I。
　　SCENE:Inanupperchamberofaboarding—houseinMelanchthonPlace，Boston，amature，plainyounglady，witheveryappearanceofestablishingherselfintheroomforthefirsttime，movesabout，bestowinglittletouchesofdecorationhereandthere，andtalkingwithanotheryounglady，whosevoicecomesthroughtheopendoorwayofaninnerroom。
　　MISSETHELREED，fromwithin:"Whatintheworldareyoudoing，Nettie？"
　　MISSHENRIETTASPAULDING:"Oh，stickingupahouseholdgodortwo。
　　Whatareyoudoing？"
　　MISSREED:"Despairing。"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Still？"
　　MISSREED，tragically:"Still！Howsoondidyouexpectmetostop？
　　Iamhereonthesofa，whereIflungmyselftwohoursago，andI
　　don’tthinkIshallevergetup。ThereisnoreasonWHYIevershould。"
　　MISSSPAULDING，suggestively:"Dinner。"
　　MISSREED:"Oh，dinner！Dinner，toabrokenheart！"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Idon’tbelieveyourheartisbroken。"
　　MISSREED:"ButItellyouitis！Ioughttoknowwhenmyownheartisbroken，Ishouldhope。Whatmakesyouthinkitisn’t？"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Oh，it’shappenedsooften！"
　　MISSREED:"Butthisisarealcase。Yououghttofeelmyforehead。
　　It’sashot！"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Yououghttogetupandhelpmeputthisroomtorights，andthenyouwouldfeelbetter。"
　　MISSREED:"No；Ishouldfeelworse。Theideaofhouseholdgodsmakesmesick。SylvandeitiesarewhatIwant；thegreatgodPanamongthecat—tailsandarrow—headsinthe’ma’sh’atPonkwasset；thedryadsofthebirchwoods——therearenooaks；thenymphsthathaunttheheightsandhollowsofthedearoldmountain；the"—
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Wha—a—at？Ican’thearawordyousay。"
　　MISSREED:"That’sbecauseyoukeepfussingaboutso。Whydon’tyoubequiet，ifyouwanttohear？"Sheliftshervoicetoitshighestpitch，withapausefordistinctnessbetweenthewords:"I’mheart—
　　brokenfor——Ponkwasset。Thedryads——ofthe——birchwoods。Thenymphs——andthegreat——god——Pan——inthereeds——bytheriver。Andall——that——sortof——thing！"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Youknowverywellyou’renot。"
　　MISSREED:"I’mnot？What’sthereasonI’mnot？Then，whatamI
　　heart—brokenfor？"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"You’renotheart—brokenatall。Youknowverywellthathe’llcallbeforewe’vebeenheretwenty—fourhours。"
　　MISSREED:"Who？"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"ThegreatgodPan。"
　　MISSREED:"Oh，howcruelyouare，tomockmeso！Comeinhere，andsympathizealittle！Do，Nettie。"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"No；youcomeouthereandutilizealittle。I’mactingforyourbestgood，astheysayatPonkwasset。"
　　MISSREED:"Whentheywanttobedisagreeable！"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Ifthisroomisn’tinorderbythetimehecalls，you’llbeeverlastinglydisgraced。"
　　MISSREED:"I’mthatnow。Ican’tbemoreso——there’sthatcomfort。
　　Whatmakesyouthinkhe’llcall？"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Becausehe’sagentleman，andwillwanttoapologize。Hebehavedveryrudelytoyou。"
　　MISSREED:"No，Nettie；_I_behavedrudelytoHIM。Yes！Besides，ifhebehavedrudely，hewasnogentleman。It’sacontradictioninterms，don’tyousee？ButI’lltellyouwhatI’mgoingtodoifhecomes。I’mgoingtoshowaproperspiritforonceinmylife。I’mgoingtorefusetoseehim。You’vegottoseehim。"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Nonsense！"
　　MISSREED:"Whynonsense？Oh，why？Expound！"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Becausehewasn’trudetome，andhedoesn’twanttoseeme。BecauseI’mplain，andyou’repretty。"
