’Thesewilldo，’hesaidatlast；’Ican’tsayIthinkmuchofyourtasteinslippers，butthefit’sthething。’Heslippedhisfeetintoapairofsock—likesambhur—skinfootcoverings，foundalongchair，andlayatlength。
’They’remyownpetpair，’Torpenhowsaid。’Iwasjustgoingtoputthemonmyself。’
’Allyourreprehensibleselfishness。Justbecauseyouseemehappyforaminute，youwanttoworrymeandstirmeup。Findanotherpair。’
’GoodforyouthatDickcan’twearyourclothes，Torp。Youtwolivecommunistically，’saidtheNilghai。
’DickneverhasanythingthatIcanwear。He’sonlyusefultospongeupon。’
’Confoundyou，haveyoubeenrummagingroundamongmyclothes，then？’saidDick。’Iputasovereigninthetobacco—jaryesterday。Howdoyouexpectamantokeephisaccountsproperlyifyou————’
HeretheNilghaibegantolaugh，andTorpenhowjoinedhim。
’Hidasovereignyesterday！You’renosortoffinancier。Youlentmeafiveraboutamonthback。Doyouremember？’Torpenhowsaid。
’Yes，ofcourse。’
’DoyourememberthatIpaidityoutendayslater，andyouputitatthebottomofthetobacco？’
’ByJove，didI？Ithoughtitwasinoneofmycolour—boxes。’
’Youthought！AboutaweekagoIwentintoyourstudiotogetsome’baccyandfoundit。’
’Whatdidyoudowithit？’
’TooktheNilghaitoatheatreandfedhim。’
’Youcouldn’tfeedtheNilghaiundertwicethemoney——notthoughyougavehimArmybeef。Well，IsupposeIshouldhavefounditoutsoonerorlater。Whatistheretolaughat？’
’You’reamostamazingcuckooinmanydirections，’saidtheNilghai，stillchucklingoverthethoughtofthedinner。’Nevermind。Wehadbothbeenworkingveryhard，anditwasyourunearnedincrementwespent，andasyou’reonlyaloaferitdidn’tmatter。’
’That’spleasant——fromthemanwhoisburstingwithmymeat，too。I’llgetthatdinnerbackoneofthesedays。Supposewegotoatheatrenow。’
’Putourbootson，——anddress，——andwash？’TheNilghaispokeverylazily。
’Iwithdrawthemotion。’
’Suppose，justforachange——asastartlingvariety，youknow——we，thatistosaywe，getourcharcoalandourcanvasandgoonwithourwork。’
Torpenhowspokepointedly，butDickonlywriggledhistoesinsidethesoftleathermoccasins。
’Whataone—ideaedcluckerthatis！IfIhadanyunfinishedfiguresonhand，Ihaven’tanymodel；ifIhadmymodel，Ihaven’tanyspray，andI
neverleavecharcoalunfixedovernight；andifIhadmysprayandtwentyphotographsofbackgrounds，Icouldn’tdoanythingto—night。I
don’tfeelthatway。’
’Binkie—dog，he’salazyhog，isn’the？’saidtheNilghai。
’Verygood，Iwilldosomework，’saidDick，risingswiftly。’I’llfetchtheNungapungaBook，andwe’lladdanotherpicturetotheNilghaiSaga。’
’Aren’tyouworryinghimalittletoomuch？’askedtheNilghai，whenDickhadlefttheroom。
’Perhaps，butIknowwhathecanturnoutifhelikes。ItmakesmesavagetohearhimpraisedforpastworkwhenIknowwhatheoughttodo。YouandIarearrangedfor————’
’ByKismetandourownpowers，more’sthepity。Ihavedreamedofagooddeal。’
’SohaveI，butweknowourlimitationsnow。I’mdashedifIknowwhatDick’smaybewhenhegiveshimselftohiswork。That’swhatmakesmesokeenabouthim。’
’Andwhenall’ssaidanddone，youwillbeputaside——quiterightly——forafemalegirl。’
’Iwonder……Wheredoyouthinkhehasbeento—day？’
’Tothesea。Didn’tyouseethelookinhiseyeswhenhetalkedabouther？
He’sasrestlessasaswallowinautumn。’
’Yes；butdidhegoalone？’
’Idon’tknow，andIdon’tcare，buthehasthebeginningsofthego—feveruponhim。Hewantstoup—stakesandmoveout。There’snomistakingthesigns。Whateverhemayhavesaidbefore，hehasthecalluponhimnow。’
’Itmightbehissalvation，’Torpenhowsaid。
’Perhaps——ifyoucaretotaketheresponsibilityofbeingasaviour。’
Dickreturnedwiththebigclaspedsketch—bookthattheNilghaiknewwellanddidnotlovetoomuch。InitDickhaddrawnallmannerofmovingincidents，experiencedbyhimselforrelatedtohimbytheothers，ofallthefourcornersoftheearth。ButthewiderrangeoftheNilghai’sbodyandlifeattractedhimmost。Whentruthfailedhefellbackonfictionofthewildest，andrepresentedincidentsintheNilghai’scareerthatwereunseemly，——hismarriageswithmanyAfricanprincesses，hisshamelessbetrayal，forArabwives，ofanarmycorpstotheMahdi，histattoomentbyskilledoperatorsinBurmah，hisinterview（andhisfears）
withtheyellowheadsmanintheblood—stainedexecution—groundofCanton，andfinally，thepassingsofhisspiritintothebodiesofwhales，elephants，andtoucans。Torpenhowfromtimetotimehadaddedrhymeddescriptions，andthewholewasacuriouspieceofart，becauseDickdecided，havingregardtothenameofthebookwhichbeinginterpretedmeans’naked，’thatitwouldbewrongtodrawtheNilghaiwithanyclotheson，underanycircumstances。Consequentlythelastsketch，representingthatmuch—enduringmancallingontheWarOfficetopresshisclaimstotheEgyptianmedal，washardlydelicate。HesettledhimselfcomfortablyonTorpenhow’stableandturnedoverthepages。
’WhatafortuneyouwouldhavebeentoBlake，Nilghai！’hesaid。’There’sasucculentpinknessaboutsomeofthesesketchesthat’smorethanlife—like。\"TheNilghaisurroundedwhilebathingbytheMahdieh\"——thatwasfoundedonfact，eh？’
’Itwasverynearlymylastbath，youirreverentdauber。HasBinkiecomeintotheSagayet？’
’No；theBinkie—boyhasn’tdoneanythingexcepteatandkillcats。Let’ssee。Hereyouareasastained—glasssaintinachurch。Deuceddecorativelinesaboutyouranatomy；yououghttobegratefulforbeinghandeddowntoposterityinthisway。Fiftyyearshenceyou’llexistinrareandcuriousfacsimilesattenguineaseach。WhatshallItrythistime？ThedomesticlifeoftheNilghai？’
’Hasn’tgotany。’
’TheundomesticlifeoftheNilghai，then。Ofcourse。Mass—meetingofhiswivesinTrafalgarSquare。That’sit。TheycamefromtheendsoftheearthtoattendNilghai’sweddingtoanEnglishbride。Thisshallbeanepic。It’sasweetmaterialtoworkwith。’
’It’sascandalouswasteoftime，’saidTorpenhow。
’Don’tworry；itkeepsone’shandin——speciallywhenyoubeginwithoutthepencil。’Hesettoworkrapidly。’That’sNelson’sColumn。PresentlytheNilghaiwillappearshinningupit。’
’Givehimsomeclothesthistime。’
’Certainly——aveilandanorange—wreath，becausehe’sbeenmarried。’
’Gad，that’scleverenough！’saidTorpenhowoverhisshoulder，asDickbroughtoutofthepaperwiththreetwirlsofthebrushaveryfatbackandlabouringshoulderpressedagainststone。
’Justimagine，’Dickcontinued，’ifwecouldpublishafewofthesedearlittlethingseverytimetheNilghaisubsidisesamanwhocanwrite，togivethepublicanhonestopinionofmypictures。’
