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PARTISAN REVIEW
paused, out of respect for reality. "But now I find that perhaps I have
neglected the other side."
"The other side?" Howe said. .
"Imagination, fancy, culture. A well rounded man." He trailed off
as if there were perfect understanding between them. "And so, sir, I
have decided to end my senior year with your course in the romantic
poets."
His voice was filled with an indulgence which Howe ignored as he
said flatly and gravely, "But that course isn't given until the spring term."
"Yes, sir, and that is where the favor comes in. Would you let me
take your romantic prose course? I can't take it for credit, sir, my pro·
gram is full, but just for background it seems to me that I ought to take
it. I do hope," he concluded in a manly way, "that you will consent."
"Well, it's no great favor, Mr. Blackburn. You can come if you
wish, though there's not much point in it if you don't do the reading."
The bell rang for the hour and Howe got up.
"May I begin with this class, sir?" Blackburn's smile was candid
and boyish.
Howe nodded carelessly and together, silently, they walked to the
classroom down the hall. When they reached the door Howe stood back
to let his student enter, but Blackburn moved adroitly behind him and
grasped him by the arm to urge him over the threshold. They entered
together with Blackburn's hand firmly on Howe's biceps, the student in–
ducting the teacher into his own room. Howe felt a surge of temper rise
in him and almost violently he disengaged his arm and walked to the
desk, while Blackburn found a seat in the front row and smiled at him.
II.
The question was, At whose door must the tragedy be laid?
All night the snow had fallen heavily and only now was abating
in
sparse little flurries. The windows were valanced high with white. It
was very quiet, something of the quiet of the world had reached the class
and Howe found that everyone was glad to talk or listen. In the room
there was a comfortable sense of pleasure in being human.
Casebeer believed that the blame for the tragedy rested with heredity.
Picking up the hook he read, "The sins of the fathers are visited on their
children." This opinion was received with general favor. Nevertheless
Johnson ventured to say that the fault was all Pastor Manders' because
the Pastor had made Mrs. Alving go back to her husband and was always
hiding the truth. To this Hibbard objected with logic enough, "Well
then, it was really all her husband's fault. He
did
all the had things."
De Witt, his face bright with an impatient idea, said that the fault was
all society's. "By society I don't mean upper-crust society," he said.
He looked around a little defiantly, taking in any members of the class
who might he members of upper-crust society. "Not in that sense. I
mean the social unit."
Howe nodded and said, "Yes, of course."
