第5章

\"Justlovely!\"Alicesaid，cheerily，andaftershehadarrangedthelatchforWalter，whohadgonetoreturnthelittlecar，shefollowedhermotherupstairsandhummedadance-tuneontheway。 \"Oh，I\'msogladyouhadanicetime，\"Mrs。Adamssaid，astheyreachedthedoorofherdaughter\'sroomtogether。\"YouDESERVED to，andit\'slovelytothink——\" Butatthis，withoutwarning，Alicethrewherselfintohermother\'sarms，sobbingsoloudlythatinhisroom，closeby，herfather，halfdrowsingthroughthenight，startedtofullwakefulness。 CHAPTERIX Onamorning，aweekafterthiscollapseoffestalhopes，Mrs。 Adamsandherdaughterwereconcludingathree-days\'disturbance，the\"Springhouse-cleaning\"——postponeduntilnowbyAdams\'slongillness——andAlice，onherkneesbeforeachestofdrawers，inhermother\'sroom，pausedthoughtfullyafterdustingapacketofletterswrappedinwornmuslin。Shecalledtohermother，whowasscrubbingthefloorofthehallwayjustbeyondtheopendoor，\"Theseoldlettersyouhadinthebottomdrawer，weren\'ttheysomepapawroteyoubeforeyouweremarried？\" Mrs。Adamslaughedandsaid，\"Yes。Justput\'embackwheretheywere——orelseupintheattic——anywhereyouwantto。\" \"DoyoumindifIreadone，mama？\" Mrs。Adamslaughedagain。\"Oh，Iguessyoucanifyouwantto。 Iexpectthey\'reprettyfunny!\" Alicelaughedinresponse，andchosethetopmostletterofthepacket。\"Mydear，beautifulgirl，\"itbegan；andshestaredatthesesingularwords。Theygaveherashocklikethatcausedbyoverhearingsomebewilderingimpropriety；and，havingreadthemovertoherselfseveraltimes，shewentontoexperienceothershocks。 MYDEAR，BEAUTIFULGIRL: ThistimeyesterdayIhadamightybadcaseofbluesbecauseI hadnothadawordfromyouintwowholelongdaysandwhenIdonothearfromyoueverydaythingslookmightydowninthemouthtome。NowitisallsodifferentbecauseyourletterhasarrivedandbesidesIhavegotapieceofnewsIbelieveyouwillthinkasfineasIdo。Darling，youwillbesurprised，sogetreadytohearaboutabigeffectonourfuture。Itisthisway。 IhadsortofasuspiciontheheadofthefirmkindoftookafancytomefromthefirstwhenIwentinthere，andlikedthewayIattendedtomyworkandsowhenhetookmeonthisbusinesstripwithhimIfeltprettysureofitandnowitturnsoutIwasaboutright。InreturnIguessIhavegotaboutthebestbossinthisworldandIbelieveyouwillthinksotoo。Yes，sweetheart，afterthetalkIhavejusthadwithhimifJ。A。LambaskedmetocutmyhandoffforhimIguessIwouldcomeprettyneardoingitbecausewhathesaysmeanstheendofourwaitingtobetogether。FromNewYearsonheisgoingtoputmeinentirechargeofthesundriesdept。andwhatdoyouthinkisgoingtobemysalary？Elevenhundredcooldollarsayear($1，100。00)。 That\'sall!Justonlyacoolelevenhundredperannum!Well，I guessthatwillshowyourmotherwhetherIcantakecareofyouornot。AndohhowIwouldliketoseeyourdear，beautiful，lovingfacewhenyougetthisnews。 IwouldliketogooutonthepublicstreetsandjustdanceandshoutanditisallIcandotohelpdoingit，especiallywhenI knowwewillbetalkingitallovertogetherthistimenextweek，andohmydarling，nowthatyourfolkshavenoexcuseforputtingitoffanylongerwemightbeinourownlittlehomebeforeXmas。 Wouldyoubeglad？ Well，darling，thissettleseverythingandmakesourfuturejustaboutassmoothforusasanybodycouldask。