第17章

类别:其他 作者:Stewart Edward White字数:9795更新时间:19/01/07 14:47:37
Eachyearhewouldhavetocountonaproportionatesavingoffifteenthousanddollarstowardpaymentofthenotes。Inaddition,hemustlive。 \"TheOrdefamilyisgoingtobemightyhardup,\"saidhe,whistlinghumorously。 ButOrdewasbynatureandtrainingsanguineandfondofbigrisks。 \"Nevermind;it’sforBobby,\"saidhetohimself。\"Andmaybetherateofinterestwillgodown。AndI’llbeabletoborrowontheCaliforniatractifanythingdoesgowrong。\" Heputonhishat,thrustabundleofpapersintohispocket,andsteppedacrossthehallintoTaylor’soffice。 Thelawyerhefoundtippedbackinhisrevolvingchair,readingaprintedbrief。 \"Frank,\"beganOrdeimmediately,\"IcametoseeyouaboutthatCaliforniatimbermatter。\" Taylorlaiddownthebriefandremovedhiseye—glasses,withwhichhebeganimmediatelytotapthefingersofhislefthand。 \"Sitdown,Jack,\"saidhe。\"I’mgladyoucamein。Iwasgoingtotrytoseeyousometimeto—day。I’vebeenthinkingthematteroververycarefullysincetheotherday,andI’vecometotheconclusionthatitistoosteepforme。Idon’tdoubttheinvestmentabit,butthereturnsaretoofaroff。Fifteenthousandmeansalotmoretomethanitdoestoyou,andI’vegottothinkoftheimmediatefuture。Ihopeyouweren’tcountingonme——\" \"Oh,that’sallright,\"brokeinOrde。\"AsItoldyou,Icanswingthethingmyself,andonlymentionedittoyouontheoffchanceyoumightwanttoinvest。Now,whatIwantisthis——\"heproceededtooutlinecarefullytheagreementbetweenhimselfandNewmarkwhilethelawyertooknotesandoccasionallyinterjectedaquestion。 \"Allright,\"saidthelatter,whenthedetailshadbeenmastered。 \"I’lldrawthenecessarynotesandpapers。\" \"Now,\"wentonOrde,producingthebundleofpapersfromhispocket,\"here’stheabstractoftitle。Iwishyou’dlookitover。It’salongone,butnotcomplicated,asnearasIcanmakeout。Traceseemstohaveacquiredthistractmostlyfromtheoriginalhomesteadersandthelike,who,ofcourse,taketitledirectfromthegovernment。Butnaturallythereareaheapofthem,andIwantyoutolookitovertobesureeverything’sshipshape。\" \"Allright,\"agreedTaylor,reachingforthepapers。 \"Oneotherthing,\"concludedOrde,uncrossinghislegs。\"Iwantthisinvestmenttogetnofurtherthantheofficedoor。Yousee,thisisforBobby,andI’vegivenalotofthoughttothatsortofthing;andnothingspoilsamansoonerthantoimaginethething’sallcutanddriedforhim,andnothingkeepshimgoinglikethethoughtthathe’sgottorustlehisownopportunities。YouandI knowthat。Bobby’sgoingtohavethebesteducationpossible;he’sgoingtolearntobealumbermanbypracticalexperience,andthatpracticalexperiencehe’llgetwithotherpeople。NoworkingforhisdadinBobby’s,Icantellyou。Whenhegetsthroughcollege,I’llgethimalittlejobclerkingwithsomegoodfirm,andhe’llhaveachancetoshowwhatisinhimandtolearnthebusinessfromthegroundup,thewayamanoughtto。Ofcourse,I’llmakearrangementsthathehasarealchance。Then,whenhe’sworkedintotheharnessalittle,theoldmanwilltakehimoutandshowhimthefinebigsugarpineandsaytohim,’There,myboy,there’syouropportunity,andyou’veearnedit。HowdoesORDEANDSONsoundtoyou?’Whatdoyouthinkofit,Frank?\" Taylornoddedseveraltimes。 \"Ibelieveyou’reontherighttrack,andI’llhelpyouallIcan,\" saidhebriefly。 \"So,ofcourse,Iwanttokeepthethingdeadsecret,\"continuedOrde。\"You’retheonlymanwhoknowsanythingaboutit。I’mnotevengoingtobuydirectlyundermyownname。I’mgoingtoincorporatemyself,\"hesaid,withagrin。\"Youknowhowthosethingswillgetout,andhowtheyalwaysgetbacktothewrongpeople。