\"Ah!\"saidJack,withthoughtfulgravity。\"Well,kindlygivemylovetoyoursister,willyou?\"
\"GeorgeWashingtondidn\'thavenosister,\"saidtheboy,cunningly。
\"CanIhavebeenmistaken?\"saidHamlin,liftinghishandtohisforeheadwithgrievedaccents。\"ThenitseemsYOUhave。Kindlygivehermylove。\"
\"Whichone?\"askedtheboy,withaswiftglanceofmischief。\"I\'vegotfour。\"
\"Theonethat\'slikeyou,\"returnedHamlin,withpromptexactitude。
\"Now,where\'sthe\'bresh\'youspokeof?\"
\"Keepalongtheedgeuntilyoucometothelog-slide。Follerthat,andit\'llleadyouintothewoods。Butyewon\'tgofar,Itellye。
Whenyouhavetoturnback,insteado\'comin\'backhere,youkintakethetrailthatgoesroundthewoods,andthat\'llbringyeoutintothestageroadag\'innearthepost-officeattheGreenSpringscrossin\'andthenewhotel。That\'llbewarye\'llturnup,I
reckon,\"headded,reflectively。\"Fellersthatcomeyergunnin\'
andfishin\'gin\'rallydo,\"heconcluded,withahalf-inquisitiveair。
\"Ah?\"saidMr。Hamlin,quietlysheddingtheinquiry。\"GreenSpringsHoteliswherethestagestops,eh?\"
\"Yes,andatthepost-office,\"saidtheboy。\"She\'llbealongheresoon,\"headded。
\"IfyoumeantheSantaCruzstage,\"saidHamlin,\"she\'sherealready。Ipassedherontheridgehalfanhourago。\"
Theboygaveasuddenstart,andaquickuneasyexpressionpassedoverhisface。\"Go\'longwithye!\"hesaid,withaforcedsmile:
\"itain\'thertimeyet。\"
\"ButISAWher,\"repeatedHamlin,muchamused。\"Areyouexpectingcompany?Hullo!Whereareyouoffto?Comeback。\"
Buthiscompanionhadalreadyvanishedinthethicketwiththeundeliberateandimpulsiveactofananimal。Therewasamomentaryrustleinthealdersfiftyfeetaway,andthenallwassilent。Thehiddenbrooktookupitsmonotonousmurmur,thetappingofadistantwoodpeckerbecamesuddenlyaudible,andMr。Hamlinwasagainalone。
\"Wonderwhetherhe\'sgotparentsinthestage,andhasbeenplayingtruanthere,\"hemused,lazily。\"Lookedasifhe\'dbeenuptosomedevilment,ormorelikeasifhewasprimedforit。Ifhe\'dbeenalittleolder,I\'dhavebethewasinleaguewithsomeroad-agentstowatchthecoach。JustmylucktohavehimlightoutasIwasbeginningtogetsometalkoutofhim。\"Hepaused,lookedathiswatch,andstraightenedhimselfinhisstirrups。\"Fouro\'clock。I
reckonImightaswelltrythewoodsandwhatthatimpcallsthe\'bresh;\'Imaystrikeashantyoranativebytheway。\"
Withthisdetermination,Mr。Hamlinurgedhishorsealongthefainttrailbythebrinkofthewatercoursewhichtheboyhadjustindicated。Hehadnodefiniteendinviewbeyondtheonethathadbroughthimthedaybeforetothatlocality——hisquestoftheunknownpoetess。Hiscluewouldhaveseemedtoordinaryhumanitythefaintest。Hehadmerelynotedtheprovincialnameofacertainplantmentionedinthepoem,andlearnedthatitshabitatwaslimitedtothesouthernlocalrange;whileitspeculiarnomenclaturewasclearlyofFrenchCreoleorGulfStateorigin。Thisgavehimalargethoughsparsely-populatedareaforlocality,whileitsuggestedasettlementofLouisianiansorMississippiansneartheSummit,ofwhom,throughtheirnativegamblingproclivities,hewasprofessionallycognizant。ButhemainlytrustedFortune。Secureinhisfaithinthefemininecharacterofthatgoddess,hereliedagreatdealonherwell-knownweaknessforscampsofhisquality。
