下载辰思小说免费APP
Thepatient，anold-fashionedman，thoughtthenursemadeamistakeinkeepingbothofthewindowsopen，andhersprightlydisregardofhisprotestsaddedsomethingtohishatredofher。
Everyeveninghetoldherthatanybodywithordinarygumptionoughttorealizethatnightairwasbadforthehumanframe。
"Thehumanframewon\'tstandeverything，MissPerry，"hewarnedher，resentfully。"Evenachild，ifithadjustordinarygumption，oughttoknowenoughnottoletthenightairblowonsickpeopleyes，norwellpeople，either!\'Keepoutofthenightair，nomatterhowwellyoufeel。\'That\'swhatmymotherusedtotellmewhenIwasaboy。\'Keepoutofthenightair，Virgil，\'
she\'dsay。\'Keepoutofthenightair。\'"
"Iexpectprobablyhermothertoldherthesamething，"thenursesuggested。
"Ofcourseshedid。Mygrandmother——"
"Oh，IguessyourGRANDmotherthoughtso，Mr。Adams!Thatwaswhenallthisflatcentralcountrywasswampishandhadn\'tbeendrainedoffyet。Iguessthetruthmustbeentheswampmosquitoesbitpeopleandgave\'emmalaria，especiallybeforetheybegantoputscreensintheirwindows。Well，wegotscreensinthesewindows，andnomosquitoesaregoin\'tobiteus；sojustyoubeagoodboyandrestyourmindandgotosleeplikeyouneedto。"
"Sleep？"hesaid。"Likely!"
HethoughtthenightairworstofallinApril；hehadn\'tadoubtitwouldkillhim，hedeclared。"It\'smiraculouswhatthehumanframeWILLsurvive，"headmittedonthelasteveningofthatmonth。"Butyouandthedoctoroughttobothbetaughtitwon\'tstandtoodangmuch!YoupoisonamanandpoisonandpoisonhimwiththisAprilnightair——"
"Can\'tpoisonyouwithmuchmoreofit，"MissPerryinterruptedhim，indulgently。"To-morrowit\'llbeMaynightair，andI
expectthat\'llbealotbetterforyou，don\'tyou？Nowlet\'sjustsoberdownandbeagoodboyandgetsomenicesoundsleep。"
Shegavehimhismedicine，and，havingsettheglassuponthecentertable，returnedtohercot，where，afterastillinterval，shesnoredfaintly。Uponthis，hisexpressionbecamethatofamangoadedoutofoverpoweringwearinessintoirony。
"Sleep？Oh，CERTAINLY，thankyou!"
However，hedidsleepintermittently，drowsedbetweentimes，andevendreamed；but，forgettinghisdreamsbeforeheopenedhiseyes，andhavingsomepartofhimallthewhileawareofhisdiscomfort，hebelieved，asusual，thathelayawakethewholenightlong。Hewasconsciousofthecityasofsomesinglegreatcreaturerestingfitfullyinthedarkoutsidehiswindows。Itlayallroundabout，inthedampcoverofitsnightcloudofsmoke，andtriedtokeepquietforafewhoursaftermidnight，butwastoopowerfulagrowingthingevertoliealtogetherstill。Evenwhileitstrovetosleepitmutteredwithdigestionsofthedaybefore，andthesealreadymergedwithrumblingsofthemorrow。"Owl"cars，bringinginlastpassengersoverdistanttrolley-lines，nowandthenhowledonacurve；farawaymetallicstirringscouldbeheardfromfactoriesinthesootysuburbsontheplainoutsidethecity；east，west，andsouth，switch-engineschuggedandsnortedonsidings；
andeverywhereintheairthereseemedtobeafaint，voluminoushumasofinnumerablewirestremblingoverheadtovibrationofmachineryunderground。
InhisyouthAdamsmighthavebeenlessresentfulofsoundssuchasthesewhentheyinterferedwithhisnight\'ssleep:evenduringanillnesshemighthavetakensomeprideinthemasproofofhiscitizenshipina"livetown"；butatfifty-fivehemerelyhatedthembecausetheykepthimawake。They"pressedonhisnerves，"
asheputit；andsodidalmosteverythingelse，forthatmatter。
Heheardthemilk-wagondriveintothecross-streetbeneathhiswindowsandstopateachhouse。Themilkmancarriedhisjarsroundtothe"backporch，"whilethehorsemovedslowlyaheadtothegateofthenextcustomerandwaitedthere。"He\'sgoneintoPollocks\'，"Adamsthought，followingthisprogress。"Ihopeit\'llsouron\'embeforebreakfast。DeliveredtheAndersons\'。
Nowhe\'sgettingoutours。Listentothedarnbrute!What\'sHE
carewhowantstosleep!"Hiscomplaintwasofthehorse，whocasuallyshiftedweightwithaclinkofsteelshoesonthewornbrickpavementofthestreet，andthenheartilyshookhimselfinhisharness，perhapstodislodgeaflyfaraheadofitsseason。
Lighthadjustfilmedthewindows；andwiththatthefirstsparrowwoke，chirpedinstantly，androusedneighboursinthetreesofthesmallyard，includingaloud-voicedrobin。
Vociferationsbeganirregularly，butweresoonunanimous。
"Sleep？Danglikelynow，ain\'tit!"
