首页 >出版文学> The Rise of Roscoe Paine>第3章
  CHAPTERIII
  Itisadreadfulthingtohateone’sownfather;tohatehimandbeunabletoforgivehimeventhoughheisdead,althoughhepaidforhissinwithhislife。Deathissaidtopayalldebts,buttherearesomeitcannotpay。TomyfatherIowedmypresentambitionless,idle,good—for—nothinglife,mymother’sillness,yearsofdisgrace,thelossofaname——everything。
  Painewasmymother’smaidenname;shewaschristenedComfortPaine。MyownChristiannameisRoscoeandmymiddlenameisPaine。Myothername,thenameIwasbornwith,thenamethatMothertookwhenshemarried,wedroppedwhenthedisgracecameuponus。Itwashonoredandrespectedonce;nowwhenitwasrepeatedpeoplecoupleditwithshameandcrimeanddishonorandbrokentrust。
  AsaboyIremembermyselfasaspoiledyoungsterwhotooktheluxuriesofthisworldforgranted。Iattendedanexpensiveandselectprivateschool,idledmywaythroughthatsomehow,andenteredcollege,ahappy—go—luckyyoungfellowwithmoneyinmypocket。Fortwo—thirdsofmyFreshmanyear——whichwasallI
  experiencedofUniversitylife——Ienjoyedmyselfasmuchaspossible,andstudiedaslittle。Thencamethetelegram。I
  rememberthelooksofthemessengerwhobroughtit,thecaphewore,andthegrinonhisyoungIrishfacewhenthefellowsittingnextmeatthebatteredblackoaktableinthebackroomofKelly’saskedhimtohaveabeer。Irememberthesongweweresinging,thecrowdofus,howitbeganagainandthenstoppedshortwhentheotherssawthelookonmyface。Thetelegramcontainedbutfourwords:"Comehomeatonce。"Itwassignedwiththenameofmyfather’slawyer。
  IpresumeIshallneverforgeteventhesmallestincidentofthatnightjourneyinthetrainandthehome—coming。Thelawyer’smeetingmeatthestationintheearlymorning;histakingcarethatIshouldnotseethenewspapers,andhisbreakingthenewstome。NotoftheillnessordeathwhichIhadfearedanddreaded,butofsomethingworse——disgrace。Myfatherwasanembezzler,athief。Hehadabsconded,hadrunaway,likethecowardhewas,takingwithhimwhatwasleftofhisstealings。Thebankinghouseofwhichhehadbeentheheadwasinsolvent。Thepolicewereonhistrack。And,worseandmostdisgracefulofall,hehadnotfledalone。Therewasawomanwithhim,awomanwhoseescapadeshadfurnishedthepaperswithsensationsforyears。
  Ihadneverbeenwellacquaintedwithmyfather。Wehadneverbeenfriendsandcompanions,likeotherfathersandsonsIknew。I
  rememberhimasaharsh,red—facedman,whom,asaboy,Iavoidedasmuchaspossible。AsIgrewolderIneverwenttohimforadvice;hewastomeasortofwalkingpocket—book,andnotmuchelse。Motherhasoftentoldmethatsheremembershimassomethingquitedifferent,andIsupposeitmustbetrue,otherwiseshewouldnothavemarriedhim;buttomehewasasourceofsupplycoupledwithabadtemper,thatwasall。ThatIwasnotutterlyimpossible,that,goingmyowngaitasIdid,Iwasnotacompleteyoungblackguard,IknownowwasdueentirelytoMother。SheandIwereasclosefriendsasIwouldpermithertobe。Fatherhadneglectedusforyears,thoughhowmuchhehadneglectedandill—treatedherIdidnotknowuntilshetoldme,afterward。Shewasindelicatehealtheventhen,but,whentheblowfell,itwassheandnotIwhoboreupbravelyanditwasherpluckandnerve,notmine,whichpulledusthroughthatdreadfultime。
  Anditwasdreadful。Thestoriesandpicturesinthepapers!Therumors,alwayscontradicted,thattheembezzlerhadbeencaught!
