shewassureallalongitwasgoin'tohappen;and,besides,Iguessshe'sgotallthatfoolishnessprettymuchoutofher,bein'sosick。ButwhatI
　　thoughtwas,nousebein'roughwithher,papa——Iexpectshe'ssufferedagooddeal——andIdon'tthinkwe'doughttobe,onRoscoe'saccount。You'll——you'llbekindo'politetoher,won'tyou,papa？"
　　Hemumbledsomethingwhichwassmotheredunderthecoverlethehadpulledoverhishead。
　　"What？"shesaid,timidly。"Iwasjustsayin'Ihopedyou'dtreatSibylallrightwhenshecomes,thisafternoon。Youwill,won'tyou,papa？"
　　Hethrewthecoverletofffuriously。"Ipresumeso！"heroared。
　　Shedepartedguiltily。
　　ButifhehadacceptedherprofferedwagerthatBibbswouldgotochurchwithMaryVertreesthatmorning,Mrs。Sheridanwouldhavelost。Nevertheless,BibbsandMarydidcertainlysetoutfromMr。Vertrees'shousewiththepurposeofgoingtochurch。Thatwastheirintention,andtheyhadnoother。Theymeanttogotochurch。
　　Butithappenedthattheywereattentivelypreoccupiedinaconversationastheycametothechurch;andthoughMarywaslookingtotherightandBibbswaslookingtotheleft,Bibbs'sleftwardglanceconvergedwithMary'srightwardglance,andneitherwaslookingfarbeyondtheotheratthistime。
　　Italsohappenedthat,thoughtheywerealittlejostledamonggroupsofpeopleinthevicinityofthechurch,theypassedthissomewhatprominentedificewithoutbeingawareoftheirproximitytoit,andtheyhadgoneanincrediblenumberofblocksbeyonditbeforetheydiscoveredtheirerror。
　　However,feelingthattheymightbeembarrassinglylateiftheyreturned,theydecidedthatawalkwouldmakethemasgood。Itwasawindlesswintermorning,withaninchofcrispsnowovertheground。Sotheywalked,andforthemostparttheyweresilent,butontheirwayhome,aftertheyhadturnedbackatnoon,theybegantobetalkativeagain。
　　"Mary,"saidBibbs,afteratime,"amIasleep—walker？"
　　Shelaughedalittle,thenlookedgrave。"Doesyourfathersayyouare？"
　　"Yes——whenhe'sinamoodtoflatterme。Othertimes,othernames。Hehasquitealist。"
　　"Youmustn'tmind,"shesaid,gently。"He'sbeengettingsomeprettysevereshocks。Whatyou'vetoldmemakesmeprettysorryforhim,Bibbs。I'vealwaysbeensurehe'sverybig。"
　　"Yes。Bigand——blind。He'slikeaHerculeswithouteyesandwithoutanyconsciousnessexceptthatofhisstrengthandofhispurposetogrowstronger。
　　Strongerforwhat？Fornothing。"
　　"Areyousure,Bibbs？ItCAN'Tbefornothing;itmustbestrongerforsomething,eventhoughhedoesn'tknowwhatitis。PerhapswhatheandhiskindarestrugglingforissomethingsogreattheyCOULDN'Tseeit——sogreatnoneofuscouldseeit。"
　　"No,he'sjustlikesomeblind,unconsciousthingheavingunderground——"
　　"Tillhebreaksthroughandleapsoutintothedaylight,"shefinishedforhim,cheerily。
　　"Intothesmoke,"saidBibbs。"Lookatthepowderofcoal—dustalreadydirtyingthedecentsnow,eventhoughit'sSunday。That'sfromthelittlepigs;thebigonesaren'tsobad,onSunday！There'safleckofsootonyourcheek。Somepigsentitoutintotheair;hemightaswellhavethrownitonyou。Itwouldhavebeenbraver,forthenhe'dhavetakenhischanceofmywhippinghimforitifIcould。"
　　"IStheresootonmycheek,Bibbs,orwereyouonlysayingsorhetorically？
