ConsiderableattentionwaspaidtoCokebytheothers。\"Hemadeamonkeyofyou，\"saidPeterTounleywithunction。\"Hetwistedyouuntilyoulookedlikeawet，greyrag。Youhadbetterleavethiswiseguyalone。\"
ItwasnotthenightnorwasitmeditationthathadtaughtCokeanything，butheseemedtohavelearnedsomethingfromthemerelapseoftime。Inappearancehewassubdued，buthemanagedtomakeatemporaryjauntinessashesaid:\"Oh，I
don\'tknow。\"
\"Well，yououghttoknow，\"saidhewhowascalledBillie。
\"Yououghttoknow。Youmadeanegregioussnarkofyourself。Indeed，yousometimesresembledaboojum。Anyhow，youwereaplainchump。Youexplodedyourfaceaboutsomethingofwhichyouknewnothing，andI\'mdamnedifI
believeyou\'dmakeevenagoodretriever。\"
\"You\'reahalf-bredwater-spaniel，\"blurtedPeterTounley。
\"And，\"headded，musingly，\"thatisaprettylowanimal。\"
Cokewasargumentative。\"WhyamI？\"heasked，turninghisheadfromsidetoside。\"Idon\'tseewhereIwassowrong。\"
\"Oh，dances，balloons，picnics，paradesandascensions，\"
theyretorted，profanely。\"Youswamvoluntarilyintowaterthatwastoodeepforyou。Swimout。Getdry。Here\'satowel。\"
Coke，smitteninthefacewithawetclothrolledintoaball，grabbeditandflungitfutilelyatawell-dodgingcompanion\"No，\"hecried，\"Idon\'tseeit。Nowlookhere。I
don\'tseewhyweshouldn\'tallresentthisNoraBlackbusiness。\"
Onestudentsaid:\"Well，what\'sthematterwithNoraBlack，anyhow？\"
Anotherstudentsaid\"Idon\'tseehowyou\'vebeenissuedanylicensetosaythingsaboutNoraBlack。\"
Anotherstudentsaiddubiously:\"Well，heknowsherwell。\"
Andthenthreeorfourspokeatonce。\"Hewasverybadlyrattledwhensheappeareduponthescene。\"
PeterTounleyasked:\"Well，whichofyoupeopleknowanythingwrongaboutNoraBlack？\"
Therewasapause，andthenCokesaid:\"Oh，ofcourse-I
don\'tknow-but-\"
HewhowascalledBilliethenaddressedhiscom-panions。
\"Itwouldn\'tberighttorepeatanyoldlieaboutNoraBlack，andbythesametokenitwouldn\'tberighttoseeoldMotherWainwrightchummin\'withher。Thereisnowisdomingoingfurtherthanthat。OldMotherWainwrightdon\'tknowthatherfaircompanionofyesterdayisthefamouscomicoperastar。Formypart，IbelievethatColemanissimplyafraidtotellher。I
don\'tthinkhewishedtoseeNoraBlackyesterdayanymorethanhewishedtoseethedevil。Thediscussion，asI
understanditconcerneditselfonlywithwhatColemanhadtodowiththething，andyesterdayanybodycouldseethathewasinapanic。\"
Theyheardasteponthestair，anddirectlyColemanentered，followedbyhisdragoman。Theywereladenwiththerawmaterialforbreakfast。Thecorrespondentlookedkeenlyamongthestudents，foritwasplainthattheyhadbeentalkingofhim。
It，filledhimwithrage，andforastiflingmomenthecouldnotthinkwhyhefailedtoimmediatelydecampinchagrinandleaveelevenorphanstowhateverfate。theirgeneralincompetencemightleadthem。Itstruckhimasadeepshamethateventhenheandhispaidmanwerecarryinginthebreakfast。Hewantedtoflingitallonthefloorandwalkout。ThenherememberedMarjory。Shewasthereason。Shewasthereasonforeverything。
Buthecouldnotrepresscertain，ofhisthoughts。\"Say，youpeople，\"hesaid，icily，\"youhadbettersoonlearntohustleforyourselves。Imaybeadragoman，andabutler，andacook，andahousemaid，butI\'mblowedifI\'mawetnurse。\"Inreality，hehadtakenthemostgenerouspleasureinworkingfortheothersbeforetheireyeshadevenbeenopenedfromsleep，butitwasnowallturnedtowormwood。Itiscertainthateventhiscouldnothavedeviatedthisexecutivemanfromlabourandmanagement。becausethesewerehislife。Buthefeltthathewasabouttowalkoutoftheroom，consigningthemalltoHades。
Hisglanceofangry，reproachfasteneditselfmainlyuponPeterTounley，becauseheknewthatofall，Peterwasthemostinnocent。
Peter，Tounleywasabashedbythisglance。Soyou\'vebroughtussomethingtoeat，oldman。Thatistremendouslyniceofyou-we-appreciateitlikeeverything。\"
