第4章

Athomeherdresshadseemedbeautiful；butthatwasdifferent，too，wherethereweredozensofbrilliantfabrics，fashionedinnewways——someofthesenewwaysstartling，whichonlymadethewearerscentersofinterestandshockednoone。AndAlicerememberedthatshehadheardagirlsay，notlongbefore，\"Oh，ORGANDIE!Nobodywearsorgandieforeveninggownsexceptinmidsummer。\"Alicehadthoughtlittleofthis；butasshelookedaboutherandsawnoorgandieexceptherown，shefoundgreaterdifficultyinkeepinghersmileasarchandspontaneousasshewishedit。Infact，itwasbeginningtomakeherfaceachealittle。 Mildredcameinfromthecorridor，heavilyattended。Shecarriedagreatbouquetofvioletslacedwithliliesof-the-valley；andthevioletswerelusty，bigpurplethings，theirstemswrappedinclothofgold，withsilkencordsdependent，endinginlongtassels。SheandherconvoypassednearthetwoyoungAdamses； anditappearedthatoneoftheconvoybesoughthishostesstopermit\"cuttingin\"；theywere\"doingitotherplaces\"oflate，heurged；buthewasdeniedandtoldtoconsolehimselfbyholdingthebouquet，atintervals，untilhisthirdofthesixteenthdanceshouldcome。Alicelookeddubiouslyatherownbouquet。 Suddenlyshefeltthatthevioletsbetrayedher；thatanyonewholookedatthemcouldseehowrustic，howinnocentofanyflorist\'scrafttheywere\"Ican\'teatdeadviolets，\"Waltersaid。Thelittlewildflowers，dyingindeedinthewarmair，weredroopinginaforlornmass；anditseemedtoherthatwhoevernoticedthemwouldguessthatshehadpickedthemherself。Shedecidedtogetridofthem。 Walterwasbecomingrestive。\"Lookhere!\"hesaid。\"Can\'tyouflagoneo\'theselong-tailedbirdstotakeyouonforthenextdance？Youcametohaveagoodtime；whydon\'tyougetbusyandhaveit？Iwanttogetoutandsmoke。\" \"YouMUSTN\'Tleaveme，Walter，\"shewhispered，hastily。 \"Somebody\'llcomeformebeforelong，butuntiltheydo——\" \"Well，couldn\'tyousitsomewhere？\" \"No，no!Thereisn\'tanyoneIcouldsitwith。\" \"Well，whynot？Lookatthoseoledamesinthecorners。What\'sthematteryourtyin\'upwithsomeo\'themforawhile？\" \"PLEASE，Walter；no!\" Infact，thatindomitablesmileofherswasthemoredifficulttomaintainbecauseoftheseveryelderstowhomWalterreferred。 Theyweremothersofgirlsamongthedancers，andtheyweretheretofendandcontrivefortheiroffspring；tokeepthemincountenancethroughanytrial；tolendthemdiplomacyinthecarryingoutofallenterprises；tobe\"background\"forthem；andintheseessentiallybiologicalfunctioningstoimitatetheirownmatingsandrenewtheexcitementoftheirnuptialperiods。Oldermen，husbandsoftheseladiesandfathersofeligiblegirls，werealsotobeseen，mostofthemwithMr。Palmerinabilliard-roomacrossthecorridor。Mr。andMrs。Adamshadnotbeeninvited。 \"OfcoursepapaandmamajustbarelyknowMildredPalmer，\"Alicethought，\"andmostoftheothergirls\'fathersandmothersareoldfriendsofMr。andMrs。Palmer，butIdothinkshemighthaveASKEDpapaandmama，anyway——sheneedn\'thavebeenafraidjusttoaskthem；sheknewtheycouldn\'tcome。\"Andhersmilingliptwitchedalittlethreateningly，assheconcludedthesilentmonologue。\"IsupposeshethinksIoughttobegladenoughsheaskedWalter!\" Walterwas，infact，rathernoticeable。HewasnotMildred\'sonlyguesttowearashortcoatandtoappearwithoutgloves；buthewassingular(atleastinhispresentsurroundings)onaccountofakindofcoiffuringhefavoured，hishairhavingbeenshapedafterwhatseemedaMongolinspiration。Onlyuponthetopoftheheadwasactualhairperceived，therestappearingtobenudity。 Andevenmorethanbyanydifferenceinmodehewassetapartbyhislookandmanner，inwhichthereseemedtobeabrooding，secretiveandjeeringsuperiorityandthiswasmostvividlyexpressedwhenhefeltcalleduponforhisloud，short，lop-sidedlaugh。WheneverheuttereditAlicelaughed，too，asloudlyasshecould，tocoverit。 \"Well，\"hesaid。\"Howlongwegoin\'tostandhere？Myfeetaresproutin\'roots。\" Alicetookhisarm，andtheybegantowalkaimlesslythroughtherooms，thoughshetriedtolookasiftheyhadadefinitedestination，keepinghereyeseagerandherlipsparted；——peoplehadcalledjoviallytothemfromthedistance，shemeanttoimply，andtheyweregoingtojointhesemerryfriends。Shewasstilluponthisghostlyerrandwhenafuriousoutbreakofdrumsandsaxophonessoundedapreludefortheseconddance。 Walterdancedwithheragain，buthegaveherawarning。\"I don\'twanttoleaveyouhighanddry，\"hetoldher，\"butIcan\'tstandit。IgottogetsomewhereIdon\'thaf\'tohurtmyeyeswiththeseberries；I\'llgoblindifIgottolookatanymoreof\'em。