Icanhardlyrealizeafterallthiswaitinglife\'stroublesareoverforyouandmeandwehavenothingtodobuttoenjoythehappinessgrantedusbythiswonderful，beautifulthingwecalllife。I knowIamnotanypoetandtheoneItriedtowriteaboutyouthedayofthepicnicwasfearfulbutthewayITHINKaboutyouisapoem。 Writemewhatyouthinkofthenews。Iknowbutwritemeanyhow。 I\'llgetitbeforewestarthomeandIcanbereadingitoverallthetimeonthetram。 YouralwayslovingVIRGIL。 Thesoundofhermother\'sdiligentscrubbinginthehallcamebackslowlytoAlice\'shearing，assherestoredthelettertothepacket，wrappedthepacketinitsmuslincovering，andreturnedittothedrawer。Shehadremaineduponherkneeswhileshereadtheletter；nowshesankbackward，sittinguponthefloorwithherhandsbehindher，anunconsciousrelaxingforbettereasetothink。Uponherfacetherehadfallenalookofwonder。 Forthefirsttimeshewasvaguelyperceivingthatlifeiseverlastingmovement。Youthreallybelieveswhatisrunningwatertobeapermanentcrystallizationandseestimefixedtoapoint:somepeoplehavedarkhair，somepeoplehaveblondhair，somepeoplehavegrayhair。Untilthismoment，Alicehadnoconvictionthattherewasauniversebeforeshecameintoit。 Shehadalwaysthoughtofitasthebackgroundofherself:themoonwassomethingtomakeherprettieronasummernight。 Butthisoldletter，throughwhichshesawstillflickeringanancientstarlightofyounglove，astoundedher。Faintlybeforeheritrevealedthewholelivesofherfatherandmother，whohadbeenyoung，afterall——theyREALLYhad——andtheiryouthwasnowsoutterlypassedfromthemthatthepictureofit，intheletter，waslikeaburlesqueofthem。Andsoshe，herself，mustpasstosuchchanges，too，andallthatnowseemedvitaltoherwouldbenothing。 Whenherworkwasfinished，thatafternoon，shewentintoherfather\'sroom。HisrecoveryhadprogressedwellenoughtopermitthedepartureofMissPerry；andAdams，wearingoneofMrs。 Adams\'swrappersoverhisnight-gown，satinahigh-backedchairbyaclosedwindow。Theweatherwaswarm，buttheclosedwindowandtheflannelwrapperhadnotsufficedhim:roundhisshouldershehadanoldcrochetedscarfofAlice\'s；hislegswerewrappedinaheavycomfort；and，withtheseswathingsabouthim，andhiseyesclosed，histhinandgrizzledheadmakingbutaslightindentationinthepillowsupportingit，helookedoldandlittleandqueer。 Alicewouldhavegoneoutsoftly，butwithoutopeninghiseyes，hespoketoher:\"Don\'tgo，dearie。Comesitwiththeoldmanalittlewhile。\" Shebroughtachairnearhis。\"Ithoughtyouwerenapping。\" \"No。Idon\'thardlyeverdothat。Ijustdriftalittlesometimes。\" \"Howdoyoumeanyoudrift，papa？\" Helookedathervaguely。\"Oh，Idon\'tknow。Kindofpictures。 Theygetalittlemixedup——oldtimeswithtimesstillahead，likeplanningwhattodo，youknow。That\'sasnearanapasI get——whenthepicturesmixupsome。Isupposeit\'ssortofdrowsing。\" Shetookoneofhishandsandstrokedit。\"Whatdoyoumeanwhenyousayyouhavepictureslike\'planningwhattodo\'？\"sheasked。 \"ImeanplanningwhattodowhenIgetoutandabletogotoworkagain。\" \"Butthatdoesn\'tneedanyplanning，\"Alicesaid，quickly。 \"You\'regoingbacktoyouroldplaceatLamb\'s，ofcourse。