Therewasnothingforthemtosay。Theyhadspentthelastpennyoftheirsmallchange;
therewasnothingleftbutgold。Thedayoflove—tokenswaspast。Theyhadnowonlytheirheartstogiveeachother。AndEmilbeinggone,whatwasherlifetobelike?Insomeways,itwouldbeeasier。Shewouldnot,atleast,liveinperpetualfear。IfEmilwereonceawayandsettledatwork,shewouldnothavethefeelingthatshewasspoilinghislife。Withthememoryhelefther,shecouldbeasrashasshechose。Nobodycouldbetheworseforitbutherself;andthat,surely,didnotmatter。
Herowncasewasclear。Whenagirlhadlovedoneman,andthenlovedanotherwhilethatmanwasstillalive,everybodyknewwhattothinkofher。Whathappenedtoherwasoflittlecon—
sequence,solongasshedidnotdragotherpeopledownwithher。Emilonceaway,shecouldleteverythingelsegoandliveanewlifeofperfectlove。
Marieleftthestilereluctantly。Shehad,afterall,thoughthemightcome。Andhowgladsheoughttobe,shetoldherself,thathewasasleep。Sheleftthepathandwentacrossthepasture。Themoonwasalmostfull。Anowlwashootingsomewhereinthefields。Shehadscarcelythoughtaboutwhereshewasgoingwhenthepondglitteredbeforeher,whereEmilhadshottheducks。Shestoppedandlookedatit。Yes,therewouldbeadirtywayoutoflife,ifonechosetotakeit。Butshedidnotwanttodie。Shewantedtoliveanddream——ahundredyears,forever!Aslongasthissweetnesswelledupinherheart,aslongasherbreastcouldholdthistreasureofpain!Shefeltasthepondmustfeelwhenitheldthemoonlikethat;whenitencircledandswelledwithInthemorning,whenEmilcamedown—
stairs,Alexandramethiminthesitting—roomandputherhandsonhisshoulders。\"Emil,I
wenttoyourroomassoonasitwaslight,butyouweresleepingsosoundIhatedtowakeyou。Therewasnothingyoucoulddo,soI
letyousleep。TheytelephonedfromSainte—
AgnesthatAmedeediedatthreeo’clockthismorning。\"
VI
TheChurchhasalwaysheldthatlifeisfortheliving。OnSaturday,whilehalfthevil—
lageofSainte—AgneswasmourningforAme—
deeandpreparingthefuneralblackforhisburialonMonday,theotherhalfwasbusywithwhitedressesandwhiteveilsforthegreatconfirmationserviceto—morrow,whenthebishopwastoconfirmaclassofonehundredboysandgirls。FatherDuchesnedividedhistimebetweenthelivingandthedead。AlldaySaturdaythechurchwasasceneofbustlingactivity,alittlehushedbythethoughtofAmedee。ThechoirwerebusyrehearsingamassofRossini,whichtheyhadstudiedandpractisedforthisoccasion。Thewomenweretrimmingthealtar,theboysandgirlswerebringingflowers。
OnSundaymorningthebishopwastodriveoverlandtoSainte—AgnesfromHanover,andEmilBergsonhadbeenaskedtotaketheplaceofoneofAmedee’scousinsinthecavalcadeoffortyFrenchboyswhoweretorideacrosscoun—
trytomeetthebishop’scarriage。Atsixo’clockonSundaymorningtheboysmetatthechurch。
Astheystoodholdingtheirhorsesbythebridle,theytalkedinlowtonesoftheirdeadcomrade。
TheykeptrepeatingthatAmedeehadalwaysbeenagoodboy,glancingtowardtheredbrickchurchwhichhadplayedsolargeapartinAmedee’slife,hadbeenthesceneofhismostseriousmomentsandofhishappiesthours。Hehadplayedandwrestledandsungandcourtedunderitsshadow。Onlythreeweeksagohehadproudlycarriedhisbabytheretobechristened。
TheycouldnotdoubtthatthatinvisiblearmwasstillaboutAmedee;thatthroughthechurchonearthhehadpassedtothechurchtriumph—
ant,thegoalofthehopesandfaithofsomanyhundredyears。
Whenthewordwasgiventomount,theyoungmenrodeatawalkoutofthevillage;
butonceoutamongthewheatfieldsinthemorningsun,theirhorsesandtheirownyouthgotthebetterofthem。Awaveofzealandfieryenthusiasmsweptoverthem。TheylongedforaJerusalemtodeliver。Thethudoftheirgal—
lopinghoofsinterruptedmanyacountrybreak—
fastandbroughtmanyawomanandchildtothedoorofthefarmhousesastheypassed。FivemileseastofSainte—Agnestheymetthebishopinhisopencarriage,attendedbytwopriests。
Likeonemantheboysswungofftheirhatsinabroadsalute,andbowedtheirheadsasthehandsomeoldmanliftedhistwofingersintheepiscopalblessing。Thehorsemenclosedaboutthecarriagelikeaguard,andwheneverarest—
lesshorsebrokefromcontrolandshotdowntheroadaheadofthebody,thebishoplaughedandrubbedhisplumphandstogether。\"Whatfineboys!\"hesaidtohispriests。\"TheChurchstillhashercavalry。\"
Asthetroopsweptpastthegraveyardhalfamileeastofthetown,——thefirstframechurchoftheparishhadstoodthere,——oldPierreSeguinwasalreadyoutwithhispickandspade,diggingAmedee’sgrave。Hekneltandun—
coveredasthebishoppassed。TheboyswithoneaccordlookedawayfromoldPierretotheredchurchonthehill,withthegoldcrossflamingonitssteeple。
Masswasateleven。Whilethechurchwasfilling,EmilBergsonwaitedoutside,watchingthewagonsandbuggiesdriveupthehill。Afterthebellbegantoring,hesawFrankShabatarideuponhorsebackandtiehishorsetothehitch—bar。Marie,then,wasnotcoming。Emilturnedandwentintothechurch。Amedee’swastheonlyemptypew,andhesatdowninit。
SomeofAmedee’scousinswerethere,dressedinblackandweeping。Whenallthepewswerefull,theoldmenandboyspackedtheopenspaceatthebackofthechurch,kneelingonthefloor。Therewasscarcelyafamilyintownthatwasnotrepresentedintheconfirmationclass,byacousin,atleast。Thenewcommunicants,withtheirclear,reverentfaces,werebeautifultolookuponastheyenteredinabodyandtookthefrontbenchesreservedforthem。EvenbeforetheMassbegan,theairwaschargedwithfeeling。ThechoirhadneversungsowellandRaoulMarcel,inthe\"Gloria,\"dreweventhebishop’seyestotheorganloft。FortheoffertoryhesangGounod’s\"AveMaria,\"——
alwaysspokenofinSainte—Agnesas\"theAveMaria。\"
EmilbegantotorturehimselfwithquestionsaboutMarie。Wassheill?Hadshequarreledwithherhusband?Wasshetoounhappytofindcomfortevenhere?Hadshe,perhaps,thoughtthathewouldcometoher?Wasshewaitingforhim?Overtaxedbyexcitementandsorrowashewas,theraptureoftheservicetookholduponhisbodyandmind。AshelistenedtoRaoul,heseemedtoemergefromthecon—
flictingemotionswhichhadbeenwhirlinghimaboutandsuckinghimunder。Hefeltasifaclearlightbrokeuponhismind,andwithitaconvictionthatgoodwas,afterall,strongerthanevil,andthatgoodwaspossibletomen。
Heseemedtodiscoverthattherewasakindofraptureinwhichhecouldloveforeverwith—
outfalteringandwithoutsin。HelookedacrosstheheadsofthepeopleatFrankShabatawithcalmness。Thatrapturewasforthosewhocouldfeelit;forpeoplewhocouldnot,itwasnon—existent。HecovetednothingthatwasFrankShabata’s。Thespirithehadmetinmusicwashisown。FrankShabatahadneverfoundit;wouldneverfinditifhelivedbesideitathousandyears;wouldhavedestroyeditifhehadfoundit,asHerodslewtheinnocents,asRomeslewthemartyrs。
SAN——CTAMARI—I—I—A,wailedRaoulfromtheorganloft;
O——RAPRONO—O—BIS!
