Hedidnotcatchcold，butwhilehewasouthismotherdied。Sheonlysurvivedherhusbandelevendays，acoincidencewhichwasrecordedontheirtombstone。
Such，insubstance，wasthestorywhichRickietoldhisfriendsastheystoodtogetherintheshelterofthedell。Thegreenbankattheentrancehidtheroadandtheworld，andnow，asinspring，theycouldseenothingbutsnow—whiterampartsandtheevergreenfoliageofthefirs。Onlyfromtimetotimewouldabeechleafflutterinfromthewoodsabove，tocommentonthewaningyear，andthewarmthandradianceofthesunwouldvanishbehindapassingcloud。
Aboutthegreatcoathedidnottellthem，forhecouldnothavespokenofitwithouttears。
III
Mr。Ansell，aprovincialdraperofmoderateprosperity，oughtbyrightstohavebeenclassednotwiththecow，butwiththosephenomenathatarenotreallythere。Buthisson，withpardonableillogicality，exceptedhim。Heneversuspectedthathisfathermightbethesubjectiveproductofadiseasedimagination。Fromhisearliestyearshehadtakenhimforgranted，asamostundeniableandlovablefact。Tobebornonethingandgrowupanother——Ansellhadaccomplishedthiswithoutweakeningoneofthetiesthatboundhimtohishome。Theroomsabovetheshopstillseemedascomfortable，thegardenbehinditasgracious，astheyhadseemedfifteenyearsbefore，whenhewouldsitbehindMissAppleblossom’scentralthrone，andshe，likesomeallegoricalfigure，wouldsendthechangeandreceiptedbillsspinningawayfromherinlittleboxwoodballs。Atfirsttheyoungmanhadattributedthesehappyrelationstohisowntact。
Butintimeheperceivedthatthetactwasallonthesideofhisfather。Mr。Ansellwasnotmerelyamanofsomeeducation;hehadwhatnoeducationcanbring——thepowerofdetectingwhatisimportant。Likemanyfathers，hehadsparednoexpenseoverhisboy，——hehadborrowedmoneytostarthimatarapaciousandfashionableprivateschool;hehadsenthimtotutors;hehadsenthimtoCambridge。Butheknewthatallthiswasnottheimportantthing。Theimportantthingwasfreedom。Theboymustusehiseducationashechose，andifhepaidhisfatherbackitwouldcertainlynotbeinhisowncoin。SowhenStewartsaid，"AtCambridge，canIreadfortheMoralScienceTripos？"Mr。Ansellhadonlyreplied，"Thisphilosophy——doyousaythatitliesbehindeverything？"
"Yes，Ithinkso。Ittriestodiscoverwhatisgoodandtrue。"
"Then，myboy，youhadbetterreadasmuchofitasyoucan。"
Andayearlater:"I’dliketotakeupthisphilosophyseriously，butIdon’tfeeljustified。"
"Whynot？"
"Becauseitbringsinnoreturn。IthinkI’magreatphilosopher，butthenallphilosophersthinkthat，thoughtheydon’tdaretosayso。But，howevergreatIam。Ishan’tearnmoney。PerhapsI
shan’teverbeabletokeepmyself。Ishan’tevengetagoodsocialposition。You’veonlytosayoneword，andI’llworkfortheCivilService。I’mgoodenoughtogetinhigh。"
Mr。Anselllikedmoneyandsocialposition。Butheknewthatthereisamoreimportantthing，andreplied，"Youmusttakeupthisphilosophyseriously，Ithink。"
"Anotherthing——therearethegirls。"
"ThereisenoughmoneynowtogetMaryandMaudasgoodhusbandsastheydeserve。"AndMaryandMaudtookthesameview。
ItwasinthisplebeianhouseholdthatRickiespentpartoftheChristmasvacation。Hisownhome，suchasitwas，waswiththeSilts，needycousinsofhisfather’s，andcombinedtoapeculiardegreetherestrictionsofhospitalitywiththediscomfortsofaboarding—house。SuchpleasureashehadoutsideCambridgewasinthehomesofhisfriends，anditwasaparticularjoyandhonourtovisitAnsell，who，thoughasfreefromsocialsnobbishnessasmostofuswillevermanagetobe，wasrathercarefulwhenhedroveuptothefacadeofhisshop。