　　MISSREED:"I’mNOT！Youknowitperfectlywell。I’mhideous。"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"BecauseI’mpoor，andyou’reapersonofindependentproperty。"
　　MISSREED:"DEPENDENTproperty，Ishouldcallit:justenoughtobeuselesson！Butthat’sinsultingtoHIM。Howcanyousayit’sbecauseIhavealittlemoney？"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Well，then，Iwon’t。Itakeitback。I’llsayit’sbecauseyou’reyoung，andI’mold。"
　　MISSREED:"You’reNOTold。You’reasyoungasanybody，NettieSpaulding。AndyouknowI’mnotyoung；I’mtwenty—seven，ifI’maday。I’mjustdroppingintothegrave。ButIcan’targuewithyou，milesoffso，anylonger。"MissReedappearsattheopendoor，dragginglanguidlyafterhertheshawlwhichshehadevidentlydrawnroundheronthesofa；herfairhairisalittledisordered，andshepressesitintoshapewithonehandasshecomesforward；alovelyflushvieswithaheavenlypallorinhercheeks；shelooksalittlepensiveinthearchingeyebrows，andalittlehumorousaboutthedimpledmouth。"NowIcanprovethatyouareentirelywrong。Where—
　　—wereyou？——Thisroomisratheranimprovementovertheonewehadlastwinter。Thereismoreofaview"——shegoestothewindow——"ofthehousesacrossthePlace；andIalwaysthinktheswellfrontgivesaprettyshapetoaroom。I’msorrythey’vestoppedbuildingthem。
　　Yourpianogoesverynicelyintothatlittlealcove。Yes，we’requitepalatial。And，onthewhole，I’mgladthere’snofireplace。
　　It’sapleasureattimes；butforthemostpartit’savanityandavexation，gettingdustandashesovereverything。Yes；afterall，givemethegoodold—fashioned，clean，convenientregister！Ugh！Myfeetarelikeice。"Shepullsaneasy—chairuptotheregisterinthecorneroftheroom，andpushesopenitsvalveswiththetoeofherslipper。Asshesettlesherselfluxuriouslyinthechair，andpoisesherfeetdaintilyovertheregister:"Ah，thisissomethinglike！HenriettaSpaulding，ma’am！DidIevertellyouthatyouwerethebestfriendIhaveintheworld？"
　　MISSSPAULDING，whocontinuesherworkofarrangingtheroom:
　　"Often。"
　　MISSREED:"Didyoueverbelieveit？"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Never。"
　　MISSREED:"Why？"
　　MISSSPAULDING，thoughtfullyregardingavasewhichsheholdsinherhand，afterseveraltimesshiftingitfromabrackettothecornerofherpianoandback:"IwishIcouldtellwhereyoudolookbest！"
　　MISSREED，leaningforwardwistfully，withherhandsclaspedandrestingonherknees:"IwishyouwouldtellmeWHYyoudon’tbelieveyou’rethebestfriendIhaveintheworld。"
　　MISSSPAULDING，finallyplacingthevaseonthebracket:"Becauseyou’vesaidsotoooften。"
　　MISSREED:"Oh，that’snoreason！Icanprovetoyouthatyouare。
　　Whoelsebutyouwouldhavetakeninahomelessandfriendlesscreaturelikeme，andletherstaybotheringroundindemoralizingidleness，whileyouwereseriouslyteachingtheyoungideahowtodrubthepiano？"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Anybodywhowantedaroom—mateasmuchasIdid，andcouldhavefoundonewillingtopaymorethanhershareofthelodging。"
　　MISSREED，thoughtfully:"Doyouthinkso，Henrietta？"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Iknowso。"
　　MISSREED:"Andyou’renotafraidthatyouwrongyourself？"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Nottheleast。"
　　MISSREED:"Well，beitso——astheysayinnovels。Iwillnotcontradictyou；IwillnotsayyouaremyBESTfriend；IwillmerelysaythatyouaremyONLYfriend。Comehere，Henrietta。Drawupyourchair，andputyourlittlehandinmine。"
　　MISSSPAULDING，withseveredistrust:"Whatdoyouwant，EthelReed？"
　　MISSREED:"Iwant——Iwant——totalkitoverwithyou。"