Nightsoundswerebecomingdaysounds；thefar-awayhootingoffreight-enginesseemedbriskerthananhouragointhedark。A
cheerfulwhistlerpassedthehouse，evenmorecarelessofsleepersthanthemilkman\'shorsehadbeen；thenagroupofcolouredworkmencameby，andalthoughitwasimpossibletobesurewhethertheywerehomewardboundfromnight-workorontheirwaytoday-work，atleastitwascertainthattheywerejocose。
Loose，aboriginallaughterprecededthemafar，andbeatontheairlongaftertheyhadgoneby。
Thesick-roomnight-light，shieldedfromhiseyesbyanewspaperproppedagainstawater-pitcher，stillshowedathinglimmeringthathadgrownoffensivetoAdams。Inhiswanderingandenfeebledthoughts，whichweremuchmoreoftenimaginingsthanreasonings，theattemptofthenight-lighttoresistthedawnremindedhimofsomethingunpleasant，thoughhecouldnotdiscoverjustwhattheunpleasantthingwas。Herewasapuzzlethatirritatedhimthemorebecausehecouldnotsolveit，yetalwaysseemedjustonthepointofasolution。However，hemayhavelostnothingcheerfulbyremaininginthedarkuponthematter；forifhehadbeenalittlesharperinthisintrospectionhemighthaveconcludedthatthesqualorofthenight-light，initsseemingefforttoshowagainsttheforerunningofthesunitself，hadstimulatedsomehalf-buriedperceptionwithinhimtosketchthepainfullittlesynopsisofanautobiography。
Inspiteofnoiseswithout，hedrowsedagain，notknowingthathedid；andwhenheopenedhiseyesthenursewasjustrisingfromhercot。Hetooknopleasureinthesight，itmaybesaid。Sheexhibitedtohimafacemismodelledbysleep，andsetlikeaclayfaceleftonitscheekinahotanddrystudio。Shewasstillonlyinpartawake，however，andbythetimeshehadextinguishedthenight-lightandgivenherpatienthistonic，shehadrecoveredenoughplasticity。"Well，isn\'tthatgrand!We\'vehadanothergoodnight，"shesaidasshedepartedtodressinthebathroom。
"Yes，youhadanother!"heretorted，thoughnotuntilaftershehadclosedthedoor。
Presentlyheheardhisdaughtermovingaboutinherroomacrossthenarrowhall，andsoknewthatshehadrisen。Hehopedshewouldcomeintoseehimsoon，forshewastheonethingthatdidn\'tpressonhisnerves，hefelt；thoughthethoughtofherhurthim，as，indeed，everythoughthurthim。Butitwashiswifewhocamefirst。
Sheworealankcottonwrapper，andacrescentofgrayhairescapedtoonetemplefrombeneaththehandkerchiefshehadwornuponherheadforthenightandstillretained；butshedideverythingpossibletomakeherexpressioncheering。
"Oh，you\'rebetteragain!Icanseethat，assoonasIlookatyou，"shesaid。"MissPerrytellsmeyou\'vehadanothersplendidnight。"
Hemadeasoundofirony，whichseemedtodisposeunfavourablyofMissPerry，andthen，inordertobemorecertainlyintelligible，headded，"Shesleptwell，asusual!"
