\"Ithought-Idon\'tknow-\"murmuredCokeinconfusion。
Norabecamesuddenlybusiness-like。\"Buthowdoyouknow？Areyousure？Whotoldyou？Anyhow，staytoluncheon。Do-likeagoodboy。Oh，youmust。\"
Cokedroppedagainintohischair。Hestudiedherinsomewonder。\"Ithoughtyou\'dbesurprised，\"
hesaid，ingenuously。
\"Oh，youdid，didyou？Well，youseeI\'mnot。
Andnowtellmeallaboutit。\"
\"There\'sreallynothingtotellbuttheplainfact。
Someoftheboysdroppedinattheminister\'sroomsalittlewhileago，and，hetoldthemofit。
That\'sall。\"
Well，howdidheknow？
\"IamsureIcan\'ttellyou。Gotitfirsthand，I
suppose。HelikesColeman，andColemanisalwayshangingupthere。\"
\"Oh，perhapsColemanwaslying，\"saidNoraeasily。Thensuddenlyherfacebrightenedandshespokewithanimation。\"Oh，Ihaven\'ttoldyouhowmylittleGreekofficerhasturnedout。HaveI？
No？Well，itissimplylovely。Doyouknow，hebelongstooneofthebestfamiliesinAthens？Hedoes。
Andthey\'rerich-richascanbe。Mycouriertellsmethatthemarblepalacewheretheyliveisenoughtoblindyou，andthatiftitleshadn\'tgoneoutofstyle-orsomething-hereinGreece，mylittleofficerwouldbeaprince!Thinkofthat!Thecourierdidn\'tknowituntilwegottoAthens，andthelittleofficer-theprince-gavemehiscard，ofcourse。Oneoftheoldest，noblestandrichestfamiliesinGreece。
Thinkofthat!ThereIthoughthewasonlyabothersomelittleofficerwhocameinhandyattimes，andthereheturnsouttobeaprince。IcouldhardlykeepmyselffromrushingrightofftofindhimandapologisetohimforthewayItreatedhim。Itwasawful!And-\"addedthefairNora，pensively，\"ifhedoesmeetmeinParis，I\'llmakehimwearthattitledowntoashred，youcanbet。What\'sthegoodofhavingatitleunlessyoumakeitwork？\"
CHAPTERXXIX。
COKEdidnotstaytoluncheonwithNoraBlack。
Hewentawaysayingtohimselfeitherthatgirldon\'tcareastrawforColemanorshehasgotaheartabsolutelyofflint，orsheisthegreatestactressonearthor-thereissomeotherreason。\"
Athisdeparture，Noraturnedandcalledintoanadjoiningroom。\"MaudeI\"Thevoiceofhercompanionandfriendansweredherpeevishly。\"What？\"
\"Don\'tbotherme。I\'mreading。\"
\"Well，anyhow，luncheonisready，soyouwillhavetostiryourpreciousself，\"respondedNora。\"You\'relazy。\"
\"Idon\'twantanyluncheon。Don\'tbotherme。
I\'vegotaheadache。\"
\"Well，ifyoudon\'tcomeout，you\'llmissthenews。
That\'sallI\'vegottosay。\"
Therewasarustleintheadjoiningroom，andimmediatelythecompanionappeared，seemingmuchannoyedbutcurious。\"Well，whatisit？\"
\"RufusColemanisengagedtobemarriedtothatWainwrightgirl，afterall。\"
\"WellIdeclare!\"ejaculatedthelittleoldlady。
\"WellIdeclare。\"Shemeditatedforamoment，andthencontinuedinatoneofsatisfaction。\"Itoldyouthatyoucouldn\'tstopthatmanColemanifhehadfeallymadeuphismindto-\"
\"You\'reafool，\"saidNora，pleasantly。
\"Why？\"saidtheoldlady。
Becauseyouare。Don\'ttalktomeaboutit。I
wanttothinkofMarco。\"
\"\'Marco，\'\"quotedtheoldladystartled。
\"Theprince。Theprince。Can\'tyouunderstand？
Imeantheprince。\"
\"\'Marco!\'\"againquotedtheoldlady，underherbreath。
\"Yes，\'Marco，\'\"criedNora，belligerently。\"\'Marco，\'
Doyouobjecttothename？What\'sthematterwithyou，anyhow？\"
\"Well，\"rejoinedtheother，noddingherheadwisely，\"hemaybeaprince，butI\'vealwaysheardthatthesecontinentaltitlesarenogoodincomparisontotheEnglishtitles。\"
\"Yes，butwhotoldyouso，eh？\"demandedNora，noisily。Sheherselfansweredthequestion。\"TheEnglish!\"
\"Anyhow，thatlittlemarquiswhotaggedafteryouinLondonisamuchbiggermanineveryway，I\'llbet，thanthislittleprinceofyours。\"
\"But-goodheavens-hedidn\'tmeanit。Why，hewasonlyoneoftheregularrounders。ButMarco，heisseriousIHemeansit。He\'dgothroughfireandwaterformeandbegladofthechance。\"
\"Well，\"proclaimedtheoldlady，\"ifyouarenotthestrangestwomanintheworld，I\'dliketoknow!