AnditdidnotoccurtoEmilthatanyonehadeverreasonedthusbefore,thatmusichadeverbeforegivenamanthisequivocalrevelation。
TheconfirmationservicefollowedtheMass。
Whenitwasover,thecongregationthrongedaboutthenewlyconfirmed。Thegirls,andeventheboys,werekissedandembracedandweptover。Alltheauntsandgrandmothersweptwithjoy。Thehousewiveshadmuchadototearthemselvesawayfromthegeneralrejoicingandhurrybacktotheirkitchens。Thecountryparishionerswerestayingintownfordinner,andnearlyeveryhouseinSainte—Agnesenter—
tainedvisitorsthatday。FatherDuchesne,thebishop,andthevisitingpriestsdinedwithFabienSauvage,thebanker。EmilandFrankShabatawerebothguestsofoldMoiseMarcel。
AfterdinnerFrankandoldMoiseretiredtotherearroomofthesaloontoplayCaliforniaJackanddrinktheircognac,andEmilwentovertothebanker’swithRaoul,whohadbeenaskedtosingforthebishop。
Atthreeo’clock,Emilfeltthathecouldstanditnolonger。Heslippedoutundercoverof\"TheHolyCity,\"followedbyMalvina’swistfuleye,andwenttothestableforhismare。
Hewasatthatheightofexcitementfromwhicheverythingisforeshortened,fromwhichlifeseemsshortandsimple,deathverynear,andthesoulseemstosoarlikeaneagle。AsherodepastthegraveyardhelookedatthebrownholeintheearthwhereAmedeewastolie,andfeltnohorror。That,too,wasbeautiful,thatsimpledoorwayintoforgetfulness。Theheart,whenitistoomuchalive,achesforthatbrownearth,andecstasyhasnofearofdeath。Itistheoldandthepoorandthemaimedwhoshrinkfromthatbrownhole;itswooersarefoundamongtheyoung,thepassionate,thegallant—hearted。
ItwasnotuntilhehadpassedthegraveyardthatEmilrealizedwherehewasgoing。Itwasthehourforsayinggood—bye。Itmightbethelasttimethathewouldseeheralone,andto—
dayhecouldleaveherwithoutrancor,withoutbitterness。
Everywherethegrainstoodripeandthehotafternoonwasfullofthesmelloftheripewheat,likethesmellofbreadbakinginanoven。Thebreathofthewheatandthesweetcloverpassedhimlikepleasantthingsinadream。Hecouldfeelnothingbutthesenseofdiminishingdis—
tance。Itseemedtohimthathismarewasfly—
ing,orrunningonwheels,likearailwaytrain。
Thesunlight,flashingonthewindow—glassofthebigredbarns,drovehimwildwithjoy。Hewaslikeanarrowshotfromthebow。HislifepoureditselfoutalongtheroadbeforehimasherodetotheShabatafarm。
WhenEmilalightedattheShabatas’gate,hishorsewasinalather。Hetiedherinthestableandhurriedtothehouse。Itwasempty。
ShemightbeatMrs。Hiller’sorwithAlexan—
dra。Butanythingthatremindedhimofherwouldbeenough,theorchard,themulberrytree……Whenhereachedtheorchardthesunwashanginglowoverthewheatfield。Longfingersoflightreachedthroughtheapplebranchesasthroughanet;theorchardwasrid—
dledandshotwithgold;lightwasthereality,thetreesweremerelyinterferencesthatreflectedandrefractedlight。Emilwentsoftlydownbetweenthecherrytreestowardthewheatfield。
Whenhecametothecorner,hestoppedshortandputhishandoverhismouth。Mariewaslyingonhersideunderthewhitemulberrytree,herfacehalfhiddeninthegrass,hereyesclosed,herhandslyinglimplywheretheyhadhappenedtofall。Shehadlivedadayofhernewlifeofperfectlove,andithadleftherlikethis。
Herbreastroseandfellfaintly,asifshewereasleep。Emilthrewhimselfdownbesideherandtookherinhisarms。Thebloodcamebacktohercheeks,herambereyesopenedslowly,andinthemEmilsawhisownfaceandtheorchardandthesun。\"Iwasdreamingthis,\"shewhis—
pered,hidingherfaceagainsthim,\"don’ttakemydreamaway!\"
VII
WhenFrankShabatagothomethatnight,hefoundEmil’smareinhisstable。Suchanimpertinenceamazedhim。Likeeverybodyelse,Frankhadhadanexcitingday。Sincenoonhehadbeendrinkingtoomuch,andhewasinabadtemper。Hetalkedbitterlytohim—
selfwhileheputhisownhorseaway,andashewentupthepathandsawthatthehousewasdarkhefeltanaddedsenseofinjury。Heap—
proachedquietlyandlistenedonthedoorstep。
Hearingnothing,heopenedthekitchendoorandwentsoftlyfromoneroomtoanother。
Thenhewentthroughthehouseagain,up—
stairsanddown,withnobetterresult。Hesatdownonthebottomstepoftheboxstairwayandtriedtogethiswitstogether。Inthatun—
naturalquiettherewasnosoundbuthisownheavybreathing。Suddenlyanowlbegantohootoutinthefields。Frankliftedhishead。
Anideaflashedintohismind,andhissenseofinjuryandoutragegrew。Hewentintohisbedroomandtookhismurderous405Winches—
terfromthecloset。
WhenFranktookuphisgunandwalkedoutofthehouse,hehadnotthefaintestpurposeofdoinganythingwithit。Hedidnotbelievethathehadanyrealgrievance。Butitgratifiedhimtofeellikeadesperateman。Hehadgotintothehabitofseeinghimselfalwaysindesperatestraits。Hisunhappytemperamentwaslikeacage;hecouldnevergetoutofit;andhefeltthatotherpeople,hiswifeinparticular,musthaveputhimthere。IthadnevermorethandimlyoccurredtoFrankthathemadehisownunhappiness。Thoughhetookuphisgunwithdarkprojectsinhismind,hewouldhavebeenparalyzedwithfrighthadheknownthattherewastheslightestprobabilityofhisevercarry—
inganyofthemout。
Frankwentslowlydowntotheorchardgate,stoppedandstoodforamomentlostinthought。Heretracedhisstepsandlookedthroughthebarnandthehayloft。Thenhewentouttotheroad,wherehetookthefoot—
pathalongtheoutsideoftheorchardhedge。
ThehedgewastwiceastallasFrankhimself,andsodensethatonecouldseethroughitonlybypeeringcloselybetweentheleaves。Hecouldseetheemptypathalongwayinthemoonlight。Hismindtraveledaheadtothestile,whichhealwaysthoughtofashauntedbyEmilBergson。Butwhyhadhelefthishorse?
Atthewheatfieldcorner,wheretheorchardhedgeendedandthepathledacrossthepasturetotheBergsons’,Frankstopped。Inthewarm,breathlessnightairheheardamurmuringsound,perfectlyinarticulate,aslowasthesoundofwatercomingfromaspring,wherethereisnofall,andwheretherearenostonestofretit。Frankstrainedhisears。Itceased。Heheldhisbreathandbegantotremble。Restingthebuttofhisgunontheground,hepartedthemulberryleavessoftlywithhisfingersandpeeredthroughthehedgeatthedarkfiguresonthegrass,intheshadowofthemulberrytree。
Itseemedtohimthattheymustfeelhiseyes,thattheymusthearhimbreathing。Buttheydidnot。Frank,whohadalwayswantedtoseethingsblackerthantheywere,foroncewantedtobelievelessthanhesaw。ThewomanlyingintheshadowmightsoeasilybeoneoftheBergsons’farm—girls……Againthemurmur,likewaterwellingoutoftheground。Thistimehehearditmoredistinctly,andhisbloodwasquickerthanhisbrain。Hebegantoact,justasamanwhofallsintothefirebeginstoact。Thegunsprangtohisshoulder,hesightedmechani—
callyandfiredthreetimeswithoutstopping,stoppedwithoutknowingwhy。Eitherheshuthiseyesorhehadvertigo。Hedidnotseeany—
thingwhilehewasfiring。Hethoughtheheardacrysimultaneouswiththesecondreport,buthewasnotsure。Hepeeredagainthroughthehedge,atthetwodarkfiguresunderthetree。
Theyhadfallenalittleapartfromeachother,andwereperfectlystill——No,notquite;inawhitepatchoflight,wherethemoonshonethroughthebranches,aman’shandwaspluck—
ingspasmodicallyatthegrass。
Suddenlythewomanstirredandutteredacry,thenanother,andanother。Shewasliving!