’Well，you’lladmitIalwaystellyouwhenIhavedoneanythingofthatkind。IknowIcan’thammeryouasyououghttobehammered，soIgivethejobtoanother。YoungMaclagan，forinstance————’
’No—o——onehalf—minute，oldman；stickyourhandoutagainstthedarkofthewall—paper——youonlyburbleandcallmenames。Thatleftshoulder’soutofdrawing。Imustliterallythrowaveiloverthat。Where’smypen—knife？Well，whataboutMaclagan？’
’Ionlygavehimhisriding—ordersto——tolambastyouongeneralprinciplesfornotproducingworkthatwilllast。’
’Whereuponthatyoungfool，’——Dickthrewbackhisheadandshutoneeyeasheshiftedthepageunderhishand，——’beingleftalonewithanink—potandwhatheconceivedwerehisownnotions，wentandspiltthembothovermeinthepapers。Youmighthaveengagedagrownmanforthebusiness，Nilghai。Howdoyouthinkthebridalveillooksnow，Torp？’
’Howthedeucedothreedabsandtwoscratchesmakethestuffstandawayfromthebodyasitdoes？’saidTorpenhow，towhomDick’smethodswerealwaysnew。
’Itjustdependsonwhereyouput’em。IfMaclaganhadknowthatmuchabouthisbusinesshemighthavedonebetter。’
’Whydon’tyouputthedamneddabsintosomethingthatwillstay，then？’
insistedtheNilghai，whohadreallytakenconsiderabletroubleinhiringforDick’sbenefitthepenofayounggentlemanwhodevotedmostofhiswakinghourstoananxiousconsiderationoftheaimsandendsofArt，which，hewrote，wasoneandindivisible。
’WaitaminutetillIseehowIamgoingtomanagemyprocessionofwives。Youseemtohavemarriedextensively，andImustrough’eminwiththepencil——Medes，Parthians，Edomites……Now，settingasidetheweaknessandthewickednessand——andthefat—headednessofdeliberatelytryingtodoworkthatwilllive，astheycallit，I’mcontentwiththeknowledgethatI’vedonemybestuptodate，andIshan’tdoanythinglikeitagainforsomehoursatleast——probablyyears。Mostprobablynever。’
’What！anystuffyouhaveinstockyourbestwork？’saidTorpenhow。
’Anythingyou’vesold？’saidtheNilghai。
’Ohno。Itisn’thereanditisn’tsold。Betterthanthat，itcan’tbesold，andIdon’tthinkanyoneknowswhereitis。I’msureIdon’t……Andyetmoreandmorewives，onthenorthsideofthesquare。Observethevirtuoushorrorofthelions！’
’Youmayaswellexplain，’saidTorpenhow，andDickliftedhisheadfromthepaper。
’Thesearemindedmeofit，’hesaidslowly。’Iwishithadn’t。Itweighssomefewthousandtons——unlessyoucutitoutwithacoldchisel。’
’Don’tbeanidiot。Youcan’tposewithushere，’saidtheNilghai。
’There’snoposeinthematteratall。It’safact。IwasloafingfromLimatoAucklandinabig，old，condemnedpassenger—shipturnedintoacargo—boatandownedbyasecond—hadItalianfirm。Shewasacrazybasket。Wewerecutdowntofifteentonofcoaladay，andwethoughtourselvesluckywhenwekickedsevenknotsanhouroutofher。Thenweusedtostopandletthebearingscooldown，andwonderwhetherthecrackintheshaftwasspreading。’
’Wereyouastewardorastokerinthosedays？’
’Iwasflushforthetimebeing，soIwasapassenger，orelseIshouldhavebeenasteward，Ithink，’saidDick，withperfectgravity，returningtotheprocessionofangrywives。’IwastheonlyotherpassengerfromLima，andtheshipwashalfempty，andfullofratsandcockroachesandscorpions。’
’Butwhathasthistodowiththepicture？’
’Waitaminute。ShehadbeenintheChinapassengertradeandherlowerdeckshadbunksfortwothousandpigtails。Thosewerealltakendown，andshewasemptyuptohernose，andthelightscamethroughtheportholes——mostannoyinglightstoworkintillyougotusedtothem。Ihadn’tanythingtodoforweeks。Theship’schartswereinpiecesandourskipperdaren’trunsouthforfearofcatchingastorm。SohedidhisbesttoknockalltheSocietyIslandsoutofthewateronebyone，andIwentintothelowerdeck，anddidmypictureontheportsideasfarforwardinherasIcouldgo。Therewassomebrownpaintandsomegreenpaintthattheyusedfortheboats，andsomeblackpaintforironwork，andthatwasallIhad。’
’Thepassengersmusthavethoughtyoumad。’
’Therewasonlyone，anditwasawoman；butitgavemethenotionofmypicture。’
’Whatwasshelike？’saidTorpenhow。
’ShewasasortofNegroid—Jewess—Cuban；withmoralstomatch。Shecouldn’treadorwrite，andshedidn’twantto，butsheusedtocomedownandwatchmepaint，andtheskipperdidn’tlikeit，becausehewaspayingherpassageandhadtobeonthebridgeoccasionally。’
’Isee。Thatmusthavebeencheerful。’
’ItwasthebesttimeIeverhad。Tobeginwith，wedidn’tknowwhetherweshouldgouporgodownanyminutewhentherewasaseaon；andwhenitwascalmitwasparadise；andthewomanusedtomixthepaintsandtalkbrokenEnglish，andtheskipperusedtostealdowneveryfewminutestothelowerdeck，becausehesaidhewasafraidoffire。So，yousee，wecouldnevertellwhenwemightbecaught，andIhadasplendidnotiontoworkoutinonlythreekeysofcolour。’
’Whatwasthenotion？’
’TwolinesinPoe——
NeithertheanglesinHeavenabovenorthedemonsdownunderthesea，CaneverdissevermysoulfromthesoulofthebeautifulAnnabelLee。
Itcameoutofthesea——allbyitself。Idrewthatfight，foughtoutingreenwateroverthenaked，chokingsoul，andthewomanservedasthemodelforthedevilsandtheangelsboth——sea—devilsandsea—angels，andthesoulhalfdrownedbetweenthem。Itdoesn’tsoundmuch，butwhentherewasagoodlightonthelowerdeckitlookedveryfineandcreepy。Itwassevenbyfourteenfeet，alldoneinshiftinglightforshiftinglight。’
’Didthewomaninspireyoumuch？’saidTorpenhow。
’Sheandtheseabetweenthem——immensely。Therewasaheapofbaddrawinginthatpicture。IrememberIwentoutofmywaytoforeshortenforsheerdelightofdoingit，andIforeshorteneddamnably，butforallthatit’sthebestthingI’veeverdone；andnowIsupposetheship’sbrokenuporgonedown。Whew！Whatatimethatwas！’
’Whathappenedafterall？’
’Itallended。TheywereloadingherwithwoolwhenIlefttheship，buteventhestevedoreskeptthepicturecleartothelast。Theeyesofthedemonsscaredthem，Ihonestlybelieve。’
’Andthewoman？’
’Shewasscaredtoowhenitwasfinished。Sheusedtocrossherselfbeforeshewentdowntolookatit。Justthreecoloursandnochanceofgettinganymore，andtheseaoutsideandunlimitedlove—makinginside，andthefearofdeathatopofeverythingelse，OLord！’Hehadceasedtolookatthesketch，butwasstaringstraightinfrontofhimacrosstheroom。
’Whydon’tyoutrysomethingofthesamekindnow？’saidtheNilghai。
’Becausethosethingscomenotbyfastingandprayer。WhenIfindacargo—boatandaJewess—Cubanandanothernotionandthesameoldlife，Imay。’
