Blixhadcometoknowthegamequiteaswell，ifnotbetter，thanhe.ShecouldalmostinvariablytellwhenCondyheldagoodhand，butonherpartcouldassumeanairofindifferenceabsolutelyinscrutable.
\"Cards？\"saidCondy，pickingupthedeckafterthedeal.
\"I’llstandpat，Condy.\"
\"Thedeuceyousay，\"heanswered，withastare.\"I’lltakethree.\"
\"I’llpassituptoyou，\"continuedBlixgravely.
\"Well——well，I’llbetyoufivechips.\"
\"Raiseyoutwenty.\"
Condystudiedhishand，laiddownthecards，pickedthemupagain，scratchedhishead，andmoveduneasilyinhisplace.Thenhethrewdowntwohighpairs.
\"No，\"hesaid;\"Iwon’tseeyou.Whatdidyouhave？Let’ssee，justforthefunofit.\"
Blixspreadhercardsonthetable.
\"Notablessedthing！\"exclaimedCondy.\"Imighthaveknownit.
There’smylastdollargone，too.Lendmefiftycents，Blix.\"
Blixshookherhead.
\"Why，whatalittleniggard！\"heexclaimedaggrievedly.\"I’llpaythemallbacktoyou.\"
\"Now，whyshouldIlendyoumoneytoplayagainstme？I’llnotgiveyouachip;and，besides，Idon’twanttoplayanymore.
Let’sstop.\"
\"I’veamindtostopforgood;stopplayingevenwithyou.\"
Blixgavealittlecryofjoy.
\"Oh，Condy，willyou，couldyou？andnever，nevertouchacardagain？neverplayformoney？I’dbesohappy——butdon’tunlessyouknowyouwouldkeepyourpromise.Iwouldmuchratherhaveyouplayeverynight，downthereatyourclub，thanbreakyourpromise.\"
Condyfellsilent，bitingthoughtfullyattheknuckleofaforefinger.
\"Thinktwiceaboutit，Condy，\"urgedBlix;\"becausethiswouldbeforalways.\"
Condyhesitated;then，abstractedlyandasthoughspeakingtohimself：
\"It’sdifferentnow.Beforewetookthat——threemonthsago，I
don’tsay.Itwasharderformetoquitthen，butnow——well，everythingisdifferentnow;anditwouldpleaseyou，Blixy！\"
\"MorethananythingelseIcanthinkof，Condy.\"
Hegaveherhishand.
\"Thatsettlesit，\"hesaidquietly.\"I’llnevergambleagain，Blix.\"
Blixgrippedhishandhard，thenjumpedup，and，withaquickbreathofsatisfaction，gatheredupthecardsandchipsandflungthemintothefireplace.
\"Oh，I’msogladthat’soverwith，\"sheexclaimed，herlittleeyesdancing.\"I’vepretendedtolikeit，butI’vehateditallthetime.Youdon’tknowHOWI’vehatedit！Whatmencanseeinittomakethemsitupallnightlongisbeyondme.Andyoutrulymean，Condy，thatyouneverwillgambleagain？Yes，Iknowyoumeanitthistime.Oh，I’msohappyIcouldsing！\"
\"GoodHeavens，don’tdothat！\"hecriedquickly.\"You’reanice，amiablegirl，Blix，evenifyou’renotpretty，andyou——\"
\"Oh，botheryou！\"sheretorted;\"butyoupromise？\"
\"Onmyhonor.\"
\"That’senough，\"shesaidquietly.
Butevenwhen\"loafing\"ashewasthisevening，Condycouldnotridhimselfofthethoughtandrecollectionofhisnovel;restingorwriting，ithauntedhim.Otherwisehewouldnothavebeenthestory—writerthathewas.Fromnowonuntilheshouldsetdownthelastsentence，the\"thing\"wasnevertolethimalone，nevertoallowhimamoment’speace.Hecouldthinkofnothingelse，couldtalkofnothingelse;everyfacultyofhisbrain，everysenseofobservationorimaginationincessantlyconcentratedthemselvesuponthisonepoint.
Astheysatinthebaywindowwatchingthemoonrise，hismindwasstillbusywithit，andhesuddenlybrokeout：
\"IoughttoworksomekindofaTREASUREintotheyarn.What’sastoryofadventurewithoutatreasure？ByJove，Blix，IwishI
couldgivemywholetimetothisstuff！It’srippinggoodmaterial，anditoughttobehandledascarefullyasglass.Oughttobeworkedup，youknow.\"
\"Condy，\"saidBlix，lookingathimintently，\"whatisitstandsinyourwayofleavingthe’Times’？Wouldtheytakeyoubackifyouleftthemlongenoughtowriteyournovel？Youcouldwriteitinamonth，couldn’tyou，ifyouhadnothingelsetodo？Supposeyouleftthemforamonth——wouldtheyholdyourplaceforyou？\"
\"Yes——yes，Ithinktheywould;butinthemeanwhile，Blix——there’stherub.I’veneversavedacentoutofmysalary.WhenIstop，mypaystops，andwherewithalwouldIbefed？Whatareyoulookingforinthatdrawer——matches？Here，I’vegotamatch.\"
Blixfacedaboutatthesideboard，shuttingthedrawerbyleaningagainstit.Inbothhandssheheldoneofthedelftsugar—bowls.
Shecameuptothetable，andemptieditscontentsuponthebluedenimtable—cover——twoorthreegoldpieces，somefifteensilverdollars，andahandfulofsmallchange.
DisregardingallCondy’sinquiries，shecountedit，makinglittlepilesofthegoldandsilverandnickelpieces.
\"Thirty—fiveandsevenisforty—two，\"shemurmured，countingoffonherfingers，\"andsixisforty—eight，andtenisfifty—eight，andtenissixty—eight;andhereisten，twenty，thirty，fifty—
fivecentsinchange.\"Shethrustitalltowardhim，acrossthetable.\"There，\"shesaid，\"isyourwherewithal.\"
Condystared.\"Mywherewithal！\"hemuttered.
\"Itoughttobeenoughforoveramonth.\"
\"Wheredidyougetallthat？Whoseisit？\"
\"It’syourmoney，Condy.Youloanedittome，andnowithascomeinveryhandy.\"
\"ILOANEDittoyou？\"
\"It’sthemoneyIwonfromyouduringthetimeyou’vebeenplayingpokerwithme.Youdidn’tknowitwouldamounttosomuch，didyou？\"
\"Pshaw，I’llnottouchit！\"heexclaimed，drawingbackfromthemoneyasthoughitwasred—hot.
\"Yes，youwill，\"shetoldhim.\"I’vebeensavingitupforyou，Condy，everypennyofit，fromthefirstdayweplayeddownthereatthelake;andIalwaystoldmyselfthatthemomentyoumadeupyourmindtoquitplaying，Iwouldgiveitbacktoyou.\"
\"Why，theveryidea！\"hevociferated，hishandsdeepinhispockets，hisfacescarlet.\"It’s——it’spreposterous，Blix！I
won’tletyouTALKaboutiteven——Iwon’ttouchanickelofthatmoney.But，Blix，you’re——you’re——thefinestwomanIeverknew.
You’reaman’swoman，that’swhatyouare.\"Hesethisteeth.\"Ifyoulovedaman，you’dbearegularpaltohim;you’dbackhimup，you’dstandbyhimtillthelastgunwasfired.IcoulddoANYTHINGifaWOMANlikeyoucaredforme.Why，Blix，I——youhaven’tanyidea——\"Heclearedhisthroat，stoppingabruptly.
\"Butyoumusttakethismoney，\"sheanswered;\"YOURmoney.Ifyoudidn’t，Condy，itwouldmakemeoutnothingmorenorlessthanagambler.Iwouldn’thavedreamedofplayingcardswithyouifI
hadeverintendedtokeeponepennyofyourmoney.FromtheverystartIintendedtokeepitforyou，andgiveitbacktoyousosoonasyouwouldstop;andnowyouhaveachancetoputthismoneytoagooduse.Youdon’thavetostayonthe’Times’now.
