GRINNIDGE,smokingpeacefullythroughthesilencewhichhisfriendhasabsent—mindedlyletfollowuponhislastwords:\"Well,youseemdisposedtotakeyourtimeaboutit。\"
RANSOM:\"Aboutwhat?Oh,yes!Well\"—
MISSREED:\"’Sh!Listen。\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Iwon’tlisten!It’sshameful:it’swicked!I
don’tseehowyoucandoit,Ethel!\"Sheremains,however,kneelingneartheregister,andsheinvoluntarilyinclinesalittlemoretowardit。
RANSOM:\"——Itisn’tathingthatIcaretoshoutfromthehouse—
tops。\"Hereturnsfromthewindowtothechimney—piece。\"Iwrotetherudestkindofnote,andsentbackherletterandhermoneyinit。Shehadsaidthatshehopedouracquaintancewasnottoendwiththesummer,butthatwemightsometimesmeetinBoston;andI
answeredthatouracquaintancehadendedalready,andthatIshouldbesorrytomeetheranywhereagain。\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Well,ifyouwantedtomakeanassofyourself,youdiditprettycompletely。\"
MISSREED,whispering:\"Howwittyheis!Thosemenarealwayssohumorouswitheachother。\"
RANSOM:\"Yes;Ididn’tdoitbyhalves。\"
MISSREED,whispering:\"Oh,THAT’Sfunny,too!\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Itdidn’toccurtoyouthatshemightfeelboundtopayyouforthefirsthalf—dozen,andwasembarrassedhowtooffertopayforthemalone?\"
MISSREED:\"HowheDOESgototheheartofthematter!\"ShepressesMissSpaulding’shandinanecstasyofapproval。
RANSOM:\"Yes,itdid——afterward。\"
MISSREED,inatendermurmur:\"Oh,POOROliver!\"
RANSOM:\"Anditoccurredtomethatshewasperfectlyrightinthewholeaffair。\"
MISSREED:\"Oh,howgenerous!hownoble!\"
RANSOM:\"Ihadhadathousandopportunities,andIhadn’tbeenmanenoughtotellherthatIwasinlovewithher。\"
MISSREED:\"Howcanhesayitrightoutsobluntly?Butifit’strue\"—
RANSOM:\"ICOULDN’Tspeak。Iwasafraidofputtinganendtotheaffair——offrighteningher——disgustingher。\"
MISSREED:\"Oh,howlittletheyknowus,Nettie!\"
RANSOM:\"Sheseemedsomuchabovemeineveryway——sosensitive,sorefined,sogentle,sogood,soangelic!\"
MISSREED:\"There!NOWdoyoucalliteavesdropping?Iflistenersneverhearanygoodofthemselves,whatdoyousaytothat?ItprovesthatIhaven’tbeenlistening。\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"’Sh!They’resayingsomethingelse。\"
RANSOM:\"Butallthat’sneitherherenorthere。Icanseenowthatunderthecircumstancesshecouldn’tasaladyhaveactedotherwisethanshedid。Shewasforcedtotreatourwholeacquaintanceasabusinessmatter,andIhadforcedhertodoit。\"
MISSREED:\"YouHAD,youpoorthing!\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Well,whatdoyouintendtodoaboutit?\"
RANSOM:\"Well\"—
MISSREED:\"’Sh!\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"’Sh!\"
RANSOM:\"——that’swhatIwanttosubmittoyou,Grinnidge。Imustseeher。\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Yes。I’mglad_I_mustn’t。\"
MISSREED,stiflingalaughonMissSpaulding’sshoulder:\"They’reactuallyAFRAIDofus,Nettie!\"
