\"Where\'sVic?\"Bugdemanded。
\"Idon\'tknow,\"Burgessanswered。
\"Takemeup,I\'setold。”Bugstretcheduphisarmsappealingly,andBurgess,whoknewnothingofbabies,awkwardlyliftedhimup。
\"TuddlemetloselikeVicdo,\"andthelittleonesnuggledlovinglyintheProfessor\'sembrace。\"Yourtoat\'swet。
IsVicwet,too?\"
\"Yes,littleboy。Weareallintroubletonight。”
Burgesshadtosaysomething。
\"Intwouble?Umph——humph!\"Bugshuthislipstightly,puffingouthischeeks,aswashishabit。\"Iwasintwouble,andIistwentedtoDonFonnybone。He\'sdoodfortwouble-ness。Yougoseehim。
Poorman!\"andthelittlehandstrokedProfessorBurgess\'feverishcheek。
\"Ifyou\'llrunrightbacktobed,I\'lldoit,\"Burgessdeclared。
\"Wecanlearnevenfromchildrensometimes,\"hethought,asBugclimbeddownobedientlyandtoddledaway。
VincentBurgesswentdirectlytoDr。LloydFenneben,towhomhetoldthestoryoftheday\'sevents,includingtheinterviewwithBondSaxon。HedidnotrepeatBond\'swordsregardingVic,butonlyhintedatthesuspicionthattherewassomethingquestionableinthesituationinwhichVicwasplaced。
Nordidherefertotheoldman\'smaudlindemandthatheshouldtakecareofDennieifshewereleftfatherless,andofhisswornpromisetodoso。
Burgessfeltas,iftheDean\'sblackeyeswouldburnthroughhim,sosteadywastheirgazewhilethestorywasbeingtold。
Whenhehadfinished,LloydFennebensaidquietly:
\"Youarewornoutwiththeexcitementofthedayandnight。
Gohomeandrestnow。I\'velearnedthroughmanyastruggle,thatwhatIcannotfighttoafinishinthedarkness,IcansafelyleavewithGodtillthedaylightcomes。”
ThesmilethatlightedupthesternfaceandthefirmhandclaspwithwhichLloydFennebendismissedtheyoungmanwerethingsherememberedlongafterward。Andaboveall,herecalledmanytimesasenseofsecretshamethatheshouldhavefeltdegradedbecauseofhisassociationwithDennieSaxononthisday。
Butofthislast,thememorywasstrongerthanthepresentrealization。
Meanwhile,asthemadwaterssurgedaroundthebendintheriver,andsweptovertheshallows,VictorBurleighflunghisarmaroundElinorWreamandleapedbackfromtheveryedgeofdoom。
\"Wemustclimbthebluffagain。BeagoodIndian!\"hecried,gropingforafooting。
Climbingthewestbluffbydaylightforthesakeofadventurewasveryunlikethisstruggleinthedarknesstoescapethewideningriver,withawind-driventorrentofrainsweepingdownthelandbehindthefirststorm-fury,andElinorWreamclungtohercompanion\'sarmalmosthelplesswithfear。
\"Doyouthinkyoucanevergetusout?sheasked,asthelimestoneledgeblockedtheway。
\"Doyouknowwhatmymothernamedme?\"Thecarelessnessofthetonewassurprising。
\"Victor!\"shereplied。
\"Thendon\'tforgetit,\"Burleighsaid。\"It\'sadreadfullyroughwaybeforeus,littlegirl,butwe\'llsoonbesafefromtheriver。
Don\'tmindthislittlebitofastorm,andyou\'llgetpersonallyconductedintoLagondaLedgebeforemidnight。”
Inhershelteredlife,Elinorhadneverknownanythinghalfsodreadfulasthisstormanddarknessandboomingflood,butthefearlessnessofthestrongmanbesideherinspiredhertodoherbest。Itwasonlytwohourssincetheywereherebefore。
HowcouldsheknowthatthesetwohourshadmarkedthecrisisofalifetimeforVictorBurleigh。Withafriendlylittlepressureonhisarm,shesaidbravely:
