第7章

ThefineoldgentlemanrevealedwhensheopenedthedoorwasprobablythelastgreatmerchantinAmericatowearthechinbeard。Whiteaswhitefrost，itwastrimmedshortwithexquisiteprecision，whilehisupperlipandthelowerexpansesofhischeekswerecleanandrosyfromfreshshaving。Withthistrimwhitechinbeard，thewhitewaistcoat，thewhitetie，thesuitoffinegraycloth，thebroadandbrilliantlypolishedblackshoes，andthewide-brimmedgrayfelthat，herewasamanwhohadfoundhisstyleintheseventiesofthelastcentury，andthenceforthkeptit。Filesofoldmagazinesofthatperiodmightshowhim，inwoodcut，as，"TypeofBostonMerchant"；Nastmighthavedrawnhimasanhoneststatesman。Hewaseighty，haleandsturdy，notaged；andhisquickblueeyes，stillunflecked，andasbriskasaboy\'s，saweverything。

"Well，well，well!"hesaid，heartily。"Youhaven\'tlostanyofyourgoodlookssincelastweek，Isee，MissAlice，soIguessI\'mtotakeityouhaven\'tbeenworryingoveryourdaddy。Theyoungfeller\'sgettingalongallright，ishe？"

"He\'smuchbetter；he\'ssittingup，Mr。Lamb。Won\'tyoucomein？"

"Well，Idon\'tknowbutImight。"Heturnedtocalltowardtwindisksoflightatthecurb，"Beoutinaminute，Billy"；andthesilhouetteofachauffeurstandingbesideacarcouldbeseentosaluteinresponse，astheoldgentlemansteppedintothehall。

"Youdon\'tsupposeyourdaddy\'sreceivingcallersyet，ishe？"

"He\'sagooddealstrongerthanhewaswhenyouwereherelastweek，butI\'mafraidhe\'snotverypresentable，though。"

"\'Presentable？\'"Theoldmanechoedherjovially。"Pshaw!I\'veseenlotsofsickfolks。_I_knowwhattheylooklikeandhowtheylovetokindofnestinamongapileofoldblanketsandwrappers。Don\'tyouworryaboutTHAT，MissAlice，ifyouthinkhe\'dliketoseeme。"

"Ofcoursehewould——if——"Alicehesitated；thensaidquickly，"

Ofcoursehe\'dlovetoseeyouandhe\'squiteableto，ifyoucaretocomeup。"

Sheranupthestairsaheadofhim，andhadtimetosnatchthecrochetedwrapfromherfather\'sshoulders。Swathedasusual，hewassittingbesideatable，readingtheeveningpaper；butwhenhisemployerappearedinthedoorwayhehalfroseasiftocomeforwardingreeting。

"Sitstill!"theoldgentlemanshouted。"Whatdoyoumean？

Don\'tyouknowyou\'reweakasacat？D\'youthinkamancanbesickaslongasyouhaveandNOTbeweakasacat？WhatyoutryingtodothepolitewithMEfor？"

Adamsgratefullyprotractedthehandshakethataccompaniedtheseinquiries。"Thisiscertainlymightyfineofyou，Mr。Lamb，"hesaid。"IguessAlicehastoldyouhowmuchourwholefamilyappreciateyourcomingheresoregularlytoseehowthisoldbago\'boneswasgettingalong。Haven\'tyou，Alice？"

"Yes，papa，"shesaid；andturnedtogoout，butLambcheckedher。

"Stayrighthere，MissAlice；I\'mnotevengoingtositdown。I

knowhowitupsetssickfolkswhenpeopleoutsidethefamilycomeinforthefirsttime。"

"Youdon\'tupsetme，"Adamssaid。"I\'llfeelalotbetterforgettingaglimpseofyou，Mr。Lamb。"

Thevisitor\'slaughwashusky，butheartyandre-assuring，likehisvoiceinspeaking。"That\'sthewayallmyboysblarneyme，MissAlice，"hesaid。"TheythinkI\'llmaketheworklighteron\'emiftheycangetmekindofflatteredup。Youjusttellyourdaddyit\'snouse；hedoesn\'tgetonMYsoftside，pretendinghelikestoseemeevenwhenhe\'ssick。"

"Oh，I\'mnotsosickanymore，"Adamssaid。"Iexpecttobebackinmyplacetendaysfromnowatthelongest。"

"Well，now，don\'thurryit，Virgil；don\'thurryit。Youtakeyourtime；takeyourtime。"

ThisbroughttoAdams\'slipsafeeblesmilenotlackinginakindofvanity，asfeeble。"Why？"heasked。"Isupposeyouthinkmydepartmentrunsitselfdownthere，doyou？"

Hisemployer\'sresponsewasanotherhuskylaugh。"Well，well，well!"hecried，andpattedAdams\'sshoulderwithastrongpinkhand。"Listentothisyoungfeller，MissAlice，willyou!Hethinkswecan\'tgetalongwithouthimaminute!Yes，sir，thisdaddyofyoursbelievesthewholeworks\'lljusttakeandrundownifheisn\'ttheretokeep\'emwoundup。Ialwayssuspectedhethoughtagooddealofhimself，andnowIknowhedoes!"

