第13章

ThenheranguishwentbacktoWalteragain；andtohisneedsasafugitive——shehadmeanttorepairhisunderwear，buthadpostponeddoingso，andherneglectnowappearedtobeadetailaslamentableasthecalamityitself。Shecouldneitherbestilleduponit，norherselfexhaustitsurgingstoself-

reproach，thoughshefinallytookupanotherthemetemporarily。

Uponanunusuallyviolentoutbreakofherhusband\'s，indenunciationoftherunaway，shecriedoutfaintlythathewascruel；andfurtherweariedherbrokenvoicewithdetailsofWalter\'sbeautyasababy，andofhisbedtimepietiesthroughouthisinfancy。

Sothehotnightworeon。ThreehadstruckbeforeMrs。Adamswasgottobed；andAlice，returningtoherownroom，couldhearherfather\'sbarefeetthuddingbackandforthafterthat。"Poorpapa!"shewhisperedinhelplessimitationofhermother。"Poorpapa!Poormama!PoorWalter!Poorallofus!"

Shefellasleep，afteratime，whilefromacrossthehallthebarefeetstillthuddedovertheirchangelessroute；andshewokeatseven，hearingAdamspassherdoor，shod。Inherwrappersheranoutintothehallwayandfoundhimdescendingthestairs。

"Papa!"

"Hush，"hesaid，andlookedupatherwithreddenedeyes。"Don\'twakeyourmother。"

"Iwon\'t，"shewhispered。"Howaboutyou？Youhaven\'tsleptanyatall!"

"Yes，Idid。Igotsomesleep。I\'mgoingovertotheworksnow。

Igottothrowsomefigurestogethertoshowthebank。Don\'tworry:I\'llgetthingsfixedup。Yougobacktobed。Good-bye。"

"Wait!"shebadehimsharply。

"Whatfor？"

"You\'vegottohavesomebreakfast。"

"Don\'twant\'ny。"

"Youwait!"shesaid，imperiously，anddisappearedtoreturnalmostatonce。"Icancookinmybedroomslippers，"sheexplained，"butIdon\'tbelieveIcouldinmybarefeet!"

Descendingsoftly，shemadehimwaitinthedining-roomuntilshebroughthimtoastandeggsandcoffee。"Eat!"shesaid。"AndI\'mgoingtotelephoneforataxicabtotakeyou，ifyouthinkyou\'vereallygottogo。"

"No，I\'mgoingtowalk——IWANTtowalk。"

Sheshookherheadanxiously。"Youdon\'tlookable。You\'vewalkedallnight。"

"No，Ididn\'t，"hereturned。"ItellyouIgotsomesleep。I

gotallIwantedanyhow。"

"But，papa——"

"Here!"heinterrupted，lookingupathersuddenlyandsettingdownhiscupofcoffee。"Lookhere!WhataboutthisMr。

Russell？Iforgotallabouthim。Whatabouthim？"

Herliptrembledalittle，butshecontrolleditbeforeshespoke。"Well，whatabouthim，papa？"sheasked，calmlyenough。

"Well，wecouldhardly——"Adamspaused，frowningheavily。"Wecouldhardlyexpecthewouldn\'thearsomethingaboutallthis。"

"Yes；ofcoursehe\'llhearit，papa。"

"Well？"

"Well，what？"sheasked，gently。

"Youdon\'tthinkhe\'dbethe——thecheapkindit\'dmakeadifferencewith，ofcourse。"

"Oh，no；heisn\'tcheap。Itwon\'tmakeanydifferencewithhim。"

Adamssufferedaprofoundsightoescapehim。"Well——I\'mgladofthat，anyway。"

"Thedifference，"sheexplained——"thedifferencewasmadewithouthishearinganythingaboutWalter。Hedoesn\'tknowaboutTHAT

yet。"

"Well，whatdoesheknowabout？"

"Only，"shesaid，"aboutme。"

"Whatyoumeanbythat，Alice？"heasked，helplessly。

"Nevermind，"shesaid。"It\'snothingbesidetherealtroublewe\'rein——I\'lltellyousometime。Youeatyoureggsandtoast；

youcan\'tkeepgoingonjustcoffee。"

"Ican\'teatanyeggsandtoast，"heobjected，rising。"I

can\'t。"

"ThenwaittillIcanbringyousomethingelse。"

"No，"hesaid，irritably。"Iwon\'tdoit!Idon\'twantanydangfood!Andlookhere"——hespokesharplytostopher，asshewenttowardthetelephone——"Idon\'twantanydangtaxi，either!Youlookafteryourmotherwhenshewakesup。IgottobeatWORK!"

Andthoughshefollowedhimtothefrontdoor，entreating，hecouldnotbestayedorhindered。Hewentthroughthequietmorningstreetsatarickety，rapidgait，swinginghisoldstrawhatinhishands，andwhisperingangrilytohimselfashewent。

Hisgrizzledhair，nottrimmedforamonth，blewbackfromhisdampforeheadinthewarmbreeze；hisreddenedeyesstaredhardatnothingfromunderblinkinglids；andonesideofhisfacetwitchedstartlinglyfromtimetotime；——childrenmighthaverunfromhim，ormockedhim。

Whenhehadcomeintothatfallenquarterhisindustryhadpartlyrevivedandwhollymadeodorous，anegrowoman，leaninguponherwhitewashedgate，gazedafterhimandchuckledforthebenefitofagossipingfriendinthenexttinyyard。"Oh，goodSatan!

Wha\'ssamatterthatoleglueman？"

"Who？Him？"theneighbourinquired。"Whathedonow？"

"Talkin\'tohisolese\'f!"thefirstexplained，joyously。"Looklikegonedistracted——oleglueman!"

Adams\'slegshadgrownmoreuncertainwithhishardwalk，andhestumbledheavilyashecrossedthebakedmudofhisbroadlot，butcaredlittleforthat，wasalmostunawareofit，infact。

Thushiseyessawaslittleashisbodyfelt，andsohefailedtoobservesomethingthatwouldhavegivenhimadditionallightuponanoldphrasethatalreadymeantquiteenoughforhim。

Thereareinthewideworldpeoplewhohaveneverlearneditsmeaning；butmostareeitheryoungorbeautifullyunobservantwhoremainwhollyunawareoftheinnerpoignanciesthewordsconvey:

"arainofmisfortunes。"Itisaboilingrain，seeminglywhimsicalinitschoiceofspotswhereontofall；and，sofarasmortaleyecantell，neitherthejustnortheunjustmayhopetoavoidit，orneedworrythemselvesbyexpectingit。IthadselectedtheAdamsfamilyforitsscaldings；noquestion。

Theglue-worksforeman，standinginthedoorwayofthebrickshed，observedhisemployer\'seccentricapproach，anddoubtfullystrokedawhiskeredchin。

"Well，theyain\'tnoputticularusegettin\'soupsetoverit，"hesaid，asAdamscameup。"Whenathinghappens，why，ithappens，andthat\'sallthereistoit。Whenathing\'sso，why，it\'sso。

Allyoucandoaboutitisthinkifthere\'sanythingyouCANdo；

andthat\'swhatyoubetterbedoin\'withthiscase。"

Adamshalted，andseemedtogapeathim。"What——case？"hesaid，withdifficulty。"Wasitinthemorningpapers，too？"

"No，itain\'tinnomorningpapers。Myland!Itdon\'tneedtobeinnopapers；lookattheSIZEofit!"

