"No！"heexclaimed。"Who'sallthat？"
　　"Who'sallwhat？"
　　"The'right'people。'"
　　"YouknowwhatImean:thebestpeople,theoldfamilies——thepeoplethathavetherealsocialpositioninthistownandthatknowthey'vegotit。"
　　Bibbsindulgedinhissilentchuckleagain;heseemedgreatlyamused。"I
　　thoughtthatthepeoplewhoactuallyhadtherealwhat—you—may—call—itdidn'tknowit,"hesaid。"I'vealwaysunderstoodthatitwasveryunsatisfactory,becauseifyouthoughtaboutityoudidn'thaveit,andifyouhadityoudidn'tknowit。"
　　"That'sjustbosh,"sheretorted。"Theyknowitinthistown,allright！I
　　foundoutalotofthings,longbeforewebegantothinkofbuildingoutinthisdirection。Therightpeopleinthistownaren'talwaysthesociety—columnones,andtheymixaroundwithoutsiders,andtheydon'tallbelongtoanyoneclub——they'retakeninallsortsintoalltheirclubs——butthey'reaclan,justthesame;andtheyhavetheclanfeelingandthey'rejustasmuchWe,UsandCompanyasanycrowdyoureadaboutanywhereintheworld。
　　Mostof'emwereherelongbeforepapacame,andthegrandfathersofthegirlsofmyagekneweachother,and——"
　　"Isee,"Bibbsinterrupted,gravely。"Theirancestorsfledtogetherfrommanyastrickenfield,andCrusaders'bloodflowsintheirveins。IalwaysunderstoodthefirsthousewasbuiltbyanoldpartyofthenameofVertreeswhocouldn'tgetalongwithDan'lBoone,andhurriedawaytothesepartsbecauseDan'lwantedhimtogivebackagunhe'dlenthim。"
　　Edithgavealittleejaculationofalarm。"Youmustn'trepeatthatstory,Bibbs,evenifit'strue。TheVertreesesareTHEbestfamily,andofcoursetheveryoldesthere;theywereanoldfamilyevenbeforeMaryVertrees'sgreat—great—grandfathercamewestandfoundedthissettlement。HecamefromLynn,Massachusetts,andtheyhaverelativesthereYET——someofthebestpeopleinLynn！"
　　"No！"exclaimedBibbs,incredulously。
　　"AndthereareotheroldfamiliesliketheVertreeses,"shewenton,notheedinghim;"theLamhornsandtheKittersbysandtheJ。PalmerstonSmiths——"
　　"Strangenamestome,"heinterrupted。"Poorthings！Noneofthemhavemyacquaintance。"
　　"No,that'sjustit！"shecried。"AndpapahadneverevenheardthenameofVertrees！Mrs。Vertreeswentwithsomeanti—smokecommitteetoseehim,andhetoldherthatsmokewaswhatmadeherhusbandbringhomehiswagesfromthepay—rollonSaturdaynight！HEtoldusaboutit,andIthoughtIjustcouldn'tlivethroughthenight,Iwassoashamed！Mr。Vertreeshasalwayslivedonhisincome,andpapadidn'tknowhim,ofcourse。They'rethestiffist,mostelegantpeopleinthewholetown。Andtocrownitall,papawentandboughtthenextlottotheoldVertreescountrymansion——it'sintheveryheartofthebestnewresidencedistrictnow,andthat'swheretheNewHouseis,rightnextdoortothem——andImustsayitmakestheirplacelookrathershabby！ImetMaryVertreeswhenIjoinedtheMissionServiceHelpers,butsheneverdidanymorethanjustbarelybowtome,andsincepapa'sbreakIdoubtifshe'lldothat！Theyhaven'tcalled。"
　　"AndyouthinkifIspreadthisgossipaboutVertreestheFirststealingDan'lBoone'sgun,thechancesthattheyWILLcall——"