Shewasdraggingherselftowardthehedge!
Frankdroppedhisgunandranbackalongthepath,shaking,stumbling,gasping。Hehadneverimaginedsuchhorror。Thecriesfol—
lowedhim。Theygrewfainterandthicker,asifshewerechoking。Hedroppedonhiskneesbesidethehedgeandcrouchedlikearabbit,listening;fainter,fainter;asoundlikeawhine;
again——amoan——another——silence。Frankscrambledtohisfeetandranon,groaningandpraying。Fromhabithewenttowardthehouse,wherehewasusedtobeingsoothedwhenhehadworkedhimselfintoafrenzy,butatthesightoftheblack,opendoor,hestartedback。Heknewthathehadmurderedsomebody,thatawomanwasbleedingandmoaningintheor—
chard,buthehadnotrealizedbeforethatitwashiswife。Thegatestaredhimintheface。
Hethrewhishandsoverhishead。Whichwaytoturn?Heliftedhistormentedfaceandlookedatthesky。\"HolyMotherofGod,nottosuffer!Shewasagoodgirl——nottosuffer!\"
Frankhadbeenwonttoseehimselfindra—
maticsituations;butnow,whenhestoodbythewindmill,inthebrightspacebetweenthebarnandthehouse,facinghisownblackdoorway,hedidnotseehimselfatall。Hestoodliketheharewhenthedogsareapproachingfromallsides。Andheranlikeahare,backandforthaboutthatmoonlitspace,beforehecouldmakeuphismindtogointothedarkstableforahorse。Thethoughtofgoingintoadoorwaywasterribletohim。HecaughtEmil’shorsebythebitandleditout。Hecouldnothavebuckledabridleonhisown。Aftertwoorthreeattempts,heliftedhimselfintothesad—
dleandstartedforHanover。Ifhecouldcatchtheoneo’clocktrain,hehadmoneyenoughtogetasfarasOmaha。
Whilehewasthinkingdullyofthisinsomelesssensitizedpartofhisbrain,hisacuterfacultiesweregoingoverandoverthecrieshehadheardintheorchard。Terrorwastheonlythingthatkepthimfromgoingbacktoher,terrorthatshemightstillbeshe,thatshemightstillbesuffering。Awoman,mutilatedandbleedinginhisorchard——itwasbecauseitwasawomanthathewassoafraid。Itwasincon—
ceivablethatheshouldhavehurtawoman。Hewouldratherbeeatenbywildbeaststhanseehermoveonthegroundasshehadmovedintheorchard。Whyhadshebeensocareless?
Sheknewhewaslikeacrazymanwhenhewasangry。Shehadmorethanoncetakenthatgunawayfromhimandheldit,whenhewasangrywithotherpeople。Onceithadgoneoffwhiletheywerestrugglingoverit。Shewasneverafraid。But,whensheknewhim,whyhadn’tshebeenmorecareful?Didn’tshehaveallsummerbeforehertoloveEmilBergsonin,withouttakingsuchchances?ProbablyshehadmettheSmirkaboy,too,downthereintheorchard。Hedidn’tcare。ShecouldhavemetallthemenontheDividethere,andwelcome,ifonlyshehadn’tbroughtthishorroronhim。
TherewasawrenchinFrank’smind。Hedidnothonestlybelievethatofher。Heknewthathewasdoingherwrong。Hestoppedhishorsetoadmitthistohimselfthemoredirectly,tothinkitoutthemoreclearly。Heknewthathewastoblame。Forthreeyearshehadbeentryingtobreakherspirit。Shehadawayofmakingthebestofthingsthatseemedtohimasentimentalaffectation。Hewantedhiswifetoresentthathewaswastinghisbestyearsamongthesestupidandunappreciativepeople;butshehadseemedtofindthepeoplequitegoodenough。IfheevergotrichhemeanttobuyherprettyclothesandtakehertoCaliforniainaPullmancar,andtreatherlikealady;butinthemeantimehewantedhertofeelthatlifewasasuglyandasunjustashefeltit。Hehadtriedtomakeherlifeugly。Hehadrefusedtoshareanyofthelittlepleasuresshewassopluckyaboutmakingforherself。Shecouldbegayabouttheleastthingintheworld;butshemustbegay!Whenshefirstcametohim,herfaithinhim,heradoration——Frankstruckthemarewithhisfist。WhyhadMariemadehimdothisthing;whyhadshebroughtthisuponhim?Hewasoverwhelmedbysickeningmis—
fortune。Allatonceheheardhercriesagain——
hehadforgottenforamoment。\"Maria,\"hesobbedaloud,\"Maria!\"
WhenFrankwashalfwaytoHanover,themotionofhishorsebroughtonaviolentattackofnausea。Afterithadpassed,herodeonagain,buthecouldthinkofnothingexcepthisphysicalweaknessandhisdesiretobecom—
fortedbyhiswife。Hewantedtogetintohisownbed。Hadhiswifebeenathome,hewouldhaveturnedandgonebacktohermeeklyenough。
VIII
WhenoldIvarclimbeddownfromhisloftatfouro’clockthenextmorning,hecameuponEmil’smare,jadedandlather—stained,herbridlebroken,chewingthescatteredtuftsofhayoutsidethestabledoor。Theoldmanwasthrownintoafrightatonce。Heputthemareinherstall,threwherameasureofoats,andthensetoutasfastashisbow—legscouldcarryhimonthepathtothenearestneighbor。
\"Somethingiswrongwiththatboy。Somemisfortunehascomeuponus。Hewouldneverhaveusedherso,inhisrightsenses。Itisnothiswaytoabusehismare,\"theoldmankeptmuttering,ashescuttledthroughtheshort,wetpasturegrassonhisbarefeet。
WhileIvarwashurryingacrossthefields,thefirstlongraysofthesunwerereachingdownbetweentheorchardboughstothosetwodew—
drenchedfigures。Thestoryofwhathadhap—
penedwaswrittenplainlyontheorchardgrass,andonthewhitemulberriesthathadfalleninthenightandwerecoveredwithdarkstain。
ForEmilthechapterhadbeenshort。Hewasshotintheheart,andhadrolledoveronhisbackanddied。Hisfacewasturneduptotheskyandhisbrowsweredrawninafrown,asifhehadrealizedthatsomethinghadbefallenhim。ButforMarieShabataithadnotbeensoeasy。Oneballhadtornthroughherrightlung,anotherhadshatteredthecarotidartery。Shemusthavestartedupandgonetowardthehedge,leavingatrailofblood。Thereshehadfallenandbled。Fromthatspottherewasanothertrail,heavierthanthefirst,whereshemusthavedraggedherselfbacktoEmil’sbody。
Oncethere,sheseemednottohavestruggledanymore。Shehadliftedherheadtoherlover’sbreast,takenhishandinbothherown,andbledquietlytodeath。Shewaslyingonherrightsideinaneasyandnaturalposition,hercheekonEmil’sshoulder。Onherfacetherewasalookofineffablecontent。Herlipswerepartedalittle;hereyeswerelightlyclosed,asifinaday—dreamoralightslumber。Aftershelaydownthere,sheseemednottohavemovedaneyelash。Thehandsheheldwascoveredwithdarkstains,whereshehadkissedit。
Butthestained,slipperygrass,thedarkenedmulberries,toldonlyhalfthestory。AboveMarieandEmil,twowhitebutterfliesfromFrank’salfalfa—fieldwereflutteringinandoutamongtheinterlacingshadows;divingandsoaring,nowclosetogether,nowfarapart;andinthelonggrassbythefencethelastwildrosesoftheyearopenedtheirpinkheartstodie。
WhenIvarreachedthepathbythehedge,hesawShabata’sriflelyingintheway。Heturnedandpeeredthroughthebranches,fallinguponhiskneesasifhislegshadbeenmowedfromunderhim。\"MercifulGod!\"hegroaned;
