Everywhereinthosestreetswereseentheravagesofdisease——rheumatismandricketsandgoiter，wenandtumorsandcancer，childrenwithonlyonearmoroneleg，twistedspines，sunkenchests，distortedhips，scrofulouseyesandnecks，allthesadmarkingsofpoverty”ssuprememisery，theferociouspenaltiesofignorance，stupidityandwant。ButSusan”sburdenofsorrowwasnotonthisaccountoverlooked。
Rafferty，whokeptthesaloonatthecornerandwaschieflieutenanttoO”Frayne，theDistrictLeader，sentforherandhandedheratwenty。“Thatmayhelpsome，“saidhe。
Susanhesitated——gaveitback。“Thankyou，“saidshe，“andperhapslaterI”llhavetogetitfromyou。ButIdon”twanttogetintodebt。Ialreadyowetwenty。”
“Thisain”tdebt，“explainedRafferty。“Takeitandforgetit。”
“Icouldn”tdothat，“saidthegirl。“Butmaybeyou”lllendittome，ifIneeditinaweekorso？“
“Sure，“saidthepuzzledsaloonman——liquorstoreman，hepreferredtobecalled，orpolitician。“Anyamountyouwant。”
Asshewentawayhelookedafterher，sayingtohisbarkeeper：
“Whatdoyouthinkofthat，Terry？Iofferedheratwentyandshesidestepped。”
Terry”sbrotherhadgotdrunkafewdaysbefore，hadkilledawomanandwasonhiswaytothechair。Terryscowledatthebossandsaid：
“She”sgotarightto，ain”tshe？Don”tsheearnhermoneyhonest，withoutharmin”anybodybutherself？Thereain”tmanythatcansaythat——notanythatrunsfactoriesandstoresandholdstheirnosesupasiftheysmelttheirownsins，damn”em！“
“She”sanicegirl，“saidRafferty，saunteringaway。Hewasabroad，tolerantandgood-humoredman；hemadeallowancesforanemployeewhosebrotherwasinformurder。
Susanhadlittletimetospendatthehospital。Shemustnowearnfiftydollarsaweek——nearlydoubletheamountshehadbeenaveraging。Shemustpaythetwenty-fivedollarsforSpenser，thetendollarsforherlodgings。Thentherewasthesevendollarswhichmustbehandedtothepolicecaptain”s“wardman“inthedarknessofsomeentryeveryThursdaynight。
Shehadbeenpayingthepatrolmanthreedollarsaweektokeephiminagoodhumor，andtwodollarstothejanitor”swife；shemightriskcuttingouttheseitemsforthetime，asbothjanitor”swifeandpolicemanweresympathetic。Butontheclosestfiguring，fiftyaweekwouldbarelymeetherabsolutenecessities——wouldgiveherbutsevenaweekforfoodandotherexpensesandnothingtowardrepayingClara。
Fiftydollarsaweek！ShemighthaveabetterchancetomakeitcouldshegobacktotheBroadway-FifthAvenuedistrict。
Buthowevervagueotherimpressionsfromthelifeabouthermighthavebeen，therehadbeenbrandedintoheradeepandterriblefearofthepoliceanomnipotenceascruelasdestinyitself——indeed，thevisibleformofthatsinistergodatpresent。Onceinthepariahclass，oncewitha“policerecord，“andamanorwomanwouldhavetoscalethesteepsofrespectabilityuptoafarloftierheightthanSusaneverdreamedofagainreaching，beforethatmalignandrelentlesspowerwouldabandonitstyranny。Shedidnotdareriskadventuringapartoftownwhereshehadno“pull“andwhere，evenshouldshebychanceescapearrest，FreddiePalmerwouldhearofher；wouldcertainlyrevengehimselfbyhavingherarrestedandmadeanexampleof。IntheGrandStreetdistrictshemuststay，andshemust“stopthenonsense“and“playthegame“——mustbebusinesslike。
Shewenttoseethe“wardman，“O”Ryan，whoundertheguiseofbeingaplainclothesmanordetective，collectedandturnedintothecaptain，whotookhis“bit“andpasseduptherest，allthemoneylevieduponsaloons，dives，procuresses，dealersinunlawfulgoodsofanykindfromopiumandcocainetogirlsfor“hockshops。”
O”Ryanwasahugebruteofaman，hisgreathardfacebearingthescarsofbattlesagainstpistol，knife，bludgeonandfist。
Hewasasourandsavagebrute，hatedandfearedbyeveryoneforhistyranniesoverthehelplesspoorandthehelplessoutcastclass。Hehadprimitivemasculinenotionsastofemininevirtue，intactdespitethelatterdaygeneraldispositiontoconcedetolerationandevenacertainrespectabilitytoprostitutes。ButbysomechancewhichsheandtheothergirlsdidnotunderstandhetreatedSusanwiththeutmostconsideration，madethegangsappreciatethatiftheyannoyedherortriedtodragherintothenetoftributeinwhichtheyhadenmeshedmostofthegirlsworthwhile，hewouldregarditasapersonaldefiancetohimself。
SusanwaitedinthebackroomofthesaloonnearestO”Ryan”slodgingsandsentaboytoaskhimtocome。TheboycamebackwiththeastonishingmessagethatshewastocometoO”Ryan”sflat。Susanwassodoubtfulthatshepausedtoaskthejanitressaboutit。
“It”sallright，“saidthejanitress。“Sincehiswifediedthreeyearsagohimandhisbabylivesalone。There”shisoldmotherbutshe”sgoneout。He”salwaysathomewhenheain”tonduty。Hetakescareofthebabyhimself，thoughithowlsallthetimesomethingawful。”
Susanascended，foundthebigpolicemaninhisshirtsleeves，tryingtosoothethemosthideousmonstrosityshehadeverseen——amisshapen，hairyanimallookinglikeamonkey，likearat，likehalfadozenrepulsiveanimals，andnotatalllikeahumanbeing。Thethingwasclawingandgrowlingandgrindingitsteeth。AtsightofSusanitfixedmalevolenteyesonherandbegantosnapitsteethather。
“Don”tmindhim，“saidO”Ryan。“He”sonlyactingupqueer。”
Susansatnotdaringtolookatthethinglestsheshouldshowheraversion，andnotknowinghowtostateherbusinesswhenthethingwassoclamorous，sofiendishlyuproarious。AfteratimeO”Ryansucceededinquietingit。Heseemedtothinksomeexplanationwasnecessary。Hebeganabruptly，hisgazetenderlyontheawfulcreature，hischild，lyingquietnowinhisarms：
“Mywife——shediedsometimeago——diedwhenthebabyherewasborn。”
“Youspendagooddealoftimewithit，“saidSusan。
“AllIcansparefrommyjob。I”mafraidtotrusthimtoanybody，hebeingkindofdifferent。Then，too，I_like_totakecareofhim。Yousee，it”sallI”vegottoremember_her_
by。I”mkindo”tryin”todowhat_she”d_wantdid。”Hislipsquivered。Helookedathismonstrouschild。“Yes，I_like_
settin”here，thinkin”——andtakin”careofhim。”
Thisbruteofaslavedriver，thiscrueltyrantoverthepoorandthehelpless——yet，thustenderandgentle——thuscapableoftheenormoussacrificeofagreat，purelove！
“_You”ve_gotawayoflookin”outoftheeyesthat”slikeher，“
hewenton——andSusanhadthesecretofhisstrangeforbearancetowardher。“Isupposeyou”vecomeaboutbeingletoffontheassessment？“
AlreadyheknewthewholestoryofRodandthehospital。
“Yes——that”swhyI”mbotheringyou，“saidshe。
“Youneedn”tpaybutfive-fifty。Icanonlyletyouoffadollarandahalf——mybitandthecaptain”s。Wepasstherestonup——andwedon”tdareletyouoff。”
“Oh，Icanmakethemoney，“Susansaidhastily。“Thankyou，Mr。O”Ryan，butIdon”twanttogetanyoneintotrouble。”
“We”vegottherighttoknockoffonedollarandahalf，“saidO”Ryan。“Butifweletyouofftheother，thewordwouldgetupto——towhereverthegraftgoes——andthey”dsenddownalongtheline，tohavemerryhellraisedwithus。Thewholething”sdonesystematic，andtheywon”ttakenoexcuses，won”tallownobreaksinthesystemnowhere。Youcanseeforyourself——it”dgotosmashiftheydid。”
“Somebodymustgetalotofmoney，“saidSusan。
“Oh，it”sdribbledout——andasyougohigherup，Idon”tsupposethemthatgetsitknowswhereitcomesfrom。Thewholeworld”snothingbutgraft，anyhow。SorryIcan”tletyouoff。”
Thethinginhislaphadrecoveredstrengthforafreshfitofmalevolence。Itwastearingatitshairy，hideousfacewithitsclawsandwashowlingandshrieking，thebigfathergentlytryingtosootheit——for_her_sake。Susangotawayquickly。
Shehaltedinthedesertedhallandgavewaytoaspasmofdrysobbing——anoverflowofalltheemotionsthathadbeenaccumulatingwithinher。Inthisworldofnoxiousandrepulsiveweeds，whatsuddenstartlingupshootingofwhatbeautifulflowers！Flowerswhereyouwouldexpecttofindthemostnoisomeweedsofall，andvilestweedswhereyouwouldexpecttofindflowers。Whataworld！
However——thefiftyaweekmustbegot——andshemustbebusinesslike。
MostofthegirlswhotooktothestreetscamedirectfromthetenementsofNewYork，oftheforeigncitiesorofthefactorytownsofNewEngland。Andtheworldover，tenementhouselifeisanexcellentschoolforthelifeofthestreets。Itpreventsmodestyfromdeveloping；itfamiliarizestheeye，theear，thenerves，toallthatisbrutal；ittakesawayfromagirleveryfeelingthatmightactasarestraininginfluenceexceptfear——fearofmaternity，ofdisease，ofprison。Thus，practicallyalltheothergirlshadtheadvantageoverSusan。
