第11章

Nevertheless，AliceforgotaboutWalterforafewminutes。Sheclosedthedoor，wentintothe\"living-room\"absently，andstaredvaguelyatoneoftheoldbrown-plushrocking-chairsthere。Uponherforeheadwerethelittleshadowsofanapprehensivereverie，andherthoughtsoverlappedoneanotherinafretfuljumble。\"Whatwillhethink？Theseoldchairs——they\'rehideous。I\'llscrubthosesoot-streaksonthecolumns:itwon\'tdoanygood，though。Thatlongcrackinthecolumn——nothingcanhelpit。Whatwillhethinkofpapa？Ihopemamawon\'ttalktoomuch。WhenhethinksofMildred\'shouse，orofHenrietta\'s，oranyof\'em，besidethis——Shesaidshe\'dbuyplentyofroses；thatoughttohelpsome。Nothingcouldbedoneaboutthesehorriblechairs:can\'ttake\'emupintheattic——aroom\'sgottohavechairs!Mighthaverentedsome。No；ifheevercomesagainhe\'dseetheyweren\'there。\'Ifheevercomesagain\'——oh，itwon\'tbeTHATbad!Butitwon\'tbewhatheexpects。I\'mresponsibleforwhatheexpects:heexpectsjustwhattheairsI\'veputonhavemadehimexpect。WhatdidIwanttoposesotohimfor——asifpapawereawealthymanandallthat？WhatWILLhethink？ThephotographoftheColosseum\'sarathergoodthing，though。Ithelpssome——asifwe\'dboughtitinRomeperhaps。Ihopehe\'llthinkso；hebelievesI\'vebeenabroad，ofcourse。Theothernighthesaid，\'YourememberthefeelingyougetintheSainte-Chapelle\'——There\'sanotherlieofmine，notsayingIdidn\'trememberbecauseI\'dneverbeenthere。 Whatmakesmedoit？PapaMUSTwearhiseveningclothes。ButWalter——\" Withthatsherecalledhermother\'sadmonition，andwentupstairstoWalter\'sdoor。Shetappeduponitwithherfingers。 \"Timetogetup，Walter。Therestofushadbreakfastoverhalfanhourago，andit\'snearlyeighto\'clock。You\'llbelate。 HurrydownandI\'llhavesomecoffeeandtoastreadyforyou。\" Therecamenosoundfromwithintheroom，sosherappedlouder。 \"Wakeup，Walter!\" Shecalledandrappedagain，withoutgettinganyresponse，andthen，findingthatthedooryieldedtoher，openeditandwentin。Walterwasnotthere。 Hehadbeenthere，however；hadsleptuponthebed，thoughnotinsidethecovers；andAlicesupposedhemusthavecomehomesolatethathehadbeentoosleepytotakeoffhisclothes。Nearthefootofthebedwasashallowclosetwherehekepthis\"othersuit\"andhiseveningclothes；andthedoorstoodopen，showingabarewall。Nothingwhateverwasinthecloset，andAlicewasrathersurprisedatthisforamoment。\"That\'squeer，\"shemurmured；andthenshedecidedthatwhenhewokehefoundtheclotheshehadsleptin\"somussy\"hehadputonhis\"othersuit，\"andhadgoneoutbeforebreakfastwiththemussedclothestohavethempressed，takinghiseveningthingswiththem。 Satisfiedwiththisexplanation，andfailingtoobservethatitdidnotaccountfortheabsenceofshoesfromtheclosetfloor，shenoddedabsently，\"Yes，thatmustbeit\"；and，whenhermotherreturned，toldherthatWalterhadprobablybreakfasteddown-town。Theydidnotdelayoverthis；thecolouredwomanhadarrived，andthebasket\'sdisclosureswereimportant。 \"IstoppedatWorlig\'sonthewayback，\"saidMrs。Adams，flushedwithhurryandexcitement。\"Iboughtacanofcaviarthere。Ithoughtwe\'dhavelittlesandwichesbroughtintothe\'living-room\'beforedinner，thewayyousaidtheydidwhenyouwenttothatdinneratthe——\" \"ButIthinkthatwastogowithcocktails，mama，andofcoursewehaven\'t——\" \"No，\"Mrs。Adamssaid。\"Still，Ithinkitwouldbenice。Wecanmakethemlookverydainty，onatray，andthewaitresscanbringthemin。Ithoughtwe\'dhavethesoupalreadyonthetable；andwecanwalkrightoutassoonaswehavethesandwiches，soitwon\'tgetcold。Then，afterthesoup，Malenasaysshecanmakesweetbreadpateswithmushrooms:andforthemeatcoursewe\'llhavelardedfillet。Malena\'sreallyafancycook，youknow，andshesaysshecandoanythinglikethattoperfection。We\'llhavepeaswiththefillet，andpotatoballsandBrusselssprouts。Brusselssproutsarefashionablenow，theytoldmeatmarket。Thenwillcomethechickensalad，andafterthattheice-cream——she\'sgoingtomakeanangel-foodcaketogowithit——andthencoffeeandcrackersandanewkindofcheeseI gotatWorlig\'s，hesaysisveryfine。\" Alicewasalarmed。\"Don\'tyouthinkperhapsit\'stoomuch，mama？\" \"It\'sbettertohavetoomuchthantoolittle，\"hermothersaid，cheerfully。\"Wedon\'twanthimtothinkwe\'rethekindthatskimp。Lordknowswehavetoenough，though，mostofthetime! Gettheflowersinwater，child。Ibought\'ematmarketbecausethey\'resomuchcheaperthere，butthey\'llkeepfreshandnice。 Youfix\'emanywayyouwant。Hurry!It\'sgottobeabusyday。\" Shehadboughtthreedozenlittleroses。Alicetookthemandbegantoarrangetheminvases，keepingthestemsseparatedasfaraspossiblesothattheclumpswouldlooklarger。Sheputhalfadozenineachofthreevasesinthe\"living-room，\"placingonevaseonthetableinthecenteroftheroom，andoneateachendofthemantelpiece。Thenshetooktherestoftherosestothedining-room；butshepostponedthearrangementofthemuntilthetableshouldbeset，justbeforedinner。Shewasthoughtful； planningtodrythestemsandlaythemonthetableclothlikeavineofrosesrunninginadelicatedesign，ifshefoundthatthedozenandahalfshehadleftwereenoughforthat。