\"Andmeantime?\"hesaid,lookingupatElinor。
\"Yes,meantime,it\'sJunetime,\"Elinorreplied。
\"Well,andwhatofSunrise?Didwe——\"
\"Oh,yes,wedid。Thecollegefirst。Therulingpassion,stronginthehospital。WhenaWreamgetstokingdom-come,healwaysasksSaintPeterfirstforamortarboardandgowninsteadofacrownandwings。”Norrie\'seyeswereshining。
\"Andhe\'salittleparticularabouttheliningofthewings,too——Purple,forLaw;White,forLetters;Blue,forPhilosophy;Red,forDivinity。Takethisquietingpowder。
Collegepresidentsshouldbeseenandnotheard。”
Shesmilinglysilencedhim。
Underhergentleministrations,Dr。FennebencouldpicturewhatcomfortmightbeinstoreforVincentBurgessinaday,doubtlessonlytwoyearsaway。
HeresentedJoshuaWream\'sestimateofElinor。SurelyJoshuahadneverseenherintheplaceofnurse。
\"Now,meantime,UncleLloyd,\"Elinorwassaying,\"commencementpassedoffbeautifullyunderActing-DeanBurgess,consideringhowsadandheavy-heartedeverybodywas。
ThetrusteeswanttoraiseProfessorBurgess\'ssalarynextyear——
he\'ssocompetent。
LloydFenneben\'seyeswerenotbandaged,andashelookedatElinorhewonderedatherutterlackofreserveandsentiment,whenshespokeofBurgessinsuchafrank,matter-of-factway。
Whenhewasinloveyearsago——buttimesmusthavechanged。
\"Thearrangementsfornextyeararealllookedafter。
Everythingwillbedoneexactlyasyouwouldhaveitdone。
There\'snotonethingtoputaworryintothatcottonroundyourhead。”
\"Good!Now,tellmeof`beforehand。\'\"Hissmilewasascharmingasever。
\"Inyourfeveryou\'vebeentellingusaboutaone-armedmanwhohadtwoarmstopushpeopleintotheriver,ofhiswantingyoutosavesomechild\'slife,andofyourstumblingoverthestone。
That\'sallweknowaboutthat。BondSaxonandProfessorBurgessfoundyouinthewateratthenorthbendintheWalnutclosetothathermitwoman\'shouse。Eitheryoufellin,orsomebodypushedyoudownthebank,headforemost,andyoustruckaledgeofrock。”
Elinor\'seyeswerefulloftearsnow。\"Youwouldhavebeendrowned,ifthatwhite-hairedwomanhadn\'tjumpedinandheldyourheadabovewaterwhilesheclungtothebusheswithonehand。
Herdoghelped,too,likearealhero。Itstoodonthebankandheldtohershawlthatshehadfastenedroundyoutoholdyou。
Andtheriverwasrisingsofast,too。Itwasawful。
Idon\'tknowjusthowitwasallmanaged,UncleLloyd,butitwasmanagedbetweenthewomanandherdogatfirst,andProfessorBurgessandBondSaxonatlast,andyouaresafenow,andonthehighroad,theveryelevatedtracks,torecovery。
Whenyourfeverwasthehighest,thedoctorskepttellingmeaboutyoursplendidconstitutionandyourtemperatelife。
Youmustgetwellnow。”
Shebentoverhimandsoftlycaressedhishand。
\"Whereisthatwomannow?DennieSaxonaskedmeoncetodosomethingforherinherloneliness。Shegotaheadofmynegligenceanddidsomethingforme,itseems。”
\"SheleftLagondaLedgetheverydaytheyrushedusupheretothehospital。
Isn\'tshestrange?Andsheissogentleandsweet,butsosad。
Ineversawsuchapatheticfaceashers,UncleLloyd。”
\"Whendidyouseeher?\"Fennebenasked。
\"Shecametoaskafteryou。Nobodythoughtyouwouldgetoverit。”
Elinor\'svoicetrembled。\"Thefeverwasburningyouupandittookthreedoctorstoholdyou。IsawherfacewhenDennieSaxonsaidtheythoughtyouwouldn\'tpullthrough。
Yourownsistercouldn\'thaveturnedwhiter,UncleLloyd。”
\"Andtheone-armedmanIseemedtoremember?\"
\"Idon\'tknow。I\'vebeentoobusytoaskmanyquestions。
LagondaLedgeisinmourningforyou。Itwillrunuptheflagabovehalf-mastwhenIwritehowmuchbetteryouare。
BondSaxonhasatheorythatsomethiefwantedtorobyouanddecoyedyouawayonpretenseofhelpingsomebodyoutoftheriver。
Youareaneasymark,Uncle。”
\"WhyshouldBondSaxonhaveatheory?Andhowdidheknowwheretofindme?