HereIthought-\"
\"Whatdidyouthink？\"demandedNora，suspisciously。
\"IthoughtthatColeman——\"
\"Bosh!\"interrupted，thegracefulNora。\"Itellyouwhat，Maude；you\'dbettertrytothinkaslittleaspossible。Itwillsuityourstyleofbeautybetter。
Andaboveall，don\'tthinkofmyaffairs。Imyselfamtakingpainsnottothinkofthem。It\'seasier。\"
Mrs。Wainwright，withnospiritofintentionwhat。
ever，hadsitaboutreadjustingheropinions。Itiscertainthatshewasunconsciousofanyevolution。Ifsomeonehadsaidtoherthatshewassurrenderingtotheinevitable，shewouldhavebeenimmediatelyonherguard，andwouldhaveopposedforeverallsuggestionsofamatchbetweenMarjoryandColeman。Ontheotherhand，ifsomeonehadsaidtoherthatherdaughterwasgoingtomarryahumanserpent，andthattherewerepeopleinAthenswhowouldbegladtoexplainhistreacherouscharacter，shewouldhavehaughtilyscornedthetale-bearingandwouldhavegonewithmorehasteintotheprofessor\'swayofthinking。Infact，shewasinprocessofunderminingherself。，andtheworkcouldhavebeen。retardedoradvancedbyanyirresponsible，gossipytongue。
Theprofessor，fromthedepthsofhisexperiencewithher，arrangedacourseofconduct。\"IfIjustleavehertoherselfshewillcomearoundallright，butifIgo\'strikingwhiletheironishot，\'oranyofthosethings，I\'llbungleitsurely。\"
Astheyweremakingreadytogodowntoluncheon，Mrs。Wainwrightmadeherspeechwhichfirstindicatedachangingmind。\"Well，whatwillbe，willbe，\"
shemurmuredwithaprolongedsighofresignation。
\"Whatwillbe，willbe。Girlsareveryheadstronginthesedays，andthereisnothingmuchtobedonewiththem。Theygotheirownroads。Itwasn\'tsoinmygirlhood-Wewereobligedtopayattentiontoourmotherswishes。\"
\"Ididnotnoticethatyoupaidmuchattentiontoyourmother\'swisheswhenyoumarriedme，\"remarkedtheprofessor。\"Infact，Ithought-\"
\"Thatwasanotherthing，\"retortedMrs。Wainwrightwithseverity。\"Youwereasteadyyoungmanwhohadtakenthehighesthonoursallthroughyourcollegecourse，andmymother\'ssoleobjectionwasthatweweretoohasty。Shethoughtwe-oughttowaituntilyouhadapennytoblessyourselfwith，andIcanseenowwhereshewasquiteright。\"
\"Well，youmarriedme，anyhow，\"saidtheprofessor，victoriously。
Mrs。Wainwrightallowedherhusband\'sretorttopassoverherthoughtfulmood。\"Theysay**theysayRufusColemanmakesasmuchasfifteenthousanddollarsayear。That\'smorethanthreetimesyourincome**Idon\'tknow。**Italldependsonwhethertheytrytosaveornot。Hismanneroflifeis，nodoubt，veryluxurious。Idon\'tsupposeheknowshowtoeconomiseatall。Thatkindofamanusuallydoesn\'t。Andthen，inthenewspaperworldpositionsaresoveryprecarious。Menmayhavevaluablepositionsoneminuteandbepennilessinthestreetthenextminute。Itisn\'tasifhehadanyrealincome，andofcoursehehasnorealability。Ifhewassuddenlythrownoutofhisposition，goodnessknowswhatwouldbecomeofhim。Stillstillfifteenthousanddollarsayearisabigincomewhileitlasts。I
supposeheisveryextravagant。Thatkindofamanusuallyis。AndIwouldn\'tbesurprisedifhewasheavilyindebt；veryheavilyindebt。Still**ifMarjoryhassetherheartthereisnothingtobedone，Isuppose。Itwouldn\'thavehappenedifyouhadbeenaswiseasyouthoughtyouwere。**IsupposehethinksIhavebeenveryrudetohim。Well，sometimesIwasn\'tnearlysorudeasIfeltlikebeing。
