\"Fixedit。FixeditwithColeman。\"
\"FixedwhatwithColeman？
Theprofessor\'swrathnowtookcontrolofhim。
\"Thunderandlightenin\'!YouseemtojumpattheconclusionthatI\'vemadesomehorriblemistake。Forgoodness\'sake，givemecreditforaparticleofsense。\"
\"Whatdidyoudo？\"sheaskedinasepulchralvoice。
\"Well，\"saidtheprofessor，inaburningdefiance，\"I\'lltellyouwhatIdid。IwenttoColemanandtoldhimthatonce-asheofcourseknew-Ihadre-
fusedhismarriagewithmydaughter，butthatnow——\"
\"Grrr，\"saidMrs。Wainwright。
\"Butthatnow-\"continuedtheprofessor，\"Iretractedthatrefusal。\"
\"Mercyonus!\"criedMrs。Wainwright，throwingherselfbackinthechair。\"Mercyonus!Whatfoolsmenare!\"
\"Now，waitaminute-\"
ButMrs。Wainwrightbegantocroon:\"Oh，ifMarjoryshouldhearofthis!Oh，ifsheshouldhearofit!justlether。Hear-\"
\"Butshemustnot，\"criedtheprofessor，tigerishly。
justyoudare!\"Andthewomansawbeforeheramanwhoseeyeswerelitwithaflamewhichalmostexpressedatemporaryhatred。
TheprofessorhadleftColemansoabruptlythatthecorrespondentfoundhimselfmurmuringhalf。
coherentgratitudetothecloseddoorofhisroom。
Amazementsoonbegantobemasteredbyexultation。
Heflunghimselfuponthebrandyandsodaandnego-
tiatedastrongglass。Pacing。theroomwithnervoussteps，hecaughtavisionofhimselfinatallmirror。
Hehaltedbeforeit。\"Well，well，\"hesaid。\"Rufus，you\'reagrandman。Thereisnotyourequalanywhere。
Youareagreat，bold，strongplayer，fittositdowntoagamewiththe-best。\"
Amomentlateritstruckhimthathehadappropriatedtoomuch。Iftheprofessorhadpaidhimavisitandmadeawonderfulannouncement，he，Coleman，hadnotbeentheengineofit。Andthenheenunciatedclearlysomethinginhismindwhich，eveninavagueform，hadbeenresponsibleformuchofhisearlyelation。Marjoryherselfhadcompassedthisthing。
Withshameherejectedafirstwildandpreposterousideathatshehadsentherfathertohim。Hereflectedthatamanwhoforaninstantcouldconceivesuchathingwasanatural-bornidiot。Withanequalfeeling，herejectedalsoanideathatshecouldhaveknownanythingofherfather\'spurpose。Ifshehadknownofhispurpose，therewouldhavebeennovisit。
What，then，wasthecause？ColemansoondecidedthattheprofessorhadwitnessedsomedemonstrationofMarjory\'semotionwhichhadbeensufficientlysevereinitscharactertoforcehimtotheextraordinaryvisit。Butthenthisalsowaswildandpreposterous。
ThatcoldlybeautifulgoddesswouldnothavegivenademonstrationofemotionoverRufusColemansufficientlyalarmingtohaveforcedherfatheronsuchanerrand。Thatwasimpossible。No，hewaswrong；Marjoryevenindirectly，couldnotbeconnectedwiththevisit。Ashearrivedatthisdecision，theenthusiasmpassedoutofhimandheworeadoleful，monkishface。
\"Well，what，then，wasthecause？\"AftereliminatingMarjoryfromthediscussionwaginginhismind，hefoundithardtohituponanythingrational。
Theonlyremainingtheorywastotheeffectthattheprofessor，havingaveryhighsenseofthecorrespond。
ent\'shelpintheescapeoftheWainwrightparty，haddecidedthattheonlywaytoexpresshisgratitudewastorevokeacertaindecisionwhichhenowcouldseehadbeenunfair。TheretorttothistheoryseemedtobethatiftheprofessorhadhadsuchafineconceptionoftheservicesrenderedbyColeman，hehadhadampletimetodisplayhisappreciationontheroadtoArtaandontheroaddownfromArta。TherewasnonecessityforhiswaitinguntiltheirarrivalinAthens。
