Granicestoppedspeakingandlookedacrossthesmoke-fumesathislistener；butDenver'sfaceremainedinscrutable。
Atlengthhesaid：“Whydidyouwanttotellmethis？”
ThequestionstartledGranice。Hewasabouttoexplain，ashehadexplainedtoAscham；butsuddenlyitoccurredtohimthatifhismotivehadnotseemedconvincingtothelawyeritwouldcarrymuchlessweightwithDenver。Bothweresuccessfulmen，andsuccessdoesnotunderstandthesubtleagonyoffailure。Granicecastaboutforanotherreason。
“Why，I——thethinghauntsme……remorse，Isupposeyou'dcallit……“
Denverstrucktheashesfromhisemptypipe。
“Remorse？Bosh！”hesaidenergetically。
Granice'sheartsank。“Youdon'tbelievein——REMORSE？”
“Notanatom：inthemanofaction。Themerefactofyourtalkingofremorseprovestomethatyou'renotthemantohaveplannedandputthroughsuchajob。“
Granicegroaned。“Well——Iliedtoyouaboutremorse。I'veneverfeltany。“
Denver'slipstightenedscepticallyabouthisfreshly-filledpipe。“Whatwasyourmotive，then？Youmusthavehadone。“
“I'lltellyou——“AndGranicebeganagaintorehearsethestoryofhisfailure，ofhisloathingforlife。“Don'tsayyoudon'tbelievemethistime……thatthisisn'tarealreason！”hestammeredoutpiteouslyasheended。
Denvermeditated。“No，Iwon'tsaythat。I'veseentoomanyqueerthings。There'salwaysareasonforwantingtogetoutoflife——thewonderisthatwefindsomanyforstayingin！”
Granice'sheartgrewlight。“ThenyouDObelieveme？”hefaltered。
“Believethatyou'resickofthejob？Yes。Andthatyouhaven'tthenervetopullthetrigger？Oh，yes——that'seasyenough，too。
Butallthatdoesn'tmakeyouamurderer——thoughIdon'tsayitprovesyoucouldneverhavebeenone。“
“IHAVEbeenone，Denver——Isweartoyou。“
“Perhaps。“Hemeditated。“Justtellmeoneortwothings。“
“Oh，goahead。Youwon'tstumpme！”Graniceheardhimselfsaywithalaugh。
“Well——howdidyoumakeallthosetrialtripswithoutexcitingyoursister'scuriosity？Iknewyournighthabitsprettywellatthattime，remember。Youwereveryseldomoutlate。Didn'tthechangeinyourwayssurpriseher？”
“No；becauseshewasawayatthetime。ShewenttopayseveralvisitsinthecountrysoonafterwecamebackfromWrenfield，andwasonlyintownforanightortwobefore——beforeIdidthejob。“
“Andthatnightshewenttobedearlywithaheadache？”
“Yes——blinding。Shedidn'tknowanythingwhenshehadthatkind。
Andherroomwasatthebackoftheflat。“
Denveragainmeditated。“Andwhenyougotback——shedidn'thearyou？Yougotinwithoutherknowingit？”
“Yes。Iwentstraighttomywork——tookitupatthewordwhereI'dleftoff——WHY，DENVER，DON'TYOUREMEMBER？”Granicesuddenly，passionatelyinterjected。
“Remember——？”
“Yes；howyoufoundme——whenyoulookedinthatmorning，betweentwoandthree……yourusualhour……？”
“Yes，“theeditornodded。
Granicegaveashortlaugh。“Inmyoldcoat——withmypipe：
lookedasifI'dbeenworkingallnight，didn'tI？Well，I
hadn'tbeeninmychairtenminutes！”
Denveruncrossedhislegsandthencrossedthemagain。“Ididn'tknowwhetherYOUrememberedthat。“
“What？”
“Mycominginthatparticularnight——ormorning。“
Graniceswungroundinhischair。“Why，manalive！That'swhyI'mherenow。Becauseitwasyouwhospokeformeattheinquest，whentheylookedroundtoseewhatalltheoldman'sheirshadbeendoingthatnight——youwhotestifiedtohavingdroppedinandfoundmeatmydeskasusual……IthoughtTHATwouldappealtoyourjournalisticsenseifnothingelsewould！”
Denversmiled。“Oh，myjournalisticsenseisstillsusceptibleenough——andtheidea'spicturesque，Igrantyou：askingthemanwhoprovedyouralibitoestablishyourguilt。“
“That'sit——that'sit！”Granice'slaughhadaringoftriumph。
“Well，buthowabouttheotherchap'stestimony——Imeanthatyoungdoctor：whatwashisname？NedRanney。Don'tyouremembermytestifyingthatI'dmethimattheelevatedstation，andtoldhimIwasonmywaytosmokeapipewithyou，andhissaying：
'Allright；you'llfindhimin。Ipassedthehousetwohoursago，andsawhisshadowagainsttheblind，asusual。'Andtheladywiththetoothacheintheflatacrosstheway：shecorroboratedhisstatement，youremember。“
“Yes；Iremember。“
Well，then？”
“Simpleenough。BeforestartingIriggedupakindofmannikinwitholdcoatsandacushion——somethingtocastashadowontheblind。Allyoufellowswereusedtoseeingmyshadowthereinthesmallhours——Icountedonthat，andknewyou'dtakeanyvagueoutlineasmine。“
“Simpleenough，asyousay。Butthewomanwiththetoothachesawtheshadowmove——youremembershesaidshesawyousinkforward，asifyou'dfallenasleep。“
“Yes；andshewasright。ItDIDmove。Isupposesomeextra-
heavydraymusthavejoltedbytheflimsybuilding——atanyrate，somethinggavemymannikinajar，andwhenIcamebackhehadsunkforward，halfoverthetable。“
Therewasalongsilencebetweenthetwomen。Granice，withathrobbingheart，watchedDenverrefillhispipe。Theeditor，atanyrate，didnotsneerandflouthim。Afterall，journalismgaveadeeperinsightthanthelawintothefantasticpossibilitiesoflife，preparedonebettertoallowfortheincalculablenessofhumanimpulses。
“Well？”Granicefalteredout。
Denverstoodupwithashrug。“Lookhere，man——what'swrongwithyou？Makeacleanbreastofit！Nervesgonetosmash？I'dliketotakeyoutoseeachapIknow——anex-prize-fighter——who'sawonderatpullingfellowsinyourstateoutoftheirhole——“
“Oh，oh——“Granicebrokein。Hestoodupalso，andthetwomeneyedeachother。“Youdon'tbelieveme，then？”
“Thisyarn——howcanI？Therewasn'taflawinyouralibi。“
“Buthaven'tIfilleditfullofthemnow？”
Denvershookhishead。“ImightthinksoifIhadn'thappenedtoknowthatyouWANTEDto。There'sthehitch，don'tyousee？”
Granicegroaned。“No，Ididn't。Youmeanmywantingtobefoundguilty——？”
“Ofcourse！Ifsomebodyelsehadaccusedyou，thestorymighthavebeenworthlookinginto。Asitis，achildcouldhaveinventedit。Itdoesn'tdomuchcredittoyouringenuity。“
Graniceturnedsullenlytowardthedoor。Whatwastheuseofarguing？Butonthethresholdasuddenimpulsedrewhimback。
“Lookhere，Denver——Idaresayyou'reright。Butwillyoudojustonethingtoproveit？PutmystatementintheInvestigator，justasI'vemadeit。Ridiculeitasmuchasyoulike。Onlygivetheotherfellowsachanceatit——menwhodon'tknowanythingaboutme。Setthemtalkingandlookingabout。Idon'tcareadamnwhetherYOUbelieveme——whatIwantistoconvincetheGrandJury！Ioughtn'ttohavecometoamanwhoknowsme——