Iftheyweren\'tshewouldarrangetheminavase。 Shelookedalongtimeatthelittlerosesinthebasinofwater，whereshehadputthem；thenshesighed，andwentawaytoheaviertasks，whilehermotherworkedinthekitchenwithMalena。Alicedustedthe\"living-room\"andthedining-roomvigorously，thoughallthetimewithalookthatgrewmoreandmorepensive；andhavingdustedeverything，shewipedthefurniture；rubbedithard。Afterthat，shewashedthefloorsandthewoodwork。 Emergingfromthekitchenatnoon，Mrs。Adamsfoundherdaughteronhandsandknees，scrubbingthebasesofthecolumnsbetweenthehallandthe\"living-room。\" \"Now，dearie，\"shesaid，\"youmustn\'ttireyourselfout，andyou\'dbettercomeandeatsomething。Yourfathersaidhe\'dgetabitedown-townto-day——hewasgoingdowntothebank——andWaltereatsdown-townallthetimelately，soIthoughtwewouldn\'tbothertosetthetableforlunch。Comeonandwe\'llhavesomethinginthekitchen。\" \"No，\"Alicesaid，dully，asshewentonwithhework。\"Idon\'twantanything。\" Hermothercameclosertoher。\"Why，what\'sthematter？\"sheasked，briskly。\"Youseemkindofpale，tome；andyoudon\'tlook——youdon\'tlookHAPPY。\" \"Well——\"Alicebegan，uncertainly，butsaidnomore。 \"Seehere!\"Mrs。Adamsexclaimed。\"Thisisalljustforyou! YououghttobeENJOYINGit。Why，it\'sthefirsttimewe\'ve——we\'veentertainedinIdon\'tknowhowlong!Iguessit\'salmostsincewehadthatlittlepartywhenyouwereeighteen。 What\'sthematterwithyou？\" \"Nothing。Idon\'tknow。\" \"But，dearie，aren\'tyoulookingFORWARDtothisevening？\" Thegirllookedup，showingapallidandsolemnface。\"Oh，yes，ofcourse，\"shesaid，andtriedtosmile。\"Ofcoursewehadtodoit——Idothinkit\'llbenice。OfcourseI\'mlookingforwardtoit。\" CHAPTERXX Shewasindeed\"lookingforward\"tothatevening，butinacloudofapprehension；and，althoughshecouldneverhaveguessedit，thiswasthesimultaneousconditionofanotherperson——noneotherthantheguestforwhosepleasuresomuchcookingandscrubbingseemedtobenecessary。Moreover，Mr。ArthurRussell\'spremonitionswerenoproductofmerecoincidence；neitherhadanymagicalsympathyproducedthem。Hisstateofmindwasrathertheresultofrougherundercurrentswhichhadallthetimebeenrunningbeneaththesurfaceofaromanticfriendship。 Nevershrewderthanwhensheanalyzedthegentlemen，Alicedidnotlibelhimwhenshesaidhewasoneofthosequietmenwhoareabitflirtatious，bywhichshemeantthathewasabit\"susceptible，\"thesamething——andhehadprovedhimselfsusceptibletoAliceuponhisfirstsightofher。\"There!\"hesaidtohimself。\"Who\'sthat？\"Andinthecrowdofgirlsathiscousin\'sdance，allstrangerstohim，shewastheonehewantedtoknow。 Sincethen，hissummereveningswithherhadbeenassecludedasif，forthreehoursafterthefallingofdusk，theytwohaddrawnapartfromtheworldtosomedearboweroftheirown。Thelittleverandawasthatglamorousnook，withafaintgoldenlightfallingthroughtheglassofthecloseddooruponAlice，anddarknesselsewhere，exceptfortheoneroundglobeofthestreetlampatthecorner。Thepeoplewhopassedalongthesidewalk，nowandthen，wereonlyshadowswithvoices，movingvaguelyunderthemapletreesthatloomedinobscurecontoursagainstthestars。So，asthetwosattogether，thebackoftheworldwasthewallandcloseddoorbehindthem；andRussell，whenhewasawayfromAlice，alwaysthoughtofherassittingtherebeforethecloseddoor。Aglamourwasaboutherthus，andaspelluponhim；buthehadaformlessanxietyneverputintowords:allthepicturesofherinhismindstoppedatthecloseddoor。 Hehadanotheranxiety；and，forthegreaterpart，thiswasofherowncreating。Shehadtoooftenaskedhim(nomatterhowgaily)whatheheardabouther，toooftenbeggedhimnottohearanything。Then，hopingtoforestallwhateverhemighthear，shehadbeenattoogreatpainstoaccountforit，todiscreditandmockit；and，thoughhelaughedatherforthis，tellinghertruthfullyhedidnotevenhearhermentioned，theeverlastingironythatdealswithallsuchhumanforefendingsprevailed。 Lately，hehadhalfconfessedtoherwhatanervousnessshehadproduced。\"YoumakemedreadthedaywhenI\'llhearsomebodyspeakingofyou。You\'regettingmesoupsetaboutitthatifI everhearanybodysomuchassaythename\'AliceAdams，\'I\'llrun!\"Theconfessionwasbuthalfofonebecausehelaughed；andshetookitforanassuranceofloyaltyintheformofburlesque。 Shemisunderstood:helaughed，buthisnervousnesswasgenuine。 Afteranystrokeofevents，whetherahappyoneoracatastrophe，weseethatthematerialsforitwerealongtimegathering，andtheonlymarvelisthatthestrokewasnotprophesied。Whatboretheairoffatalcoincidencemayremainfatalindeed，tothislaterview；but，withthehaphazardaspectdispelled，thereisleftforscrutinythesameancienthintfromtheInfinitetotheeffectthatsinceeventshaveneveryetfailedtobelaw-abiding，perhapsitwerewellforustodeducethattheywillcontinuetobesountilfurthernotice……OnthedaythatwastoopenthecloseddoorinthebackgroundofhispicturesofAlice，Russelllunchedwithhisrelatives。Therewerebutthefourpeople，RussellandMildredandhermotherandfather，inthegreat，cooldining-room。 