下载辰思小说免费APP
Nevertheless，AliceforgotaboutWalterforafewminutes。Sheclosedthedoor，wentintothe"living-room"absently，andstaredvaguelyatoneoftheoldbrown-plushrocking-chairsthere。Uponherforeheadwerethelittleshadowsofanapprehensivereverie，andherthoughtsoverlappedoneanotherinafretfuljumble。"Whatwillhethink？Theseoldchairs——they\'rehideous。I\'llscrubthosesoot-streaksonthecolumns:itwon\'tdoanygood，though。Thatlongcrackinthecolumn——nothingcanhelpit。Whatwillhethinkofpapa？Ihopemamawon\'ttalktoomuch。WhenhethinksofMildred\'shouse，orofHenrietta\'s，oranyof\'em，besidethis——Shesaidshe\'dbuyplentyofroses；thatoughttohelpsome。Nothingcouldbedoneaboutthesehorriblechairs:can\'ttake\'emupintheattic——aroom\'sgottohavechairs!Mighthaverentedsome。No；ifheevercomesagainhe\'dseetheyweren\'there。\'Ifheevercomesagain\'——oh，itwon\'tbeTHATbad!Butitwon\'tbewhatheexpects。I\'mresponsibleforwhatheexpects:heexpectsjustwhattheairsI\'veputonhavemadehimexpect。WhatdidIwanttoposesotohimfor——asifpapawereawealthymanandallthat？WhatWILLhethink？ThephotographoftheColosseum\'sarathergoodthing，though。Ithelpssome——asifwe\'dboughtitinRomeperhaps。Ihopehe\'llthinkso；hebelievesI\'vebeenabroad，ofcourse。Theothernighthesaid，\'YourememberthefeelingyougetintheSainte-Chapelle\'——There\'sanotherlieofmine，notsayingIdidn\'trememberbecauseI\'dneverbeenthere。
Whatmakesmedoit？PapaMUSTwearhiseveningclothes。ButWalter——"
Withthatsherecalledhermother\'sadmonition，andwentupstairstoWalter\'sdoor。Shetappeduponitwithherfingers。
"Timetogetup，Walter。Therestofushadbreakfastoverhalfanhourago，andit\'snearlyeighto\'clock。You\'llbelate。
HurrydownandI\'llhavesomecoffeeandtoastreadyforyou。"
Therecamenosoundfromwithintheroom，sosherappedlouder。
"Wakeup，Walter!"
Shecalledandrappedagain，withoutgettinganyresponse，andthen，findingthatthedooryieldedtoher，openeditandwentin。Walterwasnotthere。
Hehadbeenthere，however；hadsleptuponthebed，thoughnotinsidethecovers；andAlicesupposedhemusthavecomehomesolatethathehadbeentoosleepytotakeoffhisclothes。Nearthefootofthebedwasashallowclosetwherehekepthis"othersuit"andhiseveningclothes；andthedoorstoodopen，showingabarewall。Nothingwhateverwasinthecloset，andAlicewasrathersurprisedatthisforamoment。"That\'squeer，"shemurmured；andthenshedecidedthatwhenhewokehefoundtheclotheshehadsleptin"somussy"hehadputonhis"othersuit，"andhadgoneoutbeforebreakfastwiththemussedclothestohavethempressed，takinghiseveningthingswiththem。
Satisfiedwiththisexplanation，andfailingtoobservethatitdidnotaccountfortheabsenceofshoesfromtheclosetfloor，shenoddedabsently，"Yes，thatmustbeit"；and，whenhermotherreturned，toldherthatWalterhadprobablybreakfasteddown-town。Theydidnotdelayoverthis；thecolouredwomanhadarrived，andthebasket\'sdisclosureswereimportant。
"IstoppedatWorlig\'sonthewayback，"saidMrs。Adams，flushedwithhurryandexcitement。"Iboughtacanofcaviarthere。Ithoughtwe\'dhavelittlesandwichesbroughtintothe\'living-room\'beforedinner，thewayyousaidtheydidwhenyouwenttothatdinneratthe——"
"ButIthinkthatwastogowithcocktails，mama，andofcoursewehaven\'t——"
"No，"Mrs。Adamssaid。"Still，Ithinkitwouldbenice。Wecanmakethemlookverydainty，onatray，andthewaitresscanbringthemin。Ithoughtwe\'dhavethesoupalreadyonthetable；andwecanwalkrightoutassoonaswehavethesandwiches，soitwon\'tgetcold。Then，afterthesoup，Malenasaysshecanmakesweetbreadpateswithmushrooms:andforthemeatcoursewe\'llhavelardedfillet。Malena\'sreallyafancycook，youknow，andshesaysshecandoanythinglikethattoperfection。We\'llhavepeaswiththefillet，andpotatoballsandBrusselssprouts。Brusselssproutsarefashionablenow，theytoldmeatmarket。Thenwillcomethechickensalad，andafterthattheice-cream——she\'sgoingtomakeanangel-foodcaketogowithit——andthencoffeeandcrackersandanewkindofcheeseI
gotatWorlig\'s，hesaysisveryfine。"
Alicewasalarmed。"Don\'tyouthinkperhapsit\'stoomuch，mama？"
"It\'sbettertohavetoomuchthantoolittle，"hermothersaid，cheerfully。"Wedon\'twanthimtothinkwe\'rethekindthatskimp。Lordknowswehavetoenough，though，mostofthetime!
