 I\'vegotaheadache。\" \"Well，ifyoudon\'tcomeout，you\'llmissthenews。 That\'sallI\'vegottosay。\" Therewasarustleintheadjoiningroom，andimmediatelythecompanionappeared，seemingmuchannoyedbutcurious。\"Well，whatisit？\" \"RufusColemanisengagedtobemarriedtothatWainwrightgirl，afterall。\" \"WellIdeclare!\"ejaculatedthelittleoldlady。 \"WellIdeclare。\"Shemeditatedforamoment，andthencontinuedinatoneofsatisfaction。\"Itoldyouthatyoucouldn\'tstopthatmanColemanifhehadfeallymadeuphismindto-\" \"You\'reafool，\"saidNora，pleasantly。 \"Why？\"saidtheoldlady。 Becauseyouare。Don\'ttalktomeaboutit。I wanttothinkofMarco。\" \"\'Marco，\'\"quotedtheoldladystartled。 \"Theprince。Theprince。Can\'tyouunderstand？ Imeantheprince。\" \"\'Marco!\'\"againquotedtheoldlady，underherbreath。 \"Yes，\'Marco，\'\"criedNora，belligerently。\"\'Marco，\' Doyouobjecttothename？What\'sthematterwithyou，anyhow？\" \"Well，\"rejoinedtheother，noddingherheadwisely，\"hemaybeaprince，butI\'vealwaysheardthatthesecontinentaltitlesarenogoodincomparisontotheEnglishtitles。\" \"Yes，butwhotoldyouso，eh？\"demandedNora，noisily。Sheherselfansweredthequestion。\"TheEnglish!\" \"Anyhow，thatlittlemarquiswhotaggedafteryouinLondonisamuchbiggermanineveryway，I\'llbet，thanthislittleprinceofyours。\" \"But-goodheavens-hedidn\'tmeanit。Why，hewasonlyoneoftheregularrounders。ButMarco，heisseriousIHemeansit。He\'dgothroughfireandwaterformeandbegladofthechance。\" \"Well，\"proclaimedtheoldlady，\"ifyouarenotthestrangestwomanintheworld，I\'dliketoknow! HereIthought-\" \"Whatdidyouthink？\"demandedNora，suspisciously。 \"IthoughtthatColeman——\" \"Bosh!\"interrupted，thegracefulNora。\"Itellyouwhat，Maude；you\'dbettertrytothinkaslittleaspossible。Itwillsuityourstyleofbeautybetter。 Andaboveall，don\'tthinkofmyaffairs。Imyselfamtakingpainsnottothinkofthem。It\'seasier。\" Mrs。Wainwright，withnospiritofintentionwhat。 ever，hadsitaboutreadjustingheropinions。Itiscertainthatshewasunconsciousofanyevolution。Ifsomeonehadsaidtoherthatshewassurrenderingtotheinevitable，shewouldhavebeenimmediatelyonherguard，andwouldhaveopposedforeverallsuggestionsofamatchbetweenMarjoryandColeman。Ontheotherhand，ifsomeonehadsaidtoherthatherdaughterwasgoingtomarryahumanserpent，andthattherewerepeopleinAthenswhowouldbegladtoexplainhistreacherouscharacter，shewouldhavehaughtilyscornedthetale-bearingandwouldhavegonewithmorehasteintotheprofessor\'swayofthinking。Infact，shewasinprocessofunderminingherself。，andtheworkcouldhavebeen。retardedoradvancedbyanyirresponsible，gossipytongue。 Theprofessor，fromthedepthsofhisexperiencewithher，arrangedacourseofconduct。\"IfIjustleavehertoherselfshewillcomearoundallright，butifIgo\'strikingwhiletheironishot，\'oranyofthosethings，I\'llbungleitsurely。\" Astheyweremakingreadytogodowntoluncheon，Mrs。Wainwrightmadeherspeechwhichfirstindicatedachangingmind。\"Well，whatwillbe，willbe，\" shemurmuredwithaprolongedsighofresignation。 \"Whatwillbe，willbe。Girlsareveryheadstronginthesedays，andthereisnothingmuchtobedonewiththem。Theygotheirownroads。Itwasn\'tsoinmygirlhood-Wewereobligedtopayattentiontoourmotherswishes。\" \"Ididnotnoticethatyoupaidmuchattentiontoyourmother\'swisheswhenyoumarriedme，\"remarkedtheprofessor。\"Infact，Ithought-\" \"Thatwasanotherthing，\"retortedMrs。Wainwrightwithseverity。\"Youwereasteadyyoungmanwhohadtakenthehighesthonoursallthroughyourcollegecourse，andmymother\'ssoleobjectionwasthatweweretoohasty。