\"IshestuckonNoraBlack，doyouknow？\"askedBillie。
\"Onethingisplain，\"repliedCoke。\"Shehasgothimsomehowbytheshorthairandsheintendshimtohollermurder。Anybodycanseethat。\"
\"Well，hewon\'thollermurder，\"saidoneofthemwithconviction。\"I\'llbetyouhewon\'t。He\'llhammerthewar-postandbeatthetom-tomuntilhedrops，buthewon\'thollermurder。\"
\"OldMotherWainwrightwillbeinhiswoolpresently，\"
quothPeterTounleymusingly，\"Icouldseeitcominginhereye。Somebodyhasgivenhissnapaway，orsomething。\"
\"Aw，hehadnosnap，\"saidBillie。\"Couldn\'tyouseehowrattledhewas？HewouldhavegivenalacifdearNorahadn\'tturnedup。\"
\"Ofcourse，\"theothersassented。\"Hewasrattled。\"
\"Looksqueer。Andnasty，\"saidCoke。
\"Noraherselfhadanaxereadyforhim。\"
Theybegantolaugh。\"Ifshehadhadanumbrellashewouldhavebastedhimovertheheadwithit。Oh，my!Hewasgreen。\"
\"Nevertheless，\"saidPeterTounley，\"IrefusetoworryoverourRufus。Whenhecan\'ttakecareofhimselftherestofuswanttohuntcover。Heisaflyguy-\"
ColemaninthemeantimehadbecomeawarethatthelightofMrs。Wainwright\'scountenancewasturnedfromhim。Thepartystoppedatawell，andwhenheofferedheradrinkfromhiscuphethoughtsheaccepteditwithscantthanks。Marjorywasstillgracious，alwaysgracious，butthisdidnotreassurehim，becausehefelttherewasmuchunfathomabledeceptioninit。Whenheturnedtoseekconsolationinthemanneroftheprofessorhefoundhimasbefore，stunnedwithsurprise，andtheonlyideahehadwastobeastractableasachild。
Whenhereturnedtotheheadofthecolumn，Noraagaincanteredforwardtojoinhim。\"Well，megayLochinvar，\"shecried，\"andhasyourdispositionimproved？\"
\"Youareveryfresh，\"hesaid。
Shelaughedloudenoughtobeheardthefulllengthofthecaravan。Itwasabeautifullaugh，butfullofinsolenceandconfidence。Heflashedhiseyesmalignantlyuponher，butthensheonlylaughedmore。Shecouldseethathewishedtostrangleher。\"Whatadisposition!\"shesaid。\"Whatadisposition!Youarenot。nearlysoniceasyourfriends。Now，theyarecharming，butyou-Rufus，Iwishyouwouldgetthattempermended。DearRufus，doittopleaseme。Youknowyouliketopleaseme。Don\'tyounow，dear？\"
Hefinallylaughed。\"Confoundyou，Nora。Iwouldliketokillyou。\"
Butathislaughshewasallsunshine。Itwasasifshe。
hadbeentryingtotaunthimintogoodhumourwithher。
\"Aw，now，Rufus，don\'tbeangry。I\'llbegood，Rufus。
Really，Iwill。Listen。Iwanttotellyousomething。DoyouknowwhatIdid？Well，youknow，Ineverwascutoutforthisbusiness，and，backthere，whenyoutoldmeabouttheTurksbeingnearandallthatsortofthing，Iwasfrightenedalmosttodeath。Really，Iwas。So，whennobodywaslooking，Isneakedtwoorthreelittledrinksoutofmyflask。Twoorthreelittledrinks-\"
CHAPTERXVI。
\"GOODGod!\"saidColeman。\"Youdon\'tMean-\"
Norasmiledrosilyathim。\"Oh，I\'mallright，\"sheanswered。\"Don\'tworryaboutyourAuntNora，mypreciousboy。Notforaminute。\"
Colemanwashorrified。\"Butyouarenotgoingto-youarenotgoingto-\"
\"Notatall，meson。Notatall，\"sheanswered。
I\'mnotgoingtoprance。I\'mgoingtobeasniceaspie，andjustridequietlyalongherewithdearlittleRufus。
Only**youknowwhatIcandowhenIgetstarted，soyouhadbetterbeaverygoodboy。Imighttakeitintomyheadtosaysomethings，youknow。\"
Boundhandandfootathisstake，hecouldnotevenchanthisdefianttorturesong。Itmightprecipitate——infact，hewassureitwouldprecipitatethegrandsmash。Buttotheverycoreofhissoul，heforthetimehatedNoraBlack。Hedidnotdaretoremindherthathewouldrevengehimself；hedaredonlytodreamofthisrevenge，butitfairlymadehisthoughtsflame，anddeepinhisthroathewasswearinganinflexiblepersecutionofNoraBlack。Theoldexpressionofhissexcametohim，\"Oh，ifshewereonlyaman!\"shehadbeenaman，hewouldhavefallenuponhertoothandnail。Hermotivesforallthisimpressedhimnotatall；shewassimplyawitchwhoboundhimhelplesswiththepwerofherfemininity，andmadehimeatcinders。Hewassosurethathisfacebetrayedhimthathedidnotdareletherseeit。\"Well，whatareyougoingtodoaboutit？\"heasked，overhisshoulder。
