Asthepairmovedtowardthestern，enormousandradiantgreenwaveswerecrashingfutilelyafterthesteamer。
Irelandshowedadrearycoastlinetothenorth。AwretchedmanwhohadcrossedtheAtlanticeighty-fourtimeswasdeclaimingtoagroupofnovices。Avenerablebanker，bundledinrugs，wasasleepinhisdeckchair。
\"Well，Nora，\"saidColeman，\"IhopeyoumakeahitinLondon。Youdeserveitifanybodydoes。You\'veworkedhard。\"
\"Workedhard，\"criedthegirl。\"Ishouldthinkso。EightyearsagoIwasintherearrow。NowIhavethecentreofthestagewheneverIwantit。ImadeChalmerscutoutthatgreatsceneinthesecondactbetweenthequeenandRodolfo。Theidea!DidhethinkIwouldstandthat？AndjustbecausehewasinlovewithClaraTrotwood，too。\"
Colemanwasdreamy。\"RememberwhenIwasdramaticmanfortheGazetteandwrotethefirstnotice？\"
\"Indeed，Ido，\"answeredthegirlaffectionately。
\"Indeed，Ido，Rufus。Ah，thatwasagreatlift。IbelievethatwasthefirstthingthathadaneffectonoldOliver。Beforethat，heneverwouldbelievethatIwasanygood。Givemeyourarm，Rufus。Let\'sparadebeforethetwooldwomen。\"Colemanglancedatherkeenly。Hervoicehadtrembledslightly。Hereyeswerelustrousasifshewereabouttoweep。
\"Goodheavens，\"hesaid。\"YouarethesameoldNoraBlack。Ithoughtyouwouldbeproudand\'aughtybythistime。\"
\"Nottomyfriends，\"shemurmured。，\"Nottomyfriends。I\'malwaysthesameandIneverforget。Rufus。\"
\"Neverforgetwhat？\"askedColeman。
\"IfanybodydoesmeafavourIneverforgetitaslongasI
live，\"sheansweredfervently。
\"Oh，youmustn\'tbesosentimental，Nora。YourememberthatplayyouboughtfromlittleBenWhipple，justbecausehehadoncesentyousomeflowersintheolddayswhenyouwerepoorandhappenedtobedsick。Asenseofgratitudecostyouovereightthousanddollarsthattime，didn\'tit？\"Colemanlaughedheartily。
\"Oh，itwasn\'ttheflowersatall，\"sheinterruptedseriously。\"
OfcourseBenwasalwaysaniceboy，butthenhisplaywasworthathousanddollars。That\'sallIgavehim。Ilostsomemoreintryingtomakeitgo。Butitwastoogood。Thatwaswhatwasthematter。Itwasaltogethertoogoodforthepublic。IfeltawfullysorryforpoorlittleBen。\"
\"Toogood？\"sneeredColeman。\"Toogood？Tooindifferentlybad，youmean。Mydeargirl，youmustn\'timaginethatyouknowagoodplay。Youdon\'t，atall。\"
Shepausedabruptlyandfacedhim。Thisregal，creaturewaslookingathimsosternlythatColemanfeltawedforamomentasifhe，wereinthepresenceofagreatmind。\"DoyoumeantosaythatI\'mnotanartist？\"sheasked。
Colemanremainedcool。\"I\'veneverbeendecoratedforinformingpeopleoftheirownaffairs，\"heobserved，\"butI
shouldsaythatyouwereaboutasmuchofanartistasIam。\"
Frowningslightly，shereflecteduponthisreply。Then，ofasudden，shelaughed。\"Thereisnouseinbeingangrywithyou，Rufus。Youalwayswereahopelessscamp。But，\"sheadded，childishlywistful，\"haveyoueverseenFlybyNight？
Don\'tyouthinkmydanceinthesecondactisartistic？\"
\"No，\"saidColeman，\"Ihaven\'tseenFlybyNightyet，butofcourseIknowthatyouarethemostbeautifuldanceronthestage。Everybodyknowsthat。\"
Itseemedthatherhandtightenedonhisarm。Herfacewasradiant。\"There，\"sheexclaimed。\"Nowyouareforgiven。Youareaniceboy，Rufus-some-
