第1章

I。

SCENE:Inanupperchamberofaboarding—houseinMelanchthonPlace，Boston，amature，plainyounglady，witheveryappearanceofestablishingherselfintheroomforthefirsttime，movesabout，bestowinglittletouchesofdecorationhereandthere，andtalkingwithanotheryounglady，whosevoicecomesthroughtheopendoorwayofaninnerroom。

MISSETHELREED，fromwithin:\"Whatintheworldareyoudoing，Nettie？\"

MISSHENRIETTASPAULDING:\"Oh，stickingupahouseholdgodortwo。

Whatareyoudoing？\"

MISSREED:\"Despairing。\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Still？\"

MISSREED，tragically:\"Still！Howsoondidyouexpectmetostop？

Iamhereonthesofa，whereIflungmyselftwohoursago，andI

don’tthinkIshallevergetup。ThereisnoreasonWHYIevershould。\"

MISSSPAULDING，suggestively:\"Dinner。\"

MISSREED:\"Oh，dinner！Dinner，toabrokenheart！\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Idon’tbelieveyourheartisbroken。\"

MISSREED:\"ButItellyouitis！Ioughttoknowwhenmyownheartisbroken，Ishouldhope。Whatmakesyouthinkitisn’t？\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Oh，it’shappenedsooften！\"

MISSREED:\"Butthisisarealcase。Yououghttofeelmyforehead。

It’sashot！\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Yououghttogetupandhelpmeputthisroomtorights，andthenyouwouldfeelbetter。\"

MISSREED:\"No；Ishouldfeelworse。Theideaofhouseholdgodsmakesmesick。SylvandeitiesarewhatIwant；thegreatgodPanamongthecat—tailsandarrow—headsinthe’ma’sh’atPonkwasset；thedryadsofthebirchwoods——therearenooaks；thenymphsthathaunttheheightsandhollowsofthedearoldmountain；the\"—

MISSSPAULDING:\"Wha—a—at？Ican’thearawordyousay。\"

MISSREED:\"That’sbecauseyoukeepfussingaboutso。Whydon’tyoubequiet，ifyouwanttohear？\"Sheliftshervoicetoitshighestpitch，withapausefordistinctnessbetweenthewords:\"I’mheart—

brokenfor——Ponkwasset。Thedryads——ofthe——birchwoods。Thenymphs——andthegreat——god——Pan——inthereeds——bytheriver。Andall——that——sortof——thing！\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Youknowverywellyou’renot。\"

MISSREED:\"I’mnot？What’sthereasonI’mnot？Then，whatamI

heart—brokenfor？\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"You’renotheart—brokenatall。Youknowverywellthathe’llcallbeforewe’vebeenheretwenty—fourhours。\"

MISSREED:\"Who？\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"ThegreatgodPan。\"

MISSREED:\"Oh，howcruelyouare，tomockmeso！Comeinhere，andsympathizealittle！Do，Nettie。\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"No；youcomeouthereandutilizealittle。I’mactingforyourbestgood，astheysayatPonkwasset。\"

MISSREED:\"Whentheywanttobedisagreeable！\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Ifthisroomisn’tinorderbythetimehecalls，you’llbeeverlastinglydisgraced。\"

MISSREED:\"I’mthatnow。Ican’tbemoreso——there’sthatcomfort。

Whatmakesyouthinkhe’llcall？\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Becausehe’sagentleman，andwillwanttoapologize。Hebehavedveryrudelytoyou。\"

MISSREED:\"No，Nettie；_I_behavedrudelytoHIM。Yes！Besides，ifhebehavedrudely，hewasnogentleman。It’sacontradictioninterms，don’tyousee？ButI’lltellyouwhatI’mgoingtodoifhecomes。I’mgoingtoshowaproperspiritforonceinmylife。I’mgoingtorefusetoseehim。You’vegottoseehim。\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Nonsense！\"

MISSREED:\"Whynonsense？Oh，why？Expound！\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Becausehewasn’trudetome，andhedoesn’twanttoseeme。BecauseI’mplain，andyou’repretty。\"

MISSREED:\"I’mNOT！Youknowitperfectlywell。I’mhideous。\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"BecauseI’mpoor，andyou’reapersonofindependentproperty。\"

MISSREED:\"DEPENDENTproperty，Ishouldcallit:justenoughtobeuselesson！Butthat’sinsultingtoHIM。Howcanyousayit’sbecauseIhavealittlemoney？\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Well，then，Iwon’t。Itakeitback。I’llsayit’sbecauseyou’reyoung，andI’mold。\"