Alexandra,too,hadrisenearlythatmorning,becauseofheranxietyaboutEmil。ShewasinEmil’sroomupstairswhen,fromthewindow,shesawIvarcomingalongthepaththatledfromtheShabatas’。Hewasrunninglikeaspentman,totteringandlurchingfromsidetoside。Ivarneverdrank,andAlexandrathoughtatoncethatoneofhisspellshadcomeuponhim,andthathemustbeinaverybadwayindeed。Sherandownstairsandhurriedouttomeethim,tohidehisinfirmityfromtheeyesofherhousehold。Theoldmanfellintheroadatherfeetandcaughtherhand,overwhichhebowedhisshaggyhead。\"Mistress,mistress,\"hesobbed,\"ithasfallen!Sinanddeathfortheyoungones!Godhavemercyuponus!\"
EndofPartIV
PARTV
AlexandraI
Ivarwassittingatacobbler’sbenchinthebarn,mendingharnessbythelightofalanternandrepeatingtohimselfthe101stPsalm。Itwasonlyfiveo’clockofamid—Octoberday,butastormhadcomeupintheafternoon,bring—
ingblackclouds,acoldwindandtorrentsofrain。Theoldmanworehisbuffalo—skincoat,andoccasionallystoppedtowarmhisfingersatthelantern。Suddenlyawomanburstintotheshed,asifshehadbeenblownin,accompaniedbyashowerofrain—drops。ItwasSigna,wrappedinaman’sovercoatandwearingapairofbootsoverhershoes。IntimeoftroubleSignahadcomebacktostaywithhermistress,forshewastheonlyoneofthemaidsfromwhomAlexandrawouldacceptmuchpersonalservice。ItwasthreemonthsnowsincethenewsoftheterriblethingthathadhappenedinFrankShabata’sorchardhadfirstrunlikeafireovertheDivide。SignaandNelsewerestayingonwithAlexandrauntilwinter。
\"Ivar,\"Signaexclaimedasshewipedtherainfromherface,\"doyouknowwheresheis?\"
Theoldmanputdownhiscobbler’sknife。
\"Who,themistress?\"
\"Yes。Shewentawayaboutthreeo’clock。I
happenedtolookoutofthewindowandsawhergoingacrossthefieldsinherthindressandsun—hat。Andnowthisstormhascomeon。I
thoughtshewasgoingtoMrs。Hiller’s,andI
telephonedassoonasthethunderstopped,butshehadnotbeenthere。I’mafraidsheisoutsomewhereandwillgetherdeathofcold。\"
Ivarputonhiscapandtookupthelantern。
\"JA,JA,wewillsee。Iwillhitchtheboy’smaretothecartandgo。\"
Signafollowedhimacrossthewagon—shedtothehorses’stable。Shewasshiveringwithcoldandexcitement。\"Wheredoyousupposeshecanbe,Ivar?\"
Theoldmanliftedasetofsingleharnesscarefullyfromitspeg。\"HowshouldIknow?\"
\"Butyouthinksheisatthegraveyard,don’tyou?\"Signapersisted。\"SodoI。Oh,I
wishshewouldbemorelikeherself!Ican’tbelieveit’sAlexandraBergsoncometothis,withnoheadaboutanything。Ihavetotellherwhentoeatandwhentogotobed。\"
\"Patience,patience,sister,\"mutteredIvarashesettledthebitinthehorse’smouth。
\"Whentheeyesofthefleshareshut,theeyesofthespiritareopen。Shewillhaveamessagefromthosewhoaregone,andthatwillbringherpeace。Untilthenwemustbearwithher。YouandIaretheonlyoneswhohaveweightwithher。Shetrustsus。\"
\"Howawfulit’sbeentheselastthreemonths。\"Signaheldthelanternsothathecouldseetobucklethestraps。\"Itdon’tseemrightthatwemustallbesomiserable。Whydoweallhavetobepunished?Seemstomelikegoodtimeswouldnevercomeagain。\"
Ivarexpressedhimselfinadeepsigh,butsaidnothing。Hestoopedandtookasandburrfromhistoe。
\"Ivar,\"Signaaskedsuddenly,\"willyoutellmewhyyougobarefoot?AllthetimeIlivedhereinthehouseIwantedtoaskyou。Isitforapenance,orwhat?\"
\"No,sister。Itisfortheindulgenceofthebody。FrommyyouthupIhavehadastrong,rebelliousbody,andhavebeensubjecttoeverykindoftemptation。Eveninagemytempta—
tionsareprolonged。Itwasnecessarytomakesomeallowances;andthefeet,asIunderstandit,arefreemembers。Thereisnodivinepro—
hibitionforthemintheTenCommandments。
Thehands,thetongue,theeyes,theheart,allthebodilydesireswearecommandedtosub—
due;butthefeetarefreemembers。Iindulgethemwithoutharmtoanyone,eventotramp—
linginfilthwhenmydesiresarelow。Theyarequicklycleanedagain。\"
Signadidnotlaugh。ShelookedthoughtfulasshefollowedIvarouttothewagon—shedandheldtheshaftsupforhim,whilehebackedinthemareandbuckledthehold—backs。\"Youhavebeenagoodfriendtothemistress,Ivar,\"
shemurmured。
\"Andyou,Godbewithyou,\"repliedIvarasheclamberedintothecartandputthelan—
ternundertheoilclothlap—cover。\"Nowforaducking,mygirl,\"hesaidtothemare,gather—
ingupthereins。
Astheyemergedfromtheshed,astreamofwater,runningoffthethatch,struckthemareontheneck。Shetossedherheadindignantly,thenstruckoutbravelyonthesoftground,slippingbackagainandagainassheclimbedthehilltothemainroad。BetweentherainandthedarknessIvarcouldseeverylittle,soheletEmil’smarehavetherein,keepingherheadintherightdirection。Whenthegroundwaslevel,heturnedheroutofthedirtroaduponthesod,whereshewasabletotrotwithoutslipping。
BeforeIvarreachedthegraveyard,threemilesfromthehouse,thestormhadspentitself,andthedownpourhaddiedintoasoft,drippingrain。Theskyandthelandwereadarksmokecolor,andseemedtobecomingtogether,liketwowaves。WhenIvarstoppedatthegateandswungouthislantern,awhitefigurerosefrombesideJohnBergson’swhitestone。
Theoldmansprangtothegroundandshuf—
fledtowardthegatecalling,\"Mistress,mis—
tress!\"
Alexandrahurriedtomeethimandputherhandonhisshoulder。\"TYST!Ivar。There’snothingtobeworriedabout。I’msorryifI’vescaredyouall。Ididn’tnoticethestormtillitwasonme,andIcouldn’twalkagainstit。I’mgladyou’vecome。IamsotiredIdidn’tknowhowI’devergethome。\"
Ivarswungthelanternupsothatitshoneinherface。\"GUD!Youareenoughtofrightenus,mistress。Youlooklikeadrownedwoman。
Howcouldyoudosuchathing!\"
Groaningandmumblingheledheroutofthegateandhelpedherintothecart,wrappingherinthedryblanketsonwhichhehadbeensitting。
Alexandrasmiledathissolicitude。\"Notmuchuseinthat,Ivar。Youwillonlyshutthewetin。Idon’tfeelsocoldnow;butI’mheavyandnumb。I’mgladyoucame。\"
Ivarturnedthemareandurgedherintoaslidingtrot。Herfeetsentbackacontinualspatterofmud。
Alexandraspoketotheoldmanastheyjoggedalongthroughthesullengraytwilightofthestorm。\"Ivar,Ithinkithasdonemegoodtogetcoldclearthroughlikethis,once。Idon’tbelieveIshallsuffersomuchanymore。Whenyougetsonearthedead,theyseemmorerealthantheliving。Worldlythoughtsleaveone。
EversinceEmildied,I’vesufferedsowhenitrained。NowthatI’vebeenoutinitwithhim,Ishan’tdreadit。Afteryouoncegetcoldclearthrough,thefeelingoftherainonyouissweet。
Itseemstobringbackfeelingsyouhadwhenyouwereababy。Itcarriesyoubackintothedark,beforeyouwereborn;youcan’tseethings,buttheycometoyou,somehow,andyouknowthemandaren’tafraidofthem。Maybeit’slikethatwiththedead。Iftheyfeelanythingatall,it’stheoldthings,beforetheywereborn,thatcomfortpeoplelikethefeelingoftheirownbeddoeswhentheyarelittle。\"
\"Mistress,\"saidIvarreproachfully,\"thosearebadthoughts。ThedeadareinParadise。\"
Thenhehunghishead,forhedidnotbelievethatEmilwasinParadise。
Whentheygothome,Signahadafireburn—
