andthenhesaidwhathehadtosayonthesubjectofRoscoeandSibyl,hisopinionmeeting,asheexpected,awarmlyhostilereception。ButtheresultofthisconversationwasthatbytelephoniccommandRoscoeawaitedhisfather,anhourlater,inthelibraryattheNewHouse。
　　"Gurneysaysyourwife'sabletotravel,"Sheridansaidbrusquely,ashecamein。
　　"Yes。"Roscoeoccupiedadeepchairandsatinthedejectedattitudewhichhadbecomehishabit。"Yes,sheis。"
　　"Edithhadtoleavetown,andsoSibylthinksshe'llhaveto,too！"
　　"Oh,Iwouldn'tputitthatway,"Roscoeprotested,drearily。
　　"No,IhearYOUwouldn't！"Therewasabittergibeinthefather'svoice,andheadded:"It'sagoodthingshe'sgoin'abroad——ifshe'llstaythere。I
　　shouldn'tthinkanyofuswantherhereanymore——youleastofall！"
　　"It'snouseyourtalkingthatway,"saidRoscoe。"Youwon'tdoanygood。"
　　"Well,whenareyoucomin'backtoyouroffice？"Sheridanusedabrisker,kindertone。"Threeweekssinceyoushowedupthereatall。Whenyougoin'
　　tobereadytocutoutwhiskeyandalltheresto'thefoolishnessandstartinagain？Yououghttobeabletomakeupforaloto'losttimeandaloto'
　　spiltmilkwhenthatwomantakesherselfouto'thewayandletsyouandalltherestofusalone。"
　　"It'snouse,father,Itellyou。IknowwhatGurneywasgoingtosaytoyou。
　　I'mnotgoingbacktotheoffice。I'mDONE！"
　　"Waitaminutebeforeyoutalkthatway！"Sheridanbeganhissentry—goupanddowntheroom。"Isupposeyouknowit'stakentwoprettygoodmenaboutsixteenhoursadaytosetthingsstraightandget'emrunnin'rightagain,downinyouroffice？"
　　"Theymustbegoodmen。"Roscoenoddedindifferently。"IthoughtIwasdoingabouteightmen'swork。I'mgladyoufoundtwothatcouldhandleit。"
　　"Lookhere！IfIworkedyouitwasforyourowngood。Thereareplentymendriveharder'nIdo,and——"
　　"Yes。Therearesomethatbreakdownalltheothermenthatworkwith'em。
　　Theyeitherdie,orgocrazy,orhavetoquit,andarenousetherestoftheirlives。Thelast'smycase,Iguess——'complicatedbydomesticdifficulties'！"
　　"Yousetthereandtellmeyougiveup？"Sheridan'svoiceshook,andsodidthegesticulatinghandwhichheextendedappealinglytowardthedespondentfigure。"Don'tdoit,Roscoe！Don'tsayit！Sayyou'llcomedownthereagainandbeaman！Thiswomanain'tgoin'totroubleyouanymore。Theworkain'tgoin'tohurtyouifyouhaven'tgothertoworryyou,andyoucangetshuto'thisnastywhiskey—guzzlin';itain'tfastenedonyouyet。Don'tsay——"
　　"It'snouseonearth,"Roscoemumbled。"Nouseonearth。"
　　"Lookhere！Ifyouwantanothermonth'svacation——"
　　"IknowGurneytoldyou,sowhat'stheusetalkingabout'vacations'？"
　　"Gurney！"Sheridanvociferatedthenamesavagely。"It'sGurney,Gurney,Gurney！AlwaysGurney！Idon'tknowwhattheworld'scomin'towitheverybodyrunnin'aroundsquealin','Thedoctorsaysthis,'and,'Thedoctorsaysthat'！Itmakesmesick！How'sthiscountryexpecttogetitsWorkdoneifGurneyandalltheotheroldnanny—goatskeepupthisblattin'——'Oh,oh！
　　Don'tliftthatsticko'wood;you'llruinyourNERVES！'Sohesaysyougot'nervousexhaustioninducedbyoverworkandemotionalstrain。'TheyalwaysgottosticktheWorkiniftheyseeachance！Ireckonyoudidhavethe'emotionalstrain,'andthat'sall'sthematterwithyou。You'llbeoveritsoon'sthiswoman'sgone,andWork'stheverythingtomakeyouquitfrettin'
　　abouther。"
　　"DidGurneytellyouIwasfittowork？"
