第12章

\"Mama!\" Mrs。Adamslookedup。\"It\'sallright，\"shesaid，inaloudwhisper。\"Gertrudefelldownthecellarstairs。Somebodyleftabucketthere，and——\"ShewasinterruptedbyagaspfromAlice，andhastenedtoreassureher。\"Don\'tworry，dearie。Shemaylimpalittle，but——\" Adamsleanedoverthebanisters。\"Didshebreakanything？\"heasked。 \"Hush!\"hiswifewhispered。\"No。Sheseemsupsetandangryaboutit，morethananythingelse；butshe\'srubbingherself，andshe\'llbeallrightintimetobringinthelittlesandwiches。 Alice!Thoseflowers!\" \"Iknow，mama。But——\" \"Hurry!\"Mrs。Adamswarnedher。\"Bothofyouhurry!IMUSTlethimin!\" Sheturnedtothedoor，smilingcordially，evenbeforesheopenedit。\"Docomerightin，Mr。Russell，\"shesaid，loudly，liftinghervoiceforadditionalwarningtothoseabove。\"I\'mSOgladtoreceiveyouinformally，thisway，inourownlittlehome。 There\'sahat-rackhereunderthestairway，\"shecontinued，asRussell，murmuringsomeresponse，cameintothehall。\"I\'mafraidyou\'llthinkit\'salmostTOOinformal，mycomingtothedoor，butunfortunatelyourhousemaid\'sjusthadalittleaccident——oh，nothingtomention!Ijustthoughtwebetternotkeepyouwaitinganylonger。Willyoustepintoourliving-room，please？\" Sheledthewaybetweenthetwosmallcolumns，andseatedherselfinoneoftheplushrocking-chairs，selectingitbecauseAlicehadoncepointedoutthatthechairs，themselves，werelessnoticeablewhentheyhadpeoplesittinginthem。\"Dositdown，Mr。Russell；it\'ssoverywarmit\'sreallyquiteatrialjusttostandup!\" \"Thankyou，\"hesaid，ashetookaseat。\"Yes。Itisquitewarm。\"Andthisseemedtobetheextentofhisresponsivenessforthemoment。Hewasgrave，ratherpale；andMrs。Adams\'simpressionofhim，assheformeditthen，wasof\"adistinguished-lookingyoungman，reallyelegantinthebestsenseoftheword，buttimidandformalwhenhefirstmeetsyou。\"Shebeameduponhim，andusedwitheverythingshesaidacontinuousaccompanimentoflaughter，meaninglessexceptthatitwasmeanttoconveycordiality。\"OfcourseweDOhaveagreatdealofwarmweather，\"sheinformedhim。\"I\'mgladit\'ssomuchcoolerinthehousethanitisoutdoors。\" \"Yes，\"hesaid。\"Itispleasanterindoors。\"And，stoppingwiththissingleuntruth，hepermittedhimselfthebriefestglanceabouttheroom；thenhiseyesreturnedtohissmilinghostess。 \"Mostpeoplemakeagreatfussabouthotweather，\"shesaid。 \"TheonlypersonIknowwhodoesn\'tmindtheheatthewayotherpeopledoisAlice。Shealwaysseemsascoolasifwehadabreezeblowing，nomatterhowhotitis。Butthenshe\'ssoamiableshenevermindsanything。It\'sjusthercharacter。 She\'salwaysbeenthatwaysinceshewasalittlechild；alwaysthesametoeverybody，highandlow。Ithinkcharacter\'sthemostimportantthingintheworld，afterall，don\'tyou，Mr。 Russell？\" \"Yes，\"hesaid，solemnly；andtouchedhisbedewedwhiteforeheadwithahandkerchief。 \"Indeeditis，\"sheagreedwithherself，neverfailingtocontinuehermurmuroflaughter。\"That\'swhatI\'vealwaystoldAlice；butsheneverseesanythinggoodinherself，andshejustlaughsatmewhenIpraiseher。SheseesgoodineverybodyELSE intheworld，nomatterhowunworthytheyare，orhowtheybehavetowardHER；butshealwaysunderestimatesherself。Fromthetimeshewasalittlechildshewasalwaysthatway。Whensomeotherlittlegirlwouldbehaveselfishlyormeanlytowardher，doyouthinkshe\'dcomeandtellme？Neverawordtoanybody!Thelittlethingwastooproud!Shewasthesamewayaboutschool。 Theteachershadtotellmewhenshetookaprize；she\'dbringithomeandkeepitinherroomwithoutawordaboutittoherfatherandmother。Now，Walterwasjusttheotherway。Walterwould——\"ButhereMrs。Adamscheckedherself，thoughsheincreasedthevolumeofherlaughter。\"Howsillyofme!\"sheexclaimed。\"IexpectyouknowhowmothersARE，though，Mr。 Russell。Giveusachanceandwe\'lltalkaboutourchildrenforever!AlicewouldfeelterriblyifsheknewhowI\'vebeengoingonabouthertoyou。\" InthisMrs。Adamswasright，thoughshedidnotherselfsuspectit，anduponanalmostinaudiblewordortwofromhimshewentonwithhertopic。\"OfcoursemyexcuseisthatfewmothershaveadaughterlikeAlice。Isupposeweallthinkthesamewayaboutourchildren，butSOMEofusmustberightwhenwefeelwe\'vegotthebest。Don\'tyouthinkso？\" \"Yes。Yes，indeed。\" \"I\'msure_I_am!\"shelaughed。\"I\'lllettheothersspeakforthemselves。\"Shepausedreflectively。\"No；Ithinkamotherknowswhenshe\'sgotatreasureinherfamily。IfsheHASN\'Tgotone，she\'llpretendshehas，maybe；butifshehas，sheknowsit。 Icertainlyknow_I_have。