ColemanwasmollifiedbyPeter\'stone。Peterhadhadthatemotionwhichisequivalenttoasenseofguilt，althoughinrealityhewasspeckless。Twoorthreeoftheotherstudentsbobbeduptoasenseofthesituation。TheyrantoColeman，andwithpolitecriestookhisprovisionsfromhim。Onedroppedabunchoflettuceonthefloor，andothersreproachedhimwithscholasticcurses。Cokewasseatednearthewindow，halfmilitant，halfconciliatory。ItwasimpossibleforhimtokeepupamannerofdeadlyenmitywhileColemanwasbringinginhisbreakfast。HewouldhavemuchpreferredthatColemanhadnotbroughtinhisbreakfast。Hewouldhavemuchpreferredtohaveforegonebreakfastaltogether。Hewouldhavemuchpreferredanything。Thereseemedtobeaconspiracyofcircumstancetoputhiminthewrongandmakehimappearasaridiculousyoungpeasant。Hewasthevictimofabenefaction，andhehatedColemanhardernowthanatanyprevioustime。Hesawthatifhestalkedoutandtookhisbreakfastaloneinacafe，theotherswouldconsiderhimstillmoreofanoutsider。Colemanhadexpressedhimselflikeamanoftheworldandagentleman，andCokewasconvincedthathewasasuperiormanoftheworldandasuperiorgentleman，butthathesimplyhadnothadwordstoexpresshispositionatthepropertime。Colemanwasglib。
Therefore，Cokehadbeenthevictimofanattitudeaswellasofabenefaction。AndsohedeeplyhatedColeman。
Theothersweretalkingcheerfully。\"Whatthedeucearethese，Coleman？Sausages？Oh，my。Andlookattheseburlesquefishes。Say，theseGreeksdon\'tcarewhattheyeat。
Themtharthingsamsardinesinthecrudestate。No？GreatGod，lookatthosethings。Look。What？Yes，theyare。
Radishes。Greeksynonymforradishes。\"
Theprofessorentered。\"Oh，\"hesaidapologetically，asifhewereintrudinginaboudoir。AllhisseriousdesiretoprobeColemantothebottomendedinembarrassment。
Mayhapitwasnotalawoffeeling，butithappenedatanyrate。
\"Hehadcomeinapuzzledframeofmind，evenanaccusativeframeofmind，andalmostimmediatelyhefoundhimselfsuffer。
inglikeaculpritbeforehisjudge。Itisaphenomenonofwhatwecallguiltandinnocence。
\"Colemanwelcomedhimcordially。\"Well，professor，good-morning。I\'veroundedupsomethingsthatatleastmaybeeaten。\"
\"Youareverygood\"veryconsiderate，Mr。Coleman，\"
answeredtheprofessor，hastily。\"I\'amsurewearemuchindebtedtoyou。\"Hehadscannedthecorrespondent\'sface，landithadbeensodevoidofguilethathewasfearfulthathissuspicion，abasesuspicion，ofthisnoblesoulwouldbedetected。\"No，no，wecanneverthankyouenough。\"
Someofthestudentsbegantocaperwithasortofdecoroushilaritybeforetheirteacher。\"Lookatthesausage，professor。
Didyoueverseesuchsausage\"Isn\'titsalubrious\"Andseetheseotherthings，sir。Aren\'ttheycurious\"Ishouldn\'twonderiftheywerealive。Turnips，sir？No，sir。IthinktheyarePharisees。IhaveseenaPhariseelooklikeapelican，butIhaveneverseenaPhariseelooklikeaturnip，soIthinktheseturnipsmustbePharisees，sir，Yes，theymaybewalrus。We\'renotsure。
Anyhow，theiranglesaregeometricallyallwrong。Peter，lookout。\"
Somegreenstuffwasflungacrosstheroom。Theprofessorlaughed；
Colemanlaughed。DespiteCoke，dark-browed，sulking。andyetdesirousofreinstatinghimself，theroomhadwaxedwarmwiththeoldcollegefeeling，thefeelingofladswhoseemednevertotreatanythingrespectfullyandyetatthesametimemanagedtotreattherealthingswithrespect。TheprofessorhimselfcontributedtotheirwildcarouseoverthestrangeGreekviands。
Itwasavivaciousmomentcommontothisclassintimesofrelaxation，anditwasunderstoodperfectly。
Cokearose。\"Idon\'tseethatIhaveanyfriendshere，\"hesaid，hoarsely，\"andinconsequenceIdon\'tseewhyIshouldremainhere。\"
Alllookedathim。AtthesamemomentMrs。WainwrightandMarjoryenteredtheroom。
CHAPTERXIX。
\"Good-morning，\"saidMrs。WainwrightjoviallytothestudentsandthenshestaredatColemanasifhewereasweepatawedding。
\"Good-morning，\"saidMarjory。
Colemanandthestudentsmadereply。\"Good-morning。
Good-morning。Good-morning。Good-morning——\"
Itwascurioustoseethisgreeting，thiscommonphrase，thisbitofoldware，thisantique，comeuponadramaticsceneandpulveriseit。Nothingremainedbutaridiculousdust。Coke，glowering，withhislipsstilltremblingfromheroicspeech，wasanangryclown，apantalooninrage。Nothingwastobedonetokeephimfromlookinglikeanass。He，strodetowardthedoormumblingaboutawalkbeforebreakfast。
