第3章

\"Oh!Well，sheisratherplain-minded，asyoucallit。Ithinksheshowsoutherrealfeelingstoomuchforawoman。\" \"Whydoyoupreferdissimulationinyoursex，mydear？\" \"Idon\'tcallitdissimulation。Butofcourseagirloughttohideherfeelings。Don\'tyouthinkitwouldhavebeenbetterforhernottohavelookedsoobviouslyoutofhumourwhenyoufirstsawhertheothernight？\" \"Shewouldn\'thaveinterestedmesomuch，then，andsheprobablywouldn\'thavehadyouracquaintancenow。\" \"Oh，Idon\'tmeantosaythateventhatkindofgirlwon\'tgeton，ifshegiveshermindtoit；butIthinkIshouldpreferalittlelessplain-mindedness，asyoucallit，ifIwereaman。\" Ididnotknowexactlywhattosaytothis，andIletMrs。Marchgoon。 \"It\'ssointhesmallestthing。Ifyou\'rechoosingathingforher，andshelikesanother，sheletsyoufeelitatonce。Idon\'tmeanthatshe\'srudeaboutit，butsheseemstosetherselfsosquareacrosstheway，andyoucomeupwithakindofbumpagainsther。I don\'tthinkthat\'sveryfeminine。That\'swhatImeanbymannish。 Youalwaysknowwheretofindher。\" Idon\'tknowwhythiscriticismshouldhaveamusedmesomuch，butI begantolaughquiteuncontrollably，andIlaughedonandon。Mrs。 Marchkepthertemperwithmeadmirably。WhenIwasquietagain，shesaid- \"Mrs。Deeringisapersonthatwinsyourheartatonce；shehasthatappealingquality。Youcanseethatshe\'scowedbyherhusband，thoughhemeanstobekindtoher；andyetyoumaybesureshegetsroundhim，andhasherownwayallthetime。Iknowitwasherideatohavehimgohomeandleavethemhere，andofcourseshemadehimthinkitwashis。Shesawthataslongashewashere，andanxioustogetbacktohis\'stock，\'therewasnohopeofgivingMissGagethesortofchanceshecamefor，andsoshedeterminedtomanageit。 Atthesametime，youcanseethatsheistrueassteel，andwouldabhoranythinglikedeceitworsethanthepest。\" \"Isee；andthatiswhyyoudislikeMissGage？\" \"Dislikeher？No，Idon\'tdislikeher；butsheisdisappointing。 Ifshewereaplaingirlherplain-mindednesswouldbeallright；itwouldbeamusing；shewouldturnittoaccountandmakeitseemhumorous。Butitdoesn\'tseemtogowithherbeauty；ittakesawayfromthat——Idon\'tknowhowtoexpressitexactly。\" \"Youmeanthatshehasnocharm。\" \"No；Idon\'tmeanthatatall。Shehasagreatdealofcharmofacertainkind，butit\'saverypeculiarkind。Afterall，thetruthisthetruth，Basil，isn\'tit？\" \"Itissometimes，mydear，\"Iassented。 \"Andthetruthhasitscharm，evenwhenit\'stooblunt。\" \"Ah，I\'mnotsosureofthat。\" \"Yes——yes，ithas。Youmustn\'tsayso，Basil，orIshallloseallmyfaithinyou。IfIcouldn\'ttrustyou，Idon\'tknowwhatI shoulddo。\" \"Whatareyouafternow，Isabel？\" \"Iamnotafteranything。Iwantyoutogoroundtoallthehotelsandseeifthereisnotsomeyoungmanyouknowatoneofthem。 Theresurelymustbe。\" \"Wouldoneyoungmanbeenough？\" \"Ifhewereattentiveenough，hewouldbe。Oneyoungmanisasgoodasathousandifthegirlistherightkind。\" \"ButyouhavejustbeenimplyingthatMissGageiscoldandselfishandgreedy。ShallIgoroundexploringhotelregistersforavictimtosuchadivinityasthat？\" \"No；youneedn\'tgotillIhavehadatalkwithher。Iamnotsuresheisworthit；IamnotsurethatIwanttodoasinglethingforher。\" CHAPTERVII Thenextday，afteranotherforenoon\'sshoppingwithherfriends，Mrs。