　　"Shutup！"Sheridanbellowed。"I'msosicko'thatman'snameIfeellikeshootin'anybodythatsaysittome！"Hefumedandchafed,swearingindistinctly,thencameandstoodbeforehisson。"Lookhere;doyouthinkyou'redoin'thesquarethingbyme？Doyou？Howmuchyouworth？"
　　"I'vegotbetweensevenandeightthousandayearclear,ofmyown,outsidethesalary。ThatmuchisminewhetherIworkornot。"
　　"Itis？Youcould'apulleditoutwithoutme,Isupposeyouthink,atyourage？"
　　"No。Butit'smine,andit'senough。"
　　"MyLord！It'saboutwhataCongressmangets,andyouwanttoquitthere！I
　　supposeyouthinkyou'llgettherestwhenIkickthebucket,andallyouhavetodoislaybackandwait！Youletmetellyourighthere,you'llneverseeonecentofit。Yougoouto'businessnow,andwhatwouldyouknowabouthandlin'itfiveortenortwentyyearsfromnow？BecauseIintendtoSTAY
　　herealittlewhileyet,myboy！They'deithergetitawayfromyouoryou'dsellforanickelandletitbesplitupand——"Hewhirledabout,marchedtotheotherendoftheroom,andstoodsilentamoment。Thenhesaid,solomnly:
　　"Listen。Ifyougooutnow,youleavemeinthelurch,withnothin'onGod'sgreenearthtodependonbutyourbrother——andyouknowwhatheis。I'vedependedonyouforitALLsinceJimdied。Nowyou'velistenedtothatdam'
　　doctor,andhesaysmaybeyouwon'teverbeasgoodamanasyouwere,andthatcertainlyyouwon'tbeforayearorso——probablymore。Now,that'sallalie。Mendon'tbreakdownthatwayatyourage。LookatME！AndItellyou,youcanshakethisthingoff。AllyouneedisalittleGET—upandalittlegumption。Mendon'tgoawayforYEARSandthencomebackintoMOVING
　　businesseslikeours——theylosethestrings。Andifyoucould,Iwon'tletyou——ifyoulaydownonmenow,Iwon't——andthat'sbecauseifyoulaydownyouproveyouain'tthemanIthoughtyouwere。"Heclearedhisthroatandfinishedquietly:"Roscoe,willyoutakeamonth'svacationandcomebackandgotoit？"
　　"No,"saidRoscoe,listlessly。"I'mthrough。"
　　"Allright,"saidSheridan。Hepickeduptheeveningpaperfromatable,wenttoachairbythefireandsatdown,hisbacktohisson。"Good—by。"
　　Roscoerose,hisheadhanging,buttherewasadullreliefinhiseyes。"BestIcando,"hemuttered,seemingabouttodepart,yetlingering。"Ifigureitoutagooddeallikethis,"hesaid。"Ididn'tKNOWmyjobwasanystrain,andImanagedallright,butfromwhatGur——fromwhatIhear,Iwasjustuptothelimitofmynervesfromoverwork,andthe——thetroubleathomewastheextrastrainthat'sfixedmethewayIam。Itriedtobrace,soIcouldstandtheworkandthetroubletoo,onwhiskey——andthatputthefinishtome！
　　I——I'mnothittingitashardasIwasforawhile,andIreckonprettysoon,ifIcangettofeelingalittlemoreenergy,Ibettertrytoquitentirely——I
　　don'tknow。I'mallin——andthedoctorsaysso。IthoughtIwasrunningalongfineuptoafewmonthsago,butallthetimeIwasreadytobust,anddidn'tknowit。Now,then,Idon'twantyoutoblameSibyl,andifIwereyouIwouldn'tspeakofheras'thatwoman,'becauseshe'syourdaughter—in—lawandgoingtostaythatway。Shedidn'tdoanythingwicked。Itwasashocktome,andIdon'tdenyit,tofindwhatshehaddone——encouragingthatfellowtohangaroundherafterhebegantryingtoflirtwithher,andlosingherheadoverhimthewayshedid。Idon'tdenyitwasashockandthatit'llalwaysbeahurtinsideofmeI'llnevergetover。Butitwasmyfault;Ididn'tunderstandawoman'snature。"PoorRoscoespokeinthemostprofoundanddesolateearnest。"Awomancravessociety,andgaiety,andmeetingattractivepeople,andtraveling。Well,Ican'tgivehertheotherthings,butIcangiveherthetraveling——realtraveling,notjustgoingtoAtlanticCityorNewOrleans,thewayshehas,two,threetimes。