\" \"Countonme,\"Taylorassuredhim。 AsOrdewalkedhomethatevening,afterahotday,hismindwasfullofspeculationastotheimmediatefuture。Hehadalocalreputationforwealth,andnooneknewbetterthanhimselfhowimportantitisforamanindebttokeepupappearances。 Nevertheless,decidedretrenchtnentwouldbenecessary。AfterBobbyhadgonetobed,heexplainedthistohiswife。 \"What’sthematter?\"sheaskedquickly。\"Isthefirmlosingmoney?\" \"No,\"repliedOrde,\"it’samatterofreinvestment。\"Hehesitated。 \"It’sadeadsecret,whichIdon’twanttogetout,butI’mthinkingofbuyingsomewesterntimberforBobbywhenhegrowsup。\" Carrolllaughedsoftly。 \"Yousorelievemymind,\"shesmiledathim。\"Iwasafraidyou’ddecidedonthestreet—car—driveridea。Why,sweetheart,youknowperfectlywellwecouldgobacktothelittlehousenextthechurchandbeashappyaslarks。\" XXXII InthemeantimeNewmarkhadclosedhisdesk,pickedhishatfromthenail,andmarchedpreciselydownthestreettoHeinzman’soffice。 HefoundthelittleGermanin。Newmarkdemandedaprivateinterview,andwithoutpreliminaryplungedintothebusinessthathadbroughthim。HehadlongsincetakenHeinzman’smeasure,as,indeed,hehadtakenthemeasureofeveryothermanwithwhomhedidorwaslikelytodobusiness。 \"Heinzman,\"saidheabruptly,\"mypartnerwantstoraiseseventy— fivethousanddollarsforhispersonaluse。Ihaveagreedtogethimthatmoneyfromthefirm。\" Heinzmansatimmovable,hisroundeyesblinkingbehindhisbigspectacles。 \"Proceed,\"saidheshrewdly。 \"Assecurityincasehecannotpaythenotesthefirmwillhavetogive,hehassignedanagreementtoturnovertomehisundividedone—halfinterestinourenterprises。\" \"Vell?Youvanttoborrowdotmoneyofme?\"askedHeinzman。\"I couldnotraiseit。\" \"Iknowthatperfectlywell,\"repliedNewmarkcoolly。\"YouaregoingtohavedifficultymeetingyourJulynotes,asitis。\" Heinzmanhardlyseemedtobreathe,butaflickerofredblazedinhiseye。 \"Proceed,\"herepeatednon—committally,afteramoment。\"Iintend,\" wentonNewmark,\"tofurnishthismoneymyself。Itmust,however,seemtobeloanedbyanother。Iwantyoutolendthismoneyonmortgage。\" \"Whatfor?\"asked\"ForaonetenthofOrde’sshareincasehedoesnotmeetthosenotes。\" \"Buthevillmeetthenotes,\"objectedHeinzman。\"Youareaprosperousconcern。IknowsomethingsofYOURbusiness,also。\" \"Hethinkshewill,\"rejoinedNewmarkgrimly。\"Iwillmerelypointouttoyouthathisentireincomeisfromthefirm,andthatfromthisincomehemustsavetwenty—oddthousandayear。 \"Ifthefirmhashardluck——\"saidHeinzman。 \"Exactly,\"finishedNewmark。 \"Vyyoucometome?\"demandedHeinzmanatlength。 \"Well,I’mofferingyouachancetogetevenwithOrde。Idon’timagineyoulovehim?\" \"Vat’sdemattermitmygettin’efenwithyou,too?\"criedHeinzman。 \"Ain’tyoubeatmeoutatLansing?\" Newmarksmiledcoldlyunderhisclippedmoustache。 \"I’mofferingyouthechanceofmakinganywherefromthirtytofiftythousanddollars。\" \"Perhaps。Andsupposethisliddleschemedon’tworkout?\" \"And,\"pursuedNewmarkcalmly,\"I’llcarryyouoverinyourpresentobligations。\"Hesuddenlyhitthearmofhischairwithhisclenchedfist。\"Heinzman,ifyoudon’tmakethoseJulypayments,what’stobecomeofyou?Where’syourtimberandyourmillsandyournewhouse——andthatprettydaughterofyours?\" Heinzmanwincedvisibly。 \"Ivillgetanextensionoftime,\"saidhefeebly。 \"Willyou?\"counteredNewmark。 Thetwomenlookedeachotherintheeyeforamoment。 \"Vell,maybe,\"laughedHeinzmanuneasily。\"Itlookstomelikeawinner。\" \"Allright,then,\"saidNewmarkbriskly。