yourcursedincredulityisinfectious。Idon'tputmycasewell，becauseIknowinadvanceit'sdiscredited，andIalmostendbynotbelievingitmyself。That'swhyIcan'tconvinceYOU。It'saviciouscircle。“HelaidahandonDenver'sarm。“Sendastenographer，andputmystatementinthepaper。
ButDenverdidnotwarmtotheidea。“Mydearfellow，youseemtoforgetthatalltheevidencewasprettythoroughlysiftedatthetime，everypossiblecluefollowedup。ThepublicwouldhavebeenreadyenoughthentobelievethatyoumurderedoldLenman——
youoranybodyelse。Alltheywantedwasamurderer——themostimprobablewouldhaveserved。Butyouralibiwastooconfoundedlycomplete。Andnothingyou'vetoldmehasshakenit。“Denverlaidhiscoolhandovertheother'sburningfingers。
“Lookhere，oldfellow，gohomeandworkupabettercase——thencomeinandsubmitittotheInvestigator。“
IV
TheperspirationwasrollingoffGranice'sforehead。Everyfewminuteshehadtodrawouthishandkerchiefandwipethemoisturefromhishaggardface。
Foranhourandahalfhehadbeentalkingsteadily，puttinghiscasetotheDistrictAttorney。LuckilyhehadaspeakingacquaintancewithAllonby，andhadobtained，withoutmuchdifficulty，aprivateaudienceontheverydayafterhistalkwithRobertDenver。Intheintervalbetweenhehadhurriedhome，gotoutofhiseveningclothes，andgoneforthagainatonceintothedrearydawn。HisfearofAschamandthealienistmadeitimpossibleforhimtoremaininhisrooms。Anditseemedtohimthattheonlywayofavertingthathideousperilwasbyestablishing，insomesaneimpartialmind，theproofofhisguilt。Evenifhehadnotbeensoincurablysickoflife，theelectricchairseemednowtheonlyalternativetothestrait-
jacket。
AshepausedtowipehisforeheadhesawtheDistrictAttorneyglanceathiswatch。Thegesturewassignificant，andGraniceliftedanappealinghand。“Idon'texpectyoutobelievemenow——
butcan'tyouputmeunderarrest，andhavethethinglookedinto？”
Allonbysmiledfaintlyunderhisheavygrayishmoustache。Hehadaruddyface，fullandjovial，inwhichhiskeenprofessionaleyesseemedtokeepwatchoverimpulsesnotstrictlyprofessional。
“Well，Idon'tknowthatweneedlockyouupjustyet。ButofcourseI'mboundtolookintoyourstatement——“
Granicerosewithanexquisitesenseofrelief。SurelyAllonbywouldn'thavesaidthatifhehadn'tbelievedhim！
“That'sallright。ThenIneedn'tdetainyou。Icanbefoundatanytimeatmyapartment。“Hegavetheaddress。
TheDistrictAttorneysmiledagain，moreopenly。“Whatdoyousaytoleavingitforanhourortwothisevening？I'mgivingalittlesupperatRector's——quiet，littleaffair，youunderstand：
justMissMelrose——Ithinkyouknowher——andafriendortwo；andifyou'lljoinus……“
Granicestumbledoutoftheofficewithoutknowingwhatreplyhehadmade。
Hewaitedforfourdays——fourdaysofconcentratedhorror。
Duringthefirsttwenty-fourhoursthefearofAscham'salienistdoggedhim；andasthatsubsided，itwasreplacedbytheexasperatingsensethathisavowalhadmadenoimpressionontheDistrictAttorney。Evidently，ifhehadbeengoingtolookintothecase，Allonbywouldhavebeenheardfrombeforenow……
Andthatmockinginvitationtosuppershowedclearlyenoughhowlittlethestoryhadimpressedhim！
Granicewasovercomebythefutilityofanyfartherattempttoinculpatehimself。Hewaschainedtolife——a“prisonerofconsciousness。“Wherewasithehadreadthephrase？Well，hewaslearningwhatitmeant。Intheglaringnight-hours，whenhisbrainseemedablaze，hewasvisitedbyasenseofhisfixedidentity，ofhisirreducible，inexpugnableSELFNESS，keener，moreinsidious，moreunescapable，thananysensationhehadeverknown。Hehadnotguessedthatthemindwascapableofsuchintricaciesofself-realization，ofpenetratingsodeepintoitsowndarkwindings。Oftenhewokefromhisbriefsnatchesofsleepwiththefeelingthatsomethingmaterialwasclingingtohim，wasonhishandsandface，andinhisthroat——andashisbrainclearedheunderstoodthatitwasthesenseofhisownloathedpersonalitythatstucktohimlikesomethickviscoussubstance。
Then，inthefirstmorninghours，hewouldriseandlookoutofhiswindowattheawakeningactivitiesofthestreet——atthestreet-cleaners，theash-cartdrivers，andtheotherdingyworkersflittinghurriedlybythroughthesallowwinterlight。
Oh，tobeoneofthem——anyofthem——totakehischanceinanyoftheirskins！Theywerethetoilers——themenwhoselotwaspitied——thevictimsweptoverandrantedaboutbyaltruistsandeconomists；andhowgladlyhewouldhavetakenuptheloadofanyoneofthem，ifonlyhemighthaveshakenoffhisown！But，no——
theironcircleofconsciousnessheldthemtoo：eachonewashand-cuffedtohisownhideousego。Whywishtobeanyonemanratherthananother？Theonlyabsolutegoodwasnottobe……
AndFlint，comingintodrawhisbath，wouldaskifhepreferredhiseggsscrambledorpoachedthatmorning？
OnthefifthdayhewrotealongurgentlettertoAllonby；andforthesucceedingtwodayshehadtheoccupationofwaitingforananswer。Hehardlystirredfromhisrooms，inhisfearofmissingtheletterbyamoment；butwouldtheDistrictAttorneywrite，orsendarepresentative：apoliceman，a“secretagent，“
orsomeothermysteriousemissaryofthelaw？
OnthethirdmorningFlint，steppingsoftly——asif，confoundit！
hismasterwereill——enteredthelibrarywhereGranicesatbehindanunreadnewspaper，andproferredacardonatray。
Granicereadthename——J。B。Hewson——andunderneath，inpencil，“FromtheDistrictAttorney'soffice。“Hestartedupwithathumpingheart，andsignedanassenttotheservant。
Mr。Hewsonwasaslightsallownondescriptmanofaboutfifty——
thekindofmanofwhomoneissuretoseeaspecimeninanycrowd。“Justthetypeofthesuccessfuldetective，“Granicereflectedasheshookhandswithhisvisitor。
AnditwasinthatcharacterthatMr。Hewsonbrieflyintroducedhimself。HehadbeensentbytheDistrictAttorneytohave“aquiettalk“withMr。Granice——toaskhimtorepeatthestatementhehadmadeabouttheLenmanmurder。
Hismannerwassoquiet，soreasonableandreceptive，thatGranice'sself-confidencereturned。Herewasasensibleman——amanwhoknewhisbusiness——itwouldbeeasyenoughtomakeHIM
seethroughthatridiculousalibi！GraniceofferedMr。Hewsonacigar，andlightingonehimself——toprovehiscoolness——beganagaintotellhisstory。
