第9章

Oneofthem——theonenexttothebarber-shop——hadacrossitsfrontanample，jig-sawedveranda，whereaforetime，nodoubt，thefatherofafamilyhadfannedhimselfwithapalm-leaffanonSundayafternoons，watchingthesurreysgoby，andwherehisdaughterlistenedtomandolinsandbadinageonstarlitevenings；

but，althoughyouthstillheldtheveranda，boththeyouthandtheverandawereindecay。Thefourorfiveyoungmenwholoungedtherethisafternoonwereofatypeknowntoshadypool-parlours。Hatsfoundnofavourwiththem；allofthemworecaps；andtheirtightclothes，apparentlyfromacommonsource，showedavivaciousfancyforobliquepockets，falsebelts，andEaster-eggcolourings。Anotherthingcommontothegroupwastheexpressionofeyeandmouth；andAlice，inthemidstofherotherthoughts，hadadistastefulthoughtaboutthis。

Theverandawaswithinadozenfeetofthesidewalk，andassheandherescortcamenearer，shetooknoteoftheyoungmen，herfacehardeningalittle，evenbeforeshesuspectedtheremightbearesemblancebetweenthemandanyonesheknew。Thensheobservedthateachoftheseloungersworenotfortheoccasion，butasofhabit，alookoffurtivelyamusedcontempt；themouthsmiledtoonesideasifnottodislodgeacigarette，whiletheeyeskeptlanguidlysuperior。AllatonceAlicewasremindedofWalter；andtheslightfrowncausedbythisideahadjustbeguntodarkenherforeheadwhenWalterhimselfsteppedoutoftheopendoorofthehouseandappearedupontheveranda。Uponhisheadwasanewstrawhat，andinhishandwasaMalaccastickwithanivorytop，forAlicehadfinallydecidedagainstitforherselfandhadgivenittohim。Hismoodwaslively:hetwirledthestickthroughhisfingerslikeadrum-major\'sbaton，andwhistledloudly。

Moreover，hewasindeedaccompanied。Withhimwasathingirlwhohadmadeaviolentblack-and-whiteposterofherself:blackdress，blackflimsyboa，blackstockings，whiteslippers，greatblackhatdownupontheblackeyes；andbeneaththehatacurveofcheekandchinmadewhiteaswhitewash，andinstrongbilateralmotionwithgum。

Theloungersontheverandawerefamiliarsofthepair；hailedthemwithcacklings；andonebegantosing，inavoicealltin:

"Thenmyskirt，Sal，andmedidgoRightstraighttothemoving-pitchershow。

OH，youbashfulvamp!"

Thegirllaughedairily。"God，butyouguysarewise!"shesaid。

"Comeon，Wallie。"

Walterstaredathissister；thengrinnedfaintly，andnoddedatRussellasthelatterliftedhishatinsalutation。Aliceutteredanincoherentsyllableofexclamation，and，asshebegantowalkfaster，shebitherliphard，notinordertolookwistful，thistime，buttohelpherkeeptearsofangerfromhereyes。

Russelllaughedcheerfully。"Yourbrothercertainlyseemstohavefoundtheplacefor\'colour\'today，"hesaid。"Thatgirl\'stalkmustbefullofit。"

ButAlicehadforgottenthecoloursheherselfhadusedinaccountingforWalter\'speculiarities，andshedidnotunderstand。"What？"shesaid，huskily。

"Don\'tyouremembertellingmeabouthim？Howhewasgoingtowrite，probably，andwouldgoanywheretopickuptypesandgetthemtotalk？"

Shekepthereyesahead，andsaidsharply，"Ithinkhisliterarytastesscarcelycoverthiscase!"

"Don\'tbetoosure。Hedidn\'tlookatalldisconcerted。Hedidn\'tseemtomindyourseeinghim。"

"That\'salltheworse，isn\'tit？"

"Why，no，"herfriendsaid，genially。"Itmeanshedidn\'tconsiderthathewasengagedinanythingoutoftheway。Youcan\'texpecttounderstandeverythingboysdoathisage；theydoallsortsofqueerthings，andoutgrowthem。Yourbrotherevidentlyhasatasteforqueerpeople，andverylikelyhe\'sbeenatleasthalfsincerewhenhe\'smadeyoubelievehehadaliterarymotivebehindit。Weallgothrough——"

"Thanks，Mr。Russell，"sheinterrupted。"Let\'sdon\'tsayanymore。"

Helookedatherflushedfaceandenlargedeyes；andhelikedherallthebetterforherindignation:thiswashowgoodsistersoughttofeel，hethought，failingtounderstandthatmostofwhatshefeltwasnotaboutWalter。Heventuredonlyawordmore。"Trynottominditsomuch；itreallydoesn\'tamounttoanything。"

Sheshookherhead，andtheywentoninsilence；shedidnotlookathimagainuntiltheystoppedbeforeherownhouse。Thenshegavehimonlyoneglimpseofhereyesbeforeshelookeddown。

"It\'sspoiled，isn\'tit？"shesaid，inalowvoice。

"What\'s\'spoiled？\'"

"Ourwalk——well，everything。Somehowitalways——is。"

"\'Alwaysis\'what？"heasked。

"Spoiled，"shesaid。

Helaughedatthat；butwithoutlookingathimshesuddenlyofferedhimherhand，and，ashetookit，hefeltahurried，violentpressureuponhisfingers，asifshemeanttothankhimalmostpassionatelyforbeingkind。Shewasgonebeforehecouldspeaktoheragain。

Inherroom，withthedoorlocked，shedidnotgotohermirror，buttoherbed，flingingherselffacedown，notcaringhowfarthepillowsputherhatawry。Sheergriefhadfollowedheranger；griefforthecalamitousendofherbrightafternoon，griefforthe"endofeverything，"asshethoughtthen。

Nevertheless，shegraduallygrewmorecomposed，and，whenhermothertappedonthedoorpresently，letherin。Mrs。Adamslookedatherwithquickapprehension。

"Oh，poorchild!Wasn\'the——"

Alicetoldher。"Youseehowit——howitmademelook，mama，"shequavered，havingconcludedhernarrative。"I\'dtriedtocoverupWalter\'sawfulnessatthedancewiththatstoryabouthisbeing\'literary，\'butnostorywasbigenoughtocoverthisup——andoh!

itmustmakehimthinkItellstoriesaboutotherthings!"

