TheyhadarrivedatthePumpWorks;andforanhourMr。Favrewaspersonallyconductedandpersonallyinstructedbythefounderandpresident,thebuzzingqueenbeeofthosebuzzinghives。
　　"NowI'lltakeyouforaspininthecountry,"saidSheridan,whenatlasttheycameouttothecaragain。"We'lltakeabreezer。"But,withhisfootonthestep,hepausedtohailaneatyoungmanwhocameoutoftheofficesmilingagreeting。"Hello,youngfellow！"Sheridansaid,heartily。"Onthejob,areyou,Jimmie？Ha！Theydon'tcatchyouOFFofitveryoften,I
　　guess,thoughIdohearyougoautomobile—ridin'inthecountrysometimeswithamightyfine—lookin'girlsettin'upbesideyou！"Heroaredwithlaughter,clappinghissonupontheshoulder。"That'sallrightwithme——ifitiswithHER！So,Jimmie？Well,whenwegoin'tomoveintoyournewwarehouses？Monday？"
　　"Sunday,ifyouwantto,"saidJim。
　　"No！"criedhisfather,delighted。"Don'ttellmeyou'regoin'tokeepyourwordaboutdates！That'snowaytodocontractin'！Neverheardofacontractoryetdidn'twantmoretime。"
　　"They'llbeallreadyforyouontheminute,"saidJim。"I'mgoingoverbothof'emnow,withLinksandSherman,fromfoundationtoroof。Iguessthey'llpassinspection,too！"
　　"Well,then,whenyougetthroughwiththat,"saidhisfather,"yougoandtakeyourgirloutridin'。ByGeorge！you'veearnedit！YoutellheryoustandhighwithME！"Hesteppedintothecar,wavingawaggishfarewell,andwhenthewheelswereinmotionagain,heturneduponhiscompanionabroadfaceliterallyshiningwithpride。"That'smyboyJimmie！"hesaid。
　　"Fineyoungman,yes,"saidHerrFavre。
　　"Igottwoo'thefinestboys,"saidSheridan,"Igottwoo'thefinestboysGodevermade,andthat'safact,Mr。Farver！Jim'stheoldest,andItellyoutheygottogetupthedaybeforeiftheyexpecttocatchHIMinbed！Myotherboy,Roscoe,he'salwaystothegood,too,butJim'sawizard。Yousawthemtwonew—processwarehouses,justaboutfinished？Well,JIMbuilt'em。
　　I'lltellyouaboutthat,Mr。Farver。"Andherecitedthishistory,describingthenewprocessatlength;infact,hehadsuchprideinJim'sachievementthathetoldHerrFavreallaboutitmorethanonce。
　　"Fineyoungman,yes,"repeatedthegoodMunchner,three—quartersofanhourlater。Theyweremanymilesoutintheopencountrybythistime。
　　"Heisthat！"saidSheridan,adding,asifconfidentially:"Igotafinefamily,Mr。Farver——finechuldern。Igotadaughternow;youtakeherandputheranywhereyouplease,andshe'llshineupwithANYof'em。There'scultureandrefinementandsocietyinthistownbythecar—load,andherelatelyshe'sbeengettin'rightinthethickofit——herandmydaughter—in—law,both。Igotamightyfinedaughter—in—law,Mr。Farver。I'mgoin'togetyouupforamealwithusbeforeyouleavetown,andyou'llsee——and,well,sir,fromallIhearthetwoof'embeenholdin'theirownwiththebest。Myself,Iandthewifeneverhadtimeformucho'thatkindo'doin's,butit'sallrightandgoodforthechuldern;andmydaughtershe'salwayskindoftakentoit。I'llreadyouapoemshewrotewhenIgetyouupatthehouse。Shewroteitinschoolandtookthefirstprizeforpoetrywithit。Itellyoutheydon'tmake'emanysmarter'nthatgirl,Mr。
　　Farver。Yes,sir;takeusallround,we'reaprettyhappyfamily;yes,sir。