’Youwon’tfindthemhere，’saidtheNilghai。
’No，Ishallnot。’Dickshutthesketch—bookwithabang。’Thisroom’sashotasanoven。Openthewindow，someone。’
Heleanedintothedarkness，watchingthegreaterdarknessofLondonbelowhim。Thechambersstoodmuchhigherthantheotherhouses，commandingahundredchimneys——crookedcowlsthatlookedlikesittingcatsastheyswunground，andotheruncouthbrickandzincmysteriessupportedbyironstanchionsandclampedby8—pieces。NorthwardthelightsofPiccadillyCircusandLeicesterSquarethrewacopper—colouredglareabovetheblackroofs，andsouthwardbyalltheorderlylightsoftheThames。Atrainrolledoutacrossoneoftherailwaybridges，anditsthunderdrownedforaminutethedullroarofthestreets。TheNilghailookedathiswatchandsaidshortly，’That’stheParisnight—mail。YoucanbookfromheretoSt。Petersburgifyouchoose。’
Dickcrammedheadandshouldersoutofthewindowandlookedacrosstheriver。Torpenhowcametohisside，whiletheNilghaipassedoverquietlytothepianoandopenedit。Binkie，makinghimselfaslargeaspossible，spreadoutuponthesofawiththeairofonewhoisnottobelightlydisturbed。
’Well，’saidtheNilghaitothetwopairsofshoulders，’haveyouneverseenthisplacebefore？’
Asteam—tugontheriverhootedasshetowedherbargestowharf。Thentheboomofthetrafficcameintotheroom。TorpenhownudgedDick。
’Goodplacetobankin——badplacetobunkin，Dickie，isn’tit？’
Dick’schinwasinhishandasheanswered，inthewordsofageneralnotwithoutfame，stilllookingoutonthedarkness——’\"MyGod，whatacitytoloot！\"’
Binkiefoundthenightairticklinghiswhiskersandsneezedplaintively。
’WeshallgivetheBinkie—dogacold，’saidTorpenhow。’Comein，’andtheywithdrewtheirheads。’You’llbeburiedinKensalGreen，Dick，oneofthesedays，ifitisn’tclosedbythetimeyouwanttogothere——buriedwithintwofeetofsomeoneelse，hiswifeandhisfamily。’
’Allahforbid！Ishallgetawaybeforethattimecomes。Giveamanroomtostretchhislegs，Mr。Binkie。’DickflunghimselfdownonthesofaandtweakedBinkie’svelvetears，yawningheavilythewhile。
’You’llfindthatwardrobe—caseverymuchoutoftune，’TorpenhowsaidtotheNilghai。’It’snevertouchedexceptbyyou。’
’Apieceofgrossextravagance，’Dickgrunted。’TheNilghaionlycomeswhenI’mout。’
’That’sbecauseyou’realwaysout。Howl，Nilghai，andlethimhear。’？
’ThelifeoftheNilghaiisfraudandslaughter，HiswritingsarewateredDickensandwater；
ButthevoiceoftheNilghairaisedonhighMakeseventheMahdiehgladtodie！’？
DickquotedfromTorpenhow’sletterpressintheNungapungaBook。
’HowdotheycallmooseinCanada，Nilghai？’
Themanlaughed。Singingwashisonepoliteaccomplishment，asmanyPress—tentsinfar—offlandshadknown。
’WhatshallIsing？’saidhe，turninginthechair。
’\"MollRoeintheMorning，\"’saidTorpenhow，ataventure。
’No，’saidDick，sharply，andtheNilghaiopenedhiseyes。Theoldchantywhereofhe，amongaveryfew，possessedallthewordswasnotaprettyone，butDickhadhearditmanytimesbeforewithoutwincing。Withoutpreludehelaunchedintothatstatelytunethatcallstogetherandtroublestheheartsofthegipsiesofthesea——
’Farewellandadieutoyou，Spanishladies，Farewellandadieutoyou，ladiesofSpain。’？
Dickturneduneasilyonthesofa，forhecouldhearthebowsoftheBarralongcrashingintothegreenseasonherwaytotheSouthernCross。
Thencamethechorus——
’We’llrantandwe’llroarliketrueBritishsailors，We’llrantandwe’llroaracrossthesaltseas，UntilwetakesoundingsintheChannelofOldEnglandFromUshanttoScilly’tisforty—fiveleagues。’？
’Thirty—five—thirty—five，’saidDick，petulantly。’Don’ttamperwithHolyWrit。Goon，Nilghai。’？
’ThefirstlandwemadeitwascalledtheDeadman，’？
andtheysangtotheendveryvigourously。
’Thatwouldbeabettersongifherheadwereturnedtheotherway——totheUshantlight，forinstance，’saidtheNilghai。
’Flinginghisarmsaboutlikeamadwindmill，’saidTorpenhow。’Giveussomethingelse，Nilghai。You’reinfinefog—hornformtonight。’
’Giveusthe\"GangesPilot\"；yousangthatinthesquarethenightbeforeEl—Maghrib。Bytheway，Iwonderhowmanyofthechorusarealiveto—night，’saidDick。
Torpenhowconsideredforaminute。’ByJove！IbelieveonlyyouandI。
Raynor，Vicery，andDeenes——alldead；VincentcaughtsmallpoxinCairo，carriedithereanddiedofit。Yes，onlyyouandIandtheNilghai。’
’Umph！Andyetthemenherewho’vedonetheirworkinawell—warmedstudioalltheirlives，withapolicemanateachcorner，saythatIchargetoomuchformypictures。’
’Theyarebuyingyourwork，notyourinsurancepolicies，dearchild，’
saidtheNilghai。
’Igambledwithonetogetattheother。Don’tpreach。Goonwiththe\"Pilot。\"Whereintheworlddidyougetthatsong？’
’Onatombstone，’saidtheNilghai。’Onatombstoneinadistantland。I
madeitanaccompanimentwithheapsofbasechords。’
’Oh，Vanity！Begin。’AndtheNilghaibegan——
’Ihaveslippedmycable，messmates，I’mdriftingdownwiththetide，Ihavemysailingorders，whileyetananchorride。
AndneveronfairJunemorninghaveIputouttoseaWithclearerconscienceorbetterhope，oraheartmorelightandfree。
’Shouldertoshoulder，Joe，myboy，intothecrowdlikeawedgeStrikewiththehangers，messmates，butdonotcutwiththeedge。
CriesCharnock，\"Scatterthefaggots，doublethatBrahminintwo，Thetallpalewidowforme，Joe，thelittlebrowngirlforyou！\"
’YoungJoe（you’renearingsixty），whyisyourhidesodark？
Katiehassoftfairblueeyes，whoblackenedyours？——Why，hark！’？
Theywereallsingingnow，Dickwiththeroarofthewindoftheopenseaabouthisearsasthedeepbassvoiceletitselfgo。
’Themorninggun——Ho，steady！thearquebusestome！？
Iha’soundedtheDutchHighAdmiral’sheartasmyleaddothsoundthesea。
’Sounding，soundingtheGanges，floatingdownwiththetide，MooremeclosetoCharnock，nexttomynut—brownbride。
MyblessingtoKateatFairlight——Holwell，mythankstoyou；
Steady！Westeerforheaven，throughsand—driftscoldandblue。’？
’Nowwhatisthereinthatnonsensetomakeamanrestless？’saidDick，haulingBinkiefromhisfeettohischest。
’Itdependsontheman，’saidTorpenhow。
’Themanwhohasbeendowntolookatthesea，’saidtheNilghai。
’Ididn’tknowshewasgoingtoupsetmeinthisfashion。’
’That’swhatmensaywhentheygotosaygood—byetoawoman。It’smoreeasythoughtogetridofthreewomenthanapieceofone’slifeandsurroundings。’
’Butawomancanbe————’beganDick，unguardedly。