Hewasconscious，asheproceeded，oftellingitbetterthaneverbefore。Practicehelped，nodoubt；andhislistener'sdetached，impartialattitudehelpedstillmore。HecouldseethatHewson，atleast，hadnotdecidedinadvancetodisbelievehim，andthesenseofbeingtrustedmadehimmorelucidandmoreconsecutive。
Yes，thistimehiswordswouldcertainlycarryconviction……
V
Despairingly，Granicegazedupanddowntheshabbystreet。
Besidehimstoodayoungmanwithbrightprominenteyes，asmoothbutnottoosmoothly-shavenface，andanIrishsmile。Theyoungman'snimbleglancefollowedGranice's。
“Sureofthenumber，areyou？”heaskedbriskly。
“Oh，yes——itwas104。“
“Well，then，thenewbuildinghasswalloweditup——that'scertain。“
Hetiltedhisheadbackandsurveyedthehalf-finishedfrontofabrickandlimestoneflat-housethatreareditsflimsyeleganceabovearowoftotteringtenementsandstables。
“Deadsure？”herepeated。
“Yes，“saidGranice，discouraged。“AndevenifIhadn'tbeen，I
knowthegaragewasjustoppositeLeffler'soverthere。“Hepointedacrossthestreettoatumble-downstablewithablotchedsignonwhichthewords“LiveryandBoarding“werestillfaintlydiscernible。
Theyoungmandashedacrosstotheoppositepavement。“Well，that'ssomething——maygetacluethere。Leffler's——samenamethere，anyhow。Yourememberthatname？”
“Yes——distinctly。“
GranicehadfeltareturnofconfidencesincehehadenlistedtheinterestoftheExplorer's“smartest“reporter。Ifthereweremomentswhenhehardlybelievedhisownstory，therewereotherswhenitseemedimpossiblethateveryoneshouldnotbelieveit；
andyoungPeterMcCarren，peering，listening，questioning，jottingdownnotes，inspiredhimwithanexquisitesenseofsecurity。McCarrenhadfastenedonthecaseatonce，“likealeech，“ashephrasedit——jumpedatit，thrilledtoit，andsettleddownto“drawthelastdropoffactfromit，andhadnotletgotillhehad。“NooneelsehadtreatedGraniceinthatway——evenAllonby'sdetectivehadnottakenasinglenote。Andthoughaweekhadelapsedsincethevisitofthatauthorizedofficial，nothinghadbeenheardfromtheDistrictAttorney'soffice：Allonbyhadapparentlydroppedthematteragain。ButMcCarrenwasn'tgoingtodropit——nothe！HepositivelyhungonGranice'sfootsteps。Theyhadspentthegreaterpartofthepreviousdaytogether，andnowtheywereoffagain，runningdownclues。
ButatLeffler'stheygotnone，afterall。Leffler'swasnolongerastable。Itwascondemnedtodemolition，andintherespitebetweensentenceandexecutionithadbecomeavagueplaceofstorage，ahospitalforbroken-downcarriagesandcarts，presidedoverbyablear-eyedoldwomanwhoknewnothingofFlood'sgarageacrosstheway——didnotevenrememberwhathadstoodtherebeforethenewflat-housebegantorise。
“Well——wemayrunLefflerdownsomewhere；I'veseenharderjobsdone，“saidMcCarren，cheerfullynotingdownthename。
AstheywalkedbacktowardSixthAvenueheadded，inalesssanguinetone：“I'dundertakenowtoputthethingthroughifyoucouldonlyputmeonthetrackofthatcyanide。“
Granice'sheartsank。Yes——therewastheweakspot；hehadfeltitfromthefirst！ButhestillhopedtoconvinceMcCarrenthathiscasewasstrongenoughwithoutit；andheurgedthereportertocomebacktohisroomsandsumupthefactswithhimagain。
“Sorry，Mr。Granice，butI'mdueattheofficenow。Besides，it'dbenousetillIgetsomefreshstufftoworkon。SupposeI
callyouuptomorrowornextday？”
HeplungedintoatrolleyandleftGranicegazingdesolatelyafterhim。
Twodayslaterhereappearedattheapartment，ashadelessjauntyindemeanor。
“Well，Mr。Granice，thestarsintheircoursesareagainstyou，asthebardsays。Can'tgetatraceofFlood，orofLefflereither。AndyousayyouboughtthemotorthroughFlood，andsolditthroughhim，too？”
“Yes，“saidGranicewearily。
“Whoboughtit，doyouknow？”
Granicewrinkledhisbrows。“Why，Flood——yes，Floodhimself。I
solditbacktohimthreemonthslater。“
“Flood？Thedevil！AndI'veransackedthetownforFlood。Thatkindofbusinessdisappearsasiftheearthhadswallowedit。“
Granice，discouraged，keptsilence。
“Thatbringsusbacktothepoison，“McCarrencontinued，hisnote-bookout。“Justgooverthatagain，willyou？”
AndGranicewentoveritagain。Ithadallbeensosimpleatthetime——andhehadbeensocleverincoveringuphistraces！Assoonashedecidedonpoisonhelookedaboutforanacquaintancewhomanufacturedchemicals；andtherewasJimDawes，aHarvardclassmate，inthedyeingbusiness——justtheman。Butatthelastmomentitoccurredtohimthatsuspicionmightturntowardsoobviousanopportunity，andhedecidedonamoretortuouscourse。
Anotherfriend，CarrickVenn，astudentofmedicinewhomirremediableill-healthhadkeptfromthepracticeofhisprofession，amusedhisleisurewithexperimentsinphysics，fortheexerciseofwhichhehadsetupasimplelaboratory。GranicehadthehabitofdroppingintosmokeacigarwithhimonSundayafternoons，andthefriendsgenerallysatinVenn'swork-shop，atthebackoftheoldfamilyhouseinStuyvesantSquare。Offthiswork-shopwasthecupboardofsupplies，withitsrowofdeadlybottles。CarrickVennwasanoriginal，amanofrestlesscurioustastes，andhisplace，onaSunday，wasoftenfullofvisitors：acheerfulcrowdofjournalists，scribblers，painters，experimentersindiversformsofexpression。Comingandgoingamongsomany，itwaseasyenoughtopassunperceived；andoneafternoonGranice，arrivingbeforeVennhadreturnedhome，foundhimselfaloneinthework-shop，andquicklyslippingintothecupboard，transferredthedrugtohispocket。
Butthathadhappenedtenyearsago；andVenn，poorfellow，waslongsincedeadofhisdraggingailment。Hisoldfatherwasdead，too，thehouseinStuyvesantSquarehadbeenturnedintoaboarding-house，andtheshiftinglifeofNewYorkhadpasseditsrapidspongeovereverytraceoftheirobscurelittlehistory。
EventheoptimisticMcCarrenseemedtoacknowledgethehopelessnessofseekingforproofinthatdirection。
“Andthere'sthethirddoorslammedinourfaces。“Heshuthisnote-book，andthrowingbackhishead，restedhisbrightinquisitiveeyesonGranice'sfurrowedface。
“Lookhere，Mr。Granice——youseetheweakspot，don'tyou？”
Theothermadeadespairingmotion。“Iseesomany！”
“Yes：buttheonethatweakensalltheothers。Whythedeucedoyouwantthisthingknown？Whydoyouwanttoputyourheadintothenoose？”
