第1章

Thepatient，anold-fashionedman，thoughtthenursemadeamistakeinkeepingbothofthewindowsopen，andhersprightlydisregardofhisprotestsaddedsomethingtohishatredofher。

Everyeveninghetoldherthatanybodywithordinarygumptionoughttorealizethatnightairwasbadforthehumanframe。

"Thehumanframewon"tstandeverything，MissPerry，"hewarnedher，resentfully。"Evenachild，ifithadjustordinarygumption，oughttoknowenoughnottoletthenightairblowonsickpeopleyes，norwellpeople，either!"Keepoutofthenightair，nomatterhowwellyoufeel。"That"swhatmymotherusedtotellmewhenIwasaboy。"Keepoutofthenightair，Virgil，"

she"dsay。"Keepoutofthenightair。""

"Iexpectprobablyhermothertoldherthesamething，"thenursesuggested。

"Ofcourseshedid。Mygrandmother——"

"Oh，IguessyourGRANDmotherthoughtso，Mr。Adams!Thatwaswhenallthisflatcentralcountrywasswampishandhadn"tbeendrainedoffyet。Iguessthetruthmustbeentheswampmosquitoesbitpeopleandgave"emmalaria，especiallybeforetheybegantoputscreensintheirwindows。Well，wegotscreensinthesewindows，andnomosquitoesaregoin"tobiteus；sojustyoubeagoodboyandrestyourmindandgotosleeplikeyouneedto。"

"Sleep？"hesaid。"Likely!"

HethoughtthenightairworstofallinApril；hehadn"tadoubtitwouldkillhim，hedeclared。"It"smiraculouswhatthehumanframeWILLsurvive，"headmittedonthelasteveningofthatmonth。"Butyouandthedoctoroughttobothbetaughtitwon"tstandtoodangmuch!YoupoisonamanandpoisonandpoisonhimwiththisAprilnightair——"

"Can"tpoisonyouwithmuchmoreofit，"MissPerryinterruptedhim，indulgently。"To-morrowit"llbeMaynightair，andI

expectthat"llbealotbetterforyou，don"tyou？Nowlet"sjustsoberdownandbeagoodboyandgetsomenicesoundsleep。"

Shegavehimhismedicine，and，havingsettheglassuponthecentertable，returnedtohercot，where，afterastillinterval，shesnoredfaintly。Uponthis，hisexpressionbecamethatofamangoadedoutofoverpoweringwearinessintoirony。

"Sleep？Oh，CERTAINLY，thankyou!"

However，hedidsleepintermittently，drowsedbetweentimes，andevendreamed；but，forgettinghisdreamsbeforeheopenedhiseyes，andhavingsomepartofhimallthewhileawareofhisdiscomfort，hebelieved，asusual，thathelayawakethewholenightlong。Hewasconsciousofthecityasofsomesinglegreatcreaturerestingfitfullyinthedarkoutsidehiswindows。Itlayallroundabout，inthedampcoverofitsnightcloudofsmoke，andtriedtokeepquietforafewhoursaftermidnight，butwastoopowerfulagrowingthingevertoliealtogetherstill。Evenwhileitstrovetosleepitmutteredwithdigestionsofthedaybefore，andthesealreadymergedwithrumblingsofthemorrow。"Owl"cars，bringinginlastpassengersoverdistanttrolley-lines，nowandthenhowledonacurve；farawaymetallicstirringscouldbeheardfromfactoriesinthesootysuburbsontheplainoutsidethecity；east，west，andsouth，switch-engineschuggedandsnortedonsidings；

andeverywhereintheairthereseemedtobeafaint，voluminoushumasofinnumerablewirestremblingoverheadtovibrationofmachineryunderground。

InhisyouthAdamsmighthavebeenlessresentfulofsoundssuchasthesewhentheyinterferedwithhisnight"ssleep:evenduringanillnesshemighthavetakensomeprideinthemasproofofhiscitizenshipina"livetown"；butatfifty-fivehemerelyhatedthembecausetheykepthimawake。They"pressedonhisnerves，"

asheputit；andsodidalmosteverythingelse，forthatmatter。

Heheardthemilk-wagondriveintothecross-streetbeneathhiswindowsandstopateachhouse。Themilkmancarriedhisjarsroundtothe"backporch，"whilethehorsemovedslowlyaheadtothegateofthenextcustomerandwaitedthere。"He"sgoneintoPollocks"，"Adamsthought，followingthisprogress。"Ihopeit"llsouron"embeforebreakfast。DeliveredtheAndersons"。

Nowhe"sgettingoutours。Listentothedarnbrute!What"sHE

carewhowantstosleep!"Hiscomplaintwasofthehorse，whocasuallyshiftedweightwithaclinkofsteelshoesonthewornbrickpavementofthestreet，andthenheartilyshookhimselfinhisharness，perhapstodislodgeaflyfaraheadofitsseason。

Lighthadjustfilmedthewindows；andwiththatthefirstsparrowwoke，chirpedinstantly，androusedneighboursinthetreesofthesmallyard，includingaloud-voicedrobin。

Vociferationsbeganirregularly，butweresoonunanimous。

"Sleep？Danglikelynow，ain"tit!"