inginthesitting—roomstove。SheundressedAlexandraandgaveherahotfootbath,whileIvarmadegingerteainthekitchen。WhenAlexandrawasinbed,wrappedinhotblankets,Ivarcameinwithhisteaandsawthatshedrankit。Signaaskedpermissiontosleepontheslatloungeoutsideherdoor。Alexandraenduredtheirattentionspatiently,butshewasgladwhentheyputoutthelampandlefther。
Asshelayaloneinthedark,itoccurredtoherforthefirsttimethatperhapsshewasactuallytiredoflife。Allthephysicaloperationsoflifeseemeddifficultandpainful。Shelongedtobefreefromherownbody,whichachedandwassoheavy。Andlongingitselfwasheavy:sheyearnedtobefreeofthat。
Asshelaywithhereyesclosed,shehadagain,morevividlythanformanyyears,theoldillu—
sionofhergirlhood,ofbeingliftedandcarriedlightlybysomeoneverystrong。Hewaswithheralongwhilethistime,andcarriedherveryfar,andinhisarmsshefeltfreefrompain。
Whenhelaidherdownonherbedagain,sheopenedhereyes,and,forthefirsttimeinherlife,shesawhim,sawhimclearly,thoughtheroomwasdark,andhisfacewascovered。Hewasstandinginthedoorwayofherroom。Hiswhitecloakwasthrownoverhisface,andhisheadwasbentalittleforward。Hisshouldersseemedasstrongasthefoundationsoftheworld。Hisrightarm,baredfromtheelbow,wasdarkandgleaming,likebronze,andsheknewatoncethatitwasthearmofthemighti—
estofalllovers。Sheknewatlastforwhomitwasshehadwaited,andwherehewouldcarryher。That,shetoldherself,wasverywell。
Thenshewenttosleep。
Alexandrawakenedinthemorningwithnothingworsethanahardcoldandastiffshoulder。Shekeptherbedforseveraldays,anditwasduringthattimethatsheformedaresolutiontogotoLincolntoseeFrankSha—
bata。Eversinceshelastsawhiminthecourt—
room,Frank’shaggardfaceandwildeyeshadhauntedher。Thetrialhadlastedonlythreedays。FrankhadgivenhimselfuptothepoliceinOmahaandpleadedguiltyofkill—
ingwithoutmaliceandwithoutpremeditation。
Thegunwas,ofcourse,againsthim,andthejudgehadgivenhimthefullsentence,——tenyears。HehadnowbeenintheStatePeni—
tentiaryforamonth。
Frankwastheonlyone,Alexandratoldher—
self,forwhomanythingcouldbedone。Hehadbeenlessinthewrongthananyofthem,andhewaspayingtheheaviestpenalty。SheoftenfeltthatsheherselfhadbeenmoretoblamethanpoorFrank。FromthetimetheShabatashadfirstmovedtotheneighboringfarm,shehadomittednoopportunityofthrowingMarieandEmiltogether。BecausesheknewFrankwassurlyaboutdoinglittlethingstohelphiswife,shewasalwayssendingEmilovertospadeorplantorcarpenterforMarie。ShewasgladtohaveEmilseeasmuchaspossibleofanintelli—
gent,city—bredgirlliketheirneighbor;sheno—
ticedthatitimprovedhismanners。SheknewthatEmilwasfondofMarie,butithadneveroccurredtoherthatEmil’sfeelingmightbedif—
ferentfromherown。Shewonderedatherselfnow,butshehadneverthoughtofdangerinthatdirection。IfMariehadbeenunmarried,——oh,yes!Thenshewouldhavekepthereyesopen。ButthemerefactthatshewasSha—
bata’swife,forAlexandra,settledeverything。
Thatshewasbeautiful,impulsive,barelytwoyearsolderthanEmil,thesefactshadhadnoweightwithAlexandra。Emilwasagoodboy,andonlybadboysranaftermarriedwomen。
Now,AlexandracouldinameasurerealizethatMariewas,afterall,Marie;notmerelya\"marriedwoman。\"Sometimes,whenAlex—
andrathoughtofher,itwaswithanachingtenderness。Themomentshehadreachedthemintheorchardthatmorning,everythingwascleartoher。Therewassomethingaboutthosetwolyinginthegrass,somethinginthewayMariehadsettledhercheekonEmil’sshoulder,thattoldhereverything。Shewonderedthenhowtheycouldhavehelpedlovingeachother;
howshecouldhavehelpedknowingthattheymust。Emil’scold,frowningface,thegirl’scontent——Alexandrahadfeltaweofthem,eveninthefirstshockofhergrief。
Theidlenessofthosedaysinbed,therelax—
ationofbodywhichattendedthem,enabledAlexandratothinkmorecalmlythanshehaddonesinceEmil’sdeath。SheandFrank,shetoldherself,wereleftoutofthatgroupoffriendswhohadbeenoverwhelmedbydisaster。
ShemustcertainlyseeFrankShabata。Eveninthecourtroomherhearthadgrievedforhim。
Hewasinastrangecountry,hehadnokins—
menorfriends,andinamomenthehadruinedhislife。Beingwhathewas,shefelt,Frankcouldnothaveactedotherwise。ShecouldunderstandhisbehaviormoreeasilythanshecouldunderstandMarie’s。Yes,shemustgotoLincolntoseeFrankShabata。
ThedayafterEmil’sfuneral,AlexandrahadwrittentoCarlLinstrum;asinglepageofnote—
paper,abarestatementofwhathadhappened。
Shewasnotawomanwhocouldwritemuchaboutsuchathing,andaboutherownfeelingsshecouldneverwriteveryfreely。SheknewthatCarlwasawayfrompost—offices,prospect—
ingsomewhereintheinterior。Beforehestartedhehadwrittenherwhereheexpectedtogo,butherideasaboutAlaskawerevague。Astheweekswentbyandsheheardnothingfromhim,itseemedtoAlexandrathatherheartgrewhardagainstCarl。Shebegantowonderwhethershewouldnotdobettertofinishherlifealone。
Whatwasleftoflifeseemedunimportant。
II
LateintheafternoonofabrilliantOctoberday,AlexandraBergson,dressedinablacksuitandtraveling—hat,alightedattheBurlingtondepotinLincoln。ShedrovetotheLindellHotel,whereshehadstayedtwoyearsagowhenshecameupforEmil’sCommencement。
Inspiteofherusualairofsurenessandself—
possession,Alexandrafeltillateaseinhotels,andshewasglad,whenshewenttotheclerk’sdesktoregister,thattherewerenotmanypeopleinthelobby。Shehadhersupperearly,wearingherhatandblackjacketdowntothedining—roomandcarryingherhandbag。Aftersuppershewentoutforawalk。
Itwasgrowingdarkwhenshereachedtheuniversitycampus。Shedidnotgointothegrounds,butwalkedslowlyupanddownthestonewalkoutsidethelongironfence,lookingthroughattheyoungmenwhowererunningfromonebuildingtoanother,atthelightsshin—
ingfromthearmoryandthelibrary。Asquadofcadetsweregoingthroughtheirdrillbehindthearmory,andthecommandsoftheiryoungofficerrangoutatregularintervals,sosharpandquickthatAlexandracouldnotunderstandthem。Twostalwartgirlscamedownthelibrarystepsandoutthroughoneoftheirongates。Astheypassedher,AlexandrawaspleasedtohearthemspeakingBohemiantoeachother。Everyfewmomentsaboywouldcomerunningdowntheflaggedwalkanddashoutintothestreetasifhewererushingtoannouncesomewondertotheworld。Alexandrafeltagreattendernessforthemall。Shewishedoneofthemwouldstopandspeaktoher。ShewishedshecouldaskthemwhethertheyhadknownEmil。
Asshelingeredbythesouthgatesheactuallydidencounteroneoftheboys。Hehadonhisdrillcapandwasswinginghisbooksattheendofalongstrap。Itwasdarkbythistime;
hedidnotseeherandranagainsther。Hesnatchedoffhiscapandstoodbareheadedandpanting。\"I’mawfullysorry,\"hesaidinabright,clearvoice,witharisinginflection,asifheexpectedhertosaysomething。
\"Oh,itwasmyfault!\"saidAlexandraeagerly。
\"Areyouanoldstudenthere,mayIask?\"