\"0-o-oh，\"shedrawled，impudently。\"Nothing。\"Hecouldseethatshewasdeterminednottobeconfessed。\"ImaydothisorImaydothat。Italldependsuponyourbehaviour，mydearRufus。\"
Astheyrodeon，hedeliberatedastothebestmeansofdealingwiththiscondition。SuddenlyheresolvedtogowiththewholetaledirecttoMarjory，andtothisendhehalfwheeledhishorse。Hewouldreiteratethathelovedherandthenexplain-
explain!Hegroanedwhenhecametotheword，andceasedformulation。
ThecavalcadereachedatlastthebankoftheAracthusriver，withitslemongrovesandlushgrass。Abatterywheeledbeforethemovertheancientbridge-aflightofshort，broadcobbledstepsupasfarasthecentreofthestreamandasimilarflightdowntotheotherbank。Thereturningaplombofthetravellerswaswellillustratedbytheprofessor，who，uponsightingthisbridge，murmured:\"Byzantine。\"
Thiswasthefirstindicationthathehadstillwithinhimapowertoresumethenormal。
Thesteepandnarrowstreetwascrowdedwithsoldiers；thesmokylittlecoffeeshopswerea-babblewithpeoplediscussingthenewsfromthefront。Noneseemedtoheedtheremarkableprocessionthatwendeditswaytothecableoffice。HereColemanresolutelytookprecedence。Heknewthattherewasnogoodinexpectingintelligenceoutofthechaoticclerks，buthemanagedtogetuponthewiresthismessage:
\"Eclipse，NewYork:GotWainwrightparty；allwell。Coleman。\"
ThestudentshadstruggledtosendmessagestotheirpeopleinAmerica，buttheyhadonlysucceededindeepeningthetragicboredomoftheclerks。
WhenColemanreturnedtothestreethethoughtthathehadseldomlookeduponamoremovingspectaclethantheWainwrightpartypresentedatthatmoment。Mostofthestudentswereseatedinarow，dejectedly，uponthekerb。TheprofessorandMrs。Wainwrightlookedliketwooldpictures，which，afteranexistenceinaconsiderategloom，hadbeenbroughtoutintheirtawdrinesstotheclearlight。Hotwhitedustcoveredeverybody，andfromoutthegrimyfacestheeyesblinked，red-fringedwithsleeplessness。Desolationsatuponall，saveMarjory。Shepossessedsomemarvellouspoweroflookingalwaysfresh。ThisqualityhadindeedimpressedtheoldladyonthelittleponyuntilshehadsaidtoNoraBlack:\"Thatgirlwouldlookwellanywhere。\"NoraBlackhadnotbeenamiableinherreply。
Colemancalledtheprofessorandthedragomanforadurbar。
Thedragomansaid:\"Well，Icangetonecarriage，andwecangoimmediate-lee。\"
\"Carriagebeblowed!\"saidColeman。\"Whatthesepeopleneedisrest，sleep。Youmustfindaplaceatonce。Thesepeoplecan\'tremaininthestreet。\"Hespokeinanger，asifhehadpreviouslytoldthedragomanandthelatterhadbeeninattentive。Themanimmediatelydeparted。
Colemanremarkedthattherewasnocoursebuttoremaininthestreetuntilhisdragomanhadfoundthemahabitation。Itwasamournfulwaiting。Thestudentssatonthekerb。OncetheywhisperedtoColeman，suggestingadrink，buthetoldthemthatheknewonlyonecafe，theentranceofwhichwouldbeinplainsightoftherestoftheparty。Theladiestalkedtogetherinagroupoffour。NoraBlackwasburstingwiththefactthatherservanthadhiredroomsinArtaontheiroutcomingjourney，andshewishedMrs。WainwrightandMarjorytocometothem，atleastforatime，butshedarednotriskarefusal，andshefeltsomethinginMrs。Wainwright\'smannerwhichledhertobecertainthatsuchwouldbetheanswertoherinvitation。
Colemanandtheprofessorstrolledslowlyupanddownthewalk。
\"Well，myworkisover，sir，\"saidColeman。\"Mypapertoldmetofindyou，and，throughnovirtueofmyown，Ifoundyou。
Iamverygladofit。Idon\'tknowofanythinginmylifethathasgivenmegreaterpleasure。\"
Theprofessorwashimselfagaininsofarashehadlostallmannerofdependence。Butstillhecouldnotyetbebumptious。
\"Mr。Coleman，\"hesaid，\"Iamplacedunderlife-longobligationtoyou。***Iamnotthinkingofmyselfsomuch。***Mywifeanddaughter——\"Hisgratitudewassogenuinethathecouldnotfinishitsexpression。
\"Oh，don\'tspeakofit，\"saidColeman。\"Ireallydidn\'tdoanythingatall。\"