\" Adamsclosedhiseyesagain，sighingheavily，butmadenootherresponse。 \"Why，ofCOURSEyouare!\"shecried。\"Whatareyoutalkingabout？\" Hisheadturnedslowlytowardher，revealingtheeyes，openinahaggardstare。\"Iheardyoutheothernightwhenyoucamefromtheparty，\"hesaid。\"Iknowwhatwasthematter。\" \"Indeed，youdon\'t，\"sheassuredhim。\"Youdon\'tknowanythingaboutit，becausetherewasn\'tanythingthematteratall。\" \"Don\'tyousupposeIheardyoucrying？What\'dyoucryforiftherewasn\'tanythingthematter？\" \"Justnerves，papa。Itwasn\'tanythingelseintheworld。\" \"Nevermind，\"hesaid。\"Yourmothertoldme。\" \"Shepromisedmenotto!\" AtthatAdamslaughedmournfully。\"Itwouldn\'tbeverylikelyI\'dhearyousoupsetandnotaskaboutit，evenifshedidn\'tcomeandtellmeonherownhook。Youneedn\'ttrytofoolme；I tellyouIknowwhatwasthematter。\" \"TheonlymatterwasIhadasillyfit，\"Aliceprotested。\"Itdidmegood，too。\" \"How\'sthat？\" \"BecauseI\'vedecidedtodosomethingaboutit，papa。\" \"Thatisn\'tthewayyourmotherlooksatit，\"Adamssaid，ruefully。\"Shethinksit\'sourplacetodosomethingaboutit。 Well，Idon\'tknow——Idon\'tknow；everythingseemssochangedthesedays。You\'vealwaysbeenagooddaughter，Alice，andyououghttohaveasmuchasanyofthesegirlsyougowith；she\'sconvincedmeshe\'srightaboutTHAT。Thetroubleis——\"Hefaltered，apologetically，thenwenton，\"Imeanthequestionis——howtogetitforyou。\" \"No!\"shecried。\"Ihadnobusinesstomakesuchafussjustbecausealotofidiotsdidn\'tbreaktheirneckstogetdanceswithmeandbecauseIgotmortifiedaboutWalter——WalterWAS prettyterrible——\" \"Oh，me，my!\"Adamslamented。\"Iguessthat\'ssomethingwejusthavetoleaveworkoutitself。Whatyougoingtodowithaboynineteenortwentyyearsoldthatmakeshisownliving？Can\'twhiphim。Can\'tkeephimlockedupinthehouse。Justgottohopehe\'lllearnbetter，Isuppose。\" \"Ofcoursehedidn\'twanttogotothePalmers\'，\"Aliceexplained，tolerantly——\"andasmamaandImadehimtakeme，andhethoughtthatwasprettyselfishinme，why，hefelthehadarighttoamusehimselfanywayhecould。Ofcourseitwasawfulthatthis——thatthisMr。Russellshould——\"Inspiteofher，therecollectionchokedher。 \"Yes，itwasawful，\"Adamsagreed。\"Justawful。Oh，me，my!\" ButAlicerecoveredherselfatonce，andshowedhimacheerfulface。\"Well，justafewyearsfromnowIprobablywon\'tevenrememberit!Ibelievehardlyanythingamountstoasmuchaswethinkitdoesatthetime。\" \"Well——sometimesitdon\'t。\" \"WhatI\'vebeenthinking，papa:itseemstomeIoughttoDO something。\" \"Whatlike？\" Shelookeddreamy，butwasobviouslyseriousasshetoldhim: \"Well，ImeanIoughttobesomethingbesidesjustakindofnobody。Ioughtto——\"Shepaused。 \"What，dearie？\" \"Well——there\'sonethingI\'dliketodo。I\'msureICOULDdoit，too。\" \"What？\" \"Iwanttogoonthestage:IknowIcouldact。\"Atthis，herfatherabruptlygaveutterancetoafeeblecacklingoflaughter； andwhenAlice，surprisedandalittleoffended，pressedhimforhisreason，hetriedtoevade，saying，\"Nothing，dearie。Ijustthoughtofsomething。\"Butshepersisteduntilhehadtoexplain。 \"Itmademethinkofyourmother\'ssister，yourAuntFlora，thatdiedwhenyouwerelittle，\"hesaid。