Thewomanhadsuspendedknittingandwasgazingintentlyacrossthehollowtothewest，wheretheroadfromthenorthenteredthelandscape。Susanturnedhereyesinthatdirection。Twohorsemenatagallopweremovingsouthward。Thegirlwaswellscreened，butinstinctivelyshedrewstillfurtherbackbehindthebushes——butnotsofarthatthetwoonhorseback，ridingsoeagerly，wereoutofherview。Theroaddippedintothehollow。
thegallopinghorsemendisappearedwithit。Susanshiftedhergazetothepointonthebrowofthehillwheretheroadreappeared。Shewasquiveringineverynerve。Whentheycameintoviewagainshewouldknow。
Theplaceshewaswatchingswambeforehereyes。Suddenlythetwo，stillatagallop，roseuponthecrestofthehill。JebandherUncleZeke！Hervisioncleared，hernervesteadied。
Theydidnotdrawreinuntiltheywereattheroadgateofthelittlehouse。Thewomanrose，putdownherknittingintheseatofherstiff，rush-bottomedrocker，advancedtothefence。Theairwasstill，butSusancouldnothearasound，thoughshecranedforwardandstrainedherearstotheuttermost。Sheshrankasifshehadbeenstruckwhenthethreebegantogazeupattherock——togaze，itseemedtoher，attheveryspotwhereshewasstanding。Washerscreenlessthickthanshethought？
Hadtheyseen——ifnother，perhapspartofherdress？
WildlyherheartbeatasJebdismountedfromhishorsethemarebehindwhichshehadmadeherweddingjourney——andstoodinthegateway，talkingwiththewomanandlookingtowardthetopoftherock。ZekeWarhamturnedhishorseandbegantorideslowlyaway。Hegotasfarasthebrowofthehill，withJebstillinthegateway，hesitating。ThenSusanheard：
“Holdon，Mr。Warham。Ireckonyou”reright。”
Warhamhaltedhishorse，Jebremountedandjoinedhim。Asthewomanreturnedtowardthebackdoorstep，thetwomenrodeatawalkdownintothehollow。Whentheyreappeareditwasontheroadbywhichtheyhadcome。Andthegirlknewthepursuitinthatdirection——therightdirection——wasover。Tremblingandwithaflutteringinherbreastliketheflappingofabird”swings，shesanktotheground。Presentlysheburstintoapassionoftears。Withoutknowingwhy，shetoreofftheweddingringwhichuntilthenshehadforgotten，andflungitoutamongthetreetops。Afewminutes，andshedriedhereyesandstoodup。Thetwohorsemenwereleavingthelandscapeatthepointatwhichtheyhadenteredit。Thegirlwouldnothaveknown，wouldhavebeenfrightenedby，herownfacehadsheseenitasshewatchedthemgooutofhersight——outofherlife。Shedidnotunderstandherself，forshewasatthatagewhenoneisnomoreconsciousoftheforceslockedupwithinhisunexploredanduntestedcharacterthanthedynamitecartridgeisofitssecretsofpowerandterror。
CHAPTERXI
SHEfeltfreetogonow。Shewalkedtowardtheplacewhereshehadlefttheeggs。Itwasonthesideoftherockoverlookingthecreek。Assheknelttoremovetheleaves，sheheardfromfarbelowaman”svoicesinging。Sheleanedforwardandglanceddownatthecreek。Inamomentappearedayoungmanwithafishingrodandabagslungoverhisshoulder。Hisgrayandwhitestripedflanneltrouserswererolledtohisknees。Hisfairskinandthefairhairwavingabouthisforeheadwereexposedbytheflapping-brimmedstrawhatsetuponthebackofhishead。Hisvoice，astrongandmanlytenor，wassendingupthosesteepsasongshehadneverheardbefore——asonginItalian。Shehadnotseenwhathelookedlikewhensherememberedherselfandhastilyfellbackfromview。Shedroppedtothegrassandcrawledouttowardtheledge。Whensheshowedherfaceitsohappenedthathewaslookingstraightather。
“Hello！“heshouted。“Thatyou，Nell？“
Susandrewback，herbloodinatumult。Frombelow，afterabriefsilence，cameaburstoflaughter。
Shewaitedalongtime，thenthroughashieldofbunchesofgrasslookedagain。Theyoungmanwasgone。Shewishedthathehadresumedhissong，forshethoughtshehadneverheardonesobeautiful。Becauseshedidnotfeelsafeindescendinguntilhewaswelloutoftheway，andbecauseshewassocomfortablelyingthereintheafternoonsunshinewatchingthebirdsandlisteningtothem，shecontinuedonthere，glancingnowandthenatwherethecreekenteredandwhereitleftherrangeofvision，tomakesurethatnooneelseshouldcomeandcatchher。
Suddenlysoundedavoicefromsomewherebehindher：
“Hey，Nell！I”mcoming！“
Shesprangtoherfeet，facedabout；andCrusoewasnotmoreagitatedwhenhesawtheprintofthenakedfootonhisisland”sstrand。Thestrawhatwiththeflappingbrimwasjustliftingabovetheedgeoftherockattheoppositeside，wherethepathwas。Shecouldnotescape；theshelfofferednohidingplace。
Nowtheyoungmanwassteppingtothelevel，pantingloudly。
“Gee，whataclimbforahotday！“hecried。“Whereareyou？“
WiththathewaslookingatSusan，lessthantwentyyardsawayanddrawnupdefiantly。Hestared，tookoffhishat。Hehadclose-croppedwavyhairandeyesasgrayasSusan”sown，butitwasablue-grayinsteadofviolet。Hisskinwasfair，too，andhisexpressionintelligentandsympathetic。Inspiteofhishat，andhisbluecottonshirt，andtrousersrolledhighonbaresunburnedlegs，therewasnothingoftheyokelabouthim。
“Ibegyourpardon，“heexclaimedhalfhumorously。“IthoughtitwasmycousinNell。”
“No，“saidSusan，disarmedbyhiscourtesyandbythefrankengagingmannerofit。
“Ididn”tmeantointrude。”Heshowedwhiteteethinabroadsmile。“Iseefromyourfacethatthisisyourprivatedomain。”
“Oh，no——notatall，“stammeredSusan。
“Yes，Iinsist，“repliedhe。“Willyouletmestayandrestaminute？Iranroundtherockandclimbedprettyfast。”
“Yes——do，“saidSusan。
Theyoungmansatonthegrassnearwherehehadappeared，andcrossedhislonglegs。Thegirl，muchembarrassed，lookeduneasilyabout。“Perhapsyou”dsit，too？“suggestedhe，aftereyeingherinafriendlywaythatcouldnotcauseoffenseandsomehowdidnotcauseanygreatuneasiness。
Susanhesitated，wenttotheshadowofalittletreenotfarfromhim。Hewasfanninghisflushedfacewithhishat。Thecollarofhisshirtwasopen；below，wherethetanendedabruptly，hisskinwasbeautifullywhite。Nowthatshehadbeendiscovered，itwasaswelltobepleasant，shereasoned。“It”safineday，“sheobservedwithagrown-upgravitythatmuchamusedhim。
“Notforfishing，“saidhe。“Icaughtnothing。Youareastrangerintheseparts？“
Susancoloredandalookofterrorflittedintohereyes。“Yes，“
sheadmitted。“I”m——I”mpassingthrough。”
Theyoungmanhadallhecoulddotoconcealhisamusement。
Susanflusheddeeplyagain，notbecauseshesawhisexpression，forshewasnotlookingathim，butbecauseherremarkseemedtoherabsurdandlikelytorousesuspicion。
“Isupposeyoucameupheretoseetheview，“saidtheman。Heglancedround。“It_is_prettygood。You”renotvisitingdownBrooksburgway，byanychance？“
“No，“repliedSusan，rathercomposedlyanddeterminedtochangethesubject。“WhatwasthatsongIheardyousinging？“
“Oh——youheard，didyou？“laughedhe。“It”stheDuke”ssongfrom`Rigoletto。”“
“That”sanopera，isn”tit——like`Trovatore”？“
“Yes——anItalianopera。Sameauthor。”
“It”sabeautifulsong。”Itwasevidentthatshelongedtoaskhimtosingit。Shefeltateasewithhim；hewassounaffectedandsimple，wasoneofthosepeoplewhoseemtobeathomewherevertheyare。
“Doyousing？“heinquired。
“Notreally，“repliedshe。
“NeitherdoI。Soifyou”llsingtome，I”llsingtoyou。”
Susanlookedroundinalarm。“Oh，dear，no——pleasedon”t，“shecried。
“Whynot？“heaskedcuriously。“Thereisn”tasoulabout。”
“Iknow——but——really，youmustn”t。”
“Verywell，“saidhe，seeingthathernervousnesswasnotatallfrombeingaskedtosing。Theysatquietly，shegazingoffatthehorizon，hefanninghimselfandstudyingherlovelyyoungface。Hewassomewhereintheneighborhoodoftwenty-fiveandacloseobserverwouldhavesuspectedhimofanunusualamountofexperience，evenforagood-looking，expansiveyouthofthatage。
