Itwaspastmidnightwhenthepriestwasawakenedfromhissleepbyaknockonthedoor。Hewrappedhisgreatbuffalo-coatabouthim，andansweredthesummons。
WithoutinthedampdarknessstoodPierre。
\"Father，\"hecried，\"Ninonhassentforyou。Sincesheleftyou，shehasbeenveryill。IhavedonewhatIcould；butnowshehardlyspeaks，butImakeoutthatshewantsyou。”Tenminuteslater，theywereinNinon\'scabin。WhenFatherdeSmetlookedatherheknewshewasdying。HehadseentheIndianslikethatmanytimesduringthewinter。Itwastheplague，butdrivenintopreyuponthesystembytheexposure。TheParisienne\'steethwereset，butshemanagedtosmileuponhervisitorashethrewoffhiscoatandbentoverher。
Hepouredsomewhiskeyforher；butshecouldnotgettheliquidoverherthroat。
\"Donot，\"shesaidfiercelybetweenthosesetwhiteteeth，\"donotforgetthelilies。”Shesankbackandfixedherglazingeyesontheantlers，andkeptthemtherewatchingthosedanglingsilkenscarves，whilethepriest，inhaste，spokethewordsforthedepartingsoul。
Thenextmorningshelaydeadamongthosehalfbarbaricrelicsofhercoquetry，andtwowhitelilieswithheartsofgoldshedperfumefromanaltarinawilderness。
UptheGulch\"GOWest？\"sighedKate。\"Why，yes!I\'dliketogoWest。”
Shelookedatthebabies，whowereplay-
ingonthefloorwiththeirfather，andsighedagain。
\"You\'vegottogosomewhere，youknow，Kate。Itmightaswellbewestasinanyotherdirection。Andthisissuchachance!
Wecan\'thavemammalyingaroundonsofaswithoutanyrosesinhercheeks，canwe？\"Heputthislasttothechildren，who，beingyetattheagewhentheytalkedin\"EarlyEnglish，\"astheirfathercalledit，madeaclamorousbutinarticulatereply。
MajorShelly，thegrandfatheroftheseveryyoungpersons，strokedhismustacheandlookedindulgent。
\"Showalmosthumanintelligence，don\'tthey？\"saidtheirfather，ashelayflatonhisbackandpermittedthebabiestoclimboverhim。
\"Ya-as，\"drawledthemajor。\"Theydo。
Don\'tseehowyouaccountforit，Jack。”
Jackroared，andthelipsofthebabiestrembledwithfear。
Theirmothersaidnothing。Shewasonthesofa，herhandslyinginert，hereyesfixedonherrosybabieswithanexpressionwhichherfather-in-lawandherhusbandtriedhardnottonotice。
ItwasnoteasytotellwhyKatewasailing。Ofcourse，thebabieswereyoung，buttherewereotherreasons。
\"Ibelieveyou\'retoohappy，\"Jacksome-
timessaidtoher。\"Trynottobequitesohappy，Kate。Atleast，trynottotakeyourhappinesssoseriously。Pleasedon\'tadoremeso；I\'monlyacommonplacefellow。Andthebabies——they\'renotgoingtoblowaway。”
ButKatecontinuedtolookwithintenseeyesatherlittleworld，andtodrawintoitwithlovingandgeneroushandsallwhowerewillingtocome。
\"Kateisjustlikeakite，\"Jackexplainedtohisfather，themajor；\"shecan\'tkeepafloatwithoutjustsomanybobs。”
Kate\'s\"bobs\"weretheunfortunatesshecollectedaroundher。Theseabsorbedherstrength。Shefelttheirmiserywithsym-
pathiesthatwereabnormal。Theverylaborerinthestreetsfelthistoillesskeenlythanshe，asshewatchedthedropsgatheronhisbrow。
\"Islifeworthkeepingatthecostofalotlikethat？\"shewouldask。Shefeltashamedofherownease。Sheapologizedforherownsereneandperfecthappiness。
Sheevenfeltsorryforthosemotherswhohadnotchildrenasradiantlybeautifulasherown。
\"Katemusthaveachange，\"themajorhadgivenout。HewasgoingWestonbusinessandinsistedontakingherwithhim。Jacklookeddoubtful。Hewasn\'tsurehowhewouldgetalongwithoutKatetolookaftereverything。Secretly，hehadanideathatservantswereakindofwildanimalthathadtobefedbyanexperiencedkeeper。Butwhenthetimecame，hekissedhergood-byinasjocularamannerashecouldsummon，andrefusedtoseethetearsthatgatheredinhereyes。
UntilChicagowasreached，therewasnothingverydifferentfromthatwhichKatehadbeeninthehabitofseeing。
Afterthat，shesetherselftowatchforWesterncharacteristics。Shefeltthatshewouldknowthemassoonasshesawthem。
\"Iexpectedtobestirredupandshocked，\"
sheexplainedtothemajor。Butsomehow，theWesterntypedidnotappear。Common-
placewomenwithwornfaces——brownedandseamed，thoughnotaged——wereatthestations，waitingforsomethingorsomeone。Menwithahurried，nervousairwereeverywhere。KatelookedinvainforthegayetyandheartinesswhichshehadalwaysassociatedwiththeWest。