RANSOM:\"Seeher,andgodowninthedust。\"
MISSREED:\"Myverywords!\"
RANSOM:\"IhavebeentryingtothinkwhatwastheveryhumblestpieIcouldeat,bywayofpenance;anditappearstomethatIhadbetterbeginbysayingthatIhavecometoaskherforthemoneyI
refused。\"
MISSREED,enraptured:\"Oh!doesn’titseemjustlike——like——
inspiration,Nettie?\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"’Sh!Bequiet,do!You’llfrightenthemaway!\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Andthenwhat?\"
RANSOM:\"Whatthen?Idon’tknowwhatthen。Butitappearstomethat,asagentleman,I’vegotnothingtodowiththeresult。AllthatI’vegottodoistosubmittomyfate,whateveritis。\"
MISSREED,breathlessly:\"Whatprincelycourage!Whatdelicatemagnanimity!Oh,heneedn’thavetheLEASTfear!IfIcouldonlytellhimthat!\"
GRINNIDGE,afteranintervalofmeditativesmoking:\"Yes,Iguessthat’sthebestthingyoucando。Itwillstrikeherfancy,ifshe’sanimaginativegirl,andshe’llthinkyouafinefellow。\"
MISSREED:\"Oh,thehorridthing!\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Ifyouhumbleyourselftoawomanatall,doitthoroughly。Ifyougohalfwaydownshe’llbetemptedtopushyoutherestoftheway。Ifyouflattenoutatherfeettobeginwith,tentoonebutshewillpickyouup。\"
RANSOM:\"Yes,thatwasmyidea。\"
MISSREED:\"Oh,wasit,indeed!Well!\"
RANSOM:\"ButI’venothingtodowithherpickingmeuporpushingmedown。AllthatI’vegottodoistogoandsurrendermyself。\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Yes。Well;Iguessyoucan’tgotoosoon。Ilikeyourcompany;butIadviseyouasafriendnottolosetime。Wheredoesshelive?\"
RANSOM:\"That’stheremarkablepartofit:shelivesinthishouse。\"
MISSREEDandMissSpaulding,insubduedchorus:\"Oh!\"
GRINNIDGE,takinghispipeoutofhismouthinastonishment:\"No!\"
RANSOM:\"IjustcameinheretogivemygoodresolutionsarestwhileIwasscrewingmycourageuptoaskforher。\"
MISSREED:\"Don’tyouthinkhe’sVERYhumorous?Givehisgoodresolutionsarest!That’sthewayheALWAYStalks。\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"’Sh!\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Yousaidyoucameformyadvice。\"
RANSOM:\"SoIdid。ButIdidn’tpromisetoactuponit。Well!\"Hegoestowardthedoor。
GRINNIDGE,withouttroublinghimselftorise:\"Well,goodlucktoyou!\"
MISSREED:\"Howdrolltheyarewitheachother!Don’tyouLIKEtohearthemtalk?Oh,Icouldlistenallday。\"
GRINNIDGE,callingafterRansom:\"Youhaven’ttoldmeyourduck’sname。\"
MISSREED:\"IsTHATwhattheycallus?Duck!Doyouthinkit’sveryrespectful,Nettie?Idon’tbelieveIlikeit。Or,yes,whynot?It’snoharm——ifIAMhisduck!\"
RANSOM,comingback:\"Well,Idon’tproposetogoshoutingitround。
HernameisMissReed——EthelReed。\"
MISSREED:\"HowCANhe?\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Slender,willowyparty,withalotofblondhairthatlooksasifitmightbeindigenous?Ratherpensive—looking?\"
MISSREED:\"Indigenous!Ishouldhopeso!\"
