\"Yes，shedoneright，\"saidLapham。\"Itwastimeforhertocome，\"headdedgently。
Thenhewassilentagain，andhiswifetoldhimofCorey’shavingbeenthere，andofhisfather’sandmother’scalling。
\"IguessPen’sconcludedtomakeitup，\"shesaid。
\"Well，we’llseeaboutthat，\"saidLapham；andnowshecouldnolongerforbeartoaskhimabouthisaffairs。
\"Idon’tknowasI’vegotanyrighttoknowanythingaboutit，\"shesaidhumbly，withremoteallusiontohertreatmentofhim。\"ButIcan’thelpwantingtoknow。
HowAREthingsgoing，Si？\"
\"Bad，\"hesaid，pushinghisplatefromhim，andtiltinghimselfbackinhischair。\"Ortheyain’tgoingatall。
They’vestopped。\"
\"Whatdoyoumean，Si？\"shepersisted，tenderly。
\"I’vegottotheendofmystring。To—morrowIshallcallameetingofmycreditors，andputmyselfintheirhands。
Ifthere’senoughlefttosatisfythem，I’msatisfied。\"
Hisvoicedroppedinhisthroat；heswallowedonceortwice，andthendidnotspeak。
\"Doyoumeanthatit’salloverwithyou？\"sheaskedfearfully。
Hebowedhisbighead，wrinkledandgrizzled；andafterawhilehesaid，\"It’shardtorealiseit；butIguessthereain’tanydoubtaboutit。\"Hedrewalongbreath，andthenheexplainedtoherabouttheWestVirginiapeople，andhowhehadgotanextensionofthefirsttimetheyhadgivenhim，andhadgotamantogouptoLaphamwithhimandlookattheworks，——amanthathadturnedupinNewYork，andwantedtoputmoneyinthebusiness。HismoneywouldhaveenabledLaphamtoclosewiththeWestVirginians。
\"Thedevilwasinit，rightstraightalong，\"saidLapham。
\"AllIhadtodowastokeepquietaboutthatothercompany。
ItwasRogersandhispropertyrightoveragain。Helikedthelookofthings，andhewantedtogointothebusiness，andhehadthemoney——plenty；itwouldhavesavedmewiththoseWestVirginiafolks。ButIhadtotellhimhowIstood。
Ihadtotellhimallaboutit，andwhatIwantedtodo。
Hebegantobackwaterinaminute，andthenextmorningI
sawthatitwasupwithhim。He’sgonebacktoNewYork。
I’velostmylastchance。NowallI’vegottodoistosavethepieces。\"
\"Will——will——everythinggo？\"sheasked。
\"Ican’ttell，yet。Buttheyshallhaveachanceateverything——everydollar，everycent。I’msorryforyou，Persis——andthegirls。\"
\"Oh，don’ttalkofUS！\"Shewastryingtorealisethatthesimple，rudesoultowhichherheartcloveinheryouth，butwhichshehadputtosuchcruelproof，withherunsparingconscienceandherunsparingtongue，hadbeenequaltoitsordeals，andhadcomeoutunscathedandunstained。
Hewasableinhistalktomakesolittleofthem；hehardlyseemedtoseewhattheywere；hewasapparentlynotproudofthem，andcertainlynotglad；iftheywerevictoriesofanysort，heborethemwiththepatienceofdefeat。
Hiswifewishedtopraisehim，butshedidnotknowhow；
sosheofferedhimalittlereproach，inwhichaloneshetouchedthecauseofherbehaviouratparting。
\"Silas，\"sheasked，afteralonggazeathim，\"whydidn’tyoutellmeyouhadJimMillon’sgirlthere？\"
\"Ididn’tsupposeyou’dlikeit，Persis，\"heanswered。
\"Ididintendtotellyouatfirst，butthenIput——Iputitoff。Ithoughtyou’dcomeroundsomeday，andfinditoutforyourself。\"
\"I’mpunished，\"saidhiswife，\"fornottakingenoughinterestinyourbusinesstoevencomenearit。
