第4章

"TheUglyDucklingturnedoutaswan,youremember。I\'vealwaysbeenfondoftheboybecausehe\'ssogenuineandoriginal。Crudeasagreenapplenow,butsoundatthecore,andonlyneedstimetoripen。I\'msurehe\'llturnoutacapitalspecimenoftheCampbellvariety。"

"Muchobliged,Alec,butitwillneverdoatall。He\'sagoodfellow,andmaydosomethingtobeproudofbyandby,buthe\'snotthemateforourRose。Sheneedssomeonewhocanmanageherpropertywhenwearegone,andArchieisthemanforthat,dependuponit。"

"Confoundtheproperty！"criedDr。Alecimpetuously。"Iwanthertobehappy,andIdon\'tcarehowsoonshegetsridofhermoneyifitisgoingtobeamillstoneroundherneck。Ideclaretoyou,IdreadedthethoughtofthistimesomuchthatI\'vekeptherawayaslongasIcouldandtrembledwheneverayoungfellowjoineduswhilewewereabroad。Hadoneortwonarrowescapes,andnowI\'minforit,asyoucanseebytonight\'s\'success\'asClaracallsit。ThankheavenIhaven\'tmanydaughterstolookafter！"

"Come,come,don\'tbeanxious­takeArchieandsettleitrightupsafelyandhappily。That\'smyadvice,andyou\'llfinditsound,"repliedtheelderconspirator,likeonehavingexperience。

"I\'llthinkofit,butmindyou,Mac,notawordofthistothesisters。

WeareacoupleofoldfoolstobematchmakingsosoonbutIseewhatisbeforemeandit\'sacomforttofreemymindtosomeone。"

"Soitis。Dependonme­notabreatheventoJane,"answeredUncleMac,withaheartyshakeandasympatheticslapontheshoulder。

"Why,whatdarkandawfulsecretsaregoingonhere？IsitaFreemason\'sLodgeandthosethemysticsigns？"askedagayvoiceatthedoor;andtherestoodRose,fullofsmilingwonderatthesightofhertwouncleshandinhand,whisperingandnoddingtooneanothermysteriously。

Theystaredlikeschoolboyscaughtplottingmischiefandlookedsoguiltythatshetookpityonthem,innocentlyimaginingthebrotherswereindulginginalittlesentimentonthisjoyfuloccasion,sosheaddedquickly,asshebeckoned,withoutcrossingthethreshold,"Womennotallowed,ofcourse,butbothofyoudearOddFellowsarewanted,forAuntPlentybegswewillhaveanold—fashionedcontradance,andI\'mtoleadoffwithUncleMac。

Ichoseyou,sir,becauseyoudoitinstyle,pigeonwingsandall。So,pleasecome­andPhebeiswaitingforyou,UncleAlec。Sheisrathershyyouknow,butwillenjoyitwithyoutotakecareofher。"

"Thankyou,thankyou！"criedbothgentlemen,followingwithgreatalacrity。

Unconscious,RoseenjoyedthatVirginiareelimmensely,forthepigeonwingsweresuperb,andherpartnerconductedherthroughtheconvolutionsofthedancewithoutafault,goingdownthemiddleinhismostgallantstyle。Landingsafelyatthebottom,shestoodasidetolethimgethisbreath,forstoutUncleMacwasboundtodoordieonthatoccasionandwouldhavedancedhispumpsthroughwithoutamurmurifshehaddesiredit。

Leaningagainstthewallwithhishairinhiseyes,andadecidedlyboredexpressionofcountenance,wasMac,Jr。,whohadbeensurveyingthegymnasticsofhisparentwithrespectfulastonishment。

"Comeandtakeaturn,mylad。Roseisfreshasadaisy,butweoldfellowssoongetenoughofit,soyoushallhavemyplace,"saidhisfather,wipinghisface,whichglowedlikeacheerfulpeony。