　　Roscoehasn'tgotanychuldernyet,andIhaven'teverspoketohimandhiswifeaboutit——it'skindofadelicatematter——butit'sabouttimethewifeandIsawsomegran'—chulderngrowin'uparoundus。Icertainlydohankerforaboutfourorfivelittlecurly—headedrascalstotakeonmyknee。Boys,Ihope,o'course;that'sonlynatural。Jim'sgothiseyeonamightysplendid—lookin'girl;livesrightnextdoortous。Iexpectyouheardmejoshin'himaboutitbackyonder。She'soneoftheoleblue—bloodshere,andIguessitwasamightygoodstock——toraiseHER！She'sonethesegirlsthatstandtightupandlookatyou！Andpretty？She'stheprettiestthingyoueversaw！Goodsize,too;goodhealthandgoodsense。Jim'llbejustrightifhegetsher。ImustsayitticklesMEtothinko'thewaythatboytookaholdo'thatjobbackyonder。Fourmonthsandahalf！Yes,sir——"
　　Heexpandedthisthemeoncemore;andthushecontinuedtoentertainthestrangerthroughoutthelongdrive。Darknesshadfallenbeforetheyreachedthecityontheirreturn,anditwasafterfivewhenSheridanallowedHerrFavretodescendatthedoorofhishotel,whereboyswereshriekingextraeditionsoftheeveningpaper。
　　"Now,goodnight,Mr。Farver,"saidSheridan,leaningfromthecartoshakehandswithhisguest。"Don'tforgetI'mgoin'tocomearoundandtakeyouupto——Goonaway,boy！"
　　Anewsboyhadthrusthimselfalmostbetweenthem,yelling,"Extry！Secon'
　　Extry。Extry,allaboutthehorrableacciDENT。Extry！"
　　"Getout！"laughedSheridan。"Whowantstoreadaboutaccidents？Getout！"
　　Theboymovedawayphilosophically。"Extry！Extry！"heshrilled。"Threemenkilled！Extry！Millionairekilled！Twoothermenkilled！Extry！
　　Extry！"
　　"Don'tforget,Mr。Farver。"Sheridancompletedhisinterruptedfarewells。
　　"I'llcomebytotakeyouuptoourhousefordinner。I'llbehereforyouabouthalf—pastfiveto—morrowafternoon。Hopeyou'njoyedthedrivemuchasIhave。Goodnight——goodnight！"Heleanedback,speakingtothechauffer。
　　"NowyoucantakemearoundtotheCentralCitybarber—shop,boy。Iwanttogetashave'foreIgouphome。"
　　"Extry！Extry！"screamedthenewsboys,zig—zaggingamongthecrowdslikebatsinthedusk。"Extry！AllaboutthehorrableacciDENT！Extry！"ItstruckSheridanthatthepaperssentouttoomany"Extras";theyprinted"Extras"forallsortsofpettycrimesandcasualties。Itwasamistake,hedecided,critically。Crying"Wolf！"toooftenwouldn'tsellthegoods;itwasbadbusiness。Thepaperswould"makemoreinthelongrun,"hewassure,iftheypublishedan"Extra"onlywhensomethingofrealimportancehappened。
　　"Extry！Allaboutthehor'bleAX'nt！Extry！"aboysquawkedunderhisnose,ashedescendedfromthecar。
　　"Goonaway！"saidSheridan,gruffly,thoughhesmiled。Helikedtoseetheyoungstersworkingsonoisilytogetonintheworld。
　　Butashecrossedthepavementtothebrilliantglassdoorsofthebarber—shop,asecondnewsboygraspedthearmoftheonewhohadthuscriedhiswares。
　　"Say,Yallern,"saidthissecond,hoarsewithawe,"'n'tchewknowwhothatIS？"
　　"Who？"
　　"It'sSHERIDAN！"
　　"Jeest！"criedthefirst,staringinsanely。