MISSREED:\"You’reNOTold。You’reasyoungasanybody，NettieSpaulding。AndyouknowI’mnotyoung；I’mtwenty—seven，ifI’maday。I’mjustdroppingintothegrave。ButIcan’targuewithyou，milesoffso，anylonger。\"MissReedappearsattheopendoor，dragginglanguidlyafterhertheshawlwhichshehadevidentlydrawnroundheronthesofa；herfairhairisalittledisordered，andshepressesitintoshapewithonehandasshecomesforward；alovelyflushvieswithaheavenlypallorinhercheeks；shelooksalittlepensiveinthearchingeyebrows，andalittlehumorousaboutthedimpledmouth。\"NowIcanprovethatyouareentirelywrong。Where—

—wereyou？——Thisroomisratheranimprovementovertheonewehadlastwinter。Thereismoreofaview\"——shegoestothewindow——\"ofthehousesacrossthePlace；andIalwaysthinktheswellfrontgivesaprettyshapetoaroom。I’msorrythey’vestoppedbuildingthem。

Yourpianogoesverynicelyintothatlittlealcove。Yes，we’requitepalatial。And，onthewhole，I’mgladthere’snofireplace。

It’sapleasureattimes；butforthemostpartit’savanityandavexation，gettingdustandashesovereverything。Yes；afterall，givemethegoodold—fashioned，clean，convenientregister！Ugh！Myfeetarelikeice。\"Shepullsaneasy—chairuptotheregisterinthecorneroftheroom，andpushesopenitsvalveswiththetoeofherslipper。Asshesettlesherselfluxuriouslyinthechair，andpoisesherfeetdaintilyovertheregister:\"Ah，thisissomethinglike！HenriettaSpaulding，ma’am！DidIevertellyouthatyouwerethebestfriendIhaveintheworld？\"

MISSSPAULDING，whocontinuesherworkofarrangingtheroom:

\"Often。\"

MISSREED:\"Didyoueverbelieveit？\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Never。\"

MISSREED:\"Why？\"

MISSSPAULDING，thoughtfullyregardingavasewhichsheholdsinherhand，afterseveraltimesshiftingitfromabrackettothecornerofherpianoandback:\"IwishIcouldtellwhereyoudolookbest！\"

MISSREED，leaningforwardwistfully，withherhandsclaspedandrestingonherknees:\"IwishyouwouldtellmeWHYyoudon’tbelieveyou’rethebestfriendIhaveintheworld。\"

MISSSPAULDING，finallyplacingthevaseonthebracket:\"Becauseyou’vesaidsotoooften。\"

MISSREED:\"Oh，that’snoreason！Icanprovetoyouthatyouare。

Whoelsebutyouwouldhavetakeninahomelessandfriendlesscreaturelikeme，andletherstaybotheringroundindemoralizingidleness，whileyouwereseriouslyteachingtheyoungideahowtodrubthepiano？\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Anybodywhowantedaroom—mateasmuchasIdid，andcouldhavefoundonewillingtopaymorethanhershareofthelodging。\"

MISSREED，thoughtfully:\"Doyouthinkso，Henrietta？\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Iknowso。\"

MISSREED:\"Andyou’renotafraidthatyouwrongyourself？\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Nottheleast。\"

MISSREED:\"Well，beitso——astheysayinnovels。Iwillnotcontradictyou；IwillnotsayyouaremyBESTfriend；IwillmerelysaythatyouaremyONLYfriend。Comehere，Henrietta。Drawupyourchair，andputyourlittlehandinmine。\"

MISSSPAULDING，withseveredistrust:\"Whatdoyouwant，EthelReed？\"

MISSREED:\"Iwant——Iwant——totalkitoverwithyou。\"

MISSSPAULDING，recoiling:\"Iknewit！Well，now，we’vetalkeditoverenough；we’vetalkeditovertillthere’snothingleftofit。\"

MISSREED:\"Oh，there’severythingleft！Itremainsinallitsoriginalenormity。Perhapsweshallgetsomenewlightuponit。\"

SheextendsapleadinghandtowardsMissSpaulding。\"Come，Henrietta，myonlyfriend，shake！——asthe’goodIndians’say。LetyourEthelpourherhackneyedsorrowsintoyourbosom。Suchanuncomfortableimage，italwaysseems，doesn’tit，pouringsorrowsintobosoms！Come！\"