Soonaftertheydefinitelyabandonedrespectabilityandappearedinthestreetsfranklymembersoftheprofession，theybecameboldandrapacious。Theyhadaninstinctivefeelingthattheirbusinesswasasreputableasanyother，morereputablethanmanyheldinhighrepute，thatitwouldbemostreputableifitpaidbetterandwerelessuncertain。Theyrespectedthemselvesforallthings，talktothecontraryinthesearchforthesympathyandpitymosthumanbeingscrave。
Theydespisedthemenasutterlyasthemendespisedthem。
Theybargainedasshamelesslyasthemen。Eventhosewhodidnotstealstillfeltthatstealingwasjustifiable；for，inthestreetstheseximpulseshowsstrippedofalldisguise，showsasabrutalmaleappetite，andthefemalefeelsthatheryieldingtoitentitleshertoallshecancompelandcozenandcrib。Susanhadbeenunfittedforherprofession——asforallactive，unshelteredlife——byherearlytraining。Thepointofviewgivenusinourchildhoodremainsourpointofviewastoalltheessentialsoflifetotheend。Reason，experience，theinfluenceofcontactwithmanyphasesoftheworld，maychangeusseemingly，buttheunder-instinctremainsunchanged。Thus，Susanhadneverlost，andneverwouldloseheroriginalrepugnance；notevendrinkhadevergivenherthecouragetoapproachmenortobargainwiththem。Hershamewasafalseshame，likemostoftheshameintheworld——alackofcourage，notalackofdesire——and，howeverwemaypretend，therecanbenovirtueinabstinencemerelythroughcowardice。Still，iftherebemeritinshrinking，evenwhenthecruelestnecessitiesweregoading，thatmeritwashersinfullmeasure。Asamatterofreasonandsense，sheadmittedthatthegirlswhorespectedthemselvesandpracticedtheirprofessionlikemerchantsofotherkindswereright，weredoingwhatsheoughttodo。
Anyhow，itwasabsurdtopracticeaprofessionhalf-heartedly。
Toplayyourgame，whateveritmightbe，foralltherewasinit——thatwastheobviousfirstprincipleofsuccess。Yet——sheremainedlaggardandsqueamish。
Whatshehadbeenunabletodoforherself，tosaveherselffromsqualor，fromhunger，fromcold，shewasnowabletodoforthesakeofanother——tohelpthemanwhohadenabledhertoescapefromthatmarriage，morehideousthananythingshehadenduredsince，orevercouldbecalledupontoendure——tosavehimfromcertainneglectandprobabledeathinthe“charity“
hospital。Notbymerelytoleratingthenottooimpossiblemenwhojoinedherwithoutsignfromher，andnotbymerelyacceptingwhattheygave，couldfiftydollarsaweekbemade。
Shemustdressherselfinfrankeravowalofherprofession，mustlookasexpensiveasherlimitedstockofclothing，supplementedbyherowntaste，wouldpermit。Shemustflirt，mustbargain，mustaskforpresents，mustmakeherselfagreeable，mustresorttothecrudefemalearts——which，however，aresubtleenoughtoconvincetheself-enchantedmaleeveninfaceofthediscouragingfactofthemercenaryarrangement。Shemustcrushdownherrepugnance，mustbeactive，notsimplypassive——mustgettheextradollarsbystimulatingmaleappetites，insteadofsimplypermittingthemtosatisfythemselves。Shemustseemrathertheeagermistressthanthereluctantandimpatientwife。
Andshedidabruptlychangehermanner。Therewasinher，asherlifehadshown，apowerofendurance，anabilitytosacrificeherselfinordertodothethingthatseemednecessary，andtodoitwithoutshufflingorwhining。Whateverelsehercareerhaddoneforher，itundoubtedlyhadstrengthenedthispartofhernature。Andnowtheresultofhertrainingshowed。Withhersuperiorintelligenceforthefirsttimefreetomakethebestofheropportunities，sheabruptlybecameequaltothemostconsummateofhersistersinthatlonglineofhersister-panderstomaleappetiteswhichextendsfromtheboughtwifeormistressorfianceeoftherichgrandeedownallthesocialrankstothewifeorstreetgirlcozeningforatipsyday-laborer”searningsonaSaturdaynightandtheworkgirlteasingher“steadycompany“towardmatrimonyontheparkbenchorinthedarkentryofthetenement。
ShewasabletopayClarabackinlessthantendays。InSpenser”ssecondweekatthehospitalshehadhimmovedtobetterquartersandbetterattendanceatthirtydollarsaweek。
Althoughshehadnevergotridofhermostunprofessionalhabitofchoosingandrejecting，therehadbeentimeswhenneedforcedherintostraitswhereherlotseemedtoheralmostaslowasthatoftheslave-likewivesofthetenements，madeheralmostthinkshewouldbenearlyaswelloffwereshethewife，companion，butt，servantandgeneralventtosomeonedullanddistastefulproviderofapoorliving。Butnowshenolongerfelteitherdegradedorheartsickandheartweary。Andwhenhepassedtheworstcrisisherspiritsbegantoreturn。
AndwhenRoderickshouldbewell，andthesketchwritten——andanengagementgot——Ah，then！Lifeindeed——life，atlast！Wasitthishopethatgaveherthestrengthtofightdownandconquerthecravingforopium？Orwasitthenecessityofkeepingherwitsandofsavingeverycent？Orwasitbecausetheopiumhabit，likethedrinkhabit，likeeveryotherhabit，isamatterofatemperamentfarmorethanitisamatterofanappetite——andthatshehadtheappetitebutnotthetemperament？Nodoubtthishaditspartinthequickandcompletevictory。Atanyrate，fightandconquershedid。Thestrongestinterestalwayswins。Shehadanintereststrongerthanloveofopium——aninterestthatsubstituteditselfforopiumandfordrinkandsupplantedthem。Lifeindeed——life，atlast！
InhisthirdweekRodbegantoroundtowardhealth。Einsteinobservedfromthenurse”schartsthatSusan”svisitswerehavinganunfavorablyexcitingeffect。Heshowedherthereadingsoftemperatureandpulse，andforbadehertostaylongerthanfiveminutesateachofhertwodailyvisits。
Also，shemustnotbringupanytopicbeyondthesickroomitself。OnedaySpensergreetedherwith，“I”llfeelbetter，nowthatI”vegotthisoffmymind。”Heheldouttoheraletter。“TakethattoGeorgeFitzalan。He”sanoldfriendofmine——oneI”vedonealotforandneveraskedanyfavorsof。
Hemaybeabletogiveyousomethingfairlygood，rightaway。”
Susanglancedpenetratinglyathim，sawhehadbeenbroodingoverthesourceofthemoneythatwasbeingspentuponhim。
“Verywell，“saidshe，“I”llgoassoonasIcan。”
“Gothisafternoon，“saidhewithaninvalid”sfretfulness。
“Andwhenyoucomethiseveningyoucantellmehowyougoton。”
“Verywell。Thisafternoon。Butyouknow，Rod，there”snotaghostofachance。”
“ItellyouFitzalan”smyfriend。He”sgotsomegratitude。
He”ll_do_something。”
“Idon”twantyoutogetintoamoodwhereyou”llbeawfullydepressedifIshouldfail。”
“Butyou”llnotfail。”
ItwasevidentthatSpenser，untaughtbyexperienceandflatteredintoexaggeratinghisimportancebythesolicitudeanddeferenceofdoctorsandnursestoapayinginvalid，hadrestoredtofavorhisancientenemy——optimism，thecertaindestroyerofanymanwhodoesnotshakeitoff。Shewentaway，depressedandworried。Whensheshouldcomebackwiththeonlypossiblenews，whatwouldbetheeffectuponhim——andhestillinacriticalstage？Astheafternoonmustbegiventobusiness，shedecidedtogostraightuptown，hopingtocatchFitzalanbeforehewentouttolunch。AndtwentyminutesaftermakingthisdecisionshewassittingintheanteroomofasuiteoftheatricalofficesintheEmpireTheaterbuilding。Thegirlinattendancehad，asusual，alltheairslittlepeopleassumewhentheyareinclose，ifmenial，relationswithapersonwho，beingimportanttothem，thereforefillstheirwholesmallhorizon。ShedeignedtotakeinSusan”snameandtheletter。
Susanseatedherselfatthelongtableandwiththeseemingofcalmnessthatalwaysveiledherinherhoursofgreatestagitation，turnedoverthepagesofthetheatricaljournalsandmagazinesspreadaboutinquantity。
Afterperhapstensilentanduninterruptedminutesamanhurriedinfromtheoutsidehall，strodetowardthefrostedglassdoormarked“Private。”Withhishandreachingfortheknobhehalted，madeanimpatientgesture，plumpedhimselfdownatthelongtable——atitsdistantoppositeend。Withasweepofthearmheclearedaspacewhereinheproceededtospreadpapersfromhispocketandtoscribbleuponthemfuriously。
