\"No，sheisnot，\"answeredtheprofessor，\"andI
donotknowasIshallgomyself。\"
\"Butyoumustgo。Thinkhowitwouldlook!
Allthestudentsdowntherediningwithoutus，andcuttingupcapers!Youmustcome。\"
\"Yes，\"hesaid，dubiously，\"butwhowilllookafterMarjory？\"
\"Shewantstobeleftalone，\"announcedMrs。
Wainwright，asifshewastheparticularheraldofthisnews。\"Shewantstobeleftalone。\"
\"Well，Isupposewemayaswellgodown。\"
Beforetheywent，theprofessortiptoedintohisdaughter\'sroom。Inthedarknesshecouldonlyseeherwaxenfaceonthepillow，andhertwoeyesgazingfixedlyattheceiling。Hedidnotspeak，butimmedi。
atelywithdrew，closingthedoornoiselesslybehindhim。
I
CHAPTERXXVI。
IFtheprofessorandMrs。Wainwrighthaddescendedsoonertoalowerfloorofthehotel，theywouldhavefoundreigningthereaformofanarchy。
Thestudentswereinasmokingroomwhichwasalsoanentrancehalltothediningroom，andbecausetherewasinthemiddleofthisapartmentafountaincontaininggoldfish，theyhadbeenmovedtolicenseandsin。Theyhadallbeentubbedandpolishedandbrushedanddresseduntiltheywereexuberantlybeyondthemselves。Theproprietorofthehotelbroughtinhisdignityandshowedittothem，buttheymindeditnomorethanifhehadbeenonlyacommonman。
Hedrewhimselftohisheightandlookedgravelyatthemandtheyjoviallysaid:\"Hello，Whiskers。\"
Americancollegestudentsarenotoriousintheircountryfortheirinclinationtoscoffatrobedandcrownedauthority，and，farfrombeingawedbythedignityofthehotel-keeper，theyweredelightedwithit。Itwassomethingwithwhichtosport。Withimmeasurableimpudence，theycopiedhisattitude，and，standingbeforehim，madecomicspeeches，alwaysalludingwithblindingvividnesstohisbeard。Hisexitdisappointedthem。Hehadnotremainedlongunderfire。Theyfeltthattheycouldhaveinterestedthemselveswithhimanentireevening。\"Comeback，Whiskers!Oh，comeback!\"Outinthemainhallhemadeages。
tureofdespairtosomeofhisgapingminionsandthenfledtoseclusion。
AformidablemajoritythendecidedthatCokewasagoldfish，andthatthereforehisproperplacewasinthefountain。Theycarriedhimtoitwhilehestrug。
gledmadly。Thisquietroomwithitscrimsonrugsandgildedmirrorsseemedsuddenlytohavebecomeanimportantapartmentinhell。Therebeingasyetnotrafficinthediningroom，thewaiterswereallatlibertytocometotheopendoors，wheretheystoodasmenturnedtostone。Tothem，itwasnolessthanincendiarism。
Coke，standingwithonefootonthefloorandtheotheronthebottomoftheshallowfountain，blas-
phemedhiscomradesinalowtone，butwithinten-
tion。Hewascertainlydesirousofliftinghisfootoutofthewater，butitseemedthatallmovementtothatendwouldhavetowaituntilhehadsuccessfullyex-
pressedhisopinions。Inthemeantime，therewasheardslowfootstepsandtherustleofskirts，andthensomepeopleenteredthesmokingroomontheirwaytodine。Coketookhisfoothastilyoutofthefountain。
Thefacesofthemenofthearrivingpartywentblank，andtheyturnedtheircoldandpebblyeyesstraighttothefront，whiletheladies，afterlittleex。
pressionsofalarm，lookedAsiftheywantedtorun。
Infact，thewholecrowdratherboltedfromthisex-
traordinaryscene。
\"There，now，\"saidCokebitterlytohiscompanions。
\"Yousee？Welookedlikelittleschoolboys-\"
\"Oh，nevermind，oldman，\"saidPeterTounley。
\"We\'llforgiveyou，althoughyoudidembarrassus。
