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Springer Theses
Recognizing Outstanding Ph.D. Research

Yuta Hamada

Higgs Potential
and Naturalness
After the Higgs
Discovery
Springer Theses

Recognizing Outstanding Ph.D. Research

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Yuta Hamada

Higgs Potential
and Naturalness After
the Higgs Discovery
Doctoral Thesis accepted by
Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

123
Author Supervisor
Dr. Yuta Hamada Prof. Hikaru Kawai
Theory Center Department of Physics
High Energy Accelerator Research Kyoto University
Organization Kyoto
Tsukuba, Ibaraki Japan
Japan

ISSN 2190-5053 ISSN 2190-5061 (electronic)

Springer Theses
ISBN 978-981-10-3417-6 ISBN 978-981-10-3418-3 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-3418-3
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016963333

© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2017

This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part
of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations,
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Supervisor’s Foreword

One of the most important problems of present particle theory is the naturalness
of the Higgs mass and the cosmological constant. Before the results of the Large
Hadron Collider (LHC), many physicists expected that at least the naturalness of the
Higgs mass could be explained by supersymmetry. However, contrary to this
expectation, the LHC has discovered the absence of low-energy supersymmetry,
which suggests that the naturalness should be explained by some mechanism that is
not in the conventional field theory. In this thesis, Yuta Hamada has examined the
naturalness problem from two sides. One is so to speak a bottom-up approach, in
which the behavior of the Higgs potential near the Planck scale is analyzed using
the recent experimental data. The other is so to speak a top-down approach, in
which the effects of quantum gravity, especially those of the topology change of
space–time, are investigated. First, it is shown that the standard model (SM) is valid
up to the Planck scale without introducing additional particles. In fact the bare
parameters have been calculated as a function of the cutoff scale from the newest
experimental data for the Higgs mass, top quark mass, and the gauge couplings.
Here it is crucial to distinguish the physical top quark mass from the Monte Carlo
parameter used in experimental analyses. Then the result of the calculation tells us
that the vacuum is stable and that all the bare parameters are finite if the cutoff scale
is smaller than the Planck scale. Furthermore, it is shown that the bare Higgs
potential becomes zero if the cutoff scale is close to the Planck scale. In fact, three
quantities, the bare Higgs mass, the bare Higgs self-coupling, and the beta function
of the Higgs self-coupling, become zero simultaneously around the Planck scale.
Surprisingly, this phenomenon was already predicted by Froggatt and Nielsen in the
middle nineties. Their argument is based on a rather non-standard principle called
the multiple-point criticality principle, whose real origin is not clear at present.
However, we can show that it indeed arises in various theories that involve a slight
modification of the ordinary field theory such as Coleman’s wormhole mechanism.
This phenomenon has a major significance not only in particle physics but also in
cosmology. Yuta has picked up two interesting subjects in this direction. One is the
so-called Higgs inflation. He discusses the fact that the realistic parameters of the

v
vi Supervisor’s Foreword

inflation of the early universe can be naturally explained by the SM because the
Higgs potential is sufficiently flat around the Planck scale due to the phenomenon.
The other is the mass of the dark matter. Interestingly, rather strong upper and lower
bounds on it are obtained if one assumes that the stability and the flatness of the
Higgs potential are not violated by the dark matter. Then Yuta discusses various
mechanisms for solving the naturalness problem including the origin of the flatness
of the Higgs potential. By refining Coleman’s wormhole mechanism for space–time
with the Minkowski signature, one obtains what may be called the maximum
entropy principle, that is, the parameters of the theory are tuned by themselves to
maximize the entropy of the universe. Yuta has applied this principle to various
parameters in the SM. First of all, if one accepts the Higgs inflation, the flatness
of the Higgs potential can be explained because a flat potential produces a large
e-fold number of inflation and makes the entropy of the universe very large. He
further has examined the validity of the principle for various parameters of the SM
such as the Fermi constant and the strong CP phase. It has turned out that the
couplings predicted by the principle qualitatively agree with the observed values,
but there are significant discrepancies. In this thesis Yuta has examined various
aspects of the naturalness problem. He has discovered the rather mysterious coin-
cidences in the Higgs potential around the Planck scale. He also has tried to explain
it by finding a new mechanism that arises naturally in quantum gravity. Although
no complete theory has been found so far, he has obtained many interesting results
that indicate the future direction of particle physics.

Kyoto, Japan Prof. Hikaru Kawai

April 2016
Parts of this thesis have been published in the following journal articles:

1. Y. Hamada, H. Kawai, and K.-y. Oda, Bare Higgs mass at Planck scale, Phys.
Rev. D87 (2013), no. 5, 053009; arXiv:1210.2538.
2. Y. Hamada, H. Kawai, and K.-y. Oda, Minimal Higgs inflation, PTEP 2014
(2014), 023B02; arXiv:1308.6651.
3. Y. Hamada, H. Kawai, K.-y. Oda, and S.C. Park, Higgs inflation still alive,
Phys.Rev.Lett. 112 (2014), 241301; arXiv:1403.5043.
4. Y. Hamada, H. Kawai, K.-y. Oda, and S. C. Park, Higgs inflation from Standard
Model criticality, Phys. Rev. D91 (2015), 053008; arXiv:1408.4864.
5. Y. Hamada, H. Kawai, and K. Kawana, Weak Scale From the Maximum
Entropy Principle, PTEP 2015 (2015), 033B06; arXiv:1409.6508.
6. Y. Hamada, K. Kawana, and K. Tsumura, Landau pole in the Standard Model
with weakly interacting scalar fields, Phys. Lett. B747 (2015), 238–244;
arXiv:1505.01721.
7. Y. Hamada and K. Kawana, Vanishing Higgs Potential in Minimal Dark Matter
Models, Phys. Lett. B751 (2015), 164–170; arXiv:1506.06553.

vii
Acknowledgements

First of all, I would like to thank my supervisor, Hikaru Kawai. He drew my

attention to the connection between Higgs physics and Planck scale physics.
Discussion with him is always exciting, and I learned many things from him. His
advice is always critical and instructive and makes the point clear. I also appreciate
support from Tatsuo Kobayashi. He helped me throughout my master’s and doc-
toral courses and taught me the basis of string phenomenology and cosmology.
Through the collaboration with him, I could study many topics such as D-brane
model building, topological defects, flavor physics, and so on.
I thank Kin-ya Oda and Koji Tsumura for productive collaboration and con-
tinuous encouragement. During the joint research with them, I could learn how to
write scientific papers and improve my presentation skills.
My work at Kyoto University could not have been realized without the help of
my collaborators in many topics to whom I am also grateful: Minoru Eto, Kohei
Kamada, Kiyoharu Kawana, Atsushi Ogasahara, Keisuke Ohashi, Yuji Omura,
Yutaka Ookouchi, Seong Chan Park, Fuminobu Takahashi, Fumihiro Takayama,
Shohei Uemura, and Daiki Yasuhara.
This work was supported by a research fellowship of the Japan Society for the
Promotion of Science (JSPS) for young scientists.
Finally, I would like to extend my indebtedness to my family for their under-
standing, support, and encouragement throughout my study.

ix
Contents

1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2 Organization of the Thesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2 Bare Parameters at Cutoff Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... 5
2.1 The Standard Model Effective Potential . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... 5
2.1.1 Scheme Independence of the Coleman-Weinberg
Potential . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.1.2 How to Calculate the Beta Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.2 Bare Higgs Mass at the Two Loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.3 Bare Parameters at the Cutoff Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.4 The Relation Between Dimensionless Bare Couplings
and MS Couplings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.5 The Effect of the Graviton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2.6 Metastability of the Electroweak Vacuum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3 Higgs Inflation and Standard Model Criticality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
3.1 Minimal Higgs Inflation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
3.1.1 Is the Saddle Point Inflation in the SM Possible? . . . . . . . . 26
3.1.2 Constraints on Mt and K . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
3.1.3 Log Type Potential . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
3.2 Higgs Inflation from Standard Model Criticality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
3.2.1 Prescription I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
3.2.2 Prescription II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
3.3 The Difference Between Prescription I and II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

xi
xii Contents

4 Naturalness Problem and Quantum Gravity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

4.1 Naturalness Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
4.2 Coleman’s Argument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
4.3 Maximum Entropy Principle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
4.3.1 Big Fix of the Fermi Constant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
4.4 Fixing Parameters from Vacuum Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
4.4.1 Formulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
4.4.2 Strong CP Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
4.4.3 Multiple Point Criticality Principle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
4.4.4 Generalization to Wheeler-DeWitt Wavefunction
and Cosmological Constant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... 59
4.4.5 A Possible Way to Obtain Nonzero Cosmological
Constant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... 61
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... 64
5 Dark Matter and Higgs Potential . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
5.1 Singlet Dark Matter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
5.2 Weakly Interacting Dark Matter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
6 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Appendix A—Convention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Appendix B—Renormalization Group Equations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Appendix C—Brief Review of Inflation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Appendix D—Strong CP Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Appendix E—Quantization of Majorana Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Appendix F—The Effect of the Principle Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Curriculum Vitae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Chapter 1
Introduction