Aftertheygotbeyondthetimbercountryandrodehourafterhouronatractsmoothasabecalmedocean，shegaveherselfuptothefeelingofimmeasurablevastnesswhichtookpossessionofher。Thesunrolledoutoftheskyintooblivionwithafrantic，head-
longhaste。Nothingsoftenedtheaspectofitswrath。Near，red，familiar，itseemedtovisiblybowlalongtheheavens。Inthemorningitroseasbaldlyasithadset。
Andbackandforthovertheawfulplainblewthewinds，——blewfromeasttowestandbackagain，strongasiffreshfromthechambersoftheirbirth，fullofelementalscentsandofmightymurmurings。
\"ThisistheWest!\"Katecried，againandagain。
Themajorlistenedtoherunsmilingly。
Italwaysseemedtohimawasteofmuscu-
larenergytosmile。Hedidnottalkmuch。
Conversationhadneverappealedtohiminthelightofanart。Hespokewhentherewasadirectionoracommandtobegiven，oraninquirytobemade。Themajor，ifthetruthmustbeknown，wasmaterial。
Thingsthathecouldtaste，touch，see，appealedtohim。Hehadbeenavolunteerinthecivilwar，——avolunteerwithagoodrecord，——whichhenevermentioned；and，havingacquittedhimselfdecently，letthemattergowithoutaskingreprisalorpay-
mentforwhathehadfreelygiven。Hewentintobusinessandsoldcerealfoods。
\"Ibelieveinusefulthings，\"themajorexpressedhimself。\"Oatmeal，wheat，——
menhavetohavethem。Godintendedtheyshould。There\'sJack——myson——
JackShelly——lawyer。What\'stheuseoflitigation？Goddidn\'tdesignlitigation。
Itdoesn\'tdoanybodyanygood。Itisn\'tjusticeyouget。It\'ssomethingentirelydifferent，——averdictaccordingtolaw。
TheysayJack\'sclever。ButI\'mmightygladIsellwheat。”
Hedidn\'tsellitasaspeculator，how-
ever。Thatwasn\'thisway。
\"IearnwhatImake，\"heoftensaid；andhehadgrownrichinthesellingofhiswholesomefoods……
Helenaliesamonground，brownhills。
Aboveitisaskyofdeepandillimitableblue。Inthestreetsarecrumbsofgold，butitnolongerpaystomineforthese；
because，asrealestate，thepropertyismorevaluable。Itisaplaceoffictitiousvalues。
Thereisexcitementintheair。Menhavethefacesofspeculators。Everylaborerispatientathistaskbecausehecherishesahopethatsomedayhewillbeamillion-
naire。Thereishospitality，andcordialityandgoodfellowship，andanundeniabledemocracy。Thereiswealthandluxuriousliving。Thereisevenculture，——butitisobtrudedasasortofnovelty；itisnotacceptedasamatterofcourse。
Kateandthemajorweredrivenovertwoorthreemilesofdusty，hardroadtoadis-
tanthotel，whichstandsinthemidstofgreenness，——inanoasis。Immediatelyabovethegreenswardthatsurroundsitthebrownhillsrise，thegrassscorchedbythesun。
Kateyieldedherselftothealmostabsurdluxuryoftheplacewitheaseandcompla-
cency。Shetookkindlytothegreatveran-
das。Sheadaptedherselftotheelaborateandill-assortedmeals。Shebathedinthemarvellouspool，warmwiththeheatofeternalfiresinmid-earth。ThispoolwascoveredwithapicturesqueMoorishstruct-
ure，andatoneendacascadetumbled，overwhichthesun，comingthroughcoloredwin-
dows，madeamimicprisminthewhitespray。Thelifewasnotunendurable。Themajorwasseldomwithher，beingobligedtogoabouthisbusiness；andKateamusedherselfbydrivingoverthehills，bywatch-
ingtheinhabitants，bywonderingaboutthelivesinthegreat，pretentious，unhomelikehouseswiththeirtreelessyardsandtheirclosedshutters。Thesunlight，whiteastheglareonArabiansands，penetratedeverywhere。Itseemedtofairlyscorchtheeye-balls。
\"Oh，we\'reWest，now，\"Katesaid，exult-
antly。\"I\'veseenathousandtypes。Butyet——notquiteTHEtype——nottheimper-
sonationofsimplicityanddaringthatIwaslookingfor。”
Themajordidn\'tknowquitewhatshewastalkingabout。Butheacquiesced。
Allhecaredaboutwastoseehergrowstronger；andthatshewasdoingeveryday。
Shewasgrowingamazinglylovely，too，——
atleastthemajorthoughtso。Everyonelookedather；butthatwas，perhaps，be-
causeshewassuchasylphofawoman。
Besidethestalwartmajor，shelookedlikeafairyprincess。
Onedayshesuddenlyrealizedthefactthatshehadhadacompanionontheverandaforseveralmornings。Ofcourse，therewereagreatmanypersons——invalids，largely——sittingabout，butoneofthemhadbeenobtrudinghimselfpersistentlyintoherconsciousness。Itwasnotthathewasrude；itwasonlythathewasthinkingabouther。ApersonwithatemperamentlikeKate\'scouldnotlongbeoblivioustoathinglikethat；andshefurtivelyobservedtheoffenderwiththatgeniusforpsycho-
logicalperceptionwhichwasatoncehergreatestdangerandhercharm。