Buthiswife\'ssmilepersisted。"It\'sagoodsigntobecross；
itmeansyou\'repracticallyconvalescentrightnow。"
"Oh，Iam，amI？"
"Nodoubtintheworld!"sheexclaimed。"Why，you\'repracticallyawellman，Virgil——allexceptgettingyourstrengthback，ofcourse，andthatisn\'tgoingtotakelong。You\'llberightonyourfeetinacoupleofweeksfromnow。"
"Oh，Iwill？"
"Ofcourseyouwill!"Shelaughedbriskly，and，goingtothetableinthecenteroftheroom，movedhisglassofmedicineaninchortwo，turnedabookoversothatitlayuponitsotherside，andforafewmomentsoccupiedherselfwithsimilarfutilities，havingtakenontheairofapersonwhomakesthingsneat，thoughsheproducednosuchactualeffectuponthem。"Ofcourseyouwill，"sherepeated，absently。"You\'llbeasstrongasyoueverwere；maybestronger。"Shepausedforamoment，notlookingathim，thenadded，cheerfully，"Sothatyoucanflyaroundandfindsomethingreallygoodtogetinto。"
Somethingimportantbetweenthemcamenearthesurfacehere，forthoughshespokewithwhatseemedbutacasualcheerfulness，therewasalittlebetrayingbreakinhervoice，atremblingjustperceptibleintheutteranceofthefinalword。Andshestillkeptuptheaffectationofbeinghelpfullypreoccupiedwiththetable，anddidnotlookatherhusband——perhapsbecausetheyhadbeenmarriedsomanyyearsthatwithoutlookingsheknewjustwhathisexpressionwouldbe，andpreferredtoavoidtheactualsightofitaslongaspossible。Meanwhile，hestaredhardather，hislipsbeginningtomovewithlittledistortionsnotlackinginthepathosofasickman\'sagitation。
"Sothat\'sit，"hesaid。"That\'swhatyou\'rehintingat。"
"\'Hinting？\'"Mrs。Adamslookedsurprisedandindulgent。"Why，I\'mnotdoinganyhinting，Virgil。"
"Whatdidyousayaboutmyfinding\'somethinggoodtogetinto？\'"
heasked，sharply。"Don\'tyoucallthathinting？"
Mrs。Adamsturnedtowardhimnow；shecametothebedsideandwouldhavetakenhishand，buthequicklymoveditawayfromher。
"Youmustn\'tletyourselfgetnervous，"shesaid。"Butofcoursewhenyougetwellthere\'sonlyonethingtodo。Youmustn\'tgobacktothatoldholeagain。"
"\'Oldhole？\'That\'swhatyoucallit，isit？"Inspiteofhisweakness，angermadehisvoicestrident，anduponthisstimulationshespokemoreurgently。
"Youjustmustn\'tgobacktoit，Virgil。It\'snotfairtoanyofus，andyouknowitisn\'t。"
"Don\'ttellmewhatIknow，please!"
Sheclaspedherhands，suddenlycarryingherurgencytoplaintiveentreaty。"Virgil，youWON\'Tgobacktothathole？"
"That\'sanicewordtousetome!"hesaid。"Callaman\'sbusinessahole!"
"Virgil，ifyoudon\'toweittometolookforsomethingdifferent，don\'tyouoweittoyourchildren？Don\'ttellmeyouwon\'tdowhatweallwantyouto，andwhatyouknowinyourheartyououghtto!AndifyouHAVEgotintooneofyourstubbornfitsandareboundtogobacktherefornootherreasonexcepttohaveyourownway，don\'ttellmeso，forIcan\'tbearit!"
Helookedupatherfiercely。"You\'vegotafinewaytocureasickman!"hesaid；butshehadconcludedherappeal——forthattime——andinsteadofmakinganymorewordsinthematter，lethimseethatthereweretearsinhereyes，shookherhead，andlefttheroom。
Alone，helaybreathingrapidly，hisemaciatedchestprovingitselfequaltothedemandshisemotionputuponit。"Fine!"herepeated，withhuskyindignation。"Finewaytocureasickman!
Fine!"Then，afterasilence，hegaveforthwhisperingsoundsasoflaughter，hisexpressionthewhileremainingsoreandfarfromhumour。
"Andgiveusourdailybread!"headded，meaningthathiswife\'slittleperformancewasnonovelty。
CHAPTERII
