第5章

"Nofear,ifyoulookaftermeasyouseemtohavepromisedtodo,judgingbythethanksyougetinthisnote。Pooroldgovernor！Ishouldliketoseehim,forit\'salmostfouryearssincehecamehomelastandhemustbegettingon。"

Charliewastheonlyoneoftheboyswhoevercalledhisfather"governor,"

perhapsbecausetheothersknewandlovedtheirfathers,whilehehadseensolittleofhisthatthelessrespectfulnamecamemorereadilytohislips,sincetheeldermanintruthseemedagovernorissuingrequestsorcommands,whichtheyoungertoooftenneglectedorresented。

LongagoRosehaddiscoveredthatUncleStephenfoundhomemadesodistastefulbyhiswife\'sdevotiontosocietythathepreferredtoexilehimself,takingbusinessasanexcuseforhisprotractedabsences。

Thegirlwasthinkingofthisasshewatchedhercousinturntheringaboutwithasuddensobrietywhichbecamehimwell;and,believingthatthemomentwaspropitious,shesaidearnestly:"Heisgettingon。

DearCharlie,dothinkofdutymorethanpleasureinthiscaseandI\'msureyouneverwillregretit。"

"Doyouwantmetogo？"heaskedquickly。

"Ithinkyouought。"

"AndIthinkyou\'dbemuchmorecharmingifyouwouldn\'talwaysbeworryingaboutrightandwrong！UncleAlectaughtyouthatalongwiththerestofhisqueernotions。"

"I\'mgladhedid！"criedRosewarmly,thencheckedherselfandsaidwithapatientsortofsigh,"Youknowwomenalwayswantthementheycarefortobegoodandcan\'thelptryingtomakethemso。"

"Sotheydo,andweoughttobeasetofangels,butI\'veastrongconvictionthat,ifwewere,thedearsoulswouldn\'tlikeushalfaswell。Wouldtheynow？"askedCharliewithaninsinuatingsmile。

"Perhapsnot,butthatisdodgingthepoint。Willyougo？"persistedRoseunwisely。

"No,Iwillnot。"

Thatwassufficientlydecidedandanuncomfortablepausefollowed,duringwhichRosetiedaknotunnecessarilytightandCharliewentonexploringthedrawerwithmoreenergythaninterest。

"Why,here\'sanoldthingIgaveyouagesago！"hesuddenlyexclaimedinapleasedtone,holdingupalittleagateheartonafadedblueribbon。

"Willyouletmetakeawaytheheartofstoneandgiveyouaheartofflesh？"

heasked,halfinearnest,halfinjest,touchedbythelittletrinketandtherecollectionsitawakened。

"No,Iwillnot,"answeredRosebluntly,muchdispleasedbytheirreverentandaudaciousquestion。

Charlielookedratherabashedforamoment,buthisnaturallightheartednessmadeiteasyforhimtogetthebetterofhisownbrieffitsofwaywardnessandputothersingoodhumorwithhimandthemselves。

"Nowweareeven­let\'sdropthesubjectandstartafresh,"hesaidwithirresistibleaffabilityashecoollyputthelittleheartinhispocketandpreparedtoshutthedrawer。Butsomethingcaughthiseye,andexclaiming,"What\'sthis？What\'sthis？"hesnatchedupaphotographwhichlayhalfunderapileofletterswithforeignpostmarks。

"Oh！Iforgotthatwasthere,"saidRosehastily。

"Whoistheman？"demandedCharlie,eyeingthegood—lookingcountenancebeforehimwithafrown。

"ThatistheHonorableGilbertMurray,whowentuptheNilewithusandshotcrocodilesandothersmallgame,beingamightyhunter,asItoldyouinmyletters,"answeredRosegaily,thoughillpleasedatthelittlediscoveryjustthen,forthishadbeenoneofthenarrowescapesherunclespokeof。

"Andtheyhaven\'teatenhimyet,Iinferfromthepileofletters？"

saidCharliejealously。

"Ihopenot。Hissisterdidnotmentionitwhenshewrotelast。"