Itwasnotlongbeforehecametothe\"slide\"——alightly-cutorshallowditch。Itdescendedslightlyinacoursethatwasfarfromstraight,attimesdivergingtoavoidtheobstaclesoftreesorboulders,attimesshavingthemsocloselyastoleavesmoothabrasionsalongtheirsidesmadebythegrindingpassageoflonglogsdowntheincline。Thetrackitselfwasslipperyfromthis,andpreoccupiedallHamlin\'sskillasahorseman,eventothepointofstoppinghisusualcarelesswhistle。Attheendofhalfanhourthetrackbecamelevelagain,andhewasconfrontedwithasingularphenomenon。
Hehadenteredthewood,andthetrailseemedtocleavethroughafar-stretching,motionlessseaoffernsthatflowedoneithersidetotheheightofhishorse\'sflanks。Thestraightshaftsofthetreesroselikecolumnsfromtheirhiddenbasesandwerelostagaininaroofofimpenetrableleafage,leavingaclearspaceoffiftyfeetbetween,throughwhichthesurroundinghorizonofskywasperfectlyvisible。Allthelightthatenteredthisvastsylvanhallcamefromthesides;nothingpermeatedfromabove;nothingradiatedfrombelow;theheightofthecrestonwhichthewoodwasplacedgaveitthislateralillumination,butgaveitalsotheprofoundisolationofsometempleraisedbylong-forgottenhands。
Inspiteoftheheightoftheseclearshafts,theyseemeddwarfedbytheexpanseofthewood,andinthefarthestperspectivethebaseoffernsandthecapitaloffoliageappearedalmosttomeet。
Astheboyhadwarnedhim,theslidehadturnedaside,skirtingthewoodtofollowtheincline,andpresentlythelittletrailhenowfollowedvanishedutterly,leavinghimandhishorseadriftbreast-
highinthisgreenandyellowseaoffronds。ButMr。Hamlin,imperiousofobstacles,andtouchedbysomecuriosity,continuedtoadvancelazily,takingthebearingsofalargerred-woodinthecentreofthegroveforhisobjectivepoint。Theelasticmassgavewaybeforehim,brushinghiskneesorcombinghishorse\'sflankswithwide-spreadelfinfingers,andclosingupbehindhimashepassed,asiftoobliterateanytrackbywhichhemightreturn。
Yethisusualluckdidnotdeserthimhere。Beingonhorseback,hefoundthathecoulddetectwhathadbeeninvisibletotheboyandprobablytoallpedestrians,namely,thatthegrowthwasnotequallydense,thattherewerecertainthinnerandmoreopenspacesthathecouldtakeadvantageofbymorecircuitousprogression,always,however,keepingthebearingsofthecentraltree。Thisheatlastreached,andhaltedhispantinghorse。Hereanewideawhichhadbeenhauntinghimsinceheenteredthewoodtookfullerpossessionofhim。Hehadseenorknownallthisbefore!Therewasastrangefamiliarityeitherintheseobjectsorintheimpressionorspelltheyleftuponhim。Herememberedtheverses!