Ifwe’rebroughtbacktothedayofsmallthings，Iguessit’salessonforme，Silas。\"
\"Oh，Idon’tknowaboutthelesson，\"hesaidwearily。
Thatnightsheshowedhimtheanonymousscrawlwhichhadkindledherfuryagainsthim。Heturneditlistlesslyoverinhishand。\"IguessIknowwhoit’sfrom，\"hesaid，givingitbacktoher，\"andIguessyoudotoo，Persis。\"
\"Buthow——howcouldhe————\"
\"Mebbehebelievedit，\"saidLapham，withpatiencethatcuthermorekeenlythananyreproach。\"YOUdid。\"
Perhapsbecausetheprocessofhisruinhadbeensogradual，perhapsbecausetheexcitementofprecedingeventshadexhaustedtheircapacityforemotion，theactualconsummationofhisbankruptcybroughtarelief，areposetoLaphamandhisfamily，ratherthanafreshsensationofcalamity。
Intheshadowofhisdisastertheyreturnedtosomethingliketheirold，unitedlife；theywereatleastalltogetheragain；anditwillbeintelligibletothosewhomlifehasblessedwithvicissitude，thatLaphamshouldcomehometheeveningafterhehadgivenupeverything，tohiscreditors，andshouldsitdowntohissuppersocheerfulthatPenelopecouldjokehimintheoldway，andtellhimthatshethoughtfromhislookstheyhadconcludedtopayhimahundredcentsoneverydollarheowedthem。
AsJamesBellinghamhadtakensomuchinterestinhistroublesfromthefirst，Laphamthoughtheoughttotellhim，beforetakingthefinalstep，justhowthingsstoodwithhim，andwhathomeanttodo。BellinghammadesomefutileinquiriesabouthisnegotiationswiththeWestVirginians，andLaphamtoldhimtheyhadcometonothing。HespokeoftheNewYorkman，andthechancethathemighthavesoldouthalfhisbusinesstohim。\"But，ofcourse，Ihadtolethimknowhowitwasaboutthosefellows。\"
\"Ofcourse，\"saidBellingham，notseeingtillafterwardsthefullsignificanceofLapham’saction。
LaphamsaidnothingaboutRogersandtheEnglishmen。
Hebelievedthathehadactedrightinthatmatter，andhewassatisfied；buthedidnotcaretohaveBellingham，oranybody，perhaps，thinkhehadbeenafool。
Allthosewhowereconcernedinhisaffairssaidhebehavedwell，andevenmorethanwell，whenitcametotheworst。
Theprudence，thegoodsense，whichhehadshowninthefirstyearsofhissuccess，andofwhichhisgreatprosperityseemedtohaveberefthim，cameback，andthesequalities，usedinhisownbehalf，commendedhimasmuchtohiscreditorsastheanxietyheshowedthatnooneshouldsufferbyhim；
thisevenmadesomeofthemdoubtfulofhissincerity。
Theygavehimtime，andtherewouldhavebeennotroubleinhisresumingontheoldbasis，ifthegroundhadnotbeencutfromunderhimbythecompetitionoftheWestVirginiacompany。Hesawhimselfthatitwasuselesstotrytogoonintheoldway，andhepreferredtogobackandbegintheworldanewwherehehadfirstbegunit，inthehillsatLapham。HeputthehouseatNankeenSquare，witheverythingelsehehad，intothepaymentofhisdebts，andMrs。LaphamfounditeasiertoleaveitfortheoldfarmsteadinVermontthanitwouldhavebeentogofromthathomeofmanyyearstothenewhouseonthewatersideofBeacon。Thisthingandthatisembitteredtous，sothatwemaybewillingtorelinquishit；theworld，lifeitself，isembitteredtomostofus，sothatwearegladtohavedonewiththematlast；andthishomewashauntedwithsuchmemoriestoeachofthosewhoabandoneditthattogowaslessexilethanescape。