WhenSusanhappenedtoglanceathim，hisheadwasbentsolowandhisstrawhatwastiltedsofarforwardthatshecouldnotseehisface。Sheobservedthathewasdressedattractivelyinanextremelylightsummersuitofhomespun；hishandswerelargeandstrongandruddy——thehandsofanartist，ingoodhealth。Herglancereturnedtothemagazine。Afterafewminutesshelookedup。Shewasstartledtofindthatthemanwasgivingheracurious，searchinginspection——andthathewasBrent，theplaywright——thesamefascinatingface，keen，cynical，amused——thesameseeingeyes，that，intheCafeMartinlongago，hadmadeherfeelasifshewerebeingreadtohermostsecretthought。Shedroppedherglance。
Hisvoicemadeherstart。“It”sbeenalongtimesinceI”veseenyou，“hewassaying。
Shelookedup，notbelievingitpossiblehewasaddressingher。
Buthisgazewasuponher。Thus，shehadnotbeenmistakeninthinkingshehadseenrecognitioninhiseyes。“Yes，“shesaid，withafaintsmile。
“Alongertimeforyouthanforme，“saidhe。
“Agooddealhashappenedtome，“sheadmitted。
“Areyouonthestage？“
“No。Notyet。”
Thegirlenteredbywayoftheprivatedoor。“MissLenox——thisway，please。”ShesawBrent，becameinstantlyallsmilesandbows。“Oh——Mr。Fitzalandoesn”tknowyou”rehere，Mr。Brent，“
shecried。Then，toSusan，“Waitaminute。”
ShewasabouttoreentertheprivateofficewhenBrentstoppedherwith，“LetMissLenoxgoinfirst。Idon”twishtoseeMr。
Fitzalanyet。”Andhestoodup，tookoffhishat，bowedgravelytoSusan，said，“I”mgladtohaveseenyouagain。”
Susan，withsomecolorforcedintoherold-ivoryskinbynervousnessandamazement，wentintothepresenceofFitzalan。
Asthenowobsequiousgirlclosedthedoorbehindher，shefoundherselffacingayoungishmanwitharemnantofhairthatwaslittlemorethanfuzzonthetopofhishead。Hisfeaturesweresharp，aggressive，ratherhard。HemighthavesatforthetypicalsuccessfulAmericanyoungmanofforty——somuchyoungerinNewYorkthanisfortyelsewhereintheUnitedStates——andsomucholder。HelookedatSusanwithapleasantsympatheticsmile。
“So，“saidhe，“you”retakingcareofpoorSpenser，areyou？
TellhimI”lltrytorundowntoseehim。IwishIcoulddosomethingforhim——somethingworthwhile，Imean。But——hisrequest——
“Really，I”venothingofthekind。Icouldn”tpossiblyplaceyou——atleast，notatpresent——perhaps，lateron——”
“Iunderstand，“interruptedSusan。“He”sveryill。Itwouldhelphimgreatlyifyouwouldwritehimafewlines，sayingyou”llgivemeaplaceatthefirstvacancy，butthatitmaynotbesoon。I”llnottroubleyouagain。Iwantthelettersimplytocarryhimoverthecrisis。”
Fitzalanhesitated，rubbedhisfuzzycrownwithhisjeweledhand。“Tellhimthat，“hesaid，finally。“I”mrathercarefulaboutwritingletters……Yes，saytohimwhatyousuggested，asifitwasfromme。”
“Theletterwillmakeallthedifferencebetweenhisbelievingandnotbelieving，“urgedSusan。“Hehasgreatadmirationandlikingforyou——thinksyouwoulddoanythingforhim。”
Fitzalanfrowned；shesawthatherinsistencehadroused——or，rather，hadstrengthened——suspicion。“Really——youmustexcuseme。WhatI”veheardabouthimthepastyearhasnot——
“But，nomatter，Ican”tdoit。You”llletmeknowhowhe”sgettingon？Goodday。”Andhegaveherthatpoliteyetpositivenodofdismissalwhichisanecessarypartoftheequipmentofmenofaffairs，constantlybesetastheyareandeverengagedinthebattletosavetheirchiefasset，time，frombeingwasted。
Susanlookedathim——astraightglancefromgrayeyes，aslightsmilehoveringaboutherscarletlips。Hereddened，fussedwiththepapersbeforehimonthedeskfromwhichhehadnotrisen。Sheopenedthedoor，closeditbehindher。Brentwasseatedwithhisbackfulltoherandwasbusywithhisscribbling。Shepassedhim，wentontotheouterdoor。Shewaswaitingforhisvoice；sheknewitwouldcome。
“MissLenox！“
Assheturnedhewasadvancing。Hisfigure，tallandslimandstraight，hadtheeaseofmovementwhichproclaimsthemanwhohasbeeneverywhereandsoisathomeanywhere。Heheldoutacard。“Iwishtoseeyouonbusiness。Youcancomeatthreethisafternoon？“
“Yes，“saidSusan。
“Thanks，“saidhe，bowingandreturningtothetable。Shewentonintothehall，thecardbetweenherfingers。Attheelevator，shestoodstaringatthename——RobertBrent——asifitwereaninscriptioninaforgottenlanguage。Shewassoabsorbed，sodazedthatshedidnotringthebell。Thecarhappenedtostopatthatfloor；sheenteredasifitweredark。And，inthestreet，shewanderedmanyblocksdownBroadwaybeforesherealizedwhereshewas。
ShelefttheelevatedandwalkedeastwardthroughGrandStreet。
Shewasfilledwithanewandprofounddissatisfaction。Shefeltlikeoneawakeningfromahypnotictrance。Thesurroundings，inanimateandanimate，thathadbecomeendurablethroughcustomabruptlyresumedtheiroriginalaspectofsqualoranduglinessofrepulsionandtragedy。Astranger——theordinary，unobservant，feeblyimaginativeperson，goingalongthosestreetswouldhaveseennothingbuttawdrinessandpoverty。Susan，experienced，imaginative，saw_all_——sawwhatanotherwouldhaveseenonlyafteritwaspointedout，andeventhenbutdimly。Andthatdayhervisionwasnolongerstaledanddeadenedbyfamiliarity，butwithvisionfreshandwithnervesacute。Themen——thewomen——and，saddest，mosttragicofall，thechildren！Whensheenteredherroomherreawakenedsensitiveness，thekeenerforitslongrepose，fortheenormousunconsciousabsorptionofimpressionsofthelifeabouther——thismorbidsensitivenessofthesoula-clashwithitsenvironmentreacheditsclimax。Asshethrewopenthedoor，sheshrankbackbeforetheodor——thepowerful，sensual，sweetodorofchypresoeffectiveincoveringthebadsmellsthatcameupfromotherflatsandfromthenoisomebackyards。Theroomitselfwasneatandcleanandplain，withnotafewevidencesofherpersonaltaste——intheblendingofcolors，intheselectionofframedphotographsonthewalls。Theonesheespeciallylikedwasthelargest——anudewomanlyingatfulllength，herheadsupportedbyherarm，herfacegazingstraightoutofthepicture，uponitabafflingexpression——ofsadness，ofcynicism，ofamusementperhaps，ofexperience，yetofinnocence。Ithunguponthewalloppositethedoor。Whenshesawthispictureinthedepartmentstore，shefeltatonceasympathybetweenthatwomanandherself，feltshewasforthefirsttimeseeinganothersoullikeherown，onethatwouldhaveunderstoodherstrangesenseofinnocenceinthemidstofherowndefiledanddepravedself——acoreofunsulliednature。
Everyoneelseintheworldwouldhavemockedatthisnotionofasomethingwithin——atrueselftowhichallthatseemedtobeherownselfwasasexternalasherclothing；thiswomanofthephotographwouldunderstand。So，thereshehung——Susan”soneprizedpossession。
ThequestionofdressingforthisinterviewwithBrentwasmostimportant。Susangaveitmuchthoughtbeforeshebegantodress，changedhermindagainandagaininthecourseofdressing。Throughallhervicissitudesshehadneverlostherinterestintheartofdressorherskillatit——anddespitetheunfavorablesurroundingsshehadsteadilyimproved；anywomananywherewouldinstantlyhaverecognizedherasoneofthosefewfavoredandenviedwomenwhoknowhowtogettogetheratoilet。Shefinallychosethesimplestofthehalfdozensummerdressesshehadmadeforherself——aplainwhitelawn，withashortskirt。Itgaveheranappearanceofextremeyouth，despiteherheightandtheslightstoopinhershoulders——ameredroopingthatharmonizedtouchinglywiththeyoungyetwearyexpressionofherface。Togowiththedressshehadalargehatofblackroughstrawwithaverylittlewhitetrimmingonit。Withthislargeblackhatbewitchinglysetuponhergracefully-donedarkwavyhair，hersad，dreamyeyes，herpallidskin，hersweet-bittermouthwithitsrougedlipsseemedtohertoshowattheirbest。Shefeltthatnothingwasquitesoeffectiveforherskinasawhitedress。
Inothercolors——thoughshedidnotrealize——thewomanofboughtkissesshowedmoredistinctly——neverbrazenlyasinmostofthegirls，butstillunmistakably。Inwhiteshetookonaglamourofmelancholy——andthehumancountenanceiscapableofnoexpressionsouniversallyappealingasthelookofmelancholythatsuggeststhesadnessunderlyingalllife，thepainthatpaysforpleasure，thepainthatpaysandgetsnopleasure，thesorrowofthepassingofallthings，thefaintforeshadowofthedoomawaitingusall。Shewashedtherougefromherlips，studiedtheeffectintheglass。“No，“shesaidaloud，“withoutitIfeellikeahypocrite——andIdon”tlookhalfsowell。”Andsheputtherougeonagain——thescarletdashdrawnstartlinglyacrossherstrange，pallidface。XII