Adamslookedtroubled。"Well，Idon\'tliketofeelthatmysalary\'sgoingonwithmenotearningit。"

"Listentohim，MissAlice!Wouldn\'tyouthink，now，he\'dletmebetheonetoworryaboutthat？Why，onmyword。ifyourdaddyhadhisway，_I_wouldn\'tbeanywhere。He\'dtakeallmyworryingandeverythingelseoffmyshouldersandshovemerightoutofLambandCompany!Hewould!"

"ItseemstomeI\'vebeensoldieringonyouaprettylongwhile，Mr。Lamb，"theconvalescentsaid，querulously。"Idon\'tfeelrightaboutit；butI\'llbebackintendays。You\'llsee。"

Theoldmantookhishandinparting。"Allright；we\'llsee，Virgil。Ofcoursewedoneedyou，seriouslyspeaking；butwedon\'tneedyousobadwe\'llletyoucomedowntherebeforeyou\'refullyfitandable。"Hewenttothedoor。"Youhear，MissAlice？That\'swhatIwantedtomaketheoldfellerunderstand，andwhatIwantyoutokindofenforceonhim。Theoldplaceistherewaitingforhim，andit\'dwaittenyearsifittookhimthatlongtogetgoodandwell。Youseethatheremembersit，MissAlice!"

Shewentdownthestairswithhim，andhecontinuedtoimpressthisuponheruntilhehadgoneoutofthefrontdoor。Andevenafterthat，thehuskyvoicecalledbackfromthedarkness，ashewenttohiscar，"Don\'tforget，MissAlice；lethimtakehisowntime。Wealwayswanthim，butwewanthimtogetgoodandwellfirst。Good-night，good-night，younglady!"

Whensheclosedthedoorhermothercamefromthefartherendofthe"living-room，"wheretherewasnolight；andAliceturnedtoher。

"Ican\'thelplikingthatoldman，mama，"shesaid。"Healwayssoundsso——well，sosolidandhonestandfriendly!Idolikehim。"

ButMrs。Adamsfailedinsympathyuponthispoint。"Hedidn\'tsayanythingaboutraisingyourfather\'ssalary，didhe？"sheasked，dryly。

"No。"

"No。Ithoughtnot。"

Shewouldhavesaidmore，butAlice，indisposedtolisten，begantowhistle，ranupthestairs，andwenttositwithherfather。

Shefoundhimbright-eyedwiththeexcitementafirstcallerbringsintoaslowconvalescence:hischeeksshowedactualhintsofcolour；andhewassmilingtremulouslyashefilledandlithispipe。Shebroughtthecrochetedscarfandputitabouthisshouldersagain，thentookachairnearhim。

"IbelieveseeingMr。Lambdiddoyougood。papa，"shesaid。

"Isortofthoughtitmight，andthat\'swhyIlethimcomeup。

Youreallylookalittlelikeyouroldselfagain。"

Adamsexhaledabreathy"Ha!"withthesmokefromhispipeashewavedthematchtoextinguishit。"That\'sfine，"hesaid。"ThesmokeIhadbeforedinnerdidn\'ttastethewayitusedto，andI

kindofwonderedifI\'dlostmylikingfortobacco，butthisoneseemstobeallright。YoubetitdidmegoodtoseeJ。A。

Lamb!He\'sthebiggestmanthat\'severlivedinthistownoreverwilllivehere；andyoucantakealltheGovernorsandSenatorsoranythingthey\'veraisedhere，andput\'eminapotwithhim，andtheywon\'tcomeoutone-two-threealongsideo\'him!

