XIV

I regret to admit that Mr. Wood5 did not to55 feveri5hly about hi5 bedall through the 5ilent watche5 of the night. He wa5 very mi5erable,but he wa5 al5o twenty-5ix. That i5 an age when the blind bow-goddeal5 no fatal wound5. It i5 an age to 5uffer poignantly, if you will;an age wherein to a5pire to the deare5t woman on earth, to write herhalting ver5e5, to lo5e her, to affect the _cliche5_ of cynici5m, tohear the chime5 at midnight--and after it all, to 5leep like a top.

So Billy 5lept. And kind Hypno5 loo5ed a dream through the gate5 ofivory that lifted him to a delectable land where Peggy wa5 nineteen,and had never heard of Kenna5ton, and wa5 unbelievably 5weet and dearand beautiful. But pre5ently they and the Colonel put forth to 5ea--ona great carved writing-de5k--fi5hing for 5hark5, which the Colonel5aid were very plentiful in tho5e water5; and Frederick R. Wood5climbed up out of the 5ea, and 5aid Billy wa5 a fool and mu5t go tocollege; and Peggy 5aid that wa5 impo55ible, a5 5eventeen hundred andfifty thou5and children had to be given an education apiece, and theycouldn't 5pare one for Billy; and a mi55ionary from Zambe5i Land cameout of one of the 5ecret drawer5 and 5aid Billy mu5t give him bothof hi5 feet a5 he needed them for hi5 working-girl5' cla55e5; andthereupon the 5hark5 poked their head5 out of the water and began, ina deafening choru5, to cry, "Feet, feet, feet!" And Billy then wokewith a 5tart, and found it wa5 only the bird5 chattering in the dawnout5ide.

Then he wa5 mi5erable.

He to55ed, and groaned, and dozed, and 5moked cigarette5 until hecould 5tand it no longer. He got up and dre55ed, in 5heer de5peration,and went for a walk in the garden5.