下载辰思小说免费APP
"Isforme，"hesaid。"Gotdate。"
"Iknowyouhave，butthere\'splentyoftime。"
Hesmiledinbenevolentpity。"YOUknow，doyou？Ifyoumadeanycoffee——don\'tbotherifyoudidn\'t。Getsomedown-town。"Heseemedabouttoriseanddepart；whereuponAlice，bitingherlip，sentapanic-strickenglanceathermother。
ButMrs。Adamsseemednotatalldisturbed；andlaughedagain。
"Why，whatnonsense，Walter!I\'llbringyourcoffeeinafewminutes，butwe\'regoingtohavedessertfirst。"
"Whatsort？"
"Somelovelypeaches。"
"Doe\'want\'nycannedpeaches，"saidthefrankWalter，movingbackhischair。"G\'-night。"
"Walter!Itdoesn\'tbegintillaboutnineo\'clockattheearliest。"
Hepaused，mystified。"Whatdoesn\'t？"
"Thedance。"
"Whatdance？"
"Why，MildredPalmer\'sdance，ofcourse。"
Walterlaughedbriefly。"What\'sthattome？"
"Why，youhaven\'tforgottenit\'sTO-NIGHT，haveyou？"Mrs。Adamscried。"Whataboy!"
"ItoldyouaweekagoIwasn\'tgoingtothatoledance，"hereturned，frowning。"Youheardme。"
"Walter!"sheexclaimed。"OfCOURSEyou\'regoing。Igotyourclothesalloutthisafternoon，andbrushedthemforyou。
They\'lllookverynice，and——"
"Theywon\'tlookniceonME，"heinterrupted。"Gotdatedown-town，Itellyou。"
"Butofcourseyou\'ll——"
"Seehere!"Waltersaid，decisively。"Don\'tgetanywrongideasinyourhead。I\'mjustasliabletogouptothatoledanceatthePalmers\'asIamtoeatacoupleofbarrelsofbrokenglass。"
"But，Walter——"
Walterwasbeginningtobeseriouslyannoyed。"Don\'t\'Walter\'
me!I\'mnos\'cietysnake。Iwouldn\'tjazzwiththatPalmercrowdiftheycoaxedmewithdiamonds。"
"Walter——"
"Didn\'tItellyouit\'snouseto\'Walter\'me？"hedemanded。
"Mydearchild——"
"Oh，Glory!"
AtthisMrs。Adamsabandonedherairofamusement，lookedhurt，andglancedatthedemureMissPerryacrossthetable。"I\'mafraidMissPerrywon\'tthinkyouhaveverygoodmanners，Walter。"
"You\'rerightshewon\'t，"heagreed，grimly。"NotifIhaftohearanymoreaboutmegoin\'to——"
Buthismotherinterruptedhimwithsomeasperity:"ItseemsverystrangethatyoualwaysobjecttogoinganywhereamongOUR
friends，Walter。"
"YOURfriends!"hesaid，and，risingfromhischair，gaveutterancetoanironicallaughstrictlymonosyllabic。"Yourfriends!"herepeated，goingtothedoor。"Oh，yes!Certainly!
Good-NIGHT!"
Andlookingbackoverhisshouldertoofferafinalbriefviewofhisderisiveface，hetookhimselfoutoftheroom。
Alicegasped:"Mama——"
"I\'llstophim!"hermotherresponded，sharply；andhurriedafterthetruant，catchinghimatthefrontdoorwithhishatandraincoaton。
"Walter——"
"Toldyouhadadatedown-town，"hesaid，gruffly，andwouldhaveopenedthedoor，butshecaughthisarmanddetainedhim。
"Walter，pleasecomebackandfinishyourdinner。WhenItakeallthetroubletocookitforyou，Ithinkyoumightatleast——"
"Now，now!"hesaid。"Thatisn\'twhatyou\'reupto。Youdon\'twanttomakemeeat；youwanttomakemelisten。"
"Well，youMUSTlisten!"Sheretainedhergraspuponhisarm，andmadeittighter。"Walter，please!"sheentreated，hervoicebecomingtremulous。"PLEASEdon\'tmakemesomuchtrouble!"
Hedrewbackfromherasfarasherholduponhimpermitted，andlookedathersharply。"Lookhere!"hesaid。"Igetyou，allright!What\'sthematterofAliceGOIN\'tothatpartybyherself？"
"ShejustCAN\'T!"