times。\"
WhenMissBlackwenttohercabin，Colemanstrolledintothesmokingroom。Everymantherecovertlyoropenlysurveyedhim。Hedroppedlazilyintoachairatatablewherethewinemerchant，theChicagorailwaykingandtheNewYorkmillionairewereplayingcards。Theymadeanoblepretenseofnotbeingawareofhim。Ontheoilclothtopofthetablethecardsweresnappeddown，turnbyturn。
Finallythewinemerchant，withoutliftinghisheadto-
addressaparticularperson，said:\"Newconquest。\"
HailingastewardColemanaskedforabrandyandsoda。
Themillionairesaid:\"He\'saslycuss，anyhow。\"Therailwaymangrinned。Afteranelaboratesilencethewinemerchantasked:\"KnowMissBlacklong，Rufus？\"Colemanlookedscornfullyathisfriends。\"What\'swrongwithyouthere，fellows，anyhow？\"TheChicagomanansweredairily。\"Oh，nothin\'。Nothin\'，whatever。\"
Atdinnerinthecrowdedsalon，ColemanwasawarethatmorethanonepassengerglancedfirstatNoraBlackandthenathim，asifconnectingtheminsometrainofthought，movedtoitbythenarrowhorizonofshipboardandbyasenseofthemysterythatsurroundsthelivesofthebeautiesofthestage。
Nearthecaptain\'srighthandsattheglowingandsplendidNora，exhibitingunderthegazeofthepersistenteyesofmanymeanings，apracticedandprofoundcomposurethattothepopulacewasterrfyingdignity。
Strollingtowardthesmokingroomafterdinner，ColemanmettheNewYorkmillionaire，whoseemedagitated。HetookColemanfraternallybythearm。\"Say，oldman，introduceme，won\'tyou？I\'mcrazytoknowher。\"
\"DoyoumeanMissBlack？\"askedColeman。
\"Why，Idon\'tknowthatIhavearight。Ofcourse，youknow，shehasn\'tbeenmeetinganybodyaboard。I\'llaskher，though-
certainly。\"
\"Thanks，oldman，thanks。I\'dbetickledtodeath。Comealongandhaveadrink。Whenwillyouaskher？\"
\"Why，Idon\'tknowwhenI\'llseeher。To-morrow，Isuppose-\"
Theyhadnotbeenlonginthesmokingroom，however，whenthedeckstewardcamewithacardtoColeman。Uponitwaswritten:\"Comefor\'astroll？\"Everybody，sawColemanreadthiscardandthenlookupandwhispertothedecksteward。
Thedeckstewardbenthisheadandwhispereddiscreetlyinreply。Therewasanabruptpauseinthehumofconversation。
Theinterestwasacute。
Colemanleanedcarelesslybackinhischair，puffingathiscigar。Hemingledcalmlyinadiscussionofthecomparativemeritsofcertaintrans-Atlanticlines。Afteratimehethrewawayhiscigarandarose。Mennodded。\"Didn\'tItellyou？\"Hisstudiouslylanguidexitwasmadedramaticbytheeagle-eyedattentionofthesmokingroom。
OndeckhefoundNorapacingtoandfro。\"Youdidn\'thurryyourself，\"shesaid，ashejoinedher。ThelightsofQueenstownweretwinkling。Awarmwind，wetwiththemoistureofrain-
strickensod，wascomingfromtheland。
\"Why，\"saidColeman，\"we\'vegotalltheseduffersverymuchexcited。\"
\"Wellwhatdoyoucare？\"askedhtegirl。\"Youdon\'t，caredoyou？\"
\"No，Idon\'tcare。Onlyit\'sratherabsurdtobewatchedallthetime。\"Hesaidthispreciselyasifheabhorredbeingwatchedinthiscase。
\"Ohbytheway，\"headded。Thenhepausedforamoment。\"Aw——afriendofmine——notabadfellow——
heaskedmeforanintroduction。Ofcourse，I