Themanwasdressedwithachildishattemptatdisplay。Hisshirt-frontwasdecoratedwithadiamond，andhiscuff-
buttonswereofonyxwithdiamondsettings。
Hisclotheswereexpensiveandperceptiblynew，andheoftenchangedhiscostumes，butwithanoticeabledisregardforpro-
priety。Hewasveryconsciousofhissilkhat，andfrequentlywipeditwithahandker-
chiefonwhichhismonogramwasworkedinblue。
Whenthe\'bussesbroughtuptheirloads，hewasalwaysonhandtowatchthenew-
comers。Hetookalongtimeathisdin-
ners，andappearedtoorderagreatdealandeatverylittle。Therewerecard-roomsandabilliard-hall，nottomentionabowling-
alleyandatennis-court，wheretheotherguestsofthehotelspentmuchtime。Butthismannevervisitedthem。Hesatoftenwithoneofthelatereviewsinhishand，lookingasifheintendedgivinghisatten-
tiontoitatanymoment。Butafterhehadscrupulouslycuttheleaveswithalittlecarvedivorypaper-cutter，hesatstaringstraightbeforehimwiththebookopen，butunread，inhishand。
Katetookmoreinterestinthismelan-
choly，middle-agedmanthanshewouldhavedoneifshehadnotbeenontheout-
lookforherWesterntype，——themanwhowastocombineallthequalitiesofchivalry，daring，bombast，andgenerosity，seasonedwithpiquantgrammar，whichshefirmlybelievedtobetherealthing。Butnotwith-
standingthiskindlyandsomewhatcuriousinterest，shemightneverhavemadehisacquaintanceifithadnotbeenforaratherunpleasantadventure。
Themajorwas\"closingupadeal\"andhadhurriedawayafterbreakfast，andKate，intheluxuryofconvalescence，half-reclinedinagreatchairontheverandaandwatchedtheduskybluemisttwiningitselfaroundthebrownhills。Shewasnotthinkingofthebabies；shewasnotworryingabouthome；shewasnotlongingforanything，orevenindulginginadream。Thatvacuouscontentwhichengrossesthebodyafterlongindisposition，heldherimperatively。Sud-
denlyshewasarousedfromthishappycon-
ditionofnothingnessbythespectacleofanenormousbull-dogapproachingherwiththreateningteeth。Shehadnoticedthemonsterofteninhiskennelnearthesta-
bles，anditwaswellunderstoodthathewasnevertobepermittedhisfreedom。Nowhewalkedtowardherwithasolidstepandanalarmingdeliberateness。Katesatstillandtriedtoassureherselfthathemeantnomis-
chief，butbythetimethegreatbodyhadmadeitselffeltontheskirtofhergownshecouldrestrainherfearnolonger，andgaveanervouscryofalarm。Thebruteansweredwithagrowl。Ifhehadlackedprovocationbefore，heconsideredthathehaditnow。
Heshowedhisteethandflunghisdetestablebodyuponher；andKatefeltherselfgrow-
ingdizzywithfear。Butjustthenanarmwasinterposedandthedogwasflungback。
Therewasamomentarystruggle。Somegentlemencamehurryingoutoftheoffice；
andastheybeatthedogbacktoitsretreat，Katesummonedwordsfromherparchedthroattothankherbenefactor。
Itwasthemelancholymanwiththenewclothes。Thismorninghewasdressedinasuitofthelightestgray，withawhitemarseilleswaistcoat，overwhichhisglitter-
ingchainshoneostentatiously。Whitetennis-shoes，awhiteroseinhisbutton-
hole，andawhitestrawhatinhishandcom-
pletedatoiletoverwhichmuchtimehadevidentlybeenspent。Katenotedthesedetailsassheheldoutherhand。
\"Imayhavebeenalarmedwithoutcause，\"
shesaid；\"butIwashorriblyfrightened。
Thankyousomuchforcomingtomyres-
cue。AndIthink，ifyouwouldaddtoyourkindnessbygettingmeaglassofwater——\"
Whenhecameback，hishandwastrem-
blingalittle；andasKatelookeduptolearnthecause，shesawthathisfacewasflushed。Hewasembarrassed。Shedecidedthathewasnotaccustomedtothesocietyofladies。\"Bruteslikethatdogain\'tnoplaceinth\'world——that\'smyopinion。
Therearesomebadthingswecan\'thelphavin\'aroun\'；butabull-dogain\'toneof\'em。”
\"Iquiteagreewithyou，\"Kateacqui-
esced，asshedrankthewater。\"ButasthisisthefirstunpleasantexperienceofanykindthatIhavehadsinceIcamehere，Idon\'tfeelthatIhaveanyrighttocomplain。”
\"You\'reherefuryurhealth？\"
\"Yes。AndIamgettingit。You\'renotaninvalid，Iimagine？\"
\"No——no-op。I\'mherebe——well，I\'vethoughtfuralongtimeI\'dliket\'stayatthisherehotel。”
\"Indeed!\"
\"Yes。I\'vebeenupth\'gulchthesefif-
teenyears。Binlivin\'onashelfofblackrock。
Th\'sungot\'round\'boutten。Couldn\'tmakeathinggrow。”Themanwaslook-