Gettheflowersinwater，child。Ibought\'ematmarketbecausethey\'resomuchcheaperthere，butthey\'llkeepfreshandnice。
Youfix\'emanywayyouwant。Hurry!It\'sgottobeabusyday。"
Shehadboughtthreedozenlittleroses。Alicetookthemandbegantoarrangetheminvases，keepingthestemsseparatedasfaraspossiblesothattheclumpswouldlooklarger。Sheputhalfadozenineachofthreevasesinthe"living-room，"placingonevaseonthetableinthecenteroftheroom，andoneateachendofthemantelpiece。Thenshetooktherestoftherosestothedining-room；butshepostponedthearrangementofthemuntilthetableshouldbeset，justbeforedinner。Shewasthoughtful；
planningtodrythestemsandlaythemonthetableclothlikeavineofrosesrunninginadelicatedesign，ifshefoundthatthedozenandahalfshehadleftwereenoughforthat。Iftheyweren\'tshewouldarrangetheminavase。
Shelookedalongtimeatthelittlerosesinthebasinofwater，whereshehadputthem；thenshesighed，andwentawaytoheaviertasks，whilehermotherworkedinthekitchenwithMalena。Alicedustedthe"living-room"andthedining-roomvigorously，thoughallthetimewithalookthatgrewmoreandmorepensive；andhavingdustedeverything，shewipedthefurniture；rubbedithard。Afterthat，shewashedthefloorsandthewoodwork。
Emergingfromthekitchenatnoon，Mrs。Adamsfoundherdaughteronhandsandknees，scrubbingthebasesofthecolumnsbetweenthehallandthe"living-room。"
"Now，dearie，"shesaid，"youmustn\'ttireyourselfout，andyou\'dbettercomeandeatsomething。Yourfathersaidhe\'dgetabitedown-townto-day——hewasgoingdowntothebank——andWaltereatsdown-townallthetimelately，soIthoughtwewouldn\'tbothertosetthetableforlunch。Comeonandwe\'llhavesomethinginthekitchen。"
"No，"Alicesaid，dully，asshewentonwithhework。"Idon\'twantanything。"
Hermothercameclosertoher。"Why，what\'sthematter？"sheasked，briskly。"Youseemkindofpale，tome；andyoudon\'tlook——youdon\'tlookHAPPY。"
"Well——"Alicebegan，uncertainly，butsaidnomore。
"Seehere!"Mrs。Adamsexclaimed。"Thisisalljustforyou!
YououghttobeENJOYINGit。Why，it\'sthefirsttimewe\'ve——we\'veentertainedinIdon\'tknowhowlong!Iguessit\'salmostsincewehadthatlittlepartywhenyouwereeighteen。
What\'sthematterwithyou？"
"Nothing。Idon\'tknow。"
"But，dearie，aren\'tyoulookingFORWARDtothisevening？"
Thegirllookedup，showingapallidandsolemnface。"Oh，yes，ofcourse，"shesaid，andtriedtosmile。"Ofcoursewehadtodoit——Idothinkit\'llbenice。OfcourseI\'mlookingforwardtoit。"
CHAPTERXX
Shewasindeed"lookingforward"tothatevening，butinacloudofapprehension；and，althoughshecouldneverhaveguessedit，thiswasthesimultaneousconditionofanotherperson——noneotherthantheguestforwhosepleasuresomuchcookingandscrubbingseemedtobenecessary。Moreover，Mr。ArthurRussell\'spremonitionswerenoproductofmerecoincidence；neitherhadanymagicalsympathyproducedthem。Hisstateofmindwasrathertheresultofrougherundercurrentswhichhadallthetimebeenrunningbeneaththesurfaceofaromanticfriendship。
Nevershrewderthanwhensheanalyzedthegentlemen，Alicedidnotlibelhimwhenshesaidhewasoneofthosequietmenwhoareabitflirtatious，bywhichshemeantthathewasabit"susceptible，"thesamething——andhehadprovedhimselfsusceptibletoAliceuponhisfirstsightofher。"There!"hesaidtohimself。"Who\'sthat？"Andinthecrowdofgirlsathiscousin\'sdance，allstrangerstohim，shewastheonehewantedtoknow。
Sincethen，hissummereveningswithherhadbeenassecludedasif，forthreehoursafterthefallingofdusk，theytwohaddrawnapartfromtheworldtosomedearboweroftheirown。Thelittleverandawasthatglamorousnook，withafaintgoldenlightfallingthroughtheglassofthecloseddooruponAlice，anddarknesselsewhere，exceptfortheoneroundglobeofthestreetlampatthecorner。Thepeoplewhopassedalongthesidewalk，nowandthen，wereonlyshadowswithvoices，movingvaguelyunderthemapletreesthatloomedinobscurecontoursagainstthestars。So，asthetwosattogether，thebackoftheworldwasthewallandcloseddoorbehindthem；andRussell，whenhewasawayfromAlice，alwaysthoughtofherassittingtherebeforethecloseddoor。Aglamourwasaboutherthus，andaspelluponhim；buthehadaformlessanxietyneverputintowords:allthepicturesofherinhismindstoppedatthecloseddoor。
Hehadanotheranxiety；and，forthegreaterpart，thiswasofherowncreating。Shehadtoooftenaskedhim(nomatterhowgaily)whatheheardabouther，toooftenbeggedhimnottohearanything。Then，hopingtoforestallwhateverhemighthear，shehadbeenattoogreatpainstoaccountforit，todiscreditandmockit；and，thoughhelaughedatherforthis，tellinghertruthfullyhedidnotevenhearhermentioned，theeverlastingironythatdealswithallsuchhumanforefendingsprevailed。
Lately，hehadhalfconfessedtoherwhatanervousnessshehadproduced。"YoumakemedreadthedaywhenI\'llhearsomebodyspeakingofyou。You\'regettingmesoupsetaboutitthatifI
everhearanybodysomuchassaythename\'AliceAdams，\'I\'llrun!"Theconfessionwasbuthalfofonebecausehelaughed；andshetookitforanassuranceofloyaltyintheformofburlesque。
Shemisunderstood:helaughed，buthisnervousnesswasgenuine。
Afteranystrokeofevents，whetherahappyoneoracatastrophe，weseethatthematerialsforitwerealongtimegathering，andtheonlymarvelisthatthestrokewasnotprophesied。Whatboretheairoffatalcoincidencemayremainfatalindeed，tothislaterview；but，withthehaphazardaspectdispelled，thereisleftforscrutinythesameancienthintfromtheInfinitetotheeffectthatsinceeventshaveneveryetfailedtobelaw-abiding，perhapsitwerewellforustodeducethattheywillcontinuetobesountilfurthernotice……OnthedaythatwastoopenthecloseddoorinthebackgroundofhispicturesofAlice，Russelllunchedwithhisrelatives。Therewerebutthefourpeople，RussellandMildredandhermotherandfather，inthegreat，cooldining-room。
ArchedFrenchwindows，shadedbyawnings，admittedamellowlightandlookedoutuponagreenlawnendinginalongconservatory，whichrevealedthroughitsglasspanesacarnivalofplantsinluxuriantblossom。Fromhisseatatthetable，Russellglancedoutatthisprettydisplay，andinformedhiscousinsthathewassurprised。"Youhavesuchagloriousspreadofflowersalloverthehouse，"hesaid，"Ididn\'tsupposeyou\'dhaveanyleftoutyonder。Infact，Ididn\'tknowthereweresomanysplendidflowersintheworld。"
Mrs。Palmer，large，calm，fair，likeherdaughter，respondedwithamildreproach:"That\'sbecauseyouhaven\'tbeencousinlyenoughtogetusedtothem，Arthur。You\'vealmosttaughtustoforgetwhatyoulooklike。"
IndefenseRussellwavedahandtowardherhusband。"Yousee，he\'sbeguntokeepmesohardatwork——"
ButMr。Palmerdeclinedtheresponsibility。"Uptofourorfiveintheafternoon，perhaps，"hesaid。"Afterthat，theyounggentlemanisasmuchastrangertomeasheistomyfamily。
I\'vebeenwonderingwhoshecouldbe。"
"Whenaman\'spreoccupiedtheremustbealadythen？"Russellinquired。
"Thatseemstobetheviewofyoursex，"Mrs；Palmersuggested。
"Itwasmyhusbandwhosaidit，notMildredorI。"
Mildredsmiledfaintly。"Papamaybesingularinhisideas；theymaycomeentirelyfromhisownexperience，andhavenothingtodowithArthur。"
"Thankyou，Mildred，"hercousinsaid，bowingtohergratefully。
"Youseemtounderstandmycharacter——andyourfather\'squiteaswell!"