　　Ataboutthesamehour,fourtimesaweek——Monday,Wednesday,Friday,andSaturday——Sheridanstoppedatthisshoptobeshavedbytheheadbarber。Thebarberswerenegroes,hewastheirgreatman,anditwastheirhabittogivehima"reception,"hisentrancebeingalwaysthesignalforaflurryofjocularhospitality,followedbygeneralexcessesofbrisknessandgaiety。
　　Butitwasnotsothisevening。
　　Theshopwascrowded。Copiesofthe"Extra"werebeingreadbymenwaiting,andbymeninthelatterstagesoftreatment。"Extras"layuponvacantseatsandshowedfromthepocketsofhangingcoats。
　　Therewasaloudchatterbetweenthepractitionersandtheirrecumbentpatients,avocalcharivariwhichstoppedabruptlyasSheridanopenedthedoor。Hisnameseemedtofizzintheairlikethelastsputteringofafirework;thebarbersstoppedshavingandclipping;latheredmenturnedtheirprostrateheadstostare,andtherewasamomentofamazingsilenceintheshop。
　　Theheadbarber,nearestthedoor,stoodlikeabarberinatableau。Hislefthandheldstretchedbetweenthumbandforefingeranelasticsectionofhishelplesscustomer'scheek,whilehisrighthandhungpoisedaboveit,therazormotionless。Andthen,rousedfromtrancebythedoor'sclosing,heacceptedthefactofSheridan'spresence。Thebarberrememberedthattherearenocircumstancesinlife——orjustafterit——underwhichamandoesnotneedtobeshaved。
　　Hesteppedforward,profoundlygraave。"Ibethroughwiththismaninthechaironeminute,Mist'Sheridan,"hesaid,inahushedtone。"Yessuh。"Andofasolemnnegroyouthwhostoodby,gazingstupidly,"Yougoin'RESIGN？"hedemandedinafierceundertone。"Yougoin'takeMist'Sheridan'scoat？"Hesentanangrylookroundtheshop,andthebarbers,takinghismeaning,avertedtheireyesandfelltowork,themurmurofsubduedconversationbuzzingfromchairtochair。
　　"YousitdownONEminute,Mist'Sheridan,"saidtheheadbarber,gently。"I
　　fixnicechairfo'youtowaitin。"
　　"Nevermind,"saidSheridan。"Goongetthroughwithyourman。"
　　"Yessuh。"Andhewentquicklybacktohischairontiptoe,followedbySheridan'spuzzledgaze。
　　Somethinghadgonewrongintheshop,evidently。Sheridandidnotknowwhattomakeofit。Ordinarilyhewouldhaveshoutedahilariousdemandforthemeaningofthemystery,butaninexplicablesilencehadbeenimposeduponhimbythehushthatfelluponhisentranceandbytheoddlookeverymanintheshophadbentuponhim。
　　Vaguelydisquieted,hewalkedtooneoftheseatsintherearoftheshop,andlookedupanddownthetwolinesofbarbers,catchingquicklyshifted,furtiveglanceshereandthere。Hemadethisbriefsurveyafterwonderingifoneofthebarbershaddiedsuddenly,thatday,orthenightbefore;buttherewasnovacancyineitherline。
　　Theseatnexttohiswasunoccupied,butsomeonehadleftacopyofthe"Extra"there,and,frowning,hepickeditupandglancedatit。Thefirstoftheswollendisplaylineshadlittlemeaningtohim:FatallyFaulty。
　　NewProcessRoofCollapsesHurlingCapitalisttoDeathwithInventor。SevenEscapeWhenCrashComes。DeathClaims——
　　Thusfarhadhereadwhenathinhandfelluponthepaper,coveringtheprintfromhiseyes;and,lookingup,hesawBibbsstandingbeforehim,paleandgentle,immeasurablycompassionate。
　　"I'vecomeforyou,father,"saidBibbs。"Here'stheboywithyourcoatandhat。Putthemonandcomehome。"