Infact，theagitationofMrs。Adamswasgenuine，butsowellunderhercontrolthatitstracesvanishedduringthethreeshortstepsshetooktocrossthenarrowhallbetweenherhusband\'sdoorandtheoneopposite。Herexpressionwasmatter-of-course，ratherthanpathetic，assheenteredtheprettyroomwhereherdaughter，halfdressed，satbeforeadressing-tableandplayedwiththereflectionsofathree-leafedmirrorframedinblueenamel。Thatis，justbeforethemomentofhermother\'sentrance，Alicehadbeenplayingwiththemirror\'sreflections——posturingherarmsandherexpressions，claspingherhandsbehindherneck，andtiltingbackherheadtoforeshortenthefaceinatableauconceivedtorepresentsauciness，thenoneofsmilingweariness，thenoneofscornfultoleration，andallverypiquant；butasthedooropenedshehurriedlyresumedthepractical，andoccupiedherhandsinthearrangementofherplentifulbrownishhair。
Theywereprettyhands，ofashapelinessdelicateandfine。"Thebestthingsshe\'sgot!"acold-bloodedgirlfriendsaidofthem，andmeanttoincludeAlice\'smindandcharacterintheimpliedlistofpossessionssurpassedbythenotablehands。Howeverthatmayhavebeen，therestofherwaswellenough。Shewasoftencalled"arightprettygirl"——temperatepraisemeaningagirlratherprettythanotherwise，andthisshedeserved，tosaytheleast。Eveninreposeshedeservedit，thoughreposewasanythingbutherhabit，beingseldomseenuponherexceptathome。Onexhibitionsheledalifeofgestures，theunkindsaidtomakeherlovelyhandsmorememorable；butallofherusuallyaccompaniedthegesturesofthehands，theshouldersevergivingthemtheirimpulsesfirst，andevenherfeetbeingcalledupon，atthesametime，foreloquence。
Somuchlivelinesstookproperplaceasonlyaccessorytothatoftheface，wherehervivacityreacheditsclimax；anditwasunfortunatethatanungiftedyoungman，newinthetown，shouldhaveattemptedtodefinetheeffectuponhimofallthisgenerosityofemphasis。Hesaidthat"thewaysheusedhercutehazeleyesandthewonderfulglowofherfacialexpressiongaveheramightyspiritualquality。"Hisactualrenditionofthewordwas"spirichul"；butitwasnothispronunciationthatembalmedthisoutburstintheperenniallaughterofAlice\'sgirlfriends；theymadethemisfortunefarlesshisthanhers。
Hermothercomfortedhertooheartily，insistingthatAlicehad"plentyenoughspiritualqualities，"certainlymorethanpossessedbytheothergirlswhoflungthephraseather，woodenthings，jealousofeverythingtheywereincapableofthemselves；
andthenAlice，gettingmorechampionshipthanshesought，grewuneasylestMrs。Adamsshouldrepeatsuchdefenses"outsidethefamily"；andMrs。Adamsendedbyweepingbecausethedaughtersodistrustedherintelligence。Alicefrequentlythoughtitnecessarytoinstructhermother。
Hermorninggreetingwasaninstructionto-day；or，rather，itwasanadmonitioninthestyleofanentreaty，themorepetulantasAlicethoughtthatMrs。Adamsmighthavehadaglimpseoftheposturingstothemirror。Thiswasaneedlessworry；themotherhadcaughtathousandsuchglimpses，withAliceunaware，andshethoughtnothingoftheonejustflitted。
"Forheaven\'ssake，mama，comeclearinsidetheroomandshutthedoor!PLEASEdon\'tleaveitopenforeverybodytolookatme!"
"Thereisn\'tanybodytoseeyou，"Mrs。Adamsexplained，obeying。
"MissPerry\'sgonedownstairs，and——"
"Mama，Iheardyouinpapa\'sroom，"Alicesaid，notdroppingthenoteofcomplaint。"Icouldhearbothofyou，andIdon\'tthinkyououghttogetpooroldpapasoupset——notinhispresentcondition，anyhow。"
Mrs。Adamsseatedherselfontheedgeofthebed。"He\'sbetterallthetime，"shesaid，notdisturbed。"He\'salmostwell。ThedoctorsayssoandMissPerrysaysso；andifwedon\'tgethimintotherightframeofmindnowweneverwill。Thefirstdayhe\'soutdoorshe\'llgobacktothatoldhole——you\'llsee!Andifheoncedoesthat，he\'llsettledownthereandit\'llbetoolateandwe\'llnevergethimout。"
"Well，anyhow，Ithinkyoucouldusealittlemoretactwithhim。"
"Idotryto，"themothersighed。"Itneverwasmuchusewithhim。Idon\'tthinkyouunderstandhimaswellasIdo，Alice。"
"There\'sonethingIdon\'tunderstandabouteitherofyou，"Alicereturned，crisply。"Beforepeoplegetmarriedtheycandoanythingtheywanttowitheachother。Whycan\'ttheydothesamethingafterthey\'remarried？Whenyouandpapawereyoungpeopleandengaged，he\'dhavedoneanythingyouwantedhimto。