"No,thankyou,sir­Ican\'tstandthatsortofthing。I\'llraceyouroundthepiazzawithpleasure,Cousin,buthisovenistoomuchforme,"wasMac\'suncivilreplyashebackedtowardtheopenwindow,asifgladofanexcusetoescape。

"Fragilecreature,don\'tstayonmyaccount,Ibeg。Ican\'tleavemyguestsforamoonlightrun,evenifIdaredtotakeitonafrostynightinathindress,"saidRose,fanningherselfandnotabitruffledbyMac\'srefusal,forsheknewhiswaysandtheyamusedher。

"Nothalfsobadasallthisdust,gas,heat,andnoise。Whatdoyousupposelungsaremadeof？"demandedMac,readyforadiscussionthenandthere。

"Iusedtoknow,butI\'veforgottennow。BeensobusywithotherthingsthatI\'veneglectedthehobbiesIusedtoridefiveorsixyearsago,"

shesaid,laughing。

"Ah,thoseweretimesworthhaving！Areyougoinginformuchofthissortofthing,Rose？"heaskedwithadisapprovingglanceatthedancers。

"Aboutthreemonthsofit,Ithink。"

"Thengood—byetillNewYear。"AndMacvanishedbehindthecurtains。

"Rose,mydear,youreallymusttakethatfellowinhandbeforehegetstobequiteabear。Sinceyouhavebeengonehehaslivedinhisbooksandgotonsofinelythatwehavelethimalone,thoughhismothergroansoverhismanners。Polishhimupabit,Ibegofyou,foritishightimehemendedhisoddwaysanddidjusticetothefinegiftshehidesbehindthem,"saidUncleMac,scandalizedatthebluntnessofhisson。

"Iknowmychestnutburrtoowelltomindhisprickles。Butothersdonot,soIwilltakehiminhandandmakehimacredittohisfamily,"

answeredRosereadily。

"TakeArchieforyourmodel­he\'soneofathousand,andthegirlwhogetshimgetsaprize,Idoassureyou,"addedUncleMac,whofoundmatchmakingtohistasteandthoughtthatclosingremarkadeepone。

"Oh,me,howtiredIam！"criedRose,droppingintoachairasthelastcarriagerolledawaysomewherebetweenoneandtwo。

"Whatisyouropinionnow,MissCampbell？"askedthedoctor,addressingherforthefirsttimebythenamewhichhadbeenutteredsooftenthatnight。

"MyopinionisthatMissCampbellislikelytohaveagaylifeifshegoesonasshehasbegun,andthatshefindsitverydelightfulsofar,"

answeredthegirl,withlipsstillsmilingfromtheirfirsttasteofwhattheworldcallspleasure。Chapter4。Chapter4。4THORNSAMONGTHEROSESForatimeeverythingwentsmoothly,andRosewasahappygirl。Theworldseemedabeautifulandfriendlyplace,andfulfillmentofherbrightestdreamsappearedtobeapossibility。Ofcoursethiscouldnotlast,anddisappointmentwasinevitable,becauseyoungeyeslookforaParadiseandweepwhentheyfindaworkadayworldwhichseemsfullofcareandtroubletillonelearnstogladdenandglorifyitwithhighthoughtsandholyliving。

Thosewholovedherwaitedanxiouslyforthedisillusionwhichmustcomeinspiteofalltheircherishing,fortillnowRosehadbeensobusywithherstudies,travels,andhomedutiesthatsheknewverylittleofthetriumphs,trials,andtemptationsoffashionablelife。Birthandfortuneplacedherwhereshecouldnotwellescapesomeofthem,andDr。Alec,knowingthatexperienceisthebestteacher,wiselylefthertolearnthislessonasshemustmanyanother,devoutlyhopingthatitwouldnotbeahardone。

OctoberandNovemberpassedrapidly,andChristmaswasathand,withallitsmerrymysteries,homegatherings,andgoodwishes。

Rosesatinherownlittlesanctum,openingfromtheparlor,busilypreparinggiftsforthedearfivehundredfriendswhoseemedtogrowfonderandfonderastheholidaysdrewnear。Thedrawersofhercommodestoodopen,givingglimpsesofdaintytrifles,whichshewastyingupwithbrightribbons。