But，aboveeverything，don\'tdrip。Whateveryoudo，don\'tdrip。\"
Thestudentstookthisquestionofdrippingandplayeduponituntiltheywouldhavemadequiteinsaneanybodybutanotherstudent。Theyworkeditintoallmannerofforms，andhackedandhaggledatCokeuntilhewasdriventohisroomtoseekotherapparel。\"Besureandchangebothlegs，\"theytoldhim。\"Rememberyoucan\'tchangeonelegwithoutchangingbothlegs。\"
AfterCoke\'sdeparture，theUnitedStatesministerenteredtheroom，andinstantlytheyweresubdued。
Itwasnothisloftystation-thataffectedthem。Thereareprobablyfewstationsthatwouldhaveatallaf-
fectedthem。Theybecamesubduedbecausetheyun-
feignedlylikedtheUnitedStatesminister。They，weresuddenlyagroupofwell-bred，correctlyattiredyoungmenwhohadnotputCoke\'sfootinthefountain。
Norhadtheydesecratedthemajestyofthehotelkeeper。
\"Well，Iamdelighted，\"saidtheminister，laughingasheshookhandswiththemall。\"IwasnotsureI
wouldeverseeyouagain。Youarenottobetrusted，and，goodboysasyouare，I\'llbegladtoseeyouonceandforeverovertheboundaryofmyjurisdiction。
LeaveGreece，youvagabonds。However，Iamtrulydelightedtoseeyouallsafe。\"
\"Thankyou，sir，\"theysaid。
\"Howintheworlddidyougetoutofit？Youmustberemarkablechaps。Ithoughtyouwereinahopelessposition。IwiredandcabledeverywhereI
could，butIcouldfindoutnothing。\"
\"Acorrespondent，\"saidPeterTounley。\"Idon\'tknowifyouhavemethim。HisnameisColeman。
Hefoundus。\"
\"Coleman？\"askedtheminister，quickly。
\"Yes，sir。Hefoundusandbroughtusoutsafely。\"
\"Well，glorybetoColeman，\"exclaimedthemin-
ister，afteralongsighofsurprise。\"GlorybetoCole-
man!Ineverthoughthecoulddoit。\"
Thestudentswerealertimmediately。\"Why，didyouknowaboutit，sir？Didhetellyouhewascomingafterus？\"
\"Ofcourse。HecametomehereinAthens。andaskedwhereyouwere。Itoldhimyouwereinapeckoftrouble。Heactedquietlyandsomewhatqueerly，。andsaidthathewouldtrytolookyouup。
Hesaidyouwerefriendsofhis。Iwarnedhimagainsttryingit。Yes，Isaiditwasimpossible，I
hadnoideathathewouldreallycarrythethingout。
Butdidn\'thetellyouanythingaboutthishimself？\"
\"No，sir\'\"answeredPeterTounley。\"Heneversaidmuchaboutit。Ithinkheusuallycontendedthatitwasmainlyanaccident。\"
\"Itwasnoaccident，\"saidtheminister，sharply。
\"Whenamanstartsouttodoathinganddoesit，youcan\'tsayitisanaccident。\"
\"Ididn\'tsayso，sir，\"saidPeterTounleydiffidently。
\"Quitetrue，quitetrue!Youdidn\'t，but-thisColemanmustbeaman!\"
\"Wethinkso，sir，\"saidbewhowascalledBillie。
\"Hecertainlybroughtusthroughinstyle。\"
\"Buthowdidhemanageit？\"criedtheminister，keenlyinterested。\"Howdidhedoit？\"
\"Itishardtosay，sir。Buthedidit。HemetusinthedeadofnightoutnearNikopolis-\"
\"NearNikopolis？\"
\"Yes，sir。Andhehidusinaforestwhileafightwasgoingon，andtheninthemorninghebroughtusinsidetheGreeklines。Oh，thereisalottotell-\"
Whereupontheytoldit，orasmuchastheycouldofit。Intheend，theministersaid:\"Well，wherearetheprofessorandMrs。Wainwright？Iwantyoualltodinewithmeto-night。Iamdininginthepublicroom，butyouwon\'tmindthatafterEpirus。\"
\"Theyshouldbedownnow，sir，\"answeredaStudent。
PeoplewerenowcomingrapidlytodinnerandpresentlytheprofessorandMrs。Wainwrightappeared。
Theoldmanlookedhaggardandwhite。Heacceptedtheminister\'swarmgreetingwithastrainedpatheticsmile。\"Thankyou。Wearegladtoreturnsafely。\"