"Ah！Thensheisyourcorrespondent？Sistersaredangerousthingssometimes。"

AndCharlieeyedthepacketsuspiciously。

"Inthiscase,averyconvenientthing,forshetellsmeallaboutherbrother\'swedding,asnooneelsewouldtakethetroubletodo。"

"Oh！Well,ifhe\'smarried,Idon\'tcareastrawabouthim。IfanciedI\'dfoundoutwhyyouaresuchahard—heartedcharmer。Butifthereisnosecretidol,I\'mallatseaagain。"AndCharlietossedthephotographintothedrawerasifitnolongerinterestedhim。

"I\'mhard—heartedbecauseI\'mparticularand,asyet,donotfindanyoneatalltomytaste。"

"Noone？"­withatenderglance。

"Noone"­witharebelliousblush,andthetruthfuladdition­"I

seemuchtoadmireandlikeinmanypersons,butnonequitestrongandgoodenoughtosuitme。Myheroesareold—fashioned,youknow。"

"Prigs,likeGuyCarleton,CountAltenberg,andJohnHalifax­Iknowthepatternyougoodygirlslike,"sneeredCharlie,whopreferredtheGuyLivingston,Beauclerc,andRochesterstyle。

"ThenI\'mnota\'goodygirl,\'forIdon\'tlikeprigs。Iwantagentlemaninthebestsenseoftheword,andIcanwait,forI\'veseenone,andknowtherearemoreintheworld。"

"Thedeuceyouhave！DoIknowhim？"askedCharlie,muchalarmed。

"Youthinkyoudo,"answeredRosewithamischievoussparkleinhereye。

"Ifitisn\'tPem,Igiveitup。He\'sthebest—bredfellowIknow。"

"Oh,dear,no！FarsuperiortoMr。Pembertonandmanyyearsolder,"

saidRose,withsomuchrespectthatCharlielookedperplexedaswellasanxious。

"Someapostolicminister,Ifancy。Youpiouscreaturesalwaysliketoadoreaparson。Butallweknowaremarried。"

"Heisn\'t。"

"Giveaname,forpity\'ssake­I\'msufferingtorturesofsuspense,"

beggedCharlie。

"AlexanderCampbell。"

"Uncle？Well,uponmyword,that\'sarelief,butmightyabsurdallthesame。So,whenyoufindayoungsaintofthatsort,youintendtomarryhim,doyou？"demandedCharliemuchamusedandratherdisappointed。

"WhenIfindanymanhalfashonest,good,andnobleasUncle,Ishallbeproudtomarryhimifheasksme,"answeredRosedecidedly。

"Whatoddtasteswomenhave！"AndCharlieleanedhischinonhishandtomusepensivelyforamomentovertheblindnessofonewomanwhocouldadmireanexcellentoldunclemorethanadashingyoungcousin。

Rose,meanwhile,tiedupherparcelsindustriously,hopingshehadnotbeentoosevere,foritwasveryhardtolectureCharlie,thoughheseemedtolikeitsometimesandcametoconfessionvoluntarily,knowingthatwomenlovetoforgivewhenthesinnersareofhissort。

"Itwillbemailtimebeforeyouaredone,"shesaidpresently,forsilencewaslesspleasantthanhisrattle。

Charlietookthehintanddashedoffseveralnotesinhisbestmanner。

Comingtothebusinessletter,heglancedatitandasked,withapuzzledexpression:"Whatisallthis？Costofrepairs,etc。,fromamannamedBuffum？"

"Nevermindthat­I\'llseetoitbyandby。"

"ButIdomind,forI\'minterestedinallyouraffairs,andthoughyouthinkI\'venoheadforbusiness,you\'llfindIhaveifyou\'lltryme。"

"Thisisonlyaboutmytwooldhousesinthecity,whicharebeingrepairedandalteredsothattheroomscanbeletsingly。"

"Goingtomaketenementhousesofthem？Well,that\'snotabadidea­suchplacespaywell,I\'veheard。"