FeelingasIdid，Icouldhardlybeveryamiable。**
OfcoursethisdrivethisafternoonwasallyouraffairandMarjory\'s。But，ofcourse，Ishallbenicetohim。\"
\"AndwhatofallthisNoraBlackbusiness？\"askedtheprofessor，with，adisplayofvalour，butreallywithmuchtrepidation。
\"Sheisahussy，\"respondedMrs。Wainwrightwithenergy。\"HerconversationinthecarriageonthewaydowntoAgrinionsickenedme!\"
\"IreallybelievethatherplanwassimplytobreakeverythingoffbetweenMarjoryandColeman，\"saidtheprofessor，\"andIdon\'tbelieveshehadany-groundsforallthatappearanceofowningColemanandtherestofit。\"
\"Ofcourseshedidn\'t\"assentedMrs。Wainwright。
Theviciousthing!\"
\"Ontheotherhand，\"saidtheprofessor，\"theremightbesometruthinit。\"
\"Idon\'tthinkso，\"saidMrs。Wainwrightseriously。
Idon\'tbelieveawordofit。\"
\"YoudonotmeantosaythatyouthinkColemanamodelman？\"demandedtheprofessor。
\"Notatall!Notatall!\"shehastilyanswered。
\"But**onedoesn\'tlookformodelmenthesedays。\"
\"\'Whotoldyouhemadefifteenthousandayear？
askedtheprofessor。
\"ItwasPeterTounleythismorning。Weweretalkingupstairsafterbreakfast，andheremarkedthatheifcouldmakefifteenthousand，ayear:likeColeman，he\'d-I\'veforgottenwhat-somefancifulthing。\"
\"Idoubtifitistrue，\"mutteredtheoldmanwagginghishead。
\"Ofcourseit\'strue，\"saidhiswifeemphatically。
\"PeterTounleysayseverybodyknowsit。\"
Well*anyhow*moneyisnoteverything。\"
Butit\'sa。greatdeal，youknowwellenough。Youknowyouarealwaysspeakingofpovertyasanevil，asagrandresultant，acollaborationofmanylesserevils。Well，then？
\"But，\"begantheprofessormeekly，whenIsaythatImean-\"
\"Well，moneyismoneyandpovertyispoverty，\"
interruptedhiswife。\"Youdon\'thavetobeverylearnedtoknowthat。\"
\"IdonotsaythatColemanhasnotaverynicethingofit，butImustsayitishardtothinkofhisgettinganysuchsum，asyoumention。\"
\"Isn\'theknownasthemostbrilliantjournalistinNewYork？\"shedemandedharshly。
\"Y-yes，aslongasitlasts，butthenoneneverknowswhenhewillbeoutinthestreetpenniless。
Ofcoursehehasnoparticularabilitywhichwouldbemarketableifhesuddenlylosthispresentemployment。
Ofcourseitisnotasifhewasareallytalentedyoungman。
Hemightnotbeabletomakehiswayatallinanynewdirection。\"
\"Idon\'tknowaboutthat，\"saidMrs。Wainwrightinreflectiveprotestation。\"Idon\'tknowaboutthat。
Ithinkhewould。\"
\"Ithoughtyousaidamomentago-\"Theprofessorspokewithanairofpuzzledhesitancy。\"I
thoughtyousaidamomentagothathewouldn\'tsucceedinanythingbutjournalism。\"
Mrs。Wainwrightswamoverthesituationwithafinetranquility。\"Well-I-I，\"sheansweredmusingly，\"ifIdidsaythat，Ididn\'tmeanitexactly。\"
\"No，Isupposenot，\"spoketheprofessor，andde-
spitethenecessityforcautionhecouldnotkeepoutofhisvoiceafaintnoteofannoyance。
\"Ofcourse，\"continuedthewife，\"RufusColemanisknowneverywhereasabrilliantman，averybrilliantman，andheevenmightdowellin-inpoliticsorsomethingofthatsort。\"
\"IhaveaverypooropinionofthatkindofamindwhichdoeswellinAmericanpolitics，\"saidthepro-