　　MISSSPAULDING，recoiling:"Iknewit！Well，now，we’vetalkeditoverenough；we’vetalkeditovertillthere’snothingleftofit。"
　　MISSREED:"Oh，there’severythingleft！Itremainsinallitsoriginalenormity。Perhapsweshallgetsomenewlightuponit。"
　　SheextendsapleadinghandtowardsMissSpaulding。"Come，Henrietta，myonlyfriend，shake！——asthe’goodIndians’say。LetyourEthelpourherhackneyedsorrowsintoyourbosom。Suchanuncomfortableimage，italwaysseems，doesn’tit，pouringsorrowsintobosoms！Come！"
　　MISSSPAULDING，decidedly:"No，Iwon’t！Andyouneedn’ttrywheedlinganylonger。Iwon’tsympathizewithyouonthatbasisatall。"
　　MISSREED:"WhatshallItry，then，ifyouwon’tletmetrywheedling？"
　　MISSSPAULDING，goingtothepianoandopeningit:"Trycourage；tryself—respect。"
　　MISSREED:"Oh，dear！whenIhaven’tamorselofeither。Areyougoingtopractise，youcruelmaid？"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"OfcourseIam。It’shalf—pastfour，andifI
　　don’tdoitnowIsha’n’tbepreparedto—morrowforMissRobins:shetakesthispiece。"
　　MISSREED:"Well，well，perhapsit’sallforthebest。Ifmusicbethefoodof——umph—ump！——youknowwhat！——playon。"Theybothlaugh，andMissSpauldingpushesbackalittlefromthepiano，andwheelstowardherfriend，lettingonehandrestslightlyonthekeys。
　　MISSSPAULDING:"EthelReed，you’rethemostridiculousgirlintheworld。"
　　MISSREED:"Correct！"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"AndIdon’tbelieveyoueverwereinlove，oreverwillbe。"
　　MISSREED:"Ah，thereyouwrongme，Henrietta！Ihavebeen，andI
　　shallbe——lotsoftimes。"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Well，whatdoyouwanttosaynow？Youmusthurry，forIcan’tloseanymoretime。"
　　MISSREED:"Iwillfreemymindwithneatnessanddespatch。I
　　simplywishtogooverthewholeaffair，fromAlfredtoOmaha；andyou’vegottoletmetalkasmuchslangandnonsenseasIwant。AndthenI’llskipallthedetailsIcan。Willyou？"
　　MISSSPAULDING，withimpatientpatience:"Oh，Isupposeso！"
　　MISSREED:"That’sverysweetofyou，thoughyoudon’tlookit。
　　Now，wherewasI？Oh，yes，doyouthinkitwasforth—puttingatall，toaskhimifhewouldgivemethelessons？"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Itdependsuponwhyyouaskedhim。"
　　MISSREED:"Iaskedhimfrom——from——Letmesee；Iaskedhimbecause—
　　—from——Yes，Isayitboldly；Iaskedhimfromanenthusiasmforart，andasincerewishtolearntheuseofoil，ashecalledit。Yes！"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Areyousure？"
　　MISSREED:"Sure？Well，wewillsaythatIam，forthesakeofargument。And，havingsecuredthisbasis，thequestioniswhetherI
　　wasn’tboundtoofferhimpayattheend，andwhetherhewasn’twrongtotakemydoingsoindudgeon。"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Yes，Ithinkhewaswrong。Andthetermsofhisrefusalwereveryungentlemanly。Heoughttoapologizemostamplyandhumbly。"AtacertainexpressioninMissReed’sface，sheadds，withseverity:"Unlessyou’rekeepingbackthemainpoint。Youusuallydo。Areyou？"
　　MISSREED:"No，no。I’vetoldyoueverything——everything！"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"ThenIsay，asIsaidfromthebeginning，thathebehavedverybadly。Itwasveryawkwardandverypainful，butyou’vereallynothingtoblameyourselffor。"
　　MISSREED，ruefully:"No—o—o！"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Whatdoyoumeanbythatsortof’No’？"
　　MISSREED:"Nothing。"
　　MISSSPAULDING，sternly:"Yes，youdo，Ethel。"
　　MISSREED:"Idon’t，really。Whatmakesyou’thinkIdo？"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Itsoundedverydishonest。"