　　"PapaknowswhatabreakhemadewithMrs。Vertrees。Imadehimunderstandthat,"saidEdith,demurely,"andhe'spromisedtotryandmeetMr。Vertreesandbenicetohim。It'sjustthisway:ifwedon'tknowTHEM,it'spracticallynouseinourhavingbuildtheNewHouse;andifweDOknowthemandthey'redecenttous,we'rerightwiththerightpeople。Theycandothewholethingforus。BobbyLamhorntoldSibylhewasgoingtobringhismothertocallonherandonmamma,butitwasweeksago,andInoticehehasn'tdoneit;andifMrs。Vertreesdecidesnottoknowus,I'mdarnsureMrs。Lamhorn'llnevercome。That'sONEthingSibyldidn'tmanage！SheSAIDBobbyofferedtobringhismother——"
　　"YousayheisafriendofRoscoe's？"Bibbsasked。
　　"Oh,he'safriendofthewholefamily,"shereturned,withapetulancewhichshemadeanefforttodisguise。"Roscoeandhegotacquaintedsomewhere,andtheytakehimtothetheaterabouteveryothernight。Sibylhashimtolunch,too,andkeeps——"Shebrokeoffwithanangrylittlejerkofthehead。"WecanseetheNewHousefromthesecondcornerahead。Roscoehasbuiltstraightacrossthestreetfromus,youknow。Honestly,Sibylmakesmethinkofasnake,sometimes——thewayshepullsthewooloverpeople'seyes！Shehoneysuptopapaandgetsanythingintheworldshewantsoutofhim,andthenmakesfunofhimbehindhisback——yes,andtohisface,butHEcan'tseeit！Shegothimtogiveheratwelve—thousand—dollarporchfortheirhouseafteritwas——"
　　"Goodheavens！"saidBibbs,staringaheadastheyreachedthecornerandthecarswungtotheright,followingabendinthestreet。"IsthattheNewHouse？"
　　"Yes。Whatdoyouthinkofit？"
　　"Well,"hedrawled,"I'mprettysurethesanitarium'sabouthalfasizebigger;Ican'tbecertaintillImeasure。"
　　Andamomentlater,astheyenteredthedriveway,headded,seriously:"Butit'sbeautiful！"
　　Itwasgraystone,withlongroofsofthickgreenslate。Anarchitectwholovedthemilder"Gothicmotives"hadbuiltwhatheliked:itwastobeseenatoncethathehadbeenleftunhampered,andhehadwroughtapictureoutofhisheadintoanobleandexultantreality。Atthesametimealandscape—designerhadplayedsogoodasecond,withready—madeaccessoriesofscreen,approachandvista,thatalreadywhateverlookofnewnessremainedupontheplacewastoitsadvantage,asshowingatleastonethingyetcleanunderthegrimysky。For,thoughthesmokewasthinnerinthisdirection,andatthislongdistancefromtheheartofthetown,itwasnotabsent,andundertutelageofwindandweathercouldbemalignantevenhere,wherecowshadwanderedinthemeadowsandcornhadbeengrowingnottenyearsgone。
　　Altogether,theNewHousewasasuccess。Itwasoneofthosearchitects'
　　successeswhichleavetheownersveiledinprivacy;itrevealednothingofthepeoplewholivedinitsavethattheywererich。Therearehousesthatcannotbedetachedfromtheirownpeoplewithoutprotesting:everyinchofmortarseemstomourntheseparation,andsuchahouse——nomatterwhatbedonetoit——isevermurmurouswithregret,whisperingtheoldnamesadlytoitselfunceasingly。ButtheNewHousewasofakindtochangehandswithoutemotion。
　　Inourswellingcities,greatplacesofitstypeareusefulasfinancialgaugesofthebusinesstides;richfamilies,oneafteranother,taketitleandoccupysuchhousesasfortunesriseandfall——theymarkthehightide。Itwasimpossibletoimagineachild'stoywagonleftuponawalkordrivewayoftheNewHouse,andyetitwas——asBibbsrightlycalledit——"beautiful。"
