第7章

ThefineoldgentlemanrevealedwhensheopenedthedoorwasprobablythelastgreatmerchantinAmericatowearthechinbeard。Whiteaswhitefrost，itwastrimmedshortwithexquisiteprecision，whilehisupperlipandthelowerexpansesofhischeekswerecleanandrosyfromfreshshaving。Withthistrimwhitechinbeard，thewhitewaistcoat，thewhitetie，thesuitoffinegraycloth，thebroadandbrilliantlypolishedblackshoes，andthewide-brimmedgrayfelthat，herewasamanwhohadfoundhisstyleintheseventiesofthelastcentury，andthenceforthkeptit。Filesofoldmagazinesofthatperiodmightshowhim，inwoodcut，as，\"TypeofBostonMerchant\"；Nastmighthavedrawnhimasanhoneststatesman。Hewaseighty，haleandsturdy，notaged；andhisquickblueeyes，stillunflecked，andasbriskasaboy\'s，saweverything。 \"Well，well，well!\"hesaid，heartily。\"Youhaven\'tlostanyofyourgoodlookssincelastweek，Isee，MissAlice，soIguessI\'mtotakeityouhaven\'tbeenworryingoveryourdaddy。Theyoungfeller\'sgettingalongallright，ishe？\" \"He\'smuchbetter；he\'ssittingup，Mr。Lamb。Won\'tyoucomein？\" \"Well，Idon\'tknowbutImight。\"Heturnedtocalltowardtwindisksoflightatthecurb，\"Beoutinaminute，Billy\"；andthesilhouetteofachauffeurstandingbesideacarcouldbeseentosaluteinresponse，astheoldgentlemansteppedintothehall。 \"Youdon\'tsupposeyourdaddy\'sreceivingcallersyet，ishe？\" \"He\'sagooddealstrongerthanhewaswhenyouwereherelastweek，butI\'mafraidhe\'snotverypresentable，though。\" \"\'Presentable？\'\"Theoldmanechoedherjovially。\"Pshaw!I\'veseenlotsofsickfolks。_I_knowwhattheylooklikeandhowtheylovetokindofnestinamongapileofoldblanketsandwrappers。Don\'tyouworryaboutTHAT，MissAlice，ifyouthinkhe\'dliketoseeme。\" \"Ofcoursehewould——if——\"Alicehesitated；thensaidquickly，\" Ofcoursehe\'dlovetoseeyouandhe\'squiteableto，ifyoucaretocomeup。\" Sheranupthestairsaheadofhim，andhadtimetosnatchthecrochetedwrapfromherfather\'sshoulders。Swathedasusual，hewassittingbesideatable，readingtheeveningpaper；butwhenhisemployerappearedinthedoorwayhehalfroseasiftocomeforwardingreeting。 \"Sitstill!\"theoldgentlemanshouted。\"Whatdoyoumean？ Don\'tyouknowyou\'reweakasacat？D\'youthinkamancanbesickaslongasyouhaveandNOTbeweakasacat？WhatyoutryingtodothepolitewithMEfor？\" Adamsgratefullyprotractedthehandshakethataccompaniedtheseinquiries。\"Thisiscertainlymightyfineofyou，Mr。Lamb，\"hesaid。\"IguessAlicehastoldyouhowmuchourwholefamilyappreciateyourcomingheresoregularlytoseehowthisoldbago\'boneswasgettingalong。Haven\'tyou，Alice？\" \"Yes，papa，\"shesaid；andturnedtogoout，butLambcheckedher。 \"Stayrighthere，MissAlice；I\'mnotevengoingtositdown。I knowhowitupsetssickfolkswhenpeopleoutsidethefamilycomeinforthefirsttime。\" \"Youdon\'tupsetme，\"Adamssaid。\"I\'llfeelalotbetterforgettingaglimpseofyou，Mr。Lamb。\" Thevisitor\'slaughwashusky，butheartyandre-assuring，likehisvoiceinspeaking。\"That\'sthewayallmyboysblarneyme，MissAlice，\"hesaid。\"TheythinkI\'llmaketheworklighteron\'emiftheycangetmekindofflatteredup。Youjusttellyourdaddyit\'snouse；hedoesn\'tgetonMYsoftside，pretendinghelikestoseemeevenwhenhe\'ssick。\" \"Oh，I\'mnotsosickanymore，\"Adamssaid。\"Iexpecttobebackinmyplacetendaysfromnowatthelongest。\" \"Well，now，don\'thurryit，Virgil；don\'thurryit。Youtakeyourtime；takeyourtime。\" ThisbroughttoAdams\'slipsafeeblesmilenotlackinginakindofvanity，asfeeble。\"Why？\"heasked。\"Isupposeyouthinkmydepartmentrunsitselfdownthere，doyou？