Yes,thiswasthe\"underbrush\"whichthepoetesshaddescribed:thegloomaboveandbelow,thelightthatseemedblownthroughitlikethewind,thesuggestionofhiddenlifebeneaththistangledluxuriance,whichshealonehadpenetrated,——allthiswashere。
But,morethanthat,herewastheatmospherethatshehadbreathedintotheplaintivemelodyofherverse。ItdidnotnecessarilyfollowthatMr。Hamlin\'stranslationofhersentimentwasthecorrectone,orthattheideasherverseshadprovokedinhismindwereatallwhathadbeenhers:inhiseasysusceptibilityhewassimplythrownintoacorrespondingmoodofemotionandrelievedhimselfwithsong。Oneoftheverseshehadalreadyassociatedinhismindwiththerhythmofanoldplantationmelody,anditstruckhisfancytotakeadvantageofthesolitudetotryitseffect。
Hummingtohimself,atfirstsoftly,heatlastgrewbolder,andlethisvoicedriftawaythroughthestarkpillarsofthesylvancolonnadetillitseemedtosuffuseandfillitwithnomoreeffortthanthelightwhichstrayedinoneitherside。Sittingthus,hishatthrownalittlebackfromhisclusteringcurls,thewhiteneckandshouldersofhishorseupliftinghimabovethecrestedmassoffern,hisredsashtheonefleckofcolorintheirolivedepths,I
amafraidhelookedmuchmoreliketherealminstrelofthegrovethantheunknownpoetesswhotransfiguredit。Butthis,ashasbeenalreadyindicated,wasJackHamlin\'speculiargift。Evenashehadpreviouslyoutshonethevaqueroinhisborroweddress,henowsilencedandsupplantedafewflutteringblue-jays——rightfultenantsofthewood——withamoregracefulandairypresenceandafarsweetervoice。
TheopenhorizontowardsthewesthadtakenawarmercolorfromthealreadyslantingsunwhenMr。Hamlin,havingrestedhishorse,turnedtothatdirection。Hehadnoticedthatthewoodwasthinnerthere,and,pushingforward,hewaspresentlyrewardedbythesoundoffar-offwheels,andknewhemustbenearthehigh-roadthattheboyhadspokenof。Havinggivenuphispreviousintentionofcrossingthestream,thereseemednothingbetterforhimtodothantofollowthetruant\'sadviceandtaketheroadbacktoGreenSprings。Yethewasloathtoleavethewood,haltingonitsverge,andturningtolookbackintoitscharmedrecesses。Onceortwice——
perhapsbecauseherecalledthewordsofthepoem——thatyellowishseaoffernshadseemedinstinctwithhiddenlife,andhehadevenfancied,hereandthere,aswayingofitsplumedcrests。Howbeit,hestilllingeredlongenoughfortheopensunlightintowhichhehadobtrudedtopointoutthebraveryofhishandsomefigure。Thenhewheeledhishorse,thelightglancedfrompolisheddoublebitandbridle-fripperies,caughthisredsashandbullionbuttons,struckapartingflashfromhissilverspurs,andhewasgone!
Foramomentthelightstreamedunbrokenlythroughthewood。AndthenitcouldbeseenthattheyellowmassofundergrowthHADmovedwiththepassageofanotherfigurethanhisown。Foreversincehehadenteredtheshade,awoman,shawledinavague,shapelessfashion,hadwatchedhimwonderingly,eagerly,excitedly,glidingfromtreetotreeasheadvanced,orelsedroppingbreathlesslybelowthefrondsoffernwhenceshegazedathimasbetweenpartedfingers。Whenhewheeledshehadrunopenlytothewest,albeitwithhiddenfaceandstillclingingshawl,andtakenalastlookathisretreatingfigure。Andthen,withafaintbutlingeringsigh,shedrewbackintotheshadowofthewoodagainandvanishedalso。
CHAPTERIII
AttheendoftwentyminutesMr。Hamlinreinedinhismare。Hehadjustobservedinthedistantshadowsofaby-lanethatintersectedhisroadthevanishingflutteroftwolightprintdresses。Withoutamoment\'shesitationhelightlyswervedoutofthehigh-roadandfollowedtheretreatingfigures。
Ashenearedthem,theyseemedtobetwoslimyounggirls,evidentlysopreoccupiedwiththerusticamusementofedgingeachotheroffthegrassyborderintothedustofthetrackthattheydidnotperceivehisapproach。Littleshrieks,slightscufflings,andinterjectionsof\"Cynthy!youlimb!\"\"Quitthat,Eunice,now!\"