Mrs。LaphamcouldnotlookintoIrene’sroomwithoutseeingthegirltherebeforeherglass，tearingthepoorlittlekeep—sakesofherhaplessfancyfromtheirhiding—placestotakethemandflingtheminpassionaterenunciationuponhersister；shecouldnotcomeintothesitting—room，whereherlittleoneshadgrownup，withoutstartingatthethoughtofherhusbandsittingsomanywearynightsathisdeskthere，tryingtofighthiswaybacktohopeoutoftheruinintowhichbewasslipping。WhensherememberedthatnightwhenRogerscame，shehatedtheplace。
Ireneacceptedherreleasefromthehouseeagerly，andwasgladtogobeforeandprepareforthefamilyatLapham。
Penelopewasalwaysashamedofherengagementthere；itmustseembettersomewhereelseandshewasgladtogotoo。
NoonebutLaphaminfact，feltthepangofpartinginallitskeenness。WhateverregrettheothershadwassoftenedtothembythelikenessoftheirflittingtomanyofthoseremovalsforthesummerwhichtheymadeinthelatespringwhentheyleftNankeenSquare；
theyweregoingdirectlyintothecountryinsteadoftotheseasidefirst；butLapham，whousuallyremainedintownlongaftertheyhadgone，knewallthedifference。
Forhisnervestherewasnomechanicalsenseofcomingback；
thiswasasmuchtheendofhisproud，prosperouslifeasdeathitselfcouldhavebeen。Hewasreturningtobeginlifeanew，butheknewaswellasheknewthatheshouldnotfindhisvanishedyouthinhisnativehills，thatitcouldneveragainbethetriumphthatithadbeen。
Thatwasimpossible，notonlyinhisstiffenedandweakenedforces，butintheverynatureofthings。
Hewasgoingback，bygraceofthemanwhomheowedmoney，tomakewhathecouldoutoftheonechancewhichhissuccessfulrivalshadlefthim。
Inonephasehispainthadhelditsownagainstbadtimesandruinouscompetition，anditwaswiththehopeofdoingstillmorewiththePersisBrandthathenowsethimselftowork。TheWestVirginiapeopleconfessedthattheycouldnotproducethosefinegrades，andtheywillinglyleftthefieldtohim。Astrange，notignoblefriendlinessexistedbetweenLaphamandthethreebrothers；
theyhadusedhimfairly；itwastheirfacilitiesthathadconqueredhim，nottheirill—will；andherecognisedinthemwithoutenmitythenecessitytowhichhehadyielded。
Ifhesucceededinhiseffortstodevelophispaintinthisdirection，itmustbeforalongtimeonasmallscalecomparedwithhisformerbusiness，whichitcouldneverequal，andhebroughttothemtheflaggingenergiesofanelderlyman。Hewasmorebrokenthanheknewbyhisfailure；itdidnotkill，asitoftendoes，butitweakenedthespringoncesostrongandelastic。Helapsedmoreandmoreintoacquiescencewithhischangedcondition，andthatbraggingnoteofhiswasrarelysounded。
Heworkedfaithfullyenoughinhisenterprise，butsometimeshefailedtoseizeoccasionsthatinhisyoungerdayshewouldhaveturnedtogoldenaccount。Hiswifesawinhimadauntedlookthatmadeherheartacheforhim。
OneresultofhisfriendlyrelationswiththeWestVirginiapeoplewasthatCoreywentinwiththem，andthefactthathedidsosolelyuponLapham’sadvice，andbymeansofhisrecommendation，wasperhapstheColonel’sproudestconsolation。Coreyknewthebusinessthoroughly，andafterhalfayearatKanawhaFallsandintheofficeatNewYork，hewentouttoMexicoandCentralAmerica，toseewhatcouldbedoneforthemuponthegroundwhichhehadtheoreticallystudiedwithLapham。