　　ISthere？"
　　"Isthere？ThereAREsootonyourcheeks,Mary——afleckoneach。OnelandedsinceImentionedthefirst。"
　　Shehaltedimmediately,givinghimherhandkerchief,andhesucceededintransferringmostoftheblackfromherfacetothecambric。Theywereentirelymatter—of—courseaboutit。
　　Anelderlycouple,itchanced,hadbeenwalkingbehindBibbsandMaryforthelastblockorso,andpassedaheadduringtheremovalofthesoot。"There！"
　　saidtheelderlywife。"You'realwayswrongwhenyoubeginguessingaboutstrangers。Thosetwoyoungpeoplearen'thoneymoonersatall——they'vebeenmarriedforyears。Ablindmancouldseethat。"
　　"IwishIdidknowwhothrewthatsootonyou,"saidBibbs,lookingupattheneighboringchimneys,astheywenton。"Theyarrestchildrenforthrowingsnowballsatthestreet—cars,but——"
　　"Buttheydon'tarrestthestreet—carsforshakingallthepicturesinthehousescrookedeverytimetheygoby。Norfortheuproartheymake。Iwonderwhat'sthecostinnervesforthenoiseofthecityeachyear。Yes,wepaythepriceforlivingina'growingtown,'whetherwehavemoneytopayornone。"
　　"Whoisitgetsthepay？"saidBibbs。
　　"NotI！"shelaughed。
　　"Nobodygetsit。Thereisn'tanypay;there'sonlymoney。Andonlysomeofthemendown—towngetmuchofthat。That'swhatmyfatherwantsmetoget。"
　　"Yes,"shesaid,smilingtohim,andnodding。"Andyoudon'twantit,andyoudon'tneedit。"
　　"Butyoudon'tthinkI'masleep—walker,Mary？"Hehadtoldherofhisfather'snewplansforhim,thoughhehadnotdescribedthevigorandpicturesquenessoftheirsettingforth。"YouthinkI'mright？"
　　"Athousandtimes！"shecried。"Therearen'tsomanyhappypeopleinthisworld,Ithink——andyousayyou'vefoundwhatmakesyouhappy。Ifit'sadream——keepit！"
　　"Thethoughtofgoingdownthere——intothemoneyshuffle——IhateitasIneverhatedtheshop！"hesaid。"Ihateit！Andthecityitself,thecitythatthemoneyshufflehasmade——justlookatit！Lookatitinwinter。Thesnow'striedhardtomaketheuglinessbearable,buttheuglinessiswinning;it'smakingthesnowhideous;thesnow'sgettingdirtyontop,andit'sfoulunderneathwiththedirtanddiseaseoftheuncleanstreet。Andthedirtandtheuglinessandtherushandthenoisearen'ttheworstofit;it'swhatthedirtanduglinessandrushandnoiseMEAN——that'stheworst！Theoutwardthingsareinsufferable,butthey'reonlytheexpressionofaspirit——ablindenbryoofaspirit,notyetasoul——oh,justgreed！Andthis'goahead'
　　nonsense！Oughtn'titalltobeafellowship？Ishouldn'twanttogetaheadifIcould——I'dwanttohelptheotherfellowtokeepupwithme。"
　　"Ireadsomethingtheotherdayandremembereditforyou,"saidMary。"ItwassomethingBurne—Jonessaidofapicturehewasgoingtopaint:'InthefirstpictureIshallmakeamanwalkinginthestreetofagreatcity,fullofallkindsofhappylife:children,andloverswalking,andladiesleaningfromthewindowsalldowngreatlengthsofstreetleadingtothecitywalls;andtherethegatesarewideopen,lettinginaspaceofgreenfieldandcornfieldinharvest;andallroundhisheadagreatrainofswirlingautumnleavesblowingfromalttlewalledgraveyard。"