fessor，speakingasacollegian，\"butIsupposetheremaybesomethinginit。\"
\"Well，atanyrate，\"decidedMrs。Wainwright。
\"Atanyrate-\"
Atthatmoment，Marjoryattiredforluncheonandthedriveenteredfromherroom，andMrs。Wainwrightcheckedtheexpressionofherimportantconclusion。
Neitherfatherormotherhadeverseenhersoglowingwithtriumphantbeauty，abeautywhichwouldcarrythemindofaspectatorfarabovephysicalappreciationintothatrealmofpoetrywherecreaturesoflightmoveandarebeautifulbecausetheycannotknowpainoraburden。Itcarriedtearstotheoldfather\'seyes。Hetookherhands。\"Don\'tbetoohappy，mychild，don\'tbetoohappy，\"headmonishedhertremulously。\"Itmakesmeafraid-itmakesmeafraid。\"
CHAPTERXXX
ITseemsstrangethattheonewhowasthemosthilariousovertheengagementofMarjoryandCole-
manshouldbeColeman\'sdragomanwhowasindeedinastateborderingontransport。Itisnotknownhowhelearnedthegladtidings，butitiscertainthathelearnedthembeforeluncheon。Hetoldallthevisibleemployesofthehotelandallowedthemtoknowthatthebetrothalreallyhadbeenhishandi-workHehadarrangedit。Hedidnotmakequiteclearhowhehadperformedthisfeat，butatleasthewasperfectlyfrankinacknowledgingit。
Whensomeofthestudentscamedowntoluncheon，theysawhimbutcouldnotdecidewhatailedhim。
Hewasinthemaincorridorofthehotel，grinningfromeartoear，andwhenheperceivedthestudentshemadesignstointimatethattheypossessedincom-
monajoyoussecret。\"What\'sthematterwiththatidiot？\"askedCokemorosely。\"Looksasifhiswheelsweregoingaroundtoofast。\"
PeterTounleywalkedclosetohimandscannedhimimperturbably，butwithcare。\"What\'sup，Phidias？\"Themanmadenoarticulatereply。Hecontinuedtogrinandgesture。\"Paininootummy？
Motherdead？Caughtthecholera？Foundoutthatyou\'veswallowedapairofhammeredbrassandironsinyourbeer？Say，whoareyou，anyhow？\"
Buthecouldnotshakethisinvincibleglee，sohewentaway。
Thedragoman\'srapturereacheditszenithwhenColemanlenthimtotheprofessorandhewascommissionedtobringacarriageforfourpeopletothedooratthreeo\'clock。Hehimselfwastositontheboxandtellthedriverwhatwasrequiredofhim。Hedashedoff，hishatinhishand，hishairflying，puffing，importantbeyondeverything，andapparentlybabblinghismissiontohalfthepeoplehemetonthestreet。Inmostcountrieshewouldhavelandedspeedilyinjail，butamongapeoplewhoexistonabasisof\'jibbering，hisviolentgabblearousednosuspicionsastohissanity。However，hestirredseveralliverystablestotheirdepthsandsetmenrunninghereandtherewildlyandforthemostpartfutiltiy。
Atfifteenminutestothreeo\'clock，acarriagewithitshorsesonagalloptorearoundthecorneranduptothe。frontofthehotel，whereithaltedwiththepompandexcitementofafireengine。Thedragomanjumpeddownfromhisseatbesidethedriverandscrambledhurriedlyintothehoiel，inthegloomofwhichhemetaserenestillnesswhichwaspunctuatedonlybytheleisurelytinkleofsilverandglassinthediningroom。Foramomentthedragomanseemedreallyastoundedoutofspecch。Thenheplungedintothemanager\'sroom。WasitconceivablethatMonsieurColemanwasstillatluncheon？Yes；infact，itwastrue。Butthecarriage，wasatthedoor!