Hebrokethelongsilence。“I”manewspapermanfromCincinnati。
I”monthe_Commercial_there。Myname”sRoderickSpenser。Myfather”sClaytonSpenser，downatBrooksburg“——hepointedtothesoutheast”beyondthathillthere，ontheriver。I”mhereonmyvacation。”Andhehalted，lookingatherexpectantly。
Itseemedtoherthattherewasincourtesynoescapewithoutareturnbiographicalsketch。Shehungherhead，twistedhertaperingfingersinherlap，andlookedchildishlyembarrassedandunhappy。Anotherlongsilence；againhebrokeit。“You”llpardonmysayingso，but——you”reveryyoung，aren”tyou？“
“Notso——so_terribly_young。I”malmostseventeen，“repliedshe，glancingthiswayandthat，asifthinkingofflight。
“Youlooklikeachild，yetyoudon”t，“hewenton，andhisfrank，honestvoicecalmedher。“You”vehadsomepainfulexperience，I”dsay。”
Shenodded，hereyesdown。
Apause，thenhe：“Honest，now——aren”tyou——runningaway？“
Sheliftedhereyestohispiteously。“Pleasedon”taskme，“shesaid。
“Ishouldn”tthinkofit，“repliedhe，withagentlenessinhispersistencethatmadeherfeelstillmoreliketrustinghim，“ifitwasn”tthat——
“Well，thisworldisn”ttheeasiestsortofaplace。Lotsofroughstretchesintheroad。I”vestruckseveralandI”vealwaysbeengladwhensomebOdyhasgivenmealift。AndIwanttopassiton——ifyou”llletme。It”ssomethingweoweeachother——don”tyouthink？“
Thewordswerefineenough；butitwasthevoiceinwhichhesaidthemthatwenttoherheart。Shecoveredherfacewithherhandsandreleasedherpentemotions。Hetookapackageoftobaccoandasheafofpapersfromhistrouserspocket，rolledandlightedacigarette。Afterawhileshedriedhereyes，lookedathimshamefacedly。Buthewasallunderstandingandsympathy。
“Nowyoufeelbetter，don”tyou？“
“Much，“saidshe。Andshelaughed。“IguessI”mmoreupsetthanIletmyselfrealize。”
“Sorryyoulefthome？“
“Ihaven”tanyhome，“answeredshesimply。“AndIwouldn”tgobackalivetotheplaceIcamefrom。”
Therewasaqualityintheenergysheputintoherwordsthatmadehimthoughtful。Hecounseledwiththeendofhiscigarette。
Finallyheinquired：
“Whereareyouboundfor？“
“Idon”tknowexactly，“confessedshe，asifitwereasmallmatter。
Heshookhishead。“Iseeyouhaven”tthefaintestnotionwhatyou”reupagainst。”
“Oh，I”llgetalong。I”mstrong，andIcanlearn。”
Helookedathercriticallyandrathersadly。
“Yes——youarestrong，“saidhe。“ButIwonderifyou”restrongenough。”
“Ineverwassickinmylife。”
“Idon”tmeanthat……I”mnotsureIknowjustwhatIdomean。”
“IsitveryhardtogettoChicago？“inquiredshe。
“It”seasiertogettoCincinnati。”
Sheshookherheadpositively。“Itwouldn”tdoformetogothere。”
“Oh，youcomefromCincinnati？“
“No——butI——I”vebeenthere。”
“Oh，theycaughtyouandbroughtyouback？“
Shenodded。Thisyoungmanmustbeverysmarttounderstandsoquickly。
“Howmuchmoneyhaveyougot？“heaskedabruptly。
Buthisfearthatshewouldthinkhimimpertinentcameofanunderestimateofherinnocence。“Ihaven”tgotany，“repliedshe。“Iforgotmypurse。Ithadthirtydollarsinit。”
Atonceherecognizedtheabsolutechild；onlyutterinexperienceoftheworldcouldspeakofsosmallasumsorespectfully。“Idon”tunderstandatall，“saidhe。“Howlonghaveyoubeenhere？“
“Allday。Igothereearlythismorning。”
“Andyouhaven”thadanythingtoeat！“
“Oh，yes！Ifoundsomeeggs。I”vegottwoleft。”
Twoeggs——andnomoneyandnofriends——andawoman。Yetshewasfacingthefuturehopefully！Hesmiled，withtearsinhiseyes。
“Youmustn”ttellanybodyyousawme，“shewenton。“Nomatterwhattheysay，don”tthinkyououghttotellonme。”
Helookedather，sheathim。Whenhehadsatisfiedhimselfhesmiledmostreassuringly。“I”llnot，“washisanswer，andnowshe_knew_shecouldtrusthim。
Shedrewabreathofrelief，andwentonasiftalkingwithanoldfriend。“I”vegottogetalongwaysfromhere。Assoonasit”sdarkI”mgoing。”
“Where？“
“Towardtheriver。”Andhereyeslit。
“Theriver？What”sthere？“
“Idon”tknow，“saidshetriumphantly。
Butheunderstood。Hehadthespiritofadventurehimself——onecouldseeitataglance——thespiritthatinstinctivelyshunsyesterdayandallitsworksandwingseagerlyintotomorrow，unknown，different，new——thereforebetter。Butthisgirl，thischild-woman——orwassheratherwoman-child？——penniless，withnothingbuttwoeggsbetweenherandstarvation，alone，withoutplans，withoutexperience——
Whatwouldbecomeofher？……“Aren”tyou——afraid？“heasked。
“Ofwhat？“sheinquiredcalmly。
Itwasthemereunconsciousaudacityofignorance，yethesawinhernow——notfanciedhesaw，butsaw——acertainstrengthofsoul，bothcourageandtenacity。No，shemightsuffer，sink——butshewoulddiefighting，andshewouldnotbeafraid。Andheadmiredandenviedher。
“Oh，I”llgetalongsomehow，“sheassuredhiminthesameself-relianttone。Suddenlyshefeltitwouldnolongergiveherthehorrorstospeakofwhatshehadbeenthrough。“I”mnotveryold，“saidshe，andherswasthefaceofawomannow。“ButI”velearnedagreatdeal。”
“Youaresureyouarenotmakingamistakein——in——runningaway？“
“Icouldn”tdoanythingelse，“repliedshe。“I”mallaloneintheworld。There”snoone——except——
“Ihadn”tdoneanything，andtheysaidIhaddisgracedthem——andthey——”Hervoicefaltered，hereyessank，thecolorfloodedintoherface。“Theygavemetoaman——andhe——Ihadhardlyseenhimbefore——he——”Shetriedbutcouldnotpronouncethedreadfulword。
“Married，youmean？“saidtheyoungmangently。
Thegirlshuddered。“Yes，“sheanswered。“AndIranaway。”
Sostrange，sostartling，somovingwastheexpressionofherfacethathecouldnotspeakforamoment。Achillcreptoverhimashewatchedherwideeyesgazingintovacancy。Whatvisionofhorrorwassheseeing，hewondered。Torouseherhespokethefirstwordshecouldassemble：
“Whenwasthis？“
Thevisionseemedslowlytofadeandshelookedathiminastonishment。“Why，itwaslastnight！“shesaid，asifdazedbythediscovery。“Onlylastnight！“
“Lastnight！Thenyouhaven”tgotfar。”
“No。ButImust。Iwill。AndI”mnotafraidofanythingexceptofbeingtakenback。”
“Butyoudon”trealizewhatmaybe——probablyis——waitingforyou——attheriver——andbeyond。”
“Nothingcouldbesobad，“saidshe。Thewordswerenothing，butthetoneandtheexpressionthataccompaniedthemsomehowconvincedhimbeyondadoubt。
“You”llletmehelpyou？“
Shedebated。“Youmightbringmesomethingtoeat——mightn”tyou？
Theeggs”lldoforsupper。Butthere”stomorrow。Idon”twanttobeseentillIgetalongwaysoff。”
Heroseatonce。“Yes，I”llbringyousomethingtoeat。”Hetookaknockaboutwatchfromthebreastpocketofhisshirt。“It”snowfouro”clock。I”vegotthreemilestowalk。I”llridebackandhitchthehorsedownthecreek——alittlewaysdown，soitwon”tattractattentiontoyourplaceuphere。I”llbebackinaboutanhourandahalf……MaybeI”llthinkofsomethingthat”llhelp。CanIbringyouanythingelse？
“No。Thatis——I”dlikealittlepieceofsoap。”
“Andatowel？“hesuggested。
“Icouldtakecareofatowel，“agreedshe。“I”llsenditbacktoyouwhenIgetsettled。”
“Goodheavens！“Helaughedathersimplicity。“Whatanhonestchildyouare！“Heputouthishand，andshetookitwithcharmingfriendliness。“Good-by。I”llhurry。”
“I”msogladyoucaughtme，“saidshe。Then，apologetically，“I
don”twanttobeanytrouble。Ihatetobetroublesome。I”veneverletanybodywaitonme。”
“Idon”tknowwhenI”vehadasmuchpleasureasthisisgivingme。”Andhemadeabowthathiditsseriousnessbehindasmileofgood-humoredraillery。
Shewatchedhimdescendwithasinkingheart。Therock——theworld——herlife，seemedemptynow。Hehadremindedherthattherewerehumanbeingswithgoodhearts。But——perhapsifheknew，hiskindnesswouldturnalso……No，shedecidednot。