ATthreethatafternoonshestoodinthevestibuleofBrent”ssmallhouseinParkAvenueoverlookingtheoblongofgreenbetweenEastThirty-seventhStreetandEastThirty-eighth。A
mostreputablelookingEnglishmanineveningdressopenedthedoor；fromherreadingandhertheater-goingsheknewthatthiswasabutler。Hebowedherin。Theentirelowerfloorwasgiventoanentrancehall，doneinplainblackwalnut，almostloftyofceiling，andwithagrandstairwayleadingtotheupperpartofthehouse。Therewasahugefireplacetotheright；amirrorfilledtheentirebackwall；abroadlowseatranallroundtheroom。Inonecorner，anenormousurnofdarkpottery；inanothercorner，asuitofarmor，thehelmet，thebreastplateandthegauntletssetwithgoldofancientlackluster。
Thebutlerleftherthereandascendedthepolishedbutdead-finishedstairwaynoiselessly。Susanhadneverbeforebeeninsograndaroom。ThebestprivatehouseshehadeverseenwasWright”sinSutherland；andwhileeverybodyelseinSutherlandthoughtitmagnificent，shehadfeltthattherewassomethingwrong，whatshehadnotknown。ThegrandioseNewYorkhotelsandrestaurantsweremoreshowyandmorepretentiousfarthanthisinteriorofBrent”s。Butherunerringinstinctofthosebornwithgoodtasteknewatfirstviewofthemthattheyweresimplycostly；therewerebeautifulthingsinthem，finecarvingsandpaintingsandtapestries，butpersonalitywaslacking。Andwithoutpersonalitytherecanbenounity；withoutunitytherecanbenoharmony——andwithoutharmony，nobeauty。
Lookingroundhernow，shehadherfirstdeepdraughtofestheticdelightininteriordecoration。Shelovedthisquietdignity，thislargesimplicity——nothingthatobtruded，nothingthatjarred，everythingonthesamescaleofdarkcoloringandlargesize。Sheadmiredthewaythemirror，withoutpretenseofbeinganythingbutamirror，enhancedthespaciousnessoftheroomanddoubledthepleasureitgavebyofferinganotheranddifferentviewofit。
LastofallSusancaughtsightofherself——aslim，slightlystoopedfigure，itswhitedressanditsbigblackhatwithwhitetrimmingsmakingitstandoutstronglyagainsttherathersomberbackground。Inacuriouslyimpersonalwayherownsad，wistfulfaceinterestedher。Ahumanbeing”sfaceisasummaryofhiscareer。Nomancanrealizeatathoughtwhatheis，canepitomizeinjustproportionwhathasbeenmadeofhimbyexperienceofthemultitudeofmomentsofwhichlifeiscomposed。Butinsomemoodsandinsomelightswedogetsuchanall-comprehendingviewofourselvesinlookingatourownfaces。Asshehadinstinctivelyfelt，therewasaworldofmeaninginthecontrastbetweenherpensivebrowabovemelancholyeyesandtheblood-redlineofherrougedlips。
Thebutlerdescended。“Mr。Brentisinhislibrary，onthefourthfloor，“saidhe。“Willyoukindlystepthisway，ma”am？“
Insteadofindicatingthestairway，hewenttothepanelnextthechimneypiece。Shesawthatitwasahiddendooradmittingtoanelevator。Sheentered；thedoorclosed；theelevatorascendedrapidly。WhenitcametoastopthedooropenedandshewasfacingBrent。
“Thankyouforcoming，“saidhe，withalmostformalcourtesy。
Forallhersuddenshyness，shecastaquickbutseeinglookround。Itwasanovercastday；thesoftfloodsofliquidlight——thebeautifullightofherbelovedCityoftheSun——pouredintothebigroomthroughanenormouswindowofclearglasswhichformedtheentirenorthwall。Roundtheotherwallsfromflooralmosttoloftyceilingwerebooksinsolidrows；notbookswithornamentalbindings，butbooksforuse，booksthathadbeenandwerebeingused。Bywayoffurnituretherewereanimmenselounge，wideandlonganddeep，facingtheleftchimneypiece，animmensetabledeskfacingthenorthlight，threegreatchairswithtallbacks，onebehindthetable，oneneartheendofthetable，thethirdinthecornerfarthestfromthewindow；agrandpiano，open，withmusicuponitsrack，andalongcarvedseatatitskeyboard。Thehugewindowhadabroadsilluponwhichwasbuiltagenerouswindowgardenfreshandlivelywithbrightflowers。Thewoodwork，theceiling，thefurniturewereofmahogany。Themasterofthissplendidsimplicitywasdressedinabluehousesuitofsomesummermateriallikelinen。Hewassmokingacigarette，andofferedheronefromthegreatcarvedwoodboxfilledwiththemonthetabledesk。
“Thanks，“saidshe。Andwhenshehadlighteditandwasseatedfacinghimashesatathisdesk，shefeltalmostatherease。Afterall，whilehisgazewaspenetrating，itwasalsounderstanding；wedonotmindbeingunmaskediftheunmaskeratoncehailsusasbrother。Brent”seyesseemedtosaytoher，“Human！——likeme。”Shesmokedandlethergazewanderfromherbookstowindowgarden，fromwindowgardentopiano。
“Youplay？“saidhe。
“Averylittle。Enoughforaccompanimentstosimplesongs。”
“Yousing？“
“Simplesongs。I”vehadbutafewlessonsfromasmall-townteacher。”
“Letmehear。”
Shewenttothepiano，laidhercigaretteinatrayreadybesidethemusicrack。Shegavehimthe“GipsyQueen，“whichshelikedbecauseitexpressedherownpassionofrevoltagainstrestraintsofeveryconventionalkindandherlovefortheopenairandopensky。Hesomehowtookawayallfeelingofembarrassment；shefeltsostronglythatheunderstoodandwasbigenoughnottohaveitanywhereinhimtolaughatanythingsincere。Whenshefinishedsheresumedhercigaretteandreturnedtothechairnearhis。
“It”sasIthought，“saidhe。“Yourvoicecanbetrained——tospeak，Imean。Idon”tknowastoitssingingvalue……
Haveyougoodhealth？“
“Ineverhaveevencolds。Yes，I”mstrong。”
“You”llneedit。”
“Ihaveneededit，“saidshe。Intoherfacecamethesad，bitterexpressionwithitscuriousreliefofafaintcynicalsmile。
Heleanedbackinhischairandlookedatherthroughacloudofsmoke。Shesawthathiseyeswerenotgray，asshehadthought，butbrown，ahazelbrownwithpointsoflightsparklingintheirisesandtakingawayallthesuggestionofweaknessandsentimentalitythatmakespurebrowneyesunsatisfactoryinaman。Hesaidslowly：
“WhenIsawyou——intheMartin——youwereonthewaydown。Youwent，Isee。”
Shenodded。“I”mstillthere。”
“Youlikeit？Youwishtostay？“
Sheshookherheadsmilingly。“No，butIcanstayifit”snecessary。I”vediscoveredthatI”vegotthehealthandthenervesforanything。”
“That”sagreatdiscovery……Well，you”llsoonbeonyourwayup……DoyouwishtoknowwhyIspoketoyouthismorning？——WhyIrememberedyou？“
“Why？“
“Becauseoftheexpressionofyoureyes——whenyourfaceisinrepose。”
Shefeltnoshyness——andnosenseofnecessityofrespondingtoacompliment，forhistoneforbadeanythoughtofflattery。
Sheloweredhergazetoconcealthethoughtshiswordsbrought——thememoriesofthethingsthathadcausedhereyestolookasRodandnowBrentsaid。
“Suchanexpression，“theplaywrightwenton，“mustmeancharacter。Iamsickandtiredofthevanityoftheseactresseswhocanactjustenoughnevertobeabletolearntoactwell。I”mgoingtotryanexperimentwithyou。I”vetrieditseveraltimesbut——Nomatter。I”mnotdiscouraged。
Inevergiveup……Canyoustandbeingalone？“
“Ispendmostofmytimealone。Ipreferit。”
“Ithoughtso。Yes——you”lldo。Onlythefewwhocanstandbeingaloneevergetanywhere。Everythingworthwhileisdonealone。Thebigbattle——itisn”tfoughtinthefield，butbythemansittingaloneinhistent，workingitallout。Thebridge——thetunnelthroughthegreatmountains——therailway——thehugebusinessenterprise——alldonebythemanalone，thinking，plottingtothelastdetail。It”sthesamewaywiththenovel，thepicture，thestatue，theplay——writingit，actingit——alldonebysomeonealone，shutinwithhisimaginationandhistools。Isawthatyouwereoneofthelonelyones。Allyouneedisachance。You”dsurelygetit，soonerorlater。PerhapsIcanbringitalittlesooner……
Howmuchdoyouneedtoliveon？“
“Imusthavefiftydollarsaweek——ifIgoonat——asIamnow。
Ifyouwishtotakeallmytime——then，forty。”
Hesmiledinapuzzledway。
“Thepolice，“sheexplained。“Ineedten——”
“Certainly——certainly，“criedhe。“Iunderstand——perfectly。
Howstupidofme！I”llwantallyourtime。Soit”stobefortydollarsaweek。Whencanyoubegin？“
Susanreflected。“Ican”tgointoanythingthat”llmeanalongtime，“shesaid。“I”mwaitingforaman——afriendofminetogetwell。Thenwe”regoingtodosomethingtogether。”