I\'mgoin\'outtosmokeassoonasthemusicbeginsthenexttime，andyoubettergetfixedforit。\" Alicetriedtogetfixedforit。Astheydancedshenoddedsunnilytoeverymanwhoseeyeshecaught，smiledhersmilewiththeunderlipcaughtbetweenherteeth；butitwasnotuntiltheendoftheintermissionafterthedancethatshesawhelpcoming。 Acrosstheroomsattheglobularladyshehadencounteredthatmorning，andbesidetheglobularladysataround-headed，round-bodiedgirl；herdaughter，atfirstglance。ThefamilycontourwasalsoasevidentacharacteristicoftheshortyoungmanwhostoodinfrontofMrs。Dowling，engagedwithherinadiscussionwhichwasnotwithoutevidencesofanearnestnessalmostimpassioned。LikeWalter，hewasdecliningtodanceathirdtimewithsister；hewishedtogoelsewhere。 Alicefromasidelongeyewatchedthecontroversy:shesawtheglobularyoungmanglancetowardher，overhisshoulder； whereuponMrs。Dowling，followingthisglance，gaveAlicealookofopenfury，becamemuchmorevehementintheargument，andevenstruckherkneewitharound，fatfistforemphasis。 \"I\'monmyway，\"saidWalter。\"There\'sthemusicstartin\'upagain，andItoldyou——\" Shenoddedgratefully。\"It\'sallright——butcomebackbeforelong，Walter。\" Theglobularyoungman，redwithannoyance，hadtornhimselffromhisfamilyandwashasteningacrosstheroomtoher。\"C\'nIhavethisdance？\" \"Why，youniceFrankDowling!\"Alicecried。\"Howlovely!\" CHAPTERVII Theydanced。Mr。Dowlingshouldhavefoundotherformsofexerciseandpastime。 Naturehasnotdesignedeveryonefordancing，thoughsometimesthoseshehasdeniedarethelasttodiscoverherniggardliness。 Buttheroundyoungmanwasatleastvigorousenough——toomuchso，whenhiskneescollidedwithAlice\'s——andhewastoosturdytobethrownoffhisfeet，himself，ortoallowhispartnertofallwhenhetrippedher。Heheldherupvaliantly，andcontinuedtobeatapaththroughthecrowdofotherdancersbymainforce。 Hepaidnoattentiontoanythingsuggestedbytheeffortsofthemusicians，andappearedtobeunawarethatthereshouldhavebeensomeconnectionbetweenwhattheyweredoingandwhathewasdoing；buthemayhavelistenedtoothermusicofhisown，forhisexpressionwasofhighcontent；heseemedtofeelnodoubtwhateverthathewasdancing。Alicekeptasfarawayfromhimasunderthecircumstancesshecould；andwhentheystoppedsheglanceddown，andfoundtheexecutionofunseenmanoeuvres，withintheprotectionofherskirt，helpfultooneofherinstepsandtothetoesofbothofherslippers。 Hercheerypartnerwaspaddlinghisrosybrowswithafinehandkerchief。\"Thatwasgreat!\"hesaid。\"Let\'sgooutandsitinthecorridor；they\'vegotsomecomfortablechairsoutthere。\" \"Well——let\'snot，\"shereturned。\"IbelieveI\'dratherstayinhereandlookatthecrowd。\" \"No；thatisn\'tit，\"hesaid，chidingherwithawaggishforefinger。\"Youthinkifyougooutthereyou\'llmissachanceofsomeoneelseaskingyouforthenextdance，andsoyou\'llhavetogiveittome。\" \"Howabsurd!\"Then，afteralookaboutherthatrevealednothingencouraging，sheaddedgraciously，\"Youcanhavethenextifyouwantit。\" \"Great!\"heexclaimed，mechanically。\"Nowlet\'sgetoutofhere——outofTHISroom，anyhow。\" \"Why？What\'sthematterwith——\" \"Mymother，\"Mr。Dowlingexplained。\"Butdon\'tlookather。 ShekeepsmotioningmetocomeandseeafterElla，andI\'msimplyNOTgoingtodoit，yousee!\" Alicelaughed。\"Idon\'tbelieveit\'ssomuchthat，\"shesaid，andconsentedtowalkwithhimtoapointinthenextroomfromwhichMrs。Dowling\'scontinuoussignallingcouldnotbeseen。 \"Yourmotherhatesme。\" \"Oh，no；Iwouldn\'tsaythat。No，shedon\'t，\"heprotested，innocently。\"Shedon\'tknowyoumorethanjusttospeakto，yousee。Sohowcouldshe？\" \"Well，shedoes。Icantell。\" Afrownappeareduponhisroundedbrow。\"No；I\'lltellyouthewayshefeels。It\'slikethis:Ellaisn\'tTOOpopular，youknow——it\'shardtoseewhy，becauseshe\'sarightnicegirl，inherway——andmotherthinksIoughttolookafterher，yousee。 ShethinksIoughttodanceawholelotwithhermyself，andstirupotherfellowstodancewithher——it\'ssimplyimpossibletomakemotherunderstandyouCAN\'Tdothat，yousee。Andthenaboutme，yousee，ifshehadherwayIwouldn\'tgettodancewithanybodyatallexceptgirlslikeMildredPalmerandHenriettaLamb。Motherwantstorunmywholeprogrammeforme，youunderstand，butthetroubleofitis——aboutgirlslikethat，youseewell，Icouldn\'tdowhatshewants，evenifIwantedtomyself，becauseyoutakethosegirls，andbythetimeIgetEllaoffmyhandsforaminute，why，theirdancesarealwayseverylastonetaken，andwheredoIcomein？\" Alicenodded，heramiabilityundamaged。\"Isee。Sothat\'swhyyoudancewithme。