1.1 Overview

The discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012 [1, 2] at the large hadron collider (LHC)
makes a big impact on the standard model (SM), which determines the finial para-
meters of the SM. Now the existence of a fundamental scalar is established and the
SM has been completed. The next step is to figure out the physics behind the SM.
To accomplish this purpose, another observation in the LHC would be important:
there is no evidence of the beyond SM physics. In other words, no new particles
are discovered. Before the running of the LHC, the beyond SM physics appears
soon from the point of view of the hierarchy problem unless the mass of the Higgs
boson is unnaturally small. Such candidates are, for example, supersymmetry, extra
dimension and compositeness, which solve hierarchy thanks to new symmetry or
dynamics. The fact that we do not find new physics up to 1 TeV scale may imply that
our understanding about field theory is not complete, or we have to consider beyond
the ordinary field theory in order to solve this problem. Moreover, the smallness of the
cosmological constant requires more severe fine-tuning than that of the Higgs mass.
We also do not know the solution to the strong CP problem. This is the problem that,
in principle, the P and CP can be broken in the quantum chromodynamics (QCD)
sector by F F̃ term, in addition to the usual CP violation in Yukawa sector, but nature
does not choose absence of CP violation in QCD sector.
Taking above situations into account, we investigate the following two subjects
in the thesis. First is to examine the theoretical consistency of the SM with arbitrary
cutoff scale , and to check whether the SM is valid up to the string/Planck scale,
which is the scale of the quantum gravity. We perform this calculation at the two loop
level. In particular, we perform the two loop calculation of the bare Higgs mass.
As a result of the analysis of the renormalization group, it is found that there is
another vacuum around the string/Planck scale which is degenerate in energy with
the electroweak one, depending on the value of the top quark mass. This would
be related to the Planck scale physics. There are some mechanisms which may
be behind this degeneracy. For example, multiple point criticality principle (MPP)

© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2017 1

Y. Hamada, Higgs Potential and Naturalness After the Higgs Discovery,
Springer Theses, DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-3418-3_1
2 1 Introduction

[3–5] proposed by Froggatt and Nielsen explains the degeneracy by starting from
not the canonical ensemble, but the micro-canonical ensemble. The other arguments
are the asymptotic safety [6, 7], the hidden duality and symmetry [8, 9], the classical
conformality [10–20] and the eternal topological Higgs inflation [21, 22].
Second is to look for a new solution to the naturalness problem. The new solution
should be consistent with non-observation of the new physics at the LHC. However,
if we believe the argument of the ordinary local field theory, in order to solve the
fine-tuning problem of the Higgs mass, we need new physics around the TeV scale.
Therefore, we should be beyond the ordinary local field theory. In this thesis, we
consider the baby universe theory originally proposed by Coleman. The integration
of the wormhole configuration gives rise to non-local interaction from the view point
of large universe, which makes the parameter in the theory dynamical variable. The
resultant low energy effective action is not given by usual local action, but given
by the multi-local action, multiplication of the local action. We consider the Lorentz
version of this mechanism, and try to solve the naturalness problem of the Higgs mass
as well as the cosmological constant problem and strong CP problem. Furthermore,
we show that this mechanism can also explain the degeneracy of the Higgs potential.
Despite the triumph of the SM, there remains a few things which can not be
explained within the SM, one of which is the existence of the dark matter of the
universe. Taking into account the success of the minimal SM, it seems that the
inclusion of the dark matter to the SM may be achieved not by radical modification
of SM such as supersymmetry, but by the simple extension of the SM. As a simple
model, we consider the singlet and weakly interacting dark matter, and investigate
their impact on the Higgs potential.

1.2 Organization of the Thesis

This thesis is organized as follows. In Chap. 2, we calculate the bare parameters

at the Planck scale, and show that there exists triple coincidence if the top quark
mass is around 170 GeV: all the bare Higgs mass, Higgs quartic coupling and its
beta function take zero around the string/Planck scale. In Chap. 3, we investigate a
phenomenological implication of the Higgs flat potential around the Planck scale.
The Higgs inflation with flat potential drastically changes the prediction of the con-
ventional Higgs inflation. In Chap. 4, we revisit the notorious problem of the SM, the
fine-tuning of the Higgs mass. It turns out that the topological changing fluctuation
of the spacetime metric can affect the fine-tuning of the parameters in the SM. We
show that the Fermi constant, θ parameter and Higgs quartic coupling are indeed
fixed around the real value. In Chap. 5, we consider the possible dark matter in the
desert picture, and examine the relation between the Higgs potential and the dark
matter. In Chap. 6, we summarize our results. In Appendix A, we fix the notations
we use in the thesis. In Appendix B, the renormalization group equations (RGE) of
simple extensions of the SM are shown. In Appendix C, we briefly review the infla-
tion paradigm. In Appendix D, we summarize the strong CP problem and its possible
1.2 Organization of the Thesis 3

solution. In Appendix E, the quantization of Majorana field is written. This is needed

when we treat the neutrino or Majorana fermion dark matter. In Appendix F, the
integration appeared in Chap. 4 is evaluated.

References

1. ATLAS Collaboration, G. Aad et al., Observation of a new particle in the search for the Standard
Model Higgs boson with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Phys. Lett. B 716, 1–29 (2012).
arXiv:1207.7214
2. CMS Collaboration, S. Chatrchyan et al., Observation of a new boson at a mass of 125 GeV
with the CMS experiment at the LHC. Phys. Lett. B 716, 30–61 (2012). arXiv:1207.7235
3. C. Froggatt, H.B. Nielsen, Standard model criticality prediction: top mass 173 +- 5-GeV and
Higgs mass 135 +- 9-GeV. Phys. Lett. B 368, 96–102 (1996). arXiv:hep-ph/9511371
4. C. Froggatt, H.B. Nielsen, Y. Takanishi, Standard model Higgs boson mass from borderline
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Lett. B 683, 196–200 (2010). arXiv:0912.0208
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safe gravity. Class. Quantum Gravity 33(12), 125011 (2016). arXiv:1510.03734
8. Y. Kawamura, Naturalness, conformal symmetry and duality. PTEP 2013(11), 113B04 (2013).
arXiv:1308.5069
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Phys. A 30(25), 1550153 (2015). arXiv:1311.2365
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312–317 (2007). arXiv:hep-th/0612165
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metry and the stability of the electroweak scale (2014). arXiv:1404.0548
20. A. Latosinski, A. Lewandowski, K.A. Meissner, H. Nicolai, Conformal standard model with
an extended scalar sector. JHEP 10, 170 (2015). arXiv:1507.01755
21. Y. Hamada, K.-Y. Oda, F. Takahashi, Topological Higgs inflation: origin of standard model
criticality. Phys. Rev. D 90(9), 097301 (2014). arXiv:1408.5556
22. Y. Hamada, H. Kawai, K.-Y. Oda, Eternal Higgs inflation and the cosmological constant prob-
lem. Phys. Rev. D 92,045009 (2015). arXiv:1501.04455
Chapter 2
Bare Parameters at Cutoff Scale

Abstract The discovery of the Higgs boson determines the last parameter in the
SM, the Higgs self coupling λ. This allows us to extrapolate the SM up to very high
scale such as the string/Planck scale. In this chapter, we calculate the bare parameters
as functions of the cutoff scale , and check the theoretical consistency, instability
and perturbatively. Especially, we focus on the structure of the Higgs potential. In
Sect. 2.1, we present the effective potential of the SM. In Sect. 2.2, we calculate the
quadratic divergent part of the bare Higgs mass at the two loop level. In Sect. 2.3,
we give the numerical estimation of bare parameters as functions of the cutoff scale.
In Sect. 2.4, we give the relation between bare couplings and MS ones. In Sect. 2.5,
we discuss the effect of the graviton on bare parameters. In Sect. 2.6, we comment
on the metastability issue of the electroweak vacuum.

2.1 The Standard Model Effective Potential

In order to discuss the Higgs potential precisely, we need to calculate the loop cor-
rection of the Higgs potential. The general one loop potential [1] in MS scheme is
given by [2]

  
1 m 2n
V = (−1)2sn (2sn + 1) m 4
log + a , (2.1)
n
64π 2 n μ2

where a = −3/2 for spin sn = 0, 1/2 and a = −5/6 for spin sn = 1 with m n being
effective mass. The summation is taken over real scalars, two component fermions
and vectors.
Then, in the Landau gauge, Coleman-Weinberg potential of the SM Higgs is
calculated as
λ(μ) 4
Vtree = e4(ϕ) ϕ , (2.2)
4
  
3Mt (ϕ)4 Mt (ϕ)2 3
V1−loop = e4(ϕ) − ln − + 2(ϕ)
16π 2 μ2 2

© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2017 5

Y. Hamada, Higgs Potential and Naturalness After the Higgs Discovery,
Springer Theses, DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-3418-3_2
6 2 Bare Parameters at Cutoff Scale
   
6MW (ϕ)4 MW (ϕ)2 5 3M Z (ϕ)4 M Z (ϕ)2 5
+ ln − + 2(ϕ) + ln − + 2(ϕ) ,
64π 2 μ2 6 64π 2 μ2 6
(2.3)
ϕ
(ϕ) = γ d ln μ, (2.4)
Mt
 
1 9 2 3 2
γ= g + g − 3yt2 , (2.5)
(4π)2 4 2 4 Y
√
where ϕ is the field value of the Higgs, H = ϕ/ 2, MW (ϕ) = g2 ϕ/2, M Z (ϕ) =
√
gY2 + g22 ϕ/2, and Mt (ϕ) = yt ϕ/ 2.
From above expression, we can define the effective quartic coupling of the Higgs
potential as follows.
 