　　Whatthearchitectthoughtofthe"GolfodiNapoli,"whichhunginitsvastgoldrevelofrococoframeagainstthegraywoodofthehall,istobeconjectured——perhapshehadnotseenit。
　　"Edith,didyousayonlyelevenfeet？"Bibbspanted,staringatit,asthewhite—jacketedtwinofaPullmanporterhelpedhimtogetoutofhisovercoat。
　　"Elevenwithouttheframe,"sheexplained。"It'ssplendid,don'tyouthink？
　　Itlightensthingsupso。Thehallwaskindofgloomybefore。"
　　"Nogloomnow！"saidBibbs。
　　"Thisstatueinthecornerispretty,too,"sheremarked。"MammaandIboughtthat。"AndBibbsturnedatherdirectiontobehold,amidagroveoftubbedpalms,a"life—size,"black—beardedMoor,ofaplasticcompositonpaintedwithunappeasableglossandbrilliancy。Uponhischocolateheadheworeagoldturban;inhishandheheldagold—tippedspear;andfortherest,hewasredandyellowandblackandsilver。
　　"Hallelujah！"wasthesolecommentofthereturnedwanderer,andEdith,sayingshewould"findmamma,"lefthimblinkingattheMoor。Presently,aftershehaddisappeared,heturnedtothecoloredmanwhostoodwaiting,Bibbs'straveling—baginhishand。"WhatdoYOUthinkofit？"Bibbsasked,solemnly。
　　"Gran'！"repliedtheservitor。"Shemightlyhardtodus'。Dus'gitinall'emwrinkles。Yessuh,shemightyhardtodus'。"
　　"Iexpectshemustbe,"saidBibbs,hisglancereturningreflectivelytotheblackbullbeardforamoment。"IsthereaplaceanywhereIcouldliedown？"
　　"Yessuh。Wegotonenemspareroomsallfixupfo'you,suh。Rightupstaihs,suh。Niceroom。"
　　Heledtheway,andBibbsfollowedslowly,stoppingatintervalstorest,andnotingaheavyincreaseinthestaffofservicesincetheexodusfromthe"old"house。MaidsandscrubwomenwereatworkunderthepatentlynominaldirectionofanotherPullmanporter,whowasprofoundlyenjoyinghisownaffectationofbeingharassedwithcare。
　　"Ev'ythinggotlookspickan'spanfo'thebigdoin'sto—night,"Bibbs'sguideexplained,chuckling。"Yessuh,wegotbigdoin'sto—night！Bigdoin's！"
　　Theroomtowhichheconductedhislaggingchargewasfurnishedineveryparticularlikearoominanewhotel;andBibbsfounditpleasant——though,indeed,anyroomwithagoodbedwouldhaveseemedpleasanttohimafterhisjourney。Hestretchedhimselfflatimmediately,andhavingreplied"Notnow"
　　totheattendant'soffertounpackthebag,closedhiseyeswearily。
　　White—jacket,raciallysympathetic,loweredthewindow—shadesandmadeanexitontiptoe,encounteringtheotherwhite—jacket——theharassedoverseer——inthehallwithout。Saidtheemergingone:"Hemightyshaky,Mist'Jackson。Droprightdownan'shethiseyes。Eyelidsallblack。Richfolksgottagosameasanybodyelse。AnybodyastmeifIchange'ith'atoleboy——No,suh！Le'mkeep'ismoney;Ikeepmyblackskinan'keepouttheground！"
　　Mr。Jacksonexpressedthesamepreference。"Yessuh,helooktuhmelikesomebodyawreadylaidout,"heconcluded。Anduponthestairwaylanding,nearby,twooldwomen,onall—foursattheirwork,werelikewisepessimistic。
　　"Hech！"saidone,lamentinginawhisper。"Itgivemeaturntoseehimgoby——whiteaswaxan'bonyasadeadfish！Mrs。Cronin,tellme:d'itmakeyekindo'sicktolookatum？"
　　"Sick？Nomorethanthefaceofablessedangelalreadyinheaven！"