Youcan’tdoyournoveljusticewhileyouaredoingyourhackworkatthesametime，andIdosowant’InDefianceofAuthority’tobeasuccess.I’vefaithinyou，Condy.Iknowifyougottheopportunityyouwouldmakeasuccess.\"
\"ButyouandIhaveplayedliketwomenplaying，\"exclaimedCondy.
\"HowwoulditlookifSargeant，say，shouldgivemebackthemoneyhehadwonfromme？WhatacadIwouldbetotakeit！\"
\"That’sjustit——we’venotplayedliketwomen.ThenIWOULDhavebeenagambler.I’veplayedwithyoubecauseIthoughtitwouldmakeawayforyoutobreakoffwiththehabit;andknowingasI
didhowfondyouwereofplayingcardsandhowbaditwasforyou，howwickeditwouldhavebeenformetohaveplayedwithyouinanyotherspirit！Don’tyousee？Andasithasturnedout，you’vegivenupplaying，andyou’veenoughmoneytomakeitpossibleforyoutowriteyournovel.TheCentennialCompanyhaveaskedyoutotryastoryofadventureforthem，you’vefoundonethatissplendid，you’rejustthemanwhocouldhandleit，andnowyou’vegotthemoneytomakeitpossible.Condy，\"sheexclaimedsuddenly，\"don’tyouseeyourCHANCE？Aren’tyouabigenoughmantoseeyourchancewhenitcomes？And，besides，doyouthinkI
wouldtakeMONEYfromyou？Can’tyouunderstand？Ifyoudon’ttakethismoneythatbelongstoyou，youwouldinsultme.ThatisjustthewayIwouldfeelaboutit.Youmustseethat.Ifyoucareformeatall，you’lltakeit.\"
*****************
TheeditoroftheSundaySupplementputhistoothpickbehindhisearandfixedCondywithhiseyeglasses.
\"Well，it’slikethis，Rivers，\"hesaid.\"Ofcourse，youknowyourownbusinessbest.Ifyoustayonherewithus，itwillbeallright.ButImayaswelltellyouthatIdon’tbelieveIcanholdyourplaceforamonth.Ican’tgetamaninheretodoyourworkforjustamonth，andthenfirehimoutattheendofthattime.Idon’tliketoloseyou，butifyouhaveanopportunitytogetinonanotherpaperduringthisvacationofyours，you’reatlibertytodoso，forallofme.\"
\"ThenyouthinkmychanceofcomingbackherewouldbeprettyslimifIleaveforamonthnow？\"
\"That’sright.\"
Therewasasilence.Condyhesitated;thenherose.
\"I’lltakethechance，\"heannounced.
ToBlix，thatevening，ashetoldheroftheaffair，hesaid：
\"It’sneckornothingnow，Blix.\"
ChapterXII
ButdidBlixcareforhim？
Intheretiredcornerofhisclub，shutoffbytheJapanesescreen，orgoingupanddownthecitytoandfromhiswork，orsittingwithherinthebaywindowofthelittledining—roomlookingdownuponthecity，blurredinthetwilightorradiantwiththesunset，Condyaskedhimselfthequestion.Ascoreoftimeseachdayhecametoafinal，definite，negativedecision;
andascoreoftimesreopenedthewholesubject.BeyondthefactthatBlixhadenjoyedherselfinhiscompanyduringthelastmonths，Condycouldfindnosignortraceofencouragement;andforthatmatterhetoldhimselfthattheindicationspointedratherintheotherdirection.ShehadnocompunctioninleavinghimtogoawaytoNewYork，perhapsnevertoreturn.Inlessthanamonthnowalltheircompanionshipwastoend，andhewouldprobablyseethelastofher.
Hedarednotletherknowthatatlasthehadreallycometoloveher——thatitwasnopretencenow;forheknewthatwithsuchdeclarationtheir\"goodtimes\"wouldendevenbeforesheshouldgoaway.Buteveryday;everyhourthattheyweretogethermadeitharderforhimtokeephimselfwithinbounds.
Whatwiththistroubleonhismindandthegrimdeterminationwithwhichheheldtohiswork，Condychangedrapidly.Blixhadsteadiedhim，andacertainearnestnessandseriousnessofpurpose，acertainSTRENGTHhehadnotknownbefore，cameswiftlyintobeing.
WasBlixtogoaway，leavehim，perhapsforalltime，andnotknowhowmuchhecared？Wouldhespeakbeforeshewent？Condydidnotknow.Itwasaquestionthatcircumstanceswouldhelphimtodecide.Hewouldnotspeak，soheresolved，unlesshewassurethatshecaredherself;andifshedid，sheherselfwouldgivehimacue，ahintwhereontospeak.Butdayswentby，thetimesetforBlix’sdeparturedrewnearerandnearer，andyetshegavehimnottheslightestsign.
Thesetwointerestshadnowabsorbedhisentirelifeforthemoment——hisloveforBlix，andhisnovel.Littlebylittle\"InDefianceofAuthority\"tookshape.Theboomrestaurantandthecluboftheexilesweredisposedof，BillyIshambegantocometothefront，thefilibusteringexpeditionandSenoraEstrada（withhertorncallingcard）hadbeenintroduced，andtheexpeditionwasreadytoputtosea.Buthereanewdifficultywasencountered.
\"WhatdoIknowaboutships？\"CondyconfessedtoBlix.\"IfBillyIshamisgoingtocommandafilibusteringschooner，I’vegottoknowsomethingaboutaschooner——appearto，anyhow.I’vegottoknownauticallingo，therealthing，youknow.Idon’tbelieveaREALsailoreverinhislifesaid’belaythere，’or’avast.’We’llhavetogooutandseeCaptainJack;getsomemoretechnicaldetail.\"
Thismovewasproductiveofthemostdelightfulresults.CaptainJackwasallonfirewithinterestthemomentthatCondyandBlixtoldhimoftheidea.
\"An’you’regoingtoputBillyIshaminabook.Well，strikemestraight，that’sasnorkin’goodidea.I’vealwayssaidthatallBillyneededwasaticketselleran’anadvanceagent，an’hewasawholeshowinhimself.\"
\"We’regoingtosenditEast，\"saidBlix，\"assoonasit’sfinished，andhaveitpublished.\"
\"Well，itoughttomakeprimereadin’，Miss;an’that’sagoodfetchin’title，’InDefianceofAuthority.’\"
RegularlyWednesdayandSundayafternoons，BlixandCondycameouttothelifeboatstation.CaptainJackreceivedtheminsweaterandvisoredcap，andusheredthemintothefrontroom.
\"Well，how’stheyarngettingon？\"CaptainJackwouldask.
ThenCondywouldreadthelastchapterwhiletheCaptainpacedthefloor，frowningheavily，smokingcigars，listeningtoeveryword.
Condytoldthestoryinthefirstperson，asifBillyIsham’spartnerwerenarratingscenesandeventsinwhichhehimselfhadmoved.Condycalledthisprotagonist\"BurkeCassowan，\"andwasratherproudofthename.Butthecaptainwouldnoneofit.
Cassowan，theprotagonist，wassimply\"OurMug.\"
\"Now，\"Condywouldsay，notebookinhand，\"now，Cap.，we’vegotdowntoMazatlan.NowIwanttosortoforganizetheexpeditioninthisnextchapter.\"
\"Isee，Isee，\"CaptainJackwouldexclaim，interestedatonce.
\"WaitabittillItakeoffmyshoes.Icanthinkbetterwithmyshoesoff\";andhavingremovedhisshoes，hewouldbegintopacetheroominhisstockingfeet，puffingfiercelyonhiscigarashewarmedtothetale，blowingthesmokeoutthrougheitherear，gesturingsavagely，hisfaceflushedandhiseyeskindling.