However，Mildredremainedgraveinthefaceofthiscustomarypleasantry，notbecausetheoldjest，wornround，likewhatprecededit，rolledinanoldgroove，butbecauseofsomepreoccupationofherown。Herfaintsmilehaddisappeared，and，ashercousin\'sglancemethers，shelookeddown；yetnotbeforehehadseeninhereyestheflickerofsomethinglikeaquestion——aquestionbothpoignantanddismayed。Hemayhaveunderstoodit；forhisownsmilevanishedatonceinfavourofareciprocalsolemnity。
"Yousee，Arthur，"Mrs。Palmersaid，"Mildredisalwaysagoodcousin。SheandIstandbyyou，evenifyoudostayawayfromusforweeksandweeks。"Then，observingthatheappearedtobesooccupiedwithabunchoficedgrapesuponhisplatethathehadnotheardher，shebegantotalktoherhusband，askinghimwhatwas"goingondown-town。"
Arthurcontinuedtoeathisgrapes，butheventuredtolookagainatMildredafterafewmoments。She，also，appearedtobeoccupiedwithabunchofgrapesthoughsheatenone，andonlypulledthemfromtheirstems。Shesatstraight，herfeaturesascomposedandpureasthoseofanewmarblesaintinacathedralniche；yetherdowncasteyesseemedtoconcealmanythoughts；andhercousin，againsthiswill，wasmoreawareofwhatthesethoughtsmightbethanoftheleisurelyconversationbetweenherfatherandmother。Allatonce，however，heheardsomethingthatstartledhim，andhelistened——andherewastheeffectofallAlice\'sforefendings；helistenedfromthefirstwithasinkingheart。
Mr。Palmer，mildlyamusedbywhathewastellinghiswife，hadjustspokenthewords，"thisVirgilAdams。"Whathehadsaidwas，"thisVirgilAdams——that\'stheman\'sname。Queercase。"
"Whotoldyou？"Mrs。Palmerinquired，notmuchinterested。
"AlfredLamb，"herhusbandanswered。"Hewaslaughingabouthisfather，attheclub。Youseetheoldgentlemantakesagreatprideinhisjudgmentofmen，andalwaysboastedtohissonsthathe\'dneverinhislifemadeamistakeintrustingthewrongman。
NowAlfredandJamesAlbert，Junior，thinktheyhaveagreatjokeonhim；andthey\'vetwittedhimsomuchaboutithe\'llscarcelyspeaktothem。Fromthefirst，Alfredsays，theoldchap\'sonlyreparteewas，\'Youwaitandyou\'llsee!\'Andthey\'veaskedhimsooftentoshowthemwhatthey\'regoingtoseethathewon\'tsayanythingatall!"
"He\'safunnyoldfellow，"Mrs。Palmerobserved。"Buthe\'ssoshrewdIcan\'timaginehisbeingdeceivedforsuchalongtime。
Twentyyears，yousaid？"
"Yes，longerthanthat，Iunderstand。Itappearswhenthisman——thisAdams——wasayoungclerk，theoldgentlemantrustedhimwithoneofhisbusinesssecrets，aglueprocessthatMr。Lambhadspentsomemoneytogetholdof。TheoldchapthoughtthisAdamswasgoingtohavequiteafuturewiththeLambconcern，andofcourseneverdreamedhewasdishonest。AlfredsaysthisAdamshasn\'tbeenofanyrealuseforyears，andtheyshouldhavelethimgoasdeadwood，buttheoldgentlemanwouldn\'thearofit，andinsistedonhisbeingkeptonthepayroll；sotheyjustdecidedtolookonitasasortofpension。Well，onemorninglastMarchthemanhadanattackofsomesortdownthere，andMr。
Lambgothisowncaroutandwenthomewithhim，himself，andworriedabouthimandwenttoseehimnoend，allthetimehewasill。"
"Hewould，"Mrs。Palmersaid，approvingly。"He\'sakind-heartedcreature，thatoldman。"
Herhusbandlaughed。"Alfredsayshethinkshiskind-heartednessisaboutcured!Itseemsthatassoonasthemangotwellagainhedeliberatelywalkedoffwiththeoldgentleman\'sgluesecret。
Justcalmlystoleit!Alfredsayshebelievesthatifhehadastrokeintheofficenow，himself，hisfatherwouldn\'tliftafingertohelphim!"
Mrs。Palmerrepeatedthenametoherselfthoughtfully。
"\'Adams\'——\'VirgilAdams。\'YousaidhisnamewasVirgilAdams？"
"Yes。"
Shelookedatherdaughter。"Why，youknowwhothatis，Mildred，"shesaid，casually。"It\'sthatAliceAdams\'sfather，isn\'tit？Wasn\'thisnameVirgilAdams？"
"Ithinkitis，"Mildredsaid。
Mrs。Palmerturnedtowardherhusband。"You\'veseenthisAliceAdamshere。Mr。Lamb\'spetswindlermustbeherfather。"
Mr。Palmerpassedasmoothhandoverhisneatgrayhair，whichwasnotdisturbedbythisefforttostimulaterecollection。"Oh，yes，"hesaid。"Ofcourse——certainly。Quiteagood-lookinggirl——oneofMildred\'sfriends。Howqueer!"