Thedragomanfinallyreturnedandledthemalltoahousewhichhehadrentedforgold。Inthegreat，bare，upperchamberthestudentsdroppedwearilytothefloor，whilethewomanofthehousetooktheWainwrightstoamoresecludedapartment。，Asthedoorclosedonthem，Colemanturnedlikeaflash。
\"Haveadrink，\"hesaid。Thestudentsarosearoundhimlikethewaveofaflood。\"Youbet。\"Intheabsenceofchangesofclothing，ordinaryfood，thepossibilityofabath，andinthepresenceofgreatwearinessanddust，Coleman\'swhiskyseemedtothemaglisteningluxury。Afterwardtheylaiddownasiftosleep，butinrealitytheyweretoodirtyandtoofaggedtosleep。TheysimplylaymurmuringPeterTounleyevendevelopedasmallfever。
ItwasatthistimethatColeman。suddenlydiscoveredhisacuteinterestintheprogressivetroublesofhisaffairofthehearthadplacedthebusinessofhisnewspaperintherearofhismind。ThegreaterpartofthenexthourhespentingettingofftoNewYorkthatdispatchwhichcreatedsomuchexcitementforhimlater。AfterwardhewasfreetoreflectmoodilyupontheabilityofNoraBlacktodistresshim。She，withherretinue，haddisappearedtowardherownrooms。Atduskhewentintothestreet，andwasedifiedtoseeNora\'sdragomandodgingalonginhiswake。HethoughtthatthiswassimplyanothermanifestationofNora\'sinterestinhismovements，andsoheturnedacorner，andtherepausing，waiteduntilthedragomanspunarounddirectlyintohisarms。Butitseemedthatthemanhadanotetodeliver，andthiswasonlyhisOrientalwayofdoingit。
Thenoteread:\"Comeanddinewithmeto-night。\"Itwas，notarequest。Itwasperemptory。\"Allright，\"hesaid，scowlingattheman。
Hedidnotgoatonce，forhewishedtoreflectforatimeandfindifhecouldnotevolvesomeweaponsofhisown。Itseemedtohimthatalltheotherswereliberallysuppliedwithweapons。
Aclear，coldnighthadcomeupontheearthwhenhesignifiedtothelurkingdragomanthathewasinreadinesstodepartwithhimtoNora\'sabode。Theypassedfinallyintoadarkcourt-yard，upawindingstaircase，acrossanemboweredbalcony，andColemanenteredalonearoomwheretherewerelights。
His，feetwerescarcelyoverthethresholdbeforehehadconcludedthatthetigresswasnowgoingtotrysomevelvetpurring。Henotedthattheartsofthestagehadnotbeenthoughttoocheaplyobviousforuse。Norasatfacingthedoor。Abitofyellowsilkhadbeentwistedaboutthecrudeshapeofthelamp，anditmadetheplayoflight，amber-like，shadowyandyetperfectlyclear，thelightwhichwomenlove。ShewasarrayedinapuzzlinggownofthatkindofGre-
ciansilkwhichissodocilethatonecanpullyardsofitthrougharing。Itwasofthecolourofnewstraw。
Herchinwasleanedpensivelyuponherpalmandthelightfellonapearlyroundedforearm。Shewaslookingathimwithapairoffamouseyes，azure，per-
haps-certainlypurpleattimes-anditmaybe，blackatoddmoments-apairofeyesthathadmademanyanhonestman\'sheartjumpifhethoughttheywerelookingathim。Itwasavision，yes，butColeman\'scynicalknowledgeofdramaoverpoweredhissenseofitsbeauty。Hebrokeoutbrutally，inthephrasesoftheAmericanstreet。\"Yourdragomanisarubber-neck。
IfhekeepsdarkingmeIwillsimplyhavetokickthestuffingoutofhim。\"
Shewasaloneintheroom。Heroldladyhadbeeninstructedtohaveaheadacheandsendapologies。ShewasnotdisturbedbyColeman\'swords。\"Sitdown，Rufus，andhaveacigarette，anddon\'tbecross，becauseIwon\'tstandit。\"
Heobeyedherglumly。Shehadplacedhischairwherenotacharmofhercouldbelostuponanobservantman。Evidentlyshedidnotpurposetoallowhimtoirritateherawayfromheroriginalplan。Purringwasnowhermethod，andnoneofhisinsolencecouldachieveagrowlfromthetigress。Shearose，sayingsoftly:\"Youlooktired，almostill，poorboy。Iwillgiveyousomebrandy。IhavealmosteverythingthatIcouldthinktomakethoseDaylightpeoplebuy。\"Withasweepofherhandsheindicatedtheastonishingopulenceofthepossessionsindifferentpartsoftheroom。
Asshestoodoverhimwiththebrandytherecamethroughthesmokeofhiscigarettetheperfumeoforris-rootandviolet。