\"Well，now，lessee.FirstthingOurMugdoeswhenhegetstoMazatlanistocommunicatehisarrivaltoSenoraEstrada——
telegraphs，youknow;and，bytheway，havehimuseacipher.\"
\"Whatkindofcipher？\"
\"Countthreelettersonfromtherightletter，see.Ifyouwerespelling’boat，’forinstance，youwouldbeginwithanE，thethirdletterafterB;thenRfortheO，beingthethirdletterfromO.Soyou’dspell’boat，’ERDW;andSenoraEstradaknowswhenshegetsthatdespatchthatshemustcountthreelettersBACK
fromeachlettertogettherightones.TakenowsuchacipherwordasULIOH.ThatmeansRIFLE.CountthreelettersbackfromeachletterofULIOH，andit’llspellRIFLE.Youcanmakeupalotofdespatcheslikethat，justtohavethethinglooknatural;
savvy？\"
\"Outofsight！\"mutteredCondy，makinganote.
\"ThenOurMugandBillyIshamstartgettingacrew.AndOurMug，hebuysthesextantthereinMazatlan——thesextant，thatgotoutoforderandspoiledeverything.Or，no;don’thaveitasextant;
haveitaquadrant——anold—fashioned，ebonyquadrant.HaveBillyIshambuyitbecauseitwascheap.\"
\"Howdiditgetoutoforder，CaptainJack？\"inquiredBlix.\"Thatwouldbeagoodtechnicaldetail，wouldn’tit，Condy？\"
\"Well，it’slikethis.OurMugan’Billygetaschoonerthat’ssoballysmallthattheyhavetodotheircookinginthecabin;
quadrant’sonarackoverthestove，andtheheatwarpsthejoints，sowhenOurMugtakeshisobservationhegetsfiftymilesoffhiscourseandraisesthelandwherethegovernmentforcesarewatchingforhim.\"
\"Andhere’sanotherpoint，Cap.，\"saidCondy.\"Weoughttoworksomekindofatreasureintothisyarn;can’tyouthinkupsomethingnewandoriginalinthewayofatreasure？Idon’twanttheoldgameofaburiedchestofmoney.Let’shavehimgettrackofsomethingthat’sworthafortune——somethingnovel.\"
\"Yes，yes;Iseetheidea，\"answeredtheCaptain，stridingoverthefloorwithgreatthudsofhisstockingedfeet.\"Now，lessee;
letmethink，\"hebegan，rubbingallhishairthewrongway.\"Wewantsomethingnewandqueer，somethingthatain’teverbeenwrittenupbefore.Itellyouwhat！Hereitis！HaveOurMuggetwindofalittleriverschoonerthatsunkfiftyyearsbeforehistimeinoneofthebigSouthAmericanrivers，duringaflood——I
heardofthismyself.Schoonerwentdownandwasburiedtwentyfeetundermudandsand;andsincethattime——youknowhowthebigriversact——thewholeblessedcourseoftheriverhaschangedatthatpoint，andtheschoonerisondryland，orrathertwentyfeetunderit，andassoundasthedayshewaschartered.\"
\"Well？\"
\"Well，haveitthatwhenshesankshehadaboardofheracargooffivehundredcasesofwhiskey，primestuff，seventhousandquartbottles，sealeduptightasdrums.NowOurMug——norBillyIshameither——theyain’tbornyesterday.No，sir;they’rerightnexttothemselves！Theyfigurethisway.Thisherewhiskey’sbeenkeptfiftyyearswithoutbeingmoved.Now，whatdoyousupposeseventhousandquartbottlesoffifty—year—oldwhiskeywouldbeworth？
Why，twentydollarsaquartwouldn’tbetoofancy.Sothereyouare;there’syourtreasure.OurMugandBillyIshamhaveonlygottodigthroughtwentyfeetofsandtopickupahundredthousanddollars，IFTHEYCANFINDTHESCHOONER.\"
Blixclappedherhandswithalittlecryofdelight，andCondysmoteaknee，exclaiming：
\"ByJove！that’sasgoodasLoudonDodds’opiumship！Why，Cap.，you’reatreasureinyourselfforafellowlookingforstories.\"
Thenafterthenotesweretakenandthestorytalkedover，CaptainJack，especiallyifthedayhappenedtobeSunday，wouldinsistupontheirstayingtodinner——boiledbeefandcabbage.smokingcoffeeandpickles——thatK.D.B.servedinthelittle，brick—
pavedkitcheninthebackofthestation.Thecrewmessedintheirquartersoverhead.
K.D.B.herselfwasnotuninteresting.Herrespectabilityincasedherlikearmorplate，andsheneverlaughedwithoutputtingthreefingerstoherlips.Shetoldthemthatshehadatonetimebeena\"costumereader.\"
\"Acostumereader？\"
\"Yes;readingextractsfromcelebratedauthorsintheappropriatecostumeofthecharacter.Itusedtopayverywell，anditwasveryrefined.Iusedtodo’InaBalcony，’byMisterBrowning，and’Laska，’thesameevening！anditalwaysmadeahit.I’ddo’InaBalcony’first，andI’dputonaLouis—Quinze—the—fifteenthgownandwig—to—matchoverafemalecowboyoutfit.WhenI’dfinished’InaBalcony，’I’ddoanexit，andshuntthegownandwig—to—match，andcomeonas’Laska，’withthundernoisesoff.Itwasoneofthestrongesteffectsinmyrepertoire，anditalwaysgotmeacurtaincall.\"
AndCaptainJackwouldwaghisheadandmurmur：
\"Extraordinary！extraordinary！\"
BlixandCondysoonnotedthatupontheoccasionofeachoneoftheirvisits，K.D.B.foundmeanstoentertainthematgreatlengthwithlongdiscussionsuponcertainsubjectsofcuriouslydiversifiedcharacter.UpontheirfirstvisitsheelectedtotalkupontheAlpsmountains.TheSundayfollowingitwasbacteriology;onthenextWednesdayitwascrystals;whilefortwohoursduringtheirnextvisittothestation，CondyandBlixwereobligedtolistentoK.D.B.’sinterminablediscourseontheorigin，history，anddevelopmentofthekingdomofDenmark.Condywasdumfounded.
\"Inevermetsuchaperson，manorwoman，inallmylife.Talkabouteducation！Why，Ithinksheknowseverything！\"
\"InDefianceofAuthority\"soonbegantomakegoodprogress，butCondy，oncelaunchedupontechnicalnavigation，musthaveCaptainJackathiselbowcontinually，tokeephimfromfoundering.Insomeseanovelherememberedtohavecomeacrosstheexpression\"garboardstreak，\"andfromthecontextguesseditwastobeappliedtoadetailofavessel’sconstruction.Inanunguardedmomenthehadwrittenthathisschooner’sname\"waspaintedinshowygiltlettersuponhergarboardstreak.\"
\"What’sthegarboardstreak，Condy？\"Blixhadasked，whenhehadreadthechaptertoher.
\"That’swheretheypainthername，\"hedeclaredpromptly.\"I
don’tknowexactly，butIlikethesoundofit.\"
Butthenextday，whenhewasreadingthissamechaptertoCaptainJack，thelattersuddenlyinterruptedwithanexclamationasofacutephysicalanguish.
\"What’sthat？Readthatlastoveragain，\"hedemanded.
\"’Whentheyhadcomewithinafewboat’slengths，’\"readCondy，\"’theywereabletoreadtheschooner’sname，paintedinshowygiltlettersuponhergarboardstreak.’\"
\"MyGod！\"gaspedtheCaptain，claspinghishead.Then，withashout：\"Garboardstreak！garboardstreak？Don’tyouknowthatthegarboardstreakisthelastplanknextthekeel？Youmeancounter，notgarboardstreak.Thatregularlygraveledme，thatdid！\"
Theystayedtodinnerwiththecouplethatafternoon，andforhalfanhourafterwardK.D.B.toldthemofthewondersofthecavesofElephantis.Onewouldhavebelievedthatshehadactuallybeenattheplace.Butwhenshechangedthesubjecttothescienceoffortification，Blixcouldnolongerrestrainherself.