Mildredlookedup，asifinalittlealarm，butdidnotspeak。
Hermothersetmattersstraight。"FathersAREamusing，"shesaidsmilinglytoRussell，whowaslookingather，thoughhowfixedlyshedidnotnotice；forsheturnedfromhimatoncetoenlightenherhusband。"EverygirlwhomeetsMildred，andtriestopushtheacquaintancebycominghereuntilthepoorchildhastohide，isn\'taFRIENDofhers，mydear!"
Mildred\'seyesweredowncastagain，andafaintcolourroseinhercheeks。"Oh，Ishouldn\'tputitquitethatwayaboutAliceAdams，"shesaid，inalowvoice。"Isawsomethingofherforatime。She\'snotunattractiveinaway。"
Mrs。PalmersettledthewholecaseofAlicecarelessly。"A
pushingsortofgirl，"shesaid。"Averypushinglittleperson。"
"I——"Mildredbegan；and，afterhesitating，concluded，"I
ratherdroppedher。"
"Fortunateyou\'vedoneso，"herfatherremarked，cheerfully。
"EspeciallysincevariousmembersoftheLambconnectionareherefrequently。Theymightn\'tthinkyou\'dshowgreattactinhavingherabouttheplace。"Helaughed，andturnedtohiscousin。
"Allthisisn\'tveryinterestingtopoorArthur。Howterriblepeoplearewithanewcomerinatown；theytalkasifheknewallabouteverybody!"
"Butwedon\'tknowanythingaboutthesequeerpeople，ourselves，"
saidMrs。Palmer。"Weknowsomethingaboutthegirl，ofcourse——sheusedtobeabittooconspicuous，infact!However，asyousay，wemightfindasubjectmoreinterestingforArthur。"
Shesmiledwhimsicallyupontheyoungman。"Tellthetruth，"shesaid。"Don\'tyoufairlydetestgoingintobusinesswiththattyrantyonder？"
"What？Yes——Ibegyourpardon!"hestammered。
"Youwereright，"Mrs。Palmersaidtoherhusband。"You\'veboredhimso，talkingaboutthievishclerks，hecan\'tevenansweranhonestquestion。"
ButRussellwasbeginningtorecoverhisoutwardcomposure。"Trymeagain，"hesaid。"I\'mafraidIwasthinkingofsomethingelse。"
Thiswasthebesthefoundtosay。Therewasapartofhimthatwantedtoprotestanddeny，buthehadnotheatenough，inthechillthathadcomeuponhim。Herewasthefirst"mention"ofAlice，andwithitthereasonwhyitwasthefirst:Mr。Palmerhaddifficultyinrecallingher，andshehappenedtobespokenof，onlybecauseherfather\'sbetrayalofabenefactor\'strusthadbeensopeculiarlyatrociousthat，intheviewofthebenefactor\'sfamily，itcontainedenoughoftheelementofhumourtowarrantamildlaughataclub。Therewasthedeadlinessofthestory:itslackofmalice，evenofresentment。DeadlierstillwereMrs。Palmer\'sphrases:"apushingsortofgirl，""averypushinglittleperson，"and"usedtobeabitTOO
conspicuous，infact。"Butshespokeplacidlyandbychance；
beingasobviouslywithoutunkindlymotiveasMr。PalmerwaswhenherelatedthecauseofAlfredLamb\'samusement。Heropinionoftheobscureyoungladymomentarilyhertopichadbeenexpressed，moreover，toherhusband，andatherowntable。Shesatthere，large，kind，serene——aprotestmightastonishbutcouldnotchangeher；andRussell，crumplinginhisstrainedfingersthelace-edgedlittlewebofanapkinonhisknee，foundheartenoughtogrowred，butnotenoughtochallengeher。
Shenoticedhiscolour，andattributedittotheembarrassmentofascrupulouslygallantgentlemancaughtinalapseofattentiontoalady。"Don\'tbedisturbed，"shesaid，benevolently。
"Peoplearen\'texpectedtolistenallthetimetotheirrelatives。Ahighcolour\'sverybecomingtoyou，Arthur；butitreallyisn\'tnecessarybetweencousins。Youcanalwaysbeinformalenoughwithustolistenonlywhenyoucareto。"
Hiscomplexioncontinuedtoberuddierthanusual，however，throughoutthemeal，andwasstillsomewhattintedwhenMrs。
Palmerrose。"Theman\'sbringingyoucigaretteshere，"shesaid，noddingtothetwogentlemen。"We\'llgiveyouachancetodothesordidkindoftalkingweknowyoureallylike。Afterwhile，Mildredwillshowyouwhat\'sinbloominthehothouse，ifyouwish，Arthur。"
Mildredfollowedher，and，whentheywerealoneinanotherofthespaciousrooms，wenttoawindowandlookedout，whilehermotherseatedherselfnearthecenteroftheroominagiltarmchair，mellowedwitholdAubussontapestry。Mrs。Palmerlookedthoughtfullyatherdaughter\'sback，butdidnotspeaktoheruntilcoffeehadbeenbroughtforthem。
"Thanks，"Mildredsaid，notturning，"Idon\'tcareforanycoffee，Ibelieve。"
"No？"Mrs。Palmersaid，gently。"I\'mafraidourgood-lookingcousinwon\'tthinkyou\'reverytalkative，Mildred。Youspokeonlyabouttwiceatlunch。Ishouldn\'tcareforhimtogettheideayou\'repiquedbecausehe\'scomeheresolittlelately，shouldyou？"
"No，Ishouldn\'t，"Mildredansweredinalowvoice，andwiththatsheturnedquickly，andcametositnearhermother。"Butit\'swhatIamafraidof!Mama，didyounoticehowredhegot？"
"Youmeanwhenhewascaughtnotlisteningtoaquestionofmine？
Yes；it\'sverybecomingtohim。"
"Mama，Idon\'tthinkthatwasthereason。Idon\'tthinkitwasbecausehewasn\'tlistening，Imean。"