"ThatisjustwhatI\'mnotgoingtodo。Iwouldn\'thaveatenementhouseonmyconscienceforamilliondollars­notastheyarenow,"

saidRosedecidedly。

"Why,whatdoyouknowaboutit,exceptthatpeopleliveinthemandtheownersturnaprettypennyontherents？"

"Iknowagooddealaboutthem,forI\'veseenmanysuch,bothhereandabroad。Itwasnotallpleasurewithus,Iassureyou。Unclewasinterestedinhospitalsandprisons,andIsometimeswentwithhim,buttheymademesadsohesuggestedothercharitiesthatIcouldbeofhelpaboutwhenwecamehome。Ivisitedinfantschools,workingwomen\'shomes,orphanasylums,andplacesofthatsort。Youdon\'tknowhowmuchgooditdidmeandhowgladIamthatIhavethemeansoflighteningalittlesomeofthemiseryintheworld。"

"But,mydeargirl,youneedn\'tmakeducksanddrakesofyourfortunetryingtofeedandcureandclotheallthepoorwretchesyousee。Give,ofcourse­everyoneshoulddosomethinginthatlineandnoonelikesitbetterthanI。Butdon\'t,formercy\'ssake,goatitassomewomendoandgetsodesperatelyearnest,practical,andcharity—madthatthereisnolivinginpeacewithyou,"protestedCharlie,lookingalarmedattheprospect。

"Youcandoasyouplease。IintendtodoallthegoodIcanbyaskingtheadviceandfollowingtheexampleofthemost\'earnest,\'\'practical,\'

and\'charitable\'peopleIknow­so,ifyoudon\'tapprove,youcandropmyacquaintance,"answeredRose,emphasizingtheobnoxiouswordsandassumingtheresoluteairshealwaysworewhendefendingherhobbies。

"You\'llbelaughedat。"

"I\'musedtothat。"

"Andcriticizedandshunned。"

"NotbypeoplewhoseopinionIvalue。"

"Womenshouldn\'tgopokingintosuchplaces。"

"I\'vebeentaughtthattheyshould。"

"Well,you\'llgetsomedreadfuldiseaseandloseyourbeauty,andthenwhereareyou？"addedCharlie,thinkingthatmightdaunttheyoungphilanthropist。

Butitdidnot,forRoseanswered,withasuddenkindlingoftheeyesassherememberedhertalkwithUncleAlec:"Ishouldn\'tlikeit。Buttherewouldbeonesatisfactioninit,forwhenI\'dlostmybeautyandgivenawaymymoney,Ishouldknowwhoreallycaredforme。"

Charlienibbledhispeninsilenceforamoment,thenasked,meekly,"CouldIrespectfullyinquirewhatgreatreformistobecarriedonintheoldhouseswhichtheiramiableownerisrepairing？"

"Iammerelygoingtomakethemcomfortablehomesforpoorbutrespectablewomentolivein。Thereisaclasswhocannotaffordtopaymuch,yetsufferagreatdealfrombeingobligedtostayinnoisy,dirty,crowdedplacesliketenementhousesandcheaplodgings。IcanhelpafewofthemandI\'mgoingtotry。"

"MayIhumblyaskifthesedecayedgentlewomenaretoinhabittheirpalatialretreatrent—free？"

"Thatwasmyfirstplan,butUncleshowedmethatitwaswisernotmakegenteelpaupersofthem,butletthempayasmallrentandfeelindependent。

Idon\'twantthemoney,ofcourse,andshalluseitinkeepingthehousestidyorhelpingotherwomeninlikecase,"saidRose,entirelyignoringhercousin\'scovertridicule。

"Don\'texpectanygratitude,foryouwon\'tgetit;normuchcomfortwithalotofforlornitiesonyourhands,andbesurethatwhenitistoolateyouwilltireofitallandwishyouhaddoneasotherpeopledo。"

"Thanksforyourcheerfulprophecies,butIthinkI\'llventure。"