\"I\'dratherbeherewithyouthanovertheriverwithanybodyelse。
Ifeelsaferhere。”
Vicknewshemeantonlytobecourteous,butthewordswerecomforting。
Onthecrestoftheledgethefiercenessofthestormwasrevealed。
Greatsheetsofwind-blownrainwereflungathwartthelandscape,andtheutterblacknessthatfollowedthelightning\'sglare,andtheroaringofthewindandriverwereappalling。
Inallthistumult,awaytothenortheast,thebeaconlightabovetheSunrisedomewascuttingthedarknesswithasteadybeam。
\"Seethatlight,Elinor?Wearenotlost。Wemustgetupstreamalittleway。Thenwe\'llfindthebridge,allright。
Thecrowdwillgethomeaheadofus,becausethisistheroughsideoftheriver。”
\"Oh,whatacomfortalightcanbe!\"Elinormurmuredasshelookedupandcaughtthewelcomegleam。
Astheyhurriedalong,theSunriselightsuddenlydisappearedandtheyfoundthemselvesdescendingaroughdownwardway。
Presentlytherewererockwallsoneithersidehemmingtheminanarrowcreviceintheledges。ThentherainceasedandVicknewtheyhadsliddendownintoarock-coveredfissure,thattheyweregettingunderground。Theytriedtoturnback,buttheup-climbwasimpossible,andinthedarknesstheycouldreachnothingbutthesharpledgeofthecliffsheerabovetheragingriver。
Entrappedandbewildered,Vicfeltcautiouslyabout;buttheonlycertainthingswerethestraightbluffoverhangingtheflood,andthecavernouswayleadingdownward;whilethesamedelugethatwaskeepingVincentBurgessstorm-staidontheverandaoftheSaxonHouse,wasbeatingmercilesslydownonElinorWream。
\"Wecan\'tstayhereandbethreshedtopieces,\"Viccried。
\"Thiscrackisdrier,anyhow,anditmustleadtosomewhere。”
ItdidleadtowhatseemedtoElinoranendlesslengthofhideousuncertainty,untilVicsuddenlylosthisfootingandplungedheadlongdownsomewhereintotheblacknessofdarkness。
Elinorshriekedinterrorandsankdownlimplyonthestonefloorofthecrevice。
\"Allabluff,\"Viccalledupcheerily,inthesamestartlinglydeepsweetvoicethathadcaughtElinor\'searontheSeptemberafternoonbeforethedoorofSunrise,andoutintheedgeofherconsciousnessthethoughtplayedinagain,\"I\'dratherbeherewithyouthanovertheriverwithanybodyelse。
Ifeelsaferhere。”
\"Slidedown,Elinor。I\'llcatchyou。Itisn\'tveryfar,andthere\'salittlelightsomewhere。”
ElinorslippedblindlydownthesideoftherockintoVicBurleigh\'soutstretchedarms。Ashesetheronherfeet,somehow,thelittlelightfailed。Inalltheirstruggle,thispartofthewayseemedthedarkest,thechillest,themostdangerous,andasuddensenseofapresencehiddennearbypossessedthemboth,astheycameagainstablindwall。
AstouterheartthanVicBurleigh\'smightwellhavequailednow。
Thetwowerelostunderground。Whatdeepercavernmightyawnbeyondthem?Whatlengthofdeadwallmightbartheirway?
Andmoreterrifyingstill,wasthegrowingsenseofahumanpresence,ahumanmenace,anunseentreachery。AsVicfelthiswayalongthestone,hishandclosedoversomethingthrustintoalittleniche,shoulder-highinthewall。Itseemedtobeasmallpitcherofuniquepattern,solidsilverbyitsweight。
Wasitthebootyofsomedeadandforgottenrobberchief,theburiedtreasureofsomeoldKickapooraidingtragedy,orthelootofalivingoutlaw?