"No？"
"Ithinkhiscolourandhisnotlisteningcamefromthesamereason，"Mildredsaid，andalthoughshehadcometositnearhermother，shedidnotlookather。"Ithinkithappenedbecauseyouandpapa——"Shestopped。
"Yes？"Mrs。Palmersaid，good-naturedly，toprompther。"YourfatherandIdidsomethingembarrassing？"
"Mama，itwasbecauseofthosethingsthatcameoutaboutAliceAdams。"
"HowcouldthatbotherArthur？Doesheknowher？"
"Don\'tyouremember？"thedaughterasked。"ThedayaftermydanceImentionedhowoddIthoughtitwasinhim——Iwasalittledisappointedinhim。I\'dbeenseeingthathemeteverybody，ofcourse，butshewastheonlygirlHEaskedtomeet；andhediditassoonashenoticedher。Ihadn\'tmeanttohavehimmeether——infact，IwasrathersorryI\'dfeltIhadtoaskher，becausesheoh，well，she\'sthesortthat\'triesforthenewman，\'ifshehashalfachance；andsometimestheyseemquitefascinated——foratime，thatis。IthoughtArthurwasaboveallthat；orattheveryleastIgavehimcreditforbeingtoosophisticated。"
"Isee，"Mrs。Palmersaid，thoughtfully。"Iremembernowthatyouspokeofit。Yousaiditseemedalittlepeculiar，butofcourseitreallywasn\'t:a\'newman\'hasnothingtogoby，excepthisownfirstimpressions。Youcan\'tblamepoorArthur——she\'squiteapiquantlookinglittleperson。Youthinkhe\'sseensomethingofhersincethen？"
Mildrednoddedslowly。"Ineverdreamedsuchathingtillyesterday，andeventhenIratherdoubtedit——tillhegotsored，justnow!Iwassurprisedwhenheaskedtomeether，buthejustdancedwithheronceanddidn\'tmentionherafterward；Iforgotallaboutit——infact，IvirtuallyforgotallaboutHER。I\'dseenquitealittleofher——"
"Yes，"saidMrs。Palmer。"Shedidkeepcominghere!"
"ButI\'djustaboutdecidedthatitreallywouldn\'tdo，"Mildredwenton。"Sheisn\'t——well，Ididn\'tadmireher。"
"No，"hermotherassented，andevidentlyfollowedadirectconnectionofthoughtinaspeechapparentlyirrelevant。"I
understandtheyoungMalonewantstomarryHenrietta。Ihopeshewon\'t；heseemsratheragrosstypeofperson。"
"Oh，he\'sjustone，"Mildredsaid。"Idon\'tknowthatheandAliceAdamswereeverengaged——shenevertoldmeso。Shemaynothavebeenengagedtoanyofthem；shewasjustenoughamongtheothergirlstogettalkedabout——andoneofthereasonsIfeltalittleinclinedtobenicetoherwasthattheyseemedtoberatheredgingheroutofthecircle。Itwasn\'tlongbeforeIsawtheywereright，though。IhappenedtomentionIwasgoingtogiveadanceandshepretendedtotakeitasamatterofcoursethatImeanttoinviteherbrother——atleast，Ithoughtshepretended；shemayhavereallybelievedit。Atanyrate，Ihadtosendhimacard；butIdidn\'tintendtobeletinforthatsortofthingagain，ofcourse。She\'swhatyousaid，\'pushing\'；
thoughI\'mawfullysorryyousaidit。"
"Whyshouldn\'tIhavesaidit，mydear？"
"OfcourseIdidn\'tsay\'shouldn\'t。\'"Mildredexplained，gravely。"ImeantonlythatI\'msorryithappened。"
"Yes；butwhy？"
"Mama"——Mildredturnedtoher，leaningforwardandspeakinginaloweredvoice——"Mama，atfirstthechangewassolittleitseemedasifArthurhardlyknewithimself。He\'dbeenlovelytomealways，andhewasstilllovelytomebut——oh，well，you\'veunderstood——aftermydanceitwasmoreasifitwasjusthisnatureandhistrainingtobelovelytome，ashewouldbetoeveryoneakindofpoliteness。He\'dneversaidheCAREDforme，butafterthatIcouldseehedidn\'t。Itwasclear——afterthat。
Ididn\'tknowwhathadhappened；Icouldn\'tthinkofanythingI\'ddone。Mama——itwasAliceAdams。"
Mrs。Palmersetherlittlecoffee-cupuponthetablebesideher，calmlyfollowingherownmotionwithhereyes，andnotseemingtorealizewithwhatseriousentreatyherdaughter\'sgazewasfixeduponher。Mildredrepeatedthelastsentenceofherrevelation，andintroducedastressofinsistence。
"Mama，itWASAliceAdams!"
ButMrs。Palmerdeclinedtobegreatlyimpressed，sofarasherappearancewent，atleast；andtoemphasizeherrefusal，shesmiledindulgently。"Whatmakesyouthinkso？"
"Henriettatoldmeyesterday。"
AtthisMrs。Palmerpermittedherselftolaughsoftlyaloud。
"Goodheavens!IsHenriettaasoothsayer？OrissheArthur\'sparticularconfidante？"
"No。EllaDowlingtoldher。"
Mrs。Palmer\'slaughtercontinued。"Nowwehaveit!"sheexclaimed。"It\'sagameofgossip:ArthurtellsElla，EllatellsHenrietta，andHenriettatells——"
"Don\'tlaugh，please，mama，"Mildredbegged。"OfcourseArthurdidn\'ttellanybody。It\'sroundaboutenough，butit\'strue。I
knowit!Ihadn\'tquitebelievedit，butIknewitwastruewhenhegotsored。Helooked——oh，forasecondorsohelooked——stricken!HethoughtIdidn\'tnoticeit。Mama，he\'sbeentoseeheralmosteveryeveninglately。Theytakelongwalkstogether。That\'swhyhehasn\'tbeenhere。"
OfMrs。Palmer\'slaughtertherewasleftonlyherindulgentsmile，whichshehadnotallowedtovanish。"Well，whatofit？"
shesaid。
"Mama!"