RANSOM:\"Yes。Butsheisn’tpensive。She’sawfullydeep。Itmakesmeshuddertothinkhowdeepthatgirlis。AndwhenIthinkofmycourageindaringtobeinlovewithher——astupid,straightforwardidiotlikeme——Ibegintorespectmyselfinspiteofbeingsuchanass。Well,I’moff。IfIstayanylongerIshallnevergo。\"Heclosesthedoorafterhim,andMissReedinstantlyspringstoherfeet。
MISSREED:\"Nowhe’llhavetogodowntotheparlorandsenduphisname,andthatjustgivesmetimetodothenecessaryprinking。Youstayhereandreceivehim,Nettie。\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Never!Afterwhat’shappenedIcanneverlookhiminthefaceagain。Oh,howlow,andmean,andguiltyIfeel!\"
MISSREED,withsurprise:\"Why,howdroll!Now_I_don’tfeeltheleastso。\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Oh,it’sverydifferentwithYOU。YOU’REinlovewithhim。\"
MISSREED:\"Forshame,Nettie!I’mNOTinlovewithhim。\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Andyoucanexplainandjustifyit。ButInevercanjustifyittomyself,muchlesstohim。Letmego,Ethel!I
shalltellMrs。McKnightthatwemustchangethisroominstantly。
AndjustafterI’dgotitsonearlyinorder!Godownandreceivehimintheparlor,Ethel。ICAN’Tseehim。\"
MISSREED:\"Receivehimintheparlor!Why,Nettie,dear,you’recrazy!I’mgoingtoACCEPThim:andhowcanIaccepthim——withalltheconsequences——inapublicparlor?No,indeed!Ifyouwon’tmeethimhereforamoment,justtoobligeme,youcangointotheotherroom。Or,no——you’dbelisteningtoeverywordthroughthekey—hole,you’resodemoralized!\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Yes,yes,Ideserveyourcontempt,Ethel。\"
MISSREED,laughing:\"Youwillhavetogooutforawalk,youpoorthing;andI’mnotgoingtohaveyoucomingbackinfiveortenminutes。Youhavegottostayoutagoodhour。\"
MISSSPAULDING,runningtogetherthingsfromthenextroom:\"Oh,I’llstayouttillmidnight!\"
MISSREED,respondingtoatapatthedoor:\"Ye—e—s!Comein!——
You’recaught,Nettie。\"
AMAID—SERVANT,appearingwithacard:\"Thisgentlemanisaskingforyouintheparlor,MissReed。\"
MISSREED:\"Oh!Askhimtocomeuphere,please。——Nettie!Nettie!\"
Shecallstoherfriendinthenextroom。\"He’scomingrightup,andifyoudon’trunyou’retrapped。\"
MISSSPAULDING,re—appearing,cloakedandbonneted:\"Idon’tblameYOU,Ethel,comparativelyspeaking。Youcansaythateverythingisfairinlove。Hewilllikeit,andlaughatitinyou,becausehe’lllikeeverythingyou’vedone。Besides,you’venoprinciples,andI
HAVE。\"
MISSREED:\"Oh,I’velotsofprinciples,Nettie,butI’venopractice!\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Nomatter。There’snoexcuseforme。IlistenedsimplybecauseIwasawoman,andcouldn’thelpit;and,oh,whatwillhethinkofme?\"
MISSREED:\"Iwon’tgiveyouaway;ifyoureallyfeelsobadly\"—
MISSSPAULDING:\"Oh,DOyouthinkyoucankeepfromtellinghim,Etheldear?Try!AndIwillbeyourslaveforever!\"Stepsareheardonthestairsoutside。\"Oh,therehecomes!\"Shedashesoutofthedoor,andclosesitafterher,amomentbeforethemaid—