ingofftowardthehills，withanexpressionofdeepsadnessinhiseyes。\"Didn\'tneverliveinaplacewherenothin\'\'dgrow，didyou？Itookgeraniumsupthartimean\'timeagin。Redones。Mademethinkofmother；she\'sinGermany。Watered\'emmornin\'an\'night。Th\'damnedthingsdied。”
Theoathslippedoutwithanartlessun-
consciousness，andtherewasalittlemoist-
ureinhiseyes。Katefeltsheoughttobringtheconversationtoaclose。ShewonderedwhatJackwouldsayifhesawhertalkingwithaperfectstrangerwhousedoaths!Shewouldhavegoneintothehousebutforsomethingthatcaughthereye。Itwasthehandoftheman；thathandwasabludgeon。Allgraceandflexibilityhadgoneoutofit，andithadbecomeamereinstrumentoftoil。Itwasseamedandmisshapen；yetithadbeencarefullymani-
cured，andthepointednailslookedfantasticandanimal-like。Agreatseal-ringboreanelaboratemonogram，whilethelittlefingerdisplayedacollectionofdiamondsandemeraldstrulydazzlingtobehold。Animpulseofhumanityandasortofartisticcuriosity，muchstrongerthanherdiscretion，urgedKatetocontinueherconversation。
\"Whatwereyoudoingupthegulch？\"
shesaid。
Themanleanedbackinhischairandregardedheramomentbeforeanswering。
Herealizedthesignificanceofherquestion。
Hetookitasasignthatshewaswillingtobefriendly。Alookofgratitude，almosttender，sprangintohiseyes，——dullgrayeyes，theywere，withakindlinessfortheironlyrecommendation。
\"Makin\'mypile，\"hereplied。\"I\'vebeeninthesepartstwentyyears。WhenI
comehere，IthoughtIwasgoin\'tomakeafortunerightoff。Ihadallth\'moneythatmothercouldgiveme，andIlosteverythingI
hadinthreemonths。Iwentupth\'gulch。”
Hepaused，andwipedhisforeheadwithhishandkerchief。
TherewassomethinginhisremarkandtheintonationwhichmadeKatesaysoftly:
\"Isupposeyou\'vehadahardtimeofit。”
\"Tharyouwere!\"hecried。\"Tharwasth\'rock——risin\'，risin\'，black!Atth\'
bottomwusth\'creek，howlin\'dayan\'
night!Lonesome!Gee!Noonet\'talkto。Ofcourse，th\'men。Hadsomewithmealways。Theydidn\'ttalk。It\'stoo——
tooquiett\'talkmuch。Theyplayedcards。
Curious，butIneverplayedcards。Don\'tthinkI\'dfinditamusin\'。No，Iworked。
Camedownhereonceinsixmonthsorthreemonths。Hadt\'come——grub-stakedth\'men，youknow。Didyouevereatsaltpork？\"HeturnedtoKatesuddenlywiththisquestion。
\"Why，yes；afewtimes。Didyouhaveit？\"
\"Nothin\'else，much。Iusedt\'thinkofth\'thingsmothercooked。Motherunder-
stoodcookin\'，ifeverawomandid。I\'llneverforgetth\'dinnershegavemeth\'dayIcameaway。Awomanoughtt\'cook。I
hearAmericanwomendon\'tgoinmuchforcookin\'。”
\"Oh，Ithinkthat\'samistake，\"Katehastenedtointerrupt。\"AllthatIknowun-
derstandhowtoserveexcellentdinners。Ofcourse，theymaynotcookthemthemselves，butIthinktheycouldifitwerenecessary。”
\"Hum!\"HepickedupalongglovethathadfallenfromKate\'slapandfingereditbeforereturningit。
\"Is\'poseyoucook？\"
\"Imakeaspecialtyofsaladsandsor-
bets，\"smiledKate。\"IguessIcouldroastmeatandmakebread；butcircumstanceshavenotyetcompelledmetodoit。ButI\'veatheorythatanAmericanwomancandoanythingsheputshermindto。”
Themanlaughedoutloud，——alaughquiteoutofproportiontothemildgoodhumoroftheremark；butitwasevidentthathecouldnolongerconcealhisdelightatthiscompanionship。
\"Howaboutraisin\'flowers？\"heasked。
\"Areyoustrongonthat？\"
\"I\'veonlytolookataplanttomakeitgrow，\"Katecried，withenthusiasm。
\"Whenmyfriendsareindespairoveraplant，theybringittome，andIjustpetitalittle，anditbrightensup。I\'vethemostwonderfulferneryyoueversaw。It\'sgreen，summerandwinter。Hundredsofpeoplestopandlookupatit，itissogreenandenticing，thereabovethecitystreets。”
\"Whatcity？\"
\"Philadelphia。”
\"Mother\'sjestthatway。Shehasagar-
denofroses。Andthemignonette——\"
Buthebrokeoffsuddenly，andsatoncemorestaringbeforehim。
\"Butnotadamnedthing，\"headded，withpoeticpensiveness，\"wouldgrowinthatgulch。”
\"Whydidyoustaytheresolong？\"askedKate，afteralittlepauseinwhichsheman-
agedtoregainherwaningcourage。
\"Badluck。Youneverseeaplacewithsomanyfalseleads。To-dayyou\'dgetastreakthatlookedbig。To-morrowyou\'dfinditapocket。OnenightI\'dgot\'bedwithmyheartgoin\'likearace-horse。
Nextnightitwouldbeploddin\'alonglikeawindedburro。Don\'tknowwhatmademestickt\'it。Itwashotthere，too!Andcold!Alwaysroastin\'urfreezin\'。It\'dbeendifferentifI\'dhadanyonet\'helpmestandit。Butth\'menwerealwaysfindin\'
