AFTERaweekMrs。Laphamreturned，leavingIrenealoneattheoldhomesteadinVermont。\"She’scomfortablethere——ascomfortableasshecanbeanywheres，Iguess，\"shesaidtoherhusbandastheydrovetogetherfromthestation，wherehehadmetherinobediencetohertelegraphicsummons。
\"Shekeepsherselfbusyhelpingaboutthehouse；
andshegoesroundamongstthehandsintheirhouses。
There’ssickness，andyouknowhowhelpfulsheiswherethere’ssickness。Shedon’tcomplainany。Idon’tknowasI’veheardawordoutofhermouthsincewelefthome；
butI’mafraidit’llwearonher，Silas。\"
\"Youdon’tlookoverandabovewellyourself，Persis，\"
saidherhusbandkindly。
\"Oh，don’ttalkaboutme。WhatIwanttoknowiswhetheryoucan’tgetthetimetorunoffwithhersomewhere。
IwrotetoyouaboutDubuque。She’llworkherselfdown，I’mafraid；andTHENIdon’tknowasshe’llbeoverit。
Butifshecouldgooff，andbeamused——seenewpeople————\"
\"IcouldMAKEthetime，\"saidLapham，\"ifIhadto。
But，asithappens，I’vegottogooutWestonbusiness，——I’lltellyouaboutit，——andI’lltakeIrenealong。\"
\"Good！\"saidhiswife。\"That’saboutthebestthingI’veheardyet。Whereyougoing？\"
\"OutDubuqueway。\"
\"AnythingthematterwithBill’sfolks？\"
\"No。It’sbusiness。\"
\"How’sPen？\"
\"Iguesssheain’tmuchbetterthanIrene。\"
\"Hebeenaboutany？\"
\"Yes。ButIcan’tseeasithelpsmattersmuch。\"
\"Tchk！\"Mrs。Laphamfellbackagainstthecarriagecushions。
\"Ideclare，toseeherwillingtotakethemanthatweallthoughtwantedhersister！Ican’tmakeitseemright。\"
\"It’sright，\"saidLaphamstoutly；\"butIguesssheain’twilling；Iwishshewas。Buttheredon’tseemtobeanywayoutofthething，anywhere。It’saperfectsnarl。
ButIdon’twantyoushouldbeanywaysha’shwithPen。\"
Mrs。Laphamanswerednothing；butwhenshemetPenelopeshegavethegirl’swanfaceasharplook，andbegantowhimperonherneck。
Penelope’stearswereallspent。\"Well，mother，\"shesaid，\"youcomebackalmostascheerfulasyouwentaway。
Ineedn’taskif’Rene’singoodspirits。Weallseemtobeoverflowingwiththem。Isupposethisisonewayofcongratulatingme。Mrs。Coreyhasn’tbeenroundtodoityet。\"
\"Areyou——areyouengagedtohim，Pen？\"gaspedhermother。
\"Judgingbymyfeelings，Ishouldsaynot。Ifeelasifitwasalastwillandtestament。Butyou’dbetteraskhimwhenhecomes。\"
\"Ican’tbeartolookathim。\"
\"Iguesshe’susedtothat。Hedon’tseemtoexpecttobelookedat。Well！we’realljustwherewestarted。
Iwonderhowlongitwillkeepup。\"
Mrs。Laphamreportedtoherhusbandwhenhecamehomeatnight——hehadlefthisbusinesstogoandmeether，andthen，afteradesolatedinneratthehouse，hadreturnedtotheofficeagain——thatPenelopewasfullyasbadasIrene。\"Andshedon’tknowhowtoworkitoff。
Irenekeepsdoing；butPenjustsitsinherroomandmopes。
Shedon’tevenread。Iwentupthisafternoontoscoldheraboutthestatethehousewasin——youcanseethatIrene’sawaybytheperfectmess；butwhenIsawherthroughthecrackofthedoorIhadn’ttheheart。
Shesattherewithherhandsinherlap，juststaring。
And，mygoodness！sheJUMPEDsowhenshesawme；
andthenshefellback，andbegantolaugh，andsaidshe，’Ithoughtitwasmyghost，mother！’IfeltasifIshouldgiveway。\"