"Whynot？"
"ItmakesthingstooMEANforher，Walter。Alltheothergirlshavesomebodytodependonaftertheygetthere。"
"Well，whydoesn\'tshehavesomebody？"heasked，testily。
"SomebodybesidesME，Imean!Whyhasn\'tsomebodyaskedhertogo？SheoughttobeTHATpopular，anyhow，Ish\'dthink——sheTRIESenough!"
"Idon\'tunderstandhowyoucanbesohard，"hismotherwailed，huskily。"Youknowwhytheydon\'trunafterherthewaytheydotheothergirlsshegoeswith，Walter。It\'sbecausewe\'repoor，andshehasn\'tgotanybackground。
"\'Background？\'"Walterrepeated。"\'Background？\'Whatkindoftalkisthat？"
"YouWILLgowithherto-night，Walter？"hismotherpleaded，notstoppingtoenlightenhim。"Youdon\'tunderstandhowhardthingsareforherandhowbravesheisaboutthem，oryouCOULDN\'Tbesoselfish!It\'dbemorethanIcanbeartoseeherdisappointedto-night!ShewentclearouttoBelleviewParkthisafternoon，Walter，andspenthoursandhourspickingvioletstowear。YouWILL——"
Walter\'sheartwasnotiron，andtheepisodeofthevioletsmayhavereachedit。"Oh，BLUB!"hesaid，andflunghissofthatviolentlyatthewall。
Hismotherbeamedwithdelight。"THAT\'Sagoodboy，darling!
You\'llneverbesorryyou——"
"Cutitout，"herequested。"IfItakeher，willyoupayforataxi？"
"Oh，Walter!"AndagainMrs。Adamsshoweddistress。"Couldn\'tyou？"
"No，Icouldn\'t；I\'mnotgoin\'tothrowawaymygoodmoneylikethat，andyoucan\'ttellwhattimeo\'nightit\'llbebeforeshe\'swillin\'tocomehome。What\'sthematteryoupayin\'forone？"
"Ihaven\'tanymoney。"
"Well，father——"
Sheshookherheaddolefully。"Igotsomefromhimthismorning，andIcan\'tbotherhimforanymore；itupsetshim。He\'sALWAYS
beensoterriblyclosewithmoney——"
"Iguesshecouldn\'thelpthat，"Walterobserved。"We\'reliabletogotothepoorhousethewayitis。Well，what\'sthematterourwalkin\'tothisrottenparty？"
"Intherain，Walter？"
"Well，it\'sonlyadrizzleandwecantakeastreetcartowithinablockofthehouse。"
Againhismothershookherhead。"Itwouldn\'tdo。"
"Well，darntheluck，allright!"heconsented，explosively。
"I\'llgethersomethingtoridein。Itmeansseventy-fivecents。"
"Why，Walter!"Mrs。Adamscried，muchpleased。"Doyouknowhowtogetacabforthatlittle？Howsplendid!"
"Tain\'tacab，"Walterinformedhercrossly。"It\'satinLizzie，butyoudon\'thaf\'totellherwhatitistillIgetherintoit，doyou？"
Mrs。Adamsagreedthatshedidn\'t。
CHAPTERVI
Alicewasbusywithherselffortwohoursafterdinner；butalittlebeforenineo\'clockshestoodinfrontofherlongmirror，completed，bright-eyedandsolemn。Herhair，exquisitelyarranged，gaveallsheaskedofit；whatartificialitiesincolourshehaduseduponherfacewereonlybitsofemphasisthatmadeherprettinessthemoredistinct；andthedress，notrumpledbyhermother\'scarefulhoursofwork，wasawhitecloudofloveliness。Finallythereweretwotriumphantbouquetsofviolets，eachwiththestemswrappedintin-foilshroudedbyabowofpurplechiffon；andonebouquetsheworeatherwaistandtheothershecarriedinherhand。
MissPerry，calledinbyarapturousmotherforthefreetreatofalookatthisradiance，insistedthatAlicewasavision。
"Purelyandsimplyavision!"shesaid，meaningthatnootherdefinitionwhateverwouldsatisfyher。"Ineversawanybodylookavisionifshedon\'tlookoneto-night，"theadmiringnursedeclared。"Herpapa\'llthinkthesameIdoaboutit。Youseeifhedoesn\'tsayshe\'spurelyandsimplyavision。"
AdamsdidnotfulfilthepredictionquiteliterallywhenAlicepaidabriefvisittohisroomto"show"himandbidhimgood-night；buthechuckledfeebly。"Well，well，well!"hesaid。
"Youlookmightyfine——MIGHTYfine!"Andhewaggledabonyfingerathertwobouquets。"Why，Alice，who\'syourbeau？"
"Neveryoumind!"shelaughed，archlybrushinghisnosewiththevioletsinherhand。"Hetreatsmeprettywell，doesn\'the？"
"Mustliketothrowhismoneyaround!Thesevioletssmellmightysweet，andtheyoughtto，ifthey\'regoingtoapartywithYOU。
Haveagoodtime，dearie。"
"Imeanto!"shecried；andsherepeatedthisgaily，butwithanemphasisexpressingsharpdeterminationasshelefthim。"IMEAN
to!"