and\"Ijustcallthatrealmean!\"apparentlydrownedthesoundofhiscanterinthesoftdust。Checkinghisspeedtoagentletrot,andpressinghishorseclosebesidetheoppositefence,hepassedthemwithgravelyupliftedhatandaserious,preoccupiedair。Butinthatsingle,seeminglyconventionalglance,Mr。Hamlinhadseenthattheywerebothpretty,andthatonehadtheshortupperlipofhiserrantlittleguide。Ahundredyardsfartheronhehalted,asifirresolutely,gazeddoubtfullyaheadofhim,andthenturnedback。Anexpressionofinnocent——almost
childlike——concernwascloudingtherascal\'sface。Itwaswell,asthetwogirlshaddrawncloselytogether,havingbeenapparentlysurprisedinthemidstofaglowingeulogiumofthisgloriouspassingvisionbyitssuddenreturn。Athisnearerapproach,theonewiththeshortupperliphidthatpiquantfeatureandtherestofherrosyfacebehindtheother\'sshoulder,whichwassuddenlyandsignificantlyopposedtotheadvanceofthishandsomeintruder,withacertaindignity,halfreal,halfaffected,butwhollycharming。Theprotectressappeared——possiblyfromherdefensiveattitude——thesuperiorofhercompanion。
AudaciousasJackwastohisownsex,hehadearlylearnedthatsuchrarebutdiscomposinggracesashepossessedrequiredacertainapologeticattitudewhenpresentedtowomen,andthatitwasonlyaplainmanwhocouldbealwayscomplacentlyself-
confidentintheirpresence。Therewas,consequently,ahesitatingloweringofthishypocrite\'sbrowneyelashesashesaid,inalmostpainedaccents,——
\"Excuseme,butIfearI\'vetakenthewrongroad。I\'mgoingtoGreenSprings。\"
\"Ireckonyou\'vetakenthewrongroad,whereveryou\'regoing,\"
returnedtheyounglady,havingapparentlymadeuphermindtoresenteachofJack\'sperfectionsasaseparateimpertinence:\"thisisaPRIVATEroad。\"Shedrewherselffairlyuphere,althoughgurgledatintheearandpinchedinthearmbyhercompanion。
\"Ibegyourpardon,\"saidJack,meekly。\"IseeI\'mtrespassingonyourgrounds。I\'mverysorry。Thankyoufortellingme。Ishouldhavegoneonamileortwofarther,Isuppose,untilIcametoyourhouse,\"headded,innocently。
\"Amileortwo!You\'dhaverunchockag\'in\'ourgateinanotherminit,\"saidtheshort-lippedone,eagerly。Butasharpnudgefromhercompanionsentherbackagainintocover,whereshewaitedexpectantlyforanothercrushingretortfromherprotector。
But,alas!itdidnotcome。Onecannotbealwayswitty,andJacklookeddistressed。Nevertheless,hetookadvantageofthepause。
\"Itwassostupidinme,asIthinkyourbrother\"——lookingatShort-lip——\"verycarefullytoldmetheroad。\"
Thetwogirlsdartedquickglancesateachother。\"Oh,Bawb!\"saidthefirstspeaker,inweariedaccents,——\"THATlimb!Hedon\'tkeer。\"
\"ButheDIDcare,\"saidHamlin,quietly,\"andgavemeagooddealofinformation。Thankstohim,Iwasabletoseethatfernywoodthat\'ssofamous——abouttwomilesuptheroad。Youknow——theonethatthere\'sapoemwrittenabout!\"
Theshottold!Short-lipburstintoadisplayofdazzlinglittleteethandcaughttheothergirlconvulsivelybytheshoulders。Thesuperiorgirlbentherprettybrows,andsaid,\"Eunice,what\'sgoneofye?Quitthat!\"but,asHamlinthought,paledslightly。
\"Ofcourse,\"saidHamlin,quickly,\"youknow——thepoemeverybody\'stalkingabout。Dearme!letmesee!howdoesitgo?\"Therascalknithisbrows,said,\"Ah,yes,\"andthenmurmuredtheversehehadlatelysungquiteasmusically。
Short-lipwasshamelesslyexaltedandexcited。Reallyshecouldscarcelybelieveit!Shealreadyheardherselfrelatingthewholeoccurrence。Herewasthemostbeautifulyoungmanshehadeverseen——anentirestranger——talkingtotheminthemostbeautifulandnaturalway,rightinthelane,andrecitingpoetrytohersister!