Itwasimpossibletoconcedethattheprofessor\'semotioncouldbeanewone；ifhehaditnow，hemusthavehaditinfarstrongermeasuredirectlyafterhehadbeenhauledoutofdanger。
So，itmaybeseenthatafterColemanhadeliminatedMarjoryfromthediscussionthatwaswaginginhismind，hehadpracticallysucceededineliminatingtheprofessoraswell。This，hethought，mournfully，waseliminatingwithavengeance。Ifhedissolvedallthefactorshecouldhardlyproceed。
Themindofalovermovesinacircle，oratleastonamorecircularcoursethanotherminds，someofwhichattimesevenseemtomovealmostinastraightline。Presently，Colemanwasatthepointwherehebadstarted，andhedidnotpauseuntilhereachedthattheorywhichassertedthattheprofessorhadbeeninspiredtohisvisitbysomesightorknowledgeofMarjoryindistress。Ofcourse，Colemanwaswistfullydesirousofprovingtohimselfthetruthofthistheory。
Thepalpableagitationoftheprofessorduringtheinterviewseemedtosupportit。Ifhehadcomeonamerejourneyofconscience，hewouldhavehardlyappearedasawhiteandtremblingold，man。Butthen，saidColeman，hehimselfprobablyexaggeratedthisideaoftheprofessor\'sappearance。Itmighthavebeenthathewasonlysouranddistressedovertheperformanceofaverydisagreeableduty。
Thecorrespondentpacedhisroomandsmoked。
Sometimeshehaltedatthelittletablewherewasthebrandyandsoda。HethoughtsohardthatsometimesitseemedthatMarjoryhadbeentohimtoproposemarriage，andatothertimesitseemedthattherehadbeennovisitfromanyoneatall。
Adesiretotalktosomebodywasuponhim。Hestrolleddownstairsandintothesmokingandreadingrooms，hopingtoseeamanheknew，evenifitwereCoke。Buttheonlyoccupantsweretwostrangers，furiouslydebatingthewar。Passingtheminister\'sroom，Colemansawthattherewasalightwithin，andhecouldnotforbearknocking。Hewasbiddentoenter，andopenedthedoorupontheminister，care-
fullyreadinghisSpectatorfreshfromLondon。
Helookedupandseemedveryglad。\"Howareyou？\"hecried。\"Iwastremendouslyanxioustoseeyou，doyouknow!Ilookedforyoutodinewithmeto-night，butyouwerenotdown？\"
\"No；Ihadagreatdealofwork。\"
\"OvertheWainwrightaffair？Bytheway，Iwantyoutoacceptmypersonalthanksforthatwork。InaweekmoreIwouldhavegonedementedandspenttherestofmylifeinsomekindofacage，shakingthebarsandhowlingoutStateDepartmentmessagesabouttheWainwrights。Yousee，inmyterritorytherearenomissionariestogetintotrouble，andI
waslivingalifeofundisturbedandinnocentcalm，ridiculingthesentimentsofmenfromSmyrnaandotherinterestingtownswhomaintainedthatthediplomaticservicewasexciting。However，whentheWainwrightpartygotlost，mylifeatoncebecameactive。Iwasallbuthelpless，too；whichwastheworstofit。IsupposeTerryatConstantinoplemusthavegotgrandlystirredup，also。Pityhecan\'tseeyoutothankyouforsavinghimfromprobablygoingmad。Bytheway，\"headded，whilelookingkeenlyatColeman，\"theWainwrightsdon\'tseemtobesmotheringyouwithgratitude？\"
\"Oh，asmuchasIdeserve-sometimesmore，\"
answeredColeman。\"Myexploitwasmoreorlessofafake，youknow。Iwasbetweenthelinesbyaccident，orthroughtheeffortsofthatblockheadofadragoman。Ididn\'tintendit。Andthen，inthenight，whenwewerewaitingintheroadbecauseofafight，theyalmostbunkedintous。That\'sall。\"