Victhoughthefelttheoutlineofalettergraveninheavyreliefonthesmoothside,and,forareasonofhisown,droppedthething。
Mercifully,hedidnotcryoutatthediscovery,butElinorfelthishandonherarmgrowchill。
Adazzlingglare,tokenofthepassingofthestorm\'sfireworks,outlinedanirregularopeninginthewallbeforethem,revealingatthesametimealargeroombeyondthewall。
\"Here\'stheholewherewegetoutofthistrap,ElinorWream。Ifsuchabiglightninglikethatcangetin,wecangetout,\"Viccried。
Hecrawledthroughtheopening,andpulledherasgentlyaspossibleafterhim。Presently,anotherblazelitupthenightoutside,showingacavern-likespacethirtyfeetindimensions,witharockroofabovetheirheads,andalowdoorwaythroughwhichthelightfromtheoutsidehadcomein,andbeyondwhichtherainwasbeatingtremendously。
Evidentlytheyhadfoundarearentrancetothiscavern。
\"Wearepastourtroublesnow,Elinor,\"Vicsaid。
\"There\'stherealout-of-doors,andIfeelsureoftherestoftheway。Thisseemstobeasortofcave,andwehavecomeinkindofirregularlybythebackdoorordownthechimney。
Buthereweareattherealfrontdoor。Shallwegoon?\"
Elinorleanedwearilyagainstthewall,wetandcold,andalmostexhausted。
\"Let\'swaitalittle,tillthisshowerpasses,\"shepleaded。
\"Youpoorgirl!Thishasbeenanawfulnight,\"Vicsaidgently。
Theireyesweregettingaccustomedtothedarknessandtheysawmoreclearlytheoutlineoftheopeningtotheoutsideworld。
SuddenlyElinorshiveredasagainthenearnessofapresencesomewherepossessedthemboth。
\"Let\'sgo!Let\'sgo!\"shewhispered,huddlingclosetohercompanion,whosegriponherarmtightened。
Hewasconsciousofalightbehindhim。Glancingoverhisshoulder,hecaughtagleambeyondtheopeningintherearwallthroughwhichtheyhadjustcrept;andinthatgleam,avillainousface,withstillblackeyes,lookingstraightathim。
Thelightdisappeared,andheheardthefaintsoundofsomethingcreepingtowardthem。Viccouldfightanymanliving。
Naturebuilthimforthat。Hehadnofearforhimself。
ButherewasElinor,andhemustthinkofherfirst。
Atthatinstant,thedoorwaydarkened,andaformslippedintothecavernsomewhere。Oh,windandrain,andforkedbluelightningandthethunder\'sroar,theriver\'smadfloods,thesteep,slipperyrocks,andjaggedledges,allwerekindbesidethissecrethumanpresence,cruellysilentandtreacherous。
VictorBurleighdrewElinorclosertohim,andwhisperedlow:
\"Don\'tbeafraidwithmetoguardyou。”
Eveninthatdeepgloom,hecaughttheoutlineofawhitefacewithstar-brighteyesliftedtowardhisface。
\"I\'mnotafraidwithyou,\"shewhispered。
Behindthemstealthymovementssomewhere。Betweenthemandthedoorway,stealthymovementssomewhere;butallsostillandslow,theystretchedthelisteningnervealmosttothebreakingpoint。Suddenly,abig,hardhandgrippedBurleigh\'sshoulder,andadeadstillvoice,thatViccouldnotrecognize,breathedintohisear,\"Goquickandquiet!
I\'llstandforit。Go!\"
ItwasoldBondSaxon。
ViccaughtElinor\'sarm,andwithonestridetheysprangfromthecave\'smouthuptotheopengroundbeyondit。
Somethingbehindthem,itmighthavebeenagroanorasmotheredoath,reachedtheirears,astheyspedawaydownanarrowravine。
Therainhadceasedandoverheadthestarswerepeepingfromtheedgesoffeatheryflyingclouds;andallthesoddenautumnnightwasstillatlast,saveforthegurglingwatersofalittlestreamdowntherockyglen。
TheSunrisebellwasstrikingelevenwhentheyreachedthebridgeacrosstheWalnut,andthebeaconlightfromthedomebegantotwinkleawelcomenowandthenthroughthedrippingbranchesoftheleaflesstrees。
Afewminuteslater,VictorBurleighbroughtElinorsafelytoLloydFenneben\'sdoor。
\"Wemadeitinbeforemidnight,anyhow,\"hesaidcarelessly。
Elinorlookedupinsurprise。Theterrorsofthenightstillpossessedher。
\"Whatahorriblenightmareithasallbeen。Thestorm,theriver,therocks,andthedarkness,andthatdreadfulsomethingbehindusinthecave。Wastherereallyanything,ordidwejustimagineitall?