BeforehewenthecameuptoVermont，andurgedPenelopetogowithhim。HewastobefirstinthecityofMexico，andifhismissionwassuccessfulhewastobekeptthereandinSouthAmericaseveralyears，watchingthenewrailroadenterprisesandthedevelopmentofmechanicalagricultureandwhateverotherundertakingsofferedanopeningfortheintroductionofthepaint。
Theywereallyoungmentogether，andCorey，whohadputhismoneyintothecompany，hadaproprietaryinterestinthesuccesswhichtheywereeagertoachieve。
\"There’snomorereasonnowandnolessthanevertherewas，\"
musedPenelope，incounselwithhermother，\"whyIshouldsayYes，orwhyIshouldsayNo。Everythingelsechanges，butthisisjustwhereitwasayearago。Itdon’tgobackward，anditdon’tgoforward。Mother，IbelieveIshalltakethebitinmyteeth——ifanybodywillputitthere！\"
\"Itisn’tthesameasitwas，\"suggestedhermother。
\"YoucanseethatIrene’salloverit。\"
\"That’snocredittome，\"saidPenelope。\"Ioughttobejustasmuchashamedasever。\"
\"Younoneedevertobeashamed。\"
\"That’strue，too，\"saidthegirl。\"AndIcansneakofftoMexicowithagoodconscienceifIcouldmakeupmymindtoit。\"Shelaughed。\"Well，ifIcouldbeSENTENCEDtobemarried，orsomebodywouldupandforbidthebanns！Idon’tknowwhattodoaboutit。\"
HermotherlefthertocarryherhesitationbacktoCorey，andshesaidnow，theyhadbettergoalloveritandtrytoreasonitout。\"AndIhopethatwhateverIdo，itwon’tbeformyownsake，butfor——others！\"
Coreysaidhewassureofthat，andlookedatherwitheyesofpatienttenderness。
\"Idon’tsayitiswrong，\"sheproceeded，ratheraimlessly，\"butIcan’tmakeitseemright。Idon’tknowwhetherIcanmakeyouunderstand，buttheideaofbeinghappy，wheneverybodyelseissomiserable，ismorethanI
canendure。Itmakesmewretched。\"
\"Thenperhapsthat’syourshareofthecommonsuffering，\"
suggestedCorey，smiling。
\"Oh，youknowitisn’t！Youknowit’snothing。
Oh！OneofthereasonsiswhatItoldyouoncebefore，thataslongasfatherisintroubleIcan’tletyouthinkofme。Nowthathe’slosteverything——？\"Shebenthereyesinquiringlyuponhim，asiffortheeffectofthisargument。
\"Idon’tthinkthat’saverygoodreason，\"heansweredseriously，butsmilingstill。\"DoyoubelievemewhenItellyouthatIloveyou？\"
\"Why，IsupposeImust，\"shesaid，droppinghereyes。
\"Thenwhyshouldn’tIthinkallthemoreofyouonaccountofyourfather’sloss？Youdidn’tsupposeIcaredforyoubecausehewasprosperous？\"
Therewasashadeofreproach，eversodelicateandgentle，inhissmilingquestion，whichshefelt。
\"No，Icouldn’tthinksuchathingofyou。I——Idon’tknowwhatImeant。Imeantthat————\"Shecouldnotgoonandsaythatshehadfeltherselfmoreworthyofhimbecauseofherfather’smoney；itwouldnothavebeentrue；
yettherewasnootherexplanation。Shestopped，andcastahelplessglanceathim。
Hecametoheraid。\"Iunderstandwhyyoushouldn’twishmetosufferbyyourfather’smisfortunes。\"
\"Yes，thatwasit；andthereistoogreatadifferenceeveryway。Weoughttolookatthatagain。Youmustn’tpretendthatyoudon’tknowit，forthatwouldn’tbetrue。
