第1章

Itwaswellalongintheforenoonofabitterwinter\'sday。ThetownofEastport，inthestateofMaine，layburiedunderadeepsnowthatwasnewlyfallen。Thecustomarybustleinthestreetswaswanting。Onecouldlooklongdistancesdownthemandseenothingbutadead-whiteemptiness，withsilencetomatch。OfcourseIdonotmeanthatyoucouldseethesilence——no，youcouldonlyhearit。Thesidewalksweremerelylong，deepditches，withsteepsnowwallsoneitherside。Hereandthereyoumighthearthefaint，farscrapeofawoodenshovel，andifyouwerequickenoughyoumightcatchaglimpseofadistantblackfigurestoopinganddisappearinginoneofthoseditches，andreappearingthenextmomentwithamotionwhichyouwouldknowmeanttheheavingoutofashovelfulofsnow。Butyouneededtobequick，forthatblackfigurewouldnotlinger，butwouldsoardropthatshovelandscudforthehouse，thrashingitselfwithitsarmstowarmthem。Yes，itwastoovenomouslycoldforsnow-shovelersoranybodyelsetostayoutlong。 Presentlytheskydarkened；thenthewindroseandbegantoblowinfitful，vigorousgusts，whichsentcloudsofpowderysnowaloft，andstraightahead，andeverywhere。Undertheimpulseofoneofthesegusts，greatwhitedriftsbankedthemselveslikegravesacrossthestreets；amomentlateranothergustshiftedthemaroundtheotherway，drivingafinesprayofsnowfromtheirsharpcrests，asthegaledrivesthespumeflakesfromwave-crestsatsea；athirdgustsweptthatplaceascleanasyourhand，ifitsawfit。Thiswasfooling，thiswasplay；buteachandallofthegustsdumpedsomesnowintothesidewalkditches，forthatwasbusiness。 AlonzoFitzClarencewassittinginhissnugandelegantlittleparlor，inalovelybluesilkdressing-gown，withcuffsandfacingsofcrimsonsatin，elaboratelyquilted。Theremainsofhisbreakfastwerebeforehim，andthedaintyandcostlylittletableserviceaddedaharmoniouscharmtothegrace，beauty，andrichnessofthefixedappointmentsoftheroom。Acheeryfirewasblazingonthehearth。 Afuriousgustofwindshookthewindows，andagreatwaveofsnowwashedagainstthemwithadrenchingsound，sotospeak。Thehandsomeyoungbachelormurmured: \"Thatmeans，nogoingoutto-day。Well，Iamcontent。Butwhattodoforcompany？Motheriswellenough，AuntSusaniswellenough；butthese，likethepoor，Ihavewithmealways。Onsogrimadayasthis，oneneedsanewinterest，afreshelement，towhetthedulledgeofcaptivity。Thatwasveryneatlysaid，butitdoesn\'tmeananything。 Onedoesn\'twanttheedgeofcaptivitysharpenedup，youknow，butjustthereverse。\" HeglancedathisprettyFrenchmantel-clock。 \"Thatclock\'swrongagain。Thatclockhardlyeverknowswhattimeitis； andwhenitdoesknow，itliesaboutit——whichamountstothesamething。 Alfred!\" Therewasnoanswer。 \"Alfred!……Goodservant，butasuncertainastheclock。\" Alonzotouchedanelectricbellbuttoninthewall。Hewaitedamoment，thentoucheditagain；waitedafewmomentsmore，andsaid: \"Batteryoutoforder，nodoubt。ButnowthatIhavestarted，Iwillfindoutwhattimeitis。\"Hesteppedtoaspeaking-tubeinthewall，blewitswhistle，andcalled，\"Mother!\"andrepeatedittwice。 \"Well，that\'snouse。Mother\'sbatteryisoutoforder，too。Can\'traiseanybodydown-stairs——thatisplain。\" Hesatdownatarosewooddesk，leanedhischinontheleft-handedgeofitandspoke，asiftothefloor:\"AuntSusan!\" Alow，pleasantvoiceanswered，\"Isthatyou，Alonzo？