Granicelookedathimhopelessly，tryingtotakethemeasureofhisquicklightirreverentmind。Noonesofullofacheerfulanimallifewouldbelieveinthecravingfordeathasasufficientmotive；andGranicerackedhisbrainforonemoreconvincing。Butsuddenlyhesawthereporter'sfacesoften，andmelttoanaivesentimentalism。
“Mr。Granice——hasthememoryofitalwayshauntedyou？”
Granicestaredamoment，andthenleaptattheopening。“That'sit——thememoryofit……always……“
McCarrennoddedvehemently。“Doggedyoursteps，eh？Wouldn'tletyousleep？ThetimecamewhenyouHADtomakeacleanbreastofit？”
“Ihadto。Can'tyouunderstand？”
Thereporterstruckhisfistonthetable。“God，sir！Idon'tsupposethere'sahumanbeingwithadropofwarmbloodinhimthatcan'tpicturethedeadlyhorrorsofremorse——“
TheCelticimaginationwasaflame，andGranicemutelythankedhimfortheword。WhatneitherAschamnorDenverwouldacceptasaconceivablemotivetheIrishreporterseizedonasthemostadequate；and，ashesaid，onceonecouldfindaconvincingmotive，thedifficultiesofthecasebecamesomanyincentivestoeffort。
“Remorse——REMORSE，“herepeated，rollingthewordunderhistonguewithanaccentthatwasacluetothepsychologyofthepopulardrama；andGranice，perversely，saidtohimself：“IfI
couldonlyhavestruckthatnoteIshouldhavebeenrunninginsixtheatresatonce。“
HesawthatfromthatmomentMcCarren'sprofessionalzealwouldbefannedbyemotionalcuriosity；andheprofitedbythefacttoproposethattheyshoulddinetogether，andgoonafterwardtosomemusic-hallortheatre。ItwasbecomingnecessarytoGranicetofeelhimselfanobjectofpre-occupation，tofindhimselfinanothermind。HetookakindofgraypenumbralpleasureinrivetingMcCarren'sattentiononhiscase；andtofeignthegrimacesofmoralanguishbecameapassionatelyengrossinggame。
Hehadnotenteredatheatreformonths；buthesatoutthemeaninglessperformanceinrigidtolerance，sustainedbythesenseofthereporter'sobservation。
Betweentheacts，McCarrenamusedhimwithanecdotesabouttheaudience：hekneweveryonebysight，andcouldliftthecurtainfromeveryphysiognomy。Granicelistenedindulgently。Hehadlostallinterestinhiskind，butheknewthathewashimselftherealcentreofMcCarren'sattention，andthateverywordthelatterspokehadanindirectbearingonhisownproblem。
“Seethatfellowoverthere——thelittledried-upmaninthethirdrow，pullinghismoustache？HISmemoirswouldbeworthpublishing，“McCarrensaidsuddenlyinthelastentr'acte。
Granice，followinghisglance，recognizedthedetectivefromAllonby'soffice。Foramomenthehadthethrillingsensethathewasbeingshadowed。
“Caesar，ifHEcouldtalk——！”McCarrencontinued。“Knowwhoheis，ofcourse？Dr。JohnB。Stell，thebiggestalienistinthecountry——“
Granice，withastart，bentagainbetweentheheadsinfrontofhim。“THATman——thefourthfromtheaisle？You'remistaken。
That'snotDr。Stell。“
McCarrenlaughed。“Well，IguessI'vebeenincourtenoughtoknowStellwhenIseehim。Hetestifiesinnearlyallthebigcaseswheretheypleadinsanity。“
AcoldshiverrandownGranice'sspine，butherepeatedobstinately：“That'snotDr。Stell。“
“NotStell？Why，man，IKNOWhim。Look——herehecomes。Ifitisn'tStell，hewon'tspeaktome。“
Thelittledried-upmanwasmovingslowlyuptheaisle。AshenearedMcCarrenhemadeaslightgestureofrecognition。
“How'do，DoctorStell？Prettyslimshow，ain'tit？”thereportercheerfullyflungoutathim。AndMr。J。B。Hewson，withanodofamicableassent，passedon。
Granicesatbenumbed。Heknewhehadnotbeenmistaken——themanwhohadjustpassedwasthesamemanwhomAllonbyhadsenttoseehim：aphysiciandisguisedasadetective。Allonby，then，hadthoughthiminsane，liketheothers——hadregardedhisconfessionasthemaunderingofamaniac。ThediscoveryfrozeGranicewithhorror——heseemedtoseethemad-housegapingforhim。
“Isn'tthereamanagooddeallikehim——adetectivenamedJ。B。
Hewson？”
ButheknewinadvancewhatMcCarren'sanswerwouldbe。“Hewson？
J。B。Hewson？Neverheardofhim。ButthatwasJ。B。Stellfastenough——Iguesshecanbetrustedtoknowhimself，andyousawheansweredtohisname。“
VI
SomedayspassedbeforeGranicecouldobtainawordwiththeDistrictAttorney：hebegantothinkthatAllonbyavoidedhim。
ButwhentheywerefacetofaceAllonby'sjovialcountenanceshowednosignofembarrassment。Hewavedhisvisitortoachair，andleanedacrosshisdeskwiththeencouragingsmileofaconsultingphysician。
Granicebrokeoutatonce：“Thatdetectiveyousentmetheotherday——“
Allonbyraisedadeprecatinghand。
“——Iknow：itwasStellthealienist。Whydidyoudothat，Allonby？”
Theother'sfacedidnotloseitscomposure。“BecauseIlookedupyourstoryfirst——andthere'snothinginit。“
“Nothinginit？”Granicefuriouslyinterposed。
“Absolutelynothing。Ifthereis，whythedeucedon'tyoubringmeproofs？Iknowyou'vebeentalkingtoPeterAscham，andtoDenver，andtothatlittleferretMcCarrenoftheExplorer。Haveanyofthembeenabletomakeoutacaseforyou？No。Well，whatamItodo？”
Granice'slipsbegantotremble。“Whydidyouplaymethattrick？”
“AboutStell？Ihadto，mydearfellow：it'spartofmybusiness。StellISadetective，ifyoucometothat——everydoctoris。“
ThetremblingofGranice'slipsincreased，communicatingitselfinalongquivertohisfacialmuscles。Heforcedalaughthroughhisdrythroat。“Well——andwhatdidhedetect？”
“Inyou？Oh，hethinksit'soverwork——overworkandtoomuchsmoking。Ifyoulookinonhimsomedayathisofficehe'llshowyoutherecordofhundredsofcaseslikeyours，andadviseyouwhattreatmenttofollow。It'soneofthecommonestformsofhallucination。Haveacigar，allthesame。“
“But，Allonby，Ikilledthatman！”
TheDistrictAttorney'slargehand，outstretchedonhisdesk，hadanalmostimperceptiblegesture，andamomentlater，asifananswertothecallofanelectricbell，aclerklookedinfromtheouteroffice。
“Sorry，mydearfellow——lotofpeoplewaiting。DropinonStellsomemorning，“Allonbysaid，shakinghands。
McCarrenhadtoownhimselfbeaten：therewasabsolutelynoflawinthealibi。Andsincehisdutytohisjournalobviouslyforbadehiswastingtimeoninsolublemysteries，heceasedtofrequentGranice，whodroppedbackintoadeeperisolation。ForadayortwoafterhisvisittoAllonbyhecontinuedtoliveindreadofDr。Stell。WhymightnotAllonbyhavedeceivedhimastothealienist'sdiagnosis？Whatifhewerereallybeingshadowed，notbyapoliceagentbutbyamad-doctor？Tohavethetruthout，hesuddenlydeterminedtocallonDr。Stell。