\"Theytellitbetter，\"saidtheminister，severely。
\"Especiallytheyoungsters。\"
\"ThosekidsgotintoahigholdfightatatownuptherebeyondAgrinion。Tellyouaboutthat，didthey？Ithoughtnot。Cleverkids。Youhavenotedthattherearesignsofafewbruisesandscratches？\"
\"Yes，butIdidn\'task-\"
\"Well，theyarefromthefight。ItseemsthepeopletookusforGermans，andtherewasanawfulpalaver，whichendedinaproperandhandsomeshindig。Itraisedthetown，Itellyou。\"
Theministersighedinmockdespair。\"Takethesepeoplehome，willyou？Oratanyrate，conductthemoutofthefieldofmyresponsibility。Now，theywouldlikeItalyimmensely，Iamsure。\"
Colemanlaughed，andtheysmokedforatime。
\"That\'sacharminggirl-MissWainwright，\"saidtheminister，musingly。\"Andwhatabeauty!Itdoesmyexiledeyesgoodtoseeher。Isupposeallthoseyoungstersaremadlyinlovewithher？Idon\'tseehowtheycouldhelpit。\"
\"Yes，\"saidColeman，glumly。\"Morethanhalfofthem。\"
Theministerseemedstruckwithasuddenthought。
\"Yououghttotrytowinthatsplendidprizeyourself。
Therescuer!Perseus!Whatmorefitting？\"
Colemanansweredcalmly:\"Well***IthinkI\'lltakeyouradvice。\"
CHAPTERXXVIII。
THEnextmorningColemanawokewithasignofaresolutedecisiononhisface，asifithadbeenadevelopmentofhissleep。HewouldseeMarjoryassoonaspossible，seeherdespiteanybarbed-wireentanglementswhichmightbeplacedinthewaybyhermother，whomheregardedashisstrenuousenemy。
AndhewouldaskMarjory\'shandinthepresenceofallAthensifitbecamenecessary。
HesatalongtimeathisbreakfastinordertoseetheWainwrightsenterthediningroom，andashewasabouttosurrendertothewilloftime，theycamein，theprofessorplacidandself-satisfied，Mrs。WainwrightworriedandinjuredandMarjorycool，beautiful，serene。Iftherehadbeenanykindofastormtherewasnotraceofitonthewhitebrowofthegirl。
Colemanstudiedhercloselybutfurtivelywhilehismindspunaroundhiscircleofspeculation。
Finallyhenotedthewaiterwhowasobservinghimwithapainedairasifitwasonthetipofhistonguetoaskthisguestifhewasgoingtoremainatbreakfastforever。ColemanpassedouttothereadingroomwhereuponthetableamultitudeofgreatredguidebookswerecrushingthefragilemagazinesofLondonandParis。Onthewallswerevariousdepressingmapswiththenameofatouristagencyluridlyuponthem，andtherewerealsosomepicturesofhotelswiththeirrates-infrancs-printedbeneath。
Theroomwascold，dark，empty，withthetrailofthetouristuponit。
ColemanwenttothepictureofahotelinCorfuandstaredatitpreciselyasifhewasinterested。HewasstandingbeforeitwhenheheardMarjory\'svoicejustwithoutthedoor。\"Allright!I\'llwait。\"Hedidnotmoveforthereasonthatthehuntermovesnotwhentheunsuspectingdeerapproacheshishidingplace。SheenteredratherquicklyandwaswelltowardthecentreoftheroombeforesheperceivedColeman。\"Oh，\"shesaidandstopped。Thenshespoketheimmortalsentence，asentencewhich，curiouslyenoughiscommontothedrama，tothenovel，andtolife。\"Ithoughtnoonewashere。\"
Shelookedasifshewasgoingtoretreat，butitwouldhavebeenhardtomakesuchretreatgraceful，andprobablyforthisreasonshestoodherground。
Colemanimmediatelymovedtoapointbetweenherandthedoor。\"Youarenotgoingtorunawayfromme，MarjoryWainwright，\"hecried，angrily。
\"Youatleastoweittometotellmedefinitelythatyoudon\'tloveme-thatyoucan\'tloveme-\"
