"Yes,"hesaid,andsteppedoutupontheporch,"thatwasit。Goodnight,Sibyl。"
　　"Wait！"shesaid,followinghimacrossthethreshold。"Howdidthathappen？
　　Ithoughtyouweregoingtowaitwhilethosemenfilledthe——the——"Shepaused,butmovednearerhiminsistently。
　　"Ididwait。MissVertreeswasthere,"hesaid,reluctantly。"Shehadwalkedawayforawhileanddidn'tnoticethatthecarriageswereleaving。
　　Whenshecamebackthecoupewaitingformewastheonlyoneleft。"
　　Sheregardedhimwithdilatingeyes。Shespokewithaslowbreathlessness。
　　"AndshedrovehomefromJim'sfuneral——withyou！"
　　Withoutwarningsheburstintolaughter,clappedherhandineffectuallyoverhermouth,andranbackuproariouslyintothehouse,hurlingthedoorshutbehindher。
　　Bibbswenthomepondering。HedidnotunderstandwhySibylhadlaughed。Thelaughteritselfhadbeenspontaneousandbeyondsuspicion,butitseemedtohimthatshehadonlyaffectedtoefforttosuppressitandthatshewishedittobesignificant。Significantofwhat？Andwhyhadshewishedtoimpressuponhimthefactofheroverwhelmingamusement？Hefoundnoanswer,butshehadsucceededindisturbinghim,andhewishedthathehadnotencounteredher。
　　Athome,uncles,aunts,andcousinsfromoutoftownwerewanderingaboutthehouse,severalmournfullyadmiringthe"BayofNaples,"andothersoccupiedwiththeMoorandtheplumbing,whiletheywaitedfortrains。Edithandhermotherhadretiredtosomeupperfastness,butBibbsinterviewedJacksonandhadthevariousgroupsofrelativessummonedtothedining—roomforfood。
　　Onegreat—uncle,oldGideonSheridanfromBoonville,couldnotbefound,andBibbswentinsearchofhim。Heransackedthehouse,discoveringthemissingantiqueatlastbyaccident。Passinghisfather'scloseddoorontiptoe,Bibbsheardamurmuroussound,andpausedtolisten。Thesoundprovedtobeaquaveringandricketyvoice,monotonouslybleating:
　　"TheLo—ordgivuthandtheLo—ordtakuthaway！Wegottorememberthat;wegottorememberthat！I'ma—gittin'along,James;I'ma—gittin'along,andI'veseena—manyof'emgo——twodaughtersandasontheLordgiveme,andHehastakenallaway。FortheLo—ordgivuthandtheLo—ordtakuthaway！
　　RememberthewordsofBildadtheShuhite,James。BildadtheShuhitesays,'Heshallhaveneithersonnornephewamonghispeople,noranyremaininginhisdwellings。'BildadtheShuhite——"
　　Bibbsopenedthedoorsoftly。Hisfatherwaslyinguponthebed,inhisunderclothes,facedownward,andUncleGideonsatnearby,swingingbackwardandforwardinarocking—chair,strokinghislongwhitebeardandgazingattheceilingashetalked。Bibbsbeckonedhimurgently,butUncleGideonpaidnoattention。
　　"BibdadtheShuhitespakeandhissays,'IfthychildrenhavesinnedagainstHimandHehavecastthemaway——"
　　Therewasamuffledexplosionbeneaththefloor,andthewindowsrattled。
　　Thefigurelyingfacedownwardonthebeddidnotmove,butUncleGideonleapedfromhischair。"MyGod！"hecried。"What'sthat？"