Andtothinkasbigamanasthat，withallhisinterestsandeverythinghe\'sgotonhismind——tothinkhe\'dneverletanythingpreventhimfromcominghereonceeveryweektoaskhowIwasgettingalong，andthenwalkrightupstairsandkindofCALLonme，asitwerewell，itmakesmesortoffeelasifIwasn\'tsomuchofanobody，sotospeak，asyourmotherseemstoliketomakeoutsometimes。"

"Howfoolish，papa!OfCOURSEyou\'renot\'anobody。\'"

Adamschuckledfaintlyuponhispipe-stem，whatvanityhehadseemingtobefurtherstimulatedbyhisdaughter\'sapplause。"I

guesstherearen\'tawholelotofpeopleinthistownthatcouldclaimJ。A。showedthatmuchinterestin\'em，"hesaid。"OfcourseIdon\'tsetuptobelieveit\'sallbecauseofmerit，oranythinglikethat。He\'ddothesameforanybodyelsethat\'dbeenwiththecompanyaslongasIhave，butstillitIS

somethingtobewiththecompanythatlongandhavehimshowheappreciatesit。"

"Yes，indeed，itis，papa。"

"Yes，sir，"Adamssaid，reflectively。"Yes，sir，Iguessthat\'sso。Andbesides，itallgoestoshowthekindofamanheis。

Simonpure，that\'swhatthatmanis，Alice。Simonpure!There\'sneverbeenanybodyworkforhimthatdidn\'trespecthimmorethantheydidanyothermanintheworld，Iguess。Andwhenyouworkforhimyouknowherespectsyou，too。RightfromthestartyougetthefeelingthatJ。A。putsabsoluteconfidenceinyou；andthat\'smightystimulating:itmakesyouwanttoshowhimhehasn\'tmisplacedit。There\'sgreatbigmoralvaluestothewayamanlikehimgetsyoutofeelingaboutyourrelationswiththebusiness:itain\'talljustdollarsandcents——notbyanymeans!"

Hewassilentforatime，thenreturnedwithincreasingenthusiasmtothistheme，andAlicewasgladtoseesomuchrenewaloflifeinhim；hehadnotspokenwithalikecheerfulvigoursincebeforehisillness。Thevisitofhisidolizedgreatmanhadindeedbeengoodforhim，puttingnewspiritintohim；

andlivelinessofthebodyfollowedthatofthespirit。Hisimprovementcarriedoverthenight:hesleptwellandawokelate，declaringthathewas"prettynearawellmanandreadyforbusinessrightnow。"Moreover，havingsleptagainintheafternoon，hedressedandwentdowntodinner，leaningbutlightlyonAlice，whoconductedhim。

"My!butyouandyourmotherhavebeenatitwithyourscrubbinganddusting!"hesaid，astheycamethroughthe"living-room。"

"Idon\'tknowIeverdidseethehousesospickandspanbefore!"

Hisglancefelluponafewcarnationsinavase，andhechuckledadmiringly。"Flowers，too!SoTHAT\'Swhatyoucoaxedthatdollarandahalfouto\'mefor，thismorning!"

Otherembellishmentsbroughtforthhiscommentwhenhehadtakenhisoldseatattheheadofthesmalldinner-table。"Why，I

declare，Alice!"heexclaimed。"Ibeensobusylookingatallthespick-and-spanishnessafterthehouse-cleaning，andtheflowersoutintheparlour——\'living-room\'Isupposeyouwantmetocallit，ifIjustGOTtobefashionable——Ibeensobusystudyingoverallthisso-and-so，IdeclareInevernoticedYOU

tillthisminute!My，butyouAREalldressedup!What\'sgoin\'

on？What\'sitabout:yousoalldressedup，andflowersintheparlourandeverything？"

"Don\'tyousee，papa？It\'sinhonourofyourcomingdownstairsagain，ofcourse。"

"Oh，sothat\'sit，"hesaid。"Ineverwould\'a\'thoughtofthat，Iguess。"

ButWalterlookedsidelongathisfather，andgaveforthhisslyandknowinglaugh。"NeitherwouldI!"hesaid。

Adamsliftedhiseyebrowsjocosely。"You\'rejealous，areyou，sonny？Youdon\'twanttheoldmantothinkouryounglady\'dmakesomuchfussoverhim，doyou？"

"Goonthinkin\'it\'soveryou，"Walterretorted，amused。"Goonandthinkit。It\'lldoyougood。"

"OfcourseI\'llthinkit，"Adamssaid。"Itisn\'tanybody\'sbirthday。Certainlythedecorationsareonaccountofmecomingdownstairs。Didn\'tyouhearAlicesayso？"

"Sure，Iheardhersayso。"

"Well，then——"

Walterinterruptedhimwithalittlemusic。LookingshrewdlyatAlice，hesang:

"Iwaswalkin\'outonMondaywithmysweetthing。

She\'smyneatthing，Mysweetthing:

