第8章

CHAPTERXIII Hehadnotundressed，andhesatbesidethetable，smokinghispipeandreadinghisnewspaper。Uponhisforeheadthelinesinthatoldpattern，thehistoricalmapofhistroubles，hadgrownalittlevaguerlately；relaxedbythecomplacencyofamanwhonotonlyfindshishealthrestored，butseesthedaysbeforehimpromisingoncemoreafamiliarroutinethathehasalwayslikedtofollow。 Ashiswifecamein，closingthedoorbehindher，helookedupcheerfully，\"Well，mother，\"hesaid，\"what\'sthenewsdownstairs？\" \"That\'swhatIcametotellyou，\"sheinformedhim，grimly。 Adamsloweredhisnewspapertohiskneeandpeeredoverhisspectaclesather。Shehadremainedbythedoor，standing，andthegreatgreenishshadowofthesmalllamp-shadeuponhistablerevealedherbutdubiously。\"Isn\'teverythingallright？\"heasked。\"What\'sthematter？\" \"Don\'tworry:I\'mgoingtotellyou，\"shesaid，hergrimnessnotrelaxed。\"There\'smatterenough，VirgilAdams。Matterenoughtomakemesickofbeingalive!\" Withthat，themarkingsonhisbrowsbegantoemergeagaininalltheirsharpness；theoldpatternreappeared。\"Oh，my，my!\"helamented。\"Ithoughtmaybewewereallgoingtosettledowntoalittlepeaceforawhile。What\'sitaboutnow？\" \"It\'saboutAlice。DidyouthinkitwasaboutMEoranythingforMYSELF？\" Likesomereadyoldmachine，alwaysinorder，hisirritabilityrespondedimmediatelyandautomaticallytoheremotion。\"HowinthundercouldIthinkwhatit\'sabout，orwhoit\'sfor？SAYit，andgetitover!\" \"Oh，I\'ll\'say\'it，\"shepromised，ominously。\"WhatI\'vecometoaskyouis，Howmuchlongerdoyouexpectmetoputupwiththatoldmanandhisdoings？\" \"Whosedoings？Whatoldman？\" Shecameathim，fiercelyaccusing。\"Youknowwellenoughwhatoldman，VirgilAdams!Thatoldmanwhowasheretheothernight。\" \"Mr。Lamb？\" \"Yes；\'MisterLamb!\'\"Shemockedhisvoice。\"WhatotheroldmanwouldIbelikelytomeanexceptJ。A。Lamb？\" \"What\'shebeendoingnow？\"herhusbandinquired，satirically。 \"Where\'dyougetsomethingnewagainsthimsincethelasttimeyou——\" \"Justthis!\"shecried。\"Theothernightwhenthatmanwashere，ifI\'dknownhowhewasgoingtomakemychildsuffer，I\'dneverhavelethimsethisfootinmyhouse。\" Adamsleanedbackinhischairasthoughherabsurdityhadeasedhismind。\"Oh，Isee，\"hesaid。\"You\'vejustgoneplaincrazy。 That\'stheonlyexplanationofsuchtalk，anditsuitsthecase。\" \"Hasn\'tthatmanmadeusallsuffereverydayofourlives？\"shedemanded。\"I\'dliketoknowwhyitisthatmylifeandmychildren\'sliveshavetobesacrificedtohim？\" \"Howarethey\'sacrificed\'tohim？\" \"Becauseyoukeeponworkingforhim!Becauseyoukeeponlettinghimhandoutwhatevermiserablelittlepittancehechoosestogiveyou；that\'swhy!It\'sasifheweresomehorribleoldJuggernautandIhadtoseemychildren\'sownfatherthrowingthemunderthewheelstokeephimsatisfied。\" \"Iwon\'thearanymoresuchstuff!\"Liftinghispaper，Adamsaffectedtoread。 \"You\'dbetterlistentome，\"sheadmonishedhim。\"Youmightbesorryyoudidn\'t，incaseheevertriedtosetfootinmyhouseagain!ImighttellhimtohisfacewhatIthinkofhim。\" Atthis，Adamsslappedthenewspaperdownuponhisknee。\"Oh，thedevil!What\'sitmatterwhatyouthinkofhim？\" \"Ithadbettermattertoyou!\"shecried。\"DoyousupposeI\'mgoingtosubmitforevertohimandhisfamilyandwhatthey\'redoingtomychild？\" \"Whatareheandhisfamilydoingto\'yourchild？\'\" Mrs。Adamscameoutwithit。\"ThatsnippylittleHenriettaLambhasalwayssnubbedAliceeverytimeshe\'severhadthechance。 She\'sfollowedtheleadoftheothergirls；they\'vealwaysallof\'embeenjealousofAlicebecauseshedaredtotryandbehappy，andbecauseshe\'sshowierandbetter-lookingthantheyare，eventhoughyoudogiveheronlyaboutthirty-fivecentsayeartodoiton!They\'vealldoneeverythingonearththeycouldtodrivetheyoungmenawayfromherandbelittleherto\'em；andthismeanlittleHenriettaLamb\'sbeentheworstofthewholecrowdtoAlice，everytimeshecouldseeachance。\" \"Whatfor？\"Adamsasked，incredulously。\"WhyshouldsheoranybodyelsepickonAlice？\" \"\'Why？\'\'Whatfor？\'\"hiswiferepeatedwithagreatervehemence。 \"DoYOUaskmesuchathingasthat？Doyoureallywanttoknow？\" \"Yes；I\'dwanttoknow——IwouldifIbelievedit。\" \"ThenI\'lltellyou，\"shesaidinacoldfury。\"It\'sonaccountofyou，Virgil，andnothingelseintheworld。\" Hehootedather。\"Oh，yes!Thesegirlsdon\'tlikeME，sotheypickonAlice。\" \"Quityourpalaveringandevading，\"shesaid。