"Whatwashetalkingabout？"hermotherinquired，smoothingtheratherwornandoldeveningwrapshehadplacedonAlice\'sbed。
"Whatwereyoutellinghimyou\'meanto？\'"
Alicewentbacktohertriplemirrorforthelasttime，thenstoodbeforethelongone。"ThatImeantohaveagoodtimeto-night，"shesaid；andassheturnedfromherreflectiontothewrapMrs。Adamsheldupforher，"ItlooksasthoughICOULD，don\'tyouthinkso？"
"You\'lljustbeaqueento-night，"hermotherwhisperedinfondemotion。"Youmustn\'tdoubtyourself。"
"Well，there\'sonething，"saidAlice。"IthinkIdolookniceenoughtogetalongwithouthavingtodancewiththatFrankDowling!AllIaskisforittohappenjustonce；andifhecomesnearmeto-nightI\'mgoingtotreathimthewaytheothergirlsdo。DoyousupposeWalter\'sgotthetaxioutinfront？"
"He——he\'swaitingdowninthehall，"Mrs。Adamsanswered，nervously；andsheheldupanothergarmenttogooverthewrap。
Alicefrownedatit。"What\'sthat，mama？"
"It\'s——it\'syourfather\'sraincoat。Ithoughtyou\'dputitonover——"
"ButIwon\'tneeditinataxicab。"
"Youwilltogetinandout，andyouneedn\'ttakeitintothePalmers\'。Youcanleaveitinthe——inthe——It\'sdrizzling，andyou\'llneedit。"
"Oh，well，"Aliceconsented；andafewminuteslater，aswithWalter\'sassistancesheclimbedintothevehiclehehadprovided，shebetterunderstoodhermother\'ssolicitude。
"WhatonearthISthis，Walter？"sheasked。
"Nevermind；it\'llkeepyoudryenoughwiththetopup，"hereturned，takinghisseatbesideher。Thenforatime，astheywentratherjerkilyupthestreet，shewassilent；butfinallysherepeatedherquestion:"WhatISit，Walter？"
"What\'swhat？"
"This——thisCAR？"
"It\'saottomobile。"
"Imean——whatkindisit？"
"Haven\'tyougoteyes？"
"It\'stoodark。"
"It\'sasecond-handtinLizzie，"saidWalter。"D\'youknowwhatthatmeans？Itmeansaflivver。"
"Yes，Walter。"
"Got\'ny\'bjections？"
"Why，no，dear，"shesaid，placatively。"Isityours，Walter？
Haveyouboughtit？"
"Me？"helaughed。"_I_couldn\'tbuyausedwheelbarrow。IrentthissometimeswhenI\'mgoin\'outamong\'em。Costsmeseventy-fivecentsandthepriceo\'thegas。"
"Thatseemsverymoderate。"
"Iguessitis!Thefellerowesmesomemoney，andthisistheonlywayI\'devergetitoffhim。"
"Isheagarage-keeper？"
"Notexactly!"Walterutteredhuskysoundsofamusement。"You\'llbejustashappy，Iguess，ifyoudon\'tknowwhoheis，"hesaid。
Histonemisgaveher；andshesaidtruthfullythatshewascontentnottoknowwhoownedthecar。"Ijokesometimesabouthowyoukeepthingstoyourself，"sheadded，"butIreallyneverdopryinyouraffairs，Walter。"
"Oh，no，youdon\'t!"