"No，no，no!"Mrs。Adamsprotested。"Don\'tyousee？Attheworst，allHEcouldthinkisthatWaltertoldstoriestoyouaboutwhyhelikestobewithsuchdreadfulpeople，andyoubelievedthem。That\'sallHE\'Dthink；don\'tyousee？"

Alice\'sweteyesbegantoshowalittlehopefulness。"Youhonestlythinkitmightbethatway，mama？"

"Why，fromwhatyou\'vetoldmehesaid，IKNOWit\'sthatway。

Didn\'thesayhewantedtocomeagain？"

"N-no，"Alicesaid，uncertainly。"ButIthinkhewill。AtleastIbegintothinksonow。He——"Shestopped。

"Fromallyoutellme，heseemstobeaverydesirableyoungman，"Mrs。Adamssaid，primly。

Herdaughterwassilentforseveralmoments；thennewtearsgathereduponherdowncastlashes。"He\'sjust——dear!"shefaltered。

Mrs。Adamsnodded。"He\'stoldyouheisn\'tengaged，hasn\'the？"

"No。ButIknowheisn\'t。Maybewhenhefirstcameherehewasnearit，butIknowhe\'snot。"

"IguessMildredPalmerwouldLIKEhimtobe，allright!"Mrs。

Adamswasfrankenoughtosay，rathertriumphantly；andAlice，withaloweredhead，murmured:

"Anybody——would。"

Thewordswereallbutinaudible。

"Don\'tyouworry，"hermothersaid，andpattedherontheshoulder。"Everythingwillcomeoutallright；don\'tyoufear，Alice。Can\'tyouseethatbesideanyothergirlintownyou\'rejustaperfectQUEEN？Doyouthinkanyyoungmanthatwasn\'tprejudiced，orsomething，wouldneedmorethanjustonelookto——"

ButAlicemovedawayfromthecaressinghand。"Nevermind，mama。

Iwonderhelooksatmeatall。Andifhedoesagain，afterseeingmybrotherwiththosehorriblepeople——"

"Now，now!"Mrs。Adamsinterrupted，expostulatingmournfully。

"I\'msureWalter\'saGOODboy——"

"Youare？"Alicecried，withasuddenvigour。"YouARE？"

"I\'msurehe\'sGOOD，yes——andifheisn\'t，it\'snothisfault。

It\'smine。"

"Whatnonsense!"

"No，it\'strue，"Mrs。Adamslamented。"Itriedtobringhimuptobegood，Godknows；andwhenhewaslittlehewasthebestboyIeversaw。WhenhecamefromSunday-schoolhe\'dalwaysruntomeandwe\'dgooverthelessontogether；andheletmecomeinhisroomatnighttohearhisprayersalmostuntilhewassixteen。Mostboyswon\'tdothatwiththeirmothers——notnearlythatlong。Itriedsohardtobringhimupright——butifanything\'sgonewrongit\'smyfault。"

"Howcoulditbe？You\'vejustsaid——"

"It\'sbecauseIdidn\'tmakeyourfatherthis——thisnewstepearlier。ThenWaltermighthavehadalltheadvantagesthatother——"

"Oh，mama，PLEASE!"Alicebeggedher。"Let\'sdon\'tgooverallthatagain。Isn\'titmoreimportanttothinkwhat\'stobedoneabouthim？Ishegoingtobeallowedtogoondisgracingusashedoes？"

Mrs。Adamssighedprofoundly。"Idon\'tknowwhattodo，"sheconfessed，unhappily。"Yourfather\'ssoupsetabout——aboutthisnewstephe\'staking——Idon\'tfeelasifweoughtto——"

"No，no!"Alicecried。"Papamustn\'tbedistressedwiththis，ontopofeverythingelse。ButSOMETHING\'SgottobedoneaboutWalter。"

"Whatcanbe？"hermotherasked，helplessly。"Whatcanbe？"

Aliceadmittedthatshedidn\'tknow。

Atdinner，anhourlater，Walter\'shabituallyveiledglancelifted，nowandthen，totouchherfurtively；——hewaswaiting，ashewouldhavesaid，forherto"springit"；andhehadpreparedabriefandsinceredefensetotheeffectthathemadehisownliving，andwouldliketoinquirewhosebusinessitwastoofferintrusivecommentuponhisprivateconduct。Butshesaidnothing，whilehisfatherandmotherwereassilentasshe。

Walterconcludedthattherewastobenoattack，butchangedhismindwhenhisfather，whoateonlyalittle，andbroodinglyatthat，rosetoleavethetableandspoketohim。

"Walter，"hesaid，"whenyou\'vefinishedIwishyou\'dcomeuptomyroom。IgotsomethingIwanttosaytoyou。"

Waltershotahardlookathisapatheticsister，thenturnedtohisfather。"Makeitto-morrow，"hesaid。"ThisisSatad\'ynightandIgotadate。"

"No，"Adamssaid，frowning。"Youcomeupbeforeyougoout。

It\'simportant。"

"Allright；I\'vehadallIwanttoeat，"Walterreturned。"Igotafewminutes。Makeitquick。"

Hefollowedhisfatherupstairs，andwhentheywereintheroomtogetherAdamsshutthedoor，satdown，andbegantorubhisknees。

"Rheumatism？"theboyinquired，slyly。"Thatwhatyouwanttotalktomeabout？"

"No。"ButAdamsdidnotgoon；heseemedtobeindifficultiesforwords，andWalterdecidedtohelphim。

"Hopaheadandspringit，"hesaid。"Getitoffyourmind:I\'lltelltheworld_I_shouldworry!Youaren\'tgoin\'tobotherME

any，sowhybotheryourself？Alicehoppedhomeandtoldyoushesawmeplayin\'aroundwithsomeprettygay-lookin\'berriesandyou——"

"Alice？"hisfathersaid，obviouslysurprised。"It\'snothingaboutAlice。"

"Didn\'tshetellyou——"

"Ihaven\'ttalkedwithherallday。"

"Oh，Isee，"Waltersaid。"Shetoldmotherandmothertoldyou。"

"No，neitherof\'emhavetoldmeanything。Whatwastheretotell？"

Walterlaughed。"Oh，it\'snothin\'，"hesaid。"Iwasjuststartin\'outtobuyagirlfriendo\'minearhinestonebuckleI

losttoheronabet，thisafternoon，andAlicecamealongwiththatbigRussellfish；andIthoughtshelookedsore。Sheexpectsmetolikethekindshelikes，andIdon\'tlike\'em。I

thoughtshe\'dprob\'lygotyouallstirredupaboutit。"

"No，no，"hisfathersaid，peevishly。"Idon\'tknowanythingaboutit，andIdon\'tcaretoknowanythingaboutit。Iwanttotalktoyouaboutsomethingimportant。"

Then，ashewasagainsilent，Waltersaid，"Well，TALKaboutit；

I\'mlistening。"

"It\'sthis，"Adamsbegan，heavily。"It\'saboutmegoingintothisgluebusiness。Yourmother\'stoldyou，hasn\'tshe？"

"Shesaidyouweregoin\'toleavetheoldplacedown-townandstartagluefactory。That\'sallIknowaboutit；Igotmyownaffairsto\'tendto。"