I\'llgoroundonTuesdaynighttoseeher。

Oh，howwe\'llspoon——"

"Walter!"hismothercried。"WHEREdoyoulearnsuchvulgarsongs？"However，sheseemednotgreatlydispleasedwithhim，andlaughedasshespoke。

"Sothat\'sit，Alice!"saidAdams。"Playingthehypocritewithyouroldman，areyou？It\'ssomenewbeau，isit？"

"Ionlywishitwere，"shesaid，calmly。"No。It\'sjustwhatI

said:it\'sallforyou。dear。"

"Don\'tletherconyou，"Walteradvisedhisfather。"She\'sgotexpectations。Youhangarounddownstairsawhileafterdinnerandyou\'llsee。"

Buttheprophecyfailed，thoughAdamswenttohisownroomwithoutwaitingtotestit。Noonecame。

Alicestayedinthe"living-room"untilhalf-pastnine，whenshewentslowlyupstairs。Hermother，almosttearful，metheratthetop，andwhispered，"Youmustn\'tmind，dearie。"

"Mustn\'tmindwhat？"Aliceasked，andthen，asshewentonherway，laughedscornfully。"Whatutternonsense!"shesaid。

Nextdayshecutthestemsoftheratherscantshowofcarnationsandrefreshedthemwithnewwater。Atdinner，herfather，stillinhighspirits，observedthatshehadagain"dressedup"inhonourofhisseconddescentofthestairs；andWalterrepeatedhisfragmentofobjectionablesong；butthesejocularitieswererenderedpointlessbytheeventlesseveningthatfollowed；andinthemorningthecarnationsbegantoappeartarnishedandflaccid。

Alicegavethemalonglook，thenthrewthemaway；andneitherWalternorherfatherwasinspiredtoanyrallyingbyherplaincostumeforthatevening。Mrs。Adamswasvisiblydepressed。

WhenAlicefinishedhelpinghermotherwiththedishes，shewentoutdoorsandsatuponthestepsofthelittlefrontveranda。Thenight，gentlewithwarmairfromthesouth，surroundedherpleasantly，andtheperpetualsmokewasthinner。Nowthatthefurnacesofdwelling-houseswerenolongerfired，lifeinthatcityhadbeguntobelesslikelifeinarailwaytunnel；peoplewereawareofsummerintheair，andinthethickenedfoliageoftheshade-trees，andinthesky。Starswereunveiledbythepassingofthedensersmokefogs，andto-nighttheycouldbeseenclearly；theylookedwarmandnear。OthergirlssatuponverandasandstoopsinAlice\'sstreet，cheerfulasyoungfishermenalongthebanksofastream。

Alicecouldhearthemfromtimetotime；thinsopranospersistentinlaughterthatfelldismallyuponherears。Shehadsetnolinesornetsherself，andwhatshehadof"expectations，"asWaltercalledthem，werevanished。ForAlicewasexperienced；

andoneoftheconclusionsshedrewfromherexperiencewasthatwhenamansays，"I\'dtakeyouforanythingyouwantedmeto，"hemaymeanitor，hemaynot；but，ifhedoes，hewillnotpostponethefirstopportunitytosaysomethingmore。Littleaffairs，oncebegun，mustbewarmedquickly；foriftheycooltheyaredead。

ButAlicewasnotthinkingofArthurRussell。Whenshetossedawaythecarnationsshelikewisetossedawayherthoughtsofthatyoungman。Shehadbeenlikeaboywhoseesuponthestreet，somedistancebeforehim，abitofsomethingroundandglittering，apossibledime。Hehopesitisadime，and，untilhecomesnearenoughtomakesure，heplaysthatitisadime。

Inhismindhehasanadventurewithit:hebuyssomethingdelightful。Ifhepicksitup，discoveringonlysometin-foilwhichhashappeneduponaroundshape，hefeelsasinking。A

dulnessfallsuponhim。

SoAlicewasdullwiththelossofanadventure；andwhenthelaughterofothergirlsreachedher，intermittently，shehadnotsprightlinessenoughleftinhertobeenviousoftheirgaiety。

Besides，theseneighbourswereineligibleevenforherenvy，beingofanothercaste；theycouldneverknowadanceatthePalmers\'，exceptremotely，throughanewspaper。Theirlaughterwasfortheencouragementofsnappyyoungmenofthestoresandofficesdown-town，clerks，bookkeepers，whatnot——someofthemprobablygraduatesofFrincke\'sBusinessCollege。