’Apieceofone’slife，’continuedTorpenhow。’No，shecan’t。Hisfacedarkenedforamoment。’Shesaysshewantstosympathisewithyouandhelpyouinyourwork，andeverythingelsethatclearlyamanmustdoforhimself。Thenshesendsroundfivenotesadaytoaskwhythedickensyouhaven’tbeenwastingyourtimewithher。’
’Don’tgeneralise，’saidtheNilghai。’Bythetimeyouarriveatfivenotesadayyoumusthavegonethroughagooddealandbehavedaccordingly。
Shouldn’tbeginthesethings，myson。’
’Ishouldn’thavegonedowntothesea，’saidDick，justalittleanxioustochangetheconversation。’Andyoushouldn’thavesung。’
’Theseaisn’tsendingyoufivenotesaday，’saidtheNilghai。
’No，butI’mfatallycompromised。She’sanenduringoldhag，andI’msorryIevermether。Whywasn’tIbornandbredanddeadinathree—pairback？’
’Hearhimblaspheminghisfirstlove！Whyintheworldshouldn’tyoulistentoher？’saidTorpenhow。
BeforeDickcouldreplytheNilghailifteduphisvoicewithashoutthatshookthewindows，in’TheMenoftheSea，’thatbegins，asallknow，’Theseaisawickedoldwoman，’andafterradingthrougheightlineswhoseimageryistruthful，endsinarefrain，slowastheclackingofacapstanwhentheboatcomesunwillinglyuptothebarswherethemensweatandtrampintheshingle。
’\"Yethatboreus，Orestoreus！？
Sheiskinderthanye；
Forthecallisonourheart—strings！\"
SaidTheMenoftheSea。’？
TheNilghaisangthatversetwice，withsimplecunning，intendingthatDickshouldhear。ButDickwaswaitingforthefarewellofthementotheirwives。
’\"Yethatloveus，canyemoveus？
Sheisdearerthanye；
Andyoursleepwillbethesweeter，\"
SaidTheMenoftheSea。’？
TheroughwordsbeatliketheblowsofthewavesonthebowsofthericketyboatfromLimainthedayswhenDickwasmixingpaints，makinglove，drawingdevilsandangelsinthehalfdark，andwonderingwhetherthenextminutewouldputtheItaliancaptain’sknifebetweenhisshoulder—blades。Andthego—feverwhichismorerealthanmanydoctors’
diseases，wakedandraged，urginghimwholovedMaisiebeyondanythingintheworld，togoawayandtastetheoldhot，unregeneratelifeagain，——toscuffle，swear，gamble，andlovelightloveswithhisfellows；totakeshipandknowtheseaoncemore，andbyherbegetpictures；totalktoBinatamongthesandsofPortSaidwhileYellow’Tinamixedthedrinks；tohearthecrackleofmusketry，andseethesmokerolloutward，thinandthickenagaintilltheshiningblackfacescamethrough，andinthathelleverymanwasstrictlyresponsibleforhisownhead，andhisownalone，andstruckwithanunfetteredarm。Itwasimpossible，utterlyimpossible，but——
’\"Oh，ourfathersinthechurchyard，Sheisolderthanye，Andourgraveswillbethegreener，\"
SaidTheMenoftheSea。’？
’Whatistheretohinder？’saidTorpenhow，inthelonghushthatfollowedthesong。
’Yousaidalittletimesincethatyouwouldn’tcomeforawalkroundtheworld，Torp。’
’Thatwasmonthsago，andIonlyobjectedtoyourmakingmoneyfortravellingexpenses。You’veshotyourbolthereandithasgonehome。Goawayanddosomework，andseesomethings。’
’Getsomeofthefatoffyou；you’redisgracefullyoutofcondition，’saidtheNilghai，makingaplungefromthechairandgraspingahandfulofDickgenerallyovertherightribs。’Softasputty——puretallowbornofover—feeding。Trainitoff，Dickie。’
’We’reallequallygross，Nilghai。Nexttimeyouhavetotakethefieldyou’llsitdown，winkyoureyes，gasp，anddieinafit。’
’Nevermind。Yougoawayonaship。GotoLimaagain，ortoBrazil。
There’salwaystroubleinSouthAmerica。’
’DoyousupposeIwanttobetoldwheretogo？GreatHeavens，theonlydifficultyistoknowwhereI’mtostop。ButIshallstayhere，asItoldyoubefore。’
’Thenyou’llbeburiedinKensalGreenandturnintoadipocerewiththeothers，’saidTorpenhow。’Areyouthinkingofcommissionsinhand？Payforfeitandgo。You’vemoneyenoughtotravelasakingifyouplease。’
’You’vethegrisliestnotionsofamusement，Torp。IthinkIseemyselfshippingfirstclassonasix—thousand—tonhotel，andaskingthethirdengineerwhatmakestheenginesgoround，andwhetheritisn’tverywarminthestokehold。Ho！ho！IshouldshipasaloaferifeverIshippedatall，whichI’mnotgoingtodo。Ishallcompromise，andgoforasmalltriptobeginwith。’
’That’ssomethingatanyrate。Wherewillyougo？’saidTorpenhow。’Itwoulddoyouallthegoodintheworld，oldman。’
TheNilghaisawthetwinkleinDick’seye，andrefrainedfromspeech。
’IshallgointhefirstplacetoRathray’sstable，whereIshallhireonehorse，andtakehimverycarefullyasfarasRichmondHill。ThenIshallwalkhimbackagain，incaseheshouldaccidentallyburstintoalatherandmakeRathrayangry。Ishalldothatto—morrow，forthesakeofairandexercise。’
’Bah！’DickhadbarelytimetothrowuphisarmandwardoffthecushionthatthedisgustedTorpenhowheavedathishead。
’Airandexerciseindeed，’saidtheNilghai，sittingdownheavilyonDick。
’Let’sgivehimalittleofboth。Getthebellows，Torp。’
Atthispointtheconferencebrokeupindisorder，becauseDickwouldnotopenhismouthtilltheNilghaiheldhisnosefast，andtherewassometroubleinforcingthenozzleofthebellowsbetweenhisteeth；andevenwhenitwasthereheweaklytriedtopuffagainsttheforceoftheblast，andhischeeksblewupwithagreatexplosion；andtheenemybecominghelplesswithlaughterhesobeatthemovertheheadwithasoftsofacushionthatthatbecameunsewnanddistributeditsfeathers，andBinkie，interferinginTorpenhow’sinterests，wasbundledintothehalf—emptybagandadvisedtoscratchhiswayout，whichhedidafterawhile，travellingrapidlyupanddownthefloorintheshapeofanagitatedgreenhaggis，andwhenhecameoutlookingforsatisfaction，thethreepillarsofhisworldwerepickingfeathersoutoftheirhair。
’Aprophethasnohonourinhisowncountry，’saidDick，ruefully，dustinghisknees。’Thisfilthyfluffwillneverbrushoffmylegs。’
’Itwasallforyourowngood，’saidtheNilghai。’Nothinglikeairandexercise。’
’Allforyourgood，’saidTorpenhow，notintheleastwithreferencetopastclowning。’Itwouldletyoufocusthingsattheirproperworthandpreventyourbecomingslackinthishothouseofatown。Indeeditwould，oldman。Ishouldn’thavespokenifIhadn’tthoughtso。Only，youmakeajokeofeverything。’
’BeforeGodIdonosuchthing，’saidDick，quicklyandearnestly。’Youdon’tknowmeifyouthinkthat。’
Idon’tthinkit，’saidtheNilghai。
’Howcanfellowslikeourselves，whoknowwhatlifeanddeathreallymean，daretomakeajokeofanything？Iknowwepretendit，tosaveourselvesfrombreakingdownorgoingtotheotherextreme。Can’tIsee，oldman，howyou’realwaysanxiousaboutme，andtrytoadvisemetomakemyworkbetter？DoyousupposeIdon’tthinkaboutthatmyself？