Shethoughtwe-oughttowaituntilyouhadapennytoblessyourselfwith，andIcanseenowwhereshewasquiteright。\" \"Well，youmarriedme，anyhow，\"saidtheprofessor，victoriously。 Mrs。Wainwrightallowedherhusband\'sretorttopassoverherthoughtfulmood。\"Theysay**theysayRufusColemanmakesasmuchasfifteenthousanddollarsayear。That\'smorethanthreetimesyourincome**Idon\'tknow。**Italldependsonwhethertheytrytosaveornot。Hismanneroflifeis，nodoubt，veryluxurious。Idon\'tsupposeheknowshowtoeconomiseatall。Thatkindofamanusuallydoesn\'t。Andthen，inthenewspaperworldpositionsaresoveryprecarious。Menmayhavevaluablepositionsoneminuteandbepennilessinthestreetthenextminute。Itisn\'tasifhehadanyrealincome，andofcoursehehasnorealability。Ifhewassuddenlythrownoutofhisposition，goodnessknowswhatwouldbecomeofhim。Stillstillfifteenthousanddollarsayearisabigincomewhileitlasts。I supposeheisveryextravagant。Thatkindofamanusuallyis。AndIwouldn\'tbesurprisedifhewasheavilyindebt；veryheavilyindebt。Still**ifMarjoryhassetherheartthereisnothingtobedone，Isuppose。Itwouldn\'thavehappenedifyouhadbeenaswiseasyouthoughtyouwere。**IsupposehethinksIhavebeenveryrudetohim。Well，sometimesIwasn\'tnearlysorudeasIfeltlikebeing。 FeelingasIdid，Icouldhardlybeveryamiable。** OfcoursethisdrivethisafternoonwasallyouraffairandMarjory\'s。But，ofcourse，Ishallbenicetohim。\" \"AndwhatofallthisNoraBlackbusiness？\"askedtheprofessor，with，adisplayofvalour，butreallywithmuchtrepidation。 \"Sheisahussy，\"respondedMrs。Wainwrightwithenergy。\"HerconversationinthecarriageonthewaydowntoAgrinionsickenedme!\" \"IreallybelievethatherplanwassimplytobreakeverythingoffbetweenMarjoryandColeman，\"saidtheprofessor，\"andIdon\'tbelieveshehadany-groundsforallthatappearanceofowningColemanandtherestofit。\" \"Ofcourseshedidn\'t\"assentedMrs。Wainwright。 Theviciousthing!\" \"Ontheotherhand，\"saidtheprofessor，\"theremightbesometruthinit。\" \"Idon\'tthinkso，\"saidMrs。Wainwrightseriously。 Idon\'tbelieveawordofit。\" \"YoudonotmeantosaythatyouthinkColemanamodelman？\"demandedtheprofessor。 \"Notatall!Notatall!\"shehastilyanswered。 \"But**onedoesn\'tlookformodelmenthesedays。\" \"\'Whotoldyouhemadefifteenthousandayear？ askedtheprofessor。 \"ItwasPeterTounleythismorning。Weweretalkingupstairsafterbreakfast，andheremarkedthatheifcouldmakefifteenthousand，ayear:likeColeman，he\'d-I\'veforgottenwhat-somefancifulthing。\" \"Idoubtifitistrue，\"mutteredtheoldmanwagginghishead。 \"Ofcourseit\'strue，\"saidhiswifeemphatically。 \"PeterTounleysayseverybodyknowsit。\" Well*anyhow*moneyisnoteverything。\" Butit\'sa。greatdeal，youknowwellenough。Youknowyouarealwaysspeakingofpovertyasanevil，asagrandresultant，acollaborationofmanylesserevils。Well，then？ \"But，\"begantheprofessormeekly，whenIsaythatImean-\" \"Well，moneyismoneyandpovertyispoverty，\" interruptedhiswife。\"Youdon\'thavetobeverylearnedtoknowthat。\" \"IdonotsaythatColemanhasnotaverynicethingofit，butImustsayitishardtothinkofhisgettinganysuchsum，asyoumention。\" \"Isn\'theknownasthemostbrilliantjournalistinNewYork？\"shedemandedharshly。 \"Y-yes，aslongasitlasts，butthenoneneverknowswhenhewillbeoutinthestreetpenniless。 Ofcoursehehasnoparticularabilitywhichwouldbemarketableifhesuddenlylosthispresentemployment。 Ofcourseitisnotasifhewasareallytalentedyoungman。 