Active Service - Stephen Crane (librera reader .TXT) 📗

" Oh,  Of Course-I

Don'T Know-But-"

 

He Who Was Called billie Then Addressed his Com- Panions.

" It Wouldn'T Be Right To Repeat Any Old Lie About Nora Black,  And

By The Same Token It Wouldn'T Be Right To See Old Mother

Wainwright Chummin' With Her. There Is No Wisdom In going

Further Than That. Old Mother Wainwright Don'T Know That Her

Fair Companion Of Yesterday Is The Famous Comic Opera Star. For

My Part,  I Believe That Coleman Is Simply Afraid To Tell Her. I

Don'T Think He Wished to See Nora Black Yesterday Any More

Than He Wished to See The Devil. The Discussion,  As I

Understand Itconcerned itself Only With What Coleman Had To

Do With The Thing,  And Yesterday Anybody Could See That He

Was In a Panic."

 

They Heard A Step On The Stair,  And Directly Coleman Entered,

Followed by His Dragoman. They Were Laden With The Raw

Material For Breakfast. The Correspondent Looked keenly Among

The Students,  For It Was Plain That They Had Been Talking of Him.

It,  Filled him With Rage,  And For A Stifling moment He Could Not

Think Why He Failed to Immediately Decamp In chagrin And Leave

Eleven Orphans To Whatever Fate. Their General Incompetence

Might Lead Them. It Struck Him As A Deep Shame That Even Then

He And His Paid Man Were Carrying in the Breakfast. He Wanted

To Fling it All On The Floor And Walk Out. Then He Remembered

Marjory. She Was The Reason. She Was The Reason For

Everything.

 

But He Could Not Repress Certain,  Of His Thoughts. "Say,  You

People," He Said,  Icily,  "  You Had Better Soon Learn To Hustle For

Yourselves. I May Be A Dragoman,  And A Butler,  And A Cook,  And

A Housemaid,  But I'M Blowed if I'M A Wet Nurse." In reality,  He

Had Taken The Most Generous Pleasure In working for The Others

Before Their Eyes Had Even Been Opened from Sleep,  But It Was

Now All Turned to Wormwood. It Is Certain That Even This Could

Not Have Deviated this Executive Man From Labour And

Management. Because These Were His Life. But He Felt That He Was

About To Walk Out Of The Room,  Consigning them All To Hades.

His Glance Of Angry,  Reproach Fastened itself Mainly Upon Peter

Tounley,  Because He Knew That Of All,  Peter Was The Most

Innocent.

 

Peter,  Tounley Was Abashed by This Glance. So You'Ve

Brought Us Something to Eat,  Old Man. That Is Tremendously

Nice Of You-We-Appreciate It Like Everything."

 

Coleman Was Mollified by Peter'S Tone. Peter Had Had That

Emotion Which Is Equivalent To A Sense Of Guilt,  Although In

Reality He Was Speckless. Two Or Three Of The Other Students

Bobbed up To A Sense Of The Situation. They Ran To Coleman,

And With Polite Cries Took His Provisions From Him. One Dropped

A Bunch Of Lettuce On The Floor,  And Others Reproached him With

Scholastic Curses. Coke Was Seated near The Window,  Half

Militant,  Half Conciliatory. It Was

Impossible For Him To Keep Up A Manner Of Deadly Enmity While

Coleman Was Bringing in his Breakfast. He Would Have Much

Preferred that Coleman Had Not Brought In his Breakfast. He

Would Have Much Preferred to Have Foregone Breakfast

Altogether. He Would Have Much Preferred anything. There

Seemed to Be A Conspiracy Of Circumstance To Put Him In the

Wrong And Make Him Appear As A Ridiculous Young Peasant. He

Was The Victim Of A Benefaction,  And He Hated coleman Harder

Now Than At Any Previous Time. He Saw That If He Stalked out

And Took His Breakfast Alone In a Cafe,  The Others Would

Consider Him Still More Of An Outsider. Coleman Had Expressed

Himself Like A Man Of The World And A Gentleman,  And Coke Was

Convinced that He Was A Superior Man Of The World And A

Superior Gentleman,  But That He Simply Had Not Had Words To

Express His Position At The Proper Time. Coleman Was Glib.

Therefore,  Coke Had Been The Victim Of An Attitude As Well As Of

A Benefaction. And So He Deeply Hated coleman.

 

The Others Were Talking cheerfully. "What The Deuce Are

These,  Coleman ? Sausages? Oh,  My. And Look At These

Burlesque Fishes. Say,  These Greeks Don'T Care What They Eat.