\"Acrowdofgirlslikethat，whentheygetaprettygirllikeAliceamongthem，theyactjustlikewildbeasts。They\'lltearhertopieces，orelsethey\'llchaseherandrunherout，becausetheyknowifshehadhalfachanceshe\'doutshine\'em。Theycan\'tdothattoagirllikeMildredPalmerbecauseshe\'sgotmoneyandfamilytobackher。Nowyoulistentome，VirgilAdams:thewaytheworldisnow，moneyISfamily。Alicewouldhavejustasmuch\'family\' asanyof\'emeverysinglebit——ifyouhadn\'tfallenbehindintherace。\" \"HowdidI——\" \"Yes，youdid!\"shecried。\"Twenty-fiveyearsagowhenwewerestartingandthistownwassmaller，youandIcouldhavegonewithanyof\'emifwe\'dtriedhardenough。Lookatthepeopleweknewthenthatdoholdtheirheadsupalongsideofanybodyinthistown!WHYcanthey？Becausethemenofthosefamiliesmademoneyandgavetheirchildreneverythingthatmakeslifeworthliving!Whycan\'tweholdourheadsup？Becausethosemenpassedyouintherace。Theywentuptheladder，andyou——you\'restillaclerkdownatthatoldhole!\" \"Youleavethatout，please，\"hesaid。\"IthoughtyouweregoingtotellmesomethingHenriettaLambhaddonetoourAlice。\" \"YouBETI\'mgoingtotellyou，\"sheassuredhim，vehemently。 \"ButfirstI\'mtellingWHYshedoesit。It\'sbecauseyou\'venevergivenAliceanybackingnoranybackground，andtheyallknowtheycandoanythingtheyliketoherwithperfectimpunity。 IfshehadthehundredthpartofwhatTHEYhavetofallbackonshe\'dhavemade\'emsingamightydifferentsonglongago!\" \"Howwouldshe？\" \"Oh，myheavens，butyou\'reslow!\"Mrs。Adamsmoaned。\"Lookhere!Yourememberhowpracticallyallthenicestboysinthistownusedtocomehereafewyearsago。Why，theywereallcrazyoverher；andthegirlsHADtobenicetoherthen。Lookatthedifferencenow!There\'llbeawholemonthgobyandnotayoungmancometocallonher，letalonesendhercandyorflowers，oreverthinkofTAKINGheranyplaceandyetshe\'sprettierandbrighterthanshewaswhentheyusedtocome。Itisn\'tthechild\'sfaultshecouldn\'thold\'em，isit？Poorthing，SHE triedhardenough!Isupposeyou\'dsayitwasherfault，though。\" \"No；Iwouldn\'t。\" \"Thenwhosefaultisit？\" \"Oh，mine，mine，\"hesaid，wearily。\"Idrovetheyoungmenaway，ofcourse。\" \"Youmightaswellhavedriven\'em，Virgil。Itamountstojustthesamething。\" \"Howdoesit？\" \"Becauseastheygotolderagoodmanyof\'embegantothinkmoreaboutmoney；that\'sonething。Money\'satthebottomofitall，forthatmatter。Lookatthesecountryclubsandallsuchthings:theothergirls\'familiesbelongandwedon\'t，andAlicedon\'t；andshecan\'tgounlesssomebodytakesher，andnobodydoesanymore。Lookattheothergirls\'houses，andthenlookatourhouse，soshabbyandold-fashionedshe\'dbeprettynearashamedtoaskanybodytocomeinandsitdownnowadays!Lookatherclothes——oh，yes；youthinkyoushelledoutalotforthatlittlecoatofhersandthehatandskirtshegotlastMarch；butit\'snothing。Someofthesegirlsnowadaysspendmorethanyourwholesalaryontheirclothes。Andwhatjewelleryhasshegot？ Aplatedwatchandtwoorthreelittlepinsandringsofthekindpeople\'smaidswouldn\'twearnow。GoodLord，VirgilAdams，wakeup!Don\'tsitthereandtellmeyoudon\'tknowthingslikethismeanSUFFERINGforthechild!\" Hehadbeguntorubhishandswretchedlybackandforthoverhisbonyknees，asifinthatwayhesomewhatalleviatedthetediumcausedbyherrackingvoice。\"Oh，my，my!\"hemuttered。\"OH，my，my!\" \"Yes，IshouldthinkyouWOULDsay\'Oh，my，my!\'\"shetookhimup，loudly。\"Thatdoesn\'thelpthingsmuch!IfyoueverwantedtoDOanythingaboutit，thepoorchildmightseesomegleamofhopeinherlife。Youdon\'tCAREforher，that\'sthetrouble； youdon\'tcareasinglethingabouther。\" \"Idon\'t？\" \"No；youdon\'t。Why，evenwithyourmiserablelittlesalaryyoucouldhavegivenhermorethanyouhave。You\'retheclosestmanIeverknew:it\'slikepullingteethtogetadollaroutofyouforher，nowandthen，andyetyouhidesomeaway，everymonthorso，insomewretchedlittleinvestmentorother。You——\" \"Lookhere，now，\"heinterrupted，angrily。\"Youlookhere!IfI didn\'tputalittlebywheneverIcould，inabondorsomething，wherewouldyoubeifanythinghappenedtome？Theinsurancedoctorsneverpassedme；YOUknowthat。Haven\'twegottohaveSOMETHINGtofallbackon？\" \"Yes，wehave!\"shecried。\"Weoughttohavesomethingtogoonwithrightnow，too，whenweneedit。DoyousupposethesesnippetswouldtreatAlicethewaytheydoifshecouldaffordtoENTERTAIN？