Laphamlistenedjadedly，andansweredfarfromthepoint。
\"IguessI’vegottostartoutthereprettysoon，Persis。\"
\"Howsoon？\"
\"Well，to—morrowmorning。\"
Mrs。Laphamsatsilent。Then，\"Allright，\"shesaid。
\"I’llgetyouready。\"
\"IshallrunuptoLaphamforIrene，andthenI’llpushonthroughCanada。Icangetthereaboutasquick。\"
\"Isitanythingyoucantellmeabout，Silas？\"
\"Yes，\"saidLapham。\"Butit’salongstory，andI
guessyou’vegotyourhandsprettyfullasitis。
I’vebeenthrowinggoodmoneyafterbad，——theusualway，——
andnowI’vegottoseeifIcansavethepieces。\"
AfteramomentMrs。Laphamasked，\"Isit——Rogers？\"
\"It’sRogers。\"
\"Ididn’twantyoushouldgetinanydeeperwithhim。\"
\"No。Youdidn’twantIshouldpresshimeither；andI
hadtodooneortheother。AndsoIgotindeeper。\"
\"Silas，\"saidhiswife，\"I’mafraidImadeyou！\"
\"It’sallright，Persis，asfarforthasthatgoes。
Iwasgladtomakeitupwithhim——Ijumpedatthechance。
IguessRogerssawthathehadasoftthinginme，andhe’sworkeditforallitwasworth。Butit’llallcomeoutrightintheend。\"
Laphamsaidthisasifhedidnotcaretotalkanymoreaboutit。Headdedcasually，\"PrettyneareverybodybutthefellowsthatoweMEseemtoexpectmetodoacashbusiness，allofasudden。\"
\"Doyoumeanthatyou’vegotpaymentstomake，andthatpeoplearenotpayingYOU？\"
Laphamwincedalittle。\"Somethinglikethat，\"hesaid，andhelightedacigar。\"ButwhenItellyouit’sallright，Imeanit，Persis。Iain’tgoingtoletthegrassgrowundermyfeet，though，——especiallywhileRogersdigsthegroundawayfromtheroots。\"
\"Whatareyougoingtodo？\"
\"Ifithastocometothat，I’mgoingtosqueezehim。\"
Lapham’scountenancelightedupwithgreaterjoythanhadyetvisiteditsincethedaytheyhaddrivenouttoBrookline。
\"MiltonK。Rogersisarascal，ifyouwanttoknow；
orelseallthesignsfail。ButIguesshe’llfindhe’sgothiscome—uppance。\"Laphamshuthislipssothattheshort，reddish—greybeardstuckstraightoutonthem。
\"What’shedone？\"
\"What’shedone？Well，now，I’lltellyouwhathe’sdone，Persis，sinceyouthinkRogersissuchasaint，andthatI
usedhimsobadlyingettinghimoutofthebusiness。
He’sbeendabblingineverysortoffoolthingyoucanlayyourtongueto，——wild—catstocks，patent—rights，landspeculations，oilclaims，——tillhe’srunthroughabouteverything。
ButhedidhaveabigmillingpropertyoutonthelineoftheP。Y。&X。，——saw—millsandgrist—millsandlands，——andforthelasteightyearshe’sbeendoingaland—officebusinesswith’em——businessthatwouldhavemadeanybodyelserich。Butyoucan’tmakeMiltonK。Rogersrich，anymorethanyoucanfatahide—boundcolt。Itain’tinhim。He’drunthroughVanderbilt，JayGould，andTomScottrolledintooneinlessthansixmonths，givehimachance，andcomeoutandwanttoborrowmoneyofyou。Well，hewon’tborrowanymoremoneyofME；
andifhethinksIdon’tknowasmuchaboutthatmillingpropertyashedoeshe’smistaken。I’vetakenhismills，butIguessI’vegottheinsidetrack；Bill’skeptmeposted；
andnowI’mgoingouttheretoseehowIcanunload；
andIshan’tmindagreatdealifRogersisundertheloadwhenit’soffonce。\"