  Themisrepresentationandliesandscandal!Thelossofthosewhomwehadsupposedwerefriends!Motherborethemall,woreacalm,bravefaceinpublic,andonlywhenalonewithmegaveway,andthenbutatrareintervals。Sheclungtomeasheronlycomfortandhope。Iwassullenandwrathfulandresentful,anunlickedcub,Isuspect,whosecomplaintswereselfishonesconcerningthegivingupofmycollegelifeanditspleasures,andthesacrificeofsocialpositionandwealth。
  Motherhad——orsowethoughtatthetime——asuminherownnamewhichwouldenableustolive;althoughnotaswehadlivedbyagreatdeal。Wetookanapartmentinanunfashionablequarterofthecity,andthankstothelawyer——whoprovedhimselfarealandtruefriend——Iwasgivenaminorpositioninasmallbank。Oddlyenough,consideringmyformerlife,Ilikedthework,itinterestedme,andduringthenextfewyearsIwasmade,bysuccessivepromotions,bookkeeper,teller,and,atlast,assistantcashier。
  Nonewscamefromtheabsconder。Thepolicehadlosttrackofhim,anditseemedprobablethathewouldneverbeheardofagain。ButoverMotherandmyselfhungalwaysthedreadthathemightbefoundandallthedreadfulbusinessrevivedoncemore。Mothernevermentionedit,nordidI,butthedreadwasthere。
  ThencamethefirstbreakdowninMother’shealthwhichnecessitatedherremovaltothecountry。LutherandDorindaRogersweredistantrelativesofourfriend,thelawyer。TheyownedthelittlehousebytheshoreatDenboroandthelawyerhadvisitedthemoccasionallyonshootingandfishingtrips。Theywereinneedofmoney,for,asDorindasaid:"We’vegottwomouthsinthisfamilyandonlyonepairofhands。Oneofthemouthsissobigthatthehandscan’tfillit,letalonethemouththatbelongstoTHEM。"Mother——asMrs。
  Paine,awidow——wenttherefirstasaboarder,intendingtoremainbutafewmonths。Dorindatooktoheratonce,beingattractedinthebeginning,Ithink,bythename。"TheycallyouComfortPaine,"
  shesaid,"andyouareacomforttoeverybodyelse’spain。Yetyouain’toutofpainaminutescurcely,yourself。Ineverseeanythinglikeit。If’twan’twickedI’dsaythatnamewasgiveyoubytheOldScratchhimself,asasortofdivilishjoke。ButanybodycanseethattheOldScratchneverhadanythingincommonwithyou,evenahandinthechristenin’。"
  Dorindawasverykind,andLutewasanever—endingjoyinhispeculiarway。MotherwouldhavebeenalmosthappyinthelittleDenborohome,ifIhadbeenwithher。Butshewasneverreallyhappywhenwewereseparated,aconditionofmindwhichgrewmoreacuteasherhealthdeclined。IcamedownfromthecityonceeverymonthandthoseSundaysweregreatoccasions。TheDenboropeopleknowmeasRoscoePaine。
  ForatimeMotherseemedtobeholdingherown。Inanswertomyquestionsshealwaysdeclaredthatshewaseversomuchbetter。
  ButDoctorQuimby,thetownphysician,lookedserious"Shemustbekeptabsolutelyquiet,"hesaid。"Shemustnotbetroubledinanyway。WorryormentaldistressiswhatIfearmost。
  Anysuddenbadnewsorshockmight——well,goodnessknowswhateffectitmighthave。Shemustnotbeworried。Ros——"afteronehasvisitedDenborofivetimesinsuccessionheisgenerallycalledbyhisChristianname——"Ros,ifyou’vegotanyworriesyoukeep’emtoyourself。"
  Ihadworries,plentyofthem。Ourlittlefortune,saved,aswethought,fromthewreck,sufferedasevereshrinkage。A
  considerableportionofit,asthelawyersdiscovered,wasinvolvedandbelongedtothecreditors。IsaidnothingtoMotheraboutthis:shesupposedthatwehadasufficientincomeforourneeds,evenwithoutmysalary。WithouttellingherIgaveupourcityapartment,storedourfurniture,andtookaroominaboarding—