Itwillseemimpossiblewhenthedaylightcomes。”
Victorlookedatherwithawonderfullightinhiswide-openbrowneyes。
\"Yes,\"hesaidinadeepvoice。\"Itwillseemimpossiblewhendaylightcomes。Butwillitallbeasahorriblenightmare?\"
\"No,no;notall。”Elinor\'sfacewaswinsomelysweet。\"Notall,\"
sherepeated。\"Itisfinetofeelone\'sselfsosafeguardedasIhavebeen。
IshallalwaysrememberyouasonewithwhomIcouldneveragainbeafraid。”
Burleighturnedhastilytowardthedoor,and,havingdeliveredhertothecareofheruncle,hebadethembothgoodnight。
Dr。Fennebenlookedkeenlyaftertheyoungmanstridingawayfromthelight。
Hisclothesweretornandbedraggled,hiscapwasgone,andhisheavyhairwasamassofroughwavesabouthisforehead。Thedirectgazeofhisgolden-browneyestookawaydistrust,andyetthefacehadchangedsomehowinthisday。
Ahintofanewpurposehadcreptintoit,apurposenotpossibleforDr。Fennebentoread。
Buthedidnotethesetofthehead,theerectformandbroadshoulders,andtheeasyswingingstepastheboywentwhistlingawayintotheshadowsofthenight。
\"Asplendidanimal,anyhow,\"theDeanthought。\"Willthesoulmeasureuptothatprincelybody?AndwhatcanbethepurportofthismaudlinmouthingofoldBondSaxon?Bondisreallyalovablemanwhenhe\'ssober;buthe\'svindictiveanduglywhenhe\'sdrunk。
Icanwaitfordevelopments。Whatevertheboy\'shistorymayhavebeen,likethecourts,it\'smybusinesstoholdeverymaninnocenttillhe\'sprovenguilty;tobuildupcharacter,nottoundermineanddestroyit。
Anddestructionbeginsinsuspicion。”
CHAPTERVI
THEGAME
_TrulyyecomeofTheBlood;slowertoblessthantoban;
Littleusedtoliedownatthebiddingofanyman_——
KIPLING
BITTERweatherfollowedthenightofthestorm。
Bitingwindsbeatalltheautumnbeautyfromtreeandshrub。
Coldgrayskieshungoveracoldgrayland,andaheavysnowfallandapenetratingchillseemedtodestroyallhopefortheIndianSummerthatmakestheKansasNovembersglorious。
DennieSaxonwastheonlygirlofthepartywhowasnotaffectedbythestormattheKickapooCorral。ProfessorBurgess,whonarrowlyescapedpneumoniahimself,andwhodislikedirregularclassattendance,tookcomfortinthesightofDennie。Shewassofresh-checkedandwholesome,andshewentaboutherworkpromptly,forgetfulofstormandrainandmuddyways。
\"Youseemimmunefromsickness,MissDennie,\"Burgesssaidonedayasshewasputtingthelibraryinorder。
Underherlittlebluedustingcap,thesunnyripplesofherhairframedafaceglowingwithhealth。Shesmiledupathimcomfortably——
asmilethatplayedabouttheedgesofhisconsciousnessallthatday。
\"I\'veneverbeensick,\"shesaid。\"It\'sagoodthing,too,forourhouseisaregularhospitalthisweek。LittleBugBuleristheworstofall。Hetookcoldonthenightofthestorm。
That\'swhyVictorBurleigh\'soutofschoolsomuch。
Hewon\'tleaveBug。”
VincentBurgessdespisedthenameofBurleighnow。WhileVic\'ssafeescortofElinorWreamhadincreasedhispopularitywiththestudents,BurgesshonestlybelievedthatoldBondSaxon\'sdrunkenspeechhintedatsomedisgracethebigfreshmanwouldnotlongbeabletoconceal,andheresentedthehighplacegiventosuchalowgradeofcharacter。