Brentmadeanimpatientgesture。“Anactor？Well，IsupposeIcangethimsomethingtodo。ButIdon”twantyoutobeundertheinfluenceofanyoftheseabsurdcreatureswhothinktheyknowwhatactingis——whentheymerelyknowhowtodressthemselvesindifferentsuitsofclothes，andstrutthemselvesaboutthestage。They”dratherdiethangiveuptheirownfeeble，foolishlittleidentities。I”llseethatyouractorfriendistakencareof，butyoumustkeepawayfromhim——forthetimeatleast。”
“He”sallI”vegot。He”sanoldfriend。”
“You——careforhim？“
“Iusedto。AndlatelyIfoundhimagain——afterwehadbeenseparatedalongtime。We”regoingtohelpeachotherup。”
“Oh——he”sdownandoutoh？Why？“
“Drink——andhardluck。”
“Nothardluck。Thathelpsaman。Ithashelpedyou。Ithasmadeyouwhatyouare。”
“WhatamI？“askedSusan。
Brentsmiledmysteriously。“That”swhatwe”regoingtofindout，“saidhe。“There”snohumanbeingwhohaseverhadafutureunlessheorshehadapast——andthesevererthepastthemoresplendidthefuture。”
Susanwasattendingwithallhersenses。Thismanwasputtingintowordsherowninarticulateinstincts。
“Apast，“hewentoninhissharp，dogmaticway，“eitherbreaksormakes。Yougointothecrucibleamereore，apossibility。Youcomeoutslagorsteel。”Hewasstandingnow，lookingdownatherwithquizzicaleyes。“You”reaboutduetoleavethepot，“saidhe。
“AndI”vehopesthatyou”resteel。Ifnot——”Heshruggedhisshoulders”You”llhavehadfortyaweekforyourtime，andI”llhavegainedusefulexperience。”
Susangazedathimasifshedoubtedhereyesandears。
“Whatdoyouwantmetodo？“shepresentlyinquired。
“Learntheartofacting——whichconsistsoftwoparts。First，youmustlearntoact——thousandsoftheprofessiondothat。
Second，youmustlearnnottoact——andsofarIknowtherearen”tadozeninthewholeworldwho”vegotthatfaralong。
I”vewrittenaplayIthinkwellof。Iwanttohaveitdoneproperly——it，andseveralotherplaysIintendtowrite。I”mgoingtogiveyouachancetobecomefamous——betterstill，great。”
Susanlookedathimincredulously。“DoyouknowwhoIam？“
sheaskedatlast。
“Certainly。”
Hereyeslowered，thefaintesttingeofredchangedtheamber-whitepallorofhercheeks，herbosomroseandfellquickly。
“Idon”tmean，“hewenton，“thatIknowanyofthedetailsofyourexperience。Ionlyknowtheresultsastheyarewritteninyourface。Thedetailsareunimportant。WhenIsayIknowwhoyouare，ImeanIknowthatyouareawomanwhohassuffered，whosehearthasbeenbrokenbysuffering，butnotherspirit。Ofwhereyoucamefromorhowyou”velived，I
knownothing。Andit”snoneofmybusiness——nomorethanit”sthepublic”sbusinesswhere__I__camefromandhowI”velearnedtowriteplays。”
Well，whetherhewasguessinganypartofthetruthorallofit，certainlywhatshehadsaidaboutthepoliceandnowthissweepingstatementofhisattitudetowardherfreedherofthenecessityofdisclosingherself。Sheeagerlytriedtodismissthethoughtsthathadbeenmakinghermostuneasy。Shesaid：
“YouthinkIcanlearntoact？“
“That，ofcourse，“repliedhe。“Anyintelligentpersoncanlearntoact——andalsomostpersonswhohavenomoreintelligenceintheirheadsthantheyhaveintheirfeet。
I”llguaranteeyousomesortofcareer。WhatI”minterestedtofindoutiswhetheryoucanlearn_not_toact。Ibelieveyoucan。But——”Helaughedinself-mockery。“I”vemadeseveralabsurdmistakesinthatdirection……Youhaveledalifeinwhichmostwomenbecomethecheapestsortofliars——worseliarseventhanistheusualrespectableperson，becausetheyhaven”ttherestraintoffearinglossofreputation。Whyisityouhavenotbecomealiar？“
Susanlaughed。“I”msureIdon”tknow。Perhapsbecauselyingissuchataxonthememory。MayIhaveanothercigarette？“
Heheldthematchforher。“Youdon”tpaint——exceptyourlips，“hewenton，“thoughyouhavenocolor。Andyoudon”twearcheapfinery。Andwhileyouuseastrongscent，it”snotoneofthecheapandnastykind——it”ssensualwithoutbeingslimy。Andyoudon”tusethekindofwordsonealwayshearsinyourcircle。”
Susanlookedimmenselyrelieved。“Thenyou_do_knowwhoI
am！“shecried。
“Youdidn”tsupposeIthoughtyoufreshfromafashionableboardingschool，didyou？I”dhardlylookthereforanactresswhocouldact。You”vegotexperience——experience——experience——writtenalloveryourface——sadly，satirically，scornfully，gayly，bitterly。AndwhatIwantisexperience——notmerelyhavingbeenthroughthings，buthavingbeenthroughthemunderstandingly。You”llhelpmeinmyexperiment？“
Helookedastonished，thenirritated，whenthegirl，insteadofacceptingeagerly，drewbackinherchairandseemedtobedebating。Hisirritationshowedstillmoreplainlywhenshefinallysaid：
“Thatdependsonhim。Andhe——hethinksyoudon”tlikehim。”
“What”shisname？“saidBrentinhisabrupt，intensefashion。
“What”shisname？“
“Spenser——RoderickSpenser。”
Brentlookedvague。
“Heusedtobeonthe_Herald_。Hewritesplays。”
“Oh——yes。Iremember。He”saweakfool。”
Susanabruptlystraightened，anominouslookineyesandbrow。
Brentmadeanimpatientgesture。“Begpardon。Whybesensitiveabouthim？ObviouslybecauseyouknowI”mright。
Isaidfool，notass。He”sclever，butridiculouslyvain。I
don”tdislikehim。Idon”tcareanythingabouthim——oraboutanybodyelseintheworld。Nomandoeswhoamountstoanything。Withacareerit”sasJesussaid——leavefatherandmother，husbandandwife——land，oxeverything——andfollowit。”
“Whatfor？“saidSusan。
“Tosaveyoursoul！Tobeasomebody；tobestrong。Tobeabletogivetoanybodyandeverybody——whatevertheyneed。Tobehappy。”
“Areyouhappy？“
“No，“headmitted。“ButI”mgrowinginthatdirection……
Don”twasteyourselfonStevens——Ibegpardon，Spenser。
You”rebiggerthanthat。He”sasmallmanwithlargedreams——ahopelessmisfit。Smalldreamsforsmallmen；largedreamsfor”helaughed”youandme——oursort。”
Susanechoedhislaugh，butfaint-heartedly。“I”vewatchedyournameinthepapers，“shesaid，sincerelyunconsciousofflattery。“I”veseenyougrowmoreandmorefamous。But——iftherehadbeenanythinginme，wouldIhavegonedownanddown？“
“Howoldareyou？“
“Abouttwenty-one。”
“Onlytwenty-oneandthatlookinyourface！Magnificent！I
don”tbelieveI”mtobedisappointedthistime。Youaskwhyyou”vegonedown！Youhaven”t。You”vegone_through_。”
“Down，“sheinsisted，sadly。
“Nonsense！Thesoot”llruboffthesteel。”
Sheliftedherheadeagerly。Herownsecretthoughtputintowords。
“Youcan”tmakesteelwithoutsootanddirt。Youcan”tmakeanythingwithoutdirt。That”swhythenice，prim，sillyworld”sfullofcabinetsexhibitinglittlechipsofrawmaterialpolishedupneatlyinoneortwospots。That”swhytherearesofewmenandwomen——andthosefewhavehadtomakethemselves，oraremadebyaccident。You”reanaccident，I
suppose。Thewomenwhoamounttoanythingusuallyare。ThelastactressItriedtodoanythingwithmighthavebecomeasomebodyifithadn”tbeenforonething：Shehadahankeringforrespectability——ayearningtobeasocietyperson——tobethoughtwellofbysocietypeople。Itdidforher。”
“I”llnotsinkonthatrock，“saidSusancheerfully。
“Nosecretlongingforsocialposition？“
“None。EvenifIwould，Icouldn”t。”
“That”soneheavyhandicapoutoftheway。ButI”llnotletmyselfbegintohopeuntilIfindoutwhetheryou”vegotincurableandunteachablevanity。Ifyouhave——then，nohope。
Ifyouhaven”t——there”safightingchance。”
“Youforgetmycompact，“Susanremindedhim。
“Oh——thelover——Spenser。”
Brentreflected，strolledtothebigwindow，hishandsdeepinhispockets。Susantookadvantageofhisbacktogivewaytoherownfeelingsofutteramazementandincredulity。Shecertainlywasnotdreaming。Andthemangazingoutatthewindowwascertainlyfleshandblood——agreatman，ifvolubleandeccentric。Perhapstoactandspeakasonepleasedwasoneofthesignsofgreatness，oneofitsperquisites。Washeamusinghimselfwithher？Washeperchancetakenwithherphysicallyandemployingtheseextraordinarymethodsaswaysofapproach？Shehadseenmanypeculiaritiesofsex-approachinmen——somegrotesque，manyterrible，allbeyondcomprehension。Wasthisanothersuch？
Hewheeledsuddenly，surprisedhereyesuponhim。Heburstoutlaughing，andshefeltthathehadreadherthoughts。
However，hemerelysaid：
“Haveyouanythingtosuggest——aboutSpenser？“
“Ican”teventellhimofyouroffernow。He”sveryill——andsensitiveaboutyou。”