\"No,ma’am。I’maFreshie,justoffthefarm。CherryCounty。Wereyouhuntingsomebody?\"
\"No,thankyou。Thatis——\"Alexandrawantedtodetainhim。\"Thatis,Iwouldliketofindsomeofmybrother’sfriends。Hegradu—
atedtwoyearsago。\"
\"Thenyou’dhavetotrytheSeniors,wouldn’tyou?Let’ssee;Idon’tknowanyofthemyet,butthere’llbesuretobesomeofthemaroundthelibrary。Thatredbuilding,rightthere,\"hepointed。
\"Thankyou,I’lltrythere,\"saidAlexandralingeringly。
\"Oh,that’sallright!Good—night。\"TheladclappedhiscaponhisheadandranstraightdownEleventhStreet。Alexandralookedafterhimwistfully。
Shewalkedbacktoherhotelunreasonablycomforted。\"Whatanicevoicethatboyhad,andhowpolitehewas。IknowEmilwasalwayslikethattowomen。\"Andagain,aftershehadundressedandwasstandinginhernightgown,brushingherlong,heavyhairbytheelectriclight,sherememberedhimandsaidtoherself,\"Idon’tthinkIeverheardanicervoicethanthatboyhad。Ihopehewillgetonwellhere。
CherryCounty;that’swherethehayissofine,andthecoyotescanscratchdowntowater。\"
Atnineo’clockthenextmorningAlexandrapresentedherselfatthewarden’sofficeintheStatePenitentiary。ThewardenwasaGer—
man,aruddy,cheerful—lookingmanwhohadformerlybeenaharness—maker。AlexandrahadalettertohimfromtheGermanbankerinHanover。Asheglancedattheletter,Mr。
Schwartzputawayhispipe。
\"ThatbigBohemian,isit?Sure,he’sgettin’alongfine,\"saidMr。Schwartzcheer—
fully。
\"Iamgladtohearthat。Iwasafraidhemightbequarrelsomeandgethimselfintomoretrouble。Mr。Schwartz,ifyouhavetime,I
wouldliketotellyoualittleaboutFrankShabata,andwhyIaminterestedinhim。\"
ThewardenlistenedgeniallywhileshetoldhimbrieflysomethingofFrank’shistoryandcharacter,buthedidnotseemtofindanythingunusualinheraccount。
\"Sure,I’llkeepaneyeonhim。We’lltakecareofhimallright,\"hesaid,rising。\"Youcantalktohimhere,whileIgotoseetothingsinthekitchen。I’llhavehimsentin。Heoughttobedonewashingouthiscellbythistime。Wehavetokeep’emclean,youknow。\"
Thewardenpausedatthedoor,speakingbackoverhisshouldertoapaleyoungmaninconvicts’clotheswhowasseatedatadeskinthecorner,writinginabigledger。
\"Bertie,when1037isbroughtin,youjuststepoutandgivethisladyachancetotalk。\"
Theyoungmanbowedhisheadandbentoverhisledgeragain。
WhenMr。Schwartzdisappeared,Alexandrathrustherblack—edgedhandkerchiefnervouslyintoherhandbag。Comingoutonthestreet—
carshehadnothadtheleastdreadofmeetingFrank。Butsinceshehadbeenherethesoundsandsmellsinthecorridor,thelookofthemeninconvicts’clotheswhopassedtheglassdoorofthewarden’soffice,affectedherunpleasantly。
Thewarden’sclockticked,theyoungcon—
vict’spenscratchedbusilyinthebigbook,andhissharpshoulderswereshakeneveryfewsecondsbyaloosecoughwhichhetriedtosmother。Itwaseasytoseethathewasasickman。Alexandralookedathimtimidly,buthedidnotonceraisehiseyes。Heworeawhiteshirtunderhisstripedjacket,ahighcollar,andanecktie,verycarefullytied。Hishandswerethinandwhiteandwellcaredfor,andhehadasealringonhislittlefinger。Whenheheardstepsapproachinginthecorridor,herose,blottedhisbook,puthispenintherack,andlefttheroomwithoutraisinghiseyes。Throughthedoorheopenedaguardcamein,bringingFrankShabata。
\"Youtheladythatwantedtotalkto1037?
Hereheis。Beonyourgoodbehavior,now。Hecansetdown,lady,\"seeingthatAlexandraremainedstanding。\"Pushthatwhitebuttonwhenyou’rethroughwithhim,andI’llcome。\"
TheguardwentoutandAlexandraandFrankwereleftalone。
Alexandratriednottoseehishideousclothes。Shetriedtolookstraightintohisface,whichshecouldscarcelybelievewashis。Itwasalreadybleachedtoachalkygray。Hislipswerecolorless,hisfineteethlookedyellowish。
HeglancedatAlexandrasullenly,blinkedasifhehadcomefromadarkplace,andoneeye—
browtwitchedcontinually。Shefeltatoncethatthisinterviewwasaterribleordealtohim。
Hisshavedhead,showingtheconformationofhisskull,gavehimacriminallookwhichhehadnothadduringthetrial。
Alexandraheldoutherhand。\"Frank,\"shesaid,hereyesfillingsuddenly,\"Ihopeyou’llletmebefriendlywithyou。Iunderstandhowyoudidit。Idon’tfeelhardtowardyou。Theyweremoretoblamethanyou。\"
Frankjerkedadirtybluehandkerchieffromhistrouserspocket。Hehadbeguntocry。HeturnedawayfromAlexandra。\"Ineverdidmeantodonot’ingtodatwoman,\"hemut—
tered。\"Inevermeantodonot’ingtodatboy。
Iain’thadnot’ingag’in’datboy。Ialwayslikedatboyfine。An’thenIfindhim——\"Hestopped。Thefeelingwentoutofhisfaceandeyes。Hedroppedintoachairandsatlookingstolidlyatthefloor,hishandshanginglooselybetweenhisknees,thehandkerchieflyingacrosshisstripedleg。Heseemedtohavestirredupinhismindadisgustthathadpara—
lyzedhisfaculties。
\"Ihaven’tcomeupheretoblameyou,Frank。Ithinktheyweremoretoblamethanyou。\"Alexandra,too,feltbenumbed。
Franklookedupsuddenlyandstaredoutoftheofficewindow。\"IguessdatplaceallgotohellwhatIworksohardon,\"hesaidwithaslow,bittersmile。\"Inotcareadamn。\"Hestoppedandrubbedthepalmofhishandoverthelightbristlesonhisheadwithannoyance。
\"Inocant’inkwithoutmyhair,\"hecom—
plained。\"IforgetEnglish。Wenottalkhere,exceptswear。\"
Alexandrawasbewildered。Frankseemedtohaveundergoneachangeofpersonality。TherewasscarcelyanythingbywhichshecouldrecognizeherhandsomeBohemianneighbor。
Heseemed,somehow,notaltogetherhuman。
Shedidnotknowwhattosaytohim。
\"Youdonotfeelhardtome,Frank?\"sheaskedatlast。
Frankclenchedhisfistandbrokeoutinexcitement。\"Inotfeelhardatnowoman。I
tellyouInotthatkind—aman。Ineverhitmywife。No,neverIhurtherwhenshedevilmesomethingawful!\"Hestruckhisfistdownonthewarden’sdesksohardthatheafterwardstrokeditabsently。Apalepinkcreptoverhisneckandface。\"Two,t’reeyearsIknowdatwomandon’carenomore’boutme,Alex—
andraBergson。Iknowsheaftersomeotherman。Iknowher,oo—oo!An’Iain’tneverhurther。Ineverwould—adonedat,ifIain’thaddatgunalong。Idon’knowwhatinhellmakemetakedatgun。ShealwayssayIain’tnomantocarrygun。Ifshebeenindathouse,wheresheought—abeen——Butdasafoolishtalk。\"
Frankrubbedhisheadandstoppedsuddenly,ashehadstoppedbefore。Alexandrafeltthattherewassomethingstrangeinthewayhechilledoff,asifsomethingcameupinhimthatextinguishedhispoweroffeelingorthinking。
\"Yes,Frank,\"shesaidkindly。\"IknowyounevermeanttohurtMarie。\"
Franksmiledatherqueerly。Hiseyesfilledslowlywithtears。\"Youknow,Imostforgitdatwoman’sname。Sheain’tgotnonameformenomore。Ineverhatemywife,butdatwomanwhatmakemedodat——HonesttoGod,butIhateher!Inomantofight。Idon’
wanttokillnoboyandnowoman。Inotcarehowmanymenshetakeunderdattree。Inocarefornot’ingbutdatfineboyIkill,Alexan—
draBergson。IguessIgocrazysure’nough。\"