Toamanlikehimselfitwasgallingtolookuponsuchafellowasarival。
So,hetightenedtherulesandexactedthelastmentalfarthingofVicintheclassroom。AndVic,easilyunderstandingallthis,becausehewasfranklyandfool-ishlyinlovewiththesamegirlwhomVincentBurgessseemedtoclaim,contrivedinathousandwaystomakelifeaburdentotheHarvardman。Ofcourse,BurgessshowednomercytowardVicforabsencefromtheclassroomwhilehewascaringforlittleBug,andtheblackmarksmultipliedagainsthim。
ElinorWream。hadbeenillafterthenightofthestorm。
VichadnotseenhersincethehourwhenheleftheratLloydFenneben\'sdoor。Heknewhewasafooltothinkofheratall。
HeknewshemustsometimebewonbyBurgess,andthatshewasborntogentleculturewhichhishardlifehadneverknown。
Besides,hewaspoor。Notapauper,butpoor,andluxuriesbelongednaturallytoagirllikeElinor。Thestormoftheholidaywasabalmyzephyrcomparedtothestormthatragedeverydayinhim。
Forwithallthehopelessnessofthings,hewasinlove。
Poorfellow!Thestrengthofhisspiritwaslikethestrengthofhisbody——unbreakable。
Hehadnofearofpneumoniaafterthestormynight,forhewasusedtohardknocks。Andhemeanttogoagainbydaylightandexploretherockyglenandhiddenways,andtofindout,ifpossible,whosefaceitwasthatwasbehindthatcavernwall,whosevoicehadwhisperedinhisear,andwhatlootwashiddenthere。
Forreasonsofhisown,hehadmentionedthismattertonobody。
Butthecold,wetdays,littleBug\'sillness,andthehardstudytokeepuphisclassstanding,tookallofhistime。
Especially,thestudy,thathemightnotbeshutoutofthegreatfootballgameoftheyearonThanksgivingday。Sunrisewasstiffinitsscholasticrequirements,andconscientioustothelastdegree。
Thefootballteamstoodonmentalabilityandmoralhonor,nolessthanonscientificskillandmuscularweightandcunning。
Dr。FennebenwatchedBurleighcarefully,fortheboyseemedtobealwaysonhisheart。TheDeanknewhowtomixcommonsenseandjusticeintohisrulings,sothewordwassentquietlyfromtheheadoffice——
thesuggestionofleniencyinthematterofBurleigh\'sabsence。
Burleighwasgoodforit。Itlaywithhisprofessors,ofcourse,tograntorwithholdscholarshipranking,buttheDeanwouldbepleasedtohavealllatitudegiveninBurleigh\'scase。
Bugwasbetternow,andVicwasburningmidnightoilinstudy,forthehoursofpracticeforthegameweredoubled。
OntheeveningbeforeThanksgivingthecoachcalledVicaside。
\"Everythingissafe。Onlyonereportnotin,butitwillbeintomorrow。”thecoachdeclared。\"IaskedProfessorBurgessaboutyourstanding,andhesaysyourgradesareawayaboveaverage。
He\'sgottoreckonupyourabsentmarks,butthat\'seasy。
Alltheteachersunderstandaboutthat。IguessDeanFunnybonefixed\'em。Andnow,Vic,thehonorofSunriserestsonyou。
Ifyoufailus,we\'relost。CanIcountonyou?\"
Thetigerlightwasbehindthelongblacklashesundertheheavyblackbrows,asVicshuthiswhiteteethtightly。
\"Countonme!\"hesaid,andturning,heleftthecoachabruptly。
\"Hey,there,Burleigh,holdonaminute,\"Trench,therightguard,called,asVicwasstridingupthesteepsouthslopeofthelimestoneridge。