Mrs。Wainwrightbeameduponhim。\"Why，Mr。Coke，notbeforebreakfast？Yousurelywon\'thavetime。\"Itwasgrimpunishment。Heappearedtogoblind，andhefairlystaggeredoutofthedoormumblingagain，mumblingthanksorapologiesorexplanations。AboutthemouthofColemanplayedasinistersmile。Theprofessorcast。uponhiswifeaglanceexpressingweariness。Itwasasifhesaid\"Thereyougoagain。Youcan\'tkeepyourfootoutofit。\"Sheunderstoodtheglance，andsosheaskedblankly:\"Why，What\'sthematter？Oh。\"
HerbelatedmindgraspedthatitwawanaftermathofthequarrelofColemanandCoke。Marjorylookedasifshewasdistressedinthebeliefthathermotherhadbeenstupid。Colemanwasoutwardlyserene。ItwasPeterTounleywhofinallylaughedacheery，healthylaughandtheyalllookedathimwithgratitudeasifhissuddenmirthhadbeenarealstatementorrecon-ciliationandconsequentpeace。
Thedragomanandothersdisportedthemselvesuntilabreakfastwaslaiduponthefloor。Theadventurerssquatteduponthefloor。Theymadealargecompany。TheprofessorandColemandiscussedthemeansofgettingtoAthens。PeterTounleysatnexttoMarjory。\"Peter，\"shesaid，privately，\"whatwasallthistroublebetweenColemanandCoke？\"
Peteransweredblandly:\"Oh，nothingatNothingatall。\"
\"Well，but——\"shepersisted，\"whatwasthecauseofit？\"
Helookedatherquaintly。Hewasnotoneofthoseinlovewithher，butbewasinterestedintheaffair。\"Don\'tyouknow？\"heasked。
Sheunderstoodfromhismannerthatshehadbeensomekindofanissueinthequarrel。\"No，\"sheanswered，hastily。\"I
don\'t。\"
\"Oh，Idon\'tmeanthat，\"saidPeter。\"Ionlymeant——Ionlymeant——oh，well，itwasnothing-really。\"
\"Itmusthavebeenaboutsomething，\"continuedMarjory。
Shecontinued，becausePeterhaddeniedthatshewasconcernedinit。\"Whosefault？\"
\"Ireallydon\'tknow。Itwasallratherconfusing，\"liedPeter，tranquilly。
Colemanandtheprofessordecidedtoacceptaplanofthecorrespondent\'sdragomantostartsoononthefirststageofthejourneytoAthens。Thedragomanhadsaidthathehadfoundtwolargecarriagesrentable。
Coke，theoutcast，walkedaloneinthenarrowstreets。Theflightofthecrownprince\'sarmyfromLarissahadjustbeenannouncedinArta，butCokewasprobablythemostwoebegoneobjectontheGreekpeninsula。
Heencounteredastrangesightonthestreets。AwomangarbedinthestyleforwalkingofanafternoononupperBroadwaywasapproachinghimthroughamassofkiltedmountaineersandsoldiersinsoiledovercoats。OfcourseherecognisedNoraBlack。
Inhisconvictionthateverybodyintheworldwasatthistimeconsideringhimamereworm，hewassurethatshewouldnotheedhim。Beyondthathehadbeenpresentedtohernoticeinbutatransientandcursoryfashion。Butcontrarytohisconviction，sheturnedaradiantsmileuponhim。\"Oh，\"shesaid，brusquely，\"youareoneofthestudents。Goodmorning。\"Inhermannerwasalltheconfidenceofanoldwarrior，aveteran，whoaddressestheuniversewithassurancebecauseofhispastbattles。
Cokegrinnedatthisstrangegreeting。\"Yes，MissBlack，\"heanswered，\"Iamoneofthestudents。\"
Shedidnotseemtoquiteknowhowtoformulatehernextspeech。\"Er-Isupposeyou\'regoingtoAthensatonce\"Youmustbegladafteryourhorridexperiences。\"
\"IbelievetheyaregoingtostartforAthenstoday，\"saidCoke。
Norawasallattention。\"\'They？\'\"sherepeated。
\"Aren\'tyougoingwiththem？\"
\"Well，\"hesaid，\"**Well——\"
Shesawofcoursethattherehadbeensomekindoftrouble。
Shelaughed。\"Youlookasifsomebodyhadkickedyoudownstairs，\"shesaid，candidly。Sheatonceassumedanintimatemannertowardhimwhichwaslikeatemporarymotherhood。\"
Come，walkwithmeandtellmeallaboutit。\"Therewasinhertoneamostartisticsuggestionthatwhateverhadhappenedshewasonhisside。Hewasnotloath。Thestreetwasfullofsoldierswhosetonguesclatteredsoloudlythatthetwoforeignersmighthavebeenwanderinginagreatcaveofthewinds。\"Well，whatwastherowabout？\"askedNora。\"Andwhowasinit？\"
ItwouldhavebeennosolacetoCoketopourouthistaleevenifithadbeenastorythathecouldhavetoldNora。