AlexandrarememberedthelittleyellowcaneshehadfoundinFrank’sclothes—closet。Shethoughtofhowhehadcometothiscountryagayyoungfellow,soattractivethatthepretti—
estBohemiangirlinOmahahadrunawaywithhim。Itseemedunreasonablethatlifeshouldhavelandedhiminsuchaplaceasthis。SheblamedMariebitterly。Andwhy,withherhappy,affectionatenature,shouldshehavebroughtdestructionandsorrowtoallwhohadlovedher,eventopooroldJoeTovesky,theunclewhousedtocarryheraboutsoproudlywhenshewasalittlegirl?Thatwasthestrangestthingofall。Wasthere,then,some—
thingwronginbeingwarm—heartedandimpul—
sivelikethat?Alexandrahatedtothinkso。
ButtherewasEmil,intheNorwegiangrave—
yardathome,andherewasFrankShabata。
Alexandraroseandtookhimbythehand。
\"FrankShabata,IamnevergoingtostoptryinguntilIgetyoupardoned。I’llnevergivetheGovernoranypeace。IknowIcangetyououtofthisplace。\"
Franklookedatherdistrustfully,buthegatheredconfidencefromherface。\"Alexan—
dra,\"hesaidearnestly,\"ifIgitout—ahere,I
nottroublediscountrynomore。IgobackwhereIcomefrom;seemymother。\"
Alexandratriedtowithdrawherhand,butFrankheldontoitnervously。Heputouthisfingerandabsentlytouchedabuttononherblackjacket。\"Alexandra,\"hesaidinalowtone,lookingsteadilyatthebutton,\"youain’
t’inkIusedatgirlawfulbadbefore——\"
\"No,Frank。Wewon’ttalkaboutthat,\"
Alexandrasaid,pressinghishand。\"Ican’thelpEmilnow,soI’mgoingtodowhatIcanforyou。YouknowIdon’tgoawayfromhomeoften,andIcameuphereonpurposetotellyouthis。\"
Thewardenattheglassdoorlookedinin—
quiringly。Alexandranodded,andhecameinandtouchedthewhitebuttononhisdesk。Theguardappeared,andwithasinkingheartAlexandrasawFrankledawaydownthecor—
ridor。AfterafewwordswithMr。Schwartz,shelefttheprisonandmadeherwaytothestreet—car。Shehadrefusedwithhorrorthewarden’scordialinvitationto\"gothroughtheinstitution。\"Asthecarlurchedoveritsun—
evenroadbed,backtowardLincoln,AlexandrathoughtofhowsheandFrankhadbeenwreckedbythesamestormandofhow,al—
thoughshecouldcomeoutintothesunlight,shehadnotmuchmoreleftinherlifethanhe。
Sherememberedsomelinesfromapoemshehadlikedinherschooldays:——
HenceforththeworldwillonlybeAwiderprison—housetome,——
andsighed。Adisgustoflifeweigheduponherheart;somesuchfeelingashadtwicefrozenFrankShabata’sfeatureswhiletheytalkedtogether。ShewishedshewerebackontheDivide。
WhenAlexandraenteredherhotel,theclerkhelduponefingerandbeckonedtoher。Assheapproachedhisdesk,hehandedheratelegram。
Alexandratooktheyellowenvelopeandlookedatitinperplexity,thensteppedintotheele—
vatorwithoutopeningit。Asshewalkeddownthecorridortowardherroom,shereflectedthatshewas,inamanner,immunefromeviltid—
ings。Onreachingherroomshelockedthedoor,andsittingdownonachairbythedresser,openedthetelegram。ItwasfromHanover,anditread:——
ArrivedHanoverlastnight。Shallwaithereuntilyoucome。Pleasehurry。
CARLLINSTRUM。
Alexandraputherheaddownonthedresserandburstintotears。
III
ThenextafternoonCarlandAlexandrawerewalkingacrossthefieldsfromMrs。
Hiller’s。AlexandrahadleftLincolnaftermid—
night,andCarlhadmetherattheHanoverstationearlyinthemorning。Aftertheyreachedhome,AlexandrahadgoneovertoMrs。Hiller’stoleavealittlepresentshehadboughtforherinthecity。Theystayedattheoldlady’sdoorbutamoment,andthencameouttospendtherestoftheafternooninthesunnyfields。
Alexandrahadtakenoffherblacktraveling—
suitandputonawhitedress;partlybecauseshesawthatherblackclothesmadeCarlun—
comfortableandpartlybecauseshefeltop—
pressedbythemherself。Theyseemedalittleliketheprisonwhereshehadwornthemyester—
day,andtobeoutofplaceintheopenfields。
Carlhadchangedverylittle。Hischeekswerebrownerandfuller。Helookedlesslikeatiredscholarthanwhenhewentawayayearago,butnoone,evennow,wouldhavetakenhimforamanofbusiness。Hissoft,lustrousblackeyes,hiswhimsicalsmile,wouldbelessagainsthimintheKlondikethanontheDivide。Therearealwaysdreamersonthefrontier。
CarlandAlexandrahadbeentalkingsincemorning。Herletterhadneverreachedhim。
HehadfirstlearnedofhermisfortunefromaSanFranciscopaper,fourweeksold,whichhehadpickedupinasaloon,andwhichcon—
tainedabriefaccountofFrankShabata’strial。
Whenheputdownthepaper,hehadalreadymadeuphismindthathecouldreachAlexandraasquicklyasalettercould;andeversincehehadbeenontheway;dayandnight,bythefastestboatsandtrainshecouldcatch。Hissteamerhadbeenheldbacktwodaysbyroughweather。
AstheycameoutofMrs。Hiller’sgardentheytookuptheirtalkagainwheretheyhadleftit。
\"Butcouldyoucomeawaylikethat,Carl,withoutarrangingthings?Couldyoujustwalkoffandleaveyourbusiness?\"Alexandraasked。
Carllaughed。\"PrudentAlexandra!Yousee,mydear,Ihappentohaveanhonestpartner。
Itrusthimwitheverything。Infact,it’sbeenhisenterprisefromthebeginning,youknow。
I’minitonlybecausehetookmein。I’llhavetogobackinthespring。Perhapsyouwillwanttogowithmethen。Wehaven’tturnedupmillionsyet,butwe’vegotastartthat’sworthfollowing。ButthiswinterI’dliketospendwithyou。Youwon’tfeelthatweoughttowaitlonger,onEmil’saccount,willyou,Alexandra?\"
Alexandrashookherhead。\"No,Carl;I
don’tfeelthatwayaboutit。Andsurelyyouneedn’tmindanythingLouandOscarsaynow。TheyaremuchangrierwithmeaboutEmil,now,thanaboutyou。Theysayitwasallmyfault。ThatIruinedhimbysendinghimtocollege。\"
\"No,Idon’tcareabuttonforLouorOscar。ThemomentIknewyouwereintrou—
ble,themomentIthoughtyoumightneedme,italllookeddifferent。You’vealwaysbeenatriumphantkindofperson。\"Carlhesitated,lookingsidewiseatherstrong,fullfigure。\"Butyoudoneedmenow,Alex—
andra?\"
Sheputherhandonhisarm。\"Ineededyouterriblywhenithappened,Carl。Icriedforyouatnight。Theneverythingseemedtogethardinsideofme,andIthoughtperhapsIshouldnevercareforyouagain。ButwhenIgotyourtelegramyesterday,then——thenitwasjustasitusedtobe。YouareallIhaveintheworld,youknow。\"
Carlpressedherhandinsilence。TheywerepassingtheShabatas’emptyhousenow,buttheyavoidedtheorchardpathandtookonethatledoverbythepasturepond。
\"Canyouunderstandit,Carl?\"Alexandramurmured。\"IhavehadnobodybutIvarandSignatotalkto。Dotalktome。Canyouun—
derstandit?CouldyouhavebelievedthatofMarieTovesky?Iwouldhavebeencuttopieces,littlebylittle,beforeIwouldhavebetrayedhertrustinme!\"
Carllookedattheshiningspotofwaterbeforethem。\"Maybeshewascuttopieces,too,Alexandra。Iamsureshetriedhard;theybothdid。ThatwaswhyEmilwenttoMexico,ofcourse。Andhewasgoingawayagain,youtellme,thoughhehadonlybeenhomethreeweeks。YourememberthatSundaywhenI
wentwithEmiluptotheFrenchChurchfair?