1 yt2 ϕ2 3
λeff (ϕ, μ) = e4(ϕ) λ(μ) + e4(ϕ) 4
− 3yt ln − + 2(ϕ)
16π 2 2μ2 2
  2 ⎛ ⎞
3 gY2 + g22 gY2 + g22 ϕ2 
3g24 g22 ϕ2 5 5
+ ln − + 2(ϕ) + ⎝ln − + 2(ϕ)⎠ .
8 4μ2 6 16 4μ2 6
(2.6)

The two loop formula is given in Ref. [3], and we use it for our analysis.

2.1.1 Scheme Independence of the Coleman-Weinberg

Potential

In this section, we comment on the scheme independence of the Coleman-Weinberg

potential by taking φ4 theory Lagrangian as an example,

1 1 λ
L= (∂μ φ)2 − m 2 φ2 − φ4 . (2.7)
2 2 4!
The Coleman-Weinberg potential is
 
1 dd p λϕ2
−i V1−loop =− log − p +2
2 (2π)d 2
 
i d p E
d−1
λϕ2
=− dp E log p E +
2
, (2.8)
2 (2π)d 2
2.1 The Standard Model Effective Potential 7

where d = 2π d/2 / (d/2). Then, we have

 
1 1 ( p 2E )d/2−1 λϕ2
V1−loop = dp 2E log p E +
2
( d2 ) 2 (4π)d/2 2
   
1 1 1 2 λϕ2 ∞ 2 ( pE )
2 d/2
= ( p E ) log p E +
2 d/2 2
 − dp E 2
( d2 ) 2 (4π)d/2 d p E + λϕ2
2
2 0
 d/2
1 1 1 2 λϕ2 x d/2
=− d dx
( 2 ) 2 (4π) d
d/2 2 1+x
 2 d/2
1 1 1 2 λϕ
=− d dyy d/2 (1 − y)−1−d/2
( 2 ) 2 (4π)d/2 d 2
 2−  
1 1 2 λϕ2 d d
=−  −
2 (4π)2− d 2 2 2
 2 2   2 
1 1 λϕ λϕ 1

−γ
=− 1 +  log(4π) −  log
2 (4π) 2 2 2 (−2 + )(−1 + )
 2 2   2 
1 λϕ 1 λϕ 3
= − + γ − log(4π) + log − . (2.9)
64π 2 2  2 2

In the MS and MS schemes, the divergence is subtracted as follows.

1
− → − log(μ2 ) (MS scheme)

1
− + γ − log(4π) → − log(μ2 ) (MS scheme). (2.10)

Therefore, Coleman-Weinberg potential becomes

V = Vtree + V1−loop
⎧ 4    
⎪
⎪ ϕ 3 λMS ϕ2 3
⎪
⎪ λ MS + (λ MS ϕ )
2 2
log + γ − log(4π) − for MS
⎨ 4! 32π 2 2μ2 2
=     
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪ ϕ4 3 λMS ϕ2 3
⎩ λMS + (λ ϕ ) log
2 2
− for MS
4! 32π 2 MS 2μ2 2
(2.11)

In order to compare λMS and λMS , let us calculate four point function with external
momentum ( p1 + p2 )2 = ( p1 + p3 )2 = ( p1 + p4 )2 = P 2 :
8 2 Bare Parameters at Cutoff Scale

(−iλ)2  dd k i2
φ( p1 )φ( p2 )φ( p3 )φ( p4 ) = − iλ + μ ×3
2 (2π)d k 2 (P + k)2
3 2  dd lE 1
= − iλ + iλ μ dx
2 (2π)d (l 2E − x(1 − x)P 2 )2
  
3 2 1 − γ + log(4π) + log μ2
= − iλ + iλ .
32π 2  −x(1 − x)P 2
(2.12)

Then, we obtain

3 2
λMS = λMS − λ (γ − log(4π)). (2.13)
32π 2 MS
Substituting Eq. (2.13) into Eq. (2.11), we can see that effective potential in MS and
that in MS are the same.

2.1.2 How to Calculate the Beta Function

This part is based on Refs. [4, 5]. In the previous sections, we have seen that we need
the beta function and gamma function in order to evaluate the effective potential.
We review the calculation of these functions using the dimensional regularization,
namely d = 4−2. Then, requiring that Fμν F μν , ψ̄i∂μ γ μ ψ and ψ̄i Aμ γ μ ψ have same
dimension, we can fix the dimension in unit of momentum as [Aμ ] = 1, [ψ] = 3/2,
and overall 1/g 2B factor has dimension [1/g 2B ] = d −4 = 2. Hence, we parameterize
g B as

g B = μ̄ Z̄ g g, (2.14)

where
μ
μ̄ = √ eγ E . (2.15)
4π

Here γ E is the Euler constant. This corresponds to the usual one loop subtraction
of (1/ − γ E + log(4π))/(4π)2 , which can be found in the elementary textbook of
quantum field theory like Ref. [6].
By using this μ, the renormalization of the coupling constant is
∞
 Z g(i) (g)
g B = μ Z g g, Zg = 1 + . (2.16)
i=1
i

The dimensional analysis tells us that Z g(i) (g) depends on μ only through g(μ).
We also note that Eq. (2.16) does not contain 0 , 1 , . . . terms. This corresponds to
2.1 The Standard Model Effective Potential 9

the choice of the counter term in the scheme, and therefore this is nothing but the
definition of MS scheme.
The definition of the beta function is
∂
βg = μ g. (2.17)
∂μ

The partial derivative means that g B and  are fixed.

From the definition, we have

∂  − −1  ∂
βg = μ μ Z g g B = −g − gβg log Z g , (2.18)
∂μ ∂g

which becomes
 
∂
βg + g + gβg Z g = 0. (2.19)
∂g
i=N
We substituting Eq. (2.16) into this, and put ansatz on βg = i=0 βg(i) i , where
N is some finite number. Then it turns out that

βg(i) = 0, (2 ≤ i ≤ N )
βg(1) = −g,
∂ (1)
βg(0) = −gβg(1) Z . (2.20)
∂g g

Hence, in order to calculate the beta function in MS scheme, we take the simple pole
of  in Z g :

∂ (1)
lim βg = g 2 Z . (2.21)
→0 ∂g g

The similar derivation is applicable to the gamma function. From the definition,

1 ∂
γφ = μ log Z φ , (2.22)
2 ∂μ

we can derive
 
∂
βg − 2γ Z φ = 0, (2.23)
∂g
10 2 Bare Parameters at Cutoff Scale

where Z φ is the wavefunction renormalization of a scale field φ, φ B = Z φ φ. As a
result, we obtain

1 ∂
γφ = − g Z φ(1) . (2.24)
4 ∂g

A few comments on the properties of the beta and gamma functions are in order.
1. The coefficients of O(g 3 ), O(g 5 ) terms in the beta function and O(g 3 ) term in
gamma function are independent of the scheme.
This can be seen by starting from the given beta function of some scheme,

βg = b0 g 3 + b1 g 5 + O(g 7 ). (2.25)

Let us calculate the beta function in different scheme, βg  := μ∂μ g  . Here
g  = g + ag 3 + O(g 5 ) is taken.1 βg  becomes

dg 
βg  = βg
dg
= (b0 g 3 + b1 g 5 + O(g 7 ))(1 + 3ag 2 + O(g 4 ))
= b0 g 3 + b1 g 5 + O(g 7 ). (2.26)

2. The zero of the beta function, β(g∗ ) = 0, is independent of the scheme.

If the beta function vanishes at g = g∗ in some scheme, βg  (g  (g = g∗ )) also
does:

dg 
βg  (g  (g = g∗ )) = βg (g∗ ) = 0. (2.27)
dg

Therefore, the existence of a fixed point is scheme independent.

dβ
3. at g = g∗ is independent of the scheme.
dg

dβg  dβg ∂g ∂ 2 g dβg

= +  βg (g∗ ) 2 = . (2.28)
dg  dg ∂g ∂g dg

This independence is importance because dβ/dg determines the flow around a

fixed point. This means that the critical exponent is scheme independent quantity.
4. The leading term of γφ is independent of the scheme.
We write a relation between the wavefunction renormalization as

Z φ (g  ) = Z φ (g)Fφ (g), Fφ (g) = 1 + O(g 2 ) (2.29)

1 In general, scale μ can also be different from μ. Here we assume that μ ∝ μ.

2.1 The Standard Model Effective Potential 11

For some scheme, γφ (g) = c0 g 2 + O(g 4 ), then

1 ∂
γφ (g  ) = μ log(Z φ (g)Fφ (g))
2 ∂μ
1 ∂
= γφ (g) + βg log Fφ (g)
2 ∂g
= c0 g 2 + O(g 4 ). (2.30)

5. γφ (g) = γφ (g  ) at a fixed point, βg (g∗ ) = 0.