Hewasnotstoppedbythefactthathehadgottenhimselfinthequarrelbecausehehadinsultedthenameofthegirtathisside。Hedidnotthinkofitatthattime。Thewholethingwasnowextremelyvagueinoutlinetohimandheonlyhadadullfeelingofmiseryandloneliness。Hewantedhertocheerhim。
Noralaughedagain。\"Why，you\'rearegularlittlekid。Doyoumeantosayyou\'vecomeoutheresulkingalonebecauseofsomenurseryquarrel？\"Hewasruffledbyhermanner。Itdidnotcontainthecheeringherequired。\"Oh，Idon\'tknowthatI\'msucharegularlittlekid，\"hesaid，sullenly。\"Thequarrelwasnotanurseryquarrel。\"
\"Whydon\'tyouchallengehimtoaduel？\"askedNora，suddenly。Shewaswatchinghimclosely。
\"Who？\"saidCoke。
\"Coleman，youstupid，\"answeredNora。
Theystaredateachother，Cokepayingherfirstthetributeofastonishmentandthenthetributeofadmiration。\"Why，howdidyouguessthat？\"hedemanded。
\"Oh，\"saidNora。，\"I\'veknownRufusColemanforyears，andheisalwaysrowingwithpeople。\"
\"Thatisjustit，\"criedCokeeagerly。\"Thatisjustit。
Ifairlyhatetheman。Almostalloftheotherfellowswillstandhisabuse，butitrilesme，Itellyou。Ithinkheisabeast。And，ofcourse，ifyouseriouslymeantwhatyousaidaboutchallenginghimtoaduel——I
meanifthereisanysenseinthatsortofthing-IwouldchallengeColeman。IswearIwould。Ithinkhe\'sagreatbluffer，anyhow。Shouldn\'twonderifhewouldbackout。
Really，Ishouldn\'t。
Norasmiledhumourouslyatahouseonhersideofthenarrowway。\"Iwouldn\'twonderifhedideither\"sheanswered。Afteratimeshesaid\"Well，doyoumeantosaythatyouhavedefinitelyshakenthem？Aren\'tyougoingbacktoAthenswiththemoranything？\"
\"I-Idon\'tseehowIcan，\"hesaid，morosely。
\"Oh，\"shesaid。Shereflectedforatime。Atlastsheturnedtohimarchlyandasked:\"Somewordsoveralady？\"
Cokelookedatherblankly。Hesuddenlyrememberedthehorriblefacts。\"No-no-notoveralady。\"
\"Mydearboy，youarealiar，\"saidNora，freely。\"Youarealittleunskilfulliar。Itwassomewordsoveralady，andthelady\'snameisMarjoryWainwright。\"
Cokefeltasthoughhehadsuddenlybeenletoutofacell，buthecontinuedamechanicaldenial。\"No，no**Itwasn\'ttruly**uponmyword**\"
\"Nonsense，\"saidNora。\"Iknowbetter。Don\'tyouthinkyoucanfoolme，youlittlecub。Iknowyou\'reinlovewithMarjoryWainwright，andyouthinkColemanisyourrival。Whatablockheadyouare。Can\'tyouunderstandthatpeopleseethesethings？\"
\"Well-\"stammeredCoke。
\"Nonsense，\"saidNoraagain。\"Don\'ttrytofoolme，youmayaswellunderstandthatit\'suseless。I
amtoowise。\"
\"Well-\"stammeredCoke。
\"Goahead，\"urgedNora。\"Tellmeaboutit。Haveitout。\"
Hebeganwithgreatimportanceandsolemnity。\"Now，totellyouthetruth**thatiswhyIhatehim**Ihatehimlikeanything。**Ican\'tseewhyeverybodyadmireshimso。
Idon\'tseeanythingtohimmyself。Idon\'tbelievehe\'sgotanymoreprinciplethanawolf。Iwouldn\'ttrusthimwithtwodollars。Why，Iknowstoriesabouthimthatwouldmakeyourhaircurl。WhenIthinkofagirllikeMarjory——\"
Hisspeechhadbecomeatorrent。ButhereNoraraisedherhand。\"Oh!Oh!Oh!Thatwilldo。Thatwilldo。
Don\'tloseyoursenses。Idon\'tseewhythisgirlMarjoryisanytoogood。Sheisnochicken，I\'llbet。Don\'tletyourselfgetfooledwiththatsortofthing。\"
Cokewasunawareofhisincautiousexpressions。Heflounderedon。whileNoralookedathimasifshewantedtowringhisneck。\"No-she\'stoofineandtoogood-forhimoranybodylikehim-she\'stoofineandtoogood-\"
\"Aw，rats，\"interruptedNora，furiously。\"Youmakemetired。\"
Cokehadawooden-headedconvictionthathemustmakeNoraunderstandMarjory\'sinfinitesuperioritytoallothersofhersex，andsohepassedintoapariegyric，eachwordofwhichwasahotcoaltothegirladdressed。Nothingwouldstophim，apparently。Heevenmadethemoststupidrepetitions。Norafinallystampedherfootformidably。\"Willyoustop？
Willyoustop？\"shesaidthroughherclenchedteeth。
\"DoyouthinkIwanttolistentoyoureverlastingtwaddleabouther？Why，she\'s-she\'snobetterthanotherpeople，youignorantlittlemamma\'sboy。She\'snobetterthanotherpeople，youswab!\"
Cokelookedatherwiththeeyesofafish。Hedidnotunderstand。\"Butsheisbetterthanotherpeople，\"hepersisted。