\"Shewasalwaystellinghowshewasgoingonthestage，andtalkingabouthowshewascertainshe\'dmakeagreatactress，andallsoon；andonedayyourmotherbrokeoutandsaidsheought\'a\'goneonthestage，herself，becauseshealwaysknewshehadthetalentforit——and，well，theygotintokindofaspataboutwhichone\'dmakethebestactress。Ihadtogooutinthehalltolaugh!\" \"Maybeyouwerewrong，\"Alicesaid，gravely。\"Iftheybothfeltit，whywouldn\'tthatlookasiftherewastalentinthefamily？ I\'veALWAYSthought——\" \"No，dearie，\"hesaid，withafinalchuckle。\"YourmotherandFloraweren\'tdifferentfromagoodmanyothers。Iexpectninetypercent。ofallthewomenIeverknewwerejustsurethey\'dbemightyfineactressesiftheyevergotthechance。Well，Iguessit\'sagoodthing；theyenjoythinkingaboutitanditdon\'tdoanybodyanyharm。\" Alicewaspiqued。Forseveraldaysshehadthoughtalmostcontinuouslyofacareertobewonbyherowngenius。Notthatsheplanneddetails，orconcernedherselfwithfirststeps；herpicturingsoverleapedallthat。Principally，shesawhernamegreatonallthebill-boardsofthatunkindcity，andherself，unchangedinagebutglamorouswithfameandParisclothes，returninginaprivatecar。NodoubtthepleasantestdevelopmentofhervisionwasadialoguewithMildred；andthisbecamesorealthat，assheprojectedit，Aliceassumedtheproperexpressionsforbothpartiestoit，formedwordswithherlips，andevenspokesomeofthemaloud。\"No，Ihaven\'tforgottenyou，Mrs。Russell。Irememberyouquitepleasantly，infact。YouwereaMissPalmer，Irecall，inthosefunnyolddays。Verykindofyou，I\'mshaw。Iappreciateyoureagernesstodosomethingformeinyourownlittlehome。Asyousay，areceptionWOULD renewmyacquaintanceshipwithmanyoldfriends——butI\'mshawyouwon\'tmindmymentioningthatIdon\'tfindmuchinspirationintheseprovincials。Ireallymustaskyounottopressme。Anartist\'stimeisnotherown，thoughofcourseIcouldhardlyexpectyoutounderstand——\" ThusAliceilluminatedthedulltime；butsheretiredfromtheinterviewwithherfatherstillmanfullydisplayinganoutwardcheerfulness，whiledepressiongrewheavierwithin，asifshehadeatensoggycake。Herfatherknewnothingwhateverofthestage，andshewasawareofhisignorance，yetforsomereasonhisinnocentlyskepticalamusementreducedherbrightprojectalmosttonothing。Somethinglikethisalwayshappened，itseemed；shewascontinuallymakingtheseilluminations，allgaywithgildingsandcolourings；andthenassoonasanybodyelsesomuchasglancedatthem——evenherfather，wholovedher——theprettydesignswerestrickenwithadesolatingpallor。\"IsthisLIFE？\" Alicewondered，notdoubtingthatthequestionwasoriginalandallherown。\"Isitlifetospendyourtimeimaginingthingsthataren\'tso，andneverwillbe？Beautifulthingshappentootherpeople；whyshouldIbetheonlyonetheyneverCANhappento？\" Themoodlastedovernight；andwasstilluponherthenextafternoonwhenanerrandforherfathertookherdown-town。 Adamshaddecidedtobeginsmokingagain，andAlicefeltratherdegraded，aswellasembarrassed，whenshewentintothelargeshopherfatherhadnamed，andaskedforthecheaptobaccoheusedinhispipe。