第11章
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  \"Oh,wegofairorfoul。Yourememberwefoughtitoutcominghomefromthereonce。”

  MeanwhileBondSaxonwashurryingnorthonhisworkofredemption。

  AtthebendintheriverhefoundTomGreshsittingontheflatstoneslab。

  Thelightwasgleamingthroughtheshrubberyofthelittlecottage,andthehomeysoundsofeveningandthetwitteroflate-comingbirdswereintheair。

  \"Whatareyouherefor,Gresh?\"Bondasked,hoarsely。

  \"Ithoughtyouhadleftforgood。”

  Thevillainous-lookingoutlawdrewaflaskfromhispocket。

  \"Haveadrink,Saxon。Takethewholebottle,\"andhethrustitintotheoldman\'shands。

  Bondwaveredamoment,thenflungitfarintothefoamyfloodsoftheWalnut。

  \"Notanymore。Youshallnotgetmedrunkagainwhileyourobandkill。”

  \"Youdidthekillingformeonce。Won\'tyoudoitagain?\"Greshsnarled。

  Bondclinchedhisfistsbutdidnotstrike。

  \"Whatareyouafternow?\"heasked。\"YouarethroughwiththeBurleighs;Vicsettledyouandyouknowit。”

  EvenwiththewordstheclutchofVic\'sfingersontheoutlaw\'sthroatseemedtochokehimnow。

  \"IfmylastBurleighisgone,\"hegrowledwithanoath,\"I\'mnotdoneyet。

  There\'sElinorWream。Don\'tforgetthathermotherwasmyadoptedsister。

  Don\'tforgetthatmyoldfosterfathercutmeoffwithoutacentandgaveherallhismoney。That\'swhyNathanWreammarriedher。Hewantedhermoneyforcolleges。”Thesneerontheman\'sfacewasdiabolical。\"IcanhittheoldmanthroughElinor,andI\'lldoitsometime,andthat\'snottheonlyblowthatIcanstrikehere,andIamgoingtofinishthisthingnow。”

  Hepointedtowardthecottagewheretheunprotectedwomansatalone。

  \"TwiceI\'venervedmyselftodoitandbeenfooledeachtime。OneOctoberdayyouwereheredrunk。Icouldhavelaiditonyoueasy,andmaybefixedFennebentoo,ifalittlechild\'svoicehadn\'tscaredmestiff。

  Andthedayofthebigfootballgameyouwouldn\'tgetdrunkandshemustgodowntothatgamejusttolookonceatLloydFenneben。Imeanttofinishherthatday。Thisisthethirdandlasttimenow。

  Thereisnotevenadogtoprotecther。”

  BondSaxonhadbeenahugefellowinhisbestdays,andnowhesummonedallthepowersnaturehadlefttohim。

  \"TomGresh,\"hecried,\"inmyinfernalweaknessyoumademeadrunkenbeast,whotookthelifeofaninnocentmanyouwantedoutofyourway。

  Youthought,youfool,thatshemightcareforyouthen。

  I\'vecarriedthecurseofthatdeedonmysoulnightandday。

  I\'llwipeitpartlyawaynowbysavingherlifefromyou。

  Sosurelyastonight,tomorrow,oreveryoutrytoharmher,I\'llnotshowyouthemercyVicBurleighshowedyouonce。”

  Strangeformstheguardianangeltakes!

  Henceweentertainitunawares。

  OfallLagondaLedge,oldBondSaxon,standingbetweenawomanandtheperilofherlife,lookedleastangelic。

  Greshunderstoodhimandturnedfirstinfawningandtemptingtrickerytohisadversary。ButSaxonstoodhisground。

  Thentheoutlawragedinfury,notdaringtostrikenow,becauseheknewBond\'sstrength。Andstilltheoldmanwasunmoved。

  Alifesavedforthelifehehadtakenwassteelinghissoultocourage。

  Atlastinthedimlight,Greshstoodmotionlessaminute,thenhestruckhispartingblow。

  \"Allright,BondSaxon,playprotectorallyouwantto,butit\'sashortgameforyou。Thesheriffisoutoftowntonight,buttomorrowafternoonhewillgetbacktoLagondaLedge。