ArchedFrenchwindows，shadedbyawnings，admittedamellowlightandlookedoutuponagreenlawnendinginalongconservatory，whichrevealedthroughitsglasspanesacarnivalofplantsinluxuriantblossom。Fromhisseatatthetable，Russellglancedoutatthisprettydisplay，andinformedhiscousinsthathewassurprised。\"Youhavesuchagloriousspreadofflowersalloverthehouse，\"hesaid，\"Ididn\'tsupposeyou\'dhaveanyleftoutyonder。Infact，Ididn\'tknowthereweresomanysplendidflowersintheworld。\" Mrs。Palmer，large，calm，fair，likeherdaughter，respondedwithamildreproach:\"That\'sbecauseyouhaven\'tbeencousinlyenoughtogetusedtothem，Arthur。You\'vealmosttaughtustoforgetwhatyoulooklike。\" IndefenseRussellwavedahandtowardherhusband。\"Yousee，he\'sbeguntokeepmesohardatwork——\" ButMr。Palmerdeclinedtheresponsibility。\"Uptofourorfiveintheafternoon，perhaps，\"hesaid。\"Afterthat，theyounggentlemanisasmuchastrangertomeasheistomyfamily。 I\'vebeenwonderingwhoshecouldbe。\" \"Whenaman\'spreoccupiedtheremustbealadythen？\"Russellinquired。 \"Thatseemstobetheviewofyoursex，\"Mrs；Palmersuggested。 \"Itwasmyhusbandwhosaidit，notMildredorI。\" Mildredsmiledfaintly。\"Papamaybesingularinhisideas；theymaycomeentirelyfromhisownexperience，andhavenothingtodowithArthur。\" \"Thankyou，Mildred，\"hercousinsaid，bowingtohergratefully。 \"Youseemtounderstandmycharacter——andyourfather\'squiteaswell!\" However，Mildredremainedgraveinthefaceofthiscustomarypleasantry，notbecausetheoldjest，wornround，likewhatprecededit，rolledinanoldgroove，butbecauseofsomepreoccupationofherown。Herfaintsmilehaddisappeared，and，ashercousin\'sglancemethers，shelookeddown；yetnotbeforehehadseeninhereyestheflickerofsomethinglikeaquestion——aquestionbothpoignantanddismayed。Hemayhaveunderstoodit；forhisownsmilevanishedatonceinfavourofareciprocalsolemnity。 \"Yousee，Arthur，\"Mrs。Palmersaid，\"Mildredisalwaysagoodcousin。SheandIstandbyyou，evenifyoudostayawayfromusforweeksandweeks。\"Then，observingthatheappearedtobesooccupiedwithabunchoficedgrapesuponhisplatethathehadnotheardher，shebegantotalktoherhusband，askinghimwhatwas\"goingondown-town。\" Arthurcontinuedtoeathisgrapes，butheventuredtolookagainatMildredafterafewmoments。She，also，appearedtobeoccupiedwithabunchofgrapesthoughsheatenone，andonlypulledthemfromtheirstems。Shesatstraight，herfeaturesascomposedandpureasthoseofanewmarblesaintinacathedralniche；yetherdowncasteyesseemedtoconcealmanythoughts；andhercousin，againsthiswill，wasmoreawareofwhatthesethoughtsmightbethanoftheleisurelyconversationbetweenherfatherandmother。Allatonce，however，heheardsomethingthatstartledhim，andhelistened——andherewastheeffectofallAlice\'sforefendings；helistenedfromthefirstwithasinkingheart。 Mr。Palmer，mildlyamusedbywhathewastellinghiswife，hadjustspokenthewords，\"thisVirgilAdams。\"Whathehadsaidwas，\"thisVirgilAdams——that\'stheman\'sname。Queercase。\" \"Whotoldyou？\"Mrs。Palmerinquired，notmuchinterested。 \"AlfredLamb，\"herhusbandanswered。\"Hewaslaughingabouthisfather，attheclub。Youseetheoldgentlemantakesagreatprideinhisjudgmentofmen，andalwaysboastedtohissonsthathe\'dneverinhislifemadeamistakeintrustingthewrongman。 NowAlfredandJamesAlbert，Junior，thinktheyhaveagreatjokeonhim；andthey\'vetwittedhimsomuchaboutithe\'llscarcelyspeaktothem。Fromthefirst，Alfredsays，theoldchap\'sonlyreparteewas，\'Youwaitandyou\'llsee!\'Andthey\'veaskedhimsooftentoshowthemwhatthey\'regoingtoseethathewon\'tsayanythingatall!\" \"He\'safunnyoldfellow，\"Mrs。Palmerobserved。\"Buthe\'ssoshrewdIcan\'timaginehisbeingdeceivedforsuchalongtime。 Twentyyears，yousaid？\" \"Yes，longerthanthat，Iunderstand。Itappearswhenthisman——thisAdams——wasayoungclerk，theoldgentlemantrustedhimwithoneofhisbusinesssecrets，aglueprocessthatMr。Lambhadspentsomemoneytogetholdof。TheoldchapthoughtthisAdamswasgoingtohavequiteafuturewiththeLambconcern，andofcourseneverdreamedhewasdishonest。AlfredsaysthisAdamshasn\'tbeenofanyrealuseforyears，andtheyshouldhavelethimgoasdeadwood，buttheoldgentlemanwouldn\'thearofit，andinsistedonhisbeingkeptonthepayroll；sotheyjustdecidedtolookonitasasortofpension。Well，onemorninglastMarchthemanhadanattackofsomesortdownthere，andMr。 Lambgothisowncaroutandwenthomewithhim，himself，andworriedabouthimandwenttoseehimnoend，allthetimehewasill。\" \"Hewould，\"Mrs。Palmersaid，approvingly。\"He\'sakind-heartedcreature，thatoldman。\" Herhusbandlaughed。\"Alfredsayshethinkshiskind-heartednessisaboutcured!Itseemsthatassoonasthemangotwellagainhedeliberatelywalkedoffwiththeoldgentleman\'sgluesecret。 Justcalmlystoleit!Alfredsayshebelievesthatifhehadastrokeintheofficenow，himself，hisfatherwouldn\'tliftafingertohelphim!\" Mrs。Palmerrepeatedthenametoherselfthoughtfully。 \"\'Adams\'——\'VirgilAdams。\'YousaidhisnamewasVirgilAdams？\" \"Yes。\" Shelookedatherdaughter。