servant,followedbyMr。Ransom,tapsatit。
III。
SCENE:MissReedopensthedoor,andreceivesMr。Ransomwithwell—
affectedsurpriseandstate,sufferinghimtostandawkwardlyonthethresholdforamoment。
SHE,coldly:\"Oh!——Mr。Ransom!\"
HE,abruptly:\"I’vecome\"—
SHE:\"Won’tyoucomein?\"
HE,advancingafewpacesintotheroom:\"I’vecome\"—
SHE,indicatingachair:\"Willyousitdown?\"
HE:\"Imuststandforthepresent。I’vecometoaskyouforthatmoney,MissReed,whichIrefusedyesterday,intermsthatIblushtothinkof。Iwasaltogetherandwhollyinthewrong,andI’mreadytoofferanyimaginableapologyorreparation。I’mreadytotakethemoneyandtosignareceipt,andthentobedismissedwithwhateverignominyyouplease。Ideserveanything——everything!\"
SHE:\"Themoney?Excuseme;Idon’tknow——I’mafraidthatI’mnotpreparedtopayyouthewholesumto—day。\"
HE,hastily:\"Oh,nomatter!nomatter!Idon’tcareforthemoneynow。Imerelywishto——toassureyouthatIthoughtyouwereperfectlyrightinofferingit,andto——to\"—
SHE:\"What?\"
HE:\"Nothing。Thatis——ah——ah\"—
SHE:\"It’sextremelyembarrassingtohavepeoplerefusetheirmoneywhenit’sofferedthem,andthencomethenextdayforit,whenperhapsitisn’tsoconvenienttopayit——VERYembarrassing。\"
HE,hotly:\"ButItellyouIdon’twanttheMONEY!Ineverwantedit,andwouldn’ttakeitonanyaccount。\"
SHE:\"Oh!Ithoughtyousaidyoucametogetit?\"
HE:\"Isaid——Ididn’tsay——Imeant——thatis——ah——I\"——Hestops,open—
mouthed。
SHE,quietly:\"Icouldgiveyoupartofthemoneynow。\"
HE:\"Oh,whateveryoulike;it’sindifferent\"—
SHE:\"PleasesitdownwhileIwriteareceipt。\"Sheplacesherselfdeliberatelyatthetable,andopensherportfolio。\"Iwillpayyounow,Mr。Ransom,forthefirstsixlessonsyougaveme——theonesbeforeyoutoldmethatIcouldneverlearntodoanything。\"
HE,sinkingmechanicallyintothechairsheindicates:\"Oh,justasyoulike!\"Helooksupattheceilinginhopelessbewilderment,whileshewrites。
SHE,blottingthepaper:\"There!Andnowletmeofferyoualittlepieceofadvice,Mr。Ransom,whichmaybeusefultoyouintakingpupilshereafter。\"
HE,burstingout:\"Inevertakepupils!\"
SHE:\"Nevertakepupils!Idon’tunderstand。YoutookME。\"
HE,confusedly:\"Itookyou——yes。Youseemedtowish——youseemed——
thecasewaspeculiar——peculiarcircumstances。\"
SHE,withseverity:\"MayIaskWHYthecircumstanceswerepeculiar?
Isawnothingpeculiaraboutthecircumstances。Itseemedtomeitwasaverysimplematter。ItoldyouthatIhadalwayshadagreatcuriositytoseewhetherIcoulduseoilpaints,andIaskedyouaveryplainquestion,whetheryouwouldletmestudywithyou。Didn’tI?\"
HE:\"Yes。\"
SHE:\"Wasthereanythingwrong——anythingqueeraboutmyaskingyou?\"
HE:\"No,no!Notatall——notintheleast。\"
SHE:\"Didn’tyouwishmetotakethelessonsofyou?Ifyoudidn’t,itwasn’tkindofyoutoletme。\"
HE:\"Oh,Iwasperfectlywilling——verygladindeed,verymuchso——
certainly!\"
SHE:\"Ifitwasn’tyourCUSTOMtotakepupils,yououghttohavetoldme,andIwouldn’thaveforcedmyselfuponyou。\"