Andhowdidthatgray-hairedwomanandherdoghappeninonthescenejustthen?Thisisagrimsortofdimenovelbusiness,Norrie。Thingsdon\'tfalloutthiswayinreallifeunlessthereissomereasonbackofthem。
IthinkI\'llbearinvestigating。”
\"Ithinksomyself——youoryourromanticrescuingsquad。
Youmightcallthedogtothewitnessstandfirst,forhewasthefirstonthescene。Iforgotthoughthatthedogisdead。
Theyfoundhimdowntheriverwithhisthroatcut。
Theplotthickens。”Elinor\'sfrivolousspiritwasreturningwiththelesseningofcare。
\"Tellmeabouttheballgame,\"Fennebensaidnext。
\"Oh,itrainedforhoursandhours,andtherewasn\'tanytrainserviceforLagondaLedgeforaweek,andalltheInter-CollegiateAthleticeventsfortheseasonwerecalledoffforSunrise-by-the-Walnut。”
\"Andthestudents,generally?\"Dr。Fennebenquestioned。
\"Mr。Trenchwillbeback,\"Elinorexclaimed,\"andfolkshavejustfoundoutthatit\'soldTrenchwho\'skeepingthatcrippledboyinschool,theonetheycall`Limpy。\'Trenchrustlesjobsforhimanddivideshisownincomeforcollegeexpenseswiththeboyfortherestofthecost。Idon\'tknowhowthestorygotout,butIaskedhimaboutitwhenhewasupheretoseeyou。
Hejustgrinnedanddrawledlazily,`Icansavealittleonshoeleather,thatsomefellowswearouthurryingso,andI
don\'tburstupsomanyhatswithaswelledheadassomedo。
SoIkeepalittleextrachangeontheseaccounts。
We\'regoingdowntoOklahomawhenwegraduate。Limpy\'sgoingtobeaMethodistpreacherandIastockman。I\'llkeephiminrawmaterialforconvertsoutofthecowboysI\'llhavetohandle。\'
Isn\'toldTrenchyahero?HesaysDeanFunnyboneshowedhimhowtothinkaboutsomebodyelsebesideTrenchalittlebit。”
\"Oh,yes;TrenchisaheroandI\'veknownaboutthatwholethingforalongwhile,\"theDeanasserted。\"AndVictorBurleigh?\"
Ashadowinthebeautifuldarkeyes,ahalf-toneloweringofthevoice,andageneralindifferenceofmanner,asElinoranswered:
\"I\'msureIdon\'tknowanythingabouthim,exceptthathe\'scomingbacknextyear。”
Dr。Fennebenreadthewholestoryinthewordsandmanneroftheanswer,andhesmiledgrimlyashethoughtofBurgessandoftheconflictofWreamagainstWreamifElinorandhisbrotherJoshuaevercametotheclashofarms。Buthewastooweaknowtodirectmatters。
Andmeantime,whileLagondaLedgewasholdingitsbreathinanxietyanddread,andallthechurcheswerejoininginunionprayerserviceforthelifeoftheirbelovedDeanFenneben,andthecollegeyearwasendinginahaltingbetweenhopeanddread——meantime,thesamequeriesofDr。FennebenastomotiveswerealsoqueriesinProfessorBurgess\'mind。