\"Say,windafellow,willyou!Youinfernal,never-wear-out,humansteamengine。I\'montosomethingsyououghttoknow。EvenalazyoldscoutlikeIamgetsacrackatthingsonceinawhile。”
\"Well,getridofitonceinawhile,ifyoureallydoknowanything,\"Vicresponded。
\"Say,you\'renervous。Coachsaysyouspendtoomuchtimeinyournursery;
saysyou\'dbettergetridofthatlittlekid。”
\"Tellthecoachtogotothedevil!\"Vicspokesavagely。
\"Say,Coach,\"Trenchroareddownfromthehillslope,\"Vicsaysforyoutogotothedevil。”
\"Waittillaftertomorrow,\"thecoachshoutedback,\"andI\'lltakeyoufellowsalongifyoudon\'tdoyourbest。”
\"Now,that\'ssettled,I\'lltellyouwhatIknow,\"Trenchdrawledlazily。
\"First,ElinorWream,whatDeanFunnybonecalls`Norrie,\'isheadingthebunchthat\'sgoingtoshoweruswithrosestomorrow,ifwewin。
Andyouknowblamedwellwe\'llwin。TheycameinfromKansasCityonthelimited,justnow,therosesdid。Theshower\'spredictedfortomorrowP。M。”
AsuddenglowlightedVic\'ssternface,andtherewasnosavagegleaminhiseyesnow。
\"IsElinorwellenoughtocomeouttomorrow?\"
Hehadbeencaughtunawares。Trenchstaredathimdeliberately。
\"Say,VictorBurleigh。”Hespokeslowly。\"Don\'tdoit!
DON\'TDOIT!Itwillkillamanlikeyoutogetinlove。
Lordpityyou!and\"——moreslowlystill——\"Lordpitythefoolgirlwhocan\'tseethesolidgoldintherougholdnuggetyouare。”
\"What\'stherestofyournews?\"Vicasked。
\"Igavethebestfirst。Coachtellsmeab-so-lute-lee,youareouronlyhope。ThehopeofSunrise,tomorrow。
You\'vegotthebeef,thewind,thespeed,thehead,andthewill。
Oh,youangelchild!\"
\"Thecoachisclever,\"Vicsaidcarelessly。
\"Burleigh,here\'stherubaswellastheRub-i-con。DennieSaxon\'swise,andshetellsme——ontheside;inside,notoutside——thatyourabsentmarksonBurgess\'maparegoingtocutyououtatthelastminute。
Don\'tletBurgessdothat,Vic,ifyouhavetokillhim。
Couldn\'twekidnaphimanddrophimintothewhirlpool?
OldLagonda\'sinterestisaboutdue。Denniejuststoodhergroundtodaylikeacherub,andaskedtheHahvahdUnivusitymanrightoutaboutit。
Idon\'tknowhowshegotthehint,onlyshe\'sinalltheofficesandthelibraryoutofhours,youknow,andwhentheslimonefromBoston,yuhknow,saidashowhehadtostandfirmontheright,yuhknow,oldDenniejustsaysstraightandflat,`ProfessorBurgess,I\'mashamedofyou。\'
Dennie\'sabrick。Anddoyouknow,Burgess,spiteofhiscussedthinhide,we\'vegottotoughenforhimouthereinKansas;spiteofallthat,HELIKESDENNIESAXON。Theoraclehathorked,thesibylhathsibbed。
Butsay,Vic,ifhedoescomedownhardonyou,whatwillyoudo?\"
\"Comedownhardonhim,andplayanyhow。”
ThegrimjawandblackfrownleftnodoubtastoVic\'spurpose。
LateNovemberisidyllicintheWalnutValley。Autumn\'sgoldhasallbeenburnedinNature\'sgreatcrucible,refiningthelandscapetoawiderangefromfrostedsilvertorichestPurple。Heliotropeandroseandamethystblendwithmistypinkanddaintygray,andthefaint,indefinableblue-greenhueoftherobin\'segg,andoutlinedallindelicateblacktraceryofleaflessboughsanddarkenedwaterways。
EverysunriseisarevelationofInfiniteBeauty。Everymidday,ashadowysoftpictureofPeace。EverysunsetadreamofOmnipotentSplendor。