HE,desperately:\"Itwasn’tforcingyourselfuponme。TheLordknowshowhumblygratefulIwas。Itwaslikeahopeofheaven!\"
SHE:\"Really,Mr。Ransom,thisisverystrangetalk。WhatamItounderstandbyit?Whyshouldyoubegratefultoteachme?Whyshouldgivingmelessonsbelikeahopeofheaven?\"
HE:\"Oh,Iwilltellyou!\"
SHE:\"Well?\"
HE,afteramomentofagony:\"Becausetobewithyou\"—
SHE:\"Yes?\"
HE:\"BecauseIwishedtobewithyou。Because——thosedaysinthewoods,whenyouread,andI\"—
SHE:\"Paintedonmypictures\"—
HE:\"Werethehappiestofmylife。Because——Ilovedyou!\"
SHE:\"Mr。Ransom!\"
HE:\"Yes,Imusttellyouso。Ilovedyou;Iloveyoustill。I
shallalwaysloveyou,nomatterwhat\"—
SHE:\"Youforgetyourself,Mr。Ransom。Hastherebeenanythinginmymanner——conduct——tojustifyyouinusingsuchlanguagetome?\"
HE:\"No——no\"—
SHE:\"DidyousupposethatbecauseIfirsttooklessonsofyoufrom—
—from——anenthusiasmforart,andthencontinuedthemfor——for——
amusement,thatIwishedyoutomakelovetome?\"
HE:\"No,Ineversupposedsuchathing。I’mincapableofit。I
beseechyoutobelievethatnoonecouldhavemorerespect——
reverence\"——Hetwirlshishatbetweenhishands,andcastsanimploringglanceather。
SHE:\"Oh,respect——reverence!Iknowwhattheymeaninthemouthsofmen。Ifyourespected,ifyoureverencedme,couldyoudaretotellme,aftermyunguardedtrustofyouduringthepastmonths,thatyouhadbeenallthetimesecretlyinlovewithme?\"
HE,pluckingupalittlecourage:\"Idon’tseethatthethreethingsareincompatible。\"
SHE:\"Oh,thenyouacknowledgethatyoudidpresumeuponsomethingyouthoughtyousawinmetotellmethatyoulovedme,andthatyouwereinlovewithmeallthetime?\"
HE,contritely:\"Ihavenorighttosupposethatyouencouragedme;
andyet——Ican’tdenyitnow——Iwasinlovewithyouallthetime。\"
SHE:\"Andyouneversaidawordtoletmebelievethatyouhadanysuchfeelingtowardme!\"
HE:\"I——I\"—
SHE:\"Youwouldhavepartedfrommewithoutasyllabletosuggestit——perhapspartedfrommeforever?\"Afterapauseofsilenthumiliationforhim:\"Doyoucallthatbraveorgenerous?Doyoucallitmanly——supposing,asyouhoped,that_I_hadanysuchfeeling?\"
HE:\"No;itwascowardly,itwasmean,itwasunmanly。Iseeitnow,butIwillspendmylifeinrepairingthewrong,ifyouwillonlyletme。\"Heimpetuouslyadvancessomepacestowardher,andthenstops,arrestedbyherirresponsiveattitude。
SHE,withalightsigh,andlookingdownatthepaper,whichshehascontinuedtoholdbetweenherhands:\"Therewasatime——amoment——
whenImighthaveansweredasyouwish。\"
HE:\"Oh!thentherewillbeagain。Ifyouhavechangedonce,youmaychangeoncemore。Letmehopethatsometime——anytime,dearest\"
—
SHE,quenchinghimwithalook:\"Mr。Ransom,IshallNEVERchangetowardyou!Youconfessthatyouhadyouropportunity,andthatyoudespisedit。\"
HE:\"Oh!NOTdespisedit!\"
SHE:\"Neglectedit。\"
HE:\"Notwilfully——no。IconfessthatIwasstupidly,vilely,pusillan——pusillan——illani\"—
SHE:\"’Monsly\"—
HE:\"Thanks——’mouslyunworthyofit;butIdidn’tdespiseit;I