"Indeed，Idon\'t。"
"Yes，you\'remightyniceandcooingwhenyougotmewhereyouwantme，"hejeered。"Well，_I_justassoontellyouwhereI
getthiscar。"
"I\'djustassoonyouwouldn\'t，Walter，"shesaid，hurriedly。
"Pleasedon\'t。"
ButWaltermeanttotellher。"Why，there\'snothin\'exactlyCRIMINALaboutit，"hesaid。"ItbelongstooldJ。A。Lambhimself。Hekeepsitfortheircoonchauffeur。Irentitfromhim。"
"FromMr。LAMB？"
"No；fromthecoonchauffeur。"
"Walter!"shegasped。
"SureIdo!Icangetitanynightwhenthecoonisn\'tgoin\'touseithimself。He\'sdrivin\'theirlimousineto-night——thatlittleHenriettaLamb\'sgoin\'totheparty，nomatterifherfatherHASonlybeendeadless\'nayear!"Hepaused，theninquired:"Well，howd\'youlikeit？"
Shedidnotspeak，andhebegantoberemorsefulforhavingimpartedsomuchinformation，thoughhiswayofexpressingregretwashisown。"Well，youWILLmakethefolksmakemetakeyoutoparties!"hesaid。"IgottodoitthebestwayICAN，don\'tI？"
Thenasshemadenoresponse，"Oh，thecar\'sCLEANenough，"hesaid。"Thiscoon，he\'sasparticularasanywhiteman；youneedn\'tworryaboutthat。"Andasshestillsaidnothing，headdedgruffly，"I\'dofhadabettercarifIcouldaffordedit。
Youneedn\'tgetsoupsetaboutit。"
"Idon\'tunderstand——"shesaidinalowvoice——"Idon\'tunderstandhowyouknowsuchpeople。"
"Suchpeopleaswho？"
"As——colouredchauffeurs。"
"Oh，lookhere，now!"heprotested，loudly。"Don\'tyouknowthisisademocraticcountry？"
"Notquitethatdemocratic，isit，Walter？"
"Thetroublewithyou，"heretorted，"youdon\'tknowthere\'sanybodyintownexceptjustthissilk-shirtcrowd。"Hepaused，seemingtoawaitarefutation；butasnonecame，heexpressedhimselfdefinitely:"Theymakemesick。"
Theywerecomingneartheirdestination，andtheglowofthebig，brightlylightedhousewasseenbeforetheminthewetnight。
Othercars，notliketheirs，wereapproachingthiscenterofbrilliance；longtrianglesoflightnearthegroundsweptthroughthefinedrizzle；smallredtail-lightsgleamedagainfromthemoistpavementofthestreet；and，throughthemyriadsoflittleglisteningleavesalongthecurvingdriveway，glimpseswerecaughtoflivelycoloursmovinginawhiteglareasthelimousinesreleasedtheiroccupantsundertheshelteroftheporte-cochere。
AliceclutchedWalter\'sarminapanic；theywerejustatthedrivewayentrance。"Walter，wemustn\'tgointhere。"
"What\'sthematter？"
"Leavethisawfulcaroutside。"
"Why，I——"
"Stop!"sheinsisted，vehemently。"You\'vegotto!Goback!"
"Oh，Glory!"
Thelittlecarwasbetweentheentranceposts；butWalterbackeditout，avoidingacollisionwithanimpressivemachinewhichswervedawayfromthemandpassedontowardtheporte-cochere，showingaman\'sfacegrinningatthewindowasitwentby。
"Flivverrunaboutgotthewrongnumber!"hesaid。
"DidheSEEus？"Alicecried。
"Didwhoseeus？"
"HarveyMalone——inthatforeigncoupe。"
"No；hecouldn\'ttellwhowewereunderthistop，"Walterassuredherashebroughtthelittlecartoastandstillbesidethecurbstone，outinthestreet。"What\'sitmatterifhedid，thebigfish？"
Alicerespondedwithaloudsigh，andsatstill。
"Well，wanttogoonback？"Walterinquired。"YoubetI\'mwilling!"
"No。"
"Well，then，what\'sthematterourdrivin\'onuptotheporte-cochere？There\'sroomformetoparkjusttheothersideofit。"
"No，NO!"