Them Thar Things Am Sardines In the Crude State. No ? Great

God,  Look At Those Things. Look. What? Yes,  They Are.

Radishes. Greek Synonym For Radishes."

 

The Professor Entered. " Oh," He Said Apologetically, 

As If He Were Intruding in a Boudoir. All His Serious Desire

To Probe Coleman To The Bottom Ended in embarrassment.

Mayhap It Was Not A Law Of Feeling,  But It Happened at Any Rate.

" He Had Come In a Puzzled frame Of Mind,  Even An Accusative

Frame Of Mind,  And Almost Immediately He Found Himself Suffer.

ing like A Culprit Before His Judge. It Is A Phenomenon Of What

We Call Guilt And Innocence.

 

" Coleman Welcomed him Cordially. " Well,  Professor, 

Good-Morning. I'Ve Rounded up Some Things That At Least May Be

Eaten."

 

" You Are Very Good " Very Considerate,  Mr. Coleman,"

Answered the Professor,  Hastily. " I'Am Sure We Are Much

Indebted to You." He Had Scanned the Correspondent'S Face,

Land It Had Been So Devoid Of Guile That He Was Fearful That His

Suspicion,  A Base Suspicion,  Of This Noble Soul Would Be

Detected. " No,  No,  We Can Never Thank You Enough."

 

Some Of The Students Began To Caper With A Sort Of Decorous

Hilarity Before Their Teacher. " Look At The Sausage,  Professor.

Did You Ever See Such Sausage " Isn'T It Salubrious " And See

These Other Things,  Sir. Aren'T They Curious " I Shouldn'T Wonder

If They Were Alive. Turnips,  Sir? No,  Sir. I Think They Are

Pharisees. I Have Seen A Pharisee Look Like A Pelican,  But I Have

Never Seen A Pharisee Look Like A Turnip,  So I Think These Turnips

Must Be Pharisees,  Sir,  Yes,  They May Be Walrus. We'Re Not Sure.

Anyhow,  Their Angles Are Geometrically All Wrong. Peter,  Look Out."

Some Green Stuff Was Flung Across The Room. The Professor Laughed;

Coleman Laughed. Despite Coke,  Dark-Browed,  Sulking. And Yet

Desirous Of Reinstating himself,  The Room Had Waxed warm With

The Old College Feeling,  The Feeling of Lads Who Seemed never To

Treat Anything respectfully And Yet At The Same Time Managed to

Treat The Real Things With Respect. The Professor Himself

Contributed to Their Wild Carouse Over The Strange Greek Viands.

It Was A Vivacious Moment Common To This Class In times Of

Relaxation,  And It Was Understood Perfectly.

 

Coke Arose. " I Don'T See That I Have Any Friends Here," He

Said,  Hoarsely,  " And In consequence I Don'T See Why I Should

Remain Here."

 

All Looked at Him. At The Same Moment Mrs. Wainwright And

Marjory Entered the Room.

Chapter 18

"Good-Morning," Said Mrs. Wainwright Jovially To The

Students And Then She Stared at Coleman As If He Were A Sweep

At A Wedding.

 

" Good-Morning," Said Marjory.

 

Coleman And The Students Made Reply. " Good-Morning.

Good-Morning. Good-Morning. Good-Morning--"

 

It Was Curious To See This Greeting,  This Common Phrase,  This

Bit Of Old Ware,  This Antique,  Come Upon A Dramatic Scene And

Pulverise It. Nothing remained but A Ridiculous Dust. Coke,

Glowering,  With His Lips Still Trembling from Heroic Speech,  Was

An Angry Clown,  A Pantaloon In rage. Nothing was To Be Done To

Keep Him From Looking like An Ass. He,  Strode Toward The Door

Mumbling about A Walk Before Breakfast.

 

Mrs. Wainwright Beamed upon Him. " Why,  Mr. Coke,  Not

Before Breakfast ? You Surely Won'T Have Time." It Was Grim

Punishment. He Appeared to Go Blind,  And He Fairly Staggered

Out Of The Door Mumbling again,  Mumbling thanks Or Apologies

Or Explanations. About The Mouth Of Coleman Played a Sinister

Smile. The Professor Cast. Upon His Wife A Glance Expressing

Weariness. It Was As If He Said " There You Go Again. You

Can'T Keep Your Foot Out Of It." She Understood The Glance,

And So She Asked blankly: "Why,  What'S The Matter? Oh."