  TomorrowafternoonIgowithallmyproofs——Oh,I\'vegot\'em。

  Andyou,BondSaxon,willbebehindthebarsforyourcrime,donenotsomanyyearsago,andyourhonorabledaughter,disgracedforeverbyyou,canshiftforherself。

  I\'venothingtolose;whyshouldIprotectyou?\"

  Heleapeddownthebankintotheswiftlyflowingriver,and,swimmingeasilytothefartherside,hedisappearedintheunderbrush。

  Thenextafternoon,somebodyrememberedthatBondSaxonhadcrossedthebridgeandplungedintotheoverflowoftheriveraroundthewestend。ButBondhadbeendrunkmuchoflateandnobodyapproachedhimwhenhewasdrunk。

  HowcouldLagondaLedgeknowtheagonyoftheoldman\'ssoulashesplashedacrosstheWalnutwatersandflounderedupthenarrowglentothecave?

  Orhow,forDennie\'ssake,hehadbeggedonhiskneesformercythatshouldsavehisdaughter\'sname?Orhowharderthanthestoneoftheledges,thatthetricklingwaterthroughslow-draggingcenturieshaswornaway,wasthestonyheartofthecreaturewhodeniedhim?AndonlyVictorBurleighhadpowertopicturethestrugglethatmusthavefollowedinthatcavern,andbeyondthewallintotheblindblackpassagesleadingatlasttothebluffabovetheriver,where,clinchedindeadlycombat,thetwomen,fightingstill,fellheadlongintotheWalnutfloods。

  DownattheshallowsProfessorBurgessandDenniehadfoundthewaterstoodeeptoreachtheKickapooCorral,sotheystrolledalongthebluffwatchingtheriverripplingmerrilyinthefalloftheafternoonsunshine。

  Andbrightly,too,thesunshinefellonDennieSaxon\'sripplinghair,recallingtoVincentBurgess\'memorythewoodlandcampfireandtheoldlegendtoldintheOctobertwilightandtheflickeringflameslightingDennie\'sfaceandthewavyfoldsofhersunnyhair。

  Butevenasheremembered,acryupstreamcamefaintly,onceandnomore,while,grapplingstill,twoformswerebornedownbytheswiftcurrenttothebendabovethewhirlpool。

  DennieandVincentsprangtotheveryedgeofthebluff,powerlesstosave,asTomGreshandBondSaxonweresweptaroundthecurvebelowtheCorral。Acrosstheshallowstheystruggledforafooting,buttheundertowcarriedthemontowardthefatalpool。

  AshriekfromthebankcametoBondSaxon\'sears,andhelookedupandsawthetworeachingoutvainhandstohim。

  \"Youroath,Vincent;youroath!\"hecriedinagonizingtones。

  ThenVincentBurgessputonearmaboutDennieSaxonanddrewherclosetohimandlifteduphisrighthandhighabovehimintokentothedrowningmanofhispromise,underheaven,tokeepthatoathforever。

  Alookofjoysweptovertheoldfaceinthewater,hisstrugglingceased,andoncemoretributewaspaidtothegrimChieftainofLagonda\'sPool——

  Theysaidabouttownthenextdaythatitwasthepeacefulestfaceeverseenbelowacoffinlid。And,rememberingonlyhismanyactsofneighborlykindness,theyforgaveandforgothisweaknesses,whiletothefewwhoknewhislife-tragedycametheassuringhopethattheforgivingmercyofmanisbutatypeoftheboundlessmercyofaforgivingGod。

  CHAPTERXV

  THEMASTERY

  _AndonlytheMastershallpraiseus,andonlytheMastershallblame,Andnooneshallworkformoney,andnooneshallworkforfame,Buteachforthejoyofworking,andeach,inhisseparatestar,ShalldrawtheThingasheseesItfortheGodofThingsasTheyAre_——

