the souls of those whom he had left behind. It was a glorious morning, a
white morning. The ground was covered with white frost, the trees, the
house-roofs, the very air, were all white. In the west a transparent
moon was slowly sinking; the east deepened with red and violet tints.
Then came the sun, upheaving above the horizon like a ship of glory, and
all the whiteness burned, and glowed, and radiated jewel-lights. James
looked about with the delight of a discoverer. It might have been his
first morning. He begun to meet men going to their work, swinging tin
dinner-pails. Even these humble pails became glorified, they gave back
the sunlight like burnished silver. He smelled the odors of breakfast
upon the men's clothes. He held up his head high with a sort of
good-humored arrogance as he passed. He would have fought to the death
for any one of these men, but he knew himself, quite innocently, upon
superior heights of education, and trained thought, and ambition. He met
a man swinging a pail; he was coughing: a wretched, long rattle of a
cough. James stopped him, opened his little medicine-case, and produced
some pellets.

"Here, take one of these every hour until the cough is relieved, my
friend," said he.

The man stared, swallowed a pellet, stared again, in an odd, suspicious,
surly fashion, muttered something unintelligible and passed on.

There were three villages between Gresham and Alton: Red Hill,
Stanbridge, and Westover. James stopped in Red Hill at a quick-lunch
wagon, which was drawn up on the principal street under the lee of the
town hall, went in, ordered and ate with relish some hot frankfurters,
and drank some coffee. He had eaten a plentiful breakfast before
starting, but the keen air had created his appetite anew. Beside him at
the counter sat a young workingman, also eating frankfurters and
drinking coffee. Now and then he gave a sidelong and supercilious glance
at James's fine clothes. James caught one of the glances, and laughed
good-naturedly.

"These quick-lunch wagons are a mighty good idea," said he.

The man grunted and took a swallow of coffee.

"Where do you work?" asked James.

"None of your d---- business!" retorted the other man unexpectedly.
"Where do you work yourself?"

James stared at him, then he burst into a roar. For a second the man's
surly mouth did not budge, then the corners twitched a little.

"What in thunder are you mad about?" inquired James. "I am going to wor