MISSSPAULDING，decidedly:\"No，Iwon’t！Andyouneedn’ttrywheedlinganylonger。Iwon’tsympathizewithyouonthatbasisatall。\"

MISSREED:\"WhatshallItry，then，ifyouwon’tletmetrywheedling？\"

MISSSPAULDING，goingtothepianoandopeningit:\"Trycourage；tryself—respect。\"

MISSREED:\"Oh，dear！whenIhaven’tamorselofeither。Areyougoingtopractise，youcruelmaid？\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"OfcourseIam。It’shalf—pastfour，andifI

don’tdoitnowIsha’n’tbepreparedto—morrowforMissRobins:shetakesthispiece。\"

MISSREED:\"Well，well，perhapsit’sallforthebest。Ifmusicbethefoodof——umph—ump！——youknowwhat！——playon。\"Theybothlaugh，andMissSpauldingpushesbackalittlefromthepiano，andwheelstowardherfriend，lettingonehandrestslightlyonthekeys。

MISSSPAULDING:\"EthelReed，you’rethemostridiculousgirlintheworld。\"

MISSREED:\"Correct！\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"AndIdon’tbelieveyoueverwereinlove，oreverwillbe。\"

MISSREED:\"Ah，thereyouwrongme，Henrietta！Ihavebeen，andI

shallbe——lotsoftimes。\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Well，whatdoyouwanttosaynow？Youmusthurry，forIcan’tloseanymoretime。\"

MISSREED:\"Iwillfreemymindwithneatnessanddespatch。I

simplywishtogooverthewholeaffair，fromAlfredtoOmaha；andyou’vegottoletmetalkasmuchslangandnonsenseasIwant。AndthenI’llskipallthedetailsIcan。Willyou？\"

MISSSPAULDING，withimpatientpatience:\"Oh，Isupposeso！\"

MISSREED:\"That’sverysweetofyou，thoughyoudon’tlookit。

Now，wherewasI？Oh，yes，doyouthinkitwasforth—puttingatall，toaskhimifhewouldgivemethelessons？\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Itdependsuponwhyyouaskedhim。\"

MISSREED:\"Iaskedhimfrom——from——Letmesee；Iaskedhimbecause—

—from——Yes，Isayitboldly；Iaskedhimfromanenthusiasmforart，andasincerewishtolearntheuseofoil，ashecalledit。Yes！\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Areyousure？\"

MISSREED:\"Sure？Well，wewillsaythatIam，forthesakeofargument。And，havingsecuredthisbasis，thequestioniswhetherI

wasn’tboundtoofferhimpayattheend，andwhetherhewasn’twrongtotakemydoingsoindudgeon。\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Yes，Ithinkhewaswrong。Andthetermsofhisrefusalwereveryungentlemanly。Heoughttoapologizemostamplyandhumbly。\"AtacertainexpressioninMissReed’sface，sheadds，withseverity:\"Unlessyou’rekeepingbackthemainpoint。Youusuallydo。Areyou？\"

MISSREED:\"No，no。I’vetoldyoueverything——everything！\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"ThenIsay，asIsaidfromthebeginning，thathebehavedverybadly。Itwasveryawkwardandverypainful，butyou’vereallynothingtoblameyourselffor。\"

MISSREED，ruefully:\"No—o—o！\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Whatdoyoumeanbythatsortof’No’？\"

MISSREED:\"Nothing。\"

MISSSPAULDING，sternly:\"Yes，youdo，Ethel。\"

MISSREED:\"Idon’t，really。Whatmakesyou’thinkIdo？\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Itsoundedverydishonest。\"

MISSREED:\"Didit？Ididn’tmeanitto。\"Herfriendbreaksdownwithalaugh，whileMissReedpreservesademurecountenance。

MISSSPAULDING:\"WhatAREyoukeepingback？\"

MISSREED:\"Nothingatall——lessthannothing！Ineverthoughtitwasworthmentioning。\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Areyoutellingmethetruth？\"

MISSREED:\"I’mtellingyouthetruthandsomethingmore。Youcan’taskbetterthanthat，canyou？\"

MISSSPAULDING，turningtohermusicagain:\"Certainlynot。\"

MISSREED:inapatheticwail:\"OHenrietta！doyouabandonmethus？Well，Iwilltellyou，heartlessgirl！I’veonlykeptitbacktillnowbecauseitwassoextremelymortifyingtomyprideasanartist——asastudentofoil。Willyouhearme？\"

