第8章

CHAPTERXIII

Hehadnotundressed，andhesatbesidethetable，smokinghispipeandreadinghisnewspaper。Uponhisforeheadthelinesinthatoldpattern，thehistoricalmapofhistroubles，hadgrownalittlevaguerlately；relaxedbythecomplacencyofamanwhonotonlyfindshishealthrestored，butseesthedaysbeforehimpromisingoncemoreafamiliarroutinethathehasalwayslikedtofollow。

Ashiswifecamein，closingthedoorbehindher，helookedupcheerfully，"Well，mother，"hesaid，"what\'sthenewsdownstairs？"

"That\'swhatIcametotellyou，"sheinformedhim，grimly。

Adamsloweredhisnewspapertohiskneeandpeeredoverhisspectaclesather。Shehadremainedbythedoor，standing，andthegreatgreenishshadowofthesmalllamp-shadeuponhistablerevealedherbutdubiously。"Isn\'teverythingallright？"heasked。"What\'sthematter？"

"Don\'tworry:I\'mgoingtotellyou，"shesaid，hergrimnessnotrelaxed。"There\'smatterenough，VirgilAdams。Matterenoughtomakemesickofbeingalive!"

Withthat，themarkingsonhisbrowsbegantoemergeagaininalltheirsharpness；theoldpatternreappeared。"Oh，my，my!"helamented。"Ithoughtmaybewewereallgoingtosettledowntoalittlepeaceforawhile。What\'sitaboutnow？"

"It\'saboutAlice。DidyouthinkitwasaboutMEoranythingforMYSELF？"

Likesomereadyoldmachine，alwaysinorder，hisirritabilityrespondedimmediatelyandautomaticallytoheremotion。"HowinthundercouldIthinkwhatit\'sabout，orwhoit\'sfor？SAYit，andgetitover!"

"Oh，I\'ll\'say\'it，"shepromised，ominously。"WhatI\'vecometoaskyouis，Howmuchlongerdoyouexpectmetoputupwiththatoldmanandhisdoings？"

"Whosedoings？Whatoldman？"

Shecameathim，fiercelyaccusing。"Youknowwellenoughwhatoldman，VirgilAdams!Thatoldmanwhowasheretheothernight。"

"Mr。Lamb？"

"Yes；\'MisterLamb!\'"Shemockedhisvoice。"WhatotheroldmanwouldIbelikelytomeanexceptJ。A。Lamb？"

"What\'shebeendoingnow？"herhusbandinquired，satirically。

"Where\'dyougetsomethingnewagainsthimsincethelasttimeyou——"

"Justthis!"shecried。"Theothernightwhenthatmanwashere，ifI\'dknownhowhewasgoingtomakemychildsuffer，I\'dneverhavelethimsethisfootinmyhouse。"

Adamsleanedbackinhischairasthoughherabsurdityhadeasedhismind。"Oh，Isee，"hesaid。"You\'vejustgoneplaincrazy。

That\'stheonlyexplanationofsuchtalk，anditsuitsthecase。"

"Hasn\'tthatmanmadeusallsuffereverydayofourlives？"shedemanded。"I\'dliketoknowwhyitisthatmylifeandmychildren\'sliveshavetobesacrificedtohim？"

"Howarethey\'sacrificed\'tohim？"

"Becauseyoukeeponworkingforhim!Becauseyoukeeponlettinghimhandoutwhatevermiserablelittlepittancehechoosestogiveyou；that\'swhy!It\'sasifheweresomehorribleoldJuggernautandIhadtoseemychildren\'sownfatherthrowingthemunderthewheelstokeephimsatisfied。"

"Iwon\'thearanymoresuchstuff!"Liftinghispaper，Adamsaffectedtoread。

"You\'dbetterlistentome，"sheadmonishedhim。"Youmightbesorryyoudidn\'t，incaseheevertriedtosetfootinmyhouseagain!ImighttellhimtohisfacewhatIthinkofhim。"

Atthis，Adamsslappedthenewspaperdownuponhisknee。"Oh，thedevil!What\'sitmatterwhatyouthinkofhim？"

"Ithadbettermattertoyou!"shecried。"DoyousupposeI\'mgoingtosubmitforevertohimandhisfamilyandwhatthey\'redoingtomychild？"

"Whatareheandhisfamilydoingto\'yourchild？\'"

Mrs。Adamscameoutwithit。"ThatsnippylittleHenriettaLambhasalwayssnubbedAliceeverytimeshe\'severhadthechance。

She\'sfollowedtheleadoftheothergirls；they\'vealwaysallof\'embeenjealousofAlicebecauseshedaredtotryandbehappy，andbecauseshe\'sshowierandbetter-lookingthantheyare，eventhoughyoudogiveheronlyaboutthirty-fivecentsayeartodoiton!They\'vealldoneeverythingonearththeycouldtodrivetheyoungmenawayfromherandbelittleherto\'em；andthismeanlittleHenriettaLamb\'sbeentheworstofthewholecrowdtoAlice，everytimeshecouldseeachance。"

"Whatfor？"Adamsasked，incredulously。"WhyshouldsheoranybodyelsepickonAlice？"

"\'Why？\'\'Whatfor？\'"hiswiferepeatedwithagreatervehemence。

"DoYOUaskmesuchathingasthat？Doyoureallywanttoknow？"

"Yes；I\'dwanttoknow——IwouldifIbelievedit。"

"ThenI\'lltellyou，"shesaidinacoldfury。"It\'sonaccountofyou，Virgil，andnothingelseintheworld。"

Hehootedather。"Oh，yes!Thesegirlsdon\'tlikeME，sotheypickonAlice。"