TotheschoolandthetownDr。Fenneben\'srecoverywastheonlythingaskedfor。Therewasasyetnoclewregardingthecauseoftheassault。
BondSaxonhadavoidedBurgesssincetheevent,sotheyoungmanhimselfmadeoccasiontogetBondupintoDr。Fenneben\'sstudyoneJunedayjustbeforecommencement。
\"Saxon,\"hesaidgravely,\"youareamanofsense,andyouknowthatthere\'ssomethingwrongaboutthisFennebenassault。
You\'veputupsomesmoothstoriesaboutourhappeningtobeoutatthebendoftheriverthatnight,soIguesssuspicionwillbeturnedfromusallrightwhenLagondaLedgegetstimetothinkaboutcauses;butImustbeletintothetruthnow。”
Burgesswasadamantnow。
Foralittlewhiletheoldmanlookedawaythroughthestudywindowattheprairieempiretobefoundforthelooking。
\"Doyouseethatlittletwistofbluesmokeoverwest?\"
hequeriedpresently。
\"Whatofit?\"Burgessasked。
\"Nothing,onlythemanhuddlin\'downroundthefiremakin\'thatsmokewaydownwhereit\'scoldanddark,that\'sthemanwho——say,Professor!\"
OldBondlookedupappealingly,andthepitifulfacetouchedBurgess\'heart。
\"Whatisit,Saxon?Befranknow,butbefair,too。Soonerorlater,thisthingmustberundown。Fennebenwilldoithimself,anyhow,assoonashe\'swellenough。”
\"Professor,Ihaveaskedyoutwiceifyou\'dbegoodtoDennie——\"
\"Yes,yes;youalwayscomebacktothat。Anybodywouldbegoodtoher,andshe\'sacapablegirlwhodoesn\'tneedanybody\'scare,anyhow。
Now,goon。”
\"Iwill\"——itseemedanheroicresolve——\"IaskedthisforDennie,becausemyownlifeisneversafe。”
\"Soyouhavesaid。Whynot?\"Burgessinsisted。
Therewasnowaytoevadethequestionnow。
\"That\'smyownbusiness——justalittlelonger,\"Bondansweredslowly。
\"Onethingmore;IwantyourpromisenottotellwhatIsay——yetawhile。
Itcan\'thurtanyonetokeepstill,anditwillhelpsomefolks。”
\"Oh,I\'llhelpyouallIcan。”Burgess\'skindlypatiencenowwasstrangelyunlikethearistocratic,resentfulmantowhomoldBondSaxonhadappealedonestormyOctobernight。
\"I\'mafailure,Professor。I\'vespoiledmylifebymyinfernalweakwillandappetiteforwhisky。Iknowitaswellasyoudo。
ButI\'mnotmeantforabadman。”TherewasunspeakablepathosinSaxon\'sfaceandwords。
\"Nobodywouldcallyoubad。Youarealovablemanwhenyou——
keepstraight,\"Burgessdeclaredcordially。
\"Igraduatedfromtheuniversitybackinthesixties,\"
Bondwenton。
\"You!\"Burgessexclaimed。
\"Yes,I\'moneofyouralumnibrothersfromHarvard。Ittakesmore\'nacollegediplomatomakeamansometimes,althoughthiswouldmightysoongettobeacheap,destructiblenation,ifweshouldpullthecollegesoutofit。TheboysI\'veseenSunrisemakeintomendoesanoldman\'sheartgoodtothinkabout!