Thatmusthavebeenbecauseyouknewhowtomanagehimthen。Whycan\'tyougoathimthesamewaynow？"
Mrs。Adamssighedagain，andlaughedalittle，makingnootherresponse；butAlicepersisted。"Well，WHYcan\'tyou？Whycan\'tyouaskhimtodothingsthewayyouusedtoaskhimwhenyouwerejustinlovewitheachother？Whydon\'tyouanyhowtryit，mama，insteadofding-dongingathim？"
"\'Ding-dongingathim，\'Alice？"Mrs。Adamssaid，withapathossomewhatemphasized。"IsthathowmytryingtodowhatIcanforyoustrikesyou？"
"Nevermindthat；it\'snothingtohurtyourfeelings。"Alicedisposedofthepathosbriskly。"Whydon\'tyouanswermyquestion？What\'sthematterwithusingalittlemoretactonpapa？Whycan\'tyoutreathimthewayyouprobablydidwhenyouwereyoungpeople，beforeyouweremarried？Ineverhaveunderstoodwhypeoplecan\'tdothat。"
"PerhapsyouWILLunderstandsomeday，"hermothersaid，gently。
"Maybeyouwillwhenyou\'vebeenmarriedtwenty-fiveyears。"
"Youkeepevading。Whydon\'tyouanswermyquestionrightstraightout？"
"Therearequestionsyoucan\'tanswertoyoungpeople，Alice。"
"Youmeanbecausewe\'retooyoungtounderstandtheanswer？I
don\'tseethatatall。Attwenty-twoagirl\'ssupposedtohavesomeintelligence，isn\'tshe？Andintelligenceistheabilitytounderstand，isn\'tit？WhydoIhavetowaittillI\'velivedwithamantwenty-fiveyearstounderstandwhyyoucan\'tbetactfulwithpapa？"
"Youmayunderstandsomethingsbeforethat，"Mrs。Adamssaid，tremulously。"Youmayunderstandhowyouhurtmesometimes。
Youthcan\'tknoweverythingbybeingintelligent，andbythetimeyoucouldunderstandtheansweryou\'reaskingforyou\'dknowit，andwouldn\'tneedtoask。Youdon\'tunderstandyourfather，Alice；youdon\'tknowwhatittakestochangehimwhenhe\'smadeuphismindtobestubborn。"
Aliceroseandbegantogetherselfintoaskirt。"Well，Idon\'tthinkmakingsceneseverchangesanybody，"shegrumbled。"I
thinkalittlejollypersuasiongoestwiceasfar，myself。"
"\'Alittlejollypersuasion!\'"Hermotherturnedtheechoofthisphraseintoanironiclament。"Yes，therewasatimewhenI
thoughtthat，too!Itdidn\'twork；that\'sall。"
"Perhapsyouleftthe\'jolly\'partofitout，mama。"
Forthesecondtimethatmorning——itwasnowalittleafterseveno\'clock——tearsseemedabouttooffertheirsolacetoMrs。Adams。
"Imighthaveexpectedyoutosaythat，Alice；youneverdomissachance，"shesaid，gently。"Itseemsqueeryoudon\'tsometimemissjustONEchance!"
ButAlice，progressingwithhertoilet，appearedtobelittleconcerned。"Oh，well，Ithinktherearebetterwaysofmanagingamanthanjusthammeringathim。"
Mrs。Adamsutteredalittlecryofpain。"\'Hammering，\'Alice？"
"Ifyou\'dleftitentirelytome，"herdaughterwenton，briskly，"Ibelievepapa\'dalreadybewillingtodoanythingwewanthimto。"
"That\'sit；tellmeIspoileverything。Well，Iwon\'tinterferefromnowon，youcanbesureofit。"
"Pleasedon\'ttalklikethat，"Alicesaid，quickly。"I\'moldenoughtorealizethatpapamayneedpressureofallsorts；I
onlythinkitmakeshimmoreobstinatetogethimcross。Youprobablydounderstandhimbetter，butthat\'sonethingI\'vefoundoutandyouhaven\'t。There!"Shegavehermotherafriendlytapontheshoulderandwenttothedoor。"I\'llhopinandsayhellotohimnow。"
Asshewent，shecontinuedthefasteningofherblouse，andappearedinherfather\'sroomwithonehandstillthusengaged，butshepattedhisforeheadwiththeother。
"Pooroldpapa-daddy!"shesaid，gaily。"Everytimehe\'sbettersomebodytalkshimintogettingsomadhehasarelapse。It\'sashame!"
Herfather\'seyes，beneaththeirmelancholybrows，lookedupatherwistfully。"Isupposeyouheardyourmothergoingforme，"
hesaid。
"Iheardyougoingforher，too!"Alicelaughed。"Whatwasitallabout？"
"Oh，thesamedangedoldstory!"