Hemightnotbeabletomakehiswayatallinanynewdirection。\" \"Idon\'tknowaboutthat，\"saidMrs。Wainwrightinreflectiveprotestation。\"Idon\'tknowaboutthat。 Ithinkhewould。\" \"Ithoughtyousaidamomentago-\"Theprofessorspokewithanairofpuzzledhesitancy。\"I thoughtyousaidamomentagothathewouldn\'tsucceedinanythingbutjournalism。\" Mrs。Wainwrightswamoverthesituationwithafinetranquility。\"Well-I-I，\"sheansweredmusingly，\"ifIdidsaythat，Ididn\'tmeanitexactly。\" \"No，Isupposenot，\"spoketheprofessor，andde- spitethenecessityforcautionhecouldnotkeepoutofhisvoiceafaintnoteofannoyance。 \"Ofcourse，\"continuedthewife，\"RufusColemanisknowneverywhereasabrilliantman，averybrilliantman，andheevenmightdowellin-inpoliticsorsomethingofthatsort。\" \"IhaveaverypooropinionofthatkindofamindwhichdoeswellinAmericanpolitics，\"saidthepro- fessor，speakingasacollegian，\"butIsupposetheremaybesomethinginit。\" \"Well，atanyrate，\"decidedMrs。Wainwright。 \"Atanyrate-\" Atthatmoment，Marjoryattiredforluncheonandthedriveenteredfromherroom，andMrs。Wainwrightcheckedtheexpressionofherimportantconclusion。 Neitherfatherormotherhadeverseenhersoglowingwithtriumphantbeauty，abeautywhichwouldcarrythemindofaspectatorfarabovephysicalappreciationintothatrealmofpoetrywherecreaturesoflightmoveandarebeautifulbecausetheycannotknowpainoraburden。Itcarriedtearstotheoldfather\'seyes。Hetookherhands。\"Don\'tbetoohappy，mychild，don\'tbetoohappy，\"headmonishedhertremulously。\"Itmakesmeafraid-itmakesmeafraid。\" CHAPTERXXX ITseemsstrangethattheonewhowasthemosthilariousovertheengagementofMarjoryandCole- manshouldbeColeman\'sdragomanwhowasindeedinastateborderingontransport。Itisnotknownhowhelearnedthegladtidings，butitiscertainthathelearnedthembeforeluncheon。Hetoldallthevisibleemployesofthehotelandallowedthemtoknowthatthebetrothalreallyhadbeenhishandi-workHehadarrangedit。Hedidnotmakequiteclearhowhehadperformedthisfeat，butatleasthewasperfectlyfrankinacknowledgingit。 Whensomeofthestudentscamedowntoluncheon，theysawhimbutcouldnotdecidewhatailedhim。 Hewasinthemaincorridorofthehotel，grinningfromeartoear，andwhenheperceivedthestudentshemadesignstointimatethattheypossessedincom- monajoyoussecret。\"What\'sthematterwiththatidiot？\"askedCokemorosely。\"Looksasifhiswheelsweregoingaroundtoofast。\" PeterTounleywalkedclosetohimandscannedhimimperturbably，butwithcare。\"What\'sup，Phidias？\"Themanmadenoarticulatereply。Hecontinuedtogrinandgesture。\"Paininootummy？ Motherdead？Caughtthecholera？Foundoutthatyou\'veswallowedapairofhammeredbrassandironsinyourbeer？Say，whoareyou，anyhow？\" Buthecouldnotshakethisinvincibleglee，sohewentaway。 Thedragoman\'srapturereacheditszenithwhenColemanlenthimtotheprofessorandhewascommissionedtobringacarriageforfourpeopletothedooratthreeo\'clock。Hehimselfwastositontheboxandtellthedriverwhatwasrequiredofhim。Hedashedoff，hishatinhishand，hishairflying，puffing，importantbeyondeverything，andapparentlybabblinghismissiontohalfthepeoplehemetonthestreet。Inmostcountrieshewouldhavelandedspeedilyinjail，butamongapeoplewhoexistonabasisof\'jibbering，hisviolentgabblearousednosuspicionsastohissanity。However，hestirredseveralliverystablestotheirdepthsandsetmenrunninghereandtherewildlyandforthemostpartfutiltiy。 Atfifteenminutestothreeo\'clock，acarriagewithitshorsesonagalloptorearoundthecorneranduptothe。