"Thesizeofwhat？"

"Why，greatGod!"theforemanexclaimed。"Heain\'tevenseenit。

Look!Lookyonder!"

Adamsstaredvaguelyattheman\'soutstretchedhandandpointingforefinger，thenturnedandsawagreatsignuponthefacadeofthebigfactorybuildingacrossthestreet。Theletterswerelargeenoughtobereadtwoblocksaway。

"AFTERTHEFIFTEENTHOFNEXTMONTH

THISBUILDINGWILLBEOCCUPIEDBY

THEJ。A。LAMBLIQUIDGLUECO。INC。"

Agraytouring-carhadjustcometorestbeforetheprincipalentranceofthebuilding，andJ。A。Lambhimselfdescendedfromit。Heglancedovertowardthehumblerivalofhisprojectedgreatindustry，sawhisoldclerk，andimmediatelywalkedacrossthestreetandthelottospeaktohim。

"Well，Adams，"hesaid，inhishusky，cheerfulvoice，"how\'syourglue-works？"

Adamsutteredaninarticulatesound，andliftedthehandthatheldhishatasiftomakeaprotectivegesture，butfailedtocarryitout；andhisarmsanklimpathisside。Theforeman，however，seemedtofeelthatsomethingoughttobesaid。

"Ourglue-works，hell!"heremarked。"Iguesswewon\'tHAVEnoglue-worksoverherenotverylong，ifwegottocompetewiththesizedthingyougotoverthere!"

Lambchuckled。"Ikindofhadsomesuchnotion，"hesaid。"Yousee，Virgil，Icouldn\'texactlyletyouwalkoffwithitlikeswalleringapato\'butter，now，couldI？Itdidn\'tlookexactlyreasonabletoexpectmetoletgolikethat，now，didit？"

Adamsfoundahalf-chokedvoicesomewhereinhisthroat。"Doyou——wouldyoustepintomyofficeaminute，Mr。Lamb？"

"Why，certainlyI\'mwillingtohavealittletalkwithyou，"theoldgentlemansaid，ashefollowedhisformeremployeeindoors，andheadded，"IfeelalotmorelikeitthanIdidbeforeIgotTHATup，overyonder，Virgil!"

Adamsthrewopenthedooroftheroughroomhecalledhisoffice，havingasjustificationforthistitlelittlemorethanthefactthathehadatelephonethereandadealtablethatservedasadesk。"Juststepintotheoffice，please，"hesaid。

Lambglancedatthedesk，atthekitchenchairbeforeit，atthetelephone，andatthepartitionwallsbuiltofoldboards，somecoveredwithancientpaintandsomemerelyweatherbeaten，thesalvageofahouse-wrecker；andhesmiledbroadly。"Sotheseareyouroffices，arethey？"heasked。"Youexpecttodoquiteabusinesshere，Iguess，don\'tyou，Virgil？"

Adamsturneduponhimastrickenandtorturedface。"HaveyouseenCharleyLohrsincelastnight，Mr。Lamb？"

"No；Ihaven\'tseenCharley。"

"Well，Itoldhimtotellyou，"Adamsbegan；——"ItoldhimI\'dpayyou——"

"Paymewhatyouexpecttomakeouto\'glue，youmean，Virgil？"

"No，"Adamssaid，swallowing。"Imeanwhatmyboyowesyou。

That\'swhatItoldCharleytotellyou。ItoldhimtotellyouI\'dpayyoueverylast——"

"Well，well!"theoldgentlemaninterrupted，testily。"Idon\'tknowanythingaboutthat。"

"I\'mexpectingtopayyou，"Adamswenton，swallowingagain，painfully。"IwasexpectingtodoitoutofaloanIthoughtI

couldgetonmyglue-works。"

Theoldgentlemanliftedhisfrostedeyebrows。"Oh，outo\'theGLUE-works？Youexpectedtoraisemoneyontheglue-works，didyou？"

Atthat，Adams\'sagitationincreasedprodigiously。"How\'dyouTHINKIexpectedtopayyou？"hesaid。"DidyouthinkIexpectedtogetmoneyonmyownoldbones？"Heslappedhimselfharshlyuponthechestandlegs。"Doyouthinkabank\'lllendmoneyonaman\'sribsandhisbroken-downoldknee-bones？Theywon\'tdoit!

YougottohavesomeBUSINESSprospectstoshow\'em，ifyouhaven\'tgotanypropertynorsecurities；andwhatbusinessprospectshaveIgotnow，withthatsignofyoursupoveryonder？

Why，youdon\'tneedtomakeanOUNCEo\'glue；yoursign\'sfixedMEwithoutyourdoinganotherlick!THAT\'Sallyouhadtodo；

justputyoursignup!Youneedn\'tto——"

"Justletmetellyousomething，VirgilAdams，"theoldmaninterrupted，harshly。"Igotjustonerightimportantthingtotellyoubeforewetalkanyfurtherbusiness；andthat\'sthis:

there\'ssomefewmeninthistownmadetheirmoneyinoff-colourways，buttherearen\'tmany；andthosetherearehavehadtobeadarnsightslickerthanyouknowhowtobe，oreverWILLknowhowtobe!Yes，sir，andtheynoneofthemhadthelittlegumptiontotrytomakeitoutofamanthathadthespiritnottolet\'em，andtheSTRENGTHnottolet\'em!Iknowwhatyouthought。

\'Here，\'yousaidtoyourself，\'here\'sthisolefoolJ。A。Lamb；

he\'skindofwornoutandinhissecondchildhoodlike；Icanputitoveronhim，withouthisever——\'"

"Ididnot!"Adamsshouted。"AgreatdealYOUknowaboutmyfeelingsandallwhatIsaidtomyself!There\'sonethingIwanttotellYOU，andthat\'swhatI\'msayingtomyselfNOW，andwhatmyfeelingsarethisMINUTE!"