\"Why，youknowwhothatis，Mildred，\"shesaid，casually。\"It\'sthatAliceAdams\'sfather，isn\'tit？Wasn\'thisnameVirgilAdams？\" \"Ithinkitis，\"Mildredsaid。 Mrs。Palmerturnedtowardherhusband。\"You\'veseenthisAliceAdamshere。Mr。Lamb\'spetswindlermustbeherfather。\" Mr。Palmerpassedasmoothhandoverhisneatgrayhair，whichwasnotdisturbedbythisefforttostimulaterecollection。\"Oh，yes，\"hesaid。\"Ofcourse——certainly。Quiteagood-lookinggirl——oneofMildred\'sfriends。Howqueer!\" Mildredlookedup，asifinalittlealarm，butdidnotspeak。 Hermothersetmattersstraight。\"FathersAREamusing，\"shesaidsmilinglytoRussell，whowaslookingather，thoughhowfixedlyshedidnotnotice；forsheturnedfromhimatoncetoenlightenherhusband。\"EverygirlwhomeetsMildred，andtriestopushtheacquaintancebycominghereuntilthepoorchildhastohide，isn\'taFRIENDofhers，mydear!\" Mildred\'seyesweredowncastagain，andafaintcolourroseinhercheeks。\"Oh，Ishouldn\'tputitquitethatwayaboutAliceAdams，\"shesaid，inalowvoice。\"Isawsomethingofherforatime。She\'snotunattractiveinaway。\" Mrs。PalmersettledthewholecaseofAlicecarelessly。\"A pushingsortofgirl，\"shesaid。\"Averypushinglittleperson。\" \"I——\"Mildredbegan；and，afterhesitating，concluded，\"I ratherdroppedher。\" \"Fortunateyou\'vedoneso，\"herfatherremarked，cheerfully。 \"EspeciallysincevariousmembersoftheLambconnectionareherefrequently。Theymightn\'tthinkyou\'dshowgreattactinhavingherabouttheplace。\"Helaughed，andturnedtohiscousin。 \"Allthisisn\'tveryinterestingtopoorArthur。Howterriblepeoplearewithanewcomerinatown；theytalkasifheknewallabouteverybody!\" \"Butwedon\'tknowanythingaboutthesequeerpeople，ourselves，\" saidMrs。Palmer。\"Weknowsomethingaboutthegirl，ofcourse——sheusedtobeabittooconspicuous，infact!However，asyousay，wemightfindasubjectmoreinterestingforArthur。\" Shesmiledwhimsicallyupontheyoungman。\"Tellthetruth，\"shesaid。\"Don\'tyoufairlydetestgoingintobusinesswiththattyrantyonder？\" \"What？Yes——Ibegyourpardon!\"hestammered。 \"Youwereright，\"Mrs。Palmersaidtoherhusband。\"You\'veboredhimso，talkingaboutthievishclerks，hecan\'tevenansweranhonestquestion。\" ButRussellwasbeginningtorecoverhisoutwardcomposure。\"Trymeagain，\"hesaid。\"I\'mafraidIwasthinkingofsomethingelse。\" Thiswasthebesthefoundtosay。Therewasapartofhimthatwantedtoprotestanddeny，buthehadnotheatenough，inthechillthathadcomeuponhim。Herewasthefirst\"mention\"ofAlice，andwithitthereasonwhyitwasthefirst:Mr。Palmerhaddifficultyinrecallingher，andshehappenedtobespokenof，onlybecauseherfather\'sbetrayalofabenefactor\'strusthadbeensopeculiarlyatrociousthat，intheviewofthebenefactor\'sfamily，itcontainedenoughoftheelementofhumourtowarrantamildlaughataclub。Therewasthedeadlinessofthestory:itslackofmalice，evenofresentment。DeadlierstillwereMrs。Palmer\'sphrases:\"apushingsortofgirl，\"\"averypushinglittleperson，\"and\"usedtobeabitTOO conspicuous，infact。\"Butshespokeplacidlyandbychance； beingasobviouslywithoutunkindlymotiveasMr。PalmerwaswhenherelatedthecauseofAlfredLamb\'samusement。Heropinionoftheobscureyoungladymomentarilyhertopichadbeenexpressed，moreover，toherhusband，andatherowntable。Shesatthere，large，kind，serene——aprotestmightastonishbutcouldnotchangeher；andRussell，crumplinginhisstrainedfingersthelace-edgedlittlewebofanapkinonhisknee，foundheartenoughtogrowred，butnotenoughtochallengeher。 Shenoticedhiscolour，andattributedittotheembarrassmentofascrupulouslygallantgentlemancaughtinalapseofattentiontoalady。\"Don\'tbedisturbed，\"shesaid，benevolently。 \"Peoplearen\'texpectedtolistenallthetimetotheirrelatives。Ahighcolour\'sverybecomingtoyou，Arthur；butitreallyisn\'tnecessarybetweencousins。Youcanalwaysbeinformalenoughwithustolistenonlywhenyoucareto。\" Hiscomplexioncontinuedtoberuddierthanusual，however，throughoutthemeal，andwasstillsomewhattintedwhenMrs。 Palmerrose。\"Theman\'sbringingyoucigaretteshere，\"shesaid，noddingtothetwogentlemen。\"We\'llgiveyouachancetodothesordidkindoftalkingweknowyoureallylike。Afterwhile，Mildredwillshowyouwhat\'sinbloominthehothouse，ifyouwish，Arthur。\" Mildredfollowedher，and，whentheywerealoneinanotherofthespaciousrooms，wenttoawindowandlookedout，whilehermotherseatedherselfnearthecenteroftheroominagiltarmchair，mellowedwitholdAubussontapestry。Mrs。Palmerlookedthoughtfullyatherdaughter\'sback，butdidnotspeaktoheruntilcoffeehadbeenbroughtforthem。 \"Thanks，\"Mildredsaid，notturning，\"Idon\'tcareforanycoffee，Ibelieve。\" \"No？\"Mrs。Palmersaid，gently。\"I\'mafraidourgood-lookingcousinwon\'tthinkyou\'reverytalkative，Mildred。Youspokeonlyabouttwiceatlunch。Ishouldn\'tcareforhimtogettheideayou\'repiquedbecausehe\'scomeheresolittlelately，shouldyou？\" \"No，Ishouldn\'t，\"Mildredansweredinalowvoice，andwiththatsheturnedquickly，andcametositnearhermother。\"Butit\'swhatIamafraidof!Mama，didyounoticehowredhegot？