  KIPLING

  JUNEtimeintheWalnutValley,andcommencementtimeatSunriseonthelimestoneridge!Norpennorbrushcanshowthegloryoftheradiantprairies,andthedeepblueofthe\"unscarredheavens,\"andthebrightgleamsfromripplingwaters。

  AndattheendofaperfectdaycomesthesilverygrandeurofamoonlitJunenight。

  Itwaslateafternoonofthedaybeforecommencement。

  VictorBurleighstoodonthestonewherefouryearsagothebullsnakehadstretcheditselfinthelazysunshine。OnlyonemoredayatSunriseforhim,andthelittleheartache,unlikeanyothersorrowalifecaneverknow,washis,ashestoodthere。

  Inthefouryears\'battlehehadcomeoffconqueroruntilthesymbolabovethedoorwaynolongerheldanymysteryforhim。

  Hischaracterandculturenowmatchedhisvoice。Beforehimwashigherlearning,anunder-professorshipatHarvard,andlateronthepulpitforhislifework。Butnowtheheartacheofpartingwashis,andadeeperpainthanbreakingschooltieswashisalso。

  Ayearofjollygoodfellowshipwasending,ahappyyear,withElinorhismostfrequentcompanion。AndofteninthisyearhehadwonderedatLloydFenneben\'sharshjudgmentofher。

  Fondnessofluxuryseemedforeigntoher,andwomanlybeautyofcharactermadeheralways\"Norriethebeloved。”

  ButVictorwastruetoFenneben\'sdemandsandwillingtotrytolivethroughtheyearsafter,ifoneyearofhappyassociationcouldbehisnow。WhateverclaimsBurgessmightassertlater,hecouldnottakefromanothertheclaimtohappymemories。

  But,today,therewasthedullsteadyheartachethatheknewhadcometostay。

  PresentlyElinorjoinedhim。

  \"MayIcomedowntonightforagoodbystroll,Elinor?There\'safullmoonandaftertomorrowtherearetobenomoremoons,norstars,norsuns,norlands,norseas,norprincipalities,norpowersforusatSunrise。”

  \"Iwishyouwouldcome,Victor,\"Elinorsaid。\"Comeearly。

  There\'sacrowdgoingoutsomewhere,andwecanjointheranksofthegreatungraduatedforthelasttime。”

  \"Elinor,I\'mnothuntingacrowdtonight,\"Vicsaidinalowvoice。

  \"Well,come,anyway,andwe\'llhuntthesolitude,ifwecan\'thuntanyothergame。”Andtheystrolledhomewardtogether。

  IntheearlyeveningLloydFennebenandElinorsatontheverandawatchingthesunsetthroughthetreesbeyondtheriver。

  \"YouaretograduatefromSunrisetomorrow,\"Dr。Fennebenwassaying。

  \"ForaWreamthatistherealbeginningoflife。Ihaveyourbusinessmattersentrustedtome,readytocloseupassoonasyouare`legallygraduated\'

  accordingtomybrother\'swishes,butyoumayaswellknowthemnow。”

  Hepaused,andElinor,thinkingofthemoonlight,maybe,waitedinpeacefulsilence。

  \"Norrie,whenIfinishedattheuniversitymybrotherputasmallfortuneintomyhandsandbademegoWestandbuildanewHarvard。Youknowourfamilyholdthatthatistheonlylegitimateuseformoney。”

  Norriesmiledassent。

  \"Ididnotaskwhosemoneyitwas,formybrotherhandledmanybequests,andIwasapoorbusinessmanthen。

  IcameandinvesteditatlastinSunrise-by-the-Walnut。Thatwasyourmother\'smoney,givenbyyourfathertoJoshua,whogaveittome。Joshuadidnottellme,andIsupposedsomegood,oldBostonphilanthropisthadboughtanindulgenceforhisignorantsoulbyendowingthisthingsofreely。

  IfounditoutonJoshua\'sdeathbed,andonlytopacifyhimwouldIconsenttokeepituntilnow。Henceforth,itmustbeyours。