　　"Well,"saidtheother,"I'dab'yo'meowncomehomet'dieonce——"Shefellsilentatarustlingofskirtsinthecorridorabovethem。
　　ItwasMrs。Sheridanhurryingtogreetherson。
　　Shewasoneofthosefat,pinkpeoplewhofadeandcontractwithagelikedryingfruit;andheroutsidewasatrueportraitofher。Herhusbandandherdaughterhadlongagoabsorbedher。Whatintelligenceshehadwasgivenalmostwhollytocomprehendingandservingthosetwo,andexceptinthepresenceofoneofthemshewasnearlyalwaysabsent—minded。Edithlivedalldaywithhermother,asdaughtersdo;andSheridansoheldhiswifetoherunitywithhimthatshehadlongagobecomeunconsciousofherexistenceasathingseparatefromhis。Sheinvariablyperceivedhismoods,andnursedhimthroughthemwhenshedidnotsharethem;andshegavehimaprofoundsympathywiththeinmostspiritandpurposeofhisbeing,eventhoughshedidnotcomprehenditandpartookofitonlyasaspectator。Theyhadknownbutoneactualaltercationintheirlives,andthatwasthirtyyearspast,intheearlydaysofSheridan'sstruggle,when,inordertoenhancethefavorableimpressionhebelievedhimselftobemakinguponsomecapitalists,hehadthoughtitnecessarytoaccompanythemtoaperformanceof"TheBlackCrook。"
　　Butshehadnotoncereferredtothisduringthelasttenyears。
　　Mrs。Sheridan'smannerwashurriedandinconsequent;herclothesrustledmorethanotherwomen'sclothes;sheseemedtoweartoomanyatatimeandtobevaguelytroubledbythem,andshewaspattingaskirtdownoversomeunrulyinternaldissensionatthemomentsheopenedBibbs'sdoor。
　　Atsightoftherecumbentfigureshebegantoclosethedoorsoftly,withdrawing,buttheyoungmanhadheardtheturningoftheknobandtherustlingofskirts,andheopenedhiseyes。
　　"Don'tgo,mother,"hesaid。"I'mnotasleep。"Heswunghislonglegsoverthesideofthebedtorise,butshesetahandonhisshoulder,restraininghim;andhelayflatagain。
　　"No,"shesaid,bendingovertokisshischeek,"Ijustcomeforaminute,butIwanttoseehowyouseem。Edithsaid——"
　　"PoorEdith！"hemurmured。"Shecouldn'tlookatme。She——"
　　"Nonsense！"Mrs。Sheridan,havingletinthelightatawindow,camebacktothebedside。"Youlookagreatdealbetterthanwhatyoudidbeforeyouwenttothesanitarium,anyway。It'sdoneyougood;abodycanseethatrightaway。Youneedfattingup,ofcourse,andyouhaven'tgotmuchcolor——"
　　"No,"hesaid,"Ihaven'tmuchcolor。"
　　"Butyouwillhavewhenyougetyourstrengthback。"
　　"Ohyes！"heresponded,cheerfully。"THENIwill。"
　　"YoulookagreatdealbetterthanwhatIexpected。"
　　"Edithmusthaveagreatvocabulary！"hechuckled。
　　"She'stoosensitive,"saidMrs。Sheridan,"anditmakesherexaggeratealittle。Whataboutyourdiet？"
　　"That'sallright。Theytoldmetoeatanything。"
　　"Anythingatall？"
　　"Well——anythingIcould。"
　　"That'sgood,"shesaid,nodding。"Theymeanforyoujusttobuildupyourstrength。That'swhattheytoldmethelasttimeIwenttoseeyouatthesanitarium。Youlookbetterthanwhatyoudidthen,andthat'sonlyalittletimeago。Howlongwasit？"
　　"Eightmonths,Ithink。"
　　"No,itcouldn'tbe。Iknowitain'tTHATlong,butmaybeitwaslonger'nI