fault。Theyblamedmefureverythin\'。I
usedt\'lieawakeatnightan\'hear\'emtalkin\'meover。Itmademelonesome，I
tellyou!Tharwasn\'tnoone!Motherusedt\'write。ButInevertoldherth\'
truth。Sheain\'tasuspicionofwhatI\'vebeena-goin\'through。”
Katesatandlookedathiminsilence。
Hisfacewasseamed，thoughfarfromold。
Hisbodywasawkward，butimpressedherwithasenseofmagnificentstrength。
\"Icouldn\'tasknowomant\'sharemyhardtimes，\"heresumedafteratime。\"I
alwayssaidwhenIgotawoman，itwasgoin\'t\'bet\'makeherhappy。Itwer\'n\'tt\'bet\'askhert\'drudge。”
Therewasanothersilence。Thismanoutofthesolitudeseemedtobeelatedpastexpressionathisnewcompanionship。HelookedwithappreciationatthelittlepointedtoesofKate\'sslippers，astheyglancedfrombelowtheskirtofherdaintyorgandie。Henotedthebandofpearlsonherfinger。Hiseyesrestedlongonthedaisiesatherwaist。
Thewindtosseduplittlecurlsofherwarmbrownhair。Hereyessuffusedwithinter-
est，hertendermouthseemedreadytolenditselftoanyemotion，andwithalshewassosmall，socompact，soexquisite。Themanwipedhisforeheadagain，inmereexuberance。
\"Here\'smycard，\"hesaid，verysolemnly，ashedrewanengravedbitofpasteboardfromitsleathercase。Katebowedandtookit。
\"Mr。PeterRoeder，\"sheread。
\"I\'venocard，\"shesaid。\"MynameisShelly。I\'mhereformyhealth，asItoldyou。”Sheroseatthispoint，andheldoutherhand。\"Imustthankyouoncemoreforyourkindness，\"shesaid。
Hiseyesfastenedonherswithanappealforalessformalword。Therewassomethingalmostterribleintheirsilenteloquence。
\"Ihopewemaymeetagain，\"shesaid。
Mr。PeterRoedermadeaverylowandawkwardbow，andopenedthedoorintothecorridorforher。
ThateveningthemajorannouncedthathewasobligedtogotoSeattle。Thejourneywasnotaninvitingone；Katewaswellplacedwhereshewas，andhedecidedtoleaveher。
Shewaswellenoughnowtotakelongerdrives；andshefoundstrange，lonelycan-
yons，wildandbeautiful，whereyellowwatersburstthroughrockybarrierswithroarandfury，——tortuous，terribleplaces，suchasshehadneverdreamedof。Comingbackfromoneofthesedrives，twodaysafterherconversationonthepiazzawithPeterRoeder，shemethimridingamassiveroan。
HesattheanimalwiththatairofperfectunconsciousnesswhichistheattributeoftheWesternman，andhisattire，eventohisEnglishstock，wasfaultless，——faultilyfaultless。
\"Ihopeyouwon\'tobjecttohavin\'meridebesideyou，\"hesaid，wheelinghishorse。Totellthetruth，Katedidnotobject。Shewasalittledull，andhadbeenconsciousallthemorningofthatpeculiarphysicaldepressionwhichmarksthebegin-
ningofafitofhomesickness。
\"Thewindgitsafinesweep，\"saidRoeder，afterhavingobtainedthepermis-
sionhedesired。\"Nowinthegulchweeitherhadadeadstagnation，orelsethewindwastearin\'upanddownlikeawildbeast。”
Katedidnotreply，andtheywentontogether，facingtheriotouswind。
\"Youcan\'tguesshowqueeritseemst\'
behere，\"hesaid，confidentially。\"Itseemst\'measifIhadcomefromsomeotherplanet。Thardon\'trightlyseemt\'benoplacefurme。Itellyouwhatit\'slike。
It\'sasifI\'dcomedownt\'enlistinth\'
ranks，an\'found\'emfull，——everymanmarchin\'alonginhisplace，an\'noplaceleftfurme。”
Katecouldnotfindareply。
\"Iain\'tafriend，——notafriend!Iain\'tcomplainin\'。Itain\'tth\'faultofanyone——butmyself。Youdon\'knowwhatadurnedfoolI\'vebin。Someway，uptharinth\'gulchIgott\'seemin\'sosortofimpor-
tantt\'myself，andmymakin\'mystakeseemedsuchabigthing，thatIthoughtI
hadonlyt\'comedownheret\'Helenat\'
havefolkswantt\'knowme。Ididn\'tparticularwantth\'moneybecauseitwusmoney。Butouthereyouworkfurit，jestasyouworkfurotherthingsinotherplaces，——jestbecauseeveryoneisworkin\'furit，andit\'sthemanwhogetsth\'mostthatbeats。Itain\'tthattheyareanymoregreedythanmenanywhereelse。Mypile\'saprettygood-sizedone。An\'it\'slikelytobebigger；butnooneelseseemst\'care。
Th\'paperprintedsomepiecesaboutit。
Someofth\'mencameroundt\'seeme；
butIsawtheirgame。IsaidIguessedI\'dlookfurtherfurmyacquaintances。I
ain\'tspokentoalady，——notareallady，youknow，——t\'talkwith，friendlylike，butyou，fur——years。”
Hisfaceflushedinthatsuddenwayagain。
Theywerepassingsomeofthosepreten-
