"Iknewtherewassomethingelse,"saidMrs。Sheridan,blinkingoverayawn。
　　"Youbetterletitgotillto—morrowandgettobednow——'lessyou'lltellme？"
　　"SupposesomethinghappenedtoRoscoe,"hesaid。"THENwhat'dIhavetolookforwardto？THENwhatcouldIdependontoholdthingstogether？Alummix！
　　Alummixthathasn'tlearnedhowtopushastripo'zincalongagroove！"
　　"Roscoe？"sheyawned。"Youneedn'tworryaboutRoscoe,papa。He'sthestrongestchildwehad。Ineverdidknowanybodykeepbetterhealththanhedoes。Idon'tbelievehe'sevenhadacoldinfiveyears。Youbettergouptobed,papa。"
　　"SupposesomethingDIDhappentohim,though。Youdon'tknowwhatitmeans,keepin'propertytogetherthesedays——justkeepin'itALIVE,letalonemakin'
　　itgrowthewayIdo。I'veseentoomanyestateshackedawayinchunks,bigandlittle。Itellyouwhenamandiesthewolvescomeouto'thewoods,packafterpack,toseewhattheycantearoffforthemselves;andifthatdeadman'schuldernain'tonthejob,nightandday,everythinghebuilt'llgetcarriedoff。Carriedoff？I'veseenabigfortunebehavelikeanash—barrelinacyclone——therewasn'tevenadust—heaplefttotellwhereitstood！I'veseenit,timeandagain。MyLord！whenIthinko'suchthingscomin'toME！
　　Itdon'tseemlikeIdeservedit——nomanevertriedhardertoraisehisboysrightthanIhave。Iplannedandplannedandplannedhowtobring'emuptobeguardstodrivethewolvesoff,andhowtobebuilderstobuild,andbuildbigger。Itellyouthisbusinesslifeisnofool'sjobnowadays——aman'sgottohaveeyesinthebackofhishead。Youheartalk,sometimes,'dmakeyouthinkthemillenniumhadcome——butrightthenextbreathyou'llhearsomebodyhollerin'about'thegreatunrest。'YouBETthere'sa'greatunrest'！Thereain'tanymanalivesmartenoughtoseewhatit'sgoin'todotousintheend,norwhatdayit'sgotsettobustloose,butit'sfrothin'andbubblin'
　　intheboiler。Thiscountry'sbeenfillin'upwithitfromallovertheworldforagoodmanyyears,andtheoldcamp—meetin'daysaredeadanddonewith。
　　Churchain'twhatitusedtobe。Nothin'swhatitusedtobe——everything'sturnedupfromthebottom,andthegrowthissobigtherootsstickoutintheair。There'sanawfulructiongoin'on,andyougottokeephoppin'ifyou'regoin'tokeepyourbalanceonthetopofit。Andtheschemers！Theyrunlikebugsonthebottomofaboard——afteranypieceo'moneytheyhearisloose。
　　Foolschemesandcrookedschemes;thefoolonesarethemostandtheworst！
　　YougottoFIGHTtokeepyourmoneyafteryou'vemadeit。Andthewoodsarefullo'mightyindustriousmenthat'sgotonlyonemotto:'Gettheotherfellow'smoneybeforehegetsyours！'Andwhenaman'sbuiltasIhave,whenhe'sbuiltgoodandstrong,andmadegoodthingsgrowandprosper——THOSEarethefellowsthatlayforthechancetoslideinandsneakthebenefitofitandputtheirnamestoit！Andwhat'stheuseofmyhavin'everbeenborn,ifsuchathingasthatisgoin'tohappen？What'stheuseofmyhavin'workedmylifeandsoulintomybusiness,ifit'sallgoin'tobedispersedandscatteredsoonasI'mintheground？"
　　Hestrodeupanddownthelongroom,gesticulating——littleregardingthetroubledanddrowsyfigurebythefireside。Histhroatrumbledthunderously;