She\'salwaysbeenwhatpeoplecall\'thejoyofthehousehold\'——alwayscheerful，nomatterwhatwentwrong，andalwaysreadytosmooththingsoverwithsomebright，wittysaying。YoumustbesurenottoTELLwe\'vehadthislittlechatabouther——she\'djustbefuriouswithme——butsheISsuchadearchild!Youwon\'ttellher，willyou？\" \"No，\"hesaid，andagainappliedthehandkerchieftohisforeheadforaninstant。\"No，I\'ll——\"Hepaused，andfinishedlamely: \"I\'ll——nottellher。\" Thusreassured，Mrs。Adamssetbeforehimsomedetailsofherdaughter\'spopularityatsixteen，dwellinguponAlice\'simpartialityamongheryoungsuitors:\"ShenevercouldBEARtohurttheirfeelings，andalwaystreatedallofthemjustalike。 AbouthalfadozenofthemwerejustBOUNDtomarryher! Naturally，herfatherandIconsideredanysuchidearidiculous； shewastooyoung，ofcourse。\" Thusthemotherwentonwithherbiographicalsketches，whilethepaleyoungmansatfacingherunderthehardoverheadlightofawhiteglobe，settotheceiling；andlistenedwithoutinterrupting。ShewasgladtohavethechancetotellhimafewthingsaboutAlicehemightnothaveguessedforhimself，and，indeed，shehadplannedtofindsuchanopportunity，ifshecould；butthiswasgettingtobealtogethertoomuchofone，shefelt。Astimepassed，shewaslikeanactorwhomustimprovisetokeeptheaudiencefromperceivingthathisfellow-playershavemissedtheircues；butheranxietywasnotbetrayedtothestilllistener；shehadavaliantsoul。 Alice，meanwhile，hadarrangedherlittlerosesonthetableinasmanyways，probably，astherewereblossoms；andshewasstillatitwhenherfatherarrivedinthedining-roombywayofthebackstairsandthekitchen。 \"It\'spulledoutagain，\"hesaid。\"ButIguessthere\'snohelpforitnow；it\'stoolate，andanywayitletssomeairintomewhenitbulges。Icansitso\'sitwon\'tbenoticedmuch，I expect。Isn\'tittimeyouquitbotheringaboutthelooksofthetable？Yourmother\'sbeentalkingtohimabouthalfanhournow，andIhadtheideahecameonyouraccount，nothers。Hadn\'tyoubettergoand——\" \"Justaminute。\"Alicesaid，piteously。\"DoYOUthinkitlooksallright？\" \"Theflowers？Fine!Hadn\'tyoubetterleave\'emthewaytheyare，though？\" \"Justaminute，\"shebeggedagain。\"JustONEminute，papa!\"AndsheexchangedaroseinfrontofRussell\'splateforonethatseemedtoheralittlelarger。 \"Youbettercomeon，\"Adamssaid，movingtothedoor。 \"JustONEmoresecond，papa。\"Sheshookherhead，lamenting。 \"Oh，Iwishwe\'drentedsomesilver!\" \"Why？\" \"Becausesomuchoftheplatinghasrubbedoffalotofit。JUST asecond，papa。\"Andasshespokeshehastilywentroundthetable，gatheringtheknivesandforksandspoonsthatshethoughthadtheirplatingbestpreserved，andexchangingthemformoredamagedpiecesatRussell\'splace。\"There!\"shesighed，finally。 \"NowI\'llcome。\"Butatthedoorshepausedtolookbackdubiously，overhershoulder。 \"What\'sthematternow？\" \"Theroses。IbelieveafterallIshouldn\'thavetriedthatvineeffect；Ioughttohavekepttheminwater，inthevase。It\'ssohot，theyalreadybegintolookalittlewilted，outonthedrytableclothlikethat。IbelieveI\'ll——\" \"Why，lookhere，Alice!\"heremonstrated，assheseemeddisposedtoturnback。\"Everything\'llburnuponthestoveifyoukeepon——\" \"Oh，well，\"shesaid，\"thevasewasterriblyugly；Ican\'tdoanybetter。We\'llgoin。\"Butwithherhandonthedoor-knobshepaused。\"No，papa。Wemustn\'tgoinbythisdoor。Itmightlookasif——\" \"Asifwhat？\" \"Nevermind，\"shesaid。\"Let\'sgotheotherway。\" \"Idon\'tseewhatdifferenceitmakes，\"hegrumbled，butneverthelessfollowedherthroughthekitchen，andupthebackstairsthenthroughtheupperhallway。Atthetopofthefrontstairsshepausedforamoment，drawingadeepbreath；andthen，beforeherfather\'spuzzledeyes，atransformationcameuponher。 Hershoulders，likehereyelids，hadbeendrooping，butnowshethrewherheadback:theshouldersstraightened，andthelashesliftedoversparklingeyes；vivacitycametoherwholebodyinaflash；andshetrippeddownthesteps，withherprettyhandsrisingintimetotheliltinglittletuneshehadbeguntohum。 Atthefootofthestairs，oneofthoseprettyhandsextendeditselfatfullarm\'slengthtowardRussell，andcontinuedtobeextendeduntilitreachedhisownhandashecametomeether。 \"Howterribleofme!\"sheexclaimed。\"Tobesolatecomingdown! Andpapa，too——Ithinkyouknoweachother。\" Herfatherwasadvancingtowardtheyoungman，expectingtoshakehandswithhim，butAlicestoodbetweenthem，andRussell，alittleflushed，bowedtohimgravelyoverhershoulder，withoutlookingathim；whereuponAdams，slightlydisconcerted，puthishandsinhispocketsandturnedtohiswife。 \"Iguessdinner\'smore\'nready，\"hesaid。\"Webettergositdown。\" Butsheshookherheadathimfiercely，\"Wait!\"shewhispered。 \"Whatfor？ForWalter？\" \"No；hecan\'tbecoming，\"shereturned，hurriedly，andagainwarnedhimbyashakeofherhead。\"Bequiet!\" \"Oh，well——\"hemuttered。 \"Sitdown!\" Hewasthoroughlymystified，butobeyedhergestureandwenttotherocking-chairintheoppositecorner，wherehesatdown，and，withanexpressionofmeekinquiry，awaitedevents。 Meanwhile，Aliceprattledon:\"It\'sreallynotafaultofmine，beingtardy。TheshamefultruthisIwastryingtohurrypapa。 He\'sincorrigible:hestayssolateathisterribleoldfactory——terriblenewfactory，Ishouldsay。Ihopeyoudon\'tHATEusformakingyoudinewithusinsuchfearfulweather!I\'mnearlydyingoftheheat，myself，soyouhaveafellow-sufferer，ifthatpleasesyou。Whyisitwealwaysbearthingsbetterifwethinkotherpeoplehavetostandthem，too？\"Andsheadded，withanexcitedlaugh:\"SILLYofus，don\'tyouthink？\" Gertrudehadjustmadeherentrancefromthedining-room，bearingatray。Shecameslowly，withanairofresentment；andherskirtstillneededadjusting，whileherlowerjawmovedatintervals，thoughnotnowuponanysubstance，butreminiscently，ofhabit。ShehaltedbeforeAdams，facinghim。 Helookedplaintive。\"Whatyouwanto\'me？\"heasked。 Forresponse，sheextendedthetraytowardhimwithagestureofindifference；buthestillappearedtobepuzzled。\"Whatintheworld——？\"hebegan，thencaughthiswife\'seye，andhadpresenceofmindenoughtotakeadampandplasticsandwichfromthetray。\"Well，I\'llTRYone，\"hesaid，butamomentlater，ashefulfilledthispromise，anexpressionofintensedislikecameuponhisfeatures，andhewouldhavereturnedthesandwichtoGertrude。However，asshehadcrossedtheroomtoMrs。Adamshecheckedthegesture，andsathelplessly，withthesandwichinhishand。Hemadeanotherefforttogetridofitasthewaitresspassedhim，onherwaybacktothedining-room，butsheappearednottoobservehim，andhecontinuedtobetroubledbyit。 Alicewasaloyaldaughter。\"Thesearedelicious，mama，\"shesaid；andturningtoRussell，\"Youmissedit；youshouldhavetakenone。Toobadwecouldn\'thaveofferedyouwhatoughttogowithit，ofcourse，but——\" ShewasinterruptedbythesecondentranceofGertrude，whoannounced，\"Dinnerserve\'，\"andretiredfromview。 \"Well，well!\"Adamssaid，risingfromhischair，withrelief。 \"That\'sgood!Let\'sgoseeifwecaneatit。\"Andasthelittlegroupmovedtowardtheopendoorofthedining-roomhedisposedofhissandwichbydroppingitintheemptyfireplace。 Alice，glancingbackoverhershoulder，wastheonlyonewhosawhim，andsheshudderedinspiteofherself。Then，seeingthathelookedatherentreatingly，asifhewantedtoexplainthathewasdoingthebesthecould，shesmileduponhimsunnily，andbegantochattertoRussellagain。 CHAPTERXXII Alicekepthersprightlychattergoingwhentheysatdown，thoughthetemperatureoftheroomandthesightofhotsoupmighthavediscouragedalessdeterminedgayety。Moreover，thereweredetailsasunpropitiousastheheat:theexpiringrosesexpressednotbeautybutpathos，andwhatfaintodourtheyexhaledwasnorivaltothelustyemanationsoftheBrusselssprouts；attheheadofthetable，Adams，sittinglowinhischair，appearedtobeunabletoflattentheuprisingwaveofhisstarchedbosom；andGertrude\'smannerandexpressionwereofarecognizablehostilityduringthelongperiodofvainwaitingforthecupsofsouptobeemptied。OnlyMrs。Adamsmadeanyprogressinthisdirection； theothersmerelyfeinting，nowandthenliftingtheirspoonsasiftheyintendedtodosomethingwiththem。 Alice\'stalkwaslittlemorethancheerfulsound，but，tofilladesolateinterval，serveditspurpose；andhermothersupportedherwithever-faithfulcooingsofapplausivelaughter。\"Whatafunnythingweatheris!\"thegirlranon。\"Yesterdayitwascool——angelshadchargeofit——andto-daytheyhadanengagementsomewhereelse，sothedevilsawhischanceandstartedtomovetheequatortotheNorthPole；butbythetimehegothalf-way，hethoughtofsomethingelsehewantedtodo，andwentoff；andlefttheequatorhere，rightontopofUS!Iwishhe\'dcomebackandgetit!\" \"Why，Alicedear!\"hermothercried，fondly。\"Whatanimagination!Notaverypiousone，I\'mafraidMr。Russellmightthink，though!\"HereshegaveGertrudeahiddensignaltoremovethesoup；but，astherewasnoresponse，shehadtomakethesignalmoreconspicuous。Gertrudewasleaningagainstthewall，herchinmovinglikeaslowpendulum，herstreakedeyesfixedmutinouslyuponRussell。