Ithoughtthatdaytherewassomekindoffeel—
ing,somethingunusual,betweenthem。I
meanttotalktoyouaboutit。ButonmywaybackImetLouandOscarandgotsoangrythatIforgoteverythingelse。Youmustn’tbehardonthem,Alexandra。Sitdownherebythepondaminute。Iwanttotellyousomething。\"
Theysatdownonthegrass—tuftedbankandCarltoldherhowhehadseenEmilandMarieoutbythepondthatmorning,morethanayearago,andhowyoungandcharmingandfullofgracetheyhadseemedtohim。\"Ithap—
penslikethatintheworldsometimes,Alexan—
dra,\"headdedearnestly。\"I’veseenitbefore。
Therearewomenwhospreadruinaroundthemthroughnofaultoftheirs,justbybeingtoobeautiful,toofulloflifeandlove。Theycan’thelpit。Peoplecometothemaspeoplegotoawarmfireinwinter。Iusedtofeelthatinherwhenshewasalittlegirl。Doyouremem—
berhowalltheBohemianscrowdedroundherinthestorethatday,whenshegaveEmilhercandy?Yourememberthoseyellowsparksinhereyes?\"
Alexandrasighed。\"Yes。Peoplecouldn’thelplovingher。PoorFrankdoes,evennow,I
think;thoughhe’sgothimselfinsuchatanglethatforalongtimehislovehasbeenbittererthanhishate。Butifyousawtherewasany—
thingwrong,yououghttohavetoldme,Carl。\"
Carltookherhandandsmiledpatiently。
\"Mydear,itwassomethingonefeltintheair,asyoufeelthespringcoming,orastorminsummer。Ididn’tSEEanything。Simply,whenIwaswiththosetwoyoungthings,Ifeltmybloodgoquicker,Ifelt——howshallIsayit?——
anaccelerationoflife。AfterIgotaway,itwasalltoodelicate,toointangible,towriteabout。\"
Alexandralookedathimmournfully。\"I
trytobemoreliberalaboutsuchthingsthanIusedtobe。Itrytorealizethatwearenotallmadealike。Only,whycouldn’tithavebeenRaoulMarcel,orJanSmirka?Whydidithavetobemyboy?\"
\"Becausehewasthebesttherewas,Isup—
pose。Theywereboththebestyouhadhere。\"
Thesunwasdroppinglowinthewestwhenthetwofriendsroseandtookthepathagain。
Thestraw—stackswerethrowinglongshadows,theowlswereflyinghometotheprairie—dogtown。Whentheycametothecornerwherethepasturesjoined,Alexandra’stwelveyoungcoltsweregallopinginadroveoverthebrowofthehill。
\"Carl,\"saidAlexandra,\"Ishouldliketogouptherewithyouinthespring。Ihaven’tbeenonthewatersincewecrossedtheocean,whenIwasalittlegirl。AfterwefirstcameouthereIusedtodreamsometimesabouttheship—
yardwherefatherworked,andalittlesortofinlet,fullofmasts。\"Alexandrapaused。Afteramoment’sthoughtshesaid,\"Butyouwouldneveraskmetogoawayforgood,wouldyou?\"
\"Ofcoursenot,mydearest。IthinkIknowhowyoufeelaboutthiscountryaswellasyoudoyourself。\"Carltookherhandinbothhisownandpressedittenderly。
\"Yes,Istillfeelthatway,thoughEmilisgone。WhenIwasonthetrainthismorning,andwegotnearHanover,IfeltsomethinglikeIdidwhenIdrovebackwithEmilfromtheriverthattime,inthedryyear。Iwasgladtocomebacktoit。I’velivedherealongtime。
Thereisgreatpeacehere,Carl,andfreedom……IthoughtwhenIcameoutofthatprison,wherepoorFrankis,thatIshouldneverfeelfreeagain。ButIdo,here。\"Alexandratookadeepbreathandlookedoffintotheredwest。
\"Youbelongtotheland,\"Carlmurmured,\"asyouhavealwayssaid。Nowmorethanever。\"
\"Yes,nowmorethanever。Yourememberwhatyouoncesaidaboutthegraveyard,andtheoldstorywritingitselfover?Onlyitiswewhowriteit,withthebestwehave。\"
Theypausedonthelastridgeofthepasture,overlookingthehouseandthewindmillandthestablesthatmarkedthesiteofJohnBergson’shomestead。Oneverysidethebrownwavesoftheearthrolledawaytomeetthesky。
\"LouandOscarcan’tseethosethings,\"saidAlexandrasuddenly。\"SupposeIdowillmylandtotheirchildren,whatdifferencewillthatmake?Thelandbelongstothefuture,Carl;
that’sthewayitseemstome。Howmanyofthenamesonthecountyclerk’splatwillbethereinfiftyyears?Imightaswelltrytowillthesunsetovertheretomybrother’schildren。Wecomeandgo,butthelandisalwayshere。Andthepeoplewholoveitandunderstanditarethepeoplewhoownit——foralittlewhile。\"
Carllookedatherwonderingly。Shewasstillgazingintothewest,andinherfacetherewasthatexaltedserenitythatsometimescametoheratmomentsofdeepfeeling。Thelevelraysofthesinkingsunshoneinhercleareyes。
\"Whyareyouthinkingofsuchthingsnow,Alexandra?\"
\"IhadadreambeforeIwenttoLincoln——
ButIwilltellyouaboutthatafterward,afterwearemarried。Itwillnevercometrue,now,inthewayIthoughtitmight。\"ShetookCarl’sarmandtheywalkedtowardthegate。\"Howmanytimeswehavewalkedthispathtogether,Carl。Howmanytimeswewillwalkitagain!
Doesitseemtoyoulikecomingbacktoyourownplace?Doyoufeelatpeacewiththeworldhere?Ithinkweshallbeveryhappy。Ihaven’tanyfears。Ithinkwhenfriendsmarry,theyaresafe。Wedon’tsufferlike——thoseyoungones。\"
Alexandraendedwithasigh。
Theyhadreachedthegate。BeforeCarlopenedit,hedrewAlexandratohimandkissedhersoftly,onherlipsandonhereyes。
Sheleanedheavilyonhisshoulder。\"Iamtired,\"shemurmured。\"Ihavebeenverylonely,Carl。\"
Theywentintothehousetogether,leavingtheDividebehindthem,undertheeveningstar。Fortunatecountry,thatisonedaytoreceiveheartslikeAlexandra’sintoitsbosom,togivethemoutagainintheyellowwheat,intherustlingcorn,intheshiningeyesofyouth!