\"Butitisreallywonderfulthatyoushouldknowallthesethings！
Wheredidyoufindtimetostudysomuch？\"
\"Onemusthaveaneducation，\"returnedK.D.B.primly.
ButCondyhadcaughtsightofahalf—filledbook—shelfagainsttheoppositewall，andhadbeensuddenlysmittenwithaninspiration.
Onaleafofhisnotebookhewrote：\"TryherontheG’sandH’s，\"
andfoundmeanstoshowitfurtivelytoBlix.ButBlixwaspuzzled，andattheearliestopportunityCondyhimselfsaidtotheretiredcostumereader：
\"Speakingoffortifications，Mrs.Hoskins，Gibraltarnow——that’sawonderfulrock，isn’tit？\"
\"Rock！\"shequeried.\"Ithoughtitwasanisland.\"
\"Oh，no;it’safortress.Theyhaveacastlethere——acastle，somethinglike——well，liketheoldSchlossatHeidelberg.DidyoueverhearaboutorreadaboutHeidelbergUniversity？\"
ButK.D.B.wasallabroadnow.GibraltarandHeidelbergwereunknownsubjectstoher，aswerealsoinoculation，Japan，andKosciusko.AbovetheG’sshewassound;belowthatpointherignorancewasbenighted.
\"Butwhatisit，Condy？\"demandedBlix，assoonastheywerealone.
\"I’vetheidea，\"heanswered，chuckling.\"WaittillafterSundaytoseeifI’mright;thenI’lltellyou.It’sadollartoapaperdime，K.D.B.willhavesomethingforusbySunday，beginningwithanI.\"
Andshehad.ItwasInternalRevenue.
\"Right！right！\"Condyshoutedgleefully，asheandBlixwereontheirwayhome.\"Iknewit.She’sdonewithAsh——Bol，Bol——Car，andallthose，andhasworkedthroughCod——Dem，andDem——Eve.
She’sdowntoHor——Kinnow，andshe’llgothroughthewholelotbeforeshe’sdone——Kin——Mag，Mag——Mot，Mot——Pal，andalltherest.\"
\"TheEncyclopaedia？\"
\"Don’tyouseeit？Nowondershedidn’tknowbeansaboutGibraltar！Shehadn’tcometotheG’sbythen.\"
\"She’sreadingtheEncyclopaedia.\"
\"Andshegetsthevolumesontheinstahnentplan，don’tyousee？
Readstheleadingarticles，andthensprings’emonus.Toknowthingsandtalkaboutem，that’sherideaofbeingcultured.’Onemusthaveaneducation.’Doyourememberhersayingthat’Oh，ourmatrimonialobjectsarepanningoutbeyondallexpectation！\"
Whatadelicious，never—to—be—forgottenmonthitwasforthosetwo！Thereinthemidstoflifetheywereasmuchaloneasuponatropicisland.Blixhaddeliberatelyfreedherselffromaworldthathadgrowndistastefultoher;Condylittlebylittlehaddroppedawayfromhisplaceamongthemenandthewomenofhisacquaintance，andthetwocameandwenttogether，livinginalittleworldoftheirowncreation，happyineachother’ssociety，livingonlyinthepresent，andaskingnothingbetterthantobeleftaloneandtotheirowndevices.
Theysaweachothereveryday.Inthemorningfromninetilltwelve，andintheafternoonuntilthree，Condyworkedawayuponhisnovel，butnotaneveningpassedthatdidnotseehimandBlixinthedining—roomofthelittleflat.ThursdaysandSundayafternoonstheyvisitedthelife—boatstation，andatothertimesprowledabouttheunfrequentedcornersofthecity，nowpassinganafternoonalongthewaterfront，watchingthedepartureofaChinasteamerortheloadingofthegreat，steelwheatships;nowclimbingtheladder—likestreetsofTelegraphHill，orrevisitingthePlaza，Chinatown，andtherestaurant;ortakinglongwalksinthePresidioReservation，watchingcavalryandartillerydrills;
orsittingforhoursontherocksbytheseashore，watchingtheceaselessrollandplungeofthesurf，thewheelingsea—birds，andthesleek—headedsealshuntingtheoffshorefish，happyforahalf—hourwhentheysurprisedonewithhispreyinhisteeth.
Oneday，somethreeweeksbeforetheendoftheyear，towardtwointheafternoon，Condysatinhisusualcorneroftheclub，behindthescreen，writingrapidly.Hiscoatwasoffandthestumpofacigarwasbetweenhisteeth.Athiselbowwastherectangularblockofhismanuscript.Duringthelastweekthestoryhadrunfromhimwithafacilitythathadsurprisedanddelightedhim;wordscametohimwithouteffort，rangingthemselvesintolinewiththepromptitudeofwell—drilledsoldiery;sentencesandparagraphsmarcheddowntheclean—sweptspacesofhispaper，likecompaniesandplatoonsdefilinguponreview;hischapterswerebrigadesthathemarshaledatwill，fallingtheminonebehindtheother，eachprecededbyitschapter—head，likeanofficerinthespacebetweentwodivisions.
Intheguiseofacommander—in—chiefsittinghishorseuponaneminencethatoverlookedthefieldofoperations，Condyatlasttookintheentiresituationataglance，and，withtheforceandprecisionofamachine，marchedhisforcesstraighttothegoalhehadsetforhimselfsolongatimebefore.
Thenatlengthhetookafreshpenfulofink，squaredhiselbows，drewclosertothedesk.andwithasingleswiftspurtofthepenwrotethelastlineofhisnovel，droppingthepenupontheinstantandpressingtheblotteroverthewordsasthoughsettingasealofapprovaluponthecompletedtask.
\"There！\"hemuttered，betweenhisteeth;\"I’vedoneforYOU！\"
ThatsameafternoonhereadthelastchaptertoBlix，andshehelpedhimtopreparethemanuscriptforexpressage.Sheinsistedthatitshouldgooffthatveryday，andherselfwrotethedirectionsupontheoutsidewrapper.ThenthetwowentdowntogethertotheWellsFargooffice，and\"InDefianceofAuthority\"
wassentonitsjourneyacrossthecontinent.
\"Now，\"shesaid，astheycameoutoftheexpressofficeandstoodforamomentuponthesteps，\"nowthere’snothingtodobutwaitfortheCentennialCompany.Idosohopewe’llgettheiranswerbeforeIgoaway.TheyOUGHTtotakeit.It’sjustwhattheyaskedfor.Don’tyouthinkthey’lltakeit，Condy？\"
\"Oh，botherthat！\"answeredCondy.\"Idon’tcarewhethertheytakeitornot.Howlongnowisitbeforeyougo，Blix？\"
ChapterXIII
Aweekpassed;thenanother.Theyearwascomingtoaclose.IntendaysBlixwouldbegone.LettershadbeenreceivedfromAuntKihm，andalsoanexquisiteblackleathertraveling—case，apresenttoherniece，fullofcut—glassbottles，ebony—backedbrushes，andshellcombs.BlixwastoleaveontheseconddayofJanuary.Inthemeanwhileshehadbeenreadingfarintoherfirst—yeartext—books，underscoringandannotating，studyingforhoursuponsuchsubjectsasshedidnotunderstand，sothatshemightgetholdofherworkthereadierwhenitcametoclass—roomroutineandlectures.Herswasatemperamentadmirablysuitedtothestudyshehadchosen——self—reliant，cool，androbust.
Butitwasnoteasyforhertogo.NeverbeforehadBlixbeenawayfromherhome;neverforlongerthanaweekhadshebeenseparatedfromherfather，norfromHowardandSnooky.ThathugecityupontheAtlanticseaboard，withitsvast，fiercelife，wherebeattheheartofthenation，andwherebeyondAuntKihmsheknewnofriend，filledBlixwithavaguesenseofterrorandofoppression.Shewasgoingoutintoanewlife，alifeofworkandofstudy，aharsherlifethanshehadyetknown.Herfather，herfriends，herhome——alltheseweretobeleftbehind.ItwasnotsurprisingthatBlixshouldbedauntedattheprospectofsogreatachangeinherlife，nowsocloseathand.Butifthetearsdidstartattimes，nooneeversawthemfall，andwithacouragethatwasallherownBlixwatchedthelastdaysoftheyeartroopingpastandtheapproachoftheNewYearthatwastobeginthenewlife.