  house。Iwaslearningthebankingbusiness,wastrustedwithmoreandmoreresponsibility,andbelievedmyfuturewassecure。Thencamethefinalblow。
  IsawthenewsinthepaperwhenIwentouttolunch。"EmbezzlerandHisCompanionCaughtinRioJaneiro。HeCommitsSuicideWhenNotifiedofHisArrest。"TheseheadlinesstaredatmeasIopenedthepaperattherestauranttable。Myfatherhadshothimselfwhenthepolicecame。Ireaditwithscarcelymorethanavaguefeelingofpityforhim。ItwasofMotherthatIthought。Thenewsmustbekeptfromher。Ifsheshouldhearofit!WhatshouldIdo?I
  wentfirstofalltothelawyer’soffice:hewasoutoftownfortheday。Iwanderedupanddownthestreetsforanhour。ThenI
  wentbacktothebank。ThereIfoundatelegramfromDoctorQuimby:"Mrs。Paineveryill。Comeonfirsttrain。"Iknewwhatitmeant。Motherhadheardthenews;theshockwhichthedoctordreadedhadhaditseffect。
  IreachedDenborothenextmorning。Lutemetmeatthestation。
  FromhisdisjointedandlengthystoryIgatheredthatMotherhadbeen"feelin’fust—rateforher"untilthenoonbefore。"Icomebackfromthepost—office,"saidLute,"andIwascal’latin’toreadthenewspaper,butDorindyhadsomeeverlastin’choreorotherformetodo——Ibelieveshethinks’emupinhersleep——andIleftthepaperonthedinin’—roomtableandwentouttothebarn。
  Dorindyshecomealongtobossme,asusual。WhenwewentbacktothehousetherewasMrs。Comfortonthedinin’—roomfloor——dead,wewasafraidatfust。Thepaperwasalongsideofher,sowejudgeshewasjusta—goin’toreaditwhenshewastook。Thedoctorsaysit’saparalysisorappleplexyorsomethin’。Wecarriedherintothebedroom,butsheain’tspokesence。"
  Shedidnotspeakforweeksandwhenshediditwastoaskforme。
  Shecalledmynameoverandoveragainand,ifIlefther,evenforamoment,shegrewsomuchworsethatthedoctorforbademygoingbacktothecity。Iobtainedaleaveofabsencefromthebankforthreemonths。Bythattimeshewasherself,sofarasherreasonwasconcerned,butveryweakandunabletobeartheleasthintofdisturbanceorworry。Shemustnotbemoved,soDoctorQuimbysaid,andheheldoutnoimmediatehopeofherrecoveringtheuseofherlimbs。"Shewillbeconfinedtoherbedforalongtime,"
  saidthedoctor,"andsheiseasyonlywhenyouarehere。IfyoushouldgoawayIamafraidshemightdie。"Ididnotgoaway。I
  gaveupmypositioninthebankandremainedinDenboro。
  AttheendoftheyearIboughttheRogershouseandland,movedaportionofourfurnituredownthere,soldtherest,andresignedmyselftoaperiodofidlenessinthecountry。DorindaIhiredashousekeeper,andwhenDorindaacceptedtheengagementshethrewinLute,sotospeak,forgoodmeasure。
  AndhereIhavebeeneversince。AtfirstIlookeduponmystayinDenboroasasortofenforcedvacation,whichwastobe,ofcourse,onlytemporary。ButtimewentonandMother’sconditioncontinuedunchanged。SheneededmeandIcouldnotleaveher。Ifishedand,shotandsailedandloafed,losingambitionandself—respect,awarethatthemajorityofthevillagepeopleconsideredmetoolazytoearnaliving,andcaringlittlefortheiropinion。AtfirstIhadkeptupahitormisscorrespondencewithoneortwoofmyassociatesinthebank,butafterawhileIdroppedeventhisconnectionwiththeworld。IwasashamedtohavemyformeracquaintancesknowwhatIhadbecome,andthey,apparently,werequitewillingtoforgetme。IexpectedtoliveanddieinDenboro,andIfacedtheprospectwithindifference。