Shefellbackuponanairofamusedindulgence，hopingthustosuggestthatherpurchasewasmadeforsomefaithfuloldretainer，nowinfirm；andalthoughthecalmnessoftheclerkwhoservedhercalledfornosuchelaborationofhersketch，sheornamenteditwithalittlelaughandwiththeremark，asshedroppedthepackageintohercoat-pocket，\"I\'msureit\'llpleasehim；theytellmeit\'sthekindhelikes。\" StillplayingLadyBountiful，smilingtoherselfinanticipationofthejoyshewasbringingtothesimpleoldnegroorIrishfollowerofthefamily，shelefttheshop；butasshecameoutuponthecrowdedpavementhersmilevanishedquickly。 Nexttothedoorofthetobacco-shop，therewastheopenentrancetoastairway，and，abovethisratherbleakanddarkaperture，asign-boarddisplayedinbegrimedgiltletterstheinformationthatFrincke\'sBusinessCollegeoccupiedtheupperfloorsofthebuilding。Furthermore，Frinckeherepubliclyoffered\"personalinstructionandtraininginpracticalmathematics，bookkeeping，andallbranchesofthebusinesslife，includingstenography，typewriting，etc。\" Alicehaltedforamoment，frowningatthissignboardasthoughitweresomethingsurprisinganddistastefulwhichshehadneverseenbefore。Yetitwasconspicuousinabusyquarter；shealmostalwayspasseditwhenshecamedown-town，andneverwithoutnoticingit。Norwasthisthefirsttimeshehadpausedtolifttowarditthatsameglanceofvaguemisgiving。 Thebuildingwasnotwhatthechangefulcitydefinedasamodernone，andthedustywoodenstairway，asseenfromthepavement，disappearedupwardintoasmokydarkness。Sowouldthefootstepsofagirlascendingthereleadtoahideousobscurity，Alicethought；anobscurityasdrearyandaspermanentasdeath。AndlikedryleavesfallingabouthershesawherwintryimaginingsintheMayair:prettygirlsturningintowitheredcreaturesastheyworkedattyping-machines；oldmaids\"takingdictation\"frommenwithdoublechins；Alicesawoldmaidsofadozendifferentkinds\"takingdictation。\"Hermind\'seyewascrowdedwiththem，asitalwayswaswhenshepassedthatstairwayentrance；andthoughtheywerealldifferentfromoneanother，allofthemlookedalittlelikeherself。 Shehatedtheplace，andyetsheseldomhurriedbyitoravertedhereyes。Ithadanunpleasantfascinationforher，andamysteriousreproach，whichshedidnotseektofathom。Shewalkedonthoughtfullyto-day；andwhen，atthenextcorner，sheturnedintothestreetthatledtowardhome，shewasgivenasurprise。ArthurRussellcamerapidlyfrombehindher，liftinghishatasshesawhim。 \"Areyouwalkingnorth，MissAdams？\"heasked。\"DoyoumindifI walkwithyou？\" Shewasnotdelighted，butseemedso。\"Howcharming!\"shecried，givinghimalittleflourishoftheshapelyhands；andthen，becauseshewonderedifhehadseenhercomingoutofthetobacco-shop，shelaughedandadded，\"I\'vejustbeenonthemostridiculouserrand!\" \"Whatwasthat？\" \"Toordersomecigarsformyfather。He\'sbeenquiteill，poorman，andhe\'ssoparticular——butwhatintheworlddo_I_knowaboutcigars？\" Russelllaughed。\"Well，whatDOyouknowabout\'em？Didyouselectbytheprice？\" \"Mercy，no!\"sheexclaimed，andadded，withanafterthought，\"OfcoursehewrotedownthenameofthekindhewantedandIgaveittotheshopman。Icouldneverhavepronouncedit。\" CHAPTERX Inherpocketasshespokeherhandresteduponthelittlesackoftobacco，whichrespondedaccusinglytothetouchofherrestlessfingers；andshefoundtimetowonderwhyshewasbuildingupthisfictionforMr。