This is obvious from the Eq. (2.30).
The leading contribution in beta function and gamma function corresponds to
the summation of the leading logarithm. The renormalization group equation for the
one-particle irreducible Green function  (n) is
 
∂ ∂
μ + βg − nγφ  (n) = 0. (2.31)
∂μ ∂g

By introducing t := log(μ/Q) where Q is some pivot scale, we have

 
∂ (n) ∂
 (t, g) = βg − nγφ  (n) . (2.32)
∂t ∂g

Formally we can solve it, and obtain

 
(n) ∂
 (t, g) = exp t βg − nγφ  (n) (0, g)
∂g
 1   
μ m ∂
m
= log βg − nγφ  (n) (0, g) (2.33)
m
m! Q ∂g

The point is that the mass independent scheme such as MS, β and γ does not have
explicit dependence of μ.
The inclusion of leading term of the beta and gamma function corresponds to
the summation of leading log. The next-to-leading, next-to-next-leading, . . . terms
correspond to next-leading log, next-to-next-leading log, . . ., respectively.

2.2 Bare Higgs Mass at the Two Loop

In the following, we will estimate the bare parameters of the SM, and check the
theoretical consistency. To compute the bare parameters is important because these
are inputs for numerical consideration of the cutoff scale physics such as string theory.
There are two kinds of the bare parameters, dimensionless coupling and dimensionful
12 2 Bare Parameters at Cutoff Scale

one. The dimensionless couplings are the gauge couplings, Yukawa couplings and
Higgs self coupling, while dimensionful coupling is the bare Higgs mass. As we will
see in Sect. 2.4, the dimensionless couplings are well approximated by MS ones.
On the other hand, the bare Higgs mass needs extra computations. In this section,
we calculate the bare Higgs mass at the two loop level. See Refs. [7–11] for related
topic. The dominant part of the bare Higgs mass is the quadratic divergence, so we
focus on this part, and calculate it by a cutoff scheme. We have performed the two
loop level calculation, and obtain the bare mass as follows:

 
3 2 9 2
m 2B, 1−loop = − 6λ B + gY B + g2B − 6yt B I1 ,
2
(2.34)
4 4
  
7 9 2
m 2B, 2−loop = − 9yt B + yt B − gY B + g2B − 16g3B
4 2 2 2
12 4
87 4 63 4 15 2 2
− gY B − g2B − gY B g2B
16 16 8

 
+ λ B −18yt B + 3gY B + 9g2B − 12λ B I2 .
2 2 2 2
(2.35)

Here I1 and I2 are quadratic divergent loop integrals,

d 4 pE 1
I1 := , (2.36)
(2π)4 p 2E
d 4 pE d 4qE 1
I2 := , (2.37)
(2π) (2π) p E q E ( p E + q E )2
4 4 2 2

yt B , λ B , g3B , g2B and gY B are bare top Yukawa, bare Higgs self coupling, bare SU (3)C
coupling, bare SU (2) L coupling and bare U (1)Y coupling, respectively.
The vanishing bare Higgs mass condition at the one loop is nothing but Veltman
condition [8]. In the computation, we take the physical Higgs mass to be zero and
work in symmetric phase. This is because the dimensional analysis tells us that the
quadratic divergent part is same both in symmetric phase and broken phase, and
is independent of physical Higgs mass. In addition, Landau gauge is taken. The
use of Landau gauge drastically reduces the number of Feynman diagram. In Landau
gauge, the following class of diagram vanishes since three point coupling is derivative
coupling, and external momentum is zero:

(2.38)
In Figs. 2.1 and 2.2, we show non-vanishing diagrams and their contributions.
2.2 Bare Higgs Mass at the Two Loop 13

Fig. 2.1 g 4 terms in m 2B, 2−loop in units of I2

Fig. 2.2 The terms other than g 4 in m 2B, 2−loop in units of I2

14 2 Bare Parameters at Cutoff Scale

In order to fix the ratio of I1 and I2 , the cutoff scheme should be specified. In this
thesis, we take proper time regularization:
∞
1
d 4 k E e−αk E ,
2
d 4k E = dα (2.39)
k 2E ε

By employing this regularization, the one loop and two loop integrals are calcu-
lated as
1 1
I1 = ,
ε 16π 2
d k d4 p
4
1
I2 =
(2π) (2π) k p ( p + k)2
4 4 2 2
∞ ∞ ∞
d 4 k d 4 p −α p2 −βk 2 −γ( p+k)2
= dα dβ dγ e
   (2π)4 (2π)4
∞ ∞ ∞
π4 1
= dα dβ dγ
   (2π) (αβ + βγ + γα)2
8

1 ∞  ∞  ∞  π4 1
= dα dβ dγ 8 (α β  + β  γ  + γ  α )2
 1 1 1 (2π)
1 1 26
= ln 0.005 I1 . (2.40)
ε (16π 2 )2 33

Here α =  α, α =  β and α =  γ. If we employ the usual momentum cutoff, we

obtain

2
I1 = , (2.41)
16π 2

which implies the relation 1/ε = 2 . We note that the ratio Eq. (2.40) depends on
the cutoff scheme. However, in the next section, we will show that the two loop effect
is small, and therefore we can safely neglect the cutoff scheme dependence.

2.3 Bare Parameters at the Cutoff Scale

In this section, we numerically solve the renormalization group equations (RGEs),

and evaluate the bare parameters at the cutoff scale. The values of SM couplings at
the electroweak scale are given in Ref. [3]:

   
Mt MW − 80.384GeV
g2 (Mt ) = 0.64822 + 0.00004 − 173.10 + 0.00011 , (2.42)
GeV 0.014GeV
2.3 Bare Parameters at the Cutoff Scale 15
   
Mt MW − 80.384GeV
gY (Mt ) = 0.35761 + 0.00011 − 173.10 + 0.00021 , (2.43)
GeV 0.014GeV
   
α S (M Z ) − 0.1184 Mt
g3 (Mt ) = 1.1666 + 0.00314 − 0.00046 − 173.10 , (2.44)
0.0007 GeV
   
Mt α S (M Z ) − 0.1184
yt (Mt ) = 0.93558 + 0.00550 − 173.10 − 0.00042
GeV 0.0007
 
MW − 80.384GeV
− 0.00042 ± 0.00050th , (2.45)
0.014GeV
   
MH Mt
λ(Mt ) = 0.12711 + 0.00206 − 125.66 − 0.00004 − 173.10 ± 0.00030th .
GeV GeV
(2.46)

The RGE of the SM at two loop level is in Appendix B. The mass of the Higgs
boson is

M H = 125.09 ± 0.24 GeV (2.47)

at the 1σ by Particle Data Group [12]. The SU (3)C gauge coupling is

α S (MW ) = 0.1185 ± 0.0006 GeV. (2.48)

We note that the current error of the value of the top mass:

pole 171.2 ± 2.4 GeV, MITP [13],
Mt = (2.49)
176.7+4.0
−3.4 GeV, PDG [14],
⎧
⎪
⎪173.21 ± 0.51 ± 0.71 GeV, direct measurement, PDG [14],
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎨174.98 ± 0.76 GeV, D0 [15],
Pythia
Mt = 174.34 ± 0.64 GeV, D0+CDF [16], (2.50)
⎪
⎪
⎪173.34 ± 0.76 GeV,
⎪ ATLAS [17],
⎪
⎪
⎩172.38 ± 0.10 ± 0.65 GeV, CMS [18].

pole Pythia Pythia

As we can see, there are two types of top masses, Mt and Mt . Mt is
measured by using Monte Carlo simulation. The experiment observes the momentum
of the color singlet decay product of t t¯, and compares with the event shape of Monte
Pythia
Carlo simulation. The problem is that we do not know the relation between Mt
and MS parameters, which is important for renormalization group (RG) evolution.
Pythia
Moreover, Mt inevitably suffers from uncertainty of hadronization.
pole
On the other hand, Mt is defined as a pole of two point function of the top
pole
field. At least perturbatively, Mt is well defined, and can be written by using MS
pole pole
couplings. Therefore, we use Mt in the thesis. Mt is measured from inclusive
cross section of t t¯, σ( pp → t t¯ X ) at the LHC. We can see that Mt still has large
pole
16 2 Bare Parameters at Cutoff Scale

uncertainty. As we will see, in order to discuss the criticality of the SM precisely,

the error of Mt should become small.
The way of precision measurement of the top mass is the threshold scan of the
toponium state, which can be done by, e.g. international linear collider (ILC) in which
initial energy of electron and positron is controlled. In the ILC, the error of top mass
is estimated as O(10–100) MeV. In the following, we take
pole
Mt = 171.2 ± 2.4 GeV (2.51)

as a reference value.
Then let us move on numerical calculation. We plot the running of bare para-
meters in the left panel of Fig. 2.3. The largest uncertainty comes from the error of
the top mass Eq. (2.51), we represent it as bands. Surprisingly, we can find triple
coincidence if the top quark mass is 170 GeV: the Higgs self coupling λ, its beta
function βλ and bare Higgs mass take zero around the string/Planck scale. Figure 2.4