Nightsoundswerebecomingdaysounds；thefar-awayhootingoffreight-enginesseemedbriskerthananhouragointhedark。A

cheerfulwhistlerpassedthehouse，evenmorecarelessofsleepersthanthemilkman"shorsehadbeen；thenagroupofcolouredworkmencameby，andalthoughitwasimpossibletobesurewhethertheywerehomewardboundfromnight-workorontheirwaytoday-work，atleastitwascertainthattheywerejocose。

Loose，aboriginallaughterprecededthemafar，andbeatontheairlongaftertheyhadgoneby。

Thesick-roomnight-light，shieldedfromhiseyesbyanewspaperproppedagainstawater-pitcher，stillshowedathinglimmeringthathadgrownoffensivetoAdams。Inhiswanderingandenfeebledthoughts，whichweremuchmoreoftenimaginingsthanreasonings，theattemptofthenight-lighttoresistthedawnremindedhimofsomethingunpleasant，thoughhecouldnotdiscoverjustwhattheunpleasantthingwas。Herewasapuzzlethatirritatedhimthemorebecausehecouldnotsolveit，yetalwaysseemedjustonthepointofasolution。However，hemayhavelostnothingcheerfulbyremaininginthedarkuponthematter；forifhehadbeenalittlesharperinthisintrospectionhemighthaveconcludedthatthesqualorofthenight-light，initsseemingefforttoshowagainsttheforerunningofthesunitself，hadstimulatedsomehalf-buriedperceptionwithinhimtosketchthepainfullittlesynopsisofanautobiography。

Inspiteofnoiseswithout，hedrowsedagain，notknowingthathedid；andwhenheopenedhiseyesthenursewasjustrisingfromhercot。Hetooknopleasureinthesight，itmaybesaid。Sheexhibitedtohimafacemismodelledbysleep，andsetlikeaclayfaceleftonitscheekinahotanddrystudio。Shewasstillonlyinpartawake，however，andbythetimeshehadextinguishedthenight-lightandgivenherpatienthistonic，shehadrecoveredenoughplasticity。"Well，isn"tthatgrand!We"vehadanothergoodnight，"shesaidasshedepartedtodressinthebathroom。

"Yes，youhadanother!"heretorted，thoughnotuntilaftershehadclosedthedoor。

Presentlyheheardhisdaughtermovingaboutinherroomacrossthenarrowhall，andsoknewthatshehadrisen。Hehopedshewouldcomeintoseehimsoon，forshewastheonethingthatdidn"tpressonhisnerves，hefelt；thoughthethoughtofherhurthim，as，indeed，everythoughthurthim。Butitwashiswifewhocamefirst。

Sheworealankcottonwrapper，andacrescentofgrayhairescapedtoonetemplefrombeneaththehandkerchiefshehadwornuponherheadforthenightandstillretained；butshedideverythingpossibletomakeherexpressioncheering。

"Oh，you"rebetteragain!Icanseethat，assoonasIlookatyou，"shesaid。"MissPerrytellsmeyou"vehadanothersplendidnight。"

Hemadeasoundofirony，whichseemedtodisposeunfavourablyofMissPerry，andthen，inordertobemorecertainlyintelligible，headded，"Shesleptwell，asusual!"

Buthiswife"ssmilepersisted。"It"sagoodsigntobecross；

itmeansyou"repracticallyconvalescentrightnow。"

"Oh，Iam，amI？"

"Nodoubtintheworld!"sheexclaimed。"Why，you"repracticallyawellman，Virgil——allexceptgettingyourstrengthback，ofcourse，andthatisn"tgoingtotakelong。You"llberightonyourfeetinacoupleofweeksfromnow。"

"Oh，Iwill？"

"Ofcourseyouwill!"Shelaughedbriskly，and，goingtothetableinthecenteroftheroom，movedhisglassofmedicineaninchortwo，turnedabookoversothatitlayuponitsotherside，andforafewmomentsoccupiedherselfwithsimilarfutilities，havingtakenontheairofapersonwhomakesthingsneat，thoughsheproducednosuchactualeffectuponthem。"Ofcourseyouwill，"sherepeated，absently。"You"llbeasstrongasyoueverwere；maybestronger。"Shepausedforamoment，notlookingathim，thenadded，cheerfully，"Sothatyoucanflyaroundandfindsomethingreallygoodtogetinto。"

Somethingimportantbetweenthemcamenearthesurfacehere，forthoughshespokewithwhatseemedbutacasualcheerfulness，therewasalittlebetrayingbreakinhervoice，atremblingjustperceptibleintheutteranceofthefinalword。Andshestillkeptuptheaffectationofbeinghelpfullypreoccupiedwiththetable，anddidnotlookatherhusband——perhapsbecausetheyhadbeenmarriedsomanyyearsthatwithoutlookingsheknewjustwhathisexpressionwouldbe，andpreferredtoavoidtheactualsightofitaslongaspossible。Meanwhile，hestaredhardather，hislipsbeginningtomovewithlittledistortionsnotlackinginthepathosofasickman"sagitation。