　　MISSREED:"Didit？Ididn’tmeanitto。"Herfriendbreaksdownwithalaugh，whileMissReedpreservesademurecountenance。
　　MISSSPAULDING:"WhatAREyoukeepingback？"
　　MISSREED:"Nothingatall——lessthannothing！Ineverthoughtitwasworthmentioning。"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Areyoutellingmethetruth？"
　　MISSREED:"I’mtellingyouthetruthandsomethingmore。Youcan’taskbetterthanthat，canyou？"
　　MISSSPAULDING，turningtohermusicagain:"Certainlynot。"
　　MISSREED:inapatheticwail:"OHenrietta！doyouabandonmethus？Well，Iwilltellyou，heartlessgirl！I’veonlykeptitbacktillnowbecauseitwassoextremelymortifyingtomyprideasanartist——asastudentofoil。Willyouhearme？"
　　MISSSPAULDING，beginningtoplay:"No。"
　　MISSREED，withburlesquewildness:"Youshall！"MissSpauldinginvoluntarilydesists。"Therewasamoment——afatalmoment——whenhesaidhethoughtheoughttotellmethatifIfoundoilamusingI
　　couldgoon；butthathedidn’tbelieveIshouldeverlearntouseit，andhecouldn’tletmetakelessonsfromhimwiththeexpectationthatIshould。There！"
　　MISSSPAULDING，withawfulreproach:"Andyoucallthatlessthannothing？I’vealmostamindnevertospeaktoyouagain，Ethel。HowCOULDyoudeceivemeso？"
　　MISSREED:"Wasitreallydeceiving？_I_shouldn’tcallitso。AndIneededyoursympathysomuch，andIknewIshouldn’tgetitunlessyouthoughtIwasaltogetherintheright。"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Youarealtogetherinthewrong！Andit’sYOUthatoughttoapologizetoHIM——onyourbendedknees。HowCOULDyouofferhimmoneyafterthat？Iwonderatyou，Ethel！"
　　MISSREED:"Why——don’tyousee，Nettie？——Ididkeepontakingthelessonsofhim。Ididfindoilamusing——ortheoilist——andIkepton。OfcourseIhadto，offthereinafarmhousefullofladyboarders，andhetheonlygentlemanshortofCrawford’s。Strike，buthearme，HenriettaSpaulding！WhatwasItodoaboutthehalf—dozenlessonsIhadtakenbeforehetoldmeIshouldneverlearntouseoil？WasItooffertopayhimforthese，andnotfortherest；orwasItotreatthewholeseriesasgratuitous？Iusedtolieawakethinkingaboutit。I’vegotlittletact，butIcouldn’tfindanywayoutofthetrouble。Itwasabox——yes，aboxofthedeepestdye！
　　Andthewholeaffairhavinggottobe——somethingelse，don’tyouknow？——madeitalltheworse。Andifhe’donly——only——Buthedidn’t。
　　Notasyllable，notabreath！AndthereIwas。IHADtoofferhimthemoney。Andit’salmostkilledme——thewayhetookmyofferingit，andnowthewayyoutakeit！Andit’sallofapiece。"MissReedsuddenlysnatchesherhandkerchieffromherpocket，andburiesherfaceinit。——"Oh，dear——oh，dear！Oh！——hu，hu，hu！"
　　MISSSPAULDING，relenting:"Itwasawkward。"
　　MISSREED:"Awkward！YouseemtothinkthatbecauseIcarrythingsofflightlyIhavenofeeling。"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"YouknowIdon’tthinkthat，Ethel。"
　　MISSREED，pursuingheradvantage:"Idon’tknowitfromyou，Nettie。I’vetriedandTRIEDtopassitoffasajoke，andtotreatitassomethingfunny；butIcantellyouit’snojokeatall。"
　　MISSSPAULDING，sympathetically:"Isee，dear。"
　　MISSREED:"It’snotthatIcareforhim"—
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Why，ofcourse。"
　　MISSREED:"ForIdon’tintheleast。Heishorrideveryway:
　　blunt，andrude，andhorrid。Inevercaredforhim。ButIcareformyself！Hehasputmeinthepositionofhavingdoneanunkindthing——anunladylikething——whenIwasonlydoingwhatIhadtodo。
　　Whyneedhehavetakenitthewayhedid？Whycouldn’thehavesaidpolitelythathecouldn’tacceptthemoneybecausehehadn’tearnedit？EvenTHATwouldhavebeenmortifyingenough。Buthemustgoandbesoviolent，andrushoff，and——Oh，Inevercouldhavetreatedanybodyso！"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Notunlessyouwereveryfondofthem。"