　　Therecameasecondexplosion,andUncleGideonranoutintothehall。Bibbswenttotheheadofthegreatstaircase,and,lookingdown,discoveredthesourceofthedistubance。Gideon'sgrandson,aboyoffourteen,hadbroughthiscameratothefuneralandwastaking"flash—lights"oftheMoor。UncleGideon,reassuredbyBibbs'sexplanation,wouldhavereturnedtofinishhisquotationfromBildadtheShuhite,butBibbsdetainedhim,andafteralittleargumentpersuadedhimtodescendtothedining—roomwhitherBibbsfollowed,afterclosingthedoorofhisfather'sroom。
　　HekepthiseyeonGideonafterdinner,diplomaticallypreventingseveralattemptsonthepartofthatcomfortertoreascendthestairs;anditwasarelieftoBibbswhenGeorgeannouncedthatanautomobilewaswaitingtoconveytheancientmanandhisgrandsontotheirtrain。Theywerethelasttoleave,andwhentheyhadgoneBibbswentsighingtohisownroom。
　　Hestretchedhimselfwearilyuponthebed,butpresentlyrose,wenttothewindow,andlookedforalongtimeatthedarkenedhousewhereMaryVertreeslived。Thenheopenhistrunk,tooktherefromasmallnote—bookhalffilledwithfragmentaryscribblings,andbegantowrite:
　　Laughterafterafuneral。Inthisreactionpeoplewilllaughatanythingandatnothing。Thebandplaysadirgeonthewaytothecemetery,butwhenitturnsback,andthemourningcarriagesareoutofhearing,itstrikesup,"DarktownisOutTo—night。"Thatisnatural——buttherearewomenwhoselaughterislikethewhirringofwhips。Whyisitthatcertainkindsoflaughterseemtospoilsomethinghiddenawayfromthelaughers？Iftheydonotknowofit,andhaveneverseenit,howcantheirlaughterhurtit？
　　Yetitdoes。Beautyisnotoutofplaceamonggrave—stones。Itisnotoutofplaceanywhere。Butawomanwhohasbeenbetrothedtoamanwouldnotlookbeautifulathisfuneral。Awomanmightlookbeautiful,though,atthefuneralofamanwhomshehadknownandliked。Andinthatcase,too,shewouldprobablynotwanttotalkifshedrovehomefromthecemeterywithhisbrother:norwouldshewantthebrothertotalk。Silenceisusuallyeitherstupidortimid。Butforamanwhostammersifhetriestotalkfast,anddrawlssoslowly,whenhedoesn'tstammer,thatnobodyhastimetolistentohim,silenceisadvisable。Nevertheless,toomuchsilenceisopentosuspicion。Itmaybereticence,oritmaybeavacuum。Itmaybedignity,oritmaybefalseteeth。Sometimesanimperceptibleodorwillbecomeperceptibleinasmallinclosure,suchasaclosedcarriage。Theghostofgasolinerisingfromalady'sglovemightbesweetertothemanridingbesideherthanallthescentsofArcadyinspring。Itdependsonthelady——butthereARE！Threemilesmaybethreehundredmiles,oritmaybethreefeet。Whenitisthreefeetyouhavenottimetosayagreatdealbeforeyoureachtheendofit。Still,itmaybethatoneshouldbegintospeak。Noonecouldhelpwishingtostayinaworldthatholdssomeofthepeoplethatareinthisworld。TherearesomesowonderfulyoudonotunderstandhowthedeadCOULDdie。Howcouldtheyletthemselves？Afallingbuildingdoesnotcarewhofallswithit。Itdoesnotchoosewhoshallbeuponitsroofandwhoshallnot。SilenceCANbegolden？Yes。Butperhapsifawomanoftheworldshouldfindherselfbyaccidentsittingbesideamanforthelengthoftimeitmustnecessarilytaketwoslowoldhorsestojogthreemiles,shemightexpectthatmantosaysomethingofsomesort！