Theyleaveheroutoftheirdinnersanddancessimplybecausetheyknowshecan\'tgiveanydinnersanddancestoleavethemoutof!Theyknowshecan\'tgetEVEN，andthat\'sthewholestory!That\'swhyHenriettaLamb\'sdonethisthingtohernow。\" Adamshadgonebacktohisrubbingofhisknees。\"Oh，my，my!\" hesaid。\"WHATthing？\" Shetoldhim。\"Yourdear，grand，oldMisterLamb\'sHenriettahassentoutinvitationsforalargeparty——aLARGEone。Everybodythatisanybodyinthistownisasked，youcanbesure。There\'saveryfineyoungman，aMr。Russell，hasjustcometotown，andhe\'sinterestedinAlice，andhe\'saskedhertogotothisdancewithhim。Well，Alicecan\'taccept。Shecan\'tgowithhim，thoughshe\'dgiveanythingintheworldtodoit。Doyouunderstand？Thereasonshecan\'tisbecauseHenriettaLambhasn\'tinvitedher。DoyouwanttoknowwhyHenriettahasn\'tinvitedher？It\'sbecausesheknowsAlicecan\'tgeteven，andbecauseshethinksAliceoughttobesnubbedlikethisonaccountofonlybeingthedaughterofoneofhergrandfather\'sclerks。I HOPEyouunderstand!\" \"Oh，my，my!\"hesaid。\"OH，my，my!\" \"That\'syoursweetoldemployer，\"hiswifecried，tauntingly。 \"That\'syourdear，kind，grandoldMisterLamb!Alicehasbeenleftoutofagoodmanysmallerthings，likebigdinnersandlittledances，butthisisjustthesameasservinghernoticethatshe\'soutofeverything!Andit\'salldonebyyourdear，grandold——\" \"Lookhere!\"Adamsexclaimed。\"Idon\'twanttohearanymoreofthat!Youcan\'tholdhimresponsibleforeverythinghisgrandchildrendo，Iguess!Heprobablydoesn\'tknowathingaboutit。Youdon\'tsupposehe\'stroublingHISheadover——\" Butsheburstoutathimpassionately。\"SupposeyoutroubleYOUR headaboutit!You\'dbetter，VirgilAdams!You\'dbetter，unlessyouwanttoseeyourchildjustdryupintoamiserableoldmaid! She\'sstillyoungandshehasachanceforhappiness，ifshehadafatherthatdidn\'tbringamillstonetohangaroundherneck，insteadofwhatheoughttogiveher!YoujustwaittillyoudieandGodasksyouwhatyouhadinyourbreastinsteadofaheart!\" \"Oh，my，my!\"hegroaned。\"What\'smyheartgottodowithit？\" \"Nothing!Youhaven\'tgotoneoryou\'dgiveherwhatsheneeded。 AmIaskinganythingyouCAN\'Tdo？Youknowbetter；youknowI\'mnot!\" Atthishesatsuddenlyrigid，histroubledhandsceasingtorubhisknees；andhelookedatherfixedly。\"Now，tellme，\"hesaid，slowly。\"JustwhatAREyouasking？\" \"Youknow!\"shesobbed。 \"Youmeanyou\'vebrokenyourwordnevertospeakofTHATtomeagain？\" \"Whatdo_I_careformyword？\"shecried，and，sinkingtothefloorathisfeet，rockedherselfbackandforththere。\"DoyousupposeI\'llletmy\'word\'keepmefromstrugglingforalittlehappinessformychildren？Itwon\'t，Itellyou；itwon\'t!I\'llstruggleforthattillIdie!Iwill，tillIdietillIdie!\" Herubbedhisheadnowinsteadofhisknees，and，shakingallover，hegotupandbeganwithuncertainstepstopacethefloor。 \"Hell，hell，hell!\"hesaid。\"I\'vegottogothroughTHAT again!\" \"Yes，youhave!\"shesobbed。\"TillIdie。\" \"Yes；that\'swhatyoubeenafterallthetimeIwasgettingwell。\" \"Yes，Ihave，andI\'llkeepontillIdie!\" \"Afinewifeforaman，\"hesaid。\"Beggin\'amantobeadirtydog!\" \"No!TobeaMAN——andI\'llkeepontillIdie!\" Adamsagainfellbackuponhislastsolace:hewalked，halfstaggering，upanddowntheroom，swearinginarhythmicrepetition。 Hiswifehadrepetitionsofherown，andshekeptattheminavoicethatrosetoahigherandhigherpitch，likethesoundofanoldwell-pump。\"TillIdie!TillIdie!TillIDIE!\" Sheendedinascream；andAlice，comingupthestairs，thankedheaventhatRussellhadgone。Sherantoherfather\'sdoorandwentin。 Adamslookedather，andgesticulatedshakilyattheconvulsivefigureonthefloor。\"Canyougetheroutofhere？\" AlicehelpedMrs。Adamstoherfeet；andthestrickenwomanthrewherarmspassionatelyaboutherdaughter。 \"Getherout!\"Adamssaid，harshly；thencried，\"Wait!\" Alice，movingtowardthedoor，halted，andlookedathimblankly，overhermother\'sshoulder。\"Whatisit，papa？\" Hestretchedouthisarmandpointedather。\"Shesays——shesaysyouhaveameanlife，Alice。\" \"No，papa。\" Mrs。Adamsturnedinherdaughter\'sarms。\"Doyouhearherlie？ Couldn\'tyoubeasbraveassheis，Virgil？\" \"Areyoulying，Alice？\"heasked。\"Doyouhaveameantime？\" \"No，papa。\" Hecametowardher。\"Lookatme!\"hesaid。\"Thingslikethisdancenow——isthatsohardtobear？\" Alicetriedtosay，\"No，papa，\"again，butshecouldn\'t。 Suddenlyandinspiteofherselfshebegantocry。 \"Doyouhearher？\"hiswifesobbed。\"Nowdoyou——\" Hewavedatthemfiercely。\"Getoutofhere!\"hesaid。\"Bothofyou!Getoutofhere!