Butyoucan’thelpme——youcan’thelpme——notevenyou。Imustplaymyownhandaloneinmyownway。’
’Hear，hear，’fromtheNilghai。
’What’stheonethingintheNilghaiSagathatI’veneverdrawnintheNungapungaBook？’DickcontinuedtoTorpenhow，whowasalittleastonishedattheoutburst。
NowtherewasoneblankpageinthebookgivenovertothesketchthatDickhadnotdrawnofthecrowningexploitintheNilghai’slife；whenthatman，beingyoungandforgettingthathisbodyandbonesbelongedtothepaperthatemployedhim，hadriddenoversunburnedslipperygrassintherearofBredow’sbrigadeonthedaythatthetroopersflungthemselvesatCaurobert’sartillery，andforaughttheyknewtwentybattalionsinfront，tosavethebattered24thGermanInfantry，togivetimetodecidethefateofVionville，andtolearneretheirremnantcamebacktoFlavigaythatcavalrycanattackandcrumpleandbreakunshakeninfantry。Wheneverhewasinclinedtothinkoveralifethatmighthavebeenbetter，anincomethatmighthavebeenlarger，andasoulthatmighthavebeenconsiderablycleaner，theNilghaiwouldcomforthimselfwiththethought，’IrodewithBredow’sbrigadeatVionville，’andtakeheartforanylesserbattlethenextdaymightbring。
’Iknow，’hesaidverygravely。’Iwasalwaysgladthatyouleftitout。’
’IleftitoutbecauseNilghaitaughtmewhattheGermanyarmylearnedthen，andwhatSchmidttaughttheircavalry。Idon’tknowGerman。
Whatisit？\"Takecareofthetimeandthedressingwilltakecareofitself。\"Imustridemyownlinetomyownbeat，oldman。’
’Tempeistrichtung。You’velearnedyourlessonwell，’saidtheNilghai。
’Hemustgoalone。Hespeakstruth，Torp。’
’MaybeI’maswrongasIcanbe——hideouslywrong。Imustfindthatoutformyself，asIhavetothinkthingsoutformyself，butIdaren’tturnmyheadtodressbythenextman。Ithurtsmeagreatdealmorethanyouknownottobeabletogo，butIcannot，that’sall。Imustdomyownworkandlivemyownlifeinmyownway，becauseI’mresponsibleforboth。
Onlydon’tthinkIfrivolaboutit，Torp。Ihavemyownmatchesandsulphur，andI’llmakemyownhell，thanks。’
Therewasanuncomfortablepause。ThenTorpenhowsaidblandly，’WhatdidtheGovernorofNorthCarolinasaytotheGovernorofSouthCarolina？’
’Excellentnotion。Itisalongtimebetweendrinks。Therearethemakingsofaveryfinepriginyou，Dick，’saidtheNilghai。
’I’veliberatedmymind，estimableBinkie，withthefeathersinhismouth。’Dickpickedupthestillindignantoneandshookhimtenderly。
’You’retiedupinasackandmadetorunaboutblind，Binkie—wee，withoutanyreason，andithashurtyourlittlefeelings。Nevermind。Sicvolo，sicjubeo，stetprorationevoluntas，anddon’tsneezeinmyeyebecauseItalkLatin。Good—night。’
Hewentoutoftheroom。
’That’sdistinctlyoneforyou，’saidtheNilghai。’Itoldyouitwashopelesstomeddlewithhim。He’snotpleased。’
’He’dswearatmeifheweren’t。Ican’tmakeitout。Hehasthego—feveruponhimandhewon’tgo。Ionlyhopethathemayn’thavetogosomedaywhenhedoesn’twantto，’saidTorpenhow。
******
InhisownroomDickwassettlingaquestionwithhimself——andthequestionwaswhetheralltheworld，andallthatwastherein，andaburningdesiretoexploitboth，wasworthonethreepennypiecethrownintotheThames。
’Itcameofseeingthesea，andI’macurtothinkaboutit，’hedecided。
’Afterall，thehoneymoonwillbethattour——withreservations；only……
onlyIdidn’trealisethattheseawassostrong。Ididn’tfeelitsomuchwhenIwaswithMaisie。Thesedamnablesongsdidit。He’sbeginningagain。’
ButitwasonlyHerrick’sNightpiecetoJuliathattheNilghaisang，andbeforeitwasendedDickreappearedonthethreshold，notaltogetherclothedindeed，butinhisrightmind，thirstyandatpeace。
ThemoodhadcomeandgonewiththerisingandthefallingofthetidebyFortKeeling。
CHAPTERIX
’IfIhavetakenthecommonclayAndwroughtitcunninglyIntheshapeofagodthatwasdiggedaclod，Thegreaterhonourtome。’？
’Ifthouhasttakenthecommonclay，AndthyhandsbenotfreeFromthetaintofthesoil，thouhastmadethyspoilThegreatershametothee。’——TheTwoPotters。？
HEDIDnoworkofanykindfortherestoftheweek。ThencameanotherSunday。Hedreadedandlongedforthedayalways，butsincethered—hairedgirlhadsketchedhimtherewasrathermoredreadthandesireinhismind。
HefoundthatMaisiehadentirelyneglectedhissuggestionsaboutline—work。Shehadgoneoffatscorefiledwithsomeabsurdnotionfora’fancyhead。’ItcostDicksomethingtocommandhistemper。
’What’sthegoodofsuggestinganything？’hesaidpointedly。
’Ah，butthiswillbeapicture，——arealpicture；andIknowthatKamiwillletmesendittotheSalon。Youdon’tmind，doyou？’
’Isupposenot。Butyouwon’thavetimefortheSalon。’
Maisiehesitatedalittle。Sheevenfeltuncomfortable。
’We’regoingovertoFranceamonthsoonerbecauseofit。IshallgettheideasketchedouthereandworkitupatKami’s。
Dick’sheartstoodstill，andhecameveryneartobeingdisgustedwithhisqueenwhocoulddonowrong。’JustwhenIthoughtIhadmadesomeheadway，shegoesoffchasingbutterflies。It’stoomaddening！’
Therewasnopossibilityofarguing，forthered—hairedgirlwasinthestudio。Dickcouldonlylookunutterablereproach。
’I’msorry，’hesaid，’andIthinkyoumakeamistake。Butwhat’stheideaofyournewpicture？’
’Itookitfromabook。’
’That’sbad，tobeginwith。Booksaren’ttheplacesforpictures。And————’
’It’sthis，’saidthered—hairedgirlbehindhim。’IwasreadingittoMaisietheotherdayfromTheCityofDreadfulNight。D’youknowthebook？’
’Alittle。IamsorryIspoke。Therearepicturesinit。Whathastakenherfancy？’
’ThedescriptionoftheMelancolia——
’Herfoldedwingsasofamightyeagle，ButalltooimpotenttolifttheregalRobustnessofherearth—bornstrengthandpride。
Andhereagain。（Maisie，getthetea，dear。）
’Theforeheadchargedwithbalefulthoughtsanddreams，Thehouseholdbunchofkeys，thehousewife’sgown，Voluminousindented，andyetrigidAsthoughashellofburnishedmetalfrigid，Herfeetthick—shodtotreadallweaknessdown。’？
Therewasnoattempttoconcealthescornofthelazyvoice。Dickwinced。
’ButthathasbeendonealreadybyanobscureartistbythenameofDurer，’saidhe。’Howdoesthepoemrun？——
’Threecenturiesandthreescoreyearsago，Withphantasiesofhispeculiarthought。
YoumightaswelltrytorewriteHamlet。Itwillbeawasteoftime。
’No，itwon’t，’saidMaisie，puttingdowntheteacupswithaclattertoreassureherself。’AndImeantodoit。Can’tyouseewhatabeautifulthingitwouldmake？’