\" Hisemployer\'sresponsewasanotherhuskylaugh。\"Well，well，well!\"hecried，andpattedAdams\'sshoulderwithastrongpinkhand。\"Listentothisyoungfeller，MissAlice，willyou!Hethinkswecan\'tgetalongwithouthimaminute!Yes，sir，thisdaddyofyoursbelievesthewholeworks\'lljusttakeandrundownifheisn\'ttheretokeep\'emwoundup。Ialwayssuspectedhethoughtagooddealofhimself，andnowIknowhedoes!\" Adamslookedtroubled。\"Well，Idon\'tliketofeelthatmysalary\'sgoingonwithmenotearningit。\" \"Listentohim，MissAlice!Wouldn\'tyouthink，now，he\'dletmebetheonetoworryaboutthat？Why，onmyword。ifyourdaddyhadhisway，_I_wouldn\'tbeanywhere。He\'dtakeallmyworryingandeverythingelseoffmyshouldersandshovemerightoutofLambandCompany!Hewould!\" \"ItseemstomeI\'vebeensoldieringonyouaprettylongwhile，Mr。Lamb，\"theconvalescentsaid，querulously。\"Idon\'tfeelrightaboutit；butI\'llbebackintendays。You\'llsee。\" Theoldmantookhishandinparting。\"Allright；we\'llsee，Virgil。Ofcoursewedoneedyou，seriouslyspeaking；butwedon\'tneedyousobadwe\'llletyoucomedowntherebeforeyou\'refullyfitandable。\"Hewenttothedoor。\"Youhear，MissAlice？That\'swhatIwantedtomaketheoldfellerunderstand，andwhatIwantyoutokindofenforceonhim。Theoldplaceistherewaitingforhim，andit\'dwaittenyearsifittookhimthatlongtogetgoodandwell。Youseethatheremembersit，MissAlice!\" Shewentdownthestairswithhim，andhecontinuedtoimpressthisuponheruntilhehadgoneoutofthefrontdoor。Andevenafterthat，thehuskyvoicecalledbackfromthedarkness，ashewenttohiscar，\"Don\'tforget，MissAlice；lethimtakehisowntime。Wealwayswanthim，butwewanthimtogetgoodandwellfirst。Good-night，good-night，younglady!\" Whensheclosedthedoorhermothercamefromthefartherendofthe\"living-room，\"wheretherewasnolight；andAliceturnedtoher。 \"Ican\'thelplikingthatoldman，mama，\"shesaid。\"Healwayssoundsso——well，sosolidandhonestandfriendly!Idolikehim。\" ButMrs。Adamsfailedinsympathyuponthispoint。\"Hedidn\'tsayanythingaboutraisingyourfather\'ssalary，didhe？\"sheasked，dryly。 \"No。\" \"No。Ithoughtnot。\" Shewouldhavesaidmore，butAlice，indisposedtolisten，begantowhistle，ranupthestairs，andwenttositwithherfather。 Shefoundhimbright-eyedwiththeexcitementafirstcallerbringsintoaslowconvalescence:hischeeksshowedactualhintsofcolour；andhewassmilingtremulouslyashefilledandlithispipe。Shebroughtthecrochetedscarfandputitabouthisshouldersagain，thentookachairnearhim。 \"IbelieveseeingMr。Lambdiddoyougood。papa，\"shesaid。 \"Isortofthoughtitmight，andthat\'swhyIlethimcomeup。 Youreallylookalittlelikeyouroldselfagain。\" Adamsexhaledabreathy\"Ha!\"withthesmokefromhispipeashewavedthematchtoextinguishit。\"That\'sfine，\"hesaid。\"ThesmokeIhadbeforedinnerdidn\'ttastethewayitusedto，andI kindofwonderedifI\'dlostmylikingfortobacco，butthisoneseemstobeallright。YoubetitdidmegoodtoseeJ。A。 Lamb!He\'sthebiggestmanthat\'severlivedinthistownoreverwilllivehere；andyoucantakealltheGovernorsandSenatorsoranythingthey\'veraisedhere，andput\'eminapotwithhim，andtheywon\'tcomeoutone-two-threealongsideo\'him! Andtothinkasbigamanasthat，withallhisinterestsandeverythinghe\'sgotonhismind——tothinkhe\'dneverletanythingpreventhimfromcominghereonceeveryweektoaskhowIwasgettingalong，andthenwalkrightupstairsandkindofCALLonme，asitwerewell，itmakesmesortoffeelasifIwasn\'tsomuchofanobody，sotospeak，asyourmotherseemstoliketomakeoutsometimes。