MISSSPAULDING，beginningtoplay:\"No。\"

MISSREED，withburlesquewildness:\"Youshall！\"MissSpauldinginvoluntarilydesists。\"Therewasamoment——afatalmoment——whenhesaidhethoughtheoughttotellmethatifIfoundoilamusingI

couldgoon；butthathedidn’tbelieveIshouldeverlearntouseit，andhecouldn’tletmetakelessonsfromhimwiththeexpectationthatIshould。There！\"

MISSSPAULDING，withawfulreproach:\"Andyoucallthatlessthannothing？I’vealmostamindnevertospeaktoyouagain，Ethel。HowCOULDyoudeceivemeso？\"

MISSREED:\"Wasitreallydeceiving？_I_shouldn’tcallitso。AndIneededyoursympathysomuch，andIknewIshouldn’tgetitunlessyouthoughtIwasaltogetherintheright。\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Youarealtogetherinthewrong！Andit’sYOUthatoughttoapologizetoHIM——onyourbendedknees。HowCOULDyouofferhimmoneyafterthat？Iwonderatyou，Ethel！\"

MISSREED:\"Why——don’tyousee，Nettie？——Ididkeepontakingthelessonsofhim。Ididfindoilamusing——ortheoilist——andIkepton。OfcourseIhadto，offthereinafarmhousefullofladyboarders，andhetheonlygentlemanshortofCrawford’s。Strike，buthearme，HenriettaSpaulding！WhatwasItodoaboutthehalf—dozenlessonsIhadtakenbeforehetoldmeIshouldneverlearntouseoil？WasItooffertopayhimforthese，andnotfortherest；orwasItotreatthewholeseriesasgratuitous？Iusedtolieawakethinkingaboutit。I’vegotlittletact，butIcouldn’tfindanywayoutofthetrouble。Itwasabox——yes，aboxofthedeepestdye！

Andthewholeaffairhavinggottobe——somethingelse，don’tyouknow？——madeitalltheworse。Andifhe’donly——only——Buthedidn’t。

Notasyllable，notabreath！AndthereIwas。IHADtoofferhimthemoney。Andit’salmostkilledme——thewayhetookmyofferingit，andnowthewayyoutakeit！Andit’sallofapiece。\"MissReedsuddenlysnatchesherhandkerchieffromherpocket，andburiesherfaceinit。——\"Oh，dear——oh，dear！Oh！——hu，hu，hu！\"

MISSSPAULDING，relenting:\"Itwasawkward。\"

MISSREED:\"Awkward！YouseemtothinkthatbecauseIcarrythingsofflightlyIhavenofeeling。\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"YouknowIdon’tthinkthat，Ethel。\"

MISSREED，pursuingheradvantage:\"Idon’tknowitfromyou，Nettie。I’vetriedandTRIEDtopassitoffasajoke，andtotreatitassomethingfunny；butIcantellyouit’snojokeatall。\"

MISSSPAULDING，sympathetically:\"Isee，dear。\"

MISSREED:\"It’snotthatIcareforhim\"—

MISSSPAULDING:\"Why，ofcourse。\"

MISSREED:\"ForIdon’tintheleast。Heishorrideveryway:

blunt，andrude，andhorrid。Inevercaredforhim。ButIcareformyself！Hehasputmeinthepositionofhavingdoneanunkindthing——anunladylikething——whenIwasonlydoingwhatIhadtodo。

Whyneedhehavetakenitthewayhedid？Whycouldn’thehavesaidpolitelythathecouldn’tacceptthemoneybecausehehadn’tearnedit？EvenTHATwouldhavebeenmortifyingenough。Buthemustgoandbesoviolent，andrushoff，and——Oh，Inevercouldhavetreatedanybodyso！\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Notunlessyouwereveryfondofthem。\"

MISSREED:\"What？\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Notunlessyouwereveryfondofthem。\"

MISSREED，puttingawayherhandkerchief:\"Oh，nonsense，Nettie！Henevercaredanythingforme，orhecouldn’thaveactedso。Butnomatterforthat。Hehasfixedeverythingsothatitcanneverbegotstraight——neverintheworld。Itwilljusthavetoremainahideousmassof——of——_I_don’tknowwhat；andIhavesimplygottoonwitheringwithdespairatthepointwhereIleftoff。ButIdon’tcare！That’sonecomfort。\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Idon’tbelievehe’llletyouwitherlong，Ethel。\"