Shedidnotfacehimwithallofheroldspirit，butshefacedhim，andinheranswertherewastheoldMarjory。\"Amostcommonquestion。Doyouaskallyourfeminineacquaintancesthat？\"
\"Imean-\"hesaid。\"ImeanthatIloveyouand-\"
\"Yesterday-no。To-day-yes。To-morrow-whoknows。Really，yououghttotakesomestepstoknowyourownmind。\"
\"Knowmyownmind，\"heretortedinaburstofin-
dignation。\"Youmeanyououghttotakestepstoknowyourownmind。\"
\"Myownmind!You-\"Thenshehaltedinacuteconfusionandallherfacewentpink。Shehadbeenfarquickerthanthemantodefinethescene。
Sheloweredherhead。Letmepast，please-\"
ButColemansturdilyblockedthewayandeventookoneofherstrugglinghands。\"Marjory-\"
Andthenhisbrainmusthaveroaredwithathousandquicksentencesfortheycametumblingout，oneovertheother。**Herresistancetothegripofhisfingersgrewsomewhatfeeble。Oncesheraisedhereyesinaquickglanceathim。**Thensuddenlyshewilted。Shesurrendered，sheconfessedwithoutwords。\"Oh，Marjory，thankGod，thankGod-\"
PeterTounleymadeadramaticentranceonthegallop。Hestopped，petrified。\"Whoo!\"hecried。
\"Mystars!\"Heturnedandfled。ButColemancalledafterhiminalowvoice，intensewithagitation。
\"Comebackhere，youyoungscoundrel!ComebaokhereI\"
Peterreturned，lookingverysheepish。\"Ihadn\'ttheslightestideayou-\"
\"Nevermindthatnow。Butlookhere，ifyoutellasinglesoul-particularlythoseotheryoungscoundrels-I\'llbreak-\"
\"Iwon\'t，Coleman。Honest，Iwon\'t。\"HewasfarmoreembarrassedthanColemanandalmostequallysowithMarjory。Hewaslikeahorsetuggingatatether。\"Iwon\'t，Coleman!Honest!\"
\"Well，allright，then。\"Peterescaped。
Theprofessorandhiswifewereintheirsittingroomwritingletters。Thecablegramshadallbeenanswered，butastheprofessorintendedtoprolonghisjourneyhomewardintoamonthofParisandLondon，thereremainedthearduousdutyoftellingtheirfriendsatlengthexactlywhathadhappened。TherewasconsiderableoftheloreofoldenGreeceintheprofessor\'sdescriptionsoftheirescape，andinthoseofMrs。Wainwrighttherewasmuchaboutthelackofhair-pinsandsoap。
Theirheadswereloweredovertheirwritingwhenthedoorintothecorridoropenedandshutquickly，anduponlookinguptheysawintheroomaradiantgirl，anewMarjory。Shedroppedtoherkneesbyherfather\'schairandreachedherarmstohisneck。
\"Oh，daddy!I\'mhappyII\'msohappy!\"
\"Why-what-\"begantheprofessorstupidly。
\"Oh，Iamsohappy，daddy!
Ofcoursehecouldnotbelonginmakinghisconclusion。
TheonewhocouldgivesuchjoytoMarjorywastheonewho，lastnight，gavehersuchgrief。
Theprofessorwasonlyamomentinunderstanding。
Helaidhishandtenderlyuponherhead\"Blessmysoul，\"hemurmured。\"Andso-andso-he-\"
Atthepersonalpronoun，Mrs。Wainwrightlum-
beredfranticallytoherfeet。\"What？\"sheshouted。
Coleman？\"
\"Yes，\"answeredMarjory。\"Coleman。\"Asshespokethenamehereyeswereshotwithsoftyettropicflashesoflight。
Mrs。Wainwrightdroppedsuddenlybackintoherchair。\"Well-of-all-things!\"
Theprofessorwasstrokinghisdaughter\'shairandalthoughforatimeafterMrs。Wainwright\'soutbreaktherewaslittlesaid，theoldmanandthegirlseemedingentlecommunion，shemakinghimfeelherhappiness，hemakingherfeelhisappreciation。ProvidentiallyMrs。Wainwrighthadbeensostunnedbythefirstblowthatshewasevidentlyrenderedincapableofspeech。