Menlikehim，womenlikeAuntSallie——theydidnotbelievethosedreadful，wickedideasthatpeoplesaidGodhadordained。
Still——ifheknewaboutherbirth——brandedoutcast——hemightchange。Shemustnotreallyhopeforanythingmuchuntilshewasfar，farawayinawhollynewworldwheretherewouldbeawhollynewsortofpeople，ofakindshehadnevermet。Butshewassuretheywouldwelcomeher，andgiveherachance。
Shereturnedtothetreeagainstwhichshehadbeensitting，forthereshecouldlookattheplacehisbigframehadpresseddowninthetallgrass，andcouldseehiminit，andcouldrecallhisfriendlyeyesandvoice，andcouldkeepherselfassuredshehadnotbeendreaming。Hewasacitifiedman，likeSam——buthowdifferent！Amanwithaheartlikehiswouldnevermarryawoman——no，never！Hecouldn”tbeabrutelikethat。Still，perhapsnicemenmarriedbecauseitwassupposedtobetherightthingtodo，andwastheonlywaytohavechildrenwithoutpeoplethinkingyouadisgraceandslightingthechildren——andthenmarryingmadebrutesofthem。Nowonderherunclescouldtreatherso。Theyweremenwhohadmarried。
Afaroffsheheardthemanlyvoicesingingthesongfrom“Rigoletto。”Shesprangupandlistened，witheyessoftlyshiningandheadalittleononeside。Thesongended；herheartbeatfast。Itwasnotmanyminutesbeforeshe，watchingattheendofthepath，sawhimappearatthebottomofthehugecleft。
Andthelookinhiseyes，themerrysmileabouthisexpressivemouth，delightedher。“I”msogladtoseeyou！“shecried。
Overhisshoulderwasflunghisfishingbag，anditbulged。
“Don”tbescaredbythesizeofmypack，“hecalledup，asheclimbed。“We”regoingtohavesuppertogether——ifyou”llletmestay。Thenyoucantakeasmuchoraslittleasyoulikeofwhat”sleft。”
Arrivedatthetop，hehaltedforalongbreath。Theystoodfacingeachother。“My，whatatallgirlyouareforyourage！“
saidheadmiringly。
Shelaughedupathim。“I”llbeastallasyouwhenIgetmygrowth。”
Shewassolovelythathecouldscarcelyrefrainfromtellingherso。Itseemedtohim，however，itwouldbetakinganunfairadvantagetosaythatsortofthingwhenshewasinawayathismercy。“Whereshallwespreadthetable？“saidhe。“I”mhungryasthehorseleech”sdaughter。Andyou——why，youmustbestarved。
I”mafraidIdidn”tbringwhatyoulike。ButIdidthebestI
could。Iraidedthepantry，tookeverythingthatwasportable。”
Hehadsetdownthebagandhadlooseneditsstrings。Firsthetookoutatablecloth。Shelaughed。“Gracious！Howstylishweshallbe！“
“Ididn”tbringnapkins。Wecanusethecornersofthecloth。”
Hehadtwoknives，twoforks，andabigspoonrolledupinthecloth，andasaltcellar。“Now，here”smytriumph！“hecried，drawingfromthebagapairofroastedchickens。Nextcameajarofquincejelly；next，apaperbagwithcoldpotatoesandcoldstringbeansinit。Thenhefishedoutahugesquareofcornbreadandaloafofsalt-risingbread，apoundofbutter——
“Whatwillyourfolkssay？“exclaimedshe，indismay。
Helaughed。“TheyalwayshavethoughtIwascrazy，eversinceI
wenttocollegeandthentothecityinsteadoffarming。”Andoutofthebagcameabigglassjarofmilk。“Iforgottobringaglass！“heapologized。Thenhesuspendedunpackingtoopenthejar。“Why，youmustbehalf-deadwiththirst，upherealldaywithnotadropofwater。”Andheheldoutthejartoher。
“Drinkhearty！“hecried。
Themilkwasrichandcold；shedranknearlyafourthofitbeforeshecouldwrestthejarawayfromherlips。“My，butthatwasgood！“sheremarked。Hehadenjoyedwatchingherdrink。
“Surelyyouhaven”tgotanythingelseinthatbag？“
“Notmuch，“repliedhe。“Here”satowel，wrappedroundthesoap。
Andherearethreecakesofchocolate。Youcouldlivefourorfivedaysonthem，ifyouwereputtoit。Sowhateverelseyouleave，don”tleavethem。And——Oh，yes，here”sacalicoslipandasunbonnet，andapaperofpins。Andthat”sall。”
“Whataretheyfor？“
“Ithoughtyoumightputthemon——theslipoveryourdress——andyouwouldn”tlookquiteso——sooutofplace——ifanybodyshouldseeyou。”
“Whatafineidea！“criedSusan，shakingouttheslipdelightedly。
Hewasspreadingthesupperonthetablecloth。Hecarvedoneofthechickens，openedthejelly，placedthebreadandvegetablesandbutter。“Now！“hecried。“Let”sgetbusy。”
Andhesetheranexampleshewasnotslowtofollow。Thesunhadslippeddownbehindthehillsofthenorthwesthorizon。Thebirdsweretuningfortheireveningsong。Abreezesprangupandcoquettedwiththestraysofherwavydarkhair。Andtheysatcross-leggedonthegrassonoppositesidesofthetableclothandjokedandlaughedandate，andateandlaughedandjokeduntilthestarsbegantoappearinthevastpalingopalofthesky。Theyhadchosenthecenterofthegrassyplatformfortheirbanquet；thus，fromwheretheysatonlythetopsoftreesandtheskyweretobeseen。Andaftertheyhadfinishedsheleanedonherelbowandlistenedwhilehe，smokinghiscigarette，toldherofhislifeasanewspapermaninCincinnati。Thetwilightfadedintodusk，theduskintoascarletdarkness。
“Whenthemooncomesupwe”llstart，“saidhe。“Youcanridebehindmeonthehorsepartoftheway，anyhow。”
Theshadowoftheparting，theendingofthishappiness，felluponher。Howlonelyitwouldbewhenhewasgone！“Ihaven”ttoldyoumyname，“shesaid。
“I”vetoldyoumineRoderickSpenser——withan_s_，nota_c_。”
“Iremember，“saidshe。“I”llneverforget……Mine”sSusanLenox。”
“Whatwasit——before——”Hehalted。
“Beforewhat？“Hissilencesethertothinking。“Oh！“sheexclaimed，inatonethatmadehimcursehisstupidityinremindingher。“Myname”sSusanLenox——andalwayswillbe。Itwasmymother”sname。”Shehesitated，decidedforfranknessatanycost，forhiskindnessforbadehertodeceivehiminanyway。Proudly，“Mymotherneverletanymanmarryher。Theysayshewasdisgraced，butIunderstandnow。_She_wouldn”tstooptoletanymanmarryher。”
Spenserpuzzledoverthis，butcouldmakenothingofit。Hefeltthatheoughtnottoinquirefurther。Hesawheranxiouseyes，herexpressionofonekeyedupandwaitingforaverdict。“I”dhaveonlytolookatyoutoknowyourmotherwasafinewoman，“
saidhe。Then，toescapefromtheneighborhoodofthedangerousriddle，“Now，aboutyour——yourgoing，“hebegan。“I”vebeenthinkingwhattodo。”
“You”llhelpme？“saidshe，todispelherlastdoubt——averyfaintdoubt，forhiswordsandhiswayofutteringthemhaddispelledherrealanxiety。
“Helpyou？“criedheheartily。“AllIcan。I”vegotaschemetoproposetoyou。Yousayyoucan”ttakethemailboat？“
“Theyknowme。I——I”mfromSutherland。”
“Youtrustme——don”tyou？“
“IndeedIdo。”
“Nowlistentome——asifIwereyourbrother。Willyou？“
“Yes。”
“I”mgoingtotakeyoutoCincinnatiwithme。I”mgoingtoputyouinmyboardinghouseasmysister。AndI”mgoingtogetyouaposition。Then——youcanstartinforyourself。”
“Butthat”llbeagreatlotoftrouble，won”tit？“
“NotanymorethanfriendsofminetookformewhenIwasstartingout。”Then，asshecontinuedsilent，“Whatareyouthinking？Ican”tseeyourfaceinthisstarlight。”
“Iwasthinkinghowgoodyouare，“shesaidsimply。
Helaugheduneasily。“I”mnotoftenaccusedofthat，“hereplied。“I”mlikemostpeople——amixtureofgoodandbad——andnotverystrongeitherway。I”mafraidI”mmostlyimpulsethatwinksout。But——thequestionis，howtogetyoutoCincinnati。
It”ssimplyimpossibleformetogotonight。Ican”ttakeyouhomeforthenight。Idon”ttrustmypeople。They”dnotthinkI
wasgood——oryou，either。Andwhileusuallythey”dberight——bothways——thisisanexception。”Thisideaofanexceptionseemedtoamusehim。Hewenton，“Idon”tdareleaveyouatanyfarmhouseintheneighborhood。IfIdid，youcouldbetraced。”
“No——no，“shecried，alarmedattheverysuggestion。“Imustn”tbeseenbyanybody。”
“We”llgostraighttotheriver，andI”llgetaboatandrowyouacrosstoKentucky——overtoCarrollton。There”salittlehotel。
Icanleaveyou——”
“No——notCarrollton，“sheinterrupted。“Myunclesellsgoodsthere，andtheyknowhim。AndifanythingisintheSutherlandpapersaboutme，why，they”dknow。”