Yourmotherwillneverlikeme，andperhaps——perhapsI
shallnotlikeher。\"
\"Well，\"saidCorey，alittledaunted，\"youwon’thavetomarrymyfamily。\"
\"Ah，thatisn’tthepoint！\"
\"Iknowit，\"headmitted。\"Iwon’tpretendthatIdon’tseewhatyoumean；butI’msurethatallthedifferenceswoulddisappearwhenyoucametoknowmyfamilybetter。
I’mnotafraidbutyouandmymotherwilllikeeachother——shecan’thelpit！\"heexclaimed，lessjudiciallythanhehadhithertospoken，andhewentontourgesomepointsofdoubtfultenability。\"Wehaveourways，andyouhaveyours；andwhileIdon’tsaybutwhatyouandmymotherandsisterswouldbealittlestrangetogetheratfirst，itwouldsoonwearoff，onbothsides。
Therecan’tbeanythinghopelesslydifferentinyouall，andiftherewereitwouldn’tbeanydifferencetome。\"
\"Doyouthinkitwouldbepleasanttohaveyouonmysideagainstyourmother？\"
\"Therewon’tbeanysides。Tellmejustwhatitisyou’reafraidof。\"
\"Afraid？\"
\"Thinkingof，then。\"
\"Idon’tknow。Itisn’tanythingtheysayordo，\"
sheexplained，withhereyesintentonhis。\"It’swhattheyare。Icouldn’tbenaturalwiththem，andifI
can’tbenaturalwithpeople，I’mdisagreeable。\"
\"Canyoubenaturalwithme？\"
\"Oh，I’mnotafraidofyou。Ineverwas。Thatwasthetrouble，fromthebeginning。\"
\"Well，then，that’sallthat’snecessary。Anditneverwastheleasttroubletome！\"
\"ItmademeuntruetoIrene。\"
\"Youmustn’tsaythat！Youwerealwaystruetoher。\"
\"Shecaredforyoufirst。\"
\"Well，butInevercaredforheratall！\"hebesoughther。
\"Shethoughtyoudid。\"
\"Thatwasnobody’sfault，andIcan’tletyoumakeityours。
Mydear————\"
\"Wait。Wemustunderstandeachother，\"saidPenelope，risingfromherseattopreventanadvancehewasmakingfromhis；\"Iwantyoutorealisethewholeaffair。
Shouldyouwantagirlwhohadn’tacentintheworld，andfeltdifferentinyourmother’scompany，andhadcheatedandbetrayedherownsister？\"
\"Iwantyou！\"
\"Verywell，then，youcan’thaveme。Ishouldalwaysdespisemyself。Ioughttogiveyouupforallthesereasons。Yes，Imust。\"Shelookedathimintently，andtherewasatentativequalityinheraffirmations。
\"Isthisyouranswer？\"hesaid。\"Imustsubmit。
IfIaskedtoomuchofyou，Iwaswrong。And——good—bye。\"
Heheldouthishand，andsheputhersinit。
\"YouthinkI’mcapriciousandfickle！\"shesaid。
\"Ican’thelpit——Idon’tknowmyself。Ican’tkeeptoonethingforhalfadayatatime。Butit’srightforustopart——yes，itmustbe。Itmustbe，\"sherepeated；
\"andIshalltrytorememberthat。Good—bye！Iwilltrytokeepthatinmymind，andyouwilltoo——youwon’tcare，verysoon！Ididn’tmeanTHAT——no；Iknowhowtrueyouare；
butyouwillsoonlookatmedifferently；andseethatevenIFtherehadn’tbeenthisaboutIrene，Iwasnottheoneforyou。Youdothinkso，don’tyou？\"shepleaded，clingingtohishand。\"Iamnotatallwhattheywouldlike——yourfamily；Ifeltthat。Iamlittle，andblack，andhomely，andtheydon’tunderstandmywayoftalking，andnowthatwe’velosteverything——No，I’mnotfit。
Good—bye。You’requiteright，nottohavepatiencewithmeanylonger。I’vetriedyouenough。Ioughttobewillingtomarryyouagainsttheirwishesifyouwantmeto，butIcan’tmakethesacrifice——I’mtooselfishforthat————\"Allatoncesheflungherselfonhisbreast。