didn’tneglectit;andifyouwillonlyletmeshowbyalifetimeofdevotionhowdearlyandtrulyIhavelovedyoufromthefirstmomentIdrovethatcowaway\"—
SHE:\"Mr。Ransom,IhavetoldyouthatIshouldneverchangetowardyou。Thatcowwasnothingwhenweighedinthebalanceagainstyourbeingwillingtoleaveapoorgirl,whomyousupposedinterestedinyou,andtowhomyouhadpaidthemostmarkedattention,withoutawordtoshowherthatyoucaredforher。Whatisacow,orawholeherdofcows,ascomparedwithobligingayoungladytoofferyoumoneythatyouhadn’tearned,andthensavagelyflingingitbackinherface?Ayokeofoxenwouldbenothing——oramadbull。\"
HE:\"Oh,Iacknowledgeit!Iconfessit。\"
SHE:\"AndyouownthatIamrightinrefusingtolistentoyounow?\"
HE,desolately:\"Yes,yes。\"
SHE:\"Itseemsthatyougavemelessonsinordertobewithme,andifpossibletointerestmeinyou;andthenyouweregoingawaywithoutaword。\"
HE,withagroan:\"ItwasonlybecauseIwasafraidtospeak。\"
SHE:\"Oh,isTHATanyexcuse?\"
HE:\"No;none。\"
SHE:\"Amanoughtalwaystohavecourage。\"Afterapause,inwhichhestandsbeforeherwithbowedhead:\"Thenthere’snothingformebuttogiveyouthismoney。\"
HE,withsuddenenergy:\"Thisistoomuch!I\"—
SHE,offeringhimthebank—notes:\"No;itistheexactsum。I
counteditverycarefully。\"
HE:\"Iwon’ttakeit;Ican’t!I’llnevertakeit!\"
SHE,standingwiththemoneyinheroutstretchedhand:\"Ihaveyourwordasagentlemanthatyouwilltakeit。\"
HE,gasping:\"Oh,well——Iwilltakeit——Iwill\"——Heclutchesthemoney,andrushestowardthedoor。\"Good—evening;ah——good—by\"—
SHE,callingafterhim:\"Thereceipt,Mr。Ransom!Pleasesignthisreceipt!\"Shewavesthepaperintheair。
HE:\"Oh,yes,certainly!Whereisit——what——which\"——Herushesbacktoher,andseizingthereceipt,feelsblindlyaboutforthepenandink。\"WhereshallIsign?\"
SHE:\"Readitfirst。\"
HE:\"Oh,it’sall——allright\"—
SHE:\"Iinsistuponyourreadingit。It’sabusinesstransaction。
Readitaloud。\"
HE,desperately:\"Well,well!\"Hereads。\"’ReceivedfromMissEthelReed,infull,fortwenty—fivelessonsinoil—painting,onehundredandtwenty—fivedollars,andherhand,heart,anddearestloveforever。’\"Helooksupather。\"Ethel!\"
SHE,smiling:\"Signit,signit!\"
HE,catchingherinhisarmsandkissingher:\"Oh,yes——HERE!\"
SHE,pullingalittleawayfromhim,andlaughing:\"Oh,oh!IonlywantedONEsignature!Twentyautographsaretoomany,unlessyou’llletmetradethemoff,asthecollectorsdo。\"
HE:\"No;keepthemall!Icouldn’tthinkoflettinganyoneelsehavethem。Onemore!\"
SHE:\"No;it’squiteenough!\"
SHEfreesherself,andretiresbeyondthetable。\"Thisunexpectedaffection\"—
HE:\"ISitunexpected——seriously?\"
SHE:\"Whatdoyoumean?\"
HE:\"Oh,nothing!\"
SHE:\"Yes,tellme!\"
HE:\"Ihoped——Ithought——perhaps——thatyoumighthavebeenpreparedforsomesuchdemonstrationonmypart。\"
SHE:\"Andwhydidyouthink——hope——perhaps——THAT,Mr。Ransom,mayI
ask?\"
HE:\"IfIhadn’t,howshouldIhavedaredtospeak?\"