Butthere\'smorethanbook-learninginaMaster\'sDegree。TheremustbeMASTERYinit。Inevergotfarther\'nanA。B。,partlybecauseNaturemademeeasygoing,butmostlybecausewhiskyruinedme。
IfinallycametoKansas。I\'dhavehadtremenslongagobutforthat。
Butevenhereaman\'sgottokeepthelawinside,ornohumanlawcanpreventhismakingabeastofhimself。”
Saxonpaused,andtheprofessorwaited。
\"Themanthatsetsthecussedtrapformeisalawbreaker,anescapedconvict,andamurderer。That\'swhatdrinkingdidforhim;
drinkingandinjusticeinmoneymatterstogether。”
Burgessstartedandhisfacegrewpale。
\"Oh,it\'safact,Professor。Thereareseveralroadstoruin。
OnebytherouteI\'vetaken。Onemaybetoomuchloveofmoney,ofwomen,orofhavingyourownway。Youcanruinyoursoulbygettingitsetononethingaboveeverythingelse。Education,forinstance,liketheWreamsbackthereinCambridge。”
\"TheWreams!\"Burgessexclaimed。
\"Yes,oldJoshuaWreamsoldhimselftoanappetiteformustyoldSanscrittillhe\'dsacrificeanybody\'scomfortandjoyforit,sameasIsoldouttoafool\'scravingfordrink。
You\'llknowtheWreamssometimeasIknow\'emnow。
Fenneben\'sonlyastepbrotherandtheWestmadeamanofhim。
Hewasalwaysagentleman。”
\"Goon!\"Vincent\'svoicewashardlyaudible。
\"Thisoutlaw,boot-legger,thief,andmurdererwasarespectablefellowonce,theadoptedsonofawealthyfamilybackEast,whobeganbyspoilinghim,lavishedmoneyonhim,andlethimhavehisownwayineverything。
Hewasagayyoungsterontheside,giventodrinkingandfastcompany。
Hefellinlovewithaprettygirl,butwhenshefoundhimout,shecuthim。Thenhewenttothedogs,blamingherbecauseshehadsenseenoughtothrowhimoverwherehebelonged。
Shefellinlove——therightkindoflove——withanotherman。
Andthisyoungfoolwhohadnoclaimonheratall,sworevengeance。
Herfamilywantedhertomarrytheyoungsportbecausehehadmoney。
Theywerelongonmoney——herfatherwas,anyhow。Butshewouldn\'tdoit。”
\"Didshemarrytheoneshereallycaredfor?\"Burgessaskedeagerly。
\"No;butthat\'sanotherstory。Meantimethisfellow\'sfatherdied,leavingtheboyhe,himself,hadstartedonthewrongroad,entirelyoutofhiswill。Theboywenttothedevil——
andhe\'sstillthere。”
Saxonpausedandlookedoncemoreatthetinywaveringsmokecolumn,hardlyvisiblenow。
\"He\'soveryonderhidingawayfromthelightofdayunderthebluffsbythefirethatsendsthatcurlofsmokeupthroughthecrevicesintherock,anoutlawthief。”
SaxongazedlongatthelandscapebeyondtheWalnut。Whenhespokeagain,itwaswithaneffort。
\"Professor,thisoutlawgotaholdonmeoncewhenIwasdrunk,drunkbyhismaking。Itwoulddonogoodtotellyouaboutthat。
Youcouldn\'thelpme,norharmhim。You\'lltrustmeinthis?\"
ApictureofDenniedownintheKickapooCorral,withtheflickeringfirelightonherripplinghair,theweird,shadowywoodland,andtheoldIndianlegendallcamebacktotheyoungmannow,thoughwhyhecouldnotsay。
\"Icertainlywouldneverbringharmtoyounoryours,\"
hesaidkindly。
\"Ican\'tinformonthescoundrel。Icanonlywatchhim。Thewomanhewasinlovewithyearsago,whowouldn\'tstandforhiswildways——
that\'sthegray-hairedwomanatPigeonPlace。Herlife\'sbeenonelongtragedy,thoughsheisnotfortyyet。”
Theanguishontheoldman\'sfacewaspitifulashespoke。
\"Shehasareasonofherownforlivinghere,andsheisthesoulofcourage。