\" \"Youmeanwhenhewascaughtnotlisteningtoaquestionofmine？ Yes；it\'sverybecomingtohim。\" \"Mama，Idon\'tthinkthatwasthereason。Idon\'tthinkitwasbecausehewasn\'tlistening，Imean。\" \"No？\" \"Ithinkhiscolourandhisnotlisteningcamefromthesamereason，\"Mildredsaid，andalthoughshehadcometositnearhermother，shedidnotlookather。\"Ithinkithappenedbecauseyouandpapa——\"Shestopped。 \"Yes？\"Mrs。Palmersaid，good-naturedly，toprompther。\"YourfatherandIdidsomethingembarrassing？\" \"Mama，itwasbecauseofthosethingsthatcameoutaboutAliceAdams。\" \"HowcouldthatbotherArthur？Doesheknowher？\" \"Don\'tyouremember？\"thedaughterasked。\"ThedayaftermydanceImentionedhowoddIthoughtitwasinhim——Iwasalittledisappointedinhim。I\'dbeenseeingthathemeteverybody，ofcourse，butshewastheonlygirlHEaskedtomeet；andhediditassoonashenoticedher。Ihadn\'tmeanttohavehimmeether——infact，IwasrathersorryI\'dfeltIhadtoaskher，becausesheoh，well，she\'sthesortthat\'triesforthenewman，\'ifshehashalfachance；andsometimestheyseemquitefascinated——foratime，thatis。IthoughtArthurwasaboveallthat；orattheveryleastIgavehimcreditforbeingtoosophisticated。\" \"Isee，\"Mrs。Palmersaid，thoughtfully。\"Iremembernowthatyouspokeofit。Yousaiditseemedalittlepeculiar，butofcourseitreallywasn\'t:a\'newman\'hasnothingtogoby，excepthisownfirstimpressions。Youcan\'tblamepoorArthur——she\'squiteapiquantlookinglittleperson。Youthinkhe\'sseensomethingofhersincethen？\" Mildrednoddedslowly。\"Ineverdreamedsuchathingtillyesterday，andeventhenIratherdoubtedit——tillhegotsored，justnow!Iwassurprisedwhenheaskedtomeether，buthejustdancedwithheronceanddidn\'tmentionherafterward；Iforgotallaboutit——infact，IvirtuallyforgotallaboutHER。I\'dseenquitealittleofher——\" \"Yes，\"saidMrs。Palmer。\"Shedidkeepcominghere!\" \"ButI\'djustaboutdecidedthatitreallywouldn\'tdo，\"Mildredwenton。\"Sheisn\'t——well，Ididn\'tadmireher。\" \"No，\"hermotherassented，andevidentlyfollowedadirectconnectionofthoughtinaspeechapparentlyirrelevant。\"I understandtheyoungMalonewantstomarryHenrietta。Ihopeshewon\'t；heseemsratheragrosstypeofperson。\" \"Oh，he\'sjustone，\"Mildredsaid。\"Idon\'tknowthatheandAliceAdamswereeverengaged——shenevertoldmeso。Shemaynothavebeenengagedtoanyofthem；shewasjustenoughamongtheothergirlstogettalkedabout——andoneofthereasonsIfeltalittleinclinedtobenicetoherwasthattheyseemedtoberatheredgingheroutofthecircle。Itwasn\'tlongbeforeIsawtheywereright，though。IhappenedtomentionIwasgoingtogiveadanceandshepretendedtotakeitasamatterofcoursethatImeanttoinviteherbrother——atleast，Ithoughtshepretended；shemayhavereallybelievedit。Atanyrate，Ihadtosendhimacard；butIdidn\'tintendtobeletinforthatsortofthingagain，ofcourse。She\'swhatyousaid，\'pushing\'； thoughI\'mawfullysorryyousaidit。\" \"Whyshouldn\'tIhavesaidit，mydear？\" \"OfcourseIdidn\'tsay\'shouldn\'t。\'\"Mildredexplained，gravely。\"ImeantonlythatI\'msorryithappened。\" \"Yes；butwhy？\" \"Mama\"——Mildredturnedtoher，leaningforwardandspeakinginaloweredvoice——\"Mama，atfirstthechangewassolittleitseemedasifArthurhardlyknewithimself。He\'dbeenlovelytomealways，andhewasstilllovelytomebut——oh，well，you\'veunderstood——aftermydanceitwasmoreasifitwasjusthisnatureandhistrainingtobelovelytome，ashewouldbetoeveryoneakindofpoliteness。He\'dneversaidheCAREDforme，butafterthatIcouldseehedidn\'t。Itwasclear——afterthat。 Ididn\'tknowwhathadhappened；Icouldn\'tthinkofanythingI\'ddone。Mama——itwasAliceAdams。\" Mrs。Palmersetherlittlecoffee-cupuponthetablebesideher，calmlyfollowingherownmotionwithhereyes，andnotseemingtorealizewithwhatseriousentreatyherdaughter\'sgazewasfixeduponher。Mildredrepeatedthelastsentenceofherrevelation，andintroducedastressofinsistence。 \"Mama，itWASAliceAdams!\" ButMrs。Palmerdeclinedtobegreatlyimpressed，sofarasherappearancewent，atleast；andtoemphasizeherrefusal，shesmiledindulgently。\"Whatmakesyouthinkso？\" \"Henriettatoldmeyesterday。\" AtthisMrs。Palmerpermittedherselftolaughsoftlyaloud。 \"Goodheavens!IsHenriettaasoothsayer？OrissheArthur\'sparticularconfidante？\" \"No。EllaDowlingtoldher。\" Mrs。Palmer\'slaughtercontinued。\"Nowwehaveit!\"sheexclaimed。\"It\'sagameofgossip:ArthurtellsElla，EllatellsHenrietta，andHenriettatells——\" \"Don\'tlaugh，please，mama，\"Mildredbegged。\"OfcourseArthurdidn\'ttellanybody。It\'sroundaboutenough，butit\'strue。I knowit!Ihadn\'tquitebelievedit，butIknewitwastruewhenhegotsored。Helooked——oh，forasecondorsohelooked——stricken!HethoughtIdidn\'tnoticeit。Mama，he\'sbeentoseeheralmosteveryeveninglately。Theytakelongwalkstogether。That\'swhyhehasn\'tbeenhere。\" OfMrs。Palmer\'slaughtertherewasleftonlyherindulgentsmile，whichshehadnotallowedtovanish。\"Well，whatofit？\" shesaid。 \"Mama!\" \"Yes，\"saidMrs。Palmer。\"Whatofit？\" \"Butdon\'tyousee？