\"Idon’tunderstandyou，Silas。\"
\"Why，it’sjustthis。TheGreatLacustrine&PolarRailroadhasleasedtheP。Y。&X。forninety—nineyears，——boughtit，practically，——andit’sgoingtobuildcar—worksrightbythosemills，anditmaywantthem。
AndMiltonK。Rogersknewitwhenheturned’eminonme。\"
\"Well，iftheroadwantsthem，don’tthatmakethemillsvaluable？Youcangetwhatyouaskforthem！\"
\"CanI？\"TheP。Y。&X。istheonlyroadthatrunswithinfiftymilesofthemills，andyoucan’tgetafootoflumbernorapoundofflourtomarketanyotherway。
AslongashehadalittlelocalroadliketheP。Y。&
X。todealwith，Rogerscouldmanage；butwhenitcometoabigthroughlineliketheG。L。&P。，hecouldn’tstandanychanceatall。Ifsucharoadasthattookafancytohismills，doyouthinkitwouldpaywhatheasked？No，sir！Hewouldtakewhattheroadoffered，orelsetheroadwouldtellhimtocarryhisflourandlumbertomarkethimself。\"
\"AnddoyousupposeheknewtheG。L。&P。wantedthemillswhenheturnedtheminonyou？\"askedMrs。Laphamaghast，andfallinghelplesslyintohisalphabeticalparlance。
TheColonellaughedscoffingly。\"Well，whenMiltonK。Rogersdon’tknowwhichsidehisbread’sbutteredon！I
don’tunderstand，\"headdedthoughtfully，\"howhe’salwayslettingitfallonthebutteredside。Butsuchamanasthatissuretohaveascrewlooseinhimsomewhere。\"
Mrs。Laphamsatdiscomfited。Allthatshecouldsaywas，\"Well，IwantyoushouldaskyourselfwhetherRogerswouldeverhavegonewrong，orgotintothesewaysofhis，ifithadn’tbeenforyourforcinghimoutofthebusinesswhenyoudid。Iwantyoushouldthinkwhetheryou’renotresponsibleforeverythinghe’sdonesince。\"
\"Yougoandgetthatbagofmineready，\"saidLaphamsullenly。
\"IguessIcantakecareofmyself。AndMiltonK。Rogerstoo，\"
headded。
ThateveningCoreyspentthetimeafterdinnerinhisownroom，withrestlessexcursionstothelibrary，wherehismothersatwithhisfatherandsisters，andshowednosignsofleavingthem。Atlast，incomingdown，heencounteredheronthestairs，goingup。Theybothstoppedconsciously。
\"Iwouldliketospeakwithyou，mother。Ihavebeenwaitingtoseeyoualone。\"
\"Cometomyroom，\"shesaid。
\"IhaveafeelingthatyouknowwhatIwanttosay，\"
hebeganthere。
Shelookedupathimwherehestoodbythechimney—piece，andtriedtoputacheerfulnoteintoherquestioning\"Yes？\"
\"Yes；andIhaveafeelingthatyouwon’tlikeit——thatyouwon’tapproveofit。Iwishyoudid——Iwishyoucould！\"
\"I’musedtolikingandapprovingeverythingyoudo，Tom。
IfIdon’tlikethisatonce，Ishalltrytolikeit——youknowthat——foryoursake，whateveritis。\"
\"I’dbetterbeshort，\"hesaid，withaquicksigh。
\"It’saboutMissLapham。\"Hehastenedtoadd，\"Ihopeitisn’tsurprisingtoyou。I’dhavetoldyoubefore，ifIcould。\"
\"No，itisn’tsurprising。Iwasafraid——Isuspectedsomethingofthekind。\"
Theywerebothsilentinapainfulsilence。
\"Well，mother？\"heaskedatlast。
\"Ifit’ssomethingyou’vequitemadeupmindto————\"
\"Itis！\"
\"Andifyou’vealreadyspokentoher————\"
\"Ihadtodothatfirst，ofcourse。\"
\"Therewouldbenouseofmysayinganything，evenifI
dislikedit。\"
\"Youdodislikeit！\"