\' \"Yes。I\'mtoolazyandcomfortabletogodownstairs；Iaminextremity，andIcan\'tseemtoscareupanyhelp。\" \"Dearme，whatisthematter？\" \"Matterenough，Icantellyou!\" \"Oh，don\'tkeepmeinsuspense，dear!Whatisit？\" \"Iwanttoknowwhattimeitis。\" \"Youabominableboy，whataturnyoudidgiveme!Isthatall？\" \"All——onmyhonor。Calmyourself。Tellmethetime，andreceivemyblessing。\" \"Justfiveminutesafternine。Nocharge——keepyourblessing。\" \"Thanks。Itwouldn\'thaveimpoverishedme，aunty，norsoenrichedyouthatyoucouldlivewithoutothermeans。\" Hegotup，murmuring，\"Justfiveminutesafternine，\"andfacedhisclock。\"Ah，\"saidhe，\"youaredoingbetterthanusual。Youareonlythirty-fourminuteswrong。Letmesee……，letmesee…… Thirty-threeandtwenty-onearefifty-four；fourtimesfifty-fouraretwohundredandthirty-six。Oneoff，leavestwohundredandthirty-five。 That\'sright。\" Heturnedthehandsofhisclockforwardtilltheymarkedtwenty-fiveminutestoone，andsaid，\"Nowseeifyoucan\'tkeeprightforawhile——elseI\'llraffleyou!\" Hesatdownatthedeskagain，andsaid，\"AuntSusan!\" \"Yes，dear。\" \"Hadbreakfast？\" \"Yes，indeed，anhourago。\" \"Busy？\" \"No——exceptsewing。Why？\" \"Gotanycompany？\" \"No，butIexpectsomeathalfpastnine。\" \"IwishIdid。I\'mlonesome。Iwanttotalktosomebody。\" \"Verywell，talktome。\" \"Butthisisveryprivate。\" \"Don\'tbeafraid——talkrightalong，there\'snobodyherebutme。\" \"Ihardlyknowwhethertoventureornot，but——\" \"Butwhat？Oh，don\'tstopthere!Youknowyoucantrustme，Alonzo——youknow，youcan。\" \"Ifeelit，aunt，butthisisveryserious。Itaffectsmedeeply——me，andallthefamily——eventhewholecommunity。\" \"Oh，Alonzo，tellme!Iwillneverbreatheawordofit。Whatisit？\" \"Aunt，ifImightdare——\" \"Oh，pleasegoon!Iloveyou，andfeelforyou。Tellmeall。 Confideinme。Whatisit？\" \"Theweather!\" \"Plaguetaketheweather!Idon\'tseehowyoucanhavethehearttoservemeso，Lon。\" \"There，there，auntydear，I\'msorry；Iam，onmyhonor。Iwon\'tdoitagain。Doyouforgiveme？\" \"Yes，sinceyouseemsosincereaboutit，thoughIknowIoughtn\'tto。 YouwillfoolmeagainassoonasIhaveforgottenthistime。\" \"No，Iwon\'t，honorbright。Butsuchweather，oh，suchweather!You\'vegottokeepyourspiritsupartificially。Itissnowy，andblowy，andgusty，andbittercold!Howistheweatherwithyou？\" \"Warmandrainyandmelancholy。Themournersgoaboutthestreetswiththeirumbrellasrunningstreamsfromtheendofeverywhalebone。There\'sanelevateddoublepavementofumbrellas，stretchingdownthesidesofthestreetsasfarasIcansee。I\'vegotafireforcheerfulness，andthewindowsopentokeepcool。Butitisvain，itisuseless:nothingcomesinbutthebalmybreathofDecember，withitsburdenofmockingodorsfromtheflowersthatpossesstherealmoutside，andrejoiceintheirlawlessprofusionwhilstthespiritofmanislow，andflaunttheirgaudysplendorsinhisfacewhilehissoulisclothedinsackclothandashesandhisheartbreaketh。\" Alonzoopenedhislipstosay，\"Yououghttoprintthat，andgetitframed，\"butcheckedhimself，forheheardhisauntspeakingtosomeoneelse。Hewentandstoodatthewindowandlookedoutuponthewintryprospect。