\" \"No，Iliketo，\"heprotested。\"IratherdancewithyouthanI dowiththosegirls。\"AndheaddedwitharetrospectivedeterminationwhichshowedthathehadbeenthroughquiteanexperiencewithMrs。Dowlinginthismatter。\"ITOLDmotherI would，too!\" \"Didittakeallyourcourage，Frank？\" Helookedathershrewdly。\"Nowyou\'retryingtoteaseme，\"hesaid。\"Idon\'tcare；IWOULDratherdancewithyou!Inthefirstplace，you\'reaperfectlybeautifuldancer，yousee，andinthesecond，amanfeelsalotmorecomfortablewithyouthanhedoeswiththem。OfcourseIknowalmostalltheotherfellowsgetalongwiththosegirlsallright；butIdon\'twasteanytimeon\'emIdon\'thaveto。_I_likepeoplethatarealwayscordialtoeverybody，yousee——thewayyouare。\" \"Thankyou，\"shesaid，thoughtfully。 \"Oh，IMEANit，\"heinsisted。\"Theregoesthebandagain。Shallwe？\" \"Supposewesititout？\"shesuggested。\"IbelieveI\'dliketogooutinthecorridor，afterall——it\'sprettywarminhere。\" Assentingcheerfully，Dowlingconductedhertoapairofeasy-chairswithinasecludinggroveofbox-trees，andwhentheycametothisretreattheyfoundMildredPalmerjustdeparting，underescortofawell-favouredgentlemanaboutthirty。Asthesetwowalkedslowlyaway，inthedirectionofthedancing-floor，theyleftitnottobedoubtedthattheywereonexcellenttermswitheachother；Mildredwasevidentlywillingtomaketheirprogressevenslower，forshehaltedmomentarily，onceortwice； andherupwardglancestohertallcompanion\'sfacewereofagentle，almostblushingdeference。NeverbeforehadAliceseenanythinglikethisinherfriend\'smanner。 \"Howqueer!\"shemurmured。 \"What\'squeer？\"Dowlinginquiredastheysatdown。 \"Whowasthatman？\" \"Haven\'tyoumethim？\" \"Ineversawhimbefore。Whoishe？\" \"Why，it\'sthisArthurRussell。\" \"WhatArthurRussell？Ineverheardofhim。\"Mr。Dowlingwaspuzzled。\"Why，THAT\'Sfunny!OnlythelasttimeIsawyou，youweretellingmehowawfullywellyouknewMildredPalmer。\" \"Why，certainlyIdo，\"Aliceinformedhim。\"She\'smymostintimatefriend。\" \"That\'swhatmakesitseemsofunnyyouhaven\'theardanythingaboutthisRussell，becauseeverybodysaysevenifsheisn\'tengagedtohimrightnow，shemostlikelywillbebeforeverylong。Imustsayitlooksagooddealthatwaytome，myself。\" \"Whatnonsense!\"Aliceexclaimed。\"She\'sneverevenmentionedhimtome。\" Theyoungmanglancedatherdubiouslyandpassedafingeroverthetinyprongthatdashinglycomposedthewholesubstanceofhismoustache。 \"Well，yousee，MildredISprettyreserved，\"heremarked。\"ThisRussellissomekindofcousinofthePalmerfamily，I understand。\" \"Heis？\" \"Yes——secondorthirdorsomething，thegirlssay。Yousee，mysisterEllahasn\'tgotmuchtodoathome，anddon\'treadanything，orsew，orplaysolitaire，yousee；andshehearsaboutprettymucheverythingthatgoeson，yousee。Well，EllasaysalotofthegirlshavebeentalkingaboutMildredandthisArthurRussellforquiteawhileback，yousee。Theywereallwonderingwhathewasgoingtolooklike，yousee；becauseheonlygothereyesterday；andthatprovesshemusthavebeentalkingtosomeof\'em，orelsehow——\" Alicelaughedairily，buttheprettysoundendedabruptlywithanaudibleintakeofbreath。\"Ofcourse，whileMildredISmymostintimatefriend，\"shesaid，\"Idon\'tmeanshetellsmeeverything——andnaturallyshehasotherfriendsbesides。WhatelsedidyoursistersayshetoldthemaboutthisMr。Russell？\" \"Well，itseemshe\'sVERYwelloff；atleastHenriettaLambtoldEllahewas。Ellasays——\" Aliceinterruptedagain，withanincreasedirritability。\"Oh，nevermindwhatEllasays!Let\'sfindsomethingbettertotalkaboutthanMr。Russell!\" \"Well，I\'Mwilling，\"Mr。Dowlingassented，ruefully。\"Whatyouwanttotalkabout？\" Butthisliberalofferfoundherunresponsive；shesatleaningback，silent，herarmsalongthearmsofherchair，andhereyes，moistandbright，fixeduponawidedoorwaywherethedancersfluctuated。ShewasdisquietedbymorethanMildred\'sreserve，thoughreservesomarkedhadcertainlythesignificanceofawarningthatAlice\'sdefinition，\"mymostintimatefriend，\" lackedsanction。Indirectnoticetothiseffectcouldnotwellhavebeenmoreemphatic，butthestingofitwasleftforalatermoment。SomethingelsepreoccupiedAlice:shehadjustbeensurprisedbyanoddexperience。AtfirstsightofthisMr。 ArthurRussell，shehadsaidtoherselfinstantly，inwordsasdefiniteasifshespokethemaloud，thoughtheyseemedmorelikewordsspokentoherbysomeunknownpersonwithinher:\"There! That\'sexactlythekindoflookingmanI\'dliketomarry!