Mrs。Adamsnoddedseveraltimes，increasingtheemphasisofhergesture，whileAlicetalkedbriskly；butthebroodingwaitresscontinuedtobrood。Afaintsnapofthefingersfailedtodisturbher；norwasacoverthissingwhisperofavail，andMrs。Adamswasbeginningtoshowsignsofstrainwhenherdaughterrelievedher。 \"Imagineourtryingtoeatanythingsohotassouponanightlikethis!\"Alicelaughed。\"WhatCOULDhavebeeninthecook\'smindnottogiveussomethingicedandjelliedinstead？Ofcourseit\'sbecauseshe\'sequatorial，herself，originally，andonlyfeelsathomewhenMr。Satanmovesitnorth。\"ShelookedroundatGertrude，whostoodbehindher。\"Dotakethisdreadfulsoupaway!\" Thusdirectlyaddressed，Gertrudeyieldedherattention，thoughunwillingly，andasifshedecidedonlybyahair\'sweightnottorevolt，instead。However，shefinallysetherselfinslowmotion；butoverlookedthesupposedheadofthetable，seemingtobeunawareoftheswelteringlittlemanwhosatthere。Asshedisappearedtowardthekitchenwithbutthreeofthecupsuponhertrayheturnedtolookplaintivelyafterher，andventuredanattempttorecallher。 \"Here!\"hesaid，inalowvoice。\"Here，you!\" \"Whatisit，Virgil？\"hiswifeasked。 \"What\'shername？\" Mrs。Adamsgavehimaglanceofsuddenpanic，and，seeingthattheguestoftheeveningwasnotlookingather，butdownatthewhiteclothbeforehim，shefrownedhard，andshookherhead。 UnfortunatelyAlicewasnotobservinghermother，andasked，innocently:\"What\'swhosename，papa？\" \"Why，thisyoungdarkywoman，\"heexplained。\"Sheleftmine。\" \"Nevermind，\"Alicelaughed。\"There\'shopeforyou，papa。Shehasn\'tgoneforever!\" \"Idon\'tknowaboutthat，\"hesaid，notcontentwiththisimpulsiveassurance。\"SheLOOKEDlikesheis。\"Andhisremark，consideredasaprediction，hadbeguntoseemwarrantedbeforeGertrude\'sreturnwithchinapreliminarytothenextstageofthebanquet。 Aliceprovedherselfequaltothelonggap，andrattledonthroughitwithaspiritrichlyjustifyinghermother\'spraiseofheras\"alwaysreadytosmooththingsover\"；forherewasmorethanlongdelaytobesmoothedover。ShesmoothedoverherfatherandmotherforRussell；andshesmoothedoverhimforthem，thoughhedidnotknowit，andremainedunawareofwhatheowedher。Withallthis，throughoutherprattlings，thegirl\'sbrighteyeskeptseekinghiswithaneagergayety，whichbutlittleveiledbothinterrogationandentreaty——asifsheasked: \"Isittoomuchforyou？Can\'tyoubearit？Won\'tyouPLEASE bearit？Iwouldforyou。Won\'tyougivemeasignthatit\'sallright？\" Helookedatherbutfleetingly，andseemedtosufferfromtheheat，inspiteofeverymanlyeffortnottowipehisbrowtoooften。Hiscolour，afterrisingwhenhegreetedAliceandherfather，haddeparted，leavinghimagainmoistlypallid；aconditionarisingfromdiscomfort，nodoubt，but，consideredasadecoration，almostpoeticallybecomingtohim。Notlessbecomingwasthefaint，kindlysmile，whichshowedhiswishtoexpressamusementandapproval；andyetitwasasmileratherstrainedandplaintive，asifhe，likeAdams，couldonlydothebesthecould。 HepleasedAdams，whothoughthimafineyoungman，anddecidedlythequietestthatAlicehadevershowntoherfamily。Inherfather\'sopinionthiswasnosmallmerit；anditwastoRussell\'scredit，too，thatheshowedembarrassmentuponthisfirstintimatepresentation；herewasanapplicantwithbothreserveandmodesty。\"Sofar，heseemstobefirstrateamightyfineyoungman，\"Adamsthought；and，promptedbynowishtopartfromAlicebutbyreminiscencesofapparentcandidateslesspleasing，headded，\"Atlast!\" Alice\'slivelinessneverflagged。Hersmoothingoverofthingswasanalmostcontinuousperformance，andhadtobe。Yet，whileshechatteredthroughthehotandheavycourses，thequestionssheaskedherselfwereascontinuousastheperformance，andaspoignantaswhathereyesseemedtobeaskingRussell。Whyhadshenotprevailedoverhermother\'sfearofbeing\"skimpy？\"Hadshebeen，indeed，ashermothersaidshelooked，\"inatrance？\" Butaboveall:WhatwasthematterwithHIM？Whathadhappened？ Forshetoldherselfwithpainfulhumourthatsomethingevenworsethanthisdinnermustbe\"thematterwithhim。\" Thesmallroom，suffocatedwiththeodourofboiledsprouts，grewhotterandhotterasmoreandmorefoodappeared，slowlybornein，betweendeathlylongwaits，bytheresentful，loud-breathingGertrude。AndwhileAlicestillsoughtRussell\'sglance，andreadthelookuponhisfaceadozendifferentways，fearingallofthem；andwhilethestragglinglittleflowersdieduponthestainedcloth，shefeltherheartgrowasheavyasthefood，andwonderedthatitdidnotdieliketheroses。 