\"Mildred\'swell-tutoredvoice，thoughmodulatedandrepressedeveninherpresentemotion，neverthelesshadatendencytoquaver。\"It\'strue。FrankDowlingwasgoingtoseeheroneeveningandhesawArthursittingonthestoopwithher，anddidn\'tgoin。AndEllausedtogotoschoolwithagirlwholivesacrossthestreetfromhere。ShetoldElla——\" \"Oh，Iunderstand，\"Mrs。Palmerinterrupted。\"Supposehedoesgothere。Mydear，Isaid，\'Whatofit？\'\" \"Idon\'tseewhatyoumean，mama。I\'msoafraidhemightthinkweknewaboutit，andthatyouandpapasaidthosethingsaboutherandherfatheronthataccount——asifweabusedthembecausehegoesthereinsteadofcominghere。\" \"Nonsense!\"Mrs。Palmerrose，wenttoawindow，and，turningthere，stoodwithherbacktoit，facingherdaughterandlookingathercheerfully。\"Nonsense，mydear!Itwasperfectlyclearthatshewasmentionedbyaccident，andsowasherfather。Whatanextraordinaryman!IfArthurmakesfriendswithpeoplelikethat，hecertainlyknowsbetterthantoexpecttohearfavourableopinionsofthem。Besides，it\'sonlyalittlepassingthingwithhim。\" \"Mama!Whenhegoestherealmostevery——\" \"Yes，\"Mrs。Palmersaid，dryly。\"ItseemstomeI\'veheardsomewherethatotheryoungmenhavegonethere\'almostevery!\' Shedoesn\'tlast，apparently。Arthur\'sgallant，andhe\'simpressionable——buthe\'sfastidious，andfastidiousnessisalwaysthecheckonimpressionableness。Agirlbelongstoherfamily，too——andthisonedoesespecially，itstrikesme! Arthur\'sverysensible；heseesmorethanyou\'dthink。\" Mildredlookedatherhopefully。\"Thenyoudon\'tbelievehe\'slikelytoimaginewesaidthosethingsofherinanymeaningway？\" Atthis，Mrs。Palmerlaughedagain。\"There\'sonethingyouseemnottohavenoticed，Mildred。\" \"What\'sthat？\" \"Itseemstohaveescapedyourattentionthatheneversaidaword。\" \"Mightn\'tthatmean——？\"Mildredbegan，butshestopped。 \"No，itmightn\'t，\"hermotherreplied，comprehendingeasily。\"Onthecontrary，itmightmeanthatinsteadofhisfeelingittoodeeplytospeak，hewasgettingalittleillumination。\" Mildredroseandcametoher。\"WHYdoyousupposehenevertoldushewentthere？Doyouthinkhe\'s——doyouthinkhe\'spleasedwithher，andyetashamedofit？WHYdoyousupposehe\'sneverspokenofit？\" \"Ah，that，\"Mrs。Palmersaid，——\"thatmightpossiblybeherowndoing。Ifitis，she\'swellpaidbywhatyourfatherandIsaid，becausewewouldn\'thavesaiditifwe\'dknownthatArthur——\" Shecheckedherselfquickly。Lookingoverherdaughter\'sshoulder，shesawthetwogentlemencomingfromthecorridortowardthewidedoorwayoftheroom；andshegreetedthemcheerfully。\"Ifyou\'vefinishedwitheachotherforawhile，\" sheadded，\"Arthurmayfinditarelieftoputhisthoughtsonsomethingprettierthanatrustcompany——andmorefragrant。\" ArthurcametoMildred。 \"Yourmothersaidatlunchthatperhapsyou\'d——\" \"Ididn\'tsay\'perhaps，\'Arthur，\"Mrs。Palmerinterrupted，tocorrecthim。\"Isaidshewould。Ifyoucaretoseeandsmellthoselovelythingsoutyonder，she\'llshowthemtoyou。Runalong，children!\" Halfanhourlater，glancingfromawindow，shesawthemcomefromthehothousesandslowlycrossthelawn。Arthurhadafineroseinhisbuttonholeandlookedprofoundlythoughtful。 CHAPTERXXI Thatmorningandnoonhadbeenwarm，thoughthestirringsofafeeblebreezemadeweathernotflagrantlyintemperate；butataboutthreeo\'clockintheafternoontherecameoutofthesouthwestaheatlikeanafflictionsentuponanaccursedpeople，andtheairwassoondeadofit。Drippingnegroditch-diggerswhoopedwithsatirespraisinghellandhotweather，asthetossingshovelsflickereduptothestreetlevel，wheresluggishmalepedestrianscarriedcoatsuponhotarms，andfannedthemselveswithstrawhats，or，remainingcovered，woresoakedhandkerchiefsbetweenscalpandstraw。Clerksdroopedinsilent，bigdepartmentstores，stenographersinofficeskeptasclosetoelectricfansastheinterveningbulkoftheiremployerswouldletthem；guestsinhotelsleftthelobbiesandwenttolieuncladupontheirbeds；whileinhospitalsthepatientsmurmuredquerulouslyagainsttheheat，andperhapsagainstsomenoisymotoristwhostrovetofeeltheairbysplittingit，nottroubledbyanyfore-bodingthathe，too，thathournextweek，mightneedquietnearahospital。The\"hotspell\"wasatruespell，oneuponmen\'sspirits；foritwassohotthat，insuburbanoutskirts，golferscreptslowlybackoverthelowundulationsoftheirclublands，abandoningtheirmatchesandreturningtoshelter。 Evenonsuchaday，sizzlingworkhadtobedone，asinwinter。 Therewereglowingfurnacestobestoked，liquidmetalstobepoured；butsuchtasksfoundseasonedmenstandingtothem；andinallthecityprobablynobravesoulchallengedtheheatmoregamelythanMrs。Adamsdid，when，inacornerofhersmallandfierykitchen，wherealldaylongherhiredAfricanimmunecookedfiercely，shepressedherhusband\'seveningclotheswithahotiron。Nodoubtsheriskedherlife，butsheriskeditcheerfullyinsogoodandnecessaryaserviceforhim。Shewouldhavegivenherlifeforhimatanytime，andbothhisandherownforherchildren。 Unconsciousofherownheroism，shewassurprisedtofindherselfratherfaintwhenshefinishedherironing。