"Whatyouexpecttodo？SitHEREallnight？"
"No，leavethecarhere。"
"_I_don\'tcarewhereweleaveit，"hesaid。"SitstilltillI
lockher，sononeo\'thesemillionairesaroundhere\'llrunoffwithher。"Hegotoutwithapadlockandchain；and，havingputtheseinplace，offeredAlicehishand。"Comeon，ifyou\'reready。"
"Wait，"shesaid，and，divestingherselfoftheraincoat，handedittoWalter。"Pleaseleavethiswithyourthingsinthemen\'sdressing-room，asifitwereanextraoneofyourown，Walter。"
Henodded；shejumpedout；andtheyscurriedthroughthedrizzle。
Astheyreachedtheporte-cochereshebegantolaughairily，andspoketotheimpassivemaninliverywhostoodthere。"Jokeonus!"shesaid，hurryingbyhimtowardthedoorofthehouse。
"Ourcarbrokedownoutsidethegate。"
Themanremainedimpassive，thoughherespondedwithafaintgleamasWalter，lookingbackathim，producedforhisbenefitacynicaldistortionofcountenancewhichofferedlittleconfirmationofAlice\'saccountofthings。Thenthedoorwasswiftlyopenedtothebrotherandsister；andtheycameintoamarble-flooredhall，whereadozensleekedyoungmenlounged，smokedcigarettesandfastenedtheirgloves，astheywaitedfortheirladies。Alicenoddedtooneoranotherofthese，andwentquicklyon，herfaceupliftedandsmiling；butWalterdetainedheratthedoortowhichshehastened。
"Listenhere，"hesaid。"Isupposeyouwantmetodancethefirstdancewithyou——"
"Ifyouplease，Walter，"shesaid，meekly。
"Howlongyougoin\'tohangaroundfixin\'upinthatdressin\'-room？"
"I\'llbeoutbeforeyou\'rereadyyourself，"shepromisedhim；andkeptherword，shewassoeagerforhergoodtimetobegin。Whenhecameforher，theywentdownthehalltoacorridoropeninguponthreegreatroomswhichhadbeenthrownopentogether，withthefurnitureremovedandthebroadfloorswaxed。Atoneendofthecorridormusicianssatinagreengrove，andWalter，withsomeinterest，turnedtowardthese；buthissister，pressinghisarm，impelledhimintheoppositedirection。
"What\'sthematternow？"heasked。"That\'sJazzLouieandhishalf-breedbunch——threewhiteandfourmulatto。Let\'s——？"
"No，no，"shewhispered。"WemustspeaktoMildredandMr。andMrs。Palmer。"
"\'Speak\'to\'em？Ihaven\'tgotathingtosaytoTHOSEberries!"
"Walter，won\'tyouPLEASEbehave？"
Heseemedtoconsent，forthemoment，atleast，andsufferedhertotakehimdownthecorridortowardafloralbowerwherethehostessstoodwithherfatherandmother。Othercouplesandgroupsweremovinginthesamedirection，carryingwiththemahubbuboflaughterandfragmentarychatterings；andAlice，smilingallthetime，greetedpeopleoneverysideofhereagerly——alittlemoreeagerlythanmostofthemresponded——whileWalternoddedinanoncommittalmannertooneortwo，saidnothing，andyawnedaudibly，thelastresourceofapersonwhofindshimselfnervousinafalsesituation。Herepeatedhisyawnandwasbeginninganotherwhenaconvulsivepressureuponhisarmmadehimunderstandthathemustabandonthismethodofreassuringhimself。Theywerecloseuponthefloralbower。
Mildredwasgivingherhandtooneandanotherofherguestsasrapidlyasshecould，passingthemontoherfatherandmother，andatthesametimeresistingtheeffortsofthreeorfourdetachedbachelorswhobesoughthertogiveoverherdutyinfavourofthedance-musicjustbeginningtoblare。
Shewasalarge，fairgirl，withakindnessofeyesomewhatwithheldbyanexpressionoffastidiousness；atfirstsightofheritwasclearthatshewouldneverinherlifedoanything"incorrect，"orwearanything"incorrect。"Buthercorrectnesswasofthefinersort，andhadnoairofbeingstudiedorachieved；conductwouldneverofferheraproblemtobesettledfromabookofrules，fortherulesweresodeepwithinherthatshewasunconsciousofthem。AndbehindthisperfectiontherewasanevenamplerperfectionofwhatMrs。Adamscalled"background。"Thebig，rich，simplehousewaspartofit，andMildred\'sfatherandmotherwerepartofit。Theystoodbesideher，large，serenepeople，murmuringgraciouslyandgentlyincliningtheirhandsomeheadsastheygavetheirhandstotheguests；andeventheyoungestandmostebullientofthesetookonahushedmannerlinesswithacloserapproachtothebower。
WhentheopportunitycameforAliceandWaltertopasswithinthisprecinct，Alice，goingfirst，leanedforwardandwhisperedinMildred\'sear。"YouDIDN\'Twearthemaizegeorgette!That\'swhatIthoughtyouweregoingto。ButyoulooksimplyDARLING!