Withthearrivalofcoffee，thehostbestirredhimselftomakeknownahospitableregret，\"ByGeorge!\"hesaid。\"Imeanttobuysomecigars。\"Headdressedhimselfapologeticallytotheguest。 \"Idon\'tknowwhatIwasthinkingabout，toforgettobringsomehomewithme。Idon\'tuse\'emmyself——unlesssomebodyhandsmeone，youmightsay。I\'vealwaysbeenapipe-smoker，pureandsimple，butIoughttorememberedforkindofanoccasionlikethis。\" \"Notatall，\"Russellsaid。\"I\'mnotsmokingatalllately；butwhenIdo，I\'mlikeyou，andsmokeapipe。\" Alicestarted，rememberingwhatshehadtoldhimwhenheovertookheronherwayfromthetobacconist\'s；but，afteramoment，lookingathim，shedecidedthathemusthaveforgottenit。Ifhehadremembered，shethought，hecouldnothavehelpedglancingather。Onthecontrary，heseemedmoreatease，justthen，thanhehadsincetheysatdown，forhewasfavouringherfatherwithathoughtfulattentionasAdamsrespondedtotheintroductionofaman\'stopicintotheconversationatlast。\"Well，Mr。 Russell，Iguessyou\'reright，atthat。Idon\'tsaybutwhatcigarsmaybeallrightforamanthatcanafford\'em，ifhelikes\'embetterthanapipe，butyoutakeagoodoldpipenow——\" Hecontinued，andwasgettingwellintotheeulogiumcustomarilyprovokedbythistheme，whentherecameaninterruption:thedoor-bellrang，andhepausedinquiringly，rathersurprised。 Mrs。AdamsspoketoGertrudeinanundertone: \"Justsay，\'Notathome。\'\" \"What？\" \"Ifit\'scallers，justsaywe\'renotathome。\" Gertrudespokeoutfreely:\"Youmeanyouastin\'meto\'tendyou\' frontdo\'feryou？\" Sheseemedbothincredulousandaffronted，butMrs。Adamspersisted，thoughsomewhatapprehensively。\"Yes。 Hurry——uh——please。Justsaywe\'renotathomeifyouplease。\" AgainGertrudeobviouslyhesitatedbetweencomplianceandrevolt，andagainthemeekercoursefortunatelyprevailedwithher。ShegaveMrs。Adamsastare，grimlyderisive，thendeparted。Whenshecamebackshesaid: \"Hesayhewait。\" \"ButItoldyoutotellanybodywewerenotathome，\"MrsAdamsreturned。\"Whoisit？\" \"SayhenameMr。Law。\" \"Wedon\'tknowanyMr。Law。\" \"Yes\'m；heknowyou。SayheanxioustospeakMr。Adams。Sayhewait。\" \"TellhimMr。Adamsisengaged。\" \"Holdonaminute，\"Adamsintervened。\"Law？No。Idon\'tknowanyMr。Law。Yousureyougotthenameright？\" \"SayhenameLaw，\"Gertrudereplied，lookingattheceilingtoexpressherfatigue。\"Law。\'Sallhetellme；\'sallIknow。\" Adamsfrowned。\"Law，\"hesaid。\"Wasn\'titmaybe\'Lohr？\'\" \"Law，\"Gertruderepeated。\'Sallhetellme；\'sallIknow。\" \"What\'shelooklike？\" \"Heain\'tmuch，\"shesaid。\"\'Boutyou\'age；gotbrustlywhitemoustache，niceeye-glasses。\" \"It\'sCharleyLohr!\"Adamsexclaimed。\"I\'llgoseewhathewants。\" \"But，Virgil，\"hiswiferemonstrated，\"dofinishyourcoffee；hemightstayallevening。Maybehe\'scometocall。\" Adamslaughed。\"Heisn\'tmuchofacaller，Iexpect。Don\'tworry:I\'lltakehimuptomyroom。\"AndturningtowardRussell，\"Ah——ifyou\'lljustexcuseme，\"hesaid；andwentouttohisvisitor。 Whenhehadgone，Mrs。Adamsfinishedhercoffee，and，havingglancedintelligentlyfromherguesttoherdaughter，sherose。 \"IthinkperhapsIoughttogoandshakehandswithMr。Lohr，myself，\"shesaid，addinginexplanationtoRussell，asshereachedthedoor，\"He\'sanoldfriendofmyhusband\'sandit\'saverylongtimesincehe\'sbeenhere。\" Alicenoddedandsmiledtoherbrightly，butupontheclosingofthedoor，thesmilevanished；allherlivelinessdisappeared；andwiththischangeofexpressionhercomplexionitselfappearedtochange，sothatherrougebecameobvious，forshewaspalebeneathit。However，Russelldidnotseethealteration，forhedidnotlookather；anditwasbutamomentarylapsethevacationofatiredgirl，whofortensecondsletsherselflookasshefeels。Thensheshothervivacitybackintoplaceasbysomepowerfulspring。 \"Pennyforyourthoughts!\"shecried，andtossedoneofthewiltedrosesathim，acrossthetable。\"I\'llbidmorethanapenny；I\'llbidtuppence——no，apoorlittledeadrosearoseforyourthoughts，Mr。ArthurRussell!Whatarethey？\" Heshookhishead。\"I\'mafraidIhaven\'tany。\" \"No，ofcoursenot，\"shesaid。\"Whocouldhavethoughtsinweatherlikethis？WillyouEVERforgiveus？\" \"Whatfor？\" \"Makingyoueatsuchaheavydinner——ImeanLOOKatsuchaheavydinner，becauseyoucertainlydidn\'tdomorethanlookatit——onsuchanight!Butthecrimedrawstoaclose，andyoucanbegintocheerup!\"Shelaughedgaily，and，rising，movedtothedoor。 \"Let\'sgointheotherroom；yourfearfuldutyisalmostdone，andyoucanrunhomeassoonasyouwantto。