Noraseemedtodecidesuddenlythattherewouldbenoaccomplishmentinflyingdesperatelyagainstthisrock-walledconviction。\"Oh，well，\"shesaid，withmarvellousgoodnature，\"perhapsyouareright，numbskull。But，lookhere；doyouthinkshecaresforhim？\"
Inhisheart，hisjealousheart，hebelievedthatMarjorylovedColeman，buthereiteratedeternallytohimselfthatitwasnottrue。Asforspeakingitto，another，thatwasoutofthequestion。\"No，\"hesaid，stoutly，\"shedoesn\'tcareasnapforhim。\"Ifhehadadmittedit，itwouldhaveseemedtohimthat。
hewassomehowadvancingColeman\'schances。
\"\'Oh，shedoesn\'t，eh？\"saidNoraenigmatically。
\"Shedoesn\'t？\"Hestudiedherfacewithanabrupt，miserablesuspicion，butherepeateddoggedly:\"No，shedoesn\'t。\"
\"Ahem，\"repliedNora。\"Why，she\'ssethercapforhimallright。She\'safterhimforcertain。It\'sasplainasday。Can\'tyouseethat，stupidity？\"
\"No，\"hesaidhoarsely。
\"Youareafool，\"saidNora。\"Itisn\'tColemanthat\'safterher。ItisshethatisafterColeman。\"
Cokewasmulish。\"Nosuchthing。Coleman\'scrazyabouther。Everybodyhasknowniteversincehewasincollege。Youaskanyoftheotherfellows。\"
Norawasnowveryserious，almostdoleful。Sheremainedstillforatime，castingatCokelittleglancesofhatred。\"Idon\'tseemywaycleartoaskanyoftheotherfellows，\"shesaidatlast，withconsiderablebitterness。\"I\'mnotinthehabitofconductingsuchenquiries。\"
Cokefeltnowthathedislikedher，andhereadplainlyherdislikeofhim。Iftheywerethetwovillainsoftheplay，theywerenothavingfuntogetheratall。Eachhadsomekindofadeepknowledgethattheiraspirations，farfromcolliding，wereofsuchcharacterthatthesuccessofonewouldmeanatleastassistancetotheother，butneithercouldseehowtoconfessif。Pethaptitwasfromshame，perhapsitwasbecauseNorathoughtCoketohavelittlewit；
perhapsitwasbecauseCokethoughtNoratohavelittleconscience。Theirtalkwasmainlyrudderless。
FromtimetotimeNorahadaninspirationtocomeboldlyatthepoint，butthisinspirationwascommonlydefeatedby，someextraordinarymanifestationofCoke\'sincapacity。Tohermind，then，itseemedlikeapropositiontoallyherselftoabutcher-boyinamatterpurelysentimental。SheWonderedindignantlyhowshewasgoingtoconspireWiththislad，whopuffedouthisinfantilecheeksinordertoconceitedlydemonstratethathedidnotunderstandthegameatall。ShehatedMarjoryforit。Evidentlyitwasonlytheweaklingswhofellinlovewiththatgirl。
Colemanwasanexception，butthen，Colemanwasmisled，byextraordinaryartifices。ShemeditatecfforamomentifsheshouldtellCoketogohomeandnotbotherher。Whatatlastdecidedthequestionwashisunhappiness。Shdclungtothisunhappinessforitsvalueasitstoodalone，andbecauseitsreasonforexistencewasrelatedtoherownunhappiness。\"YouSayyouarenotgoingbacktoAthenswithyourparty。
Idon\'tsupposeyou\'regoingtostayhere。I\'mgoingbacktoAthensto-day。Icameupheretoseeabattle，butitdoesn\'tseemthattherearetobeanymorebattles。，Thefightingwillnowallbeontheothersideof\'themountains。\"ApparentshehadlearnedinsomehaphazardwaythattheGreekpeninsulawasdividedbyaspineofalmostinaccessiblemountains，andthewarwasthussplitintotwosimultaneouscampaigns。TheArtacampaignwasknowntobeended。\"IfyouwanttogobacktoAthenswithoutconsortingwithyourfriends，youhadbettergobackwithme。Icantakeyouinmycarriageasfarasthebeginningoftherailroad。Don\'tyouworry。
You\'vegotmoneyenough，haven\'tyou？Thepro-
fessorisn\'tkeepingyourmoney？\"
\"Yes，\"hesaidslowly，\"I\'vegotmoneyenough。\"
Hewasapparentlydubiousovertheproposal。
IntheirabstractedwalktheyhadarrivedinfrontofthehouseoccupiedbyColemanandtheWainwrightparty。Twocarriages，forlornindustyage，stoodbe-
forethedoor。Menwerecarryingoutnewleatherluggageandflingingitintothetrapsamidagreatdealoftalkwhichseemedtorefertonothing。NoraandCokestoodlookingatthescenewithouteitherthinkingoftheimportanceofrunningaway，whenouttumbledsevenstudents，followedimmediatelybutinmoredecorousfashionbytheWainwrightsandColeman。
Somestudentsetupawhoop。\"Oh，thereheis。