“Notwithyouinthatslipandsunbonnet。I”llmakeupastory——aboutourwagonbreakingdownandthatI”vegottowalkbackintothehillstogetanotherbeforewecangoon。
And——it”stheonlyplanthat”satallpossible。”
Obviouslyhewasright；butshewouldnotconsent。Byadroitquestioninghefoundthatherobjectionwasdislikeofbeingsomuchtroubletohim。“That”stooridiculous，“criedhe。“Why，I
wouldn”thavemissedthisadventureforanythingintheworld。”
Hismannerwasconvincingenough，butshedidnotgiveinuntilmoonrisecamewithoutherhavingthoughtofanyotherplan。HewastobeBobPeters，shehissisterKate，andtheyweretohailfromafarmintheKentuckyhillsbackofMilton。TheypracticedthedialectoftheregionandfoundthattheycouldtalkitwellenoughtopassthetestofafewsentencesTheypackedthefishingbag；shewrappedthetwoeggsinpaperandputthemintheemptymilkbottle。Theydescendedbythepath——aslowjourneyinthedarknessofthatsideoftherock，asthereweremanydangers，includingthedangerofmakinganoisethatmightbeheardbysomerestlesspersonatthehouse。Afterhalfanhourtheyweresafelyatthebaseoftherock；theyskirtedit，wentdowntothecreek，foundthehorsetiedwherehehadleftit。Withherseatedsidewaysbehindhimandholdingonbyanarmhalfroundhiswaist，theymadeamerrybutnotveryspeedyadvancetowardtheriver，keepingasnearlyduesouthasthebreaksinthehillspermitted。Afterawhileheasked：“Doyoueverthinkofthestage？“
“I”veneverseenarealstageplay，“saidshe。“ButIwantto——andIwill，thefirstchanceIget。”
“Imeant，didyoueverthinkofgoingonthestage？“
“No。”Sodaringaflightwouldhavebeenimpossibleforababyimaginationinthecageoftherespectable-family-in-a-small-town。
“It”soneofmydreamstowriteplays，“hewenton。“Wouldn”titbequeerifsomedayIwroteplaysforyoutoactin？“
Whenone”sfancyisasfreeaswasSusan”sthen，ittakesanydirectionchancemaysuggest。Susan”sfancyinstantlywingedalongthisfascinatingroute。“I”vegivenrecitationsatschool，andintheplaysweusedtohavetheyletmetakethebestparts——thatis——until——untilayearorsoago。”
Henotedthehesitation，hadaninstinctagainstaskingwhytherehadcomeatimewhenshenolongergotgoodparts。“I”msureyoucouldlearntoact，“declaredhe。“Andyou”llbesureofit，too，afteryou”veseenthepeoplewhodoit。”
“Oh，Idon”tbelieveIcould，“saidshe，inrebuketoherownmountingself-confidence。Then，suddenlyrememberingherbirth-brandofshameandoverwhelmedbyit，“No，Ican”thopetobetobeanythingmuch。Theywouldn”thave——_me_。”
“Iknowhowyoufeel，“repliedhe，allunawareoftherealreasonforthisdeephumility。“WhenIfirststrucktownIfeltthatway。ItseemedtomeIcouldn”thopeevertolineupwiththecleverpeopletheyhadthere。ButIsoonsawtherewasnothinginthatidea。Thefactis，everywhereintheworldthere”salotmorethingstodothanpeoplewhocandothem。
Mostofthosewhogettothetop——wheredidtheystart？Wherewe”restarting。”
Shewasimmenselyflatteredbythat“we“andgratefulforit。
Butsheheldtoheroriginalopinion。“Therewouldn”tbeachanceforme，“saidshe。“Theywouldn”thaveme。”
“Oh，Iunderstand，“saidheandhefanciedhedid。Helaughedgaylyattheideathatinthetheateranyonewouldcarewhoshewas——whatkindofpastshehadhad——orpresenteither，forthatmatter。Saidhe，“Youneedn”tworry。Onthestagetheydon”taskanyquestions——anyquestionsexcept`Canyouact？Canyougetitover？Canyougetthehand？”“
Thenthisstage，itwastheworldshehaddreamedof——theworldwheretherelivedawhollynewkindofpeople——peoplewhocouldmakeroomforher。Shethrilled，andherheartbeatwildly。Inastrangelyquiet，intensevoice，shesaid：
“Iwanttotry。I”msureI”llgetalongthere。I”llwork——Oh，sohard。I”lldo_anything！_“
“That”sthetalk，“criedhe。“You”vegotthestuffinyou。”
Shesaidlittletherestofthejourney。Hermindwasbusywiththeideahehadbymerestaccidentgivenher。Ifhecouldhavelookedinuponherthoughts，hewouldhavebeenamazedandnotalittlealarmedbythefermenthehadsetup。
Wheretheyreachedtheriverthebankwasmudandthickwillows，thehauntofincrediblearmiesofmosquitoes。“It”samysterytome，“criedhe，“whythesefiendsliveinlonelyplacesfarawayfromblood，whenthey”resomadaboutit。”Aftersomesearchinghefoundaclearstretchofsandygravelwhereshewouldbenottoouncomfortablewhilehewasgoneforaboat。HeleftthehorsewithherandwalkedupstreaminthedirectionofBrooksburg。Ashehadwarnedherthathemightbegonealongtime，heknewshewouldnotbealarmedforhim——andshehadalreadyprovedthattimidityaboutherselfwasnotinhernature。
Buthewasalarmedforher——thisgirlaloneinthatlonelydarkness——withlightenoughtomakehervisibletoanyprowler。
Aboutanhourafterheleftherhereturnedinarowboathehadborrowedatthewatermill。Hehitchedthehorseinthedeepshadowofthebreakinthebank。Shegotintotheboat，putontheslipandthesunbonnet，puthersailorhatinthebag。Theypushedoffandhebeganthelonghardrowacrossandupstream。
Themoonwashighnowandwasstillnearenoughtoitsfullglorytopourafloodofbeautifullightuponthebroadriver——thelovelyOhioatitsloveliestpart。
“Won”tyousing？“heasked。
AndwithouthesitationshebeganoneofthesimplefamiliarlovesongsthatwereallthemusictowhichtheSutherlandgirlshadaccess。Shesangsoftly，inadeepsweetvoice，sweetereventhanherspeakingvoice。Shehadthesunbonnetinherlap；themoonshonefulluponherface。Anditseemedtohimthathewasinadream；therewasnowhereasuggestionofreality——notofitsprose，notevenofitspoetry。Onlyinthelandnowakingeyehasseencouldsuchathingbe。Thelowsweetvoicesangoflove，theoarsclickedrhythmicallyinthelocksandclovethewaterwithmusicalsplash；theriver，betweenitssteephills，shoneinthemoonlight，withabreezelikeafriendlyspiritmovinguponitssurface。Heurgedher，andshesanganothersong，andanother。ShesighedwhenshesawtheredlanternontheCarrolltonwharf；andhe，turninghisheadandseeing，echoedhersigh。
“Thefirstchance，youmustsingmethatsong，“shesaid。
“From`Rigoletto”？Iwill。But——ittellshowficklewomenare——`likeafeatherinthewind。”……Theyaren”talllikethat，though——don”tyouthinkso？“
“SometimesIthinkeverybody”slikeafeatherinthewind，“
repliedshe。“Aboutlove——andeverything。”
Helaughed。“Exceptthosepeoplewhoarewherethereisn”tanywind。”
CHAPTERXII
FORsometimeSpenserhadbeenrowingwellintowardtheKentuckyshore，toavoidtheswiftcurrentoftheKentuckyRiverwhichrushesintotheOhioatCarrollton。Afewyardsbelowitsmouth，inthequietstretchofbackwateralongshore，laythewharf-boat，littlemorethanalandingstage。Thehotelwasbutahundredfeetaway，atthetopofthesteeplevee。Itwasmidnight，soeveryoneinthevillagehadlongbeenasleep。AfterseveralminutesofthunderoushammeringRodericksucceededindrawingtothedoorabarefootedmanwithacandleinhishuge，knottedhand——amanofgreatstature，amazinglyleanandlongofleg，withamonstrousheadthatchedandfrontedwithcoarse，yellow-brownhair。Hehadonadirtycottonshirtanddirtycottontrousers——anightdressthatservedequallywellfortheday。Hisfeetwereflatandthickandwerehideouswithcornsandbunions。Susanhadearlybeenmadeacriticalobserveroffeetbytheunusualsymmetryofherown。Shehadseenfewfeetthatwerefittobeseen；butnever，shethought，hadsheseenanexhibitionsorepellent。
“Whatt”hell——”hebegan。Then，discoveringSusan，hegrowled，“Begpardon，miss。”
Roderickexplained——thatis，toldtheprearrangedstory。Themanpointedtoagrimyregisterontheofficedesk，andRodericksetdownthefishingbagandwroteinacramped，scrawlyhand，“KatePeters，Milton，Ky。”