\"Andareyousureyouwillbehappywithhim？
askedherfathergently。
\"Allmylifelong，\"sheanswered。
\"Iamglad!Iamglad!\"saidthefather，butevenashespokeagreatsadnesscametoblendwithhisjoy。Thehourwhenhewastogivethisbeautifulandbelovedlifeintothekeepingofanotherhadbeenheraldedbythegodofthesexes，the
\"Iamglad，\"repeatedtheprofessor。
Thegirlarosefromherknees。\"Imustgoawayand-thinkallaboutit，\"shesaid，smiling。Whenthedoorofherroomcloseduponher，themotheraroseinmajesty。
\"HarrisonWainwright，\"shedeclaimed，\"youarenotgoingtoallowthismonstrousthing!\"
Theprofessorwasarousedfromareveriebythesewords。\"Whatmonstrousthing？\"hegrowled。
\"Why，thisbetweenColemanandMarjory。\"
\"Yes，\"heansweredboldly。
\"Harrison!Thatmanwho-\"
Theprofessorcrashedhishanddownonthetable。
\"Mary!Iwillnothearanotherwordofit!\"
\"Well，\"saidMrs。Wainwright，sullenandominous，\"timewilltell!Timewilltell!\"
WhenColemanbadturnedfromthefleeingPeterTounleyagaintoMarjory，hefoundhermakingthepreliminarymovementsofaflight。\"What\'sthematter？\"hedemandedanxiously。
\"Oh，it\'stoodreadful\"
\"Nonsense，\"lieretortedstoutly。\"OnlyPeterTounley!Hedon\'tcount。Whatofthat？\"
\'Oh，dear!\"Shepressedherpalmtoaburningcheek。Shegavehimastar-like，beseechingglance。
Letmegonow-please。\"
\"Well，\"heanswered，somewhataffronted，\"ifyoulike——\"
Atthedoorsheturnedtolookathim，andthisglanceexpressedinitselusivewayascoreofthingswhichshehadnotyetbeenabletospeak。Itexplainedthatshewaslothtoleavehim，thatsheaskedforgivenessforleavinghim，thatevenforashortabsenceshewishedtotakehisimageinhereyes，thathemustnotbullyher，thattherewassomethingnowinherheartwhichfrightenedher，thatshelovedhim，thatshewashappy——
Whenshehadgone，ColemanwenttotheroomsoftheAmericanminister。AGreekwastherewhotalkedwildlyashewavedhiscigarette。Colemanwaitedinwell-concealedimpatienceforthedvapora-
tionofthisman。Oncetheminister，regardingthecorrespondenthurriedly，interpolatedacomment。
\"Youlookverycheerful？\"
\"Yes，\"answeredColeman，\"I\'vebeentakingyouradvice。\"
\"Oh，ho!\"saidtheminister。
TheGreekwiththecigarettejawedendlessly。
Colemanbegantomarvelattheenduringgoodman-
nersoftheminister，whocontinuedtonodandnodinpoliteappreciationoftheGreek\'sharangue，which，Colemanfirmlybelieved，hadnopointofinterestwhatever。Butatlasttheman，afteraneffusivefarewell，wenthisway。
\"Now，\"saidtheminister，wheelinginhischairtellmeallaboutit。\"
Colemanarose，andthrustinghishandsdeepinhistrousers\'pockets，begantopacetheroomwithlongstrides。He，saidnothing，butkepthiseyesonthefloor。
\"CanIhaveadrink？\"heasked，abruptlypausing。
\"Whatwouldyoulike？\"askedtheminister，benevolently，ashetouchedthebell。
\"Abrandyandsoda。I\'dlikeitverymuch。Yousee，\"hesaid，asheresumedhiswalk，\"Ihavenokindofrighttoburdenyouwithmyaffairs，but，totellthetruth，ifIdon\'tgetthisnewsoffmymindandintosomebody\'sear，I\'lldie。It\'sthis-IaskedMarjoryWainwrighttomarryme，and-sheaccepted，and-
that\'sall。\"