2.0

1.5
g3
1.0 yt
mB 2 I1
g2
0.5 gY

0.0

5 10 15 20
Log10 GeV

Fig. 2.3 Left The bare parameters as functions of the cutoff scale  as well as the beta function of
λ. The band corresponds to the two sigma deviation of the top mass, Eq. (2.51). Right The triple
coincidence occurs if Mt = 170 GeV

Fig. 2.4 The light blue band 0.10

is RGE running of λeff (μ).
λeff (μ) is defined by two
loop effective potential, and
0.05 eff
we have used 2 loop RGE.
eff

The dark blue band is the

beta function multiplied by
ten, 10 × dλeff /d ln μ. 0.00
M H = 125.09 GeV and
αs = 0.1185 are taken. The
band corresponds to 95% CL 0.05 10 d eff d ln
deviation of Mt
5 10 15 20
Log10 GeV
2.3 Bare Parameters at the Cutoff Scale 17

18.7

171.5 18.6

18.5
171.0
18.4
170.5 18.3

18.2
124.4 124.6 124.8 125.0 125.2 125.4 125.6 125.8 124.4 124.6 124.8 125.0 125.2 125.4 125.6 125.8

Fig. 2.5 Left: Mt realizing λmin = 0 as a function of M H . We use the two loop RGE and effec-
tive potential. The light green band and dotted line correspond to 95% deviation of αs and M H ,
respectively. Right The scale μmin that realizes λmin = 0

3.0
2.5 25
mB 2 0

2.0
1.5
mB

20
I1

1.0
Log10

0.5
0.0 15
0.5
5 10 15 20 25 164 166 168 170 172 174 176 178
Log10 GeV Mt GeV

Fig. 2.6 Left The bare Higgs mass as a function of . The band corresponds the deviation of the
top mass at 95% C.L. Right The scale where the bare Higgs mass takes zero as a function of Mt

is the enlarged view of the effective self coupling λeff and its derivative as functions
of the renormalization scale μ. The band is same as Fig. 2.3. In the left panel of the
Fig. 2.5, Mt realizing λmin = 0 as a function of M H is plotted. In the right panel,
we can see the scale μmin that realizes λmin = 0. From this we can see that the two
loop effect is small. In Fig. 2.6, we show the bare Higgs mass as a function of the
cutoff scale  at the two loop level. The right panel represents the scale where the
bare mass vanishes. The dashed and solid lines correspond to one-loop and two-loop
calculations, respectively. We can see that the two loop effect is small, as we noted
before. The bare mass and the self coupling at the Planck scale is shown in Fig. 2.7,
as well as the beta function of the self coupling. It can be seen that there is three coin-
cidence. The bare mass, self coupling and its beta function simultaneously become
zero if the top quark mass is around 170 GeV.
18 2 Bare Parameters at Cutoff Scale

Fig. 2.7 The blue solid 0.6

(dashed) line corresponds to
the one-plus-two-loop
(one-loop) bare mass m 2B 0.4
(m 2B, 1−loop ) in units of mB 2
2 2 2
M P2 /16π 2 for  = M P . For 0.2 MP 16 mB,1 loop
comparison, we also plot the 2 2
MP 16
quartic coupling λ at the
0.0
Planck scale with the red
dotted line. The central 100 MP MP
values αs (m Z ) = 0.1185 and 0.2
m H = 125.9 GeV are used
164 166 168 170 172 174 176 178
Mt GeV

2.4 The Relation Between Dimensionless Bare Couplings

and MS Couplings

We have approximated the bare couplings by MS ones. In this section, we present the
justification of this approximation. The relation between dimensionless bare coupling
and MS coupling can be obtained by calculating a physical quantity. Here we present
the relation in φ4 theory by performing the one loop integral of the four point function
φ( p1 )φ( p2 )φ( p3 )φ( p4 ). As there is no wavefunction renormalization at the one
loop level, we can take φ B = φ. The one loop calculation in the MS scheme can be
found in Eq. (2.12). In the momentum cutoff scheme, we get

(−iλ B )2 d 4k i2
− iλ B + ×3
2 (2π) k (P + k)2
4 2

2 1
3 d 4l E 1
= − iλ B + iλ2B dx . (2.52)
2 0 0 (2π) (l E − x(1 − x)P 2 )2
4 2

Taking P 2 = −2 , we obtain

√
3 2 log(161 + 72 5)
φ( p1 )φ( p2 )φ( p3 )φ( p4 ) = −iλ B + iλ √
32π 2 B 2 5
−iλ B + 0.01 × iλ2B . (2.53)

Finally we have
  2  √
3 μ 3 2 log(161 + 72 5)
−iλ(μ) + 2
iλ(μ) log − 2 = −iλ B + iλ √ ,
32π 2 2 32π 2 B 2 5
(2.54)
2.4 The Relation Between Dimensionless Bare Couplings and MS Couplings 19

and the relation between bare and MS coupling can be derived as

 √ 
3 log(161 + 72 5)
λ B = λ() − iλ() 2 +
2
√ . (2.55)
32π 2 2 5

Now we have confirmed that the difference between two couplings are very small,
and the approximation λ B λ() is justified.
Now let us evaluate the effect of above approximation on the scale where the bare
Higgs mass vanishes. The relation between the bare and MS coupling in the SM is
generally written as
 j
λiMS (μ) = λiB + ci jk (μ/) λ B λkB + O(λ3B ), (2.56)
jk

ci jk (x) := f i jk + bi jk ln x + O(x 2 ), (2.57)

where bi jk represents the one loop coefficient

 of the beta function, f i jk represents
the finite correction and λiB represent ( gY2 B , g2B
2
, g3B
2
, yt2B , λ B ). Since the all SM
couplings are perturbative up to the Planck scale, we have
 
 λi 
 MS 
μ ,  ln(μ/)  1, (2.58)
 16π 2 

and therefore
 μ j
λiMS (μ) = λiB + f i jk + bi jk ln λ B λkB , (2.59)
jk


is the good approximation. On the other hand, the scale dependence of MS coupling
can be written by using beta function,
 j 
λiMS () = λiMS (μ) + bi jk λMS (μ) λkMS (μ) ln , (2.60)
jk
μ

at one loop level. Combining Eqs. (2.59) and (2.60), we obtain the following formula:

 j
λiMS () = λiB + f i jk λ B λkB . (2.61)
jk

This is generalization of Eq. (2.55).