Ayounggirl\'sfaceatsuchmomentsisapttobeahappyone,butRose\'swasverygraveassheworked,andnowandthenshethrewaparcelintothedrawerwithacarelesstoss,asifnolovemadethegiftprecious。

SounusualwasthisexpressionthatitstruckDr。Alecashecameinandbroughtananxiouslooktohiseyes,foranycloudonthatothercountenancedroppeditsshadowoverhis。

"Canyouspareaminutefromyourprettyworktotakeastitchinmyoldglove？"heasked,cominguptothetablestrewnwithribbon,lace,andcoloredpapers。

"Yes,Uncle,asmanyasyouplease。"

Thefacebrightenedwithsuddensunshine;bothhandswereputouttoreceivetheshabbydrivingglove,andthevoicewasfullofthataffectionatealacritywhichmakesthesmallestservicesweet。

"MyLadyBountifulishardatwork,Isee。CanIhelpinanyway？"heasked,glancingatthedisplaybeforehim。

"No,thankyou,unlessyoucanmakemeasfullofinterestandpleasureinthesethingsasIusedtobe。Don\'tyouthinkpreparingpresentsagreatbore,exceptforthoseyouloveandwholoveyou？"sheaddedinatonewhichhadaslighttremorinitassheutteredthelastwords。

"Idon\'tgivetopeoplewhomIcarenothingfor。Can\'tdoit,especiallyatChristmas,whengoodwillshouldgointoeverythingonedoes。Ifallthese\'pretties\'arefordearfriends,youmusthaveagreatmany。"

"Ithoughttheywerefriends,butIfindmanyofthemarenot,andthat\'sthetrouble,sir。"

"Tellmeallaboutit,dear,andlettheoldglovego,"hesaid,sittingdownbesideherwithhismostsympatheticair。

Butsheheldtheglovefast,sayingeagerly,"No,no,Ilovetodothis！

Idon\'tfeelasifIcouldlookatyouwhileItellwhatabad,suspiciousgirlIam,"sheadded,keepinghereyesonherwork。

"Verywell,I\'mreadyforconfessionsofanyiniquityandgladtogetthem,forsometimeslatelyI\'veseenacloudinmygirl\'seyesandcaughtaworriedtoneinhervoice。Isthereabitterdropinthecupthatpromisedtobesosweet,Rose？"

"Yes,Uncle。I\'vetriedtothinktherewasnot,butitisthere,andIdon\'tlikeit。I\'mashamedtotell,andyetIwantto,becauseyouwillshowmehowtomakeitsweetorassuremethatIshallbethebetterforit,asyouusedtodowhenItookmedicine。"

Shepausedaminute,sewingswiftly;thenoutcamethetroubleallinoneburstofgirlishgriefandchagrin。

"Uncle,halfthepeoplewhoaresokindtomedon\'tcareabitforme,butforwhatIcangivethem,andthatmakesmeunhappy,becauseIwassogladandproudtobeliked。IdowishIhadn\'tapennyintheworld,thenIshouldknowwhomytruefriendswere。"

"Poorlittlelass！Shehasfoundoutthatallthatglittersisnotgold,andthedisillusionhasbegun,"saidthedoctortohimself,addingaloud,smilingyetpitiful,"AndsoallthepleasureisgoneoutoftheprettygiftsandChristmasisafailure？"

"Oh,no­notforthosewhomnothingcanmakemedoubt！Itissweeterthanevertomakethesethings,becausemyheartisineverystitchandIknowthat,poorastheyare,theywillbedeartoyou,AuntyPlen,AuntJessie,Phebe,andtheboys。"