"Yes，"saidMrs。Palmer。"Whatofit？"
"Butdon\'tyousee？"Mildred\'swell-tutoredvoice，thoughmodulatedandrepressedeveninherpresentemotion，neverthelesshadatendencytoquaver。"It\'strue。FrankDowlingwasgoingtoseeheroneeveningandhesawArthursittingonthestoopwithher，anddidn\'tgoin。AndEllausedtogotoschoolwithagirlwholivesacrossthestreetfromhere。ShetoldElla——"
"Oh，Iunderstand，"Mrs。Palmerinterrupted。"Supposehedoesgothere。Mydear，Isaid，\'Whatofit？\'"
"Idon\'tseewhatyoumean，mama。I\'msoafraidhemightthinkweknewaboutit，andthatyouandpapasaidthosethingsaboutherandherfatheronthataccount——asifweabusedthembecausehegoesthereinsteadofcominghere。"
"Nonsense!"Mrs。Palmerrose，wenttoawindow，and，turningthere，stoodwithherbacktoit，facingherdaughterandlookingathercheerfully。"Nonsense，mydear!Itwasperfectlyclearthatshewasmentionedbyaccident，andsowasherfather。Whatanextraordinaryman!IfArthurmakesfriendswithpeoplelikethat，hecertainlyknowsbetterthantoexpecttohearfavourableopinionsofthem。Besides，it\'sonlyalittlepassingthingwithhim。"
"Mama!Whenhegoestherealmostevery——"
"Yes，"Mrs。Palmersaid，dryly。"ItseemstomeI\'veheardsomewherethatotheryoungmenhavegonethere\'almostevery!\'
Shedoesn\'tlast，apparently。Arthur\'sgallant，andhe\'simpressionable——buthe\'sfastidious，andfastidiousnessisalwaysthecheckonimpressionableness。Agirlbelongstoherfamily，too——andthisonedoesespecially，itstrikesme!
Arthur\'sverysensible；heseesmorethanyou\'dthink。"
Mildredlookedatherhopefully。"Thenyoudon\'tbelievehe\'slikelytoimaginewesaidthosethingsofherinanymeaningway？"
Atthis，Mrs。Palmerlaughedagain。"There\'sonethingyouseemnottohavenoticed，Mildred。"
"What\'sthat？"
"Itseemstohaveescapedyourattentionthatheneversaidaword。"
"Mightn\'tthatmean——？"Mildredbegan，butshestopped。
"No，itmightn\'t，"hermotherreplied，comprehendingeasily。"Onthecontrary，itmightmeanthatinsteadofhisfeelingittoodeeplytospeak，hewasgettingalittleillumination。"
Mildredroseandcametoher。"WHYdoyousupposehenevertoldushewentthere？Doyouthinkhe\'s——doyouthinkhe\'spleasedwithher，andyetashamedofit？WHYdoyousupposehe\'sneverspokenofit？"
"Ah，that，"Mrs。Palmersaid，——"thatmightpossiblybeherowndoing。Ifitis，she\'swellpaidbywhatyourfatherandIsaid，becausewewouldn\'thavesaiditifwe\'dknownthatArthur——"
Shecheckedherselfquickly。Lookingoverherdaughter\'sshoulder，shesawthetwogentlemencomingfromthecorridortowardthewidedoorwayoftheroom；andshegreetedthemcheerfully。"Ifyou\'vefinishedwitheachotherforawhile，"
sheadded，"Arthurmayfinditarelieftoputhisthoughtsonsomethingprettierthanatrustcompany——andmorefragrant。"
ArthurcametoMildred。
"Yourmothersaidatlunchthatperhapsyou\'d——"
"Ididn\'tsay\'perhaps，\'Arthur，"Mrs。Palmerinterrupted，tocorrecthim。"Isaidshewould。Ifyoucaretoseeandsmellthoselovelythingsoutyonder，she\'llshowthemtoyou。Runalong，children!"
Halfanhourlater，glancingfromawindow，shesawthemcomefromthehothousesandslowlycrossthelawn。Arthurhadafineroseinhisbuttonholeandlookedprofoundlythoughtful。
CHAPTERXXI
Thatmorningandnoonhadbeenwarm，thoughthestirringsofafeeblebreezemadeweathernotflagrantlyintemperate；butataboutthreeo\'clockintheafternoontherecameoutofthesouthwestaheatlikeanafflictionsentuponanaccursedpeople，andtheairwassoondeadofit。Drippingnegroditch-diggerswhoopedwithsatirespraisinghellandhotweather，asthetossingshovelsflickereduptothestreetlevel，wheresluggishmalepedestrianscarriedcoatsuponhotarms，andfannedthemselveswithstrawhats，or，remainingcovered，woresoakedhandkerchiefsbetweenscalpandstraw。Clerksdroopedinsilent，bigdepartmentstores，stenographersinofficeskeptasclosetoelectricfansastheinterveningbulkoftheiremployerswouldletthem；guestsinhotelsleftthelobbiesandwenttolieuncladupontheirbeds；whileinhospitalsthepatientsmurmuredquerulouslyagainsttheheat，andperhapsagainstsomenoisymotoristwhostrovetofeeltheairbysplittingit，nottroubledbyanyfore-bodingthathe，too，thathournextweek，mightneedquietnearahospital。The"hotspell"wasatruespell，oneuponmen\'sspirits；foritwassohotthat，insuburbanoutskirts，golferscreptslowlybackoverthelowundulationsoftheirclublands，abandoningtheirmatchesandreturningtoshelter。
Evenonsuchaday，sizzlingworkhadtobedone，asinwinter。
Therewereglowingfurnacestobestoked，liquidmetalstobepoured；butsuchtasksfoundseasonedmenstandingtothem；andinallthecityprobablynobravesoulchallengedtheheatmoregamelythanMrs。Adamsdid，when，inacornerofhersmallandfierykitchen，wherealldaylongherhiredAfricanimmunecookedfiercely，shepressedherhusband\'seveningclotheswithahotiron。Nodoubtsheriskedherlife，butsheriskeditcheerfullyinsogoodandnecessaryaserviceforhim。Shewouldhavegivenherlifeforhimatanytime，andbothhisandherownforherchildren。