　　"AndifIpainted,"Bibbsreturned,"I'dpaintaladywalkinginthestreetofagreatcity,fullofallkindsofuproariousandfutilelife——childrenbeingtaughtonlyhowtomakemoney,andlovershurryingtogetricher,andladieswho'dgivenuptryingtowashtheirwindowsclean,andthegatesofthecitywideopen,lettinginslumsandslaughter—housesandfreight—yards,andallroundthislady'sheadagreatrainofswirlingsoot——"Hepaused,adding,thoughtfully:"AndyetIbelieveI'mgladthatsootgotonyourcheek。ItwasjustasifIwereyourbrother——thewayyougavemeyourhandkerchieftorubitoffforyou。Still,Edithnever——"
　　"Didn'tshe？"saidMary,ashepausedagain。
　　"No。AndI——"Hecontentedhimselfwithshakinghisheadinsteadofofferingmoredefiniteinformation。ThenherealizedthattheywerepassingtheNewHouse,andhesighedprofoundly。"Mary,ourwalk'salmostover。"
　　Shelookedasblank。"Soitis,Bibbs。"
　　Theysaidnomoreuntiltheycametohergate。Astheydriftedslowlytoastop,thedoorofRoscoe'shouseopened,andRoscoecameoutwithSibyl,whowasstartlinglypale。Sheseemedlittleenfeebledbyherillness,however,walkingratherquicklyatherhusband'ssideandnottakinghisarm。ThetwocrossedthestreetwithoutappearingtoseeMaryandhercompanion,andenteringtheNewHouse,werelosttosight。Marygazedafterthemgravely,butBibbs,lookingatMary,didnotseethem。
　　"Mary,"hesaid,"youseemveryserious。Isanythingbotheringyou？"
　　"No,Bibbs。"Andshegavehimabright,quicklookthatmadehiminstantlyunreasonablyhappy。
　　"Iknowyouwanttogoin——"hebegan。
　　"No。Idon'twantto。"
　　"Imustn'tkeepyoustandingher,andImustn'tgoinwithyou——but——Ijustwantedtosay——I'veseemedverystupidtomyselfthismorning,grumblingaboutsootandallthat——whileallthetimeI——Mary,Ithinkit'sbeentheveryhappiestofallthehoursyou'vegivenme。Ido。And——Idon'tknowjustwhy——butit'sseemedtomethatitwasoneI'dalwaysremember。Andyou,"headded,falteringly,"youlookso——sobeautifulto—day！"
　　"Itmusthavebeenthesootonmycheek,Bibbs。"
　　"Mary,willyoutellmesomething？"heasked。
　　"IthinkIwill。"
　　"It'ssomethingI'vehadalotoftheoriesabout,butnoneofthemeverjustfits。Youusedtowearfursinthefall,butnowit'ssomuchcolder,youdon't——youneverwearthematallanymore。Whydon'tyou？"
　　Hereyesfellforamoment,andshegrewred。Thenshelookedupgaily。
　　"Bibbs,ifItellyoutheanswerwillyoupromisenottoaskanymorequestions？"
　　"Yes。Whydidyoustopwearingthem？"
　　"BecauseIfoundI'dbewarmerwithoutthem！"Shecaughthishandquicklyinherownforaninstant,laughedintohiseyes,andranintothehouse。
　　Itistheconsolingattributeofunusedbooksthattheirdecorativewarmthwillsooftenmakeevenaready—madelibrarytheactual"living—room"ofafamilytowhomtheshelvedvolumesareindeedsealed。ThusitwaswithSheridan,whoreadnothingexceptnewspapers,businessletters,andfigures;
　　wholookeduponbooksashelookeduponbric—a—bracorcrocheting——whenhewasathome,andnotabedoreating,hewasinthelibrary。
　　Hestoodinthemany—coloredlightofthestained—glasswindowatthefarendofthelongroom,whenRoscoeandhiswifecamein,andheexhaledasolemnity。HisdeferencetotheSabbathwasmanifest,asalways,inthelengthofhiscoatandtheclosenessofhisSaturday—nightshave;andhisexpression,tomatchthisreligiouspomp,wasmorethanSabbatical,butthemostdismayingofhisdemonstrationswashiskeepinghishandinhissling。