\" \"Howfoolish，papa!OfCOURSEyou\'renot\'anobody。\'\" Adamschuckledfaintlyuponhispipe-stem，whatvanityhehadseemingtobefurtherstimulatedbyhisdaughter\'sapplause。\"I guesstherearen\'tawholelotofpeopleinthistownthatcouldclaimJ。A。showedthatmuchinterestin\'em，\"hesaid。\"OfcourseIdon\'tsetuptobelieveit\'sallbecauseofmerit，oranythinglikethat。He\'ddothesameforanybodyelsethat\'dbeenwiththecompanyaslongasIhave，butstillitIS somethingtobewiththecompanythatlongandhavehimshowheappreciatesit。\" \"Yes，indeed，itis，papa。\" \"Yes，sir，\"Adamssaid，reflectively。\"Yes，sir，Iguessthat\'sso。Andbesides，itallgoestoshowthekindofamanheis。 Simonpure，that\'swhatthatmanis，Alice。Simonpure!There\'sneverbeenanybodyworkforhimthatdidn\'trespecthimmorethantheydidanyothermanintheworld，Iguess。Andwhenyouworkforhimyouknowherespectsyou，too。RightfromthestartyougetthefeelingthatJ。A。putsabsoluteconfidenceinyou；andthat\'smightystimulating:itmakesyouwanttoshowhimhehasn\'tmisplacedit。There\'sgreatbigmoralvaluestothewayamanlikehimgetsyoutofeelingaboutyourrelationswiththebusiness:itain\'talljustdollarsandcents——notbyanymeans!\" Hewassilentforatime，thenreturnedwithincreasingenthusiasmtothistheme，andAlicewasgladtoseesomuchrenewaloflifeinhim；hehadnotspokenwithalikecheerfulvigoursincebeforehisillness。Thevisitofhisidolizedgreatmanhadindeedbeengoodforhim，puttingnewspiritintohim； andlivelinessofthebodyfollowedthatofthespirit。Hisimprovementcarriedoverthenight:hesleptwellandawokelate，declaringthathewas\"prettynearawellmanandreadyforbusinessrightnow。\"Moreover，havingsleptagainintheafternoon，hedressedandwentdowntodinner，leaningbutlightlyonAlice，whoconductedhim。 \"My!butyouandyourmotherhavebeenatitwithyourscrubbinganddusting!\"hesaid，astheycamethroughthe\"living-room。\" \"Idon\'tknowIeverdidseethehousesospickandspanbefore!\" Hisglancefelluponafewcarnationsinavase，andhechuckledadmiringly。\"Flowers，too!SoTHAT\'Swhatyoucoaxedthatdollarandahalfouto\'mefor，thismorning!\" Otherembellishmentsbroughtforthhiscommentwhenhehadtakenhisoldseatattheheadofthesmalldinner-table。\"Why，I declare，Alice!\"heexclaimed。\"Ibeensobusylookingatallthespick-and-spanishnessafterthehouse-cleaning，andtheflowersoutintheparlour——\'living-room\'Isupposeyouwantmetocallit，ifIjustGOTtobefashionable——Ibeensobusystudyingoverallthisso-and-so，IdeclareInevernoticedYOU tillthisminute!My，butyouAREalldressedup!What\'sgoin\' on？What\'sitabout:yousoalldressedup，andflowersintheparlourandeverything？\" \"Don\'tyousee，papa？It\'sinhonourofyourcomingdownstairsagain，ofcourse。\" \"Oh，sothat\'sit，\"hesaid。\"Ineverwould\'a\'thoughtofthat，Iguess。\" ButWalterlookedsidelongathisfather，andgaveforthhisslyandknowinglaugh。\"NeitherwouldI!\"hesaid。 Adamsliftedhiseyebrowsjocosely。\"You\'rejealous，areyou，sonny？Youdon\'twanttheoldmantothinkouryounglady\'dmakesomuchfussoverhim，doyou？\" \"Goonthinkin\'it\'soveryou，\"Walterretorted，amused。\"Goonandthinkit。It\'lldoyougood。\" \"OfcourseI\'llthinkit，\"Adamssaid。\"Itisn\'tanybody\'sbirthday。Certainlythedecorationsareonaccountofmecomingdownstairs。Didn\'tyouhearAlicesayso？\" \"Sure，Iheardhersayso。\" \"Well，then——\" Walterinterruptedhimwithalittlemusic。LookingshrewdlyatAlice，hesang: \"Iwaswalkin\'outonMondaywithmysweetthing。 She\'smyneatthing，Mysweetthing: I\'llgoroundonTuesdaynighttoseeher。 