\"No——no！Ican’tsaythat。OfcourseIshouldhavepreferreditifyouhadchosensomenicegirlamongthosethatyouhadbeenbroughtupwith——somefriendorassociateofyoursisters，whosepeoplewehadknown————\"
\"Yes，Iunderstandthat，andIcanassureyouthatI
haven’tbeenindifferenttoyourfeelings。Ihavetriedtoconsiderthemfromthefirst，anditkeptmehesitatinginawaythatI’mashamedtothinkof；foritwasn’tquiterighttowards——others。Butyourfeelingsandmysisters’
havebeeninmymind，andifIcouldn’tyieldtowhatI
supposedtheymustbe，entirely————\"
Evensogoodasonandbrotherasthis，whenitcametohisloveaffair，appearedtothinkthathehadyieldedmuchinconsideringthefeelingsofhisfamilyatall。
Hismotherhastenedtocomforthim。\"Iknow——Iknow。
I’veseenforsometimethatthismighthappen，Tom，andI
havepreparedmyselfforit。Ihavetalkeditoverwithyourfather，andwebothagreedfromthebeginningthatyouwerenottobehamperedbyourfeeling。
Still——itisasurprise。Itmustbe。\"
\"Iknowit。Icanunderstandyourfeeling。ButI’msurethatit’sonethatwilllastonlywhileyoudon’tknowherwell。\"
\"Oh，I’msureofthat，Tom。I’msurethatweshallallbefondofher，——foryoursakeatfirst，even——andI
hopeshe’lllikeus。\"
\"Iamquitecertainofthat，\"saidCorey，withthatconfidencewhichexperiencedoesnotalwaysconfirminsuchcases。
\"Andyourtakingitasyoudoliftsatremendousloadoffme。\"
Buthesighedsoheavily，andlookedsotroubled，thathismothersaid，\"Well，now，youmustn’tthinkofthatanymore。Wewishwhatisforyourhappiness，myson，andwewillgladlyreconcileourselvestoanythingthatmighthavebeendisagreeable。Isupposeweneedn’tspeakofthefamily。Wemustboththinkalikeaboutthem。
Theyhavetheir——drawbacks，buttheyarethoroughlygoodpeople，andIsatisfiedmyselftheothernightthattheywerenottobedreaded。\"Sherose，andputherarmroundhisneck。
\"AndIwishyoujoy，Tom！Ifshe’shalfasgoodasyouare，youwillbothbeveryhappy。\"Shewasgoingtokisshim，butsomethinginhislooksstoppedher——anabsence，atrouble，whichbrokeoutinhiswords。
\"Imusttellyou，mother！There’sbeenacomplication——
amistake——that’sablightonmeyet，andthatitsometimesseemsasifwecouldn’tescapefrom。Iwonderifyoucanhelpus！TheyallthoughtImeant——theothersister。\"
\"OTom！ButhowCOULDthey？\"
\"Idon’tknow。Itseemedsoglaringlyplain——Iwasashamedofmakingitsooutrightfromthebeginning。
Buttheydid。Evenshedid，herself！\"
\"Butwherecouldtheyhavethoughtyoureyeswere——yourtaste？Itwouldn’tbesurprisingifanyoneweretakenwiththatwonderfulbeauty；andI’msureshe’sgoodtoo。
ButI’mastonishedatthem！Tothinkyoucouldpreferthatlittle，black，oddcreature，withherjokingand————\"
\"MOTHER！\"criedtheyoungman，turningaghastlyfaceofwarninguponher。
\"Whatdoyoumean，Tom？\"
\"Didyou——did——didyouthinksotoo——thatitwasIRENE
Imeant？\"
\"Why，ofcourse！\"
Hestaredatherhopelessly。
\"Omyson！\"shesaid，forallcommentonthesituation。
\"Don’treproachme，mother！Icouldn’tstandit。\"
\"No。Ididn’tmeantodothat。Buthow——HOWcouldithappen？\"