OnceatdinnertheministerlaunchedimmediatelyintothesubjectofColeman。\"Hemustbealtogetheramostremarkableman。Whenhetoldme，veryquietly，thathewasgoingtotrytorescueyou，I
franklywarnedhimagainstanysuchattempt。I
thoughthewouldmerelyaddonemoretoapartyofsufferingpeople。Butthe。boystell-methathedidactuallyrescueyou。\"
\"Yes，hedid，\"saidtheprofessor。\"Itwasaverygallantperformance，andweareverygrateful。\"
\"Ofcourse，\"spokeMrs。Wainwright，\"wemighthaverescuedourselves。Wewereontherightroad，andallwehadtodowastokeepgoingon。\"
\"Yes，butIunderstand-\"saidtheminister。\"I
understandhetookyouintoawoodtoprotectyoufromthatfight，andgenerallyprotectedyoufromall，kindsoftrouble。Itseemswonderfultome，notsomuchbecauseitwasdoneasbecauseitwasdonebythemanwho，sometimeago，calmyannouncedtomethathewasgoingtodoit。Extraordinary。\"
\"Ofcourse，\"saidMrs。Wainwright。\"Oh，ofcourse。\"
\"Andwhereishenow？\"askedtheministersuddenly。
\"Hashenowleftyoutothemerciesofcivilisation？\"
Therewasamoment\'scuriousstillness，andthenMrs。Wainwrightusedthathighvoicewhich-thestudentsbelieved-couldonlycometoherwhenshewasabouttosaysomethingpeculiarlydestructivetothesensibilities。\"Oh，ofcourse，Mr。Colemanrenderedusagreatservice，butinhisprivatecharacterheisnotamanwhomweexactlycaretoassociatewith。\"
\"Indeed\"saidtheministerstaring。Thenhehastilyaddressedthestudents。\"Well，isn\'tthisacomicwar？Didyoueverimaginewarcouldbelikethis？\"Theprofessorremainedlookingathiswifewithanairofstupefaction，asifshehadopeneduptohimvisionsofimbecilityofwhichhehadnotevendreamed。Thestudentsloyallybegantochatterattheminister。\"Yes，sir，itisaqueerwar。Afteralltheirbragging，itisfunnytohearthattheyarerunningawaywithsuchagility。Wethought，ofcourse，oftheoldGreekwars。\"
Later，theministeraskedthemalltohisroomsforcoffeeandcigarettes，buttheprofessorandMrs。
Wainwrightapologeticallyretiredtotheirownquarters。
Theministerandthestudentsmadecloudsofsmoke，throughwhichsangtheeloquentdescriptionsoflateadventures。
TheministerhadspentdaysoflisteningtoquestionsfromtheStateDepartmentatWashingtonastothewhereaboutsoftheWainwrightparty。\"Isupposeyouknowthatyou，areveryprominentpeoplein，theUnitedStatesjustnow？Yourpicturesmusthavebeeninallthepapers，andtheremusthavebeencolumnsprintedaboutyou。Mylifeherewasmadealmostinsupportablebyyourfriends，whoconsist，I
shouldthink，ofabouthalfthepopulationofthecountry。Ofcoursetheylaidregularsiegetothede。
partment。IamangryatColemanforonlyonething。
Whenhecabledthenewsofyourrescuetohisnews。
paperfromArta，heshouldhavealsowiredme，ifonlytorelievemyfailingmind。MyfirstnewsofyourescapewasfromWashington-thinkofthat。\"
\"ColemanhadusallonhishandsatArta，\"saidPeterTounley。\"Hewasafairlybusyman。\"
\"Isupposeso，\"saidtheminister。\"Bytheway，\"
heaskedbluntly，\"whatiswrongwithhim？WhatdidMrs。Wainwrightmean？\"
Theyweresilentforatime，butitseemedplaintohimthatitwasnotevidencethathisquestionhaddemoralisedthem。Theyseemedtobedeliberatingupontheformofanswer。UltimatelyPeterTounleycoughedbehindhishand。\"Yousee，sir，\"hebegan，\"thereis-well，thereisawomaninthecase。Notthatanybodywouldcaretospeakofitexceptingtoyou。Butthatiswhatisthecauseofthings，andthen，yousee，Mrs。Wainwrightis-well-\"Hehesitatedamomentandthencompletedhissentenceintheingenuousprofanityofhisageandcondition。\"Sheisratheranextraordinaryoldbird。\"