Marchannounced:\"Well，now，ithasallcomeout，Basil，andI wonderyoudidn\'tgetthesecretatoncefromyourMr。Deering。 HaveyoubeensupposingthatMissGagewasapoorgirlwhomtheDeeringshaddonethefavourofbringingwiththem？\" \"Why，whatofit？\"Iaskedprovisionally。 \"Sheisverywelloff。Herfatherisnotonlythepresident，astheycallit，ofthevillage，buthe\'sthepresidentofthebank。\" \"Yes；ItoldyouthatDeeringtoldmeso——\" \"Butheisveryqueer。Hehaskeptherveryclosefromtheotheryoungpeople，andMrs。Deeringistheonlygirlfriendshe\'severhad，andshe\'sgrownupwithouthavingbeenanywherewithouthim。 Theyhadtopleadwithhimtolethercomewiththem——orMrs。 Deeringhad，——butwhenheonceconsented，heconsentedhandsomely。 Hegaveheralotofmoney，andtoldthemhewantedhertohavethebesttimethatmoneycouldbuy；andofcourseyoucanunderstandhowsuchamanwouldthinkthatmoneywouldbuyagoodtimeanywhere。 ButtheDeeringsdidn\'tknowhowtogoaboutit。Sheconfessedasmuchwhenweweretalkingthegirlover。Icouldseethatshestoodinaweofhersomehowfromthebeginning，andthatshefeltmorethantheusualresponsibilityforher。Thatwasthereasonshewassoeagertogetherhusbandoffhome；aslongashewaswiththemshewouldhavetoworkeverythingthroughhim，andthatwouldbedoublelabour，becauseheissohopelesslyvillaginous，don\'tyouknow，thathenevercouldrisetotheconceptionofanythingelse。 Hetookthemtoacheap，second-classhotel，andhewasafraidtogowiththemanywherebecauseheneverwassurethatitwastherightthingtodo；andhewastooproudtoask，andtheyhadtokeepproddinghimallthetime。\" \"That\'sdelightful!\" \"Oh，Idaresayyouthinkso；butifyouknewhowitwoundedawoman\'sself-respectyouwouldfeeldifferently；oryouwouldn\'t，rather。Butnow，thankgoodness；they\'vegothimofftheirhands，andtheycanbegintobreathefreely。Thatis，Mrs。Deeringcould，ifshehadn\'therheartinhermouthallthetime，wonderingwhatshecandoforthegirl，andbullyingherselfwiththenotionthatsheistoblameifshedoesn\'thaveagoodtime。Youcanunderstandjusthowitwaswiththemalways。Mrs。Deeringisoneofthosemeeklittlethingsthatagreat，splendid，lonelycreaturelikeMissGagewouldtaketoinasmallplace，andperfectlycrushundertheweightofherconfidence；andshewouldwanttomakeherhusbandliveuptoheridealofthegirl，andwouldbemiserablebecausehewouldn\'torcouldn\'t。\" \"IbelievethegoodDeeringdidn\'teventhinkherhandsome。\" \"That\'sit。AndhethoughtanythingthatwasgoodenoughforhiswifewasgoodenoughforMissGage，andhe\'dbestubbornaboutdoingthingsonheraccount，eventopleasehiswife。\" \"SuchconductisimaginableofthegoodDeering。Idon\'tthinkhelikedher。\" \"Norshehim。Mrs。Deeringhelplesslyhintedasmuch。Shesaidhedidn\'tliketohaveherworryingsomuchaboutMissGage\'snothavingagoodtime，andshecouldn\'tmakehimfeelasshedidaboutit，andshewashalfgladforhisownsakethathehadtogohome。\" \"Didshesaythat？\" \"Notexactly；butyoucouldseethatshemeantit。Doyouthinkitwoulddoforthemtochangefromtheirhotel，andgototheGrandUnionortheStatesorCongressHall？\" \"Haveyoubeenputtingthemuptothat，Isabel？\" \"Iknewyouwouldsuspectme，andIwouldn\'thaveaskedforyouropinionifIhadcaredanythingforit，really。Whatwouldbetheharmoftheirdoingit？