"Youmeanshewantsyoutotrysomethingnewwhenyougetwell？"
Aliceasked，withcheerfulinnocence。"Sowecouldallhavealotmoremoney？"
Atthishissorrowfulforeheadwasmoresorrowfulthanever。Thedeephorizontallinesmovedupwardtoapatternofsufferingsofamiliartohisdaughterthatitmeantnothingtoher；buthespokequietly。"Yes；sowewouldn\'thaveanymoneyatall，mostlikely。"
"Oh，no!"shelaughed，and，finishingwithherblouse，pattedhischeekswithbothhands。"Justthinkhowmanygrandopeningstheremustbeforamanthatknowsasmuchasyoudo!Ialwaysdidbelieveyoucouldgetrichifyouonlycaredto，papa。"
Butuponhisforeheadthepainfulpatternstilldeepened。"Don\'tyouthinkwe\'vealwayshadenough，thewaythingsare，Alice？"
"NotthewaythingsARE!"Shepattedhischeeksagain；laughedagain。"Itusedtobeenough，maybeanywaywedidskimpalongonit——butthewaythingsarenowIexpectmama\'sreallyprettypracticalinherideas，though，Ithinkit\'sashameforhertobotheryouaboutitwhileyou\'resoweak。Don\'tyouworryaboutit，though；justthinkaboutotherthingstillyougetstrong。"
"Youknow，"hesaid；"youknowitisn\'texactlytheeasiestthingintheworldforamanofmyagetofindthesegrandopeningsyouspeakof。Andwhenyou\'vepassedhalf-wayfromfiftytosixtyyou\'reapttoseesomeriskingivingupwhatyouknowhowtodoandtryingsomethingnew。"
"My，whatafrown!"shecried，blithely。"Didn\'tItellyoutostopthinkingaboutittillyougetALLwell？"Shebentoverhim，givinghimagaylittlekissonthebridgeofhisnose。"There!
Imustruntobreakfast。Cheerupnow!Au\'voir!"Andwithherprettyhandshewavedfurtherencouragementfromtheclosingdoorasshedeparted。
Lightsomelydescendingthenarrowstairway，shewhistledasshewent，herfingersdrummingtimeontherail；and，stillwhistling，shecameintothedining-room，wherehermotherandherbrotherwerealreadyatthetable。Thebrother，athinandsallowboyoftwenty，greetedherwithoutmuchapprovalasshetookherplace。
"Nothingseemstotroubleyou!"hesaid。
"No；nothingmuch，"shemadeairyresponse。"What\'stroublingyourself，Walter？"
"Don\'tletthatworryyou!"hereturned，seemingtoconsiderthistobereparteeofaneffectivesort；forhefurnishedashortlaughtogowithit，andturnedtohiscoffeewiththemannerofonewhohassatisfactorilyclosedanepisode。
"Walteralwaysseemstohavesomanysecrets!"Alicesaid，studyinghimshrewdly，butwithafriendlyenoughamusementinherscrutiny。"Everythinghedoesorsaysseemstobeactedforthebenefitofsomemysteriousaudienceinsidehimself，andhealwaysgetsitsapplause。Takewhathesaidjustnow:heseemstothinkitmeanssomething，butifitdoes，why，that\'sjustanothersecretbetweenhimandthesecretaudienceinsideofhim!
Wedon\'treallyknowanythingaboutWalteratall，dowe，mama？"
Walterlaughedagain，inamannerthatsustainedhertheorywellenough；thenafterfinishinghiscoffee，hetookfromhispocketaflattenedpacketinglazedbluepaper；extractedwithstainedfingersabentandwrinkledlittlecigarette，lightedit，hitcheduphisbeltedtrouserswiththeairofapersonwhoturnsfromtriflestothingsbetterworthhisattention，andlefttheroom。
Alicelaughedasthedoorclosed。"He\'sALLsecrets，"shesaid。
"Don\'tyouthinkyoureallyoughttoknowmoreabouthim，mama？"
"I\'msurehe\'sagoodboy，"Mrs。Adamsreturned，thoughtfully。
"He\'sbeenverybraveaboutnotbeingabletohavetheadvantagesthatareenjoyedbytheboyshe\'sgrownupwith。I\'veneverheardawordofcomplaintfromhim。"
"Abouthisnotbeingsenttocollege？"Alicecried。"Ishouldthinkyouwouldn\'t!Hedidn\'tevenhaveenoughambitiontofinishhighschool!"