　　thewordscamewithstormybitterness。"Youthinkthisisatimeforyoungmentobelyin'onbedsofease？Itellyouthereneverwassuchatimebefore;thereneverwassuchopportunity。Thesluggardisdespoiledwhilehesleeps——yes,byGeorge！ifamaylaysdownthey'lleathimbeforehewakes！——butthelivemancanbuildstraightuptillhetouchesthesky！Thisisthebusinessman'sday;itusedtobethesoldier'sdayandthestatesman'sday,butthisisOURS！Anditain'taSundaytogofishin'——it'sturmoil！
　　turmoil！——andyougottogooutandliveitandbreatheitandMAKEityourself,oryou'llonlybeadeadmanwalkin'arounddreamin'you'realive。
　　Andthat'swhatmysonBibbshasbeendoin'allhislife,andwhathe'dratherdonowthangooutanddohispartbyme。AndifanythinghappenstoRoscoe——"
　　"Oh,dostopworryin'oversuchnonsense,"Mrs。Sheridaninterrupted,irritatedintosharpwakefulnessforthemoment。"Thereisn'tanythinggoin'
　　tohappentoRoscoe,andyou'rejusttormentin'yourselfaboutnothin'。
　　Aren'tyouEVERgoin'tobed？"
　　Sheridanhalted。"Allright,mamma,"hesaid,withavastsigh。"Let'sgoup。"Andhesnappedofftheelectriclight,leavingonlytherosyglowofthefire。
　　"DidyouspeaktoRoscoe？"sheyawned,risinglopsidedlyinherdrowsiness。
　　"DidyoumentionaboutwhatItoldyoutheotherevening？"
　　"No。Iwillto—morrow。"
　　ButRoscoedidnotcomedown—townthenextday,northenext;nordidSheridanseefittoenterhisson'shouse。Hewaited。Then,onthefourthdayofthemonth,Roscoewalkedintohisfather'sofficeatnineinthemorning,whenSheridanhappenedtobealone。
　　"Theytoldmedown—stairsyou'dleftwordyouwantedtoseeme。"
　　"Sitdown,"saidSheridan,rising。
　　Roscoesat。Hisfatherwalkedclosetohim,sniffedsuspiciously,andthenwalkedaway,smilingbitterly。"Boh！"heexclaimed。"Stillatit！"
　　"Yes,"saidRoscoe。"I'vehadacoupleofdrinksthismorning。Whataboutit？"
　　"IreckonIbetteradoptsomedecentyoungman,"hisfatherreturned。"I'dbringBibbsuphereandputhiminyourplaceifhewasfit。Iwould！"
　　"Betterdoit,"Roscoeassently,sullenly。
　　"When'dyoubeginthisthing？"
　　"Ialwaysdiddrinkalittle。EversinceIgrewup,thatis。"
　　"Leavethattalkout！YouknowwhatImean。"
　　"Well,Idon'tknowasIeverhadtoomuchinofficehours——untiltheotherday。"
　　Sheridanbegancutting。"It'salie。I'vehadRayWillsupfromyouroffice。
　　Hedidn'twanttogiveyouaway,butIputthehooksintohim,andhecamethrough。Youweredrunktwicebeforeandcouldn'twork。Youbeenleavin'
　　yourofficefordrinkseveryfewhoursforthelastthreeweeks。Ibeenoveryourbooks。Yourofficeiswaybehind。Youhaven'tdoneanywork,tocount,inamonth。"
　　"Allright,"saidRoscoe,droopingunderthetorture。"It'salltrue。"
　　"Whatyougoin'todoaboutit？"
　　Roscoe'sheadwassunkbetweenhisshoulders。"Ican'tstandverymuchtalkaboutit,father,"hesaid,pleadingly。
　　"No！"Sheridancried。"NeithercanI！WhatdoyouthinkitmeanstoME？"Hedroppedintothechairathisbigdesk,groaning。"Ican'tstandtotalkaboutitanymore'nyoucantolisten,butI'mgoin'tofindoutwhat'sthematterwithyou,andI'mgoin'tostraightenyouout！"
　　Roscoeshookhisheadhelplessly。
　　"Youcan'tstraightenmeout。"
　　"Seehere！"saidSheridan。"Canyougobacktoyourofficeandstaysoberto—day,whileIgetmyworkdone,orwillIhavetohireacoupleo'huskiestofollowyouaroundandknockthewhiskeyouto'yourhandiftheyseeyoutryin'totakeit？"
　　"Youneedn'tworryaboutthat,"saidRoscoe,lookingupwithafaintresentment。"I'mnotdrinkingbecauseI'vegotathirst。"