\" Intheeyesoftherestlessandthelonging，Providenceoftenappearstobeworsethaninscrutable:anunreliableOmnipotencegiventohaphazardwhimsiesindealingwithitsowncreatures，choosingatrandomsomeamongthemtoberentwithtragicdeprivationsandotherstobepettedwithblessinguponblessing。 InAlice\'seyes，Mildredhadbeenblessedenough；somethingoughttobeleftover，bythistime，foranothergirl。ThefinaltouchtotheheapingperfectionofChristmas-in-everythingforMildredwasthatthisMr。ArthurRussell，good-looking，kind-looking，graceful，theperfectfiance，shouldbealso\"VERYwelloff。\"Ofcourse!Theserichalwaysmarriedoneanother。AndwhiletheMildredsdancedwiththeirArthurRussellsthebestanoutsidercoulddoforherselfwastositwithFrankDowling——theonelastcourseleftherthatwasbetterthandancingwithhim。 \"Well，whatDOyouwanttotalkabout？\"heinquired。 \"Nothing，\"shesaid。\"Supposewejustsit，Frank。\"Butamomentlatersherememberedsomething，and，withasuddenanimation，begantoprattle。Shepointedtothemusiciansdownthecorridor。\"Oh，lookatthem!Lookattheleader!Aren\'ttheyFUNNY？Someonetoldmethey\'recalled\'JazzLouieandhishalf-breedbunch。\'Isn\'tthatjustcrazy？Don\'tyouloveit？Dowatchthem，Frank。\" Shecontinuedtochatter，and，whilethuskeepinghisglanceawayfromherself，shedetachedtheforlornbouquetofdeadvioletsfromherdressandlaiditgentlybesidetheoneshehadcarried。 Thelatteralreadyreposedintheobscurityselectedforitatthebaseofoneofthebox-trees。 Thenshewasabruptlysilent。 \"Youcertainlyareafunnygirl，\"Dowlingremarked。\"Yousayyoudon\'twanttotalkaboutanythingatall，andallofasuddenyoubreakoutandtalkabluestreak；andjustaboutthetimeIbegintogetinterestedinwhatyou\'resayingyoushutoff!What\'sthematterwithgirls，anyhow，whentheydothingslikethat？\" \"Idon\'tknow；we\'rejustqueer，Iguess。\" \"Isayso!Well，what\'llwedoNOW？Talk，orjustsit？\" \"Supposewejustsitsomemore。\"，\"Anythingtooblige，\"heassented。\"I\'mwillingtositaslongasyoulike。\" Butevenashemadehisamiabilityclearinthismatter，thepeacewasthreatened——hismothercamedownthecorridorlikearolling，ominouscloud。Shewaslookingaboutheronallsides，inafidgetofannoyance，searchingforhim，andtohisdismayshesawhim。Sheimmediatelymadeahorriblefaceathiscompanion，beckonedtohimimperiouslywithadumpyarm，andshookherheadreprovingly。Theunfortunateyoungmantriedtorepulseherwithanicystare，butthisefforthavingobtainedlittletoencouragehisfeeblehopeofdrivingheraway，heshiftedhischairsothathisbackwastowardherdiscomfitingpantomime。Heshouldhaveknownbetter，theinstantresultwasMrs。Dowlinginmotionatanimpetuouswaddle。 Sheenteredthebox-treeseclusionwiththelowerrotunditiesofherfacehastilymodelledintotheresemblanceofanover-benevolentsmileacontortionwhichneglectedtospreaditsintendedgenialityupwardtotheexasperatedeyesandanxiousforehead。 \"Ithinkyourmotherwantstospeaktoyou，Frank，\"Alicesaid，uponthisadvent。 Mrs。Dowlingnoddedtoher。\"Goodevening，MissAdams，\"shesaid。\"IjustthoughtasyouandFrankweren\'tdancingyouwouldn\'tmindmydisturbingyou——\" \"Notatall，\"Alicemurmured。 Mr。Dowlingseemedofadifferentmind。\"Well，whatDOyouwant？\"heinquired，whereuponhismotherstruckhimroguishlywithherfan。 \"Badfellow!\"SheturnedtoAlice。\"I\'msureyouwon\'tmindexcusinghimtolethimdosomethingforhisoldmother，MissAdams。\" \"WhatDOyouwant？\"thesonrepeated。 \"Twoverynicethings，\"Mrs。Dowlinginformedhim。\"EverybodyissoanxiousforHenriettaLambtohaveapleasantevening，becauseit\'stheveryfirsttimeshe\'sbeenanywheresinceherfather\'sdeath，andofcourseherdeargrandfather\'sanoldfriendofours，and——\" \"Well，well!\"hersoninterrupted。\"MissAdamsisn\'tinterestedinallthis，mother。\" \"ButHenriettacametospeaktoEllaandme，andItoldheryouweresoanxioustodancewithher——\" \"Here!\"hecried。\"Lookhere!I\'dratherdomyown——\" \"Yes；that\'sjustit，\"Mrs。Dowlingexplained。\"Ijustthoughtitwassuchagoodopportunity；andHenriettasaidshehadmostofherdancestaken，butshe\'dgiveyouoneifyouaskedherbeforetheywereallgone。SoIthoughtyou\'dbetterseeherassoonaspossible。\" Dowling\'sfacehadbecomerosy。\"Irefusetodoanythingofthekind。\" \"Badfellow!\"saidhismother，gaily。\"IthoughtthiswouldbethebesttimeforyoutoseeHenrietta，becauseitwon\'tbelongtillallherdancesaregone，andyou\'vepromisedonyourWORDtodancethenextwithElla，andyoumightn\'thaveachancetodoitthen。I\'msureMissAdamswon\'tmindifyou——\" \"Notatall，\"Alicesaid。 \"Well，_I_mind!