\"Butwhoisthewoman？
\"Why，itisNoraBlaick，theactress。\"
\"Oh，\"criedtheminister，enlightened。\"HerWhy，Isawherhere。Shewasverybeautiful，butsheseemedharmlessenough。Shewassomewhat-er-
confident，perhaps，butshedidnotalarmme。Shecalleduponme，andIconfessI-why，sheseemedcharming。\"
\"She\'ssweetonlittleRufus。That\'sthepoint，\"
saidanoracularvoice。
\"Oh，\"criedthehost，suddenly。\"Iremember。Sheaskedmewherehewas。ShesaidshehadheardhewasinGreece，andItoldherhehadgoneknight-
errantingoffafteryoupeople。Iremembernow。I
supposeshepostedafterhimuptoArta，eh？\"
\"That\'sit。Andsosheaskedyouwherehewas？
\"Yes。\"
\"Why，thatoldflamingo-Mrs。Wainwrightinsiststhatitwasarendezvous。\"
Everyoneexchangedglancesandlaughedalittle。
\"Anddidyouseeanyactualfighting？\"askedtheminister。
\"No。Weonlybeardit-\"
Afterward，astheyweretroopinguptotheirrooms，PeterTounleyspokemusingly。\"Well，itlookstomenowasifOldMotherWainwrightwasjustabad-mindedoldhen。\"
\"Oh，Idon\'tknow。Howisonegoingtotellwhatthetruthis？\"
\"Atanyrate，wearesurenowthatColemanhadnothingtodowithNora\'sdebutinEpirus。\"
TheyhadtalkedmuchofColeman，butintheirtonestherealwayshadbeenanoteofindifferenceorcarelessness。Thismatter，whichtosomepeoplewasasvitalandfundamentalasexistence，remainedtootherswhoknewofitonlyaharmlessdetailoflife，withnoterriblepowers，anditssignificancehadfadedgreatlywhenhadendedthecloseassociat。ionsofthelateadventure。
Afterdinnertheprofessorhadgonedirectlytohisdaughter\'sroom。Apparentlyshehadnotmoved。
Hekneltbythebedsideagainandtookoneofherhands。Shewasnotweeping。Shelookedathimandsmiledthroughthedarkness。\"Daddy，Iwouldliketodie，\"shesaid。\"Ithink-yes-Iwouldliketodie。\"
Foralongtimetheoldmanwassilent，buthearoseatlastwithadefiniteabruptnessandsaidhoarsely\"Wait!\"
Mrs。Wainwrightwasstandingbeforehermirrorwithherelbowsthrustoutatanglesaboveherhead，whileherfingersmovedinadisarrangementof\'herhair。IntheglassshesawareflectionofherhusbandcomingfromMarjory\'sroom，andhisfacewassetwithsomekindofalarmingpurpose。Sheturnedtowatchhimactually，buthewalkedtowardthedoorintothecorridoranddidnotinanywiseheedher。
\"Harrison!\"shecalled。\"Whereareyougoing？\"
Heturnedatroubledfaceuponher，and，asifshehadhailedhiminhissleep，hevacantlysaid:
\"What？\"
\"Whereareyougoing？\"shedemandedwithincreasingtrepidation。
Hedroppedheavilyintoachair。\"Going？\"herepeated。
Shewasangry。\"Yes!Going？Whereareyougoing？\"
\"Iamgoing-\"heanswered，\"IamgoingtoseeRufusColeman。\"
Mrs。Wainwrightgavevoicetoamuffledscream。
\"NotaboutMarjory？\"
\"Yes，\"hesaid，\"aboutMarjory。\"
ItwasnowMrs。Wainwright\'sturntolookatherhusbandwithanairofstupefactionasifhehadopeneduptohervisionsofimbecilityofwhichshehadnotevendreamed。\"AboutMarjory!\"shegurgled。Thensuddenlyherwrathflamedout。
\"Well，uponmyword，HarrisonWainwright，youare，ofallmenintheworld，themostsillyandstupid。
Youareabsolutelybeyondbelief。Ofallprojects!