tioushouseswhichriseinthemidstofHelena\'sraggedstreetswithsuchanextra-
neousair，andKateleanedforwardtolookatthem。Thedriver，seeingherinterest，drewupthehorsesforamoment。
\"Fine，fine!\"ejaculatedRoeder。\"Buttheyain\'tgotnogarden。Ahousedon\'tseemanythin\'t\'mewithoutagarden。
DoyouknowwhatIthinkwouldbeth\'
mostbeautifulthinginth\'world？A
babyinarose-garden!Doyouknow，I
ain\'thadababyinmyhands，excep\'NedRamsey\'slittlekid，once，fortenyear!\"
Kate\'sfaceshonewithsympathy。
\"Howdreadful!\"shecried。\"Icouldn\'tlivewithoutababyabout。”
\"Likebabies，doyou？Well，well。
Boys？Likeboys？\"
\"Notabitbetterthangirls，\"saidKate，stoutly。
\"Ilikeboys，\"respondedRoeder，withconviction。\"Mymotherlikedboys。Shehadthreegirls，butshelikedmeadamnedsightthebest。”
Katelaughedoutright。
\"Whydoyouswear？\"shesaid。\"I
neverheardamanswearbefore，——atleast，notonewithwhomIwastalking。That\'soneofyourgulchhabits。Youmustgetoverit。”
Roeder\'sblondfaceturnedscarlet。
\"Youmustexcuseme，\"hepleaded。
\"I\'llcuremyselfofit!Jestgivemeachance。”
ThiswasalittlemorepersonalthanKateapprovedof，andsheraisedherparasoltoconcealherannoyance。Itwasabrilliantlittlefluffofathingwhichlookedasifitweremadeofbutterflies\'wings。Roedertoucheditwithawe。
\"Youhavesechbeautifulthings，\"hesaid。\"Ididn\'tknowwomenworesechnicethings。Nowthatdress——it\'slike——Idon\'tknowwhatit\'slike。”Itwasasimplelittletaffeta，withwarpandwoofofazureandofcream，andgayknotsofribbonaboutit。
\"Wehavetheadvantageofmen，\"shesaid。\"Ioftenthinkoneofthegreatestdrawbackstobeingamanwouldbethesombreclothes。Iliketoweartheprettiestthingsthatcanbefound。”
\"Lace？\"queriedRoeder。\"Doyoulikelace？\"
\"Ishouldsayso!Didyoueverseeawomanwhodidn\'t？\"
\"Hu——um!ThesewomenI\'veknowndon\'tknowlace，——thesewivesofth\'menouthere。They\'reth\'onlykindI\'veseenthislongtime。”
\"Oh，ofcourse，butImean——\"
\"Iknowwhatyoumean。Mymotherhasachestfulloflinenan\'lace。Sheshoweditt\'meth\'dayIleft。\'Peter，\'shesaid，\'somedayyoubringawifehomewithyou，an\'I\'llgiveyouthatlacean\'thatlinen。\'
An\'I\'mgoin\'t\'doit，too，\"hesaidquietly。
\"Ihopeso，\"saidKate，withhereyesmoist。\"Ihopeyouwill，andthatyourmotherwillbeveryhappy。”……
Therewasahopatthehotelthatnight，anditwasalmostamatterofcourtesyforKatetogo。Ladieswereindemand，fortherewerenotverymanyofthematthehotel。Everyonewasexpectedtodohisbesttomakeitasuccess；andKate，notatallaversetoawaltzortwo，dressedherselffortheoccasionwithherhabitualstrivingafterartisticeffect。Shewasoneofthosewomenwhomakeapictureofthemselvesasnaturallyasabirdsings。ShehadanopalnecklacewhichJackhadgivenherbecause，hesaid，shehadasmanymoodsasanopalhadcolors；andsheworethiswithacré；pegown，thetintofthegreenlightsinhernecklace。Aboxofflowerscameforherasshewasdressing；theywerePuritanroses，andPeterRoeder\'scardwasinthemidstofthem。Shewasusedtohavingflowersgivenher。Itwouldhaveseemedremark-
ableifsomeonehadnotsentherabouquetwhenshewasgoingtoaball。
\"Ishalldancebuttwice，\"shesaidtothosewhosoughtherforapartner。
\"Neithermorenorless。”
\"Ain\'tyougoin\'t\'dancewithmeatall？\"Roedermanagedtosaytoherinthemidstofherlaughingaltercationwiththegentlemen。
\"Dancewithyou!\"criedKate。\"Howdomenlearntodancewhentheyareupagulch？\"
\"Ikendance，\"hesaidstubbornly。Hewasmortifiedatherchaffing。
\"Thenyoumayhavethesecondwaltz，\"
shesaid，inquickcontrition。\"Nowyouothergentlemenhavebeendancinganynumberoftimestheselastfifteenyears。
ButMr。Roederisjustbackfromahardcampaign，——acampaignagainstfate。Mysecondwaltzishis。AndIshalldancemybest。”
Ithappenedtobejusttherightsortofspeech。Thewomentriedgood-naturedlytomakeRoeder\'seveningapleasantone。
Theywerefilledwithcompassionforamanwhohadnotenjoyedthesocietyoftheirsexforfifteenyears。Theyfoundmuchamuse-
mentinleadinghimthroughthesquaredances，theformsofwhichwereutterlyunknowntohim。Buthewaltzedwithasortofseriousalertnessthatwasnotsobadasitmighthavebeen。
Katedancedwell。Herslightbodyseemedasfullofthespiritofthewaltzasathrush\'sbodyisofsong。PeterRoedermovedalongwithherinamaze，onlyhalf-
answeringherquestions，hisgrayeyesfullofmystery。