Themanlookedatitthroughhisscreenofhairandbeard，said，“Comeon，ma”am。”
“Justaminute，“saidRoderick，andhedrew“Kate“asideandsaidtoherinalowtone：“I”llbebacksometimetomorrow，andthenwe”llstartatonce。But——toprovideagainsteverything——don”tbealarmedifIdon”tcome。You”llknowIcouldn”thelpit。Andwait。”
Susannodded，lookingathimwithtrustful，gratefuleyes。
“And，“hewentonhurriedly，“I”llleavethiswithyou，totakecareof。It”syoursasmuchasmine。”
Shesawthatitwasapocketbook，instinctivelyputherhandsbehindher。
“Don”tbesilly，“hesaid，withgood-humoredimpatience。“You”llprobablynotneedit。Ifyoudo，you”llneeditbad。Andyou”llpaymebackwhenyougetyourplace。”
Hecaughtoneofherhandsandputthepocketbookinit。Ashisargumentwasunanswerable，shedidnotresistfurther。Sheutterednotawordofthanks，butsimplylookedathim，hereyesswimmingandabouthermouthaquiverthatmeantagreatdealinher。Impulsivelyandwithflamingcheekhekissedheronthecheek。“Solong，sis，“hesaidloudly，andstrodeintothenight。
Susandidnotflush；shepaled。Shegazedafterhimwithsomesuchexpressionasamanlostinacavemighthaveashewatchestheflickeringoutofhisonlylight。“Thisway，ma”am，“saidthehotelmansourly，takingupthefishingbag。Shestarted，followedhimupthenoisystairstoaplain，neatcountrybedroom。“Thepriceofthishere”sonefiftyaday，“saidhe。
“We”vegot”emaslowasadollar。”
“I”lltakeadollarone，please，“saidSusan。
Themanhesitated。“Well，“hefinallysnarled，“businessisslackjes”now。Seein”asyou”realady，youkinhavethishereunfuradollar。”
“Oh，thankyou——butifthepriceismore——”
“Theotherroomsain”tfitfuralady，“saidthehotelman。Thenhegrinnedaveryhumanhumorousgrinthatstraightwaymadehimmuchlessrepulsive。“Anyhow，themtwodurnboysofminean”
theircousinsisasleepin”em。I”dasliefroutoutanestofhornets。I”llleaveyouthecandle。”
AssoonashehadgoneSusanputoutthelight，rantothewindow。ShesawtherowboatandSpenser，ablackspotfaroutontheriver，almostgonefromviewtothesouthwest。Hastilyshelightedthecandleagain，stoodatthewindowandwavedawhitecovershesnatchedfromthetable。Shethoughtshesawoneoftheoarsgoupandflourish，butshecouldnotbesure。Shewatcheduntiltheboatvanishedinthedarknessatthebend。Shefoundthesoapinthebagandtookaslowbutthoroughbathinthewashbowl。Thensheunbraidedherhair，combeditoutaswellasshecouldwithherfingers，rubbeditthoroughlywithatowelandbraideditagain。Sheputonthecalicoslipasanightdress，kneltdowntosayherprayers。Butinsteadofprayerstherecamefloodingintohermindmemoriesofwhereshehadbeenlastnight，ofthehorrors，oftheagoniesofbodyandsoul。Sherosefromherknees，putoutthelight，stoodagainatthewindow。Inafteryearsshealwayslookedbackuponthathourastheonethatdefinitelymarkedtheendofgirlhood，ofthethoughtsandbeliefswhichgowiththeshelteredlife，andthebeginningofwomanhood，ofself-relianceandofthehardiness——sonearakintohardness——thehardinessthatmustcomeintothecharacterbeforeamanorawomanisfittogiveandtakeinthecombatoflife。
Thebedwascoarse，butwhiteandclean。Shefellasleepinstantlyanddidnotawakenuntil，afterthevague，graduallyloudersoundofhammeringonthedoor，sheheardafemalevoicewarningherthatbreakfastwas“putnighoveran”done。”Shegotup，partlydrewononestocking，thenwithouttakingitofftumbledoveragainstthepillowandwasasleep。Whenshecametoherselfagain，thelayoftheshadowstoldheritmustbeaftertwelveo”clock。Shedressed，packedhersergesuitinthebagwiththesailorhat，smoothedoutthepinkcalicoslipandputiton。Formorethanayearshehadwornherhairinabraiddoubleduponitselfandtiedwithabowatthebackofherneck。
Shedecidedthatifshewouldpartit，plaititintwobraidsandbringthemroundherhead，shewouldlookolder。Shetriedthisandwasmuchpleasedwiththeresult。Shethoughtthenewstylenotonlymoregrown-up，butalsomorebecoming。Thepinkslip，too，seemedtoherasuccess。Itcamealmosttoheranklesanditsstringsenabledhertomakeitlooksomethinglikeadress。Carryingthepinksunbonnet，downshewentinsearchofsomethingtoeat。
Thehallwasfullofsmokeanditsairseemedgreasywiththeodoroffrying。Shefoundthatdinnerwasabouttobeserved。A
girlinbluecalicoskirtandfood-smeared，sweat-discoloredbluejerseyusheredhertooneofthetablesinthedining-room。
“There”sagentlemancomin”，“saidshe。“I”llsethimdownwithyou。Hewon”tbite，Idon”treckon，andthereain”tnousemussin”uptwotables。”
Therewasnoprotestingagainsttwosucharguments；soSusanpresentlyhadoppositeherafattishmanwithlongoilyhairandafacelikethatofafallenanddissipatedpreacher。Sherecognizedhimatonceasoneofthosewandererswhovisitsmalltownswithcheapshowsorsellingpatentmedicinesanddoingjugglingtricksonthestreetcornersintheflareofagasolinelamp。Sheeyedhimfurtivelyuntilhecaughtheratit——hebeingaboutthesamebusinesshimself。Thereaftershekepthereyessteadilyuponthetablecloth，patchedandwornthinwithmuchwashing。Soontheplateofeachwasencircledbythefamiliararcofsidedishescontainingassortedandnotveryappetizingmesses——friedsteak，waterypeas，stringybeans，soggyturnips，lumpymashedpotatoes，aperilous-lookingchickenstew，cornbreadwithstreaksofbakingsodainit。Butneitherofthedinerswascritical，andthedinnerwaseatenwithanenthusiasmwhichthebestrarelyinspires。
Withtheprunesanddried-applepie，thestrangerexpanded。
“Warmday，miss，“heventured。
“Yes，itisalittlewarm，“saidSusan。Sheventuredadirectlookathim。Abovethepleasant，kindlyeyestherewasabrowsounusuallywellshapedthatitarrestedevenheryounganduntrainedattention。Whatevertheman”scharacterorstation，therecouldbenoquestionastohisintelligence。
“Thefliesareverybothersome，“continuedhe。“ButnothinglikeAustralia。Theretheflieshavetobepickedoff，andthey”rebig，andtheybite——takeapiecerightoutofyou。Thenativesusedtolaughatuswhenwewereintheringandwouldtrytobrush，emaway。”Thestrangerhadthepleasant，easymannerofonewhothroughcustomofallkindsofpeopleandallvarietiesoffortune，haslearnedtobepatientandgood-humored——totakethedayandthehourastheseasonedgamblertakesthecardsthataredealthim。
Susansaidnothing；butshehadlistenedpolitely。Themanwentonamusinghimselfwithhisownconversation。“Iwasintheshowbusinessthen。Clownwasmyline，butIwasrottenatit——simplyrotten。I”mstillintheshowbusiness——differentline，though。
I”vegotashowofmyown。Ifyou”regoingtobeintownperhapsyou”llcometoseeustonight。Ourboat”sanchoreddownnexttothewharf。Youcanseeitfromthewindows。Come，andbringyourfolks。”
“Thankyou，“saidSusan——shehadforgottenherroleanditsaccent。“ButI”mafraidwe”llnotbehere。”
Therewasanexpressioninthestranger”sface——apuzzled，curiousexpression，notimpertinent，rathercovert——anexpressionthatmadeheruneasy。Itwarnedherthatthismansawshewasnotwhatsheseemedtobe，thathewastryingtopeerintohersecret。Hisbrowneyeswerekindenough，butalarminglykeen。Withonlyhalfherpieeaten，sheexcusedherselfandhastenedtoherroom。
AtthethresholdsherememberedthepocketbookSpenserhadgivenher。Shehadleftitbythefishingbagonthetable。Therewasthebagbutnotthepocketbook。“Imusthaveputitinthebag，“
shesaidaloud，andthesoundandthetoneofhervoicefrightenedher。Shesearchedthebag，thentheroomwhichhadnotyetbeenstraightenedup。Sheshookoutthebedcovers，lookedinallthedrawers，underthebed，wentoverthecontentsofthebagagain。Thepocketbookwasgone——stolen。