Mrs。Adamssighed。"ItseemedtomeWalterlosthisambitionwhennearlyalltheboyshe\'dgrownupwithwenttoEasternschoolstoprepareforcollege，andwecouldn\'taffordtosendhim。Ifonlyyourfatherwouldhavelistened——"
Aliceinterrupted:"Whatnonsense!Walterhatedbooksandstudying，andathletics，too，forthatmatter。Hedoesn\'tcareforanythingnicethatIeverheardof。Whatdoyousupposehedoeslike，mama？Hemustlikesomethingorothersomewhere，butwhatdoyousupposeitis？Whatdoeshedowithhistime？"
"Why，thepoorboy\'satLambandCompany\'sallday。Hedoesn\'tgetthroughuntilfiveintheafternoon；hedoesn\'tHAVEmuchtime。"
"Well，weneverhavedinneruntilaboutseven，andhe\'salwayslatefordinner，andgoesout，heavenknowswhere，rightafterward!"Aliceshookherhead。"Heusedtogowithourfriends\'boys，butIdon\'tthinkhedoesnow。"
"Why，howcouldhe？"Mrs。Adamsprotested。"Thatisn\'thisfault，poorchild!Theboysheknewwhenhewasyoungerarenearlyallawayatcollege。"
"Yes，buthedoesn\'tseeanythingof\'emwhenthey\'rehereatholiday-timeorvacation。Noneof\'emcometothehouseanymore。"
"Isupposehe\'smadeotherfriends。It\'snaturalforhimtowantcompanions，athisage。"
"Yes，"Alicesaid，withdisapprovingemphasis。"Butwhoarethey？I\'vegotanideaheplayspoolatsomeroughplacedown-town。"
"Oh，no；I\'msurehe\'sasteadyboy，"Mrs。Adamsprotested，buthertonewasnotthatofthoroughgoingconviction，andsheadded，"Lifemightbeaverydifferentthingforhimifonlyyourfathercanbebroughttosee——"
"Nevermind，mama!Itisn\'tmethathastobeconvinced，youknow；andwecandoalotmorewithpapaifwejustlethimaloneaboutitforadayortwo。Promisemeyouwon\'tsayanymoretohimuntil——well，untilhe\'sabletocomedownstairstotable。
Willyou？"
Mrs。Adamsbitherlip，whichhadbeguntotremble。"IthinkyoucantrustmetoknowaFEWthings，Alice，"shesaid。"I\'malittleolderthanyou，youknow。"
"That\'sagoodgirl!"Alicejumpedup，laughing。"Don\'tforgetit\'sthesameasapromise，anddojustcheerhimupalittle。
I\'llsaygood-byetohimbeforeIgoout。"
"Whereareyougoing？"
"Oh，I\'vegotlotstodo。IthoughtI\'drunouttoMildred\'stoseewhatshe\'sgoingtowearto-night，andthenIwanttogodownandbuyayardofchiffonandsomenarrowribbontomakenewbowsformyslippers——you\'llhavetogivemesomemoney——"
"Ifhe\'llgiveittome!"hermotherlamented，astheywenttowardthefrontstairstogether；butanhourlatershecameintoAlice\'sroomwithabillinherhand。
"Hehassomemoneyinhisbureaudrawer，"shesaid。"Hefinallytoldmewhereitwas。"
Thereweretracesofemotioninhervoice，andAlice，lookingshrewdlyather，sawmoistureinhereyes。
"Mama!"shecried。"Youdidn\'tdowhatyoupromisedmeyouwouldn\'t，didyou——NOTbeforeMissPerry!"
"MissPerry\'sgettinghimsomebroth，"Mrs。Adamsreturned，calmly。"Besides，you\'remistakeninsayingIpromisedyouanything；IsaidIthoughtyoucouldtrustmetoknowwhatisright。"
"Soyoudidbringitupagain!"AndAliceswungawayfromher，strodetoherfather\'sdoor，flungitopen，wenttohim，andputalighthandsoothinglyoverhisunrelaxedforehead。
"Pooroldpapa!"shesaid。"It\'sashamehoweverybodywantstotroublehim。Heshan\'tbebotheredanymoreatall!Hedoesn\'tneedtohaveeverybodytellinghimhowtogetawayfromthatoldholehe\'sworkedinsolongandbegintomakeusallniceandrich。HEknowshow!"
Thereuponshekissedhimaconsolinggood-bye，andmadeanothergaydeparture，thecharminghandagainflutteringlikeawhitebutterflyintheshadowoftheclosingdoor。
CHAPTERIII
Mrs。AdamshadremainedinAlice\'sroom，buthermoodseemedtohavechanged，duringherdaughter\'slittlemorethanmomentaryabsence。
"WhatdidheSAY？"sheasked，quickly，andhertonewashopeful。
"\'Say？\'"Alicerepeated，impatiently。"Why，nothing。Ididn\'tlethim。Really，mama，Ithinkthebestthingforyoutodowouldbetojustkeepoutofhisroom，becauseIdon\'tbelieveyoucangointhereandnottalktohimaboutit，andifyoudotalkwe\'llnevergethimtodotherightthing。Never!"
Themother\'sresponsewasagrievingsilence；sheturnedfromherdaughterandwalkedtothedoor。
"Now，forgoodness\'sake!"Alicecried。"Don\'tgomakingtragedyoutofmyofferingyoualittlepracticaladvice!"