　　AndeventhenSheridandidnotunderstand。Sosecurewasheinthestrengthandbignessofeverythingthatwashis,hedidnotknowwhatcalamityhadbefallenhim。Buthewasfrightened。
　　Withoutaword,hefollowedBibbsheavilyoutthroughtthestillshop,butastheyreachedthepavementhestoppedshortand,graspinghisson'ssleevewithshakingfingers,swunghimroundsothattheystoodfacetoface。
　　"What——what——"Hismouthcouldnotdohimtheserviceheaskedofit,hewassofrightened。
　　"Extry！"screamedanewsboystraightinhisface。"YoungNorthSidemillionaireinsuntlykilled！Extry！"
　　"Not——JIM！"saidSheridan。
　　Bibbscaughthisfather'shandinhisown。
　　"AndYOUcometotellmethat？"
　　Sheridandidnotknowwhathesaid。Butinthosefirstwordsandinthefirstanguishofthebig,strickenfaceBibbsunderstoodtheunutteredcryofaccusation:
　　"Whywasn'tityou？"
　　Standingintheblackgroupundergaunttreesatthecemetery,threedayslater,Bibbsunwillinglyletanold,oldthoughtbecomedefiniteinhismind:
　　thesicklybrotherhadburiedthestrongbrother,andBibbswonderedhowmanymilliontimesthathadhappenedsincemenfirstmadeawordtonamethesonsofonemother。Almostliterallyhehadburiedhisstrongbrother,forSheridanhadgonetopieceswhenhesawhisdeadson。Hehadnothingtohelphimmeettheshock,neitherdefinitereligionnor"philosophy"definiteorindefinite。Hecouldonlybeathisforeheadandbeg,overandover,tobekilledwithanax,whilehiswifewashelplessexcepttoentreathimnotto"takeon,"herselfaddingacontinuouslamentation。Edith,weeping,madetrucewithSibylandsawtoitthatthemourninggarmentswerebeyondcriticism。Roscoewasdazed,andheshirked,justifyinghimselfcuriouslybesayinghe"neverhadanyexperienceinsuchmatters。"SoitwasBibbs,theshyoutsider,whobecame,duringthisdreadfullittletime,themasterofthehouse;forasstrangeathingasthat,sometimes,maybetheresultofadeath。Hemettherelativesfromoutoftownatthestation;hesetthetimeforthefuneralandthetimeformeals;heselectedtheflowersandheselectedJim'scoffin;hedidallthegrimthingsandalltheotherthings。
　　JimhadbelongedtoanorderofKnights,wholengthenedtheriteswithapicturesqueceremonyoftheirown,andatfirstBibbswishedtoavoidthis,butuponreflectionheofferednoobjection——hedivinedthattheKnightsandtheirservicewouldbenotpreciselyaconsolation,butasatisfactiontohisfather。SotheKnightsledtheprocession,withtheirbandplayingadirgepartofthelongwaytothecemetery;andthenturnedback,afterformingintwolines,plumedhatssympatheticallyinhand,toletthehearseandthecarriagespassbetween。
　　"Mightyfine—lookin'men,"saidSheridan,brokenly。"Theyall——alllikedhim。Hewas——"Hisbreathcaughtinasobandchokedhim。"Hewas——aGrandSupremeHerald。"
　　Bibbshaddivinedaright。