However，shetookhearttobelievethattheclotheslookedbetter，inspiteofoneortwoscorchedplaces；andshecarriedthemupstairstoherhusband\'sroombeforeincreasingblindnessforcedhertogropeforthenearestchair。Then，tryingtoriseandwalk，withouthavingsufficientlyrecovered，shehadtositdownagain；butafteralittlewhileshewasabletogetuponherfeet；and，keepingherhandagainstthewall，movedsuccessfullytothedoorofherownroom。Hereshewavered；mighthavegonedown，hadshenotbeenstimulatedbythethoughtofhowmuchdependeduponher；——shemadeafinalgreateffort，andflounderedacrosstheroomtoherbureau，whereshekeptsomesimplerestoratives。 Theyservedherneed，orherfaithinthemdid；andshereturnedtoherwork。 Shewentdownthestairs，keepingastilltremuloushandupontherail；butshesmiledbrightlywhenAlicelookedupfrombelow，wherethewoodworkwasagainbeingtormentedwithsuperfluousattentions。 \"Alice，DON\'T!\"hermothersaid，commiseratingly。\"Youdidallthatthismorninganditlookslovely。What\'stheuseofwearingyourselfoutonit？Yououghttobelyingdown，so\'stolookfreshforto-night。\" \"Hadn\'tyoubetterliedownyourself？\"thedaughterreturned。 \"Areyouill，mama？\" \"Certainlynot。Whatintheworldmakesyouthinkso？\" \"Youlookprettypale，\"Alicesaid，andsighedheavily。\"Itmakesmeashamed，havingyouworksohard——forme。\" \"Howfoolish!Ithinkit\'sfun，gettingreadytoentertainalittleagain，likethis。Ionlywishithadn\'tturnedsohot: I\'mafraidyourpoorfather\'llsuffer——histhingsareprettyheavy，Inoticed。Well，it\'lldohimgoodtobearsomethingforstyle\'ssakethisonce，anyhow!\"Shelaughed，andcomingtoAlice，bentdownandkissedher。\"Dearie，\"shesaid，tenderly，\"wouldn\'tyoupleaseslipupstairsnowandtakejustalittleteenynaptopleaseyourmother？\" ButAlicerespondedonlybymovingherheadslowly，intokenofrefusal。 \"Do!\"Mrs。Adamsurged。\"Youdon\'twanttolookwornout，doyou？\" \"I\'llLOOKallright，\"Alicesaid，huskily。\"DoyoulikethewayI\'vearrangedthefurniturenow？I\'vetriedallthedifferentwaysit\'llgo。\" \"It\'slovely，\"hermothersaid，admiringly。\"Ithoughtthelastwayyouhaditwaspretty，too。Butyouknowbest；Ineverknewanybodywithsomuchtaste。Ifyou\'donlyjustquitnow，andtakealittlerest——\" \"There\'dhardlybetime，evenifIwantedto；it\'safterfivebutIcouldn\'t；really，Icouldn\'t。HowdoyouthinkwecanmanageaboutWalter——toseethathewearshiseveningthings，Imean？\" Mrs。Adamspondered。\"I\'mafraidhe\'llmakealotofobjections，onaccountoftheweatherandeverything。Iwishwe\'dhadachancetotellhimlastnightorthismorning。I\'dhavetelephonedtohimthisafternoonexcept——well，Iscarcelyliketocallhimupatthatplace，sinceyourfather——\" \"No，ofcoursenot，mama。\" \"IfWaltergetshomelate，\"Mrs。Adamswenton，\"I\'lljustslipoutandspeaktohim，incaseMr。Russell\'sherebeforehecomes。I\'lljusttellhimhe\'sgottohurryandgethisthingson。\" \"Maybehewon\'tcomehometodinner，\"Alicesuggested，ratherhopefully。\"Sometimeshedoesn\'t。\" \"No；Ithinkhe\'llbehere。Whenhedoesn\'tcomeheusuallytelephonesbythistimetosaynottowaitforhim；he\'sverythoughtfulaboutthat。Well，itreallyisgettinglate:Imustgoandtellhersheoughttobepreparingherfillet。Dearie，DO restalittle。\" \"You\'dmuchbetterdothatyourself，\"Alicecalledafterher，butMrs。Adamsshookherheadcheerily，notpausingonherwaytothefierykitchen。 Alicecontinuedheruselesslaboursforatime；thencarriedherbuckettotheheadofthecellarstairway，wheresheleftituponthetopstep；and，closingthedoor，returnedtothe\"living-room；\"Againshechangedthepositionsoftheoldplushrocking-chairs，movingthemintothecornerswhereshethoughttheymightbeleastnoticeable；andwhilethusengagedshewasstartledbyaloudringingofthedoor-bell。Foramomentherfacewaspanic-stricken，andshestoodstaring，thensherealizedthatRussellwouldnotarriveforanotherhour，attheearliest，andrecoveringherequipoise，wenttothedoor。 Waitingthere，inalanguidattitude，wasayoungcolouredwoman，withasmallbundleunderherarmandsomethingmalleableinhermouth。\"Listen，\"shesaid。\"Youfolksexpectin\'acolouredlady？\" \"No，\"saidAlice。\"Especiallynotatthefrontdoor。\" \"Listen，\"thecolouredwomansaidagain。\"Listen。Say，listen。 Ain\'ttheyanothercolouredladyawreadyherebytheday？ Listen。Ain\'tMizMalenaBurnsherebythedaythisevenin\'？ Say，listen。ThisthenumberhouseshegiveME。\" \"Areyouthewaitress？\"Aliceasked，dismally。 \"Yes\'m，ifMalenahere。\" \"Malenaishere，\"Alicesaid，andhesitated；butshedecidednottosendthewaitresstothebackdoor；itmightbearisk。Sheletherin。\"What\'syourname？\" \"Me？I\'mname\'Gertrude。MissGertrudeCollamus。\" \"Didyoubringacapandapron？\" Gertrudetookthelittlebundlefromunderherarm。\"Yes\'m。I\'mallfix\'。\" \"I\'vealreadysetthetable，\"Alicesaid。\"I\'llshowyouwhatwewantdone。\" Sheledthewaytothedining-room，and，afterofferingsomeinstructionthere，receivedbyGertrudewithlanguorandaslowlymovingjaw，shetookherintothekitchen，wherethecapandapronwereputon。