Awomanhastohavesomethinginherlifebesidesabusinessman。Andthat'sALLIwas。IneverunderstoodtillIheardhertalkingwhenshewassosick,andIbelieveifyou'dheardherthenyouwouldn'tspeaksohard—heartedlyabouther;IbelieveyoumighthaveforgivenherlikeIhave。That'sall。Inevercaredanythingforanygirlbutherinmylife,butIwassobusywithbusinessIputitaheadofher。IneverTHOUGHTabouther,Iwassobusythinkingbusiness。Well,thisiswhereit'sbroughtusto——andnowwhenyoutalkabout'business'tomeI
　　feelthewayyoudowhenanybodytalksaboutGurneytoyou。Theword'business'makesmedizzy——itmakesmehonestlysickatthestomach。I
　　believeifIhadtogodown—townandstepinsidethatofficedoorI'dfalldownonthefloor,deathlysick。Youtalkabouta'month'svacation'——andI
　　getjustassick。I'mrattled——Ican'tplan——Ihaven'tgotanyplans——can'tmakeany,excepttotakemygirlandgetjustasfarawayfromthatofficeasIcan——andstay。We'regoingtoJapanfirst,andifwe——"
　　Hisfatherrustledthepaper。"Isaidgood—by,Roscoe。"
　　"Good—by,"saidRoscoe,listlessly。
　　Sheridanwaiteduntilheheardthesoundoftheouterdoorclosing;thenheroseandpushedatinydisksetinthewall。Jacksonappeared。
　　"HasBibbsgothomefromwork？"
　　"Mist'Bibbs？No,suh。"
　　"TellhimIwanttoseehim,soonashecomes。"
　　"Yessuh。"
　　Sheridanreturnedtohischairandfixedhisattentionfiercelyuponthenewspaper。Hefounditdifficulttopursuetheitemsbeyondtheirexplanatoryrubrics——therewasnothingunusualorstartlingtoconcentratehisattention:
　　"MotormanPutsBlameonBrakes。ThreeKilledwhenCarSlides。"
　　"BurglarsMakeBigHaul。""BoardWorksApproveBigCar—lineExtension。""Hold—upMenInjureTwo。ManFoundinAlley,SkullFractured。""SickeningStoryToldinDivorceCourt。""PlanNewEighteen—storyStructure。""School—girlMeetsDeathunderAutomobile。""NegroCutsThree。OneDead。""LifeCrushedOut。
　　ThirdElevatorAccidentinSameBuildingCausesActionbyCoroner。""DeclareMilitiawillbeMenace。PolishSocietiesProtesttoGovernorinChurchRiotingCase。""Short$3,500inAccounts,TrustedManKillsSelfwithDrug。""FoundFrozen。
　　FamilyWithoutFoodorFuel。BabyDeadwhenParentsReturnHomefromSeekingWork。""MinisterReturnedfromTripAbroadLecturesonBigFutureofOurCity。SeesBigImprovementduringShortAbsence。SaysNoEuropeanCityHoldsCandle。"
　　（Sheridannoddedapprovinglyhere。）
　　Bibbscamethroughthehallwhistling,andenteredtheroombriskly。"Well,father,didyouwantme？"
　　"Yes。Sitdown。"Sheridangotup,andBibbstookaseatbythefire,holdingouthishandstothecracklingblaze,foritwascoldoutdoors。
　　"Icamewithinsevenoftheshoprecordto—day,"hesaid。"Ihandledmorestripsthandanyotherworkmanhasanydaythismonth。Thenearesttomeissixteenbehind。"
　　"There！"exclaimedhisfather,greatlypleased。"What'dItellyou？I'dliketohearGurneyhintagainthatIwasn'trightinsendingyouthere——Iwouldjustliketohearhim！Andyou——ain'tyouashamedofmakin'suchafussaboutit？Ain'tyou？"
　　"Ididn'tgoatitintherightspirittheothertime,"Bibbssaid,smilingbrightly,hisfaceruddyinthecheerfulfirelight。"Ididn'tknowthedifferenceitmeanttolikeathing。"
　　"Well,IguessI'veprettythoroughlyvindicatedmyjudgement。IguessI
　　HAVE！Isaidtheshop'dbegoodforyou,anditwas。Isaiditwouldn'thurtyou,andithasn't。It'sbeenjustexactlywhatIsaiditwouldbe。
　　Ain'tthatso？"
　　"Lookslikeit！"Bibbsagreed,gaily。