Sheopenedadrawerwherelayapileofprettygifts,wroughtwithlovingcarebyherownhands,touchingthemtenderlyasshespokeandpattingthesailor\'sknotofblueribbonononefatparcelwithasmilethattoldhowunshakableherfaithinsomeonewas。"Butthese,"shesaid,pullingopenanotherdrawerandtossingoveritsgaycontentswithanairhalfsad,halfscornful,"theseIboughtandgivebecausetheyareexpected。Thesepeoplecareonlyforarichgift,notonebitforthegiver,whomtheywillsecretlyabuseifsheisnotasgenerousastheyexpect。HowcanIenjoythatsortofthing,Uncle？"

"Youcannot,butperhapsyoudosomeoftheminjustice,mydear。Don\'tlettheenvyorselfishnessofafewpoisonyourfaithinall。Areyousurethatnoneofthesegirlscareforyou？"heasked,readinganamehereandthereontheparcelsscatteredabout。

"I\'mafraidIam。YouseeIheardseveraltalkingtogethertheothereveningatAnnabel\'s,onlyafewwords,butithurtmeverymuch,fornearlyeveryonewasspeculatingonwhatIwouldgivethemandhopingitwouldbesomethingfine。\'She\'ssorichsheoughttobegenerous,\'saidone。

\'I\'vebeenperfectlydevotedtoherforweeksandhopeshewon\'tforgetit,\'saidanother。\'Ifshedoesn\'tgivemesomeofhergloves,Ishallthinkshe\'sverymean,forshehasheaps,andItriedonapairinfunsoshecouldseetheyfittedandtakeahint,\'addedathird。Ididtakethehint,yousee。"AndRoseopenedahandsomeboxinwhichlayseveralpairsofherbestgloves,withbuttonsenoughtosatisfytheheartofthemostcovetous。

"Plentyofsilverpaperandperfume,butnotmuchlovewentintothatbundle,Ifancy？"AndDr。AleccouldnothelpsmilingatthedisdainfullittlegesturewithwhichRosepushedawaythebox。

"Notaparticle,norinmostofthese。Ihavegiventhemwhattheywantedandtakenbacktheconfidenceandrespecttheydidn\'tcarefor。Itiswrong,Iknow,butIcan\'tbeartothinkalltheseeminggoodwillandfriendlinessI\'vebeenenjoyingwasinsincereandforapurpose。That\'snotthewayItreatpeople。"

"Iamsureofit。Takethingsforwhattheyareworth,dear,andtrytofindthewheatamongthetares,forthereisplentyifoneknowshowtolook。Isthatallthetrouble？"

"No,sir,thatisthelightestpartofit。Ishallsoongetovermydisappointmentinthosegirlsandtakethemforwhattheyareworthasyouadvise,butbeingdeceivedinthemmakesmesuspiciousofothers,andthatishateful。IfIcannottrustpeopleI\'dratherkeepbymyselfandbehappy。Idodetestmaneuveringandunderhandedplotsandplans！"

Rosespokepetulantlyandtwitchedhersilktillitbroke,whileregretseemedtogiveplacetoangerasshespoke。

"Thereisevidentlyanotherthornpricking。Letushaveitout,andthenI\'llkisstheplacetomakeitwellasIusedtodowhenItookthesplintersfromthefingersyouareprickingsounmercifully,"saidthedoctor,anxioustorelievehispetpatientassoonaspossible。

Roselaughed,butthecolordeepenedinhercheeksassheansweredwithaprettymixtureofmaidenlyshynessandnaturalcandor。

"AuntClaraworriesmebywarningmeagainsthalftheyoungmenImeetandinsistingthattheywantonlymymoney。Nowthatisdreadful,andI

won\'tlisten,butIcan\'thelpthinkingofitsometimes,fortheyareverykindtomeandI\'mnotvainenoughtothinkitismybeauty。IsupposeIamfoolish,butIdoliketofeelthatIamsomethingbesidesanheiress。"