　　"Well,whathaveyougot？"
　　"Nothing。Nothingyoucandoanythingabout。Nothing,Itellyou。"
　　"We'llseeaboutthat！"saidSheridan,harshly。"NowIcan'tfoolwithyouto—day,andyougetupouto'thatchairandgetouto'myoffice。Youbringyourwifetodinnerto—morrow。Youdidn'tcomelastSunday——butyoucometo—morrow。I'lltalkthisoutwithyouwhenthewomen—folksareworkin'thephonograph,afterdinner。Canyoukeepsobertillthen？Youbetterbesure,becauseI'mgoingtosendAbercrombiedowntoyourofficeeverylittlewhile,andhe'llletmeknow。"
　　Roscoepausedatthedoor。"YoutoldAbercrombieaboutit？"heasked。
　　"TOLDhim！"AndSheridanlaughedhideously。"Doyousupposethere'sanelevator—boyinthewholedam'buildingthatain'tontoyou？"
　　Roscoesettledhishatdownoverhiseyesandwentout。
　　"WHOlooksamustangintheeye？Changety,chang,chang！Bash！Crash！BANG！"
　　SosangBibbs,hismusicalgaietiesinaudibletohisfellow—workmenbecauseofthenoiseofthemachinery。Hehaddiscoveredlongagothattheuproarwasrhythmical,andithadbeenintolerable;butnow,ontheafternoonofthefourthdayofhisreturn,hewasaccompanyingtheswingandclashofthemetalswithjubilantvaquerofragments,minglingimprovisationsofhisownamongthem,andmockingthezinc—eater'scrashwithvocalimitations:
　　Fearlessandbold,Chang！Bash！Behold！WithaleapfromthegroundTothesaddleinabound,Andaway——andaway！Hi—YAY！WHOlooksachang,chang,bash,crash,bang！WHOcaresadashhowyoubashandyoucrash？NIGHT'SonthewayEACHtimeIsay,Hi—YAY！Crash,chang！Bash,chang！Chang,bang,BANG！
　　Thelongroomwasceaselesslythunderingwithmetallicsound;theairwasthickwiththesmellofoil;thefloortrembledperpetually;everythingwasimplacablyinmotion——nowherewastherearestforthedizziedeye。ThefirsttimehehadenteredtheplaceBibbshadbecomedizzyinstantly,andsixmonthsofithadonlyaddedincreasingnauseatofaintness。Buthefeltneithernow。
　　"ALLDAYLONGI'LLSENDMYTHOUGHTSTOYOU。YOUMUSTKEEPREMEMBERINGTHAT
　　YOURFRIENDSTANDSBESIDEYOU。"Hesawhertherebesidehim,andthegreasy,roaringplacebecamesuffusedwithradiance。Thepoetwashappyinhismachine—shop;hewasstillapoetthere。Andhefedhisoldzinc—eater,andsang:
　　Away——andaway！Hi—YAH！Crash,bash,crash,bash,CHANG！Wildarehiseyes,Fiercelyhedies！Hi—YAH！Crash,bash,bang！Bash,CHANG！ReadytoflingOurglovesinthering——
　　Hewasunawareofasensationthatpassedalongthelinesofworkmen。Theirgreatmasterhadcomeamongthem,andtheygrinnedtoseehimstandingwithDr。GurneybehindtheunconsciousBibbs。Sheridannoddedtothosenearesthim——hehadpersonalacquaintancewithnearlyallofthem——buthekepthisattentionuponhisson。Bibbsworkedsteadily,neverturningfromhismachine。Nowandthenhevariedhismusicalprogrammewithremarksaddressedtothezinc—eater。
　　"Goon,youoldcrash—basher！Chewitup！It'sgoodforyou,ifyoudon'ttrytoboltyourvittles。Fletcherize,youpig！That'sright——YOU'LLnevergetalumpinyourgizzard。Wantsomemore？Here'sanice,shinyone。"
　　Thewordswereindistinguishable,butSheridaninclinedhisheadtoGurney'searandshoutedfiercely:"Talkin'tohimself！ByGeorge！"
　　Gurneylaughedreassuringly,andshookhishead。
　　Bibbsreturnedtosong:
　　Chang！Chang,bash,chang！It'sI！WHOlooksamustangintheeye？Fearlessandbo——