"Quityourpalaveringandevading，"shesaid。"Acrowdofgirlslikethat，whentheygetaprettygirllikeAliceamongthem，theyactjustlikewildbeasts。They\'lltearhertopieces，orelsethey\'llchaseherandrunherout，becausetheyknowifshehadhalfachanceshe\'doutshine\'em。Theycan\'tdothattoagirllikeMildredPalmerbecauseshe\'sgotmoneyandfamilytobackher。Nowyoulistentome，VirgilAdams:thewaytheworldisnow，moneyISfamily。Alicewouldhavejustasmuch\'family\'

asanyof\'emeverysinglebit——ifyouhadn\'tfallenbehindintherace。"

"HowdidI——"

"Yes，youdid!"shecried。"Twenty-fiveyearsagowhenwewerestartingandthistownwassmaller，youandIcouldhavegonewithanyof\'emifwe\'dtriedhardenough。Lookatthepeopleweknewthenthatdoholdtheirheadsupalongsideofanybodyinthistown!WHYcanthey？Becausethemenofthosefamiliesmademoneyandgavetheirchildreneverythingthatmakeslifeworthliving!Whycan\'tweholdourheadsup？Becausethosemenpassedyouintherace。Theywentuptheladder，andyou——you\'restillaclerkdownatthatoldhole!"

"Youleavethatout，please，"hesaid。"IthoughtyouweregoingtotellmesomethingHenriettaLambhaddonetoourAlice。"

"YouBETI\'mgoingtotellyou，"sheassuredhim，vehemently。

"ButfirstI\'mtellingWHYshedoesit。It\'sbecauseyou\'venevergivenAliceanybackingnoranybackground，andtheyallknowtheycandoanythingtheyliketoherwithperfectimpunity。

IfshehadthehundredthpartofwhatTHEYhavetofallbackonshe\'dhavemade\'emsingamightydifferentsonglongago!"

"Howwouldshe？"

"Oh，myheavens，butyou\'reslow!"Mrs。Adamsmoaned。"Lookhere!Yourememberhowpracticallyallthenicestboysinthistownusedtocomehereafewyearsago。Why，theywereallcrazyoverher；andthegirlsHADtobenicetoherthen。Lookatthedifferencenow!There\'llbeawholemonthgobyandnotayoungmancometocallonher，letalonesendhercandyorflowers，oreverthinkofTAKINGheranyplaceandyetshe\'sprettierandbrighterthanshewaswhentheyusedtocome。Itisn\'tthechild\'sfaultshecouldn\'thold\'em，isit？Poorthing，SHE

triedhardenough!Isupposeyou\'dsayitwasherfault，though。"

"No；Iwouldn\'t。"

"Thenwhosefaultisit？"

"Oh，mine，mine，"hesaid，wearily。"Idrovetheyoungmenaway，ofcourse。"

"Youmightaswellhavedriven\'em，Virgil。Itamountstojustthesamething。"

"Howdoesit？"

"Becauseastheygotolderagoodmanyof\'embegantothinkmoreaboutmoney；that\'sonething。Money\'satthebottomofitall，forthatmatter。Lookatthesecountryclubsandallsuchthings:theothergirls\'familiesbelongandwedon\'t，andAlicedon\'t；andshecan\'tgounlesssomebodytakesher，andnobodydoesanymore。Lookattheothergirls\'houses，andthenlookatourhouse，soshabbyandold-fashionedshe\'dbeprettynearashamedtoaskanybodytocomeinandsitdownnowadays!Lookatherclothes——oh，yes；youthinkyoushelledoutalotforthatlittlecoatofhersandthehatandskirtshegotlastMarch；butit\'snothing。Someofthesegirlsnowadaysspendmorethanyourwholesalaryontheirclothes。Andwhatjewelleryhasshegot？

Aplatedwatchandtwoorthreelittlepinsandringsofthekindpeople\'smaidswouldn\'twearnow。GoodLord，VirgilAdams，wakeup!Don\'tsitthereandtellmeyoudon\'tknowthingslikethismeanSUFFERINGforthechild!"

Hehadbeguntorubhishandswretchedlybackandforthoverhisbonyknees，asifinthatwayhesomewhatalleviatedthetediumcausedbyherrackingvoice。"Oh，my，my!"hemuttered。"OH，my，my!"

"Yes，IshouldthinkyouWOULDsay\'Oh，my，my!\'"shetookhimup，loudly。"Thatdoesn\'thelpthingsmuch!IfyoueverwantedtoDOanythingaboutit，thepoorchildmightseesomegleamofhopeinherlife。Youdon\'tCAREforher，that\'sthetrouble；

youdon\'tcareasinglethingabouther。"

"Idon\'t？"

"No；youdon\'t。Why，evenwithyourmiserablelittlesalaryyoucouldhavegivenhermorethanyouhave。You\'retheclosestmanIeverknew:it\'slikepullingteethtogetadollaroutofyouforher，nowandthen，andyetyouhidesomeaway，everymonthorso，insomewretchedlittleinvestmentorother。You——"

"Lookhere，now，"heinterrupted，angrily。"Youlookhere!IfI

didn\'tputalittlebywheneverIcould，inabondorsomething，wherewouldyoubeifanythinghappenedtome？Theinsurancedoctorsneverpassedme；YOUknowthat。Haven\'twegottohaveSOMETHINGtofallbackon？"