Thecarriagewasatthedoor!Themanager，undisturbed，askedforwhathourMonsieurColemanhadbeenpleasedtoorderacarriage。Threeo\'clock!
Threeo\'clock？Themanagerpointedcalmlyattheclock。Verywell。Itwasnowonlythirteenminutesofthreeo\'clock。MonsieurColemandoubtlesswouldappearatthree。UntilthathourthemanagerwouldnotdisturbMonsieurColeman。Thedragomanclutchedbothhishandsinhishairandcastalookofagonytotheceiling。GreatGod!Hadheaccomplishedtheherculeantaskofgettingacarriageforfourpeopletothedoorofthehotelintimeforadriveatthreeo\'clock，onlytomeetwiththisstoniness，thisinhumanity？Ah，itwasunendurable？Hebeggedthemanager；heimploredhim。Butateveryword。
themanagerseemedtogrowmoreindifferent，morecallous。Hepointedwithawoodenfingerattheclock-face。Inreality，itisthus，thatGreekmeetsGreek。
ProfessorWainwrightandColemanstrolledtogetheroutofthediningroom。Thedragomanrushedecstaticallyuponthecorrespondent。\"Oh，MeesterColeman!
Thecargeisready!\"
\"Well，allright，\"saidColeman，knockingashesfromhiscigar。\"Don\'tbeinahurry。Isupposewe\'llbeready，presently。\"Themanwasindespair。
ThedepartureoftheWainwrightsandColemanonthisordinarydrivewasofasomewhatdramaticandpublicnature，Nooneseemedtoknowhowtopreventitsbeingso。Inthefirstplace，theattendantsthrongedoutenmasseforareasonwhichwasplainatthetimeonlytoColeman\'sdragoman。And，ratherinthebackground，lurkedtheinterestedstudents。
Theprofessorwassurprisedandnervous。Colemanwasrigidandangry。Marjorywasflushedandsomewhathurried，andMrs。Wainwrightwasasproudasanoldturkey-hen。
Asthecarriagerolledaway，PeterTounleyturnedtohiscompanionsandsaid:\"Now，that\'sofficial!
Thatistheofficialannouncement!DidyouseeOldMotherWainwright？Oh，myeye，wasn\'tshepuffedup!Say，whatinhelldoyousupposeallthesejayhawkingbell-boyspouredouttothekerbfor？Gobacktoyourcages，mygoodpeople-\"
Assoonasthecarriagewheeledintoanotherstreet，itsoccupantsexchangedeasiersmiles，andtheymusthaveconfessedinsomesubtlewayofglancesthatnowatlasttheywereupontheirownmission，amissionundefinedbutearnesttothemall。
Colemanhadagladfeelingofbeingletintothefamily，orbecomingoneofthemTheprofessorlookedsidewaysathimandsmiledgently。\"Youknow，Ithoughtofdrivingyoutosomeruins，butMarjorywouldnothaveit。Sheflatlyobjectedtoanymoreruins。SoIthoughtwewoulddrivedowntoNewPhalerum。\"
Colemannoddedandsmiledasifhewereimmenselypleased，butofcourseNewPhalerumwastohimnomorenor-lessthanVladivostokorKhartoum。
Neitherplacenordistancehadinterestforhim。
Theysweptalongashadedavenuewherethedustlaythickontheleaves；theypassedcafeswherecrowdswereangrilyshoutingoverthenewsinthelittlepapers；
theypassedahospitalbeforewhichwoundedmen，whitewithbandages，weretakingthesun；thencamesoontotheandvalleyflankedbygauntnakedmountains，whichwouldleadthemtothesea。Sometimestoaccentuatethedrynakednessofthisvalley，therewouldbeapatchofgrassuponwhichpoppiesburnedcrimsonspots。Thedustwrithedoutfromunderthewheelsofthecarriage；inthedistancetheseaappeared，abluehalf-discsetbetweenshouldersofbarrenland。ItwouldbecommontosaythatColemanwasoblivioustoallabouthimbutMarjory。Onthecontrary，theparchedland，theisolatedflameofpoppies，thecoolairfromthesea，allwerekeenlyknowntohim，andtheyhaddevelopedanextraordinarypowerofblendingsympatheticallyintohismood。Meanwhiletheprofessortalkedagreatdeal。