\" Astheywent，hedroppedinhischairandbentfarforward，sothathishaggardfacewasconcealedfromthem。Then，asAliceclosedthedoor，hebegantorubhiskneesagain，muttering，\"Oh，my，my!OH，my，my!\" CHAPTERXIV Thereshoneajovialsunoverheadontheappointed\"dayafterto-morrow\"；adaynotcoolyetofatemperaturefriendlytowalkers；andtheair，powderedwithsunshine，hadsomuchlifeinitthatitseemedtosparkle。ToArthurRussellthiswasadaylikeagaycompanionwhopleasedhimwell；butthegaycompanionathissidepleasedhimevenbetter。Shelookedherprettiest，chatteredherwittiest，smiledherwistfulest，anddelightedhimwithalltogether。 \"Youlooksohappyit\'seasytoseeyourfather\'stakenagoodturn，\"hetoldher。 \"Yes；hehasthisafternoon，atleast，\"shesaid。\"Imighthaveotherreasonsforlookingcheerful，though。\" \"Forinstance？\" \"Exactly!\"shesaid，givinghimasweetlookjustenoughmockedbyherlaughter。\"Forinstance!\" \"Well，goon，\"hebegged。 \"Isn\'titexpected？\"sheasked。 \"Ofyou，youmean？\" \"No，\"shereturned。\"Foryou，Imean!\" Inthisstyle，whichusesawordforanymeaningthatquicklookandcolourfulgesturecaretoendowitwith，shewasanexpert； andshecarrieditmerrilyon，leavinghimatliberty(oneofthegreatvaluesofthestyle)tochooseashewouldhowmuchorhowlittleshemeant。Hewascontenttosupplymerecues，foralthoughhehadlittlecoquetryofhisown，hehadlatelybeguntofindthattheonlyinterestingmomentsinhislifewerethoseduringwhichAliceAdamscoquettedwithhim。Happily，theseobligingmomentsextendedthemselvestocoverallthetimehespentwithher。Howeverseriousshemightseem，whateverappearedtobehertopic，allwasthou-and-I。 Heplannedformoreofit，seeingotherwiseadulleveningahead； andreverted，afterwhile，toaforbiddensubject。\"AboutthatdanceatMissLamb\'s——sinceyourfather\'ssomuchbetter——\" Sheflushedalittle。\"Now，now!\"shechidedhim。\"Weagreednottosayanymoreaboutthat。\" \"Yes，butsinceheISbetter——\" Aliceshookherhead。\"Hewon\'tbebetterto-morrow。Healwayshasabaddayafteragoodoneespeciallyaftersuchagoodoneasthisis。\" \"Butifthistimeitshouldbedifferent，\"Russellpersisted； \"wouldn\'tyoubewillingtocomeifhe\'sbetterbyto-morrowevening？Whynotwaitanddecideatthelastminute？\" Shewavedherhandsairily。\"Whatapother!\"shecried。\"WhatdoesitmatterwhetherpoorlittleAliceAdamsgoestoadanceornot？\" \"Well，IthoughtI\'dmadeitclearthatitlooksfairlybleaktomeifyoudon\'tgo。\" \"Oh，yes!\"shejeered。 \"It\'sthesimpletruth，\"heinsisted。\"Idon\'tcareagreatdealaboutdancesthesedays；andifyouaren\'tgoingtobethere——\" \"Youcouldstayaway，\"shesuggested。\"Youwouldn\'t!\" \"Unfortunately，Ican\'t。I\'mafraidI\'msupposedtobetheexcuse。MissLamb，inhercapacityasafriendofmyrelatives——\" \"Oh，she\'sgivingitforYOU!Isee!OnMildred\'saccountyoumean？\" Atthathisfaceshowedanincreaseofcolour。\"IsupposejustonaccountofmybeingacousinofMildred\'sandof——\" \"Ofcourse!You\'llhaveabeautifultime，too。Henrietta\'llseethatyouhavesomebodytodancewithbesidesMissDowling，poorman!\" \"ButwhatIwantsomebodytoseeisthatIdancewithyou!Andperhapsyourfather——\" \"Wait!\"shesaid，frowningasifshedebatedwhetherornottotellhimsomethingofimport；then，seemingtodecideaffirmatively，sheasked:\"Wouldyoureallyliketoknowthetruthaboutit？\" \"Ifitisn\'ttoounflattering。\" \"Ithasn\'tanythingtodowithyouatall，\"shesaid。\"OfcourseI\'dliketogowithyouandtodancewithyou——thoughyoudon\'tseemtorealizethatyouwouldn\'tbepermittedmuchtimewithme。\" \"Oh，yes，I——\" \"Nevermind!\"shelaughed。\"Ofcourseyouwouldn\'t。Butevenifpapashouldbebetterto-morrow，IdoubtifI\'dgo。Infact，I knowIwouldn\'t。There\'sanotherreasonbesidespapa。\" \"Isthere？\" \"Yes。Thetruthis，Idon\'tgetonwithHenriettaLamb。Asamatteroffact，Idislikeher，andofcoursethatmeansshedislikesme。IshouldneverthinkofaskinghertoanythingI gave，andIreallywondersheasksmetothingsSHEgives。\"Thiswasanewinspiration；andAlice，beginningtoseeherwayoutofaperplexity，wishedthatshehadthoughtofitearlier:sheshouldhavetoldhimfromthefirstthatsheandHenriettahadafeud，andconsequentlyexchangednoinvitations。Moreover，therewasanotherthingtobesetherwithlittleanxieties:shemightbetternothavetoldhimfromthefirst，asshehadindeedtoldhimbyintimation，thatshewasthepampereddaughterofanindulgentfather，presumablyabletoindulgeher；fornowshemustelaboratelykeeptothepart。