As a result, the correction to the bare Higgs mass is given by
⎛ ⎞

m 2B = ⎝a i λi () − a i f i jk λ () λk ()⎠ I1 ,
j
MS MS MS
(2.62)
i jk
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mouth open one mornin’, a year after, when I saw those roses, that
oughter been red, just come out into a yeller. Of course it was a
mistake in the bushes, but how did he know?”
“It might have been a coincidence.”
“Yes, it might have been a coincidence. But when a boy’s life is
made up of just those things you begin to suspect after a while that
perhaps they are too everlastingly reliable for coincidences. You
can’t always bet on coincidences, but you can bet every time on
Amos. My daughter Phœbe kept school down in the village for a
spell when Amos was about ten years old. There was another boy,
Billy Hines, who never missed a lesson. Phœbe knew he was a dull
boy and that he always tried to give larnin’ the whole road whenever
he saw it comin’, and it kinder surprised her to have him stand at the
head of his class all the time and make better recitations than
smarter boys who worked hard. But he always knew everything and
never missed a question. He and Amos were great friends, more
because Amos felt sorry for him, I guess, than anything else. Billy
used to stand up and shine every day, when she knew mighty well
he was the slowest chap in the whole school and hadn’t studied his
lessons neither. Well, one day Amos got hove about twenty feet by a
colt he was tryin’ to ride and he stayed in bed a few weeks. Durin’
that time Billy Hines couldn’t answer a question. Not a question. He
and arithmetic were strangers. Also geography, history, and
everything else that he’d been intimate with. He jest stopped shinin’,
like a candle with a stopper on it. The amount of it was she found
that Amos had always told him ahead the questions he was goin’ to
be asked, and Billy learned the answers just before he stood up to
recite.”
“Why, how did Amos—how did Mr. Judd know what questions would
be asked?”
“I guess ’twas just a series of coincidences that happened to last all
winter.”
Molly laughed. “How unforgiving you are, Mr. White! But did Amos
Judd explain it?”
“He didn’t. He was too young then to do it to anybody’s satisfaction,
and now that he’s older he won’t.”
“Why not?”
“Well, he’s kind of sensitive about it. Never talks of those things, and
don’t like to have other folks.”
Molly stood looking over toward the Judd house, wondering how
much of the Deacon’s tale was truth, and how much was village
gossip exaggerated by repetition.
“Did you ever hear about Josiah’s death?”
Molly shook her head.
“’Twas to him that Amos was fetched from India. One mornin’ Josiah
and I were standin’ in the doorway of his barn talkin’. The old barn
used to be closer to the house, but Amos tore it down after he built
that big new one. Josiah and I stood in the doorway talkin’ about a
new yoke of oxen; nothin’ excitin’, for there wasn’t any cause for it.
We stood in the doorway, both facin’ out, when Josiah, without givin’
any notice, sort of pitched forward and fell face down in the snow. I
turned him over and tried to lift him up, but when I saw his face I was
scared. Just at that particular minute the doctor, with Amos sittin’ in
the sleigh beside him, drove into the avenue and hurried along as if
he knew there was trouble. We carried Josiah into the house, but
’twa’n’t any use. He was dead before we got him there. It was heart
disease. At the funeral I said to the doctor it was lucky he happened
along just then, even if he couldn’t save him, and I found there was
no happen about it; that Amos had run to his house just as he was
starting off somewheres else, and told him Josiah was dyin’ and to
get there as fast as he could.”
“That’s very strange,” Molly said, in a low voice. She had listened to
this story with a feeling of awe, for she believed the Deacon to be a
truthful man, and this was an experience of his own. “This
mysterious faculty,” she said, “whatever it was, did he realize it fully
himself?”
“I guess he did!” and the Deacon chuckled as he went on with his
work. “And he used to play tricks with it. I tell you he was a handful.”
“Did you say he lost it as he grew up?”
The Deacon turned about and answered, in a serious tone: “No. But
he wants folks to think so. All the same, there’s something between
Amos and the Almighty that the rest of us ain’t into.”
One Monday morning, toward the last of June, Molly left Daleford for
a two weeks’ visit at the seashore. Her absence caused a void that
extended from the Cabot household over to the big white mansion at
the further end of the maples. This emptiness and desolation drove
the young man to frequent visits upon Mr. Cabot, who, in his turn,
found a pleasant relief in the companionship of his neighbor, and he
had no suspicion of the solace this visitor derived from sitting upon
the piazza so lately honored by the absent girl. The eminent lawyer
was not aware that he himself, apart from all personal merit, was the
object of an ardent affection from his relationship to his own
daughter. For the first twenty-four hours the two disconsolates kept
in their own preserves to a reasonable extent, but on Tuesday they
took a fishing trip, followed in the evening by a long talk on the Cabot
piazza. During this conversation the lawyer realized more fully than
ever the courageous ignorance of his neighbor in all matters that had
failed to interest him. On the other hand, he was impressed by the
young man’s clear, comprehensive, and detailed knowledge upon
certain unfamiliar subjects. In spite of his college education and a
very considerable knowledge of the world he was, mentally,
something of a spoiled child; yet from his good sense, originality, and
moral courage he was always interesting.
Wednesday, the third day, brought a northeast gale that swept the
hills and valleys of Daleford with a drenching rain. Trees, bushes,
flowers, and blades of grass dripping with water, bent and quivered
before the wind. Mr. Cabot spent the morning among his books and
papers, writing letters and doing some work which the pleasant
weather had caused him to defer. For such labors this day seemed
especially designed. In the afternoon, about two o’clock, he stood
looking out upon the storm from his library window, which was at the
corner of the house and commanded the long avenue toward the
road. The tempest seemed to rage more viciously than ever.
Bounding across the country in sheets of blinding rain, it beat
savagely against the glass, then poured in unceasing torrents down
the window-panes. The ground was soaked and spongy with
tempestuous little puddles in every hollow of the surface. In the
distance, under the tossing maples, he espied a figure coming along
the driveway in a waterproof and rubber boots. He recognized Amos,
his head to one side to keep his hat on, gently trotting before the
gale, as the mighty force against his back rendered a certain degree
of speed perfunctory. Mr. Cabot had begun to weary of solitude, and
saw with satisfaction that Amos crossed the road and continued
along the avenue. Beneath his waterproof was something large and
bulging, of which he seemed very careful. With a smiling salutation
he splashed by the window toward the side door, laid off his outer
coat and wiped his ponderous boots in the hall, then came into the
library bearing an enormous bunch of magnificent yellow roses. Mr.
Cabot recognized them as coming from a bush in which its owner
took the greatest pride, and in a moment their fragrance filled the
room.
“What beauties!” he exclaimed. “But are you sure they are for me?”
“If she decides to give them to you, sir.”
“She? Who? Bridget or Maggie?”
“Neither. They belong to the lady who is now absent; whose soul is
the Flower of Truth, and whose beauty is the Glory of the Morning.”
Then he added, with a gesture of humility, “That is, of course, if she
will deign to accept them.”
“But, my well-meaning young friend, were you gifted with less poetry
and more experience you would know that these roses will be faded
and decaying memories long before the recipient returns. And you a
farmer!”
Amos looked at the clock. “You seem to have precious little
confidence in my flowers, sir. They are good for three hours, I think.”
“Three hours! Yes, but to-day is Wednesday and it is many times
three hours before next Monday afternoon.”
A look of such complete surprise came into Amos’s face that Mr.
Cabot smiled as he asked, “Didn’t you know her visit was to last a
fortnight?”
The young man made no answer to this, but looked first at his
questioner and then at his roses with an air that struck Mr. Cabot at
the moment as one of embarrassment. As he recalled it afterward,
however, he gave it a different significance. With his eyes still on the
flowers Amos, in a lower voice, said, “Don’t you know that she is
coming to-day?”
“No. Do you?”
The idea of a secret correspondence between these two was not a
pleasant surprise; and the fact that he had been successfully kept in
ignorance of an event of such importance irritated him more than he
cared to show. He asked, somewhat dryly: “Have you heard from
her?”
“No, sir, not a word,” and as their eyes met Mr. Cabot felt it was a
truthful answer.
“Then why do you think she is coming?”
Amos looked at the clock and then at his watch. “Has no one gone to
the station for her?”
“No one,” replied Mr. Cabot, as he turned away and seated himself
at his desk. “Why should they?”
Then, in a tone which struck its hearer as being somewhat more
melancholy than the situation demanded, the young man replied: “I
will explain all this to-morrow, or whenever you wish, Mr. Cabot. It is
a long story, but if she does come to-day she will be at the station in
about fifty minutes. You know what sort of a vehicle the stage is. May
I drive over for her?”
“Certainly, if you wish.”
The young man lingered a moment as if there was something more
he wished to add, but left the room without saying it. A minute later
he was running as fast as the gale would let him along the avenue
toward his own house, and in a very short time Mr. Cabot saw a pair
of horses with a covered buggy, its leather apron well up in front,
come dashing down the avenue from the opposite house. Amid
fountains of mud the little horses wheeled into the road, trotted
swiftly toward the village and out of sight.
An hour and a half later the same horses, bespattered and dripping,
drew up at the door. Amos got out first, and holding the reins with
one hand, assisted Molly with the other. From the expression on the
two faces it was evident their cheerfulness was more than a match
for the fiercest weather. Mr. Cabot might perhaps have been
ashamed to confess it, but his was a state of mind in which this
excess of felicity annoyed him. He felt a touch of resentment that
another, however youthful and attractive, should have been taken
into her confidence, while he was not even notified of her arrival. But
she received a hearty welcome, and her impulsive, joyful embrace
almost restored him to a normal condition.
A few minutes later they were sitting in the library, she upon his lap
recounting the events that caused her unexpected return. Ned Elliott
was quite ill when she got there, and last night the doctor
pronounced it typhoid fever; that of course upset the whole house,
and she, knowing her room was needed, decided during the night to
come home this morning. Such was the substance of the narrative,
but told in many words, with every detail that occurred to her, and
with frequent ramifications; for the busy lawyer had always made a
point of taking a very serious interest in whatever his only child saw
fit to tell him. And this had resulted in an intimacy and a reliance
upon each other which was very dear to both. As Molly was telling
her story Maggie came in from the kitchen and handed her father a
telegram, saying Joe had just brought it from the post-office. Mr.
Cabot felt for his glasses and then remembered they were over on