\"Well，Iamveryglad，\"criedtheminister，arisingandgivinghishand。\"Andasforburdeningmewithyouraffairs，noonehasabetterright，youknow，sinceyoureleasedmefromthepersecutionofWashingtonandthefriendsoftheWainwrights。Maygoodluckfollowyoubothforever。You，inmyopinion，areavery，veryfortunateman。And，forherpartshehasnotdonetoobadly。\"
SeeingthatitwasimportantthatColemanshouldhavehisspiritspacifiedinpart，theministercontinued:
\"Now，Ihavegottowriteanofficialletter，soyoujustwalkupanddownhereanduseupthissurplussteam。Elseyou\'llexplode。\"
ButColemanwasnottobedetained。Nowthathehadinformedtheminister，hemustrushoffsome。
where，anywhere，anddo-heknewnotwhat。
Allright，\"saidtheminister，laughing。\"YouhaveawilderheadthanIthought。Butlookhere，\"
hecalled，asColemanwasmakingforthedoor。\"AmItokeepthisnewsasecret？\"
Colemanwithhishandontheknob，turnedim。
pressively。Hespokewithdeliberation。\"AsfarasIamconcerned，Iwouldbegladtoseeamanpaintitinredletters，eightfeethigh，onthefrontoftheking\'spalace。\"
Theminister，leftalone，wrotesteadilyanddidnotevenlookupwhenPeterTounleyandtwoothersentered，inresponsetohiscryofpermission。However，hepresentlyfoundtimetospeakoverhisshouldertothem。\"Hearthenews？\"
\"No，sir，\"theyanswered。
\"Well，begoodboys，now，andreadthepapersandlookatpicturesuntilIfinishthisletter。ThenIwilltellyou。\"
Theysurveyedhimkeenly。Theyevidentlyjudgedthatthenewswasworthhearing，but，obediently，theysaidnothing。Ultimatelytheministeraffixedarapidsignaturetotheletter，andturning，lookedatthestudentswithasmile。
\"Haven\'theardthenews，eh？\"
\"No，Sir。\"
\"Well，MarjoryWainwrightisengagedtomarryColeman。\"
Theministerwasamazedtoseetheeffectofthisannouncementuponthethreestudents。Hehadexpectedthecrowsandcacklesofratherabsurdmerrimentwithwhichunbeardedyouthoftengreets，suchnews。Buttherewasnocroworcackle。Oneyoungmanblushedscarletandlookedguiltilyatthefloor。Withagreatefforthemuttered:\"Shestoogoodforhim。\"Anotherstudenthadturnedghastlypateandwasstaring。ItwasPeterTounleywhorelievedtheminister\'smind，foruponthatyoungman\'sfacewasabroadjack-o-lanterngrin，andtheministersawthat，atanyrate，hehadnotmadeacompletemassacre。
PeterTounleysaidtriumphantly:\"Iknewit!\"
Theministerwasanxiousoverthehavochehadwroughtwiththetwootherstudents，butslowlythecolourabatedinonefaceandgrewintheother。Togivethemopportunity，theministertalkedbusilytoPeterTounley。\"Andhowdidyouknowit，youyoungscamp？\"
Peterwasjubilant。\"Oh，-Iknewit!IknewitI
Iamveryclever。\"
Thestudentwhohadblushednowaddressedtheministerinaslightlystrainedvoice。\"Areyoupositivethatitistrue，Mr。Gordner？，\"
\"Ihaditonthebestauthority，\"repliedtheministergravely。
Thestudentwhohadturnedpalesaid:\"Oh，it\'strue，ofcourse。\"
\"Well，\"saidcrudelytheonewhohadblushed，she\'sagreatsighttoogoodforColemanoranybodylikehim。That\'sallI\'vegottosay。\"
\"Oh，Colemanisagoodfellow，\"saidPeterTounley，reproachfully。\"You\'venorighttosaythat-exactly。
Youdon\'tknowwhereyou\'d。benowifitwerenotforColeman。\"
The，responsewas，first，anangrygesture。\"Oh，don\'tkeepeverlastingrubbingthatin。Forheaven\'ssake，letup-SupposingIdon\'t。knowwhereI\'dbenowif，itwerenotforRufusColeman？Whatofit？
FortherestofmylifehaveIgotto——\"