SHE:\"Dared?Youwereobligedtospeak!Well,sinceit’sallover,Idon’tmindsayingthatIDIDhavesomeslightapprehensionsthatsomethinginthewayofadeclarationmightbeextortedfromyou。\"
HE:\"Extorted?Oh!\"Hemakesanimpassionedrushtowardher。
SHE,keepingthetablebetweenthem:\"No,no。\"
HE:\"Oh,Imerelywishedtoaskwhyyouchosetomakemesufferso,afterIhadcometothepoint。\"
SHE:\"Askitacrossthetable,then。\"Afteramoment’sreflection,\"Imadeyousuffer——Imadeyousuffer——sothatyoumighthavearealizingsenseofwhatyouhadmadeMEsuffer。\"
HE,enrapturedbythisconfession:\"Oh,youangel!\"
SHE,withtendermagnanimity:\"No;onlyawoman——apoor,trusting,foolishwoman!\"Shepermitshimtosurroundthetable,withimaginableresults。Then,withherheadonhisshoulder:\"You’llNEVERletmeregretit,willyou,darling?You’llneverobligemetopunishyouagain,dearest,willyou?Oh,ithurtMEfarworsetoSEE
yourpainthanitdidyouto——to——feelit!\"Ontheothersideofthepartition,Mr。Grinnidge’spipefallsfromhislips,partedinslumber,andshiverstoatomsontheregister。\"Oh!\"Shefliesattheregisterwithashriekofdismay,andisabouttocloseit。
\"Thatwretchhasbeenlistening,andhasheardeveryword!\"
HE,preventingher:\"Whatwretch?Where?\"
SHE:\"Don’tyouhearhim,mumblingandgrumblingthere?\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Well,Iswear!Cashvalueoftwenty—fivedollars,anduntoldtoilincoloringit!\"
RANSOM,listeningwithanairofmystification:\"Who’sthat?\"
SHE:\"Gummidge,Grimmidge——whateveryoucalledhim。Oh!\"Shearrestsherselfinconsternation。\"NowIHAVEdoneit!\"
HE:\"Donewhat?\"
SHE:\"Oh——nothing!\"
HE:\"Idon’tunderstand。DoyoumeantosaythatmyfriendGrinnidge’sroomisontheotheraideofthewall,andthatyoucanhearhimtalkthroughtheregister?\"
SHEpreservesthesilenceofabjectterror。Hestoopsovertheregister,andcallsdownit。\"Grinnidge!Hallo!\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Hallo,yourself!\"
RANSOM,toMissReed:\"Soundsliketheghostlysqueakofthephonograph。\"ToGrinnidge:\"What’sthetrouble?\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Smashedmypipe。Dozedoffandletitdroponthisinfernalregister。\"
RANSOM,turningfromtheregisterwithimpressivedeliberation:
\"MissReed,mayIaskHOWyoucametoknowthathisnamewasGummidge,orGrimmidge,orwhateverIcalledhim?\"
SHE:Oh,dearest,ICAN’Ttellyou!Or——yes,Ihadbetter。\"
Impulsively:\"Iwilljudgeyoubymyself。_I_couldforgiveYOU
anything!\"
HE,doubtfully:\"Oh,couldyou?\"
SHE:\"Everything!Ihad——Ihadbettermakeacleanbreastofit。
Yes,Ihad。ThoughIdon’tliketo。I——Ilistened!\"
HE:\"Listened?\"
SHE:\"Throughtheregisterto——to——what——you——weresayingbeforeyou——cameinhere。\"Herheaddroops。
HE:\"Thenyouheardeverything?\"
SHE:\"Killme,butdon’tlookSOatme!Itwasaccidentalatfirst—
—indeeditwas;andthenIrecognizedyourvoice;andthenIknewyouweretalkingaboutme;andIhadsomuchatstake;andIdidloveyousodearly!YouWILLforgiveme,darling?Itwasn’tasifIwerelisteningwithanybadmotive。\"