  ThatiswhyIaskedyouayearagotojustbeacollegegirlanddropallthoughtaboutmarrying。Iwantedyoutocomeintopossessionofyourownpropertybeforeyouboundyourselfbyanybondsyoucouldnotbreak。”

  Elinorsatsilentforawhile,herdarkeyesseeingonlythelowgoldensunset。SheunderstoodnowwhathadgroovedthatlineofcareinLloydFenneben\'sfacewhenhecamehomefromtheEast。Buthehadconquered,aye,hehadwonthemastery。

  \"AndyouandSunrise?\"sheaskedatlength。,\"IcansellthecollegesiteandbuildingstothisnewmanufactorycominghereinAugust。Addedtothis,Ihaveacquiredsufficientfundsofmyowntopayyoutheentireamountandagoodrateofinterestwithit。

  Mygriefisthatforalltheseyears,Ihavekeptyououtofyourown。”

  Elinorroseup,whiteandcold,andputherhandonheruncle\'shand。

  \"Letmethinkalittle,UncleLloyd。Itisnoteasytorealizeone\'sfortuneinaminute。”Thenshelefthim。

  \"Itmakeslittledifferencewhatpassionpossessesaman\'ssoul,ifitpossesseshimhewillwronghisfellowmen,\"Fennebensaidtohimself。

  \"InJoshuaWream\'scravingtoendowcollegeclaimsherobbedthisgirlofherinheritanceandsenthertome,tellingmeshewasshallow-mindedandwhollygiventoaloveofluxuries,thatImightnotseehisplans;whileNorrie,neverknowing,hasprovedoverandoverhowfalsethesechargeswere。

  Andatlast,tostillhisnoisyconscience,hewouldmarryher,willingorunwilling,toVincentBurgess。Butwithallthis,hislasthourswerefullofsorrowfulconfession。

  WhatdotheseMasters\'Degreesmybrotherboreavailamanifhehavenotthemasterywithin?Meanwhile,mylaborsheremustend。”

  Lonelyandcrushed,withhislifeworktakenfromhim,hesatandfacedthesunset。Presently,hesawElinorandVictorBurleighstrollingawayinthesofteveninglight。

  Atthecorner,Elinorturnedandwavedagood-bytohim。

  Thenthememoryofhisowncommencementdaycamebacktohim,andofthehappynightbefore。Oh,thatnightbefore!

  Canamaneverforget!Andnow,tonight!

  \"DonFonnybone,\"BugBulerpiped,ashecametrudgingaroundthecorner。

  \"Iwanttoconfessing。”

  HecametoFenneben\'ssideandlookedupconfidentlyinhisface。

  \"Well,confessing。I\'vejustfinisheddoingthatmyself,\"Fennebensaid。

  \"Ididabad,longago。Iwanttogoandconfessing。

  Willyougowithme?\"

  \"Whereshallwegotobeshriven,Bug?

  \"ToPigeonPlace,\"Bugresponded。\"ThePigeonwomanistherenow。

  Isawhercoming,andImustgorightawayandconfessing。”

  \"I\'llgowithyou,Bug。Iwanttoseethatwoman,anyhow,\"Fennebensaid。

  AndthetwowentawayintheearlytwilightofthisrareJuneevening。

  OutatPigeonPlace,whenDr。FennebenandlittleBugwalkedupthegrassywaytothevine-coveredporchinthemistytwilight,Mrs。Mariansatintheshadow,unawareoftheircominguntiltheystoodbeforeher。

  LloydFennebenliftedhishat,andlittleBugimitatedhim。

  \"Ibegyourpardon,Mrs。Marian。Thislittleboywantedtotellyouofsomethingthatwastroublinghim。Ithinkhetrespassedonyourpropertyunknowingly。”

  Thegray-hairedwomanstoodmotionlessintheshadowstill。

  Herfairfacelesshaggardthanofyore,asifsomedreadhadleftit,andonlylonelinessremained。