\"hesaid。\"IwishyouCOULDunderstandthatwhenIwanttodancewithanygirlIdon\'tneedmymothertoaskherforme。IreallyAMmorethansixyearsold!\" Hespokewithtoomuchvehemence，andMrs。Dowlingatoncesawhowtohaveherway。Aswithhusbandsandwives，sowithmanyfathersanddaughters，andsowithsomesonsandmothers:themanwillhimselfbecrossinpublicandthinknothingofit，norwillhegreatlymindalittlecrossnessonthepartofthewoman；butlethershowagitationbeforeanyspectator，heisinstantlyreducedtoacoward\'sslavery。Womenunderstandthatancientweakness，ofcourse；foritisoneoftheirmostimportantmeansofdefense，butcanbeusedignobly。 Mrs。Dowlingpermittedatremulousnesstobecomeaudibleinhervoice。\"Itisn\'tvery——verypleasant——tobetalkedtolikethatbyyourownson——beforestrangers!\" \"Oh，my!Lookhere!\"thestrickenDowlingprotested。\"_I_ didn\'tsayanything，mother。IwasjustjokingabouthowyounevergetoverthinkingI\'malittleboy。Ionly——\" Mrs。Dowlingcontinued:\"IjustthoughtIwasdoingyoualittlefavour。Ididn\'tthinkitwouldmakeyousoangry。\" \"Mother，forgoodness\'sake!MissAdams\'llthink——\" \"Isuppose，\"Mrs。Dowlinginterrupted，piteously，\"Isupposeitdoesn\'tmatterwhat_I_think!\" \"Oh，gracious!\" Aliceinterfered；sheperceivedthattheruthlessMrs。Dowlingmeanttohaveherway。\"Ithinkyou\'dbettergo，Frank。 Really。\" \"There!\"hismothercried。\"MissAdamssaysso，herself!Whatmoredoyouwant？\" \"Oh，gracious!\"helamentedagain，and，withasicklookoverhisshoulderatAlice，permittedhismothertotakehisarmandpropelhimaway。Mrs。Dowling\'sspiritshadstrikinglyrecoveredevenbeforethepairpassedfromthecorridor:shemovedalmostbouncinglybesideherembitteredson，andhereyesandalltheconvolutionsofherabundantfacewereblithe。 AlicewentinsearchofWalter，butwithoutmuchhopeoffindinghim。Whathedidwithhimselfatfrozen-facedanceswasoneofhismostsuccessfulmysteries，andherpresentexcursiongavehernoclueleadingtoitssolution。Whenthemusiciansagainloweredtheirinstrumentsforanintervalshehadreturned，alone，toherformerseatwithinthepartialshelterofthebox-trees。 Shehadnowtopracticeanartthataffordsbutalimitedvarietyofmethods，eventotheexpert:theartofseemingtohaveanescortorpartnerwhenthereisnone。Thepractitionermustimply，merelybyexpressionandattitude，thatthesupposedcompanionhasleftherforonlyafewmoments，thatsheherselfhassenthimuponanerrand；and，ifpossible，themindsofobserversmustbedirectedtowardaconclusionthatthiserrandofherdevisingisanamusingone；atallevents，sheisalonetemporarilyandofchoice，notdeserted。Sheawaitsadevotedmanwhomayreturnatanyinstant。 OtherpeopledesiredtositinAlice\'snook，butdiscoveredherinoccupancy。Shehadmovedthevacantchairclosertoherown，andshesatwithherarmextendedsothatherhand，holdingherlacekerchief，resteduponthebackofthissecondchair，claimingit。Suchapreemption，likethatofatraveller\'sbagintherack，wasunquestionable；and，foradditionalevidence，sittingwithherkneescrossed，shekeptonefootcontinuouslymovingalittle，incadencewiththeother，whichtappedthefloor。Moreover，sheaddedafinedetail:herhalf-smile，withtheunderlipcaught，seemedtostruggleagainstrepression，asifshefoundtheserviceengagingherabsentcompanionevenmoreamusingthanshewouldlethimseewhenhereturned:therewasjovialintrigueofsomesortafoot，evidently。Hereyes，beamingwithsecretfun，wereavertedfromintruders，butsometimes，whencouplesapproached，seekingpossessionofthenook，herthoughtsabouttheabsenteeappearedtothreatenherwithoutrightlaughter；andthoughoneortwogirlslookedatherskeptically，astheyturnedaway，theirescortsfeltnosuchdoubts，andmerelywonderedwhatimportantlyfunnyaffairAliceAdamswasengagedin。Shehadlearnedtodoitperfectly。 Shehadlearneditduringthelasttwoyears；shewastwentywhenforthefirsttimeshehadtheshockoffindingherselfwithoutanapplicantforoneofherdances。Whenshewassixteen\"alltheniceboysintown，\"ashermothersaid，crowdedtheAdamses\' smallverandaandsteps，orsatnearby，cross-leggedonthelawn，onsummerevenings；andateighteenshehadreplacedtheboyswith\"theoldermen。\"Bythistimemostof\"theothergirls，\"hercontemporaries，wereawayatschoolorcollege，andwhentheycamehometostay，they\"cameout\"——thatfeeblerevivalofanancientcustomofferingthemaidentotheceremonialinspectionofthetribe。Aliceneitherwentawaynor\"cameout，\" and，incontrastwiththosewhodid，shemayhaveseemedtolackfreshnessoflustre——jewelsarerichestwhenrevealedallnewinawhitevelvetbox。