  Thesummerpeople,cottagersandboarders,Iavoidedaltogetherandmyonlyfriend,andIdidnotconsiderhimthat,wasGeorgeTaylor,theDenborobankcashier。Hewasfondofsalt—waterandout—doorsportsandwe,occasionallyenjoyedthemtogether。
  Thankstothelawyer,ournameshadbeenscarcelymentionedinthepapersatthetimeofmyfather’sdeath。Nooneinthevillageknewouridentityorourstory。And,becauseIknewthatMotherwouldworryifsheweretold,Ikeptfromherthefactthatourlittleincomewasbuthalfofwhatithadbeen。Ourwantswerefew,andifmyclotheswerenolongermadebythebesttailors,iftheywereready—madeandout—of—dateandlackedpressing,theywerewhole,atallevents,becauseDorindawasatip—topmender。Infact,Ihadforgottentheywereout—of—dateuntilthesightoftheimmaculatelygarbedyoungchapintheautomobilebroughtthecomparisonbetweenustomymind。
  Butnow,asIsatonthewash—bench,thinkingofallthis,Ilookeddownatmybaggytrousersandfadedwaistcoatwithdisgust。Oneofthesurestsignsofthelossofself—respectisadisregardofone’spersonalappearance。Ilookedlikeahayseed——nottheindependentcountrymanwhowearsoldclothesonweekdaysfromchoiceandisproudlyconsciousofaSundaysuitinthecloset——butthatothervariety,thepost—officeandbilliard—roomidlerwhohasreachedthepointofutterindifference,istooshiftlesstocare。
  CaptainJedwasnotsofarwrong,afterall——LuteRogersandIwerebirdsofafeatherinmorewaysthanone。
  NowonderthatgirlintheautohadlookedatmeasifIweresomethingtoocontemptiblefornotice。YetIhatedherforthatlook。Ihadbehavedlikeaboor,ofcourse。BecauseIwasafailure,acountryloaferwithnoprospectofeverbeinganythingelse,becauseIcouldnotrideinautomobilesandotherscould——
  thesewerenogoodreasonsforinsultingstrangersmorefortunatethanI。YetIdidhatethatgirl。JustthenIhatedallcreation,especiallythatportionofitwhichamountedtoanything。
  Itooktheletterfrommypocketandreaditagain。"Ishouldliketoseeyou……onamatterofbusiness。"Whatbusinesscould"Yourstruly,JamesW。Colton"havewithme?AndCaptainJedalsohadtalkedbusiness。IsupposedthatIhadgivenupbusinesslongagoandforgood;now,allatonce,itseemedtobehuntingme。
  Well,allthehuntingshouldbeonitsside。
  AtanothertimeImighthavetreatedthegreatColton’s"summonstocourt"asajoke。Imight,likeMother,haveregardedthecurtnessofthecommandanditsgeneraltoneoftakingmypromptobedienceforgrantedasanexpressionoftheWallStreetmagnate’shabitofmind,andnothingmore。Hewasusedtohavingpeoplejumpwhenhesnappedhisfingers。Butnowitmademeangry。IsympathizedwithDeanandAlvinBaker。Thepossessionofmoneydidnotnecessarilyimplyomnipotence。ThiswasCapeCod,notNewYork。HisMajestymight,asCaptainJedputit,haveblownhisImperialnose,butI,forone,wouldn’t"layinasupplyofhandkerchiefs"——notyet。
  Iheardarustleinthebushesand,turningmyhead,sawLutecomingalongthepath。Hewaswalkingfast——fastforhim,thatis——
  andseemedtobeexcited。Hisexcitement,however,didnotcausehimtoforgetprudence。Helookedcarefullyabouttobesurehiswifewasnotinsight,beforehespoke。
  "Dorindyain’tbeenheresenceI’vebeengone,hasshe?"washisfirstquestion。
  "Iguessnot,"saidI。"ShehasbeeninthehousesinceIgotback。ButIdon’tknowhowlongyou’vebeengone。"
  "Onlyafewminutes。I——Ijuststeppedover’crosstheLaneforajiffy,that’sall。Say,bytime;themColtonsmusthavemoney!"
  "That’sahabitofmillionaires,Ibelieve。"
  "Hey?Whatdoyoumeanbythat?Iftheydidn’thavemoneytheycouldn’tbemillionaires,couldthey?How’dyouliketobeamillionaire,Ros?"