Itwaslikeanovel——onlymoreso。ShethoughtthatCynthia,ontheotherhand,lookeddistressed,and——shemustsayit——\"silly。\"
AllofwhichJacknoted,andwaswise。Hehadgotallhewanted——
atpresent。Hegathereduphisreins。
\"Thankyousomuch,andyourbrother,too,MissCynthia,\"hesaid,withoutlookingup。Then,adding,withapartingglanceandsmile,\"Butdon\'ttellBobhowstupidIwas,\"heswiftlydeparted。
InhalfanhourhewasattheGreenSpringsHotel。Asherodeintothestableyard,henoticedthatthecoachhadonlyjustarrived,havingbeendetainedbyaland-slipontheSummitroad。WiththerecollectionofBobfreshinhismind,heglancedattheloungersatthestageoffice。Theboywasnotthere,butamomentlaterJackdetectedhimamongthewaitingcrowdatthepost-officeopposite。Withaviewoffollowinguphisinquiries,hecrossedtheroadastheboyenteredthevestibuleofthepost-office。Hearrivedintimetoseehimunlockoneofarowofnumberedletter-
boxesrentedbysubscribers,whichoccupiedapartitionbythewindow,andtakeoutasmallpackageandaletter。ButinthatbriefglanceMr。Hamlindetectedtheprintedaddressofthe\"ExcelsiorMagazine\"onthewrapper。Itwasenough。Luckwascertainlywithhim。
Hehadtimetogetridofthewickedsparklethathadlithisdarkeyes,andtoloungecarelesslytowardstheboyasthelatterbrokeopenthepackage,andthenhurriedlyconcealeditinhisjacket-
pocket,andstartedforthedoor。Mr。Hamlinquicklyfollowedhim,unperceived,and,ashesteppedintothestreet,gentlytappedhimontheshoulder。Theboyturnedandfacedhimquickly。ButMr。
Hamlin\'seyesshowednothingbutlazygood-humor。
\"Hullo,Bob。Whereareyougoing?\"
Theboyagainlookedupsuspiciouslyatthisrevelationofhisname。
\"Home,\"hesaid,briefly。
\"Oh,overyonder,\"saidHamlin,calmly。\"Idon\'tmindwalkingwithyouasfarasthelane。\"
Hesawtheboy\'seyesglancefurtivelytowardsanalleythatranbesidetheblacksmith\'sshopafewrodsahead,andwasconvincedthatheintendedtoevadehimthere。Slippinghisarmcarelesslyintheyouth\'s,heconcludedtoopenfireatonce。
\"Bob,\"hesaid,withirresistiblegravity,\"IdidnotknowwhenI
metyouthismorningthatIhadthehonorofaddressingapoet——
noneotherthanthefamousauthorof\'Underbrush。\'\"
Theboystartedback,andendeavoredtowithdrawhisarm,butMr。
Hamlintightenedhishold,without,however,changinghiscarelessexpression。
\"Yousee,\"hecontinued,\"theeditorisafriendofmine,and,beingafraidthispackagemightnotgetintotherighthands——asyoudidn\'tgiveyourname——hedeputizedmetocomehereandseethatitwasallsquare。Asyou\'reratheryoung,forallyou\'resogifted,IreckonI\'dbettergohomewithyou,andtakeareceiptfromyourparents。That\'saboutsquare,Ithink?\"
TheconsternationoftheboywassoevidentandsofarbeyondMr。
Hamlin\'sexpectationthatheinstantlyhaltedhim,gazedintohisshiftingeyes,andgavealongwhistle。
\"WhosaiditwasforME?Wotyoutalkin\'about?Lemmego!\"gaspedtheboy,withtheshortintermittentbreathofmingledfearandpassion。
\"Bob,\"saidMr。Hamlin,inasingularlycolorlessvoicewhichwasveryrarewithhim,andanexpressionquiteunlikehisown,\"whatisyourlittlegame?\"
Theboylookeddownindoggedsilence。
\"Outwithit!Whoareyouplayingthison?\"
\"It\'sallamongmyownfolks;it\'snothin\'toYOU,\"saidtheboy,suddenlybeginningtostruggleviolently,asifinspiredbythisextenuatingfact。
\"Amongyourownfolks,eh?WhiteVioletandtherest,eh?ButSHE\'Snotinit?\"
Noreply。
\"Handmeoverthatpackage。I\'llgiveitbacktoyouagain。\"