MISSREED:\"He’sletmewitherfortwenty—fourhoursalready！Butit’snothingtome，now，howlongheletsmewither。I’mperfectlysatisfiedtohavetheaffairremainasitis。Iamintheright，andifhecomesIshallrefusetoseehim。\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Oh，no，youwon’t，Ethel！\"

MISSREED:\"Yes，Ishall。Ishallreceivehimverycoldly。Iwon’tlistentoanyexcusefromhim。\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Oh，yes，youwill，Ethel！\"

MISSREED:\"No，Ishallnot。Ifhewishesmetolistenhemustbeginbyhumblinghimselfinthedust——yes，thedust，Nettie！I

won’ttakeanythingshortofit。IinsistthatheshallrealizethatIhavesuffered。\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Perhapshehassufferedtoo！\"

MISSREED:\"Oh，HEsuffered！\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Youknowthathewasperfectlydevotedtoyou。\"

MISSREED:\"Heneversaidso。\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Perhapshedidn’tdare。\"

MISSREED:\"Hedaredtobeveryinsolenttome。\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Andyouknowyoulikedhimverymuch。\"

MISSREED:\"Iwon’tletyousaythat，NettieSpaulding。IDIDN’T

likehim。Irespectedandadmiredhim；butIdidn’tLIKEhim。Hewillcomenearme；butifhedoeshehastobeginby——by——Letmesee，whatshallImakehimbeginbydoing？\"Shecastsuphereyesforinspirationwhilesheleansforwardovertheregister。\"Yes，Iwill！

Hehasgottobeginbytakingthatmoney！\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Ethel，youwouldn’tputthataffrontuponasensitiveandhigh—spiritedman！\"

MISSREED:\"Wouldn’tI？YouwaitandSEE，MissSpaulding！Heshalltakethemoney，andheshallsignareceiptforit。I’lldrawupthereceiptnow，soastohaveitready，andIshallaskhimtosignittheverymomentheentersthisdoor——theveryinstant！\"Shetakesaportfoliofromthetablenearher，withoutrising，andwrites:

\"’ReceivedfromMissEthelReedonehundredandtwenty—fivedollars，infull，fortwenty—fivelessonsinoil—painting。’There——whenMr。

OliverRansomhassignedthislittledocumenthemaybegintotalk；

notbefore！\"Sheleansbackinherchairwithanairofpitilessdetermination。

MISSSPAULDING:\"But，Ethel，youdon’tmeantomakehimtakemoneyforthelessonshegaveyouafterhetoldyouyoucouldn’tlearnanything？\"

MISSREED，afteramoment’spause:\"Yes，Ido。Thisistopunishhim。Idon’twishforjusticenow；Iwishforvengeance！AtfirstI

wouldhavecompromisedonthesixlessons，oronnoneatall，ifhehadbehavednicely；butafterwhat’shappenedIshallinsistuponpayinghimforeverylesson，soastomakehimfeelthatthewholething，fromfirsttolast，wasapurelybusinesstransactiononmypart。Yes，aPURELY——BUSINESS——TRANSACTION！\"

MISSSPAULDING，turningtohermusic:\"ThenI’vegotnothingmoretosaytoyou，EthelReed。\"

MISSREED:\"Idon’tsaybutwhat，afterhe’stakenthemoneyandsignedthereceipt，I’lllistentoanythingelsehe’sgottosay，verywillingly。\"MissSpauldingmakesnoanswer，butbeginstoplaywithascientificabsorption，feelingherwayfitfullythroughthenewpiece，whileMissReed，seatedbytheregister，trifleswiththebookshehastakenfromthetable。

II。

TheinterioroftheroomofMissSpauldingandMissReedremainsinview，whilethescenediscloses，ontheothersideofthepartitionwallinthesamehouse，thebachelorapartmentofMr。SamuelGrinnidge。Mr。Grinnidgeinhisdressing—gownandslippers，withhispipeinhismouth，hastheeffectofhavingjustcomein；hisfriendMr。OliverRansomstandsatthewindow，staringoutintotheNovemberweather。

GRINNIDGE:\"Howlonghaveyoubeenwaitinghere？\"

RANSOM:\"Tenminutes——tenyears。HowshouldIknow？\"

GRINNIDGE:\"Well，Idon’tknowwhoelseshould。Getbackto—day？\"