　　"Dusttodust,"saidtheminister,underthegaunttrees;andatthatSheridanshookconvulsivelyfromheadtofoot。Alloftheblackgroupshivered,execptBibbs,whenitcameto"Dusttodust。"Bibbsstoodpassive,forhewastheonlyoneofthemwhohadknownthatthoughtasafamiliarneighbor;hehadbeencloseupondusthimselfforalong,longtime,andevennowhecouldprophesynoprotractedseparationbetweenhimselfanddust。Themachine—shophadbroughthimveryclose,andifhehadtogobackitwouldprobablybringhimcloserstill;soclose——asDr。Gurneypredicted——thatnoonewouldbeabletotellthedifferencebetweendustandhimself。AndSheridan,ifBibbsreadhimtruly,wouldbeallthemoredeterminedto"makeaman"ofhim,nowthattherewasamanlessinthefamily。ToBibbs'sknowledge,nooneandnothinghadeverpreventedhisfatherfromcarryingthroughhisplans,oncehehaddetermineduponthem;andSheridanwasincapableofbelievingthatanyplanofhiswouldnotworkoutaccordingtohiscalculations。Hisnatureunfittedhimtoacceptfailure。Hehadthegiftofterriblepersistence,andwithunfleckedconfidencethathiswaywastheonlywayhewouldholdtothatwayof"makingaman"ofBibbs,whounderstoodverywell,inhispassiveandimpersonalfashion,thatitwasawaywhichmightmake,notaman,butdustofhim。Buthehadnoshudderforthethought。
　　Hehadnoshudderforthatthoughtorforanyotherthought。ThetruthaboutBibbswasinthepoemwhichEdithhadadopted:hehadsothoroughlyformedtheover—sensitivehabitofhidinghisfeelingsthatnodoubthehadforgotten——bythistime——wherehehadputsomeofthem,especiallythosewhichconcernedhimself。Buthehadnothiddenhisfeelingsabouthisfatherwheretheycouldnotbefound。Hewasstrangetohisfather,buthisfatherwasnotstrangetohim。HeknewthatSheridan'splanswereconceivedinthestubbornbeliefthattheywouldbringaboutagoodthingforBibbshimself;
　　andwhatevertheresultwastobe,thesonhadnobitterness。Farotherwise,forashelookedatthebig,woefulfigure,shakingandtortured,analmostunbearablepitylaidhandsuponBibbs'sthroat。Roscoestoodblinking,hislipquivering;Edithweptaudibly;Mrs。Sheridanleanedinhalfcollapseagainstherhusband;butBibbsknewthathisfatherwastheonewhocared。
　　Itwasover。Meninoverallssteppedforwardwiththeirshovels,andBibbsnoddedquicklytoRoscoe,makingaslightgesturetowardthelineofwaitingcarriages。Roscoeunderstood——Bibbswouldstayandseethegravefilled;therestweretogo。Thegroupsbegantomoveawayovertheturf;wheelscreakedonthegraveleddrive;andonebyonethecarriagesfilledanddeparted,thehorsessettingoffatawalk。Bibbsgazedsteadfastlyattheworkmen;heknewthathisfatherkeptlookingbackashewenttowardthecarriage,andthatwasathinghedidnotwanttosee。Butafteralittlewhiletherewerenosoundsofwheelsorhoofsonthegravel,andBibbs,glancingup,sawthateveryonehadgone。Acoupehadbeenleftforhim,thedriverdozingpatiently。
　　Theworkmenplacedtheflowersandwreathsuponthemoundandaboutit,andBibbsalteredthepositionofoneortwoofthese,thenstoodlookingthoughtfullyatthegrotesquebrilliancyofthatfestal—seeminghillockbeneaththedarkeningNovembersky。"It'stoobad！"hehalfwhispered,hislipsformingthewords——andhismeaningwasthatitwastoobadthatthestrongbrotherhadbeentheonetogo。ForthiswashislastthoughtbeforehewalkedtothecoupeandsawMaryVertreesstanding,allalone,ontheothersideofthedrive。
