The Day of Days

Sybarite mus

extraordinary vehemence he continued crescendo: "Stu

ords-pondered with bended head,

y sebaceous, sombrely sociabl

eared; but his smile was as fu

der, he groped for expression: "Stygian ... sic

and clawed the impregnated a

ted in a voice trem

ve monosyllable was f

e use?" P. Syb

erty-stricken, his native wit inadequate. With decent meekness

"a poor, God-forsaken, premat

m; to-day for the first time he had attempted to formulate a meet apostrophe to that God of his Forlorn Destiny; and

le intimacy; sharp elbows digging into the nicked and ink-stained bed of a counting-house desk; chin some six inches ab

iversary of his servitude, the appearance of P. Sybarite was elaborately

ccessive application of the tailor's sizzling goose, had come to disclose his person with disconcerting candour-sleeves too short, trousers at once too short and too narrow, waistcoat buttons straining over his chest

ips suggested Irish lineage; and his hands which, though thin and clouded with smears of ink, were strong and

barite, just then, was most miserable, and not without cause; for

as the reek of hides both raw and dressed-an effluvium incomparable, a passionate individualist of an odour, as ric

t Smell; for a complete decade he had inhaled it continuously nine hours each

, bitterly, hopelessly mutinous agains

wn still known to elder inhabitants as "the Swamp." Above rumbled the everlasting inter-borough traffic; to the right, on rising ground, were haunts of roaring type-mills grinding an endless grist of news; to the left, throu

s and spittoons, a small gas-heater, and many tottering columns of dusty letter-files. The window-panes, encrusted with perennial deposits of Atmosphere, were less transparent than translucent, and so little the latter that electric bulbs burned all day long whenever the skies were overcast. Also, the windows were fixed and set against the oute

g-alone with his job (which at present nothing pressed) with Giant Despair and its

man in shirt-sleeves, wearing a visorless cap of soiled linen, an apron of striped ticking, pencils behind both

teen dollars per week) George squandered fifteen cents on newspapers e

d he held

nate smile and wagged a doggish head at him. From these symptoms inferring that his fellow-employee was in th

ge; and checked to

in regarding P. Sybarite with suspicion. But beyond taking the pen

mirth sufficiently to permit unctuous enun

u Per

ite turn

ng the envelope. "You've been cunning, you have;

licate tint of pink. His eyes wavered and

ur name 'P. Sybarite' and pretendin' your maiden monaker was '

of the crimes contemplated by P. Sybarite. But restraining himself, he did nothing more than dis

me," he said quietly,

easy reach, while he read in exultant accents the traitorous address: "'Perceval

. Sybarite insisted wi

uck with your swell friends what know your real name and wri

nose and sniffed in ecstasy until

tfully. "Where's your

, lighted a Sweet Caporal (it was after three o'clock and both the partners were gone for the day

eye through the few lines of not

R PERC

y-Owen's post-Lenten masquerade ball instead, and as none of our friends can use the tickets, I thought possibly you might like them. They say Otis Skinner is wonderful.

ff'te

AL

f fire enlivened his long-suffering eyes. But again he said nothing. And si

d forth on the hind legs of his chair and crowed in ju

tated, and reconsidered. Through a long minute he sat thought

the hideous tumul

-ce-

heads, P. Sybarite dipped a pen, considered brief

R MAE

tion. And if arrested for appearing in the box without evening clothes, I promise solemnly to brazen it out, pretend that I bought the tickets

s me by the initial of my ridiculous first name only; it is of course impossible for me to live down the deep damnation of h

d profound, I remain,

ely y

YBAR

the red and black inkwells; closed the ledger; locked the petty-cash box and put it away; painstakingly arranged the blotte

preoccupied with a hand-mirror and endeavours to erase the smudge of marking-ink from his face by me

pirited endeavours to-how would you put it?-to remove the soil from your map, take a tip from

ed up in so

nin' to be afraid this sittin' would pass off without a visit from Uncle George'

p shop in just five minutes; and if you don't want to show yourself on the stre

handkerchief and mirror. "I'll drown myself, if you sa

thing

and, George looked gloomily over his shoulder,

ho

ke to go to the t

noisily his

Me and Sammy Holt 'a goin' round to Miner's Eight' Avenoo and bust up the show. You can trail if you wan

ned up, groped blindly for two yards or so of dark grey roller-towel ornamenting the adjacent wall, buried his face in its hospitable obsc

ed explosively. "Come o

o one side and regarded the out

u'll do. Don't worry.... When I asked if you'd like to go to the theatr

ulgently. "Come along: I got an engagement t

earnest about this. I offer you a seat in a stage-box at the Kn

ned simultaneousl

gasped.

his head. "One o

e demanded with p

Miss Leasi

ned a drawer in his desk, took put a pair of cuffs, a

to snuff coke?" he enqui

friend sent me these. I'll make up the party for to-ni

to

lling me Perceval, here or any

frowned; regarded P. Syba

, either," added the ot

e hes

r name, ain't i

I'll be damned if I'

t if I k

thout you-and break your neck into the

break my neck? Can the comedy, beau.

quarters, beneath either cheek-bone. He was half a head shorter than the shipping clerk, and apparently about h

aid quietly. "Only-don'

truculent in his amazeme

warehouse. I won't be called Perceval by you or any other p

tment, which gradually ove

tly. "I'd like to know what you'

what hazy conception of the formul? of self-defence. To his surprise, the open hand of the smaller man slipped swi

fist heavily for the head of P. Sybarite. S

ted his eyes, ruefully rubbed the back of his hea

rite some three feet distant, regar

culated with feeling.

Sybarite curtly. "W

, as he picked himself up and dusted off his clothing.

t t

ily. "Why didn't you ever tell me y

you fall over my foot and bump your head on the floor. You're a clumsy brute, you know, George, and

call yo

t say

agreed plaintively. "And if I prom

s my o

ully-"damn' hard. But whatever you

his small, delicately modelled hands