ArthurRussell。HisdiscoveryofWalter\'sdeviceforwhilingawaythedulleveninghadshamedanddistressedher；butshewouldhavesufferednolessifalmostanyotherhadbeenthediscoverer。Inthisgentleman，afterhearingthathewasMildred\'sMr。ArthurRussell，Alicefeltnottheslightest\"personalinterest\"；andtherewasyettodevelopinherlifesuchathingasaninterestnotpersonal。Attwenty-twothisstateofaffairsisnotunique。 SofarasAlicewasconcernedRussellmighthavewornaplacard，\"Engaged。\"Shelookeduponhimasdinersenteringarestaurantlookupontablesmarked\"Reserved\":theglance，slightlydiscontented，passesonatonce。Orsotheeyeofaprospectorwandersquerulouslyoverstakedandestablishedclaimsonthemountainside，andseeksthevirginlandbeyond；unless，indeed，theprospectorbedishonest。ButAlicewasnoclaim-jumper——solongasthenoticeofownershipwasplainlyposted。 Thoughshewasindifferentnow，habitruledher:and，attheverytimeshewonderedwhyshecreatedfictitiouscigarsforherfather，shewasalsoregrettingthatshehadnotboldlycarriedherMalaccastickdown-townwithher。Hervivacityincreasedautomatically。 \"Perhapstheclerkthoughtyouwantedthecigarsforyourself，\" Russellsuggested。\"HemayhavetakenyouforaSpanishcountess。\" \"I\'msurehedid!\"Aliceagreed，gaily；andshehummedabarortwoof\"LaPaloma，\"snappingherfingersascastanets，andswayingherbodyalittle，tosuggesttheacceptedstencilofa\"SpanishDancer。\"\"Wouldyouhavetakenmeforone，Mr。Russell？\"sheasked，assheconcludedtheimpersonation。 \"I？Why，yes，\"hesaid。\"I\'Dtakeyouforanythingyouwantedmeto。\" \"Why，whataspeech!\"shecried，and，laughing，gavehimaquickglanceinwhichthereglimmeredsomerealsurprise。Hewaslookingatherquizzically，butwiththeliveliestappreciation。 Hersurpriseincreased；andshewasgladthathehadjoinedher。 Tobeseenwalkingwithsuchacompanionaddedtoherpleasure。 Shewouldhavedescribedhimas\"altogetherquitestunning-looking\"；andshelikedhistall，darkthinness，hisgrayclothes，hissofthat，andhiscleanbrownshoes；shelikedhiseasyswingofthestickhecarried。 \"Shouldn\'tIhavesaidit？\"heasked。\"WouldyourathernotbetakenforaSpanishcountess？\" \"Thatisn\'tit，\"sheexplained。\"Yousaid——\" \"IsaidI\'dtakeyouforwhateveryouwantedmeto。Isn\'tthatallright？\" \"Itwouldalldepend，wouldn\'tit？\" \"Ofcourseitwoulddependonwhatyouwanted。\" \"Oh，no!\"shelaughed。\"Itmightdependonalotofthings。\" \"Suchas？\" \"Well——\"Shehesitated，havingthemischievousimpulsetosay，\"SuchasMildred!\"Butshedecidedtoomitthisreference，andbecameserious，rememberingRussell\'sservicetoheratMildred\'shouse。\"SpeakingofwhatIwanttobetakenfor，\"shesaid；——\"I\'vebeenwonderingeversincetheothernightwhatyoudidtakemefor!Youmusthavetakenmeforthesisterofaprofessionalgambler，I\'mafraid!\" Russell\'slookofkindnesswasthetruthabouthim，shewastodiscover；andhereassuredhernowbythepromptnessofhisfriendlychuckle。\"ThenyouryoungbrothertoldyouwhereI foundhim，didhe？Ikeptmyfacestraightatthetime，butI laughedafterward——tomyself。Itstruckmeasoriginal，tosaytheleast:hisamusinghimselfwiththosedarkies。