OnthenightoftheFennebenaccident,Iwasoutherway——yes,runningawayfromBondSaxon。IknewifIstayedintown,I\'dgetdrunkonabottleleftatmydoor。SoItoreoutintherainandthedarktofightitoutwiththedevilinsideofme。AndoutatPigeonPlaceIrunontothisfiend。
WhenIorderedhimbacktohishidingplace,hevowedhe\'dgetFennebenandputhimintheriver。There\'soneortwohumanthingsabouthimstill。
Oneishisfearoflittlechildren,andoneishisloveforthatwoman。
Hereallydidadoreheryearsago。Itrackedhomeafterhim,andyouknowtherest。HeputupsomestorytotheDeantoenticehimoutthere。”
Hehesitated,thenceasedtospeak。
\"WhytheDean?\"Burgessasked。
\"BecauseLloydFenneben\'sthemanshelovedyearsago,andherfolkswouldn\'tlethermarry,\"BondSaxonsaidsadly。
Burgessfeltasifthelimestoneridgewasgivingwaybeneathhim。
\"Whereisshenow?\"
She\'sgone,nobodyknowswhere。Ihopetoheavenshewillnevercomeback,\"
theoldmanreplied。
\"AnditwasshewhosavedDr。Fenneben\'slife?Doesheknowwhosheis?\"
\"No,no。She\'sneverlethimknow,andifshedoesn\'twanthimtoknow,whosebusinessisittotellhim?\"Saxonurged。
\"IhavehungaboutandprotectedherwhensheneverknewIwasnear。
ButwhenI\'mdrunk,I\'manidiotandmymindisbentagainsther。
I\'ddietosaveher,andyetImaykillhersomedaywhenIdon\'tknowit。”
BondSaxon\'sheadwasdroopingpitifullylow。
\"Butwhyliveinsuchslavery?Whynottellallyouknowaboutthismanandletthelawprotectahelplesswoman?\"Burgessurged。
OldBondSaxonlookedupandutteredonlyoneword——\"Dennie!\"
VincentBurgessturnedawayamoment。Dennie!Yes,therewasDennie。
\"Thiswomanhadahusband,yousay?\"heaskedpresently。
BondSaxonstaredstraightathimandslowlynoddedhishead。
\"Whatbecameofhim?Doyouknow?Vincentquestioned。
Saxonleanedforward,and,clutchingVincentBurgessbythearm,whisperedhoarsely,\"He\'sdead。Ikilledhim。ButIwasdrunkwhenIdidit。Andthismanknowsitandholdsmebound,\"
SERVICE
_Ifyouwereborntohonor,showitnow;
ifputuponyou,makethejudgmentgoodthatthoughtyouworthyofit_——
SHAKESPEARE
CHAPTERXI
THESINSOFTHEFATHERS
_Theyenslavetheirchildren\'schildrenwhomakecompromisewithsin_——
LOWELL
ITwasmid-DecemberbeforeLloydFennebensawLagondaLedgeagain。
Inthemurderousattemptuponhislife,hehadbeenhurled,head-downward,uponthehiddenrock-ledgewithsuchforcethatevenhisstrongnervoussystemcouldbarelyovercometheshock。
Hoursofunconsciousnesswerefollowedbyaragingbrainfever,andparalysis,insanity,anddeathstrovetogetheragainsthim。
Hisfinalcompleterecoverywasslow,andhewaswiseenoughtoletnaturehaveampletimeforrebuildingwhathadbeensocruellywrenchedoutofline。Itwasthisverypatienceandwillingnesstotakelifecalmly,whenmostmenwouldhavebeeninafeverofanxietyaboutneglectedbusiness,thatbroughtLloydFennebenbacktoLagondaLedgeinDecember,aperfectlywellman;andasidefromtheholidaygiveninhonoroftheevent,asidefromthedisplayofflagsandthebig\"Welcome\"
doneinelectriclightsawaitinghimattherailroadstation,wherealltheportablepopulationofLagondaLedgeandmostoftheWalnutValley,headedbytheSunrisecontingent,enmasse,seemedtobewaitingalso——asidefromthedemonstrationandgeneralhilarityandthanksgivingandrejoicing,thereseemednodifferencebetweentheDeanofthedaysthatfollowedandtheDeanoftheyearsbefore。Hisblackhairwasaslongandheavyasever。
Hisblackeyeshadlostnothingoftheirkeenness。
Hissmilewasjustthesameold,genialoutbreakofgoodwill,asheheardthewildlyenthusiasticrefrain:
RahforFunnybone!