’Howinperditioncanonedoworkwhenonehasn’thadthepropertraining？Anyfoolcangetanotion。Itneedstrainingtodrivethethingthrough，——trainingandconviction；notrushingafterthefirstfancy。’Dickspokebetweenhisteeth。
’Youdon’tunderstand，’saidMaisie。’IthinkIcandoit。’
Againthevoiceofthegirlbehindhim——
’Baffledandbeatenback，sheworksonstill；
Wearyandsickofsoul，sheworksthemore。
Sustainedbyherindomitablewill，Thehandsshallfashion，andthebrainshallpore，Andallhersorrowshallbeturnedtolabour————
IfancyMaisiemeanstoembodyherselfinthepicture。’
’Sittingonathroneofrejectedpictures？No，Ishan’t，dear。Thenotioninitselfhasfascinatedme。——Ofcourseyoudon’tcareforfancyheads，Dick。
Idon’tthinkyoucoulddothem。Youlikebloodandbones。’
’That’sadirectchallenge。IfyoucandoaMelancoliathatisn’tmerelyasorrowfulfemalehead，Icandoabetterone；andIwill，too。Whatd’youknowaboutMelacolias？’Dickfirmlybelievedthathewaseventhentastingthree—quartersofallthesorrowintheworld。
’Shewasawoman，’saidMaisie，’andshesufferedagreatdeal，——tillshecouldsuffernomore。Thenshebegantolaughatitall，andthenIpaintedherandsenthertotheSalon。’
Thered—hairedgirlroseupandlefttheroom，laughing。
DicklookedatMaisiehumblyandhopelessly。
’Nevermindaboutthepicture，’hesaid。’AreyoureallygoingbacktoKami’sforamonthbeforeyourtime？’
’Imust，ifIwanttogetthepicturedone。’
’Andthat’sallyouwant？’
’Ofcourse。Don’tbestupid，Dick。’
’Youhaven’tthepower。Youhaveonlytheideas——theideasandthelittlecheapimpulses。Howyoucouldhavekeptatyourworkfortenyearssteadilyisamysterytome。Soyouarereallygoing，——amonthbeforeyouneed？’
’Imustdomywork。’
’Yourwork——bah！……No，Ididn’tmeanthat。It’sallright，dear。Ofcourseyoumustdoyourwork，and——IthinkI’llsaygood—byeforthisweek。’
’Won’tyouevenstayfortea？
’No，thankyou。HaveIyourleavetogo，dear？There’snothingmoreyouparticularlywantmetodo，andtheline—workdoesn’tmatter。’
’Iwishyoucouldstay，andthenwecouldtalkovermypicture。Ifonlyonesinglepicture’sasuccess，itdrawsattentiontoalltheothers。Iknowsomeofmyworkisgood，ifonlypeoplecouldsee。Andyouneedn’thavebeensorudeaboutit。’
’I’msorry。We’lltalktheMelancoliaoversomeoneoftheotherSundays。
Therearefourmore——yes，one，two，three，four——beforeyougo。Good—bye，Maisie。’
Maisiestoodbythestudiowindow，thinking，tillthered—hairedgirlreturned，alittlewhiteatthecornersofherlips。
’Dick’sgoneoff，’saidMaisie。’JustwhenIwantedtotalkaboutthepicture。Isn’titselfishofhim？’
Hercompanionopenedherlipsasiftospeak，shutthemagain，andwentonreadingTheCityofDreadfulNight。
DickwasinthePark，walkingroundandroundatreethathehadchosenashisconfidanteformanySundayspast。Hewasswearingaudibly，andwhenhefoundthattheinfirmitiesoftheEnglishtonguehemmedinhisrage，hesoughtconsolationinArabic，whichisexpresslydesignedfortheuseoftheafflicted。Hewasnotpleasedwiththerewardofhispatientservice；norwashepleasedwithhimself；anditwaslongbeforehearrivedatthepropositionthatthequeencoulddonowrong。
’It’salosinggame，’hesaid。’I’mworthnothingwhenawhimofhersisinquestion。ButinalosinggameatPortSaidweusedtodoublethestakesandgoon。ShedoaMelancolia！Shehasn’tthepower，ortheinsight，orthetraining。Onlythedesire。She’scursedwiththecurseofReuben。Shewon’tdoline—work，becauseitmeansrealwork；andyetshe’sstrongerthanIam。I’llmakeherunderstandthatIcanbeatheronherownMelancolia。Eventhenshewouldn’tcare。ShesaysIcanonlydobloodandbones。Idon’tbelieveshehasbloodinherveins。AllthesameIloverher；andImustgoonlovingher；andifIcanhumbleherinordinatevanityIwill。I’lldoaMelancoliathatshallbesomethinglikeaMelancolia——\"theMelancoliathattranscendsallwit。\"I’lldoitatonce，con——blessher。’
Hediscoveredthatthenotionwouldnotcometoorder，andthathecouldnotfreehismindforanhourfromthethoughtofMaisie’sdeparture。HetookverysmallinterestinherroughstudiesfortheMelancoliawhensheshowedthemnextweek。TheSundayswereracingpast，andthetimewasathandwhenallthechurchbellsinLondoncouldnotringMaisiebacktohim。OnceortwicehesaidsomethingtoBinkieabout’hermaphroditicfutilities，’butthelittledogreceivedsomanyconfidencesbothfromTorpenhowandDickthathedidnottroublehistulip—earstolisten。
Dickwaspermittedtoseethegirlsoff。TheyweregoingbytheDovernight—boat；andtheyhopedtoreturninAugust。ItwasthenFebruary，andDickfeltthathewasbeinghardlyused。MaisiewassobusystrippingthesmallhouseacrossthePark，andpackinghercanvases，thatshehadnottimeforthought。DickwentdowntoDoverandwastedadaytherefrettingoverawonderfulpossibility。WouldMaisieattheverylastallowhimonesmallkiss？Hereflectedthathemightcaptureherbythestrongarm，ashehadseemwomencapturedintheSouthernSoudan，andleadheraway；butMaisiewouldneverbeled。Shewouldturnhergrayeyesuponhimandsay，’Dick，howselfishyouare！’Thenhiscouragewouldfailhim。Itwouldbebetter，afterall，tobegforthatkiss。
Maisielookedmorethanusuallykissableasshesteppedfromthenight—mailontothewindypier，inagraywaterproofandalittlegrayclothtravelling—cap。Thered—hairedgirlwasnotsolovely。Hergreeneyeswerehollowandherlipsweredry。Dicksawthetrunksaboard，andwenttoMaisie’ssideinthedarknessunderthebridge。Themail—bagswerethunderingintotheforehold，andthered—hairedgirlwaswatchingthem。
’You’llhavearoughpassageto—night，’saidDick。’It’sblowingoutside。I
supposeImaycomeoverandseeyouifI’mgood？’
’Youmustn’t。Ishallbebusy。Atleast，ifIwantyouI’llsendforyou。ButIshallwritefromVitry—sur—Marne。Ishallhaveheapsofthingstoconsultyouabout。Oh，Dick，youhavebeensogoodtome！——sogoodtome！’
’Thankyouforthat，dear。Ithasn’tmadeanydifference，hasit？’
’Ican’ttellafib。Ithasn’t——inthatway。Butdon’tthinkI’mnotgrateful。’
’Damnthegratitude！’saidDick，huskily，tothepaddle—box。
’What’stheuseofworrying？YouknowIshouldruinyourlife，andyou’druinmine，asthingsarenow。YourememberwhatyousaidwhenyouweresoangrythatdayinthePark？Oneofushastobebroken。
Can’tyouwaittillthatdaycomes？’
’No，love。Iwantyouunbroken——alltomyself。’
Maisieshookherhead。’MypoorDick，whatcanIsay！’
’Don’tsayanything。Givemeakiss。Onlyonekiss，Maisie。I’llswearI