Evenifshethoughthimafeeblehypochondriac,evenifshehadheardfromothersthathewasadisappointmenttohisownpeople,evenifshehadseenforherselfthathewasauselessandirritatingencumbranceeverywhere,shemightexpecthimatleasttospeak——shemightexpecthimtoopenhismouthandtrytomakesounds,ifheonlybarked。Ifhedidnoteventry,butsateverystepofthewayasdumbasafrozenfish,shemightTHINKhimafrozenfish。Andshemightberight。Shemightberightifshethoughthimaboutaspleasantacompanionas——asBildadtheShuhite！
　　Bibbsclosedhisnote—book,replacingitinhistrunk。Then,afteraperiodofmelancholycontemplation,heundressed,putonadressing—gownandslippers,andwentsoftlyoutintothehall——tohisfather'sdoor。UponthefloorwasatraywhichBibbshadsentGeorge,earlierintheevening,toplaceuponatableinSheridan'sroom——butthefoodwasuntouched。Bibbsstoodlisteningoutsidethedoorforseveralminutes。Therecamenosoundfromwithin,andhewentbacktohisownroomandtobed。
　　Inthemorninghewoketoastateofbeinghithertounknowninhisexperience。Sometimesintheprocessofwakingthereisalittlepause——sleephasgone,butcoherentthoughthasnotbegun。Itisacurioushalf—void,aglimpseofaphasia;andalthoughthepersonexperiencingitmaynotknowforthatinstanthisownnameorageorsex,hemaybeacutelyconsciousofdepressionorelation。Itisthemoment,aswesay,beforewe"remember";andforthefirsttimeinBibbs'slifeitcametohimbringingavaguehappiness。Hewoketoasenseofnewriches;hehadthefeelingofaboywakingtoabirthday。Butwhenthenextmomentbroughthimhismemory,hefoundnothingthatcouldexplainhisexhilaration。Onthecontrary,underthecircumstancesitseemedgrotesquelyunwarranted。However,itwasabriefvisitationandwasgonebeforehehadfinisheddressing。Itleftalittletrail,thepleasedrecollectionofitandthepuzzleofit,whichremainedunsolved。And,infact,wakinghappilyinthemorningisnotusuallytheresultofadrivehomefromafuneral。NowonderthesequenceevadedBibbsSheridan！
　　Hisfatherhadgonewhenhecamedown—stairs。"Wentondownto'soffice,jes'same,"Jacksoninformedhim。"Camesatbreakfas'—table,allby'mself;
　　eatnothin'。Georgebringnicebreakfas',buthedi'n'eatathing。Yessuh,wentondown—town,jes'sameheyoostado。Yessuh,Ireckonputtymuchev'y—thinggoin'goonsameasityoostado。"
　　ItstruckBibbsthatJacksonwasright。Thedaypassedasotherdayshadpassed。Mrs。SheridanandEdithwereinblack,andMrs。Sheridancriedalittle,nowandthen,butnootherexternaldifferencewastobeseen。Edithwasquiet,butnotnoticeablydepressed,andatlunchprovedherselfabletoarguewithhermotherupontheproprietyofreceivingcallsintheearlieststagesof"mourning。"Lunchwasasusual——forJimandhisfatherhadalwaysluncheddown—town——andtheafternoonwasasusual。Bibbswentforhisdrive,andhismotherwentwithhim,asshesometimesdidwhentheweatherwaspleasant。Altogether,theusualnessofthingswasratherstartlingtoBibbs。
　　DuringthedriveMrs。SheridantalkedfragmentarilyofJim'schildhood。"Butyouwouldn'trememberaboutthat,"shesaid,afternarratinganepisode。