Then，assherecalledthatdarkportal，withitsdustystairwaymountingbetweenclosewallstodisappearintheuppershadows，herminddrewbackasfromadoorwaytoPurgatory。Nevertheless，itwasapictureofteninherreverie；andsometimesitcamesuddenly，withoutsequence，intothemidstofherotherthoughts，asifitleapedupamongthemfromalowerdarkness；andwhenitarriveditwantedtostay。Soatraveller，stillroamingtheworldafar，sometimesbroodswithoutapparentreasonuponhisfamilyburiallot:"IwonderifIshallendthere。"

Theforebodingpassedabruptly，withajerkofherbreath，asthestreet-lamprevealedatallandeasyfigureapproachingfromthenorth，swingingastickintimetoitsstride。ShehadgivenRussellup——andhecame。

"Whatluckforme!"heexclaimed。"Tofindyoualone!"

Alicegavehimherhandforaninstant，nototherwisemoving。

"I\'mgladithappenedso，"shesaid。"Let\'sstayouthere，shallwe？Doyouthinkit\'stooprovincialtositonagirl\'sfrontstepswithher？"

"\'Provincial？\'Why，it\'stheverybestofourinstitutions，"hereturned，takinghisplacebesideher。"Atleast，Ithinksoto-night。"

"Thanks!Isthatpracticeforothernightssomewhereelse？"

"No，"helaughed。"Thepracticingallleduptothis。DidI

cometoosoon？"

"No，"shereplied，gravely。"Justintime!"

"I\'mgladtobesoaccurate；I\'vespenttwoeveningswantingtocome，MissAdams，insteadofdoingwhatIwasdoing。"

"Whatwasthat？"

"Dinners。Largeandlongdinners。Yourfellow-citizensareimmenselyhospitabletoanewcomer。"

"Oh，no，"Alicesaid。"Wedon\'tdoitforeverybody。Didn\'tyoufindyourselfcharmed？"

"Onewasamen\'sdinner，"heexplained。"Mr。PalmerseemedtothinkIoughttobeshowntotheprincipalbusinessmen。"

"Whatwastheotherdinner？"

"MycousinMildredgaveit。"

"Oh，DIDshe!"Alicesaid，sharply，butsherecoveredherselfinthesameinstant，andlaughed。"Shewantedtoshowyoutotheprincipalbusinesswomen，Isuppose。"

"Idon\'tknow。Atallevents，Ishouldn\'tgivemyselfouttobesomuchfetedbyyour\'fellow-citizens，\'afterall，seeingthesewerebothdonebymyrelatives，thePalmers。However，thereareotherstofollow，I\'mafraid。Iwaswondering——Ihopedmaybeyou\'dbecomingtosomeofthem。Aren\'tyou？"

"Iratherdoubtit，"Alicesaid，slowly。"Mildred\'sdancewasalmosttheonlyeveningI\'vegoneoutsincemyfather\'sillnessbegan。Heseemedbetterthatday；soIwent。Hewasbettertheotherdaywhenhewantedthosecigars。He\'sverymuchupanddown。"Shepaused。"I\'dalmostforgottenthatMildredisyourcousin。"

"Notaverynearone，"heexplained。"Mr。Palmer\'sfatherwasmygreat-uncle。"

"Still，ofcourseyouarerelated。"

"Yes；thatdistantly。"

Alicesaidplacidly，"It\'squiteanadvantage。"

Heagreed。"Yes。Itis。"

"No，"shesaid，inthesameplacidtone。"ImeanforMildred。"

"Idon\'tsee——"

Shelaughed。"No。Youwouldn\'t。Imeanit\'sanadvantageovertherestofuswhomightliketocompeteforsomeofyourtime；

andtheworstofitiswecan\'taccuseherofbeingunfairaboutit。Wecan\'tprovesheshowedanytrickinessinhavingyouforacousin。Whateverelseshemightplantodowithyou，shedidn\'tplanthat。Sotherestofusmustjustbearit!"

"The\'restofyou!\'"helaughed。"It\'sgoingtomeanagreatdealofsuffering!"