frontofthehotel，whereithaltedwiththepompandexcitementofafireengine。Thedragomanjumpeddownfromhisseatbesidethedriverandscrambledhurriedlyintothehoiel，inthegloomofwhichhemetaserenestillnesswhichwaspunctuatedonlybytheleisurelytinkleofsilverandglassinthediningroom。Foramomentthedragomanseemedreallyastoundedoutofspecch。Thenheplungedintothemanager\'sroom。WasitconceivablethatMonsieurColemanwasstillatluncheon？Yes；infact，itwastrue。Butthecarriage，wasatthedoor! Thecarriagewasatthedoor!Themanager，undisturbed，askedforwhathourMonsieurColemanhadbeenpleasedtoorderacarriage。Threeo\'clock! Threeo\'clock？Themanagerpointedcalmlyattheclock。Verywell。Itwasnowonlythirteenminutesofthreeo\'clock。MonsieurColemandoubtlesswouldappearatthree。UntilthathourthemanagerwouldnotdisturbMonsieurColeman。Thedragomanclutchedbothhishandsinhishairandcastalookofagonytotheceiling。GreatGod!Hadheaccomplishedtheherculeantaskofgettingacarriageforfourpeopletothedoorofthehotelintimeforadriveatthreeo\'clock，onlytomeetwiththisstoniness，thisinhumanity？Ah，itwasunendurable？Hebeggedthemanager；heimploredhim。Butateveryword。 themanagerseemedtogrowmoreindifferent，morecallous。Hepointedwithawoodenfingerattheclock-face。Inreality，itisthus，thatGreekmeetsGreek。 ProfessorWainwrightandColemanstrolledtogetheroutofthediningroom。Thedragomanrushedecstaticallyuponthecorrespondent。\"Oh，MeesterColeman! Thecargeisready!\" \"Well，allright，\"saidColeman，knockingashesfromhiscigar。\"Don\'tbeinahurry。Isupposewe\'llbeready，presently。\"Themanwasindespair。 ThedepartureoftheWainwrightsandColemanonthisordinarydrivewasofasomewhatdramaticandpublicnature，Nooneseemedtoknowhowtopreventitsbeingso。Inthefirstplace，theattendantsthrongedoutenmasseforareasonwhichwasplainatthetimeonlytoColeman\'sdragoman。And，ratherinthebackground，lurkedtheinterestedstudents。 Theprofessorwassurprisedandnervous。Colemanwasrigidandangry。Marjorywasflushedandsomewhathurried，andMrs。Wainwrightwasasproudasanoldturkey-hen。 Asthecarriagerolledaway，PeterTounleyturnedtohiscompanionsandsaid:\"Now，that\'sofficial! Thatistheofficialannouncement!DidyouseeOldMotherWainwright？Oh，myeye，wasn\'tshepuffedup!Say，whatinhelldoyousupposeallthesejayhawkingbell-boyspouredouttothekerbfor？Gobacktoyourcages，mygoodpeople-\" Assoonasthecarriagewheeledintoanotherstreet，itsoccupantsexchangedeasiersmiles，andtheymusthaveconfessedinsomesubtlewayofglancesthatnowatlasttheywereupontheirownmission，amissionundefinedbutearnesttothemall。 Colemanhadagladfeelingofbeingletintothefamily，orbecomingoneofthemTheprofessorlookedsidewaysathimandsmiledgently。\"Youknow，Ithoughtofdrivingyoutosomeruins，butMarjorywouldnothaveit。Sheflatlyobjectedtoanymoreruins。SoIthoughtwewoulddrivedowntoNewPhalerum。\" Colemannoddedandsmiledasifhewereimmenselypleased，butofcourseNewPhalerumwastohimnomorenor-lessthanVladivostokorKhartoum。 Neitherplacenordistancehadinterestforhim。 Theysweptalongashadedavenuewherethedustlaythickontheleaves；theypassedcafeswherecrowdswereangrilyshoutingoverthenewsinthelittlepapers； theypassedahospitalbeforewhichwoundedmen，whitewithbandages，weretakingthesun；thencamesoontotheandvalleyflankedbygauntnakedmountains，whichwouldleadthemtothesea。Sometimestoaccentuatethedrynakednessofthisvalley，therewouldbeapatchofgrassuponwhichpoppiesburnedcrimsonspots。Thedustwrithedoutfromunderthewheelsofthecarriage；inthedistancetheseaappeared，abluehalf-discsetbetweenshouldersofbarrenland。