HE,takingherinhisarms:\"Forgiveyou?OfcourseIdo。Butyoumustchangethisroomatonce,Ethel;youseeyouheareverythingontheotherside,too。\"
SHE:\"Oh,notifyouwhisperonthis。Youcouldn’thearUS?\"Atadubiousexpressionofhis:\"YouDIDN’Thearus?Ifyoudid,Icanneverforgiveyou!\"
HE:\"Itwasaccidentalatfirst——indeeditwas;andthenI
recognizedyourvoice;andthenIknewyouweretalkingaboutme;andIhadsomuchatstake;andIdidloveyousodearly!\"
SHE:\"Allthathasnothingwhatevertodowithit。Howmuchdidyouhear?\"
HE,withexemplarymeekness:\"OnlywhatyouweresayingbeforeGrinnidgecamein。Youdidn’twhisperthen。Ihadtowaitthereforhimwhile\"—
SHE:\"Whileyouweregivingyourgoodresolutionsarest?\"
HE:\"WhileIwasgivingmygoodresolutionsarest。\"
SHE:\"Andthataccountsforyourdeterminationtohumbleyourselfso?\"
HE:\"ItseemedperfectlyprovidentialthatIshouldhaveknownjustwhatconditionsyouweregoingtoexactofme。\"
SHE:\"Oh,don’tmakelightofit!Icantellyouit’saveryseriousmatter。\"
HE:\"Itwasveryseriousformewhenyoudidn’tmeetmyself—
abasementasyouhadledmetoexpectyouwould。\"
SHE:\"Don’tmakefun!I’mtryingtothinkwhetherIcanforgiveyou。\"
HE,withinsinuation:\"Don’tyoubelieveyoucouldthinkbetterifyouputyourheadonmyshoulder?\"
SHE:\"Nonsense!ThenIshouldforgiveyouwithoutthinking。\"Afteraseasonofreflection:\"No,ICAN’Tforgiveyou。Inevercouldforgiveeavesdropping。It’sTOOlow。\"
HE,inastonishment:\"Why,youdidityourself!\"
SHE:\"Butyoubeganit。Besides,it’sverydifferentforaman。
Womenareweak,poor,helplesscreatures。Theyhavetousefinesse。
Butamanshouldbeaboveit。\"
HE:\"Yousaidyoucouldforgivemeanything。\"
SHE:\"Ah,butIdidn’tknowwhatyou’dbeendoing!\"
HE,withpensiveresignation,andafeintofgoing:\"ThenIsupposeit’salloverbetweenus。\"
SHE,relenting:\"IfyoucouldthinkofanyreasonWHYIshouldforgiveyou\"—
HE:\"Ican’t。\"
SHE,afterconsideration:\"DoyousupposeMr。Grumage,orGrimidge,heardtoo?\"
HE:\"No;Grinnidgeisaveryhigh—principledfellow,andwouldn’tlisten;besides,hewasn’tthere,youknow。\"
SHE:\"Well,then,Iwillforgiveyouonthesegrounds。\"Heinstantlycatcheshertohisheart。\"Butthesealone,remember。\"
HE,rapturously:\"Oh,onany!\"
SHE,tenderly:\"Andyou’llalwaysbedevoted?Andnice?Andnottrytoprovokeme?Orneglectme?Oranything?\"
HE:\"Always!Never!\"
SHE:\"Oh,youdear,sweet,simpleoldthing——howIDOloveyou!\"
GRINNIDGE,whohasbeenlisteningattentivelytoeverywordattheregisterathisside:\"Ransom,ifyoudon’twantmetogostarkmad,SHUTTHEREGISTER!\"
RANSOM,abouttocomply:\"Oh,pooroldman!Iforgotitwasopen!\"
MISSREED,preventinghim:\"No!Ifhehasbeenvileenoughtolistenataregister,lethimsuffer。Come,sitdownhere,andI’lltellyoujustwhenIbegantocareforyou。Itwaslongbeforethecow。Doyourememberthatfirstmorningafteryouarrived\"——Shedragshimclosetotheregister,sothateverywordmaytellupontheenviousGrinnidge,onwhosemanifestationsofacutedespair,arapidcurtaindescends。