Hestruckthetableagreatblowwithhisthinfist，andshookthedamagedknucklesmtheair。"Ijustwanttotellyou，whateverIdidfeel，Idon\'tfeelMEANanymore；notto-day，I

don\'t。There\'sameanermaninthisworldthan_I_am，Mr。

Lamb!"

"Oh，soyoufeelbetteraboutyourselfto-day，doyou，Virgil？"

"YoubetIdo!Youworkedtillyougotmewhereyouwantme；andIwouldn\'tdothattoanotherman，nomatterwhathedidtome!

Iwouldn\'t——"

"Whatyoutalkin\'about!How\'veI\'gotyouwhereIwantyou？\'"

"Ain\'titplainenough？"Adamscried。"YouevengotmewhereI

can\'traisethemoneytopaybackwhatmyboyowesyou!Doyousupposeanybody\'sfoolenoughtoletmehaveacentonthisbusinessafteronelookatwhatyougotoverthereacrosstheroad？"

"No，Idon\'t。"

"No，youdon\'t，"Adamsechoed，hoarsely。"What\'smore，youknewmyhousewasmortgaged，andmy——"

"Ididnot，"Lambinterrupted，angrily。"Whatdo_I_careaboutyourhouse？"

"What\'stheuseyourtalkinglikethat？"Adamscried。"YougotmewhereIcan\'tevenraisethemoneytopaywhatmyboyowesthecompany，so\'tIcan\'tshowanyreasontostoptheprosecutionandkeephimoutthepenitentiary。That\'swhereyouworkedtillyougotME!"

"What!"Lambshouted。"Youaccusemeof——"

"\'Accuseyou？\'WhatamItellingyou？DoyouthinkIgotnoEYES？"AndAdamshammeredthetableagain。"Why，youknewtheboywasweak——"

"Ididnot!"

"Listen:youkepthimthereafteryougotmadatmyleavingthewayIdid。Youkepthimthereafteryoususpectedhim；andyouhadhimwatched；youlethimgoon；justwaitedtocatchhimandruinhim!"

"You\'recrazy!"theoldmanbellowed。"Ididn\'tknowtherewasanythingagainsttheboytilllastnight。You\'reCRAZY，Isay!"

Adamslookedit。Withhishairdisorderedoverhishaggardforeheadandbloodshoteyes；withhisbruisedhandspoundingthetableandflyinginahundredwildandabsurdgestures，whilehisfeetshuffledconstantlytopreservehisbalanceuponstaggeringlegs，hewasthepictureofamanwithamindgonetorags。

"MaybeIAMcrazy!"hecried，hisvoicebreakingandquavering。

"MaybeIam，butIwouldn\'tstandthereandtauntamanwithitifI\'ddonetohimwhatyou\'vedonetome!Justlookatme:I

workedallmylifeforyou，andwhatIdidwhenIquitneverharmedyou——itdidn\'tmaketwocents\'wortho\'differenceinyourlifeanditlookedlikeit\'dmeanallthedifferenceintheworldtomyfamily——andnowlookwhatyou\'veDONEtomeforit!Itellyou，Mr。Lamb，thereneverwasamanlookeduptoanothermanthewayIlookeduptoyouthewholeo\'mylife，butIdon\'tlookuptoyouanymore!Youthinkyougotafinedayofitnow，ridingupinyourautomobiletolookatthatsign——andthenoverhereatmypoorlittleworksthatyou\'veruined。Butlistentomejustthisonelasttime!"Thecrackingvoicebrokeintofalsetto，andthegesticulatinghandsfluttereduncontrollably。

"Justyoulisten!"hepanted。"YouthinkIdidyouabadturn，andnowyougotmeruinedforit，andyougotmyworksruined，andmyfamilyruined；andifanybody\'d\'a\'toldmethistimelastyearI\'deversaysuchathingtoyouI\'dcalledhimadangliar，butIDOsayit:Isayyou\'veactedtowardmelike——likea——adoggonemean——man!"

Hisvoice，exhausted，likehisbody，wasjustabletodohimthisfinalservice；thenhesank，crumpled，intothechairbythetable，hischindownharduponhischest。

"Itellyou，you\'recrazy!"Lambsaidagain。"Ineverintheworld——"Buthecheckedhimself，staringinsuddenperplexityathisaccuser。"Lookhere!"hesaid。"What\'sthematterofyou？Haveyougotanotherofthose——？"HeputhishanduponAdams\'sshoulder，whichjerkedfeeblyunderthetouch。

Theoldmanwenttothedoorandcalledtotheforeman。

"Here!"hesaid。"Runandtellmychauffeurtobringmycaroverhere。Tellhimtodriverightupoverthesidewalkandacrossthelot。Tellhimtohurry!"

So，ithappened，thegreatJ。A。Lambasecondtimebroughthisformerclerkhome，strickenandalmostinanimate。

CHAPTERXXIV

Aboutfiveo\'clockthatafternoon，theoldgentlemancamebacktoAdams\'shouse；andwhenAliceopenedthedoor，henodded，walkedintothe"living-room"withoutspeaking；thenstoodfrowningasifhehesitatedtodecidesomeperplexingquestion。

"Well，howishenow？"heasked，finally。

"Thedoctorwashereagainalittlewhileago；hethinkspapa\'scomingthroughit。He\'sprettysurehewill。"

"Somethinglikethewayitwaslastspring？"

"Yes。"

"Notabitofsensetoit!"Lambsaid，gruffly。"Whenhewasgettingwelltheothertimethedoctortoldmeitwasn\'taregularstroke，sotospeak——this\'cerebraleffusion\'thing。

Saidtherewasn\'tanyparticularreasonforyourfathertoexpecthe\'deverhaveanotherattack，ifhe\'dtakealittlecareofhimself。Saidhecouldconsiderhimselfwellasanybodyelselongashedidthat。"

"Yes。Buthedidn\'tdoit!"