　　MISSREED:"What？"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Notunlessyouwereveryfondofthem。"
　　MISSREED，puttingawayherhandkerchief:"Oh，nonsense，Nettie！Henevercaredanythingforme，orhecouldn’thaveactedso。Butnomatterforthat。Hehasfixedeverythingsothatitcanneverbegotstraight——neverintheworld。Itwilljusthavetoremainahideousmassof——of——_I_don’tknowwhat；andIhavesimplygottoonwitheringwithdespairatthepointwhereIleftoff。ButIdon’tcare！That’sonecomfort。"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Idon’tbelievehe’llletyouwitherlong，Ethel。"
　　MISSREED:"He’sletmewitherfortwenty—fourhoursalready！Butit’snothingtome，now，howlongheletsmewither。I’mperfectlysatisfiedtohavetheaffairremainasitis。Iamintheright，andifhecomesIshallrefusetoseehim。"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Oh，no，youwon’t，Ethel！"
　　MISSREED:"Yes，Ishall。Ishallreceivehimverycoldly。Iwon’tlistentoanyexcusefromhim。"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Oh，yes，youwill，Ethel！"
　　MISSREED:"No，Ishallnot。Ifhewishesmetolistenhemustbeginbyhumblinghimselfinthedust——yes，thedust，Nettie！I
　　won’ttakeanythingshortofit。IinsistthatheshallrealizethatIhavesuffered。"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Perhapshehassufferedtoo！"
　　MISSREED:"Oh，HEsuffered！"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Youknowthathewasperfectlydevotedtoyou。"
　　MISSREED:"Heneversaidso。"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Perhapshedidn’tdare。"
　　MISSREED:"Hedaredtobeveryinsolenttome。"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Andyouknowyoulikedhimverymuch。"
　　MISSREED:"Iwon’tletyousaythat，NettieSpaulding。IDIDN’T
　　likehim。Irespectedandadmiredhim；butIdidn’tLIKEhim。Hewillcomenearme；butifhedoeshehastobeginby——by——Letmesee，whatshallImakehimbeginbydoing？"Shecastsuphereyesforinspirationwhilesheleansforwardovertheregister。"Yes，Iwill！
　　Hehasgottobeginbytakingthatmoney！"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Ethel，youwouldn’tputthataffrontuponasensitiveandhigh—spiritedman！"
　　MISSREED:"Wouldn’tI？YouwaitandSEE，MissSpaulding！Heshalltakethemoney，andheshallsignareceiptforit。I’lldrawupthereceiptnow，soastohaveitready，andIshallaskhimtosignittheverymomentheentersthisdoor——theveryinstant！"Shetakesaportfoliofromthetablenearher，withoutrising，andwrites:
　　"’ReceivedfromMissEthelReedonehundredandtwenty—fivedollars，infull，fortwenty—fivelessonsinoil—painting。’There——whenMr。
　　OliverRansomhassignedthislittledocumenthemaybegintotalk；
　　notbefore！"Sheleansbackinherchairwithanairofpitilessdetermination。
　　MISSSPAULDING:"But，Ethel，youdon’tmeantomakehimtakemoneyforthelessonshegaveyouafterhetoldyouyoucouldn’tlearnanything？"
　　MISSREED，afteramoment’spause:"Yes，Ido。Thisistopunishhim。Idon’twishforjusticenow；Iwishforvengeance！AtfirstI
　　wouldhavecompromisedonthesixlessons，oronnoneatall，ifhehadbehavednicely；butafterwhat’shappenedIshallinsistuponpayinghimforeverylesson，soastomakehimfeelthatthewholething，fromfirsttolast，wasapurelybusinesstransactiononmypart。Yes，aPURELY——BUSINESS——TRANSACTION！"
　　MISSSPAULDING，turningtohermusic:"ThenI’vegotnothingmoretosaytoyou，EthelReed。"