toldhimI\'daskyou。\"
Shemadeacontemptuousgesture。\"Oh，anotherWillie。
Tellhimno。Tellhimtogohometohisfamily。Tellhimtorunaway。\"
\"Heisn\'tabadfellow。He——\"saidColemandiffidently，\"hewouldprobablybeatthetheatreeverynightinabox。\"
\"yes，andgetdrunkandthrowawinebottleonthestageinsteadofabouquet。No，\"shedeclaredpositively，\"Iwon\'tseehim。\"
Colemandidnotseemtobeoppressedbythisultimatum。
\"Oh，allright。Ipromisedhim——thatwasall。\"
\"Besides，areyouinagreathurrytogetridofme？\"
\"Ridofyou？Nonsense。\"
Theywalkedintheshadow。\"HowlongareyougoingtobeinLondon，Rufus？\"askedNorasoftly。
\"Who？I？Oh，I\'mgoingrightofftoGreece。Firsttrain。There\'sgoingtobeawar，youknow。\"
\"Awar？Why，whoisgoingtofight？TheGreeksandthe——the——thewhat？\"
\"TheTurks。I\'mgoingrightoverthere。\"
\"Why，that\'sdreadful，Rufus，\"saidthegirl，mournfullandshocked。\"Youmightgethurtorsomething。\"
Presentlysheasked:\"Andaren\'tyougoingtobeinLondonanytimeatall？\"
\"Oh，\"heanswered，puffingouthislips，\"ImaystopinLondomforthreeorfourdaysonmywayhome。I\'mnotsureofit。\"
\"Andwhenwillthatbe？\"
\"Oh，Ican\'ttell。Itmaybeinthreeorfourmonths，oritmaybeayearfromnow。Whenthewarstops。\"
Therewasalongsilenceasthewalkedupanddowntheswayingdeck。
\"Doyouknow，\"saidNoraatlast，\"Ilikeyou，RufusColeman。
Idon\'tknowanygoodreasonforiteither，unlessitisbecauseyouaresuchabrute。Now，whenIwasaskingyouifyouweretobeinLondonyouwereperfectlydetestable。YouknowIwasanxious。\"
\"I——detestable？\"criedColeman，feigningamazement。
\"Why，whatdidIsay？\"
\"Itisn\'tsomuchwhatyousaid——\"beganNoraslowlly。
Thenshesuddenlychangedhermanner。
\"Oh，well，don\'tlet\'stalkaboutitanymore。It\'stoofoolish。Only-youareadisagreeablepersonsometimes。\"
Inthemorning，asthevesselsteameduptheIrishchannel，Colemanwasondeck，keepingfurtivewatchonthecabinstairs。Aftertwohoursofwaiting，hescribbledamessageonacardandsentitbelow。HereceivedananswerthatMissBlackhadaheadache，andfelttooilltocomeondeck。Hewenttothesmokingroom。Thethreecard-playersglancedup，grinning。
\"What\'sthematter？\"askedthewinemerchant。\"Youlookangry。\"Asamatteroffact，Colemanhadpurposelywreathedhisfeaturesinapleasantandsatisfiedexpression，sohewasforamomentfuriousatthewinemerchant。
\"Confoundthegirl，\"hethoughttohimself。\"Shehassucceededinmakingallthesebeggarslaughatme。\"Hemusedthatifhehadanotherchancehewouldshowherhowdisagreeableordetestableorscampishhewasundersomecircumstances。Hereflectedruefullythatthecomplacencewithwhichhehadacceptedthecomradeshipofthebelleofthevoyagemighthavebeensomewhatoverdone。Perhapshehadgotalittleoutofproportion。Hewasannoyedatthestaresoftheothermeninthesmokingroom，whoseemednowtobereadinghisdiscomfiture。AsforNoraBlackhethoughtofherwistfullyandangrilyasasuperbwomanwhosecompanywashonourandjoy，apaymentforanysacrifices。
\"What\'sthematter？\"persistedthewinemerchant。\"Youlookgrumpy。\"
Colemanlaughed。\"DoI？\"