RahforFunnybone!
RahforFunnybone!
_Rah!_RAH!!RAH!!!
Itwastwilightwhenthetrainpulleduptothestation。
TheDecembereveningwasclearandcrispassouthernKansasDecembersusuallyare。Thelightsofthetownweretwinklinginthedusk。
Outbeyondtheriveragorgeouspurpleandscarletafter-sunsetglowwasfillingthewestwiththatmagnificenceofcoloringonlythehandofNaturedarestopaint。
Severalpassengersleftthetrain,butthecompanyhadeyesonlyforthePullmancarwhereFennebenwasriding。Nobody,exceptBondSaxon,andacabdriverontheedgeofthecrowd,noticedagray-hairedwomanwhoalightedsoquietlyandslippedtothecabsoquicklythatshewasalmostouttoPigeonPlacebeforeFennebenhadbeenabletocleartheplatform。
BehindtheDeanwashisniece,whohaltedonthecarstepswhileherunclewentintotheoutstretchedarmsofLagondaLedge。Atsightofher,thehatswenthighinair,asshestoodtheresmilingabovethecrowd。ItwasMaytimewhenshewentaway。
TheyhadrememberedherindaintyMaytimegowns。
Theywerenotpreparedforherinherhandsometravelingcostumeofgoldenbrown,herbrownbeaverhat,andprettyfurs。
Abeautifulgirlcanbesocharminginherwinterfeathers。
ShehadexpectedthatBurgesswouldbefirsttomeether,andshewasready,shethought,togreethim,becomingly。
Butastheporterhelpedhertotheplatform,thecrowdclosedin,shuttinghimawaymomentarily,andahandcaughthers,abig,stronghandwhoseclasp,socloseandwarm,seemedtoholdherhandbyrightofeternalpossession。AndVictorBurleigh\'sbrowneyesfullofajoyouslightwerelookingdownather。
Itwasallsuchasweet,shadowytimethatnobodycrowdingaboutthemcouldseeclearlyhowElinor,withshiningface,nestledinvoluntarilyclosetohisarmforjustoneinstant,andherlowmurmuredwords,\"Iamgladyouwerefirst,\"
werelosttoallbutthebigfellowbeforeher,andabigger,vastlylazyfellow,Trench,justbehindher。ItwasTrench\'sbulkthathadblockedthewayfortheprofessoramomentbefore。
Thenshewasswallowedinthejollygreetingsofgoodfellowship,andVincentBurgesscarriedherawaytothecarriagewhereherunclewaited。
\"Thethingissettlednow,\"theyoungfolksthought。
ButDennieSaxonandTrench,whowalkedhometogether,knewthatmanythingswerehopelesslyunsettled。Bythelawofnaturalfitness,DennieandTrenchshouldhavefalleninlovewitheachother。Theyweresoalikeingoodnessofheart。
Butsuchmatingoflikewithlike,israre,andunderitsrulingtheworldwouldgrowsomonotonouslygood,ontheonehand,andbad,ontheother,thatlifewouldbeuninteresting。
DuringDr。Fenneben\'sabsence,ProfessorBurgesswasacting-dean。
Foramanwho,twoyearsbefore,hadneverheardofaJayhawker,whohopedthebarrenprairieswouldfurnishseclusionforprofoundresearchinhislibrary,andwhoseinterestinthestudentbodylayinitsmaterialtofurnish\"types,\"DeanBurgess,ontheoutside,certainlymeasuredupwelltowardthestatureoftherealDean——
broad-minded,beloved\"Funnybone。”
AndasVincentBurgessgrewinbreadthofviewandhumaninterest,hispopularityincreasedandhisopportunitiesmultiplied。