Thephysicianreceivedhimkindly，andrevertedwithoutembarrassmenttotheconditionsoftheirpreviousmeeting。“Wehavetodothatoccasionally，Mr。Granice；it'soneofourmethods。AndyouhadgivenAllonbyafright。“
Granicewassilent。Hewouldhavelikedtoreaffirmhisguilt，toproducethefreshargumentswhichhadoccurredtohimsincehislasttalkwiththephysician；buthefearedhiseagernessmightbetakenforasymptomofderangement，andheaffectedtosmileawayDr。Stell'sallusion。
“Youthink，then，it'sacaseofbrain-fag——nothingmore？”
“Nothingmore。AndIshouldadviseyoutoknockofftobacco。
Yousmokeagooddeal，don'tyou？”
Hedevelopedhistreatment，recommendingmassage，gymnastics，travel，oranyformofdiversionthatdidnot——thatinshort——
Graniceinterruptedhimimpatiently。“Oh，Iloatheallthat——andI'msickoftravelling。“
“H'm。Thensomelargerinterest——politics，reform，philanthropy？
Somethingtotakeyououtofyourself。“
“Yes。Iunderstand，“saidGranicewearily。
“Aboveall，don'tloseheart。Iseehundredsofcaseslikeyours，“thedoctoraddedcheerfullyfromthethreshold。
OnthedoorstepGranicestoodstillandlaughed。Hundredsofcaseslikehis——thecaseofamanwhohadcommittedamurder，whoconfessedhisguilt，andwhomnoonewouldbelieve！Why，therehadneverbeenacaselikeitintheworld。WhatagoodfigureStellwouldhavemadeinaplay：thegreatalienistwhocouldn'treadaman'smindanybetterthanthat！
Granicesawhugecomicopportunitiesinthetype。
Butashewalkedaway，hisfearsdispelled，thesenseoflistlessnessreturnedonhim。ForthefirsttimesincehisavowaltoPeterAschamhefoundhimselfwithoutanoccupation，andunderstoodthathehadbeencarriedthroughthepastweeksonlybythenecessityofconstantaction。Nowhislifehadoncemorebecomeastagnantbackwater，andashestoodonthestreetcornerwatchingthetidesoftrafficsweepby，heaskedhimselfdespairinglyhowmuchlongerhecouldenduretofloataboutinthesluggishcircleofhisconsciousness。
Thethoughtofself-destructionrecurredtohim；butagainhisfleshrecoiled。Heyearnedfordeathfromotherhands，buthecouldnevertakeitfromhisown。And，asidefromhisinsuperablephysicalreluctance，anothermotiverestrainedhim。
Hewaspossessedbythedoggeddesiretoestablishthetruthofhisstory。Herefusedtobesweptasideasanirresponsibledreamer——evenifhehadtokillhimselfintheend，hewouldnotdosobeforeprovingtosocietythathehaddeserveddeathfromit。
Hebegantowritelongletterstothepapers；butafterthefirsthadbeenpublishedandcommentedon，publiccuriositywasquelledbyabriefstatementfromtheDistrictAttorney'soffice，andtherestofhiscommunicationsremainedunprinted。Aschamcametoseehim，andbeggedhimtotravel。RobertDenverdroppedin，andtriedtojokehimoutofhisdelusion；tillGranice，mistrustfuloftheirmotives，begantodreadthereappearanceofDr。Stell，andsetaguardonhislips。Butthewordshekeptbackengenderedothersandstillothersinhisbrain。Hisinnerselfbecameahummingfactoryofarguments，andhespentlonghoursrecitingandwritingdownelaboratestatementsofhiscrime，whichheconstantlyretouchedanddeveloped。Thengraduallyhisactivitylanguishedunderthelackofanaudience，thesenseofbeingburiedbeneathdeepeningdriftsofindifference。Inapassionofresentmenthesworethathewouldprovehimselfamurderer，evenifhehadtocommitanothercrimetodoit；andforasleeplessnightortwothethoughtflamedredonhisdarkness。Butdaylightdispelledit。Thedeterminingimpulsewaslackingandhehatedtoopromiscuouslytochoosehisvictim……
Sohewasthrownbackontheunavailingstruggletoimposethetruthofhisstory。Asfastasonechannelclosedonhimhetriedtopierceanotherthroughtheslidingsandsofincredulity。
Buteveryissueseemedblocked，andthewholehumanraceleaguedtogethertocheatonemanoftherighttodie。
Thusviewed，thesituationbecamesomonstrousthathelosthislastshredofself-restraintincontemplatingit。Whatifhewerereallythevictimofsomemockingexperiment，thecentreofaringofholiday-makersjeeringatapoorcreatureinitsblinddashesagainstthesolidwallsofconsciousness？But，no——menwerenotsouniformlycruel：therewereflawsintheclosesurfaceoftheirindifference，cracksofweaknessandpityhereandthere……
Granicebegantothinkthathismistakelayinhavingappealedtopersonsmoreorlessfamiliarwithhispast，andtowhomthevisibleconformitiesofhislifeseemedafinaldisproofofitsonefiercesecretdeviation。Thegeneraltendencywastotakeforthewholeoflifetheslitseenbetweentheblindersofhabit：andinhiswalkdownthatnarrowvistaGranicecutacorrectenoughfigure。Toavisionfreetofollowhiswholeorbithisstorywouldbemoreintelligible：itwouldbeeasiertoconvinceachanceidlerinthestreetthanthetrainedintelligencehamperedbyasenseofhisantecedents。Thisideashotupinhimwiththetropicluxurianceofeachnewseedofthought，andhebegantowalkthestreets，andtofrequentout-
of-the-waychop-housesandbarsinhissearchfortheimpartialstrangertowhomheshoulddisclosehimself。
Atfirsteveryfacelookedencouragement；butatthecrucialmomenthealwaysheldback。Somuchwasatstake，anditwassoessentialthathisfirstchoiceshouldbedecisive。Hedreadedstupidity，timidity，intolerance。Theimaginativeeye，thefurrowedbrow，werewhathesought。Hemustrevealhimselfonlytoaheartversedinthetortuousmotionsofthehumanwill；andhebegantohatethedullbenevolenceoftheaverageface。Onceortwice，obscurely，allusively，hemadeabeginning——oncesittingdownataman'ssideinabasementchop-house，anotherdayapproachingaloungeronaneast-sidewharf。Butinbothcasesthepremonitionoffailurecheckedhimonthebrinkofavowal。Hisdreadofbeingtakenforamanintheclutchofafixedideagavehimanunnaturalkeennessinreadingtheexpressionofhisinterlocutors，andhehadprovidedhimselfinadvancewithaseriesofverbalalternatives，trap-doorsofevasionfromthefirstdartofridiculeorsuspicion。