AtLiverpool，asthesteamerwasbeingslowlywarpedtothelandingstagebysometugs，thepassengerscrowdedthedeckwiththeirhand-bags。Adieuswerefallingasdeadleavesfallfromagreattree。Thestewardswerehandlingsmallhillsofluggagemarkedwithflamingredlabels。TheshipwasfirmlyagainstthedockbeforeMissBlackcamefromhercabin。
Colemanwasatthetimegazingshoreward，buthisthreeparticularfriendsinstantlynudgedhim。\"What？\"\"Theresheis？\"\"Oh，MissBlack？\"Hecomposedlywalkedtowardher。Itwasimpossibletotellwhethershesawhimcomingorwhetheritwasaccident，butatanyrateshesuddenlyturnedandmovedtowardthesternoftheship。TenwatchfulgossipshadnotedColeman\'stravelinherdirectionandmorethanhalfthepassengersnotedhisdefeat。Hewheeledcasuallyandreturnedtohisthreefriends。Theywerecolic-strickenwithacoarseandyetsilentmerriment。Colemanwasgladthatthevoyagewasover。
AfterthepolitebusinessofanEnglishcustomhouse，thetravellerspassedouttothewaitingtrain。Animblelittletheatricalagentofsomekind，sentfromLondon，dashedforwardtoreceiveMissBlack。Hehadafirst-classcompartmentengagedforherandhebundledherandhermaidintoitinanexuberanceofenthusiasmandadmiration……ColemanpassingmoodilyalongthelineofcoachesheardNora\'svoicehailinghim。
\"Rufus。\"Thereshewas，framedinacarriagewindow，beautifulandsmilingbrightly。Everynear。bypersonturnedtocontemplatethisvision。
\"Oh，\"saidColemanadvancing，\"IthoughtIwasnotgoingtogetachancetosaygood-byetoyou。\"Heheldouthishand。
\"Good-bye。\"
Shepouted。\"Why，there\'splentyofroominthiscompartment。\"Seeingthatsomefortypeopleweretransfixedinobservationofher，shemovedashortwayback。\"Comeoninthiscompartment，Rufus，\"shesaid。
\"Thanks。Iprefertosmoke，\"saidColeman。Hewentoffabruptly。
OnthewaytoLondon，hebroodedinhiscorneronthetwodivergentemotionshehadexperiencedwhenrefusingherinvitation。AtEustonStationinLondon，hewasdirectingaporter，whohadhisluggage，whenheheardNoraspeakathisshoulder。\"Well，Rufus，yousulkyboy，\"shesaid，\"IshallbeattheCecil。Ifyouhavetime，comeandseeme。\"
\"Thanks，I\'msure，mydearNora，\"answeredColemaneffusively。\"Buthonestly，I\'moffforGreece。\"
Abroughamwasdrawnupnearthemandthenimblelittleagentwaswaiting。Themaidwasdirectingtheestablishmentofamassofluggageonandinafour-wheelercab。\"Well，putmeintomycarriage，anyhow，\"saidNora。\"Youwillhavetimeforthat。\"
Afterwardsheaddressedhimfromthedarkinterior。
Now，Rufus，youmustcometoseemetheminuteyoustrikeLondonagain-ofShehesitatedamomentandthensmilinggorgeouslyuponhim，shesaid:\"Brute!\"
CHAPTERVIII。
AssoonasColemanhadplantedhisbelongingsinahotelhewasbowledinahansombrisklyalongthesmokyStrand，throughadarkcitywhosewallsdrippedlikethewallsofacaveandwhosepassageswereonlyilluminatedbyflaringyellowandredsigns。
WalkleytheLondoncorrespondentoftheEclipse，whirledfromhischairwithashoutofjoyandrelief-atsightofColeman。