Oh，howwe\'llspoon——\" \"Walter!\"hismothercried。\"WHEREdoyoulearnsuchvulgarsongs？\"However，sheseemednotgreatlydispleasedwithhim，andlaughedasshespoke。 \"Sothat\'sit，Alice!\"saidAdams。\"Playingthehypocritewithyouroldman，areyou？It\'ssomenewbeau，isit？\" \"Ionlywishitwere，\"shesaid，calmly。\"No。It\'sjustwhatI said:it\'sallforyou。dear。\" \"Don\'tletherconyou，\"Walteradvisedhisfather。\"She\'sgotexpectations。Youhangarounddownstairsawhileafterdinnerandyou\'llsee。\" Buttheprophecyfailed，thoughAdamswenttohisownroomwithoutwaitingtotestit。Noonecame。 Alicestayedinthe\"living-room\"untilhalf-pastnine，whenshewentslowlyupstairs。Hermother，almosttearful，metheratthetop，andwhispered，\"Youmustn\'tmind，dearie。\" \"Mustn\'tmindwhat？\"Aliceasked，andthen，asshewentonherway，laughedscornfully。\"Whatutternonsense!\"shesaid。 Nextdayshecutthestemsoftheratherscantshowofcarnationsandrefreshedthemwithnewwater。Atdinner，herfather，stillinhighspirits，observedthatshehadagain\"dressedup\"inhonourofhisseconddescentofthestairs；andWalterrepeatedhisfragmentofobjectionablesong；butthesejocularitieswererenderedpointlessbytheeventlesseveningthatfollowed；andinthemorningthecarnationsbegantoappeartarnishedandflaccid。 Alicegavethemalonglook，thenthrewthemaway；andneitherWalternorherfatherwasinspiredtoanyrallyingbyherplaincostumeforthatevening。Mrs。Adamswasvisiblydepressed。 WhenAlicefinishedhelpinghermotherwiththedishes，shewentoutdoorsandsatuponthestepsofthelittlefrontveranda。Thenight，gentlewithwarmairfromthesouth，surroundedherpleasantly，andtheperpetualsmokewasthinner。Nowthatthefurnacesofdwelling-houseswerenolongerfired，lifeinthatcityhadbeguntobelesslikelifeinarailwaytunnel；peoplewereawareofsummerintheair，andinthethickenedfoliageoftheshade-trees，andinthesky。Starswereunveiledbythepassingofthedensersmokefogs，andto-nighttheycouldbeseenclearly；theylookedwarmandnear。OthergirlssatuponverandasandstoopsinAlice\'sstreet，cheerfulasyoungfishermenalongthebanksofastream。 Alicecouldhearthemfromtimetotime；thinsopranospersistentinlaughterthatfelldismallyuponherears。Shehadsetnolinesornetsherself，andwhatshehadof\"expectations，\"asWaltercalledthem，werevanished。ForAlicewasexperienced； andoneoftheconclusionsshedrewfromherexperiencewasthatwhenamansays，\"I\'dtakeyouforanythingyouwantedmeto，\"hemaymeanitor，hemaynot；but，ifhedoes，hewillnotpostponethefirstopportunitytosaysomethingmore。Littleaffairs，oncebegun，mustbewarmedquickly；foriftheycooltheyaredead。 ButAlicewasnotthinkingofArthurRussell。Whenshetossedawaythecarnationsshelikewisetossedawayherthoughtsofthatyoungman。Shehadbeenlikeaboywhoseesuponthestreet，somedistancebeforehim，abitofsomethingroundandglittering，apossibledime。Hehopesitisadime，and，untilhecomesnearenoughtomakesure，heplaysthatitisadime。 Inhismindhehasanadventurewithit:hebuyssomethingdelightful。Ifhepicksitup，discoveringonlysometin-foilwhichhashappeneduponaroundshape，hefeelsasinking。A dulnessfallsuponhim。 SoAlicewasdullwiththelossofanadventure；andwhenthelaughterofothergirlsreachedher，intermittently，shehadnotsprightlinessenoughleftinhertobeenviousoftheirgaiety。 Besides，theseneighbourswereineligibleevenforherenvy，beingofanothercaste；theycouldneverknowadanceatthePalmers\'，exceptremotely，throughanewspaper。