SunriseforgotthatithadeverregardedhimasawalkingGreektextbookinpaperbinding。NexttoDr。LloydFenneben,hisplaceatSunrisewouldbethehardesttofillnow;andwithal,sometimeinthenearfuture,therewaswaitingforhimtheprettiestgirlthateverclimbedthestepsfromthelowercampustotheSunrisedoor。
BurgesshadneverdreamedthatlifeinKansascouldbesofullofpleasureforhim。
Andallthewhile,ontheinside,anotherBurgesswasgrowingupwhoquarreleddailywiththishappyouterBurgess。ThisinnermanitwaswhoheldthesecretofBondSaxon\'sawfulcrime;
themanwhoknewthelifestoryofthewould-beassassinofLloydFenneben,andwhoknewthetragedythathadturnedafair-facedgirltoagray-hairedwoman,yetyounginyears。
Heknewthetragedy,butthewomanherselfhehadneverseen,saveinthedarknessandrainofthatawfulnightwhenshehadheldLloydFenneben\'sheadabovethefastrisingwatersoftheWalnut。Hehadneverevenheardhervoice,forhehadsustainedthelimpbodyofDr。FennebenwhileSaxonhelpedthewomanfromtheriverandasfarastoherowngate。
Buttheseweresecretthingsoutsideofhisownconscience。
Insideofhisconsciencetherealbattlewasfoughtandwon,andlost,onlytobewonandlostoverandover。SolongasElinorWreamwasaway,hecouldstayexecutiononhimself。
ThesametrainthatbroughtherhometoLagondaLedge,broughtalettertoProfessorVincentBurgess,A。B。TheletterheadingboreasmanyofDr。JoshuaWream\'stitlesasspacewouldpermit,butthecramped,old-fashionedhandwritingbelongedtoamanofmorethanfourscoreyears,anditwassignedjust\"J。R。”
BurgessreadthislettermanytimesthatnightafterhereturnedfromdinnerattheFennebenhome。Andsometimeshisfistswereclinchedandsometimeshisblueeyeswerefulloftears。
ThenherememberedlittleBug,whohaddeclaredoncethat\"DonFonnybonewasdoodfortwoubleness。”
\"Ican\'ttakethistoFenneben,\"hemused,ashereadJoshuaWream\'sletterforthetenthtime。\"NorcanIgotoSaxon。He\'sneversureofhimselfandwhenhe\'sdrunk,hereverseshimselfandturnsagainsthisbestfriends。
AndwhoamItoturntoamanlikeBondSaxonformyconfidences?\"
\"WhataboutElinor?\"cameavoicefromsomewhere。
\"Thewomanyouwouldmakeyourwifeshouldbetheonetowhoselovingsympathyyoucouldturnatanyoflife\'sangles,elsethatwerenorealmarriage。”
\"Elinor,ofallpeopleintheworld,theverylast。
Sheshallneverknow,never!\"Soheansweredtheinwardquestioner。
DimlythenroseupbeforehimthepictureofVictorBurleighontherainyMaynightwhenhestoodbesidelittleBugBuler\'sbed——
VictorBurleigh,withhiswhite,sorrowfulface,andburningbrowneyes,tellinginavoicelikemusicthereasonwhyhemustrenounceathletichonorsinSunrise。
Burgesshadbeenunconsciouslyexultantovertheboy\'sconfession。
ItwouldputtheconfessoroutofreachofanyclaimtoElinor\'sfriendshipwhenthetruthwasknownabouthispovertyandhisprofessionalplaying。
AndyethehadfollowedBondSaxon\'sleadthemorewillinglythatnightthathewashatinghimselfforrejoicingwithhimself。
OnthisDecembernight,withElinoroncemoreinLagondaLedge,VictorBurleighmustcomeagaintotroublehim。
Whatapricethatboymusthavepaidforhishonesty!