Hepassedthegreaterpartofthedayinthestreets，cominghomeatirregularhours，dreadingthesilenceandorderlinessofhisapartment，andthecriticalscrutinyofFlint。Hisreallifewasspentinaworldsoremotefromthisfamiliarsettingthathesometimeshadthemysterioussenseofalivingmetempsychosis，afurtivepassagefromoneidentitytoanother——yettheotherasunescapablyhimself！
Onehumiliationhewasspared：thedesiretoliveneverrevivedinhim。Notforamomentwashetemptedtoashabbypactwithexistingconditions。Hewantedtodie，wanteditwiththefixedunwaveringdesirewhichaloneattainsitsend。Andstilltheendeludedhim！Itwouldnotalways，ofcourse——hehadfullfaithinthedarkstarofhisdestiny。Andhecouldproveitbestbyrepeatinghisstory，persistentlyandindefatigably，pouringitintoindifferentears，hammeringitintodullbrains，tillatlastitkindledaspark，andsomeoneofthecarelessmillionspaused，listened，believed……
ItwasamildMarchday，andhehadbeenloiteringonthewest-
sidedocks，lookingatfaces。Hewasbecominganexpertinphysiognomies：hiseagernessnolongermaderashdartsandawkwardrecoils。Heknewnowthefaceheneeded，asclearlyasifithadcometohiminavision；andnottillhefounditwouldhespeak。Ashewalkedeastwardthroughtheshabbyreekingstreetshehadapremonitionthatheshouldfinditthatmorning。
Perhapsitwasthepromiseofspringintheair——certainlyhefeltcalmerthanformanydays……
HeturnedintoWashingtonSquare，struckacrossitobliquely，andwalkedupUniversityPlace。Itsheterogeneouspassersalwaysalluredhim——theywerelesshurriedthaninBroadway，lessenclosedandclassifiedthaninFifthAvenue。Hewalkedslowly，watchingforhisface。
AtUnionSquarehefeltasuddenrelapseintodiscouragement，likeavotarywhohaswatchedtoolongforasignfromthealtar。
Perhaps，afterall，heshouldneverfindhisface……Theairwaslanguid，andhefelttired。Hewalkedbetweenthebaldgrass-plotsandthetwistedtrees，makingforanemptyseat。
Presentlyhepassedabenchonwhichagirlsatalone，andsomethingasdefiniteasthetwitchofacordmadehimstopbeforeher。Hehadneverdreamedoftellinghisstorytoagirl，hadhardlylookedatthewomen'sfacesastheypassed。Hiscasewasman'swork：howcouldawomanhelphim？Butthisgirl'sfacewasextraordinary——quietandwideasacleareveningsky。Itsuggestedahundredimagesofspace，distance，mystery，likeshipshehadseen，asaboy，quietlyberthedbyafamiliarwharf，butwiththebreathoffarseasandstrangeharboursintheirshrouds……Certainlythisgirlwouldunderstand。Hewentuptoherquietly，liftinghishat，observingtheforms——wishinghertoseeatoncethathewas“agentleman。“
“Iamastrangertoyou，“hebegan，sittingdownbesideher，“butyourfaceissoextremelyintelligentthatIfeel……IfeelitisthefaceI'vewaitedfor……lookedforeverywhere；andI
wanttotellyou——“
Thegirl'seyeswidened：sherosetoherfeet。Shewasescapinghim！
Inhisdismayheranafewstepsafterher，andcaughtherroughlybythearm。
“Here——wait——listen！Oh，don'tscream，youfool！”heshoutedout。
Hefeltahandonhisownarm；turnedandconfrontedapoliceman。
Instantlyheunderstoodthathewasbeingarrested，andsomethinghardwithinhimwasloosenedandrantotears。
“Ah，youknow——youKNOWI'mguilty！”
Hewasconsciousthatacrowdwasforming，andthatthegirl'sfrightenedfacehaddisappeared。Butwhatdidhecareaboutherface？Itwasthepolicemanwhohadreallyunderstoodhim。Heturnedandfollowed，thecrowdathisheels……
VII
Inthecharmingplaceinwhichhefoundhimselfthereweresomanysympatheticfacesthathefeltmorethaneverconvincedofthecertaintyofmakinghimselfheard。
Itwasabadblow，atfirst，tofindthathehadnotbeenarrestedformurder；butAscham，whohadcometohimatonce，explainedthatheneededrest，andthetimeto“review“hisstatements；itappearedthatreiterationhadmadethemalittleconfusedandcontradictory。Tothisendhehadwillinglyacquiescedinhisremovaltoalargequietestablishment，withanopenspaceandtreesaboutit，wherehehadfoundanumberofintelligentcompanions，some，likehimself，engagedinpreparingorreviewingstatementsoftheircases，andothersreadytolendaninterestedeartohisownrecital。
Foratimehewascontenttolethimselfgoonthetranquilcurrentofthisexistence；butalthoughhisauditorsgavehimforthemostpartanencouragingattention，which，insome，wentthelengthofreallybrilliantandhelpfulsuggestion，hegraduallyfeltarecurrenceofhisolddoubts。Eitherhishearerswerenotsincere，orelsetheyhadlesspowertoaidhimthantheyboasted。Hisinterminableconferencesresultedinnothing，andasthebenefitofthelongrestmadeitselffelt，itproducedanincreasedmentalluciditywhichrenderedinactionmoreandmoreunbearable。Atlengthhediscoveredthatoncertaindaysvisitorsfromtheouterworldwereadmittedtohisretreat；andhewroteoutlongandlogicallyconstructedrelationsofhiscrime，andfurtivelyslippedthemintothehandsofthesemessengersofhope。
Thisoccupationgavehimafreshleaseofpatience，andhenowlivedonlytowatchforthevisitors'days，andscanthefacesthatsweptbyhimlikestarsseenandlostintheriftsofahurryingsky。
Mostly，thesefaceswerestrangeandlessintelligentthanthoseofhiscompanions。Buttheyrepresentedhislastmeansofaccesstotheworld，akindofsubterraneanchannelonwhichhecouldsethis“statements“afloat，likepaperboatswhichthemysteriouscurrentmightsweepoutintotheopenseasoflife。
Oneday，however，hisattentionwasarrestedbyafamiliarcontour，apairofbrightprominenteyes，andachininsufficientlyshaved。HesprangupandstoodinthepathofPeterMcCarren。
Thejournalistlookedathimdoubtfully，thenheldouthishandwithastartleddeprecating，“WHY——？”
“Youdidn'tknowme？I'msochanged？”Granicefaltered，feelingthereboundoftheother'swonder。
“Why，no；butyou'relookingquieter——smoothedout，“McCarrensmiled。
“Yes：that'swhatI'mherefor——torest。AndI'vetakentheopportunitytowriteoutaclearerstatement——“
Granice'shandshooksothathecouldhardlydrawthefoldedpaperfromhispocket。Ashedidsohenoticedthatthereporterwasaccompaniedbyatallmanwithgravecompassionateeyes。ItcametoGraniceinawildthrillofconvictionthatthiswasthefacehehadwaitedfor……
“Perhapsyourfriend——heISyourfriend？——wouldglanceoverit——
orIcouldputthecaseinafewwordsifyouhavetime？”
Granice'svoiceshooklikehishand。Ifthischanceescapedhimhefeltthathislasthopewasgone。McCarrenandthestrangerlookedateachother，andtheformerglancedathiswatch。