　　Sibyladvancedtothemiddleoftheroomandhaltedthere,notlookingathim,butdownathermuff,inwhich,itcouldbeseen,herhandswerenervouslymoving。Roscoewenttoachairinanotherpartoftheroom。Therewasadeadlysilence。
　　ButSibylfoundashakyvoice,afteranintervalofgulping,thoughshewasunabletolifthereyes,andthedarklinglidscontinuedtoveilthem。Shespokehurriedly,likeanungiftedchildrecitingsomethingcommittedtomemory,buthersinceritywasnonethelessevidentforthat。
　　"FatherSheridan,youandmotherSheridanhavealwaysbeensokindtome,andIwouldhatetohaveyouthinkIdon'tappreciateit,fromthewayIacted。
　　I'vecometotellyouIamsorryforthewayIdidthatnight,andtosayI
　　knowaswellasanybodythewayIbehaved,anditwillneverhappenagain,becauseit'sbeenaprettyhardlesson;andwhenwecomeback,someday,I
　　hopeyou'llseethatyou'vegotadaughter—in—lawyouneverneedtobeashamedofagain。IwanttoaskyoutoexcusemeforthewayIdid,andIcansayI
　　haven'tanyfeelingstowardEdithnow,butonlywishherhappinessandgoodinhernewlife。Ithankyouforallyourkindnesstome,andIknowImadeapoorreturnforit,butifyoucanoverlookthewayIbehavedIknowIwouldfeelagooddealhappier——andIknowRoscoewould,too。Iwishtopromisenottobeasfoolishinthefuture,andthesameerrorwouldneveroccuragaintomakeusallsounhappy,ifyoucanbecharitableenoughttoexcuseitthistime。"
　　Helookedsteadilyatherwithoutreplying,andshestoodbeforehim,neverliftinghereyes;motionless,savewherethemovingfurprovedtheagitationofherhandswithinthemuff。
　　"Allright,"hesaidatlast。
　　Shelookedupthenwithvastrelief,thoughtherewasarevelationofheavytearswhentheeyelidslifted。
　　"Thankyou,"shesaid。"There'ssomethingelse——aboutsomethingdifferent——I
　　wanttosaytoyou,butIwantmotherSheridantohearit,too。"
　　"She'sup—stairsinherroom,"saidSheridan。"Roscoe——"
　　Sibylinterrupted。ShehadjustseenBibbspassthroughthehallandbegintoascendthestairs;andinaflashsheinstinctivelyperceivedthechanceforpreciselytheeffectshewanted。
　　"No,letmego,"shesaid。"Iwanttospeaktoheraminutefirst,anyway。"
　　Andshewentawayquickly,gainingthetopofthestairsintimetoseeBibbsenterhisroomandclosethedoor。SibylknewthatBibbs,inhisroom,hadoverheardherquarrelwithEdithinthehalloutside;forbitterEdith,thinkingthemoretoshameher,hadsubsequentlyinformedherofthecircumstance。Sibylhadjustrememberedthis,andwiththerecollectiontherehadflashedthethought——outofherownexperience——thatpeopleareoftenmuchmoredeeplyimpressedbywordstheyoverhearthanbywordsdirectlyaddressedtothem。SibylintendedtomakeitimpossibleforBibbsnottooverhear。Shedidnothesitate——herheartwashotwiththeoldsore,andshebelievedwhollyinthejusticeofhercauseandinthetruthofwhatshewasgoingtosay。Fatewasvirtuousattimes;ithaddeliveredintoherhandsthegirlwhohadaffrontedher。