Oncetheystoppedforamoment，andhelookeddownather，aswithflushedfaceshestoodsmilingandwavinghergossamerfan，eachmotionstirringthefrailleavesoftheroseshehadsenther。
\"It\'scur\'ous，\"hesaidsoftly，\"butIkeepthinkin\'aboutthatblackgulch。”
\"Forgetit，\"shesaid。\"Whydoyouthinkofagulchwhen——\"Shestoppedwithasuddenrecollectionthathewasnotusedtopersiflage。Butheanticipatedwhatshewasabouttosay。
\"Whythinkofthegulchwhenyouarehere？\"hesaid。\"Why，becauseitisonlyth\'gulchthatseemsreal。Allthis，——thesepleasant，politepeople，thisbeautifulroom，th\'flowerseverywhere，andyou，andmeasIam，seemasifIwasdreamin\'。Tharain\'tanythinginitallthatislikewhatI
thoughtitwouldbe。”
\"Notasyouthoughtitwouldbe？\"
\"No。Different。Ithoughtitwouldbe——well，Ithoughtth\'peoplewouldnotbequitesohigh-toned。Ihopeyoudon\'tmindthatword。”
\"Notintheleast，\"shesaid。\"It\'samu-
sicalterm。Itappliesverywelltopeople。”
Theytookupthedanceagainandwaltzedbreathlesslytilltheclose。Katewastired；
theexertionhadbeenalittlemorethanshehadbargainedfor。Shesatverystillontheverandaunderthewhiteglareofanelectricball，andletRoederdothetalking。Herthoughts，inspiteoftheentertainmentshewasderivingfromherpresentexperiences，wouldgobacktothebabies。Shesawthemtuckedwellinbed，eachinalittleironcrib，withthemuslincurtainsshieldingtheirrosyfacesfromthelight。ShewonderedifJackwerereadingaloneinthelibraryorwasattheclub，orperhapsatthesummercon-
cert，withtheswelloftheviolinsinhisears。Jackdidsolovemusic。Asshethoughthowdelicatehisperceptionswere，howherespondedtoeverythingmostsubtleinnatureandinart，ofhowlifeitselfwasafineartwithhim，andjoyathingtobecultivated，sheturnedwithasenseofdeepcompassiontothesimplemanbyherside。
Hisroughfacelookedalittlemoreunat-
tractivethanusual。Hiseveningclotheswerealmostgrotesque。Hisfaceworealookofsolitude，ofhunger。
\"Whatwereyousaying？\"shesaid，dreamily。\"Ibegyourpardon。”
\"Iwassayin\'howIusedt\'dreamofsittin\'onthestepsofahotellikethis，andnothavin\'athingt\'do。WhenIusedt\'
comedownhereoutofthegulch，andseemenwhohadhadgooddinners，an\'goodbaths，sittin\'aroundsmokin\'，withmoneyt\'goovertheret\'th\'bookstan\'an\'getany-
thin\'they\'dwant，itusedt\'seemt\'meaboutallasinglemancouldwishfur。”
\"Well，you\'vegotitallnow。”
\"ButIdidn\'tanyofth\'timesupposethatwouldsatisfyamanlong。OnlyIwassodarnedtiredIcouldn\'thelpwantin\'t\'
rest。ButI\'mnotsoselfishurs\'narrowastobesatisfiedwithTHAT。No，I\'mnotgoin\'t\'spendm\'pilethatway——quite!\"
Helaughedoutloud，andthensatinsilencewatchingKateasshelaybackwearilyinherchair。
\"I\'vegott\'havethattheregarden，\"hesaid，laughingly。\"Gott\'getthemroses。
An\'I\'llhaveabigbath-house，——plentyofspringsinthiscountry。Youkenhaveabathherethatwon\'tfreezesummerNOR
winter。An\'ababy!I\'vegott\'haveababy。He\'llgowithth\'rosesan\'th\'
bath。”Helaughedagainheartily。
\"It\'saqueerjoke，isn\'tit？\"Roederasked。\"Talkin\'aboutmybaby，an\'I
haven\'tevenawife。”Hisfaceflushedandheturnedhiseyesaway。
\"HaveIshownyouthepicturesofmybabies？\"Kateinquired。\"You\'dlikemyboy，Iknow。Andmygirlisjustlikeme，——inminiature。”
Therewasasilence。Shelookedupafteramoment。Roederappearedtobeexaminingthemonogramonhisringasifhehadneverseenitbefore。
\"Ididn\'tunderstandthatyouweremar-
ried，\"hesaidgently。
\"Didn\'tyou？Idon\'tthinkyouevercalledmebyanynameatall，orIshouldhavenoticedyourmistakeandsetyouright。
Yes，I\'mmarried。Icameoutheretogetstrongforthebabies。”
\"Gotaboyan\'agirl，eh？\"
\"Yes。”
\"Howold\'sth\'boy？\"
\"Five。”
\"An\'th\'girl？\"
\"She\'llsoonbefour。”
\"An\'yerhusband——he\'slivin\'？\"
\"Ishouldsayso!I\'maveryhappywoman，Mr。Roeder。IfonlyIwerestronger!\"
\"Yerlookin\'muchbetter，\"hesaid，gravely，\"thanwhenyoucome。You\'llbeallright。”
Themoonbegantocomeupscarletbeyondtheeasternhills。Thetwowatcheditinsilence。Katehadafeelingofguilt，asifshehadbeenhurtingsomehelplessthing。
\"Iwasinhopes，\"hesaid，suddenly，inavoicethatseemedabruptandshrill，\"thetyou\'dseefitt\'stayhere。”
\"HereinHelena？Oh，no!\"
\"Iwasthinkin\'I\'dofferyouthattwohundredthousanddollars，ifyou\'dstay。”
\"Mr。Roeder!Youdon\'tmean——
surely——\"