RANSOM:\"Lastnight。\"

GRINNIDGE:\"Well，takeoffyourcoat，andpulluptotheregister，andwarmyourpoorfeet。\"Heputshishandoutovertheregister。

\"Confoundit！somebody’sgottheregisteropeninthenextroom！Yousee，onepipecomesupfromthefurnaceandbranchesintoaVjustunderthefloor，andprofessestoheatbothrooms。Butitdon’t。

Therewasafellowintherelastwinterwhousedtogetallmyheat。

Usedtogooutandleavehisregisteropen，andI’dcomeinherejustbeforedinnerandfindthisplaceascoldasabarn。Wehadarunningfightofitallwinter。Themanwhogothisregisteropenfirstinthemorninggotalltheheatfortheday，foritneverturnedtheotherwaywhenitstartedinonedirection。Usedtoalmostsuffocate——warm，muggydays——maintainingmyrights。Somepiano—pounderintherethiswinter，itseems。Hear？Andshehasn’tlostanytimeinlearningthetrickoftheregister。Whatkeptyousolateinthecountry？\"

RANSOM，afteranabsent—mindedpause:\"Grinnidge，Iwishyouwouldgivemesomeadvice。\"

GRINNIDGE:\"Youcanhaveallyouwantofitatthemarketprice。\"

RANSOM:\"Idon’tmeanyourlegaladvice。\"

GRINNIDGE:\"I’msorry。Whathaveyoubeendoing？\"

RANSOM:\"I’vebeenmakinganassofmyself。\"

GRINNIDGE:\"Wasn’tthatrathersuperfluous？\"

RANSOM:\"Ifyouplease，yes。Butnow，ityou’recapableoflisteningtomewithoutanyfurtherdisplayofyourcross—examinationwit，Ishouldliketotellyouhowithappened。\"

GRINNIDGE:\"Iwilldomybesttoveilmybrilliancy。Goon。\"

RANSOM:\"IwentuptoPonkwassetearlyinSeptemberforthefoliage。\"

GRINNIDGE:\"AndstaidtilllateinOctober。Theremusthavebeenareasonforthat。Whatwashername？Foliage？\"

RANSOM，cominguptothecornerofthechimney—piece，nearwhichhisfriendsits，andtalkingtohimdirectlyovertheregister:\"Ithinkyou’llhavetogetalongwithoutthenameforthepresent。I’lltellyoubyandby。\"AsMr。Ransompronouncesthesewords，MissReed，onhersideofthepartition，liftsherheadwithastartledair，and，afteramomentofvaguecircumspection，listenskeenly。\"Butshewasbeautiful。Shewasablonde，andshehadtheloveliesteyes——eyes，youknow，thatcouldbefunnyortender，justasshechose——thekindofeyesIalwaysliked。\"MissReedleadsforwardovertheregister。

\"Shehadoneofthosefacesthatalwaysleaveyouindoubtwhetherthey’relaughingatyou，andsokeepyouinwholesomesubjection；butyoufeelcertainthatthey’reGOOD，andthatiftheydidhurtyoubylaughingatyou，they’dlooksorryforyouafterward。Whenshewalkedyousawwhatanexquisitecreatureshewas。ItalwaysmadememadtothinkIcouldn’tPAINTherwalk。\"

GRINNIDGE:\"Isupposeyousawagooddealofherwalk。\"

RANSOM:\"Yes；wewereoffinthewoodsandfieldshalfthetimetogether。\"Hetakesaturntowardsthewindow。

MISSREED，suddenlyshuttingtheregisteronherside:\"Oh！\"

MISSSPAULDING，lookingupfromhermusic:\"Whatisit，Ethel？\"

MISSREED:\"Nothing，nothing；I——I——thoughtitwasgettingtoowarm。

Goon，dear；don’tletmeinterruptyou。\"Afteramomentofheroicself—denialshesoftlypressestheregisteropenwithherfoot。

RANSOM，comingbacktotheregister:\"Itallbeganinthatway。I

hadthegoodfortuneonedaytorescueherfroma——cow。\"

MISSREED:\"Oh，forshame！\"

MISSSPAULDING，desistingfromherpiano:\"WhatISthematter？\"

MISSREED，clappingtheregisterto:\"Thisridiculousbook！Butdon’t——don’tmindme，Nettie。\"Breathlessly:\"Go——go——on！\"MissSpauldingresumes，andagainMissReedsoftlypressestheregisteropen。