That\'swhatyou\'redyingtodo。\" \"Notatall，\"hesaidinavoicesofeeblethatshelaughedaloud。 \"Goodgracious!\"shecried。\"Ihadn\'trealizeditwasTHATbad!\" Forthis，thoughhecontrivedtolaugh，heseemedtohavenoverbalretortwhatever；butfollowedherintothe\"living-room，\" whereshestoppedandturned，facinghim。 \"Hasitreallybeensofrightful？\"sheasked。 \"Why，ofcoursenot。Notatall。\" \"Ofcourseyes，though，youmean!\" \"Notatall。It\'sbeenmostkindofyourmotherandfatherandyou。\" \"Doyouknow，\"shesaid，\"you\'veneveroncelookedatmeformorethanasecondatatimethewholeevening？AnditseemedtomeI lookedratherniceto-night，too!\" \"Youalwaysdo，\"hemurmured。 \"Idon\'tseehowyouknow，\"shereturned；andthensteppingclosertohim，spokewithgentlesolicitude:\"Tellme:you\'rereallyfeelingwretchedly，aren\'tyou？Iknowyou\'vegotafearfulheadache，orsomething。Tellme!\" \"Notatall。\" \"Youareill——I\'msureofit。\" \"Notatall。\" \"Onyourword？\" \"I\'mreallyquiteallright。\" \"Butifyouare——\"shebegan；andthen，lookingathimwithadesperatesweetness，asifthiswereherlastresourcetorousehim，\"What\'sthematter，littleboy？\"shesaidwithlispingtenderness。\"Tellauntie!\" Itwasamistake，forheseemedtoflinch，andtoleanbackward，however，slightly。Sheturnedawayinstantly，withaflippantliftanddropofbothhands。\"Oh，mydear!\"shelaughed。\"I won\'teatyou!\" Andasthediscomfitedyoungmanwatchedher，seemingabletolifthiseyes，nowthatherbackwasturned，shewenttothefrontdoorandpushedopenthescreen。\"Let\'sgooutontheporch，\"shesaid。\"Wherewebelong!\" Then，whenhehadfollowedherout，andtheywereseated，\"Isn\'tthisbetter？\"sheasked。\"Don\'tyoufeelmorelikeyourselfouthere？\" Hebeganamurmur:\"Notat——\" Butshecuthimoffsharply:\"Pleasedon\'tsay\'Notatall\' again!\" \"I\'msorry。\" \"Youdoseemsorryaboutsomething，\"shesaid。\"Whatisit？ Isn\'tittimeyouweretellingmewhat\'sthematter？\" \"Nothing。Indeednothing\'sthematter。OfcourseoneISratheraffectedbysuchweatherasthis。Itmaymakeonealittlequieterthanusual，ofcourse。\" Shesighed，andletthetiredmusclesofherfacerest。Underthehardlights，indoors，theyhadservedheruntiltheyached，anditwasaluxurytofeelthatinthedarknessnogrimacingsneedcalluponthem。 \"Ofcourse，ifyouwon\'ttellme——\"shesaid。 \"Icanonlyassureyouthere\'snothingtotell。\" \"Iknowwhatanuglylittlehouseitis，\"shesaid。\"Maybeitwasthefurniture——ormama\'svasesthatupsetyou。Orwasitmamaherself——orpapa？\" \"Nothing\'upset\'me。\" Atthatsheutteredamonosyllableofdoubtinglaughter。\"I wonderwhyyousaythat。\" \"Becauseit\'sso。\" \"No。It\'sbecauseyou\'retookind，ortooconscientious，ortooembarrassed——anyhowtoosomething——totellme。\"Sheleanedforward，elbowsonkneesandchininhands，inthereflectiveattitudesheknewhowtomakegraceful。\"Ihaveafeelingthatyou\'renotgoingtotellme，\"shesaid，slowly。\"Yes——eventhatyou\'renevergoingtotellme。Iwonder——Iwonder——\" \"Yes？Whatdoyouwonder？\" \"Iwasjustthinking——Iwonderiftheyhaven\'tdoneit，afterall。\" \"Idon\'tunderstand。\" \"Iwonder，\"shewenton，stillslowly，andinavoiceofreflection，\"IwonderwhoHASbeentalkingaboutmetoyou，afterall？Isn\'tthatit？\" \"Notat——\"hebegan，butcheckedhimselfandsubstitutedanotherformofdenial。\"Nothingis\'it。\'\" \"Areyousure？\" \"Why，yes。\" \"Howcurious!\"shesaid。 \"Why？\" \"Becausealleveningyou\'vebeensoutterlydifferent。\" \"Butinthisweather——\" \"No。Thatwouldn\'tmakeyouafraidtolookatmeallevening!\" \"ButIdidlookatyou。Often。\" \"No。NotreallyaLOOK。\" \"ButI\'mlookingatyounow。\" \"Yes——inthedark!\"shesaid。\"No——theweathermightmakeyouevenquieterthanusual，butitwouldn\'tstrikeyousonearlydumb。No——anditwouldn\'tmakeyouseemtobeundersuchastrain——asifyouthoughtonlyofescape!\" \"ButIhaven\'t——\" \"Youshouldn\'t，\"sheinterrupted，gently。\"There\'snothingyouhavetoescapefrom，youknow。Youaren\'tcommittedto——tothisfriendship。\" \"I\'msorryyouthink——\"hebegan，butdidnotcompletethefragment。 Shetookitup。\"You\'resorryIthinkyou\'resodifferent，youmeantosay，don\'tyou？Nevermind:that\'swhatyoudidmeantosay，butyoucouldn\'tfinishitbecauseyou\'renotgoodatdeceiving。\" \"Oh，no，\"heprotested，feebly。\"I\'mnotdeceiving。\"I\'m——\" \"Nevermind，\"shesaidagain。\"You\'resorryIthinkyou\'resodifferent——andallinoneday——sincelastnight。Yes，yourvoiceSOUNDSsorry，too。