　　Mrs。Sheridanwasinherownroom。TheapproachofSibylandRoscoehaddrivenherfromthelibrary,forshehadmiscalculatedherhusband'smood,andshefeltthatifheusedhisinjuredhandasamarkofemphasisagain,inherpresence,shewould（asshethoughtofit）"haveafitrightthere。"SheheardSibyl'sstep,andpretendedtobeputtingatouchtoherhairbeforeamirror。
　　"Iwasjustcomingdown,"shesaid,asthedooropened。
　　"Yes,hewantsyouto,"saidSibyl。"It'sallright,motherSheridan。He'sforgivenme。"
　　Mrs。Sheridansniffedinstantly;tearsappeared。Shekissedherdaughter—in—law'scheek;then,insilence,regardedthemirrorafresh,wipedhereyes,andappliedpowder。
　　"AndIhopeEdithwillbehappy,"Sibyladded,incitingmoreapplicationsofMrs。Sheridan'shandkerchiefandpowder。
　　"Yes,yes,"murmuredthegoodwoman。"Wemustn'tmaketheworstofthings。"
　　"Well,therewassomethingelseIhadtosay,andhewantsyoutohearit,too,"saidSibyl。"Webettergodown,motherSheridan。"
　　Sheledtheway,Mrs。Sheridanfollowingobediently,butwhentheycametoaspotclosebyBibbs'sdoor,Sibylstopped。"Iwanttotellyouaboutitfirst,"shesaid,abruptly。"Itisn'tasecret,ofcourse,inanyway;it'ssomethingthewholefamilyhastoknow,andthesoonerthewholefamilyknowsitthebetter。It'ssomethingitwouldn'tbeRIGHTforusALLnottounderstand,andofcoursefatherSheridanmostofall。ButIwanttojustkindofgooveritfirstwithyou;it'llkindofhelpmetoseeIgotitallstratight。Ihaven'tgotanyreasonforsayingitexceptthegoodofthefamily,andit'snothingtome,onewayortheother,ofcourse,exceptforthat。Ioughtn'tto'vebehavedthewayIdidthatnight,anditseemstomeifthere'sanythingIcandotohelpthefamily,Ioughtto,becauseitwouldhelpshowIfelttherightway。Well,whatIwanttodoistotellthisso'stokeepthefamilyfrombeingmadeafoolof。Idon'twanttoseethefamilyjustmadeuseofandtwistedaroundherfingerbysomebodythat'sgotnomoreheartthansomuchice,andjustassuretobringtroublesinthelongrunas——asEdith'smistakeis。Well,then,thisisthewayitis。I'lljusttellyouhowitlookstomeandseeifitdon'tstrikeyouthesameway。"
　　Withintheroom,Bibbs,muchannoyed,tappedhisearwithhispencil。Hewishedtheywouldn'tstandtalkingnearhisdoorwhenhewastryingtowrite。
　　HehadjusttakenfromhistrunkthemanuscriptofapoembeguntheprecedingSundayafternoon,andhehadsomeideashewantedtofixuponpaperbeforetheymaliciouslyseizedthefirstopportunitytovanish,fortheywerebutgossamer。Bibbswaspleasedwiththebeginningsofhispoem,andifhecouldcarryitthroughhemeanttodaregreatlywithit——hewouldventureituponaneditor。Forhehadhisplanoflifenow:hisdaywouldbeofmanuallaborandthinking——hecouldthinkofhisfriendandhecouldthinkincadencesforpoems,tothecrashingofthestrongmachine——andifhisfatherturnedhimoutofhomeandoutoftheWorks,hewouldworkelsewhereandliveelsewhere。Hisfatherhadtheright,anditmatteredverylittletoBibbs——hefacedtheprospectofaworking—man'slodging—housewithouttrepidation。Hecouldfindawashstandtowriteupon,hethought;andeveryeveningwhenheleftMaryhewouldwritealittle;andhewouldwriteonholidaysandonSundays——onSundaysintheafternoon。Inalodging—house,atleasthewouldn'tbeinterruptedbyhissister—in—law'schoosingtheimmediatevicinityofhisdoorforconversationsevidentlyimportanttoherself,butmerelydisturbingtohim。Hefrownedplaintively,wishinghecouldthinkofsomepolitewayofaskinghertogoaway。But,asshewenton,hestartedviolently,droppingmanuscriptandpenciluponthefloor。