Aservantbegantoarrangethelittlecolddinneronacamptable，andColemansawwithanenthusiasmwhichhecouldnotfullymaster，fourquartbottlesofanotablebrandofchampagneplacedinarankonthefloor。
AtdinnerNorawassisterly。Shewatchedhim，waiteduponhim，treatedhimtoanaffectionateinti。macyforwhichheknewathousandmenwhowouldhavehatedhim。Thechampagnewascold。
Slowlyhemelted。BythetimethattheboycamewithlittlecupsofTurkishcoffeehewasatleastamiable。Noratalkeddreamily。\"Thedragomansaysthisroomusedtobepartoftheharemlongago。\"Sheshothimawatchfulglance，asifshehadexpectedthefacttoaffecthim。\"Seemscurious，doesn\'tit？A
harem。Fancythat。\"Hesmokedonecigarandthendiscardedtobacco，fortheperfumeoforris-rootandvioletwasmakinghimmeditate。Noratalkedoninalowvoice。Sheknewthat，throughhalf-closedlids，hewaslookingatherinsteadyspeculation。Sheknewthatshewasconquering，butnomovementofhersbetrayedanelation。Withthemostexquisiteartsheaidedhiscontemplation，baringtohim，forinstance，thegloriesofastatuesqueneck，doingitallwiththemannerofasplendidandfabulousvirginwhoknewnotthattherewassuchathingasshame。Herstockingswereofblacksilk。
Colemanpresentlyansweredheronlyinmonosyllable，makingsmalldistinctionbetweenyesandno。Hesimplysatwatchingherwitheyesinwhichthereweretwolittlecovetoussteel-colouredflames。
Hewasthinking，\"Togotothedevil-togotothedevil-togotothedevilwiththisgirlisnotabadfate-notabadfate-notabadfate。\"
CHAPTERXVII。
\"Comeoutonthebalcony，\"cooedNora。\"Therearesomefunnyoldstorksontopofsomechimneysnearhereandtheyclatterlikemadalldayandnight。\"
Theymovedtogetherouttothebalcony，butNoraretreatedwithalittlecrywhenshefeltthecoldnessofthenight。Shesaidthatshewouldgetacloak。Colemanwasnotunlikeamaninadream。Hewalkedtotherailofthebalconywhereagreatvineclimbedtowardtheroof。Henotedthatitwasdottedwith。blossoms，whichinthedeeppurpleoftheOrientalnightwerecolouredinstrangeshadesofmaroon。ThistruthpenetratedhisabstractionuntilwhenNoracameshefoundhimstaringatthemasiftheircolourwasarevelationwhichaffectedhimvitally。
Shemovedtohissidewithoutsoundandhefirstknewofherpresencefromthedamningfragrance。Shespokejustaboveherbreath。\"It\'sabeautifulevening。\"
\"Yes，\"heanswered。Shewasathisshoulder。Ifhemovedtwoincheshemustcomeincontact。Theyremainedinsilenceleaningupontherail。
Finallyhebegantomuttersomecommonplaceswhichmeantnothingparticularly，butintohistoneashemouthedthemwasthenoteofaforlornandpassionatelover。ThenasifbyaccidenthetraversedthetwoinchesandhisshoulderwasagainstthesoftandyetfirmshoulderofNoraBlack。Therewassomethinginhisthroatatthistimewhichchangedhisvoiceintoamerechokingnoise。
Shedidnotmove。Hecouldseehereyesglowinginnocentlyoutofthepallourwhichthedarknessgavetoherface。Ifhewastouchingher，shedidnotseemtoknowit。
\"Iamawfullytired，\"saidColeman，thickly。\"IthinkI
willgohomeandturnin。\"
\"Youmustbe，poorboy，\"saidNoratenderly。
\"Wouldn\'tyoulikealittlemoreofthatchampagne？\"
\"Well，Idon\'tmindanotherglass。\"
Shelefthimagainandhisgallopingthoughtpoundedtotheoldrefrain。\"Togotothedevil-togotothedevil-togotothedevilwiththisgirlisnotabadfate-notabadfate-
notabadfate。\"Whenshereturnedhedrankhisglassofchampagne。Thenhemumbled:\"Youmustbecold。Letmeputyourcapearoundyoubetter。Itwon\'tdotocatchcoldhere，youknow。\"
Shemadeasweetpretenceofrenderingherselftohiscare。\"Oh，thanks***Iamnotreallycold***Therethat\'sbetter。\"
Ofcourseallhismanipulationofthecloakhadbeenafervidcaress，andalthoughheractinguptothispointhadremainedintheroleofthesplendidandfabulousvirginshenowturnedherliquideyestohiswithalookthatexpressedknowledge，triumphanddelight。Shewassureofhervictory。Andshesaid:
\"Sweetheart***don\'tyouthinkIamasniceasMarjory？\"Theimpulsehadbeenairilyconfident。