"Well，thisisyouraffair，"hisfathersaid，frowning。"Youcan\'tstaywithLambandCompany。"

Walterlookedalittlestartled。"Whatyoumean，Ican\'t？Whynot？"

"You\'vegottohelpme，"Adamsexplainedslowly；andhefrownedmoredeeply，asiftheinterviewweregrowingincreasinglylaboriousforhim。"It\'sgoingtobeabigpulltogetthisbusinessonitsfeet。"

"Yes!"Walterexclaimedwithasharpskepticism。"Ishouldsayitwas!"Hestaredathisfatherincredulously。"Lookhere；

aren\'tyoujustalittlebitsudden，thewayyou\'regoin\'aboutthings？You\'veletmothershoveyoualittletoofast，haven\'tyou？Doyouknowanythingaboutwhatitmeanstosetupanewbusinessthesedays？"

"Yes，Iknowallaboutit，"Adamssaid。"Aboutthisbusiness，I

do。"

"Howdoyou？"

"BecauseImadealongstudyofit。I\'mnotafraidofgoingaboutitthewrongway；butit\'sahardjobandyou\'llhavetoputinallwhateversenseandstrengthyou\'vegot。"

Walterbegantobreathequickly，andhislipswereagitated；thenhesetthemobstinately。"Oh；Iwill，"hesaid。

"Yes，youwill，"Adamsreturned，notnoticingthathisson\'sinflectionwassatiric。"It\'sgoingtotakeeverybitofenergyinyourbody，andalltheenergyIgotleftinmine，andeverycentofthelittleI\'vesaved，besidessomethingI\'llhavetoraiseonthishouse。I\'mgoingrightatit，nowI\'vegotto；andyou\'llhavetoquitLamb\'sbytheendofnextweek。"

"Oh，Iwill？"Walter\'svoicegrewlouder，andtherewasashrillnessinit。"IgottoquitLamb\'stheendofnextweek，haveI？"Hesteppedforward，angrily。"Listen!"hesaid。"I\'mnotwalkin\'outo\'Lamb\'s，see？I\'mnotquittin\'downthere:I

staywith\'em，see？"

Adamslookedupathim，astonished。"You\'llleavetherenextSaturday，"hesaid。"I\'vegottohaveyou。"

"Youdon\'tanythingo\'thekind，"Waltertoldhim，sharply。"Doyouexpecttopaymeanything？"

"I\'dpayyouaboutwhatyoubeengettingdownthere。"

"Thenpaysomebodyelse；_I_don\'tknowanythingaboutglue。Yougetsomebodyelse。"

"No。You\'vegotto——"

Waltercuthimoffwiththeutmostvehemence。"Don\'ttellmewhatIgottodo!IknowwhatIgottodobetter\'nyou，Iguess!

IstayatLamb\'s，see？"

Adamsroseangrily。"You\'lldowhatItellyou。Youcan\'tstaydownthere。"

"Whycan\'tI？"

"BecauseIwon\'tletyou。"

"Listen!Keeponnotlettin\'me:I\'llbetherejustthesame。"

Atthathisfatherbrokeintoasourlaughter。"THEYwon\'tletyou，Walter!Theywon\'thaveyoudownthereaftertheyfindoutI\'mgoing。"

"Whywon\'tthey？Youdon\'tthinkthey\'regoin\'tobeallshottopiecesoverlosin\'YOU，doyou？"

"Itellyoutheywon\'tletyoustay，"hisfatherinsisted，loudly。

"Why，whatdotheycarewhetheryougoornot？"

"They\'llcareenoughtofireYOU，myboy!"

"Lookhere，then；showmewhy。"

"They\'lldoit!"

"Yes，"Walterjeered；"youkeepsayin\'theywill，butwhenIaskyoutoshowmewhy，youkeepsayin\'theywill!ThatmakeslittleheadwaywithME，Icantellyou!"

Adamsgroaned，and，rubbinghishead，begantopacethefloor。

Walter\'srefusalwassomethinghehadnotanticipated；andhefelttheweaknessofhisownattempttomeetit:heseemedpowerlesstodoanythingbututterangrywords，which，asWaltersaid，madelittleheadway。"Oh，my，my!"hemuttered，"OH，my，my!"

Walter，usuallysallow，hadgrownpale:hewatchedhisfathernarrowly，andnowtookasuddenresolution。"Lookhere，"hesaid。"WhenyousayLamb\'sislikelytofiremebecauseyou\'regoin\'toquit，youtalklikethepeoplethathavetobelockedup。Idon\'tknowwhereyougetsuchthingsinyourhead；LambandCompanywon\'tknowyou\'regone。Listen:IcanstaytherelongasIwantto。ButI\'lltellyouwhatI\'lldo:makeitworthmywhileandI\'llhookupwithyouroldgluefactory，afterall。"

Adamsstoppedhispacingabruptly，andstaredathim。"\'Makeitworthyourwhile？\'Whatyoumean？"

"Igotagooduseforthreehundreddollarsrightnow，"Waltersaid。"LetmehaveitandI\'llquitLamb\'stoworkforyou。

Don\'tletmehaveitandISWEARIwon\'t!"

"Areyoucrazy？"

"Iseverybodycrazythatneedsthreehundreddollars？"

"Yes，"Adamssaid。"TheyareiftheyaskMEforit，whenIgottostretcheverycentIcanlaymyhandsontomakeitlooklikeadollar!"

"Youwon\'tdoit？"

Adamsburstoutathim。"Youlittlefool!IfIhadthreehundreddollarstothrowaway，besidesthepayIexpectedtogiveyou，haven\'tyougotsenseenoughtoseeIcouldhireamanworththreehundreddollarsmoretomethanyou\'dbe？It\'saFINEtimetoaskmeforthreehundreddollars，isn\'tit!WhatFOR？

Rhinestonebucklestothrowaroundonyour\'girlfriends？\'Shameonyou!AskmetoBRIBEyoutohelpyourselfandyourownfamily!"