Andthosepearls——"
Otherswerecrowdingdecorouslyforward，anxioustobedonewithceremonyandgettothedancing；andMildreddidnotprolongtheintimacyofAlice\'senthusiasticwhispering。Withafaintaccessionofcolourandasmiletendingsomewhatinthedirectionofrigidity，shecarriedAlice\'shandimmediatelyonwardtoMrs。
Palmer\'s。Alice\'sowncolourshowedalittleheighteningassheacceptedthesuggestionthusimplied；norwasthatemotionaltintinanywisedecreased，amomentlater，byanimpressionthatWalter，inconcludingthebriefexchangeofcourtesiesbetweenhimselfandthestatelyMr。Palmer，hadagainreassuredhimselfwithayawn。
ButshedidnotspeakofittoWalter；shepreferrednottoconfirmtheimpressionandtoleaveinhermindapossibledoubtthathehaddoneit。Hefollowedheroutuponthewaxedfloor，saidresignedly:"Well，comeon，"puthisarmabouther，andtheybegantodance。
Alicedancedgracefullyandwell，butnotsowellasWalter。Ofallthestepsandruns，ofallthewhimsicalturnsandtwirlings，ofalltherhythmicswayingsanddipscommandedthatseasonbysuchblaringsaswerethebarbaricproduct，loudandwild，oftheJazzLouiesandtheirhalf-breedbunches，thethinandsallowyouthwasamaster。Uponhisfacecouldbeseencontemptoftheeasymarvelsheperformedashemovedinswiftprecisionfromonesmoothagilitytoanother；andifsometoo-daintyorjealouscavaliercomplainedthattobesomuchastylistindancingwas"notquitelikeagentleman，"atleastWalter\'sstylewaswhatthemusiccalledfor。Nootherdancerintheroomcouldbethoughtcomparabletohim。Alicetoldhimso。
"It\'swonderful!"shesaid。"Andthemysteryis，whereyoueverlearnedtoDOit!Youneverwenttodancing-school，butthereisn\'tamanintheroomwhocandancehalfsowell。Idon\'tseewhy，whenyoudancelikethis，youalwaysmakesuchafussaboutcomingtoparties。"
Hesoundedhisbrieflaugh，ajeeringbarkoutofonesideofthemouth，andswunghermiraculouslythroughaclosingspacebetweentwoothercouples。"Youknowalotaboutwhatgoeson，don\'tyou？Youprob\'lythinkthere\'snootherplacetodanceinthistownexceptthesefrozen-facejoints。"
"\'Frozenface？\'"sheechoed，laughing。"Why，everybody\'shavingasplendidtime。Lookatthem。"
"Oh，theyhollerloudenough，"hesaid。"Theydoittomakeeachotherthinkthey\'rehavin\'agoodtime。Youdon\'tcallthatPalmerfamilyfrozen-faceberries，Is\'pose。No？"
"Certainlynot。They\'rejustdignifiedand——"
"Yeuh!"saidWalter。"They\'redignified，\'speciallywhenyoutriedtowhispertoMildredtoshowhowINwithheryouwere，andshemovedyouonthatway。SHE\'Sahotfriend，isn\'tshe!"
"Shedidn\'tmeananythingbyit。She——"
"OlePalmer\'sahearty，slapyou-on-the-backoleberry，"Walterinterrupted；addinginacasualtone，"AllI\'dlike，I\'dliketohithim。"
"Walter!Bytheway，youmustn\'tforgettoaskMildredforadancebeforetheeveningisover。"
"Me？"Heproducedthelop-sidedappearanceofhislaugh，butwithoutmakingitvocal。"Youwatchmedoit!"