ShelookedsoundauntedthatCharliewasalittlenettledandfiredhislastshotratherrecklessly:"Well,onethingIdoknow­you\'llnevergetahusbandifyougooninthisabsurdway,and­byJove！­youneedonetotakecareofyouandkeepthepropertytogether！"

Rosehadatemper,butseldomletitgetthebetterofher;now,however,itflashedupforamoment。Thoselastwordswerepeculiarlyunfortunate,becauseAuntClarahadusedthemmorethanoncewhenwarningheragainstimpecunioussuitorsandgenerousprojects。Shewasdisappointedinhercousin,annoyedathavingherlittleplanslaughedat,andindignantwithhimforhisfinalsuggestion。

"I\'llneverhaveone,ifImustgiveupthelibertyofdoingwhatI

knowisright,andI\'drathergointothepoorhousetomorrowthan\'keepthepropertytogether\'intheselfishwayyoumean！"

Thatwasall­butCharliesawthathehadgonetoofarandhastenedtomakehispeacewiththeskillofalover,for,turningtothelittlecabinetpianobehindhim,hesanginhisbeststylethesweetoldsong:"Ohwerethouinthecauldblast,"

dwellingwithgreateffect,notonlyuponthetenderassurancethat"Myplaidshouldshelterthee,"

butalsothat,evenifaking,"ThebrightestjewelinmycrownWadbemyqueen,wadbemyqueen。"

ItwasveryevidentthatPrinceCharminghadnotgonetroubadouringinvain,forOrpheushimselfcouldnothaverestoredharmonymoresuccessfully。

Thetunefulapologywasacceptedwithaforgivingsmileandafrank"I\'msorryIwascross,butyouhaven\'tforgottenhowtotease,andI\'mratheroutofsortstoday。Latehoursdon\'tagreewithme。"

"Thenyouwon\'tfeellikegoingtoMrs。Hope\'stomorrow,I\'mafraid,"

andCharlietookupthelastnotewithanexpressionofregretwhichwasveryflattering。

"Imustgo,becauseitismadeforme,butIcancomeawayearlyandmakeuplostsleep。Idohatetobesofractious,"andRoserubbedtheforeheadthatachedwithtoomuchracketing。

"ButtheGermandoesnotbegintilllate­I\'mtoleadanddependuponyou。Juststaythisoncetoobligeme,"pleadedCharlie,forhehadsethisheartondistinguishinghimself。

"No­IpromisedUncletobetemperateinmypleasuresandImustkeepmyword。I\'msowellnow,itwouldbeveryfoolishtogetillandmakehimanxious­nottomentionlosingmybeauty,asyouaregoodenoughtocallit,forthatdependsonhealth,youknow。"

"Butthefundoesn\'tbegintillaftersupper。Everythingwillbedelightful,Iassureyou,andwe\'llhaveagayoldtimeaswedidlastweekatEmma\'s。"

"ThenIcertainlywillnot,forI\'mashamedofmyselfwhenIrememberwhatarompthatwasandhowsoberUnclelookedasheletmeinatthreeinthemorning,allfaggedout­mydressinrags,myheadaching,myfeetsotiredthatIcouldhardlystand,andnothingtoshowforfivehours\'

hardworkbutapocketfulofbonbons,artificialflowers,andtissue—paperfool\'scaps。UnclesaidI\'dbetterputoneonandgotobed,forIlookedasthoughI\'dbeentoaFrenchbalmasque。Ineverwanttohearhimsaysoagain,andI\'llneverletdawncatchmeoutinsuchaplightanymore。"

"Youwereallrightenough,formotherdidn\'tobjectandIgotyoubothhomebeforedaylight。Uncleisnotionalaboutsuchthings,soIshouldn\'tmind,forwehadajollytimeandwewerenonetheworseforit。"

"Indeedwewere,everyoneofus！AuntClarahasn\'tgottenoverhercoldyet。Isleptallthenextday,andyoulookedlikeaghost,foryou\'dbeenouteverynightforweeks,Ithink。"