"I\'llgiveyoualastchance，"Waltersaid。"EitheryoudowhatIwant，orIwon\'tdowhatyouwant。Don\'taskmeagainafterthis，because——"

Adamsinterruptedhimfiercely。"\'Askyouagain!\'Don\'tworryaboutthat，myboy!AllIaskyouistogetouto\'myroom。"

"Lookhere，"Waltersaid，quietly；andhislopsidedsmiledistortedhislividcheek。"Lookhere:IexpectYOUwouldn\'tgivemethreehundreddollarstosavemylife，wouldyou？"

"Youmakemesick，"Adamssaid，inhisbitterness。"Getoutofhere。"

Walterwentout，whistling；andAdamsdroopedintohisoldchairagainasthedoorclosed。"OH，my，my!"hegroaned。"Oh，Lordy，Lordy!Thewayofthetransgressor——"

CHAPTERXVI

Hemeanthisowntransgressionandhisownway；forWalter\'sstubbornrefusalappearedtoAdamsjustthenasoneoftheinexplicablebutrighteousbesettingshemustencounterinfollowingthatway。"Oh，Lordy，Lord!"hegroaned，andthen，asresentmentmovedhim——"Thatdangboy!Dangidiot"YetheknewhimselfforagreateridiotbecausehehadnotbeenabletotellWalterthetruth。Hecouldnotbringhimselftodoit，noreventostatehiscaseinitsbestterms；andthatwasbecausehefeltthateveninitsbesttermsthecasewasabadone。

Ofallhisregretsthegreatestwasthatinamomentofvanityandtenderness，twenty-fiveyearsago，hehadtoldhisyoungwifeabusinesssecret。Hehadwantedtoshowhowimportantherhusbandwasbecoming，andhowmuchtheheadoftheuniverse，J。

A。Lamb，trustedtohisintegrityandability。Thegreatmanhadanidea:hethoughtof"branchingoutalittle，"hetoldAdamsconfidentially，andtherewerepossibilitiesofprofitinglue。

Whathewantedwasaliquidgluetobeputintolittlebottlesandsoldcheaply。"Thekindofthingthatsellsitself，"hesaid；"thekindofthingthatpaysitsownsmallwayasitgoesalong，untilithasprofitsenoughtobeginadvertisingitright。

Everybodyhastouseglue，andifImakemineconvenientandcheap，everybody\'llbuymine。Butit\'sgottobegluethat\'llSTICK；it\'sgottobethebest；andifwefindhowtomakeitwe\'vegot，tokeepitabigsecret，ofcourse，oranybodycanstealitfromus。Therewasamanherelastmonth；heknewaformulahewantedtosellme，\'sightunseen\'；buthewasinsuchahurryIgotsuspicious，andIfoundhe\'dmanagedtostealit，workingforthebigpackersintheirglue-works。We\'vegottofindabettergluethanthat，anyhow。I\'mgoingtosetyouandCampbellatit。You\'reapractical，wide-awakeyoungfeller，andCampbell\'samightygoodchemist；Iguessyoutwoboysoughttomakesomethinghappen。"

Hisguesswasshrewdenough。Workinginashedalittlewayoutsidethetown，wheretheircheeryemployervisitedthemsometimestostudytheirmalodorousstews，thetwoyoungmenfoundwhatLambhadsetthemtofind。ButCampbellwasthoughtfuloverthediscovery。"Lookhere，"hesaid。"Whyain\'tthisjustaboutyoursandmine？Afterall，itmaybeLamb\'smoneythat\'spaidforthestuffwe\'veused，butithasn\'tcostmuch。"

"ButhepaysUS，"Adamsremonstrated，horrifiedbyhiscompanion\'sidea。"Hepaidustodoit。Itbelongsabsolutelytohim。"

"Oh，IknowheTHINKSitdoes，"Campbelladmitted，plaintively。

"Isupposewe\'vegottolethimtakeit。It\'snotpatentable，andhe\'llhavetodoprettywellbyuswhenhestartshisfactory，becausehe\'sgottodependonustorunthemakingofthestuffsothattheworkmencan\'tgetontotheprocess。YoubetteraskhimthesamesalaryIdo，andmine\'sgoingtobehigh。

Butthehighsalary，thuspleasantlyimagined，wasneverpaid。

Campbelldiedoftyphoidfever，thatsummer，leavingAdamsandhisemployertheonlypossessorsoftheformula，anunwrittenone；andAdams，pleasedtothinkhimselfmoreimportanttothegreatmanthanever，toldhiswifethattherecouldbelittledoubtofhisbeingputinsolechargeoftheprospectiveglue-works。Unfortunately，theenterpriseremainedprospective。

Itsprojectorhadalreadybecome"inveigledintoanotherside-line，"ashetoldAdams。Oneofhissonshadpersuadedhimtotakeupa"cough-lozenge，"tobecalledthe"JalambBalmTrochee"；andthelozengedidwellenoughtoamuseMr。Lambandoccupyhissparetime，whichwasreallyaboutallhehadaskedoftheglueproject。Hehad"alltheMONEYanybodyoughttowant，"

hesaid，whenAdamsurgedhim；andhecould"startupthislittleglueside-line"atanytime；theformulawassafeintheirtwoheads。

AtintervalsAdamswouldseekopportunitytospeakof"thelittleglueside-line"tohispatron，andtosuggestthattheyearswerepassing；butLamb，pettingotherhobbies，hadlostinterest。

"Oh，I\'llstartitupsomeday，maybe。IfIdon\'t，Imayturnitovertomyheirs:it\'salwaysanasset，worthsomethingorother，ofcourse。We\'llprobablytakeitupsomeday，though，youandI。"

Thesunpersistentlydeclinedtoriseonthatday，and，astimewenton，Adamssawthathisrathertimidurgingsboredhisemployer，andheceasedtobringupthesubject。Lambapparentlyforgotallaboutglue，butAdamsdiscoveredthatunfortunatelytherewassomeoneelsewhorememberedit。

"It\'sreallyYOURS，"sheargued，thatpainfuldaywhenforthefirsttimeshesuggestedhisusinghisknowledgeforthebenefitofhimselfandhisfamily。"Mr。Campbellmighthavehadarighttopartofit，buthediedanddidn\'tleaveanykin，soitbelongstoyou。"

"SupposeJ。A。Lambhiredmetosawsomewood，"Adamssaid。

"Wouldthesticksbelongtome？"

"Hehasn\'tgotanyrighttotakeyourinventionandburyit，"sheprotested。"Whatgoodisitdoinghimifhedoesn\'tDOanythingwithit？WhatgoodisitdoingANYBODY？Noneintheworld!Andwhatharmwoulditdohimifyouwentaheadanddidthisforyourselfandforyourchildren？Noneintheworld!AndwhatcouldhedotoyouifheWASoldpigenoughtogetangrywithyoufordoingit？Hecouldn\'tdoasinglething，andyou\'veadmittedhecouldn\'t，yourself。Sowhat\'syourreasonfordeprivingyourchildrenandyourwifeofthebenefitsyouknowyoucouldgive\'em？"

"Nothingbutdecency，"heanswered；andshehadherreplyreadyforthat。Itseemedtohimthat，striveashewould，hecouldnotreachhermindwitheventheplainestlanguage；whileeverythingthatshesaidtohim，withsuchvehemence，soundedlikesomuchobstinategibberish。Overandoverhepressedherwiththesameillustration，onthepointofownership，thoughhethoughthewasvaryingit。

"Supposehehiredmetobuildhimahouse:wouldthatbeMY

house？"

"Hedidn\'thireyoutobuildhimahouse。YouandCampbellinvented——"

"Lookhere:supposeyougiveacookasoup-boneandsomevegetables，andpayhertomakeyouasoup:hasshegotarighttotakeandsellit？Youknowbetter!"