Shesatdownontheedgeofthebed，herhandsinherlap，andstaredattheplacewhereshehadlastseenthepocketbook——_his_
pocketbook，whichhehadaskedhertotakecareof。Howcouldshefacehim！Whatwouldhethinkofher，sountrustworthy！Whatareturnforhiskindness！Shefeltweak——soweakthatshelaydown。Thefoodshehadtakenturnedtopoisonandherheadachedfiercely。Whatcouldshedo？Tospeaktotheproprietorwouldbetocauseagreatcommotion，toattractattentiontoherself——andhowwouldthathelptobringbackthestolenpocketbook，takenperhapsbytheproprietorhimself？Sherecalledthatasshehurriedthroughtheofficefromthedining-roomhehadaqueershiftingexpression，gaveherawheedling，cringinggoodmorningnotatallinkeepingwiththecharacterhehadshownthenightbefore。Theslovenlygirlcametodotheroom；Susansentheraway，satbythewindowgazingoutovertheriveranddownstream。Hewouldsoonbehere；thethoughtmadeherlongtoflyandhide。Hehadbeenallgenerosity；andthiswasherwayofappreciatingit！
Theysentforhertocomedowntosupper。Sherefused，sayingshewasnotfeelingwell。Shesearchedtheroom，thebag，againandagain。Shewouldrestafewminutes，thenupshewouldspringandteareverythingout。Thenbacktothewindowtositandstareattheriveroverwhichtheeveningshadowswerebeginningtogather。Once，asshewassittingthere，shehappenedtoseethegaudilypaintedanddecoratedshowboat。A
man——thestrangerofthedinnertable——wasstandingontheforwardend，smokingacigar。Shesawthathewasobservingher，realizedhecouldhaveseenherstirringfeverishlyaboutherroom。Awomancameoutofthecabinandjoinedhim。Assoonashisattentionwasdistractedsheclosedhershutters。Andthereshesatalone，withthehoursdraggingtheirwretchedminutesslowlyaway。
Thatwasoneofthosenightsuponwhichanyonewhohashadthem——andwhohasnot？——looksbackwithwonderathowtheyeverlived，howtheyevercametoanend。Shesleptalittletowarddawn——foryouthandhealthwillnotletthemostdespairingheartsufferinsleeplessness。Herheadachewent，butthemiseryofsoulwhichhadbeenamaddeningpainsettleddownintoathrobbingache。Shefearedhewouldcome；shefearedhewouldnotcome。Theservantstriedtopersuadehertotakebreakfast。
Shecouldnothaveswallowedfood；shewouldnothavedaredtakefoodforwhichshecouldnotpay。Whatwouldtheydowithherifhedidnotcome？Shesearchedtheroomagain，hopingagainsthope，ahundredtimesfancyingshefeltthepurseundersomeotherthings，eachtimesufferingsickeningdisappointment。
Towardnoontheservantcameknocking。“Aletterforyou，ma”am。”
Susanrushedtothedoor，seizedtheletter，toreitopen，read：
WhenIgotbacktothehorseandstartedtomount，hekickedmeandbrokemyleg。YoucangoonsouthtotheL。andN。andtakeatraintoCincinnati。Whenyoufindaboardinghousesendyouraddresstomeattheoffice。I”llcomeinafewweeks。I”dwritemorebutIcan”t。Don”tworry。Everything”llcomeoutright。Youarebraveandsensible，andI_backyoutowin_。
Withtheunsignedlettercrumpledinherhandsshesatatthewindowwithscarcelyamotionuntilnoon。Shethenwentdowntotheshowboat。Severalpeople——menandwomen——wereontheforwardend，quarreling。Shelookedonlyatheracquaintance。
Hisfacewasswollenandhiseyesbloodshot，buthestillworetheairofeasyandpatientgood-humor。Shesaid，standingontheshore，“CouldIspeaktoyouaminute？“
“Certainly，ma”am，“replieshe，liftinghisdingystrawhatwithgaudy，stainedband。Hecamedownthebroadplanktotheshore。
“Why，what”sthematter？“Thisinasympathetictone。
“Willyoulendmetwodollarsandtakemealongtoworkitout？“
sheasked。
Heeyedherkeenly。“Forthehotelbill？“heinquired，thecigartuckedawayinthecornerofhismouth。
Shenodded。
“Hedidn”tshowup？“
“Hebrokehisleg。”
“Oh！“Thetonewaspolitelysympathetic，butincredulous。Heeyedhercritically，thoughtfully。“Canyousing？“hefinallyasked。
“Alittle。”
Hishandsweredeepinthepocketsofhisbaggylighttrousers。
Hedrewoneofthemoutwithatwo-dollarbillinit。“Goandpayhimandbringyourthings。We”reabouttopushoff。”
“Thankyou，“saidthegirlinthesamestolidway。Shereturnedtothehotel，broughtthebagdownfromherroom，stoodattheofficedesk。
Theservantcame。“Mr。Gumpushasjes”steppedout，“saidshe。
“Hereisthemoneyformyroom。”AndSusanlaidthetwo-dollarbillontheregister。
“Ain”tyougoin”towaitfuryer——yerbrother？“
“He”snotcoming，“repliedthegirl。“So——I”llgo。Good-by。”
“Good-by。It”sawful，bein”tooksickawayfromhome。”
“Thankyou，“saidSusan。“Good-by。”
Thegirl”shomely，ignorantfacetwistedinagrin。ButSusandidnotsee，wouldhavebeenindifferenthadsheseen。Sincesheacceptedthewarearthandheavenhaddeclaredagainsther，shehadceasedfromthelittlethoughtshehadoncegiventowhatwasthoughtofherbythoseofwhomshethoughtnotatall。Shewentdowntotheshowboat。Theplankhadbeentakenin。Heracquaintancewaswaitingforher，helpedhertothedeck，jumpedaboardhimself，andwasinstantlybusyhelpingtoguidetheboatoutintomid-stream。Susanlookedbackatthehotel。Mr。Gumpuswasinthedoorway，amusementineverylineofhisuglyface。
Besidehimstoodtheslovenlyservant。Shewascrying——themorehumansecondthoughtofaheartnotaltogethercorruptedbythesordidhardnessofherlot。Howcanfaithinthehumanracefalterwhenoneconsidershowmuchheartithasinspiteofallitsuffersinthestruggleupwardthroughthedensefogsofignoranceupward，towardthetruth，towardthelightofwhichitneverceasestodreamandtohope？
Susanstoodinthesameplace，withherbagbesideher，untilheracquaintancecame。
“Now，“saidhe，comfortably，ashelightedafreshcigar，“we”llfloatpleasantlyalong。IguessyouandIhadbettergetacquainted。Whatisyourname？“
Susanflushed。“KatePetersisthenameIgaveatthehotel。
That”lldo，won”tit？“
“Neverintheworld！“repliedhe。“Youmusthaveagoodcatchyname。Say——er——er——”Herolledhiscigarslowly，lookingthoughtfullytowardthewillowsthickandgreenalongtheIndianashore。“Say——well，say——Lorna——Lorna——LornaSackville！
That”sawinner。LornaSackville！——Astrokeofgenius！Don”tyouthinkso？“
“Yes，“saidSusan。“Itdoesn”tmatter。”
“Butitdoes，“remonstratedhe。“Youareanartist，now，andanartist”snameshouldalwaysarousepleasingandromanticanticipations。It”sliketheodorthatheraldsthedish。Youmustremember，mydear，thatyouhavesteppedoutoftheworldofdullrealityintotheworldofideals，ofdreams。”
Thesoundoftwoharshvoices，onemale，theotherfemale，camefromwithinthecabin——oaths，reproaches。Heracquaintancelaughed。“That”soneonme——eh？Still，whatIsayistrue——oratleastoughttobe。Bytheway，thisistheBurlinghamFloatingPalaceofThespians，floatingtempletothehistrionicart。IamBurlingham——RobertBurlingham。”Hesmiled，extendedhishand。
“Gladtomeetyou，MissLornaSackville——don”tforget！“
Shecouldnotbutreflectasmilesogenuine，sogood-humored。
“We”llgoinandmeettheothers——yourfellowstars——forthisisanall-staraggregation。”
Overthebroadentrancetothecabinwasachintzcurtainstrunguponawire。Burlinghamdrewthisaside。Susanwaslookingintoaroomaboutthirtyfeetlong，abouttwelvefeetwide，andascantsixfeethigh。Acrossitwithanaislebetweenwerenarrowwoodenbencheswithbacks。Attheoppositeendwasastage，withthecurtainupandaportablestoveoccupyingthecenter。Atthestoveawomaninachemiseandunderskirt，withslippersonherbarefeet，wastoilingoverseveralpotsandpanswithforkandspoon。Attheedgeofthestage，withlegsswinging，satanotherwoman，inabluesailorsuitneitherfreshnornotablycleanbutsomehowcoquettish。Twomeninflannelshirtswereseated，oneoneachofthefrontbenches，withtheirbackstoher。
AsBurlinghamwentdowntheaisleaheadofher，hecalledout：