Itwasasifthesilkencordshadbeenpartedbythesweepofasword。Coleman\'sfacehadinstantlystiffenedandhelookedlikeamansuddenlyrecalledtothewaysoflight。Itmayeasilyhavebeenthatinamomenthewouldhavelapsedagaintohisluxuriousdreaming。Butinhisfacethegirlhadreadafatalcharactertoherblunderandherresentmentagainsthimtookprecedenceofanyotheremotion。Shewheeledabruptlyfromhimandsaidwithgreatcontempt:\"Rufus，youhadbettergohome。You\'retiredandsleepy，andmoreorlessdrunk。\"
Heknewthatthegrandtumbleofalltheirlittleemboweredincidentcouldbeneitherstayedormended。\"Yes，\"heanswered，sulkily，\"Ithinksotoo。\"Theyshookhandshuffilyandhewentaway。
Whenhearrivedamongthestudentshefoundthattheyhadappropriatedeverythingofhiswhichwouldconducetotheircomfort。Hewasfuriousoverit。Buttohisbitterspeechestheyrepliedinjibes。
\"Rufusishimselfagain。Admirehisangelicdisposition。Seehimsmile。Gentlesoul。\"
Asleepyvoicesaidfromacomer:\"Iknowwhatpincheshim。\"
\"What？\"askedseveral。
\"He\'sbeentoseeNoraandsheflunghimoutbodily。\"
\"Yes？\"sneeredColeman。\"AttimesIseemtoseeinyou，Coke，thefermentationofsomeprimevalformofsensation，asifitwerepossibleforyoutode-
velopamindintwoorthreethousandyears，andthenatothertimesyouappear***muchasyouarenow。\"
AssoonastheyhadwellmeasuredColeman\'stemperallofthestudentssaveCokekepttheirmouthstightlyclosed。Cokeeitherdidnotunderstandorhismoodwastoovindictiveforsilence。\"Well，Iknowyougotathrow-downallright，\"hemuttered。
\"AndhowwouldyouknowwhenIgotathrowdown？Youpimply，milk-fedsophomore。\"
Theothersperkeduptheirearsinmirthfulappreciationofthislanguage。
\"Ofcourse，\"continuedColeman，\"noonewouldprotestagainstyourcontinuedexistence，Coke，unlessyouinsistonrecallingyourselfviolentlytopeople\'sattentioninthisway。
Themerefactofyourlivingwouldnotusuallybeoffensivetopeopleifyouweren\'teternallyturningasortofcalciumlightonyourprehensileattributes。\"
Cokewassuddenlyangry，angrymuchlikeapeasant，andhisangerfirstevinceditselfinameresputteringandspluttering。
Finallyhegotoutaratherlongspeech，fullofgrumblingnoises，buthewasunderstoodbyalltodeclarethathisprehensileattributeshadnotledhimtocartanotoriouswomanabouttheworldwithhim。WhentheyquicklylookedatColemantheysawthathewaslivid。\"You-\"
But，ofcourse，thereimmediatelyaroseallsortsofprotestingcriesfromthesevennon-combatants。Coleman，ashetooktwostridestowardCoke\'scorner，lookedfullyabletobreakhimacrosshisknee，butforthisCokedidnotseemtocareatall。Hewasonhisfeetwithachallengeinhiseye。Uponeachcheekburnedasuddenhecticspot。Theotherswereclamouring，\"Oh，say，thiswon\'tdo。Quitit。Oh，wemustn\'thaveafight。Hedidn\'tmeanit，Coleman。\"PeterTounleypressedCoketothewallsaying:\"Youdamnedyoungjackass，bequiet。\"
Theywereinthemidstofthese。festivitieswhenadooropenedanddisclosedtheprofessor。Hemight。havebeencomingintothemiddleofarowinoneofthecorridorsofthecollegeathomeonlythistimehecarriedacandle。Hisspeech，however，wasaWashurstspeech:\"Gentlemen，gentlemen，whatdoesthismean？\"AllseemedtoexpectColemantomaketheanswer。Hewassuddenlyverycool。\"Nothing，professor，\"hesaid，\"onlythatthis-onlythatCokehasinsultedme。Isupposethatitwasonlytheirresponsibilityofaboy，andIbegthatyouwillnottroubleoverit。\"
\"Mr。Coke，\"saidtheprofessor，indignantly，\"whathaveyoutosaytothis？\"EvidentlyhecouldnotclearlyseeCoke，andhepeeredaroundhiscandleatwherethevirtuousPeterTounleywasexpostulatingwiththeyoungman。Thefiguresofalltheexcitedgroupmovinginthecandlelightcausedvastanduncouthshadowstohaveconflictsintheendoftheroom。
PeterTounley\'staskwasnotlight，andbeyondthathehadtheconvictionthathisstrugglewithCokewasmakinghimalsotoappearasarowdy。Thisconvictionwasproventobetruebyasuddenthunderfromtheoldprofessor，\"Mr。Tounley，desist!\"