Thestormwasdrivingthesnowbeforeitmorefuriouslythanever；window-shutterswereslammingandbanging；aforlorndog，withbowedheadandtailwithdrawnfromservice，waspressinghisquakingbodyagainstawindwardwallforshelterandprotection；ayounggirlwasplowingknee-deepthroughthedrifts，withherfaceturnedfromtheblast，andthecapeofherwaterproofblowingstraightrearwardoverherhead。Alonzoshuddered，andsaidwithasigh，\"Bettertheslop，andthesultryrain，andeventheinsolentflowers，thanthis!\" Heturnedfromthewindow，movedastep，andstoppedinalisteningattitude。Thefaint，sweetnotesofafamiliarsongcaughthisear。Heremainedthere，withhisheadunconsciouslybentforward，drinkinginthemelody，stirringneitherhandnorfoot，hardlybreathing。Therewasablemishintheexecutionofthesong，buttoAlonzoitseemedanaddedcharminsteadofadefect。Thisblemishconsistedofamarkedflattingofthethird，fourth，fifth，sixth，andseventhnotesoftherefrainorchorusofthepiece。Whenthemusicended，Alonzodrewadeepbreath，andsaid，\"Ah，Ineverhaveheard\'IntheSweetBy-and-by\'sunglikethatbefore!\" Hesteppedquicklytothedesk，listenedamoment，andsaidinaguarded，confidentialvoice，\"Aunty，whoisthisdivinesinger？\" \"SheisthecompanyIwasexpecting。Stayswithmeamonthortwo。 Iwillintroduceyou。Miss——\" \"Forgoodness\'sake，waitamoment，AuntSusan!Youneverstoptothinkwhatyouareabout!\" Heflewtohisbedchamber，andreturnedinamomentperceptiblychangedinhisoutwardappearance，andremarking，snappishly: \"Hangit，shewouldhaveintroducedmetothisangelinthatsky-bluedressing-gownwithred-hotlapels!Womenneverthink，whentheygeta-going。\" Hehastenedandstoodbythedesk，andsaideagerly，\"Now，Aunty，Iamready，\"andfelltosmilingandbowingwithallthepersuasivenessandelegancethatwereinhim。 \"Verywell。MissRosannahEthelton，letmeintroducetoyoumyfavoritenephew，Mr。AlonzoFitzClarence。There!Youarebothgoodpeople，andIlikeyou；soIamgoingtotrustyoutogetherwhileIattendtoafewhouseholdaffairs。Sitdown，Rosannah；sitdown，Alonzo。Good-by；I sha\'n\'tbegonelong。\" Alonzohadbeenbowingandsmilingallthewhile，andmotioningimaginaryyoungladiestositdowninimaginarychairs，butnowhetookaseathimself，mentallysaying，\"Oh，thisisluck!Letthewindsblownow，andthesnowdrive，andtheheavensfrown!LittleIcare!\" Whiletheseyoungpeoplechatthemselvesintoanacquaintanceship，letustakethelibertyofinspectingthesweeterandfairerofthetwo。Shesatalone，athergracefulease，inarichlyfurnishedapartmentwhichwasmanifestlytheprivateparlorofarefinedandsensiblelady，ifsignsandsymbolsmaygoforanything。Forinstance，byalow，comfortablechairstoodadainty，top-heavyworkstand，whosesummitwasafancifullyembroideredshallowbasket，withvaricoloredcrewels，andotherstringsandodds，andendsprotrudingfromunderthegapinglidandhangingdowninnegligentprofusion。OnthefloorlaybrightshredsofTurkeyred，Prussianblue，andkindredfabrics，bitsofribbon，aspoolortwo，apairofscissors，andarollorsooftintedsilkenstuffs。 Onaluxurioussofa，upholsteredwithsomesortofsoftIndiangoodswroughtinblackandgoldthreadsinterwebbedwithotherthreadsnotsopronouncedincolor，layagreatsquareofcoarsewhitestuff，uponwhosesurfacearichbouquetofflowerswasgrowing，underthedeftcultivationofthecrochet-needle。Thehouseholdcatwasasleeponthisworkofart。 