\" \"WalterISoriginal，\"Alicesaid；and，havingadoptedthisnewviewofherbrother\'seccentricities，sheimpulsivelywentontomakeitmoreplausible。\"He\'saveryoddboy，andIwasafraidyou\'dmisunderstand。Hetellswonderful\'darkystories，\'andhe\'lldoanythingtodrawcolouredpeopleoutandmakethemtalk； andthat\'swhathewasdoingatMildred\'swhenyoufoundhimforme——hesayshewinstheirconfidencebyplayingdicewiththem。 Inthefamilywethinkhe\'llprobablywriteaboutthemsomeday。 He\'sratherliterary。\" \"Areyou？\"Russellasked，smiling。 \"I？Oh——\"Shepaused，liftingbothhandsinacharminggestureofhelplessness。\"Oh，I\'mjust——me!\" Hisglancefollowedthelightlywavedhandswithkeenapproval，thenrosetothelivelyandcolourfulface，withitshazeleyes，itssmallandprettynose，andthelip-caughtsmilewhichseemedtheclimaxofherdecorativetransition。Neverhadheseenacreaturesoplasticorsowistful。 HerewasacontrasttohiscousinMildred，whowasnotwistful，andcontrolledanyimpulsestowardplasticity，ifshehadthem。 \"ByGeorge!\"hesaid。\"ButyouAREdifferent!\" Withthat，thereleapedinhersuchanimpulseofroguishgallantryasshecouldneverresist。Sheturnedherhead，and，laughingandbright-eyed，lookedhimfullintheface。 \"Fromwhom？\"shecried。 \"From——everybody!\"hesaid。\"Areyouamind-reader？\" \"Why？\" \"HowdidyouknowIwasthinkingyouweredifferentfrommycousin，MildredPalmer？\" \"WhatmakesyouthinkIDIDknowit？\" \"Nonsense!\"hesaid。\"YouknewwhatIwasthinkingandIknewyouknew。\" \"Yes，\"shesaidwithcoolhumour。\"Howintimatethatseemstomakeusallatonce!\" Russellleftnodoubtthathewasdelightedwiththesegaietiesofhers。\"ByGeorge!\"heexclaimedagain。\"IthoughtyouwerethissortofgirlthefirstmomentIsawyou!\" \"Whatsortofgirl？Didn\'tMildredtellyouwhatsortofgirlI amwhensheaskedyoutodancewithme？\" \"Shedidn\'taskmetodancewithyou——I\'dbeenlookingatyou。 Youweretalkingtosomeoldladies，andIaskedMildredwhoyouwere。\" \"Oh，soMildredDIDN\'T——\"Alicecheckedherself。\"WhodidshetellyouIwas？\" \"ShejustsaidyouwereaMissAdams，soI——\" \"\'A\'MissAdams？\"Aliceinterrupted。 \"Yes。ThenIsaidI\'dliketomeetyou。\" \"Isee。Youthoughtyou\'dsavemefromtheoldladies。\" \"No。IthoughtI\'dsavemyselffromsomeofthegirlsMildredwasgettingmetodancewith。TherewasaMissDowling——\" \"Poorman!\"Alicesaid，gently，andherimpulsivethoughtwasthatMildredhadtakenfewchances，andthatasamatterofself-defensehercarefulnessmighthavebeenwellfounded。ThisMr。ArthurRussellwasamuchmoreresponsivepersonthanonehadsupposed。 \"So，Mr。Russell，youdon\'tknowanythingaboutmeexceptwhatyouthoughtwhenyoufirstsawme？\" \"Yes，IknowIwasrightwhenIthoughtit。\" \"Youhaven\'ttoldmewhatyouthought。\" \"IthoughtyouwerelikewhatyouARElike。\" \"Notverydefinite，isit？I\'mafraidyoushedmorelightaminuteorsoago，whenyousaidhowdifferentfromMildredyouthoughtIwas。ThatWASdefinite，unfortunately!\" \"Ididn\'tsayit，\"Russellexplained。\"Ithoughtit，andyoureadmymind。That\'sthesortofgirlIthoughtyouwere——onethatcouldreadaman\'smind。Whydoyousay\'unfortunately\' you\'renotlikeMildred？\" Alice\'ssmoothgestureseemedtosketchMildred。