“Ladiesandgentlemen，Iwishtopresentthelatestvaluableadditiontoourcompany——MissLornaSackville，therenownedballadsinger。”
ThetwomenturnedlazilyandstaredatSusan，eachwithanarmhangingoverthebackofthebench。
Burlinghamlookedatthewomanbentoverthestove——afat，middle-agedwomanwiththin，taffy-yellowhairdonesleeklyoverabigratinfrontandmadeintoahugecoilbehindwiththeaidofoneormorefalsebraids。Shehadafatface，abroadexpanseofunpleasant-looking，elderlybosom，big，shapelesswhitearms。
Hercontourwasalmostgone。Herteethwereacuriousmixtureofnatural，gold，andporcelain。“MissAnstruther——MissSackville，“
calledBurlingham。“MissSackville，MissVioletAnstruther。”
MissAnstrutherandSusanexchangedbows——Susan”stimidandfrightened，MissAnstruther”saccompaniedbyahostilestareandahardeningofthefat，decayingface。
“MissConnemora——MissSackville。”Burlinghamwaslookingattheyoungerwoman——shewhosatontheedgeofthelittlestage。She，too，wasablond，butherhairhadtakentothechemicalsomewhatlessreluctantlythanhadMissAnstruther”s，withtheresultthatMissConnemora”slookedgolden。Herface——ofthebabytypemusthavebeensoftlyprettyatonetime——notsoverydistant。Nowlineswerecomingandthehardlookthatisinevitablewithdyedhair。Alsoheroncefineteethwererapidlygoingoff，ashalfadozengoldfillingsinfrontproclaimed。AtSusan”sappealinglookandsmileMissConnemoranoddednotunfriendly。
“GoodGod，Bob，“saidshetoBurlinghamwithalaugh，“areyougoingtogetthebunchofuspinchedforchild-stealing？“
Burlinghamstartedtolaugh，suddenlycheckedhimself，lookeduneasilyandkeenlyatSusan。“Oh，it”sallright，“hesaidwithawaveofthehand。Buthistonebeliedhiswords。Hepuffedtwiceathiscigar，thenintroducedthemen——ElbertEshwellandGregoryTempest——twoofthekindclearlyifinelegantlyplacedbythephrase，“greasyhamfats。”Mr。Eshwell”sblackdyedhairwassmoothlybrusheddownfromacentralpart，Mr。Tempest”siron-grayhairwasgreasilywild——adisarrayofromanticringlets。Eshwellwasinclinedtofat；Tempestwasgauntandhadthehollow，burningeyethatbespeaksthesentimentalass。
“Now，MissSackville，“saidBurlingham，“we”llgoontheforwarddeckandcanvassthesituation。Whatfordinner，Vi？“
“Sameoldrot，“retortedMissAnstruther，wipingthesweatfromherfaceandshoulderswithatowelthatservedalsoasadishcloth。“Porkandbeans——potatoes——peachpie。”
“Cheerup，“saidBurlingham。“Aftertomorrowwe”lldobetter。”
“That”sbeenthecryeversincewestarted，“snappedViolet。
“ForGod”ssake，shutup，Vi，“groanedEshwell。“You”realwayskicking。”
Thecabinwasnotquitethefullwidthofthebroadhouseboat。
Alongtheoutside，betweeneachwallandtheedge，therewasroomforonepersontopassfromforwarddecktorear。Fromthecabinroof，overthereardeck，intothewaterextendedabigrudderoar。WhenSusan，followingBurlingham，reachedthereardeck，shesawthemanatthisoar——afat，amiable-lookingrascal，inlinseywoolseyandabluecheckedshirtopenoverhischestandrevealingamatofcurlygrayhair。BurlinghamhailedhimasPat——hisonlyknownname。ButSusanhadonlyaglanceforhimandnoearatallforthechaffingbetweenhimandtheactor-manager。ShewasgazingattheIndianashore，atatinyvillagesnuggledamongtreesandripenedfieldsclosetothewater”sedge。SheknewitwasBrooksburg。Sherememberedthelongcoveredbridgewhichtheyhadcrossed——Spenserandshe，onthehorse。Tothenorthofthetown，onaknoll，stoodalargeredbrickhousetrimmedwithwhiteverandaandbalconies——farandawaythemostpretentioushouseinthelandscape。Beforethedoorwasahorseandbuggy。Shecouldmakeoutthattherewereseveralpeopleonthefrontveranda，oneofthemamaninblack——thedoctor，nodoubt。Sobschokedupintoherthroat。SheturnedquicklyawaythatBurlinghammightnotsee。Andunderherbreathshesaid，“Good-by，dear。Forgiveme——forgiveme。”
CHAPTERXIII
WOMAN”Sworktable，arockingchairandanotherwithaswaybackthatmadeitfairlycomfortableforlounginggavethereardecktheairofanoutdoorsitting-room，whichindeeditwas。
Burlingham，afteracomprehensiveglanceatthepanoramaofsummerandfruitfulnessthroughwhichtheyweredrifting，sprawledhimselfintheswaybackchair，indicatingtoSusanthatshewastofacehimintherocker。“Sitdown，mydear，“saidhe。
“Andtellmeyouareatleasteighteenandarenotrunningawayfromhome。YouheardwhatMissConnemorasaid。”
“I”mnotrunningawayfromhome，“repliedSusan，blushingviolentlybecauseshewasevadingastothemoreimportantfact。
“Idon”tknowanythingaboutyou，andIdon”twanttoknow，“
pursuedBurlingham，alarmedbytheevidencesofadangeroustendencytocandor。“I”venodesiretohavemyownpastduginto，andturnabout”sfairplay。Youcametometogetanengagement。Itookyou。Understand？“
Susannodded。
“Yousaidyoucouldsing——thatis，alittle。”
“Averylittle，“saidthegirl。
“Enough，nodoubt。Thathasbeenourweakpoint——lackofaballadsinger。Knowanyballads？——Notfancyones。Nothingfancy！
Wecatertotheplainpeople，andtheplainpeopleonlylikethebest——thatis，thesimplest——thethingsthatreachfortheheartstringswithtenstrongfingers。Youdon”thappentoknow`IStoodontheBridgeatMidnight”？“
“No——Ruthsingsthat，“repliedSusan，andcoloredviolently。
Burlinghamignoredtheslip。“`BlueAlsatianMountains”？“
“Yes。Butthat”sveryold。”
“Exactly。Nothingisofanyusetothestageuntilit”sveryold。Audiencesattheatersdon”twantto_hear_anythingtheydon”talreadyknowbyheart。They”vecometo_see_，nottohear。
Soitannoysthemtohavetotrytohear。Doyouunderstandthat？“
“No，“confessedSusan。“I”msorry。ButI”llthinkaboutit，andtrytounderstandit。”Shethoughtshewasshowingherinabilitytodowhatwasexpectedofherinpayingbackthetwodollars。
“Don”tbother，“saidBurlingham。“Pat！“
“Yes，boss，“saidthemanattheoar，withoutlookingorremovinghispipe。
“Getyourfiddle。”
Pattiedtheoarfastandwentforwardalongtheroofofthecabin。WhilehewasgoneBurlinghamexplained，“Afrightfulsouse，Pat——almostequaltoEshwellandfarthesuperiorofTempestorVi——thatis，ofTempest。Buthe”ssteadyenoughforourpurposes，asarule。He”sthepilot，theorchestra，theman-of-all-work，thebilldistributor。Oh，he”sawonder。
GraduateofTrinityCollege，Dublin——yeggman——panhandler——
barrel-housebum——genius，nearly。Hasdrunkasmuchboozeasthereiswaterinthisriver——”
Patwasbackbesidethehandleoftheoar，withaviolin。
BurlinghamsuggestedtoSusanthatshe”dbetterstandwhileshesang，“andifyou”veanytendencytostagefright，rememberit”syourbreadandbuttertogetthroughwell。You”llnotbotheraboutyouraudience。”
Susanfoundthisthoughtapotentstrengthener——thenandafterward。Withsurprisinglylittleembarrassmentshestoodbeforehergood-natured，sympatheticemployer，andwhilePatscrapedoutanaccompanimentsangthepatheticstoryofthe“maidenyoungandfair“andthe“strangerinthespring“who“lingerednearthefountainsjusttohearthemaidensing，“andhowhedepartedafterwinningherlove，andhow“shewillneverseethestrangerwherethefountainsfallagain——ade，ade，ade。”
Hervoicewasdeliciouslyyoungandhadthepatheticqualitythatisneverabsentfromanythingwhichhasenduringcharmforus。TearswereinBurlingham”svoice——tearsforthefateofthemaiden，tearsofresponsetothehauntingpathosofSusan”ssweetcontralto，tearsofjoyattheacquisitionofsucha“number“
forhisprogram。Ashervoicediedawayhebeathisplumphandstogetherenthusiastically。
“She”lldo——eh，Pat？She”llsetthehay-tosserscrazy！“
Susan”sheartwasbeatingfastfromnervousness。Shesatdown。