OnsuchaNovemberThanksgivingday,thegreatgameoftheseasonwasplayedontheSunrisefootballfield,whichalltheWalnutValleyfolkscameforthtosee。
Byoneo\'clockLagondaLedgewasdeserted,saveforoldBondSaxon,whosatonhisveranda,watchingthecrowdsstreamby。
Attwoo\'clockthebleacherswerepacked,andthesidelineswerebroadandblackwithagood-natured,jostlingcrowd。
Andeveryminutethenumberswereincreasing。
TrulySunrisehadneverbeforeknownsuchanauspiciousday,suchrecord-breakinggatereceipts,norsuchsurepromiseofsuccess。Thegamewascalledforhalf-pasttwo。
Itwasthreeo\'clocknowandtheline-uphadnotbeenformed。
Eventhegentlewrangleoverdetailsandeligibilitycouldhardlyhavespunoutsomuchtimeasseemedtothewaitingthrongtobeuselesslywastednow。Evidently,somethingwaswrong。
Thecrowdgrewimpatientanddemandedthecause。
Outintheopen,thetwosquadswerewarmingupforthefray,whiletheofficialshungfireinagroupbythegoalpostsandtalkedthreateningly。
\"What\'sthematter?\"
\"Whenwillthefreightbein?\"
\"MerryChristmas!\"
Sothecrowdshouted。Thesongswerewornout,theyell-leaderswereexhausted,andtherooterswerehoarse。
\"Where\'sVicBurleigh?\"somebodycalled,andachorusfollowed:
\"Burleigh!Burly!Burlee!Comehome!Comehome!Comehome!\"
ButBurleighdidnotcome。
\"Maybetheyareshuttinghimout,\"somebodyelsesuggested,andtheSunrisebleacherstookfire。CallsforBurleighrenttheair,roarsandyellsthatthreatenedtoturnthismostauspiciouscollegeeventintopandemonium,andthejollycompanyintoaveritablemob。
Meantime,astheteamswereleavingtheirquartersearlyintheafternoon,thecoachsaidtoVic:
\"RunuptoBurgessandgetyourgrades,Burleigh。It\'samereform,butitwillsavethatgangofgame-cocksfromgettingoneoverus。”
IntherotundaVicandVincentmetfacetoface,thecountryboyinhisfootballsuitandbrownsweater,andtheslenderyoungcollegeprofessor,withfaultlesstailoringandimmaculatelinen。
Tenminutesbefore,BurgesshadbeeninDr。Fenneben\'soffice,whereElinorWreamandagroupoffaircollegegirlswerechatteringexcitedly。
\"Seetheseroses,UncleLloyd。”ElinorwasholdingupagorgeousbunchofAmericanBeauties。\"ThesegotoVicBurleighwhenhegetsbehindthegoalposts。CostlotsofmyUncleLloyd\'smoney,butwehadtohavethem。”
SmallwonderthattheveryodorofroseswashatefultoBurgessatthatmoment。
\"MayIspeaktoyouaminute?\"Vicsaidasthetwomenmetintherotunda。
Burgesshaltedinsilence。
\"Thecoachsentmeafteryourstatementofmystanding。
We\'vegotabunchofsticklerstofighttoday。”
\"Ihaveturnedinmyreport,\"Burgessrespondedcoldly。
\"Sothecoachsaid,allbutmine。I\'mlate。MayIhavemyreportnow?\"
Vicurged,tryingtobecomposed。
\"Ihavenofurtherreportforyou。”Itwasacold-bloodedthingtosay,butBurgess,thoughfilledwithjealousy,wasconscientiousnowinhisbeliefthatBurleighwasreallyalowgradefellow,deservingnoleniencynorrecognition。
\"Butyouhaven\'tgivenmeanystandingyet,thecoachsays。”
Vic\'svoicewasdeadcalm。
\"Ihavenostandingtogiveyou。Youarebelowgrade。”
Vic\'seyesblazed。\"Youdog!\"wasallhecouldsay。