“I'msorrywecan'tstayandtalkitovernow，Mr。Granice；butmyfriendhasanengagement，andwe'reratherpressed——“
Granicecontinuedtoprofferthepaper。“I'msorry——IthinkI
couldhaveexplained。Butyou'lltakethis，atanyrate？”
Thestrangerlookedathimgently。“Certainly——I'lltakeit。“
Hehadhishandout。“Good-bye。“
“Good-bye，“Graniceechoed。
Hestoodwatchingthetwomenmoveawayfromhimthroughthelonglighthall；andashewatchedthematearrandownhisface。Butassoonastheywereoutofsightheturnedandwalkedhastilytowardhisroom，beginningtohopeagain，alreadyplanninganewstatement。
Outsidethebuildingthetwomenstoodstill，andthejournalist'scompanionlookedupcuriouslyatthelongmonotonousrowsofbarredwindows。
“SothatwasGranice？”
“Yes——thatwasGranice，poordevil，“saidMcCarren。
“Strangecase！Isupposethere'sneverbeenonejustlikeit？
He'sstillabsolutelyconvincedthathecommittedthatmurder？”
“Absolutely。Yes。“
Thestrangerreflected。“Andtherewasnoconceivablegroundfortheidea？Noonecouldmakeouthowitstarted？Aquietconventionalsortoffellowlikethat——wheredoyousupposehegotsuchadelusion？Didyouevergettheleastcluetoit？”
McCarrenstoodstill，hishandsinhispockets，hisheadcockedupincontemplationofthebarredwindows。Thenheturnedhisbrighthardgazeonhiscompanion。
“Thatwasthequeerpartofit。I'veneverspokenofit——butI
DIDgetaclue。“
“ByJove！That'sinteresting。Whatwasit？”
McCarrenformedhisredlipsintoawhistle。“Why——thatitwasn'tadelusion。“
Heproducedhiseffect——theotherturnedonhimwithapallidstare。
“Hemurderedthemanallright。Itumbledonthetruthbythemerestaccident，whenI'dprettynearlychuckedthewholejob。“
“Hemurderedhim——murderedhiscousin？”
“Sureasyoulive。Onlydon'tsplitonme。It'saboutthequeerestbusinessIeverraninto……DOABOUTIT？Why，whatwasItodo？Icouldn'thangthepoordevil，couldI？Lord，butIwasgladwhentheycollaredhim，andhadhimstowedawaysafeinthere！”
Thetallmanlistenedwithagraveface，graspingGranice'sstatementinhishand。
“Here——takethis；itmakesmesick，“hesaidabruptly，thrustingthepaperatthereporter；andthetwomenturnedandwalkedinsilencetothegates。
TheEndTHEDILETTANTE
asfirstpublishedinHarper'sMonthly，December1903
Itwasonanimpulsehardlyneedingtheargumentshefoundhimselfadvancinginitsfavor，thatThursdale，onhiswaytotheclub，turnedasusualintoMrs。Vervain'sstreet。
The“asusual“washisownqualificationoftheact；aconvenientwayofbridgingtheinterval——indaysandothersequences——thatlaybetweenthisvisitandthelast。Itwascharacteristicofhimthatheinstinctivelyexcludedhiscalltwodaysearlier，withRuthGaynor，fromthelistofhisvisitstoMrs。Vervain：
thespecialconditionsattendingithadmadeitnomorelikeavisittoMrs。Vervainthananengraveddinnerinvitationislikeapersonalletter。YetitwastotalkoverhiscallwithMissGaynorthathewasnowreturningtothesceneofthatepisode；
anditwasbecauseMrs。Vervaincouldbetrustedtohandlethetalkingoverasskilfullyastheinterviewitselfthat，athercorner，hehadfeltthedilettante'sirresistiblecravingtotakealastlookataworkofartthatwaspassingoutofhispossession。
Onthewhole，heknewnoonebetterfittedtodealwiththeunexpectedthanMrs。Vervain。Sheexcelledintherareartoftakingthingsforgranted，andThursdalefeltapardonableprideinthethoughtthatsheowedherexcellencetohistraining。
EarlyinhiscareerThursdalehadmadethemistake，attheoutsetofhisacquaintancewithalady，oftellingherthathelovedherandexactingthesameavowalinreturn。Thelatterpartofthatepisodehadbeenlikethelongwalkbackfromapicnic，whenonehastocarryallthecrockeryonehasfinishedusing：itwasthelasttimeThursdaleeverallowedhimselftobeencumberedwiththedebrisofafeast。Hethusincidentallylearnedthattheprivilegeoflovingherisoneoftheleastfavorsthatacharmingwomancanaccord；andinseekingtoavoidthepitfallsofsentimenthehaddevelopedascienceofevasioninwhichthewomanofthemomentbecameamereimplementofthegame。Heowedagreatdealofdelicateenjoymenttothecultivationofthisart。Theperilsfromwhichithadbeenhisrefugebecamenaivelyharmless：wasitpossiblethathewhonowtookhiseasywayalongthelevelshadoncepreferredtogaspontherawheightsofemotion？Youthisahigh-coloredseason；buthehadthesatisfactionoffeelingthathehadenteredearlierthanmostintothatchiar'oscuroofsensationwhereeveryhalf-tonehasitsvalue。
AsapromoterofthispleasurenoonehehadknownwascomparabletoMrs。Vervain。Hehadtaughtagoodmanywomennottobetraytheirfeelings，buthehadneverbeforehadsuchfinematerialtoworkin。Shehadbeensurprisinglycrudewhenhefirstknewher；
capableofmakingthemostawkwardinferences，ofplungingthroughthinice，ofrecklesslyundressingheremotions；butshehadacquired，underthedisciplineofhisreticencesandevasions，askillalmostequaltohisown，andperhapsmoreremarkableinthatitinvolvedkeepingtimewithanytuneheplayedandreadingatsightsomeuncommonlydifficultpassages。
IthadtakenThursdalesevenyearstoformthisfinetalent；buttheresultjustifiedtheeffort。Atthecrucialmomentshehadbeenperfect：herwayofgreetingMissGaynorhadmadehimregretthathehadannouncedhisengagementbyletter。Itwasanevasionthatconfessedadifficulty；adeviationimplyinganobstacle，where，bycommonconsent，itwasagreedtoseenone；itbetrayed，inshort，alackofconfidenceinthecompletenessofhismethod。Ithadbeenhispridenevertoputhimselfinapositionwhichhadtobequitted，asitwere，bythebackdoor；
buthere，asheperceived，themainportalswouldhaveopenedforhimoftheirownaccord。Allthis，andmuchmore，hereadinthefinishednaturalnesswithwhichMrs。VervainhadmetMissGaynor。
Hehadneverseenabetterpieceofwork：therewasnoover-
eagerness，nosuspiciouswarmth，aboveallandthisgaveherartthegraceofanaturalqualitytherewerenoneofthosedamnableimplicationswherebyawoman，inwelcomingherfriend'sbetrothed，maykeephimonpinsandneedleswhileshelapstheladyincomplacency。Somasterlyaperformance，indeed，hardlyneededtheoffsetofMissGaynor'sdoor-stepwords——“Tobesokindtome，howshemusthavelikedyou！”——thoughhecaughthimselfwishingitlaywithintheboundsoffitnesstotransmitthem，asafinaltribute，totheonewomanheknewwhowasunfailinglycertaintoenjoyagoodthing。ItwasperhapstheonedrawbacktohisnewsituationthatitmightdevelopgoodthingswhichitwouldbeimpossibletohandontoMargaretVervain。