InwrathhedesistedandCokeflunghimselfforward。Hepaidlessattentiontotheprofessorthanifthelatterhadbeenajack-rabbit。\"YousayIinsultedyou？heshoutedcrazilyinColeman\'sface。
\"Well***Imeantto，doyousee？\"
Colemanwasglacialandloftybeyondeverything。
\"IamgladtohaveyouadmitthetruthofwhatIhavesaid。\"
Cokewas，stillsuffocatingwithhispeasantrage，whichwouldnotallowhimtomeettheclear，calmexpressionsofColeman。\"Yes***Iinsultedyou***IinsultedyoubecausewhatIsaidwascorrect**myprehensileattributes**yesbutIhavenever——\"
Hewasinterruptedbyachorusfromtheotherstudents。
\"Oh，no，thatwon\'tdo。Don\'tsaythat。Don\'trepeatthat，Coke。\"
Colemanrememberedtheweakbewildermentofthelittleprofessorinhoursthathadnotlongpassed，anditwaswithsomethingofanimpersonalsatisfac-
tionthathesaidtohimself:\"Theoldboy\'sgothiswar-paintonagain。\"TheprofessorhadsteppedsharplyuptoCokeandlookedathimwitheyesthatseemedtothrowoutflameandheat。Therewasamoment\'spause，andthentheoldscholarspoke，bit-
inghiswordsasiftheywereeachashortsectionofsteelwire。\"Mr。Coke，yourbehaviourwillendyourcollegecareerabruptlyandingloom，Ipromiseyou。
Youhavebeendrinking。\"
Coke，hisheadsimplyfloatinginaseaofuniversaldefiance，atonceblurtedout:\"Yes，sir。\"
\"Youhavebeendrinking？\"criedtheprofessor，ferociously。
\"Retiretoyour-retiretoyour——retire——\"Andtheninavoiceofthunderheshouted:\"Retire。\"
Whereuponsevenhoodlumstudentswaitedadecentmoment，thenshriekedwithlaughter。Buttheoldprofessorwouldhavenoneoftheirnonsense。Hequelledthemallwithforceandfinish。
Colemannowspokeafewwords。\"Professor，I
can\'ttellyouhowsorryIamthatIshouldbeconcernedinanysuchriotasthis，andsincewearedoomedtobeboundsocloselyintoeachother\'ssocietyIoffermyselfwithoutreservationasbeingwillingtorepairthedamageaswellasmaybe，done。I
dontseehowIcanforgetatoncethatCoke\'sconductwasinsolentlyunwarranted，but***ifhehasanythingtosayofanaturethatmighthealthebreachIwouldbewillingtotomeethimintheopenestmanner。\"Ashemadethesere-
marksColeman\'sdignitywassomethinggrand，and，Morever，therewasnowuponhisfacethatcuriouslookoftemperanceandpuritywhichhadbeennotedinNewYorkasasingularphysicalcharacteristic。Ifhe。wasguiltyofanythinginthisaffairatall-infact，ifhehadeveratanytimebeenguiltyofanything-
nomarkhadcometostainthatbloomofinnocence。
Theprofessornoddedinthefullestappreciationandsympathy。\"Ofcourse***reallythereisnoothersleepingplaceIsupposeitwouldbebetter-\"
ThenheagainattackedCoke。\"Youngman，youhavechosenanunfortunatemomenttofilluswithasuspicionthatyoumaynotbeagentleman。Forthetimethereisnothingtobedonewithyou。\"Headdressedtheotherstudents。\"Thereisnothingformetodo，younggentleman，buttoleaveMr。Cokeinyourcare。
Good-night，sirs。Good-night，Coleman。\"Helefttheroomwithhiscandle。
WhenCokewasbadeto\"Retire\"hehad，ofcourse，simplyretreatedfumingtoacorneroftheroomwhereheremainedlookingwithyelloweyeslikeananimalfromacave。WhentheotherswereabletoseethroughthehazeofmentalconfusiontheyfoundthatColemanwaswithdeliberationtakingoffhisboots。\"Afterward，whenheremovedhiswaist-coat，hetookgreatcaretowindhislargegoldwatch。
Thestudents，muchsubdued，layagainintheirplaces，andwhentherewasanytalkingitwasofanextremelylocalnature，referringprincipallytothefloorAsbeingunsuitableforbedsandalsoreferringfromtimetotimetoarealoranallegedselfishnessonthepartofsomeoneoftherecumbentmen。Soontherewasonlythesoundofheavybreathing。
WhentheprofessorhadreturnedtowhathecalledtheWainwrightpartofthehousehewasgreetedinstantlywiththequestion:\"Whatwasit？\"Hiswifeanddaughterwereupinalarm。\"Whatwasit\"theyrepeated，wildly。
Hewaspeevish。\"Oh，nothing，nothing。ButthatyoungCokeisaregularruffian。Hehadgottenhim。selfintosometremendousuproarwithColeman。WhenIarrivedheseemedactuallytryingtoassaulthim。Revolting!Hehadbeendrinking。