his desk. So Molly tore it open and read the message aloud.
Hon. James Cabot, Daleford, Conn.
I leave for home this afternoon by the one-forty train.
Mary Cabot.
“Why, papa, it is my telegram! How slow it has been!”
“When did you send it?”
“I gave it to Sam Elliott about nine o’clock this morning, and it
wouldn’t be like him to forget it.”
“No, and probably he did not forget it. It only waited at the Bingham
station a few hours to get its breath before starting on a six-mile
walk.”
But he was glad to know she had sent the message. Suddenly she
wheeled about on his knee and inserted her fingers between his
collar and his neck, an old trick of her childhood and still employed
when the closest attention was required. “But how did you know I
was coming?”
“I did not.”
“But you sent for me.”
“No, Amos went for you of his own accord.”
“Well, how did he know I was coming?”
Mr. Cabot raised his eyebrows. “I have no idea, unless you sent him
word.”
“Of course I didn’t send him word. What an idea! Why don’t you tell
me how you knew?” and the honest eyes were fixed upon his own in
stern disapproval. He smiled and said it was evidently a mysterious
case; that she must cross-examine the prophet. He then told her of
the roses and of his interview with Amos. She was mystified, and
also a little excited as she recalled the stories of Deacon White, but
knowing her father would only laugh at them, contented herself with
exacting the promise of an immediate explanation from Mr. Judd.
 V
EARLY in the evening the young man appeared. He found Mr. Cabot
and Molly sitting before a cheerful fire, an agreeable contrast to the
howling elements without. She thanked him for the roses, expressing
her admiration for their uncommon beauty.
With a grave salutation he answered, “I told them, one morning,
when they were little buds, that if they surpassed all previous roses
there was a chance of being accepted by the Dispenser of Sunshine
who dwells across the way; and this is the result of their efforts.”
“The results are superb, and I am grateful.”
“There is no question of their beauty,” said Mr. Cabot, “and they
appear to possess a knowledge of coming events that must be of
value at times.”
“It was not from the roses I got my information, sir. But I will tell you
about that now, if you wish.”
“Well, take a cigar and clear up the mystery.”
It seemed a winter’s evening, as the three sat before the fire, the
older man in the centre, the younger people on either side, facing
each other. Mr. Cabot crossed his legs, and laying his magazine face
downward upon his lap, said, “I confess I shall be glad to have the
puzzle solved, as it is a little deep for me except on the theory that
you are skilful liars. Molly I know to be unpractised in that art, but as
for you, Amos, I can only guess what you may conceal under a
truthful exterior.”
Amos smiled. “It is something to look honest, and I am glad you can
say even that.” Then, after a pause, he leaned back in his chair and,
in a voice at first a little constrained, thus began:
“As long ago as I can remember I used to imagine things that were
to happen, all sorts of scenes and events that might possibly occur,
as most children do, I suppose. But these scenes, or imaginings,
were of two kinds: those that required a little effort of my own, and
another kind that came with no effort whatever. These last were the
most usual, and were sometimes of use as they always came true.
That is, they never failed to occur just as I had seen them. While a
child this did not surprise me, as I supposed all the rest of the world
were just like myself.”
At this point Amos looked over toward Molly and added, with a faint
smile, “I know just what your father is thinking. He is regretting that
an otherwise healthy young man should develop such lamentable
symptoms.”
“Not at all,” said Mr. Cabot. “It is very interesting. Go on.”
She felt annoyed by her father’s calmness. Here was the most
extraordinary, the most marvellous thing she had ever encountered,
and yet he behaved as if it were a commonplace experience of
every-day life. And he must know that Amos was telling the truth! But
Amos himself showed no signs of annoyance.
“As I grew older and discovered gradually that none of my friends
had this faculty, and that people looked upon it as something
uncanny and supernatural, I learned to keep it to myself. I became
almost ashamed of the peculiarity and tried by disuse to outgrow it,
but such a power is too useful a thing to ignore altogether, and there
are times when the temptation is hard to resist. That was the case
this afternoon. I expected a friend who was to telegraph me if unable
to come, and at half-past two no message had arrived: but being
familiar with the customs of the Daleford office I knew there might be
a dozen telegrams and I get none the wiser. So, not wishing to drive
twelve miles for nothing in such a storm, I yielded to the old
temptation and put myself ahead—in spirit of course—and saw the
train as it arrived. You can imagine my surprise when the first person
to get off was Miss Molly Cabot.”
Her eyes were glowing with excitement. Repressing an exclamation
of wonder, she turned toward her father and was astonished, and
gently indignant, to find him in the placid enjoyment of his cigar,
showing no surprise. Then she asked of Amos, almost in a whisper,
for her throat seemed very dry, “What time was it when you saw
this?”
“About half-past two.”
“And the train got in at four.”
“Yes, about four.”
“You saw what occurred on the platform as if you were there in
person?” Mr. Cabot inquired.
“Yes, sir. The conductor helped her out and she started to run into
the station to get out of the rain.”
“Yes, yes!” from Molly.
“But the wind twisted you about and blew you against him. And you
both stuck there for a second.”
She laughed nervously: “Yes, that is just what happened!”
“But I am surprised, Amos,” put in Mr. Cabot, “that you should have
had so little sympathy for a tempest-tossed lady as to fail to observe
there was no carriage.”
“I took it for granted you had sent for her.”
“But you saw there was none at the station.”
“There might have been several and I not see them.”
“Then your vision was limited to a certain spot?”
“Yes, sir, in a way, for I could only see as if I were there in person,
and I did not move around to the other side of the station.”
“Didn’t you take notice as you approached?”
Amos drew a hand up the back of his head and hesitated before
answering. “I closed my eyes at home with a wish to be at the station
as the train came in, and I found myself there without approaching it
from any particular direction.”
“And if you had looked down the road,” Mr. Cabot continued, after a
pause, “you would have seen yourself approaching in a buggy?”
“Yes, probably.”
“And from the buggy you might almost have seen what you have just
described.” This was said so calmly and pleasantly that Molly, for an
instant, did not catch its full meaning; then her eyes, in
disappointment, turned to Amos. She thought there was a flush on
the dark face, and something resembling anger as the eyes turned
toward her father. But Mr. Cabot was watching the smoke as it curled
from his lips. After a very short pause Amos said, quietly, “It had not
occurred to me that my statement could place me in such an
unfortunate position.”
“Not at all unfortunate,” and Mr. Cabot raised a hand in protest. “I
know you too well, Amos, to doubt your sincerity. The worst I can
possibly believe is that you yourself are misled: that you are perhaps
attaching a false significance to a series of events that might be
explained in another way.”
Amos arose and stood facing them with his back against the mantel.
“You are much too clever for me, Mr. Cabot. I hardly thought you
could accept this explanation, but I have told you nothing but the
truth.”
“My dear boy, do not think for a moment that I doubt your honesty.
Older men than you, and harder-headed ones, have digested more
incredible things. In telling your story you ask me to believe what I
consider impossible. There is no well-authenticated case on record
of such a faculty. It would interfere with the workings of nature.
Future events could not arrange themselves with any confidence in
your vicinity, and all history that is to come, and even the elements,
would be compelled to adjust themselves according to your
predictions.”
“But, papa, you yourself had positive evidence that he knew of my
coming two hours before I came. How do you explain that?”
“I do not pretend to explain it, and I will not infuriate Amos by calling
it a good guess, or a startling coincidence.”
Amos smiled. “Oh, call it what you please, Mr. Cabot. But it seems to
me that the fact of these things invariably coming true ought to count
for something, even with the legal mind.”
“You say there has never been a single case in which your prophecy
has failed?”
“Not one.”
“Suppose, just for illustration, that you should look ahead and see
yourself in church next Sunday standing on your head in the aisle,
and suppose you had a serious unwillingness to perform the act.
Would you still go to church and do it?”
“I should go to church and do it.”
“Out of respect for the prophecy?”
“No, because I could not prevent it.”
“Have you often resisted?”
“Not very often, but enough to learn the lesson.”
“And you have always fulfilled the prophecy?”
“Always.”
There was a short silence during which Molly kept her eyes on her
work, while Amos stood silently beside the fire as if there was
nothing more to be said. Finally Mr. Cabot knocked the ashes from
his cigar and asked, with his pleasantest smile, “Do you think if one
of these scenes involved the actions of another person than yourself,
that person would also carry it out?”
“I think so.”
“That if you told me, for instance, of something I should do to-morrow
at twelve o’clock, I should do it?”
“I think so.”
“Well, what am I going to do to-morrow at noon, as the clock strikes
twelve?”
 It seemed a long five minutes
“Give me five minutes,” and with closed eyes and head slightly
inclined, the young man remained leaning against the mantel without
changing his position. It seemed a long five minutes. Outside, the
tempest beat viciously against the windows, then with mocking
shrieks whirled away into the night. To Molly’s excited fancy the
echoing chimney was alive with the mutterings of unearthly voices.
Although in her father’s judgment she placed a perfect trust, there
still remained a lingering faith in this supernatural power, whatever it
was; but she knew it to be a faith her reason might not support. As
for Amos, he was certainly an interesting figure as he stood before
them, and nothing could be easier at such a moment than for an
imaginative girl to invest him with mystic attributes. Although
outwardly American so far as raiment, the cut of his hair, and his own
efforts could produce that impression, he remained, nevertheless,
distinctly Oriental. The dark skin, the long, black, clearly marked
eyebrows, the singular beauty of his features, almost feminine in
their refinement, betrayed a race whose origin and traditions were far
removed from his present surroundings. She was struck by the little
scar upon his forehead, which seemed, of a sudden, to glow and be
alive, as if catching some reflection from the firelight. While her eyes
were upon it, the fire blazed up in a dying effort, and went out; but
the little scar remained a luminous spot with a faint light of its own.
She drew her hand across her brow to brush away the illusion, and
as she again looked toward him he opened his eyes and raised his
head. Then he said to her father, slowly, as if from a desire to make
no mistake:
“To-morrow you will be standing in front of the Unitarian Church,
looking up at the clock on the steeple as it strikes twelve. Then you
will walk along by the Common until you are opposite Caleb
Farnum’s, cross the street, and knock at his door. Mrs. Farnum will
open it. She will show you into the parlor, the room on the right,
where you will sit down in a rocking-chair and wait. I left you there,