\" \"Nonewhatever，ifyoureallywantmyworthlessopinion。Butwhatcouldtheydothere？\" \"Theycouldseesomethingiftheycouldn\'tdoanything，andassoonasMissGagehasgothernewgownsI\'mgoingtotellthemyouthoughttheycoulddoit。Itwastheirownidea，atanyrate。\" \'\'MissGage\'s？\" \"Mrs。Deering\'s。Shehasthecourageofa——Idon\'tknowwhat。Sheseesthatit\'sadesperatecase，andshewouldn\'tstopatanything。\" \"Nowthatherhusbandhasgonehome。\" \"Well，whichhotelshalltheygoto？\" \"Oh，thatrequiresreflection。\" \"Verywell，then，whenyou\'vereflectedIwantyoutogotothehotelyou\'vechosen，andintroduceyourselftotheclerk，andtellhimyourwifehastwofriendscoming，andyouwantsomethingverypleasantforthem。TellhimallaboutyourselfandEveryOtherWeek。\" \"He\'llthinkIwantthemdeadheaded。\" \"Nomatter，ifyourconscienceisclear；anddon\'tbesoshamefullymodestasyoualwaysare，butspeakupboldly。Now，willyou？ Promisemeyouwill!\" \"Iwilltry，asthegoodlittleboysays。But，Isabel，wedon\'tknowthesepeopleexceptfromtheirownaccount。\" \"Andthatisquiteenough。\" \"Itwillbequiteenoughforthehotel-keeperiftheyruntheirboard。Ishallhavetopayit。\" \"Now，Basildear，don\'tbedisgusting，andgoanddoasyou\'rebid。\" Itwasamusing，butitwasperfectlysafe，andtherewasnoreasonwhyIshouldnotengageroomsfortheladiesatanotherhotel。I hadnottheleastquestionofthem，andIhadfailedtoworrymywifewithapretendeddoubt。SoIdecidedthatIwouldgoupatonceandinquireattheGrandUnion。Ichosethishotelbecause，thoughitlackedthefineflowerofthemoreancientrespectabilityandthelegendarycharmoftheStates，itwassospectacularthatitwouldbeinitselfaperpetualexcitementforthoseladies，andwouldformaneffectofsocietywhich，withsomehelpfromus，mightverywelldeceivethem。ThiswaswhatIsaidtomyself，thoughinmyheartIknewbetter。WhateverMrs。Deeringmightthink，thatgirlwasnotgoingtobetakeninwithanysuchsimpledevice，andI mustcountuponthedailychancesintheplacetoaffordherthegoodtimeshehadcomefor。 AsImountedthestepstotheporticooftheGrandUnionwithmyheaddown，andlostinacalculationofthesechances，Iheardmynamegailycalled，andIlookeduptoseeyoungKendricks，formerlyofourstaffonEveryOtherWeek，andstillafrequentcontributor，andagreatfavouriteofmywife\'sandmyown。Myheartgaveagreatjoyfulboundatsightofhim。 \"Mydearboy，whenintheworlddidyoucome？\" \"Thismorningbythesteamboattrain，andIamnever，nevergoingaway!\" \"Youlikeit，then？\" \"Likeit!It\'sthemostdelightfulthingintheuniverse。Why，I\'msimplywildaboutit，Mr。March。Igoroundsayingtomyself，WhyhaveIthrownawaymylife？WhyhaveInevercometoSaratogabefore？It\'ssimplysupreme，andit\'sAmericandowntotheground。 Yes；that\'swhatmakesitsodelightful。Nootherpeoplecouldhaveinventedit，anditdoesn\'ttrytobeanythingbutwhatwemadeit。\" \"I\'msogladyoulookatitinthatway。WElikeit。Wediscovereditthreeorfouryearsago，andweneverletasummerslip，ifwecanhelpit，withoutcominghereforaweekoramonth。Theplace，\" Ienlarged，\"hasthecharmofruin，thoughit\'sinsuchobviousrepair；ithasapast；it\'ssocompletelygonebyinasocietysense。Thecottagelifeherehasn\'tkilledthehotellife，asithasatNewportandBarHarbour；buttheidealofcottagelifeeverywhereelsehasmadehotellifeatSaratogaungenteel。