　　MISSREED:"Idon’tsaybutwhat，afterhe’stakenthemoneyandsignedthereceipt，I’lllistentoanythingelsehe’sgottosay，verywillingly。"MissSpauldingmakesnoanswer，butbeginstoplaywithascientificabsorption，feelingherwayfitfullythroughthenewpiece，whileMissReed，seatedbytheregister，trifleswiththebookshehastakenfromthetable。
　　II。
　　TheinterioroftheroomofMissSpauldingandMissReedremainsinview，whilethescenediscloses，ontheothersideofthepartitionwallinthesamehouse，thebachelorapartmentofMr。SamuelGrinnidge。Mr。Grinnidgeinhisdressing—gownandslippers，withhispipeinhismouth，hastheeffectofhavingjustcomein；hisfriendMr。OliverRansomstandsatthewindow，staringoutintotheNovemberweather。
　　GRINNIDGE:"Howlonghaveyoubeenwaitinghere？"
　　RANSOM:"Tenminutes——tenyears。HowshouldIknow？"
　　GRINNIDGE:"Well，Idon’tknowwhoelseshould。Getbackto—day？"
　　RANSOM:"Lastnight。"
　　GRINNIDGE:"Well，takeoffyourcoat，andpulluptotheregister，andwarmyourpoorfeet。"Heputshishandoutovertheregister。
　　"Confoundit！somebody’sgottheregisteropeninthenextroom！Yousee，onepipecomesupfromthefurnaceandbranchesintoaVjustunderthefloor，andprofessestoheatbothrooms。Butitdon’t。
　　Therewasafellowintherelastwinterwhousedtogetallmyheat。
　　Usedtogooutandleavehisregisteropen，andI’dcomeinherejustbeforedinnerandfindthisplaceascoldasabarn。Wehadarunningfightofitallwinter。Themanwhogothisregisteropenfirstinthemorninggotalltheheatfortheday，foritneverturnedtheotherwaywhenitstartedinonedirection。Usedtoalmostsuffocate——warm，muggydays——maintainingmyrights。Somepiano—pounderintherethiswinter，itseems。Hear？Andshehasn’tlostanytimeinlearningthetrickoftheregister。Whatkeptyousolateinthecountry？"
　　RANSOM，afteranabsent—mindedpause:"Grinnidge，Iwishyouwouldgivemesomeadvice。"
　　GRINNIDGE:"Youcanhaveallyouwantofitatthemarketprice。"
　　RANSOM:"Idon’tmeanyourlegaladvice。"
　　GRINNIDGE:"I’msorry。Whathaveyoubeendoing？"
　　RANSOM:"I’vebeenmakinganassofmyself。"
　　GRINNIDGE:"Wasn’tthatrathersuperfluous？"
　　RANSOM:"Ifyouplease，yes。Butnow，ityou’recapableoflisteningtomewithoutanyfurtherdisplayofyourcross—examinationwit，Ishouldliketotellyouhowithappened。"
　　GRINNIDGE:"Iwilldomybesttoveilmybrilliancy。Goon。"
　　RANSOM:"IwentuptoPonkwassetearlyinSeptemberforthefoliage。"
　　GRINNIDGE:"AndstaidtilllateinOctober。Theremusthavebeenareasonforthat。Whatwashername？Foliage？"
　　RANSOM，cominguptothecornerofthechimney—piece，nearwhichhisfriendsits，andtalkingtohimdirectlyovertheregister:"Ithinkyou’llhavetogetalongwithoutthenameforthepresent。I’lltellyoubyandby。"AsMr。Ransompronouncesthesewords，MissReed，onhersideofthepartition，liftsherheadwithastartledair，and，afteramomentofvaguecircumspection，listenskeenly。"Butshewasbeautiful。Shewasablonde，andshehadtheloveliesteyes——eyes，youknow，thatcouldbefunnyortender，justasshechose——thekindofeyesIalwaysliked。"MissReedleadsforwardovertheregister。
　　"Shehadoneofthosefacesthatalwaysleaveyouindoubtwhetherthey’relaughingatyou，andsokeepyouinwholesomesubjection；butyoufeelcertainthatthey’reGOOD，andthatiftheydidhurtyoubylaughingatyou，they’dlooksorryforyouafterward。Whenshewalkedyousawwhatanexquisitecreatureshewas。ItalwaysmadememadtothinkIcouldn’tPAINTherwalk。"
　　GRINNIDGE:"Isupposeyousawagooddealofherwalk。"
　　RANSOM:"Yes；wewereoffinthewoodsandfieldshalfthetimetogether。"Hetakesaturntowardsthewindow。
　　MISSREED，suddenlyshuttingtheregisteronherside:"Oh！"
　　MISSSPAULDING，lookingupfromhermusic:"Whatisit，Ethel？"
　　MISSREED:"Nothing，nothing；I——I——thoughtitwasgettingtoowarm。