TheboyhandedittoMr。Hamlin。Hereadtheletter,andfoundtheinclosurecontainedatwenty-dollargold-piece。Ahalf-
supercilioussmilepassedoverhisfaceatthisrevelationoftheinadequateemolumentsofliteratureandthetriflinginducementstocrime。Indeed,Ifeartheaffairbegantotakealessseriousmoralcomplexioninhiseyes。
\"ThenWhiteViolet——yoursisterCynthia,youknow,\"continuedMr。
Hamlin,ineasyparenthesis——\"wroteforthis?\"holdingthecoincontemplativelyinhisfingers,\"andyoucalculatedtonabityourself?\"
ThequicksearchingglancewithwhichBobreceivedthenameofhissister,Mr。Hamlinattributedonlytohisnaturalsurprisethatthisstrangershouldbeonsuchfamiliartermswithher;buttheboyrespondedimmediatelyandbluntly:——
\"No!SHEdidn\'twriteforit。Shedidn\'twantnobodytoknowwhoshewas。Nobodywroteforitbutme。NobodyKNEWFOLKSWASPAID
FORPO\'TRYBUTME。Ifounditoutfromafeller。Iwroteforit。
Iwasn\'tgoin\'toletthatskunkofaneditorhaveithimself!\"
\"AndyouthoughtYOUwouldtakeit,\"saidHamlin,hisvoiceresumingitsoldtone。\"Well,George——ImeanBob,yourconductwaspraiseworthy,althoughyourintentionswerebad。Still,twentydollarsisrathertoomuchforyourtrouble。Supposewesayfiveandcallitsquare?\"Hehandedtheastonishedboyfivedollars。
\"Now,GeorgeWashington,\"hecontinued,takingfourothertwenty-
dollarpiecesfromhispocket,andaddingthemtotheinclosure,whichhecarefullyrefolded,\"I\'mgoingtogiveyouanotherchancetoliveuptoyourreputation。You\'lltakethatpackage,andhandittoWhiteViolet,andsayyoufoundit,justasitis,inthelock-box。I\'llkeeptheletter,foritwouldknockyouendwaysifitwasseen,andI\'llmakeitallrightwiththeeditor。But,asI\'vegottotellhimthatI\'veseenWhiteVioletmyself,andknowshe\'sgotit,IexpectYOUtomanageinsomewaytohavemeseeher。I\'llmanagetherestofit;andIwon\'tblowonyou,either。
You\'llcomebacktothehotel,andtellmewhatyou\'vedone。Andnow,George\"concludedMr。Hamlin,succeedingatlastinfixingtheboy\'sevasiveeyewithapeculiarlook,\"itmaybejustaswellforyoutounderstandthatIknoweverynookandcornerofthisplace,thatI\'vealreadybeenthroughthatunderbrushyouspokeofoncethismorning,andthatI\'vegotamarethatcangowhereverYOUcan,andad——dsightquicker!\"
\"I\'llgivethepackagetoWhiteViolet,\"saidtheboy,doggedly。
\"Andyou\'llcomebacktothehotel?\"
Theboyhesitated,andthensaid,\"I\'llcomeback。\"
\"Allright,then。Adios,general。\"
Bobdisappearedaroundthecornerofacross-roadatarapidtrot,andMr。Hamlinturnedintothehotel。
\"Smartlittlechapthat!\"hesaidtothebarkeeper。
\"Youbet!\"returnedtheman,who,havingrecognizedMr。Hamlin,wasdelightedattheprospectofconversingwithagentlemanofsuchdecidedlydangerousreputation。\"Buthe\'sbeenallowedtorunalittlewildsinceoldmanDelatourdied,andthewidder\'sgotenoughtodo,Ireckon,lookin\'arterherfourgals,andtakin\'
keerofoldDelatour\'sranchoveryonder。Iguessit\'sprettyhardsleddin\'forhersometimestogetclo\'esandgrubforthefamerly,withoutfollerin\'Bobaround。\"
\"Sharpgirls,too,Ireckon;oneofthemwritesthingsforthemagazines,doesn\'tshe?——Cynthia,eh?\"saidMr。Hamlin,carelessly。
Evidentlythisfactwasnotanotoriousonetothebarkeeper。He,however,said,\"Dunno;mabbee;herfatherwaseddicated,andthewidderDelatour,too,thoughshe\'ssorterqueer,I\'veheardtell。
Lord!Mr。Hamlin,YOUoughterrememberoldmanDelatour!FromOpelousas,Louisiany,youknow!HigholdsportFrenchstyle,frilledbosom——open-handed,andus\'terbuckag\'in\'faroawful!