　　thought。AndthislastmonthorsoIhaven'thadscarcelyeventimetowritemorethanjustalinetoaskhowyouweregettin'along,butItoldEdithtowrite,theweeksIcouldn't,andIaskedJimto,too,andtheybothsaidtheywould,soIsupposeyou'vekeptupprettywellonthehomenews。"
　　"Ohyes。"
　　"WhatIthinkyouneed,"saidthemother,gravely,"istolivenupalittleandtakeaninterestinthings。That'swhatpapawassayin'thismorning,afterwegotyourtelegram;andthat'swhat'llstimilateyourappetite,too。
　　Hewastalkin'overhisplansforyou——"
　　"Plans？"Bibbs,turningonhisside,shieldedhiseyesfromthelightwithhishand,sothathemightseeherbetter。"What——"Hepaused。"Whatplansishemakingforme,mother？"
　　Sheturnedaway,goingbacktothewindowtodrawdowntheshade。"Well,youbettertalkitoverwithHIM,"shesaid,withperceptiblenervousness。"Hebettertellyouhimself。Idon'tfeelasifIhadanycall,exactly,togointoit;andyoubettergettosleepnow,anyway。"Shecameandstoodbythebedsideoncemore。"Butyoumustremember,Bibbs,whateverpapadoesisforthebest。Heloveshischuldernandwantstodowhat'srightbyALLof'em——andyou'llalwaysfindhe'srightintheend。"
　　Hemadealittlegestureofassent,whichseemedtocontenther;andsherustledtothedoor,turningtospeakagainaftershehadopenedit。"Yougetagoodnap,now,soastobeallrestedupforto—night。"
　　"You——youmean——he——"Bibbsstammered,havingbeguntospeaktooquickly。
　　Checkinghimself,hedrewalongbreath,thenasked,quietly,"Doesfatherexpectmetocomedown—stairsthisevening？"
　　"Well,Ithinkhedoes,"sheanswered。"Yousee,it'sthe'house—warming,'ashecallsit,andhesaidhethinksallourchuldernoughttobearoundus,aswellastheoldfriendsandotherfolks。It'sjustwhathethinksyouneed——totakeaninterestandlivenup。Youdon'tfeeltoobadtocomedown,doyou？"
　　"Mother？"
　　"Well？"
　　"Takeagoodlookatme,"hesaid。
　　"Oh,seehere！"shecried,withbrusquecheerfulness。"You'renotsobadoffasyouthinkyouare,Bibbs。You'reonthemend;anditwon'tdoyouanyharmtopleaseyour——"
　　"Itisn'tthat,"heinterrupted。"Honestly,I'monlyafraiditmightspoilsomebody'sappetite。Edith——"
　　"Itoldyouthechildwastoosensitive,"sheinterrupted,inturn。"You'reaplentygood—lookin'enoughyoungmanforanybody！Youlooklikeyoubeenthroughalongspellandbeguntogetwell,andthat'sallthereistoit。"
　　"Allright。I'llcometotheparty。Iftherestofyoucanstandit,Ican！"
　　"It'lldoyougood,"shereturned,rustlingintothehall。"Nowtakeanap,andI'llsendoneo'thehelptowakeyouintimeforyoutogetdressedupbeforedinner。Yougotosleeprightaway,now,Bibbs！"
　　Bibbswasunabletoobey,thoughhekepthiseyesclosed。Somethingshehadsaidkeptrunninginhismind,repeatingitselfoverandoverinterminably。
　　"Hisplansforyou——hisplansforyou——hisplansforyou——hisplansforyou——"
　　Andthen,takingtheplaceof"hisplansforyou,"afterwhatseemedalong,longwhile,herflurriedvoicecamebacktohiminsistently,seemingtowhisperinhisear:"Heloveshischuldern——heloveshischuldern——heloveshischuldern"——"you'llfindhe'salwaysright——you'llfindhe'salwaysright——"Untilatlast,ashedriftedintothestateofhalf—dreamsanddistortedrealities,thevoiceseemedtomurmurfrombeyondagreatblackwingthatcameoutofthewallandstretchedoverhisbed——itwasablackwingwithintheroom,andatthesametimeitwasablackcloudcrossingthesky,bridgingthewholeearthfrompoletopole。Itwasacloudofblacksmoke,andoutoftheheartofitcameaflurriedvoicewhisperingoverandover,"Hisplansforyou——hisplansforyou——hisplansforyou——"Andthentherewasnothing。