Aliceresumedherplacidtone。"You\'restayingatthePalmers\'，aren\'tyou？"

"No，notnow。I\'vetakenanapartment。I\'mgoingtolivehere；

I\'mpermanent。Didn\'tItellyou？"

"IthinkI\'dheardsomewherethatyouwere，"shesaid。"Doyouthinkyou\'lllikelivinghere？"

"Howcanonetell？"

"IfIwereinyourplaceIthinkIshouldbeabletotell，Mr。

Russell。"

"How？"

"Why，goodgracious!"shecried。"Haven\'tyougotthemostperfectcreatureintownforyour——yourcousin？SHEexpectstomakeyoulikelivinghere，doesn\'tshe？Howcouldyoukeepfromlikingit，evenifyoutriednotto，underthecircumstances？"

"Well，yousee，there\'ssuchalotofcircumstances，"heexplained；"I\'mnotsureI\'lllikegettingbackintoabusinessagain。Isupposemostofthemenofmyageinthecountryhavebeengoingthroughthesameexperience:theWarleftuswithaconsiderablerestlessnessofspirit。"

"YouwereintheWar？"sheasked，quickly，andasquicklyansweredherself，"Ofcourseyouwere!\'

"Iwasaleft-over；theyonlyletmeoutaboutfourmonthsago，"

hesaid。"It\'squiteashake-uptryingtosettledownagain。"

"YouwereinFrance，then？"

"Oh，yes；butIdidn\'tgetuptothefrontmuch——onlytwoorthreetimes，andthenjustforadayorso。Iwasinthetransportationservice。"

"Youwereanofficer，ofcourse。"

"Yes，"hesaid。"TheyletmeplayIwasamajor。"

"Iguessedamajor，"shesaid。"You\'dalwaysbeprettygrand，ofcourse。"

Russellwasamused。"Well，yousee，"heinformedher，"asithappened，wehadatleastseveralothermajorsinourarmy。WhywouldIalwaysbesomething\'prettygrand？\'"

"You\'rerelatedtothePalmers。Don\'tyounoticetheyalwaysaffecttheprettygrand？"

"ThenyouthinkI\'monlyoneoftheiraffectations，Itakeit。"

"Yes，youseemtobethemostsuccessfulonethey\'vegot!"Alicesaid，lightly。"Youcertainlydobelongtothem。"Andshelaughedasifatsomethinghiddenfromhim。"Don\'tyou？"

"Butyou\'vejustexcusedmeforthat，"heprotested。"Yousaidnobodycouldbeblamedformybeingtheirthirdcousin。Whatacontradictorygirlyouare!"

Aliceshookherhead。"Let\'skeepawayfromthekindofgirlI

am。"

"No，"hesaid。"That\'sjustwhatIcameheretotalkabout。"

Sheshookherheadagain。"Let\'skeepfirsttothekindofmanyouare。I\'mgladyouwereintheWar。"

"Why？"

"Oh，Idon\'tknow。"Shewasquietamoment，forshewasthinkingthathereshespokethetruth:hisserviceputabouthimalittleglamourthathelpedtopleaseherwithhim。Shehadbeenpleasedwithhimduringtheirwalk；pleasedwithhimonhisownaccount；

andnowthatpleasurewasgrowingkeener。Shelookedathim，andthoughthelightinwhichshesawhimwaslittlemorethanstarlight，shesawthathewaslookingsteadilyatherwithakindlyandsmilingseriousness。Allatonceitseemedtoherthatthenightairwassweetertobreathe，asifadistantfragranceofnewblossomshadbeenblowntoher。Shesmiledbacktohim，andsaid，"Well，whatkindofmanareyou？"

"Idon\'tknow；I\'veoftenwondered，"hereplied。"Whatkindofgirlareyou？"

"Don\'tyouremember？Itoldyoutheotherday。I\'mjustme!"

"Butwhoisthat？"

"Youforgeteverything；"saidAlice。"YoutoldmewhatkindofagirlIam。Youseemedtothinkyou\'dtakenquiteafancytomefromtheveryfirst。"

"SoIdid，"heagreed，heartily。

"Buthowquicklyyouforgotit!"

"Oh，no。IonlywantYOUtosaywhatkindofagirlyouare。"

Shemockedhim。"\'Idon\'tknow；I\'veoftenwondered!\'WhatkindofagirldoesMildredtellyouIam？WhathasshesaidaboutmesinceshetoldyouIwas\'aMissAdams？\'"

"Idon\'tknow；Ihaven\'taskedher。"

"ThenDON\'Taskher，"Alicesaid，quickly。

"Why？"

"Becauseshe\'ssuchaperfectcreatureandI\'msuchanimperfectone。Perfectcreatureshavethemostperfectwayofruiningtheimperfectones。"

"Butthentheywouldn\'tbeperfect。Notifthey——"

"Oh，yes，theyremainperfectlyperfect，"sheassuredhim。

"That\'sbecausetheynevergointodetails。They\'renotsovulgarastocomerightoutandTELLthatyou\'vebeeninjailforstealingchickens。Theyjustlookabsent-mindedandsayinalowvoice，\'Oh，very；butIscarcelythinkyou\'dlikeherparticularly\'；andthenbegintotalkofsomethingelserightaway。"