　　Hisfathergraspedhimbythearm。"Here！"heshouted。"LetMEshowyouhowtorunastripthroughthere。Theforemansaysyou'resomebetter'nyouusedtobe,butthat'snowaytohandle——Getoutthewayandletmeshowyouonce。"
　　"Betterbecareful,"Bibbswarnedhim,steppingtooneside。
　　"Careful？Boh！"Sheridanseizedastripofzincfromthebox。"Whatyoutalkin'toyourselfabout？Tryin'tomakeyourselfthinkyou'resoabusedyou'regoin'wronginthehead？"
　　"'Abused'？No！"shoutedBibbs。"IwasSINGING——becauseI'likeit'！ItoldyouI'dcomebackand'likeit。'"
　　Sheridanmaynothaveunderstood。Atallevents,hemadenoreply,butbegantorunthestripofzincthroughthemachine。Hediditawkwardly——andwithbadresults。
　　"Here！"heshouted。"Thisistheway。WatchhowIdoit。There'snothin'toit,ifyouputyourmindonit。"Byhisownshowingthenhismindwasnotuponit。Hecontinuedtotalk。"Allyougottolookoutforistokeepitpressedoverto——"
　　"Don'trunyourhandupwithit,"Bibbsvociferated,leaningtowardhim。
　　"Runnothin'！YouGOTto——"
　　"Lookout！"shoutedBibbsandGurneytogether,andtheybothsprangforward。
　　ButSheridan'srighthandhadfollowedthestriptoofar,andthezinc—eaterhadbittenoffthetipsofthefirstandsecondfingers。Hesworevehemently,andwrunghishand,sendingashowerofreddropsoverhimselfandBibbs,butGurneygraspedhiswrist,andsaid,sharply:
　　"Comeoutofhere。Comeovertothelavatoryintheoffice。Bibbs,fetchmybag。It'sinmymachine,outside。"
　　AndwhenBibbsbroughtthebagtothewashroomhefoundthedoctorstillgraspingSheridan'swrist,holdingtheinjuredhandoverabasin。Sheridanhadlostcolor,andtemper,too。HeglaredoverhisshoulderathissonasthelatterhandedthebagtoGurney。
　　"Yougoonbacktoyourwork,"hesaid。"I'vehadworsesnipsthanthatfromapencil—sharpener。"
　　"Ohno,youhaven't！"saidGurney。
　　"Ihave,too！"Sheridanretorted,angrily。"Bibbs,yougoonbacktoyourwork。There'snoreasontostandaroundherewatchin'oleDocGurneytryin'
　　tokeephimselfawakeworkin'onascratchthatonlyneedsalittlecourt—plaster。Islipped,oritwouldn'thappened。Yougetbackonyourjob。"
　　"Allright,"saidBibbs。
　　"HERE！"Sheridanbellowed,ashissonwaspassingoutofthedoor。"Youwatchoutwhenyou'rerunnin'thatmachine！YouhearwhatIsay？Islipped,orIwouldn'tgotscratched,butyou——YOU'REliabletogetyourwholehandcutoff！Youkeepyoureyesopen！"
　　"Yes,sir。"AndBibbsreturnedtothezinc—eaterthoughtfully。
　　Halfanhourlater,Gurneytouchedhimontheshoulderandbeckonedhimoutside,whereconversationwaspossible。"Isenthimhome,Bibbs。He'llhavetobecarefulofthathand。Gogetyouroverallsoff。I'lltakeyouforadriveandleaveyouathome。"
　　"Can't,"saidBibbs。"Gottosticktomyjobtillthewhistleblows。"
　　"No,youdon't,"thedoctorreturned,smotheringayawn。"Hewantsmetotakeyoudowntomyofficeandgiveyouanoverhaulingtoseehowmuchharmthesefourdaysonthemachinehavedoneyou。Iguessyoufolkshavegotthatoldmanprettythoroughlyupset,betweenyou,upatyourhouse！ButIdon'tneedtogooveryou。Icanseewithmyeyeshalfshut——"
　　"Yes,"Bibbsinterrupted,"that'swhattheyare。"
　　"IsayIcanseeyou'restartingout,atleast,ingoodshape。What'smadethedifference？"
　　"Ilikethemachine,"saidBibbs。"I'vemadeafriendofit。Iserenadeitandtalktoit,andthenittalksbacktome。"