but can tell you the rest if you choose to give the time.”
Molly glanced at her father and was surprised by his expression.
Bending forward, his eyes fixed upon Amos with a look of the
deepest interest, he made no effort to conceal his astonishment. He
leaned back in the chair, however, and resuming his old attitude,
said, quietly:
“That is precisely what I intended to do to-morrow, and at twelve
o’clock, as I knew he would be at home for his dinner. Is it possible
that a wholesome, out-of-doors young chap like you can be
something of a mind-reader and not know it?”
“No, sir. I have no such talent.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely sure. It happens that you already intended to do the thing
mentioned, but that was merely a coincidence.”
For a moment or two there was a silence, during which Mr. Cabot
seemed more interested in the appearance of his cigar than in the
previous conversation. At last he said:
“I understand you to say these scenes, or prophecies, or whatever
you call them, have never failed of coming true. Now, if I wilfully
refrain from calling on Mr. Farnum to-morrow it will have a tendency
to prove, will it not, that your system is fallible?”
“I suppose so.”
“And if you can catch it in several such errors you might in time lose
confidence in it?”
“Very likely, but I think it will never happen. At least, not in such a
way.”
“Just leave that to me,” and Mr. Cabot rose from his seat and stood
beside him in front of the fire. “The only mystery, in my opinion, is a
vivid imagination that sometimes gets the better of your facts; or
rather combines with your facts and gets the better of yourself.
These visions, however real, are such as come not only to hosts of
children, but to many older people who are highstrung and
imaginative. As for the prophetic faculty, don’t let that worry you. It is
a bump that has not sprouted yet on your head, or on any other.
Daniel and Elijah are the only experts of permanent standing in that
line, and even their reputations are not what they used to be.”
Amos smiled and said something about not pretending to compete
with professionals, and the conversation turned to other matters.
After his departure, as they went upstairs, Molly lingered in her
father’s chamber a moment and asked if he really thought Mr. Judd
had seen from his buggy the little incident at the station which he
thought had appeared to him in his vision.
“It seems safe to suppose so,” he answered. “And he could easily be
misled by a little sequence of facts, fancies, and coincidences that
happened to form a harmonious whole.”
“But in other matters he seems so sensible, and he certainly is not
easily deceived.”
“Yes, I know, but those are often the very people who become the
readiest victims. Now Amos, with all his practical common-sense, I
know to be unusually romantic and imaginative. He loves the mystic
and the fabulous. The other day while we were fishing together—
thank you, Maggie does love a fresh place for my slippers every
night—the other day I discovered, from several things he said, that
he was an out-and-out fatalist. But I think we can weaken his faith in
all that. He is too young and healthy and has too free a mind to
remain a permanent dupe.”
 VI
THE next morning was clear and bright. Mr. Cabot, absorbed in his
work, spent nearly the whole forenoon among his papers, and when
he saw Molly in her little cart drive up to the door with a seamstress
from the village, he knew the day was getting on. Seeing him still at
his desk as she entered, she bent over him and put a hand before
his eyes. “Oh, crazy man! You have no idea what a day it is, and to
waste it over an ink-pot! Why, it is half-past eleven, and I believe you
have been here ever since I left. Stop that work this minute and go
out of doors.” A cool cheek was laid against his face and the pen
removed from his fingers. “Now mind.”
“Well, you are right. Let us both take a walk.”
“I wish I could, but I must start Mrs. Turner on her sewing. Please go
yourself. It is a heavenly day.”
As he stepped off the piazza a few minutes later, she called out from
her chamber window, “Which way are you going, papa?”
“To the village, and I will get the mail.”
“Be sure and not go to Mr. Farnum’s.”
“I promise,” and with a smile he walked away. Her enthusiasm over
the quality of the day he found was not misplaced. The pure, fresh
air brought a new life. Gigantic snowy clouds, like the floating
mountains of fairy land, moved majestically across the heavens, and
the distant hills stood clear and sharp against the dazzling blue. The
road was muddy, but that was a detail to a lover of nature, and Mr.
Cabot, as he strode rapidly toward the village, experienced an
elasticity and exhilaration that recalled his younger days. He felt
more like dancing or climbing trees than plodding sedately along a
turnpike. With a quick, youthful step he ascended the gentle incline
that led to the Common, and if a stranger had been called upon to
guess at the gentleman’s age as he walked jauntily into the village
with head erect, swinging his cane, he would more likely have said
thirty years than sixty. And if the stranger had watched him for
another three minutes he would have modified his guess, and not
only have given him credit for his full age, but might have suspected
either an excessive fatigue or a mild intemperance. For Mr. Cabot,
during his short walk through Daleford Village, experienced a series
of sensations so novel and so crushing that he never, in his inner
self, recovered completely from the shock.
Instead of keeping along the sidewalk to the right and going to the
post-office according to his custom, he crossed the muddy road and
took the gravel walk that skirted the Common. It seemed a natural
course, and he failed to realize, until he had done it, that he was
going out of his way. Now he must cross the road again when
opposite the store. When opposite the store, however, instead of
crossing over he kept along as he had started. Then he stopped, as
if to turn, but his hesitation was for a second only. Again he went
ahead, along the same path, by the side of the Common. It was then
that Mr. Cabot felt a mild but unpleasant thrill creep upward along his
spine and through his hair. This was caused by a startling suspicion
that his movements were not in obedience to his own will. A moment
later it became a conviction. This consciousness brought the cold
sweat to his brow, but he was too strong a man, too clear-headed
and determined, to lose his bearings without a struggle or without a
definite reason. With all the force of his nature he stopped once
more to decide it, then and there: and again he started forward. An
indefinable, all-pervading force, gentle but immeasurably stronger
than himself, was exerting an intangible pressure, and never in his
recollection had he felt so powerless, so weak, so completely at the
mercy of something that was no part of himself; yet, while amazed
and impressed beyond his own belief, he suffered no obscurity of
intellect. The first surprise over, he was more puzzled than terrified,
more irritated than resigned.
For nearly a hundred yards he walked on, impelled by he knew not
what; then, with deliberate resolution, he stopped, clutched the
wooden railing at his side, and held it with an iron grip. As he did so,
the clock in the belfry of the Unitarian Church across the road began
striking twelve. He raised his eyes, and, recalling the prophecy of
Amos, he bit his lip, and his head reeled as in a dream. “To-morrow,
as the clock strikes twelve, you will be standing in front of the
Unitarian Church, looking up at it.” Each stroke of the bell—and no
bell ever sounded so loud—vibrated through every nerve of his
being. It was harsh, exultant, almost threatening, and his brain in a
numb, dull way seemed to quiver beneath the blows. Yet, up there,
about the white belfry, pigeons strutted along the moulding, cooing,
quarrelsome, and important, like any other pigeons. And the sunlight
was even brighter than usual; the sky bluer and more dazzling. The
tall spire, from the moving clouds behind it, seemed like a huge ship,
sailing forward and upward as if he and it were floating to a different
world.
Still holding fast to the fence, he drew the other hand sharply across
his eyes to rally his wavering senses. The big elms towered serenely
above him, their leaves rustling like a countless chorus in the
summer breeze. Opposite, the row of old-fashioned New England
houses stood calmly in their places, self-possessed, with no signs of
agitation. The world, to their knowledge, had undergone no sudden
changes within the last five minutes. It must have been a delusion: a
little collapse of his nerves, perhaps. So many things can affect the
brain: any doctor could easily explain it. He would rest a minute, then
return.
As he made this resolve his left hand, like a treacherous servant,
quietly relaxed its hold and he started off, not toward his home, but
forward, continuing his journey. He now realized that the force which
impelled him, although gentle and seemingly not hostile in purpose,
was so much stronger than himself that resistance was useless.
During the next three minutes, as he walked mechanically along the
sidewalk by the Common, his brain was nervously active in an effort
to arrive at some solution of this erratic business; some sensible
solution that was based either on science or on common-sense. But
that solace was denied him. The more he thought the less he knew.
No previous experience of his own, and no authenticated experience
of anyone else, at least of which he had ever heard, could he
summon to assist him. When opposite the house of Silas Farnum he
turned and left the sidewalk, and noticed, with an irresponsible
interest as he crossed the road, that with no care of his own he
avoided the puddles and selected for his feet the drier places. This
was another surprise, for he took no thought of his steps; and the
discovery added to the overwhelming sense of helplessness that
was taking possession of him. With no volition of his own he also
avoided the wet grass between the road and the gravel walk. He
next found himself in front of Silas Farnum’s gate and his hand
reached forth to open it. It was another mild surprise when this hand,
like a conscious thing, tried the wrong side of the little gate, then felt
about for the latch. The legs over which he had ceased to have
direction, carried him along the narrow brick walk, and one of them
lifted him upon the granite doorstep.
Once more he resolved, calmly and with a serious determination,
that this humiliating comedy should go no farther. He would turn
about and go home without entering the house. It would be well for
Amos to know that an old lawyer of sixty was composed of different
material from the impressionable enthusiast of twenty-seven. While
making this resolve the soles of his shoes were drawing themselves
across the iron scraper; then he saw his hand rise slowly toward the
old-fashioned knocker and, with three taps, announce his presence.
A huge fly dozing on the knocker flew off and lit again upon the panel
of the door. As it readjusted its wings and drew a pair of front legs
over the top of its head Mr. Cabot wondered, if at the creation of the
world, it was fore-ordained that this insect should occupy that
identical spot at a specified moment of a certain day, and execute
this trivial performance. If so, what a rôle humanity was playing! The
door opened and Mrs. Farnum, with a smiling face, stood before him.
“How do you do, Mr. Cabot? Won’t you step in?”
As he opened his lips to decline, he entered the little hallway, was
shown into the parlor and sat in a horse-hair rocking-chair, in which
he waited for Mrs. Farnum to call her husband. When the husband
came Mr. Cabot stated his business and found that he was once
more dependent upon his own volition. He could rise, walk to the
window, say what he wished, and sit down again when he desired.