Inabay-windowstoodaneaselwithanunfinishedpictureonit，andapaletteandbrushesonachairbesideit。Therewerebookseverywhere: Robertson\'sSermons，Tennyson，MoodyandSankey，Hawthorne，RabandHisFriends，cook-books，prayer-books，pattern-books——andbooksaboutallkindsofodiousandexasperatingpottery，ofcourse。Therewasapiano，withadeck-loadofmusic，andmoreinatender。Therewasagreatplentyofpicturesonthewalls，ontheshelvesofthemantelpiece，andaroundgenerally；wherecoignsofvantageofferedwerestatuettes，andquaintandprettygimcracks，andrareandcostlyspecimensofpeculiarlydevilishchina。Thebay-windowgaveuponagardenthatwasablazewithforeignanddomesticflowersandfloweringshrubs。 Butthesweetyounggirlwasthedaintiestthingthesepremises，withinorwithout，couldofferforcontemplation:delicatelychiseledfeatures，ofGreciancast；hercomplexionthepuresnowofajaponicathatisreceivingafaintreflectedenrichmentfromsomescarletneighborofthegarden；great，softblueeyesfringedwithlong，curvinglashes；anexpressionmadeupofthetrustfulnessofachildandthegentlenessofafawn；abeautifulheadcrownedwithitsownprodigalgold；alitheandroundedfigure，whoseeveryattitudeandmovementwasinstinctwithnativegrace。 Herdressandadornmentweremarkedbythatexquisiteharmonythatcancomeonlyofafinenaturaltasteperfectedbyculture。Hergownwasofasimplemagentatulle，cutbias，traversedbythreerowsoflight-blueflounces，withtheselvageedgesturnedupwithashes-of-roseschenille； overdressofdarkbaytarlatanwithscarletsatinlambrequins；corn- coloredpolonaise，enzanier，loopedwithmother-of-pearlbuttonsandsilvercord，andhauledaftandmadefastbybuffvelvetlashings；basqueoflavenderreps，pickedoutwithvalenciennes；lowneck，shortsleeves； maroonvelvetnecktieedgedwithdelicatepinksilk；insidehandkerchiefofsomesimplethree-plyingrainfabricofasoftsaffrontint；coralbraceletsandlocket-chain；coiffureofforget-me-notsandlilies-of-the-valleymassedaroundanoblecalla。 Thiswasall；yeteveninthissubduedattireshewasdivinelybeautiful。 Thenwhatmustshehavebeenwhenadornedforthefestivalortheball？ AllthistimeshehadbeenbusilychattingwithAlonzo，unconsciousofourinspection。Theminutesstillsped，andstillshetalked。Butbyandbyshehappenedtolookup，andsawtheclock。Acrimsonblushsentitsrichfloodthroughhercheeks，andsheexclaimed: \"There，good-by，Mr。FitzClarence；Imustgonow!\" Shesprangfromherchairwithsuchhastethatshehardlyheardtheyoungman\'sansweringgood-by。Shestoodradiant，graceful，beautiful，andgazed，wondering，upontheaccusingclock。Presentlyherpoutinglipsparted，andshesaid: \"Fiveminutesaftereleven!Nearlytwohours，anditdidnotseemtwentyminutes!Oh，dear，whatwillhethinkofme!\" Attheself-samemomentAlonzowasstaringathisclock。Andpresentlyhesaid: \"Twenty-fiveminutestothree!Nearlytwohours，andIdidn\'tbelieveitwastwominutes!Isitpossiblethatthisclockishumbuggingagain？ MissEthelton!Justonemoment，please。Areyouthereyet？\" \"Yes，butbequick；I\'mgoingrightaway。\" \"Wouldyoubesokindastotellmewhattimeitis？\" Thegirlblushedagain，murmuredtoherself，\"It\'srightdowncruelofhimtoaskme!\"andthenspokeupandansweredwithadmirablycounterfeitedunconcern，\"Fiveminutesaftereleven。