Buthepaidit,aye,hepaidit!AndthentherainsputoutthegameandnobodyknewexceptBurleighandhimself。
BurgessalmostresentedthekindnessofFatetotheheroicboy。
ButallthissolvednoproblemsforVincentBurgess,excepttherealizationthatherewasonefellowwhohadasoulofcourage。
CouldheconfideinBurleigh?Notinathousandyears!
Inutterloneliness,VincentBurgessputouthislightandstaredatthewindow。Thestreetlampsglowedinlonelyfashion,foritwasverylate,andnobodywasabroad。Uponthelimestoneridge,theSunrisebeaconshonebravely。Downintownbesidethecampusgate——hecouldjustcatchaglimpseofonesteadybeam。
ItwasthefaithfuloldlampinthehallwayoftheSaxonHouse,andbeyondthatunwaveringlightwasDennie。
\"Dennie!WhyhaveInotthoughtofher?TheonlyoneintheworldwhomIcanfullytrust。Thatoughttobeaman\'ssweetheart,Isuppose,butsheisnotmine。SheisjustDennie。Heavenblessher!
I\'vesworntocareforher。Shemusthelpmenow。”
Andwiththecomfortingthought,hefellasleepbesidethewindow。
TheDecembersunsetwassuperbinagloryofendlesspurplemistsandrose-tintedsplendoroffar-reachingskies。
Theeveningdropsdownearlyatthisseasonandthelightsweregleaminghereandthereinthetownwheretheshadowsfallsoonestbeforetheday\'sworkisfinishedupinSunrise。
VictorBurleigh,whohadbeencalledtoDr。Fenneben\'sstudy,foundonlyElinorthere,lookingoutattheradiantbeautyofthesunsetskybeyondthehomeyshadowsstuddedwiththetwinklinglightsofLagondaLedgeatthefootoftheslope。
Theyoungmanhesitatedalittlebeforeentering。AlldaytheschoolhadbeenbusysettlingaffairsforProfessorBurgessand\"Norrie,thebeloved。”Gossiphasswiftfeetandfromsurmisetofactisashortcourse。Twenty-fourhourshadquitecompletely\"fixedthings\"forElinorWreamandVincentBurgess,sofarasSunriseandLagondaLedgewereabletofixthem。
SoBurleigh,whosestrongfacecarriednohintofgrief,heldbackaminutenow,beforeenteringthestudy。
\"Ibegyourpardon,Elinor。Dr。Fennebensentforme。”
Somehowthedeepmusicalvoiceandhernamepronouncedasnobodyelseevercouldpronounceit,andthebigmanlyformandbraveface,allseemedtocompletethespellofthesunsethour。
Elinordidnotspeak,butwithasmilemaderoomforhimbesideheratthewindow,andthetwolookedlongatthedeepeninggrandeuroftheheavensandthemistyshadowsofheliotropeandsilverdarkeningsoftlytothetwilightbelowthem。
\"AndGodsawthatitwasgood。Andtheeveningandthemorningwerethefourthday,\"Victorsaidatlast。
\"Yourvoicegrowsricherwiththepassingyears,Victor,\"Elinorsaidsoftly。
\"IwantedtohearitagainthefirsttimeIheardyouspeakoutthereoneSeptemberday。”
\"Itiswelltogrowrichinsomething,\"Victorsaid,half-earnestly,half-carelessly。
BeforeElinorcouldsaymore,theycaughtsightofProfessorBurgessandDennieSaxon,leavingthefrontporticoastheyhaddoneontheMayeveningbeforetheassaultonDr。Fenneben。BurgessandDennieusuallyleftthebuildingtogetherthisyear。
\"Isn\'tDennieadarling?Elinorsaidcalmly。