\"Idon’tknow。Whenshefirsttoldmethattheyhadunderstooditso，Ilaughed——almost——itwassofarfromme。
Butnowwhenyouseemtohavehadthesameidea——Didyouallthinkso？\"
\"Yes。\"
Theyremainedlookingateachother。ThenMrs。Coreybegan：\"Itdidpassthroughmymindonce——thatdayIwenttocalluponthem——thatitmightnotbeaswethought；
butIknewsolittleof——of————\"
\"Penelope，\"Coreymechanicallysupplied。
\"Isthathername？——Iforgot——thatIonlythoughtofyouinrelationtoherlongenoughtorejecttheidea；anditwasnaturalafterourseeingsomethingoftheotheronelastyear，thatImightsupposeyouhadformedsome——attachment————\"
\"Yes；that’swhattheythoughttoo。ButIneverthoughtofherasanythingbutaprettychild。Iwasciviltoherbecauseyouwishedit；andwhenImetherhereagain，IonlytriedtoseehersothatIcouldtalkwithherabouthersister。\"
\"Youneedn’tdefendyourselftoME，Tom，\"saidhismother，proudtosayittohiminhistrouble。\"It’saterriblebusinessforthem，poorthings，\"sheadded。\"Idon’tknowhowtheycouldgetoverit。But，ofcourse，sensiblepeoplemustsee————\"
\"Theyhaven’tgotoverit。Atleastshehasn’t。Sinceit’shappened，there’sbeennothingthathasn’tmademeprouderandfonderofher！AtfirstIWAScharmedwithher——myfancywastaken；shedelightedme——Idon’tknowhow；butshewassimplythemostfascinatingpersonIeversaw。NowIneverthinkofthat。
Ionlythinkhowgoodsheis——howpatientsheiswithme，andhowunsparingsheisofherself。Ifshewereconcernedalone——ifIwerenotconcernedtoo——itwouldsoonend。
She’sneverhadathoughtforanythingbuthersister’sfeelingandminefromthebeginning。Igothere，——IknowthatIoughtn’t，butIcan’thelpit，——andshesuffersit，andtriesnottoletmeseethatsheissufferingit。
Thereneverwasanyonelikeher——sobrave，sotrue，sonoble。Iwon’tgiveherup——Ican’t。ButitbreaksmyheartwhensheaccusesherselfofwhatwasallMYdoing。
Wespendourtimetryingtoreasonoutofit，butwealwayscomebacktoitatlast，andIhavetohearhermorbidlyblamingherself。Oh！\"
DoubtlessMrs。Coreyimaginedsomereliefstothissuffering，somequalificationsofthissublimityinagirlshehaddislikedsodistinctly；butshesawnoneinherson’sbehaviour，andshegavehimherfurthersympathy。
ShetriedtopraisePenelope，andsaidthatitwasnottobeexpectedthatshecouldreconcileherselfatoncetoeverything。\"Ishouldn’thavelikeditinherifshehad。Buttimewillbringitallright。
Andifshereallycaresforyou————\"
\"Iextortedthatfromher。\"
\"Well，then，youmustlookatitinthebestlightyoucan。
Thereisnoblameanywhere，andthemortificationandpainissomethingthatmustbeliveddown。That’sall。
Anddon’tletwhatIsaidgrieveyou，Tom。YouknowI
scarcelyknewher，andI——Ishallbesuretolikeanyoneyoulike，afterall。\"
\"Yes，Iknow，\"saidtheyoungmandrearily。\"Willyoutellfather？\"
\"Ifyouwish。\"
\"Hemustknow。AndIcouldn’tstandanymoreofthis，justyet——anymoremistake。\"
\"Iwilltellhim，\"saidMrs。Corey；anditwasnaturallythenextthingforawomanwhodweltsomuchondecenciestopropose：\"Wemustgotocallonher——
yoursistersandI。Theyhaveneverseenhereven；
andshemustn’tbeallowedtothinkwe’reindifferenttoher，especiallyunderthecircumstances。\"