"IknowONEthing:ifthatoldmantriedtokeepyourowninventionfromyouhe\'snobetterthanarobber!"

Theyneverfoundanypointofcontactinalltheirpassionatediscussionsofthisethicalquestion；andthequestionwasnomoresettledbetweenthem，nowthatAdamshadsuccumbed，thanithadeverbeen。Butatleastthewranglingaboutitwasover:

theyweregravetogether，almostsilent，andanuneasinessprevailedwithherasmuchaswithhim。

Hehadalreadybeenoutofthehouse，towalkaboutthesmallgreenyard；andonMondayafternoonhesentforataxicabandwentdown-town，butkeptalongwayfromthe"wholesalesection，"

wherestoodtheformidableoldoblongpileofLambandCompany。

Hearrangedforthesaleofthebondshehadlaidaway，andforplacingamortgageuponhishouse；andonhiswayhome，afterfiveo\'clock，hewenttoseeanoldfriend，amanwhosetermofservicewithLambandCompanywasevenalittlelongerthanhisown。

Thisveteran，returnedfromtheday\'swork，wassittinginfrontoftheapartmenthousewherehelived，butwhenthecabstoppedatthecurbheroseandcameforward，offeringajoculargreeting。"Well，well，VirgilAdams!Ialwaysthoughtyouhadasportystreakinyou。Travelinyourownhiredprivateautomobilenowadays，doyou？Pamperin\'yourselfbecauseyou\'restilllayin\'offsick，Iexpect。"

"Oh，I\'mwellenoughagain，CharleyLohr，"Adamssaid，ashegotoutandshookhands。Then，tellingthedrivertowait，hetookhisfriend\'sarm，walkedtothebenchwithhim，andsatdown。"I

beenpracticallywellforsometime，"hesaid。"I\'mfixin\'togetintoharnessagain。"

"Bein\'sickhascertainlyproducedachangeofheartinyou，"hisfriendlaughed。"You\'rethelastmanIeverexpectedtoseeblowin\'yourself——oranybodyelsetoataxicab!Forthatmatter，Ineverheardofyoubein\'inANYkindofacab，\'less\'nitmightbewhenyoubeenpall-bearerforsomebody。What\'scomeoveryou？"

"Well，Igottoturnoveranewleaf，andthat\'safact，"Adamssaid。"Igotalottodo，andtheonlywaytoaccomplishit，it\'sgottobedonesoon，orIwon\'thaveanythingtoliveonwhileI\'mdoingit。"

"Whatyoutalkin\'about？Whatyougottodoexcepttogetstrongenoughtocomebacktotheoldplace？"

"Well——"Adamspaused，thencoughed，andsaidslowly，"Factis，CharleyLohr，IbeenthinkinglikelyIwouldn\'tcomeback。"

"What!Whatyoutalkin\'about？"

"No，"saidAdams。"IbeenthinkingImightlikelykindofbranchoutonmyownaccount。"

"Well，I\'llbedoggoned!"OldCharleyLohrwasamazed；heruffleduphisgraymoustachewiththumbandforefinger，leavinghismouthopenbeneath，likeadarkcaveunderatangledwintrythicket。"Why，that\'sthedoggonedestthingIeverheard!"hesaid。"Ialreadyamtheoldestinhabitantdownthere，butifyougo，therewon\'tbeanybodyelseoftheoldgenerationatall。

Whatonearthyouthinkin\'ofgoin\'into？"

"Well，"saidAdams，"Iratheryoudidn\'tmentionittillIgetstartedofcourseanybody\'llknowwhatitisbythen——butIHAVE

beenkindofplanningtoputaliquidglueonthemarket。"

Hisfriend，stillrufflingthegraymoustacheupward，staredathiminfrowningperplexity。"Glue？"hesaid。"GLUE!"

"Yes。Ibeensortofmillingovertheideaoftakingupsomethinglikethat。"

"Handlin\'itforsomefirm，youmean？"

"No。Makingit。Sortofaglue-workslikely。"

Lohrcontinuedtofrown。"Letmethink，"hesaid。"Didn\'ttheolemanhavesomesuchideaonce，himself？"

Adamsleanedforward，rubbinghisknees；andhecoughedagainbeforehespoke。"Well，yes。Factis，hedid。Thatistosay，amightylongwhileagohedid。"

"Iremember，"saidLohr。"HeneversaidanythingaboutitthatI

knowof；butseemstomeIrecollectwehadsortofarumouraroundtheplacehowyouandthatman——le\'ssee，wasn\'thisnameCampbell，thatdiedoftyphoidfever？Yes，thatwasit，Campbell。Didn\'ttheolemanhaveyouandCampbellworkin\'sortofprivateonsomegluepropositionorother？"

"Yes，hedid。"Adamsnodded。"Ifoundoutagooddealaboutgluethen，too。"

"Beenworkin\'onitsince，Isuppose？"

"Yes。Keptitinmymindandstudiedoutnewthingsaboutit。"

Lohrlookedserious。"Well，butseehere，"hesaid。"Ihopeitain\'tanythingtheoleman\'llthinkmightinfringeonwhateverhehadyoudoin\'forHIM。Youknowhowheis:broad-minded，liberal，free-handedmanaswalksthisearth，andifhethoughtheowedyouacenthe\'dsellhisrighthandforapork-choptopayit，ifthatwastheonlyway；butifhegottheideaanybodywastryin\'togetthebetterofhim，he\'dsellBOTHhishands，ifhehadto，tokeep\'emfromdoin\'it。Yes，ateighty，hewould!