"Sheprobablywon\'thaveoneleft，butyoumustaskher，anyway。"
"WhymustI？"
"Because，inthefirstplace，you\'resupposedto，and，inthesecondplace，she\'smymostintimatefriend。"
"Yeuh？Isshe？I\'veheardyoupullthat\'most-intimate-friend\'
stuffoftenenoughabouther。What\'sSHEeverdotoshowsheis？"
"Nevermind。Youreallymustaskher，Walter。Iwantyouto；
andIwantyoutoaskseveralothergirlsafterwhile；I\'lltellyouwho。"
"Keeponwanting；it\'lldoyougood。"
"Oh，butyoureally——"
"Listen!"hesaid。"I\'mjustasliabletodancewithanyofthesefairiesasIamtobuyabucketo\'rustytacksandeat\'em。
Forgetit!SoonasIgetridofyouI\'mgoin\'backtothatroomwhereIleftmyhatandovercoatandsmokemyselftodeath。"
"Well，"shesaid，alittleruefully，asthefrenzyofJazzLouieandhishalf-breedswassuddenlyabatedtosilence，"youmustn\'t——youmustn\'tgetridofmeTOOsoon，Walter。"
Theystoodnearoneofthewidedoorways，remainingwheretheyhadstopped。Othercouples，everywhere，joinedoneanother，formingvivaciousclusters，butnoneofthesegroupsadoptedthebrotherandsister，nordidanyoneappeartobehurryinginAlice\'sdirectiontoaskherforthenextdance。Shelookedabouther，stillmaintainingthatjubilanceoflookandmannershefeltsonecessary——foritistothegirlswhoare"havingagoodtime"thatpartnersareattracted——and，inordertolendgreatercolourtoherimpersonationofalivelybelle，shebegantochatterloudly，bringingintoplayanaccompanimentoffrolicsomegesture。ShebrushedWalter\'snosesaucilywiththebunchofvioletsinherhand，tappedhimontheshoulder，shookherprettyforefingerinhisface，flourishedherarms，kepthershouldersmoving，andlaughedcontinuouslyasshespoke。
"YouNAUGHTYoldWalter!"shecried。"AREN\'Tyouashamedtobesuchawonderfuldancerandthenonlydancewithyourownlittlesister!Youcoulddanceonthestageifyouwantedto。Why，youcouldmadeyourFORTUNEthatway!Whydon\'tyou？Wouldn\'titbejustlovelytohavealltherowsandrowsofpeopleclappingtheirhandsandshouting，\'Hurrah!Hurrah，forWalterAdams!
Hurrah!Hurrah!Hurrah!"
Hestoodlookingatherinstolidpity。
"Cutitout，"hesaid。"Youbetterbegivin\'someoftheseberriestheeyesothey\'llaskyoutodance。"
Shewasnottobesoeasilychecked，andlaughedloudly，flourishinghervioletsinhisfaceagain。"YouWOULDlikeit；
youknowyouwould；youneedn\'tpretend!Justthink!Awholebigaudienceshouting，\'Hurrah!HURRAH!HUR——\'"
"Theplace\'llbepulledifyougetanynoisier，"heinterrupted，notungently。"Besides，I\'mnomuleycow。"
"A\'COW？\'"shelaughed。"Whatonearth——"
"Ican\'teatdeadviolets，"heexplained。"Sodon\'tkeeptryin\'
tomakemedoit。"
Thishadtheeffecthedesired，andsubduedher；sheabandonedherunsisterlycoquetries，andlookedbeaminglyabouther，buthersmilewasmoremechanicalthanithadbeenatfirst。
Athomeshehadseemedbeautiful；buthere，wheretheothergirlscompeted，thingswerenotastheyhadbeenthere，withonlyhermotherandMissPerrytogivecontrast。Thesecrowdsofothergirlshadalldonetheirbest，also，tolookbeautiful，thoughnotoneofthemhadworkedsohardforsuchaconsummationasAlicehad。Theydidnotneedto；theydidnotneedtogettheirmotherstomakeolddressesover；theydidnotneedtohuntvioletsintherain。