Theirlaughterwasfortheencouragementofsnappyyoungmenofthestoresandofficesdown-town，clerks，bookkeepers，whatnot——someofthemprobablygraduatesofFrincke\'sBusinessCollege。 Then，assherecalledthatdarkportal，withitsdustystairwaymountingbetweenclosewallstodisappearintheuppershadows，herminddrewbackasfromadoorwaytoPurgatory。Nevertheless，itwasapictureofteninherreverie；andsometimesitcamesuddenly，withoutsequence，intothemidstofherotherthoughts，asifitleapedupamongthemfromalowerdarkness；andwhenitarriveditwantedtostay。Soatraveller，stillroamingtheworldafar，sometimesbroodswithoutapparentreasonuponhisfamilyburiallot:\"IwonderifIshallendthere。\" Theforebodingpassedabruptly，withajerkofherbreath，asthestreet-lamprevealedatallandeasyfigureapproachingfromthenorth，swingingastickintimetoitsstride。ShehadgivenRussellup——andhecame。 \"Whatluckforme!\"heexclaimed。\"Tofindyoualone!\" Alicegavehimherhandforaninstant，nototherwisemoving。 \"I\'mgladithappenedso，\"shesaid。\"Let\'sstayouthere，shallwe？Doyouthinkit\'stooprovincialtositonagirl\'sfrontstepswithher？\" \"\'Provincial？\'Why，it\'stheverybestofourinstitutions，\"hereturned，takinghisplacebesideher。\"Atleast，Ithinksoto-night。\" \"Thanks!Isthatpracticeforothernightssomewhereelse？\" \"No，\"helaughed。\"Thepracticingallleduptothis。DidI cometoosoon？\" \"No，\"shereplied，gravely。\"Justintime!\" \"I\'mgladtobesoaccurate；I\'vespenttwoeveningswantingtocome，MissAdams，insteadofdoingwhatIwasdoing。\" \"Whatwasthat？\" \"Dinners。Largeandlongdinners。Yourfellow-citizensareimmenselyhospitabletoanewcomer。\" \"Oh，no，\"Alicesaid。\"Wedon\'tdoitforeverybody。Didn\'tyoufindyourselfcharmed？\" \"Onewasamen\'sdinner，\"heexplained。\"Mr。PalmerseemedtothinkIoughttobeshowntotheprincipalbusinessmen。\" \"Whatwastheotherdinner？\" \"MycousinMildredgaveit。\" \"Oh，DIDshe!\"Alicesaid，sharply，butsherecoveredherselfinthesameinstant，andlaughed。\"Shewantedtoshowyoutotheprincipalbusinesswomen，Isuppose。\" \"Idon\'tknow。Atallevents，Ishouldn\'tgivemyselfouttobesomuchfetedbyyour\'fellow-citizens，\'afterall，seeingthesewerebothdonebymyrelatives，thePalmers。However，thereareotherstofollow，I\'mafraid。Iwaswondering——Ihopedmaybeyou\'dbecomingtosomeofthem。Aren\'tyou？\" \"Iratherdoubtit，\"Alicesaid，slowly。\"Mildred\'sdancewasalmosttheonlyeveningI\'vegoneoutsincemyfather\'sillnessbegan。Heseemedbetterthatday；soIwent。Hewasbettertheotherdaywhenhewantedthosecigars。He\'sverymuchupanddown。\"Shepaused。\"I\'dalmostforgottenthatMildredisyourcousin。\" \"Notaverynearone，\"heexplained。\"Mr。Palmer\'sfatherwasmygreat-uncle。\" \"Still，ofcourseyouarerelated。\" \"Yes；thatdistantly。\" Alicesaidplacidly，\"It\'squiteanadvantage。\" Heagreed。\"Yes。Itis。\" \"No，\"shesaid，inthesameplacidtone。\"ImeanforMildred。\" \"Idon\'tsee——\" Shelaughed。\"No。Youwouldn\'t。Imeanit\'sanadvantageovertherestofuswhomightliketocompeteforsomeofyourtime； andtheworstofitiswecan\'taccuseherofbeingunfairaboutit。Wecan\'tprovesheshowedanytrickinessinhavingyouforacousin。Whateverelseshemightplantodowithyou，shedidn\'tplanthat。Sotherestofusmustjustbearit!\" \"The\'restofyou!\'\"helaughed。\"It\'sgoingtomeanagreatdealofsuffering!\" Aliceresumedherplacidtone。\"You\'restayingatthePalmers\'，aren\'tyou？\" \"No，notnow。I\'vetakenanapartment。I\'mgoingtolivehere； I\'mpermanent。Didn\'tItellyou？\" \"IthinkI\'dheardsomewherethatyouwere，\"shesaid。\"Doyouthinkyou\'lllikelivinghere？