Coleman\'sbehaviour，Imustsay，wassplendid。Recognisedatoncethedelicacyofmyposition-henotbeingastudent。IfIhadfoundhiminthewrongitwouldhavebeensimplerthanfindinghimintheright。ConfoundthatrascalofaCoke。\"Then，ashebeganapartialdisrobing，hetreatedthemtogruntedscrapofinformation。
\"Cokewasquiteinsane***IfearedthatIcouldn\'tcontrolhim***Colemanwaslikeice***andasmuchasI
haveseentoadmireinhimduringthelastfewdays，thisquietbeatitall。Ifhehadnotrecognisedmyhelplessnessasfarashewasconcernedthewholethingmighthavebeenamostmiserablebusiness。Heisaveryfineyoungman。\"ThedissentingvoicetothislasttributewasthevoiceofMrs。
Wainwright。Shesaid:\"Well，Colemandrinks，too-everybodyknowsthat。\"
\"Iknow，\"respondedtheprofessor，ratherbashfully，butI
amconfidentthathehadnottouchedadrop。\"Marjorysaidnothing。
TheearlierartillerybattleshadfrightenedmostofthefurnitureoutofthehousesofArta，andtherewasleftinthisroomonlyafewoldredcushions，andtheWainwrightswerecampinguponthefloor。MarjorywasenwrappedinColeman\'smacintosh，andwhiletheprofessorandhiswifemaintainedsomelowtalkoftherecentincidentsheinsilencehadturnedhercheekintotheyellowvelvetcollarofthecoat。Shefeltsomethingagainstherbosom，andputtingherhandcarefullyintothetoppocketofthecoatshefoundthreecigars。
Theseshetookinthedarknessandlaidaside，tellingherselftoremembertheirpositioninthemorning。ShehadnodoubtthatColeman:wouldrejoiceoverthem，beforehecouldgetbackto，Athenswheretherewereothergoodcigars。
CHAPTERXVIII。
THEladiesoftheWainwrightpartyhadnotcomplainedatallwhendeprivedofevensuchcivilisedadvantagesasashelterandaknifeandforkandsoapandwater，butMrs。
Wainwrightcomplainedbitterlyamidthehalf-civilisationofArta。Shecouldseeherenoexcusefortheabsenceofseveralhundredthingswhichshehadalwaysregardedasessentialtolife。Shebeganat8。30A。M。tomakeboththeprofessorandMarjorywoefulwithanendlessdissertationuponthebedsinthehotelatAthens。Ofcourseshehadnotregardedthematthetimeasbeingexceptionalbeds***thatwasquitetrue，*
**butthenonereallyneverknewwhatonewasreallymissinguntilonereallymissedit***ShewouldneverhavethoughtthatshewouldcometoconsiderthoseAthenianbedsasexcellent***butexperienceisagreatteacher***makes-
onereflectuponthepeoplewhoyearinandyearouthavenobedsatall，poorthings。***Well，itmadeonegladifonedidhaveagoodbed，evenifitwasatthetimeontheothersideoftheworld。Ifsheeverreacheditshedidnotknowwhatcouldeverinducehertoleaveitagain。***Shewouldneverbeinduced——
\"\'Induced!\'\"snarledtheprofessor。Thewordrepresentedtohimapracticedfemininemisusageoftruth，andatsuchhiswhitewarlockalwaysarose。\"\"Induced!\'OutoffourAmericanwomenIhaveseenlately，youseemtobetheonlyonewhowouldsaythatyouhadenduredthisthingbecauseyouhadbeen\'induced\'byotherstocomeoverhere。Howabsurd!\"
Mrs。Wainwrightfixedherhusbandwithasteelyeye。Shesawopportunityforashatteringretort。\"Youdon\'tmean，Harrison，toincludeMarjoryandIinthesamebreathwiththosetwowomen？\"
Theprofessorsawnodangeraheadforhimself。Hemerelyanswered:\"Ihadnothoughteitherway。Itdidnotseemimportant。\"
\"Well，itisimportant，\"snappedMrs。Wainwright。
\"DoyouknowthatyouarespeakinginthesamebreathofMarjoryandNoraBlack，theactress？\"
\"No，\"saidtheprofessor。\"Isthatso？\"Hewasastonished，buthewasnotaghastatall。\"DoyoumeantosaythatisNoraBlack，thecomicoperastar？\"
\"That\'sexactlywhosheis，\"saidMrs。Wainwright，dramatically。\"AndIconsiderthat-IconsiderthatRufusColemanhasdonenolessthan-misledus。\"
Thislastdeclarationseemedtohavenoeffectupontheprofessor\'spureastonishment，butMarjorylookedathermothersuddenly。However，shesaidnoword，exhibitingagainthatstrangeand，inscrutablecountenancewhichmaskedeventhetiniestofhermaidenlyemotions。