“Aboutme？Howridiculous！I”malwayscomingacrossmenI
don”tknowwhoarefullofvenomtowardme。IsupposehethinksIcrowdedhim。Nomatter。You”resureyou”renotfancyingyourselfinlovewithhim？“
“No，Iamnotinlovewithhim。Hehaschanged——andsohaveI。”
Hesmiledather。“Especiallyinthelasthour？“hesuggested。
“Ihadchangedbeforethat。Ihadbeenchangingrightalong。
ButIdidn”trealizeitfullyuntilyoutalkedwithme——no，untilafteryougavemeyourcardthismorning。”
“Yousawachance——ahope——eh？“
Shenodded。
“Andatoncebecameallnervesandcourage……AstoSpenser——I”llhavesomeplaycarpentersenttocollaboratewithhimandsethimupintheplaybusiness。Youknowit”sabusinessaswellasanart。Andthechromossellbetterthantheoilpaintings——exceptthefinestones。It”smychromosthathaveearnedmethemeansandtheleisuretotryoils。”
“He”dneverconsent。He”sveryproud。”
“Vain，youmean。Pridewillconsenttoanythingasameanstoanend。It”svanitythat”ssqueamishandhaughty。Heneedn”tknow。”
“ButIcouldn”tdiscussanychangewithhimuntilhe”smuchbetter。”
“I”llsendtheplaycarpentertohim——getFitzalantosendoneofhiscarpenters。”Brentsmiled。“Youdon”tthink_he_”llhangbackbecauseofthecompact，doyou？“
Susanflushedpainfully。“No，“sheadmittedinalowvoice。
Brentwasstillsmilingather，andthesmilewascynical。
Buthistonesoothedwherehiswordswouldhavewounded，ashewenton：“Amanofhissort——anaverage，`there-are-two-kinds-of-women，good-and-bad”sortofman——hasbutoneuseforawomanofyoursort。”
“Iknowthat，“saidSusan。
“Doyoumindit？“
“Notmuch。I”dnotminditatallifIfeltthatIwassomebody。”
Brentputhishandonhershoulder。“You”lldo，MissLenox，“
hesaidwithquietheartiness。“YoumaynotbesobigasomebodyasyouandIwouldlike。Butyou”llcountasone，allright。”
Shelookedathimwithintenseappealinhereyes。“Why？“shesaidearnestly。”_Why_doyoudothis？“
Hesmiledgravelydownather——asgravelyasBrentcouldsmile——withthequizzicalsuggestionneverabsentfromhishandsomeface，sofulloflifeandintelligence。“I”vebeenobservingyouruneasiness，“saidhe。“Nowlisten。Itwouldbeimpossibleforyoutojudgeme，tounderstandme。Youareyoungandasyetsmall。Iamforty，andhavelivedtwenty-fiveofmyfortyyearsintensely。So，don”tfallintotheerrorofshallowpeopleandsizemeupbyyourownfoolishlittlestandards。DoyouseewhatImean？“
Susan”scandidfacerevealedherguilt。“Yes，“saidshe，ratherhumbly。
“Iseeyoudounderstand，“saidhe。“Andthat”sagoodsign。
Mostpeople，hearingwhatIsaid，wouldhavedisregardeditasmerelymyvanity，wouldhavegoneonwiththeirsillyjudging，wouldhavesetmedownasaconceitedasswhobysomeaccidenthadgotareputation。Buttoproceed——Ihavenotchosenyouonimpulse。Longandpatientstudyhasmademeabletojudgecharacterbytheface，asahorsedealercanjudgehorsesbylookingatthem。Idon”tneedtoreadeverylineofabooktoknowwhetherit”swiseorfoolish，worthwhileornot。I
don”tneedtoknowahumanbeingforyearsorforhoursorforminuteseven，beforeIcanmeasurecertainthings。Imeasuredyou。It”slikeastronomy。Anastronomerwantstogettheorbitofastar。Hetakesitspositiontwice——andfromthetwoobservationshecancalculatetheorbittotheinch。I”vegotthreeobservationsofyourorbit。Enough——andtospare。”
“Ishan”tmisunderstandagain，“saidSusan。
“Onethingmore，“insistedBrent。“Inourrelations，wearetobenotmanandwoman，butmasterandpupil。Ishan”twasteyourtimewithany——othermatters。”
ItwasSusan”sturntolaugh。“That”syourpolitewayofwarningmenottowasteanyofyourtimewith——othermatters。”
“Precisely，“concededhe。“Amaninmyposition——amaninanysortofposition，forthatmatter——ismuchannoyedbywomentryingtousetheirsexwithhim。Iwishedtomakeitclearattheoutsetthat——”
“ThatIcouldgainnothingbyneglectingthetradeofactressforthetradeofwoman，“interruptedSusan。“Iunderstandperfectly。”
Heputouthishand。“Iseethatatleastwe”llgetontogether。I”llhaveFitzalansendthecarpentertoyourfriendatonce。”
“Today！“exclaimedSusan，insurpriseanddelight。
“Whynot？“Hearrangedpaperandpen。“SithereandwriteSpenser”saddress，andyourown。Yoursalarybeginswithtoday。I”llhavemysecretarymailyouacheck。AndassoonasIcanseeyouagain，I”llsendyouatelegram。
Meanwhile”Herummagedamongalotofpaperboundplaysonthetable“Here”s`CavalleriaRusticana。”Readitwithaviewtoyourselfaseither_Santuzzao_or_Lola_。Studyherfirstentrance——whatyouwoulddowithit。Don”tbefrightened。I
expectnothingfromyou——nothingwhatever。I”mgladyouknownothingaboutacting。You”llhavethelesstounlearn。”
Theyhadbeenmovingtowardstheelevator。Heshookhandsagainand，afteradjustingthemechanismforthedescent，closedthedoor。Asitwasclosingshesawinhisexpressionthathismindhadalreadydismissedherforsomeoneofthemanyothermattersthatcrowdedhislife。XIII
THESusanLenoxwholeftDelanceyStreetathalfpasttwothatafternoontocalluponRobertBrentwasnottheSusanLenoxwhoreturnedtoDelanceyStreetathalf-pastfive。Amaniswandering，lostinacave，isgropingthiswayandthatinabsolutedarkness，withflagginghopeandfaintingstrength——hasreachedthepointwherehewondersathisownfollyinkeepingonmoving——ispersuadinghimselfthatthesensiblethingwouldbetoliedownandgiveup。Heseesagleamoflight。Isitareality？Isitanillusion——onemoreoftheillusionsthathaveluredhimonandon？Hedoesnotknow；butinstantlyafiresweepsthroughhim，warminghisdyingstrengthintovigor。
SoitwaswithSusan。
Thepariahclass——therealpariahclass——doesnotconsistofmerelythewomenformallyputbeyondthepaleforviolationsofconventionalmoralityandthemenwiththebrandofthieforgambleruponthem。Oursocial，ourindustrialsystemhasmadeitfarvaster。Itincludesalmostthewholepopulation——allthosewhosellbodyorbrainorsoulinanuncertainmarketforuncertainhire，togaintheday”sfoodandclothing，thenight”sshelter。Thisvastmassfloatshitherandyononthetidesandcurrentsofdestiny。Nowithalts，restingsluggishlyinadeadcalm；againitmoves，sometimesslowly，sometimesunderthelashoftempest。Butitiseverthesamevastinertia，withnoparticleofitpossessinganaimbeyondkeepingafloatandalive。Susanhadbeenanatom，asprayofweed，inthisSargassoSea。
Ifyouobserveahuge，unwieldycrowdsocloselypackedthatnothingcanbedonewithitanditcandonothingwithitself，youwillnotethreedifferenttypes。Therearetheentirelyinert——andtheymakeupmostofthecrowd。Theydonotresist；theyhelplesslymovethiswayandthatasthechancewavesofmotionprompt。Ofthistypeistheoverwhelmingmajorityofthehumanrace。Hereandthereinthemassyouwillseeexamplesofasecondtype。Theseareindividualswhoarerestiveandresentfulunderthesenseofhelplessnessandimpotence。Theystrugglenowgently，nowfuriously。Theythrustbackwardorforwardortooneside。Theythreshabout。
Butnothingcomesoftheireffortsbeyondabriefagitation，soondyingawayinripples。Theinertiaofthemassandtheirownlackofpurposeconquerthem。Occasionallyoneofthesegrowssoangryandsoviolentthatthesurroundinginertiaquickensintopurpose——thepurposeofmakinganendofthisagitationwhichisservingonlytoincreasethegeneraldiscomfort。Andtheagitatoristrampleddown，disappears，perhapssilently，perhapswithgroanorshriek。Continuetolookatthiscrowd，sopitiful，soterrible，suchamelancholywasteofincalculablepower——continuetoobserveandyoumaychanceuponanexampleofthethirdtype。Youarelikelyatfirsttoconfusethethirdtypewiththesecond，fortheyseemtobemuchalike。Hereandthere，oftheresentfulstrugglers，willbeonewhoseresentmentisintelligent。Hestruggles，butitisnotaimlessstruggle。Hehasseenorsuspectedinadefinitedirectionapointwherehewouldbemoreorlessfree，perhapsentirelyfree。Herealizeshowheishemmedin，realizeshowdifficult，howdangerous，willbehisendeavortogettothatpoint。Andheproceedstotrytominimizeorovercomethedifficulties，thedangers。Hestrugglesnowgently，nowearnestly，nowviolently——butalwaystowardhisfixedobjective。Heisdrivenback，tooneside，isalmostoverwhelmed。Hecausescommotionsthatthreatentoengulfhim，andmustpauseorretreatuntiltheyhavecalmed。