ThelittlequiverwasinRose\'svoiceagainassheended,andDr。Alecgaveaquicksighashelookedatthedowncastfacesofulloftheperplexityingenuousspiritsfeelwhendoubtfirstmarstheirfaithanddimstheinnocentbeliefsstillleftfromchildhood。Hehadbeenexpectingthisandknewthatwhatthegirljustbegantoperceiveandtrymodestlytotellhadlongagobeenplaintoworldliereyes。Theheiresswastheattractiontomostoftheyoungmenwhomshemet。Goodfellowsenough,buteducated,asnearlyallarenowadays,tobelievethatgirlswithbeautyormoneyarebroughttomarkettosellorbuyasthecasemaybe。

Rosecouldpurchaseanythingsheliked,asshecombinedbothadvantages,andwassoonsurroundedbymanyadmirers,eachstrivingtosecuretheprize。

Notbeingtrainedtobelievethattheonlyendandaimofawoman\'slifewasagoodmatch,shewasalittledisturbed,whenthefirstpleasingexcitementwasover,todiscoverthatherfortunewasherchiefattraction。

Itwasimpossibleforhertohelpseeing,hearing,guessingthisfromasignificantglance,astrayword,aslighthinthereandthere,andthequickinstinctofawomanfeltevenbeforeitunderstoodtheself—interestwhichchilledforhersomanyopeningfriendships。Inhereyeslovewasaverysacredthing,hardlytobethoughtoftillitcame,reverentlyreceivedandcherishedfaithfullytotheend。Therefore,itisnotstrangethatsheshrankfromhearingitflippantlydiscussedandmarriagetreatedasabargaintobehaggledover,withlittlethoughtofitshighduties,greatresponsibilities,andtenderjoys。Manythingsperplexedher,andsometimesadoubtofallthattillnowshehadbelievedandtrustedmadeherfeelasifatseawithoutacompass,forthenewworldwassounliketheoneshehadbeenlivinginthatitbewilderedwhileitcharmedthenovice。

Dr。Alecunderstoodthemoodinwhichhefoundheranddidhisbesttowarnwithoutsaddeningbytoomuchworldlywisdom。

"Youaresomethingbesidesanheiresstothosewhoknowandloveyou,sotakeheart,mygirl,andholdfasttothefaiththatisinyou。Thereisatouchstoneforallthesethings,andwhateverdoesnotringtrue,doubtandavoid。Testandtrymenandwomenastheycomealong,andIamsureconscience,instinct,andexperiencewillkeepyoufromanydiremistake,"

hesaid,withaprotectingarmaboutherandatrustfullookthatwasverycomforting。

Afteramoment\'spausesheanswered,whileasuddensmiledimpledaroundhermouthandthebigglovewentuptohidehertelltalecheeks:"Uncle,ifImusthavelovers,Idowishthey\'dbemoreinteresting。HowcanI

likeorrespectmenwhogoonassomeofthemdoandthenimaginewomencanfeelhonoredbytheofferoftheirhands？Heartsareoutoffashion,sotheydon\'tsaymuchaboutthem。"

"Ah,ha！Thatisthetrouble,isit？Andwebegintohavedelicatedistresses,dowe？"saidDr。Alec,gladtoseeherbrighteningandfullofinterestinthenewtopic,forhewasaromanticoldfellow,ashehadconfessedtohisbrother。

Roseputdownthegloveandlookedupwithadrollmixtureofamusementanddisgustinherface。"Uncle,itisperfectlydisgraceful！I\'vewantedtotellyou,butIwasashamed,becauseInevercouldboastofsuchthingsassomegirlsdo,andtheyweresoabsurdIcouldn\'tfeelasiftheywereworthrepeatingeventoyou。PerhapsIought,though,foryoumaythinkitpropertocommandmetomakeagoodmatch,andofcourseIshouldhavetoobey,"sheadded,tryingtolookmeek。

"Tell,byallmeans。Don\'tIalwayskeepyoursecretsandgiveyouthebestadvice,likeamodelguardian？Youmusthaveaconfidant,andwherefindabetteronethanhere？"heasked,tappinghiswaistcoatwithaninvitinggesture。