Veracityisusuallysimple； anditsopposite，tobesuccessful，shouldbeassimple；butpractitionersoftheoppositearemostoftenimpulsive，likeAlice；and，likeher，theybecomeenmeshedinelaborations。 \"Itwouldn\'tbeveryniceformetogotoherhouse，\"Alicewenton，\"whenIwouldn\'twantherinmine。I\'veneveradmiredher。 I\'vealwaysthoughtshewaslackinginsomethingsmostpeoplearesupposedtobeequippedwith——forinstance，acertainfeelingaboutthedeathofafatherwhowasalwaysprettydecenttohisdaughter。Henrietta\'sfatherdiedjust，elevenmonthsandtwenty-sevendaysbeforeyourcousin\'sdance，butshecouldn\'tstickoutthosefewlastdaysandmakeitayear；shewasthere。\" Alicestopped，thenlaughedruefully，exclaiming，\"Butthisisdreadfulofme!\" \"Isit？\" \"Blackguardinghertoyouwhenshe\'sgivingabigpartyforyou! JustthewayHenriettawouldblackguardmetoyou——heavenknowswhatsheWOULDN\'Tsayifshetalkedaboutmetoyou!Itwouldbefair，ofcourse，but——well，I\'drathershedidn\'t!\"Andwiththat，Aliceletherprettyhand，initswhiteglove，restuponhisarmforamoment；andhelookeddownatit，notunmovedtoseeitthere。\"Iwanttobeunfairaboutjustthis，\"shesaid，lettingatroubledlaughtertremblethroughherappealingvoiceasshespoke。\"Iwon\'ttakeadvantageofherwithanybody，exceptjust——you!I\'dalittleratheryoudidn\'thearanybodyblackguardme，and，ifyoudon\'tmind——couldyoupromisenottogiveHenriettathechance？\" Itwascharminglydone，withahumorous，faintpathosaltogethergenuine；andRussellfoundhimselfsuddenlywantingtoshoutather，\"Oh，youDEAR!\"Nothingelseseemedadequate；buthecontrolledtheimpulseinfavourofsomethingmoreconservative。 \"Imagineanyonespeakingunkindlyofyou——notpraisingyou!\" \"WhoHASpraisedmetoyou？\"sheasked，quickly。 \"Ihaven\'ttalkedaboutyouwithanyone；butifIdid，Iknowthey\'d——\" \"No，no!\"shecried，andwenton，againaccompanyingherwordswithlittletremulousrunsoflaughter。\"Youdon\'tunderstandthistownyet。You\'llbesurprisedwhenyoudo；we\'redifferent。 Wetalkaboutoneanotherfearfully!Haven\'tIjustprovedit，thewayI\'vebeengoingforHenrietta？OfcourseIdidn\'tsayanythingreallyveryterribleabouther，butthat\'sonlybecauseIdon\'tfollowthatpracticethewaymostoftheothersdo。Theydon\'tstopwiththeworstofthetruththeycanfind:theymakeUPthings——yes，theyreallydo!And，oh，I\'dRATHERtheydidn\'tmakeupthingsaboutme——toyou!\" \"Whatdifferencewoulditmakeiftheydid？\"heinquired，cheerfully。\"I\'dknowtheyweren\'ttrue。\" \"Evenifyoudidknowthat，they\'dmakeadifference，\"shesaid。 \"Oh，yes，theywould!It\'stoobad，butwedon\'tlikeanythingquitesowellthat\'shadspecksonit，evenifwe\'vewipedthespecksoff；——it\'sjustthatmuchspoiled，andsomethingsareallspoiledtheinstantthey\'retheleastbitspoiled。Whatamanthinksaboutagirl，forinstance。Doyouwanttohavewhatyouthinkaboutmespoiled，Mr。Russell？\" \"Oh，butthat\'salreadyfarbeyondreach，\"hesaid，lightly。 \"Butitcan\'tbe!\"sheprotested。 \"Whynot？\" \"Becauseitnevercanbe。Mendon\'tchangetheirmindsaboutoneanotheroften:theymakeitquiteaneventwhentheydo，andtalkaboutitasifsomethingimportanthadhappened。Butagirlonlyhastogodown-townwithashoe-stringunfastened，andeverymanwhoseesherwillchangehismindabouther。Don\'tyouknowthat\'strue？\" \"Notofmyself，Ithink。\" \"There!\"shecried。\"That\'spreciselywhateverymanintheworldwouldsay!\" \"Soyouwouldn\'ttrustme？\" \"Well——I\'llbeawfullyworriedifyougive\'emachancetotellyouthatI\'mtoolazytotiemyshoe-strings!\" Helaugheddelightedly。\"Isthatwhattheydosay？\"heasked。 \"Justabout!Whatevertheyhopewillgetresults。\"Sheshookherheadwisely。\"Oh，yes；wedothathere!\" \"ButIdon\'tmindlooseshoe-strings，\"hesaid。\"Notifthey\'reyours。\" \"They\'llfindoutwhatyoudomind。\" \"Butsuppose，\"hesaid，lookingatherwhimsically；\"supposeI wouldn\'tmindanything——solongasit\'syours？\" Shecourtesied。\"Oh，prettyenough!Butagirlwho\'stalkedabouthasaweaknessthat\'softenafatalone。\" \"Whatisit？\" \"It\'sthis:whenshe\'stalkedaboutsheisn\'tTHERE。That\'showtheykillher。\" \"I\'mafraidIdon\'tfollowyou。\" \"Don\'tyousee？IfHenrietta——orMildred——oranyof\'em——orsomeoftheirmothers——oh，weALLdoit!Well，ifanyof\'emtoldyouIdidn\'ttiemyshoe-strings，andifIwerethere，sothatyoucouldseeme，you\'dknowitwasn\'ttrue。