　　"Youweretoolittle。Hewasalwaysagoodboy,justlikethat。Andhe'dsavewhateverpapagavehim,andputitinthebank。Ireckonit'lljustaboutkillyourfathertoputsomebodyinhisplaceaspresidentoftheRealtyCompany,Bibbs。Iknowhecan'tmoveRoscoeover;hetoldmelastweekhe'dalreadyputasmuchonRoscoeasanyonemancouldhandleandnotgocrazy。Oh,it'sapity——"Shestoppedtowipehereyes。"It'sapityyoudidn'trunmorewithJim,Bibbs,andkindo'pickuphisways。Thinkwhatit'dmeanttopapanow！YouneverdidrunwitheitherRoscoeorJimany,evenbeforeyougotsick。Ofcourse,youwereyounger;butitalwaysDID
　　seemqueer——andyouthreebein'brotherslikethat。Idon'tbelieveIeversawyouandJimsitdowntogetherforagoodtalkinmylife。"
　　"Mother,I'vebeenawaysolong,"Bibbsreturned,gently。"AndsinceIcamehomeI——"
　　"Oh,Iain'treproachin'you,Bibbs,"shesaid。"Jimain'tbeenhomemuchofaneveningsinceyougotback——whatwithhisworkandcallin'andgoin'tothetheaterandplaces,andoftennotevenatthehousefordinner。Righttheeveningbeforehegothurthehadhisdinneratsomemiser'blerest'rantdownbythePumpWorks,hewassosetonoverseein'thenightworkandgettin'everythingfinisheduprighttotheminutehetoldpapahewould。I
　　reckonyoumight'a'putinmoretimewithJimifthere'dbeenmoreopportunity,Bibbs。Iexpectyoufeelalmostasifyouscarcelyreallyknewhimrightwell。"
　　"IsupposeIreallydidn't,mother。Hewasbusy,yousee,andIhadn'tmuchtosayaboutthethingsthatinterestedhim,becauseIdon'tknowmuchaboutthem。"
　　"It'sapity！Oh,it'sapity！"shemoaned。"Andyou'llhavetolearntoknowabout'emNOW,Bibbs！Ihaven'tsaidmuchtoyou,becauseIfeltitwasallbetweenyourfatherandyou,butIhonestlydobelieveitwilljustkillhimifhehastohaveanymoretroubleontopofallthis！Youmustn'tLET
　　him,Bibbs——youmustn't！Youdon'tknowhowhe'sgrievedoveryou,andnowhecan'tstandanymore——hejustcan't！Whateverhesaysforyoutodo,youDOit,Bibbs,youDOit！Iwantyoutopromisemeyouwill。"
　　"IwouldifIcould,"hesaid,sorrowfully。
　　"No,no！Whycan'tyou？"shecried,clutchinghisarm。"Hewantsyoutogobacktothemachine—shopand——"
　　"And——'likeit！"saidBibbs。
　　"Yes,that'sit——togoinacheerfulspirit。Dr。Gurneysaiditwouldn'thurtyouifyouwentinacheerfulspirit——thedoctorsaidthathimself,Bibbs。Sowhycan'tyoudoit？Can'tyoudothatmuchforyourfather？Yououghttothinkwhathe'sdoneforYOU。Yougotabeautifulhousetolivein;
　　yougotautomobilestoridein;yougotfurcoatsandwarmclothes;youbeentakencareofallyourlife。Andyoudon'tKNOWhowheworkedforthemoneytogiveallthesethingstoyou！Youdon'tDREAMwhathehadtogothroughandwhatheriskedwhenwewerestartin'outinlife;andyouneverWILL
　　know！Andnowthisblowhasfallenonhimoutofaclearsky,andyoumakeitouttobeahardshiptodolikehewantsyouto！Andallonearthheasksisforyoutogobacktotheworkinacheerfulspirit,soitwon'thurtyou！
　　That'sallheasks。Look,Bibbs,we'regettin'backnearhome,butbeforewegetthereIwantyoutopromisemethatyou'lldowhatheasksyouto。
　　Promiseme！"