　　"Well,I'dliketoknowanyplaceIbeenwrong,firstandlast！Insteado'
　　hurtingyou,it'sbeenthemakin'ofyou——physically。You'reagoodinchtaller'nwhatIam,andyou'dbeabiggermanthanwhatIamifyou'dgetsomefleshonyourbones;andyouAREgettin'alittle。Physically,it'sstartedyououttobethehuskiestoneo'thewholefamily。Now,then,mentally——that'sdifferent。Idon'tsayitunkindly,Bibbs,butyougottodosomethingforyourselfmentally,justlikewhat'sbegunphysically。AndI'mgoin'tohelpyou。"
　　Sheridandecidedtositdownagain。Hebroughthischairclosetohisson's,and,leaningover,tappedBibbs'skneeconfidentially。"Igotplansforyou,Bibbs,"hesaid。
　　Bibbsinstantlylookedthoroughlyalarmed。Hedrewback。"I——I'mallrightnow,father。"
　　"Listen。"Sheridansettledhimselfinhischair,andspokeinthetoneofareasonablemanreasoning。"Listenhere,Bibbs。Ihadanotherblowto—day,anditwasahardoneandrightintheface,thoughIHAVEbeenexpectin'itsomelittletimeback。Well,it'sgottobemet。NowI'llbefrankwithyou。
　　AsIsaidaminuteago,mentallyIcouldn'tevercalledyouexactlystrong。
　　Youbeenalittleweakbothways,mostofyourlife。NotbutwhatIthinkyouGOTamentality,ifyou'dlearntouseit。Yougotwill—power,I'llsaythatforyou。Ineverknewboyormanthatcouldbestubborner——neveroneinmylife！Now,then,you'veshowedyoucouldlearntorunthatmachinebestofanymanintheshop,innotimeatall。Thatlookstomelikeyoucouldlearntodootherthings。Idon'tdenybutwhatit'sanencouragin'sign。Idon'tdenythat,atall。Well,thathelpsmetothinkthecaseain'tsohopelessasitlooks。You'reallIgottomeetthisblowwith,butmaybeyouain'taspoormaterialasIthought。Yourtellin'meaboutcomin'withinsevenstripsoftheshop'srecordto—daylookstomelikeencouragin'informationbroughtinatjustabouttherighttime。Now,then,I'mgoin'togiveyouaraise。I
　　wantedtosendyoustraightonupthroughtheshops——ayearortwo,maybe——
　　butIcan'tdoit。IlostJim,andnowI'velostRoscoe。He'squit。He'slaiddownonme。Ifheevercomesbackatall,he'llbealongtimepickin'
　　upthestrings,and,anyway,heain'tthemanIthoughthewas。Ican'tcountonhim。IgottohaveSOMEBODYIKNOWIcancounton。AndI'mdowntothis:
　　you'remylastchance。Bibbs,Igottolearnyoutousewhatbrainsyougotandseeifwecan'tdevelop'emalittle。Whoknows？AndI'mgoin'toputmytimeinonit。I'mgoin'totakeyourightdown—townwithME,andIwon'tbehardonyouifyou'realittleslowatfirst。AndI'mgoin'todothebigthingforyou。I'mgoin'tomakeyoufeelyougottodothebigthingforme,inreturn。I'vevindicatedmypolicywithyouabouttheshop,andnowI'mgoin'toturnrightaroundandswingyou'wayoveraheadofwheretheotherboysstarted,andI'mgoin'tomakeanappealtoyourambitionthat'llmakeyoudizzy！"Hetappedhissononthekneeagain。"Bibbs,I'mgoin'tostartyouoffthisway:I'mgoin'tomakeyouadirectorinthePumpWorksCompany;
　　I'mgoin'tomakeyouvice—presidentoftheRealtyCompanyandavice—presidentoftheTrustCompany！"
　　Bibbsjumpedtohisfeet,blanched。"Ohno！"hecried。
　　Sheridantookhisdismaytobetheexcitementofsuddenjoy。"Yes,sir！Andthere'ssomeprettyfatlittlesalariesgoeswiththosevice—presidencies,andapincho'stockinthePumpCompanywiththedirectorship。YouthoughtIwasprettymeanabouttheshop——oh,Iknowyoudid！——butyouseetheoldmancanplayitbothways。Andsorightnow,theminuteyou'vebeguntomakegoodthewayIwantedyouto,Idealfromthenewdeck。AndI'llkeeponhandin'itoutbiggerandbiggereverytimeyoushowmeyou'rebigenoughtoplaythehandIdealyou。I'mstartin'youwithaprettybigone,myboy！"