\"Now,seehere,Burleigh,there\'snoneedtoactanyruderthanyoucanhelp。”Burleighdidnotmove,nordidhetakehisyellowbrowneyesfromhisinstructor\'sface。
\"Whathaveyoutosayfurther?Ithoughtyouwereinahurry。”
Burgessdidnotreallymeanatauntinthelastwords。
\"Ihavethistosay。”VictorBurleigh\'svoicehadamenaceinitsdepthandpower。\"Youhavedonethisinfamousthing,notbecauseIdeserveit,butbecauseyouhatemeonaccountofagirl——ElinorWream。”
\"Stop!\"VincentBurgesscommanded。
Iforbidyoutomentionhername。You,whocomeinherefromsomebarren,poverty-strickenprairiehome,wheregoodbreedingisunknown。
You,topresumetothinkofsuchagirlasDr。Fenneben\'sbeautifulniece,whosereputationwasbarelysavedbyoldBondSaxononthestormynightaftertheholiday。You,whoareforcedforsomereasontocareforanunknownchild。You,whosetruecharacterwillsoonbefullyknownhere——
ifthisiswhatyouhavetosay,youmaygo,\"headdedwithanimperiouswaveofthehand。
Themeannessofangerisinitsmastery。BurgesshadmeantonlytodisciplineBurleigh,butitwastoolateforthatnow。
Therotundawasveryquiet。Everybodywasdownonthefieldwaitingimpatientlyforthegametobegin。Burgesswasalsoimpatient。
TherewasaseatwaitingforhimbesideElinorWream。
\"I\'mnotquitereadytogo\"——Vic\'sfiercevoicefilledtherotunda——\"becauseyouaregoingtowritemycredentialsforthisgame,andyou\'lldoitquick,orbegformercy。”
\"Irefusetoconsiderawordyousay。”Burgesswasfuriousnow,andthewhitefaceandburningeyesofhisopponentwereunbearable。
\"Iwillnotgrantyouanycredentials,youlow-bornprize-fighter——\"
AsuddengripofsteelheldhimfastasVictoweredoverhim。
Thesoftenedlightofthedomeoftherotunda,wheretheKansasmotto,\"_AdAstraperAspera_。”adornedthestainedglasspanes,hadneverfallenonsuchasceneasthis。
\"Seehere,Burleigh,you\'llrepentthisunwarrantedattack,\"
Burgesscried,tryingtofreehimself。\"Bruteforcewillwinonlyamongbrutes。”
\"That\'stheonlyplaceIexpecttouseit,\"Vicretorted,tighteninghisgrip。\"Notimeforwordsnow。
ThehonorofSunriseaswellasmyhonorisatstake,andit\'smyrighttoplayinthisgame,becauseIhavebrokennolaws。
Imayhavenocultureexceptthatofaprairieclaim;
andImaybepoor,and,therefore,presumptuousindaringtomentionElinorWream\'snametoyou。But\"——thebrowneyeswereablazingfire——\"nobodycantellmethatanymanmustrescueagirlfrommetosaveherreputation,northatanydishonorbelongstomebecauseoflittleBugBuler。Uncultured,asIam,Ihavethecultureofacouragethatguardsthehelpless;
andill-bred,asImaybe,Ihaveagentleman\'shonorwhereverawoman\'sneedcallsformyprotection。”
Vic\'sfacewasashy,forhisangermatchedhislove,andbothwereparalleltohiswonderfulphysiqueandendurance。
Inhisfury,thetemptationtothrottlethemanwhohadwrongedhimwasgainingthemastery。
\"Vic,oh,Vic,they\'rewaitingforyou。Turnon!
Don\'thurthim,Vic。”BugBuler\'spleadinglittlevoicebrokethemomentarystillness。
Vic\'shandfellnerveless,andBurgessstaggeredback。
\"Wasn\'tyoudoodtoVic?Hewouldn\'thurtedyou。Heneverhurtedme。”
Theinnocentfaceandgentlewordsheldastrangepowerovereachpassion-firedmanbeforehim。