Thehotelsarefull，butatthesametimetheyaresocietysolitudes。\" \"Howgayitis!\"saidtheyoungfellow，ashegazedwithapensivesmileintothestreet，whereallthosefestivevehicleswerecomingandgoing，dappledbytheleaf-shadowsfromthetalltreesoverhead。 \"Whatair!whatasky!\"Theonewasindeedsparkling，andtheotherwithoutacloud，forithadrainedinthenight，anditseemedasiftheweathercouldneverbehotandcloseagain。 IforgothowIhadbeenswelteringabout，andsaid:\"Yes；itisaSaratogaday。It\'ssupposedthatthesparkleoftheaircomesfromthehealthfulgasesthrownoffbythesprings。Somepeoplesaythespringsaredoctored；that\'swhatmakestheirgasessohealthful。\" \"Why，anythingmighthappenhere，\"Kendricksmused，unheedfulofme。 \"Whatascene!whatastage!WhyhasnobodydoneastoryaboutSaratoga？\"heasked，withaliteraryturnIknewhisthoughtswouldbetaking。AllGeraldKendricks\'sthoughtswereofliterature，butsometimestheywerenotofimmediateliteraryeffect，thoughthatwasneverforlong。 \"Because，\"Isuggested，\"oneprobablycouldn\'tgethisyoungladycharacterstocomehereiftheywereatallinsociety。Butofcoursetheremustbecharmingpresenceshereaccidentally。Someyounggirl，say，mightcomeherefromacountryplace，expectingtoseesocialgaiety——\" \"Ah，butthatwouldbetooheart-breaking!\" \"Notatall。Notifshemetsomeyoungfellowaccidentally——don\'tyousee？\" \"Itwouldbedifficulttomanage；andhasn\'titbeendone？\" \"Everythinghasbeendone，mydearfellow。Or，youmightsupposeayoungladywhocomesonherewithherfather，aveteranpolitician，delegatetotheRepublicanorDemocraticconvention——alltheconventionsmeetinSaratoga，——andsomeardentyoungdelegatefallsinlovewithher。Thatwouldbenewground。Thereyouwouldhavethepoliticalnovel，whichtheywondereverynowandthensomeofusdon\'twrite。\"ThesmilefadedfromKendricks\'slips，andIlaughed。 \"Well，then，there\'snothingforitbuttheSocialScienceCongress。 Haveabrilliantprofessorwintheheartofalovelysister-in-lawofanothermemberbyapaperhereadsbeforetheCongress。No？ You\'redifficult。Areyoustoppinghere？\" \"Yes；areyou？\" \"ItrytogivemyselftheairofitwhenIamfeelingveryproud。 Butreally，weliveatamostcharminglittlehotelonabackstreet，outofthewhirlandrushthatweshouldprefertobeinifwecouldaffordit。\"Hesaiditmustbedelightful，andhemadetheproperinquiriesaboutMrs。March。Kendricksneverforgotthegentlemanintheartist，andhewasastruetotheconvenancesasiftheyhadbeenprinciples。ThatwaswhatmadeMrs。Marchlikehisstoriessomuchmorethanthestoriesofsomepeoplewhowrotebetter。Hesaidhewoulddropinduringtheafternoon，andIwentindoorsonthepretextofbuyinganewspaper。Then，withoutengagingroomsforMrs。DeeringandMissGage，Ihurriedhome。 CHAPTERVIII \"Well，didyougettherooms？\"askedmywifeassoonasshesawme。 ShedidnotquitecallitacrossthestreettomeasIcameupfromwhereshesatonthepiazza。 \"No，Ididn\'t，\"Isaidboldly，ifsomewhatbreathlessly。 \"Whydidn\'tyou？YououghttohavegonetotheStatesiftheywerefullattheGrandUnion。\" \"Theywerenotfull，unlessKendricksgottheirlastroom。\" \"DoyoumeanthatHEwasthere？Mr。Kendricks？Ifyouarehoaxingme，Basil!