　　"ButIdon't——Idon't——Idon'twantit！"Bibbsstammered。
　　"What'dyousay？"Sheridanthoughthehadnotheardaright。
　　"Idon'twantit,father。Ithankyou——Idothankyou——"
　　Sheridanlookedperplexed。"What'sthematterwithyou？Didn'tyouunderstandwhatIwastellin'you？"
　　"Yes。"
　　"Yousure？Ireckonyoudidn't。Ioffered——"
　　"Iknow,Iknow！ButIcan'ttakeit。"
　　"What'sthematterwithyou？"Sheridanwashalfamazed,halfsuspicious。
　　"Yourheadfeelfunny？"
　　"I'veneverbeenquitesosaneinmylife,"saidBibbs,"asIhavelately。AndI'vegotjustwhatIwant。I'mlivingexactlytherightlife。I'mearningmydailybread,andI'mhappyindoingit。Mywagesareenough。Idon'twantanymoremoney,andIdon'tdeserveany——"
　　"Damnation！"Sheridansprangup。"You'veturnedSocialist！Youbeenlisteningtothosefellowsdownthere,andyou——"
　　"No,sir。Ithinkthere'sagreatdealinwhattheysay,butthatisn'tit。"
　　Sheridantriedtorestrainhisgrowingfury,andsucceededpartially。"Thenwhatisit？What'sthematter？"
　　"Nothing,"hesonreturned,nervously。"Nothing——exceptthatI'mcontent。I
　　don'twanttochangeanything。"
　　"Whynot？"
　　Bibbshadtheincrediblefollytotrytoexplain。"I'lltellyou,father,ifIcan。Iknowitmaybehardtounderstand——"
　　"Yes,Ithinkitmaybe,"saidSheridan,grimly。"WhatyousayusuallyisaLITTLEthatway。Goon！"
　　Perturbedanddistressed,Bibbsroseinstinctively;hefelthimselfateverypossibledisadvantage。Hewasasleeperclingingtoadream——aroughhandstretchedtoshakehimandwakenhim。Hewenttoatableandmadevaguedrawingsuponitwithafinger,andashespokehekepthiseyeslowered。
　　"Youweren'taltogetherrightabouttheshop——thatis,inonewayyouweren't,father。"Heglancedupapprehensively。Sheridanstoodfacinghim,expressionless,andmadenoattempttointerrupt。"That'sdifficulttoexplain,"Bibbscontinued,loweringhiseyesagain,tofollowthetracingsofhisfinger。"I——IbelievetheshopmighthavedoneformethistimeifI
　　hadn't——ifsomethinghadn'thelpedmeto——oh,notonlytobearit,buttobehappyinit。Well,IAMhappyinit。IwanttogoonjustasIam。AndofallthingsonearththatIdon'twant,Idon'twanttoliveabusinesslife——I
　　don'twanttobedrawnintoit。Idon'tthinkitISliving——andnowIAM
　　living。Ihavethehealthfultoil——andIcanthink。InbusinessasimportantasyoursIcouldn'tthinkanythingbutbusiness。Idon't——Idon'tthinkmakingmoneyisworthwhile。"
　　"Goon,"saidSheridan,curtly,asBibbspausedtimidly。
　　"Ithasn'tseemedtogetanywhere,thatIcansee,"saidBibbs。"Youthinkthiscityisrichandpowerful——butwhat'stheuseofitsbeingrichandpowerful？Theydon'tteachthechildrenanymoreintheschoolsbecausethecityisrichandpowerful。Theyteachthemmorethantheyusedtobecausesomepeople——notrichandpowerfulpeople——havethoughtthethoughtstoteachthechildren。Andyetwhenyou'vebeenreadingthepaperI'veheardyouobjectingtothechildrenbeingtaughtanythingexceptwhatwouldhelpthemtomakemoney。Yousaiditwaswastingthetaxes。Youwantthemtaughttomakealiving,butnottolive。WhenIwasalittleboythiswasn'tanuglytown;
　　nowit'shideous。What'stheuseofbeingbigjusttobehideous？ImeanI