Unconsciousofherownheroism，shewassurprisedtofindherselfratherfaintwhenshefinishedherironing。However，shetookhearttobelievethattheclotheslookedbetter，inspiteofoneortwoscorchedplaces；andshecarriedthemupstairstoherhusband\'sroombeforeincreasingblindnessforcedhertogropeforthenearestchair。Then，tryingtoriseandwalk，withouthavingsufficientlyrecovered，shehadtositdownagain；butafteralittlewhileshewasabletogetuponherfeet；and，keepingherhandagainstthewall，movedsuccessfullytothedoorofherownroom。Hereshewavered；mighthavegonedown，hadshenotbeenstimulatedbythethoughtofhowmuchdependeduponher；——shemadeafinalgreateffort，andflounderedacrosstheroomtoherbureau，whereshekeptsomesimplerestoratives。
Theyservedherneed，orherfaithinthemdid；andshereturnedtoherwork。
Shewentdownthestairs，keepingastilltremuloushandupontherail；butshesmiledbrightlywhenAlicelookedupfrombelow，wherethewoodworkwasagainbeingtormentedwithsuperfluousattentions。
"Alice，DON\'T!"hermothersaid，commiseratingly。"Youdidallthatthismorninganditlookslovely。What\'stheuseofwearingyourselfoutonit？Yououghttobelyingdown，so\'stolookfreshforto-night。"
"Hadn\'tyoubetterliedownyourself？"thedaughterreturned。
"Areyouill，mama？"
"Certainlynot。Whatintheworldmakesyouthinkso？"
"Youlookprettypale，"Alicesaid，andsighedheavily。"Itmakesmeashamed，havingyouworksohard——forme。"
"Howfoolish!Ithinkit\'sfun，gettingreadytoentertainalittleagain，likethis。Ionlywishithadn\'tturnedsohot:
I\'mafraidyourpoorfather\'llsuffer——histhingsareprettyheavy，Inoticed。Well，it\'lldohimgoodtobearsomethingforstyle\'ssakethisonce，anyhow!"Shelaughed，andcomingtoAlice，bentdownandkissedher。"Dearie，"shesaid，tenderly，"wouldn\'tyoupleaseslipupstairsnowandtakejustalittleteenynaptopleaseyourmother？"
ButAlicerespondedonlybymovingherheadslowly，intokenofrefusal。
"Do!"Mrs。Adamsurged。"Youdon\'twanttolookwornout，doyou？"
"I\'llLOOKallright，"Alicesaid，huskily。"DoyoulikethewayI\'vearrangedthefurniturenow？I\'vetriedallthedifferentwaysit\'llgo。"
"It\'slovely，"hermothersaid，admiringly。"Ithoughtthelastwayyouhaditwaspretty，too。Butyouknowbest；Ineverknewanybodywithsomuchtaste。Ifyou\'donlyjustquitnow，andtakealittlerest——"
"There\'dhardlybetime，evenifIwantedto；it\'safterfivebutIcouldn\'t；really，Icouldn\'t。HowdoyouthinkwecanmanageaboutWalter——toseethathewearshiseveningthings，Imean？"
Mrs。Adamspondered。"I\'mafraidhe\'llmakealotofobjections，onaccountoftheweatherandeverything。Iwishwe\'dhadachancetotellhimlastnightorthismorning。I\'dhavetelephonedtohimthisafternoonexcept——well，Iscarcelyliketocallhimupatthatplace，sinceyourfather——"
"No，ofcoursenot，mama。"
"IfWaltergetshomelate，"Mrs。Adamswenton，"I\'lljustslipoutandspeaktohim，incaseMr。Russell\'sherebeforehecomes。I\'lljusttellhimhe\'sgottohurryandgethisthingson。"
"Maybehewon\'tcomehometodinner，"Alicesuggested，ratherhopefully。"Sometimeshedoesn\'t。"
"No；Ithinkhe\'llbehere。Whenhedoesn\'tcomeheusuallytelephonesbythistimetosaynottowaitforhim；he\'sverythoughtfulaboutthat。Well，itreallyisgettinglate:Imustgoandtellhersheoughttobepreparingherfillet。Dearie，DO
restalittle。"
"You\'dmuchbetterdothatyourself，"Alicecalledafterher，butMrs。Adamsshookherheadcheerily，notpausingonherwaytothefierykitchen。
Alicecontinuedheruselesslaboursforatime；thencarriedherbuckettotheheadofthecellarstairway，wheresheleftituponthetopstep；and，closingthedoor，returnedtothe"living-room；"Againshechangedthepositionsoftheoldplushrocking-chairs，movingthemintothecornerswhereshethoughttheymightbeleastnoticeable；andwhilethusengagedshewasstartledbyaloudringingofthedoor-bell。Foramomentherfacewaspanic-stricken，andshestoodstaring，thensherealizedthatRussellwouldnotarriveforanotherhour，attheearliest，andrecoveringherequipoise，wenttothedoor。
Waitingthere，inalanguidattitude，wasayoungcolouredwoman，withasmallbundleunderherarmandsomethingmalleableinhermouth。"Listen，"shesaid。"Youfolksexpectin\'acolouredlady？"
"No，"saidAlice。"Especiallynotatthefrontdoor。"
"Listen，"thecolouredwomansaidagain。"Listen。Say，listen。
Ain\'ttheyanothercolouredladyawreadyherebytheday？
Listen。Ain\'tMizMalenaBurnsherebythedaythisevenin\'？
Say，listen。ThisthenumberhouseshegiveME。"
"Areyouthewaitress？"Aliceasked，dismally。
"Yes\'m，ifMalenahere。"
"Malenaishere，"Alicesaid，andhesitated；butshedecidednottosendthewaitresstothebackdoor；itmightbearisk。Sheletherin。"What\'syourname？"
"Me？I\'mname\'Gertrude。MissGertrudeCollamus。"
"Didyoubringacapandapron？"
Gertrudetookthelittlebundlefromunderherarm。"Yes\'m。I\'mallfix\'。"
"I\'vealreadysetthetable，"Alicesaid。"I\'llshowyouwhatwewantdone。"
Sheledthewaytothedining-room，and，afterofferingsomeinstructionthere，receivedbyGertrudewithlanguorandaslowlymovingjaw，shetookherintothekitchen，wherethecapandapronwereputon。Theeffectwasnotfortunate；Gertrude\'seyeswerenoticeablybloodshot，anafflictionmademoreapparentbythewhitecap；andAlicedrewhermotherapart，whisperinganxiously，"Doyousupposeit\'stoolatetogetsomeoneelse？"
"I\'mafraiditis，"Mrs。Adamssaid。"MalenasaysitwashardenoughtogetHER!Youhavetopaythemsomuchthattheyonlyworkwhentheyfeellikeit。"
"Mama，couldyouaskhertowearhercapstraighter？Everytimeshemovesherheadshegetsitononeside，andherskirt\'stoolongbehindandtooshortinfront——andoh，I\'veNEVERseensuchFEET!"Alicelaugheddesolately。"AndsheMUSTquitthatterriblechewing!"