\"Cables，\"hecried。\"Nothin\'butcables!AllthepeopleinNewYorkarewritingcablestoyou。Thewiresgroanwiththem。Andwegroanwiththemtoo。Theycomeinhereinbales。However，thereisnoreasonwhyyoushouldreadthemall。Manyaresimilarinwordsandmanymorearesimilarinspirit。ThesenseofthewholethingisthatyougettoGreecequickly，takingwithyouimmensesumsofmoneyandenormouspowersovernations。\"
\"Well，whendoestherowbegin？\"
\"ThemostastutejournalistsinEuropehavebeenpredictingageneralEuropeansmash-upeveryyearsince1878，\"saidWalkley，\"andtheprophetsweep。TheEnglisharetheonlypeoplewhocanpulloffwarsonscheduletime，andtheyhavetodoitinoddcornersoftheglobe。Ifearthewarbusinessisgettingtuckered。Thereissorrowinthelodgesofthelonewolves，thewarcorrespondents。However，myboy，don\'tburyyourfaceinyourblanket。ThisGreekbusinesslooksverypromising，verypromising。\"Hethenbegantoproclaimtrainsandconnections。
\"Dover，Calais，Paris，Brindisi，Corfu，Patras，Athens。Thatisyourgame。Youaresupposedtosky-rocketyourselfoverthatrouteintheshortestpossibletime，butyouwouldgainnotimebystartingbeforeto-morrow，soyoucancoolyourheelshereinLondonuntilthen。IwishIwasgoingalong。\"
Colemanreturnedtohishotel，aknightimpatientandsavageatbeingkeptforatimeoutofthesaddle。Hewentforalatesuppertothegrillroomandashewasseatedtherealone，apartyoffourorfivepeoplecametooccupythetabledirectlybehindhim。Theytalkedagreatdealevenbeforetheyarrayedthem。selvesatthetable，andheatoncerecognisedthevoiceofNoraBlack。Shewasqueeningit，apparently，overalittlebandofawedmasculineworshippers。
Eitherbyaccidentorforsomecuriousreason，shetookachairbacktobackwithColeman\'schair。Hersleeveoffragrantstuffalmosttouchedhisshoulderandhefeltappealingtohimseductivelyaperfumeoforrisrootandviolet。Hewasdrinkingbottledstoutwithhischop；besatwithafaceofwood。
\"Oh，thelittlelord？\"Norawascryingtosomeslave。
\"Now，doyouknow，hewon\'tdoatall。Heistooawfullycharming。Hesitsandruminatesforfifteenminutesandthenhepaysmealovelycompliment。Thenheruminatesforanotherfifteenminutesandcooksupanotherfinething。Itistootiresome。Doyouknowwhatkindofman。Ilike？\"sheaskedsoftlyandconfidentially。Andhereshesankbackinherchairuntil。Colemanknewfromthetinglethatherheadwasbutafewinchesfromhishead。Her，sleevetouchedhim。Heturnedmorewoodenunderthespelloftheorrisrootandviolet。Hercourtiersthoughtitallagracefulpose，butColemanbelievedotherwise。Hervoicesanktotheliquid，sirennoteofasuccubus。\"DoyouknowwhatkindofamanIlike？Reallylike？Ilikeamanthatawomancan\'tbendinathousanddifferentwaysinfiveminutes。Hemusthavesomesteelinhim。
Heobligesmetoadmirehimthemostwhenheremainsstolid；
stolidtomelures。Ah，thatistheonlykindofamanwhocapeverbreakaheartamonguswomenoftheworld。Hisstolidityisnotreal；no；itismereart，butitisahighlyfinishedartandoftenenoughwecan\'tcutthroughit。Reallywecan\'t。And，thenwemayactuallycometo——er——carefortheman。Reallywemay。
Isn\'titfunny？\"
AlttheendColemanaroseandstrolledoutofthe。room，smokingacigarette。Hedidnotbetray，asign。Before。thedoorclashedsoftlybehindhim，Noralaughedalittledefiantly，perhapsalittleloudly。Itmadeeverymaninthegrill-roomperkuphisears。
