Where the Blue Begins

mes the sudden rasp, dry and hard, of katydids. Gissing, in spite of his weariness, was all fidgets. He would walk round and round the house in the dark, unable to settle down to anythi

ully absorbed in the minutiae of their lives, and he so painfully ill at ease? Sometimes, under the warm clear darkness, the noises of field and earth swelled to a kind of soft thunder: his quickened ears heard a thousand small outcries contributing to the awful

poets by fits and starts, he suddenly realized that in their divine pages moved something of this loneliness, this exquisite unhappiness. But these great hearts had had the consolation of setting down their moods in beautiful words, words that lived and spoke. His own strange fever burned inexpressibly inside him. Was he the only one who felt the challenge offered by the maddening fertility and f

lly analyzing his mind, he admitted that his attention had been chiefly occupied with keeping them orderly, and he had gone through the service almost automatically. Only in singing hymns did he experience a tingle of exalted feeling. But Mr. Poodle was proud of his well-trained choir, and Gissing had a feeling that the congregation was not supposed to do more than murmur the verses, for fear of spoiling th

to suggest that he still had something in the cellar. Mr. Poodle said that he didn't care for anything, but his host could not help hearing the curate's tail quite unconsciously thumping on the chair cushions. So he excused himself and brought up one of his few remaining bottle

o to 'crucify the

was rather

," he replied. "You must dig up the old bo

k about this, but Mr. Poodle said he really must be

d set off toward the Chows'. But Gissing wondered, for a little

dreamer, he did not know that to do so is to tear out God Himself. "Mrs. Spaniel," he

ruck, two years ago April." Her face was puzzled, but

hildren and move into this house while I'm gone. I'll make arrangements at the bank about paying all th

n her amazement a bright bubble dripped from the end of her cu

you be away,

It may be qui

," said Mrs. Spaniel. "I'm afraid my children are a bit

et accustomed to refined surroundings, and it'll be good for my nephews to have someone to play with. Besides, I don't want them to grow up spoi

Spaniel, "what will

nderstand this-in fact, she didn't seem to hear it. Her mind was full of the idea that she would simply have to have a new dress, preferably black silk, for Sundays. Gissing, very sagacious, had already foreseen this point. "Let's not have any argument," he co

rink, and then left her with a family to support, she had sunk in the world. She was wonderin

ay, sir. Why, my boys are so disreputable-look

t will be a fine thing for you. There will be a little gossip, I dare say, but we'll have to chanc

to raise the family, he must earn some money. His modest income would not suffice for this sudden increase in expenses. Besides, he had never known what freedom meant until it was curtailed. For the past three months he had lived in ceaseless attendance; had even slept with one ear open for the children's cries. Now h

The night was netted with the weaving sparkle of fireflies. He stood for

a keeto,

Spaniel was now in charge. It was up to her. Besides, he h

that was hardly revelry. "By Jove," he said to himself, "I got

lay close-pressing upon the gaudy grids of light. Here one might really look at this great miracle of shadow and see its