Lambnodded，sighedaloud，andcrossedtheroomtoachair。"I

guessnot，"hesaid，ashesatdown。"Bustin\'hishealthupoverhisglue-works，Iexpect。"

"Yes。"

"Iguessso；Iguessso。"Thenhelookedupatherwithaglimmerofanxietyinhiseyes。"Hashecametoyet？"

"Yes。He\'stalkedalittle。Hismind\'sclear；hespoketomamaandmeandtoMissPerry。"Alicelaughedsadly。"Wewereluckyenoughtogetherback，butpapadidn\'tseemtothinkitwaslucky。Whenherecognizedherhesaid，\'Oh，mygoodness，\'tisn\'tYOU，isit!\'"

"Well，that\'sagoodsign，ifhe\'sgettingalittlecross。Didhe——didhehappentosayanything——forinstance，aboutme？"

Thisquestion，awkwardlydelivered，hadtheeffectofremovingthegirl\'spallor；rosytintscamequicklyuponhercheeks。

"He——yes，hedid，"shesaid。"Naturally，he\'stroubledabout——about——"Shestopped。

"Aboutyourbrother，maybe？"

"Yes，aboutmakingupthe——"

"Here，now，"Lambsaid，uncomfortably，asshestoppedagain。

"Listen，younglady；let\'sdon\'ttalkaboutthatjustyet。I

wanttoaskyou:youunderstandallaboutthisgluebusiness，I

expect，don\'tyou？"

"I\'mnotsure。Ionlyknow——"

"Letmetellyou，"heinterrupted，impatiently。"I\'lltellyouallaboutitintwowords。Theprocessbelongedtome，andyourfatherupandwalkedoffwithit；there\'snogettingaroundTHAT

much，anyhow。"

"Isn\'tthere？"Alicestaredathim。"Ithinkyou\'remistaken，Mr。Lamb。Didn\'tpapaimproveitsothatitvirtuallybelongedtohim？"

Therewasasparkintheoldblueeyesatthis。"What？"hecried。"Isthatthewayhegotaroundit？Why，inallmylifeI

neverheardofsucha——"Butheleftthesentenceunfinished；

thetestinesswentoutofhishuskyvoiceandtheangeroutofhiseyes。"Well，Iexpectmaybethatwasthewayofit，"hesaid。"Anyhow，it\'srightforyoutostandupforyourfather；

andifyouthinkhehadarighttoit——"

"Buthedid!"shecried。

"Iexpectso，"theoldmanreturned，pacifically。"Iexpectso，probably。Anyhow，it\'saquestionthat\'sneitherherenorthere，rightnow。WhatIwasthinkingofsaying——well，didyourfatherhappentoletoutthatheandIhadwordsthismorning？"

"No。"

"Well，wedid。"Hesighedandshookhishead。"Yourfather——well，heusedsomeprettyhardexpressionstowardme，younglady。Theyweren\'tSO，I\'mgladtosay，butheused\'emtome，andtheworstofitwashebelieved\'em。Well，Ibeenthinkingitover，andIthoughtI\'djusthaveakindoflittletalkwithyoutosetmattersstraight，sotospeak。"

"Yes，Mr。Lamb。"

"Forinstance，"hesaid，"it\'slikethis。Now，Ihopeyouwon\'tthinkImeananyindelicacy，butyoutakeyourbrother\'scase，sincewegottomentionit，why，yourfatherhadthewholethingworkedoutinhismindaboutaswrongasanybodyevergotanything。IfI\'dactedthewayyourfatherthoughtIdidaboutthat，why，somebodyjustoughttotakemeoutandshootme!DoYOUknowwhatthatmanthought？"

"I\'mnotsure。"

Hefrownedather，andasked，"Well，whatdoyouthinkaboutit？"

"Idon\'tknow，"shesaid。"Idon\'tbelieveIthinkanythingatallaboutanythingto-day。"

"Well，well，"hereturned；"Iexpectnot；Iexpectnot。Youkindoflooktomeasifyououghttobeinbedyourself，younglady。"

"Oh，no。"

"Iguessyoumean\'Oh，yes\'；andIwon\'tkeepyoulong，butthere\'ssomethingwegottogetfixedup，andI\'drathertalktoyouthanIwouldtoyourmother，becauseyou\'reasmartgirlandalwaysfriendly；andIwanttobesureI\'munderstood。Now，listen。"

"Iwill，"Alicepromised，smilingfaintly。

"Ineverevenhardlynoticedyourbrotherwasstillworkingforme，"heexplained，earnestly。"Ineverthoughtanythingaboutit。Mysonssortoftriedtoteasemeaboutthewayyourfather——abouthistakingupthisgluebusiness，sotospeak——andonedayAlbert，Junior，askedmeifIfeltallrightaboutyourbrother\'sstayingthereafterthat，andItoldhim——well，Ijustaskedhimtoshutup。Iftheboywantedtostaythere，Ididn\'tconsideritmybusinesstosendhimawayonaccountofanyfeelingIhadtowardhisfather；notaslongashedidhisworkright——andthereportshowedhedid。Well，asithappens，itlooksnowasifhestayedbecauseheHADto；hecouldn\'tquitbecausehe\'d\'a\'beenfoundoutifhedid。Well，he\'dbeencoveringuphisshortageforaconsiderabletime——anddoyouknowwhatyourfatherpracticallychargedmewithaboutthat？"

"No，Mr。Lamb。"

Inhisresentment，theoldgentleman\'sruddyfacebecameruddierandhishuskyvoicehuskier。"ThinksIkepttheboytherebecauseIsuspectedhim!ThinksIdidittogetevenwithHIM!

DoIlooktoYOUlikeamanthat\'ddosuchathing？"

"No，"shesaid，gently。"Idon\'tthinkyouwould。"

"No!"heexclaimed。"NorHEwouldn\'tthinksoifhewashimself；

he\'sknownmetoolong。Buthemustbeensortofbroodingoverthiswholebusiness——ImeanbeforeWalter\'stroublehemustbeentakingittoheartprettyhardforsometimeback。HethoughtI

didn\'tthinkmuchofhimanymore——andIexpecthemaybewonderedsomewhatIwasgoingtoDO——andthere\'snothingworse\'nthatstateofmindtomakeamansuspiciousofallkindsofmeanness。

Well，hepracticallystoodupthereandaccusedmetomyfaceoffixingthingsso\'thecouldn\'teverraisethemoneytosettleforWalterandaskusnottoprosecute。That\'sthestateofmindyourfather\'sbroodinggothiminto，younglady——chargingmewithatricklikethat!"

"I\'msorry，"shesaid。"Iknowyou\'dnever——"

Theoldmanslappedhissturdyknee，angrily。"Why，thatdangfoolofaVirgilAdams!"heexclaimed。"Hewouldn\'tevengivemeachancetotalk；andhegotmesomadIcouldn\'thardlytalk，anyway!Hemight\'a\'knownfromthefirstIwasn\'tgoingtolethimwalkinandbeatmeoutofmyown——thatis，hemight\'a\'

knownIwouldn\'tlethimgetaheadofmeinabusinessmatter——notwithmyboystwittingmeaboutiteveryfewminutes!