Asforhercourtiers，theywereentranced。Inherdescriptionoftheconqueringman，shehadeasilycontrivedthateachoneofthemwonderedifshemightnotmeanhim。Eachmanwasperfectlysurethathehadplentyofsteelinhiscompositionandthatseemedtobeamainpoint。
Colemandelayedforatimeinthesmokingroomandthenwenttohisownquarters。InrealityhewasSomewhatpuzzledinhismindbyaprojectionofthebeautiesofNoraBlackuponhisdesireforGreeceandMarjory，Histhoughtsformedaduality。
OncehewasonthepointofsendinghiscardtoNoraBlack\'sparlour，inasmuchasGreecewasverydistantandhecouldnotstartuntilthemorrow。Buthesuspectedthathewasholdingtheinterestoftheactressbecauseofhisrecentappearanceofimpregnableserenityinthepresenceofherfascinations。Ifhenowsenthiscard，itwasaformofsurrenderandheknewhertobeonetotakeamercilessadvantage。Hewouldnotmakethistacticalmistake。Onthecontraryhewouldgotobedandthinkofwar，Inrealityhefounditeasytofastenhismindupontheprospectivewar。Heregardedhimselfcynicallyinmostaffairs，buthecouldnotbecynicalofwar，becausehadhe-
seennoneofit。Hisrejuvenatedimaginationbegantothrilltotherollofbattle，throughhisthoughtpassingallthelightninginthepicturesofDetaille，deNeuvilleandMorot；lashedbatteryhorseroaringoverbridges；grandcuirassiersdashingheadlongagainststolidinvinciblered-facedlinesofGermaninfantry；furiousandbloodygrapplingsinthestreetsoflittlevillagesofnortheasternFrance。Therewasonethingatleastofwhichhecouldstillfeelthespiritofadebutante。Inthismatterofwarhewasnot，too，unlikeayounggirlembarkinguponherfirstseasonofopera。Walkely，thenextmorning，sawthismoodsittingquaintlyuponColemanandcackledwithastonishmentandglee。Coleman\'susualmannerdidnotreturnuntilhedetectedWalkely\'sappreciationofhisstateandthenhesnubbedhimaccordingtotheritualoftheSundayeditoroftheNewYorkEclipse。Parenthetically，itmightbesaidthatifColemannowrecalledNoraBlacktohismindatall，itwasonlytothinkofherforamomentwithironicalcomplacence。Hehadbeatenher。
Whenthetraindrewoutofthestation，Colemanfelthimselfthrill。Waseverfatelessperverse？Warandlove-warandMarjory-wereinconjunctionbothinGreece-andhecouldtiltwithonelanceatbothgods。Itwasagreatfinegametoplayandnomanwaseversoblessedinvacations。Hewassmilingcontinuallytohimselfandsometimesactuallyonthepointoftalkingaloud。Thiswasdespitethepresenceinthecompartmentoftwofellowpassengerswhopreservedintheiruncomfortablyrigid，icyanduncompromisingmannersmanyofthemoreorlessridiculoustraditionsoftheEnglishfirstclasscarriage。Coleman\'sfinehumourbetrayedhimonceintoaddressingoneofthesepassengersandthemanrespondedsimplywithawidelookofincredulity，asifhediscoveredthathewastravellinginthesamecompartmentwithazebu。ItturnedColemansuddenlytoeviltemperandhewantedtoaskthemanquestionsconcerninghiseducationandhispresentmentalcondition:andsountilthetrainarrivedatDover，hisballooningsoulwasindangerofcollapsing。Onthepacketcrossingthechannel，too，healmostreturnedtotheusualRufusColemansincealltheworldwasseasickandhecouldnotgetacabininwhichtohidehimselffromit。Howeverhereapedmuchconsolationbyorderingabottleofchampagneanddrinkingitinsightofthepeople，whichmadethemstillmoreseasick。FromCalaistoBrindisireallynothingmethisdisapprovalsavethespeedofthetrain，theconductofsomeofthepassengers，thequalityofthefoodserved，themannersoftheguards，thetemperatureofthecarriages，thepriceschargedandthelengthofthejourney。