AndwhatdoyouthinkMarjorywouldhavetosayofitifsheknewit？Isupposeyouthinkshewouldlikeit？Why，Itellyoushewouldkeepherrighthandinthefireuntilitwasburnedoffbeforeshewouldallowyoutodosuchathing。\"
\"Shemustneverknowit，\"respondedtheprofessor，indullmisery。
\"Thenthinkofyourself!Thinkoftheshameofit!Theshameofit!\"
Theprofessorraisedhiseyesforanironicalglanceathiswife。\"OhIhavethoughtoftheshameofit!\"
\"Andyou\'llaccomplishnothing，\"criedMrs。Wain-
wright。\"You\'llaccomplishnothing。He\'llonlylaughatyou。\"
\"Ifhelaughsatme，hewilllaughatnothingbutapoor，weak，unworldlyoldman。Itismydutytogo。\"
Mrs。Wainwrightopenedhermouthasifshewasabouttoshriek。Afterchokingamomentshesaid:
\"Yourduty？Yourdutytogoandbendthekneetothatman？Yourduty？\"
\"\'Itismydutytogo，\"\'herepeatedhumbly。\"IfIcanfindevenonechanceformydaughter\'shappi-
nessinapersonalsacrifice。Hecandonomorethanhecandonomorethanmakemealittlesadder。\"
Hiswifeevidentlyunderstoodhishumilityasatributetoherargumentsandaclearindicationthatshehadfatallyunderminedhisoriginalintention。
\"Oh，hewouldhavemadeyousadder，\"shequothgrimly。\"Nofear!Why，itwasthemostinsaneideaIeverheardof。\"
Theprofessorarosewearily。\"Well，Imustbegoingtothiswork。Itisathingtohaveendedquickly。\"Therewassomethingalmostbiblicalinhismanner。
\"Harrison!\"burstouthiswifeinamazedlamenta-
tion。Youarenotreallygoingtodoit？Notreally!\"
\"Iamgoingtodoit，\"heanswered。
\"Well，there!\"ejaculatedMrs。Wainwrighttotheheavens。Shewas，sotospeak，prostrate。\"Well，there!\"
Astheprofessorpassedoutofthedoorshecriedbeseechinglybutfutilelyafterhim。\"Harrison。\"Inamechanicalwaysheturnedthenbacktothemirrorandresumedthedisarrangementofherhair。Shead-
dressedherimage。\"Well，ofallstupidcreaturesunderthesun，menaretheveryworst!\"Andherimagesaidthistoherevenassheinformedit，andafterwardtheystaredateachotherinaprofoundandtragicreceptionandacceptanceofthisgreattruth。
PresentlyshebegantoconsidertheadvisabilityofgoingtoMarjdrywiththewholestory。Really，HarrisonmustnotbeallowedtogoonblunderinguntilthewholeworldheardthatMarjorywastryingtobreakherheartoverthatcommonscampofaColeman。
Itseemedtobeabouttimeforher，Mrs。Wainwright，tocomeintothesituationandmendmatters。
CHAPTERXXVIL
WHENtheprofessorarrivedbeforeColeman\'sdoor，hepausedamomentandlookedatit。Previously，hecouldnothaveimaginedthatasimpledoorwouldeversoaffecthim。Everylineofitseemedtoexpresscoldsuperiorityanddisdain。Itwasonlythedoorofaformerstudent，oneofhisoldboys，whom，astheneedarrived，hehadwhippedwithhissatireintheclassroomsatWashurstuntilthementalbloodhadcome，andallwithoutaconceptionofhisultimatelyarrivingbeforethedoorofthisboyintheattitudeofasupplicant。Hewouldnotsayit；Colemanprobablywouldnotsayit；but-theywouldbothknowit。A
singlethoughtofit，madehimfeellikerunningaway。
Hewouldneverdaretoknockonthatdoor。Itwouldbetoomonstrous。Andevenashedecidedthathewasafraidtoknock，heknocked。
Coleman\'svoicesaid；\"Comein。\"Theprofessoropenedthedoor。Thecorrespondent，withoutacoat，wasseatedatapaper-litteredtable。Nearhiselbow，uponanothertable，wasatrayfromwhichhehadevidentlydinedandalsoabrandybottlewithseveralrecumbentbottlesofsoda。Althoughhehadsolatelyarrivedatthehotelhehadcontrivedtodiffusehistrapsovertheroominanorganiseddisarraywhichrepresentedalongandcarelessoccupationifitdidnotrepresentt\'lesceneofascuffle。Hispipewasinhismouth。