\" \"Iamnot，mydear；indeedI\'mnot，\"saidI，beginningtolaugh，andthismadeherdoubtmethemore。 \"BecauseifyouareIshallsimplyneverforgiveyou。AndI\'minearnestthistime，\"shereplied。 \"WhyshouldIwanttohoaxyouaboutsuchavitalthingasthat。 Couldn\'tKendrickscometoSaratogaaswellaswe？He\'sherelookingupthegroundofastoryIshouldthinkfromwhathesaid。\" \"Nomatterwhathe\'sherefor；he\'shere，andthat\'senough。I neverknewofanythingsoperfectlyprovidential。DidyouTELLhim，Basil？Didyoudare？\" \"Tellhimwhat？\" \"Youknow；aboutMissGage。\" \"Well，Icameverynearit。Idangledthefactbeforehiseyesonce，butIcaughtitawayagainintime。Heneversawit。I thoughtI\'dbetterletyoutellhim。\" \"Ishecomingheretoseeus？\" \"Heaskedifhemight。\" \"He\'salwaysnice。Idon\'tknowthatIshallaskhimtodoanythingforthem，afterall；I\'mnotsurethatshe\'sworthit。Iwishsomecommonerpersonhadhappenedalong。Kendricksistooprecious。I shallhavetothinkaboutit；anddon\'tyouteaseme，Basil，willyou？\" \"Idon\'tknow。IfI\'mnotallowedtohaveanyvoiceinthematter，I\'mafraidIshalltakeitoutinteasing。Idon\'tseewhyMissGageisn\'tquiteasgoodasKendricks。Ibelieveshe\'staller，andthoughhe\'sprettygood-looking，Ipreferherstyleofbeauty。I daresayhisfamilyisbetter，butIfancyshe\'sricher；andhisfamilyisn\'tgoodbeyondNewYorkcity，andhermoneywillgoanywhere。It\'saprettyeventhing。\" \"Goodgracious，Basil!youtalkasifitwereaquestionofmarriage。\" \"AndyouTHINKitis。\" \"NowIseethatyou\'rebentuponteasing，andwewon\'ttalkanymore，please。Whattimedidhesayhewouldcall？\" \"IfImayn\'ttalk，Ican\'ttell。\" \"Youmaytalkthatmuch。\" \"Well，then，hedidn\'tsay。\" \"Basil，\"saidmywife，afteramoment，\"ifyoucouldbeserious，I shouldlikeverymuchtotalkwithyou。Iknowthatyou\'reexcitedbymeetingMr。Kendricks，andIknowwhatyouthoughttheinstantyousawhim。But，indeed，itwon\'tdo，mydear。It\'smorethanwe\'veanyrighttoask，andIshallnotaskit，andIshallnotletyou。Sheisastiff，awkwardvillageperson，andIdon\'tbelieveshe\'samiableorintelligent；andtoletagraceful，refined，superiormanlikeMr。Kendricksthrowawayhistimeuponherwouldbewicked，simplywicked。Letthosepeoplemanageforthemselvesfromthisout。Ofcourseyoumustn\'tgetthemroomsattheGrandUnionnow，forhe\'dbeseeingustherewiththem，andfeelboundtopayherattention。YoumusttryforthemattheStates，sincethematter\'sbeenspokenof，oratCongressHall。Butthere\'snohurry。 WemusthavetimetothinkwhetherweshalluseMr。Kendrickswiththem。Isupposeitwilldonoharmtointroducehim。Ifhestayswecan\'tverywellavoidit；andIconfessIshouldliketoseehowsheimpresseshim!Ofcourseweshallintroducehim!ButIinsistIshalljustdoitmerelyasonehumanbeingtoanother；anddon\'tyoucomeinwithanyofyourromanticnonsense，Basil，abouthersocialdisappointment。Justhowmuchdidyougivethesituationaway？\" ItoldaswellasIcouldremember。\"Well，that\'snothing。He\'llneverthinkofit，andyoumustn\'thintanythingofthekindagain。\" Ipromiseddevoutly，andshewenton- \"Itwouldn\'tbenice——itwouldn\'tbedelicatetolethimintotheconspiracy。Thatmustbeentirelyouraffair，don\'tyousee？AndI don\'twantyoutotakeasinglestepwithoutme。Idon\'twantyoueventodiscussherwithhim。Willyou？Becausethatwilltemptyoufurther。