　　Goon，dear；don’tletmeinterruptyou。"Afteramomentofheroicself—denialshesoftlypressestheregisteropenwithherfoot。
　　RANSOM，comingbacktotheregister:"Itallbeganinthatway。I
　　hadthegoodfortuneonedaytorescueherfroma——cow。"
　　MISSREED:"Oh，forshame！"
　　MISSSPAULDING，desistingfromherpiano:"WhatISthematter？"
　　MISSREED，clappingtheregisterto:"Thisridiculousbook！Butdon’t——don’tmindme，Nettie。"Breathlessly:"Go——go——on！"MissSpauldingresumes，andagainMissReedsoftlypressestheregisteropen。
　　RANSOM，afterapause:"Thecowwasgrazing，andhadnomorethoughtofhookingMiss——"
　　MISSREED:"Oh，Ididn’tsupposeheWOULD！——Goon，Nettie，goon！
　　Thehero——SUCHagoose！"
　　RANSOM:"Idroveherawaywithmycamp—stool，andMiss——theyounglady——wasasgratefulasifIhadrescuedherfromamenagerieofwildanimals。Iwalkedhomewithhertothefarmhouse，andthetroublebeganatonce。"PantomimeofindignantprotestandburlesquemenaceonthepartofMissReed。"Therewasn’tanotherwellwomaninthehouse，exceptherfriendMissSpaulding，whowasratheroldandratherplain。"Hetakesanotherturntothewindow。
　　MISSREED:"Oh！"Sheshutstheregister，butinstantlyopensitagain。"Louder，Nettie。"
　　MISSSPAULDING，inastonishment:"What？"
　　MISSREED:"DidIspeak？Ididn’tknowit。I"—
　　MISSSPAULDING，desistingfrompractice:"Whatisthatstrange，hollow，rumbling，mumblingkindofnoise？"
　　MISSREED，softlyclosingtheregisterwithherfoot:"Idon’thearanystrange，hollow，rumbling，mumblingkindofnoise。DoyouhearitNOW？"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"No。ItwastheBrightonwhistle，probably。"
　　MISSREED:"Oh，verylikely。"AsMissSpauldingturnsagaintoherpracticeMissReedre—openstheregisterandlistensagain。Alittleintervalofsilenceensues，whileRansomlightsacigarette。
　　GRINNIDGE:"Soyousoughtopportunitiesofrescuingherfromothercows？"
　　RANSOM，returning:"Thatwasn’tnecessary。Theyoungladywassoimpressedbymybehavior，thatsheaskedifIwouldgivehersomelessonsintheuseofoil。"
　　GRINNIDGE:"Shethoughtifsheknewhowtopaintpictureslikeyoursshewouldn’tneedanyonetodrivethecowsaway。"
　　RANSOM:"Don’tbefarcical，Grinnidge。Thatsortofthingwilldowithsomevictimonthewitness—standwhocan’thelphimself。OfcourseIsaidIwould，andwewereoffhalfthetimetogether，paintingtheloveliestandloneliestbitsaroundPonkwasset。Itallwentonverywell，tillonedayIfeltboundinconsciencetotellherthatIdidn’tthinkshewouldeverlearntopaint，andthat——ifshewasseriousaboutitshe’dbetterdropitatonce，forshewaswastinghertime。"
　　GRINNIDGE，gettinguptofillhispipe:"Thatwasapleasantthingtodo。"
　　RANSOM:"Itoldherthatifitamusedher，tokeepon；Iwouldbeonlytoogladtogiveherall——thehintsIcould，butthatIoughtn’ttoencourageher。Sheseemedagooddealhurt。IfanciedatthetimethatshethoughtIwastiredofhavingherwithmesomuch。"
　　MISSREED:"Oh，DIDyou，indeed！"ToMissSpaulding，whobendsanastonishedglanceuponherfromthepiano:"ThemaninthisbookisthemostCONCEITEDcreature，Nettie。Playchords——somethingverysubdued——ah！"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Whatareyoutalkingabout，Ethel？"
　　RANSOM:"Thatwasatnight；butthenextdayshecameupsmiling，andsaidthatifIdidn’tmindshewouldkeepon——foramusement；shewasn’tabitdiscouraged。"
　　MISSREED:"Oh！——Goon，Nettie；don’tletmyoutburstsinterruptyou。"
　　RANSOM:"Iusedtofancysometimesthatshewasalittlesweetonme。"
　　MISSREED:"Youwretch！——Oh，scales，Nettie！Playscales！"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"EthelReed，areyoucrazy？"