\"Ican’tevengiveyouup！Ishallneverdarelookanyoneinthefaceagain。Go，go！Buttakemewithyou！I
triedtodowithoutyou！Igaveitafairtrial，anditwasadeadfailure。OpoorIrene！Howcouldshegiveyouup？\"
CoreywentbacktoBostonimmediately，andleftPenelope，ashemust，totellhersisterthattheyweretobemarried。
Shewassparedfromthefirstadvancetowardthisbyanaccidentoramisunderstanding。IrenecamestraighttoherafterCoreywasgone，anddemanded，\"PenelopeLapham，haveyoubeensuchaninnyastosendthatmanawayonmyaccount？\"
Peneloperecoiledfromthisterriblecourage；shedidnotanswerdirectly，andIrenewenton，\"Becauseifyoudid，I’llthankyoutobringhimbackagain。
I’mnotgoingtohavehimthinkingthatI’mdyingforamanthatnevercaredforme。It’sinsulting，andI’mnotgoingtostandit。Now，youjustsendforhim！\"
\"Oh，Iwill，’Rene，\"gaspedPenelope。Andthensheadded，shamedoutofherprevaricationbyIrene’shaughtymagnanimity，\"Ihave。Thatis——he’scomingback————\"
Irenelookedatheramoment，andthen，whateverthoughtwasinhermind，saidfiercely，\"Well！\"andlefthertoherdismay——herdismayandherrelief，fortheybothknewthatthiswasthelasttimetheyshouldeverspeakofthatagain。
Themarriagecameaftersomuchsorrowandtrouble，andthefactwasreceivedwithsomuchmisgivingforthepastandfuture，thatitbroughtLaphamnoneofthetriumphinwhichhehadonceexultedatthethoughtofanalliancewiththeCoreys。Adversityhadsofarbeenhisfriendthatithadtakenfromhimallhopeofthesocialsuccessforwhichpeoplecrawlandtruckle，andrestoredhim，throughfailureanddoubtandheartache，themanhoodwhichhisprosperityhadsonearlystolenfromhim。
NeitherhenorhiswifethoughtnowthattheirdaughterwasmarryingaCorey；theythoughtonlythatshewasgivingherselftothemanwholovedher，andtheiracquiescencewassoberedstillfurtherbythepresenceofIrene。
Theirheartswerefarmorewithher。
AgainandagainMrs。Laphamsaidshedidnotseehowshecouldgothroughit。\"Ican’tmakeitseemright，\"
shesaid。
\"ItISright，\"steadilyansweredtheColonel。
\"Yes，Iknow。Butitdon’tSEEMso。\"
ItwouldbeeasytopointouttraitsinPenelope’scharacterwhichfinallyreconciledallherhusband’sfamilyandendearedhertothem。Thesethingscontinuallyhappeninnovels；
andtheCoreys，astheyhadalwayspromisedthemselvestodo，madethebest，andnottheworstofTom’smarriage。
TheywerepeoplewhocouldvalueLapham’sbehaviourasTomreportedittothem。Theywereproudofhim，andBromfieldCorey，whofoundadelicate，aestheticpleasureintheheroismwithwhichLaphamhadwithstoodRogersandhistemptations——somethingfinelydramaticandunconsciouslyeffective，——wrotehimaletterwhichwouldoncehaveflatteredtheroughsoulalmosttoecstasy，thoughnowheaffectedtoslightitinshowingit。
\"It’sallrightifitmakesitmorecomfortableforPen，\"
hesaidtohiswife。
Butthedifferencesremaineduneffaced，ifnotuneffaceable，betweentheCoreysandTomCorey’swife。\"IfhehadonlymarriedtheColonel！\"subtlysuggestedNannyCorey。
Therewasabriefseasonofcivilityandforbearanceonbothsides，whenhebroughtherhomebeforestartingforMexico，andherfather—in—lawmadeasympatheticfeintoflikingPenelope’swayoftalking，butitisquestionableifevenhefounditsodelightfulasherhusbanddid。