　　Hewokerefreshed,stretchedhimselfgingerly——asonemighthaveacareagainsttooquickortoolongapulluponafrayedelastic——and,gettingtohisfeet,wentblinkingtothewindowandtouchedtheshadesothatitflewup,lettinginapalesunset。
　　Helookedoutintothelemon—coloredlightandsmiledwanlyatthenexthouse,asEdith'sgrandiosephrasecametomind,"theoldVertreescountrymansion。"
　　ItstoodinabroadlawnwhichwasseparatedfromtheSheridans'byayounghedge;anditwasabig,square,plainoldboxofahousewithagiantsalt—cellaratopforacupola。Painthadbeensparedforalongtime,andnoonecouldhaveputanametothecolorofit,butinspiteofthattheplacehadnolookofbeingoutatheel,andtheswardwasasneatlytrimmedastheSheridans'own。
　　TheseparatinghedgeranalmostbeneathBibbs'swindow——forthiswingoftheNewHouseextendedherealmosttotheedgeofthelot——and,directlyoppositethewindow,theVertreeses'lawnhadbeengradedsoastomakealittleknolluponwhichstoodasmallrustic"summer—house。"ItwasalmostonalevelwithBibbs'swindowandnotthirtyfeetaway;anditwaseasyforhimtoimaginethepresentdynastyofVertreesesingrievousoutcrywhentheyhadfoundthisretreatruinedbythejuxtapositionoftheparvenuintruder。Probablythe"summer—house"waspleasantandprettyinsummer。Ithadthelookofaplacewhereinlittlegirlshadplayedforagenerationorsowithdollsand"housekeeping,"orwherealovelyoldladymightcometoreadsomethingdullonwarmafternoons;butnowinthethinlightitwasdesolate,thecolorofdust,andhungwithhaggardvineswhichhadlosttheirleaves。
　　Bibbslookedatitwithgravesympathy,probablyfeelingsomekinshipwithanythingsodismantled;thenheturnedtoacheval—glassbesidethewindowandpaidhimselfthedubioustributeofathoroughinspection。Helookedthemirrorupanddown,slowly,repeatedly,butcameintheendtoalongandearnestscrutinyoftheface。Throughoutthiscrypticseancehismannerwasprofoundlyimpersonal;hehadtheairofanentomologistintentuponclassifyingaspecimen,butfinallyheappearedtobecomepessimistic。Heshookhisheadsolemnly;thengazedagainandshookhisheadagain,andcontinuedtoshakeitslowly,incompletedisapproval。
　　"Youcertainlyareonehorriblesight！"hesaid,aloud。
　　Andatthathewasinstantlyawareofanobserver。Turningquickly,hewasvouchsafedthepictureofacharminglady,framedinarusticapertureofthe"summer—house"andstaringfullintohiswindow——straightintohiseyes,too,fortheinfinitesimalfractionofasecondbeforetheflashinglycensoriouswithdrawalofherown。Composedly,shepulledseveraldeadtwigsfromavine,themannerofheractionconveyingamessageorproclamationtotheeffectthatshewasinthesummer—houseforthesolepurposeofsuch—likepruningandtending,andthatnogentlemancouldsupposeherpresencetheretobeduetoanyotherpurposewhatsoever,orthat,beingthereonthataccount,shehadallowedherattentiontowanderforoneinstantinthedirectionofthingsofwhichshewasinrealityunconscious。