Afterafirstmurmurofsurprise，hearoseandreachedinsomehasteforhiscoat。\"Comein，professor，comein，\"hecried，wrigglingdeeperintohisjacketasheheldouthishand。Hehadlaidasidehispipeandhadalsobeenverysuccessfulinflinginganewspapersothatithidthebrandyandsoda。Thisactwasafeatofdeferencetotheprofessor\'swellknownprinciples。
\"Won\'tyousitdown，sir？\"saidColemancordially。
Hisquickglanceofsurprisehadbeenimmediatelysuppressedandhismannerwasnowasifthepro-
fessor\'scallwasacommonmatter。
\"Thankyou，Mr。Coleman，I-yes，Iwillsitdown，\"。
repliedtheoldman。Hishandshookashelaiditonthebackofthechairandsteadiedhimselfdownintoit。\"Thankyou!\"-
Colemanlookedathimwithagreatdealofex-
pectation。
\"Mr。Coleman!\"
\"Yes，sir。\"
\"I——\"
Hehaltedthenandpassedhishandoverhisface。
HiseyesdidnotseemtorestonceuponColeman，buttheyoccupiedthemselvesinfurtiveandfrightenedglancesovertheroom。Colemancouldmakeneitherheadnortailoftheaffair。Hewouldnothavebelievedanyman\'sstatementthattheprofessorcouldactinsuchanextraordinaryfashion。\"Yes，sir，\"hesaidagainsuggestively。Thesimplestrategyresultedinasilencethatwasactuallyawkward。Coleman，despitehisbewilderment，hastenedintoapreservinggossip。\"I\'vehadagreatmanycableswaitingformeforheavenknows-howlongandothershavebeenarrivinginflocksto-night。YouhavenoideaoftherowinAmerica，professor。Why，everybodymusthavegonewildoverthelostsheep。Mypaperhascabledsomethingsthatareevidentlyforyou。Forinstance，hereisonethatsaysanewpuzzle-gamecalledFindtheWainwrightPartyhashadabigsuccess。
Thinkofthat，wouldyou。\"Colemangrinnedattheprofessor。\"FindtheWainwrightParty，anewpuzzle-game。\"
TheprofessorhadseemedgratefulforColeman\'stangentoffintomattersofalightvein。\"Yes？\"hesaid，almosteagerly。\"Aretheysellingagamereallycalledthat？\"
\"Yes，really，\"repliedColeman。\"Andofcourseyouknowthat-er-well，alltheSundaypaperswouldofcoursehavebigillustratedarticles-fullpages-
withyourphotographsandgeneralprivatehistoriespertainingmostlytothingswhicharenoneoftheirbusiness。\"
\"Yes，Isupposetheywoulddothat，\"admittedtheprofessor。\"ButIdaresayitmaynotbeasbadasyousuggest。\"
\"Verylikenot，\"saidColeman。\"Iputittoyouforciblysothatinthefuturetheblowwillnotbetoocruel。Theyareoftenaweirdlot。\"
\"Perhapstheycan\'tfindanythingverybadaboutus。\"
\"Oh，no。AndbesidesthewholeepisodewillprobablybeforgottenbythetimeyoureturntotheUnitedStates。\"
Theytalkedoninthiswayslowly，strainedly，untiltheyeachfoundthatthesituationwouldsoonbecomeinsupportable。TheprofessorhadcomeforadistinctpurposeandColemanknewit；theycouldnotsittherelyingateachotherforever。Yetwhenhesawthepaindeepeningintheprofessor\'seyes，thecorrespondentagainordereduphistrivialities。\"Funnything。Mypaperhasbeencongratulatingme，youknow，sir，inawholesalefashion，andIthink-Ifeelsure-thattheyhavebeenexploitingmynamealloverthecountryastheHeroicRescuer。Thereisnosenseintryingtostopthem，becausetheydon\'tcarewhetheritistrueornottrue。Alltheywantistheprivilegeofhowlingoutthattheircorrespondentrescuedyou，andtheywouldtakethatprivilegewithoutinanywaysworryingifIrefusedmyconsent。Yousee，sir？Iwouldn\'tlikeyoutofeelthatIwassuchastridentidiotasIdoubtlessamappearingnowbeforethepublic。\"
\"No，\"saidtheprofessorabsently。Itwasplainthathehadbeenaveryslacklistener。\"I-Mr。Coleman-\"
hebegan。
\"Yes，sir，\"answeredColemanpromptlyandgently。
Itwasobviouslyonlyarecognitionofthefutilityoffurtherdallyingthatwasdrivingtheoldmanon-