"Nowhere­soI\'lltellallbutthenames。I\'dbestbeprudent,forI\'mafraidyoumaygetalittlefierce­youdosometimeswhenpeoplevexme,"beganRose,ratherlikingtheprospectofaconfidentialchatwithUncle,forhehadkepthimselfagooddealinthebackgroundlately。

"Youknowourideasareold—fashioned,soIwasnotpreparedtohavemenproposeatalltimesandplaceswithnowarningbutafewsmilesandsoftspeeches。Iexpectedthingsofthatsortwouldbeveryinterestingandproper,nottosaythrilling,onmypart­buttheyarenot,andIfindmyselflaughinginsteadofcrying,feelingangryinsteadofglad,andforgettingallaboutitverysoon。Why,Uncle,oneabsurdboyproposedwhenwe\'dmetonlyhalfadozentimes。Buthewasdreadfullyindebt,sothataccountedforitperhaps。"AndRosedustedherfingers,asifshehadsoiledthem。

"Iknowhim,andIthoughthe\'ddoit,"observedthedoctorwithashrug。

"Youseeandknoweverything,sothere\'snoneedofgoingon,isthere？"

"Do,do！Whoelse？Iwon\'tevenguess。"

"Well,anotherwentdownuponhiskneesinMrs。Van\'sgreenhouseandpouredforthhispassionmanfully,withagreatcactusprickinghispoorlegsallthewhile。Kittyfoundhimthere,anditwasimpossibletokeepsober,sohehashatedmeeversince。"

Thedoctor\'s"Ha！Ha！"wasgoodtohear,andRosejoinedhim,foritwasimpossibletoregardtheseepisodesseriously,sincenotruesentimentredeemedthemfromabsurdity。

"AnothersentmereamsofpoetryandwentonsoByronicallythatIbegantowishIhadredhairandmynamewasBetsyAnn。Iburntalltheverses,sodon\'texpecttoseethem,andhe,poorfellow,isconsolinghimselfwithEmma。Buttheworstofallwastheonewhowouldmakeloveinpublicandinsistedonproposinginthemiddleofadance。Iseldomdancerounddancesexceptwithourboys,butthatnightIdidbecausethegirlslaughedatmeforbeingso\'prudish,\'astheycalledit。Idon\'tmindthemnow,forIfoundIwasright,andfeltthatIdeservedmyfate。"

"Isthatall？"askedheruncle,looking"fierce,"asshepredicted,attheideaofhisbelovedgirlobligedtolistentoadeclaration,twirlingonthearmofalover。

"Onemore­buthimIshallnottellabout,forIknowhewasinearnestandreallysuffered,thoughIwasaskindasIknewhowtobe。

I\'myounginthesethingsyet,soIgrievedforhim,andtreathislovewiththetenderestrespect。"

Rose\'svoicesankalmosttoawhisperassheended,andDr。Alecbenthishead,asifinvoluntarilysalutingacomradeinmisfortune。Thenhegotup,sayingwithakeenlookintothefaceheliftedbyafingerunderthechin:"Doyouwantanotherthreemonthsofthis？"

"I\'lltellyouonNewYear\'sDay,Uncle。"

"Verywell。Trytokeepastraightcourse,mylittlecaptain,andifyouseedirtyweatherahead,callonyourfirstmate。"

"Aye,aye,sir。I\'llremember。"Chapter5。Chapter5。5PRINCECHARMINGTheoldglovelayuponthefloorforgottenwhileRosesatmusing,tillaquickstepsoundedinthehallandavoicedrewnear,tunefullyhumming。"Ashewaswalkin\'dounthestreetThecityfortoview,Oh,therehespiedabonnylass,Thewindowlookin\'through。"

"Saelichthejumpèdupthestair,Andtirledatthepin;

Oh,whasaereadyashersel\'

Tolettheladdiein？"sangRoseasthevoicepausedandatapcameatthedoor。

"Goodmorning,Rosamunda,hereareyourletters,andyourmostdevotedreadytoexecuteanycommissionsyoumayhaveforhim,"wasCharlie\'sgreetingashecameinlookingcomely,gay,anddebonairasusual。