"Yes，wehave!"shecried。"Weoughttohavesomethingtogoonwithrightnow，too，whenweneedit。DoyousupposethesesnippetswouldtreatAlicethewaytheydoifshecouldaffordtoENTERTAIN？Theyleaveheroutoftheirdinnersanddancessimplybecausetheyknowshecan\'tgiveanydinnersanddancestoleavethemoutof!Theyknowshecan\'tgetEVEN，andthat\'sthewholestory!That\'swhyHenriettaLamb\'sdonethisthingtohernow。"

Adamshadgonebacktohisrubbingofhisknees。"Oh，my，my!"

hesaid。"WHATthing？"

Shetoldhim。"Yourdear，grand，oldMisterLamb\'sHenriettahassentoutinvitationsforalargeparty——aLARGEone。Everybodythatisanybodyinthistownisasked，youcanbesure。There\'saveryfineyoungman，aMr。Russell，hasjustcometotown，andhe\'sinterestedinAlice，andhe\'saskedhertogotothisdancewithhim。Well，Alicecan\'taccept。Shecan\'tgowithhim，thoughshe\'dgiveanythingintheworldtodoit。Doyouunderstand？Thereasonshecan\'tisbecauseHenriettaLambhasn\'tinvitedher。DoyouwanttoknowwhyHenriettahasn\'tinvitedher？It\'sbecausesheknowsAlicecan\'tgeteven，andbecauseshethinksAliceoughttobesnubbedlikethisonaccountofonlybeingthedaughterofoneofhergrandfather\'sclerks。I

HOPEyouunderstand!"

"Oh，my，my!"hesaid。"OH，my，my!"

"That\'syoursweetoldemployer，"hiswifecried，tauntingly。

"That\'syourdear，kind，grandoldMisterLamb!Alicehasbeenleftoutofagoodmanysmallerthings，likebigdinnersandlittledances，butthisisjustthesameasservinghernoticethatshe\'soutofeverything!Andit\'salldonebyyourdear，grandold——"

"Lookhere!"Adamsexclaimed。"Idon\'twanttohearanymoreofthat!Youcan\'tholdhimresponsibleforeverythinghisgrandchildrendo，Iguess!Heprobablydoesn\'tknowathingaboutit。Youdon\'tsupposehe\'stroublingHISheadover——"

Butsheburstoutathimpassionately。"SupposeyoutroubleYOUR

headaboutit!You\'dbetter，VirgilAdams!You\'dbetter，unlessyouwanttoseeyourchildjustdryupintoamiserableoldmaid!

She\'sstillyoungandshehasachanceforhappiness，ifshehadafatherthatdidn\'tbringamillstonetohangaroundherneck，insteadofwhatheoughttogiveher!YoujustwaittillyoudieandGodasksyouwhatyouhadinyourbreastinsteadofaheart!"

"Oh，my，my!"hegroaned。"What\'smyheartgottodowithit？"

"Nothing!Youhaven\'tgotoneoryou\'dgiveherwhatsheneeded。

AmIaskinganythingyouCAN\'Tdo？Youknowbetter；youknowI\'mnot!"

Atthishesatsuddenlyrigid，histroubledhandsceasingtorubhisknees；andhelookedatherfixedly。"Now，tellme，"hesaid，slowly。"JustwhatAREyouasking？"

"Youknow!"shesobbed。

"Youmeanyou\'vebrokenyourwordnevertospeakofTHATtomeagain？"

"Whatdo_I_careformyword？"shecried，and，sinkingtothefloorathisfeet，rockedherselfbackandforththere。"DoyousupposeI\'llletmy\'word\'keepmefromstrugglingforalittlehappinessformychildren？Itwon\'t，Itellyou；itwon\'t!I\'llstruggleforthattillIdie!Iwill，tillIdietillIdie!"

Herubbedhisheadnowinsteadofhisknees，and，shakingallover，hegotupandbeganwithuncertainstepstopacethefloor。

"Hell，hell，hell!"hesaid。"I\'vegottogothroughTHAT

again!"

"Yes，youhave!"shesobbed。"TillIdie。"

"Yes；that\'swhatyoubeenafterallthetimeIwasgettingwell。"

"Yes，Ihave，andI\'llkeepontillIdie!"

"Afinewifeforaman，"hesaid。"Beggin\'amantobeadirtydog!"

"No!TobeaMAN——andI\'llkeepontillIdie!"

Adamsagainfellbackuponhislastsolace:hewalked，halfstaggering，upanddowntheroom，swearinginarhythmicrepetition。

Hiswifehadrepetitionsofherown，andshekeptattheminavoicethatrosetoahigherandhigherpitch，likethesoundofanoldwell-pump。"TillIdie!TillIdie!TillIDIE!"

Sheendedinascream；andAlice，comingupthestairs，thankedheaventhatRussellhadgone。Sherantoherfather\'sdoorandwentin。

Adamslookedather，andgesticulatedshakilyattheconvulsivefigureonthefloor。"Canyougetheroutofhere？"

AlicehelpedMrs。Adamstoherfeet；andthestrickenwomanthrewherarmspassionatelyaboutherdaughter。

"Getherout!"Adamssaid，harshly；thencried，"Wait!"

Alice，movingtowardthedoor，halted，andlookedathimblankly，overhermother\'sshoulder。"Whatisit，papa？"

Hestretchedouthisarmandpointedather。"Shesays——shesaysyouhaveameanlife，Alice。"

"No，papa。"

Mrs。Adamsturnedinherdaughter\'sarms。"Doyouhearherlie？

Couldn\'tyoubeasbraveassheis，Virgil？"

"Areyoulying，Alice？"heasked。"Doyouhaveameantime？"

"No，papa。"

Hecametowardher。"Lookatme!"hesaid。"Thingslikethisdancenow——isthatsohardtobear？"

Alicetriedtosay，"No，papa，"again，butshecouldn\'t。

Suddenlyandinspiteofherselfshebegantocry。

"Doyouhearher？"hiswifesobbed。"Nowdoyou——"

Hewavedatthemfiercely。"Getoutofhere!"hesaid。"Bothofyou!Getoutofhere!"