RANSOM，afterapause:\"Thecowwasgrazing，andhadnomorethoughtofhookingMiss——\"

MISSREED:\"Oh，Ididn’tsupposeheWOULD！——Goon，Nettie，goon！

Thehero——SUCHagoose！\"

RANSOM:\"Idroveherawaywithmycamp—stool，andMiss——theyounglady——wasasgratefulasifIhadrescuedherfromamenagerieofwildanimals。Iwalkedhomewithhertothefarmhouse，andthetroublebeganatonce。\"PantomimeofindignantprotestandburlesquemenaceonthepartofMissReed。\"Therewasn’tanotherwellwomaninthehouse，exceptherfriendMissSpaulding，whowasratheroldandratherplain。\"Hetakesanotherturntothewindow。

MISSREED:\"Oh！\"Sheshutstheregister，butinstantlyopensitagain。\"Louder，Nettie。\"

MISSSPAULDING，inastonishment:\"What？\"

MISSREED:\"DidIspeak？Ididn’tknowit。I\"—

MISSSPAULDING，desistingfrompractice:\"Whatisthatstrange，hollow，rumbling，mumblingkindofnoise？\"

MISSREED，softlyclosingtheregisterwithherfoot:\"Idon’thearanystrange，hollow，rumbling，mumblingkindofnoise。DoyouhearitNOW？\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"No。ItwastheBrightonwhistle，probably。\"

MISSREED:\"Oh，verylikely。\"AsMissSpauldingturnsagaintoherpracticeMissReedre—openstheregisterandlistensagain。Alittleintervalofsilenceensues，whileRansomlightsacigarette。

GRINNIDGE:\"Soyousoughtopportunitiesofrescuingherfromothercows？\"

RANSOM，returning:\"Thatwasn’tnecessary。Theyoungladywassoimpressedbymybehavior，thatsheaskedifIwouldgivehersomelessonsintheuseofoil。\"

GRINNIDGE:\"Shethoughtifsheknewhowtopaintpictureslikeyoursshewouldn’tneedanyonetodrivethecowsaway。\"

RANSOM:\"Don’tbefarcical，Grinnidge。Thatsortofthingwilldowithsomevictimonthewitness—standwhocan’thelphimself。OfcourseIsaidIwould，andwewereoffhalfthetimetogether，paintingtheloveliestandloneliestbitsaroundPonkwasset。Itallwentonverywell，tillonedayIfeltboundinconsciencetotellherthatIdidn’tthinkshewouldeverlearntopaint，andthat——ifshewasseriousaboutitshe’dbetterdropitatonce，forshewaswastinghertime。\"

GRINNIDGE，gettinguptofillhispipe:\"Thatwasapleasantthingtodo。\"

RANSOM:\"Itoldherthatifitamusedher，tokeepon；Iwouldbeonlytoogladtogiveherall——thehintsIcould，butthatIoughtn’ttoencourageher。Sheseemedagooddealhurt。IfanciedatthetimethatshethoughtIwastiredofhavingherwithmesomuch。\"

MISSREED:\"Oh，DIDyou，indeed！\"ToMissSpaulding，whobendsanastonishedglanceuponherfromthepiano:\"ThemaninthisbookisthemostCONCEITEDcreature，Nettie。Playchords——somethingverysubdued——ah！\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Whatareyoutalkingabout，Ethel？\"

RANSOM:\"Thatwasatnight；butthenextdayshecameupsmiling，andsaidthatifIdidn’tmindshewouldkeepon——foramusement；shewasn’tabitdiscouraged。\"

MISSREED:\"Oh！——Goon，Nettie；don’tletmyoutburstsinterruptyou。\"

RANSOM:\"Iusedtofancysometimesthatshewasalittlesweetonme。\"

MISSREED:\"Youwretch！——Oh，scales，Nettie！Playscales！\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"EthelReed，areyoucrazy？\"

Ransom，afterathoughtfulmoment:\"Well，soitwentonforthenextsevenoreightweeks。Whenweweren’tsketchinginthemeadows，oronthemountain—side，orintheoldpuntonthepond，wewerewalkingupanddownthefarmhousepiazzatogether。SheusedtoreadtomewhenIwasatwork。Shehadaheavenlyvoice，Grinnidge。\"

MISSREED:\"Oh，yousilly，sillything！——Reallythisbookmakesmesick，Nettie。\"

