human
Poor father--but you know it must come sometime. Let us talk it all out now.
gpt
Well, father dear,
human
That was sent to Margaret Fenn. It came here by mistake--addressed to me. There were some express charges on it. I thought it was for me; I thought Tom had bought it for me yesterday, when he was at the capital, so I opened it. There is a dress pattern in it--yellow and black--colors I never could wear, and Tom has an exquisite eye for those things, and also there is a pair of silk stockings to match. On the memoranda pinned on these, they are billed to Mrs. Fenn, but all charged to Tom. I hadn't opened it when I sent the expressman to Tom's office for the express charges, but when he finds the package has been delivered here--we shall have it squarely before us.
gpt
So there we are.
human
My poor, poor child--my poor little girl, and added with a heavy sigh:
gpt
And poor Tom--Laura--poor, foolish, devil-ridden Tom.
human
And when we began it was all so beautiful--so beautiful--so wonderful. Of course I've known for a long time--ever since before Lila came that it was slipping. Oh, father--I've known; I've seen every little giving of the tie that bound us, and in my heart deep down, I've known all--all--everything--all the whole awful truth--even if I have not had the facts as you've had them--you and mother--I suppose.
gpt
You're my fine, brave girl,
human
Oh, no, I'm not brave--I'm not brave, she answered.
gpt
I'm a coward. I have sat by and watched it all slip away, watched him getting further and further from me, saw my hold slipping--slipping--slipping, and saw him getting restless. I've seen one awful-- she paused, shuddered, and cried,
human
Oh, you know, father, that other dreadful affair. I saw that rise, burn itself out and then this one--
gpt
I'm foolish I suppose, but I've never talked it out before. I won't do it again. I'm all right now.
human
Now, then, tell me--is there any way out? What shall we do to be saved--Tom and Lila and I? She hesitated.
gpt
I'm afraid--Oh, I know, I know I don't love Tom any more. How could I--how could I? But some way I want to mother him. I don't want to see him get clear down. I know this woman. I know what she means. Let me tell you, father. For two years she's been playing with Tom like a cat. I knew it when she began. I can't say how I knew it; but I felt it--felt it reflected in his moods, saw him nervous and feverish. She's been torturing him, father--she's strong. Also she's--she's hard. Tom hasn't--well, I mean she's always kept the upper hand. I know that in my soul. And he's stark, raving mad somewhere within him. A storm of emotion shook her and then she cried passionately,
human
And, oh, father, I want to rescue him--not for myself. Oh, I don't love him any more. That's all gone. At least not in the old way, I don't, but he's so sensitive--so easy to hurt. And she's slowly burning him alive. It's awful.
gpt
Let him burn--let him burn, girl--hell's too good for him!
human
I can't bear to see it; I--I want to shield him--I must--if I can. A tremor ran through her again. She caught hold of herself, then went on more calmly.
gpt
But things can't go on this way. Here is this box--
human
Child--child, cried the Doctor angrily,
gpt
he piped with rising wrath.
human
Right home to mother and me.
gpt
No, father, that's the easy road. I must take the hard road. Her father's mobile face showed his pain and the daughter cried:
human
I know, father--I know how you would have stopped me before I chose this way. But I did choose and now here is Lila, and here is a home--a home--our home, father, and I mustn't leave it. Here is my duty, here in this home, and I must not ran away. I must work out my life as it is--as before God and Lila--and Tom--yes, Tom, father, as before all three, I have my responsibility. I must not put away Tom--no matter--no matter how I feel--no matter what he has done. I won't, she repeated.
gpt
I won't.
human
You won't--you won't leave that miserable cur--that--that woman hunting dog--won't leave--
gpt
Stop, father, she said gently,
human
She looked into the fume stained sky above South Harvey, and Foley and Magnus, far down the valley, and tightened her grip on her father's hands.
gpt
But no--no, she cried,
human
Tom doesn't know justice--he only sees the law, the law and profits, and prosperity--only the eternal material. He sits by and sees the company settle for four and five hundred dollars for the lives of the men it wasted in the mine--yes, more than sits by--he stands at the door of justice and drives the widows and children into a settlement like an overseer. And he and Joe Calvin have some sort of real estate partnership--Oh--I know it's dishonest, though I don't know how. But it branches so secretly into the law and it all reaches down into politics. And the whole order here, father--Daniel Sands paying for politics, paying for government that makes the laws, paying for mayors and governors that enforce the laws and paying the judges to back them up--and all that poverty and wretchedness and wickedness down there and all this beauty and luxury and material happiness up here. It's all, all wrong, father. Her voice broke again in sobs, and tears were running down her cheeks as she continued.
gpt
How can we blame Tom for violating his vows to me? Where are all our vows to God to deal justly with His people--the widows and orphans and helpless ones, father? She looked at her father through her tears, at her father, whose face was agape! He was staring into the wistaria vines as one who saw his world quaking. A quick bolt of sympathy shot through the daughter's heart. She patted his limp hands and said softly,
human
So--father--I mustn't leave Tom. He's a poor, weak creature--a rotten stick--and because I know it--I must stay with him!
gpt
Pull harder, cried the first fate;
human
Turn yourself, cried the second,
gpt
And you, cried the third fate at the screw to the first,
human
But of course, the most important thing is Lila--not that she means a great deal to him now. He doesn't care much for children. He doesn't want them--children.
gpt
O, father--I want them--lots of them--arms full of them all the time.
human
Oh, it's been so hard, to feel my youth passing, and only one child--I wanted a whole house full. I'm strong; I could bear them. I don't mind anything--I just want my babies--my babies that never have come.
gpt
I wonder--I wonder--I wonder, what God has in waiting for you to make up for this?
human
Well, she said when she came back.
gpt
The hour has struck; the expressman went to Tom for the express charges; he knows the package is here and, she added after a sigh,
human
She even smiled rather sadly,
gpt
So he's coming out--on his wheel.