\" \"Oh，thankyou!Youhavetogo，now，haveyou？\" \"I\'msorry。\" Noreply。 \"MissEthelton!\" \"Well？\" \"Youyou\'rethereyet，ain\'tyou？\" \"Yes；butpleasehurry。Whatdidyouwanttosay？\" \"Well，I——well，nothinginparticular。It\'sverylonesomehere。It\'saskingagreatdeal，Iknow，butwouldyoumindtalkingwithmeagainbyandby——thatis，ifitwillnottroubleyoutoomuch？\" \"Idon\'tknowbutI\'llthinkaboutit。I\'lltry。\" \"Oh，thanks!MissEthelton!……Ah，me，she\'sgone，andherearetheblackcloudsandthewhirlingsnowandtheragingwindscomeagain! Butshesaidgood-by。Shedidn\'tsaygoodmorning，shesaidgood-by!…… Theclockwasright，afterall。Whatalightning-wingedtwohoursitwas!\" Hesatdown，andgazeddreamilyintohisfireforawhile，thenheavedasighandsaid: \"Howwonderfulitis!TwolittlehoursagoIwasafreeman，andnowmyheart\'sinSanFrancisco!\" AboutthattimeRosannahEthelton，proppedinthewindow-seatofherbedchamber，bookinhand，wasgazingvacantlyoutovertherainyseasthatwashedtheGoldenGate，andwhisperingtoherself，\"HowdifferentheisfrompoorBurley，withhisemptyheadandhissinglelittleantictalentofmimicry!\" II FourweekslaterMr。SidneyAlgernonBurleywasentertainingagayluncheoncompany，inasumptuousdrawing-roomonTelegraphHill，withsomecapitalimitationsofthevoicesandgesturesofcertainpopularactorsandSanFranciscanliterarypeopleandBonanzagrandees。Hewaselegantlyupholstered，andwasahandsomefellow，barringatriflingcastinhiseye。Heseemedveryjovial，butneverthelesshekepthiseyeonthedoorwithanexpectantanduneasywatchfulness。Byandbyanobby。 lackeyappeared，anddeliveredamessagetothemistress，whonoddedherheadunderstandingly。ThatseemedtosettlethethingforMr。Burley； hisvivacitydecreasedlittlebylittle，andadejectedlookbegantocreepintooneofhiseyesandasinisteroneintotheother。 Therestofthecompanydepartedinduetime，leavinghimwiththemistress，towhomhesaid: \"Thereisnolongeranyquestionaboutit。Sheavoidsme。Shecontinuallyexcusesherself。IfIcouldseeher，ifIcouldspeaktoheronlyamomentbutthissuspense——\" \"Perhapsherseemingavoidanceismereaccident，Mr。Burley。Gotothesmalldrawing-roomup-stairsandamuseyourselfamoment。Iwilldespatchahouseholdorderthatisonmymind，andthenIwillgotoherroom。Withoutdoubtshewillbepersuadedtoseeyou。\" Mr。Burleywentup-stairs，intendingtogotothesmalldrawing-room，butashewaspassing\"AuntSusan\'s\"privateparlor，thedoorofwhichstoodslightlyajar，heheardajoyouslaughwhichherecognized；sowithoutknockorannouncementhesteppedconfidentlyin。Butbeforehecouldmakehispresenceknownheheardwordsthatharroweduphissoulandchilledhisyoungblood，dieheardavoicesay: \"Darling，ithascome!\" ThenheheardRosannahEthelton，whosebackwastowardhim，say: \"Sohasyours，dearest!\" Hesawherbowedformbendlower；heheardherkisssomething——notmerelyonce，butagainandagain!Hissoulragedwithinhim。Theheartbreakingconversationwenton: \"Rosannah，Iknewyoumustbebeautiful，butthisisdazzling，thisisblinding，thisisintoxicating!\" \"Alonzo，itissuchhappinesstohearyousayit。Iknowitisnottrue，butIamsogratefultohaveyouthinkitis，nevertheless!Iknewyoumusthaveanobleface，butthegraceandmajestyoftherealitybeggarthepoorcreationofmyfancy。