\"I’llmakeoutamortgageattenpercentforyou,andyou’lllendthemoneyonit。Atthepropertime,ifthingshappenthatway,youwillforeclose。That’sallyouhavetodowithit。Then,whenthetimberlandcomestoyouundertheforeclose,youwillreconveyanundividednine—tenths’ interest——forproperconsideration,ofcourse,andwithoutrecordingthedeed。\" Heinzmanlaughedwithassumedlightness。 \"SupposeIfoolyou,\"saidhe。\"IguessIjoostkeepitformineself。\" Newmarklookedathimcoldly。 \"Iwouldn’t,\"headvised。\"YoumayrememberthememberfromLapeerCountyinthatcharterfight?Andthefivehundreddollarsforhisvote?Tryiton,andseehowmuchevidenceIcanbringup。It’scalledbriberyinthisState,andmeanspenitentiaryusually。\" \"Youdon’ttakeajoke,\"complainedHeinzman。 Newmarkarose。 \"It’sunderstood,then?\"heasked。 \"HowsoIknowyouplayfair?\"askedtheGerman。 \"Youdon’t。It’sacasewherewehavetodependmoreorlessoneachother。ButIdon’tseewhatyoustandtolose——andanywayyou’llgetcarriedoverthoseJulypayments,\"Newmarkremindedhim。 Heinzmanwasplainlyuneasyandslightlyafraidofthesenewwatersinwhichheswam。 \"Ifyoureducethefirm’sprofits,heissgoingtosuspect,\"headmonished。 \"Whosaidanythingaboutreducingthefirm’sprofits?\"saidNewmarkimpatiently。\"Ifitdoesworkoutthatway,we’llwinabigthing; ifitdoesnot,we’lllosenothing。\" HenoddedtoHeinzmanandlefttheoffice。Hisdemeanourwasasdryandpreciseasever。Noexpressionilluminatedhisimpassivecountenance。Ifhefelttheslightestuneasinessoverhavingpracticallydeliveredhisintentionstothekeepingofanother,hedidnotshowit。Foronething,anaccomplicewasabsolutelyessential。And,too,heheldtheGermanbyhisstrongestpassions—— hisavarice,hisdreadofbankruptcy,hispride,andhisfearofthepenitentiary。Asheenteredtheofficeofhisownfirm,hiseyefellonOrde’sbulkyformseatedatthedesk。Hepausedinvoluntarily,andaslightshivershookhisframefromheadtofoot——thedainty,instinctiverepulsionofacatforalargerobustiousdog。Instantlycontrollinghimself,hesteppedforward。 \"I’vemadetheloan,\"heannounced。 Ordelookedupwithinterest。 \"Thebankswouldn’ttouchnorthernpeninsula,\"saidNewmarksteadily,\"soIhadtogotoprivateindividuals。\" \"Soyousaid。Don’tcarewhodealsitout,\"laughedOrde。 \"Thayerbackedout,sofinallyIgotthewholeamountfromHeinzman,\"Newmarkannounced。 \"Didn’tknowtheoldDutchmanwasthatwelloff,\"saidOrde,afteraslightpause。 \"Can’ttellaboutthosesecretiveoldfellows,\"saidNewmark。 Ordehesitated。 \"Ididn’tknowhewasfriendlyenoughtolendusmoney。\" \"Businessisbusiness,\"repliedNewmark。 XXXIII Thereexiststhelegendofaneasterndespotwho,wishingtoridhimselfofacourtier,armedthemanandshuthiminadarkroom。 Thevictimknewhewastofightsomething,butwhenceitwastocome,when,orofwhatnaturehewasunabletoguess。Intheevent,whilegropingtenseforanenemy,hefellunderthefatalfumesofnoxiousgases。 FromthemomentOrdecompletedthesecretpurchaseoftheCaliforniatimberlandsfromTrace,hebecameanunwittingparticipantinoneofthestrangestduelsknowntobusinesshistory。Newmarkopposedtohimallthesubtleties,alltherusesandexpedientstowhichhispositionlentitself。Orde,sublimelyunconscious,deployedthemagnificentresourcesofstrength,energy,organisation,andcombativespiritthatanimatedhispioneer’ssoul。TheoccultmanoeuveringsofNewmarkcalledoutfreshexertionsonthepartofOrde。 Newmarkworkedunderthisdisadvantage:hehadcarefullytoavoidtheslightestappearanceofanattitudeinimicaltothefirm’sverybestprosperity。