"Oh,nonsense！Everyonedoesitduringtheseason,andyou\'llgetusedtothepaceverysoon,"beganCharlie,bentonmakinghergo,forhewasinhiselementinaballroomandneverhappierthanwhenhehadhisprettycousinonhisarm。

"Ah！ButIdon\'twanttogetusedtoit,foritcoststoomuchintheend。Idon\'twishtogetusedtobeingwhiskedaboutahotroombymenwhohavetakentoomuchwine,toturndayintonight,wastingtimethatmightbebetterspent,andgrowintoafashionablefastgirlwhocan\'tgetalongwithoutexcitement。Idon\'tdenythatmuchofitispleasant,butdon\'ttrytomakemetoofondofgaiety。HelpmetoresistwhatIknowishurtful,andpleasedon\'tlaughmeoutofthegoodhabitsUnclehastriedsohardtogiveme。"

Rosewasquitesincereinherappeal,andCharlieknewshewasright,buthealwaysfoundithardtogiveupanythinghehadsethishearton,nomatterhowtrivial,forthematernalindulgencewhichhadharmedtheboyhadfosteredthehabitofself—indulgence,whichwasruiningtheman。

SowhenRoselookedupathim,withaveryhonestdesiretosavehimaswellasherselffrombeingsweptintothegiddyvortexwhichkeepssomanyyoungpeoplerevolvingaimlessly,tilltheygodownorarecastupontheshore,wrecksofwhattheymighthavebeen,hegaveashrugandansweredbriefly:"Asyouplease。I\'llbringyouhomeasearlyasyoulike,andEffieWaringshalltakeyourplaceintheGerman。WhatflowersshallI

sendyou？"

Now,thatwasanartfulspeechofCharlie\'s,forMissWaringwasafastandfashionabledamselwhoopenlyadmiredPrinceCharmingandhadgivenhimthename。Rosedislikedherandwassureherinfluencewasbad,foryouthmadefrivolityforgivable,withidwantofrefinement,andbeautyalwayscoversamultitudeofsinsinaman\'seyes。AtthesoundofEffie\'sname,Rosewavered,andwouldhaveyieldedbutforthememoryofthe"firstmate\'s"lastwords。Shediddesireto"keepastraightcourse";so,thoughthecurrentofimpulsesetstronglyinasoutherlydirection,principle,theonlycompassworthhaving,pointedduenorth,andshetriedtoobeyitlikeawiseyoungnavigator,sayingsteadily,whileshedirectedtoAnnabeltheparcelcontainingacapaciouspairofslippersintendedforUncleMac:"Don\'ttroubleyourselfaboutme。IcangowithUncleandslipawaywithoutdisturbinganybody。"

"Idon\'tbelieveyou\'llhavethehearttodoit,"saidCharlieincredulouslyashesealedthelastnote。

"Waitandsee。"

"Iwill,butIshallhopetothelast。"Andkissinghishandtoher,hedepartedtopostherletters,quitesurethatMissWaringwouldnotleadtheGerman。

ItcertainlylookedforamomentasifMissCampbellwould,becausesherantothedoorwiththewords"I\'llgo"uponherlips。ButshedidnotopenittillshehadstoodaminutestaringhardattheoldgloveonPsyche\'shead;thenlikeonewhohadsuddenlygottenabrightidea,shegaveadecidednodandwalkedslowlyoutoftheroom。Chapter6。Chapter6。6POLISHINGMAC"PleasecouldIsayoneword？"wasthequestionthreetimesrepeatedbeforearoughheadbobbedoutfromthegrottoofbooksinwhichMacusuallysatwhenhestudied。

"Didanyonespeak？"heasked,blinkinginthefloodofsunshinethatenteredwithRose。

"Onlythreetimes,thankyou。Don\'tdisturbyourself,Ibeg,forImerelywanttosayaword,"answeredRoseasshepreventedhimfromofferingtheeasychairinwhichhesat。