  \"Iwashere,andyouwasaway,andIpeekedinthewindow。

  ItwasrudeandIneverdidseeyoutotellyou,andI\'msorryandI

  won\'tfor——neverdoitagain。Dennietoldmetocometonight,andbringDonFonnybone。”Bughadhispartwellinhand。

  Evenasshesmiledathim,Dr。Fennebennoticedhowherhandonthelatticeshook。

  \"AndIwanttothankyou,Mrs。Marian,foryourbraveryandgoodnessonthenightIwasassaultedhere。”

  Fennebenwasagentlemantothecoreandhiscourtesywascharming。

  \"Imeanttofindyoulongago,butmybrother\'sdeath,withmyownlongillness,andyourabsence,andmymanyduties——\"

  Hepausedwithasmile。

  \"Oh,Lloyd,Lloyd,onaneveninglikethis,whydoyoucomehere?\"

  Thewomanstoodinthelightnow,atragicfigureofsorrow。

  Andshewasnotyetforty。

  Dr。Fennebencaughthisbreathandthelightseemedtogooutbeforehim。

  \"Marian,oh,Marian!Afteralltheseyears,doIfindyouhere?

  Theysaidyouweredead。”Hecaughtherinhisarmsandheldherclosetohisbreast。

  \"LotsoffolksspoonsroundtheSaxonHouse,soIwentawayandlef\'em,\"BugexplainedtoViconceafterward。

  AndthataccountedforlittleBugsittinglonelyontheflatstonebythebendintheriverwhereDennieandBurgessfoundhimlater。

  \"Soyouhavestoodbetweenmeandthatassassinalltheseyears,evenwhentheliesagainstmemadeyoudoubtmylove。Oh,Marian,thestrengthofawoman\'sheart!\"Fennebendeclared,as,sidebyside,blackhairandthegrayneartogether,theselong-separatedloversrebuilttheirworld。

  \"Andthislittlechildbroughtyouhereatlast。

  `Alittlechildshallleadthem,\'\"thewomanmurmured。

  \"Yes,BugisagiftofGod。”LloydFennebenwasbendingoverher。

  \"HeisVictorBurleigh\'snephew,whofoundhiminadesertedplace——\"

  AshriekcuttheeveningairandshewhohadbeenknownasMrs。MarianlayinafaintatFenneben\'sfeet。

  \"Tellme,Marian,whatthismeans。”

  LloydFennebenhadrestoredhertoconsciousnessandshewasresting,whiteandtrembling,inhisarms。

  \"MylittleBug,mybaby,Burgess!\"shesobbed。\"BondSaxon,inadrunkenfit,killedhisfather。ThenTomGreshcarriedhimawaytosavehimfromBond,too,soTomdeclared,butIdidnotbelievehim。Bondneverharmedalittlechild。

  TomsaidhemeantnoharmandthatBugwasstolenfromwherehehadlefthim。Itwasthenthatmyhairturnedwhite。

  Tomtriedonce,ayearagoinDecember,tomakemebelievehecouldbringBugbacktomeifIwouldcareforhim——

  forthatwickedmurderer!Oh,Lloyd!\"

  ShenestledcloseinDr。Fenneben\'sprotectingarms,andshiveredatthethought。

  \"AndyounamedhimBurgessforyourownname。DoesVincentknow?\"

  Fennebenquestioned,tenderlysmoothingthewhitehairasNorriehadsooftensmoothedhisown。

  \"IsthisVincentmyownbrother?Willhereallyownmeashissister?