Buttotalktomethewayhedidthismorning——well，hewasoutofhishead；that\'sall!Now，waitjustaminute，"heinterposed，assheseemedabouttospeak。"Inthefirstplace，wearen\'tgoingtopushthiscaseagainstyourbrother。I

believeinthelaw，allright，andbusinessmengottoprotectthemselves；butinacaselikethis，whererestitution\'smadebythefamily，why，Iexpectit\'sjustaswellsometimestousealittleinfluenceandletmattersdrop。Ofcourseyourbrother\'llhavetokeepouto\'thisstate；that\'sall。"

"But——yousaid——"shefaltered。

"Yes。What\'dIsay？"

"Yousaid，\'whererestitution\'smadebythefamily。\'That\'swhatseemedtotroublepapasoterribly，because——becauserestitutioncouldn\'t——"

"Why，yes，itcould。That\'swhatI\'mheretotalktoyouabout。"

"Idon\'tsee——"

"I\'mgoingtoTELLyou，ain\'tI？"hesaid，gruffly。"Justholdyourhorsesaminute，please。"Hecoughed，rosefromhischair，walkedupanddowntheroom，thenhaltedbeforeher。"It\'slikethis，"hesaid。"AfterIbroughtyourfatherhome，thismorning，therewasoneofthethingshetoldme，whenhewasgoingforme，overyonder——itkindofstuckinmycraw。Itwassomethingaboutallthisgluecontroversynotmeaninganythingtomeinparticular，andmeaningawholeheaptohimandhisfamily。

Well，hewaswrongaboutthattwoways。Thefirstonewas，itdidmeanagooddealtometohavehimgobackonmeaftersomanyyears。Idon\'tneedtosayanymoreaboutit，exceptjusttotellyouitmeantquitealittlemoretomethanyou\'dthink，maybe。Theotherwayhewaswrongis，thathowmuchathingmeanstoonemanandhowlittleitmeanstoanotherain\'ttherightwaytolookatabusinessmatter。"

"Isupposeitisn\'t，Mr。Lamb。"

"No，"hesaid。"Itisn\'t。It\'snottherightwaytolookatanything。Yes，andyourfatherknowsitaswellasIdo，whenhe\'sinhisrightmind；andIexpectthat\'soneofthereasonshegotsomadatme——butanyhow，Icouldn\'thelpthinkingabouthowmuchallthisthingHADmaybemeanttohim；——asIsay，itkindofstuckinmycraw。Iwantyoutotellhimsomethingfromme，andIwantyoutogoandtellhimrightoff，ifhe\'sableandwillingtolisten。YoutellhimIgotkindofanotionhewaspushedintothisthingbycircumstances，andtellhimI\'velivedlongenoughtoknowthatcircumstancescanbeatthebestofus——youtellhimIsaid\'theBESTofus。\'TellhimIhaven\'tgotabitoffeelingagainsthim——notanymore——andtellhimIcameheretoaskhimnottohaveanyagainstme。"

"Yes，Mr。Lamb。"

"TellhimIsaid——"TheoldmanpausedabruptlyandAlicewassurprised，inadullandtiredway，whenshesawthathislipshadbeguntotwitchandhiseyelidstoblink；butherecoveredhimselfalmostatonce，andcontinued:"Iwanthimtoremember，\'Forgiveusourtransgressions，asweforgivethosethattransgressagainstus\'；andifheandIbeentransgressingagainsteachother，why，tellhimIthinkit\'stimeweQUITsuchfoolishness!"

Hecoughedagain，smiledheartilyuponher，andwalkedtowardthedoor；thenturnedbacktoherwithanexclamation:"Well，ifI

ain\'tanoldfool!"

"Whatisit？"sheasked。

"Why，Iforgotwhatwewerejusttalkingabout!YourfatherwantstosettleforWalter\'sdeficit。Tellhimwe\'llbegladtoacceptit；butofcoursewedon\'texpecthimtocleanthematterupuntilhe\'sabletotalkbusinessagain。"

Alicestaredathimblanklyenoughforhimtoperceivethatfurtherexplanationswerenecessary。"It\'slikethis，"hesaid。

"Yousee，ifyourfatherdecidedtokeephisworksgoingoveryonder，Idon\'tsaybuthemightgiveussomelittlecompetitionforatime，\'speciallyashe\'sgotthestartonusandaboutreadyforthemarket。ThenIwasfiguringwecouldusehisplant——it\'ssmall，butit\'dbetoourbenefittohavetheuseofit——andhe\'sgotaleaseonthatbiglot；itmaycomeinhandyforusifwewanttoexpandsome。Well，I\'dprefertomakeadealwithhimasquietlyaspossible——nogoodineveryTom，DickandHarryhearingaboutthingslikethis——butIfiguredhecouldsellouttomeforalittlesomethingmore\'nenoughtocoverthemortgageheputonthishouse，andWalter\'sdeficit，too——THAT

don\'tamounttomuchindollarsandcents。ThewayIfigureit，Icouldofferhimaboutninety-threehundreddollarsasatotal——orsayninety-threehundredandfifty——andifhefeelslikeaccepting，why，I\'llsendaconfidentialmanupherewiththepaperssoon\'syourfather\'sabletolook\'emover。Youtellhim，willyou，andaskhimifheseeshiswaytoacceptingthatfigure？"

"Yes，"Alicesaid；andnowherownlipstwitched，whilehereyesfilledsothatshesawbutablurredimageoftheoldman，whoheldouthishandinparting。"I\'lltellhim。Thankyou。"

Heshookherhandhastily。"Well，let\'sjustkeepitkindofquiet，"hesaid，atthedoor。"NogoodineveryTom，DickandHarryknowingallwhatgoesonintown!Youtelephonemewhenyourpapa\'sreadytogooverthepapers——andcallmeupatmyhouseto-night，willyou？Letmehearhowhe\'sfeeling？"

"Iwill，"shesaid，andthroughhergratefultearsgavehimasmilealmostradiant。"He\'llbebetter，Mr。Lamb。Weallwill。"

CHAPTERXXV

Onemorning，thatautumn，Mrs。AdamscameintoAlice\'sroom，andfoundhercompletingasobertoiletforthestreet；moreover，theexpressionrevealedinhermirrorwasharmoniouswiththebusiness-likeseverityofherattire。"Whatmakesyoulooksocross，dearie？"themotherasked。"Couldn\'tyoufindanythingnicertowearthanthatplainolddarkdress？"

"Idon\'tbelieveI\'mcross，"thegirlsaid，absently。"IbelieveI\'mjustthinking。Isn\'titabouttime？"

"Timeforwhat？"

"Timeforthinking——forme，Imean？"

Disregardingthis，Mrs。Adamslookedheroverthoughtfully。"I

can\'tseewhyyoudon\'twearmorecolour，"shesaid。"Atyourageit\'sbecomingandproper，too。Anyhow，whenyou\'regoingonthestreet，Ithinkyououghttolookjustasgayandlivelyasyoucanmanage。Youwanttoshow\'emyou\'vegotsomespunk!"