RANSOM:\"Well，thelongandtheshortofitwas，Iwashit——HARD，andIlostallcourage。YouknowhowIam，Grinnidge。\"

MISSREED，softly:\"Oh，poorfellow！\"

RANSOM:\"SoIletthetimegoby，andattheendIhadn’tsaidanything。\"

MISSREED:\"No，sir！YouHADN’T！\"

MISSSPAULDINGgraduallyceasestoplay，andfixesherattentionwhollyuponMissReed，whobendsforwardovertheregisterwithanintenselyexcitedface。

RANSOM:\"Thensomethinghappenedthatmademeglad，fortwenty—fourhoursatleast，thatIhadn’tspoken。Shesentmethemoneyfortwenty—fivelessons。ImaginehowIfelt，Grinnidge！WhatcouldI

supposebutthatshehadbeenquietlybidinghertime，andstoringupherresentmentformyhavingtoldhershecouldn’tlearntopaint，tillshecouldpaymebackwithinterestinonesupremeinsult？\"

MISSREED，inalowvoice:\"Oh，howcouldyouthinksuchacruel，vulgarthing？\"MissSpauldingleavesthepiano，andsoftlyapproachesher，whereshehassunkonherkneesbesidetheregister。

RANSOM:\"Itwastantamounttotellingmethatshehadbeenamusingherselfwithmeinsteadofmylessons。Itremandedourwholeassociation，whichIhadgottothinkingsoromantic，totherelationofteacherandpupil。Itwasasnub——aheartless，killingsnub；andIcouldn’tseeitinanyotherlight。\"Ransomwalksawaytothewindow，andlooksout。

MISSREED，flingingherselfbackwardfromtheregister，andhidingherfaceinherhands:\"Oh，itwasn’t！itwasn’t！itwasn’t！Howcouldyouthinkso？\"

MISSSPAULDING，rushingforward，andcatchingherfriendinherarms:

\"Whatisthematterwithyou，EthelReed？Whatareyoudoinghere，overtheregister？Areyoutryingtosuffocateyourself？Haveyoutakenleaveofyoursenses？\"

GRINNIDGE:\"Ourfairfriendontheothersideofthewallseemstobeontherampage。\"

MISSSPAULDING，shuttingtheregisterwithaviolentclash:\"Ugh！

howhotitishere！\"

GRINNIDGE:\"Doesn’tlikeyourconversation，apparently。\"

MISSREED，franticallypressingforwardtoopentheregister:\"Oh，don’tshutit，Nettie，dear！IfyoudoIshalldie！Do—o—n’tshuttheregister！\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Don’tshutit？Why，we’vegotalltheheatofthefurnaceintheroomnow。Surelyyoudon’twantanymore？\"

MISSREED:\"No，no；notanymore。But——but——Oh，dear！whatshallI

do？\"Shestillstrugglesintheembraceofherfriend。

GRINNIDGE，remainingquietlyattheregister，whileRansomwalksawaytothewindow:\"Well，whatdidyoudo？\"

MISSREED:\"There，there！They’recommencingagain！DOopenit，Nettie。IWILLhaveitopen！\"Shewrenchesherselffree，anddashestheregisteropen。

GRINNIDGE:\"Ah，she’sopeneditagain。\"

MissReed，inastage—whisper:\"That’stheotherone！\"

RANSOM，fromthewindow:\"Do？I’lltellyouwhatIdid。\"

MISSREED:\"That’sOl——Mr。Ransom。And，oh，Ican’tmakeoutwhathe’ssaying！Hemusthavegoneawaytotheothersideoftheroom——

andit’satthemostimportantpoint！\"

MISSSPAULDING，inanawfulundertone:\"WasthatthehollowrumblingIheard？Andhaveyoubeenlisteningattheregistertowhatthey’vebeensaying？OETHEL！\"

MISSREED:\"Ihaven’tbeenlistening，exactly。\"

MISSSPAULDING:\"Youhave！Youhavebeeneavesdropping！\"

MISSREED:\"Eavesdroppingislisteningthroughakey—hole，oraroundacorner。Thisisverydifferent。Besides，it’sOliver，andhe’sbeentalkingaboutME。Hark！\"Sheclutchesherfriend’shand，wheretheyhavecroucheduponthefloortogether，andpullsherforwardtotheregister。\"Oh，dear，howhotitis！Iwishtheywouldcutofftheheatdownbelow。\"