NotthatImeanIthinkyoumightbetryin\'togetthebetterofhim，Virg。You\'reamightycloseolecodger，butsuchathingain\'tinyou。WhatImean:Ihopethereain\'tanychancefortheolemantoTHINKyoumightbe——"

"Oh，no，"Adamsinterrupted。"Asamatteroffact，Idon\'tbelievehe\'lleverthinkaboutitatall，andifhedidhewouldn\'thaveanyrealrighttofeeloffendedatme:theprocessI\'mgoingtouseisoneIexpecttochangeandimprovealotdifferentfromtheoneCampbellandIworkedonforhim。"

"Well，that\'sgood，"saidLohr。"Ofcourseyouknowwhatyou\'reupto:you\'reoldenough，Godknows!"Helaughedruefully。"My，butitwillseemfunnytome——downtherewithyougone!IexpectyouandIbothbeengettin\'tobeprettymuchdead-woodintheplace，thewaytheyoungfellowslookatit，andtheonlyonethat\'dmisseitherofuswouldbetheotherone!Haveyoutoldtheolemanyet？"

"Well——"Adamsspokelaboriously。"No。No，Ihaven\'t。I

thought——well，that\'swhatIwantedtoseeyouabout。"

"WhatcanIdo？"

"IthoughtI\'dwritehimaletterandgetyoutohandittohimforme。"

"Mysoul!"hisfriendexclaimed。"Whyonearthdon\'tyoujustgodownthereandtellhim？"

Adamsbecamepitiablyembarrassed。Hestammered，coughed，stammeredagain，wrinklinghisfacesodeeplyheseemedabouttoweep；butfinallyhecontrivedtoutteranapologeticlaugh。"I

oughttodothat，ofcourse；butinsomewayorotherIjustdon\'tseemtobeableto——tomanageit。"

"Whyintheworldnot？"themystifiedLohrinquired。

"Icouldhardlytellyou——\'less\'nitistosaythatwhenyoubeenwithonebossallyourlifeit\'sso——sokindofembarrassing——toquithim，Ijustcan\'tmakeupmymindtogoandspeaktohimaboutit。No；Igotitinmyheadaletter\'stheonlysatisfactorywaytodoit，andIthoughtI\'daskyoutohandittohim，"

"Well，ofcourseIdon\'tminddoin\'thatforyou，"Lohrsaid，mildly。"Butwhyintheworlddon\'tyoujustmailittohim？"

"Well，I\'lltellyou，"Adamsreturned。"Youknow，likethat，it\'dhavetogothroughaclerkandthatsecretaryofhis，andI

don\'tknowwhoall。There\'sacoupleofkindofdelicatepointsIwanttoputinit:forinstance，IwanttoexplaintohimhowmuchimprovementandsoonI\'mgoingtointroduceontheoldprocessIhelpedtoworkoutwithCampbellwhenwewereworkingforhim，so\'the\'llunderstandit\'sadifferentarticleandnoinfringementatall。Thenthere\'sanotherthing:youseeallduringwhileIwassickhehadmysalarypaidtomeitamountstoconsiderable，Iwasonmybacksolong。Underthecircumstances，becauseI\'mquitting，Idon\'tfeelasifIoughttoacceptit，andsoI\'llhaveacheckforhiminthelettertocoverit，andI

wanttobesureheknowsit，andgetsitpersonally。Ifithadtogothroughalotofotherpeople，thewayitwouldifIputitinthemail，why，youcan\'ttell。SowhatIthought:ifyou\'dhandittohimforme，andmaybeifhehappenedtoreaditrightthen，oranything，itmightbeyou\'dnoticewhateverhe\'dhappentosayaboutit——andyoucouldtellmeafterward。"

"Allright，"Lohrsaid。"Certainlyifyou\'dratherdoitthatway，I\'llhandittohimandtellyouwhathesays；thatis，ifhesaysanythingandIhearhim。Gotitwritten？"

"No；I\'llsenditaroundtoyoulastoftheweek。"Adamsmovedtowardhistaxicab。"Don\'tsayanythingtoanybodyaboutit，Charley，especiallytillafterthat。"

"Allright。"

"And，Charley，I\'llbemightyobligedtoyou，"Adamssaid，andcamebacktoshakehandsinfarewell。"There\'sonethingmoreyoumightdo——ifyou\'deverhappentofeellikeit。"Hekepthiseyesrathervaguelyfixedonapointabovehisfriend\'sheadashespoke，andhisvoicewasnotwellcontrolled。"Ibeen——IbeendownthereagoodmanyyearsandImaynot\'a\'beensomuchuselatelyasIwasatfirst，butIalwaystriedtodomybestfortheoldfirm。Ifanythingturnedoutso\'stheyDIDkindoftakeoffensewithme，downthere，why，justsayagoodwordforme——ifyou\'dhappentofeellikeit，maybe。"

OldCharleyLohrassuredhimthathewouldspeakagoodwordifopportunitybecameavailable；then，afterthecabhaddrivenaway，hewentuptohissmallapartmentonthethirdfloorandmutteredruminativelyuntilhiswifeinquiredwhathewastalkingtohimselfabout。

"OleVirgAdams，"hetoldher。"He\'soutagainafterhislongspellofsickness，andthewayitlookstomehe\'dbetterstayedinbed。"

"Youmeanhestilllookstoobadtobeout？"

"Oh，Iexpecthe\'sgettin\'hisHEALTHback，"Lohrsaid，frowning。

"Thenwhat\'sthematterwithhim？Youmeanhe\'slosthismind？"

"Mygoodness，butwomendojumpatconclusions!"heexclaimed。

"Well，"saidMrs。Lohr，"whatotherconclusiondidyouleavemetojumpat？"

Herhusbandexplainedwithalittleheat:"PeoplecanhaveasicknessthatAFFECTStheirmind，can\'tthey？Theirmindcangetsomeaffectedwithoutbein\'LOST，can\'tit？"

"Thenyoumeanthepoorman\'sminddoesseemaffected？"

"Why，no；I\'dscarcelygoasfarasthat，"Lohrsaid，inconsistently，anddeclinedtobemoredefinite。

Adamsdevotedthelatterpartofthateveningtothecompositionofhisletter——adisquietingtasknotcompletedwhen，ateleveno\'clock，heheardhisdaughtercomingupthestairs。Shewassingingtoherselfinalow，sweetvoice，andAdamspausedtolistenincredulously，withhispenliftedandhismouthopen，asifheheardthestrangestsoundintheworld。Thenhesetdownthepenuponablotter，wenttohisdoor，andopenedit，lookingoutatherasshecame。

"Well，dearie，youseemtobefeelingprettygood，"hesaid。

"Whatyoubeendoing？"

"Justsittingoutonthefrontsteps，papa。"

"Allalone，Isuppose。"

"No。Mr。Russellcalled。"

"Oh，hedid？"Adamspretendedtobesurprised。"Whatallcouldyouandhefindtotalkabouttillthishouro\'thenight？"

Shelaughedgaily。"Youdon\'tknowme，papa!"