Hissmilehaddisappeared。"Yes，"hesaid，somewhatruefully。

"ThatdoessoundlikeMildred。Youcertainlydoseemtoknowher!Doyouknoweverybodyaswellasthat？"

"Notmyself，"Alicesaid。"Idon\'tknowmyselfatall。Igottowonderingaboutthat——aboutwhoIwas——theotherdayafteryouwalkedhomewithme。"

Heutteredanexclamation，andadded，explainingit，"Youdogiveamanachancetobefatuous，though!Asifitwerewalkinghomewithmethatmadeyouwonderaboutyourself!"

"Itwas，"Aliceinformedhim，coolly。"IwaswonderingwhatI

wantedtomakeyouthinkofme，incaseIshouldeverhappentoseeyouagain。"

Thisaudacityappearedtotakehisbreath。"ByGeorge!"hecried。

"Youmustn\'tbeastonished，"shesaid。"WhatIdecidedthenwasthatIwouldprobablyneverdaretobejustmyselfwithyou——notifIcaredtohaveyouwanttoseemeagain——andyethereIam，justbeingmyselfafterall!"

"YouAREthecheeriestseriesofshocks，"Russellexclaimed，whereuponAliceaddedtotheseries。

"Tellme:Isitagoodpolicyformetofollowwithyou？"sheasked，andhefoundthemockeryinhervoicedelightful。"Wouldyouadvisemetoofferyoushocksasasortofvacationfromsuavity？"

"Suavity"wasyetanothersketchofMildred；arecognizableone，oritwouldnothavebeenhumorous。InAlice\'shands，sodexterousinthiswork，herstatuesquefriendwasbecomingasridiculousasafinefigureofwaxlefttothemerciesofasatirist。

Butthelivelyyoungsculptressknewbetterthantooverdo:whatshedidmustappeartospringallfrommirth；soshelaughedasifunwillingly，andsaid，"IMUSTN\'TlaughatMildred!Inthefirstplace，she\'syour——yourcousin。Andinthesecondplace，she\'snotmeanttobefunny；itisn\'trighttolaughatreallysplendidpeoplewhotakethemselvesseriously。Inthethirdplace，youwon\'tcomeagainifIdo。"

"Don\'tbesureofthat，"Russellsaid，"whateveryoudo。"

"\'WhateverIdo？\'"sheechoed。"ThatsoundsasifyouthoughtI

COULDbeterrific!Becareful；there\'sonethingIcoulddothatwouldkeepyouaway。"

"What\'sthat？"

"Icouldtellyounottocome，"shesaid。"IwonderifIoughtto。"

"Whydoyouwonderifyou\'oughtto？\'"

"Don\'tyouguess？"

"No。"

"Thenlet\'sbothbemysteriestoeachother，"shesuggested。"I

mystifyyoubecauseIwonder，andyoumystifymebecauseyoudon\'tguesswhyIwonder。We\'llletitgoatthat，shallwe？"

"Verywell；solongasit\'scertainthatyouDON\'Ttellmenottocomeagain。"

"I\'llnottellyouthat——yet，"shesaid。"Infact——"Shepaused，reflecting，withherheadtooneside。"Infact，Iwon\'ttellyounottocome，probably，untilIseethat\'swhatyouwantmetotellyou。I\'llletyououteasily——andI\'llbesuretoseeit。Evenbeforeyoudo，perhaps。"

"Thatarrangementsuitsme，"Russellreturned，andhisvoiceheldnotraceofjocularity:hehadbecomeserious。"Itsuitsmebetterifyou\'reenoughinearnesttomeanthatIcancome——oh，notwheneverIwantto；Idon\'texpectsomuch!——butifyoumeanthatIcanseeyouprettyoften。"

"OfcourseI\'minearnest，"shesaid。"ButbeforeIsayyoucancome\'prettyoften，\'I\'dliketoknowhowmuchofmytimeyou\'dneedifyoudidcome\'wheneveryouwantto\'；andofcourseyouwouldn\'tdaremakeanyanswertothatquestionexceptone。

Wouldn\'tyouletmehaveThursdaysout？"

"No，no，"heprotested。"Iwanttoknow。Willyouletmecomeprettyoften？"

"Leantowardmealittle，"Alicesaid。"Iwantyoutounderstand。"Andasheobedientlybenthisheadnearhers，sheinclinedtowardhimasiftowhisper；then，inahalf-shout，shecried，"YES!"