IntimehepassedasinavisionfromwretchedBrindisitocharmingCorfu，fromCorfutothelittlewar-bittencityofPatrasandfromPatrasbyrailatthespeedofanox-carttoAthens。
Withasmileofgrimcontentandsurroundedinhiscarriagewithallhisbeautifulbrownluggage，hesweptthroughthedustystreetsoftheGreekcapital。Evenasthevehiclearrivedinagreatterracedsquareinfrontoftheyellowpalace，GreekrecruitsingarmentsrepresentingmanytradesandmanycharactersweremarchingupcheeringforGreeceandtheking。
Officersstooduponthelittleironchairsinfrontofthecafes；alltheurchinscamerunningandshouting；ladieswavedtheirhandkerchiefsfromthebalconies；thewholecitywasvivifiedwithaleapingandjoyousenthusiasm。TheAthenians——asdragomenorotherwise-hadpreservedanardorfortheirglorioustraditions，anditwasasifthatinthewhitedustwhichliftedfromtheplazaandfloatedacrosstheold-ivoryfaceofthepalace，therewerethesoulsofthecapablesoldiersofthepast。
Colemanwasalmostintoxicatedwithit。Itseemedtocelebratehisownreasons，hisreasonsofloveandambitiontoconquerinlove。
WhenthecarriagearrivedinfrontoftheHotelD\'Angleterre，Colemanfoundtheservantsoftheplacewithmorethanoneeyeuponthesceneintheplaza，buttheysoonpaidheedtothearrivalofagentlemanwithsuchanamountofbeautifulleatherluggage，allmarkedboldlywiththeinitials\"R。C。\"ColemanletthemleadhimandfollowhimandconducthimandusebadEnglishuponhimwithoutnotingeithertheirwords，theirsalaamsortheirwork。HismindhadquicklyfixeduponthefactthatherewastheprobableheadquartersoftheWainwrightpartyand，withtherushofhiswesternracefleetingthroughhisveins，hefeltthathewouldchokeanddieifhedidnotlearnoftheWainwrightsinthefirsttwominutes。ItwasatragicventuretoattempttomaketheLevantinemindunderstandsomethingoffthecourse，thatthenewarrival\'sfirstthoughtwastoestablishaknowlegeofthewhereaboutsofsomeofhisfriendsratherthantoswarmhelter-skelterintothatpartofthehotelforwhichhewaswillingtopayrent。Infacthefailedtothusimpressthem；failedindarkwrath，but，nevertheless，failed。Atlasthewassimplyforcedtoconcedethetraveloffilesofmenupthebroad，redcarpetedstair-case，eachmanbeingloadedwithColeman\'sluggage。Themeninthehotel-bureauwerethenabletocomprehendthattheforeigngentlemanmighthavesomethingelseonhismind。Theyraisedtheireye-browslanguidlywhenhespokeoftheWainwrightpartyingentlesurprisethathehadnotyetlearnedthattheyweregonesometime。Theyweredepartedonsomeexcursion。