"I\'mnot，"Mrs。Adamsgulped，halting。"I\'mjust——justgoingtodustthedownstairs，Alice。"Andwithherfacestillaverted，shewentoutintothelittlehallway，closingthedoorbehindher。Amomentlatershecouldbehearddescendingthestairs，thesoundofherfootstepscarryingsomehowaneffectofresignation。
Alicelistened，sighed，and，breathingthewords，"Oh，murder!"
turnedtocheeriermatters。Sheputonalittleapple-greenturbanwithadimgoldbandroundit，andthen，havingshroudedtheturbaninawhiteveil，whichshekeptpushedupaboveherforehead，shegotherselfintoatancoatofsoftclothfashionedwithrakishseverity。Afterthat，havingstudiedherselfgravelyinalongglass，shetookfromoneofthedrawersofherdressing-tableablackleathercard-casecorneredinsilverfiligree，butfounditempty。
Sheopenedanotherdrawerwhereinweretwowhitepasteboardboxesofcards，theonesetshowingsimply"MissAdams，"theotherengravedinGothiccharacters，"MissAlysTuttleAdams。"ThelatterbelongedtoAlice\'s"Alys"period——mostgirlsgothroughit；andAlicemusthavefeltthatshehadgraduated，for，afterfrowningthoughtfullyattheexhibitthismorning，shetooktheboxwithitscontents，andletthewhiteshowerfallfromherfingersintothewaste-basketbesidehersmalldesk。Shereplenishedthecard-casefromthe"MissAdams"box；then，havingfoundapairoffreshwhitegloves，shetuckedanivory-toppedMalaccawalking-stickunderherarmandsetforth。
Shewentdownthestairs，buttoningherglovesandstillwearingthefrownwithwhichshehadput"Alys"finallyoutofherlife。
Shedescendedslowly，andpausedontheloweststep，lookingaboutherwithanexpressionthatneededbutaslightdeepeningtobetokenbitterness。Itsconnectionwithherdropping"Alys"
foreverwasslight，however。
Thesmallframehouse，aboutfifteenyearsold，wasalreadyincliningtobecomeanewColonialrelic。TheAdamseshadbuiltit，movingintoitfromthe"QueenAnne"housetheyhadrenteduntiltheytookthisstepinfashion。Butfifteenyearsisalongtimetostandstillinthemidlandcountry，evenforahouse，andthisonewaslightlymade，thoughtheAdamseshadnotrealizedhowflimsilyuntiltheyhadlivedinitforsometime。
"Solid，compact，andconvenient"weretheinstructionstothearchitect，andhehadmadeitcompactsuccessfully。Alice，pausingatthefootofthestairway，wasatthesametimefairlyinthe"living-room，"fortheonlyseparationbetweenthe"livingroom"andthehallwasademarcationsuggestedtowillingimaginationsbyapairofwoodencolumnspaintedwhite。Thesecolumns，pineunderthepaint，werebruisedandchippedatthebase；oneofthemshowedacrackthatthreatenedtobecomeasplit；the"hard-wood"floorhadbecomeuneven；andinacornerthewallsapparentlyfailedofsolidity，wherethewall-paperhaddeclinedtoaccompanysomestaggeringsoftheplasterbeneathit。
Thefurniturewasingreatpartanaccumulationbegunwiththeweddinggifts；thoughsomeofitwasolder，twolargepatentrocking-chairsandafootstoolhavingbelongedtoMrs。Adams\'smotherinthedaysofhardbrownplushandveneer。Fordecorationtherewerepicturesandvases。Mrs。Adamshadalwaysbeenfondofvases，shesaid，andeveryyearherhusband\'sChristmaspresenttoherwasavaseofonesortoranother——whatevertheclerkshowedhim，markedatabouttwelveorfourteendollars。Thepicturesweresomeofthemetchingsframedingilt:Rheims，Canterbury，schoonersgroupedagainstawharf；
andAlicecouldrememberhow，inherchildhood，herfathersometimespointedoutthewateryreflectionsinthislastasveryfine。Butitwasalongtimesincehehadshowninterestinsuchthings——"orinanythingmuch，"asshethought。
Otherpicturesweretwowater-coloursinbaroqueframes；onebeingtheAmalfimonkonapergolawall，whilethesecondwasayard-widedisplayofirisblossoms，paintedbyAliceherselfatfourteen，asabirthdaygifttohermother。Alice\'sglancepauseduponitnowwithnogreatpride，butshowedmoreapprovalofanenormousphotographoftheColosseum。Thisshethoughtofas"theonlygoodthingintheroom"；itpossessedandbestoweddistinction，shefelt；andshedidnotregrethavingwonherstruggletogetithunginitsconspicuousplaceofhonouroverthemantelpiece。Formerlythatplacehadbeenheldforyearsbyasteel-engraving，anaccuraterepresentationoftheSuspensionBridgeatNiagaraFalls。Itwasalmostaslargeasitssuccessor，the"Colosseum，"andithadbeenpresentedtoMr。