"Ilikeournewlettering，"hesaidthoughtfully。Thewords"StewartAnsell"wererepeatedagainandagainalongtheHighStreet——curlygoldlettersthatseemedtofloatintanksofglazedchocolate。
"Rather！"saidRickie。ButhewonderedwhetheroneofthebondsthatkepttheAnsellfamilyunitedmightnotbetheircompleteabsenceoftaste——asurerbondbyfarthantheidentityofit。
Andhewonderedthisagainwhenhesatatteaoppositealongrowofcrayons——Stewartasababy，Stewartasasmallboywithlargefeet，Stewartasalargerboywithsmallerfeet，Maryreadingabookwhoseleaveswereasthickaseiderdowns。Andyetagaindidhewonderitwhenhewokewithagaspinthenighttofindaharpinluminouspaintthrobbingandgloweringathimfromtheadjacentwall。"Watchandpray"waswrittenontheharp，anduntilRickiehungatoweloverittheexhortationwaspartiallysuccessful。
Itwasaveryhappyvisit。MissAppleblosssom——whonowactedashousekeeper——hadmethimbefore，duringhernever—forgottenexpeditiontoCambridge，andheradmirationofUniversitylifewasasshrillandasgenuinenowasithadbeenthen。Thegirlsatfirstwerealittleaggressive，foronhisarrivalhehadbeentired，andMaudhadtakenitforhaughtiness，andsaidhewaslookingdownonthem。Butthispassed。Theydidnotfallinlovewithhim，norhewiththem，butamorningwasspentverypleasantlyinsnow—ballinginthebackgarden。AnsellwasratherdifferenttowhathewasinCambridge，buttoRickienotlessattractive。Andtherewasacuriouscharminthehumoftheshop，whichswelledintoaroarifoneopenedthepartitiondooronamarket—day。
"Listentoyourmoney！"saidRickie。"IwishIcouldhearmine。I
wishmymoneywasalive。"
"Idon’tunderstand。"
"Mine’sdeadmoney。It’scometomethroughaboutsixdeadpeople——silently。"
"Gettingalittlesmallerandalittlemorerespectableeachtime，onaccountofthedeath—duties。"
"Itneededtogetrespectable。"
"Why？Didyourpeople，too，oncekeepashop？"
"Oh，notasbadasthat！Theyonlyswindled。AboutahundredyearsagoanElliotdidsomethingshadyandfoundedthefortunesofourhouse。"
"Ineverknewanyonesorelentlesstohisancestors。Youmakeupforyoursoapinesstowardstheliving。"
"You’dberelentlessifyou’dheardtheSilts，asIhave，talkabout’afortune，smallperhaps，butunsoiledbytrade！’OfcourseAuntEmilyisratherdifferent。Oh，goodnessme！I’veforgottenmyaunt。Shelivesnotsofar。Ishallhavetocallonher。"
AccordinglyhewrotetoMrs。Failing，andsaidheshouldliketopayhisrespects。HetoldherabouttheAnsells，andsowordedtheletterthatshemightreasonablyhavesentaninvitationtohisfriend。
Sherepliedthatshewaslookingforwardtotheirtete—a—tete。
"Youmustn’tgoroundbythetrains，"saidMr。Ansell。"ItmeanschangingatSalisbury。Bytheroadit’snogreatway。StewartshalldriveyouoverSalisburyPlain，andfetchyoutoo。"
"There’stoomuchsnow，"saidAnsell。
"Thenthegirlsshalltakeyouintheirsledge。"
"ThatIwill，"saidMaud，whowasnotunwillingtoseetheinsideofCadover。ButRickiewentroundbythetrains。
"Wehaveallmissedyou，"saidAnsell，whenhereturned。"Thereisageneralfeelingthatyouarenonuisance，andhadbetterstoptilltheendofthevac。"
Thishecouldnotdo。HewasboundforChristmastotheSilts——
"asaREALguest，"Mrs。Silthadwritten，underliningtheword"real"twice。AndafterChristmashemustgotothePembrokes。
"Thesearenoreasons。Theonlyrealreasonfordoingathingisbecauseyouwanttodoit。Ithinkthetalkabout’engagements’
iscant。"
"Ithinkperhapsitis，"saidRickie。Buthewent。Neverhadtheturkeybeensoathletic，ortheplum—puddingtiedintoitsclothsotightly。Yetheknewthatboththesesymbolsofhilarityhadcostmoney，anditwenttohisheartwhenMr。Siltsaidinahungryvoice，"Haveyouthoughtatallofwhatyouwanttobe？