　　Ransom，afterathoughtfulmoment:"Well，soitwentonforthenextsevenoreightweeks。Whenweweren’tsketchinginthemeadows，oronthemountain—side，orintheoldpuntonthepond，wewerewalkingupanddownthefarmhousepiazzatogether。SheusedtoreadtomewhenIwasatwork。Shehadaheavenlyvoice，Grinnidge。"
　　MISSREED:"Oh，yousilly，sillything！——Reallythisbookmakesmesick，Nettie。"
　　RANSOM:"Well，thelongandtheshortofitwas，Iwashit——HARD，andIlostallcourage。YouknowhowIam，Grinnidge。"
　　MISSREED，softly:"Oh，poorfellow！"
　　RANSOM:"SoIletthetimegoby，andattheendIhadn’tsaidanything。"
　　MISSREED:"No，sir！YouHADN’T！"
　　MISSSPAULDINGgraduallyceasestoplay，andfixesherattentionwhollyuponMissReed，whobendsforwardovertheregisterwithanintenselyexcitedface。
　　RANSOM:"Thensomethinghappenedthatmademeglad，fortwenty—fourhoursatleast，thatIhadn’tspoken。Shesentmethemoneyfortwenty—fivelessons。ImaginehowIfelt，Grinnidge！WhatcouldI
　　supposebutthatshehadbeenquietlybidinghertime，andstoringupherresentmentformyhavingtoldhershecouldn’tlearntopaint，tillshecouldpaymebackwithinterestinonesupremeinsult？"
　　MISSREED，inalowvoice:"Oh，howcouldyouthinksuchacruel，vulgarthing？"MissSpauldingleavesthepiano，andsoftlyapproachesher，whereshehassunkonherkneesbesidetheregister。
　　RANSOM:"Itwastantamounttotellingmethatshehadbeenamusingherselfwithmeinsteadofmylessons。Itremandedourwholeassociation，whichIhadgottothinkingsoromantic，totherelationofteacherandpupil。Itwasasnub——aheartless，killingsnub；andIcouldn’tseeitinanyotherlight。"Ransomwalksawaytothewindow，andlooksout。
　　MISSREED，flingingherselfbackwardfromtheregister，andhidingherfaceinherhands:"Oh，itwasn’t！itwasn’t！itwasn’t！Howcouldyouthinkso？"
　　MISSSPAULDING，rushingforward，andcatchingherfriendinherarms:
　　"Whatisthematterwithyou，EthelReed？Whatareyoudoinghere，overtheregister？Areyoutryingtosuffocateyourself？Haveyoutakenleaveofyoursenses？"
　　GRINNIDGE:"Ourfairfriendontheothersideofthewallseemstobeontherampage。"
　　MISSSPAULDING，shuttingtheregisterwithaviolentclash:"Ugh！
　　howhotitishere！"
　　GRINNIDGE:"Doesn’tlikeyourconversation，apparently。"
　　MISSREED，franticallypressingforwardtoopentheregister:"Oh，don’tshutit，Nettie，dear！IfyoudoIshalldie！Do—o—n’tshuttheregister！"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Don’tshutit？Why，we’vegotalltheheatofthefurnaceintheroomnow。Surelyyoudon’twantanymore？"
　　MISSREED:"No，no；notanymore。But——but——Oh，dear！whatshallI
　　do？"Shestillstrugglesintheembraceofherfriend。
　　GRINNIDGE，remainingquietlyattheregister，whileRansomwalksawaytothewindow:"Well，whatdidyoudo？"
　　MISSREED:"There，there！They’recommencingagain！DOopenit，Nettie。IWILLhaveitopen！"Shewrenchesherselffree，anddashestheregisteropen。
　　GRINNIDGE:"Ah，she’sopeneditagain。"
　　MissReed，inastage—whisper:"That’stheotherone！"
　　RANSOM，fromthewindow:"Do？I’lltellyouwhatIdid。"
　　MISSREED:"That’sOl——Mr。Ransom。And，oh，Ican’tmakeoutwhathe’ssaying！Hemusthavegoneawaytotheothersideoftheroom——
　　andit’satthemostimportantpoint！"
　　MISSSPAULDING，inanawfulundertone:"WasthatthehollowrumblingIheard？Andhaveyoubeenlisteningattheregistertowhatthey’vebeensaying？OETHEL！"
　　MISSREED:"Ihaven’tbeenlistening，exactly。"
　　MISSSPAULDING:"Youhave！Youhavebeeneavesdropping！"
　　MISSREED:"Eavesdroppingislisteningthroughakey—hole，oraroundacorner。Thisisverydifferent。Besides，it’sOliver，andhe’sbeentalkingaboutME。Hark！"Sheclutchesherfriend’shand，wheretheyhavecroucheduponthefloortogether，andpullsherforwardtotheregister。"Oh，dear，howhotitis！Iwishtheywouldcutofftheheatdownbelow。"