"Iwasratherdeepinacompoundfractureanddidn\'thear。WhatcanIdoforyou,Cousin？"AndMacshovedastackofpamphletsoffthechairnearhimwithahospitablewaveofthehandthatsenthispapersflyinginalldirections。

Rosesatdown,butdidnotseemtofindher"word"aneasyonetoutter,forshetwistedherhandkerchiefaboutherfingersinembarrassedsilencetillMacputonhisglassesand,afterakeenlook,askedsoberly:"Isitasplinter,acut,orawhitlow,ma\'am？"

"Itisneither。Doforgetyourtiresomesurgeryforaminuteandbethekindestcousinthateverwas,"answeredRose,beginningrathersharplyandendingwithhermostengagingsmile。

"Can\'tpromiseinthedark,"saidthewaryyouth。

"Itisafavor,agreatfavor,andoneIdon\'tchoosetoaskanyoftheotherboys,"answeredtheartfuldamsel。

Maclookedpleasedandleanedforward,sayingmoreaffably,"Nameit,andbesureI\'llgrantitifIcan。"

"GowithmetoMrs。Hope\'spartytomorrownight。"

"What！"AndMacrecoiledasifshehadputapistoltohishead。

"I\'veleftyouinpeacealongtime,butitisyourturnnow,sodoyourdutylikeamanandacousin。"

"ButInevergotoparties！"criedtheunhappyvictimingreatdismay。

"Hightimeyoubegan,sir。"

"ButIdon\'tdancefittobeseen。"

"I\'llteachyou。"

"Mydresscoatisn\'tdecent,Iknow。"

"Archiewilllendyouone­heisn\'tgoing。"

"I\'mafraidthere\'salecturethatIoughtnottocut。"

"No,thereisn\'t­IaskedUncle。"

"I\'malwayssotiredanddullintheevening。"

"Thissortofthingisjustwhatyouwanttorestandfreshenupyourspirits。"

Macgaveagroanandfellbackvanquished,foritwasevidentthatescapewasimpossible。

"Whatputsuchaperfectlywildideaintoyourhead？"hedemanded,ratherroughly,forhithertohehadbeenleftinpeaceandthissuddenattackdecidedlyamazedhim。

"Sheernecessity,butdon\'tdoitifitissoverydreadfultoyou。

Imustgotoseveralmoreparties,becausetheyaremadeforme,butafterthatI\'llrefuse,andthennooneneedbetroubledwithme。"

SomethinginRose\'svoicemadeMacanswerpenitently,evenwhileheknithisbrowsinperplexity。"Idon\'tmeantoberude,andofcourseI\'llgoanywhereifI\'mreallyneeded。ButIdon\'tunderstandwherethesuddennecessityis,withthreeotherfellowsatcommand,allbetterdancersandbeausthanIam。"

"Idon\'twantthem,andIdowantyou,forIhaven\'tthehearttodragUncleoutanymore,andyouknowInevergowithanygentlemanbutthoseofmyownfamily。"

"Nowlookhere,Rose­ifStevehasbeendoinganythingtoteaseyou,justmentionitandI\'llattendtohim,"criedMac,plainlyseeingthatsomethingwasamissandfancyingthatDandywasatthebottomofit,ashehaddoneescortdutyseveraltimeslately。

"No,Stevehasbeenverygood,butIknowhehadratherbewithKittyVan,soofcourseIfeellikeamarplot,thoughheistoopolitetohintit。"

"Whatanoodlethatboyis！Butthere\'sArchie­he\'ssteadyasachurchandhasnosweethearttointerfere,"continuedMac,boundtogetatthetruthandhalfsuspectingwhatitwas。

"Heisonhisfeetallday,andAuntJessiewantshimintheevening。

Hedoesnotcarefordancingasheused,andIsupposehereallydoesprefertorestandread。"Rosemighthaveadded,"AndhearPhebesing,"forPhebedidnotgooutasmuchasRosedid,andAuntJessieoftencametositwiththeoldladywhentheyoungfolkswereawayand,ofcourse,dutifulArchiecamewithher,sowillinglyoflate！