　　"Indeed,indeed？Whatdoesitsay？"
　　"WhatIwanttohear。"
　　"Well,well！"Thedoctorstretchedhimselfandstampedhisfootrepeatedly。
　　"Bettercomealongandtakeadrivewithme。Youcantakethetimeoffthatheallowedfortheexamination,and——"
　　"Notatall,"saidBibbs。"I'mgoingtostandbymyoldzinc—eatertillfiveo'clock。ItellyouILIKEit！"
　　"ThenIsupposethat'stheendofyourwantingtowrite。"
　　"Idon'tknowaboutthat,"Bibbssaid,thoughtfully;"butthezinc—eaterdoesn'tinterferewithmythinking,atleast。It'sbetterthanbeinginbusiness;I'msureofthat。Idon'twantanythingtochange。I'dbecontenttoleadjustthelifeI'mleadingnowtotheendofmydays。"
　　"Youdobeatthedevil！"exclaimedGurney。"Yourfather'srightwhenhetellsmeyou'reamystery。PerhapstheAlmightyknewwhatHewasdoingwhenHemadeyou,butittakesalotoffaithtobelieveit！Well,I'moff。Goonbacktoyourmurderingoldmachine。"Heclimbedintohiscar,whichheoperatedhimself,butherefrainedfromsettingitimmediatelyinmotion。"Well,I
　　rubbeditinontheoldmanthatyouhadwarnedhimnottoslidehishandalongtoofar,andthathegothurtbecausehedidn'tpayattentiontoyourwarning,andbecausehewastryingtoshowyouhowtodosomethingyouwerealreadydoingagreatdealbetterthanhecould。YoutellhimI'llbearoundtolookatitandchangethedressingto—morrowmorning。Good—by。"
　　Butwhenhepaidthepromisedvisit,thenextmorning,hedidmorethanchangethedressinguponthedamagedhand。Theinjurywassevereofitskind,andGurneyspentalongtimeoverit,thoughSheridanwasrebelliousandscornful,beingbroughttoadegreeoftractabilityonlybymeansofhorriblethreatsandtalkofamputation。However,heappearedatthedinner—tablewithhishandsupportedinasling,whichheseemedtoregardasanindignity,whilethenaturalinquiriesuponthesubjectevidentlystruckhimasdeliberateinsults。Mrs。Sheridan,havingbeenunabletocontainhersolicitudeseveraltimesduringtheday,andhavingbeencheckedeachtimeinamannerthatblanchedhercheek,hastenedtowarnRoscoeandSibyl,upontheirarrivalatfive,toomitanyreferencetotheinjuryandtoavoidevenlookingattheslingiftheypossiblycould。
　　TheSheridansdinedonSundaysatfive。Sibylhadtakenpainsnottoarriveeitherbeforeorafterthehandwaspreciselyonthehour;andthemembersofthefamilywereallseatedatthetablewithintwominutesaftersheandRoscoehadenteredthehouse。
　　Itwasaglumgathering,overhungwithportents。Theairseemedcharged,awaitinganytinyignitiontoexplode;andMrs。Sheridan'sexpression,asshesatwithhereyesfixedalmostcontinuallyuponherhusband,wasthatofapersonengagedinprayer。Edithwaspaleandintent。Roscoelookedill;
　　Sibyllookedill;andSheridanlookedbothillandexplosive。Bibbshadmorecolorthananyofthese,andtherewasastrangebrightness,likealight,uponhisface。Itwascurioustoseeanythingsohappyinthetensegloomofthathousehold。
　　Edithatelittle,butgazednearlyallthetimeatherplate。SheneveroncelookedatSibyl,thoughSibylnowandthengaveheraquickglance,heavilycharged,andthenlookedaway。Roscoeatenothing,and,likeEdith,kepthiseyesuponhisplateandmadebelievetooccupyhimselfwiththeviandsthereon,loadinghisforkfrequently,butnotliftingittohismouth。Hedidnotoncelookathisfather,thoughhisfathergazedheavilyathimmostofthetime。AndbetweenEdithandSibyl,andbetweenRoscoeandhisfather,somebitterwirelesscommunicationseemedcontinuallytobetakingplacethroughoutthelongsilencesprevailingduringthisenliveningceremonyofSabbathrefection。