No？Well，whyshouldyou？Youhavenoneedtobeanything。"Andatdessert:"IwonderwhoCadovergoesto？Iexpectmoneywillfollowmoney。Italwaysdoes。"ItwaswithaguiltyfeelingofreliefthatheleftforthePembrokes’。
ThePembrokeslivedinanadjacentsuburb，orrather"sububurb，"——thetractcalledSawston，celebratedforitspublicschool。Theirstyleoflife，however，wasnotparticularlysuburban。TheirhousewassmallanditsnamewasShelthorpe，butithadanairaboutitwhichsuggestedacertainamountofmoneyandacertainamountoftaste。Thereweredecentwater—coloursinthedrawing—room。Madonnasofacknowledgedmerithunguponthestairs。AreplicaoftheHermesofPraxiteles——ofcourseonlythebust——stoodinthehallwitharealpalmbehindit。Agnes，inherslap—dashway，wasagoodhousekeeper，andkepttheprettythingswelldusted。ItwasshewhoinsistedonthestripofbrownhollandthatleddiagonallyfromthefrontdoortothedoorofHerbert’sstudy:boys’grubbyfeetshouldnotgotreadingonherIndiansquare。Itwasshewhoalwayscleanedthepicture—framesandwashedthebustandtheleavesofthepalm。Inshort，ifahousecouldspeak——andsometimesitdoesspeakmoreclearlythanthepeoplewholiveinit——thehouseofthePembrokeswouldhavesaid，"Iamnotquitelikeotherhouses，yetIamperfectlycomfortable。Icontainworksofartandamicroscopeandbooks。
ButIdonotliveforanyofthesethingsorsufferthemtodisarrangeme。Iliveformyselfandforthegreaterhousesthatshallcomeafterme。Yetinmeneitherthecryofmoneynorthecryformoneyshalleverbeheard。"
Mr。Pembrokewasatthestation。Hedidbetterasahostthanasaguest，andwelcomedtheyoungmanwithrealfriendliness。
"Wewereallcoming，butGeraldhasstrainedhisankleslightly，andwantstokeepquiet，asheisplayingnextweekinamatch。
And，needlesstosay，thatexplainstheabsenceofmysister。"
"GeraldDawes？"
"Yes;he’swithus。I’msogladyou’llmeetagain。"
"SoamI，"saidRickiewithextremeawkwardness。"Doesherememberme？"
"Vividly。"
VividalsowasRickie’sremembranceofhim。
"Asplendidfellow，"assertedMr。Pembroke。
"IhopethatAgnesiswell。"
"Thankyou，yes;sheiswell。AndIthinkyou’relookingmorelikeotherpeopleyourself。"
"I’vebeenhavingaverygoodtimewithafriend。"
"Indeed。That’sright。Whowasthat？"
Rickiehadayoungman’sreticence。Hegenerallyspokeof"afriend，""apersonIknow，""aplaceIwasat。"Whenthebookoflifeisopening，ourreadingsaresecret，andweareunwillingtogivechapterandverse。Mr。Pembroke，whowashalfwaythroughthevolume，andhadskippedorforgottentheearlierpages，couldnotunderstandRickie’shesitation，norwhywithsuchawkwardnessheshouldpronouncetheharmlessdissyllable"Ansell。"
"Ansell？Wasn’tthatthepleasantfellowwhoaskedustolunch？"
"No。ThatwasAnderson，whokeepsbelow。Youdidn’tseeAnsell。
TheoneswhocametobreakfastwereTilliardandHornblower。"
"Ofcourse。AndsincethenyouhavebeenwiththeSilts。Howarethey？"
"Verywell，thankyou。Theywanttoberememberedtoyou。"
ThePembrokeshadformerlylivedneartheElliots，andhadshowngreatkindnesstoRickiewhenhisparentsdied。Theywerethusratherinthepositionoffamilyfriends。
"Pleaserememberuswhenyouwrite。"Headded，almostroguishly，"TheSiltsarekindnessitself。Allthesame，itmustbejustalittle——dull，wethought，andwethoughtthatyoumightlikeachange。Andofcoursewearedelightedtohaveyoubesides。Thatgoeswithoutsaying。"
"It’sverygoodofyou，"saidRickie，whohadacceptedtheinvitationbecausehefeltheoughtto。