  I\'vetriedtomeethimmanytimes。Ilefthispictureonmytablethathemightseeitifheshouldevercome。Myfatherseparatedusyearsago。

  AfterwecameWesthesentmejustoneletterinwhichhesaidVincentwouldneverspeaktomenorclaimmeashissisteragain。Abrother——

  alover——andmybabyboy!\"

  Andthelonelywoman,overcomewithjoy,satwhiteandstillbeneaththewhitemoonbeams。

  Joydoesnotkillanymorethansorrow。VincentBurgessandDennieSaxon,whocamejustattherighttime,toldhowtheyhadwaitedwithBugattheslabofstonebythebendintheriveruntiltheyshouldbeneeded。

  \"ItwasDenniewhoplanneditall,\"Vincentsaid,\"anddidnotevenletmeknow。Bugtoldhermypicturewasonthetableinthere。

  Butsolongasherfatherlived,shekepthercounsel。”

  \"ItriedfouryearsagotogetDr。Fennebentocomeouthere,\"Denniesaid。

  AndtheDeanrememberedtheautumnholidayandDennie\'ssolicitudeforanunknownwoman。

  Butthejoyofthisnight,crowningallotherjoysintheWalnutValley,wasinthatsacredmomentwhenBugBulerwalkedslowlyuptoMarianBurleigh,sistertoVincentBurgess,lostloveofLloydFenneben\'syouth——slowly,andwithbigbrowneyesglowingwithastrangenewlovelight,and,puttingupbothhischubbyhandstohercheeks,hemurmuredsoftly:

  \"Isyoumyownmother?Then,I\'llloveyoufornever。”

  Meantime,onthislastmoonlitJunenight,ElinorandVicwerestrollingdownthenewsouthcementwalk,afavoriteplacefortheyoungpeoplenow。

  Atthefartherend,Vicsaid:

  \"Norrie,let\'sgodownacrosstheshallowstothewestbluffagain。

  Canyouclimbit,orshallwejointhecrowddownintheKickapooCorral?\"

  \"Icanclimbwhereyoucan,Victor,\"Elinordeclared。

  \"Denniewillneverwanttocomehereagain。PoorDennie!\"

  VicwashelpingElinoracrosstheshallowsashespoke。

  UpintheCorralahappycrowdofyoungpeoplewerefinishingtheirlast\"picnicspread\"fortheyear。Belowtheshallowsthewhirlpoolwasglisteningalltreacherouslysmoothandlevelunderthemoonbeams。

  \"Why`poorDennie,\'Victor?Herfatherhadnothingmoreforhim,here,exceptdisgrace。Thetributepaidhimathisfuneralwouldhavebeenforeverwithheld,ifhehadlivedadaylonger,andhediedsureofDennie\'sfuture。”

  Elinorspokegently。

  \"Whotoldyouallthis,Elinor?\"Victorasked。

  \"ProfessorBurgess,whenheshowedmethediamondringDennieistoweartomorrow。”

  \"Dennie,adiamond!I\'mgladforDennie。Diamondsarefinetohave,\"Vicdeclared。

  Theyhadclimbedtothetopofthewestbluff。Thesilveryprairieandsilverriverandmist-wreathedvalley,andoverhead,theclear,calmsky,wherethemoonsailedinmagnificentgrandeur,wereasettingtomaketheeveningaperfectone。AndinthissettingwasElinor,herselfthejewel,beautiful,winsome,womanly。

  \"Ihavesomegoodnews。”Sheturnedtotheyoungmanbesideher。

  \"YouknowtheWreamshavemadealifebusinessofendowingcolleges。

  Well,IamaWreambyblood,andtomorrow,oh,Victor,tomorrow,I,too,havetheopportunityofalifetime。I\'mgoingtoendowSunrise。”

  Helookedatherinamazement。

  \"Oh,it\'sclearenough,\"sheexclaimed。\"ItwasmymoneythatbuiltSunrise。Itshallstayhere,andDr。LloydFenneben,DeanofSunrise,andacting-DeanVincentBurgess,A。B。,ProfessorofGreek,andVictorBurleigh,Valedictorian,whogoesEasttoaprofessorshipinHarvard,andtotheministryofthegospellateron——

  allyoumightymenofvalorwillknowhowlittleNorrieWreamcaresformoney,exceptasitcanmaketheworldbetterandhappier。

  Ihaven\'tlivedinLloydFenneben\'shomethesefouryearswithoutlearningsomethingofwhatisrequiredforaMaster\'sDegree。”