　　Shehadjustemergedfromagroveofleaflesstreesthatgrewonaslopewherethetombsweremany;andbehindherroseamultitudeofthebarbaricandclassicshapeswesostrangelystrewaboutourgraveyards:urn—crownedcolumnsandstone—drapedobelisks,shop—carvedangelsandshop—carvedchildrenpoisingonpillarsandshafts,alllifting——inunthoughtpathos——theirblindstoninesstowardthesky。Againstsuchabackground,Bibbswasnotincongruous,withhisfigure,inblack,solongandslender,andhisfacesolongandthinandwhite;norwastheundertaker'scoupeoutofkeeping,withtheshabbydriverdozingontheboxandtheshaggyhorsesstandingpatientlyinattitudeswithouthopeandwithoutregret。ButforMaryVertrees,herewasagrotesquesetting——shewasavivid,livingcreatureofabeautifulworld。Andagraveyardisnottheplaceforpeopletolookcharming。
　　Shealsolookedstartledandconfused,butnotmorestartledandconfusedthanBibbs。In"Edith's"poemhehaddeclaredhisintentionofhidinghisheart"amongthestars";andinhisboyhoodonedayhehadsuccessfullyhiddenhisbodyinthecoal—pile。Hehadbeennocomradeofotherboysorofgirls,andhisacquaintancesofarecentperiodwereonlyafewfellow—invalidsandthenursesattheHoodSanitarium。AllhislifeBibbshadkepthimselftohimself——hewasbutashyonlookerintheworld。
　　Nevertheless,thestartledgazehebentupontheunexpectedladybeforehimhadcausesotherthanhisshynessandherunexpectedness。ForMaryVertreeshadbeenashiningfigureinthelittleworldoflategiventotheviewofthishumbleandelusiveoutsider,andspectatorssometimesfindtheirheartsbeatingfasterthanthoseoftheactorsinthespectacle。ThuswithBibbsnow。Hestartedandstared;heliftedhishatwithincredibleawkwardness,hisfingersfumblingathisforeheadbeforetheyfoundthebrim。
　　"Mr。Sheridan,"saidMary,"I'mafraidyou'llhavetotakemehomewithyou。
　　I——"Shestopped,notlackingamomentaryawkwardnessofherown。
　　"Why——why——yes,"Bibbsstammered。"I'll——I'llbede——Won'tyougetin？"
　　Inthatmannerandinthatplacetheyexchangedtheirfirstwords。ThenMarywithourmoreadogotintothecoupe,andBibbsfollowed,closingthedoor。
　　"You'reverykind,"shesaid,somewhatbreathlessly。"Ishouldhavehadtowalk,andit'sbeginningtogetdark。It'sthreemiles,Ithink。"
　　"Yes,"saidBibbs。"It——itisbeginningtogetdark。I——Inoticedthat。"
　　"Ioughttotellyou——I——"Marybegan,confusedly。Shebitherlip,satsilentamoment,thenspokewithcomposure。"Itmustseemodd,my——"
　　"No,no！"Bibbsprotested,earnestly。"Notinthe——intheleast。"
　　"Itdoes,though,"saidMary。"Ihadnotintendedtocometothecemetery,Mr。Sheridan,butoneofthemeninchargeatthehousecameandwhisperedtomethat'thefamilywishedmeto'——Ithinkyoursistersenthim。SoIcame。
　　ButwhenwereachedhereI——oh,IfeltthatperhapsI——"
　　Bibbsnoddedgravely。"Yes,yes,"hemurmured。
　　"Igotoutontheoppositesideofthecarriage,"shecontinued。"Imeanoppositefrom——fromwhereallofyouwere。AndIwanderedoffoverintheotherdirection;andIdidn'trealizehowlittletime——ittakes。FromwhereIwasIcouldn'tseethecarriagesleaving——atleastIdidn'tnoticethem。
　　SowhenIgotback,justnow,youweretheonlyonehere。Ididn'tknowtheotherpeopleinthecarriageIcamein,andofcoursetheydidn'tthinktowaitforme。That'swhy——"
　　"Yes,"saidBibbs,"I——"Andthatseemedallhehadtosayjustthen。