ButCondywasthoroughlyunhappy.Thosewonderfulthreemonthswereatanend.Blixwasgoing.Inlessthanaweeknowshewouldbegone.Hewouldseethelastofher.Thenwhat？Hepicturedhimself——whenhehadsaidgood—bytoherandthetrainhadlessenedtoasmokyblurinthedistance——facingabout，facingthelifethatmustthenbeginforhim，returningtothecityalone，pickinguptheroutineagain.Therewouldbenothingtolookforwardtothen;hewouldnotseeBlixintheafternoon;
wouldnotsitwithherintheeveninginthelittledining—roomoftheflatoverlookingthecityandthebay;wouldnotwakeinthemorningwiththeconsciousnessthatbeforethesunwouldsethewouldseeheragain，bewithher，andhearthesoundofhervoice.
Themonthsthatweretofollowwouldbeonelongache，onelong，harsh，colorlessgrindwithouther.Howwashetogetthroughthatfirsteveningthathemustpassalone？Andshedidnotcareforhim.Condyatlastknewthistobeso.Eventhepoorsolaceofknowingthatshe，too，wasunhappywasdeniedhim.Shehadneverlovedhim，andneverwould.Hewasachumtoher，nothingmore.Condywastooclear—headedtodeceivehimselfuponthispoint.Thetimewascomeforhertogoaway，andshehadgivenhimnosign，nocue.
Thelastdayspassed;Blix’strunkwaspacked，herhalfsectionengaged，herticketbought.Theysaidgood—bytotheoldplacestheyhadcometoknowsowell——Chinatown，theGoldenBalcony，thewater—front，thelakeofSanAndreas，TelegraphHill，andLuna’s——
andhadbadefarewelltoRiccardoandtooldRichardson.TheyhadleftK.D.B.andCaptainJackuntilthelastday.BlixwastogoonthesecondofJanuary.OnNewYear’sDaysheandCondyweretotaketheirlastwalk，weretogoouttothelifeboatstation，andthenonaroundtheshoretothelittleamphitheatreofblackberrybushes——wheretheyhadpromisedalwaystowriteoneanotherontheanniversaryoftheirfirstvisit——andthenforthelasttimeclimbthehill，andgoacrossthebreezydownstothecity.
Thencamethelastdayoftheoldyear，thelastdaybutonethattheywouldbetogether.Theyspentitinalongramblealongthewater—front，followingthelineoftheshippingevenasfarasMeiggs’sWharf.Theyhadcomebacktotheflatforsupper，andafterward，assoonasthefamilyhadleftthemalone，hadsettledthemselvesinthebaywindowtowatchtheNewYearin.
Thelittledining—roomwasdark，butfortheindistinctbluroflightthatcameinthroughthewindow——alightthatwasaminglingoftheafterglow，thenew—risenmoon，andthefainthazethatthecitythrewoffintotheskyfromitsstreetlampsandelectrics.
Fromwheretheysattheycouldlookdown，almostasfromatower，intothecity’sstreets.Hereacornercameintoview;furtheronagreatpuffofgreenfoliage——palmsandpinessidebyside——over—
lookedawall.Hereastreetwasvisibleforalmostitsentirelength，likeastreamofasphaltflowingdownthepitchofthehill，dammedoneithersidebyrowsuponrowsofhouses;whilefurtheronthevagueconfusionofroofsandfacadesopenedoutaroundapatchofgreenlawn，thegardenofsomelargerresidence.
Astheylookedandwatched，theafterglowcaughtwindowafterwindow，tillallthatquarterofthecityseemedtostareupatthemfromathousandruddyeyes.Thewindowsseemedinfiniteinnumber，thestreetsendlessintheircomplications：yeteverythingwasdeserted.Atthishourthestreetswereempty，andwouldremainsountildaylight.Notasoulwasstirring;nofacelookedfromanyofthosemyriadsofglowingwindows;nofootfalldisturbedthesilenceofthoseasphaltstreets.There，almostwithincallbehindthosewindows，shutofffromthoseemptystreets，athousandhumanliveswereteeming，eachthecentreofitsowncircleofthoughtsandwordsandactions;andyetthesolitudewasprofound，thedesolationcomplete.thestillnessunbrokenbyasingleecho.
Thenight——thelastnightoftheoldyear——wasfine;thewhite，clearlightfromamoontheycouldnotseegrewwideandclearoverthecity，asthelastgleamofthesunsetfaded.Itwasjustwarmenoughforthewindowtobeopen，andfornearlythreehoursCondyandBlixsatlookingdownuponthecityintheselastmomentsofthepassingyear，feelingupontheirfacesanoccasionaltouchofthebreeze，thatcarriedwithitthesmelloftreesandflowersfromthegardensbelowthem，andthefaintfinetaintoftheoceanfromfaroutbeyondtheHeads.Butthescenewasnotinrealitysilent.Attimeswhentheylistenedintently，especiallywhentheyclosedtheireyes，therecametothemasubdued，steadybourdon，profound，unceasing，avast，numbmurmur，likenoothersoundinallthegamutofnature——thesoundofacityatnight，thehumofagreat，conglomeratelife，wroughtouttherefrommomenttomomentunderthestarsandunderthemoon，whilethelasthoursoftheoldyeardroppedquietlyaway.
Astarfell.
Sittinginthewindow，thetwonoticeditatonce，andCondystirredforthefirsttimeinfifteenminutes.
\"Thatwasaverylongone，\"hesaid，inalowvoice.\"Blix，youmustwritetome——wemustwriteeachotheroften.\"
\"Oh，yes，\"sheanswered.\"Wemustnotforgeteachother;wehavehadtoogoodatimeforthat.\"
\"Fouryearsisalongtime，\"hewenton.\"Lotscanhappeninfouryears.WonderwhatI’llbedoingattheendoffouryears？We’vehadapleasanttimewhileitlasted，Blix.\"
\"Haven’twe？\"shesaid，herchinonherhand，themoonlightshininginherlittle，dark—browneyes.
Well，hewasgoingtoloseher.Hehadfoundoutthathelovedheronlyintimetofeelthewrenchofpartingfromherallthemorekeenly.Whatwashetodowithhimselfaftershewasgone？
Whatcouldheturntoinordertofillupthegreatemptinessthathergoingwouldleaveinhisdailylife？Andwasshenevertoknowhowdearshewastohim？Whynotspeaktoher，whynottellherthathelovedher？ButCondyknewthatBlixdidnotlovehim，andtheknowledgeofthatmustkeephimsilent;hemusthughissecrettohim，liketheSpartanboywithhisstolenfox，nomatterhowgrievouslyithurthimtodoso.HeandBlixhadlivedthroughtwomonthsofrarest，mostuntroubledhappiness，withhardlymoreself—consciousnessthantwoyoungandhealthyboys.Tobringthattroublous，disquietingelementoflovebetweenthem——unrequitedlove，ofallthings——wouldbeafolly.Shewouldtellhim——mustinallhonestytellhimthatshedidnotlovehim，andalltheirdeliciouscamaraderiewouldendina\"scene.\"Condy，aboveeverything，wishedtolookbackonthosetwomonths，aftershehadgone，withoutbeingabletorememberthereinonesinglenotethatjarred.Ifthememoryofherwasallthathewastohave，heresolvedthatatleastthatmemoryshouldbeperfect.
Andtheloveofherhadmadeamanofhim——hecouldnotforgetthat;hadgiventohimjustthestrengththatmadeitpossibleforhimtokeepthatresolute，grimsilencenow.Inthosetwomonthshehadgrownfiveyears;hewasmoremasculine，morevirile.Theverysetofhismouthwasdifferent;betweentheeye—browstheclefthaddeepened;hisvoiceitselfvibratedtoaheaviernote.