\"Why，yes。Whynot？\"Hespokeratherdoggedly。\"I\'llneverseenootherwomanlikeyou。You\'redifferentfromothers。Howgoodyou\'vebeent\'me!\"
\"Good!I\'mafraidI\'vebeenverybad——atleast，verystupid。”
\"Isay，now——yourhusband\'sgoodt\'
you，ain\'the？\"
\"Heisthekindestmanthateverlived。”
\"Oh，well，Ididn\'tknow。”
AratherawkwardpausefollowedwhichwasbrokenbyRoeder。
\"Idon\'tseejestwhatI\'mgoin\'t\'dowiththatthartwohundredthousanddol-
lars，\"hesaid，mournfully。
\"Dowithit？Why，livewithit!Sendsometoyourmother。”
\"Oh，I\'vedonethat。Fivethousanddollars。Itdon\'tseemmuchhere；butit\'llseemalott\'her。I\'dsendhermore，onlyitwould\'vebotheredher。”
\"Thenthereisyourhouse，——thehousewiththebath-room。ButIsupposeyou\'llhaveotherrooms？\"
Peterlaughedalittleinspiteofhimself。
\"IguessIwon\'thaveahouse，\"hesaid。
\"An\'Icouldn\'tmakeagardenalone。”
\"Hireamantohelpyou。”Katewastrembling，butshekepttalkinggayly。Shewasprayingthatnothingveryseriouswouldhappen。Therewasanundercurrentofsom-
brenessintheman\'smannerthatfrightenedher。
\"IguessI\'lljesthavet\'keepondreamin\'ofthatboyplayin\'withth\'roses。”
\"No，no，\"criedKate；\"hewillcometruesomeday!Iknowhe\'llcometrue。”
Petergotupandstoodbyherchair。
\"Youdon\'tknownothin\'aboutit，\"hesaid。\"Youdon\'tknow，an\'youcan\'tknowwhatit\'sbint\'met\'talkwithyou。HereIcomeoutofaplacewherethereain\'tnosoundbutthewaterandthepines。Yearscomean\'go。Stillnosound。Onlythinkin\'，thinkin\'，thinkin\'!Missin\'allth\'thingsmencarefur!Dreamin\'ofatimewhenIsh\'dstriketh\'pile。ThenI
seedhome，wife，aboy，flowers，everythin\'。
You\'resobeautiful，an\'you\'resogood。
You\'veawayofpickin\'aman\'sheartrightoutofhim。FirsttimeIsetmyeyesonyouIthoughtyouwereth\'nicestthingI
eversee!Andhowlittleyouare!Thathandofyours，——lookatit，——it\'slikealeaf!An\'howeasyyousmile。Upth\'
gulchwedidn\'tsmile；welaughed，butgen\'lybecausesomeonegotinafix。Thenyourvoice!Ah，I\'vethoughtfuryearsthatsomedayImighthearavoicelikethat!Don\'tyougo!Sitstill!I\'mnotblamin\'youfuranythin\'；butImaynever，\'slong\'sIlive，findanyonewhowillunderstandthingsth\'wayyouunder-
stand\'em。Here!Itellyouaboutthatgulchan\'youseethatgulch。Youknowhowth\'rainsoundedthar，an\'howth\'
shacklooked，an\'th\'lifeIled，an\'allth\'
thoughtsIhad，an\'th\'longnights，an\'
th\'timeswhen——butnevermind。Iknowyouknowitall。Isawitinyereyes。I
tellyouofmother，an\'yousee\'er。Youknow\'eroldGermanface，an\'\'erproudways，an\'herprideinme，an\'howshewouldthinkIwuzawfullyrich。An\'youseehowshewouldgiveoutthemlinens，allmarkedfurmywife，an\'howIwouldsitan\'watchherdoin\'it，an\'——youseeevery-
thing。Iknowyoudo。Icouldfeelyoudoin\'it。ThenIsaytomyself:\'Hereisth\'onewomaninth\'worldmadefurme。
WhateverIhave，sheshallhave。I\'llspendmylifewaitin\'onher。She\'lltellmeallth\'thingsIoughtt\'know，an\'hevmissedknowin\'；she\'llreadt\'me；she\'llbepatientwhenshefindshowdullI\'vegrown。Andthar\'llbeth\'boy——\'\"
Heseizedherhandandwrungit，andwasgone。Katesawhimnomorethatnight。
Thenextmorningthemajorreturned。
Katethrewherarmsaroundhisneckandwept。
\"Iwantthebabies，\"sheexplainedwhenthemajorshowedhisconsternation。\"Don\'tmindmycrying。Yououghttobeusedtoseeingmecrybythistime。Imustgethome，that\'sall。ImustseeJack。”
Sothatnighttheystarted。
AtthedoorofthecarriagestoodPeterRoeder，waiting。
\"I\'mgoingt\'ridedownwithyou，\"hesaid。Themajorlookednonplussed。
Kategotinandthemajorfollowed。
\"Come，\"shesaidtoRoeder。Hesatoppositeandlookedatherasifhewouldfastenherimageonhismind。
\"Youremember，\"hesaidafteratime，\"thatItoldyouIusedt\'dreamofsittin\'ontheverandaofth\'hotelandhavin\'nothin\'
t\'do？\"
\"Yes。”
\"Well，Idon\'tthinkIcarefurit。I\'vehadamonthofit。I\'mgoin\'backupth\'gulch。”
\"No!\"criedKate，instinctivelyreachingoutherhandstowardhim。
\"Whynot？Iguessyoudon\'tknowme。
IknewthatsomewhereI\'dfindafriend。I
foundthatfriend；an\'nowI\'maloneagain。It\'sprettyquietuptharinthegulch；butI\'lltryit。”
\"No，no。GotoEurope；gotoseeyourmother。”
\"Ithoughtaboutthatagooddeal，awhileago。ButIdon\'tseemt\'havenoheartfuritnow。IfeelasifI\'dbesaferinth\'gulch。”
\"Safer？\"