EvenifIweresittingsothatyoucouldn\'tseemyfeet，andcouldn\'ttellwhetherthestringsweretiedornotjustthen，stillyoucouldlookatme，andseethatIwasn\'tthesortofgirltoneglectmyshoe-strings。Butthatisn\'tthewayithappens:they\'llgetatyouwhenI\'mnowherearoundandcan\'tremindyouofthesortofgirlIreallyam。\" \"Butyoudon\'tdothat，\"hecomplained。\"Youdon\'tremindmeyoudon\'teventellme——thesortofgirlyoureallyare!I\'dliketoknow。\" \"Let\'sbeseriousthen，\"shesaid，andlookedseriousenoughherself。\"Wouldyouhonestlyliketoknow？\" \"Yes。\" \"Well，then，youmustbecareful。\" \"\'Careful？\'\"Thewordamusedhim。 \"Imeancarefulnottogetmemixedup，\"shesaid。\"CarefulnottomixupthegirlyoumighthearsomebodytalkingaboutwiththemeIhonestlytrytomakeyousee。Ifyoudogetthosetwomixedup——well，thewholeshow\'llbespoiled!\" \"Whatmakesyouthinkso？\" \"Becauseit\'s——\"Shecheckedherself，havingbeguntospeaktooimpulsively；andshewasdisturbed，realizinginwhattrickystuffshedealt。Whathadbeenonherlipstosaywas，\"Becauseit\'shappenedbefore!\"Shechangedto，\"Becauseit\'ssoeasytospoilanything——easiestofalltospoilanythingthat\'spleasant。\" \"Thatmightdepend。\" \"No；it\'sso。Andifyoucareatallabout——aboutknowingagirlwho\'dlikesomeonetoknowher——\" \"Just\'someone？\'That\'sdisappointing。\" \"Well——you，\"shesaid。 \"Tellmehow\'careful\'youwantmetobe，then!\" \"Well，don\'tyouthinkitwouldbeniceifyoudidn\'tgiveanybodythechancetotalkaboutmetheway——thewayI\'vejustbeentalkingaboutHenriettaLamb？\" Withthattheylaughedtogether，andhesaid，\"Youmaybecuttingmeofffromagreatdealofinformation，youknow。\" \"Yes，\"Aliceadmitted。\"Somebodymightbegintopraisemetoyou，too；soit\'sdangeroustoaskyoutochangethesubjectifI everhappentobementioned。Butafterall——\"Shepaused。 \"\'Afterall\'isn\'ttheendofathought，isit？\" \"Sometimesitisofagirl\'sthought；Isupposemenareneaterabouttheirthoughts，andalwaysfinish\'em。Itisn\'ttheendofthethoughtIhadthen，though。\" \"Whatistheendofit？\" Shelookedathimimpulsively。\"Oh，it\'sfoolish，\"shesaid，andshelaughedaslaughsonewhoproposessomethingprobablyimpossible。\"But，WOULDN\'TitbepleasantiftwopeoplecouldeverjustkeepthemselvesTOthemselves，sofarastheytwowereconcerned？Imean，iftheycouldjustmanagetobefriendswithoutpeopletalkingaboutit，ortalkingtoTHEMaboutit？\" \"Isupposethatmightberatherdifficult，\"hesaid，moreamusedthanimpressedbyheridea。 \"Idon\'tknow:itmightbedone，\"shereturned，hopefully。 \"Especiallyinatownofthissize；it\'sgrownsoit\'squiteahugeplacethesedays。Peoplecankeepthemselvestothemselvesinabigplacebetter，youknow。Forinstance，nobodyknowsthatyouandIaretakingawalktogethertoday。\" \"Howabsurd，whenhereweareonexhibition!\" \"No；wearen\'t。\" \"Wearen\'t？\" \"Notabitofit!\"shelaughed。\"Weweretheotherday，whenyouwalkedhomewithme，butanybodycouldtellthathadjusthappenedbychance，onaccountofyourovertakingme；peoplecanalwaysseethingslikethat。Butwe\'renotonexhibitionnow。 LookwhereI\'veledyou!\" Amusedandalittlebewildered，helookedupanddownthestreet，whichwasoneofgaunt-facedapartment-houses，old，sooty，frameboarding-houses，smallgroceriesanddrug-stores，laundriesandone-roomplumbers\'shops，withthesignofaclairvoyanthereandthere。 \"Yousee？\"shesaid。\"I\'vebeenleadingyouwithoutyourknowingit。Ofcoursethat\'sbecauseyou\'renewtothetown，andyougiveyourselfuptotheguidanceofanoldcitizen。\" \"I\'mnotsosure，MissAdams。ItmightmeanthatIdon\'tcarewhereIfollowsolongasIfollowyou。\" \"Verywell，\"shesaid。\"I\'dlikeyoutokeeponfollowingmeatleastlongenoughformetoshowyouthatthere\'ssomethingniceraheadofusthanthisdingystreet。\" \"Isthatfigurative？\"heasked。 \"Mightbe!\"shereturned，gaily。\"There\'saprettylittleparkattheend，butit\'sveryproletarian，andnobodyyouandIknowwillbemorelikelytoseeustherethanonthisstreet。\" \"Whatanimaginationyouhave!\"heexclaimed。\"YouturnourproperlittlewalkintoaParisianadventure。\" Shelookedathiminwhatseemedtobeamomentarygravepuzzlement。\"PerhapsyoufeelthataParisianadventuremightn\'tpleaseyour——yourrelatives？\" \"Why，no，\"hereturned。\"YouseemtothinkofthemoftenerthanIdo。\" ThisappearedtoamuseAlice，oratleasttopleaseher，forshelaughed。\"ThenIcanaffordtoquitthinkingofthem，Isuppose。 