Astheywent，hedroppedinhischairandbentfarforward，sothathishaggardfacewasconcealedfromthem。Then，asAliceclosedthedoor，hebegantorubhiskneesagain，muttering，"Oh，my，my!OH，my，my!"

CHAPTERXIV

Thereshoneajovialsunoverheadontheappointed"dayafterto-morrow"；adaynotcoolyetofatemperaturefriendlytowalkers；andtheair，powderedwithsunshine，hadsomuchlifeinitthatitseemedtosparkle。ToArthurRussellthiswasadaylikeagaycompanionwhopleasedhimwell；butthegaycompanionathissidepleasedhimevenbetter。Shelookedherprettiest，chatteredherwittiest，smiledherwistfulest，anddelightedhimwithalltogether。

"Youlooksohappyit\'seasytoseeyourfather\'stakenagoodturn，"hetoldher。

"Yes；hehasthisafternoon，atleast，"shesaid。"Imighthaveotherreasonsforlookingcheerful，though。"

"Forinstance？"

"Exactly!"shesaid，givinghimasweetlookjustenoughmockedbyherlaughter。"Forinstance!"

"Well，goon，"hebegged。

"Isn\'titexpected？"sheasked。

"Ofyou，youmean？"

"No，"shereturned。"Foryou，Imean!"

Inthisstyle，whichusesawordforanymeaningthatquicklookandcolourfulgesturecaretoendowitwith，shewasanexpert；

andshecarrieditmerrilyon，leavinghimatliberty(oneofthegreatvaluesofthestyle)tochooseashewouldhowmuchorhowlittleshemeant。Hewascontenttosupplymerecues，foralthoughhehadlittlecoquetryofhisown，hehadlatelybeguntofindthattheonlyinterestingmomentsinhislifewerethoseduringwhichAliceAdamscoquettedwithhim。Happily，theseobligingmomentsextendedthemselvestocoverallthetimehespentwithher。Howeverseriousshemightseem，whateverappearedtobehertopic，allwasthou-and-I。

Heplannedformoreofit，seeingotherwiseadulleveningahead；

andreverted，afterwhile，toaforbiddensubject。"AboutthatdanceatMissLamb\'s——sinceyourfather\'ssomuchbetter——"

Sheflushedalittle。"Now，now!"shechidedhim。"Weagreednottosayanymoreaboutthat。"

"Yes，butsinceheISbetter——"

Aliceshookherhead。"Hewon\'tbebetterto-morrow。Healwayshasabaddayafteragoodoneespeciallyaftersuchagoodoneasthisis。"

"Butifthistimeitshouldbedifferent，"Russellpersisted；

"wouldn\'tyoubewillingtocomeifhe\'sbetterbyto-morrowevening？Whynotwaitanddecideatthelastminute？"

Shewavedherhandsairily。"Whatapother!"shecried。"WhatdoesitmatterwhetherpoorlittleAliceAdamsgoestoadanceornot？"

"Well，IthoughtI\'dmadeitclearthatitlooksfairlybleaktomeifyoudon\'tgo。"

"Oh，yes!"shejeered。

"It\'sthesimpletruth，"heinsisted。"Idon\'tcareagreatdealaboutdancesthesedays；andifyouaren\'tgoingtobethere——"

"Youcouldstayaway，"shesuggested。"Youwouldn\'t!"

"Unfortunately，Ican\'t。I\'mafraidI\'msupposedtobetheexcuse。MissLamb，inhercapacityasafriendofmyrelatives——"

"Oh，she\'sgivingitforYOU!Isee!OnMildred\'saccountyoumean？"

Atthathisfaceshowedanincreaseofcolour。"IsupposejustonaccountofmybeingacousinofMildred\'sandof——"

"Ofcourse!You\'llhaveabeautifultime，too。Henrietta\'llseethatyouhavesomebodytodancewithbesidesMissDowling，poorman!"

"ButwhatIwantsomebodytoseeisthatIdancewithyou!Andperhapsyourfather——"

"Wait!"shesaid，frowningasifshedebatedwhetherornottotellhimsomethingofimport；then，seemingtodecideaffirmatively，sheasked:"Wouldyoureallyliketoknowthetruthaboutit？"

"Ifitisn\'ttoounflattering。"

"Ithasn\'tanythingtodowithyouatall，"shesaid。"OfcourseI\'dliketogowithyouandtodancewithyou——thoughyoudon\'tseemtorealizethatyouwouldn\'tbepermittedmuchtimewithme。"

"Oh，yes，I——"

"Nevermind!"shelaughed。"Ofcourseyouwouldn\'t。Butevenifpapashouldbebetterto-morrow，IdoubtifI\'dgo。Infact，I

knowIwouldn\'t。There\'sanotherreasonbesidespapa。"

"Isthere？"