\" \"Howcanonetell？\" \"IfIwereinyourplaceIthinkIshouldbeabletotell，Mr。 Russell。\" \"How？\" \"Why，goodgracious!\"shecried。\"Haven\'tyougotthemostperfectcreatureintownforyour——yourcousin？SHEexpectstomakeyoulikelivinghere，doesn\'tshe？Howcouldyoukeepfromlikingit，evenifyoutriednotto，underthecircumstances？\" \"Well，yousee，there\'ssuchalotofcircumstances，\"heexplained；\"I\'mnotsureI\'lllikegettingbackintoabusinessagain。Isupposemostofthemenofmyageinthecountryhavebeengoingthroughthesameexperience:theWarleftuswithaconsiderablerestlessnessofspirit。\" \"YouwereintheWar？\"sheasked，quickly，andasquicklyansweredherself，\"Ofcourseyouwere!\' \"Iwasaleft-over；theyonlyletmeoutaboutfourmonthsago，\" hesaid。\"It\'squiteashake-uptryingtosettledownagain。\" \"YouwereinFrance，then？\" \"Oh，yes；butIdidn\'tgetuptothefrontmuch——onlytwoorthreetimes，andthenjustforadayorso。Iwasinthetransportationservice。\" \"Youwereanofficer，ofcourse。\" \"Yes，\"hesaid。\"TheyletmeplayIwasamajor。\" \"Iguessedamajor，\"shesaid。\"You\'dalwaysbeprettygrand，ofcourse。\" Russellwasamused。\"Well，yousee，\"heinformedher，\"asithappened，wehadatleastseveralothermajorsinourarmy。WhywouldIalwaysbesomething\'prettygrand？\'\" \"You\'rerelatedtothePalmers。Don\'tyounoticetheyalwaysaffecttheprettygrand？\" \"ThenyouthinkI\'monlyoneoftheiraffectations，Itakeit。\" \"Yes，youseemtobethemostsuccessfulonethey\'vegot!\"Alicesaid，lightly。\"Youcertainlydobelongtothem。\"Andshelaughedasifatsomethinghiddenfromhim。\"Don\'tyou？\" \"Butyou\'vejustexcusedmeforthat，\"heprotested。\"Yousaidnobodycouldbeblamedformybeingtheirthirdcousin。Whatacontradictorygirlyouare!\" Aliceshookherhead。\"Let\'skeepawayfromthekindofgirlI am。\" \"No，\"hesaid。\"That\'sjustwhatIcameheretotalkabout。\" Sheshookherheadagain。\"Let\'skeepfirsttothekindofmanyouare。I\'mgladyouwereintheWar。\" \"Why？\" \"Oh，Idon\'tknow。\"Shewasquietamoment，forshewasthinkingthathereshespokethetruth:hisserviceputabouthimalittleglamourthathelpedtopleaseherwithhim。Shehadbeenpleasedwithhimduringtheirwalk；pleasedwithhimonhisownaccount； andnowthatpleasurewasgrowingkeener。Shelookedathim，andthoughthelightinwhichshesawhimwaslittlemorethanstarlight，shesawthathewaslookingsteadilyatherwithakindlyandsmilingseriousness。Allatonceitseemedtoherthatthenightairwassweetertobreathe，asifadistantfragranceofnewblossomshadbeenblowntoher。Shesmiledbacktohim，andsaid，\"Well，whatkindofmanareyou？\" \"Idon\'tknow；I\'veoftenwondered，\"hereplied。\"Whatkindofgirlareyou？\" \"Don\'tyouremember？Itoldyoutheotherday。I\'mjustme!\" \"Butwhoisthat？\" \"Youforgeteverything；\"saidAlice。\"YoutoldmewhatkindofagirlIam。Youseemedtothinkyou\'dtakenquiteafancytomefromtheveryfirst。\" \"SoIdid，\"heagreed，heartily。 \"Buthowquicklyyouforgotit!\" \"Oh，no。IonlywantYOUtosaywhatkindofagirlyouare。\" Shemockedhim。\"\'Idon\'tknow；I\'veoftenwondered!\'WhatkindofagirldoesMildredtellyouIam？WhathasshesaidaboutmesinceshetoldyouIwas\'aMissAdams？\'\" \"Idon\'tknow；Ihaven\'taskedher。\" \"ThenDON\'Taskher，\"Alicesaid，quickly。 \"Why？\" \"Becauseshe\'ssuchaperfectcreatureandI\'msuchanimperfectone。Perfectcreatureshavethemostperfectwayofruiningtheimperfectones。\" \"Butthentheywouldn\'tbeperfect。Notifthey——\" \"Oh，yes，theyremainperfectlyperfect，\"sheassuredhim。 \"That\'sbecausetheynevergointodetails。