Why,hedroppedaheapo\'moneytoYOUoverinSanJosetwoyearsagoatpoker!Youmustrememberhim!\"
TheslightestpossibleflushpassedoverMr。Hamlin\'sbrowundertheshadowofhishat,butdidnotgetlowerthanhiseyes。HesuddenlyHADrecalledthespendthriftDelatourperfectly,andasquicklyregrettednowthathehadnotdoubledthehonorariumhehadjustsenttohisportionlessdaughter。Butheonlysaid,coolly,\"No,\"andthen,raisinghispalefaceandaudaciouseyes,continuedinhislaziestandmostinsultingmanner,\"no:thefactis,mymindisjustnowpreoccupiedinwonderingifthegasisleakinganywhere,andifanythingiseverservedoverthisbarexceptelegantconversation。Whenthegentlemanwhomixesdrinkscomesback,perhapsyou\'llbegoodenoughtotellhimtosendawhiskysourtoMr。JackHamlinintheparlor。Meantime,youcanturnoffyoursodafountain:Idon\'twantanyfizzinmine。\"
Havingthusquiterecoveredhimself,Mr。Hamlinloungedgracefullyacrossthehallintotheparlor。Ashedidso,adarkishyoungman,withaslimboyishfigure,athinface,andadiscontentedexpression,rosefromanarmchair,heldouthishand,and,withasaturninesmile,said:——
\"Jack!\"
\"Fred!\"
Thetwomenremainedgazingateachotherwithahalf-amused,half-
guardedexpression。Mr。Hamlinwasfirsttobegin。\"Ididn\'tthinkYOU\'Dbesuchafoolastotryonthiskindofthing,Fred,\"
hesaid,halfseriously。
\"Yes,butitwastokeepyoufrombeingamuchbiggeronethatI
huntedyouup,\"saidtheeditor,mischievously。\"Readthat。Igotitanhourafteryouleft。\"AndheplacedalittletriumphantlyinJack\'shandtheletterhehadreceivedfromWhiteViolet。
Mr。Hamlinreaditwithanunmovedface,andthenlaidhistwohandsontheeditor\'sshoulders。\"Yes,myyoungfriend,andyousatdownandwroteheraprettyletterandsenthertwentydollars——
which,permitmetosay,wasd——dpoorpay!Butthatisn\'tyourfault,Ireckon:it\'sthemeannessofyourproprietors。\"
\"Butitisn\'tthequestion,either,justnow,Jack,howeveryouhavebeenabletoanswerit。Doyoumeantosayseriouslythatyouwanttoknowanythingmoreofawomanwhocouldwritesuchaletter?\"
\"Idon\'tknow,\"saidJack,cheerfully。\"Shemightbeadevilishsightfunnierthanifshehadn\'twrittenit——whichisthefact。\"
\"YoumeantosaySHEdidn\'twriteit?\"
\"Yes。\"
\"Whodid,then?\"
\"HerbrotherBob。\"
Afteramoment\'sscrutinyofhisfriend\'sbewilderedface,Mr。
Hamlinbrieflyrelatedhisadventures,fromthemomentofhismeetingBobatthemountain-streamtothebarkeeper\'sgossipingcommentandsequel。\"Therefore,\"heconcluded,\"theauthorof\'Underbrush\'isMissCynthiaDelatour,oneoffourdaughtersofawidowwholivestwomilesfromhereatthecrossing。Ishallseeherthiseveningandmakesure;butto-morrowmorningyouwillpaymethebreakfastyouoweme。She\'sgood-looking,butIcan\'tsayI
fancythepoeticstyle:it\'salittletoohigh-tonedforme。
However,IlovemylovewithaC,becausesheisyourContributor;
IhateherwithaC,becauseofherConnections;ImetherbyChanceandtreatedherwithCivility;hernameisCynthia,andshelivesonaCross-road。\"