"Notabit。Andyoumustn’texpectustobeotherwisethanquietontheholidays。Thereisalibraryofasort，asyouknow，andyouwillfindGeraldasplendidfellow。"
"Willtheybemarriedsoon？"
"Ohno！"whisperedMr。Pembroke，shuttinghiseyes，asifRickiehadmadesometerriblefauxpas。"Itwillbeaverylongengagement。Hemustmakehiswayfirst。Ihaveseensuchendlessmiseryresultfrompeoplemarryingbeforetheyhavemadetheirway。"
"Yes。Thatisso，"saidRickiedespondently，thinkingoftheSilts。
"It’sasadunpalatabletruth，"saidMr。Pembroke，thinkingthatthedespondencymightbepersonal，"butonemustacceptit。MysisterandGerald，Iamthankfultosay，haveacceptedit，thoughnaturallyithasbeenalittlepill。"
Theircablurchedroundthecornerashespoke，andthetwopatientscameinsight。Agneswasleaningoverthecreosotedgarden—gate，andbehindhertherestoodayoungmanwhohadthefigureofaGreekathleteandthefaceofanEnglishone。Hewasfairandcleanshaven，andhiscolourlesshairwascutrathershort。Thesunwasinhiseyes，andthey，likehismouth，seemedscarcelymorethanslitsinhishealthyskin。Justwherehebegantobebeautifultheclothesstarted。Roundhisneckwentanup—and—downcollarandamauve—and—goldtie，andtherestofhislimbswerehiddenbyagreyloungesuit，carefullycreasedintherightplaces。
"Lovely！Lovely！"criedAgnes，bangingonthegate，"Yourtrainmusthavebeentotheminute。"
"Hullo！"saidtheathlete，andvomitedwiththegreetingacloudoftobacco—smoke。Itmusthavebeenimprisonedinhismouthsometime，fornopipewasvisible。
"Hullo！"returnedRickie，laughingviolently。Theyshookhands。
"Whereareyougoing，Rickie？"askedAgnes。"Youaren’tgrubby。
Whydon’tyoustop？Gerald，getthelargewicker—chair。Herberthasletters，butwecansitheretilllunch。It’slikespring。"
ThegardenofShelthorpewasnearlyallinfrontanunusualandpleasantarrangement。Thefrontgateandtheservants’entrancewerebothattheside，andintheremainingspacethegardenerhadcontrivedalittlelawnwhereonecouldsitconcealedfromtheroadbyafence，fromtheneighbourbyafence，fromthehousebyatree，andfromthepathbyabush。
"Thisisthelovers’bower，"observedAgnes，sittingdownonthebench。Rickiestoodbyhertillthechairarrived。
"Areyousmokingbeforelunch？"askedMr。Dawes。
"No，thankyou。Ihardlyeversmoke。"
"Novices。Aren’tyouatCambridgenow？"
"Yes。"
"What’syourcollege？"
Rickietoldhim。
"DoyouknowCarruthers？"
"Rather！"
"ImeanA。P。Carruthers，whogothissockerblue。"
"Rather！He’ssecretarytothecollegemusicalsociety。"
"A。P。Carruthers？"
"Yes。"
Mr。Dawesseemedoffended。Hetappedonhisteeth，andremarkedthattheweatherbadnobusinesstobesowarminwinter。
"ButitwasfiendishbeforeChristmas，"saidAgnes。
Hefrowned，andasked，"DoyouknowamancalledGerrish？"
"No。"
"Ah。"
"DoyouknowJames？"
"Neverheardofhim。"
"He’smyyeartoo。Hegotablueforhockeyhissecondterm。"
"Iknownothingaboutthe’Varsity。"
Rickiewincedattheabbreviation"’Varsity。"Itwasatthattimetheproperthingtospeakof"theUniversity。"
"Ihaven’tthetime，"pursuedMr。Dawes。
"No，no，"saidRickiepolitely。
"IhadthechanceofbeinganUndergrad，myself，and，byJove，I’mthankfulIdidn’t！"
"Why？"askedAgnes，fortherewasapause。
"Putsyoubackinyourprofession。Menwhogotherefirst，beforetheArmy，starthopelesslybehind。ThesamewiththeStockExchangeorPainting。Iknowmeninboth，andthey’venevercaughtupthetimetheylostinthe’Varsity——unless，ofcourse，youturnparson。"
"IloveCambridge，"saidshe。"Allthosegloriousbuildings，andeveryonesohappyandrunninginandoutofeachother’sroomsalldaylong。"