Itsoundssorrierthanitwouldjustbecauseofmythinkingsomethingyoucouldchangemymindaboutinaminutesoitmeansyou\'resorryyouAREdifferent。\" \"No——I——\" Butdisregardingthefaintdenial，\"Nevermind，\"shesaid。\"Doyourememberonenightwhenyoutoldmethatnothinganybodyelsecoulddowouldeverkeepyoufromcominghere？Thatifyou——ifyouleftmeitwouldbebecauseIdroveyouawaymyself？\" \"Yes，\"hesaid，huskily。\"Itwastrue。\" \"Areyousure？\" \"IndeedIam，\"heansweredinalowvoice，butwithconviction。 \"Then——\"Shepaused。\"Well——butIhaven\'tdrivenyouaway。\" \"No。\" \"Andyetyou\'vegone，\"shesaid，quietly。 \"DoIseemsostupidasallthat？\" \"YouknowwhatImean。\"Sheleanedbackinherchairagain，andherhands，inactiveforonce，laymotionlessinherlap。Whenshespokeitwasinaruefulwhisper: \"IwonderifIHAVEdrivenyouaway？\" \"You\'vedonenothing——nothingatall，\"hesaid。 \"Iwonder——\"shesaidoncemore，butshestopped。Inhermindshewasgoingbackovertheirtimetogethersincethefirstmeeting——fragmentsoftalk，momentsofsilence，littlethingsofnoimportance，littlethingsthatmightbeimportant；moonshine，sunshine，starlight；andherthoughtszigzaggedamongthejumblingmemories；but，asifshemadeforherselfapictureofallthesefragments，throwingthemuponthecanvashaphazard，shesawthemalljusttouchedwiththeonetaintingqualitythatgavethemcoherence，thefaint，falsehazeshehadputoverthisfriendshipbyherownpretendings。And，ifthisterribledinner，oranything，oreverything，hadshownthatsaffrontintinitstruecolourtothemanatherside，lastnightalmostalover，thenshehadindeedofherselfdrivenhimaway，andmightwellfeelthatshewaslost。 \"Doyouknow？\"shesaid，suddenly，inaclear，loudvoice。\"I havethestrangestfeeling。IfeelasifIweregoingtobewithyouonlyaboutfiveminutesmoreinalltherestofmylife!\" \"Why，no，\"hesaid。\"OfcourseI\'mcomingtoseeyou——often。 I——\" \"No，\"sheinterrupted。\"I\'veneverhadafeelinglikethisbefore。It\'s——it\'sjustSO；that\'sall!You\'reGOING——why，you\'renevercominghereagain!\"Shestoodup，abruptly，beginningtotrembleallover。\"Why，it\'sFINISHED，isn\'tit？\" shesaid，andhertremblingwasmanifestnowinhervoice。\"Why，it\'sallOVER，isn\'tit？Why，yes!\" Hehadrisenasshedid。\"I\'mafraidyou\'reawfullytiredandnervous，\"hesaid。\"Ireallyoughttobegoing。\" \"Yes，ofCOURSEyouought，\"shecried，despairingly。\"There\'snothingelseforyoutodo。Whenanything\'sspoiled，peopleCAN\'Tdoanythingbutrunawayfromit。Sogood-bye!\" \"Atleast，\"hereturned，huskily，\"we\'llonly——onlysaygood-night。\" Then，asmovingtogo，hestumbledupontheverandasteps，\"YourHAT!\"shecried。\"I\'dliketokeepitforasouvenir，butI\'mafraidyouneedit!\" Sheranintothehallandbroughthisstrawhatfromthechairwherehehadleftit。\"Youpoorthing!\"shesaid，withquaveringlaughter。\"Don\'tyouknowyoucan\'tgowithoutyourhat？\" Then，astheyfacedeachotherfortheshortmomentwhichbothofthemknewwouldbethelastofalltheirverandamoments，Alice\'sbrokenlaughtergrewlouder。\"Whatathingtosay!\"shecried。 \"Whataromanticparting——talkingaboutHATS!\" Herlaughtercontinuedasheturnedaway，butothersoundscamefromwithinthehouse，clearlyaudiblewiththeopeningofadoorupstairs——alongandwailingcryoflamentationinthevoiceofMrs。Adams。Russellpausedatthesteps，uncertain，butAlicewavedtohimtogoon。 \"Oh，don\'tbother，\"shesaid。\"Wehavelotsofthatinthisfunnylittleoldhouse!Good-bye!\" Andashewentdownthesteps，sheranbackintothehouseandclosedthedoorheavilybehindher。 CHAPTERXXIII Hermother\'swailingcouldstillbeheardfromoverhead，thoughmorefaintly；andoldCharleyLohrwascomingdownthestairsalone。 HelookedatAlicecompassionately。\"Iwasjustcomin\'tosuggestmaybeyou\'dexcuseyourselffromyourcompany，\"hesaid。 \"Yourmotherwasboundnottodisturbyou，andtriedherbesttokeepyoufromhearin\'howshe\'stakin\'on，butIthoughtprobablyyoubetterseetoher。\" \"Yes，I\'llcome。What\'sthematter？\" \"Well，\"hesaid，\"_I_onlysteppedovertooffermysympathyandservices，asitwere。_I_thoughtofcourseyoufolksknewallaboutit。Factis，itwasintheeveningpaper——justalittlebitofanitemonthebackpage，ofcourse。\" \"Whatisit？\" Hecoughed。\"Well，itain\'tanythingsoterrible，\"hesaid。 \"Factis，yourbrotherWalter\'sgotinalittletrouble——well，I supposeyoumightcallitquiteagooddealoftrouble。Factis，he\'squiteconsiderableshortinhisaccountsdownatLambandCompany。