d of feeling. Now, this evening, when he was free
to go and see Melanctha, he talked to anybody he could find who would
detain him, and so it was very late when at last he came to the house
where Melanctha was waiting to receive him.

Jeff came in to where Melanctha was waiting for him, and he took off
his hat and heavy coat, and then drew up a chair and sat down by the
fire. It was very cold that night, and Jeff sat there, and rubbed
his hands and tried to warm them. He had only said "How do you do" to
Melanctha, he had not yet begun to talk to her. Melanctha sat there,
by the fire, very quiet. The heat gave a pretty pink glow to her pale
yellow and attractive face. Melanctha sat in a low chair, her hands,
with their long, fluttering fingers, always ready to show her strong
feeling, were lying quiet in her lap. Melanctha was very tired with
her waiting for Jeff Campbell. She sat there very quiet and just
watching. Jeff was a robust, dark, healthy, cheery negro. His hands
were firm and kindly and unimpassioned. He touched women always with
his big hands, like a brother. He always had a warm broad glow, like
southern sunshine. He never had anything mysterious in him. He
was open, he was pleasant, he was cheery, and always he wanted,
as Melanctha once had wanted, always now he too wanted really to
understand.

Jeff sat there this evening in his chair and was silent a long time,
warming himself with the pleasant fire. He did not look at Melanctha
who was watching. He sat there and just looked into the fire. At first
his dark, open face was smiling, and he was rubbing the back of his
black-brown hand over his mouth to help him in his smiling. Then he
was thinking, and he frowned and rubbed his head hard, to help him in
his thinking. Then he smiled again, but now his smiling was not very
pleasant. His smile was now wavering on the edge of scorning. His
smile changed more and more, and then he had a look as if he were
deeply down, all disgusted. Now his face was darker, and he was bitter
in his smiling, and he began, without looking from the fire, to talk
to Melanctha, who was now very tense with her watching.

"Melanctha Herbert", began Jeff Campbell, "I certainly after all this
time I know you, I certainly do know little, real about you. You see,
Melanctha, it's like this way with me"; Jeff was frowning, with his
thinking and looking very hard into the fire, "You see it's just this
way, with me now, Melanctha. Sometimes