　　don'tthinkallthishasmeantreallygoingahead——it'sjustbeengettingbiggeranddirtierandnoisier。Wasn'tthewholecountryhappierandinmanywayswiserwhenitwassmallerandcleanerandquieterandkinder？IknowyouthinkI'manutterfool,father,but,afterall,though,aren'tbusinessandpoliticsjustthehousekeepingpartoflife？Andwouldn'tyoudespiseawomanthatnotonlymadeherhousekeepingherambition,butdiditsonoisilyanddirtilythatthewholeneighborhoodwasinacontinualturmoiloverit？Andsupposedshetalkedandthoughtaboutherhousekeepingallthetime,andwasalwayshavingadditionsbuilttoherhousewhenshecouldn'tkeepcleanwhatshealreadyhad;andsuppose,withitall,shemadethehousealtogetherunpeacefulandunlivable——"
　　"Justoneminute！"Sheridaninterrupted,adding,withterriblecourtesy,"Ifyouwillpermitme？Haveyoueverbeenrightaboutanything？"
　　"Idon'tquite——"
　　"Iaskthesimplequestion:Haveyoueverbeenrightaboutanythingwhateverinthecourseofyourlife？Haveyoueverbeenrightuponanysubjectorquestionyou'vethoughtaboutandtalkedabout？Canyoumentiononesingletimewhenyouwereprovedtoberight？"
　　Hewasflourishingthebandagedhandashespoke,butBibbssaidonly,"IfI'vealwaysbeenwrongbefore,surelythere'smorechancethatI'mrightaboutthis。Itseemsreasonabletosupposesomethingwouldbeduetobringupmyaverage。"
　　"Yes,Ithoughtyouwouldn'tseethepoint。Andthere'sanotheryouprobablycouldn'tsee,butI'lltakethelibertytomentionit。Youbeenbalkin'allyourlife。PrettymucheverythingIeverwantedyoutodo,you'dletoutSOME
　　kindofaholler,likeyouarenow——andyetIcan'tseemtorememberoncewhenyoudidn'thavetolaydownanddowhatIsaid。Butgoonwithyourremarksaboutourcityandthebusinessofthiscountry。Goon！"
　　"Idon'twanttobeapartofit,"saidBibbs,withunwonteddecision。"I
　　wanttokeeptomyself,andI'mdoingitnow。Icouldn't,ifIwentdowntherewithyou。I'dbeswallowedintoit。Idon'tcareformoneyenoughtto——"
　　"No,"hisfatherinterrupted,stilldangerouslyquiet。"You'veneverhadtoearnaliving。Anybodycouldtellthatbywhatyousay。Now,letmeremindyou:you'resleepin'inaprettygoodbed;you'reeatin'prettyfairfood;
　　you'rewearin'prettyfineclothes。Justsupposeoneo'thesenoisyhousekeepers——me,forinstance——decidedtoletyoudoyourownhousekeepin'。
　　MayIaskwhatyourpropositionwouldbe？"
　　"I'mearningninedollarsaweek,"saidBibbs,sturdily。"It'senough。I
　　shouldn'tmindatall。"
　　"Who'spayin'youthatninedollarsaweek？"
　　"Mywork！"Bibbsanswered。"AndI'vedonesowellonthatclipping—machineI
　　believeIcouldworkuptofifteenoreventwentyaweekatanotherjob。I
　　couldbeafairplumberinafewmonths,I'msure。I'dratherhaveatradethanbeinbusiness——Ishould,infinitely！"
　　"Youbettersetaboutlearnin'oneprettydam'quick！"ButSheridanstruggledwithhistemperandagainwaspartiallysuccessfulincontrollingit。"YoubetterlearnatradeoverSunday,becauseyou'reeithergoin'downwithmetomyofficeMondaymorning——or——youcangotoplumbing！"
　　"Allright,"saidBibbs,gently。"Icangetalong。"
　　Sheridanraisedhishandssardonically,asinprayer。"OGod,"hesaid,"thisboywascrazyenoughbeforehebegantoearnhisninedollarsaweek,andnowhismoney'sgonetohishead！Can'tYoudonothin'forhim？"Thenheflunghishandsapart,palmsoutward,inafuriousgestureofdismissal。"Getouto'thisroom！Yougotaskullthat'sthicker'nawhale'sthigh—bone,butit'scrackedspangallthewayacross！Youhatedthemachine—shopsobadwhenI
　　sentyouthere,youwentandstayedsickforovertwoyears——andnow,whenI