They\'renotsovulgarastocomerightoutandTELLthatyou\'vebeeninjailforstealingchickens。Theyjustlookabsent-mindedandsayinalowvoice，\'Oh，very；butIscarcelythinkyou\'dlikeherparticularly\'；andthenbegintotalkofsomethingelserightaway。\" Hissmilehaddisappeared。\"Yes，\"hesaid，somewhatruefully。 \"ThatdoessoundlikeMildred。Youcertainlydoseemtoknowher!Doyouknoweverybodyaswellasthat？\" \"Notmyself，\"Alicesaid。\"Idon\'tknowmyselfatall。Igottowonderingaboutthat——aboutwhoIwas——theotherdayafteryouwalkedhomewithme。\" Heutteredanexclamation，andadded，explainingit，\"Youdogiveamanachancetobefatuous，though!Asifitwerewalkinghomewithmethatmadeyouwonderaboutyourself!\" \"Itwas，\"Aliceinformedhim，coolly。\"IwaswonderingwhatI wantedtomakeyouthinkofme，incaseIshouldeverhappentoseeyouagain。\" Thisaudacityappearedtotakehisbreath。\"ByGeorge!\"hecried。 \"Youmustn\'tbeastonished，\"shesaid。\"WhatIdecidedthenwasthatIwouldprobablyneverdaretobejustmyselfwithyou——notifIcaredtohaveyouwanttoseemeagain——andyethereIam，justbeingmyselfafterall!\" \"YouAREthecheeriestseriesofshocks，\"Russellexclaimed，whereuponAliceaddedtotheseries。 \"Tellme:Isitagoodpolicyformetofollowwithyou？\"sheasked，andhefoundthemockeryinhervoicedelightful。\"Wouldyouadvisemetoofferyoushocksasasortofvacationfromsuavity？\" \"Suavity\"wasyetanothersketchofMildred；arecognizableone，oritwouldnothavebeenhumorous。InAlice\'shands，sodexterousinthiswork，herstatuesquefriendwasbecomingasridiculousasafinefigureofwaxlefttothemerciesofasatirist。 Butthelivelyyoungsculptressknewbetterthantooverdo:whatshedidmustappeartospringallfrommirth；soshelaughedasifunwillingly，andsaid，\"IMUSTN\'TlaughatMildred!Inthefirstplace，she\'syour——yourcousin。Andinthesecondplace，she\'snotmeanttobefunny；itisn\'trighttolaughatreallysplendidpeoplewhotakethemselvesseriously。Inthethirdplace，youwon\'tcomeagainifIdo。\" \"Don\'tbesureofthat，\"Russellsaid，\"whateveryoudo。\" \"\'WhateverIdo？\'\"sheechoed。\"ThatsoundsasifyouthoughtI COULDbeterrific!Becareful；there\'sonethingIcoulddothatwouldkeepyouaway。\" \"What\'sthat？\" \"Icouldtellyounottocome，\"shesaid。\"IwonderifIoughtto。\" \"Whydoyouwonderifyou\'oughtto？\'\" \"Don\'tyouguess？\" \"No。\" \"Thenlet\'sbothbemysteriestoeachother，\"shesuggested。\"I mystifyyoubecauseIwonder，andyoumystifymebecauseyoudon\'tguesswhyIwonder。We\'llletitgoatthat，shallwe？\" \"Verywell；solongasit\'scertainthatyouDON\'Ttellmenottocomeagain。\" \"I\'llnottellyouthat——yet，\"shesaid。\"Infact——\"Shepaused，reflecting，withherheadtooneside。\"Infact，Iwon\'ttellyounottocome，probably，untilIseethat\'swhatyouwantmetotellyou。I\'llletyououteasily——andI\'llbesuretoseeit。Evenbeforeyoudo，perhaps。\" \"Thatarrangementsuitsme，\"Russellreturned，andhisvoiceheldnotraceofjocularity:hehadbecomeserious。\"Itsuitsmebetterifyou\'reenoughinearnesttomeanthatIcancome——oh，notwheneverIwantto；Idon\'texpectsomuch!——butifyoumeanthatIcanseeyouprettyoften。\" \"OfcourseI\'minearnest，\"shesaid。\"ButbeforeIsayyoucancome\'prettyoften，\'I\'dliketoknowhowmuchofmytimeyou\'dneedifyoudidcome\'wheneveryouwantto\'；andofcourseyouwouldn\'tdaremakeanyanswertothatquestionexceptone。 Wouldn\'tyouletmehaveThursdaysout？\" \"No，no，\"heprotested。\"Iwanttoknow。Willyouletmecomeprettyoften？\" \"Leantowardmealittle，\"Alicesaid。\"Iwantyoutounderstand。