Andasasomewhatexhilaratingdetail，ColemanperceivedthatMs。Wainwrightwasbeaminguponhim。
AtNewPhalerum-asmallcollectionofpalesquarevillas-theyleftthecarriageandstrolled，bythesea。
Thewavesweresnarlingtogetherlikewolvesamidthehoneycombrocksandfromwheretheblueplanesprangleveltothehorizon，cameastrongcoldbreeze，thekindofabreezewhichmovesanexultingmanoraparsontotakeoffhishatandlethislocksflutterandtugbackfromhisbrow。
TheprofessorandMrs。Wainwrightwerelefttothemselves。
MarjoryandColemandidnotspeakforatime。Itmighthavebeenthattheydidnotquiteknowwheretomakeabeginning。AtlastMarjoryasked:
\"Whathasbecomeofyoursplendidhorse？\"
\"Oh，I\'vetoldthedragomantohavehimsoldassoonashearrives，\"saidColemanabsently。
\"Oh。I\'msorry**Ilikedthathorse。\"
\"Why？\"
\"Oh，because-\"
\"Well，hewasafine-\"Thenhe，too，interruptedhimself，forhesawplainlythattheyhadnotcometothisplacetotalkaboutahorse。Thereathemadespeechofmatterswhichatleastdidnotaffordasmanyopportunitiesforcoherencyaswouldthehorse。Marjory，itcan\'tbetrue***Isittrue，dearest**Icanhardlybelieveit-I-\"
\"Oh，IknowI\'mnotnearlygoodenoughforyou。\"
\"Goodenoughforme，dear？
\"Theyalltoldmeso，andtheywereright!Why，eventheAmericanministersaidit。Everybodythinksit。\"
\"Why，aren\'ttheywretchesTothinkofthemsayingsuchathing!Asif-asifanybodycouldbetoo——\"
\"Doyouknow-\"Shepausedandlookedathimwithacertaintimidchallenge。\"Idon\'tknowwhyIfeelit，but-sometimesIfeelthatI\'vebeenI\'vebeenflungatyourhead。\"
Heopenedhismouthinastonishment。\"Flungatmyhead!
Sheheldupherfinger。\"AndifIthoughtyoucouldeverbelieveit!\"
\"Isagirlflungataman\'sheadwhenherfathercarriesherthousandsofmilesawayandthemanfollowsherallthesemiles，andatlast-\"
\"Hereyeswereshining。\"AndyoureallycametoGreece-onpurposeto-to-\"
\"Confessyouknewitallthetime!Confess!\"
Theanswerwasmuffled。\"Well，sometimesI
thoughtyoudid，andatothertimesIthoughtyou-
didn\'t。\"
Inasecludedcove，inwhichthesea-maidsoncehadplayed，nodoubt，MarjoryandColemansatinsilence。
Hewasbelowher，andifhelookedatherhehadtoturnhisglanceobliquelyupward。Shewasstaringattheseawithwoman\'smysticgaze，agazewhichmenatoncereverenceandfearsinceitseemstolookintothedeep，simpleheartofnature，andmenbegintofeelthattheirpettywisdomsarefutiletocontrolthesestrangespirits，aswaywardasnatureandaspureasnature，wildastheplayofwaves，sometimesasunalterableasthemountainamidthewinds；andtomeasurethem，manmustperforceuseamathematicalformula。
Hewishedthatshewouldlayherhanduponhishair。Hewouldbehappythen。Ifshewouldonly，ofherownwill，touchhishairlightlywithherfingers-ifshewoulddoitwithanunconsciousairitwouldbeevenbetter。Itwouldshowhimthatshewasthinkingofhim，evenwhenshedidnotknowshewasthinkingofhim。
Perhapshedaredlayhisheadsoftlyagainstherknee。
Didhedare？
Ashisheadtouchedherknee，shedidnotmove。
Sheseemedtobestillgazingatthesea。Presentlyidlycaressingfingersplayedinhishairneartheforehead。Helookedupsuddenlyliftinghisarms。
Hebreathedoutacrywhichwasladenwithakindofdiffidentferocity。\"Ihaven\'tkissedyouyet-\"