"Yes。Thetruthis，Idon\'tgetonwithHenriettaLamb。Asamatteroffact，Idislikeher，andofcoursethatmeansshedislikesme。IshouldneverthinkofaskinghertoanythingI

gave，andIreallywondersheasksmetothingsSHEgives。"Thiswasanewinspiration；andAlice，beginningtoseeherwayoutofaperplexity，wishedthatshehadthoughtofitearlier:sheshouldhavetoldhimfromthefirstthatsheandHenriettahadafeud，andconsequentlyexchangednoinvitations。Moreover，therewasanotherthingtobesetherwithlittleanxieties:shemightbetternothavetoldhimfromthefirst，asshehadindeedtoldhimbyintimation，thatshewasthepampereddaughterofanindulgentfather，presumablyabletoindulgeher；fornowshemustelaboratelykeeptothepart。Veracityisusuallysimple；

anditsopposite，tobesuccessful，shouldbeassimple；butpractitionersoftheoppositearemostoftenimpulsive，likeAlice；and，likeher，theybecomeenmeshedinelaborations。

"Itwouldn\'tbeveryniceformetogotoherhouse，"Alicewenton，"whenIwouldn\'twantherinmine。I\'veneveradmiredher。

I\'vealwaysthoughtshewaslackinginsomethingsmostpeoplearesupposedtobeequippedwith——forinstance，acertainfeelingaboutthedeathofafatherwhowasalwaysprettydecenttohisdaughter。Henrietta\'sfatherdiedjust，elevenmonthsandtwenty-sevendaysbeforeyourcousin\'sdance，butshecouldn\'tstickoutthosefewlastdaysandmakeitayear；shewasthere。"

Alicestopped，thenlaughedruefully，exclaiming，"Butthisisdreadfulofme!"

"Isit？"

"Blackguardinghertoyouwhenshe\'sgivingabigpartyforyou!

JustthewayHenriettawouldblackguardmetoyou——heavenknowswhatsheWOULDN\'Tsayifshetalkedaboutmetoyou!Itwouldbefair，ofcourse，but——well，I\'drathershedidn\'t!"Andwiththat，Aliceletherprettyhand，initswhiteglove，restuponhisarmforamoment；andhelookeddownatit，notunmovedtoseeitthere。"Iwanttobeunfairaboutjustthis，"shesaid，lettingatroubledlaughtertremblethroughherappealingvoiceasshespoke。"Iwon\'ttakeadvantageofherwithanybody，exceptjust——you!I\'dalittleratheryoudidn\'thearanybodyblackguardme，and，ifyoudon\'tmind——couldyoupromisenottogiveHenriettathechance？"

Itwascharminglydone，withahumorous，faintpathosaltogethergenuine；andRussellfoundhimselfsuddenlywantingtoshoutather，"Oh，youDEAR!"Nothingelseseemedadequate；buthecontrolledtheimpulseinfavourofsomethingmoreconservative。

"Imagineanyonespeakingunkindlyofyou——notpraisingyou!"

"WhoHASpraisedmetoyou？"sheasked，quickly。

"Ihaven\'ttalkedaboutyouwithanyone；butifIdid，Iknowthey\'d——"

"No，no!"shecried，andwenton，againaccompanyingherwordswithlittletremulousrunsoflaughter。"Youdon\'tunderstandthistownyet。You\'llbesurprisedwhenyoudo；we\'redifferent。

Wetalkaboutoneanotherfearfully!Haven\'tIjustprovedit，thewayI\'vebeengoingforHenrietta？OfcourseIdidn\'tsayanythingreallyveryterribleabouther，butthat\'sonlybecauseIdon\'tfollowthatpracticethewaymostoftheothersdo。Theydon\'tstopwiththeworstofthetruththeycanfind:theymakeUPthings——yes，theyreallydo!And，oh，I\'dRATHERtheydidn\'tmakeupthingsaboutme——toyou!"

"Whatdifferencewoulditmakeiftheydid？"heinquired，cheerfully。"I\'dknowtheyweren\'ttrue。"

"Evenifyoudidknowthat，they\'dmakeadifference，"shesaid。

"Oh，yes，theywould!It\'stoobad，butwedon\'tlikeanythingquitesowellthat\'shadspecksonit，evenifwe\'vewipedthespecksoff；——it\'sjustthatmuchspoiled，andsomethingsareallspoiledtheinstantthey\'retheleastbitspoiled。Whatamanthinksaboutagirl，forinstance。Doyouwanttohavewhatyouthinkaboutmespoiled，Mr。Russell？"

"Oh，butthat\'salreadyfarbeyondreach，"hesaid，lightly。

"Butitcan\'tbe!"sheprotested。

"Whynot？"

"Becauseitnevercanbe。Mendon\'tchangetheirmindsaboutoneanotheroften:theymakeitquiteaneventwhentheydo，andtalkaboutitasifsomethingimportanthadhappened。Butagirlonlyhastogodown-townwithashoe-stringunfastened，andeverymanwhoseesherwillchangehismindabouther。Don\'tyouknowthat\'strue？"

"Notofmyself，Ithink。"

"There!"shecried。"That\'spreciselywhateverymanintheworldwouldsay!"

"Soyouwouldn\'ttrustme？"

"Well——I\'llbeawfullyworriedifyougive\'emachancetotellyouthatI\'mtoolazytotiemyshoe-strings!"

Helaugheddelightedly。"Isthatwhattheydosay？"heasked。

"Justabout!Whatevertheyhopewillgetresults。"Sheshookherheadwisely。"Oh，yes；wedothathere!"

