The Brimming Cup — Dorothy Canfield

CONTENTSCHAPTER Page I. PRELUDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 II. INTERLUDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23_PART ONE_ III. OLD MR. WELLES AND YOUNG MR. MARSH. 29 IV. TABLE TALK. . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 V. A LITTLE GIRL AND HER MOTHER. . . . 64 VI. THINGS TAKE THEIR COURSE. . . . . . 80 VII. THE NIGHT-BLOOMING CEREUS . . . . . 91 VIII. WHAT GOES ON INSIDE . . . . . . . . 115 IX. THE GENT AROUND THE LADY. . . . . . 130 X. AT THE MILL . . . . . . . . . . . . 151_PART TWO_ XI. IN AUNT HETTY'S GARDEN. . . . . . . 179 XII. HEARD FROM THE STUDY. . . . . . . . 199 XIII. ALONG THE EAGLE ROCK BROOK. . . . . 215 XIV. BESIDE THE ONION-BED. . . . . . . . 224 XV. HOME-LIFE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241 XVI. MASSAGE-CREAM; THEME AND VARIATIONS 256 XVII. THE SOUL OF NELLY POWERS. . . . . . 266_PART THREE_ XVIII. BEFORE THE DAWN . . . . . . . . . . 279 XIX. MR. WELLES LIGHTS THE FUSE. . . . . 285 XX. A PRIMAEVAL HERITAGE. . . . . . . . 294 XXI. THE COUNSEL OF THE STARS. . . . . . 302 XXII. EUGENIA DOES WHAT SHE CAN . . . . . 309 XXIII. MARISE LOOKS DOWN ON THE STARS. . . 323_PART FOUR_ XXIV. NEALE'S RETURN. . . . . . . . . . . 331 XXV. MARISE'S COMING-OF-AGE. . . . . . . 338 XXVI. MARISE LOOKS AND SEES WHAT IS THERE 360 XXVII. THE FALL OF THE BIG PINE. . . . . . 367 XXVIII. TWO GOOD-BYES . . . . . . . . . . . 380 XXIX. VIGNETTES FROM HOME-LIFE. . . . . . 390THE BRIMMING CUPCHAPTER I_PRELUDE_SUNSET ON ROCCA DI PAPA_An Hour in the Life of Two Modern Young People_April, 1909.Lounging idly in the deserted little waiting-room was the usual shabby,bored, lonely ticket-seller, prodigiously indifferent to the gravebeauty of the scene before him and to the throng of ancient memoriesjostling him where he stood. Without troubling to look at his watch, heinformed the two young foreigners that they had a long hour to waitbefore the cable-railway would send a car down to the Campagna. His lazynonchalance was faintly colored with the satisfaction, common to hisprofession, in the discomfiture of travelers.Their look upon him was of amazed gratitude. Evidently they did notunderstand Italian, he thought, and repeated his information moreslowly, with an unrecognizable word or two of badly pronounced Englishthrown in. He felt slightly vexed that he could not make them feel theproper annoyance, and added, It may even be so late that the signoriwould miss the connection for the last tramway car back to Rome. It is along walk back to the city across the Campagna.They continued to gaze at him with delight. I've got to tip him forthat! said the young man, reaching vigorously into a pocket.The girl's answering laugh, like the inward look of her eyes, showedonly a preoccupied attention. She had the concentrated absent aspect ofa person who has just heard vital tidings and can attend to nothingelse. She said, Oh, Neale, how ridiculous of you. He couldn't possiblyhave the least idea what he's done to deserve getting paid for.At the sound of her voice, the tone in which these words werepronounced, the ticket-seller looked at her hard, with a bold,intrusive, diagnosing stare: Lovers! he told himself conclusively. Heaccepted with a vast incuriosity as to reason the coin which the youngforeigner put into his hand, and, ringing it suspiciously on his table,divided his appraising attention between its clear answer to hischallenge, and the sound of the young man's voice as he answered hissweetheart, Of course he hasn't any idea what he's done to deserve it.Who ever has? You don't suppose for a moment I've any idea what I'vedone to deserve mine?The ticket-seller smiled secretly into his dark mustache. I wonder if_my_ voice quivered and deepened like that, when I was courtingAnnunziata? he asked himself. He glanced up from pocketing the coin,and caught the look which passed between the two. He felt as thoughsomeone had laid hands on him and shaken him. _Dio mio_ he thought.They are in the hottest of it.The young foreigners went across the tracks and established themselveson the rocks, partly out of sight, just at the brink of the great dropto the Campagna. The setting sun was full in their faces. But they didnot see it, seeing only each other.