"Howdoyoumean，mama？"

"ImeanaboutWalter\'srunningawayandthemessyourfathermadeofhisbusiness。Itwouldhelptoshow\'emyou\'reholdingupyourheadjustthesame。"

"Showwhom!"

"Alltheseothergirlsthat——"

"NotI!"Alicelaughedshortly，shakingherhead。"I\'vequitdressingatthem，andiftheysawmetheywouldn\'tthinkwhatyouwant\'emto。It\'sfunny；butwedon\'toftenmakepeoplethinkwhatwewant\'emto，mama。Youdothusandso；andyoutellyourself，\'Now，seeingmedothusandso，peoplewillnaturallythinkthisandthat\'；buttheydon\'t。Theythinksomethingelse——usuallyjustwhatyouDON\'Twant\'emto。Isupposeabouttheonlygoodinpretendingisthefunwegetoutoffoolingourselvesthatwefoolsomebody。"

"Well，butitwouldn\'tbepretending。Yououghttoletpeopleseeyou\'restillholdingyourheadupbecauseyouARE。Youwouldn\'twantthatMildredPalmertothinkyou\'recastdownabout——well，youknowyouwouldn\'twantHERnottothinkyou\'reholdingyourheadup，wouldyou？"

"Shewouldn\'tknowwhetherIamornot，mama。"Alicebitherlip，thensmiledfaintlyasshesaid:

"Anyhow，I\'mnotthinkingaboutmyheadinthatway——notthismorning，I\'mnot。"

Mrs。Adamsdroppedthesubjectcasually。"Areyougoingdown-town？"sheinquired。

"Yes。"

"Whatfor？"

"JustsomethingIwanttoseeabout。I\'lltellyouwhenIcomeback。Anythingyouwantmetodo？"

"No；Iguessnotto-day。Ithoughtyoumightlookforarug，butI\'drathergowithyoutoselectit。We\'llhavetogetanewrugforyourfather\'sroom，Iexpect。"

"I\'mgladyouthinkso，mama。Idon\'tsupposehe\'severevennoticedit，butthatoldrugofhis——well，really!"

"Ididn\'tmeanforhim，"hermotherexplained，thoughtfully。

"No；hedon\'tmindit，andhe\'dlikelymakeafussifwechangeditonhisaccount。No；whatImeant——we\'llhavetoputyourfatherinWalter\'sroom。Hewon\'tmind，Idon\'texpect——notmuch。"

"No，Isupposenot，"Aliceagreed，rathersadly。"Iheardthebellawhileago。Wasitsomebodyaboutthat？"

"Yes；justbeforeIcameupstairs。Mrs。Lohrgavehimanotetome，andhewasreallyaverypleasant-lookingyoungman。AVERY

pleasant-lookingyoungman，"Mrs。Adamsrepeatedwithincreasedanimationandathoughtfulglanceatherdaughter。"He\'saMr。

WillDickson；hehasafirst-ratepositionwiththegasworks，Mrs。Lohrsays，andhe\'sfullyabletoaffordaniceroom。SoifyouandIdoubleupinhere，thenwiththatyoungmarriedcoupleinmyroom，andthisMr。Dicksoninyourfather\'s，we\'lljustabouthavethingssettled。IthoughtmaybeIcouldmakeonemoreplaceattable，too，sothatwiththeotherpeoplefromoutsidewe\'dbeservingelevenaltogether。YouseeifIhavetopaythiscooktwelvedollarsaweek——itcan\'tbehelped，I

guess——well，onemorewouldcertainlyhelptowardaprofit。Ofcourseit\'saterriblyworryingthingtoseehowweWILLcomeout。Don\'tyousupposewecouldsqueezeinonemore？"

"IsupposeitCOULDbemanaged；yes。"

Mrs。Adamsbrightened。"I\'msureit\'llbepleasanthavingthatyoungmarriedcoupleinthehouseandespeciallythisMr。WillDickson。Heseemedverymuchofagentleman，andanxioustogetsettledingoodsurroundings。Iwasveryfavourablyimpressedwithhimineveryway；andheexplainedtomeabouthisname；itseemsitisn\'tWilliam，it\'sjust\'Will\'；hisparentshadhimchristenedthatway。It\'scurious。"Shepaused，andthen，withanefforttoseemcasual，whichveilednothingfromherdaughter:

"It\'sQUITEcurious，"shesaidagain。"Butit\'sratherattractiveanddifferent，don\'tyouthink？"

"Poormama!"Alicelaughedcompassionately。"Poormama!"

"Heis，though，"Mrs。Adamsmaintained。"He\'sverymuchofagentleman，unlessI\'mnojudgeofappearances；andit\'llreallybenicetohavehiminthehouse。"

"Nodoubt，"Alicesaid，assheopenedherdoortodepart。"I

don\'tsupposewe\'llmindhavinganyof\'emasmuchaswethoughtwewould。Good-bye。"

Buthermotherdetainedher，catchingherbythearm。"Alice，youdohateit，don\'tyou!"

"No，"thegirlsaid，quickly。"Therewasn\'tanythingelsetodo。"

Mrs。Adamsbecameemotionalatonce:herfacecriedtragedy，andhervoicemisfortune。"ThereMIGHThavebeensomethingelsetodo!Oh，Alice，yougaveyourfatherbadadvicewhenyouupheldhimintakingamiserablelittleninety-threehundredandfiftyfromthatoldwretch!Ifyourfather\'djusthadthegumptiontoholdout，they\'dhavehadtopayhimanythingheasked。Ifhe\'djusthadthegumptionandalittlemanlyCOURAGE——"

"Hush!"Alicewhispered，forhermother\'svoicegrewlouder。

"Hush!He\'llhearyou，mama。"

"Couldhehearmetoooften？"theembitteredladyasked。"Ifhe\'dlistenedtomeattherighttime，wouldwehavetobetakinginboardersandsinkingDOWNinthescaleattheendofourlives，insteadofgoingUP？Youwerebothwrong；wedidn\'tneedtobesopanicky——thatwasjustwhatthatoldmanwanted:toscareusandbuyusoutfornothing!Ifyourfather\'djustlistenedtomethen，orifforonceinhislifehe\'djustbeenhalfaMAN——"

Aliceputherhandoverhermother\'smouth。"Youmustn\'t!HeWILLhearyou!"