Her Belated mind Grasped that It Waw An Aftermath Of The

Quarrel Of Coleman And Coke. Marjory Looked as If  She

Was Distressed in the Belief That Her Mother Had Been

Stupid. Coleman Was Outwardly Serene. It Was Peter

Tounley Who Finally Laughed a Cheery,  Healthy Laugh And They

All Looked at Him With Gratitude As If His Sudden Mirth Had Been

A Real Statement Or Recon- Ciliation And Consequent Peace.

 

The Dragoman And Others Disported themselves Until A

Breakfast Was Laid Upon The Floor. The Adventurers Squatted

Upon The Floor. They Made A Large Company. The Professor And

Coleman Discussed the Means Of Getting to Athens. Peter

Tounley Sat Next To Marjory. " Peter," She Said,  Privately,  " What

Was All This Trouble Between Coleman And Coke ? "

 

Peter Answered blandly: " Oh,  Nothing at Nothing at All."

 

" Well,  But--" She Persisted,  " What Was The Cause Of It?"

 

He Looked at Her Quaintly. He Was Not One Of Those In love

With Her,  But Be Was Interested in the Affair. " Don'T You Know

? " He Asked.

 

She Understood From His Manner That She Had Been Some

Kind Of An Issue In the Quarrel. " No," She Answered,  Hastily. " I

Don'T."

 

"Oh,  I Don'T  Mean That," Said Peter. "I Only Meant --I Only

Meant--Oh,  Well,  It Was Nothing-Really."

 

" It Must Have Been About Something," Continued marjory.

She Continued,  Because Peter Had Denied that She Was

Concerned in it. " Whose Fault ? "

 

"I Really Don'T Know. It Was All Rather Confusing," Lied peter,

Tranquilly.

 

Coleman And The Professor Decided to Accept A Plan Of The

Correspondent'S Dragoman To Start Soon On The First Stage Of

The Journey To Athens. The Dragoman Had Said That He Had

Found Two Large Carriages Rentable.

 

Coke,  The Outcast,  Walked alone In the Narrow Streets. The

Flight Of The Crown Prince'S Army From Larissa Had Just Been

Announced in arta,  But Coke Was Probably The Most

Woebegone Object On The Greek Peninsula.

 

He Encountered a Strange Sight On The Streets. A Woman

Garbed in the Style For Walking of An Afternoon On Upper

Broadway Was Approaching him Through A Mass Of Kilted

Mountaineers And Soldiers In soiled overcoats. Of Course He

Recognised nora Black.

 

In His Conviction That Everybody In the World Was At This

Time Considering him A Mere Worm,  He Was Sure That She Would

Not Heed him. Beyond That He Had Been Presented to Her Notice

In But A Transient And Cursory Fashion. But Contrary To His

Conviction,  She Turned a Radiant Smile Upon Him. " Oh," She

Said,  Brusquely,  " You Are One Of The Students. Good

Morning." In her Manner Was All The Confidence Of An Old

Warrior,  A Veteran,  Who Addresses The Universe With Assurance

Because Of His Past Battles.

 

Coke Grinned at This Strange Greeting. " Yes,  Miss Black," He

Answered,  " I Am One Of The Students."

 

She Did Not Seem To Quite Know How To Formulate Her Next

Speech. " Er-I Suppose You'Re Going to Athens At Once " You

Must Be Glad After Your Horrid Experiences."

 

" I Believe They Are Going to Start For Athens Today," Said

Coke.

 

Nora Was All Attention.  "'They ?'" She Repeated.

"Aren'T You Going with Them? "

 

" Well," He Said,  " * * Well---"

 

She Saw Of Course That There Had Been Some Kind Of Trouble.

She Laughed. " You Look As If Somebody Had Kicked you Down

Stairs," She Said,  Candidly. She At Once Assumed an Intimate

Manner Toward Him Which Was Like A Temporary Motherhood. "

Come,  Walk With Me And Tell Me All About It." There Was In her

Tone A Most Artistic Suggestion That Whatever Had Happened

She Was On His Side. He Was Not Loath. The Street Was Full Of

Soldiers Whose Tongues Clattered so Loudly That The Two

Foreigners Might Have Been Wandering in a Great Cave Of The

Winds. " Well,  What Was The Row About ? " Asked nora. " And

Who Was In it? "

 

It Would Have Been No Solace To Coke To Pour Out

His Tale Even If It Had Been A Story That He Could Have Told Nora.

He Was Not Stopped by The Fact That He Had Gotten Himself In

The Quarrel Because He Had Insulted the Name Of The Girt At His

Side. He Did Not Think Of It At