won’ttakeanymore。Youmightaswell，andthenIcanbesureyou’regrateful。’
Maisieputhercheekforward，andDicktookhisrewardinthedarkness。
Itwasonlyonekiss，but，sincetherewasnotime—limitspecified，itwasalongone。Maisiewrenchedherselffreeangrily，andDickstoodabashedandtinglingfromheadtotoe。
’Good—bye，darling。Ididn’tmeantoscareyou。I’msorry。Only——keepwellanddogoodwork，——speciallytheMelancolia。I’mgoingtodoone，too。RemembermetoKami，andbecarefulwhatyoudrink。Countrydrinking—waterisbadeverywhere，butit’sworseinFrance。Writetomeifyouwantanything，andgood—bye。Saygood—byetothewhatever—you—call—umgirl，and——can’tIhaveanotherkiss？No。You’requiteright。Good—bye。’
Ashouldtoldhimthatitwasnotseemlytochargeofthemail—bagincline。Hereachedthepierasthesteamerbegantomoveoff，andhefollowedherwithhisheart。
’Andthere’snothing——nothinginthewideworld——tokeepusapartexceptherobstinacy。TheseCalaisnight—boatsaremuchtoosmall。I’llgetTorptowritetothepapersaboutit。She’sbeginningtopitchalready。’
MaisiestoodwhereDickhadlefthertillsheheardalittlegaspingcoughatherelbow。Thered—hairedgirl’seyeswerealightwithcoldflame。
’Hekissedyou！’shesaid。’Howcouldyoulethim，whenhewasn’tanythingtoyou？Howdaredyoutotakeakissfromhim？Oh，Maisie，let’sgototheladies’cabin。I’msick，——deadlysick。’
’Wearen’tintoopenwateryet。Godown，dear，andI’llstayhere。Idon’tlikethesmelloftheengines……PoorDick！Hedeservedone，——onlyone。
ButIdidn’tthinkhe’dfrightenmeso。’
Dickreturnedtotownnextdayjustintimeforlunch，forwhichhehadtelegraphed。Tohisdisgust，therewereonlyemptyplatesinthestudio。
Helifteduphisvoicelikethebearsinthefairy—tale，andTorpenhowentered，lookingguilty。
’H’sh！’saidhe。’Don’tmakesuchanoise。Itookit。Comeintomyrooms，andI’llshowyouwhy。’
Dickpausedamazedatthethreshold，foronTorpenhow’ssofalayagirlasleepandbreathingheavily。Thelittlecheapsailor—hat，theblue—and—whitedress，fitterforJunethanforFebruary，dabbledwithmudattheskirts，thejackettrimmedwithimitationAstrakhanandrippedattheshoulder—seams，theone—and—elevenpennyumbrella，and，aboveall，thedisgracefulconditionofthekid—toppedboots，declaredallthings。
’Oh，Isay，oldman，thisistoobad！Youmustn’tbringthissortuphere。
Theystealthingsfromtherooms。’
’Itlooksbad，Iadmit，butIwascominginafterlunch，andshestaggeredintothehall。Ithoughtshewasdrunkatfirst，butitwascollapse。I
couldn’tleaveherasshewas，soIbroughtheruphereandgaveheryourlunch。Shewasfaintingfromwantoffood。Shewentfastasleeptheminuteshehadfinished。’
’Iknowsomethingofthatcomplaint。She’sbeenlivingonsausages，I
suppose。Torp，youshouldhavehandedherovertoapolicemanforpresumingtofaintinarespectablehouse。Poorlittlewretch！Lookattheface！Thereisn’tanounceofimmoralityinit。Onlyfolly，——slack，fatuous，feeble，futilefolly。It’satypicalhead。D’younoticehowtheskullbeginstoshowthroughthefleshpaddingonthefaceandcheek—bone？’
’Whatacold—bloodedbarbarianitis！Don’thitawomanwhenshe’sdown。Can’twedoanything？Shewassimplydroppingwithstarvation。
Shealmostfellintomyarms，andwhenshegottothefoodsheatelikeawildbeast。Itwashorrible。’
’Icangivehermoney，whichshewouldprobablyspendindrinks。Isshegoingtosleepforever？’
Thegirlopenedhereyesandglaredatthemenbetweenterrorandeffrontery。
’Feelingbetter？’saidTorpenhow。
’Yes。Thankyou。Therearen’tmanygentlementhatareaskindasyouare。Thankyou。’
’Whendidyouleaveservice？’saidDick，whohadbeenwatchingthescarredandchappedhands。
’HowdidyouknowIwasinservice？Iwas。Generalservant。Ididn’tlikeit。’
’Andhowdoyoulikebeingyourownmistress？’
’DoIlookasifIlikedit？’
’Isupposenot。Onemoment。Wouldyoubegoodenoughtoturnyourfacetothewindow？’
Thegirlobeyed，andDickwatchedherfacekeenly，——sokeenlythatshemadeasiftohidebehindTorpenhow。
’Theeyeshaveit，’saidDick，walkingupanddown。’Theyaresuperbeyesformybusiness。And，afterall，everyheaddependsontheeyes。Thishasbeensentfromheaventomakeupfor——whatwastakenaway。Nowtheweeklystrain’soffmyshoulders，Icangettoworkinearnest。
Evidentlysentfromheaven。Yes。Raiseyourchinalittle，please。’
’Gently，oldman，gently。You’rescaringsomebodyoutofherwits，’saidTorpenhow，whocouldseethegirltrembling。
’Don’tlethimhitme！Oh，pleasedon’tlethimhitme！I’vebeenhitcruelto—daybecauseIspoketoaman。Don’tlethimlookatmelikethat！He’sreg’larwicked，thatone。Don’tlethimlookatmelikethat，neither！Oh，I
feelasifIhadn’tnothingonwhenhelooksatmelikethat！’
Theoverstrainednervesinthefrailbodygaveway，andthegirlweptlikealittlechildandbegantoscream。Dickthrewopenthewindow，andTorpenhowflungthedoorback。
’Thereyouare，’saidDick，soothingly。’Myfriendherecancallforapoliceman，andyoucanrunthroughthatdoor。Nobodyisgoingtohurtyou。’
Thegirlsobbedconvulsivelyforafewminutes，andthentriedtolaugh。
’Nothingintheworldtohurtyou。Nowlistentomeforaminute。I’mwhattheycallanartistbyprofession。Youknowwhatartistsdo？’
’Theydrawthethingsinredandblackinkonthepop—shoplabels。’
’Idaresay。Ihaven’trisentopop—shoplabelsyet。ThosearedonebytheAcademicians。Iwanttodrawyourhead。’
’Whatfor？’
’Becauseit’spretty。Thatiswhyyouwillcometotheroomacrossthelandingthreetimesaweekateleveninthemorning，andI’llgiveyouthreequidaweekjustforsittingstillandbeingdrawn。Andthere’saquidonaccount。’
’Fornothing？Oh，my！’Thegirlturnedthesovereigninherhand，andwithmorefoolishtears，’Ain’tneithero’youtwogentlemenafraidofmybilkingyou？’
’No。Onlyuglygirlsdothat。Tryandrememberthisplace。And，bytheway，what’syourname？’
’I’mBessic，——Bessie————It’snousegivingtherest。BessieBroke，——Stone—broke，ifyoulike。What’syournames？Butthere，——nooneevergivestherealones。’
DickconsultedTorpenhowwithhiseyes。
’Myname’sHeldar，andmyfriend’scalledTorpenhow；andyoumustbesuretocomehere。Wheredoyoulive？’
’South—the—water，——oneroom，——fiveandsixpenceaweek。Aren’tyoumakingfunofmeaboutthatthreequid？’
’You’llseelateron。And，Bessie，nexttimeyoucome，remember，youneedn’twearthatpaint。It’sbadfortheskin，andIhaveallthecoloursyou’llbelikelytoneed。’
Bessiewithdrew，scrubbinghercheekwitharaggedpocket—handkerchief。Thetwomenlookedateachother。