Burlinghamsprangupandputhishandsonhershouldersandkissedher。Helaughedathershrinking。
“Don”tmind，mydear，“hecried。“It”soneofourways。Now，whatothersdoyouknow？“
Shetriedtorecall，andwithhisassistancefinallydiddiscoverthatshepossessedarepertoireof“goodoldstaleones，“consistingof“ComingThro”theRye，““SuwaneeRiver，“
“AnnieLaurie“and“KathleenMavourneen。”Sheknewmanyothersongs，buteitherPatcouldnotplaythemorBurlinghamdeclaredthem“abovetheheadofReubtherotter。”
“Thosefivearequiteenough，“saidBurlingham。“Tworegulars，twoencores，withathirdincaseofemergency。AfterdinnerMissAnstrutherandI”llfityououtwithacostume。You”llmakeahitatSutherlandtonight。”
“Sutherland！“exclaimedSusan，suddenlypale。“Ican”tsingthere——really，Ican”t。”
BurlinghammadeasignificantgesturetowardPatattheoarabovethem，andwinkedather。“You”llnothavestagefright，mydear。You”llpullthrough。”
SusanunderstoodthatnothingmorewastobesaidbeforePat。
SoonBurlinghamtoldhimtotietheoaragainandretiretothecabin。“I”llstandwatch，“saidhe。“IwanttotalkbusinesswithMissSackville。”
WhenPathadgone，Burlinghamgaveherasympatheticlook。“Noconfidences，mindyou，mydear，“hewarned。“AllIwanttoknowisthatitisn”tstagefrightthat”skeepingyouofftheprogramatSutherland。”
“No，“repliedthegirl。“Itisn”tstagefright。I”m——I”msorryIcan”tbeginrightawaytoearnthemoneytopayyouback。
But——Ican”t。”
“Noteveninavelvetandspanglecostume——Lowneck，shortsleeves，withblondwigandpaintandpowder？You”llnotknowyourself，mydear——really。”
“Icouldn”t，“saidSusan。“I”dnotbeabletoopenmylips。”
“Verywell。That”ssettled。”ItwasevidentthatBurlinghamwasdeeplydisappointed。“WeweregoingtotrytomakeakillingatSutherland。”Hesighed。“However，letthatpass。Ifyoucan”t，youcan”t。”
“I”mafraidyou”reangrywithme，“criedshe。
“I——angry！“Helaughed。“I”venotbeenangryintenyears。I”msucha_damn_，damnfoolthatwithalltheknockslife”sgivenmeIhaven”tlearnedmuch。ButatleastI”velearnednottogetangry。No，Iunderstand，mydear——andwillsaveyouforthenexttownbelow。”Heleanedforwardandgaveherhandsafatherlypatastheylayinherlap。“Don”tgiveitasecondthought，“hesaid。“We”vegotthewholelengthoftheriverbeforeus。”
Susanshowedhergratitudeinherfacebetterfarthanshecouldhaveexpresseditinwords。Thetwosatsilent。Whenshesawhiseyesuponherwiththatlookofsmilingwonderinthem，shesaid，“Youmustn”tthinkI”vedoneanythingdreadful。I
haven”t——really，Ihaven”t。”
Helaughedheartily。“Andifyouhad，you”dnotneedtohangyourheadinthiscompany，mydear。We”reallpeoplewhohave_lived_——andlifeisn”texactlyaclassmeetingwiththeelderstakingturnsatprayingandtheorganwheezingoutgospelhymns。
No，we”veallbeenupagainstitmostofourlives——whichmeanswe”vedonethebestwecouldoftenerthanwe”vehadthechancetodowhatweought。”Hegaveheroneofhiskeenlooks，nodded：
“Ilikeyou……Whatdotheytelloftenestwhenthey”retalkingabouthowyouwereasababy？“
Susandidnotpuzzleoverthequeernessofthisabruptquestion。
Shefelltosearchinghermemorydiligentlyforananswer。“I”mnotsure，butIthinktheyspeakoftenestofhowIneverusedtolikeanybodytotakemyhandandhelpmealong，evenwhenIwasbarelyabletowalk。TheysayIalwaysinsistedontrudgingalongbymyself。”
Burlinghamnodded，slappedhisknee。“Icanbelieveit，“hecried。“IalwaysaskeverybodythatquestiontoseewhetherI”vesited”emupright。IratherthinkIhityouofftoaT——asyoufacedmeatdinneryesterdayinthehotel。Speakingofdinner——let”sgositinontheoneIsmell。”
Theyreturnedtothecabinwhere，tomakeatable，aboardhadbeenswungbetweenthebacksofthesecondandthirdbenchesfromthefrontontheleftsideoftheaisle。Thusthethreemensatonthefrontbenchwiththeirlegsthrustthroughbetweenseatandback，whilethethreewomensatindignityandcomfortonthefourthbench。SusanthoughtthedinnerbynomeansjustifiedMissAnstruther”spessimism。Itwasgoodinitself，andthebetterforbeinginthishappy-go-luckyway，inthishappy-go-luckycompany。Oncetheygotstarted，allthegrouchinessdisappeared。Susan，youngandoptimisticanddeterminedtobepleased，soonbecameaccustomedtothelooksofhernewcompanions——thatmatterofmereexterioraboutwhichweshallowsurface-skimmersmakesuchamightyfuss，thoughinthetestsituationsoflife，greatandsmall，itamountstopreciouslittle。Theywereallhumanbeings，andthegirlwasunspoiled，didnotthinkofthemasfailures，half-wolves，ofnosocialposition，ofnostandingintherespectableworld。Shestillhadmuchofthenaturaldemocracyofchildren，andsheadmiredthesenewfriendswhoknewsomuchmorethanshedid，whohadlived，hadsuffered，hadcomeawayfromhorriblebattlescoveredwithwounds，thescarsofwhichtheywouldbearintothegrave——battlestheyhadlost；yettheyhadnotgivenup，buthadlivedon，smiling，courageous，kindofheart。Itwastheirkindheartsthatmostimpressedher——theirkindtakinginofherwhomthoseshelovedhadcastout——her，theunknownstranger，helplessandignorant。AndwhatSpenserhadtoldheraboutthestageanditspeoplemadeheralmostbelievethattheywouldnotcastherout，thoughtheyknewthedreadfultruthaboutherbirth。
Tempesttoldastorythatwas“broad。”Whiletheotherslaughed，Susangazedathimwithapuzzledexpression。Shewishedtobepolite，toplease，toenjoy。Butwhatthatstorymeantshecouldnotfathom。MissAnstrutherjeeredather。“Lookattheinnocent，“shecried。
“Shutup，Vi，“retortedMissConnemora。“It”snouseforustotrytobeanythingbutwhatweare。Still，letthebabyalone。”
“Yes——letheralone，“saidBurlingham。
“It”llsoakinsoonenough，“MissConnemorawenton。“Nouserubbingitin。”
“What？“saidSusan，thinkingtoshowherdesiretobefriendly，tobeoneofthem。
“Dirt，“saidBurlinghamdryly。“Anddon”taskanymorequestions。”
Whenthethreewomenhadclearedawaythedinnerandhadstowedthedishesinoneofthemanycubbyholesalongthesidesofthecabin，thethreemengotreadyforanap。Susanwasdelightedtoseethemdroptothetopsofthebacksoftheseatsthreeberthswhichfittedsnuglyintothewallswhennotinuse。Shesawnowthattherewerefiveothersofthesamekind，andthattherewasacontrivanceofwiresandcurtainsbywhicheachberthcouldbeshutofftoitself。ShehadathrillingsenseofbeinginakindofSwissFamilyRobinsonstorybookcometolife。Sheunpackedherbag，contributedthefoodinittothecommonstore，spreadouthersergesuitwhichMissAnstrutherofferedtopressandinsistedonpressing，thoughSusanprotestedshecoulddoitherselfquitewell。
“You”llwanttoputitonforthearrivalatSutherland，“saidMabelConnemora。
“No，“repliedSusannervously。“Nottilltomorrow。”
Shesawthecuriouslookinalltheireyesatsightofthatdress，sodifferentfromthecalicoshewaswearing。Mabeltookheroutontheforwarddeckwheretherewasanawningandagoodbreeze。Theysatthere，Mabeltalking，Susangazingraptatlandandwaterandattheactress，andlisteningastoafairystory——fortheactresshadlivedthroughmanyandstrangeexperiencesinthetenyearssincesheleftherfather”sroofinColumbia，SouthCarolina。Susanlistenedandabsorbedasadryspongedroppedintoapailofwater。Atherleisureshewouldthinkitallout，wouldunderstand，wouldlearn。
“Now，tell_me_about_your_self，“saidMabelwhenshehadexhaustedallthereminiscencesshecouldrecallatthemoment——allthatwerefitfora“baby”s“ears。
“Iwill，sometime，“saidSusan，whowasreadyforthequestion。
“ButIcan”t——notyet。”
“Itseemstomeyou”reveryinnocent，“saidMabel，“evenforawell-brought-upgirl。_I_waswellbroughtup，too。IwishtoGodmymotherhadtoldmeafewthings。Butno——notathing。”
“Whatdoyoumean？“inquiredSusan。