\" Burleyheardthatrattlingshowerofkissesagain。 \"Thankyou，myRosannah!Thephotographflattersme，butyoumustnotallowyourselftothinkofthat。Sweetheart？\" \"Yes，Alonzo。\" \"Iamsohappy，Rosannah。\" \"Oh，Alonzo，nonethathavegonebeforemeknewwhatlovewas，nonethatcomeaftermewilleverknowwhathappinessis。Ifloatinagorgeouscloudland，aboundlessfirmamentofenchantedandbewilderingecstasy!\" \"Oh，myRosannah!foryouaremine，areyounot？\" \"Wholly，oh，whollyyours，Alonzo，nowandforever!Allthedaylong，andallthroughmynightlydreams，onesongsingsitself，anditssweetburdenis，\'AlonzoFitzClarence，AlonzoFitzClarence，Eastport，stateofMaine!\'\" \"Cursehim，I\'vegothisaddress，anyway!\"roaredBurley，inwardly，andrushedfromtheplace。 JustbehindtheunconsciousAlonzostoodhismother，apictureofastonishment。Shewassomuffledfromheadtoheelinfursthatnothingofherselfwasvisiblebuthereyesandnose。Shewasagoodallegoryofwinter，forshewaspowderedalloverwithsnow。 BehindtheunconsciousRosannahstood\"Aunt\'Susan，\"anotherpictureofastonishment。Shewasagoodallegoryofsummer，forshewaslightlyclad，andwasvigorouslycoolingtheperspirationonherfacewithafan。 Bothofthesewomenhadtearsofjoyintheireyes。 \"Soho!\"exclaimedMrs。FitzClarence，\"thisexplainswhynobodyhasbeenabletodragyououtofyourroomforsixweeks，Alonzo!\" \"Soho!\"exclaimedAuntSusan，\"thisexplainswhyyouhavebeenahermitforthepastsixweeks，Rosannah!\" Theyoungcouplewereontheirfeetinaninstant，abashed，andstandinglikedetecteddealersinstolengoodsawaitingjudgeLynch\'sdoom。 \"Blessyou，myson!Iamhappyinyourhappiness。Cometoyourmother\'sarms，Alonzo!\" \"Blessyou，Rosannah，formydearnephew\'ssake!Cometomyarms!\" ThenwasthereaminglingofheartsandoftearsofrejoicingonTelegraphHillandinEastportSquare。 Servantswerecalledbytheelders，inbothplaces。Untoonewasgiventheorder，\"Pilethisfirehigh，withhickorywood，andbringmearoasting-hotlemonade。\" Untotheotherwasgiventheorder，\"Putoutthis，fire，andbringmetwopalm-leaffansandapitcherofice-water。\" Thentheyoungpeopleweredismissed，andtheelderssatdowntotalkthesweetsurpriseoverandmaketheweddingplans。 SomeminutesbeforethisMr。BurleyrushedfromthemansiononTelegraphHillwithoutmeetingortakingformalleaveofanybody。Hehissedthroughhisteeth，inunconsciousimitationofapopularfavoriteinmelodrama，\"Himshallsheneverwed!Ihaveswornit!EregreatNatureshallhavedoffedherwinter\'serminetodontheemeraldgaudsofspring，sheshallbemine!\" III Twoweekslater。Everyfewhours，duringsamethreeorfourdays，averyprimanddevout-lookingEpiscopalclergyman，withacastinhiseye，hadvisitedAlonzo。Accordingtohiscard，hewastheRev。MeltonHargrave，ofCincinnati。Hesaidhehadretiredfromtheministryonaccountofhishealth。Ifhehadsaidonaccountofill-health，hewouldprobablyhaveerred，tojudgebyhiswholesomelooksandfirmbuild。Hewastheinventorofanimprovementintelephones，andhopedtomakehisbreadbysellingtheprivilegeofusingit。\"Atpresent，\"hecontinued，\"amanmaygoandtapatelegraphwirewhichisconveyingasongoraconcertfromonestatetoanother，andhecanattachhisprivatetelephoneandstealahearingofthatmusicasitpassesalong。