’You’reaman，’saidTorpenhow。
’I’mafraidI’vebeenafool。Itisn’tourbusinesstorunabouttheearthreformingBessieBrokes。Andawomanofanykindhasnorightonthislanding。’
’Perhapsshewon’tcomeback。’
’Shewillifshethinksshecangetfoodandwarmthhere。Iknowshewill，worseluck。Butremember，oldman，sheisn’tawoman；she’smymodel；
andbecareful。’
’Theidea！She’sadissolutelittlescarecrow，——agutter—snippetandnothingmore。’
’Soyouthink。Waittillshehasbeenfedalittleandfreedfromfear。Thatfairtyperecoversitselfveryquickly。Youwon’tknowherinaweekortwo，whenthatabjectfearhasdiedoutofhereyes。She’llbetoohappyandsmilingformypurposes。’
’Butsurelyyou’renottakingheroutofcharity？——topleaseme？’
’Iamnotinthehabitofplayingwithhotcoalstopleaseanybody。Shehasbeensentfromheaven，asImayhaveremarkedbefore，tohelpmewithmyMelancolia。’
’Neverheardawordabouttheladybefore。’
’What’stheuseofhavingafriend，ifyoumustslingyournotionsathiminwords？YououghttoknowwhatI’mthinkingabout。You’veheardmegruntlately？’
’Evenso；butgruntsmeananythinginyourlanguage，frombad’baccytowickeddealers。AndIdon’tthinkI’vebeenmuchinyourconfidenceforsometime。’
’Itwasahighandsoulfulgrunt。YououghttohaveunderstoodthatitmeanttheMelancolia。’DickwalkedTorpenhowupanddowntheroom，keepingsilence。Thenhesmotehimintheribs，’Nowdon’tyouseeit？
Bessie’sabjectfutility，andtheterrorinhereyes，weldedontooneortwodetailsinthewayofsorrowthathavecomeundermyexperiencelately。Likewisesomeorangeandblack，——twokeysofeach。ButIcan’texplainonanemptystomach。’
’Itsoundsmadenough。You’dbettersticktoyoursoldiers，Dick，insteadofmaunderingaboutheadsandeyesandexperiences。’
’Thinkso？’Dickbegantodanceonhisheels，singing——
’They’reasproudasaturkeywhentheyholdthereadycash，Yououghtto’earthewaytheylaughan’joke；
Theyaretrickyan’they’refunnywhenthey’vegotthereadymoney，——
Ow！butsee’emwhenthey’reallstone—broke。’？
ThenhesatdowntopourouthishearttoMaisieinafour—sheetletterofcounselandencouragement，andregisteredanoaththathewouldgettoworkwithanundividedheartassoonasBessieshouldreappear。
Thegirlkeptherappointmentunpaintedandunadorned，afraidandoverboldbyturns。Whenshefoundthatshewasmerelyexpectedtositstill，shegrewcalmer，andcriticisedtheappointmentsofthestudiowithfreedomandsomepoint。Shelikedthewarmthandthecomfortandthereleasefromfearofphysicalpain。Dickmadetwoorthreestudiesofherheadinmonochrome，buttheactualnotionoftheMelancoliawouldnotarrive。
’Whatamessyoukeepyourthingsin！’saidBessie，somedayslater，whenshefeltherselfthoroughlyathome。’Is’poseyourclothesarejustasbad。
Gentlemenneverthinkwhatbuttonsandtapearemadefor。’
’Ibuythingstowear，andwear’emtilltheygotopieces。Idon’tknowwhatTorpenhowdoes。’
Bessiemadediligentinquiryinthelatter’sroom，andunearthedabaleofdisreputablesocks。’SomeoftheseI’llmendnow，’shesaid，’andsomeI’lltakehome。D’youknow，Isitalldaylongathomedoingnothing，justlikealady，andnomorenoticingthemothergirlsinthehousethaniftheywassomanyflies。Idon’thaveanyunnecessarywords，butIput’emdownquick，Icantellyou，whentheytalktome。No；it’squitenicethesedays。Ilockmydoor，andtheycanonlycallmenamesthroughthekeyhole，andIsitinside，justlikealady，mendingsocks。Mr。Torpenhowwearshissocksoutbothendsatonce。’
’Threequidaweekfromme，andthedelightsofmysociety。Nosocksmended。NothingfromTorpexceptanodonthelandingnowandagain，andallhissocksmended。Bessieisverymuchawoman，’thoughtDick；
andhelookedatherbetweenhalf—shuteyes。Foodandresthadtransformedthegirl，asDickknewtheywould。
’Whatareyoulookingatmelikethatfor？’shesaidquickly。’Don’t。Youlookreg’larbadwhenyoulookthatway。Youdon’tthinkmucho’me，doyou？’
’Thatdependsonhowyoubehave。’
Bessiebehavedbeautifully。Onlyitwasdifficultattheendofasittingtobidhergooutintothegraystreets。Sheverymuchpreferredthestudioandabigchairbythestove，withsomesocksinherlapasanexcusefordelay。ThenTorpenhowwouldcomein，andBessiewouldbemovedtotellstrangeandwonderfulstoriesofherpast，andstillstrangeronesofherpresentimprovedcircumstances。Shewouldmakethemteaasthoughshehadarighttomakeit；andonceortwiceontheseoccasionsDickcaughtTorpenhow’seyesfixedonthetrimlittlefigure，andbecauseBessie’’flittingsabouttheroommadeDickardentlylongforMaisie，herealisedwhitherTorpenhow’sthoughtsweretending。AndBessiewasexceedinglycarefuloftheconditionofTorpenhow’slinen。Shespokeverylittletohim，butsometimestheytalkedtogetheronthelanding。
’Iwasagreatfool，’Dicksaidtohimself。’Iknowwhatredfirelightlookslikewhenaman’strampingthroughastrangetown；andoursisalonely，selfishsortoflifeatthebest。IwonderMaisiedoesn’tfeelthatsometimes。ButIcan’torderBessieaway。That’stheworstofbeginningthings。Oneneverknowswheretheystop。’
Oneevening，afterasittingprolongedtothelastlimitofthelight，DickwasrousedfromanapbyabrokenvoiceinTorpenhow’sroom。Hejumpedtohisfeet。’NowwhatoughtItodo？Itlooksfoolishtogoin。——Oh，blessyou，Binkie！’ThelittleterrierthrustTorpenhow’sdooropenwithhisnoseandcameouttotakepossessionofDick’schair。Thedoorswungwideunheeded，andDickacrossthelandingcouldseeBessieinthehalf—lightmakingherlittlesupplicationtoTorpenhow。Shewaskneelingbyhisside，andherhandswereclaspedacrosshisknee。
’Iknow，——Iknow，’shesaidthickly。’’Tisn’trighto’metodothis，butI
can’thelpit；andyouweresokind，——sokind；andyounevertookanynoticeo’me。AndI’vemendedallyourthingssocarefully，——Idid。Oh，please，’tisn’tasifIwasaskingyoutomarryme。Iwouldn’tthinkofit。
Butyou——couldn’tyoutakeandlivewithmetillMissRightcomesalong？
I’monlyMissWrong，Iknow，butI’dworkmyhandstothebareboneforyou。AndI’mnotuglytolookat。Sayyouwill！’
DickhardlyrecognisedTorpenhow’svoiceinreply——
’Butlookhere。It’snouse。I’mliabletobeorderedoffanywhereataminute’snoticeifawarbreaksout。Ataminute’snotice——dear。’
’Whatdoesthatmatter？Untilyougo，then。Untilyougo。’Tisn’tmuchI’masking，and——youdon’tknowhowgoodIcancook。’Shehadputanarmroundhisneckandwasdrawinghisheaddown。
’Until——I——go，then。’
’Torp，’saidDick，acrossthelanding。Hecouldhardlysteadyhisvoice。