Where？Oh，really-itwasalmostlaughable，indeed-theydidn\'tknow。Weretheysure？Why，yes-itwasalmostlaughable，indeed-theywerequitesure。Wherecouldthegentlemanfindoutaboutthem？Well，they-astheyhadexplained-didnotknow，but-itwaspossible-theAmericanministermightknow。Wherewashetobefound？Oh，thatwasverysimple。ItwaswellknownthattheAmericanministerhadapartmentsinthehotel。Washein？Ah，thattheycouldnotsay。
SoColeman，rejoicingathisfinalemancipationandwiththegrimeoftravelstilluponhim，burstinsomewhatviolentlyuponthesecretaryoftheHon。ThomasM。GordnerofNebraska，theUnitedStatesministertoGreece。Fromhisdeskthesecretaryarosefrombehindanaccidentalbulwarkofbooksandgovermentalpamphets。\"Yes，certainly。Mr。Gordnerisin。Ifyouwouldgivemeyourcard-\"
Directly。Colemanwasintroducedintoanotherroomwhereaquietmanwhowasrollingacigarettelookedhimfranklybutcarefullyintheeye。\"TheWainwrights\"saidtheministerimmediatelyafterthequestion。\"Why，Imyselfamimmenselyconcernedaboutthematpresent。I\'mafraidthey\'vegottenthemselvesintotrouble。\'
\"Really？\"saidColeman。
\"Yes。Thatlittleprofessorisratherer——stubborn；Isn\'the？
HewantedtomakeanexpeditiontoNikopolisandIexplainedtohimallthepossibilitiesofwarandbeggedhimtoatleastnottakehiswifeanddaughterwithhim。\"
\"Daughter，\"murmuredColeman，asifinhissleep。
\"Butthatlittleoldmanhadaheadlikeastoneandonlylaughedatme。Ofcoursethosevillainousyoungstudentswereonlytoodelightedataprospectofwar，butitwasastupidandabsurd。thingforthemantotakehiswifeanddaughterthere。Theyareuptherenow。Ican\'tgetawordfromthemorgetawordtothem。\"
Colemanhadbeenchoking。\"WhereisNikopolis？\"heasked。
Theministergazedsuddenlyincomprehensionofthemanbeforehim。\"NikopolisisinTurkey，\"heansweredgently。
Turkeyatthattimewasbelievedtobeacountryofdelay，corruption，turbulenceandmassacre。Itmeanteverything。MorethanahalfoftheChristiansoftheworldshudderedatthenameofTurkey。Coleman\'slipstightenedandperhapsblanched，andhischinmovedoutstrangely，once，twice，thrice。\"HowcanI
gettoNikopolis？\"hesaid。
Theministersmiled。\"Itwouldtakeyouthebetterpartoffourdaysifyoucouldgetthere，butasamatteroffactyoucan\'tgetthereatthepresenttime。AGreekarmyandaTurkisharmyarelookingateachotherfromthesidesoftheriveratArta-theriveristherethefrontier-andNikopolishappenstobeonthewrongside。Youcan\'treachthem。TheforcesatArtawillfightwithinthreedays。Iknowit。OfcourseI\'venotifiedourlegationatConstantinople，but，withTurkishmethodsofcommunication，NikopolisisaboutasfarfromConstantinopleasNewYorkisfromPekin。\"
Colemanarose。\"They\'verunthemselvesintoanicemess，\"
hesaidcrossly。\"Well，I\'mathousandtimesobligedtoyou，I\'msure。\"
Theministeropenedhiseyesatrifle。Youarenotgoingtotrytoreachthem，areyou？\"
\"Yes，\"answeredColeman，abstractedly。\"I\'mgoingtohaveatryatit。Friendsofmine，youknow-\"
Atthebureauofthehotel，thecorrespondentfoundseveralcablesawaitinghimfromthealertofficeoftheNewYorkEclipse。
Oneofthemread:\"StateDepartmentgivesoutbadplightofWainwrightpartylostsomewhere；findthem。Eclipse。\"WhenColemanperusedthemessagehebegantosmilewithseraphicbliss。Couldfatehaveeverbeenlessperverse。