There\'sCoke。Hey，Coke，whereyoubeen？Hereheis，professor。\"
Foramomentafterthehoodlumhadsubsided，thetwocampsstaredateachotherinsilence。
CHAPTERXX。
NORAandCokewereanoddlookingpairatthetime。Theystoodindeedasifrootedtothespot，staringvacuously，liketwovillagers，atthesurprisingtravellers。Itwasnotaneternitybeforethepracticedgirlofthestagerecoveredherpoise，buttotheendoftheincidentthegreenyouthlookedlikeaculpritandafool。Mrs。Wainwright\'sglowerofoffensiveincredulitywasamasterpiece。Marjorynoddedpleasantly；theprofessornodded。Thesevenstudentsclamberedboisterouslyintotheforwardcarriagemakingitclangwithnoiselikearook\'snest。TheyshoutedtoCoke。\"Comeon；allaboard；comeon，Coke；-we\'reoff。Hey，there，Cokey，hurryup。\"
Theprofessor，assoonashehadseatedhimselfontheforwardseatof\'thesecondcarriage，turnedinCoke\'sgeneraldirectionandaskedformally:\"Mr。
Coke，youarecomingwithus？\"Hefeltseeminglymuchindoubtastotheproprietyofabandoningtheheadstrongyoungman，andthisdoubtwasnotatalldecreasedbyCoke\'sappearancewithNoraBlack。Asfarashecouldtell，anyassertionofauthorityonhispartwouldendonlyinasceneinwhichCokewouldprobablyinsulthimwithsomegrossviolationofcollegiateconduct。Asatfirsttheyoungmanmadenoreply，theprofessorafterwaitingspokeagain。
\"Youunderstand，Mr。Coke，thatifyouseparateyourselffromthepartyyouencountermystrongestdisapproval，andifIdidnotfeelresponsibletothecollegeandyourfatherforyoursafejourneytoNewYorkI-Idon\'tknowbutwhatIwouldhaveyouex-
pelledbycableifthatwerepossible。\"
AlthoughCokehadbeensilent，andNoraBlackhadhadtheappearanceofbeingsilent，inrealityshehadloweredherchinandwhisperedsidewaysandswiftly。
Shehadsaid:\"Now，here\'syourtime。Decidequickly，anddon\'tlooksuchawoodenIndian。\"
Cokepulledhimselftogetherwithavisibleeffort，andspoketotheprofessorfromaninspirationinwhichhehadnofaith。\"Iunderstandmydutiestoyou，sir，perfectly。Ialsounderstandmydutytothecollege。ButIfailtoseewhereeitheroftheseobligationsrequiremetoaccepttheintroductionofobjectionablepeopleintotheparty。IfIoweadutytothecollegeandtoyou，Idon\'toweanytoColeman，and，asIunderstandit，Colemanwasnotintheoriginalplanofthisexpedition。Ifsuchhadbeenthecase，Iwouldnothavebeenhere。Ican\'ttellwhatthecollegemayseefittodo，butasformyfatherI
Ihavenodoubtofhowhewillviewit。\"
ThefirstonetobeelectrifiedbythespeechwasCokehimself。Hesawwithakindofsub-consciousamazementthisvolleyofbird-shottakeeffectuponthefaceoftheoldprofessor。ThefaceofMarjoryflushedcrimsonasifhermindhadsprungtoafearthatifCokecoulddevelopabilityinthissingularfashionhemightsucceedinhumiliatingherfatherinthestreetinthepresenceofthesevenstudents，hermother，Colemanand-herself。Shehadfeltthebird-
shotstingherfather。
WhenCokehadlaunchedforth，Colemanwithhislegsstretchedfaraparthadjuststruckamatchonthewallofthehouseandwasabouttolightacigar。
Hisgroomwasleadinguphishorse。HesawthevalueofCoke\'sargumentmoreappreciativelyandsoonerperhapsthandidCoke。Thematchdroppedfromhisfingers，andinthewhitesunshineandstillairitburntonthepavementorangecolouredandwithlangour。Colemanheldhiscigarwithallfivefingers-inamanneroutofallthelawsofsmoking。
HeturnedtowardCoke。Therewasdangerinthemoment，buttheninaflashitcameuponhimthathisrolewasnotofsquabblingwithCoke，farlessofpunchinghim。Onthecontrary，hewastoactthepartofacoolandinstructedmanwhorefusedtobewaylaidintofoolishnessbytheoutcriesofthispoutingyoungsterandwhoplacedhimselfincompletedeferencetothewishesoftheprofessor。BeforetheprofessorhadtimetoembarkuponanyreplytoCoke，Colemanwasatthesideofthecarriageand，withafineassumptionofdistress，wassaying:\"Professor，IcouldveryeasilyridebacktoAgrinionalone。Itwouldbeallright。Idon\'twantto-\"
Tohissurprisetheprofessorwavedathimtobesilentasifhewereamerechild。Theoldman\'sfacewassetwiththeresolutionofexactlywhathewasgoingtosaytoCoke。Hebeganinmeasuredtone，speakingwithfeeling，butwithnotraceofanger。