"How\'sthat？"

"You\'veneverfoundoutthatIalwaysdoallthetalking。"

"Didn\'tyoulethimgetawordinallevening？"

"Oh，yes；everynowandthen。"

Adamstookherhandandpettedit。"Well，whatdidhesay？"

Alicegavehimaradiantlookandkissedhim。"Notwhatyouthink!"shelaughed；thenslappedhischeekwithsaucyaffection，pirouettedacrossthenarrowhallandintoherownroom，andcurtsiedtohimassheclosedherdoor。

Adamswentbacktohiswritingwithalighterheart；forsinceAlicewasbornshehadbeentohimtheappleofhiseye，hisownphraseinthinkingofher；andwhathewasdoingnowwasforher。

Hesmiledashepickeduphispentobeginanewdraftofthepainfulletter；butpresentlyhelookedpuzzled。Afterall，shecouldbehappyjustasthingswere，itseemed。Thenwhyhadhetakenwhathiswifecalled"thisnewstep，"whichhehadsolongresisted？

Hecouldonlysighandwonder。"Lifeworksoutprettypeculiarly，"hethought；forhecouldn\'tgobacknow，thoughthereasonhecouldn\'twasnotclearlyapparent。Hehadtogoahead。

CHAPTERXVII

Hewasoutinhistaxicabagainthenextmorning，andbynoonhehadsecuredwhathewanted。

Itwascuriouslysignificantthatheworkedsoquickly。Alltheyearsduringwhichhiswifehadpressedhimtowardhispresentshifthehadsworntohimself，aswellastoher，thathewouldneveryield；andyetwhenhedidyieldhehadnoplanstomake，becausehefoundthemalreadypreparedandworkedoutindetailinhismind；asifhehadlongcontemplatedthe"step"hebelievedhimselfincapableoftaking。

Sometimeshehadthoughtofimprovinghisincomebyexchanginghislittlecollectionofbondsfora"smallrentalproperty，"ifhecouldfind"agoodbuy"；andhehadspentmanyofhissparehoursramblingovertheenormouslyspreadingcityanditspurlieus，lookingfortheideal"buy。"Itremainedunattainable，sofarashewasconcerned；buthefoundotherthings。

Nottwiceacrow\'smilefromhisownhousetherewasadismalandslummishquarter，adecayed"industrialdistrict"ofearlierdays。Mostoftheindustriesweresmall；someofthemdied，perishingofbankruptcyorfire；andafewhadmoved，leavingtheirshells。Oftherelics，thebestwasabrickbuildingwhichhadbeenthelargestandmostimportantfactoryinthequarter:

ithadbeeninjuredbyalongvacancyalmostasseriousasafire，ineffect，andAdamshadoftenguessedatthesumneededtoputitinrepair。

Whenhepassedit，hewouldlookatitwithaninterestwhichhesupposeddetachedandidlyspeculative。"That\'dbejustthething，"hethought。"Ifafellowhadmoneyenough，andtookanotiontosetupsomenewbusinessonabigscale，thiswouldbeaprettygoodplace——tomakeglue，forinstance，ifthatwasn\'toutofthequestion，ofcourse。Itwouldtakealotofmoney，though；agreatdealtoomuchformetoexpecttohandle——evenifI\'deverdreamofdoingsuchathing。"

Oppositethedismantledfactorywasamuddy，openlotoftwoacresorso，andnearthemiddleofthelot，alongbrickshedstoodinadesolateabandonment，nothappilydecoratedbyoldcoatingsoftheatricalandmedicinaladvertisements。Butthebrickshedhadtwowoodenells，and，thoughbothshedandellswereofasinglestory，herewasemptyspaceenoughforamodestenterprise——"spaceenoughforalmostanything，tostartwith，"

Adamsthought，ashewalkedthroughthelowbuildings，oneday，whenhewasprospectinginthatsection。"Yes，IsupposeICOULD

swingthis，"hethought。"Iftheprocessbelongedtome，say，insteadofbeingoutofthequestionbecauseitisn\'tmyproperty——orifIwasthekindofmantodosuchathinganyhow，herewouldbesomethingIcouldprobablygetholdofprettycheap。They\'dwantalotofmoneyforaleaseonthatbigbuildingovertheway——butthis，why，Ishouldthinkit\'dbepracticallynothingatall。"

Then，bychance，meetinganagentheknew，hemadeinquiries——merelytosatisfyacasualcuriosity，hethought——andhefoundmattersmuchashehadsupposed，exceptthattheownersofthebigbuildingdidnotwishtolet，buttosellit，andthisatapricesoexorbitantthatAdamslaughed。Butthelongbrickshedinthegreatmuddylotwasforsaleortolet，or"prettyneartobegivenaway，"helearned，ifanybodywouldtakeit。

Adamstookitnow，thoughwithoutseeingthathehadbeendestinedtotakeit，andthatsomedrearywizardinthebackofhisheadhadforeseenallalongthathewouldtakeit，andplannedtobeready。Hedroveinhistaxicabtolooktheplaceoveragain，thendown-towntoarrangeforalease；andcamehometolunchwithhiswifeanddaughter。Thingswere"moving，"hetoldthem。

Heboastedalittleofhavingactedsodecisively，andsaidthatsincethedangthinghadtobedone，itwas"goingtobedoneRIGHT!"Hewasalmostcheerful，inafeverishway，andwhenthecabcameforhimagain，soonafterlunch，heexplainedthatheintendednotonlytogetthingsdoneright，butalsoto"get\'emdonequick!"Alice，followinghimtothefrontdoor，lookedathimanxiouslyandaskedifshecouldn\'thelp。Helaughedathergrimly。

"Thenletmegoalongwithyouinthecab，"shebegged。"Youdon\'tlookabletostartinsohard，papa，justwhenyou\'rebarelybeginningtogetyourstrengthback。DoletmegowithyouandseeifIcan\'thelp——oratleasttakecareofyouifyoushouldgettofeelingbadly。"

Hedeclined，butuponpressureletherputatinybottleofspiritsofammoniainhispocket，andpromisedtomakeuseofitifhe"feltfaintorany-thing。"Thenhewasoffagain；andthenextmorninghadmenatworkinhissheds，thoughthewageshehadtopayfrightenedhim。

Hedirectedtheworkmenineverydetail，hurryingthembyexampleandexhortations，andreceiving，inconsequence，severaldeclarationsofindependence，aswellasoneresignation，whichtookeffectimmediately。"Youscapitalustsseemtothinkaman\'sgotnothin\'todobutbreakhisbackp\'doosin\'wealthferyoustosquander，"theresigningpersonloudlycomplained。"Youlookout:thetoiler\'sdayisa-comin\'，anditain\'tsofuroff，neither!"Butthecapitalistwasalreadyoutofhearing，gonetofindamantotakethisorator\'splace。

Bytheendoftheweek，Adamsfeltthathehadmovedsatisfactorilyforwardinhispreparationsforthesimpleequipmentheneeded；buthehatedthepauseofSunday。Hedidn\'tWANTanyrest，hetoldAliceimpatiently，whenshesuggestedthattheidledaymightbegoodforhim。

LatethatafternoonhewalkedovertotheapartmenthousewhereoldCharleyLohrlived，andgavehisfriendtheletterhewantedtheheadofLambandCompanytoreceive"personally。""I\'lltakeitasamightygreatfavourinyoutohandittohimpersonally，Charley，"hesaid，inparting。"Andyouwon\'tforget，incasehesaysanythingaboutit——andrememberifyoueverdogetachancetoputinagoodwordformelater，youknow——"