"What\'samisswithCharlie？Ithoughthewastheprinceofcavaliers。

Annabelsayshedances\'likeanangel,\'andIknowadozenmotherscouldn\'tkeephimathomeofanevening。HaveyouhadatiffwithAdonisandsofallbackonpoorme？"askedMac,cominglasttothepersonofwhomhethoughtfirstbutdidnotmention,feelingshyaboutalludingtoasubjectoftendiscussedbehindherback。

"Yes,Ihave,andIdon\'tintendtogowithhimanymoreforsometime。

Hiswaysdonotsuitme,andminedonotsuithim,soIwanttobequiteindependent,andyoucanhelpmeifyouwill,"saidRose,rathernervouslyspinningthebigglobecloseby。

Macgavealowwhistle,lookingwideawakeallinaminuteashesaidwithagesture,asifhebrushedacobweboffhisface:"Now,seehere,Cousin,I\'mnotgoodatmysteries­andshallonlyblunderifyouputmeblindfoldintoanynicemaneuver。JusttellmestraightoutwhatyouwantandI\'lldoitifIcan。PlayI\'mUncleandfreeyourmind­comenow。"

Hespokesokindly,andthehonesteyesweresofullofmerrygoodwill,thatRosethoughtshemightconfideinhimandansweredasfranklyashecoulddesire:"Youareright,Mac,andIdon\'tmindtalkingtoyoualmostasfreelyastoUncle,becauseyouaresuchareliablefellowandwon\'tthinkmesillyfortryingtodowhatIbelievetoberight。Charliedoes,andsomakesithardformetoholdtomyresolutions。Iwanttokeepearlyhours,dresssimply,andbehaveproperly­nomatterwhatfashionablepeopledo。Youwillagreetothat,I\'msure,andstandbymethroughthickandthinforprinciple\'ssake。"

"Iwill,andbeginbyshowingyouthatIunderstandthecase。Idon\'twonderyouarenotpleased,forCharlieistoopresuming,andyoudoneedsomeonetohelpyouheadhimoffabit。Hey,Cousin？"

"Whatawaytoputit！"AndRoselaughedinspiteofherself,addingwithanairofrelief,"Thatisit,andIdowantsomeonetohelpmemakehimunderstandthatIdon\'tchoosetobetakenpossessionofinthatlordlyway,asifIbelongedtohimmorethantotherestofthefamily。

Idon\'tlikeit,forpeoplebegintotalk,andCharliewon\'tseehowdisagreeableitistome。"

"Tellhimso,"wasMac\'sbluntadvice。

"Ihave,butheonlylaughsandpromisestobehave,andthenhedoesitagainwhenIamsoplacedthatIcan\'tsayanything。Youwillneverunderstand,andIcannotexplain,foritisonlyalook,oraword,orsomelittlething­butIwon\'thaveit,andthebestwaytocurehimistoputitoutofhispowertoannoymeso。"

"Heisagreatflirtandwantstoteachyouhow,Isuppose。I\'llspeaktohimifyoulikeandtellhimyoudon\'twanttolearn。ShallI？"askedMac,findingthecaseratheraninterestingone。

"No,thankyou­thatwouldonlymaketrouble。Ifyouwillkindlyplayescortafewtimes,itwillshowCharliethatIaminearnestwithoutmorewordsandputastoptothegossip,"saidRose,coloringlikeapoppyattherecollectionofwhatsheheardoneyoungmanwhispertoanotherasCharlieledherthroughacrowdedsupperroomwithhismostdevotedair,"Luckydog！Heissuretogettheheiress,andwearenowhere。"

"There\'snodangerofpeoplegossipingaboutus,isthere？"AndMaclookedupwiththeoddestofallhisoddexpressions。

"Ofcoursenot­you\'reonlyaboy。"

"I\'mtwenty—one,thankyou,andPrinceisbutacoupleofyearsolder,"

saidMac,promptlyresentingtheslightputuponhismanhood。