　　"Idon'tknowwhetheryouheardit,motherSheridan,"shesaid,"butthisoldVertreeshouse,nextdoor,hadbeensoldonforeclosure,andallTHEYgotoutofitwasanagreementthatlet's'emlivetherealittlelonger。Roscoetoldme,andhesaysheheardMr。Vertreeshasbeenupanddownthestreetsmore'ntwoyears,tryin'togetajobhecouldcalla'position,'andcouldn'tlandit。Youheardanythingaboutit,motherSheridan？"
　　"Well,IDIDknowtheybeendoin'theirownhouse—workagoodwhileback,"
　　saidMrs。Sheridan。"Andnowthey'redoin'thecookin',too。"
　　Sibylsentforthalittletitterwithasharpedge。"Ihopetheyfindsomethingtocook！ShesoldherpianomightyquickafterJimdied！"
　　Bibbsjumpedup。Hewastremblingfromheadtofootandhewasdizzy——ofalltherealthingshecouldneverhavedreamedinhisdreamthelastwouldhavebeenwhatheheardnow。Hefeltthatsomethingincrediblewashappening,andthathewaspowerlesstostopit。ItseemedtohimthatheavyblowswerefallingonhisheadanduponMary's;itseemedtohimthatheandMarywerebeingstruckandbeatenphysically——andthatsomethinghideousimpended。HewantedtoshouttoSibyltobesilent,buthecouldnot;hecouldonlystand,swallowingandtrembling。
　　"WhatIthinkthewholefamilyoughttounderstandisjustthis,"saidSibyl,sharply。"ThosepeopleweresohardupthatthisMissVertreesstartedafterBibbsbeforetheyknewwhetherhewasINSANEornot！They'dgotanotionhemightbe,fromhisbeinginasanitarium,andMrs。VertreesASKEDmeifhewasinsane,theveryfirstdayBibbstookthedaughteroutauto—riding！"Shepausedamoment,lookingatMrs。Sheridan,butlisteningintently。Therewasnosoundfromwithintheroom。
　　"No！"exclaimedMrs。Sheridan。
　　"It'sthetruth,"Sibyldeclared,loudly。"Oh,ofcoursewewereallcrazyaboutthatgirlatfirst。Wewereprettygreenwhenwemoveduphere,andwethoughtshe'dgetusIN——butitdidn'ttakeMElongtoreadher！Herfamilyweredownandoutwhenitcametomoney——andtheyhadtogoafterit,onewayoranother,SOMEHOW！SoshestartedforRoscoe;butshefoundoutprettyquickhewasmarried,andsheturnedrightaroundtoJim——andshelandedhim！
　　There'snodoubtaboutit,shehadJim,andifhe'dlivedyou'dhadanotherdaughter—in—lawbeforethis,assureasIstandheretellingyoutheGod'struthaboutit！Well——whenJimwasleftinthecemeteryshewaswaitingouttheretodrivehomewithBibbs！Jimwasn'tCOLD——andshedidn'tknowwhetherBibbswasinsaneornot,buthewastheonlyoneoftherichSheridanboysleft。Shehadtogethim。"
　　Thetextureofwhatwasthetruthmadeanevenfabricwithwhatwasnot,inSibyl'smind;shebelievedeverywordthatsheuttered,andshespokewiththerapidityandvehemenceoffierceconviction。
　　"WhatIfeelaboutitis,"shesaid,"itoughtn'ttobeallowedtogoon。It'stoomean！IlikepoorBibbs,andIdon'twanttoseehimmadesuchafoolof,andIdon'twanttoseethefamilymadesuchafoolof！IlikepoorBibbs,butifhe'donlystoptothinkaminutehimselfhe'dhavetorealizeheisn'tthekindofmanANYgirlwouldbeapttofallinlovewith。He'sbetter—lookinglately,maybe,butyouknowhowheWAS——justkindofalongwhiteragingoodclothes。AndgirlslikemenwithsomeSOto'em——SOMEsortofdashingness,anyhow！NobodyeverlookedatpoorBibbsbefore,andneither'dshe——no,SIR！nottillshe'dtriedbothRoscoeandJimfirst！Itwasonlywhenherandherfamilygotdesperatethatshe——"