Abreathofsuspicionwoulddestroyhisplans。IfthesmallestuntowardincidentshouldeverbringitclearlybeforeOrdethatNewmarkmighthaveaninterestinreducingprofits,hecouldnotfailtotreadoutthelogicofthelatter’sdeviousways。 ForthisreasonNewmarkcouldnotasyetfighteveninthetwilight。 Hedidnotdaremakebadsales,awkwardtransactions。Inspiteofhisbestefforts,hecouldnotsucceed,withouttheaidofchance,instrikingablowfromwhichOrdecouldnotrecover。Theprofitsofthefirstyearwerenotquiteuptotheusualstandard,buttheysufficed。Newmark’sfinessecutintwothefirm’sincomeofthesecondyear。Orderousedhimself。Withhisold—timeenergyofresource,hehurriedthewoodsworkuntilanespeciallybigcutgavepromiseofrecoupingthelossesoftheyearbefore。Newmarkfoundhimselfstrugglingagainstaforcegreaterthanhehadimaginedittobe。Blindedandbound,itneverthelessmadeheadagainsthispolicy。Newmarkwasforcedtoatemporaryquiescence。Heheldhimselfwatchful,intent,awaitingtheopportunitywhichchanceshouldbring。 Chanceseemedbynomeansinhaste。TheendofthefourthyearfoundNewmarkpuzzled。Ordehadpaidregularlytheinterestonhisnotes。Howmuchhehadbeenabletosavetowardtheredemptionofthenotesthemselveshispartnerwasunabletodecide。ItdependedentirelyonhowmuchtheOrdeshaddisbursedinlivingexpenses,whetherornotOrdehadanyprivatedebts,andwhetherornothehadprivateresources。InthemeantimeNewmarkcontentedhimselfwithtyingupthefirm’sassetsinsuchamannerastorenderitimpossibletoraisemoneyonitspropertywhenthetimeshouldcome。 WhatOrderegardedasaseriesofpettyannoyanceshadmadetheproblemofpayingfortheCaliforniatimberamatterofgreaterdifficultythanhehadsupposeditwouldbe。Apressurewhosepointsofsupporthecouldnotplacewasclosingslowlyonhim。 Againstthispressureheexertedhimself。Itmadehimatrifleuneasy,butitdidnotworryhim。Themarginofsafetywasnotasbroadashehadreckoned,butitexisted。Andinanycase,ifworsecametoworst,hecouldalwaysmortgagetheCaliforniatimberforenoughtomakeupthedifference——andmore。Againstthisexpedient,however,heopposedasentimentalobstinacy。ItwasBobby’s,andheobjectedtoencumberingit。Infact,Ordewascapableofaprolongedandbitterstruggletoavoiddoingso。Nevertheless,itwasthere——anasset。Aloanonitssecuritywould,withwhathehadsetaside,morethanpaythenotesonthenorthernpeninsulastumpage。Ordefeltperfectlyeasyinhismind。Hewasinthepositionofmanyofourrichmen’ssonswho,quitesincerelyandearnestly,gopennilesstothecitytomaketheirway。Theyliveontheirninedollarsaweek,andgohungrywhentheylosetheirjobs。 Theystandontheirownfeet,andyet——incaseofsevereillnessoractualstarvation——theoldmanisthere!Itgivesthemacouragetobecontentedonnothing。SoOrdewouldhavegonetoalmostanylengthstokeepfree\"Bobby’stract,\"butitstoodalwaysbetweenhimselfanddisaster。Andaloanonwesterntimbercouldbepaidoffjustaseasilyasaloanoneasterntimber;whenyoucamerightdowntothat。Evencouldhehaveknownhispartner’sintentions,theywould,onthisaccount,havecausedhimnouneasiness,howeverangrytheywouldhavemadehim,orhoweverdeterminedtobreakthepartnership。EventhoughNewmarkdestroyedutterlythefirm’sprofitsfortheremainingyearandahalfthenoteshadtorun,hecouldnottherebyruinOrde’schances。AloanontheCaliforniatimberwouldsolveallproblemsnow。InthisreasoningOrdewouldhavecommittedthemistakeofalllargeandgeneroustemperamentswhencalledupontomeasurenaturesmoresubtlethantheirown。HewouldhaveunderestimatedbothNewmark’sresourcesandhisowngraspofsituations。