"Thanks。I\'venoerrandsunlessyoumailmyreplies,iftheseneedanswering,sobyyourleave,Prince,"andRosebegantoopenthehandfulofnoteshethrewintoherlap。

"Ha！Whatsightisthistoblastmineeyes？"ejaculatedCharlie,ashepointedtotheglovewithamelodramaticstart,for,likemostaccomplishedamateuractors,hewasfondofintroducingprivatetheatricalsintohisdailytalkandconversation。

"Uncleleftit。"

"\'Tiswell。Methoughtperchancearivalhadbeenhere,"and,pickingitup,CharlieamusedhimselfwithputtingitontheheadofalittlePsychewhichornamentedthemantelpiece,softlysingingashedidso,anotherverseoftheoldsong:"HesethisJennyonhisknee,AllinhisHighlanddress;

ForbrawlywellhekennedthewayTopleaseabonnylass。"Rosewentonreadingherletters,butallthewhilewasthinkingofherconversationwithheruncleaswellassomethingelsesuggestedbythenewcomerandhisditty。

Duringthethreemonthssinceherreturnshehadseenmoreofthiscousinthananyoftheothers,forheseemedtobetheonlyonewhohadleisureto"playwithRose,"astheyusedtosayyearsago。Theotherboyswereallatwork,evenlittleJamie,manyofwhoseplayhoursweredevotedtomanfulstruggleswithLatingrammar,theevilgeniusofhisboyishlife。

Dr。Alechadmanyaffairstoarrangeafterhislongabsence;Phebewasbusywithhermusic;andAuntPlentystillactivelysuperintendedherhousekeeping。

Thusitfellout,quitenaturally,thatCharlieshouldformthehabitoflounginginatallhourswithletters,messages,bitsofnews,andagreeableplansforRose。Hehelpedherwithhersketching,rodewithher,sangwithher,andtookhertopartiesasamatterofcourse,forAuntClara,beingthegaiestofthesisters,playedchaperononalloccasions。

Foratimeitwasverypleasant,but,byandby,RosebegantowishCharliewouldfindsomethingtodoliketherestandnotmakedawdlingafterherthebusinessofhislife。Thefamilywasusedtohisself—indulgentways,andtherewasanamiabledelusioninthemindsoftheboysthathehadarighttothebestofeverything,fortothemhewasstillthePrince,thefloweroftheflock,andintimetobeanhonortothename。Nooneexactlyknewhow,for,thoughfulloftalent,heseemedtohavenoespecialgiftorbias,andtheeldersbegantoshaketheirheadsbecause,inspiteofmanygrandpromisesandprojects,themomentfordecisiveactionnevercame。

Rosesawallthisandlongedtoinspireherbrilliantcousinwithsomemanfulpurposewhichshouldwinforhimrespectaswellasadmiration。

Butshefounditveryhard,forthoughhelistenedwithimperturbablegoodhumor,andownedhisshortcomingswithdelightfulfrankness,healwayshadsomeargument,reason,orexcusetoofferandout—talkedherinfiveminutes,leavinghersilencedbutunconvinced。

Oflateshehadobservedthatheseemedtofeelasifhertimeandthoughtsbelongedexclusivelytohimandratherresentedtheapproachofanyotherclaimant。Thisannoyedherandsuggestedtheideathatheraffectionateinterestandeffortsweremisunderstoodbyhim,misrepresentedandtakenadvantageofbyAuntClara,whohadbeenmosturgentthatsheshould"useherinfluencewiththedearboy,"thoughthefondmotherresentedallotherinterference。ThistroubledRoseandmadeherfeelasifcaughtinasnare,for,whilesheownedtoherselfthatCharliewasthemostattractiveofhercousins,shewasnotreadytobetakenpossessionofinthismasterfulway,especiallysinceotherandsometimesbettermensoughtherfavormorehumbly。