　　Marylookedoutthroughthedustywindow。"Ithinkwe'dbetterbegoinghome,ifyouplease,"shesaid。
　　"Yes,"Bibbsagreed,notmoving。"Itwillbedarkbeforewegetthere。"
　　Shegavehimaquicklittleglance。"Ithinkyoumustbeverytired,Mr。
　　Sheridan;andIknowyouhavereasontobe,"shesaid,gently。"Ifyou'llletme,I'll——"Andwithoutexplainingherpurposesheopenedthedooronhersideofthecoupeandleanedout。
　　Bibbsstartedinblankperplexity,notknowingwhatshemeanttodo。
　　"Driver！"shecalled,inherclearvoice,loudly。"Driver！We'dliketostart,please！Driver！StopatthehousejustnorthofMr。Sheridan's,please。"Thewheelsbegantomove,andsheleanedbackbesideBibbsoncemore。"Inoticedthathewasasleepwhenwegotin,"shesaid。"Isupposetheyhaveagreatdealofnightwork。"
　　Bibbsdrewalongbreathandwaitedtillhecouldcommandhisvoice。"I'veneverbeenabletoapologizequickly,"hesaid,withhisaccustomedslowness,"becauseifItrytoIstammer。MybrotherRoscoewhippedmeonce,whenwewereboys,forsteppingonhisslate—pencil。Ittookmesolongtotellhimitwasanaccident,hefinishedbeforeIdid。"
　　MaryVertreeshadneverheardanythingquitelikethedrawling,gentlevoiceortheoddimplicationthathisnotnoticingthemotionlessstateoftheirvehiclewasan"accident。"Shehadformedacasualimpressionofhim,notwithoutsympathy,butatonceshediscoveredthathewasunlikeanyofhercursoryandvagueimaginingsofhim。Andsuddenlyshesawapicturehehadnotintendedtopaintforsympathy:asturdyboyhammeringasmaller,sicklyboy,andthesicklyboyunresentful。Notthatpicturealone;othersflashedbeforeher。InstantaneouslyshehadaglimpseofBibbs'slifeandintohislife。Shehadaqueerfeeling,newtoherexperience,ofknowinghiminstantly。Itstartledheralitttle;andthen,withsomesurprise,sherealizedthatshewasgladhehadsatsolong,aftergettingintothecoupe,beforehenoticedthatithadnotstarted。Whatshedidnotrealize,however,wasthatshehadmadenoresponsetohisapology,andtheypassedoutofthecemeterygates,neitherhavingspokenagain。
　　Bibbswassocontentwiththesilencehedidnotknowthatitwassilence。
　　Thedusk,gatheringintheirsmallinclosure,wasfilledwitharichpresenceforhim;andpresentlyitwassodarkthatneitherofthetwocouldseetheother,nordideventheirgarmentstouch。Butneitherhadanysenseofbeingalone。Thewheelscreakedsteadily,rumblingpresentlyonpavedstreeets;
　　therewerethesounds,asfromadistance,oftheplod—plodofthehorses;
　　andsometimesthedriverbecameaudible,coughingasthmatically,orsaying,"You,JOE！"withaspiritlessflapofthewhipuponanunresponsiveback。
　　Oblongsoflightfromthelampsatstreet—cornerscameswimmingintotheinteriorofthecoupeand,thinningrapidlytolances,passedutterly,leavinggreaterdarkness。AndyetneitherofthesetwolastattendantsatJimSheridan'sfuneralbrokethesilence。
　　ItwasMarywhopreceivedthestrangenessofit——toolate。Abruptlysherealizedthatforanindefiniteintervalshehadbeenthinkingofhercompanionandnottalkingtohim。"Mr。Sheridan,"shebegan,notknowingwhatshewasgoingtosay,butimpelledtosayanything,assherealizedthequeernessofthisdrive——"Mr。Sheridan,I——"