It\'sonlythatIusedtobequiteafriendofMildred\'s——butthere!weneedn\'ttogointothat。I\'veneverbeenafriendofHenriettaLamb\'s，though，andIalmostwishsheweren\'ttakingsuchpainstobeafriendofyours。\" \"Oh，butshe\'snot。It\'sallonaccountof——\" \"OnMildred\'saccount，\"Alicefinishedthisforhim，coolly。 \"Yes，ofcourse。\" \"It\'sonaccountofthetwofamilies，\"hewasatpainstoexplain，alittleawkwardly。\"It\'sbecauseI\'marelativeofthePalmers，andthePalmersandtheLambsseemtobeoldfamilyfriends。\" \"SomethingtheAdamsescertainlyarenot，\"Alicesaid。\"Notwitheitherof\'em；particularlynotwiththeLambs!\"Andhere，scarceawareofwhatimpelledher，shereturnedtoherformerelaborationsandcolourings。\"Yousee，thedifferencesbetweenHenriettaandmearen\'tentirelypersonal:Icouldn\'tgotoherhouseevenifIlikedher。TheLambsandAdamsesdon\'tgetonwitheachother，andwe\'vejustaboutcometothebreaking-pointasithappens。\" \"Ihopeit\'snothingtobotheryou。\" \"Why？Alotofthingsbotherme。\" \"I\'msorrytheydo，\"hesaid，andseemedsimplytomeanit。 Shenoddedgratefully。\"That\'sniceofyou，Mr。Russell。Ithelps。ThebreakbetweentheAdamsesandtheLambsisaprettybothersomething。It\'sbeencomingonalongtime。\"Shesigheddeeply，andthesighwashalfgenuine；thishalfbeingforherfather，buttheotherhalfprobablybelongedtoherinstinctiverenderingofJulietCapulet，daughtertoawarringhouse。\"I hateitallso!\"sheadded。 \"Ofcourseyoumust。\" \"Isupposemostquarrelsbetweenfamiliesareonaccountofbusiness，\"shesaid。\"That\'swhythey\'resosordid。CertainlytheLambsseemasordidlottome，thoughofcourseI\'mbiased。\" AndwiththatshebegantosketchahistoryofthecommercialantagonismthathadrisenbetweentheAdamsesandtheLambs。 Thesketchingwasspontaneousanddramatic。Mathematicshadnopartinit；norwasthereaccuratedefinitionofMr。Adams\'srelationtotheinstitutionofLambandCompany。Thepointwasclouded，infact；thoughthatmighteasilybesetdowntothegeneralhazinessofyoungladiesconfrontedwiththemysteriesoftradeorcommerce。Mr。Adamseitherhadbeenavaguesortofjuniormemberofthefirm，itappeared，orelseheshouldhavebeenmadesomesuchthing；atallevents，hewasanoldmainstayofthebusiness；andhe，asmuchasanyLamb，hadhelpedtobuilduptheprosperityofthecompany。Butatlast，tiredofprovidingsomuchintelligenceandenergyforwhichotherpeopletookprofitgreaterthanhisown，hehaddecidedtoleavethecompanyandfoundabusinessentirelyforhimself。TheLambsweregoingtobeenragedwhentheylearnedwhatwasafoot。 Suchwastheimpression，alittlemisted，wroughtbyAlice\'squicknarrative。Buttherewasdolorousfactbehindit:Adamshadsuccumbed。 Hiswife，graveandnervous，ratherthantriumphant，insuccess，hadtoldtheirdaughterthatthegreatJ。A。wouldbefuriousandpossiblyvindictive。Adamswasafraidofhim，shesaid。 \"Butwhatfor，mama？\"Aliceasked，sincethisseemedaturnofaffairsoutofreason。\"WhatintheworldhasMr。Lambtodowithpapa\'sleavingthecompanytosetupforhimself？Whatrighthashetobeangryaboutit？Ifhe\'ssuchafriendasheclaimstobe，Ishouldthinkhe\'dbeglad——thatis，ifthegluefactoryturnsoutwell。Whatwillhebeangryfor？\" Mrs。AdamsgaveAliceanuneasyglance，hesitated，andthenexplainedthataresignationfromLamb\'shadalwaysbeenlookedupon，especiallyby\"thatoldman，\"astreachery。Youweresupposedtodieintheservice，shesaidbitterly，andherdaughter，alittlemystified，acceptedthisexplanation。Adamshadnotspokentoherofhissurrender；heseemednotinclinedtospeaktoheratall，ortoanyone。 Alicewasnotserioustoolong，andshebegantolaughasshecametotheendofherdecorativesketch。\"Afterall，thewholethingisperfectlyridiculous，\"shesaid。\"Infact，it\'sFUNNY! That\'sonaccountofwhatpapa\'sgoingtothrowovertheLambbusinessFOR!Tosaveyourlifeyoucouldn\'timaginewhathe\'sgoingtodo!\" \"Iwon\'ttry，then，\"Russellassented。 \"IttakesalltheromanceoutofME，\"shelaughed。\"You\'llnevergoforaParisianwalkwithmeagain，afterItellyouwhatI\'llbeheiressto。\"Theyhadcometotheentranceofthelittlepark；and，asAlicehadsaid，itwasaprettyplace，especiallyonadaysoradiant。Treesoftheoldestforeststoodthere，haleandsereneoverthetrim，brightgrass；andtheproletarianshadnotcomefromtheirfactoriesatthishour；onlyafewmothersandtheirbabiesweretobeseen，hereandthere，intheshade。\"IthinkI\'llpostponetellingyouaboutittillwegetnearlyhomeagain，\"Alicesaid，astheybegantosaunterdownoneofthegravelledpaths。