\"Ohno！Don’tgo——notyet，\"criedCorey，withaninstinctiveperceptionthatnothingcouldbeworseforhim。
\"Wemustwait——wemustbepatient。I’mafraiditwouldbepainfultohernow。\"
Heturnedawaywithoutspeakingfurther；andhismother’seyesfollowedhimwistfullytothedoor。Thereweresomequestionsthatshewouldhavelikedtoaskhim；
butshehadtocontentherselfwithtryingtoanswerthemwhenherhusbandputthemtoher。
TherewasthiscomfortforheralwaysinBromfieldCorey，thatheneverwasmuchsurprisedatanything，howevershockingorpainful。Hisstandpointinregardtomostmatterswasthatofthesympathetichumoristwhowouldbegladtohavethevictimofcircumstancelaughwithhim，butwasnottoomuchvexedwhenthevictimcouldnot。
Helaughednowwhenhiswife，withcarefulpreparation，gotthefactsofhisson’spredicamentfullyunderhiseye。
\"Really，Bromfield，\"shesaid，\"Idon’tseehowyoucanlaugh。Doyouseeanywayoutofit？\"
\"Itseemstomethatthewayhasbeenfoundalready。
Tomhastoldhislovetotherightone，andthewrongoneknowsit。Timewilldotherest。\"
\"IfIhadsolowanopinionofthemallasthat，itwouldmakemeveryunhappy。It’sshockingtothinkofit。\"
\"Itisuponthetheoryofladiesandallyoungpeople，\"
saidherhusband，withashrug，feelinghiswaytothematchesonthemantel，andthendroppingthemwithasign，asifrecollectingthathemustnotsmokethere。
\"I’venodoubtTomfeelshimselfanawfulsinner。
Butapparentlyhe’sresignedtohissin；heisn’tgoingtogiveherup。\"
\"I’mgladtosay，forthesakeofhumannature，thatSHE
isn’tresigned——littleasIlikeher，\"criedMrs。Corey。
Herhusbandshruggedagain。\"Oh，theremustn’tbeanyindecenthaste。Shewillinstinctivelyobservetheproprieties。
Butcome，now，Anna！youmustn’tpretendtomehere，inthesanctuaryofhome，thatpracticallythehumanaffectionsdon’treconcilethemselvestoanysituationthatthehumansentimentscondemn。Supposethewrongsisterhaddied：wouldtherightonehavehadanyscrupleinmarryingTom，aftertheyhadboth’waitedapropertime，’
asthephraseis？\"
\"Bromfield，you’reshocking！\"
\"Notmoreshockingthanreality。Youmayregardthisasasecondmarriage。\"Helookedatherwithtwinklingeyes，fullofthetriumphthespectatorofhisspeciesfeelsinsignalexhibitionsofhumannature。\"Dependuponit，therightsisterwillbereconciled；thewrongonewillbeconsoled；andallwillgomerryasamarriagebell——asecondmarriagebell。Why，it’squitelikearomance！\"
Herehelaughedoutrightagain。
\"Well，\"sighedthewife，\"Icouldalmostwishtherightone，asyoucallher，wouldrejectTom，Idislikehersomuch。\"
\"Ah，nowyou’retalkingbusiness，Anna，\"saidherhusband，withhishandsspreadbehindthebackheturnedcomfortablytothefire。\"ThewholeLaphamtribeisdistastefultome。
AsIdon’thappentohaveseenourdaughter—in—lawelect，Ihavestillthehope——whichyou’redisposedtoforbidme——thatshemaynotbequitesounacceptableastheothers。\"
\"Doyoureallyfeelso，Bromfield？\"anxiouslyinquiredhiswife。
\"Yes——IthinkIdo；\"andhesatdown，andstretchedouthislonglegstowardthefire。