"ThatmightmakeanUndergradhappy，butIbegleavetostateitwouldn’tme。Ihaven’tfouryearstothrowawayforthesakeofbeingcalleda’VarsitymanandhobnobbingwithLords。"
Rickiewaspreparedtofindhisoldschoolfellowungrammaticalandbumptious，buthewasnotpreparedtofindhimpeevish。
Athletes，hebelieved，weresimple，straightforwardpeople，cruelandbrutalifyoulike，butneverpetty。Theyknockedyoudownandhurtyou，andthenwentontheirwayrejoicing。Forthis，Rickiethought，thereissomethingtobesaid:hehadescapedthesinofdespisingthephysicallystrong——asinagainstwhichthephysicallyweakmustguard。ButherewasDawesreturningagainandagaintothesubjectoftheUniversity，fulloftransparentjealousyandpettyspite，nagging，nagging，nagging，likeamaidenladywhohasnotbeeninvitedtoatea—party。Rickiewonderedwhether，afterall，Ansellandtheextremistsmightnotberight，andbodilybeautyandstrengthbesignsofthesoul’sdamnation。
HeglancedatAgnes。Shewaswritingdownsomeorderingsforthetradespeopleonapieceofpaper。Herhandsomefacewasintentonthework。ThebenchonwhichsheandGeraldweresittinghadnoback，butshesatasstraightasadart。He，thoughstrongenoughtositstraight，didnottakethetrouble。
"Whydon’ttheytalktoeachother？"thoughtRickie。
"Gerald，givethispapertothecook。"
"Icangiveittotheotherslavey，can’tI？"
"She’dbedressing。"
"Well，there’sHerbert。"
"He’sbusy。Oh，youknowwherethekitchenis。Takeittothecook。"
Hedisappearedslowlybehindthetree。
"Whatdoyouthinkofhim？"sheimmediatelyasked。Hemurmuredcivilly。
"Hashechangedsincehewasaschoolboy？"
"Inaway。"
"Dotellmeallabouthim。Whywon’tyou？"
ShemighthaveseenaflashofhorrorpassoverRickie’sface。
Thehorrordisappeared，for，thankGod，hewasnowaman，whomcivilizationprotects。ButheandGeraldhadmet，asitwere，behindthescenes，beforeourdecorousdramaopens，andtheretheelderboyhaddonethingstohim——absurdthings，notworthchroniclingseparately。Anapple—piebedisnothing;pinches，kicks，boxedears，twistedarms，pulledhair，ghostsatnight，inkybooks，befouledphotographs，amounttoverylittlebythemselves。Butletthembeunitedandcontinuous，andyouhaveahellthatnogrown—updevilcandevise。BetweenRickieandGeraldtherelayashadowthatdarkenslifemoreoftenthanwesuppose。
Thebullyandhisvictimneverquiteforgettheirfirstrelations。Theymeetinclubsandcountryhouses，andclaponeanotherontheback;butinboththememoryisgreenofamorestrenuousday，whentheywereboystogether。
Hetriedtosay，"Hewastherightkindofboy，andIwasthewrongkind。"ButCambridgewouldnotlethimsmooththesituationoverbyself—belittlement。Ifhehadbeenthewrongkindofboy，Geraldhadbeenaworsekind。Hemurmured，"Wearedifferent，very，"andMissPembroke，perhapssuspectingsomething，askednomore。ButshekepttothesubjectofMr。Dawes，humorouslydepreciatingherloveranddiscussinghimwithoutreverence。
Rickielaughed，butfeltuncomfortable。Whenpeoplewereengaged，hefeltthattheyshouldbeoutsidecriticism。Yetherehewascriticizing。Hecouldnothelpit。Hewasdraggedin。
"Ihopehisankleisbetter。"
"Neverwasbad。He’salwaysfussingoversomething。"
"Heplaysnextweekinamatch，IthinkHerbertsays。"
"Idaresayhedoes。"
"Shallwebegoing？"
"Praygoifyoulike。Ishallstopathome。I’vehadenoughofcoldfeet。"
Itwasallverycolourlessandodd。
Geraldreturned，saying，"Ican’tstandyourcook。What’sshewanttoaskmequestionsfor？Ican’tstandtalkingtoservants。
Isay，’IfIspeaktoyou，wellandgood’——andit’sanotherthingbesidesifshewerepretty。"
"Well，Ihopeouruglycookwillhavelunchreadyinaminute，"
saidAgnes。"We’refrightfullyunpunctualthismorning，andI