AndAlicemayhavebeentooeagertosecurenewretainers，tookindinhereffortstokeeptheoldones。Shehadbeenabelletoosoon。 CHAPTERVIII Thedeviceoftheabsenteepartnerhasthedefectthatitcannotbeemployedforlongerthantenorfifteenminutesatatime，anditmaynotberepeatedmorethantwiceinoneevening:asinglerepetition，indeed，isweak，andmayproveabetrayal。Aliceknewthatherpresentperformancecouldbeeffectiveduringonlythisintervalbetweendances；andthoughhereyeswereguarded，sheanxiouslycountedoverthepartnerlessyoungmenwholoungedtogetherinthedoorwayswithinherview。Everyoneofthemoughttohaveaskedherfordances，shethought，andalthoughshemighthavebeenputtoittogiveareasonwhyanyofthem\"ought，\"herheartwashotwithresentmentagainstthem。 Foragirlwhohasbeenabelle，itishardertolivethroughthesebadtimesthanitisforonewhohasneverknownanythingbetter。Likeafigureofpaintedandbrightlyvarnishedwood，EllaDowlingsatagainstthewallthroughdanceafterdancewithglassyimperturbability；itwaseasiertobewooden，Alicethought，ifyouhadyourmotherwithyou，asEllahad。Youwereleftwithatleasttheshredofapretensethatyoucametositwithyourmotherasaspectator，andnottoofferyourselftobedancedwithbymenwholookedyouoverandrejectedyou——notforthefirsttime。\"Notforthefirsttime\":therelayasting! Whyhadyouthoughtthistimemightbedifferentfromtheothertimes？Whyhadyoubrokenyourbackpickingthosehundredsofviolets？ Hatingthefatuousyoungmeninthedoorwaysmorebitterlyforeveryinstantthatshehadtomaintainhertableau，thesmilingAliceknewfierceimpulsestospringtoherfeetandshoutatthem，\"YouIDIOTS!\"Handsinpockets，theyloungedagainstthepilasters，orfacedoneanother，laughingvaguely，eachoneofthemseemingtoAlicenomorethansomuchmeanbeefinclothes。 Shewantedtotellthemtheywerenobetterthanthat；anditseemedacruelthingofheaventoletthemgoonbelievingthemselvesyounglords。Theyweredoingnothing，killingtime。 Wasn\'tsheatherlowestvalueatleastameansofkillingtime？ Evidentlythemeanbeevesthoughtnot。Andwhenoneofthemfinallyloungedacrossthecorridorandspoketoher，hewastheveryonetowhomshepreferredherloneliness。 \"Waitingforsomebody，LadyAlicia？\"heasked，negligently；andhiseasyburlesqueofhernamewaslikethefamiliarityoftherestofhim。Hewasoneofthosefull-bodied，grosslyhandsomemenwhoarepowerfulandactive，butneversubmitthemselvestotherigourofbecomingathletes，thoughtheyshootandfishfromexpensivecamps。Glossisthemostshiningoutwardmarkofthetype。Nowadaysthesemennolongerusebrilliantineontheirmoustaches，buttheyhaveglossboughtfrommanicure-girls，frommasseurs，andfromautomobile-makers；andtheireyes，usuallylarge，areglossy。Noneofthisisallowedtointerferewithbusiness；theseare\"goodbusinessmen，\"andoftenmakelargefortunes。Theyaremenofimaginationabouttwothings——womenandmoney，and，combiningtheirimaginingsaboutboth，usuallymakeawisefirstmarriage。Later，however，theyareapttoimaginetoomuchaboutsomelittlewomanwithoutwhomlifeseemsdullerthanneedbe。Theyrunaway，leavingthefirstwifewellenoughdowered。Theyareneverintentionallyunkindtowomen，andintheendtheyusuallymakethemistakeofthinkingtheyhavehadtheirmoney\'sworthoflife。HerewasMr。HarveyMalone，ayoungspecimeninanearlierstageofdevelopment，tryingtomarryHenriettaLamb，andnowsaunteringovertospeaktoAlice，asatime-killerbeforehisnextdancewithHenrietta。 Alicemadenoresponsetohisquestion，andhedroppedlazilyintothevacantchair，fromwhichshesharplywithdrewherhand。 \"Imightaswellusehischairtillhecomes，don\'tyouthink？ Youdon\'tMIND，doyou，oldgirl？\" \"Oh，no，\"Alicesaid。\"Itdoesn\'tmatteronewayortheother。 Pleasedon\'tcallmethat。\" \"Sothat\'showyoufeel？\"Mr。Malonelaughedindulgently，withoutmuchinterest。\"I\'vebeenmeaningtocometoseeyouforalongtimehonestlyIhave——becauseIwantedtohaveagoodtalkwithyouaboutoldtimes。Iknowyouthinkitwasfunny，afterthewayIusedtocometoyourhousetwoorthreetimesaweek，andsometimesoftener——well，Idon\'tblameyouforbeinghurt，thewayIstoppedwithoutexplainingoranything。Thetruthistherewasn\'tanyreason:Ijusthappenedtohavealotofimportantthingstodoandcouldn\'tfindthetime。ButIAM goingtocallonyousomeevening——honestlyIam。Idon\'twonderyouthink——\" \"You\'remistaken，\"Alicesaid。\"I\'veneverthoughtanythingaboutitatall。\" \"Well，well!\"hesaid，andlookedatherlanguidly。\"What\'stheuseofbeingcrosswiththisoldman？