Theministersaw。thatthiswastheembitteredspeechofareallydefeatedyouth，so，tosavescenes，hegentlyejectedthetrio。\"There，there，now!Runalonghomelikegoodboys。I\'llbebusyuntilluncheon。
AndI-daresayyouwon\'tfindColemansuchabadchap。\"\'
Inthecorridor，oneofthestudentssaidoffensivelytoPeterTounley:\"Say，howinhelldidyoufindoutallthissoearly？\"
Peter\'sreplywasamiableintone。\"YouareadamnedbleatinglittlekidandyoumadeaholyshowofyourselfbeforeMr。Gordner。There\'swhereyoustand。Didn\'tyouseethatheturnedusoutbecausehedidn\'tknowbutwhatyouweregoingtoblubberorsomething-youareasuckingpig，andifyouwanttoknowhowIfindoutthingsgoasktheDelphicOracle，youblindass。\"
\"Youbetterlookoutoryoumaygetapunchintheeye!，\"
\"Youtakeonepunchinthegeneraldirectionofmyeye，meson，\"said-Petercheerfully，\"andI\'lldistributeyourremains，overthishotelinawaythatwillcauseyour，friendsyearsoftroubletocollectyou。
Insteadofanticipatinganattackuponmyeye，youhadmuchbetterbeengagedinimprovingyourmind，whichisatpresentnotafitmachinetocopewithexcitingsituations。There\'sCoke!Hello，Coke，hearthenews？Well，MarjoryWainwrightandRufusColeman，areengaged……Straight？Certainly!Goasktheminister。\"
CokedidnottakePeter\'sword。\"Isthatso？\"heaskedtheothers。
\"Sotheministertoldus，\"theyanswered，andthenthesetwo，whoseemedsounhappy，watchedCoke\'sfacetoseeiftheycouldnotfindsurprisedmiserythere。ButCokecoollysaid:\"Well，then，Isupposeit\'strue。\"
Itsoonbecameevidentthatthestudentsdidnotcareforeachother\'ssociety。PeterTounleywasprobablyanexception，buttheothersseemedtolongforquietcorners。Theyweredistrustingeachother，and，inaboyishway，theywereevencapableofmaligantthings。Theirexcusesforseparationwerebadlymade。
\"I-IthinkI\'llgoforawalk。\"
\"I\'mgoingupstairstoread。\"
\"Well，solong，oldman。\'\"Solong。\"Therewasnohearttoit。
PeterTounleywenttoColeman\'sdoor，whereheknockedwithnoisyhilarity。\"ComeinI\"Thecorrespondentapparentlyhadjustcomefromthestreet，forhishatwasonhisheadandalighttop-coatwasonhisback。Hewassearchinghurriedlythroughsome，papers。\"Hello，youyoungdevilWhatareyoudoinghere？
Peter\'sentrancewasasomewhatelaboratecomedywhichColemanwatchedinicysilence。Peterafteralong，andimpudentpantomimehaltedabruptlyandfixingColemanwithhiseyedemanded:\"Well？\"
\"Well-what？。\"saidColeman，bristlingatrifle。
\"Isittrue？\"
\"Iswhattrue？\"
\"Isittrue？\"Peterwasextremelysolemn。
\"Say，mebucko，\"saidColemansuddenly，\"ifyou\'ve。comeupheretotwistthebeardofthepatriarch，don\'tyouthinkyouarerunningachance？\"
\"Allright。I\'llbegood，\"saidPeter，andhesatonthebed。\"But-isittrue？
\"Iswhattrue？\"
\"Whatthewholehotelissaying。\"
]\"Ihaven\'theardthehotelmakinganyremarkslately。Beentalkingtotheotherbuildings，Isup-
pose。\"
\"Well，IwanttotellyouthateverybodyknowsthatyouandMarjoryhavedonegoneandgotyourselvesengaged，\"saidPeterbluntly。
\"Andwell？\"askedColemanimperturbably。
\"Oh，nothing，\"repliedPeter，wavinghishand。
\"Only-Ithoughtitmightinterestyou。\"
Colemanwassilentforsometime。Hefingeredhispapers。Atlastheburstoutjoyously。\"Andsotheyknowitalready，dothey？Well-damnthem-
letthemknowit。Butyoudidn\'ttellthemyourself？\"
\"I!\"quothPeterwrathfully。\"No!Theministertoldus。\"