Youmayhavetowatchhimlongbeforeyoudiscoverthat，whereotherstrugglershavebeenaimless，heaimsandresolves。Andlittlebylittlehegains，makesprogresstowardhisgoal——andonceinalongwhileonesuchreachesthatgoal。Itistriumph，success。
Susan，young，inexperienced，dazed；nowtoodespondent，nowtoohopeful；nowtoogentleandagaintooinfuriated——Susanhadbeenalternatingbetweeninertiaandpurposelessstruggle。
Brenthadgivenherthethingshelacked——hadgivenheradefinite，concrete，tangiblepurpose。Hehadshownhertheplacewhere，ifsheshouldarrive，shemightbefreeofthathideousslaveryofthemiserablemass；andhehadinspiredherwiththehopethatshecouldreachit。
AndthatwastheSusanLenoxwhocamebacktothelittleroominDelanceyStreetathalf-pastfive。
Curiously，whileshewasthinkingmuchaboutBrent，shewasthinkingevenmoreaboutBurlingham——abouttheirlongtalksontheshowboatandintheirwanderingsinLouisvilleandCincinnati。Hisphilosophy，histeachings——thewisdomhehad，butwasunabletoapply——begantocomebacktoher。Itwasnotstrangethatsheshouldrememberit，forshehadadmiredhimintenselyandhadlistenedtohiseveryword，andshewasthenatthetimewhenthememorytakesitsclearestandstrongestimpressions。ThestrangenesslayinthesuddennesswithwhichBurlingham，solongdead，suddenlycametolife，changedfromasadandtendermemorytoavividpossibility，advisingher，helpingher，urgingheron。
Clara，dressedtogotodinnerwithherlover，waswaitingtoarrangeabouttheirmeetingtomaketogethertheusualroundsintheevening。“I”vegotanhourbeforeI”mdueatthehospital，“saidSusan。“Let”sgodowntoKelly”sforadrink。”
WhiletheyweregoingandastheysatinthecleanlittlebackroomofKelly”swellorderedandselectcornersaloon，Claragaveherallthenewsshehadgatheredinanafternoonofvisitsamongtheiracquaintances——how，becauseofaneighborhoodcomplaint，therewastobeafakeraidonGussie”sopiumjointatmidnight；thatMaziehadcaughtafrightfulfever；andthatNettiewasdyinginGoverneurofthestabinthestomachherloverhadgivenherataballthreenightsbefore；thatthepolicehadraisedthetariffforsportinghouses，andwouldcollectseventy-fiveandahundredamonthprotectionmoneywherethechargehadbeentwenty-fiveandfifty——thepleawasthatthereformers，justelectedandhopingforonetermonly，werecompellingalargerfundfromvicethantheoldsteadyyear-in-and-year-outrulingcrowd。
“Andtheymayraise_us_tofifteenaweek，“saidClara，“thoughIdoubtit。They”llnotcutofftheirnosetospitetheirface。Iftheyraisedtherateforthestreetsthey”ddrivetwo-thirdsofthegirlsbacktothefactoriesandsweatshops。You”renotlistening，Lorna。What”sup？“
“Nothing。”
“Yourfellow”snothadarelapse？“
“No——nothing。”
“Needsomemoney？Icanlendyouten。Ididhavetwenty，butIgaveSallieandthatlittleJewgirlwho”shersidepartnertenforthebailbondsman。Theygotpinchedlastnightfornotpayinguptothepolice。They”vegonecrazyaboutthatprizefighter——atleast，hethinksheis——thatJoeO”Mara，andthey”regivinghimeverycenttheymake。It”sfunnyaboutSallie。She”saCatholicandgoestomassregular。AndshekeepsstraightonSunday——nomoney”lltempther——I”veseenittried。Doyouwanttheten？“
“No。I”vegotplenty。”
“WemustlookinatthatJollyRovers”balltonight。There”llbealotoffellowswithmoneythere。
“Wecansurepulloffsomethingprettygood。Anyhow，we”llhavefun。Butyoudon”tcareforthedances。Well，theyareawasteoftime。Andbecausethemenpayforafewbumdrinksanddancewithagirl，theydon”twanttogiveupanythingmore。How”sshetolive，Iwanttoknow？“
“Wouldyouliketogetoutofthis，Clara？“interruptedSusan，comingoutofherabsent-mindedness。
“WouldI！Butwhat”stheuseoftalking？“
“ButImean，wouldyou_really？_“
“Oh——iftherewassomethingbetter。Butisthere？Idon”tseehowI”dbeaswelloff，respectable。AsIsaidtotherescuewoman，whatisthereinitfora`reclaimed”girl，astheycallit？Whentheyaskamantoreformtheycanofferhimsomething——andhecangoonupandup。Butnotforgirls。
Nothingdoingbutcharityandpityandthesecondtableandthebackdoor。Icanmakemoremoneyatthisandhaveabettertime，aslongasmylookslast。AndI”veturneddownalreadyacoupleofchancestomarry——menthatwouldn”thavelookedatmeifI”dbeeninastoreorafactoryorlivingout。Imaymarry。”
“Don”tdothat，“saidSusan。“Marriagemakesbrutesofmen，andslavesofwomen。”
“Youspeakasifyouknew。”
“Ido，“saidSusan，inatonethatforbadequestion。
“Iain”texactlystuckontheideamyself，“pursuedClara。
“AndifIdon”t，whywhenmylooksaregone，whereamIworseoffthanI”dbeatthesameageasaworkinggirl？IfIhavetogetajobthen，Icangetit——andI”llnotbebrokendownliketherespectablewomenatthirty——thosethatworkorthosethatsloproundboozingandneglectingtheirchildrenwhiletheirhusbandswork。Ofcourse，there”schancesagainstyouinthisbusiness。Butsothereisineverybusiness。SupposeIworkedinafactoryandlostaleginthemachinery，likethatgirlofMantell，thebricklayer”s？SupposeIgetanawfuldisease——tohearsomepeopletalkyou”dthinktherewasn”tanychancesofdeathorhorriblediseasesatrespectablework。Why，howcouldanybodybeworseoffthaniftheygotlungtroubleandboilsasbigasyourfistlikethosegirlsoverinthetobaccofactory？“
“Youneedn”ttellmeaboutwork，“saidSusan。“Thestreetsarefullofwrecksfromwork——andthehospitals——andthegraveyardoverontheIsland。Youcanalwaysgotothatslavery。ButImeanarespectablelife，witheverythingbetter。”
“Hasoneofthoseswellwomenfromuptownbeenafteryou？“
“No。Thisisn”tapiouspipedream。”
“Yousoundlikeit。OneofthemswellsilksmartiesgotatmewhenIwasinthehospitalwiththefever。Shewasabird——shewas。Shehandedmealineofgrandtalk，andI，beingsortofweakwithsickness，tookitin。Well，whenshegotrightdowntobusiness，whatdidshewantmetodo？Beadressmakeroralady”smaid。Meworktwelve，fourteen，Godknowshowmanyhours——betootiredtohaveanyfun——travelroundwithdeadones——beadoormatforalotofcheappeoplethataretryin”tomakeouttheyain”thumanliketherestofus。_Me！_AndwhenIsaid，`No，thankyou”whatdoyouthink？“
“Didsheoffertogetyouagoodhomeinthecountry？“saidSusan。
“Thatwasit。The_country！_Thenerveofher！ButIcalledherbluff，allright，allright。Isaystoher，`Areyougoingtothecountrytolive？”Andsherearedat_me_daringtoquestion_her_，andsaidshewasn”t。`You”dfinditdeadslow，wouldn”tyou？”saysI。Andshekindo”laughedandlookedalmosthuman。`Then”saysI，`nomoreamIgoingtothecountry。I”lltakemychancesinlittleoldNewYork”Isays。”
“Ishouldthinkso！“exclaimedSusan。
“I”dliketoberespectable，ifIcouldaffordit。Butthere”snothinginthatgameforpoorgirlsunlesstheyhaven”tgotnolookstosellandhavetoselltherestofthemselvesforsomefactorybosstogetrichoffofwhiletheygetpoorerandweakereveryday。Andwhentheysay`God”tome，Isay，`Who”she？HemustbesomebodythatlivesuponFifthAvenue。Weain”tseenhimdownourway。”“
“Imean，goonthestage，“resumedSusan。
“Iwouldn”tmind，ifIcouldgetinright。Everythinginthisworlddependsongettinginright。Iwasbornfourflightsupinatenement，andI”vebeeninwrongeversince。”
“Iwasinwrongfromthebeginning，too，“saidSusan，thoughtfully。“Inwrong——that”sitexactly。”Clara”seyesagainbecameeagerwiththehopeofapeepintothemysteryofSusan”sorigin。ButSusanwenton，“Yes，I”vealwaysbeeninwrong。Always。”
“Oh，no，“declaredClara。“You”vegoteducation——andmanners——andladylikeinstincts。I”mathomehere。Iwasneversowelloffinmylife。I”m，youmightsay，onmywayupintheworld。Mostofusgirlsare——likethefellowthatain”tgotnothingtoeatornoplacetosleepandgetsintojail——he”sbetteroff，ain”the？Butyou——youdon”tbelonghereatall。”
“Ibelonganywhere——andeverywhere——andnowhere，“saidSusan。
“Yes，Ibelonghere。I”vegotachanceuptown。Ifitpansout，I”llletyouin。”
Claralookedatherwistfully。Clarahadawickedtemperwhenshewasinliquor，andhadtheordinaryhumanpronenesstolying，tomischievousgossip，andtoutterlaziness。Thelifesheled，compellingcleanlinessandneatnessandacertainamountofthriftunderpenaltyofinstantruin，haddonehermuchgoodinsavingherfromgoingtopiecesandbecomingtheordinaryslovenanddragontheenergiesofsomeman。