\" ThatafternoonKendrickscamepromptlytocall，likethelittlegentlemanhewas，andhewasmoresatisfactoryaboutSaratogathanhehadbeeninthemorningeven。Mrs。Marchcatechisedhim，andshedidn\'tleaveanemotionofhisunsearchedbyhervividsympathy。 Sheendedbysaying- \"YoumustwriteastoryaboutSaratoga。AndIhavegotjusttheheroineforyou。\" Istarted，butsheignoredmystart。 Kendrickslaughed，delighted，andasked，\"Isshepretty？\" \"Mustaheroinebepretty？\" \"Shehadbetterbe。Otherwiseshewillhavetobetremendouslycleverandsayallsortsofbrilliantthings，andthatputsagreatburdenontheauthor。Ifyouproclaimboldlyatthestartthatshe\'sabeauty，theillustratorhasgottolookafterher，andtheauthorhasacomparativesinecure。\" Mrs。Marchthoughtamoment，andthenshesaid:\"Well，sheisabeauty。Idon\'twanttomakeittoohardforyou。\" \"WhenshallIseeher？\"Kendricksdemanded，andhefeignedanamusinganxiety。 \"Well，thatdependsuponhowyoubehave，Mr。Kendricks。Ifyouarevery，verygood，perhapsImayletyouseeherthisevening。Wewilltakeyoutocalluponher。\" \"Isitpossible？Doyoumeanbusiness？Thensheis——insociety？\" \"MR。Kendricks!\"criedMrs。March，withburlesqueseverity。\"DoyouthinkthatIwouldofferyouaheroinewhowasNOTinsociety？YouforgetthatIamfromBoston!\" \"Ofcourse，ofcourse!Iunderstandthatanyheroineofyouracquaintancemustbeinsociety。ButIthought——Ididn\'tknow——butforthemoment——Saratogaseemstobesotremendouslymixed；andMr。 Marchsaysthereisnosocietyhere:ButifsheisfromBoston——\" \"Ididn\'tsayshewasfromBoston，Mr。Kendricks。\" \"Oh，Ibegyourpardon!\" \"SheisfromDeWittPoint，\"saidMrs。March，andsheapparentlyenjoyedhisconfusion，nolessthanmybewildermentatthecourseshewastaking。 Iwasnotgoingtobeleftbehind，though，andIsaid:\"I discoveredthisheroinemyself，Kendricks，andifthereistobeanygivingaway——\" \"Now，Basil!\" \"Iamgoingtodoit。Mrs。Marchwouldneverhavecaredanythingaboutherifithadn\'tbeenforme。Ican\'tletherimposeonyou。 ThisheroineisnomoreinsocietythansheisfromBoston。Thatisthetroublewithher。Shehascomehereforsociety，andshecan\'tfindany。\" \"Oh，thatwaswhatyouwerehintingatthismorning，\"saidKendricks。\"Ithoughtitapurefigmentoftheimagination。\" \"Onedoesn\'timaginesuchthingsasthat，mydearfellow。Oneimaginesaheroinecominghere，andhavingthemostmagnificentkindofsocialcareer——lawn-parties，lunches，teas，dinners，picnics，hops——andgoingbacktoDeWittPointwithadozenoffersofmarriage。That\'sthekindofworktheimaginationdoes。Butthissimpleandappealingsituation——thisbeautifulyounggirl，withherpoorlittleillusions，hersecrethopeshalfhiddenfromherself，herignorantpast，hervisionaryfuture——\" \"Now，_I_amgoingtotellyouallabouther，Mr。Kendricks，\"Mrs。 Marchbrokeinuponme，withdefianceinhereye；andsheflungoutthewholefactwitharapidityofutterancethatwouldhaveleftfarbehindanyattemptofmine。ButImadenoattempttocompetewithher；IcontentedmyselfwithasarcasticsilencewhichIcouldseedauntedheralittleatlast。 \"Andallthatwe\'vedone，mydearfellow\"——Itookinironythewordshelefttome——\"istoloadourselvesupwiththesetwoimpossiblepeople，togotheirsecuritytodestiny，andanswerfortheirhavingagoodtime。