No，no;solongasheshouldlive，he，mangrownashewas，couldneverforgetthisgirlofnineteenwhohadcomeintohislifesoquietly，sounexpectedly，whohadinfluenceditsoirresistiblyandsounmistakablyforitsbetterment，andwhohadpassedoutofitwiththepassingoftheyear.
ForafewmomentsCondyhadbeenabsent—mindedlysnappingthelidofhiscigarettecase，whilehethought;nowheselectedacigarette，returnedthecasetohispocket，andfumbledforamatch.Butthelittlegun—metalcasehecarriedwasempty.Blixroseandgropedforamomentuponthemantel—shelf，thenreturnedandhandedhimamatch，andstoodoverhimwhilehescrapeditunderthearmofthechairwhereinhesat.Evenwhenhiscigarettewaslightedshestillstoodthere，lookingathim，thefingersofherhandsclaspedinfrontofher，herhair，onesideofhercheek，herchin，andsweet，roundneckoutlinedbythefaintbluroflightthatcamefromtheopenwindow.Thenquietlyshesaid：
\"Well，Condy？\"
\"Well，Blix？\"
\"Just’well’？\"sherepeated.\"Isthatall？Isthatallyouhavetosaytome？\"
Hegaveagreatstart.
\"Blix！\"heexclaimed.
\"Isthatall？Andyouaregoingtoletmegoawayfromyouforsolong，andsaynothingmorethanthattome？Youthinkyouhavebeensocareful，thinkyouhavekeptyoursecretsoclose！Condy，don’tyousupposeIknow？Doyousupposewomenaresoblind？No，youdon’tneedtotellme;Iknow——I’veknownit——oh，forweeks！\"
\"Youknow——know——knowwhat？\"heexclaimed，breathless.
\"Thatyouhavebeenpretendingthatyoudidnotloveme.Iknowthatyoudoloveme——Iknowyouhavebeentryingtokeepitfrommeforfearitwouldspoilourgoodtimes，andbecausewehadmadeupourmindstobechums，andhave’nomorefoolishness.’Once——inthosedayswhenwefirstkneweachother——Iknewyoudidnotlovemewhenyousaidyoudid;butnow，since——oh，sincethatafternoonintheChineserestaurant，remember？——I’veknownthatyoudidloveme，althoughyoupretendedyoudidn’t.ItwasthepretenceI
wantedtoberidof;Iwantedtoberidofitwhenyousaidyoulovedmeanddidn’t，andIwanttoberidofitnowwhenYOU
pretendnottolovemeandIKNOWyoudo，\"andBlixleanedbackherheadasshespokethat\"know，\"lookingathimfromunderherlids，asmileuponherlips.\"It’sthepretencethatIwon’thave，\"sheadded.\"Wemustbesincerewitheachother，youandI.\"
\"Blix，doYOUloveME？\"
Condyhadrisentohisfeet，hisbreathwascomingquick，hiscigarettewasflungaway，andhishandsopenedandshutswiftly.
\"Oh，Blixy，littlegirl，doYOUloveME？\"
Theystoodthereforamomentinthehalfdark，facingoneanother，theirheartsbeating，theirbreathfailingtheminthetensionoftheinstant.Thereinthatroom，highabovethecity，alittleclimaxhadcomeswiftlytoahead，acrisisintwoliveshadsuddenlydeveloped.Themomentthathadbeeninpreparationforthelastfewmonths，thelastfewyears，thelastfewcenturies，behold！ithadarrived.
\"Blix，doyouloveme？\"
SuddenlyitwastheNewYear.Somewherecloseathandachorusofchimingchurchbellssangtogether.Faroffinthedirectionofthewharves，wherethegreatoceansteamshipslay，cametheglad，sonorousshoutingofawhistle;fromanearbystreetabuglecalledaloud.Andthenfrompointtopoint，fromstreettorooftop，andfromrooftospire，thevaguemurmurofmanysoundsgrewandspreadandwidened，slowly，grandly;thatprofoundandsteadybourdon，asofaninvisibleorganswelling，deepening，andexpandingtothefullmalediapasonofthecityarousedandsignalingtheadventofanotheryear.
Andtheyheardit，theytwoheardit，standingtherefacetoface，lookingintoeachother’seyes，thatunansweredquestionyetbetweenthem，thequestionthathadcometothemwiththeturningoftheyear.ItwastheoldyearyetwhenCondyhadaskedthatquestion.Inthatmoment’spause，whileBlixhesitatedtoanswerhim，theNewYearhadcome.Andwhilethehuge，vastnoteofthecityswelledandvibrated，shestillkeptsilent.Butonlyforamoment.Thenshecameclosertohim，andputahandoneachofhisshoulders.
\"HappyNewYear，dear，\"shesaid.
*****************
OnNewYear’sDay，thelastdaytheyweretobetogether，BlixandCondytook\"theirwalk，\"astheyhadcometocallit——thewalkthatincludedthelifeboatstation，theGoldenGate，theoceanbeachbeyondtheoldfort，thegreen，bare，flower—starredhillsanddowns，andthesmoothlevelsofthegolflinks.Blixhadbeenbusywiththelastdetailsofherpacking，andtheydidnotgetstarteduntiltowardtwointheafternoon.
\"Strikeme！\"exclaimedCaptainJack，asBlixinformedhimthatshehadcometosaygood—by.\"Why，ain’tthisverysudden—like，MissBessemer？Hey，Kitty，comeinhere.Here’sMissBessemercometosaygood—by;goingtoNewYorkto—morrow.\"
\"We’llregularlybelonesomewithoutyou，miss，\"saidK.D.B.，asshecameintothefrontroom，bringingwithherabrisk，pungentodorofboiledvegetables.\"NewYork——suchatownasitmustbe！
ItwascalledManhattanatfirst，youknow，andwassettledbytheDutch.\"
EvidentlyK.D.B.hadreachedtheN’s.
Withsuchdeftnessasshepossessed，Blixtriedtoturntheconversationuponthefirstmeetingoftheretiredseacaptainandtheone—timecostumereader，butalltonopurpose.The\"MatrimonialObjects\"wereperhapsalittleashamedoftheir\"personals\"bynow，andneitherBlixnorCondywereevertoheartheirversionofthemeetinginthebackdining—roomofLuna’sMexicanrestaurant.CaptainJackwas，infact，anxioustochangethesubject.
\"Anynewsoftheyarnyet？\"hesuddenlyinquiredofCondy\"WhatdothoseEasternpublishin’peoplethinkofOurMugandBillyIshamandthewhiskeyschooner？\"
Condyhadreceivedtherejectedmanuscriptof\"InDefianceofAuthority\"thatmorning，accompaniedbyaletterfromtheCentennialCompany.
\"Well，\"hesaidinanswer，\"they’renot，asyoumightsay，fallingoverthemselvestryingtoseewho’llbethefirsttoprintit.
It’sbeenreturned.\"
\"Thedevilyousay！\"respondedtheCaptain.\"Well，that’skindofdisappointin’toyou，ain’tit？\"
\"But，\"Blixhastenedtoadd，\"we’renotatalldiscouraged.We’regoingtosenditoffagainrightaway.\"
Thenshesaidgood—bytothem.