　　"Didn'tyougotochurchthismorning,Bibbs？"hismotherasked,intheefforttobreakuponeofthoseghastlyintervals。
　　"Whatdidyousay,mother？"
　　"Didn'tyougotochurchthismorning？"
　　"Ithinkso,"heanswered,asfromaroseatetrance。
　　"YouTHINKso！Don'tyouknow？"
　　"Ohyes。Yes,Iwenttochurch！"
　　"Whichone？"
　　"Justdownthestreet。It'sbrick。"
　　"Whatwasthesermonabout？"
　　"What,mother？"
　　"Can'tyouhearme？"shecried。"Iaskedyouwhatthesermonwasabout？"
　　Herousedhimself。"Ithinkitwasabout——"Hefrowned,seemingtoconcentratehiswilltorecollect。"IthinkitwasaboutsomethingintheBible。"
　　White—jacketGeorgewasgladofanopportunitytoleavetheroomandleanuponMist'Jackson'sshoulderinthepantry。"Hedon'tknowtheyWASanysuhmon！"
　　heconcluded,havingnarratedthedining—roomdialogue。"Allheknowishewaswith'atladylivesnex'do'！"Georgewasright。
　　"Didyougotochurchallbyyourself,Bibbs？"Sibylasked。
　　"No,"heanswered。"No,Ididn'tgoalone。"
　　"Oh？"Sibylgavetheejaculationanupwardtwist,asofmockinginquiry,andfolloweditbyanother,expressiveofhilariouscomprehension。"OH！"
　　Bibbslookedatherstudiously,butshespokenofurther。Andthatcompletedtheconversationatthelugubriousfeast。
　　Coffeecamefinally,wasdisposedofquickly,andthepartydispersedtootherpartsofthehouse。BibbsfollowedhisfatherandRoscoeintothelibrary,butwasnotwellreceived。
　　"YOUgoandlistentothephonographwiththewomen—folks,"Sheridancommanded。
　　Bibbsretreated。"Sometimesyoudoseemtobeahardsortofman！"hesaid。
　　However,hewentobedientlytothegilt—and—brocaderoominwhichhismotherandhissisterandhissister—in—lawhadhelplesslywithdrawn,accordingtotheirSabbaticalcustom。Edithsatinacorner,tappingherfeettogetherandlookingatthem;Sibylsatinthecenteroftheroom,examiningabroochwhichshehaddetachedfromherthroat;andMrs。SheridanwaslookingoveracollectionofrecordsconsistingexclusivelyofCarusoandrag—time。Sheselectedoneofthelatter,remarkingthatshethoughtit"rightpretty,"andfolloweditwithoneoftheformerandthesameremark。
　　Asthesecondreacheditsconclusion,Georgeappearedinthebroaddoorway,seemingtohaveanerrandthere,buthedidnotspeak。Instead,hefavoredEdithwithabenevolentsmile,andsheimmediatelylefttheroom,Georgesteppingasideforhertoprecedehim,andthendisappearingafterherinthehallwithanairofsuccessfuldiplomacy。HemadeitperfectlyclearthatEdithhadgivenhimsecretinstructionsandthatithadbeenhisprideandpleasuretofulfilthemtotheletter。
　　Sibylstiffenedinherchair;herlipsparted,andshewatchedwithcuriouseyesthevanishingbackofthewhitejacket。
　　"What'sthat？"sheasked,inalowvoice,butsharply。
　　"Here'sanotherrightprettyrecord,"saidMrs。Sheridan,affecting——withpatentnervousness——nottohear。Andsheunloosedthemusic。
　　Sibylbitherlipandbegantotapherchinwiththebrooch。AfteralittlewhilesheturnedtoBibbs,whoreposedathalf—lengthinagoldchair,withhiseyesclosed。
　　"WheredidEdithgo？"sheasked,curiously。
　　"Edith？"herepeated,openinghiseyesblankly。"Isshegone？"