We\'reinluck。\" \"Why，Idon\'tknow，\"saidKendricks，andIcouldseethathisfancywasbeginningtoplaywiththesituation；\"Idon\'tseewhyitisn\'tacharmingscheme。\" \"Ofcourseitis，\"criedMrs。March，takingalittleheartfromhiscourage。 \"Wecan\'tmakeoutyetwhetherthegirlisinteresting，\"Iputinmaliciously。 \"ThatiswhatYOUsay，\"saidmywife。\"Sheisveryshy，andofcourseshewouldn\'tshowoutherrealnaturetoyou。IfoundherVERYinteresting。\" \"Now，Isabel!\"Iprotested。 \"Sheisfascinating，\"theperversewomanpersisted。\"Shehasafascinatingdulness。\" KendrickslaughedandIjeeredatthiscomplexcharacterisation。 \"Youmakemeimpatienttojudgeformyself，\"hesaid。 \"Willyougowithmetocalluponthemthisevening？\"askedMrs。 March。 \"Ishallbedelighted。Andyoucancountuponmetoaidandabetyouinyourgenerousconspiracy，Mrs。March，tothebestofmyability。There\'snothingIshouldlikebetterthantohelpyou——\" \"Throw\'dustinherbeautifuleyes，\'\"Iquoted。 \"Notatall，\"saidmywife。\"Buttospreadabeatifichazeovereverything，sothataslongasshestaysinSaratogasheshallseeliferose-colour。Ofcourseyoumaysaythatit\'sakindofdeception——\" \"Notatall!\"criedtheyoungfellowinhisturn。\"Wewillmakeitreality。Thentherewillbenoharminit。\" \"Whatajesuiticalcasuist!YouhadbetterreadwhatCardinalNewmansaysinhisApologiaaboutlying，youngman。\" Neitherofthemmindedme，forjustthentherewasastirofdraperyroundthecornerofthepiazzafromwhereweweresitting，andthenextmomentMrs。DeeringandMissGageshowedthemselves。 \"Wewerejusttalkingofyou，\"saidMrs。March。\"MayIpresentourfriendMr。Kendricks，Mrs。Deering？AndMissGage？\" Atsightoftheyoungman，sowelldressedandgood-looking，whobowedsoprettilytoher，andthenbustledtoplacechairsforthem，acertaincloudseemedtoliftfromMissGage\'sbeautifulface，andtobeatleastpartlybrokenonMrs。Deering\'svisage。Ibegantotalktothegirl，andsheansweredingoodspirits，andwithmoreapparentinterestinmyconversationthanshehadyetshown，whileKendricksveryproperlydevotedhimselftotheotherladies。Bothhiseyeswereonthem，butIfeltthathehadathirdsomehowuponher，andthatthesmallestfactofherbeautyandgracewasnotlostuponhim。Iknewthatherrich，tendervoicewasdoingitswork，too，throughthecommonplacesshevouchsafedtome。TherewasamomentwhenIsawhimliftaquestioningeyebrowuponMrs。March，andsawheranswerwithafleetingfrownofaffirmation。Icannottelljusthowitwasthat，beforeheleftus，hischairwasontheothersideofMissGage\'s，andIwaseliminatedfromthedialogue。 Hedidnotstaytoolong。Therewasanothertableauofhimonfoot，takingleaveofMrs。March，withahighhand-shake，whichhadthenlatelycomein，andwhichIsawthegirlnote，andthenbowingtoherandtoMrs。Deering。 \"Don\'tforget，\"mywifecalledafterhim，withareadyinventionnotlostonhisquickintelligence，\"thatyou\'regoingtotheconcertwithusaftertea。Eighto\'clock，remember。\" \"YoumaybesureIshallrememberTHAT，\"hereturnedgaily。 CHAPTERIX Thecountenancesoftheladiesfellinstantlywhenhewasgone。 \"Mrs。March，\"saidMrs。Deering，withanervoustremor，\"didMr。 MarchgetusthoseroomsattheGrandUnion？\" \"No——no，\"mywifebegan，andshemadealittlepause，asiftogatherplausibility。