Thefactthathehadmadethemistakeofunderratinghisfriend'spowers，theconsciousnessthathiswritingmusthavebetrayedhisdistrustofherefficiency，seemedanaddedreasonforturningdownherstreetinsteadofgoingontotheclub。Hewouldshowherthatheknewhowtovalueher；hewouldaskhertoachievewithhimafeatinfinitelyrarerandmoredelicatethantheonehehadappearedtoavoid。Incidentally，hewouldalsodisposeoftheintervaloftimebeforedinner：eversincehehadseenMissGaynoroff，anhourearlier，onherreturnjourneytoBuffalo，hehadbeenwonderinghowheshouldputintherestoftheafternoon。Itwasabsurd，howhemissedthegirl……Yes，thatwasit；thedesiretotalkaboutherwas，afterall，atthebottomofhisimpulsetocallonMrs。Vervain！Itwasabsurd，ifyoulike——butitwasdelightfullyrejuvenating。Hecouldrecallthetimewhenhehadbeenafraidofbeingobvious：nowhefeltthatthisreturntotheprimitiveemotionsmightbeasrestorativeasaholidayintheCanadianwoods。Anditwaspreciselybythegirl'scandor，herdirectness，herlackofcomplications，thathewastaken。Thesensethatshemightsaysomethingrashatanymomentwaspositivelyexhilarating：ifshehadthrownherarmsabouthimatthestationhewouldnothavegivenathoughttohiscrumpleddignity。ItsurprisedThursdaletofindwhatfreshnessofhearthebroughttotheadventure；andthoughhissenseofironypreventedhisascribinghisintactnesstoanyconsciouspurpose，hecouldbutrejoiceinthefactthathissentimentaleconomieshadlefthimsuchalargesurplustodrawupon。
Mrs。Vervainwasathome——asusual。Whenonevisitsthecemeteryoneexpectstofindtheangelonthetombstone，anditstruckThursdaleasanotherproofofhisfriend'sgoodtastethatshehadbeeninnounduehastetochangeherhabits。Thewholehouseappearedtocountonhiscoming；thefootmantookhishatandovercoatasnaturallyasthoughtherehadbeennolapseinhisvisits；andthedrawing-roomatonceenvelopedhiminthatatmosphereoftacitintelligencewhichMrs。Vervainimpartedtoherveryfurniture。
Itwasasurprisethat，inthisgeneralharmonyofcircumstances，Mrs。Vervainshouldherselfsoundthefirstfalsenote。
“You？”sheexclaimed；andthebooksheheldslippedfromherhand。
Itwascrude，certainly；unlessitwereatouchofthefinestart。ThedifficultyofclassifyingitdisturbedThursdale'sbalance。
“Whynot？”hesaid，restoringthebook。“Isn'titmyhour？”Andasshemadenoanswer，headdedgently，“Unlessit'ssomeoneelse's？”
Shelaidthebookasideandsankbackintoherchair。“Mine，merely，“shesaid。
“Ihopethatdoesn'tmeanthatyou'reunwillingtoshareit？”
“Withyou？Bynomeans。You'rewelcometomylastcrust。“
Helookedatherreproachfully。“Doyoucallthisthelast？”
Shesmiledashedroppedintotheseatacrossthehearth。“It'sawayofgivingitmoreflavor！”
Hereturnedthesmile。“Avisittoyoudoesn'tneedsuchcondiments。“
Shetookthiswithjusttherightmeasureofretrospectiveamusement。
“Ah，butIwanttoputintothisoneaveryspecialtaste，“sheconfessed。
Hersmilewassoconfident，soreassuring，thatitlulledhimintotheimprudenceofsaying，“Whyshouldyouwantittobedifferentfromwhatwasalwayssoperfectlyright？”
Shehesitated。“Doesn'tthefactthatit'sthelastconstituteadifference？”
“Thelast——mylastvisittoyou？”
“Oh，metaphorically，Imean——there'sabreakinthecontinuity。“
Decidedly，shewaspressingtoohard：unlearninghisartsalready！
“Idon'trecognizeit，“hesaid。“Unlessyoumakeme——“headded，withanotethatslightlystirredherattitudeoflanguidattention。
Sheturnedtohimwithgraveeyes。“Yourecognizenodifferencewhatever？”
“None——exceptanaddedlinkinthechain。“
“Anaddedlink？”
“Inhavingonemorethingtolikeyoufor——yourlettingMissGaynorseewhyIhadalreadysomany。“Heflatteredhimselfthatthisturnhadtakentheleasthintoffatuityfromthephrase。
Mrs。Vervainsankintoherformereasypose。“Wasitthatyoucamefor？”sheasked，almostgaily。
“Ifitisnecessarytohaveareason——thatwasone。“
“TotalktomeaboutMissGaynor？”
“Totellyouhowshetalksaboutyou。“
“Thatwillbeveryinteresting——especiallyifyouhaveseenhersincehersecondvisittome。“
“Hersecondvisit？”Thursdalepushedhischairbackwithastartandmovedtoanother。“Shecametoseeyouagain？”
“Thismorning，yes——byappointment。“
Hecontinuedtolookatherblankly。“Yousentforher？”
“Ididn'thaveto——shewroteandaskedmelastnight。Butnodoubtyouhaveseenhersince。“
Thursdalesatsilent。Hewastryingtoseparatehiswordsfromhisthoughts，buttheystillclungtogetherinextricably。“Isawheroffjustnowatthestation。“
“Andshedidn'ttellyouthatshehadbeenhereagain？”
“Therewashardlytime，Isuppose——therewerepeopleabout——“hefloundered。
“Ah，she'llwrite，then。“
Heregainedhiscomposure。“Ofcourseshe'llwrite：veryoften，Ihope。YouknowI'mabsurdlyinlove，“hecriedaudaciously。
Shetiltedherheadback，lookingupathimasheleanedagainstthechimney-piece。Hehadleanedtheresooftenthattheattitudetouchedapulsewhichsetupathrobbinginherthroat。
“Oh，mypoorThursdale！”shemurmured。
“Isupposeit'sratherridiculous，“heowned；andassheremainedsilent，headded，withasuddenbreak——“Orhaveyouanotherreasonforpityingme？”
Heranswerwasanotherquestion。“Haveyoubeenbacktoyourroomssinceyoulefther？”
“SinceIleftheratthestation？Icamestraighthere。“
“Ah，yes——youCOULD：therewasnoreason——“Herwordspassedintoasilentmusing。
Thursdalemovednervouslynearer。“Yousaidyouhadsomethingtotellme？”
“PerhapsIhadbetterletherdoso。Theremaybealetteratyourrooms。“
“Aletter？Whatdoyoumean？AletterfromHER？Whathashappened？”
Hispalenessshookher，andsheraisedahandofreassurance。
“Nothinghashappened——perhapsthatisjusttheworstofit。YoualwaysHATED，youknow，“sheaddedincoherently，“tohavethingshappen：youneverwouldletthem。“
“Andnow——？”
“Well，thatwaswhatshecameherefor：Isupposedyouhadguessed。Toknowifanythinghadhappened。“
“Hadhappened？”Hegazedatherslowly。“Betweenyouandme？”
hesaidwitharushoflight。