　　Havingpulledenoughtwigstoemphasizeherunconsciousness——andatthesametimeherdisapproval——ofeverythinginthenatureofaSheridanorbelongingtoaSheridan,shedescendedtheknollwithmaintainedcomposure,andsaunteredtowardaside—doorofthecountrymansionoftheVertreeses。Anelderlylady,bonnetedandcloaked,openedthedoorandcametomeether。
　　"Areyouready,Mary？I'vebeenlookingforyou。Whatwereyoudoing？"
　　"Nothing。JustlookingintooneofSheridans'windows,"saidMaryVertrees。
　　"Igotcaughtatit。"
　　"Mary！"criedhermother。"Justasweweregoingtocall！Goodheavens！"
　　"We'llgo,justthesame,"thedaughterreturned。"Isupposethosewomenwouldbegladtohaveusifwe'dburnedtheirhousetotheground。"
　　"ButWHOsawyou？"insistedMrs。Vertrees。
　　"Oneofthesons,Isupposehewas。Ibelievehe'sinsane,orsomething。AtleastIheartheykeephiminasanitariumsomewhere,andnevertalkabouthim。Hewasstaringathimselfinamirrorandtalkingtohimself。Thenhelookedoutandcaughtme。"
　　"Whatdidhe——"
　　"Nothing,ofcourse。"
　　"Howdidhelook？"
　　"Likeaghostinabluesuit,"saidMissVertrees,movingtowardthestreetandwavingawhite—glovedhandinfarewelltoherfather,whowasobservingthemfromthewindowofhislibrary。"Rathertragicandaltogetherimpossible。Docomeon,mother,andlet'sgetitover！"
　　AndMrs。Vertrees,withmanymisgivings,setforthwithherdaughterfortheirgraciousassaultupontheNewHousenextdoor。
　　Mr。Vertrees,havingwatchedtheirdeparturewiththeairofamanwhohadsomethingathazardupontheexpedition,turnedfromthewindowandbegantopacethelibrarythoughtfully,pendingtheirreturn。Hewasaboutsixty;asmallman,witheredanddryandfine,atrimlittlesketchofanelderlydandy。Hislambrequinmustache——relicofaforgottenAnglomania——hadbeenprofoundlyblack,butnow,likehissmoothhair,itwasapproachinganequallysheerwhiteness;andthoughhisclotheswereold,theyhadshapelinessandaflavorofmode。Andforgreatersprucenessthereweresomejauntytouches;
　　grayspats,anarrowblackribbonacrossthegraywaistcoattotheeye—glassesinapocket,afleckofcolorfromabuttoninthelapeloftheblackcoat,labelinghimthedescendantofpatriotwarriors。
　　Theroomwasnotlikehim,beingcheerfulandhideous,whereasMr。Vertreeswasanxiousanddecorative。Underamantelofimitationblackmarbleamerrylittlecoal—firebeamedforthuponhighandnarrow"Eastlake"bookcaseswithlongglassdoors,anduponcomfortable,incongruousfurniture,anduponmeaningless"woodwork"everywhere,anduponhalfadozenLandseerengravingswhichMr。andMrs。Vertreessometimesmentionedtoeachother,afterthirtyyearsofpossession,as"veryfinethings。"TheyhadbeenthefirstpeopleintowntopossessLandseerengravings,andthere,inart,theyhadrested,buttheystillhadafeelingthatinallsuchmatterstheywereinthevan;andwhenMr。VertreesdiscoveredLandseersuponthewallsofotherpeople'shouseshethawed,asachieftaintoatrustedfollower;andifhefoundaneditionofBulwerLyttonaccompanyingtheLandseersasafinalcorroborationofculture,hewouldsay,inevitably,"Thosepeopleknowgoodpicturesandtheyknowgoodbooks。"