ButfromtheothersideofAdams\'scloseddoorhisvoicecamequerulously。"Oh，IHEARher，allright!"

"Yousee，mama？"Alicesaid，and，asMrs。Adamsturnedaway，weeping，thedaughtersighed；thenwentintospeaktoherfather。

Hewasinhisoldchairbythetable，withapillowbehindhishead，butthecrochetedscarfandMrs。Adams\'swrapperswathedhimnomore；heworeadressing-gownhiswifehadboughtforhim，andwassmokinghispipe。"Theoldstory，isit？"hesaid，asAlicecamein。"Thesame，sameoldstory!Well，well!Hasshegone？"

"Yes，papa。"

"Gotyourhaton，"hesaid。"Whereyougoing？"

"I\'mgoingdown-townonanerrandofmyown。Isthereanythingyouwant，papa？"

"Yes，thereis。"Hesmiledather。"Iwishyou\'dsitdownawhileandtalktomeunlessyourerrand——"

"No，"shesaid，takingachairnearhim。"IwasjustgoingdowntoseeaboutsomearrangementsIwasmakingformyself。There\'snohurry。"

"Whatarrangementsforyourself，dearie？"

"I\'lltellyouafterwards——afterIfindoutsomethingabout\'emmyself。"

"Allright，"hesaid，indulgently。"Keepyoursecrets；keepyoursecrets。"Hepaused，drewmusinglyuponhispipe，andshookhishead。"Funny——thewayyourmotherlooksatthings!Forthemattero\'that，everything\'sprettyfunny，Iexpect，ifyoustoptothinkaboutit。Forinstance，lethersayallshelikes，butwewerepushedrightspangtothewall，ifJ。A。Lambhadn\'ttakenitintohisheadtomakethatofferfortheworks；andthere\'soneofthethingsIbeenthinkingaboutlately，Alice:

thinkingabouthowfunnytheyworkout。"

"Whatdidyouthinkaboutit，papa!"

"Well，I\'veseenithappeninotherpeople\'slives，timeandtimeagain；andnowit\'shappenedinours。Youthinkyou\'regoingtobepushedrightupagainstthewall；youcan\'tseeanywayout，oranyhopeatall；youthinkyou\'reGONE——andthensomethingyounevercountedonturnsup；and，whilemaybeyouneverdogetbacktowhereyouusedtobe，yetsomehowyoukindofsquirmoutofbeingrightSPANGagainstthewall。Youkeepongoing——maybeyoucan\'tgomuch，butyoudogoalittle。SeewhatImean？"

"Yes。Iunderstand，dear。"

"Yes，I\'mafraidyoudo，"hesaid。"Toobad!Yououghtn\'ttounderstanditatyourage。ItseemstomeagooddealasiftheLordreallymeantfortheyoungpeopletohavethegoodtimes，andfortheoldtohavethetroubles；andwhenanybodyasyoungasyouhastroublethere\'sabigmistakesomewhere。"

"Oh，no!"sheprotested。

Buthepersistedwhimsicallyinthisviewofdivineerror:"Yes，itdoeslookagooddealthatway。Butofcoursewecan\'ttell；

we\'renevercertainaboutanything——notaboutanythingatall。

SometimesIlookatitanotherway，though。Sometimesitlookstomeasifabody\'stroublescameonhimmainlybecausehehadn\'thadsenseenoughtoknowhownottohaveany——asifhistroubleswerekindoflikeaboy\'sgettingkeptinafterschoolbytheteacher，togivehimdiscipline，orsomethingorother。

But，my，my!Wedon\'tlearneasy!"Hechuckledmournfully。"Nottolearnhowtolivetillwe\'reaboutreadytodie，itcertainlyseemstomedangtough!"

"ThenIwouldn\'tbroodonsuchanotion，papa，"shesaid。

"\'Brood？\'No!"hereturned。"Ijustkindo\'mullitover。"Hechuckledagain，sighed，andthen，notlookingather，hesaid，"ThatMr。Russell——yourmothertellsmehehasn\'tbeenhereagain——notsince——"

"No，"shesaid，quietly，asAdamspaused。"Henevercameagain。"

"Well，butmaybe——"

"No，"shesaid。"Thereisn\'tany\'maybe。\'Itoldhimgood-byethatnight，papa。ItwasbeforeheknewaboutWalter——Itoldyou。"

"Well，well，"Adamssaid。"Youngpeopleareentitledtotheirownprivacy；Idon\'twanttopry。"Heemptiedhispipeintoachippedsauceronthetablebesidehim，laidthepipeaside，andrevertedtoaformertopic。"Speakingofdying——"

"Well，butweweren\'t!"Aliceprotested。

"Yes，aboutnotknowinghowtolivetillyou\'rethroughliving——andTHENmaybenot!"hesaid，chucklingathisowndeterminedpessimism。"IseeI\'mprettyoldbecauseItalkthisway——IremembermygrandmothersayingthingsagooddeallikeallwhatI\'msayingnow；IusedtohearheratitwhenIwasayoungfellow——shewasarightgloomyoldlady，Iremember。Well，anyhow，itremindsme:IwanttogetonmyfeetagainassoonasIcan；Igottolookaroundandfindsomethingtogointo。"

Aliceshookherheadgently。"But，papa，hetoldyou——"

"Nevermindthrowingthatdangdoctorupatme!"Adamsinterrupted，peevishly。"HesaidI\'dbegoodforSOMEkindoflightjob——ifIcouldfindjusttherightthing。\'Wheretherewouldn\'tbeeitheranyphysicalormentalstrain，\'hesaid。

Well，Igottofindsomethinglikethat。Anyway，I\'llfeelbetterifIcanjustgetoutLOOKINGforit。"

"But，papa，I\'mafraidyouwon\'tfindit，andyou\'llbedisappointed。"

"Well，IwanttohuntaroundandSEE，anyhow。"

Alicepattedhishand。"Youmustjustbecontented，papa。

Everything\'sgoingtobeallright，andyoumustn\'tgettoworryingaboutdoinganything。Weownthishouseit\'sallclear——andyou\'vetakencareofmamaandmeallourlives；nowit\'sourturn。"

"No，sir!"hesaid，querulously。"Idon\'tliketheideaofbeingthelandlady\'shusbandaroundaboarding-house；itgoesagainstmygizzard。_I_know:makesoutthebillsforhiswifeSundaymornings——workswithascrew-driveronsomebody\'sbureaudrawersometimes——\'tendsthefurnacemaybe——onetheboardersgiveshimacigarnowandthen。That\'saFINElifetolookforwardto!No，sir；Idon\'twanttofinishasalandlady\'shusband!"