　　Thecoupestopped。"You,JOE！"saidthedriver,reproachfully,andclimbeddownandopenedthedoor。
　　"What'sthetrouble？"Bibbsinquired。
　　"LadysaidstopatthefirsthousenorthofMr。Sheridan's,sir。"
　　Marywasincredulous;shefeltthatitcouldn'tbetrueandthatitmustn'tbetruethattheyhaddrivenallthewaywithoutspeaking。
　　"What？"Bibbsdemanded。
　　"We'rethere,sir,"saidthedriver,sympathetically。"NexthousenorthofMr。Sheridan's。"
　　Bibbsdescendedtothecurb。"Why,yes,"hesaid。"Yes,youseemtoberight。"AndwhilehestoodstaringatthedimlyilluminatedfrontwindowsofMr。Vertrees'shouseMarygotout,unassisted。
　　"Letmehelpyou,"saidBibbs,steppingtowardhermechanically;andshewasseveralfeetfromthecoupewhenhespoke。
　　"Ohno,"shemurmured。"IthinkIcan——"Shemeantthatshecouldgetoutofthecoupewithouthelp,but,perceivingthatshehadalreadyaccomplishedthisfeat,shedecidednottocompletethesentence。
　　"You,JOE！"criedthedriver,angrily,climbingtohisbox。Andherumbledawayathisteam'sbestpace——asnail's。
　　"Thankyouforbringingmehome,Mr。Sheridan,"saidMary,stiffly。Shedidnotofferherhand。"Goodnight。"
　　"Goodnight,"Bibbssaidinresponse,and,turningwithher,walkedbesidehertothedoor。Marymadethatashortwalk;shealmostran。Realizationofthequeernessoftheirdrivewasgrowinguponher,beginningtoshockher;
　　shesteppedasidefromthelightthatfellthroughtheglasspanelsofthedoorandwithheldherhandasittouchedtheold—fashionedbell—handle。
　　"I'mquitesafe,thankyou,"shesaid,withalittleemphasis。"Goodnight。"
　　"Goodnight,"saidBibbs,andwentobediently。Whenhereachedthestreethelookedback,butshehadvanishedwithinthehouse。
　　Movingslowlyaway,hecaromedagainsttwopeoplewhowereturningoutfromthepavementtocrossthestreet。TheywereRoscoeandhiswife。
　　"Whereareyoureyes,Bibbs？"demandedRoscoe。"Sleep—walking,asusual？"
　　ButSibyltookthewandererbythearm。"Comeovertoourhouseforalittlewhile,Bibbs,"sheurged。"Iwantto——"
　　"No,I'dbetter——"
　　"Yes。Iwantyouto。Yourfather'sgonetobed,andthey'reallquietoverthere——allwornout。Justcomeforaminute。"
　　Heyielded,andwhentheywereinthehousesherepeatedherselfwithrealfeeling:"'Allwornout！'Well,ifanybodyis,YOUare,Bibbs！AndIdon'twonder;you'vedoneeverybitoftheworkofit。Youmustn'tgetdownsickagain。I'mgoingtomakeyoutakealittlebrandy。"
　　Heletherhaveherownway,followingherintothedining—room,andwasgratefulwhenshebroughthimatinyglassfilledfromoneofthedecantersonthesideboard。Roscoegloomilypouredforhimselfamuchheavierlibationinalargerglass;andthetwomensat,whileSibylleanedagainstthesideboard,reviewingtheepisodesofthedayandrecallingthenamesofthedonorsofflowersandwreaths。ShepressedBibbstoremainlongerwhenherosetogo,andthen,ashepersisted,shewentwithhimtothefrontdoor。
　　Heopenedit,andshesaid:
　　"Bibbs,youwerecomingoutoftheVertreeses'housewhenwemetyou。Howdidyouhappentobethere？"
　　"Ihadonlybeentothedoor,"hesaid。"Goodnight,Sibyl。"
　　"Wait,"sheinsisted。"Wesawyoucomingout。"
　　"Iwasn't,"heexplained,movingtodepart。"I'djustbroughtMissVertreeshome。"
　　"What？"shecried。