daren’tsayanything，becauseitwasthesameyesterday，andifI
complainagaintheymightleave。PoorRickiemustbestarved。"
"Why，theSiltsgavemeallthesesandwichesandI’venevereatenthem。Theyalwaysstuffone。"
"Andyouthoughtyou’dbetter，eh？"saidMr。Dawes，"incaseyouweren’tstuffedhere。"
MissPembroke，whohouse—keptsomewhateconomically，lookedannoyed。
ThevoiceofMr。Pembrokewasnowheardcallingfromthehouse，"Frederick！Frederick！Mydearboy，pardonme。ItwasanimportantletterabouttheChurchDefence，otherwise——。Comeinandseeyourroom。"
Hewasgladtoquitthelittlelawn。Hehadlearnttoomuchthere。Itwasdreadful:theydidnotloveeachother。
Moredreadfuleventhanthecaseofhisfatherandmother，forthey，untiltheymarried，hadgotonprettywell。Butthismanwasalreadyrudeandbrutalandcold:hewasstilltheschoolbullywhotwistedupthearmsoflittleboys，andranpinsintothematchapel，andstrucktheminthestomachwhentheywereswingingonthehorizontalbar。PoorAgnes;whyeverhadshedoneit？Oughtnotsomebodytointerfere？
Hehadforgottenhissandwiches，andwentbacktogetthem。
GeraldandAgneswerelockedineachother’sarms。
Heonlylookedforamoment，butthesightburntintohisbrain。
Theman’sgripwasthestronger。Hehaddrawnthewomanontohisknee，waspressingher，withallhisstrength，againsthim。
Alreadyherhandsslippedoffhim，andshewhispered，"Don’tyouhurt——"Herfacehadnoexpression。Itstaredattheintruderandneversawhim。Thenherloverkissedit，andimmediatelyitshonewithmysteriousbeauty，likesomestar。
Rickielimpedawaywithoutthesandwiches，crimsonandafraid。Hethought，"Dosuchthingsactuallyhappen？"andheseemedtobelookingdowncolouredvalleys。Brightertheyglowed，tillgodsofpureflamewereborninthem，andthenhewaslookingatpinnaclesofvirginsnow。WhileMr。Pembroketalked，theriotoffairimagesincreased。
Theyinvadedhisbeingandlitlampsatunsuspectedshrines。
Theirorchestracommencedinthatsuburbanhouse，wherehehadtostandasideforthemaidtocarryintheluncheon。Musicflowedpasthimlikeariver。Hestoodatthespringsofcreationandheardtheprimevalmonotony。Thenanobscureinstrumentgaveoutalittlephrase。
Therivercontinuedunheeding。ThephrasewasrepeatedandalistenermightknowitwasafragmentoftheTuneoftunes。
Noblerinstrumentsacceptedit，theclarionetprotected，thebrassencouraged，anditrosetothesurfacetothewhisperofviolins。InfullunisonwasLoveborn，flameoftheflame，flushingthedarkriverbeneathhimandthevirginsnowsabove。
Hiswingswereinfinite，hisyoutheternal;thesunwasajewelonhisfingerashepasseditinbenedictionovertheworld。
Creation，nolongermonotonous，acclaimedhim，inwideningmelody，inbrighterradiances。WasLoveacolumnoffire？Washeatorrentofsong？Washegreaterthaneither——thetouchofamanonawoman？
ItwasthemerestaccidentthatRickiehadnotbeendisgusted。
Butthishecouldnotknow。
Mr。Pembroke，whenhecalledthetwodawdlersintolunch，wasawareofahandonhisarmandavoicethatmurmured，"Don’t——
theymaybehappy。"
Hestared，andstruckthegong。Toitsmusictheyapproached，priestandhighpriestess。
"Rickie，canIgivethesesandwichestothebootboy？"saidtheone。"Hewouldlovethem。"
"Thegong！Bequick！Thegong！"
"Areyousmokingbeforelunch？"saidtheother。
Buttheyhadgotintoheaven，andnothingcouldgetthemoutofit。Othersmightthinkthemsurlyorprosaic。Heknew。Hecouldremembereverywordtheyspoke。Hewouldtreasureeverymotion，everyglanceofeither，andsointimetocome，whenthegatesofheavenhadshut，somefaintradiance，someechoofwisdommightremainwithhimoutside。