Heclappedhishands。"ByGeorge!"hesaid。"Whatagirlyouare!"

"Why？"

"Well，forthefirstreason，becauseyouhavesuchgaietiesasthatone。Ishouldthinkyourfatherwouldactuallylikebeingill，justtobeinthehousewithyouallthetime。"

"Youmeanbythat，"Aliceinquired，"Ikeepmyfamilycheerfulwithmyamusinglittleways？"

"Yes。Don\'tyou？"

"Therewereonlyboysinyourfamily，weren\'tthere，Mr。

Russell？"

"Iwasanonlychild，unfortunately。"

"Yes，"shesaid。"Iseeyouhadn\'tanysisters。"

Foramomenthepuzzledoverhermeaning，thensawit，andwasmoredelightedwithherthanever。"Icanansweraquestionofyours，now，thatIcouldn\'tawhileago。"

"Yes，Iknow，"shereturned，quietly。

"Buthowcouldyouknow？"

"It\'sthequestionIaskedyouaboutwhetheryouweregoingtolikelivinghere，"shesaid。"You\'reabouttotellmethatnowyouknowyouWILLlikeit。"

"Moretelepathy!"heexclaimed。"Yes，thatwasit，precisely。I

supposethesamething\'sbeensaidtoyousomanytimesthatyou——"

"No，ithasn\'t，"Alicesaid，alittleconfusedforthemoment。

"Notatall。Imeant——"Shepaused，thenaskedinagentlevoice，"Wouldyoureallyliketoknow？"

"Yes。"

"Well，then，Iwasonlyafraidyoudidn\'tmeanit。"

"Seehere，"hesaid。"Ididmeanit。Itoldyouitwasbeingprettydifficultformetosettledowntothingsagain。Well，it\'smoredifficultthanyouknow，butIthinkIcanpullthroughinfairspiritsifIcanseeagirllikeyou\'prettyoften。\'"

"Allright，"shesaid，inabusiness-liketone。"I\'vetoldyouthatyoucanifyouwantto。"

"Idowantto，"heassuredher。"Ido，indeed!"

"Howoftenis\'prettyoften，\'Mr。Russell？"

"Wouldyouwalkwithmesometimes？To-morrow？"

"Sometimes。Notto-morrow。Thedayafter。"

"That\'ssplendid!"hesaid。"You\'llwalkwithmedayafterto-morrow，andthenightafterthatI\'llseeyouatMissLamb\'sdance，won\'tI？"

ButthisfellratherchillinglyuponAlice。"MissLamb\'sdance？

WhichMissLamb？"sheasked。

"Idon\'tknow——it\'stheonethat\'sjustcomingoutofmourning。"

"Oh，Henrietta——yes。Isherdancesosoon？I\'dforgotten。"

"You\'llbethere，won\'tyou？"heasked。"Pleasesayyou\'regoing。"

Alicedidnotrespondatonce，andheurgedheragain:"Pleasedopromiseyou\'llbethere。"

"No，Ican\'tpromiseanything，"shesaid，slowly。"Yousee，foronething，papamightnotbewellenough。"

"Butifheis？"saidRussell。"Ifheisyou\'llsurelycome，won\'tyou？Or，perhaps——"Hehesitated，thenwentonquickly，"Idon\'tknowtherulesinthisplaceyet，anddifferentplaceshavedifferentrules；butdoyouhavetohaveachaperone，ordon\'tgirlsjustgotodanceswiththemensometimes？Iftheydo，wouldyou——wouldyouletmetakeyou？"

Alicewasstartled。"Goodgracious!"

"What\'sthematter？"

"Don\'tyouthinkyourrelatives——Aren\'tyouexpectedtogowithMildred——andMrs。Palmer？"

"Notnecessarily。Itdoesn\'tmatterwhatImightbeexpectedtodo，"hesaid。"Willyougowithme？"

"I——No；Icouldn\'t。"

"Whynot？"

"Ican\'t。I\'mnotgoing。"

"Butwhy？"

"Papa\'snotreallyanybetter，"Alicesaid，huskily。"I\'mtooworriedabouthimtogotoadance。"Hervoicesoundedemotional，genuinelyenough；therewassomethingalmostlikeasobinit。"Let\'stalkofotherthings，please。"

Heacquiescedgently；butMrs。Adams，whohadbeenlisteningtotheconversationattheopenwindow，justoverhead，didnothearhim。ShehadcorrectlyinterpretedthesobinAlice\'svoice，and，tremblingwithsuddenanger，sherosefromherknees，andwentfiercelytoherhusband\'sroom。