Healwaysmeanswell。\" And，extendinghisarm，hewouldhavegivenherafriendlypatupontheshoulderbutsheevadedit。\"Well，well!\"hesaid。 \"Seemstomeyou\'regettingawfultetchy!Don\'tyoulikeyouroldfriendsanymore？\" \"Notallofthem。\" \"Who\'sthenewone？\"heasked，teasingly。\"Comeonandtellus，Alice。Whoisityouwereholdingthischairfor？\" \"Nevermind。\" \"Well，allI\'vegottodoistositheretillhecomesback；thenI\'llseewhoitis。\" \"Hemaynotcomebackbeforeyouhavetogo。\" \"GuessyougotmeTHATtime，\"Maloneadmitted，laughingasherose。\"They\'retuningup，andI\'vegotthisdance。IAMcomingaroundtoseeyousomeevening。\"Hemovedaway，callingbackoverhisshoulder，\"Honestly，Iam!\" Alicedidnotlookathim，Shehadheldhertableauaslongasshecould；itwastimeforhertoabandonthebox-trees；andshesteppedforthfrowning，asifalittleannoyedwiththeabsenteeforbeingsuchatimeuponhererrand；whereuponthetwochairswereinstantlyseizedbyacoquettingpairwhointendedto\"sitout\"thedance。Shewalkedquicklydownthebroadcorridor，turnedintothebroaderhall，andhurriedlyenteredthedressing-roomwhereshehadleftherwraps。 Shestayedhereaslongasshecould，pretendingtoarrangeherhairatamirror，thenfidgetingwithoneofherslipper-buckles； buttheintelligentelderlywomaninchargeoftheroommadeanindefinitesojournimpracticable。\"PerhapsIcouldhelpyouwiththatbuckle，Miss，\"shesuggested，approaching。\"Hasitcomeloose？\"Alicewrencheddesperately；thenitwasloose。Thecompetentwoman，producingneedleandthread，deftlymadethebucklefast；andtherewasnothingforAlicetodobuttoexpresshergratitudeandgo。 Shewenttothedoorofthecloak-roomopposite，whereacolouredmanstoodwatchfullyinthedoorway。\"Iwonderifyouknowwhichofthegentlemenismybrother，Mr。WalterAdams，\"shesaid。 \"Yes\'m；Iknowhim。\" \"Couldyoutellmewhereheis？\" \"No\'m；Icouldn\'tsay。\" \"Well，ifyouseehim，wouldyoupleasetellhimthathissister，MissAdams，islookingforhimandveryanxioustospeaktohim？\" \"Yes\'m。Sho\'ly，sho\'ly!\" Asshewentawayhestaredafterherandseemedtoswellwithsomeburstingemotion。Infact，itwastoomuchforhim，andhesuddenlyretiredwithintheroom，releasingstrangulatedlaughter。 Walterremonstrated。Behindanexcellentscreenofcoatsandhats，inaremotepartoftheroom，hewaskneelingonthefloor，engagedinagameofchancewithasecondcolouredattendant；andthelaughterbecamesovehementthatitnotonlyinterferedwiththepastimeinhand，butthreatenedtoattractfrozen-faceattention。 \"Icain\'he\'pit，man，\"thelaughterexplained。\"Icain\'he\'pit!Yousut\'n\'ythebeatin\'es\'whiteboy\'n\'iscity!\" Thedancerswereswingingintoan\"encore\"asAlicehaltedforanirresolutemomentinadoorway。Acrosstheroom，aclusterofmatronssatchattingabsently，theireyesontheirdancingdaughters；andAlice，findingarefugee\'scourage，dodgedthroughthescurryingcouples，seatedherselfinachairontheoutskirtsofthiscolonyofelders，andbegantotalkeagerlytothematronnearesther。Thematronseemedunaccustomedtosomuchvivacity，andrespondedbutdryly，whereuponAlicewasmorevivaciousthanever；forshemeantnowtopresentthepictureofajollygirltoomuchinterestedinthesewiseolderwomentobotherabouteveryfoolishyoungmanwhoaskedherforadance。 Hermatronwasconstrainedtogosofarastosupplyatolerantnod，nowandthen，incomplementtothegirl\'sanimation，andAlicewasgratefulforthenods。Inthisfashionshesupplementedtheexhaustedresourcesofthedressing-roomandthebox-treenook；andlivedthroughtwomoredances，whenagainMr。 FrankDowlingpresentedhimselfasapartner。 Sheneedednopretensetoseekthedressing-roomforrepairsafterthatnumber；thistimetheywerenecessaryandgenuine。 Dowlingwaitedforher，andwhenshecameoutheexplainedforthefourthorfifthtimehowtheaccidenthadhappened。\"Itwasentirelythoseotherpeople\'sfault，\"hesaid。\"Theygotmeinakindofacorner，becauseneitherofthosefellowsknowstheleastthingaboutguiding；theyjustjamaheadandexpecteverybodytogetoutoftheirway。ItwasCharlotteThom\'sdiamondcrescentpinthatgotcaughtonyourdressinthebackandmadesucha——\" \"Nevermind，\"Alicesaidinatiredvoice。\"Themaidfixeditsothatshesaysitisn\'tverynoticeable。\" \"Well，itisn\'t，\"hereturned。\"Youcouldhardlytellthere\'dbeenanythingthematter。Wheredoyouwanttogo？Mother\'sbeeninterferinginmyaffairssomemoreandI\'vegotthenexttaken。\" \"IwassittingwithMrs。GeorgeDresser。Youmighttakemebackthere。