　　Bibbs——whiterthanwhenhecamefromthesanitarium——openedthedoor。Hesteppedacrossitsthresholdandstooklookingather。Bothwomenscreamed。
　　"Oh,goodheavens！"criedSibyl。"WereyouinTHERE？Oh,Iwouldn't——"SheseizedMrs。Sheridan'sarm,pullinghertowardthestairway。"Comeon,motherSheridan！"sheurged,andasthebefuddledandconfusedladyobeyed,Sibylleftatrailofnoisyexclamations:"Goodgracious！Oh,Iwouldn't——Toobad！
　　Ididn'tDREAMhewasthere！Iwouldn'thurthisfeelings！Notfortheworld！OfcoursehehadtoknowSOMEtime！But,goodheavens——"
　　SheheardhisdoorcloseassheandMrs。Sheridanreachedthetopofthestairs,andsheglancedoverhershoulderquickly,butBibbswasnotfollowing;hehadgonebackintohisroom。
　　"He——helooked——oh,terriblebad！"stammeredMrs。Sheridan。"I——Iwish——"
　　"Still,it'sagooddealbetterheknowsaboutit,"saidSibyl。"Ishouldn'twonderitmightturnouttheverybestthingcouldhappened。Comeon！"
　　Andcompletingtheirdescenttothelibrary,thetwomadetheirappearancetoRoscoeandhisfather。Sibylatoncegaveafullandtruthfulaccountofwhathadtakenplace,repeatingherownremarks,andomittingonlythefactthatitwasthroughherdesignthatBibbshadoverheardthem。
　　"ButasItoldmotherSheridan,"shesaid,inconclusion,"itmightturnoutfortheverybestthathedidhear——justthatway。Don'tyouthinkso,fatherSheridan？"
　　Hemerelygruntedinreply,andsatrubbingthethickhaironthetopofhisheadwithhislefthandandlookingatthefire。HehadgivennosignofbeingimpressedinanymannerbyherexposureofMaryVertrees'scharacter;
　　buthisimpassivitydidnotdismaySibyl——itwasBibbswhomshedesiredtoimpress,andshewascontentinthatmatter。
　　"I'msureitwasallforthebest,"shesaid。"It'sovernow,andheknowswhatsheis。InonewayIthinkitwaslucky,because,justhearingathingthatway,apersoncantellit'sSO——andheknowsIhaven'tgotanyaxtogrindexcepthisowngoodandthegoodofthefamily。"
　　Mrs。Sheridanwentnervouslytothedoorandstoodthere,lookingtowardthestairway。"Iwish——IwishIknewwhathewasdoin',"shesaid。"Hedidlookterriblebad。Itwaslikesomethinghadbeendonetohimthatwas——Idon'tknowwhat。Ineversawanybodylooklikehedid。Helooked——soqueer。Itwaslikeyou'd——"Shecalleddownthehall,"George！"
　　"Yes'm？"
　　"WereyouupinMr。Bibbs'sroomjustnow？"
　　"Yes,m。Heringbell;tolememakehimfiahinhisgrate。Idonebuil'himnicefiah。Ireckonheain'feelin'sowell。Yes'm。"Hedeparted。
　　"Whatdoyouexpecthewantsafirefor？"sheasked,turningtowardherhusband。"Thehouseiswarmascanbe,IdowishI——"
　　"Oh,quitfrettin'！"saidSheridan。
　　"Well,I——Ikindo'wishyouhadn'tsaidanything,Sibyl。Iknowyoumeantitforthebestandall,butIdon'tbelieveitwouldbeensomuchharmif——"
　　"MotherSheridan,youdon'tmeanyouWANTthatkindofagirlinthefamily？
　　Why,she——"