Mrs。Wainwrightwastriumphant，andsheimmediatelysetaboutcelebratinghervictory。\"Menneverseethosethings，\"
shesaidtoherhusband。\"Menneverseethosethings。Youwouldhavegoneonforeverwithoutfindingoutthatyour-your-
hospitalitywas，beingabusedbythatRufusColeman。\"
Theprofessorwokeup。\"Hospitality？\"hesaid，indignantly。\"Hospitality？Ihavenothadanyhospitalitytobeabused。Whydon\'tyoutalksense？
Itisnotthat，but-itmight-\"Hehesitatedandthenspokeslowly。\"Itmightbeveryawkward。Ofcourseoneneverknowsanythingdefiniteaboutsuchpeople，butIsuppose***Anyhow，itwasstrangeinColemantoallowhertomeetus。\"
\"ItWasallapre-arrangedplan，\"announcedthetriumphantMrs。Wainwright。\"ShecamehereonputposetomeetRufusColeman，andheknewit，andIshouldnotwonderiftheyhadnottheexactspotpickedoutwheretheyweregoingtomeet。\"
\"Icanhardlybelievethat，\"saidtheprofessor，indistress。
\"Ican，hardlybelievethat。Itdoes，notseemtomethatColeman——\"
\"Ohyes。YourdearRufusColeman，\"criedMrs。
Wainwright。\"Youthinkheisveryfinenow。ButIcanrememberwhenyoudidn\'tthink——\"
Andtheparentsturnedtogetheranabashedlookattheirdaughter。Theprofessoractuallyflushedwithshame。Itseemedtohimthathehadjustcommittedanatrocityupontheheartofhischild。Theinstinctofeachofthemwastogotoherandconsoleherintheirarms。Shenoteditimmediately，andseemedtofearit。Shespokeinaclearandevenvoice。\"Idon\'tthink，father，thatyoushoulddistressmebysupposingthatIamconcernedatallifMr。ColemancarestogetNoraBlackoverhere。\"
\"Notatall，\"stutteredtheprofessor。\"I——\"
Mrs。Wainwright\'sconsternationturnedsuddenlyto，anger。
\"Heisascapegrace。Arascal。A——a——\"
\"Oh，\"saidMarjory，coolly，\"Idon\'tseewhyitisn\'thisownaffair。Hedidn\'treallypresenthertoyou，mother，youremember？Sheseemedquitetoforceherwayatfirst，andthenyou-youdidtherest。Itshouldbeveryeasytoavoidher，nowthatweareoutofthewilderness。AndthenitbecomesaprivatematterofMr。Coleman\'s。Formypart，Iratherlikedher。Idon\'tseesuchadreadfulcalamity。\"
\"Marjory!\"screamedhermother。\"Howdreadful。Likedher!
Don\'tletmehearyousaysuchshockingthings。\"
\"Ifailtoseeanythingshocking，\"answeredMarjory，stolidly。
Theprofessorwaslookinghelplesslyfromhisdaughtertohiswife，andfromhiswifetohisdaughter，likeamanwhowasconvincedthathistroubleswouldneverend。Thisnewcatastrophecreatedadifferentkindofdifficulty，butheconsideredthatthedifficultieswereasrobustashadbeentheprecedingones。Heputonhishatandwentoutoftheroom。
HefeltanimpossibilityofsayinganythingtoColeman，buthefeltthathemustlookuponhim。Hemustlookuponthismanandtrytoknowfromhismannerthemeasureofguilt。Andincidentallyhelongedforthemachineryofafinishedsocietywhichpreventsitspartsfromclashing，preventsitwithitsgreatseriesofIlawuponlaw，easilyoperativebutrelentless。Herehefeltasamanflungintothejunglewithhiswifeanddaughter，wheretheycouldbecomethevictimsofanysortofsavagery。
HisthoughtreferredoncemoretowhatheconsideredtheinvaluableservicesofColeman，andasheobservedtheminconjunctionwiththepresentaccusation，hewassimplydazed。Itwasthenpossiblethatonemancouldplaytwosuchdivergentparts。HehadnotlearnedthisatWashurst。Butno；theworldwasnotsuchabedofputrefaction。Hewouldnotbelieveit；hewouldnotbelieveit。
Afteradventureswhichrequiregreatnervousen。durance，itisonlyuponthesecondorthirdnightthatthecommonmansleepshard。Thestudentshadexpectedtoslumberlikedogsonthefirstnightaftertheirtrials。butnonesleptlong，Andfewslept。
Colemanwasthefirstmantoarise。Whenhelefttheroomthestudentswerejustbeginningtoblink。HetookhisdragomanamongtheshopsandheboughtthereallthelittleoddsandendswhichmightgotomakeupthebestbreakfastinArta。Ifhehadhadnewsofcertaintalkheprobablywouldnothavebeenbuyingbreakfastforelevenpeople。Instead，hewouldhavebeenbuyingbreakfastforone。Duringhisabsencethestudentsaroseandperformedtheirfrugaltoilets。