\" Heleftherwiththematron，andAlicereturnedtoherpicture-making，sothatoncemore，whiletwonumberspassed，whoevercaredtolookwasofferedthesketchofajolly，clevergirlpreoccupiedwithherelders。ThenshefoundherfriendMildredstandingbeforeher，presentingMr。ArthurRussell，whoaskedhertodancewithhim。 Alicelookeduncertain，asthoughnotsurewhatherengagementswere；butherperplexitycleared；shenodded，andswungrhythmicallyawaywiththetallapplicant。Shewasnotgratefultoherhostessforthisalms。Whatayounghostessdoeswithafiance，Alicethought，istomakehimdancewiththeunpopulargirls。ShesupposedthatMr。ArthurRussellhadalreadydancedwithEllaDowling。 Theloanofalover，underthesecircumstances，maybepainfultothelessee，andAlice，smilingnevermorebrightly，foundnothingtosaytoMr。Russell，thoughshethoughthemighthavefoundsomethingtosaytoher。\"IwonderwhatMildredtoldhim，\"shethought。\"Probablyshesaid，\'Dearest，there\'sonemoregirlyou\'vegottohelpmeoutwith。Youwouldn\'tlikehermuch，butshedanceswellenoughandshe\'shavingarottentime。Nobodyevergoesnearheranymore。\'\" Whenthemusicstopped，Russelladdedhisapplausetothehand-clappingthatencouragedtheuproariousinstrumentstocontinue，andastheyrenewedthetumult，hesaidheartily，\"That\'ssplendid!\" Alicegavehimaglance，necessarilyatshortrange，andfoundhiseyeskindlyandpleased。Herewasafriendlysoul，itappeared，whoprobably\"likedeverybody。\"Nodoubthehadapplaudedforan\"encore\"whenhedancedwithEllaDowling，gaveEllathesamegeniallook，andsaid，\"That\'ssplendid!\" Whenthe\"encore\"wasover，Alicespoketohimforthefirsttime。 \"Mildredwillbelookingforyou，\"shesaid。\"Ithinkyou\'dbettertakemebacktowhereyoufoundme。\" Helookedsurprised。\"Oh，ifyou——\" \"I\'msureMildredwillbeneedingyou，\"Alicesaid，andasshetookhisarmandtheywalkedtowardMrs。Dresser，shethoughtitmightbejustpossibletomakeafurtheruseoftheloan。\"Oh，I wonderifyou——\"shebegan。 \"Yes？\"hesaid，quickly。 \"Youdon\'tknowmybrother，WalterAdams，\"shesaid。\"Buthe\'ssomewhereIthinkpossiblyhe\'sinasmoking-roomorsomeplacewheregirlsaren\'texpected，andifyouwouldn\'tthinkittoomuchtroubletoinquire——\" \"I\'llfindhim，\"Russellsaid，promptly。\"Thankyousomuchforthatdance。I\'llbringyourbrotherinamoment。\" Itwastobealongmoment，Alicedecided，presently。Mrs。 Dresserhadgrownrestive；andhernodsandvagueresponsestoheryoungdependent\'sgaietieswereasmeagerastheycouldwellbe。EvidentlythematronhadnointentionofappearingtoherworldinthelightofachaperoneforAliceAdams；andshefinallymadethisclear。Withawordortwoofexcuse，breakingintosomethingAlicewassaying，sheroseandwenttositnexttoMildred\'smother，whohadbecomethenucleusofthecluster。SoAlicewasleftverymuchagainstthewall，withshortstretchesofvacantchairsoneachsideofher。Shehadcometotheendofherpicture-making，andcouldonlypretendthattherewassomethingamusingthematterwiththearmofherchair。 ShesupposedthatMildred\'sMr。RussellhadforgottenWalterbythistime。\"I\'mnotevenanintimateenoughfriendofMildred\'sforhimtohavethoughtheoughttobothertotellmehecouldn\'tfindhim，\"shethought。AndthenshesawRussellcomingacrosstheroomtowardher，withWalterbesidehim。Shejumpedupgaily。 \"Oh，thankyou!\"shecried。\"Iknowthisnaughtyboymusthavebeenterriblyhardtofind。Mildred\'llNEVERforgiveme!I\'veputyoutosomuch——\" \"Notatall，\"hesaid，amiably，andwentaway，leavingthebrotherandsistertogether。 \"Walter，let\'sdancejustoncemore，\"Alicesaid，touchinghisarmplacatively。\"Ithought——well，perhapswemightgohomethen。\" ButWalter\'sexpressionwasthatofapersonuponwhomanoutragehasjustbeenperpetrated。\"No，\"hesaid。\"We\'vestayedTHIS long，I\'mgoin\'towaitandseewhattheygottoeat。Andyoulookhere!\"Heturneduponherangrily。\"Don\'tyoueverdothatagain!\" \"Dowhat？\" \"Sendsomebodyaftermethatpokeshisnoseintoeverycornerofthehousetillhefindsme!\'AreyouMr。WalterAdams？\'hesays。IguesshemustaskedeverybodyintheplaceiftheywereMr。WalterAdams!Well，I\'llbetafewironmenyouwouldn\'tsendanybodytohuntformeagainifyouknewwherehefoundme!\" \"Wherewasit？\" Walterdecidedthatherfitpunishmentwastoknow。\"Iwasshootin\'dicewiththosecoonsinthecloak-room。\" \"Andhesawyou？\" \"Unlesshewasblind!\"saidWalter。\"Comeon，I\'lldancethisonemoredancewithyou。Suppercomesafterthat，andTHENwe\'llgohome。\" Mrs。AdamsheardAlice\'skeyturninginthefrontdoorandhurrieddownthestairstomeether。 \"Didyougetwetcomingin，darling？\"sheasked。\"Didyouhaveagoodtime？\"