ItwouldbecommontosaythatColemanwasoblivioustoallabouthimbutMarjory。Onthecontrary，theparchedland，theisolatedflameofpoppies，thecoolairfromthesea，allwerekeenlyknowntohim，andtheyhaddevelopedanextraordinarypowerofblendingsympatheticallyintohismood。Meanwhiletheprofessortalkedagreatdeal。 Andasasomewhatexhilaratingdetail，ColemanperceivedthatMs。Wainwrightwasbeaminguponhim。 AtNewPhalerum-asmallcollectionofpalesquarevillas-theyleftthecarriageandstrolled，bythesea。 Thewavesweresnarlingtogetherlikewolvesamidthehoneycombrocksandfromwheretheblueplanesprangleveltothehorizon，cameastrongcoldbreeze，thekindofabreezewhichmovesanexultingmanoraparsontotakeoffhishatandlethislocksflutterandtugbackfromhisbrow。 TheprofessorandMrs。Wainwrightwerelefttothemselves。 MarjoryandColemandidnotspeakforatime。Itmighthavebeenthattheydidnotquiteknowwheretomakeabeginning。AtlastMarjoryasked: \"Whathasbecomeofyoursplendidhorse？\" \"Oh，I\'vetoldthedragomantohavehimsoldassoonashearrives，\"saidColemanabsently。 \"Oh。I\'msorry**Ilikedthathorse。\" \"Why？\" \"Oh，because-\" \"Well，hewasafine-\"Thenhe，too，interruptedhimself，forhesawplainlythattheyhadnotcometothisplacetotalkaboutahorse。Thereathemadespeechofmatterswhichatleastdidnotaffordasmanyopportunitiesforcoherencyaswouldthehorse。Marjory，itcan\'tbetrue***Isittrue，dearest**Icanhardlybelieveit-I-\" \"Oh，IknowI\'mnotnearlygoodenoughforyou。\" \"Goodenoughforme，dear？ \"Theyalltoldmeso，andtheywereright!Why，eventheAmericanministersaidit。Everybodythinksit。\" \"Why，aren\'ttheywretchesTothinkofthemsayingsuchathing!Asif-asifanybodycouldbetoo——\" \"Doyouknow-\"Shepausedandlookedathimwithacertaintimidchallenge。\"Idon\'tknowwhyIfeelit，but-sometimesIfeelthatI\'vebeenI\'vebeenflungatyourhead。\" Heopenedhismouthinastonishment。\"Flungatmyhead! Sheheldupherfinger。\"AndifIthoughtyoucouldeverbelieveit!\" \"Isagirlflungataman\'sheadwhenherfathercarriesherthousandsofmilesawayandthemanfollowsherallthesemiles，andatlast-\" \"Hereyeswereshining。\"AndyoureallycametoGreece-onpurposeto-to-\" \"Confessyouknewitallthetime!Confess!\" Theanswerwasmuffled。\"Well，sometimesI thoughtyoudid，andatothertimesIthoughtyou- didn\'t。\" Inasecludedcove，inwhichthesea-maidsoncehadplayed，nodoubt，MarjoryandColemansatinsilence。 Hewasbelowher，andifhelookedatherhehadtoturnhisglanceobliquelyupward。Shewasstaringattheseawithwoman\'smysticgaze，agazewhichmenatoncereverenceandfearsinceitseemstolookintothedeep，simpleheartofnature，andmenbegintofeelthattheirpettywisdomsarefutiletocontrolthesestrangespirits，aswaywardasnatureandaspureasnature，wildastheplayofwaves，sometimesasunalterableasthemountainamidthewinds；andtomeasurethem，manmustperforceuseamathematicalformula。 Hewishedthatshewouldlayherhanduponhishair。Hewouldbehappythen。Ifshewouldonly，ofherownwill，touchhishairlightlywithherfingers-ifshewoulddoitwithanunconsciousairitwouldbeevenbetter。Itwouldshowhimthatshewasthinkingofhim，evenwhenshedidnotknowshewasthinkingofhim。 Perhapshedaredlayhisheadsoftlyagainstherknee。 Didhedare？ Ashisheadtouchedherknee，shedidnotmove。 Sheseemedtobestillgazingatthesea。Presentlyidlycaressingfingersplayedinhishairneartheforehead。Helookedupsuddenlyliftinghisarms。 Hebreathedoutacrywhichwasladenwithakindofdiffidentferocity。\"Ihaven\'tkissedyouyet-\"