* *TheauthorhasconsideredituselesstoburdenthecourseofthenarrativewithadetailedaccountofNewmark’sfinancialmanoeuvres。 Realising,however,thatalargeclassofhisreadersmightbeinterestedintheexactparticulars,heherewithgivesasketchofthetransactions。 Itwillberememberedthatatthetime——1878——OrdefirstcameinneedofmoneyforthepurposeofbuyingtheCaliforniatimber,thefirm,NewmarkandOrde,ownedinthenorthernpeninsula300,000,000 feetofpine。Onthistheyhadpaid$150,000,andowedstillalikeamount。Theyborrowed$75,000onit,givinganotesecuredbymortgageduein1883。Ordetookthis,givinginreturnhisnotesecuredbytheBoomCompany’sstock。In1879and1880theymadethetwofinalpaymentsonthetimber;sothatbythelatterdatetheyownedthelandfreeofencumbrancesaveforthemortgageof$75,000。 SinceNewmark’splanhadalwayscontemplatedtheeventualforeclosureofthismortgage,itnowbecamenecessaryfurthertoencumbertheproperty。Otherwise,sinceapropertyworthconsiderablyabove$300,000carriedonlya$75,000mortgage,itwouldbepossible,whenthelattercamedue,toborrowafurthersumonasecondmortgagewithwhichtomeettheobligationsofthefirst。ThereforeNewmark,in1881,approachedOrdewiththerequestthatthefirmraise$70,000bymeansofasecondmortgageonthetimber。This$70,000heproposedtoborrowpersonally,givinghisnoteduein1885andputtingupthesamecollateralasOrdehad—— thatistosay,hisstockintheBoomCompany。TothisOrdecouldhardlyinreasonopposeanobjection,asitnearlyduplicatedhisowntransactionof1878。Newmarktherefore,throughHeinzman,lentthissumtohimself。 ItmaynowbepermittedtoforecasteventsinthelineofNewmark’sreasoning。 Ifhisplansshouldworkout,thisiswhatwouldhappen:in1883thefirm’snotefor$75,000wouldcomedue。Ordewouldbeunabletopayit。ThereforeatoncehisstockintheBoomCompanywouldbecomethepropertyofNewmarkandOrde。Newmarkwouldprofesshimselfunabletoraiseenoughfromthefirmtopaythemortgage。Thesecondmortgagefromwhichhehaddrawnhispersonalloanwouldrenderitimpossibleforthefirmtoraisemoremoneyontheland。 Aforeclosurewouldfollow。ThroughHeinzman,Newmarkwouldbuyin。 Ashehadhimselfloanedthemoneytohimself——againthroughHeinzman——onthesecondmortgage,thelatterwouldoccasionhimnoloss。 Thenetresultsofthewholetransactionwouldbe:first,thatNewmarkwouldhaveacquiredpersonallythe300,000,000feetofnorthernpeninsulatimber;and,second,thatOrde’spersonalshareinthestockcompanywouldflowbeheldinpartnershipbythetwo。 Thus,inordertogainsolargeastake,itwouldpayNewmarktosufferconsiderablelossjointlywithOrdeintheinducedmisfortunesofthefirm。 IncidentallyitmightberemarkedthatNewmark,ofcourse,purposedpayinghisownnotetothefirmwhenitshouldfallduein1885,thussavingforhimselftheBoomCompanystockwhichhehadputupascollateral。 Affairsstoodthusintheautumnbeforetheyearthenoteswouldcomedue。Theweatherhadbeenbeautiful。Aperpetualsummerseemedtohaveembalmedtheworldinitsforgetfulnessoftimesandseasons。NavigationremainedopenthroughOctoberandintoNovember。Noseverestormshadasyetsweptthelakes。Thebargeandhertwotowshadmadeonemoretripthanhadbeenthoughtpossible。Ithadbeentheintentiontolaythemupforthewinter,buttheweathercontinuedsomildthatOrdesuggestedtheybeladenwithaconsignmentforJonesandMabley,ofChicago。 \"Didintendtoshipbyrail,\"saidhe。\"They’reall’uppers,’soitwouldpayallright。Butwecansaveallkindsofmoneybywater,andtheyoughttoskipoverthereintwelvetofifteenhours。