\"Idunnoasyou’llseemeherewhenyoucomeback，miss，\"saidtheCaptain，atthegate，hisarmaroundK.D.B.\"I’vegottoschemin’again.Doyouknow，\"headded，inalow，confidentialtone，\"thatalltheminesinCaliforniasendtheirclean—upsandgoldbricksdowntotheSelbysmeltin’worksonceeveryweek？Theysend’emtoSanFranciscofirst，andtheyaretakenuptoSelby’sWednesdayafternoonsonalittlestern—wheelsteamercalledthe\"Monticello.\"Allthembricksareinabox——dumpedinlikesomuchcoal——andthatboxsetsjustunderthewheel—house，for’ard.Howmuchmoneydoyousupposethembricksrepresent？Well，I’lltellyou;lastweektheyrepresentedsevenhundredandeightythousanddollars.Well，now，IgotachartofthebaynearVallejo;thechannel’sallright，buttherearemudflatsthatrunoutfromshorethreemiles.Enoughwaterforawhitehall，butnotenoughfor——well，forthepatrolboat，forinstance.Twoorthreeslickboys，ofafoggynight——ofcourse，I’mnotinthatkindofgame，butstrike！itwouldbeadealnow，wouldn’tit？\"
\"Don’tyoubelievehim，miss，\"putinK.D.B.\"He’sjusttalkingtoshowoff.\"
\"IthinkyourschemeofholdingupaCunardliner，\"saidCondy，withgreatearnestness，\"ismorefeasible.Youcouldlayacrosshercourseandflyadistresssignal.She’dhavetoheaveto.\"
\"Yes，Ibeenthinkin’o’that;butlookhere——what’stopreventthelinertakingrightafteryourschoonerafteryou’vegotthestuffaboard——justfollowin’yourightaroundan’findin’outwhereyouland？\"
\"She’dbeundercontracttocarryGovernmentmails，\"contradictedCondy.\"Shecouldn’tdothat.You’dleavehermailsaboardforjustthatreason.Youwouldn’trobherofhermails;justsolongasshewascarryinggovernmentmailsshecouldn’tstop.\"
TheCaptainclappedhispalmdownuponthegate—post.
\"Strikemestraight！Ineverthoughtofthat.\"
ChapterXIV
BlixandCondywenton;onalongthenarrowroadupontheedgeofthesaltmarshesandtulesthatlaybetweenthestationandtheGoldenGate;ontotheGoldenGateitself，andaroundtheoldgrime—incrustedforttotheoceanshore，withitsreachesofhard，whitesand，wherethebowlderslaytumbledandthesurfgrumbledincessantly.
TheworldseemedveryfarawayfromthemhereontheshoresofthePacific，onthatfirstafternoonoftheNewYear.Theyweresupremelyhappy，andtheysufficedtothemselves.Condyhadforgottenallaboutthenextday，whenhemustsaygood—bytoBlix.
Itdidnotseempossible，itwasnotwithintheboundsofpossibility，thatshewastogoaway——thattheytwoweretobeseparated.Andforthatmatter，to—morrowwasto—morrow.Itwastwenty—fourhoursaway.Thepresentmomentwassufficient.
Thepersistencewithwhichtheyclungtotheimmediatemoment，theirhappinessinlivingonlyinthepresent，hadbroughtaboutarathercuriousconditionofthingsbetweenthem.
Intheirloveforeachothertherewasnothoughtofmarriage;
theyweretoomuchoccupiedwiththejoyofbeingtogetheratthatparticularinstanttothinkofthefuture.Theylovedeachother，andthatwasenough.Theydidnotlookaheadfurtherthanthefollowingday，andthenbutfurtively，andonlyinorderthattheirmorrow’spartingmightintensifytheirhappinessofto—day.
ThatNewYear’sDaywastobetheendofeverything.Blixwasgoing;sheandCondywouldneverseeeachotheragain.Thethoughtofmarriage——withitscertainresponsibilities，itsduties，itsgravity，itsvague，troublousseriousness，itsinevitabledisappointments——wasevenalittledistastefultothem.
Theirromancehadbeenhithertowithoutaflaw;theyhadbeengenuinelyhappyinlittlethings.Itwasaswellthatitshouldendthatday，inallitspristinesweetness，unsulliedbyasinglebittermoment，undimmedbythecloudofasingledisillusionordisappointment.Whateverchancedtotheminlateryears，theycouldatleastcherishthisonememoryofapure，unselfishaffection，youngandunstainedandalmostwithoutthoughtofsex，comeandgoneontheverythresholdoftheirlives.Thiswastheend，theybothunderstood.Theyweregladthatitwastobeso.
Theydidnotevenspeakagainofwritingtoeachother.
Theyfoundoncemorethelittlesemicircleofblackberrybushesandthefallenlog，half—wayupthehillabovetheshore，andsatthereawhile，lookingdownuponthelonggreenrollers，marchingincessantlytowardthebeach，andtherebreakinginaprolongedexplosionofsolidgreenwaterandflyingspume.Andtheirglancefollowedtheirsucceedingranksfurtherandfurtherouttosea，tillthemultitudeblendedintothemass——thevast，green，shiftingmassthatdrewtheeyeonandon，totheabrupt，finelineofthehorizon.
Therewasnodetailinthescene.Therewasnothingbutthegreatreachoftheoceanfloor，theunbrokenplaneofbluesky，andthebaregreenslopeofland——threeimmensities，gigantic，vast，primordial.Itwasnoplacefortrivalideasandthoughtsoflittlethings.Themindharkedbackunconsciouslytothebroad，simpler，basicemotions，thefundamentalinstinctsoftherace.
Thehugespacesofearthandairandwatercarriedwiththemafeelingofkindlybutenormousforce——elementalforce，fresh，untutored，new，andyoung.Therewasbuoyancyinit;afine，breathlesssenseofupliftingandexhilaration;asensationasofbignessandareturntothehomely，human，naturallife，totheprimitiveoldimpulses，irresistible，changeless，andunhampered;
oldastheocean，stableasthehills，vastastheunplumbeddepthsofthesky.
CondyandBlixsatstill，listening，looking，andwatching——theintellectdrowsyandnumb;theemotions，thesenses，allaliveandbrimmingtothesurface.Vaguelytheyfelttheinfluenceofthemoment.Somethingwaspreparingforthem.Fromthelowest，untoucheddepthsintheheartsofeachofthemsomethingwasrisingsteadilytoconsciousnessandthelightofday.Thereisnonameforsuchthings，nonameforthemysterythatspanstheintervalbetweenmanandwoman——themysterythatbearsnorelationtotheirloveforeachother，butthatissomethingbetterthanlove，andwhosecomingsavorsofthemiraculous.
TheafternoonhadwanedandthesunhadbeguntosetwhenBlixrose.
\"Weshouldbegoing，Condy，\"shetoldhim.
Theystartedupthehill，andCondysaid：\"IfeelasthoughIhadbeensomehowasleepwithmyeyeswideopen.Whataglorioussunset！ItseemstomeasthoughIwerelivingdoubleeveryminute;andoh！Blix，isn’titthegreatestthingintheworldtoloveeachotheraswedo？\"
Theyhadcometothetopofthehillbynow，andwentonacrosstheopen，breezydowns，allstarredwithblueirisandwildheliotrope.Blixdrewhisarmaboutherwaist，andlaidhercheekuponhisshoulderwithalittlecaressingmotion.
\"AndIdoloveyou，dear，\"shesaid——\"loveyouwithallmyheart.
Andit’sforalways，too;Iknowthat.I’vebeenagirluntilwithinthelastthreeorfourdays——justagirl，dearest;notveryserious，I’mafraid，andnotcaringforanythingelsebeyond，whatwashappeningclosearoundme——don’tyouunderstand？ButsinceI’vefoundouthowmuchIlovedyouandknewthatyoulovedme——
why，everythingischangedforme.I’mnotthesame，IenjoythingsthatIneverthoughtofenjoyingbefore，andIfeelso——oh，LARGER，don’tyouknow？——andstronger，andsomuchmoreserious.
JustalittlewhileagoIwasonlynineteen，butIthink，dear，thatbylovingyouIhavebecome——allofasuddenandwithoutknowingit——awoman.\"
Alittletremblingranthroughherwiththewords.Shestoppedandputbotharmsaroundhisneck，herheadtippedback，hereyeshalfclosed，hersweetyellowhairrollingfromherforehead.Herwholedearbeingradiatedwiththatsweet，cleanperfumethatseemedtocomealikefromherclothes，herneck，herarms，herhair，andmouth——thedelicious，almostdivine，femininearomathatwaspartofherself.