"ButIdon\'tmindlooseshoe-strings，"hesaid。"Notifthey\'reyours。"

"They\'llfindoutwhatyoudomind。"

"Butsuppose，"hesaid，lookingatherwhimsically；"supposeI

wouldn\'tmindanything——solongasit\'syours？"

Shecourtesied。"Oh，prettyenough!Butagirlwho\'stalkedabouthasaweaknessthat\'softenafatalone。"

"Whatisit？"

"It\'sthis:whenshe\'stalkedaboutsheisn\'tTHERE。That\'showtheykillher。"

"I\'mafraidIdon\'tfollowyou。"

"Don\'tyousee？IfHenrietta——orMildred——oranyof\'em——orsomeoftheirmothers——oh，weALLdoit!Well，ifanyof\'emtoldyouIdidn\'ttiemyshoe-strings，andifIwerethere，sothatyoucouldseeme，you\'dknowitwasn\'ttrue。EvenifIweresittingsothatyoucouldn\'tseemyfeet，andcouldn\'ttellwhetherthestringsweretiedornotjustthen，stillyoucouldlookatme，andseethatIwasn\'tthesortofgirltoneglectmyshoe-strings。Butthatisn\'tthewayithappens:they\'llgetatyouwhenI\'mnowherearoundandcan\'tremindyouofthesortofgirlIreallyam。"

"Butyoudon\'tdothat，"hecomplained。"Youdon\'tremindmeyoudon\'teventellme——thesortofgirlyoureallyare!I\'dliketoknow。"

"Let\'sbeseriousthen，"shesaid，andlookedseriousenoughherself。"Wouldyouhonestlyliketoknow？"

"Yes。"

"Well，then，youmustbecareful。"

"\'Careful？\'"Thewordamusedhim。

"Imeancarefulnottogetmemixedup，"shesaid。"CarefulnottomixupthegirlyoumighthearsomebodytalkingaboutwiththemeIhonestlytrytomakeyousee。Ifyoudogetthosetwomixedup——well，thewholeshow\'llbespoiled!"

"Whatmakesyouthinkso？"

"Becauseit\'s——"Shecheckedherself，havingbeguntospeaktooimpulsively；andshewasdisturbed，realizinginwhattrickystuffshedealt。Whathadbeenonherlipstosaywas，"Becauseit\'shappenedbefore!"Shechangedto，"Becauseit\'ssoeasytospoilanything——easiestofalltospoilanythingthat\'spleasant。"

"Thatmightdepend。"

"No；it\'sso。Andifyoucareatallabout——aboutknowingagirlwho\'dlikesomeonetoknowher——"

"Just\'someone？\'That\'sdisappointing。"

"Well——you，"shesaid。

"Tellmehow\'careful\'youwantmetobe，then!"

"Well，don\'tyouthinkitwouldbeniceifyoudidn\'tgiveanybodythechancetotalkaboutmetheway——thewayI\'vejustbeentalkingaboutHenriettaLamb？"

Withthattheylaughedtogether，andhesaid，"Youmaybecuttingmeofffromagreatdealofinformation，youknow。"

"Yes，"Aliceadmitted。"Somebodymightbegintopraisemetoyou，too；soit\'sdangeroustoaskyoutochangethesubjectifI

everhappentobementioned。Butafterall——"Shepaused。

"\'Afterall\'isn\'ttheendofathought，isit？"

"Sometimesitisofagirl\'sthought；Isupposemenareneaterabouttheirthoughts，andalwaysfinish\'em。Itisn\'ttheendofthethoughtIhadthen，though。"

"Whatistheendofit？"

Shelookedathimimpulsively。"Oh，it\'sfoolish，"shesaid，andshelaughedaslaughsonewhoproposessomethingprobablyimpossible。"But，WOULDN\'TitbepleasantiftwopeoplecouldeverjustkeepthemselvesTOthemselves，sofarastheytwowereconcerned？Imean，iftheycouldjustmanagetobefriendswithoutpeopletalkingaboutit，ortalkingtoTHEMaboutit？"

"Isupposethatmightberatherdifficult，"hesaid，moreamusedthanimpressedbyheridea。

"Idon\'tknow:itmightbedone，"shereturned，hopefully。

"Especiallyinatownofthissize；it\'sgrownsoit\'squiteahugeplacethesedays。Peoplecankeepthemselvestothemselvesinabigplacebetter，youknow。Forinstance，nobodyknowsthatyouandIaretakingawalktogethertoday。"

"Howabsurd，whenhereweareonexhibition!"

"No；wearen\'t。"

"Wearen\'t？"

"Notabitofit!"shelaughed。"Weweretheotherday，whenyouwalkedhomewithme，butanybodycouldtellthathadjusthappenedbychance，onaccountofyourovertakingme；peoplecanalwaysseethingslikethat。Butwe\'renotonexhibitionnow。

LookwhereI\'veledyou!"

Amusedandalittlebewildered，helookedupanddownthestreet，whichwasoneofgaunt-facedapartment-houses，old，sooty，frameboarding-houses，smallgroceriesanddrug-stores，laundriesandone-roomplumbers\'shops，withthesignofaclairvoyanthereandthere。

"Yousee？"shesaid。"I\'vebeenleadingyouwithoutyourknowingit。Ofcoursethat\'sbecauseyou\'renewtothetown，andyougiveyourselfuptotheguidanceofanoldcitizen。"

"I\'mnotsosure，MissAdams。ItmightmeanthatIdon\'tcarewhereIfollowsolongasIfollowyou。"

"Verywell，"shesaid。"I\'dlikeyoutokeeponfollowingmeatleastlongenoughformetoshowyouthatthere\'ssomethingniceraheadofusthanthisdingystreet。"

"Isthatfigurative？"heasked。

"Mightbe!"shereturned，gaily。"There\'saprettylittleparkattheend，butit\'sveryproletarian，andnobodyyouandIknowwillbemorelikelytoseeustherethanonthisstreet。"

"Whatanimaginationyouhave!"heexclaimed。"YouturnourproperlittlewalkintoaParisianadventure。"