\"TheGrandUnionwasveryfull，andhethoughtthatattheStates——\" \"Because，\"saidMrs。Deering，\"Idon\'tknowasweshalltroublehim，afterall。Mr。Deeringisn\'tverywell，andIguesswehavegottogohome——\" \"GOHOME!\"Mrs。Marchechoed，andhervoicewasatone-sceneofatopplinghopeandawidespreaddesolation。\"Why，youmustn\'t!\" \"Wemust，Iguess。Ithadbeguntobeverypleasant，and——IguessI havegottogo。Ican\'tfeeleasyabouthim。\" \"Why，ofcourse，\"Mrs。Marchnowassented，andshewavedherfanthoughtfullybeforeherface。Iknewwhatshewasthinkingof，andIlookedatMissGage，whohadinvoluntarilytakentheposeandexpressionofthemomentwhenIfirstsawheratthekioskinCongressPark。\"AndMissGage？\" \"Ohyes；Imustgotoo，\"saidthegirlwistfully，forlornly。Shehadtearsinhervoice，tearsofdespairandvexation，Ishouldhavesaid。 \"That\'stoobad，\"saidMrs。March，and，asshedidnotofferanysolutionofthematter，Ithoughtitratherheartlessofhertogoonandrubitin。\"Andwewerejustplanningsomethingswecoulddotogether。\" \"Itcan\'tbehelpednow，\"returnedthegirl。 \"Butweshallseeyouagainbeforeyougo？\"Mrs。Marchaskedofboth。 \"Well，Idon\'tknow，\"saidthegirl，withalookatMrs。Deering，whonowsaid- \"Iguessso。We\'llletyouknowwhenwe\'regoing。\"Andtheygotawayratherstiffly。 \"Whyintheworld，mydear，\"Iasked，\"ifyouweren\'tgoingtopromotetheirstay，needyouprolongtheagonyoftheiracquaintance？\" \"Didyoufeelthataboutittoo？Well，Iwantedtoaskyoufirstifyouthoughtitwoulddo。\" \"Whatdo？\" \"Youknow；getheraroomhere。Becauseifwedoweshallhaveherliterallyonourhandsaslongaswearehere。Weshallhavetohavethewholecareandresponsibilityofher，andIwantedyoutofeeljustwhatyouweregoinginfor。YouknowverywellIcan\'tdothingsbyhalves，andthatifIundertaketochaperonthisgirlI shallchaperonher——\" \"Tothebitterend。Yes；Iunderstandtheconditionsofyouruncompromisingconscience。ButIdon\'tbelieveitwillbeanysuchkillingmatter。Thereareothersemi-detachedgirlsinthehouse； shecouldgoroundwiththem。\" Wetalkedon，and，assometimeshappens，weconvincedeachothersothoroughlythatshecametomygroundandIwenttohers。Thenitwaseasierforustocometogether，andaftermakingmegototheclerkandfindoutthathehadavacantroom，Mrs。MarchagreedwithmethatitwouldnotdoatalltohaveMissGagestaywithus；thefactthattherewasavacantroomseemedtosettlethequestion。 WewerestillcongratulatingourselvesonourescapewhenMrs。 Deeringsuddenlyreappearedroundourcorneroftheverandah。Shewasalone，andshelookedexcited。 \"Oh，itisn\'tanything，\"shesaidinanswertothealarmthatshoweditselfinMrs。March\'sfaceatsightofher。\"Ihopeyouwon\'tthinkit\'stoopresuming，Mrs。March，andIwantyoutobelievethatit\'ssomethingIhavethoughtofbymyself，andthatJuliawouldn\'thaveletmecomeifshehaddreamedofsuchathing。Idohatesototakeherbackwithme，nowthatshe\'sbeguntohaveagoodtime，andIwaswondering——wonderingwhetheritwouldbeaskingtoomuchifItriedtogetheraroomhere。Ishouldn\'texactlyliketoleaveherinthehotelalone，thoughIsupposeitwouldbeperfectlyproper；butMr。Deeringfoundoutwhenhewastryingtogetroomsbeforethatthereweresomeyoungladiesstayingbythemselveshere，andIdidn\'twanttoasktheclerkforaroomunlessyoufeltjustrightaboutit。\"