  "Idon’tknow。Inevertried。"
  "Bytime!I’Dliketotryaspell。I’vebeenoverlookin’’roundtheirplace。Youneverseesuchaplace!Why,theirfrontdoorstep’sbigasthisyard,prettynigh。"
  "Doesithavetoberaked?"Iasked。
  "Raked!Whoeverheardofrakin’adoorstep?"
  "Giveitup!ButitdoesseemtomethatIhaveheardofrakingayard。IthinkDorindamentionedthat,didn’tshe?"
  Lutelookedatme:thenhehurriedoverandpickeduptherakewhichwaslyingnearthebarn,apile——averysmallpile——ofchipsandleavesbesideit。
  "Whendidshementionit?"heasked。
  "Aweekago,Ithink,wasthefirsttime。Shehasreferredtoitoccasionallysince。ShewasmentioningittoyouwhenIwentuptownthismorning。Iheardher。"
  Lutelookedrelieved。"Oh,THEN!"hesaid。"Ithoughtyoumeantlately。Well,I’mrakin’it,ain’tI?Say,Ros,"headded,eagerly,"didyougotothepost—officewhenyouwasuptown?Wastherealetterthereforyou?"
  "Whatmakesyouthinktherewas?"
  "AsaPeters’boy,thebow—leggedone,toldme。Thechauffeur,thefellerthatpilotstheautomobiles,askedhimwherethepost—officewasandheseetheaddressontheenvelope。Hesaidtheletterwasforyou。Itoldhimhewaslyin’——"
  "Whatintheworlddidyoutellhimthatfor?"Iinterrupted。I
  hadknownLutealongtime,buthesometimessurprisedme,evenyet。
  "’Causeheis,ninetimesoutoften,"repliedLute,promptly。
  "Youneverseesuchayoung—onefordodgin’thetruth。Why,onetimehetoldhisgrandmother,Asa’sma,Imean,that——"
  "Whatdidhesayabouttheletter?"
  "Said’twasforyou。AndthechauffeursaidMr。Coltontoldhimtomailitrightoff。’Twan’tforyou,wasit,Ros?"
  "Yes。"
  "ItWAS!Well,bytime!WhatdidamanlikeMr。Coltonwritetoyouabout?"
  AmonghisotherlackingsLutewasconspicuouslyshortoftact。
  Thiswasnotimeforhimtoaskmesuchaquestion,especiallytoemphasizethe"you。"
  "Whyshouldn’thewritetome?"Iasked,tartly。
  "But——butHIM——writin’toYOU!"
  "Humph!Evenagodstoopsonceinawhile。Readyourmythology,Lute。"
  "Hey?Say,lookhere,whatareyouswearin’about?"
  "Swearing?Oh,that’sallright。ThegodIreferredtowasaheathenone。"
  "Well,it’sagoodthingDorindydidn’thearyou;she’sdownonswearin’,heathenoranyotherkind。ButwhatdidMr。Coltonwritetoyoufor?"
  "Hesayshewantstoseeme。"
  "Seeyou?Whatfor?"
  "Don’tknow。Perhapshewantstoborrowmoney。"
  "Borrow——!Ibelieveyou’recrazy!"
  "No,I’mtolerablysane。There!there!don’tlookatmelikethat。
  Here’shisletter。Readit,ifyouwantto。"
  Lute’sfingersweresoeagertograspthatletterthattheywereallthumbs。Hedroppeditonthegrass,pickeditupwithasmuchcareasifitwasadiamond,andholdingitafootfromhisnose——
  hehadbrokenhisspectaclesandwasafraidtoaskDorindaforthemoneytohavethemrepaired——hespeltitouttothelastword。
  "Well,bytime!"heexclaimed,whenhehadfinished。"Hewantstoseeyouathishousethisforenoon!And——and——why,theforenoon’sallbutgonenow!Whatareyousettin’herefor?"
  "Well,IthoughtIshouldenjoywatchingyouraketheyard。Itisapleasuredeferredsofar。"
  "Watchin’me——!RoscoePaine,youareoutofyourhead!Ain’tyougoin’toseehim?"