　　Inherearnestnesssheclearedawayherblackveilthatshemightseehimbetter,anditblewoutonthesmokywind。Hereadjusteditforherbeforehespoke。
　　"I'llgobackinascheerfulaspiritasIcan,mother,"hesaid。
　　"There！"sheexclaimed,satisfied。"That'sagoodboy！That'sallIwantedyoutosay。"
　　"Don'tgivemeanycredit,"hesaid,ruefully。"Thereisn'tanythingelseformetodo。"
　　"Now,don'tbegintalkin'THATway！"
　　"No,no,"hesoothedher。"We'llhavetobegintomakethespiritacheerfulone。Wemay——"Theywereturningintotheirowndrivewayashespoke,andheglancedattheoldhousenextdoor。MaryVertreeswasvisibleinthetwilight,standinguponthefrontsteps,bareheaded,thedooropenbehindher。Shebowedgravely。
　　"'Wemay'——what？"askedMrs。Sheridan,withaslightimpatience。
　　"Whatisit,mother？"
　　"Yousaid,'Wemay,'anddidn'tfinishwhatyouweresayin'。"
　　"DidI？"saidBibbs,blankly。"Well,whatWEREwesaying？"
　　"Ofallthequeerboys！"shecried。"Youalwayswere。Always！Youhaven'tforgotwhatyoujustpromisedme,haveyou？"
　　"No,"heanswered,asthecarstopped。"No,thespiritwillbeascheerfulasthefleshwillletit,mother。Itwon'tdotobehavelike——"
　　Hisvoicewaslow,andinhermovementtodescendfromthecarshefailedtoherehisfinalwords。
　　"Behavelikewho,Bibbs？"
　　"Nothing。"
　　Butshewasfretfulinhergrief。"Yousaiditwouldn'tdotobehavelikeSOMEBODY。BehavelikeWHO？"
　　"Itwasjustnonsense,"heexplained,turningtogoin。"AnobscurepersonI
　　don'tthinkmuchoflately。"
　　"BehavelikeWHO？"sherepeated,anduponhisyieldingtoherpetulantinsistence,shemadeuphermindthattheonlythingtodowastotellDr。
　　Gurneyaboutit。
　　"LikeBildadtheShuhite！"waswhatBibbssaid。
　　Theoutwardusualnessofthingscontinuedafterdinner。ItwasSheridan'scustomtoreadtheeveningpaperbesidethefireinthelibrary,whilehiswife,sittingnearby,eithersewed（fromoldhabit）orallowedherselftoberepeatedlybaffledbyoneofthesimplerformsofsolitaire。To—nightshedidneither,butsatinhercustomarychair,gazingatthefire,whileSheridanlettheunfoldedpaperrestuponhislap,thoughnowandthenheliftedit,asiftoread,andletitfallbackuponhiskneesagain。Bibbscameinnoiselesslyandsatinacorner,doingnothing;andfroma"reception—room"acrossthehallanindistinctvocalmurmurbecamejustaudibleatintervals。Once,whenthismurmurgrewlouder,understressofsomeirrepressiblemerriment,Edith'svoicecouldbeheard——"Bobby,aren'tyouawful！"andSheridanglancedacrossathiswifeappealingly。
　　Sheroseatonceandwentintothe"reception—room";therewasaflurryofwhispering,andthesoundoftiptoeinginthehall——Edithandhersuitorchangingquarterstoamoredistantroom。Mrs。Sheridanreturnedtoherchairinthelibrary。
　　"Theywon'tbotheryouanymore,papa,"shesaid,inacomfortingvoice。
　　"Shetoldmeatlunchhe'd'phonedhewantedtocomeupthisevening,andI
　　saidIthoughthe'dbetterwaitafewdays,butshesaidshe'dalreadytoldhimhecould。"Shepaused,thenadded,ratherguiltily:"IgotkindofanotionmaybeRoscoedon'tlikehimasmuchasheusedto。Maybe——maybeyoubetteraskRoscoe,papa。"AndasSheridannoddedsolemnly,sheconcluded,inhaste:"Don'tsayIsaidto。Imightbewrongaboutit,anyway。"