Shelookedathiminwhatseemedtobeamomentarygravepuzzlement。"PerhapsyoufeelthataParisianadventuremightn\'tpleaseyour——yourrelatives？"

"Why，no，"hereturned。"YouseemtothinkofthemoftenerthanIdo。"

ThisappearedtoamuseAlice，oratleasttopleaseher，forshelaughed。"ThenIcanaffordtoquitthinkingofthem，Isuppose。

It\'sonlythatIusedtobequiteafriendofMildred\'s——butthere!weneedn\'ttogointothat。I\'veneverbeenafriendofHenriettaLamb\'s，though，andIalmostwishsheweren\'ttakingsuchpainstobeafriendofyours。"

"Oh，butshe\'snot。It\'sallonaccountof——"

"OnMildred\'saccount，"Alicefinishedthisforhim，coolly。

"Yes，ofcourse。"

"It\'sonaccountofthetwofamilies，"hewasatpainstoexplain，alittleawkwardly。"It\'sbecauseI\'marelativeofthePalmers，andthePalmersandtheLambsseemtobeoldfamilyfriends。"

"SomethingtheAdamsescertainlyarenot，"Alicesaid。"Notwitheitherof\'em；particularlynotwiththeLambs!"Andhere，scarceawareofwhatimpelledher，shereturnedtoherformerelaborationsandcolourings。"Yousee，thedifferencesbetweenHenriettaandmearen\'tentirelypersonal:Icouldn\'tgotoherhouseevenifIlikedher。TheLambsandAdamsesdon\'tgetonwitheachother，andwe\'vejustaboutcometothebreaking-pointasithappens。"

"Ihopeit\'snothingtobotheryou。"

"Why？Alotofthingsbotherme。"

"I\'msorrytheydo，"hesaid，andseemedsimplytomeanit。

Shenoddedgratefully。"That\'sniceofyou，Mr。Russell。Ithelps。ThebreakbetweentheAdamsesandtheLambsisaprettybothersomething。It\'sbeencomingonalongtime。"Shesigheddeeply，andthesighwashalfgenuine；thishalfbeingforherfather，buttheotherhalfprobablybelongedtoherinstinctiverenderingofJulietCapulet，daughtertoawarringhouse。"I

hateitallso!"sheadded。

"Ofcourseyoumust。"

"Isupposemostquarrelsbetweenfamiliesareonaccountofbusiness，"shesaid。"That\'swhythey\'resosordid。CertainlytheLambsseemasordidlottome，thoughofcourseI\'mbiased。"

AndwiththatshebegantosketchahistoryofthecommercialantagonismthathadrisenbetweentheAdamsesandtheLambs。

Thesketchingwasspontaneousanddramatic。Mathematicshadnopartinit；norwasthereaccuratedefinitionofMr。Adams\'srelationtotheinstitutionofLambandCompany。Thepointwasclouded，infact；thoughthatmighteasilybesetdowntothegeneralhazinessofyoungladiesconfrontedwiththemysteriesoftradeorcommerce。Mr。Adamseitherhadbeenavaguesortofjuniormemberofthefirm，itappeared，orelseheshouldhavebeenmadesomesuchthing；atallevents，hewasanoldmainstayofthebusiness；andhe，asmuchasanyLamb，hadhelpedtobuilduptheprosperityofthecompany。Butatlast，tiredofprovidingsomuchintelligenceandenergyforwhichotherpeopletookprofitgreaterthanhisown，hehaddecidedtoleavethecompanyandfoundabusinessentirelyforhimself。TheLambsweregoingtobeenragedwhentheylearnedwhatwasafoot。

Suchwastheimpression，alittlemisted，wroughtbyAlice\'squicknarrative。Buttherewasdolorousfactbehindit:Adamshadsuccumbed。

Hiswife，graveandnervous，ratherthantriumphant，insuccess，hadtoldtheirdaughterthatthegreatJ。A。wouldbefuriousandpossiblyvindictive。Adamswasafraidofhim，shesaid。

"Butwhatfor，mama？"Aliceasked，sincethisseemedaturnofaffairsoutofreason。"WhatintheworldhasMr。Lambtodowithpapa\'sleavingthecompanytosetupforhimself？Whatrighthashetobeangryaboutit？Ifhe\'ssuchafriendasheclaimstobe，Ishouldthinkhe\'dbeglad——thatis，ifthegluefactoryturnsoutwell。Whatwillhebeangryfor？"

Mrs。AdamsgaveAliceanuneasyglance，hesitated，andthenexplainedthataresignationfromLamb\'shadalwaysbeenlookedupon，especiallyby"thatoldman，"astreachery。Youweresupposedtodieintheservice，shesaidbitterly，andherdaughter，alittlemystified，acceptedthisexplanation。Adamshadnotspokentoherofhissurrender；heseemednotinclinedtospeaktoheratall，ortoanyone。

Alicewasnotserioustoolong，andshebegantolaughasshecametotheendofherdecorativesketch。"Afterall，thewholethingisperfectlyridiculous，"shesaid。"Infact，it\'sFUNNY!

That\'sonaccountofwhatpapa\'sgoingtothrowovertheLambbusinessFOR!Tosaveyourlifeyoucouldn\'timaginewhathe\'sgoingtodo!"