Myinventionwillstopallthat。\" \"Well，\"answeredAlonzo，\"iftheownerofthemusiccouldnotmisswhatwasstolen，whyshouldhecare？\" \"Heshouldn\'tcare，\"saidtheReverend。 \"Well？\"saidAlonzo，inquiringly。 \"Suppose，\"repliedtheReverend，\"supposethat，insteadofmusicthatwaspassingalongandbeingstolen，theburdenofthewirewaslovingendearmentsofthemostprivateandsacrednature？\" Alonzoshudderedfromheadtoheel。\"Sir，itisapricelessinvention，\" saidhe；\"Imusthaveitatanycost。\" ButtheinventionwasdelayedsomewhereontheroadfromCincinnati，mostunaccountably。TheimpatientAlonzocouldhardlywait。ThethoughtofRosannah\'ssweetwordsbeingsharedwithhimbysomeribaldthiefwasgallingtohim。TheReverendcamefrequentlyandlamentedthedelay，andtoldofmeasureshehadtakentohurrythingsup。ThiswassomelittlecomforttoAlonzo。 OneforenoontheReverendascendedthestairsandknockedatAlonzo\'sdoor。Therewasnoresponse。Heentered，glancedeagerlyaround，。 closedthedoorsoftly，thenrantothetelephone。Theexquisitelysoftandremotestrainsofthe\"SweetBy-and-by\"camefloatingthroughtheinstrument。Thesingerwasflatting，asusual，thefivenotesthatfollowthefirsttwointhechorus，whentheReverendinterruptedherwiththisword，inavoicewhichwasanexactimitationofAlonzo\'s，withjustthefaintestflavorofimpatienceadded: \"Sweetheart？\" \"Yes，Alonzo？\" \"Pleasedon\'tsingthatanymorethisweek-trysomethingmodern。\" Theagilestepthatgoeswithahappyheartwasheardonthestairs，andtheReverend，smilingdiabolically，soughtsuddenrefugebehindtheheavyfoldsofthevelvetwindowcurtains。Alonzoenteredandflewtothetelephone。Saidhe: \"Rosannah，dear，shallwesingsomethingtogether？\" \"Somethingmodern？\"askedshe，withsarcasticbitterness。 \"Yes，ifyouprefer。\" \"Singityourself，ifyoulike!\" Thissnappishnessamazedandwoundedtheyoungman。Hesaid: \"Rosarmah，thatwasnotlikeyou。\" \"Isupposeitbecomesmeasmuchasyourverypolitespeechbecameyou，Mr。FitzClarence。\" \"MisterFitzClarence!Rosannah，therewasnothingimpoliteaboutmyspeech。\" \"Oh，indeed!Ofcourse，then，Imisunderstoodyou，andImosthumblybegyourpardon，ha-ha-ha!Nodoubtyousaid，\'Don\'tsingitanymoreto-day。\'\" \"Singwhatanymoreto-day？\" \"Thesongyoumentioned，ofcourse，Howveryobtuseweare，allofasudden!\" \"Inevermentionedanysong。\" \"Oh，youdidn\'t？\" \"No，Ididn\'t!\" \"Iamcompelledtoremarkthatyoudid。\" \"AndIamobligedtoreiteratethatIdidn\'t。\" \"Asecondrudeness!Thatissufficient，sir。Iwillneverforgiveyou。 Allisoverbetweenus。\" Thencameamuffledsoundofcrying。Alonzohastenedtosay: \"Oh，Rosannah，unsaythosewords!Thereissomedreadfulmysteryhere，somehideousmistake。IamutterlyearnestandsincerewhenIsayI neversaidanythingaboutanysong。Iwouldnothurtyouforthewholeworld……Rosannah，dearspeaktome，won\'tyou？\" Therewasapause；thenAlonzoheardthegirl\'ssobbingsretreating，andknewshehadgonefromthetelephone。Herosewithaheavysigh，andhastenedfromtheroom，sayingtohimself，\"Iwillransackthecharitymissionsandthehauntsofthepoorformymother。ShewillpersuadeherthatInevermeanttowoundher。\" AminutelatertheReverendwascrouchingoverthetelephonelikeacatthatknoweththewaysoftheprey。Hehadnotverymanyminutestowait。