\"Mr。Coke，ithasprobablyescapedyourattentionthatMr。Coleman，atwhatIconsideragreatdealofperiltohimself，cameouttorescuethisparty-youandothers-andalthoughhestudiouslydisclaimsallmeritinhisfindingusandbringingusin，Idonotregarditinthatway，andIamsurprisedthatanymemberofthispartyshouldconducthimselfinthismannertowardamanwhohasbeenmostdevotedlyandgenerouslyatourservice。\"ItwasatthistimethattheprofessorraisedhimselfandshookhisfingeratCoke，hisvoicenowringingwithscorn。Insuchmomentswordscametohimandformedthemselvesintosentencesalmosttoorapidlyforhimtospeakthem。\"YouareoneofthemostremarkableproductsofourcivilisationwhichIhaveyetcomeupon。Whatdoyoumean，sir？Whereareyoursenses？Doyouthinkthatallthispullingandpuckingismanhood？IwilltellyouwhatIwilldowithyou。IthoughtIbroughtouteightstudentstoGreece，butwhenIfindthatIbroughtout，sevenstudentsand——er——an——ourang-outang——don\'tgetangry，sir——Idon\'tcareforyouranger——IsaywhenI
discoverthisIamnaturallypuzzledforamoment。I
willleaveyoutothejudgmentofyourpeers。Younggentlemen!\"
Ofthesevenheadsoftheforwardcarriagenonehadtobeturned。Allhadbeenturnedsincethebeginningofthetalk。Iftheprofessor\'sspeechhadbeendeliveredinoneoftheclass-roomsofWashursttheywouldhaveglowedwithdelightoverthebutcheryofCoke，buttheyfeltitsportentousaspect。
ButcheryhereinGreecethousandsofmilesfromhomepresentedtothemmoreoftheemphasisofdownrightdeathanddestruction。Theprofessorcalledout\"Younggentlemen，IhavedoneallthatI
candowithoutusingforce，which，muchtomyregret，isimpracticable。IfyouwillpersuadeyourfellowstudenttoaccompanyyouIthinkourconscienceswillbethebetterfornothavingleftaweakmindedbrotheraloneamongtheby-paths。\"
Thevaluableaggregationofintelligenceandrefine-
mentwhichdecoratedtheinteriorofthefirstcarriagedidnothesitateoveransweringthisappeal。Infact，hisfellowstudentshadworriedamongthemselvesoverCoke，andtheirdesiretoseehimcomeoutofhistroublesinfairconditionwasintensifiedbythefactthattheyhadlatelyconcentratedmuchthoughtuponhim。TherewasasomewhatcomicpretenseofspeakingsothatonlyCokecouldhear。Theirchoruswaslawsung。\"Oh，cheeseit，Coke。Letuponyour-self，youblindass。WaittillyougettoAthensandthengoandactlikeamonkey。Allthisisnogood-\"
Theadvicewhichcamefromthecarriagewasallinonedirection，andtherewassomuchofitthatthehumofvoicessoundedlikeawindblowingthroughaforest。
CokespunsuddenlyandsaidsomethingtoNoraBlack。Noralaughedratherloudly，andthenthetwoturnedsquarelyandtheWainwrightpartycontemplatedwhatweresurelyatthattimethetwomostinsolentbacksintheworld。
Theprofessorlookedasifhemightbegoingtohaveafit。Mrs。Wainwrightliftedhereyestowardheaven，andflingingouthertremblinghands，cried:
\"Oh，whatanoutrage。Whatanoutrage!Thatminx-\"TheconcensusofopinioninthefirstcarriagewasperfectlyexpressedbyPeterTounley，whowithadeepdrawnbreath，said:\"Well，I\'mdamned!\"
Marjoryhadmoanedandloweredherheadasfromasenseofcompletepersonalshame。Colemanlithiscigarandmountedhishorse。\"Well，Isupposethereisnothingforitbuttobeoff，professor？\"Histonewasfullofregret，withsortofpoeticregret。Foramomenttheprofessorlookedathimblankly，andthengraduallyrecoveredpartofhisusualmanner。\"Yes，\"
hesaidsadly，\"thereisnothingforitbuttogoon。\"
Atawordfromthedragoman，thetwoimpatientdriversspokegutturallytotheirhorsesandthecar-
riageswhirledoutofArta。Coleman，hisdragomanandthegroomtrottedinthedustfromthewheelsoftheWainwrightcarriage。Thecorrespondentalwaysfoundhisreflectivefacultiesimprovedbytheconstantpoundingofahorseonthetrot，andhewasnotsorrytohavenowaperiodforreflection，aswellasthisartificialstimulant。Asheviewedthegamehehadinhishandaboutallthecardsthatwerevaluable。Infact，heconsideredthattheonlyaceagainsthimwasMrs。