\"Andasheobedientlybenthisheadnearhers，sheinclinedtowardhimasiftowhisper；then，inahalf-shout，shecried，\"YES!\" Heclappedhishands。\"ByGeorge!\"hesaid。\"Whatagirlyouare!\" \"Why？\" \"Well，forthefirstreason，becauseyouhavesuchgaietiesasthatone。Ishouldthinkyourfatherwouldactuallylikebeingill，justtobeinthehousewithyouallthetime。\" \"Youmeanbythat，\"Aliceinquired，\"Ikeepmyfamilycheerfulwithmyamusinglittleways？\" \"Yes。Don\'tyou？\" \"Therewereonlyboysinyourfamily，weren\'tthere，Mr。 Russell？\" \"Iwasanonlychild，unfortunately。\" \"Yes，\"shesaid。\"Iseeyouhadn\'tanysisters。\" Foramomenthepuzzledoverhermeaning，thensawit，andwasmoredelightedwithherthanever。\"Icanansweraquestionofyours，now，thatIcouldn\'tawhileago。\" \"Yes，Iknow，\"shereturned，quietly。 \"Buthowcouldyouknow？\" \"It\'sthequestionIaskedyouaboutwhetheryouweregoingtolikelivinghere，\"shesaid。\"You\'reabouttotellmethatnowyouknowyouWILLlikeit。\" \"Moretelepathy!\"heexclaimed。\"Yes，thatwasit，precisely。I supposethesamething\'sbeensaidtoyousomanytimesthatyou——\" \"No，ithasn\'t，\"Alicesaid，alittleconfusedforthemoment。 \"Notatall。Imeant——\"Shepaused，thenaskedinagentlevoice，\"Wouldyoureallyliketoknow？\" \"Yes。\" \"Well，then，Iwasonlyafraidyoudidn\'tmeanit。\" \"Seehere，\"hesaid。\"Ididmeanit。Itoldyouitwasbeingprettydifficultformetosettledowntothingsagain。Well，it\'smoredifficultthanyouknow，butIthinkIcanpullthroughinfairspiritsifIcanseeagirllikeyou\'prettyoften。\'\" \"Allright，\"shesaid，inabusiness-liketone。\"I\'vetoldyouthatyoucanifyouwantto。\" \"Idowantto，\"heassuredher。\"Ido，indeed!\" \"Howoftenis\'prettyoften，\'Mr。Russell？\" \"Wouldyouwalkwithmesometimes？To-morrow？\" \"Sometimes。Notto-morrow。Thedayafter。\" \"That\'ssplendid!\"hesaid。\"You\'llwalkwithmedayafterto-morrow，andthenightafterthatI\'llseeyouatMissLamb\'sdance，won\'tI？\" ButthisfellratherchillinglyuponAlice。\"MissLamb\'sdance？ WhichMissLamb？\"sheasked。 \"Idon\'tknow——it\'stheonethat\'sjustcomingoutofmourning。\" \"Oh，Henrietta——yes。Isherdancesosoon？I\'dforgotten。\" \"You\'llbethere，won\'tyou？\"heasked。\"Pleasesayyou\'regoing。\" Alicedidnotrespondatonce，andheurgedheragain:\"Pleasedopromiseyou\'llbethere。\" \"No，Ican\'tpromiseanything，\"shesaid，slowly。\"Yousee，foronething，papamightnotbewellenough。\" \"Butifheis？\"saidRussell。\"Ifheisyou\'llsurelycome，won\'tyou？Or，perhaps——\"Hehesitated，thenwentonquickly，\"Idon\'tknowtherulesinthisplaceyet，anddifferentplaceshavedifferentrules；butdoyouhavetohaveachaperone，ordon\'tgirlsjustgotodanceswiththemensometimes？Iftheydo，wouldyou——wouldyouletmetakeyou？\" Alicewasstartled。\"Goodgracious!\" \"What\'sthematter？\" \"Don\'tyouthinkyourrelatives——Aren\'tyouexpectedtogowithMildred——andMrs。Palmer？\" \"Notnecessarily。Itdoesn\'tmatterwhatImightbeexpectedtodo，\"hesaid。\"Willyougowithme？\" \"I——No；Icouldn\'t。\" \"Whynot？\" \"Ican\'t。I\'mnotgoing。\" \"Butwhy？\" \"Papa\'snotreallyanybetter，\"Alicesaid，huskily。\"I\'mtooworriedabouthimtogotoadance。\"Hervoicesoundedemotional，genuinelyenough；therewassomethingalmostlikeasobinit。\"Let\'stalkofotherthings，please。\" Heacquiescedgently；butMrs。Adams，whohadbeenlisteningtotheconversationattheopenwindow，justoverhead，didnothearhim。ShehadcorrectlyinterpretedthesobinAlice\'svoice，and，tremblingwithsuddenanger，sherosefromherknees，andwentfiercelytoherhusband\'sroom。