\" Aliceranupthestairsandintoherfather\'sroom，whereMrs。 Adamsthrewherselfintoherdaughter\'sarms。\"Ishegone？\"shesobbed。\"Hedidn\'thearme，didhe？Itriedsohard——\" Alicepattedtheheavingshouldersherarmsenclosed。\"No，no，\" shesaid。\"Hedidn\'thearyou——itwouldn\'thavemattered——hedoesn\'tmatteranyway。\" \"Oh，POORWalter!\"Themothercried。\"Oh，thePOORboy!Poor，poorWalter!Poor，poor，poor，POOR——\" \"Hush，dear，hush!\"Alicetriedtosootheher，butthelamentcouldnotbeabated，andfromtheothersideoftheroomarepetitioninadifferentspiritwasascontinuous。Adamspacedfuriouslythere，poundinghisfistintohisleftpalmashestrode。\"Thedangboy!\"hesaid。\"Danglittlefool!Dangidiot!Dangfool!Whyn\'theTELLme，thedanglittlefool？\" \"HeDID!\"Mrs。Adamssobbed。\"HeDIDtellyou，andyouwouldn\'tGIVEittohim。\" \"HeDID，didhe？\"Adamsshoutedather。\"Whathebeggedmeforwasmoneytorunawaywith!Heneverdreamedofputtingbackwhathetook。Whatthedangnationyoutalkingabout——accusingme!\" \"HeNEEDEDit，\"shesaid。\"Heneededittorunawaywith!HowcouldheexpecttoLIVE，afterhegotaway，ifhedidn\'thavealittlemoney？Oh，poor，poor，POORWalter!Poor，poor，poor——\" Shewentbacktothisrepetition；andAdamswentbacktohisown，thenpaused，seeinghisoldfriendstandinginthehallwayoutsidetheopendoor。 \"Ah——I\'lljustbegoin\'，Iguess，Virgil，\"Lohrsaid。\"Idon\'tseeasthere\'sanyusemytryin\'tosayanymore。I\'lldoanythingyouwantmeto，youunderstand。\" \"Waitaminute，\"Adamssaid，and，groaning，cameandwentdownthestairswithhim。\"Yousayyoudidn\'tseetheoldmanatall？\" \"No，Idon\'tknowathingaboutwhathe\'sgoingtodo，\"Lohrsaid，astheyreachedthelowerfloor。\"Notathing。Butlookhere，Virgil，Idon\'tseeasthiscallsforyouandyourwifetotakeonsohardabout——anyhownotashardasthewayyou\'vestarted。\" \"No，\"Adamsgulped。\"Italwaysseemsthatwaytotheotherpartythat\'sonlylookingon!\" \"Oh，well，Iknowthat，ofcourse，\"oldCharleyreturned，soothingly。\"Butlookhere，Virgil:theymaynotcatchtheboy； theydidn\'tevenseemtobesurewhattrainhemade，andiftheydogethim，why，theolemanmightdecidenottoprosecuteif——\" \"HIM？\"Adamscried，interrupting。\"Himnotprosecute？Why，that\'swhathe\'sbeenwaitingfor，allalong!Hethinksmyboyandmebothcheatedhim!Why，hewasjustlettingWalterwalkintoatrap!Didn\'tyousaythey\'dbeensuspectinghimforsometimeback？Didn\'tyousaythey\'dbeenwatchinghimandwerejustaboutfixingtoarresthim？\" \"Yes，Iknow，\"saidLohr；\"butyoucan\'ttell，especiallyifyouraisethemoneyandpayitback。\" \"Everycent!\"Adamsvociferated。\"Everylastpenny!Icanraiseit——IGOTtoraiseit!I\'mgoingtoputaloanonmyfactoryto-morrow。Oh，I\'llgetitforhim，youtellhim!Everylastpenny!\" \"Well，olefeller，youjusttryandgetquieteddownsomenow。\" Charleyheldouthishandinparting。\"Youandyourwifejustquietdownsome。YouAIN\'Tthehealthiestmanintheworld，youknow，andyoualreadybeenunderquitesomestrainbeforethishappened。Youwanttotakecareofyourselfforthesakeofyourwifeandthatsweetlittlegirlupstairs，youknow。Now，good-night，\"hefinished，steppingoutupontheveranda。\"Yousendformeifthere\'sanythingIcando。\" \"Do？\"Adamsechoed。\"Thereain\'tanythingANYBODYcando!\"Andthen，ashisoldfriendwentdownthepathtothesidewalk，hecalledafterhim，\"YoutellhimI\'llpayhimeverylastcent! Everylast，dang，dirtyPENNY!\" Heslammedthedoorandwentrapidlyupthestairs，talkingloudlytohimself。\"Everydang，last，dirtypenny!ThinksEVERYBODYinthisfamilywantstostealfromhim，doeshe？ Thinkswe\'reALLyellow，doeshe？I\'llshowhim!\"Andhecameintohisownroomvociferating，\"Everylast，dang，dirtypenny!\" Mrs。Adamshadcollapsed，andAlicehadputheruponhisbed，whereshelaytossingconvulsivelyandsobbing，\"Oh，POOR Walter!\"overandover，butafteratimeshevariedthesorrytune。\"Oh，poorAlice!\"shemoaned，clingingtoherdaughter\'shand。\"Oh，poor，POORAlicetohaveTHIScomeonthenightofyourdinner——justwheneverythingseemedtobegoingsowell——atlast——oh，poor，poor，POOR——\" \"Hush!\"Alicesaid，sharply。\"Don\'tsay\'poorAlice!\'I\'mallright。\" \"YouMUSTbe!\"hermothercried，clutchingher。\"You\'vejustGOT tobe!ONEofushasgottobeallright——surelyGodwouldn\'tmindjustONEofusbeingallright——thatwouldn\'thurtHim——\" \"Hush，hush，mother!Hush!\" ButMrs。Adamsonlyclutchedherthemoretightly。\"HeseemedSUCHaniceyoungman，dearie!Hemaynotseethisinthepaper——Mr。Lohrsaiditwasjustalittlebitofanitem——heMAY notseeit，dearie——\"