  "No。"
  "YouAIN’T!"
  "No。"
  "RosPaine,haveyoujinedinwiththemdarnfoolsuptown?"
  "Who’sswearingnow?Whatfoolsdoyoumean?"
  "Darnain’tswearin’。Dorindyherselfsaysthatonceinawhile。
  ImeanAlvinBaker,andJedDeanandtherestof’em。Theywasgoin’onaboutMr。Coltonlastnight;saidTHEYwan’tgoin’torunathisbeckandcall。Itold’em,saysI,’Youain’thadthechance。You’llrunfastenoughwhenyoudo。’"
  "DidyousaythattoCaptainJed?"
  "No—o。IsaidittoAlvin,butoldJed’sjustasbad。He’sdownonanybodythat’sgotmore’nhehas。ButRos,youain’tfoolishenoughtosidewithJedDean。Justthink!Here’sMr。Colton,richer’nKingSolomonandallhisglory。He’sgotservantsandbutlersandbondsandcowponsandhorsesandteamsandautomobilesand——"
  Irosefromthewashbench。
  "Iknowwhathe’sgot,Lute,"Iinterrupted。"AndIknowwhathehasn’tgot。"
  "What?Isthereanythingheain’tgot?"
  "Hehasn’tgotme——notyet。Ifhewantstoseemehemay。Iexpecttobeathomeforthenextdayortwo。"
  "Youdon’tmeanyouexpectamillionairelikehimtocomecruisin’
  afterYOU!Well,bytime!IthinkIseehim!"
  "Whenyoudo,letmeknow,"Isaid。"Ishouldliketobeprepared。"
  "Well,——by——time!"saidLute,bywayofsummingup。IatedinnerwithDorinda。Herhusbanddidnotjoinus。Dorindapaidavisittothebackyardand,seeinghowlittlerakinghadbeendone,announcedthatuntilthejobwasfinishedtherewouldbe"nodinnerforsomefolks。"SosheandIateandLuteraked,underprotest,andvowingthathewassofaintandhollerhecal’latedtocollapse’mostanytime。
  AfterthemealwasfinishedIwentdowntotheboathouse。Theboathousewasalittlebuildingonthebeachatthefootofthebluffbelowthehouse。ItwasafavoriteresortofmineandI
  spentmanyhoursthere。Myeighteenfootmotorlaunch,theComfort,theoneexpensiveluxuryIallowedmyselfandwhichIhadboughtsecond—handtwoyearsbefore,wasjackedupinthemiddleofthefloor。Theengine,whichIhadtakenaparttoclean,wasinpiecesbesideit。Onthewallshungmytwoshotgunsandmyfishingrod。Outside,onthebeach,wasmyflat—bottomedskiff,whichIusedforrowingaboutthebay,heroarsunderthethwarts。
  Intheboathousewasacomfortablearmchairandasmallshelfofbooks,novelsforthemostpart。Acheapclockandabroken—downcouch,thelatteradiscardfromtheoriginaloutfitofthecottage,madeupthelistoffurniture。
  Myideaincomingtotheboathousewastocontinuemyworkwiththeengine。Itrieditforahalfhourorsoandthengaveitup。Itdidnotinterestmethen。Ishutthedooratthesideofthebuilding,thatbywhichIhadentered——thebigdoubledoorsinfrontIhadnotopenedatall——and,takingabookfromtheshelf,stretchedmyselfonthecouchtoread。
  ThebookIhadchosenwasonebelongingtotheDenboroLadies’
  Library;MissAlmenaDoane,thelibrarian,hadrecommendedithighly,asa"realinterestingstory,withlotsofupliftingthoughtsinit。"ThethoughtsmightbeupliftingtoAlmena,buttheydidnotelevatemyspirits。Asforthestory——well,theherowasayounggentlemanwhowaspoorbuttremendouslycleverandhandsome,andtheheroinehadeyes"asdarkanddeepasstarlitpools。"Thepoorbutbeautifulpersonmetthepool—eyedoneataconcert,wherehesat,"hiswholesoultransfiguredbythemusic,"
  andshehadbeen"fascinatedinspiteofherself"bythelookonhisface。Ireadasfarasthatanddroppedthebookindisgust。
  AfterthatImusthavefallenasleep。Whatawakenedmewasaknockonthedoor。ItwasLute,ofcourse。Probablymotherwantedmeforsomethingorother,andDorindahadsentherhusbandtohuntmeup。
  Theknockwasrepeated。
  "Comein,"Isaid,sleepily。
  Thedooropenedandincame,notLute,butatall,portlyman,withayachtingcaponthebackofhisgrayhead,andacigarinhismouth。HelookedatmeasIlayonthecouchandIlayonthecouchandlookedathim。
  "Afternoon,"hesaid,curtly。"IsyournamePaine?"