　　Henoddedagain,andtheysatforsometimeinasilencewhichMrs。Sheridanbrokewithalittlesniff,havingfallenintoareveriethatbroughttears。
　　"ThatMissVertreeswasagoodgirl,"shesaid。"SHEwasallright。"
　　Herhusbandevidentlyhadnodifficultyinfollowinghertrainofthought,forhenoddedoncemore,affirmatively。
　　"Didyou——Howdidyoufixitaboutthe——theRealtyCompany？"shefaltered。
　　"Didyou——
　　Heroseheavily,helpinghimselftohisfeetbythearmsofhischair。"I
　　fixedit,"hesaid,inahuskyvoice。"ImovedCantwellup,andputJohnstoninCantwell'splace,andsplitupJohnston'sworkamongthefourmenwithsalarieshighenoughtotakeit。"Hewenttoher,puthishanduponhershoulder,anddrewalong,audible,tremulousbreath。"It'smybedtime,mamma;I'mgoin'up。"Hedroppedthehandfromhershoulderandmovedslowlyaway,butwhenhereachedthedoorhestoppedandspokeagain,withoutturningtolookather。"TheRealtyCompany'llgorightonjustthesame,"
　　hesaid。"It'slike——it'slikesand,mamma。Itputsmeinmindofchuldernplayin'inasand—pile。Oneof'emstickshisfingerinthesandandmakesahole,andanotherof'em'llpattheplacewithhishand,andallthelittlegrainsofsandruninandfillitupandsettleagainstoneanother;andthen,rightawayit'sflatontopagain,andyoucan'ttellthereeverwasaholethere。TheRealtyCompany'llgoonallright,mamma。Thereain'tanythinganywhere,Ireckon,thatwouldn'tgorighton——justthesame。"
　　Andhepassedoutslowlyintothehall;thentheyheardhisheavytreaduponthestairs。
　　Mrs。Sheridan,risingtofollowhim,turnedapiteousfacetoherson。"It'ssoforlong,"shesaid,chokingly。"That'sthefirsttimehespokesincehecameinthehousethisevening。Iknowitmust'a'hurthimtohearEdithlaughin'withthatLamhorn。She'doughtn'ttolethimcome,righttheveryfirsteveningthisway;she'doughtn'ttodoneit！Shejustseemstoloseherheadoverhim,anditscaresme。YouheardwhatSibylsaidtheotherday,and——andyouheardwhat——what——"
　　"WhatEdithsaidtoSibyl？"Bibbsfinishedthesentenceforher。
　　"WeCAN'Thaveanytroubleo'THATkind！"shewailed。"Oh,itlooksasifmovin'uptothisNewHousehadbroughtusawfulbadluck！Itscaresme！"
　　Sheputbothherhandsoverherface。"Oh,Bibbs,Bibbs！ifyouonlywasn'tsoQUEER！Ifyoucouldonlybeenakindofdependableson！Idon'tknowwhatwe'reallcomin'to！"And,weeping,shefollowedherhusband。
　　Bibbsgazedforawhileatthefire;thenheroseabruptly,likeamanwhohascometoadecision,andbrisklysoughttheroom——itwascalled"thesmoking—room"——whereEdithsatwithMr。Lamhorn。Theylookedupinnowelcomingmanner,atBibbs'sentrance,andmovedtheirchairstoalessconspicuousadjacency。
　　"Goodevening,"saidBibbs,pleasantly;andheseatedhimselfinaleathereasy—chairnearthem。
　　"Whatisit？"askedEdith,plainlyastonished。
　　"Nothing,"hereturned,smiling。
　　Shefrowned。"Didyouwantsomething？"sheasked。
　　"Nothingintheworld。Fatherandmotherhavegoneup—stairs;Isha'n'tbegoingupforseveralhours,andtheredidn'tseemtobeanybodyleftformetochatwithexceptyouandMr。Lamhorn。"