\"Becauseshe\'sperfect——why，she\'sPERFECTLYperfect!Shenevermakesamistake，andeverybodylooksuptoher——oh，yes，weallfairlyadoreher!She\'slikesomebig，noble，coldstatue——\'wayabovetherestofus——andshehardlyeverdoesanythingmeanortreacherous。OfallthegirlsIknowIbelieveshe\'splayedthefewestreallypettytricks。She\'s——\" Russellinterrupted；helookedperplexed。\"Yousayshe\'sperfectlyperfect，butthatshedoesplaySOME——\" Alicelaughed，asifathissweetinnocence。\"Menaresofunny!\" sheinformedhim。\"OfcoursegirlsALLdomeanthingssometimes。 Myowncareer\'sjustonelongbrazensmirchof\'em!WhatImeanis，Mildred\'sperfectlyperfectcomparedtotherestofus。 \"Isee，\"hesaid，andseemedtoneedamomentortwoofthoughtfulness。Thenheinquired，\"WhatsortoftreacherousthingsdoYOUdo？\" \"I？Oh，theveryworstkind!Mostpeopleboremeparticularlythemeninthistown——andIshowit。\" \"ButIshouldn\'tcallthattreacherous，exactly。\" \"Well，THEYdo，\"Alicelaughed。\"It\'smademeaterriblyunpopularcharacter!Idoalotofthingstheyhate。Forinstance，atadanceI\'dalotratherfindsomecleveroldwomanandtalktoherthandancewithnine-tenthsofthesenonentities。 Iusuallydoit，too。\" \"Butyoudancedasifyoulikedit。YoudancedbetterthananyothergirlI——\" \"Thisflatteryofyoursdoesn\'tquiteturnmyhead，Mr。 Russell，\"Aliceinterrupted。\"ParticularlysinceMildredonlygaveyouEllaDowlingtocomparewithme!\" \"Oh，no，\"heinsisted。\"Therewereothers——andofcourseMildred，herself。\" \"Oh，ofcourse，yes。Iforgotthat。Well——\"Shepaused，thenadded，\"IcertainlyOUGHTtodancewell。\" \"Whyisitsomuchaduty？\" \"WhenIthinkofthedancing-teachersandtheexpensetopapa! Allsortsoffancyinstructors——Isupposethat\'swhatdaughtershavefathersfor，though，isn\'tit？Tothrowmoneyawayonthem？\" \"Youdon\'t——\"Russellbegan，andhislookwasoneofalarm。 \"Youhaven\'ttakenup——\" Sheunderstoodhisapprehensionandrespondedmerrily，\"Oh，murder，no!Youmeanyou\'reafraidIbreakoutsometimesinapieceofcheeseclothandrunaroundafountainthirtytimes，andthen，foranencore，showhowmuchlikesnakesIcanmakemyarmslook。\" \"ISAIDyouwereamind-reader!\"heexclaimed。\"That\'sexactlywhatIwaspretendingtobeafraidyoumightdo。\" \"\'Pretending？\'That\'snicerofyou。No；it\'snotmymania。\" \"Whatis？\" \"Oh，nothinginparticularthatIknowofjustnow。OfcourseI\'vehadtheusualone:theonethateverygirlgoesthrough。\" \"What\'sthat？\" \"Goodheavens，Mr。Russell，youcan\'texpectmetobelieveyou\'rereallyamanoftheworldifyoudon\'tknowthateverygirlhasatimeinherlifewhenshe\'spositiveshe\'sdivinelytalentedforthestage!It\'stheonlyuniversalruleaboutwomenthathasn\'tgotanexception。Idon\'tmeanweallwanttogoonthestage，butweallthinkwe\'dbewonderfulifwedid。EvenMildred。Oh，shewouldn\'tconfessittoyou:you\'dhavetoknowheragreatdealbetterthananymancaneverknowhertofindout。\" \"Isee，\"hesaid。\"Girlsarealwaystellinguswecan\'tknowthem。Iwonderifyou——\" Shetookuphisthoughtbeforeheexpressedit，andagainhewasfascinatedbyherquickness，whichindeedseemedtohimalmosttelepathic。\"Oh，butDON\'Tweknowoneanother，though!\"shecried。