　　Thegrowthofthecity,whichmighteasilyhavemadehimamillionaire,hadruinedhimbecausehehadfailedtounderstandit。Whentownsbegintogrowtheyhavewhims,andthewhimsofatownalwaysruinsomebody。Mr。Vertreeshadbeenmoststrikinglythesomebodyinthiscase。AtaboutthetimeheboughttheLandseers,heowned,throughinheritance,anoffice—buildingandalargehousenotfarfromit,wherehespentthewinter;andhehadacountryplace——afarmoffourhundredacres——wherehewentforthesummerstothecomfortable,uglyoldhousethatwashishomenow,perforce,alltheyearround。Ifhehadknownhowtositstillandletthingshappenhewouldhaveprosperedmiraculously;but,strangelyenough,thedaintylittlemanwasoneofthefirsttofalldownandworshipBigness,thewhichproceededstraightwaytoenacttheroleofJuggernautforhisbettereducation。Hewasatrueprophetoftheprodigiousgrowth,buthehadafatalgiftforsellinggoodandbuyingbad。HeshouldhavestayedathomeandlookedathisLandseersandreadhisBulwer,buthetookhiscowtomarket,andthetrainedmilkersmilkedherdryandthenateher。Hesoldtheoffice—buildingandthehouseintowntobuyagreattractoflotsinanewsuburb;thenhesoldthefarm,exceptthehouseandthegroundaboutit,topaythetaxesonthesuburbanlotsandto"keepthemup。"Thelotsrefusedtostayup;buthehadtodosomethingtokeephimselfandhisfamilyup,soindespairhesoldthelots（whichwentupbeautifullythenextyear）for"tractionstock"thatwaspayingdividends;andthereafterheceasedtobuyandsell。ThushedisappearedaltogetherfromthecommercialsurfaceataboutthetimeJamesSheridancameoutsecurelyontop;
　　andSheridan,untilMrs。Vertreescalleduponhimwithher"anti—smoke"
　　committee,hadneverheardthename。
　　Mr。Vertrees,pinched,retiredtohisLandseers,andMrs。Vertrees"managedsomehow"onthedividends,though"managing"becamemoreandmoredifficultastheyearswentbyandmoneyboughtlessandless。ButtherecameadaywhenthreeservitorsofBignessinPhiladelphiatookgreedycounselwithfourfellow—worshipersfromNewYork,andnotlongafterthattherewerenomoredividendsforMr。Vertrees。Infact,therewasnothingforMr。Vertrees,becausethe"tractionstock"henceforthwasnostockatall,andhehadmortgagedhishouselongagotohelp"managesomehow"accordingtohisconceptionofhis"positioninlife"——oneofhisownold—fashionedphrases。
　　SixmonthsbeforethecompletionoftheNewHousenextdoor,Mr。VertreeshadsoldhishorsesandthewornVictoriaand"station—wagon,"topaythearrearsofhistwoservantsandre—establishcreditatthegrocer'sandbutcher's——
　　andapairofelderlycarriage—horseswithsuchaccoutrementsarenotveryamplebarter,inthesedays,forsixmonths'foodandfuelandservice。Mr。
　　Vertreeshaddiscovered,too,thattherewasnosalaryforhiminallthebuzzingcity——hecoulddonothing。
　　Itmaybesaidthathewasattheendofhisstring。Suchtimesdocomeinalltheirbitterness,finally,tothemanwithnotradeorcraft,ifhisfeebleclutchonthatslipperyghost,Property,shallfail。
　　Thewindowsgrewblackwhilehepacedtheroom,andsmokytwilightclosedroundaboutthehouse,yetnotmoredarklythanwhatclosedroundabouttheheartoftheanxiouslittlemanpatrollingthefan—shapedzoneoffirelight。