Thesethoughtswerefloatingvaguelyinhermindasshereadherlettersandunconsciouslyinfluencedherinthechatthatfollowed。

"Onlyinvitations,andIcan\'tstoptoanswerthemnoworIshallnevergetthroughthisjob,"shesaid,returningtoherwork。

"Letmehelp。Youdoup,andI\'lldirect。Haveasecretary,donow,andseewhatacomfortitwillbe,"proposedCharlie,whocouldturnhishandtoanythingandhadmadehimselfquiteathomeinthesanctum。

"I\'dratherfinishthismyself,butyoumayanswerthenotesifyouwill。Justregretstoallbuttwoorthree。ReadthenamesasyougoalongandI\'lltellyouwhich。"

"Tohearistoobey。WhosaysI\'ma\'frivolousidler\'now？"AndCharliesatdownatthewritingtablewithalacrity,forthesehoursinthelittleroomwerehisbestandhappiest。

"Orderisheaven\'sfirstlaw,andtheviewalovelyone,butIdon\'tseeanynotepaper,"headded,openingthedeskandsurveyingitscontentswithinterest。

"Right—handdrawer­violetmonogramforthenotes,plainpaperforthebusinessletter。I\'llseetothat,though,"answeredRose,tryingtodecidewhetherAnnabelorEmmashouldhavethelacedhandkerchief。

"Confidingcreature！SupposeIopenthewrongdrawerandcomeuponthetendersecretsofyoursoul？"continuedthenewsecretary,rummagingoutthedelicatenotepaperwithmasculinedisregardoforder。

"Ihaven\'tgotany,"answeredRosedemurely。

"What,notonedespairingscrawl,onecherishedminiature,onefadedfloweret,etc。,etc。？Ican\'tbelieveit,Cousin,"andheshookhisheadincredulously。

"IfIhad,Icertainlyshouldnotshowthemtoyou,impertinentperson！

Thereareafewlittlesouvenirsinthatdesk,butnothingverysentimentalorinteresting。"

"HowI\'dliketosee\'em！ButIshouldneverdaretoask,"observedCharlie,peeringoverthetopofthehalf—openlidwithamostpersuasivepairofeyes。

"Youmayifyouwantto,butyou\'llbedisappointed,PaulPry。Lowerleft—handdrawerwiththekeyinit。"

"\'Angelofgoodness,howshallIrequitethee？Interestingmoment,withwhatpalpitatingemotionsartthoufraught！\'"And,quotingfromthe"MysteriesofUdolpho,"heunlockedandopenedthedrawerwithatragicgesture。

"Sevenlocksofhairinabox,alllight,for\'here\'syourstrawcolor,yourorangetawny,yourFrenchcrowncolor,andyourperfectyellow\'­Shakespeare。

Theylookveryfamiliar,andIfancyIknowtheheadstheythatched。"

"Yes,youallgavemeonewhenIwentaway,youknow,andIcarriedthemroundtheworldwithmeinthatverybox。"

"Iwishtheheadshadgonetoo。Here\'sajollylittleambergodwithagoldringinhisbackandamostbalmybreath,"continuedCharlie,takingalongsniffatthescentbottle。

"Unclebroughtmethatlongago,andI\'mveryfondofit。"

"Thisnowlookssuspicious­man\'sringwithalotuscutonthestoneandanoteattached。ItrembleasIask,who,when,andwhere？"

"Agentleman,onmybirthday,inCalcutta。"

"Ibreatheagain­itwasmysire？"

"Don\'tbeabsurd。Ofcourseitwas,andhedideverythingtomakemyvisitpleasant。Iwishyou\'dgoandseehimlikeadutifulson,insteadofidlinghere。"

"That\'swhatUncleMaciseternallytellingme,butIdon\'tintendtobelecturedintothetreadmilltillI\'vehadmyflingfirst,"mutteredCharlierebelliously。

"Ifyouflingyourselfinthewrongdirection,youmayfindithardtogetbackagain,"beganRosegravely。