“Lorna，“shenowsaid，“Idobelieveyoulikemealittle。”
“Morethanthat，“Susanassuredher。“You”vesavedmefrombeinghard-hearted。Imustgotothehospital。Solong！“
“Howaboutthisevening？“askedClara。
“I”mstayingin。I”vegotsomethingtodo。”
“Well——Imaybehomeearly——unlessIgototheball。”
Susanwasrefusedadmittanceatthehospital。Spenser，theysaid，hadreceivedacaller，hadtaxedhisstrengthenoughfortheday。Norwoulditbeworthwhiletoreturninthemorning。Thesamecallerwascomingagain。Spenserhadsaidshewastocomeintheafternoon。Shereceivedthischeerfully，yetnotwithoutacertainsenseofhurt——which，however，didnotlastlong。
WhenshewasadmittedtoSpenserthefollowingafternoon，shefacedhimguiltily——forthethoughtsBrenthadsettobubblingandboilinginher。Andherguiltshowedinthetoneofhergreeting，inthereluctanceandforcedintensityofherkissandembrace。Shehadcompressedintothefivemostreceptiveyearsofahumanbeing”slifeanexperiencethatwas，foroneofherintelligenceandeducation，equaltomanytimesfiveyearsofordinarylife。Andthisexperiencehaddevelopedherinstinctforconcealingherdeepfeelingsintoafixedhabit。
Butithadnotmadeheraliar——hadnotrobbedherofherfundamentalcourageandself-respectwhichmadehershrinkindisdainfromdeceivinganyonewhoseemedtohertohavetherighttofrankness。Spenser，shefeltasalways，hadthatright——this，thoughhehadnotbeenfrankwithher；still，thatwasamatterforhisownconscienceanddidnotaffectherconscienceastowhatwascourageousandhonorabletowardhim。So，hadhebeenobserving，hemusthaveseenthatsomethingwaswrong。Buthewasfartooexcitedabouthisownaffairstonoteher。
“Myluck”sturned！“criedhe，afterkissingherwithenthusiasm。“FitzalanhassentJackSperrytome，andwe”retocollaborateonaplay。ItoldyouFitzwastherealthing。”
Susanturnedhastilyawaytohidehertelltaleface。
“Who”sSperry？“askedshe，togaintimeforself-control。
“Oh，He”saplay-smith——andabearatit。Hehasknockedtogetherhalfadozensuccesses。He”llsupplythetradeexperiencethatIlack，andFitzalanwillbesuretoputonourpiece。”
“You”realotbetter——aren”tyou？“
“Better？I”malmostwell。”
Hecertainlyhadmadeasuddenstridetowardhealth。Bywayofdoingsomethingprogressivehehadhadashave，andthathadrestoredthelookofyouthtohisface——or，rather，haduncoveredit。Astrong，handsomefaceitwas——muchhandsomerthanBrent”s——andwiththesubtle，moralweaknessofoptimisticvanitywellconcealed。Yes，muchhandsomerthanBrent”s，whichwasn”treallyhandsomeatall——yetwassuperblyhandsomer，also——thehandsomenessthatcomesfrombeingthroughandthroughasomebody。ShesawagainwhyshehadcaredforRodsodeeply；butshealsosawwhyshecouldnotcareagain，atleastnotinthatsameabsorbed，self-effacingway。Physicalattraction——yes。Andacertainremnantofthefeelingofcomradeship，too。Butneveragainutterbelief，worshipfuladmiration——oranyotherdegreeofbelieforadmirationbeyondthemildandcritical。Sheherselfhadgrown。Also，Brent”spenetratingandjustanalysisofSpenserhadputclearlybeforeherpreciselywhathewas——preciselywhatsheherselfhadbeenvaguelythinkingofhim。
AshetalkedonandonofSperry”svisitandthenewprojects，shelistened，lookingathischaracterinthelightBrenthadturneduponit——Brentwhohadinafewbriefmomentsturnedsuchfloodsoflightuponsomanythingsshehadbeenseeingdimlyornotatall。Moderateprosperityandmoderateadversitybringoutthebestthereisinaman；theextremeofeitherbringsouthisworst。Theactualmanisthebestthereisinhim，andnottheworst，butitisoneofthetragediesoflifethatthosewhohaveonceseenhisworsteverafterwardhavesenseofitchiefly，andcannotreturntothefeelingtheyhadforhimwhenhisworstwasundreamedof。“I”mnotinlovewithBrent，“thoughtSusan。“Buthavingknownhim，I
can”teveranymorecareforRod。HeseemssmallbesideBrent——andhe_is_small。”
SpenserinhisoptimisticdreamingaloudhadreachedapointwhereitwasnecessarytoassignSusanaroleinhisdazzlingcareer。“You”llnothavetogoonthestage，“saidhe。“I”lllookoutforyou。BynextweekSperryandIwillhavegottogetherascenariofortheplayandwhenSperryreadsittoFitzalanwe”llgetanadvanceofatleastfivehundred。SoyouandIwilltakeaniceroomandbathuptown——asastarter——andwe”llbehappyagain——happierthanbefore。”
“No，I”mgoingtosupportmyself，“saidSusanpromptly。
“Trash！“criedSpenser，smilingtenderlyather。“DoyousupposeI”dallowyoutomixupinstagelife？You”veforgottenhowjealousIamofyou。Youdon”tknowwhatI”vesufferedsinceI”vebeenheresick，broodingoverwhatyou”redoing，to——”
Shelaidherfingersonhislips。“What”stheuseoffrettingaboutanythingthathastobe？“saidshe，smilingly。“I”mgoingtosupportmyself。Youmayaswellmakeupyourmindtoit。”
“Plentyoftimetoarguethatout，“saidhe，andhistoneforecasthisverdictonthearguing。Andhechangedthesubjectbysaying，“Iseeyoustillclingtoyourfadoflookingfascinatingaboutthefeet。ThatwasoneofthereasonsInevercouldtrustyou。Agirlwithascharmingfeetandanklesasyouhave，andsomuchprideingettingthemupwell，simplycannotbetrustworthy。”Helaughed。
“No，youweremadetobetakencareof，mydear。”
Shedidnotpressthematter。Shehadtakenherstand；thatwasenoughforthepresent。Afteranhourwithhim，shewenthometogetherselfsomethingtoeatonhergasstove。
Spenser”sconfidenceinthefuturedidnotmovehereventotheextentoflayingouthalfadollaronarestaurantdinner。
Womenhavethehabitofbelievingintheoptimisticoutpouringsofegotisticalmen，andoftenhastenmenalongtheroadtoruinbyproclaimingthisbeliefandactinguponit。
Butnotintelligentwomenofexperience；thatsortofwoman，bycheckingoptimistichusbands，fathers，sons，lovers，hasevenputoffruin——sometimesuntildeathhashadthechancetosavetheoptimistfromtheinevitableconsequenceofhisfolly。Whenshefinishedherchopandvegetable，insteadoflightingacigaretteandlingeringoveracupofblackcoffeeshequicklystraightenedupandbeganupontheplayBrenthadgivenher。Shehadreaditseveraltimesthenightbefore，andagainandagainduringtheday。Butnotuntilnowdidshefeelsufficientlycalmeddownfromheragitationsofthoughtandemotiontoattacktheplayunderstandingly。
Thankstodefectiveeducationthemostenlightenedofusgothroughlifemuchlikeadim-sightedmanwhohasnospectacles。Almostthewholeofthewonderfulpanoramaoftheuniverseisunseenbyus，or，ifseen，isbutpartiallyunderstoodorabsurdlymisunderstood。Whenitcomestothesubtlerthings，thethingsofscienceandart，rarelyindeedisthereanyonewhohasthenecessarytrainingtogetmorethanthecrudest，mostimperfectpleasurefromthem。Whatlittletrainingwehaveissolimpingthatitspoilsthecharmofmysterywithwhichsavageignoranceinveststheuniversefrombladeofgrasstostar，anddoesnotputinplaceofthatbrokencharmtheprofounderandloftierjoyofunderstanding。
Totakeforillustrationthemostwidelydiffusedofallthehigherartsandsciences，reading：Howmanyso-called“educated“peoplecanreadunderstandinglyevenanovel，theformofliteraturedesignedtomaketheleastdemanduponthemind？Peoplesaytheyhaveread，but，whenquestioned，theyshowthattheyhavegotmerelyaglimmeringoftherealaction，thefaintesthintofstyleandcharacterization，haveperhapsnotedsomestrayepigramwhichtheyquotewithevidentlyfaultygraspofitsmeaning。
Whenthethingreadisaplay，almostnoonecangetfromitacoherentnotionofwhatitisabout。Mostofushavenothingthatcanjustlybecalledimagination；ourearlytrainingathomeandatschoolkilledintheshootthatfinestplantofthemind”sgarden。Sothereisnoabilitytofillinthepicturewhichthedramaticauthordrawsinoutline。Susanhadnotseen“CavalleriaRusticana“eitherasplayorasopera。ButwhensheandSpenserweretogetherinForty-fourthStreet，shehadreadplaysandhaddreamedoverthem；thetalkhadbeenalmostaltogetherofplays——ofwritingplays，ofconstructingscenes，ofproductions，ofacting，ofallthemanyaspectsofthetheater。Spenserreadscenestoher，gothertohelphimwithcriticism，andshewaspresentwhenhewentoverhisworkwithDrumley，Riggs，Townsendandtheothers。Thus，readingaplaywasnountriedarttoher。