\"Butit’sveryinconsistentofyoutoopposethematternow，whenyou’veshownsomuchindifferenceuptothistime。
You’vetoldme，allalong，thatitwasofnousetoopposeit。\"
\"SoIhave。Iwasconvincedofthatatthebeginning，ormyreasonwas。YouknowverywellthatIamequaltoanytrial，anysacrifice，dayafterto—morrow；
butwhenitcomesto—dayit’sanotherthing。Aslongasthiscrisisdecentlykeptitsdistance，Icouldlookatitwithanimpartialeye；butnowthatitseemsathand，Ifindthat，whilemyreasonisstillacquiescent，mynervesaredisposedto——excusethephrase——kick。Iaskmyself，whathaveIdonenothingfor，allmylife，andlivedasagentlemanshould，upontheearningsofsomebodyelse，inthepossessionofeverypolitetasteandfeelingthatadornsleisure，ifI’mtocometothisatlast？AndIfindnosatisfactoryanswer。IsaytomyselfthatI
mightaswellhaveyieldedtothepressureallroundme，andgonetowork，asTomhas。
Mrs。Coreylookedathimforlornly，diviningthecoreofrealrepugnancethatexistedinhisself—satire。
\"Iassureyou，mydear，\"hecontinued，\"thattherecollectionofwhatIsufferedfromtheLaphamsatthatdinnerofyoursisananguishstill。Itwasn’ttheirbehaviour，——theybehavedwellenough——orillenough；buttheirconversationwasterrible。Mrs。Lapham’srangewasstrictlydomestic；
andwhentheColonelgotmeinthelibrary，hepouredmineralpaintalloverme，tillIcouldhavebeensafelywarrantednottocrackorscaleinanyclimate。
Isupposeweshallhavetoseeagooddealofthem。
TheywillprobablycomehereeverySundaynighttotea。
It’saperspectivewithoutavanishing—point。\"
\"Itmaynotbesobad，afterall，\"saidhiswife；andshesuggestedforhisconsolationthatheknewverylittleabouttheLaphamsyet。
Heassentedtothefact。\"Iknowverylittleaboutthem，andaboutmyotherfellow—beings。IdaresaythatI
shouldliketheLaphamsbetterifIknewthembetter。
Butinanycase，Iresignmyself。AndwemustkeepinviewthefactthatthisismainlyTom’saffair，andifhisaffectionshaveregulatedittohissatisfaction，wemustbecontent。\"
\"Ohyes，\"sighedMrs。Corey。\"Andperhapsitwon’tturnoutsobadly。It’sagreatcomforttoknowthatyoufeeljustasIdoaboutit。\"
\"Ido，\"saidherhusband，\"andmoretoo。\"
ItwassheandherdaughterswhowouldbechieflyannoyedbytheLaphamconnection；sheknewthat。
Butshehadtobegintobeartheburdenbyhelpingherhusbandtobearhislightshareofit。Toseehimsodepresseddismayedher，andshemightwellhavereproachedhimmoresharplythanshedidforshowingsomuchindifference，whenshewassoanxious，atfirst。
Butthatwouldnothaveservedanygoodendnow。
Sheevenansweredhimpatientlywhenheaskedher，\"WhatdidyousaytoTomwhenhetoldyouitwastheotherone？\"
\"WhatcouldIsay？Icoulddonothing，buttrytotakebackwhatIhadsaidagainsther。\"
\"Yes，youhadquiteenoughtodo，Isuppose。
It’sanawkwardbusiness。Ifithadbeentheprettyone，herbeautywouldhavebeenourexcuse。Buttheplainone——whatdoyousupposeattractedhiminher？\"
Mrs。Coreysighedatthefutilityofthequestion。
\"PerhapsIdidherinjustice。Ionlysawherafewmoments。
PerhapsIgotafalseimpression。Idon’tthinkshe’slackinginsense，andthat’sagreatthing。