\" Accordingly,thethreevesselswerelaidalongsidethewharvesatthemill,andasfastaspossibletheselectedlumberwaspassedintotheirholds。Ordedepartedforthewoodstostartthecuttingassoonasthefirstbelatedsnowshouldfall。 Thisconditionseemed,however,todelay。Duringeachnightitgrewcold。Theleaves,aftertheirblazeandriotofcolour,turnedcrispandcracklyandbrown。Someofthelittle,stillpuddleswerefilmedwithwhatwasalmost,butnotquiteice。Asheenoffrostwhitenedthehouseroofsandsilveredeachseparatebladeofgrassonthelawns。Butbynoonthesun,risingredintheveilofsmokethathunglowinthesnappyair,hadmellowedtheatmosphereuntilitlayonthecheeklikeacaress。Nobreathofwindstirred。 Soundscameclearlyfromadistance。LongV—shapedflightsofgeesesweptathwartthesky,veryhighup,buttheirhonkingcamefaintlytotheear。Andyet,whenthesun,swollentothegreatdimensionsoftherisingmoon,dippedblood—redthroughthehaze;thefirstpremonitorytingleofcoldwarnedonethatthegratefulwarmthofthedayhadbeenbutanillusionofaseasonthathadgone。Thiswasnotsummer,but,inthequaintoldphrase,Indiansummer,anditsendwouldbeasthoughthenecromancerhadwavedhiswand。 ToNewmark,sittingathisdesk,reportedCaptainFloydofthesteambargeNORTHSTAR。 \"Allloadedbynoon,sir,\"hesaid。 Newmarklookedupinsurprise。 \"Well,whydoyoutellme?\"heinquired。 \"Iwantyourorders。\" \"Myorders?Why?\" \"Thisisabadtimeofyear,\"explainedCaptainFloyd,\"andthestormsignal’sup。Allthesignsarerightforablow。\" Newmarkwhirledinhischair。 \"Ablow!\"hecried。\"Whatofit?Youdon’tcomeineverytimeitblows,doyou?\" \"Youdon’tknowthelakes,sir,atthistimeofyear,\"insistedCaptainFloyd。 \"Areyouafraid?\"sneeredNewmark。 CaptainFloyd’scountenanceburnedadarkred。 \"Ionlywantyourorders,\"wasallhesaid。\"Ithoughtwemightwaittosee。\" \"Thengo,\"snappedNewmark。\"Thatlumbermustgettothemarket。 YouheardMr。Orde’sorderstosailassoonasyouwereloaded。\" CaptainFloydnoddedcurtlyandwentoutwithoutfurthercomment。 Newmarkaroseandlookedoutofthewindow。Thesunshoneasbalmilysoftasever。Englishsparrowstwitteredandfoughtoutside。Thewarmsmellofpineshinglesrosefromthestreet。 Onlyclosedowntothehorizonlurkedcold,flat,greasy—lookingclouds;andinthedirectionoftheGovernmentflag—polehecaughttheflashofredfromthelazilyfloatingsignal。Hewaslittleweatherwise,andheshookhisheadsceptically。Neverthelessitwasachance,andhetookit,ashehadtakenagreatmanyothers。 XXXIV ToCarroll’sdelight,Ordereturnedunexpectedlyfromthewoodslatethatnight。Hewassobusythesedaysthatshewelcomedanychancetoseehim。Muchtohisdisappointment,Bobbyhadbeentakenduck— huntingbyhisoldfriend,Mr。Kincaid。Nextmorning,however,OrdetoldCarrollhisstaywouldbeshortandthathisdaywouldbeoccupied。 \"I’dtakeoldPrinceandgetsomeair,\"headvised。\"You’retoomuchindoors。Getsomefriendanddrivearound。It’sfineandblowyout,andyou’llgetsomecolourinyourcheeks。\" AfterbreakfastCarrollaccompaniedherhusbandtothefrontdoor。 Whentheyopeneditablastofairrushedin,whirlingsomedeadleaveswithit。 \"Iguessthefineweather’sover,\"saidOrde,lookingupatthesky。 Adullleadcolourhadsucceededthesoftgrayoftheprecedingbalmydays。Theheavensseemedtohavesettleddownclosertotheearth。Arisingwindwhistledthroughthebranchesofthebigmapletrees,snatchingtheremainingleavesinhandfulsandtossingthemintotheair。Thetopsswayedlikewhips。Whirlwindsscurriedamongthepilesofdeadleavesonthelawns,scatteringthem,chasingthemmadlyaroundandaroundincircles。 \"B—r—r—r!\"shiveredCarroll。\"Winter’scoming。\"