　　"'CHATwith'！"sheechoed,incredulously。
　　"Icantalkaboutalmostanything,"saidBibbswithanairofgenialpoliteness。"Itdoesn'tmattertoME。Idon'tknowmuchaboutbusiness——ifthat'swhatyouhappenedtobetalkingabout。Butyouaren'tinbusiness,areyou,Mr。Lamhorn。
　　"Notnow,"returnedLamhorn,shortly。
　　"I'mnot,either,"saidBibbs。"Itwasgettingcloudierthanusual,I
　　noticed,justbeforedark,andtherewaswindfromthesouthwest。Rainto—morrow,Ishouldn'tbesurprised。"
　　Heseemedtofeelthathehadbegunaconversationthesupportofwhichhadnowbecomethepleasurabledutyofotherparties;andhesatexpectantly,lookingfirstathissister,thenatLamhorn,asifimplyingthatitwastheirturntospeak。Edithreturnedhisgazewithamixtureofastonishmentandincreasinganger,whileMr。Lamhornwasobviouslydisturbed,thoughBibbshadbeenasconsiderateaspossibleinpresentingtheweatherasatopic。
　　BibbshadperceivedthatLamhornhadnothinginhismindatanytimeexcept"personalities"——hecouldtalkaboutpeopleandhecouldmakelove。Bibbs,wishingtobecourteous,offeredtheweather。
　　Lamhornrefusedit,andconcludedfromBibbs'sluxuriousattitudeintheleatherchairthatthishalf—crazybrotherwasapermanentfixturefortherestoftheevening。Therewasnotreasontohopethathewouldmove,andLamhornfoundhimselfindangeroflookingsilly。
　　"Iwasjustgoing,"hesaid,rising。
　　"OhNO！"Edithcried,sharply。
　　"Yes。Goodnight！IthinkI——"
　　"Toobad,"saidBibbs,genially,walkingtothedoorwiththevisitor,whileEdithstoodstaringasthetwodisappearedinthehall。SheheardBibbsofferingto"help"Lamhornwithhisovercoatandthelatterrathercurtlydecliningassistance,theseepisodesofdeparturebeingfollowedbytheclosingoftheouterdoor。Sheranintothehall。
　　"What'sthematterwithyou？"shecried,furiously。"WhatdoyouMEAN？Howdidyoudarecomeintherewhenyouknew——"
　　Hervoicebroke;shemadeagestureofrageanddespair,andranupthestairs,sobbing。Shefledtohermother'sroom,andwhenBibbscameup,afewminuteslater,Mrs。Sheridanmethimathisdoor。
　　"Oh,Bibbs,"shesaid,shakingherheadwoefully,"you'doughtn'ttodistressyoursister！Shesaysyoudrovethatyoungmanrightoutofthehouse。
　　You'doughttobeenmoreconsiderate。"
　　Bibbssmiledfaintly,notingthatEdith'sdoorwasopen,withEdith'snaiveshadowmotionlessacrossitsthreshold。"Yes,"hesaid。"Hedoesn'tappeartomuchofa'man'sman。'Heranatjustaglimpseofone。"
　　Edith'sshadowmoved;hervoicecamequavering:"Youcallyourselfone？"
　　"No,no,"heanswered。"Isaid,'justaglimpseofone。'Ididn'tclaim——"
　　Butherdoorslammedangrily;andheturnedtohismother。
　　"There,"hesaid,sighing。"That'salmostthefirsttimeinmylifeIevertriedtobeamanofaction,mother,andIsucceededperfectlyinwhatI
　　triedtodo。AsaconsequenceIfeellikeahorse—thief！"
　　"Youhurtherfeelin's,"shegroaned。"Youmust'a'goneatittoorough,Bibbs。"
　　Helookeduponherwanly。"That'smytrouble,mother,"hemurmured。"I'maplain,bluntfellow。Ihaveroughways,andI'maroughman。"
　　Foroncesheperceivedsomemeaninginhisqueerness。"Hushyournonsense！"