Alicelookedgrave；forsheknewthesketchwasbuttooaccuratelypropheticineveryprobability。"But，papa，"shesaid，toconsolehim，"don\'tyouthinkmaybethereisn\'tsuchathingasa\'finish，\'afterall!Yousayperhapswedon\'tlearntolivetillwediebutmaybethat\'showitisAFTERwedie，too——justlearningsomemore，thewaywedohere，andmaybethroughtroubleagain，evenafterthat。"

"Oh，itmightbe，"hesighed。"Iexpectso。"

"Well，then，"shesaid，"what\'stheuseoftalkingabouta\'finish？\'Wedokeeplookingaheadtothingsasifthey\'dfinishsomething，butwhenwegetTOthem，theydon\'tfinishanything。

They\'rejustpartofgoingon。I\'lltellyou——IlookedaheadallsummertosomethingIwasafraidof，andIsaidtomyself，\'Well，ifthathappens，I\'mfinished!\'Butitwasn\'tso，papa。Itdidhappen，andnothing\'sfinished；I\'mgoingon，justthesameonly——"Shestoppedandblushed。

"Onlywhat？"heasked。

"Well——"Sheblushedmoredeeply，thenjumpedup，and，standingbeforehim，caughtbothhishandsinhers。"Well，don\'tyouthink，sincewedohavetogoon，weoughtatleasttohavelearnedsomesenseabouthowtodoit？"

Helookedupatheradoringly。

"What_I_think，"hesaid，andhisvoicetrembled；——"Ithinkyou\'rethesmartestgirlintheworld!Iwouldn\'ttradeyouforthewholekit-and-boodleof\'em!"

Butasthisfollyofhisthreatenedtomakehertearful，shekissedhimhastily，andwentforthuponhererrand。

Sincethenightofthetragic-comicdinnershehadnotseenRussell，norcaughteventheremotestchanceglimpseofhim；anditwascuriousthatsheshouldencounterhimasshewentuponsuchanerrandasnowengagedher。Atacorner，notfarfromthattobacconist\'sshopshehadjustleftwhenheovertookherandwalkedwithherforthefirsttime，shemethimto-day。Heturnedthecorner，comingtowardher，andtheywerefacetoface；

whereuponthatengagingfaceofRussell\'swasinstantlyreddened，butAlice\'sremainedserene。

Shestoppedshort，though；andsodidhe；thenshesmiledbrightlyassheputoutherhand。

"Why，Mr。Russell!"

"I\'mso——I\'msogladtohavethis——thischance，"hestammered。

"I\'vewantedtotellyou——it\'sjustthatgoingintoanewundertaking——thisbusinesslife——onedoesn\'tgettodoagreatmanythingshe\'dliketo。Ihopeyou\'llletmecallagainsometime，ifIcan。"

"Yes，do!"shesaid，cordially，andthen，withaquicknod，wentbrisklyon。

Shebreathedmorerapidly，butknewthathecouldnothavedetectedit，andshetooksomeprideinherselfforthewayshehadmetthislittlecrisis。Buttohavemetitwithsucheasycouragemeanttohersomethingmorereassuringthanamomentaryprideintheserenityshehadshown。Forshefoundthatwhatshehadresolvedinherinmostheartwasnowreallytrue:shewas"throughwithallthat!"

Shewalkedon，butmoreslowly，forthetobacconist\'sshopwasnotfarfromhernow——and，beyondit，thatportalofdoom，Frincke\'sBusinessCollege。AlreadyAlicecouldreadthebegrimedgiltlettersofthesign；andalthoughtheyhadspelleddestinyneverwithamorepainfulimminencethanjustthen，anoldhabitofdramatizingherselfstillprevailedwithher。

TherecameintohermindawhimsicalcomparisonofherfatewiththatoftheheroineinaFrenchromanceshehadreadlongagoandrememberedwell，forshehadcriedoverit。Thestoryendedwiththeheroine\'stakingtheveilafteradeathblowtolove；andthefinalsceneagainbecamevividtoAlice，foramoment。Again，aswhenshehadreadandwept，

sheseemedherselftostandamongthegreatshadowsinthecathedralnave；smelledthesmokyincenseontheenclosedair，andheardthesolemnpulsesoftheorgan。Sherememberedhowthenovice\'sfatherknelt，trembling，besideapillarofgraystone；howthefaithlessloverwatchedandshiveredbehindthestatueofasaint；howstifledsobsandoutcrieswereheardwhenthenovicecametothealtar；andhowashaftoflightstruckthroughtherose-window，envelopingherinanamberglow。

Itwasthevisionofamomentonly，andfornolongerthanamomentdidAlicetellherselfthattheromanceprovidedaprettierwayoftakingtheveilthanshehadchosen，andthatafaithlesslover，shakingwithremorsebehindasaint\'sstatue，wasagreatersolacethanoneleftonastreetcornerprotestingthathe\'dliketocallsometime——ifhecould!Herpityforherselfvanishedmorereluctantly；butsheshookitoffandtriedtosmileatit，andatherromanticrecollections——atallofthem。Shehadsomethingimportanttothinkof。

Shepassedthetobacconist\'s，andbeforeherwasthatdarkentrancetothewoodenstairwayleadinguptoFrincke\'sBusinessCollege——theverydoorwayshehadalwayslookeduponastheendofyouthandtheendofhope。

Howoftenshehadgonebyhere，hatingthedrearyobscurityofthatstairway；howoftenshehadthoughtofthisobscurityassomethinglyinginwaittoobliteratethefootstepsofanygirlwhoshouldascendintothesmokydarknessabove!Neverhadshepassedwithoutthoseominousimaginingsofhers:prettygirlsturningintooldmaids"takingdictation"——oldmaidsofadozendifferenttypes，yetalllookingalittlelikeherself。

Well，shewashereatlast!Shelookedupanddownthestreetquickly，andthen，withalittleheaveoftheshoulders，shewentbravelyin，underthesign，andbegantoclimbthewoodensteps。

Half-wayuptheshadowswereheaviest，butafterthattheplacebegantoseembrighter。Therewasanopenwindowoverheadsomewhere，shefound；andthestepsatthetopweregaywithsunshine。