　　offertotakeyououtofitandgiveyouthemint,youhollerfortheshoplikeacalfforitsmammy！You'recracked！Oh,butIgotafinelayouthere！
　　Onesondied,onequit,andone'saloon！Theloon'sallIgotleft！H。P。
　　Ellersly'swifehadacrazybrother,andtheyundertooktokeephimatthehouse。Firstmorninghewastherehewalkedstraightthoughaten—dollarplate—glasswindowoutintotheyard。Hesays,'Oh,lookattheprettydandelion！'That'swhatyou'redoin'！Youwanttospendyourlifesayin','Oh,lookattheprettydandelion！'andyoudon'tcareatinker'sdam'whatyoubust！Well,mister,loonornoloon,crackedandcrazyorwhateveryouare,I'lltakeyouwithmeMondaymorning,andI'llworkyouandlearnyou——yes,andI'lllamyou,ifIgotto——untilI'vemadesomethingoutofyouthat'sfittobecalledabusinessman！I'llkeepatyouwhileI'mabletostand,andifIhavetolaydowntodieI'llbewhisperin'atyoutilltheygettheembalmin'—fluidintome！Nowgoon,anddon'tletmehearfromyouagaintillyoucancomeandtellmeyou'vewakedup,youpoor,pitiful,dandelion—pickin'SLEEP—WALKER！"
　　Bibbsgavehimaqueerlook。Therewassomethinglikereproachinit,foronce;buttherewasmorethanthat——heseemedtobestartledbyhisfather'slastword。
　　Therewassleetthatevening,withawhoppingwind,butneitherthisstormnorthatotherwhichsoimminentlythreatenedhimheldplaceintheconsciousnessofBibbsSheridanwhenhecameoncemoretothepresenceofMary。Allwasrightinhisworldhashesatwithher,readingMauriceMaeterlinck'sAlladineandPalomides。Thesorrowfullightofthegas—jetmighthavebeenMaymorningsunshineflashingamberandrosethroughtheglowingwindowsoftheSainte—Chapelle,itwassobrightforBibbs。Andwhilethezinc—eaterheldouttobringhimsuchgoldennightsasthese,alltheking'shorsesandalltheking'smenmightnotservetobreakthespell。
　　Bibbsreadslowly,butinareasonablemanner,asifheweretalking;andMary,lookingathimsteadilyfrombeneathhercurvedfingers,appearedtodiscovernofault。Ithadgrowntobeherhabittolookathimwhenevertherewasanopportunity。Itmaybesaid,intruth,thatwhiletheyweretogether,anditwaslight,shelookedathimallthetime。
　　WhenhecametotheendofAlladineandPalomidestheyweresilentalittlewhile,consideringtogether;thenheturnedbackthepagesandsaid:"There'ssomethingIwanttoreadover。This:
　　YouwouldthinkIthrewawindowopenonthedawn……Shehasasoulthatcanbeseenaroundher——thattakesyouinitsarmslikeanailingchildandwithoutsayinganythingtoyouconsolesyouforeverything……Ishallneverunderstanditall。Idonotknowhowitcanallbe,butmykneesbendinspiteofmewhenIspeakofit……
　　Hestoppedandlookedather。
　　"Youboy！"saidMary,notveryclearly。
　　"Ohyes,"hereturned。"Butit'strue——especiallymyknees！"
　　"Youboy！"shemurmuredagain,blushingcharmingly。"Youmightreadanotherlineover。ThefirsttimeIeversawyou,Bibbs,youwerelookingintoamirror。Doitagain。Butyouneedn'treadit——Icangiveittoyou:"A
　　littleGreekslavethatcamefromtheheartofArcady！"
　　"I！I'moneofthehandsatthePumpWorks——andgoingtostayone,unlessI
　　havetodecidetostudyplumbing。"
　　"No。"Sheshookherhead。"Youloveandwantwhat'sbeautifulanddelicateandserene;it'sreallyartthatyouwantinyourlife,andhavealwayswanted。Youseemedtome,fromthefirst,themostwistfulpersonIhadeverknown,andthat'swhatyouwerewistfulfor。"
　　Bibbslookeddoubtfulandmorewistfulthanever;butafteramomentortwothematterseemedtoclarifyitselftohim。"Why,no,"hesaid;"Iwantedsomethingelsemorethanthat。Iwantedyou。"