  Inodded。Iwaswakingrapidly,butIwastooastonishedtospeak。
  "RoscoePaine?"
  "Yes。"
  "Well,mine’sColton。Isentyoualetterthismorning。Didyougetit?"
  CHAPTERIV
  Isatuponthecouch。Mr。Coltonknockedtheashesfromhiscigar,waitedaninstant,andthenrepeatedhisquestion。
  "Didyougetmyletter?"heasked。
  "Yes,"Isaid。
  "Oh,youdid。Iwasafraidthatmanofminemighthaveforgottentomailit。"
  "No,Igotit。Won’tyou——er——won’tyousitdown?"Hepulledthearmchairtowardhimandsatdown。Inoticedthathehadahabitofdoingthingsquickly。Hissentenceswereshortandtothepointandhespokeandactedlikeoneaccustomedtohavinghisownway。
  Hecrossedhiskneesandlookedaboutthelittlebuilding。
  "Itisapleasantday,"Iobserved,forthesakeofsayingsomething。Hedidnotseemtohearme,or,ifhedid,hewasnotinterestedintheweather。FormypartIfoundthesituationembarrassing。Iknewwhathisnextquestionwouldbe,andIdidnotknowhowtoanswer。Sureenough,heaskedit。
  "Iwroteyoutocomeovertomyplacethisforenoon,"hesaid。
  "Youdidn’tcome。"
  "No。I——"
  "Whynot?"
  Herewastheissuejoined。Here,ifever,wastheopportunitytoassertmyindependencealaJedDeanandAlvinBaker。Buttoassertitnow,afterhehaddonetheunexpected,afterthemountainhadcometoMahomet,seemedcaddishandridiculous。SoI
  temporized,weakly。
  "Ididn’treadyourletteruntilaboutnoon,"Isaid。
  "Isee。Well,Iwaiteduntiltwoo’clockandthenIdecidedtohuntyouup。Icalledatyourhouse。Thewomantheresaidyouweredownhere。Yourmother?"
  "No。"Myanswerwaspromptandsharpenoughthistime。Itwasnatural,perhaps,thatheshouldpresumeDorindatobemymother,butIdidnotlikeit。
  Hepaidabsolutelynoattentiontothetoneofmyreplyoritscurtness。HedidnotrefertoDorindaagain。Shemighthavebeenmywifeormygreat—auntforallhecared。
  "Thisyourworkshop?"heasked,abruptly。Then,noddingtowardthedismemberedengine,"Whatareyou?aboatbuilder?"
  "No,notexactly。"
  "What’sthepriceofaboatlikethat?"indicatingtheComfortwithakickinherdirection。
  "Abouttwohundredandfiftydollars,Ibelieve,"Ianswered。
  "Youbelieve!Don’tyouknow?"
  "No。Iboughtthatboatsecond—hand。"
  Hedidnotrefertotheboatagain;apparentlyforgotitaltogether。
  Hisnextmovewastoriseandturntowardthedoor。Iwatchedhim,wonderingwhatwasgoingtohappennext。Hehadahabitofjumpingfromonesubjecttoanotherwhichwasbewildering。
  "What’sthatfellowdoingoffthere?"heasked,suddenly。
  Ilookedwherehewaspointing。
  "ThatisZebKendrick,"Ianswered。"He’srakingforquahaugs。"
  "Rakingforwhathogs?"
  "Quahaugs。WhatyouNewYorkerscallclams。"
  "Oh!Sell’em,doeshe?"
  "Yes。"