"Nevermind；I\'llgettoworkwithher。I\'llstraightenheroutallIcan，dearie；don\'tworry。"Mrs。Adamspattedherdaughter\'sshoulderencouragingly。"NowYOUcan\'tdoanotherthing，andifyoudon\'trunandbegindressingyouwon\'tbeready。It\'llonlytakemeaminutetodress，myself，andI\'llbedownlongbeforeyouwill。Run，darling!I\'lllookaftereverything。"
Alicenoddedvaguely，wentuptoherroom，and，afteronlyamomentwithhermirror，broughtfromherclosetthedressofwhiteorgandieshehadwornthenightwhenshemetRussellforthefirsttime。Shelaiditcarefullyuponherbed，andbegantomakereadytoputiton。Hermothercamein，halfanhourlater，to"fasten"her。
"I\'Malldressed，"Mrs。Adamssaid，briskly。"Ofcourseitdoesn\'tmatter。Hewon\'tknowwhattherestofusevenlooklike:Howcouldhe？IknowI\'manoldSIGHT，butallIwantistolookrespectable。DoI？"
"Youlooklikethebestwomanintheworld；that\'sall!"Alicesaid，withalittlegulp。
Hermotherlaughedandgaveherafinalscrutiny。"Youmightusejustatinybitmorecolour，dearie——I\'mafraidtheexcitement\'smadeyoualittlepale。AndyouMUSTbrightenup!There\'ssortofalookinyoureyesasifyou\'dgotinatranceandcouldn\'tgetout。You\'vehaditallday。Imustrun:yourfatherwantsmetohelphimwithhisstuds。Walterhasn\'tcomeyet，butI\'lllookafterhim；don\'tworry，AndyoubetterHURRY，dearie，ifyou\'regoingtotakeanytimefixingtheflowersonthetable。"
Shedeparted，whileAlicesatatthemirroragain，tofollowheradviceconcerninga"tinybitmorecolour。"Beforeshehadfinished，herfatherknockedatthedoor，and，whensheresponded，camein。Hewasdressedintheclotheshiswifehadpressed；buthehadlostsubstantiallyinweightsincetheyweremadeforhim；noonewouldhavethoughtthattheyhadbeenpressed。Theyhungfromhimvoluminously，seemingtobetheclothesofalargerman。
"Yourmother\'sgonedownstairs，"hesaid，inavoiceofdistress。
"OneofthebuttonholesinmyshirtistoolargeandIcan\'tkeepthedangthingfastened。_I_don\'tknowwhattodoaboutit!I
onlygotoneotherwhiteshirt，andit\'skindofruined:ItrieditbeforeIdidthisone。Doyous\'poseyoucoulddoanything？"
"I\'llsee，"shesaid。
"Mycollar\'sgotafrayededge，"hecomplained，assheexaminedhistroublesomeshirt。"It\'sagooddeallikewearingasaw；butIexpectit\'llwiltdownflatprettysoon，andnotbothermelong。I\'mliabletowiltdownflat，myself，Iexpect；Idon\'tknowasIrememberanysuchhotnightinthelasttenortwelveyears。"Heliftedhisheadandsniffedtheflaccidair，whichwasladenwithaheavyodour。"My，butthatsmellisprettystrong!"hesaid。
"Standstill，please，papa，"Alicebeggedhim。"Ican\'tseewhat\'sthematterifyoumovearound。Howabsurdyouareaboutyouroldgluesmell，papa!Thereisn\'tavestigeofit，ofcourse。"
"Ididn\'tmeanglue，"heinformedher。"Imeancabbage。Isthatfashionablenow，tohavecabbagewhenthere\'scompanyfordinner？"
"Thatisn\'tcabbage，papa。It\'sBrusselssprouts。"
"Oh，isit？Idon\'tminditmuch，becauseitkeepsthatgluesmelloffme，butit\'sfairlystrong。Iexpectyoudon\'tnoticeitsomuchbecauseyoubeeninthehousewithitallalong，andgotusedtoitwhileitwasgrowing。"
"Itisprettydreadful，"Alicesaid。"Areallthewindowsopendownstairs？"
"I\'llgodownandsee，ifyou\'lljustfixthatholeupforme。"
"I\'mafraidIcan\'t，"shesaid。"Notunlessyoutakeyourshirtoffandbringittome。I\'llhavetosewtheholesmaller。"
"Oh，well，I\'llgoaskyourmotherto——"
"No，"saidAlice。"She\'sgoteverythingonherhands。Runandtakeitoff。Hurry，papa；I\'vegottoarrangetheflowersonthetablebeforehecomes。"
Hewentaway，andcamebackpresently，halfundressed，bringingtheshirt。"There\'sONEcomfort，"heremarked，pensively，assheworked。"I\'vegotthatcollaroff——forawhile，anyway。IwishIcouldgototablelikethis；Icouldstanditagooddealbetter。Doyouseemtobemakinganyheadwaywiththedangthing？"
"IthinkprobablyIcan——"
Downstairsthedoor-bellrang，andAlice\'sarmsjerkedwiththeshock。
"Golly!"herfathersaid。"Didyoustickyourfingerwiththatfoolneedle？"
Shegavehimablankstare。"He\'scome!"
Shewasnotmistaken，for，uponthelittleveranda，Russellstoodfacingthecloseddooratlast。However，itremainedclosedforaconsiderabletimeafterherang。Insidethehousethewarningsummonsofthebellwasimmediatelyfollowedbyanothersound，audibletoAliceandherfatherasacrashprecedingaseriesofmuffledfalls。Thencameadistantvoice，bitterincomplaint。
"Oh，Lord!"saidAdams。"What\'sthat？"
Alicewenttothetopofthefrontstairs，andhermotherappearedinthehallbelow。