　　shesaid,good—naturedly,theastralofatroubledsmileappearing。"Yougotobed。"
　　Hekissedherandobeyed。
　　Edithgavehimacoldgreetingthenextmorningatthebreakfast—table。
　　"Youmustn'tdothatunderamisapprehension,"hewarnedher,whentheywerealoneinthedining—room。
　　"Dowhatunderawhat？"sheasked。
　　"Speaktome。Icameintothesmoking—roomlastnight'onpurpose,'"hetoldher,gravely。"Ihaveaprejudiceagainstthatyoungman。"
　　Shelaughed。"Iguessyouthinkitmeansagreatdealwhoyouhaveprejudicesagainst！"Inmockerysheadoptedthemannerofonewhoimplores。
　　"Bibbs,forpity'ssakePROMISEme,DON'TuseYOURinfluencewithpapaagainsthim！"Andshelaughedlouder。
　　"Listen,"hesaid,withpeculiarearnestness。"I'lltellyounow,because——becauseI'vedecidedI'moneofthefamily。"Andthen,asiftheearnestnessweretooheavyforhimtocarryitfurther,hecontinued,inhisusualtone,"I'mdrunkwithpower,Edith。"
　　"Whatdoyouwanttotellme？"shedamanded,brusquely。
　　"LamhornmadelovetoSibyl,"hesaid。
　　Edithhooted。"SHEdidtoHIM！AndbecauseyouoverheardthatspatbetweenustheotherdaywhenIthesameofaccusedherofit,andsaidsomethinglikethattoyouafterward——"
　　"No,"hesaid,gravely。"IKNOW。"
　　"How？"
　　"Iwasthere,onedayaweekago,withRoscoe,andIheardSibylandLamhorn——"
　　Edithscreamedwithlaughter。"YouwerewithROSCOE——andyouheardLamhornmakinglovetoSibyl！"
　　"No。Iheardthemquarreling。"
　　"You'refunnierthanever,Bibbs！"shecried。"Yousayhemadelovetoherbecauseyouheardthemquarreling！"
　　"That'sit。Ifyouwanttoknowwhat's'between'people,youcan——bythewaytheyquarrel。"
　　"You'llkillme,Bibbs！Whatweretheyquarrelingabout？"
　　"Nothing。That'showIknew。Peoplewhoquarrelovernothing！——it'salwayscertain——"
　　Edithstoppedlaughingabruptly,butcontinuedhermockery。"Yououghttoknow。You'vehadsomuchexperience,yourself！"
　　"Ihaven'tany,Edith,"hesaid。"Mylifehasbeenaboutasexcitingasanincubatorchicken's。ButIlookoutthroughtheglassatthings。"
　　"Well,then,"shesaid,"ifyoulookoutthroughtheglassyoumustknowwhateffectsuchstuffwouldhaveuponME！"Sherose,visiblyagitated。"WhatifitWAStrue？"shedmanded,bitterly。"Whatifitwastrueahundredtimesover？Yousittherewithyoursillyfacehalfreadytogiggleandhalfreadytosniffle,andtellmestorieslikethat,aboutSibylpickingonBobbyLamhornandworryinghimtodeath,andyouthinkitmatterstoME？WhatifI
　　alreadyKNEWallabouttheir'quarreling'？WhatifIunderstoodWHYshe——"
　　Shebrokeoffwithaviolentgesture,asweepofherarmextendedatfulllength,asifshehurledsomethingtotheground。"DoyouthinkagirlthatreallycaredforamanwouldpayanyattentiontoTHAT？OrtoYOU,BibbsSheridan！"
　　Helookedathersteadily,andhisgazewasaskeenasitwassteady。Shemetitwithunwaveringpride。Finallyhenoddedslowly,asifshehadspokenandhemeanttoagreewithwhatshesaid。
　　"Ah,yes,"hesaid。"Iwon'tcomeintothesmoking—roomagain。I'msorry,Edith。Nobodycanmakeyouseeanythingnow。You'llneverseeuntilyouseeforyourself。Therestofuswilldobettertokeepoutofit——especiallyme！"