\"There\'sabenchbesideaspringfartheron；wecansitthereandtalkaboutalotofthings——thingsnotsostickyasmydowry\'sgoingtobe。\" \"\'Sticky？\'\"heechoed。\"Whatintheworld——\"Shelaugheddespairingly。 \"Agluefactory!\" Thenhelaughed，too，asmuchfromfriendlinessasfromamusement；andsherememberedtotellhimthattheprojectofagluefactorywasstill\"anAdamssecret。\"Itwouldbeknownsoon，however，sheadded；andthewholeLambconnectionwouldprobablybeginsayingallsortsofthings，heavenknewwhat! ThusAlicebuiltherwallsofflimsy，workingalwaysgaily，orwithatleasttheairofgaiety；andevenassherattledon，therewassomewhereinhermindaconstantlittlewonder。 Everythingshesaidseemedtobenecessarytosupportsomethingelseshehadsaid。Howhadithappened？Shefoundherselftellinghimthatsinceherfatherhaddecidedonmakingsogreatachangeinhisways，sheandhermotherhopedatlasttopersuadehimtogiveupthat\"foolishlittlehouse\"hehadbeensoobstinateabout；andshecheckedherselfabruptlyonthisdeclivityjustasshewasabouttoslideintoaremarkconcerningherownpreferencefora\"countryplace。\"Discretioncaughtherintime；andsomethingelse，incompanywithdiscretion，caughther，forshestoppedshortinhertalkandblushed。 Theyhadtakenpossessionofthebenchbesidethespring，bythistime；andRussell，hiselbowonthebackofthebenchandhischinonhishand，thebettertolookather，hadnoguessatthecauseoftheblush，butwascontenttofinditlovely。AthisfirstsightofAliceshehadseemedprettyintheparticularwayofbeingprettythathehappenedtolikebest；and，witheverymomenthespentwithher，thisprettinessappearedtoincrease。 Hefeltthathecouldnotlookatherenough:hisgazefollowedtheflutteringofthegracefulhandsinalmostcontinualgestureasshetalked；thenliftedhappilytothevivaciousfaceagain。 Shecharmedhim。 Afterherabruptpause，shesighed，thenlookedathimwithhereyebrowsliftedinacomedyappeal。\"Youhaven\'tsaidyouwouldn\'tgiveHenriettathechance，\"shesaid，inthesoftestvoicethatcanstillhavealittlelaughrunninginit。 Hewaspuzzled。\"GiveHenriettathechance？\" \"YOUknow!You\'llletmekeeponbeingunfair，won\'tyou？Notgivetheothergirlsachancetogeteven？\" Hepromised，heartily。 CHAPTERXV AlicehadsaidthatnoonewhokneweitherRussellorherselfwouldbelikelytoseethemintheparkoruponthedingystreet； butalthoughtheyreturnedbythatsameungenteelthoroughfaretheywereseenbyapersonwhoknewthemboth。Also，withsomesurpriseonthepartofRussell，andsomethingmorepoignantthansurpriseforAlice，theysawthisperson。 Allofthedingystreetwasugly，butthegreaterpartofitappearedtobehonest。Thetwopedestrianscameuponablockortwo，however，whereitofferedsuggestionsofalessuprightcharacter，likeasteadyenoughworkingmanwithanaughtybookstickingoutofhispocket。Threeorfourdimshops，asinglestoryinheight，exhibitedfoulsignboards，yetfairenoughsofarasthewordingwent；oneproclaimingatobacconist，oneajunk-dealer，oneadispenserof\"softdrinksandcigars。\"Themostcredulouswouldhavedoubtedthesesignboards；forthecraftofthemoderntradesmanisexertedtolureindoorsthepassingglance，sinceiftheglanceispleasedthefeetmayfollow；butthisallegedtobacconistandhisneighbourshadlongbeenfondofdustontheirwindows，evidently，andshadeswerepulledfardownontheglassoftheirdoors。Thusthepubliceye，smallofpupilinthelightoftheopenstreet，wasintentionallynotinvitedtotheduskyinteriors。Somethingdifferentfrommerelackofenterprisewasapparent；andthesignboardsmighthavebeenomitted；theywerepainsthrownaway，sinceitwasplaintotheworldthatthebusinesspartsoftheseshopswerethebrighterbackroomsimpliedbythedarkfrontrooms；andthatthecommercetherewasinperilousnewliquorsandindiceandroughgirls。 Nothingcouldhavebeenmoreinnocentthantheserenitywithwhichthesewickedlittleplacesrevealedthemselvesforwhattheywere；and，boundbythisfinaltieofguilelessness，theystoodtogetherinarowwhichendedwithacompanionablebarbershop，muchlikethem。Beyondwasaseriesofsoot-harriedframetwo-storyhouses，oncepartofacheerfulneighbourhoodwhenthetownwasmiddle-agedandsettled，andnotoldandgrowing。Thesehouses，allcarryingthelabel。\"Rooms，\"hadtheworriedlookofvacancythathouseshavewhentheyaretoofullofeverybodywithoutbeinganybody\'shome；andtherewas，too，asurreptitiousairaboutthem，asif，likethefalselittleshops，theyadvertisedsomethingbyconcealingit。