\"Butyousurelydon\'texpectyouwilleverseeBob,again!\"saidtheeditor,impatiently。\"YouhavetrustedhimwithenoughtostarthimfortheSandwichIslands,tosaynothingoftheruinousprecedentyouhaveestablishedinhismindofthevalueofpoetry。
Iamsurprisedthatamanofyourknowledgeoftheworldwouldhavefaithinthatimpthesecondtime。\"
\"Myknowledgeoftheworld,\"returnedMr。Hamlin,sententiously,\"tellsmethat\'stheonlywayyoucantrustanybody。ONCEdoesn\'tmakeahabit,norshowacharacter。Icouldseebyhisbunglingthathehadnevertriedthisonbefore。Justnowthetemptationtowipeouthispunishmentbydoingthesquarething,andcomingbackasortofhero,isstrongerthananyother。\'Tisn\'teverybodythatgetsthatchance,\"headded,withanoddlaugh。
Nevertheless,threehourspassedwithoutbringingBob。Thetwomenhadgonetothebilliard-room,whenawaiterbroughtanote,whichhehandedtoMr。Hamlinwithsomeapologetichesitation。Itborenosuperscription,buthadbeenbroughtbyaboywhodescribedMr。
Hamlinperfectly,andrequestedthatthenoteshouldbehandedtohimwiththeremarkthat\"Bobhadcomeback。\"
\"Andishetherenow?\"askedMr。Hamlin,holdingtheletterunopenedinhishand。
\"No,sir;herunrightoff。\"
Theeditorlaughed,butMr。Hamlin,havingperusedthenote,putawayhiscue。\"Comeintomyroom,\"hesaid。
Theeditorfollowed,andMr。Hamlinlaidthenotebeforehimonthetable。\"Bob\'sallright,\"hesaid,\"forI\'llbetathousanddollarsthatnoteisgenuine。\"
Itwasdelicatelywritten,inacultivatedfemininehand,utterlyunlikethescrawlthathadfirstexcitedtheeditor\'scuriosity,andranasfollows:——
Hewhobroughtmethebountyofyourfriend——forIcannotcallarecompensesofarabovemydesertsbyanyothername——givesmealsotounderstandthatyouwishedforaninterview。Icannotbelievethatthisismereidlecuriosity,orthatyouhaveanymotivethatisnotkindlyandhonorable,butIfeelthatImustbegandprayyounottoseektoremovetheveilbehindwhichIhavechosentohidemyselfandmypooreffortsfromidentification。ITHINKI
knowyou——IKNOWIknowmyself——wellenoughtobelieveitwouldgiveneitherofusanyhappiness。YouwillsaytoyourgenerousfriendthathehasalreadygiventheUnknownmorecomfortandhopethancouldcomefromanypersonalcomplimentorpublicity,andyouwillyourselfbelievethatyouhaveallunconsciouslybrightenedasadwoman\'sfancywithaDreamandaVisionthatbeforetodayhadbeenunknowntoWHITEVIOLET。
\"Haveyoureadit?\"askedMr。Hamlin。
\"Yes。\"
\"Thenyoudon\'twanttoseeitanymore,orevenrememberyoueversawit,\"saidMr。Hamlin,carefullytearingthenoteintosmallpiecesandlettingthemdriftfromthewindowslikeblownblossoms。
\"But,Isay,Jack!lookhere;Idon\'tunderstand!Yousayyouhavealreadyseenthiswoman,andyet\"——
\"IHAVEN\'Tseenher,\"saidJack,composedly,turningfromthewindow。
\"Whatdoyoumean?\"
\"ImeanthatyouandI,Fred,aregoingtodropthisfoolingrighthereandleavethisplaceforFriscobyfirststageto-morrow,and——
thatIoweyouthatdinner。\"
CHAPTERIV