LilyCoreymadealittle，ineffectualsketchofher，whichsheputbywithotherstudiestofinishup，sometime，andfoundherratherpicturesqueinsomeways。
Nannygotonwithherbetterthantherest，andsawpossibilitiesforherinthecountrytowhichshewasgoing。
\"Asshe’squiteunformed，socially，\"sheexplainedtohermother，\"thereisachancethatshewillformherselfontheSpanishmanner，ifshestaystherelongenough，andthatwhenshecomesbackshewillhavethecharmof，notolives，perhaps，buttortillas，whatevertheyare：
somethingstrangeandforeign，evenifit’sborrowed。
I’mgladshe’sgoingtoMexico。Atthatdistancewecan——correspond。\"
Hermothersighed，andsaidbravelythatshewassuretheyallgotonverypleasantlyasitwas，andthatshewasperfectlysatisfiedifTomwas。
Therewas，infact，muchtruthinwhatshesaidoftheirharmonywithPenelope。Havingresolved，fromthebeginning，tomakethebestoftheworst，itmightalmostbesaidthattheyweresupportedandconsoledintheirgoodintentionsbyahigherpower。Thismarriagehadnot，thankstoanover—rulingProvidence，broughtthesuccessionofLaphamteasuponBromfieldCoreywhichhehaddreaded；
theLaphamswerefaroffintheirnativefastnesses，andneitherLilynorNannyCoreywasobligedtosacrificeherselftotheconversationofIrene；theywerenotevencalledupontomakeasocialdemonstrationforPenelopeatatimewhen，mostpeoplebeingstilloutoftown，itwouldhavebeensoeasy；sheandTomhadbothbeggedthattheremightbenothingofthatkind；andthoughnoneoftheCoreyslearnedtoknowherverywellintheweekshespentwiththem，theydidnotfindithardtogetonwithher。TherewereevenmomentswhenNannyCorey，likeherfather，hadglimpsesofwhatTomhadcalledherhumour，butitwasperhapstoounliketheirowntobeeasilyrecognisable。
WhetherPenelope，onherside，founditmoredifficulttoharmonise，Icannotsay。Shehadmuchmoreoftheharmonisingtodo，sincetheywerefourtoone；butthenshehadgonethroughsomuchgreatertrialsbefore。
Whenthedooroftheircarriageclosedanditdroveoffwithherandherhusbandtothestation，shefetchedalongsigh。
\"Whatisit？\"askedCorey，whooughttohaveknownbetter。
\"Oh，nothing。Idon’tthinkIshallfeelstrangeamongsttheMexicansnow。\"
Helookedatherwithapuzzledsmile，whichgrewalittlegraver，andthenheputhisarmroundheranddrewherclosertohim。Thismadehercryonhisshoulder。
\"IonlymeantthatIshouldhaveyoualltomyself。\"
Thereisnoproofthatshemeantmore，butitiscertainthatourmannersandcustomsgoformoreinlifethanourqualities。Thepricethatwepayforcivilisationisthefineyetimpassabledifferentiationofthese。
Perhapswepaytoomuch；butitwillnotbepossibletopersuadethosewhohavethedifferenceintheirfavourthatthisisso。Theymayberight；andatanyrate，theblankmisgiving，therecurringsenseofdisappointmenttowhichtheyoungpeople’sdeparturelefttheCoreysistobeconsidered。Thatwastheendoftheirsonandbrotherforthem；theyfeltthat；andtheywerenotmeanorunamiablepeople。
Heremainedthreeyearsaway。Somechangestookplaceinthattime。OneofthesewasthepurchasebytheKanawhaFallsCompanyoftheminesandworksatLapham。