OldCharleypromisedtoremember，and，whenMrs。Lohrcameoutofthe"kitchenette，"afterthedoorclosed，hesaidthoughtfully，"Justskinandbones。"

"YoumeanMr。Adamsis？"Mrs。Lohrinquired。

"Who\'dyouthinkImeant？"hereturned。"Oneo\'thesepartridgesinthewall-paper？"

"Didhelooksobadly？"

"Lookedkindofdistractedtome，"herhusbandreplied。"Theselittlethinfellerscanstandaheapsometimes，though。He\'llbeoverhereagainMonday。"

"Didhesayhewould？"

"No，"saidLohr。"Buthewill。You\'llsee。He\'llbeovertofindoutwhatthebigbosssayswhenIgivehimthisletter。

ExpectI\'dbekindofanxious，myself，ifIwashim。"

"Whywouldyou？What\'sMr。Adamsdoingtobesoanxiousabout？"

Lohr\'sexpressionbecameoneofreserve，thelookofamanwhohasfoundthatwhenhespeakshisinnerthoughtshiswifejumpstoofartoconclusions。"Oh，nothing，"hesaid。"Ofcourseanymanstartingupanewbusinessisboundtobeprettynervousawhile。He\'llbeoverhereto-morrowevening，allright；you\'llsee。"

Thepredictionwasfulfilled:AdamsarrivedjustafterMrs。Lohrhadremovedthedinnerdishestoher"kitchenette"；butLohrhadlittleinformationtogivehiscaller。

"Hedidn\'tsayaword，Virgil；naryaword。Itookitintohisofficeandhandedittohim，andhejustsatandreadit；that\'sall。IkindofstoodaroundaslongasIcould，buthewassittin\'athisdeskwithhissidetome，andheneverturnedaroundfulltowardme，asitwere，soIcouldn\'thardlyeventellanything。AllIknow:hejustreadit。"

"Well，butseehere，"Adamsbegan，nervously。"Well——"

"Wellwhat，Virg？"

"Well，butwhatdidhesaywhenheDIDspeak？"

"Hedidn\'tspeak。NotsolongIwasinthere，anyhow。Hejustsatthereandreadit。Readkindofslow。Then，whenhecametotheend，heturnedbackandstartedtoreaditalloveragain。

Bythattimetherewasthreeorfourothermenstandin\'aroundintheofficewaitin\'tospeaktohim，andIhadtogo。"

Adamssighed，andstaredatthefloor，irresolute。"Well，I\'llbegettingalongbackhomethen，Iguess，Charley。Soyou\'resureyoucouldn\'ttellanythingwhathemighthavethoughtaboutit，then？"

"Notathingintheworld。I\'vetoldyouallIknow，Virg。"

"Iguessso，Iguessso，"Adamssaid，mournfully。"Ifeelmightyobligedtoyou，CharleyLohr；mightyobliged。Good-nighttoyou。"Andhedeparted，sighinginperplexity。

Onhiswayhome，preoccupiedwithmanythoughts，hewalkedsoslowlythatonceortwicehestoppedandstoodmotionlessforafewmoments，withoutbeingawareofit；andwhenhereachedthejunctureofthesidewalkwiththeshortbrickpaththatledtohisownfrontdoor，hestoppedagain，andstoodformorethanaminute。"Ah，IwishIknew，"hewhispered，plaintively。"IdowishIknewwhathethoughtaboutit。"

Hewasrousedbyalaughthatcamelightlyfromthelittleverandanearby。"Papa!"Alicecalledgaily。"Whatareyoustandingtheremutteringtoyourselfabout？"

"Oh，areyouthere，dearie？"hesaid，andcameupthepath。A

tallfigurerosefromachairontheveranda。

"Papa，thisisMr。Russell。"

Thetwomenshookhands，Adamssaying，"Pleasedtomakeyouracquaintance，"astheylookedateachotherinthefaintlightdiffusedthroughtheopaqueglassintheupperpartofthedoor。

Adams\'simpressionwasofastrongandtallyoungman，fashionablebutgentle；andRussell\'swasofadried，littleoldbusinessmanwithagrizzledmoustache，worriedbrighteyes，shapelessdarkclothes，andahomelymanner。

"Niceevening，"Adamssaidfurther，astheirhandsparted。"Nicetimeo\'yearitis，butwedon\'talwayshaveasgoodweatherasthis；that\'sthetroubleofit。Well——"Hewenttothedoor。

"Well——Ibidyougoodevening，"hesaid，andretiredwithinthehouse。

Alicelaughed。"He\'stheold-fashionedestmanintown，Isupposeandfrightfullyimpressedwithyou，Icouldsee!"

"Whatnonsense!"saidRussell。"Howcouldanybodybeimpressedwithme？"

"Whynot？Becauseyou\'requiet？Goodgracious!Don\'tyouknowthatyou\'rethemostimpressivesort？Wechatterersspendallourtimeplayingtoyouquietpeople。"

"Yes；we\'reonlytheaudience。"

"\'Only!\'"sheechoed。"Why，weliveforyou，andwecan\'tlivewithoutyou。"

"Iwishyoucouldn\'t，"saidRussell。"Thatwouldbeanewexperienceforbothofus，wouldn\'tit？"

"Itmightbearatherbleakoneforme，"sheanswered，lightly。

"I\'mafraidI\'llmissthesesummereveningswithyouwhenthey\'reover。I\'llmissthemenough，thanks!"

"Dotheyhavetobeoversometime？"heasked。

"Oh，everything\'soversometime，isn\'tit？"

Russelllaughedather。"Don\'tlet\'slooksofaraheadasthat，"

hesaid。"Wedon\'tneedtobealreadythinkingofthecemetery，dowe？"

"Ididn\'t，"shesaid，shakingherhead。"Oursummereveningswillbeoverbeforethen，Mr。Russell。"

"Why？"heasked。

"Goodheavens!"shesaid。"THERE\'Slaconiceloquence:almostaproposalinasingleword!Nevermind，Ishan\'tholdyoutoit。

Buttoansweryou:well，I\'malwayslookingahead，andsomehowI

usuallyseeabouthowthingsarecomingout。"

"Yes，"hesaid。"Isupposemostofusdo；atleastitseemsasifwedid，becausewesoseldomfeelsurprisedbythewaytheydocomeout。Butmaybethat\'sonlybecauselifeisn\'tlikeaplayinatheatre，andmostthingscomeaboutsograduallywegetusedtothem。"

"No，I\'msureIcanseequitealongwayahead，"sheinsisted，gravely。"Anditdoesn\'tseemtomeasifoursummereveningscouldlastverylong。Something\'llinterfere——somebodywill，I