"Iwon\'ttry，then，"Russellassented。

"IttakesalltheromanceoutofME，"shelaughed。"You\'llnevergoforaParisianwalkwithmeagain，afterItellyouwhatI\'llbeheiressto。"Theyhadcometotheentranceofthelittlepark；and，asAlicehadsaid，itwasaprettyplace，especiallyonadaysoradiant。Treesoftheoldestforeststoodthere，haleandsereneoverthetrim，brightgrass；andtheproletarianshadnotcomefromtheirfactoriesatthishour；onlyafewmothersandtheirbabiesweretobeseen，hereandthere，intheshade。"IthinkI\'llpostponetellingyouaboutittillwegetnearlyhomeagain，"Alicesaid，astheybegantosaunterdownoneofthegravelledpaths。"There\'sabenchbesideaspringfartheron；wecansitthereandtalkaboutalotofthings——thingsnotsostickyasmydowry\'sgoingtobe。"

"\'Sticky？\'"heechoed。"Whatintheworld——"Shelaugheddespairingly。

"Agluefactory!"

Thenhelaughed，too，asmuchfromfriendlinessasfromamusement；andsherememberedtotellhimthattheprojectofagluefactorywasstill"anAdamssecret。"Itwouldbeknownsoon，however，sheadded；andthewholeLambconnectionwouldprobablybeginsayingallsortsofthings，heavenknewwhat!

ThusAlicebuiltherwallsofflimsy，workingalwaysgaily，orwithatleasttheairofgaiety；andevenassherattledon，therewassomewhereinhermindaconstantlittlewonder。

Everythingshesaidseemedtobenecessarytosupportsomethingelseshehadsaid。Howhadithappened？Shefoundherselftellinghimthatsinceherfatherhaddecidedonmakingsogreatachangeinhisways，sheandhermotherhopedatlasttopersuadehimtogiveupthat"foolishlittlehouse"hehadbeensoobstinateabout；andshecheckedherselfabruptlyonthisdeclivityjustasshewasabouttoslideintoaremarkconcerningherownpreferencefora"countryplace。"Discretioncaughtherintime；andsomethingelse，incompanywithdiscretion，caughther，forshestoppedshortinhertalkandblushed。

Theyhadtakenpossessionofthebenchbesidethespring，bythistime；andRussell，hiselbowonthebackofthebenchandhischinonhishand，thebettertolookather，hadnoguessatthecauseoftheblush，butwascontenttofinditlovely。AthisfirstsightofAliceshehadseemedprettyintheparticularwayofbeingprettythathehappenedtolikebest；and，witheverymomenthespentwithher，thisprettinessappearedtoincrease。

Hefeltthathecouldnotlookatherenough:hisgazefollowedtheflutteringofthegracefulhandsinalmostcontinualgestureasshetalked；thenliftedhappilytothevivaciousfaceagain。

Shecharmedhim。

Afterherabruptpause，shesighed，thenlookedathimwithhereyebrowsliftedinacomedyappeal。"Youhaven\'tsaidyouwouldn\'tgiveHenriettathechance，"shesaid，inthesoftestvoicethatcanstillhavealittlelaughrunninginit。

Hewaspuzzled。"GiveHenriettathechance？"

"YOUknow!You\'llletmekeeponbeingunfair，won\'tyou？Notgivetheothergirlsachancetogeteven？"

Hepromised，heartily。

CHAPTERXV

AlicehadsaidthatnoonewhokneweitherRussellorherselfwouldbelikelytoseethemintheparkoruponthedingystreet；

butalthoughtheyreturnedbythatsameungenteelthoroughfaretheywereseenbyapersonwhoknewthemboth。Also，withsomesurpriseonthepartofRussell，andsomethingmorepoignantthansurpriseforAlice，theysawthisperson。

Allofthedingystreetwasugly，butthegreaterpartofitappearedtobehonest。Thetwopedestrianscameuponablockortwo，however，whereitofferedsuggestionsofalessuprightcharacter，likeasteadyenoughworkingmanwithanaughtybookstickingoutofhispocket。Threeorfourdimshops，asinglestoryinheight，exhibitedfoulsignboards，yetfairenoughsofarasthewordingwent；oneproclaimingatobacconist，oneajunk-dealer，oneadispenserof"softdrinksandcigars。"Themostcredulouswouldhavedoubtedthesesignboards；forthecraftofthemoderntradesmanisexertedtolureindoorsthepassingglance，sinceiftheglanceispleasedthefeetmayfollow；butthisallegedtobacconistandhisneighbourshadlongbeenfondofdustontheirwindows，evidently，andshadeswerepulledfardownontheglassoftheirdoors。Thusthepubliceye，smallofpupilinthelightoftheopenstreet，wasintentionallynotinvitedtotheduskyinteriors。Somethingdifferentfrommerelackofenterprisewasapparent；andthesignboardsmighthavebeenomitted；theywerepainsthrownaway，sinceitwasplaintotheworldthatthebusinesspartsoftheseshopswerethebrighterbackroomsimpliedbythedarkfrontrooms；andthatthecommercetherewasinperilousnewliquorsandindiceandroughgirls。

Nothingcouldhavebeenmoreinnocentthantheserenitywithwhichthesewickedlittleplacesrevealedthemselvesforwhattheywere；and，boundbythisfinaltieofguilelessness，theystoodtogetherinarowwhichendedwithacompanionablebarbershop，muchlikethem。Beyondwasaseriesofsoot-harriedframetwo-storyhouses，oncepartofacheerfulneighbourhoodwhenthetownwasmiddle-agedandsettled，andnotoldandgrowing。Thesehouses，allcarryingthelabel。"Rooms，"hadtheworriedlookofvacancythathouseshavewhentheyaretoofullofeverybodywithoutbeinganybody\'shome；andtherewas，too，asurreptitiousairaboutthem，asif，likethefalselittleshops，theyadvertisedsomethingbyconcealingit。