  \"Norrie!\"Allthemusicofasoulpouredintothemusicofthedeepvoice。

  \"Victor!Thereisnosacrificeinit。Iwishtherewere,thatImightwearthehonorsyouwearsomodestly。”

  \"I,Elinor?\"

  \"Iknowthewholestory。Dennietoldmewhenyouhadthatawfulfight,andTrenchietoldmelongago,thatyouthoughtImusthavemoneytomakemehappy。WhyI,morethanDennie,oryou,whogaveBughisclaim?\"

  ElinorputupherhandstoVictor,whotookthembothinhis,ashedrewhertohimandkissedhersweetredlips。

  AndtherewasanewheavenandanewearthcreatedthatnightinthesoftsilverymoonlightoftheWalnutValley。

  \"I\'dratherbeherewithyouthanovertheriverwithanybodyelse。

  Ifeelsaferhere,\"shemurmured,rememberingwhentheyhadstriveninthedarknessandthestormtoreachthisveryheight。

  ButVictorBurleighcouldnotspeak。Themasteryforwhichhehadstrivenseemedtobringmeedofrewardtoogreatforhimtograspwithwords。

  THEPARTING……_ThereisneitherEastnorWest,Border,norBreed,norBirth,Whentwostrongmenstandfacetoface,tho\'theycomefromtheendsoftheearth!_——

  KIPLING

  COMMENCEMENTdayatSunrisewasjustonegoldenKansasJuneday,whenTheheartissofullthatadropoverfillsit。

  VictorBurleigh,lateofaclaimoutbeyondtheWalnut,Professor-to-beinHarvardUniversity,andVincentBurgess,acting-DeanofSunrise,onlyadegreelessbelovedthanDeanFennebenhimself,metonthemorningofcommencementdayatthecampusgate,onetogototheEast,theothertostayintheWest。Sidebysidetheywalkedupthelongavenuetothefootoftheslope,togethertheyclimbedthebroadflightofstepsleadinguptotheimposingdoorwayofSunrisewiththebigletterScarvedinreliefaboveit。AndafterpausingamomenttotakeinthematchlesswonderofthelandscapeoverwhicholdSunrisekeepswatch,thecollegeportalswungopenandthetwoenteredatthesametime。

  Insidethedoorway,underthehalooflightfromthestainedglassdomewithitsKansasmotto,wroughtindaintycoloring。ElinorWream,nieceoftheDeanofSunrise,andDennieSaxon,oldBondSaxon\'sdaughter,whohadearnedhercollegetuition,stoodsidebyside,awaitingthem。

  Andbeyondthese,ontherotundastairs,Dr。LloydFennebenwaslookingdownatthefourwithkeenblackeyes。BesidehimonthebroadstairwaywasMarianBurgessBurleigh,thewhite-haired,young-facedwomanofPigeonPlace,andBugBuler——everybody\'schild。

  Thebarriersweredownatlast:thevalueofcommonlife,thepowerofStrifeandSacrificeandService,thejoyofSupremacy,theconflictofrichredbloodwiththethinnerblue,theforceofcultureagainstmerephysicalstrength,thepowerofcharacteroverwealth——thesethingshadbeenwroughtoutunderthegraciousinfluenceofDr。LloydFennebeninSunrise-by-the-Walnut。

  \"Comeup,comeup;thereisroomuphere,\"theDeancalledtothegroupintherotunda。\"There\'sanA。B。forallwhohaveconqueredtheCourseofStudy,andaMaster\'sDegreeforeveryonewhohasconqueredhimself。”

  ThecommonlevelsoimpossibleonaSeptemberdayfouryearsago,camenowtotwostrongmenwhenthecommencementexerciseswereended,andSunrisebecametotheoutgoingclassonlyahallowedmemory。

  Thehourishighnoon,thegood-bysaregiven,andfromthecrestofthelimestoneridgetheringingchorus,ledbygoodoldTrench,soundsfarandfarawayalongtheWalnutValley:

  RahforFunnybone!

  RahforFunnybone!

  RahforFunnybone!

  _Rah!_RAWRAH!!!

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