ThenColemanwasagainsilentforatimeandPeterTounleysatonthe。bedreflectivelylookingattheceiling。\"Funnything，Marjory\'wayoverhereinGreece，andthenyouhappeningoverherethewayyoudid。\"
\"Itisn\'tfunnyatall。\"
\"Whyisn\'tit？\"
\"Because，\"saidColemanimpressively，，\"thatiswhyIcametoGreece。Itwasallplanned。See？\"
\"Whirroo，\"exclaimedPeter。\"Thishereismagic。\"
\"Nomagicatall。\"Colemandisplayedsomecomplacence。
\"Nomagicatall。justpure，plain——
whateveryouchoosetocallit。\"
\"Holysmoke，\"saidPeter，admiringthesituation。
\"Why，thisisplumromance，Coleman。I\'mblowedifitisn\'t。\"
Colemanwasgrinningwithdelight。HetookafreshcigarandhisbrighteyeslookedatPeterthroughthesmoke。，\"Seemslikeit，don\'tit？Yes。Regularromance。Haveadrink，myboy，justtocelebratemygoodluck。AndbepatientifItalkagreatdealofmy-my-future。Myheadspinswithit。\"Hearosetopacetheroomflingingoutbisarmsinagreatgesture。\"God!WhenIthinkyesterdaywasnotliketo-dayIwonderhowIstoodit。\"TherewasaknockatthedoorandawaiterleftanoteinColeman\'shand\"DearRufus:-Wearegoingforadrivethisafternoonatthree，andmotherwishesyoutocome，ifyou。
careto。Itoowishit，ifyoucareto。Yours，\"MARJORY。\"
Witharadiantface，Colemangavethenotealittlecracklingflourishintheair。\"Oh，youdon\'tknowwhatlifeis，kid。\"
\"S-steadytheBlues，\"saidPeterTounleyseriously。
You\'llloseyourheadifyoudon\'twatchout。\"
\"NotI\"criedColemanwithirritation。\"Butamanmustturnloosesometimes，mustn\'the？\"
Whenthefour，studentshadseparatedinthecorri-
dor，CokehadpostedatoncetoNoraBlack\'ssittingroom。Hisentrancewassomewhatprecipitate，buthecooleddownalmostatonce，forhereflectedthathewasnotbearinggoodnews。Heendedbyperchinginawkwardfashiononthebrinkofhischairandfumblinghishatuneasily。Norafloatedtohiminacloudofawhitedressinggown。Shegavehimaplumphand。\"Well，youngman？\"shesaid，withaglowingsmile。Shetookachair，andthestuffofhergownfellincurvesoverthearmsofit。，Cokelookedhotandbothered，asifhecouldhavemorethanhalfwantedtoretracthisvisit。\"I-aw-
wehaven\'tseenmuchofyoulately，\"hebegan，sparing。
Hehadexpectedtotellhisnewsatonce。
No，\"saidNora，languidly。\"Ihavebeenrestingafterthathorriblejourney-thathorriblejourney。
Dear，dear!Nothing，willeverinducemetoleaveLondon，NewYorkandParis。Iamathomethere。
ButhereIWhy，itisworsethanlivinginBrooklyn。
Andthatjourneyintothewilds!No。no；notforme!\"
\"Isupposewe\'llallbegladtogethome，\"saidCoke，aimlessly。
Atthemomentawaiterenteredtheroomandbegantolaythetableforluncheon。Hekeptopenthedoortothecorridor，andhehadtheluncheonatapointjustoutsidethedoor。Hisexcursionstothetrayswereflyingones，sothat，asfarasCoke\'spurposewasconcerned，thewaiterwasalwaysintheroom。Moreover，Cokewasobliged，naturally，todepartatonce。Hehadbungledeverything。
Ashearosehewhisperedhastily:\"DoesthiswaiterunderstandEnglish？\"
\"Yes，\"answeredNora。\"Why？\"
\"BecauseIhavesomethingtotellyou-important。\"
\"Whatisit？\"whisperedNora，eagerly。
Heleanedtowardherandreplied:\"MarjoryWainwrightandColemanareengaged。\"
Tohisunfeignedastonishment，NoraBlackburstintopealsofsilverylaughter，\"Oh，indeed？Andsothisisyourtragicstory，poor，innocentlambkin？
Andwhatdidyouexpect？ThatIwouldfaint？\"-