Wainwright。Hehadalwaysregardedherasastupidperson，concealingherselfbehindamassoftrivialitieswhichwereallconventional，buthethoughtnowthatthemorestupidshewasandthemoreconventionalinhertrivialitythemoresheapproachedtobeingtheveryaceoftrumpsitself。Shewasjustthesortofacardthatwouldcomeuponthetablemidtheneatplayofexpertsandbysomeinexplicablearrangementofcircumstance，loseawholegameforthewrongman。
AfterMrs。Wainwrightheworriedoverthestudents。
Hebelievedthemtobereasonableenough；
infact，hehonouredthemdistinctlyinregardtotheirpowersofreason，butheknewthatpeoplegenerallyhatedarow。It，putthemofftheirbalance，madethemsweatoveralotofprosandcons，andpreventedthemfromthinkingforatimeatleastonlyofthemselves。
Thentheycametoresenttheprincipalsinarow。Ofcoursetheprincipal，whowasthoughttobeinthewrong，wasthemostrescnted，butColemanbe-
lievedthat，afterall，peoplealwayscametoresenttheotherprincipal，oratleastbeimpatientandsuspiciousofhim。Ifhewasacorrectperson，whywasheinarowatall？Theprincipalwhohadbeenintherightoftenbroughtthisimpatienceandsuspicionuponhimself，nodoubt，byneverlettingthematterend，continuingtoyawpabouthisvirtuoussuffering，andnotallowingpeopletoreturntothesteadycontemplationoftheirownaffairs。Asaprecautionarymeasurehedecidedtosaynothingatallaboutthelatetrouble，unlesssomeoneaddressedhimuponit。
Eventhenhewouldbeserenelylaconic。Hefeltthathemustbepopularwiththesevenstudents。Inthefirstplace，itwasnicethatinthepresenceofMarjorytheyshouldlikehim，andinthesecondplacehefearedtodispleasethemasabodybecausehebelievedthathehadsomedignity。Hoodlumsareseldomdangeroustootherhoodlums，butiftheycatchpomposityaloneinthefield，pomposityistheirprey。
Theytearhimtomerebloodyribbons，amidheartlessshrieks。WhenColemanputhimselfonthesamebasiswiththestudents，hecouldcopewiththemeasily，buthedidnotwantthewildpackafterhimwhenMarjorycouldseethechase。Andsoberea-
sonedthathisbestattitudewastobeoneofrathertaciturnserenity。
Onthehardmilitaryroadthehoofsofthehorsesmadesuchclatterthatitwaspracticallyimpossibletoholdtalkbetweenthecarriagesandthehorsemenwithoutallpartiesbellowing。Theprofessor，how-
ever，strovetoovercomethedifficulties。HewasapparentlyundergoingagreatamiabilitytowardColeman。Frequentlyheturnedwithabrightface，andpointingtosomeobjectinthelandscape，obviouslytriedtoconveysomethingentertainingtoColeman\'smind。Colemancouldseehislipsmouththewords。
Healwaysnoddedcheerilyinanswerandyelled。
Theroadultimatelybecamethatstraightlance-handlewhichColeman-itseemedasifmanyyearshadpassed-hadtraversedwithhisdragomanandthefunnylittlecarriers。HewasfixinginhismindapossiblestorytotheWainwrightsaboutthesnakeandhisfirstdeadTurk。ButsuddenlythecarriagesleftthisroadandbeganacircuitoftheGulfofArta，windingaboutanendlessseriesofpromontories。Thejourneydevelopedintoanexcessofdustwhirlingfromaroad，whichhalfcircledthewaistofcapeaftercape。
Alldramaticswerelostintherumbleofwheelsandintheclickofhoofs。Theypassedalittlesoldierleadingaprisonerbyastring。Theypassedmorefrightenedpeasants，whoseemedresolvedtofleedownintotheverybootsofGreece。Andpeoplelookedatthemwithscowls，envyingthemtheirspeed。AtthelittletownfromwhichColemanembarkedatonestageoftheupwardjourney，theyfoundcrowdsinthestreets。Therewasnolongeranylaughter，anyconfidence，anyvim。AllthespiritofthevisibleGreeknationseemedtohavebeenknockedoutofitintwoblows。Butstilltheytalkedandneverceasedtalking。
Colemannoticedthatthemostcuriouschangeshadcomeuponthemsincehisjourneytothefrontier。
Theynolongerapprovedofforeigners。Theyseemedtoblamethetravellersforsomethingwhichhadtranspiredinthepastfewdays。Itwasnotthattheyreallyblamedthetravellersforthenation\'scalamity:
Itwassimplythattheirmindswerehalfstunnedbythenewsofdefeats，and，notthinkingforamomenttoblamethemselves，orevennotthinkingtoattributethedefeatstomerenumbersandskill，theyweresavagelyeagertofastenituponsomethingnearenoughathandfortheoperationofvengeance。