　　Sibylgotupandstoodinthedoorway。Sheleanedagainstthecasing,stilltappingherchinwiththebrooch。Hereyesweredilating;shewassuddenlyathightension,andherexpressionhadbecomeoneofsharpexcitement。Shelistensintently。
　　WhentherecordwasspunoutshecouldhearSheridanrumblinginthelibrary,duringtheensuingsilence,andRoscoe'svoice,querulousandhusky;"Iwon'tsayanythingatall。Itellyou,youmightjustaswellletmealone！"
　　Buttherewereothersound:arustlingandmurmur,whispering,lowprotestingcadencesinamalevoice。AndasMrs。Sheridanstartedanotherrecord,asudden,vitalresolveleapedlikefireintheeyesofSibyl。Shewalkeddownthehallandstraightintothesmoking—room。
　　LamhornandEdithbothsprangtotheirfeet,separating。Edithbecameinstantlydeathlywhitewitharagethatsethershakingfromheadtofoot,andLamhornstutteredashetriedtospeak。
　　ButEdith'sshakingwasnotsoviolentasSibyl's,norwasherfacesowhite。
　　Atsightofthemandoftheirembrace,allpossibleconsequencesbecamenothingtoSibyl。Shecourtesied,holdingupherskirtsandcontortingherlipstothesemblanceofasmile。
　　"Sitjustasyouwere——bothofyou！"shesaid。AndthentoEdith:"DidyoutellmyhusbandIhadbeentelephoningtoLamhorn？"
　　"Youmarchoutofhere！"saidEdith,fiercely。"Marchstraightoutofhere！"
　　SibylleveledaforefingeratLamhorn。
　　"DidyoutellherI'dbeentelphoningyouIwantedyoutocome？"
　　"Oh,goodGod！"Lamhornsaid。"Hush！"
　　"Youknewshe'dtellmyhusband,DIDN'Tyou？"shecried。"Youknewthat！"
　　"HUSH！"hebegged,panic—stricken。
　　"ThatwasaMANLYthingtodo！Oh,itwaslikeagentleman！Youwouldn'tcome——youwouldn'tevencomeforfiveminutestohearwhatIhadtosay！YouwereTIREDofwhatIhadtosay！You'dhearditallathousandtimesbefore,andyouwouldn'tcome！No！No！NO！"shestormed。"Youwouldn'tevencomeforfiveminutes,butyoucouldtellthatlittlecat！AndSHEtoldmyhusband！
　　You'reaMAN！"
　　EdithsawinaflashthattheconsequencesofbattlewouldberuinoustoSibyl,andthefuriousgirlneedednofurthertemptationtogivewaytoherfeelings。"Getoutofthishouse！"sheshrieked。"Thisismyfather'shouse。
　　Don'tyoudarespeaktoRobertlikethat！"
　　"No！No！Imustn'tSPEAK——"
　　"Don'tyouDARE！"
　　EdithandSibylbegantoscreaminsultsateachothersimultaneously,frontingeachother,theirfuriousfacesclose。Theirvoicesshrilledandroseandcracked——theyscreeched。Theycouldbeheardoverthenoiseofthephonograph,whichwasplayingabrass—bandselection。Theycouldbeheardalloverthehouse。Theywereheardinthekitchen;theycouldhavebeenheardinthecellar。Neitherofthemcaredforthat。
　　"Youtoldmyhusband！"screamedSibyl,bringingherfacestillclosertoEdith's。"Youtoldmyhusband！ThismanputTHATinyouhandstostrikemewith！HEdid！"
　　"I'lltellyourhusbandagain！I'lltellhimeverythingIknow！It'sTIME
　　yourhusband——"
　　Theyweresweptasunderbyabandagedhand。"Doyouwanttheneighborsin？"
　　Sheridanthundered。
　　Therefellashockingsilence。FrenziedSibylsawherhusbandandhismotherinthedoorway,andsheunderstoodwhatshehaddone。Shemovedslowlytowardthedoor;thensuddenlyshebegantorun。Sheranintothehall,andthroughit,andoutofthehouse。Roscoefollowedherheavily,hiseyesontheground。
　　"NOWTHEN！"saidSheridantoLamhorn。