　　"Idon'tknow,Idon'tknow,"thetroubledwomanquavered。"Ifhelikedheritseemskindofapitytospoilit。He'ssoqueer,andhehasn'tevertakenmuchenjoyment。Andbesides,Ibelievethewayitwas,therewasmorechanceofhimbein'willin'todowhatpapawantshimto。Ifshewantstomarryhim——"
　　Sheridaninterruptedherwithahootinglaugh。"Shedon't！"hesaid。"You'rebarkin'upthewrongtree,Sibyl。Sheain'tthatkindofagirl。"
　　"But,fatherSheridan,didn'tshe——"
　　Hecuthershort。"That'senough。Youmaymeanallright,butyouguesswrong。Sodoyou,mamma。"
　　Sibylcriedout,"Oh！ButjustLOOKhowsheranafterJim——"
　　"Shedidnot,"hesaid,curtly。"Shewouldn'ttakeJim。Sheturnedhimdowncold。"
　　"Butthat'simpossi——"
　　"It'snot。IKNOWshedid。"
　　Sibyllookedflatlyincredulous。
　　"AndYOUneedn'tworry,"hesaid,turningtohiswife。"Thiswon'thaveanyeffectonyouridea,becausetherewasn'tanysensetoit,anyhow。D'youthinkshe'dbeverylikelytotakeBibbs——aftershewouldn'ttakeJIM？She'sagood—heartedgirl,andsheletsBibbscometoseeher,butifshe'devergivenhimonesignofencouragementthewayyouwomenthink,hewouldn'tofactedthestubbornfoolhehas——he'd'a'beenatmelongago,beggin'meforsomekindofajobhecouldsupportawifeon。There'snothin'init——andI'vegotthesameoldfightwithhimonmyhandsI'vehadallhislife——andtheLordknowswhathewon'tdotobalkme！What'shappenednow'llprobablyonlymakehimtwiceassrubborn,but——"
　　"SH！"Mrs。Sheridan,stillinthedoorway,liftedherhand。"That'shisstep——he'scomin'down—stairs。"SheshrankawayfromthedoorasifshefearedtohaveBibbsseeher。"I——Iwonder——"shesaid,almostinawhisper——"Iwonderwhathe'dgoin'——todo。"
　　Hertimorousnesshaditseffectupontheothers。Sheridanrose,frowning,butremainedstandingbesidehischair;andRoscoemovedtowardSibyl,whostareduneasilyattheopendoorway。Theylistenedastheslowstepsdescendedthestairsandcametowardthelibrary。
　　Bibbsstoppeduponthethreshold,andwithsickandhaggardeyeslookedslowlyfromonetotheotheruntilatlasthisgazeresteduponhisfather。Thenhecameandstoodbeforehim。
　　"I'msorryyou'vehadsomuchtroublewithme,"hesaid,gently。"Youwon't,anymore。I'lltakethejobyouofferedme。"
　　Sheridandidnotspeak——hestared,astoundedandincredulous;andBibbshadlefttheroombeforeanyofitsoccupantsutteredasound,thoughhewentasslowlyashecame。Mrs。Sheridanwasthefirsttomove。Shewentnervouslybacktothedoorway,andthenoutintothehall。Bibbshadgonefromthehouse。
　　Bibbs'smotherhadafeelingabouthimthenthatshehadneverknownbefore;
　　itwasindefiniteandvague,butverypoignant——somethinginhermournedforhimuncomprehendingly。Shefeltthatanawfulthinghadbeendonetohim,thoughshedidnotknowwhatitwas。Shewentuptohisroom。
　　ThefireGeorgehadbuiltforhimwasalmostsmotheredunderthick,charredashesofpaper。Thelidofhistrunkstoodopen,andthelargeuppertray,whichsherememberedtohaveseenfullofpapersandnote—books,wasempty。
　　AndsomehowsheunderstoodthatBibbshadgivenupthemysteriousvocationhehadhopedtofollow——andthathehadgivenitupforever。Shethoughtitwasthewisestthinghecouldhavedone——andyet,foranunknownreason,shesatuponthebedandweptalittlebeforeshewentdown—stairs。
　　SoSheridanhadhiswaywithBibbs,allthrough。