ward。Heknew，ofcourse，thatifhewasresolvedtotakethisstep，alongerdelaywouldsimplymakeitharderforhim。Thecorrespondent，leaningforward，waswatchinghimalmostbreathlessly。
\"Mr。Coleman，Iunderstand-oratleastIamledtobelieve-thatyou-atonetime，proposedmarriagetomydaughter？\"
Thefalteringwordsdidnotsoundasifeithermanhadaughttodowiththem。Theywereanexpressionbythetragicmuseherself。Coleman\'sjawfellandhelookedglassilyattheprofessor。Hesaid:\"Yes!\"
Butalreadyhisbloodwasleapingashismindflashedeverywhereinspeculation。
\"Irefusedmyconsenttothatmarriage，\"saidtheoldmanmoreeasily。\"Idonotknowifthematterhasremainedimportanttoyou，butatanyrate，I-I
retractmyrefusal。\"
SuddenlytheblankexpressionleftColeman\'sfaceandhesmiledwithsuddenintelligence，asifinforma-
tionofwhattheprofessorhadbeensayinghadjustreachedhim。Inthissmiletherewasasuddenbe。
trayal，too，ofsomethingkeenandbitterwhichhadlainhiddenintheman\'smind。Hearoseandmadeasteptowardstheprofessorandheldouthishand。
\"Sir，Ithankyodfromthebottomofmyheart!\"
AndtheybothseemedtonotewithsurprisethatColeman\'svoicehadbroken。
TheprofessorhadarisentoreceiveColeman\'shand。
Hisnervewasnowofironandhewasveryformal。
\"IjudgefromyourtonethatIhavenotmadeamis-
take-somcthingwhichIfeared。\"
Colemandidnotseemtomindtheprofessor\'sformality。
\"Don\'tfearanything。Won\'tyousitdownagain？Willyouhaveacigar。**No，Icouldn\'ttellyouhowgladIam。HowgladIam。Ifeellikeafool。It——\"
ButtheprofessorfixedhimwithanArcticeyeandbluntlysaid:\"Youloveher？\"
ThequestionsteadiedColemanatonce。Helookedundauntedlystraightintotheprofessor\'sface。
Hesimplysaid:\"Iloveher!\"
\"Youloveher？\"repeatedtheprofessor。
\"Iloveher，\"repeatedColeman。
Aftersomesecondsofpregnantsilence，theprofessorarose。\"Well，ifshecarestogiveherlifetoyouIwillallowit，butImustsaythatIdonotconsideryounearlygoodenough。Good-night。\"Hesmiledfaintlyasheheldouthishand。
\"Good-night，sir，\"saidColeman。\"AndIcan\'ttell，you，now-\"
Mrs。Wainwright，inherroomwaslanguishinginachairandapplyingtoherbrowahandkerch-iefwetwithcolognewater。She，keptherfeverishglariceuponthedoor。Rememberingwellthemannerofherhusbandwhenhewentoutshecouldhardlyidentifyhimwhenhecamein。Serenity，composure，evenself-satisfaction，waswrittenuponhim。He，paidnoattentiontoher，butgoingtoachairsatdownwithagroanofcontentment。
\"Well？\"criedMrs。Wainwright，startingup。
\"Well？\"
\"Well-what？\"heasked。
Shewavedherhandimpatiently。\"Harrison，don\'tbeabsurd。YouknowperfectlywellwhatI
mean。Itisapityyoucouldn\'tthinkoftheanxietyIhavebeenin。\"Shewasgoingtoweep。
\"Oh，I\'lltellyouafterawhile，\"hesaidstretchingouthislegswiththecomplacencyofarichmerchantafterasuccessfulday。
\"No!Tellmenow，\"sheimploredhim。\"Can\'tyouseeI\'veworriedmyselfnearlytodeath？\"Shewasnotgoingtoweep，shewasgoingtowaxangry。
\"Well，totellthetruth，\"saidtheprofessorwithconsiderablepomposity，\"I\'vearrangedit。Didn\'tthinkIcoulddoitatfirst，butitturnedout\"
\"IArrangedit，\"\'wailedMrs。Wainwright。\"Arrangedwhat？\"
Ithereseemedtostriketheprofessorsuddenlythathewasnotsuchaflamingexamplefordiplomatistsashemighthaveimagined。\"Arranged，\"hestammered。\"Arranged。\"
\"Arrangedwhat？\"
\"Why，Ifixed-Ifixeditup。\"
\"Fixedwhatup？\"
\"It-it-\"begantheprofessor。Thenheswelledwithindignation。\"Why，can\'tyouunderstandanythingatall？I-Ifixedit。\"
\"Fixedwhat？\"