\"Youdoloveme，Condy，don’tyou，justasIloveyou？\"
Suchwordsashecouldthinkofseemedpitifullyinadequate.Foranswerhecouldonlyholdherthecloser.Sheunderstood.Hereyesclosedslowly，andherfacedrewnearertohis.Justaboveawhisper，shesaid：
\"Iloveyou，dear！\"
\"Iloveyou，Blix！\"
Andtheykissedeachotherthenuponthemouth.
Meanwhilethesunhadbeensetting.Suchasunset！Thewholeworld，thethreegreatspacesofseaandlandandsky，wereincarnadinedwiththegloryofit.Theoceanfloorwasablindingredradiance，thehillswereamethyst，theskyonegiganticopal，andtheytwoseemedpoisedinthemidstofallthechaoticgloryofaprimitiveworld.ItwasNewYear’sDay;theearthwasnew，theyearwasnew，andtheirlovewasnewandstrong.Everythingwasbeforethem.Therewasnolongeranypast，nolongeranypresent.Regretsandmemorieshadnoplaceintheirnewworld.
ItwasHope，Hope，Hope，thatsangtothemandcalledtothemandsmoteintolifethenewkeenbloodofthem.
Thensuddenlycamethemiracle，liketheflashingoutofanewstar，whoseradiancetheyfeltbutcouldnotsee，likeaburstofmusicwhoseharmonytheyfeltbutcouldnothear.Andastheystoodtherealoneinallthatsimplegloryofskyandearthandsea，theyknewallinaninstantthatTHEYWEREFOREACHOTHER，foreverandforever，forbetterorforworse，tilldeathshouldthempart.Intotheirromance，intotheirworldoflittlethings，theirjoysofthemoment，theirhappinessofthehour，hadsuddenlydescendedagreatandlastingjoy，thehappinessofthegreat，graveissuesoflife——ahappinesssodeep，sointense，astothrillthemwithasenseofsolemnityandwonder.Insteadofbeingtheend，thatNewYear’sDaywasbutthebeginning——thebeginningoftheirrealromance.Allthefine，virile，masculineenergyofhimwasarousedandrampant.Allhersweet，strongwomanlinesshadbeensuddenlydeepenedandbroadened.Infine，hehadbecomeaman，andshewoman.Youth，life，andtheloveofmanandwoman，thestrengthofthehills，thedepthoftheocean，andthebeautyoftheskyatsunset;thatwaswhattheNewYearhadbroughttothem.
*****************
\"It’sgood—by，dear，isn’tit？\"saidBlix.
ButCondywouldnothaveitso.
\"No，no，\"hetoldher;\"no，Blix;nomatterhowoftenweseparateafterthiswonderfulNewYear’sDay，nomatterhowfarweareapart，WEtwoshallnever，neversaygood—by.\"
\"Oh，you’reright，you’reright！\"sheanswered，thetearsbeginningtoshineinherlittledark—browneyes.\"No;solongasweloveeachother，nothingmatters.There’snosuchthingasdistanceforus，isthere？Justthink，youwillbehereontheshoresofthePacific，andIontheshoresoftheAtlantic，butthewholecontinentcan’tcomebetweenUS.\"
\"Andwe’llbetogetheragain，Blix，\"hesaid;\"anditwon’tbeverylongnow.Justgivemetime——afewyearsnow.\"
\"Butsolongasweloveeachother，TIMEwon’tmattereither.\"
\"Whatarethetearsfor，Blixy？\"heasked，pressinghishandkerchieftohercheek.
\"Becausethisisthesaddestandhappiestdayofmylife，\"sheanswered.Thenshepulledfromhimwithalittlelaugh，adding：
\"Look，Condy，you’vedroppedyourletter.Youpulleditoutjustnowwithyourhandkerchief.\"
AsCondypickeditup，shenotedthenameoftheCentennialCompanyuponthecorner.
\"It’stheletterIgotwiththemanuscriptofthenovelwhentheysentitback，\"heexplained.
\"Whatdidtheysay？\"
\"Oh，theusualthing.Ihaven’treadityet.Here’swhattheysay.\"Heopeneditandread：
\"WereturntoyouherewiththeMS.ofyournovel，’InDefianceofAuthority，’andregretthatourreaderdoesnotrecommenditasavailableforpublicationatpresent.Wehave，however，followedyourworkwithconsiderableinterest，andhavereadastorybyyou，copiedinoneofourexchanges，underthetitle，’AVictoryOverDeath，’whichwewouldhavebeengladtopublishourselves，hadyougivenusthechance.
\"WouldyouconsidertheofferoftheassistanteditorshipofourQUARTERLY，aliteraryandcriticalpamphlet，thatwepublishinNewYork，andwithwhichwepresumeyouarefamiliar？Wedonotbelievetherewouldbeanydifficultyinthematteroffinancialarrangements.Incaseyoushoulddecidetocomeon，weincloseR.
R.passesviatheA.T.&S.F.，C.&A.，andNewYorkCentral.
\"Verytruly，\"THECENTENNIALPUBLISHINGCOMPANY，\"NEWYORK.\"
Thetwoexchangedglances.ButBlixwastooexcitedtospeak，andcouldonlygiveventtoalittle，quivering，chokingsigh.Theletterwasaveritablegodfromthemachine，theonethinglackingtocompletetheirhappiness.
\"Idon’tknowhowthislookstoyou，\"Condybegan，tryingtobecalm，\"butitseemstomethatthisis——thatthis——this——\"
Butwhattheysaidthentheycouldneverafterwardremember.Thegoldenhazeofthesunsetsomehowgotintotheirrecollectionofthemoment，andtheycouldonlyrecallthefactthattheyhadbeengayerinthatmomentthaneverbeforeinalltheirlives.
Perhapsasgayastheyeverweretobeagain.Theybegantoknowthedifferencebetweengayetyandhappiness.ThatNewYear’sDay，thatsunset，markedforthemanendandabeginning.Itwastheendoftheirgay，irresponsible，hour—to—hourlifeofthepastthreemonths;anditwasthebeginningofanewlife，whosepossibilitiesofsorrowandoftrouble，ofpleasureandofhappiness，weregreaterthanaughttheyhadyetexperienced.Theyknewthis——theyfeltitinstinctively，aswithacommonimpulsetheyturnedandlookedbackupontheglowingearthandseaandsky，thebreakingsurf，thebeach，thedistant，rime—incrusted，ancientfort——allthatscenethattotheireyesstoodforthedear，free，carelesscompanionshipofthoselastfewmonths.
Theirnew—foundhappinesswasnotwithoutitssadnessalready.
Allwasovernow;theirsolitarywalks，thelong，stilleveningsinthelittledining—roomoverlookingthesleepingcity，theirexcursionstoLuna’s，theirafternoonsspentinthegoldenChinesebalcony，theirmorningsonthelake，calmandstillandhot.
Foreverandforevertheyhadsaidgood—bytothatlife.Alreadythesunsetwaslosingitsglory.
Then，withonelastlook，theyturnedaboutandsettheirfacesfromittothenewlife，totheEast，wherelaytheNation.OutbeyondthepurplebulwarksoftheSierras，faroff，thegreat，grimworldwentclashingthroughitsgrooves——theworldthatnowtheyweretoknow，theworldthatcalledtothem，andwokethem，androusedthem.Theirlittlegayetiesweredone;thelifeoflittlethingswasallbehind.Nowforthefuture.Thesternernotehadstruck——workwastobedone;that，too，theNewYearhadbroughttothem——workforeachofthem，workandtheworldofmen.
Foramomenttheyshrankfromit，lothtotakethefirststepbeyondtheconfinesofthegardenwhereintheyhadlivedsojoyouslyandlearnedtoloveeachother;andastheystoodthere，facingthegrayanddarkeningEasternsky，theirbacksforeverturnedtothesunset，Blixdrewclosertohim，puttingherhandinhis，lookingalittletimidlyintohiseyes.Buthisarmwasaroundher，andthestrongyoungforcethatlookedintohereyesfromhisgavehercourage.
\"AhappyNewYear，dear，\"shesaid.
\"Avery，veryhappyNewYear，Blix，\"heanswered.
[TheEnd]