Theeffectwasnotfortunate；Gertrude\'seyeswerenoticeablybloodshot，anafflictionmademoreapparentbythewhitecap；andAlicedrewhermotherapart，whisperinganxiously，\"Doyousupposeit\'stoolatetogetsomeoneelse？\" \"I\'mafraiditis，\"Mrs。Adamssaid。\"MalenasaysitwashardenoughtogetHER!Youhavetopaythemsomuchthattheyonlyworkwhentheyfeellikeit。\" \"Mama，couldyouaskhertowearhercapstraighter？Everytimeshemovesherheadshegetsitononeside，andherskirt\'stoolongbehindandtooshortinfront——andoh，I\'veNEVERseensuchFEET!\"Alicelaugheddesolately。\"AndsheMUSTquitthatterriblechewing!\" \"Nevermind；I\'llgettoworkwithher。I\'llstraightenheroutallIcan，dearie；don\'tworry。\"Mrs。Adamspattedherdaughter\'sshoulderencouragingly。\"NowYOUcan\'tdoanotherthing，andifyoudon\'trunandbegindressingyouwon\'tbeready。It\'llonlytakemeaminutetodress，myself，andI\'llbedownlongbeforeyouwill。Run，darling!I\'lllookaftereverything。\" Alicenoddedvaguely，wentuptoherroom，and，afteronlyamomentwithhermirror，broughtfromherclosetthedressofwhiteorgandieshehadwornthenightwhenshemetRussellforthefirsttime。Shelaiditcarefullyuponherbed，andbegantomakereadytoputiton。Hermothercamein，halfanhourlater，to\"fasten\"her。 \"I\'Malldressed，\"Mrs。Adamssaid，briskly。\"Ofcourseitdoesn\'tmatter。Hewon\'tknowwhattherestofusevenlooklike:Howcouldhe？IknowI\'manoldSIGHT，butallIwantistolookrespectable。DoI？\" \"Youlooklikethebestwomanintheworld；that\'sall!\"Alicesaid，withalittlegulp。 Hermotherlaughedandgaveherafinalscrutiny。\"Youmightusejustatinybitmorecolour，dearie——I\'mafraidtheexcitement\'smadeyoualittlepale。AndyouMUSTbrightenup!There\'ssortofalookinyoureyesasifyou\'dgotinatranceandcouldn\'tgetout。You\'vehaditallday。Imustrun:yourfatherwantsmetohelphimwithhisstuds。Walterhasn\'tcomeyet，butI\'lllookafterhim；don\'tworry，AndyoubetterHURRY，dearie，ifyou\'regoingtotakeanytimefixingtheflowersonthetable。\" Shedeparted，whileAlicesatatthemirroragain，tofollowheradviceconcerninga\"tinybitmorecolour。\"Beforeshehadfinished，herfatherknockedatthedoor，and，whensheresponded，camein。Hewasdressedintheclotheshiswifehadpressed；buthehadlostsubstantiallyinweightsincetheyweremadeforhim；noonewouldhavethoughtthattheyhadbeenpressed。Theyhungfromhimvoluminously，seemingtobetheclothesofalargerman。 \"Yourmother\'sgonedownstairs，\"hesaid，inavoiceofdistress。 \"OneofthebuttonholesinmyshirtistoolargeandIcan\'tkeepthedangthingfastened。_I_don\'tknowwhattodoaboutit!I onlygotoneotherwhiteshirt，andit\'skindofruined:ItrieditbeforeIdidthisone。Doyous\'poseyoucoulddoanything？\" \"I\'llsee，\"shesaid。 \"Mycollar\'sgotafrayededge，\"hecomplained，assheexaminedhistroublesomeshirt。\"It\'sagooddeallikewearingasaw；butIexpectit\'llwiltdownflatprettysoon，andnotbothermelong。I\'mliabletowiltdownflat，myself，Iexpect；Idon\'tknowasIrememberanysuchhotnightinthelasttenortwelveyears。\"Heliftedhisheadandsniffedtheflaccidair，whichwasladenwithaheavyodour。\"My，butthatsmellisprettystrong!\"hesaid。 \"Standstill，please，papa，\"Alicebeggedhim。\"Ican\'tseewhat\'sthematterifyoumovearound。Howabsurdyouareaboutyouroldgluesmell，papa!Thereisn\'tavestigeofit，ofcourse。\" \"Ididn\'tmeanglue，\"heinformedher。\"Imeancabbage。Isthatfashionablenow，tohavecabbagewhenthere\'scompanyfordinner？\" \"Thatisn\'tcabbage，papa。It\'sBrusselssprouts。\" \"Oh，isit？Idon\'tminditmuch，becauseitkeepsthatgluesmelloffme，butit\'sfairlystrong。Iexpectyoudon\'tnoticeitsomuchbecauseyoubeeninthehousewithitallalong，andgotusedtoitwhileitwasgrowing。\" \"Itisprettydreadful，\"Alicesaid。\"Areallthewindowsopendownstairs？\" \"I\'llgodownandsee，ifyou\'lljustfixthatholeupforme。\" \"I\'mafraidIcan\'t，\"shesaid。\"Notunlessyoutakeyourshirtoffandbringittome。I\'llhavetosewtheholesmaller。\" \"Oh，well，I\'llgoaskyourmotherto——\" \"No，\"saidAlice。\"She\'sgoteverythingonherhands。Runandtakeitoff。Hurry，papa；I\'vegottoarrangetheflowersonthetablebeforehecomes。\" Hewentaway，andcamebackpresently，halfundressed，bringingtheshirt。\"There\'sONEcomfort，\"heremarked，pensively，assheworked。\"I\'vegotthatcollaroff——forawhile，anyway。IwishIcouldgototablelikethis；Icouldstanditagooddealbetter。Doyouseemtobemakinganyheadwaywiththedangthing？\" \"IthinkprobablyIcan——\" Downstairsthedoor-bellrang，andAlice\'sarmsjerkedwiththeshock。 \"Golly!\"herfathersaid。\"Didyoustickyourfingerwiththatfoolneedle？\" Shegavehimablankstare。\"He\'scome!\" Shewasnotmistaken，for，uponthelittleveranda，Russellstoodfacingthecloseddooratlast。However，itremainedclosedforaconsiderabletimeafterherang。Insidethehousethewarningsummonsofthebellwasimmediatelyfollowedbyanothersound，audibletoAliceandherfatherasacrashprecedingaseriesofmuffledfalls。Thencameadistantvoice，bitterincomplaint。 \"Oh，Lord!\"saidAdams。\"What\'sthat？\" Alicewenttothetopofthefrontstairs，andhermotherappearedinthehallbelow。