"Sothat"sit，"hesaid。"That"swhatyou"rehintingat。"

""Hinting？""Mrs。Adamslookedsurprisedandindulgent。"Why，I"mnotdoinganyhinting，Virgil。"

"Whatdidyousayaboutmyfinding"somethinggoodtogetinto？""

heasked，sharply。"Don"tyoucallthathinting？"

Mrs。Adamsturnedtowardhimnow；shecametothebedsideandwouldhavetakenhishand，buthequicklymoveditawayfromher。

"Youmustn"tletyourselfgetnervous，"shesaid。"Butofcoursewhenyougetwellthere"sonlyonethingtodo。Youmustn"tgobacktothatoldholeagain。"

""Oldhole？"That"swhatyoucallit，isit？"Inspiteofhisweakness，angermadehisvoicestrident，anduponthisstimulationshespokemoreurgently。

"Youjustmustn"tgobacktoit，Virgil。It"snotfairtoanyofus，andyouknowitisn"t。"

"Don"ttellmewhatIknow，please!"

Sheclaspedherhands，suddenlycarryingherurgencytoplaintiveentreaty。"Virgil，youWON"Tgobacktothathole？"

"That"sanicewordtousetome!"hesaid。"Callaman"sbusinessahole!"

"Virgil，ifyoudon"toweittometolookforsomethingdifferent，don"tyouoweittoyourchildren？Don"ttellmeyouwon"tdowhatweallwantyouto，andwhatyouknowinyourheartyououghtto!AndifyouHAVEgotintooneofyourstubbornfitsandareboundtogobacktherefornootherreasonexcepttohaveyourownway，don"ttellmeso，forIcan"tbearit!"

Helookedupatherfiercely。"You"vegotafinewaytocureasickman!"hesaid；butshehadconcludedherappeal——forthattime——andinsteadofmakinganymorewordsinthematter，lethimseethatthereweretearsinhereyes，shookherhead，andlefttheroom。

Alone，helaybreathingrapidly，hisemaciatedchestprovingitselfequaltothedemandshisemotionputuponit。"Fine!"herepeated，withhuskyindignation。"Finewaytocureasickman!

Fine!"Then，afterasilence，hegaveforthwhisperingsoundsasoflaughter，hisexpressionthewhileremainingsoreandfarfromhumour。

"Andgiveusourdailybread!"headded，meaningthathiswife"slittleperformancewasnonovelty。

CHAPTERII

Infact，theagitationofMrs。Adamswasgenuine，butsowellunderhercontrolthatitstracesvanishedduringthethreeshortstepsshetooktocrossthenarrowhallbetweenherhusband"sdoorandtheoneopposite。Herexpressionwasmatter-of-course，ratherthanpathetic，assheenteredtheprettyroomwhereherdaughter，halfdressed，satbeforeadressing-tableandplayedwiththereflectionsofathree-leafedmirrorframedinblueenamel。Thatis，justbeforethemomentofhermother"sentrance，Alicehadbeenplayingwiththemirror"sreflections——posturingherarmsandherexpressions，claspingherhandsbehindherneck，andtiltingbackherheadtoforeshortenthefaceinatableauconceivedtorepresentsauciness，thenoneofsmilingweariness，thenoneofscornfultoleration，andallverypiquant；butasthedooropenedshehurriedlyresumedthepractical，andoccupiedherhandsinthearrangementofherplentifulbrownishhair。

Theywereprettyhands，ofashapelinessdelicateandfine。"Thebestthingsshe"sgot!"acold-bloodedgirlfriendsaidofthem，andmeanttoincludeAlice"smindandcharacterintheimpliedlistofpossessionssurpassedbythenotablehands。Howeverthatmayhavebeen，therestofherwaswellenough。Shewasoftencalled"arightprettygirl"——temperatepraisemeaningagirlratherprettythanotherwise，andthisshedeserved，tosaytheleast。Eveninreposeshedeservedit，thoughreposewasanythingbutherhabit，beingseldomseenuponherexceptathome。Onexhibitionsheledalifeofgestures，theunkindsaidtomakeherlovelyhandsmorememorable；butallofherusuallyaccompaniedthegesturesofthehands，theshouldersevergivingthemtheirimpulsesfirst，andevenherfeetbeingcalledupon，atthesametime，foreloquence。

Somuchlivelinesstookproperplaceasonlyaccessorytothatoftheface，wherehervivacityreacheditsclimax；anditwasunfortunatethatanungiftedyoungman，newinthetown，shouldhaveattemptedtodefinetheeffectuponhimofallthisgenerosityofemphasis。Hesaidthat"thewaysheusedhercutehazeleyesandthewonderfulglowofherfacialexpressiongaveheramightyspiritualquality。"Hisactualrenditionofthewordwas"spirichul"；butitwasnothispronunciationthatembalmedthisoutburstintheperenniallaughterofAlice"sgirlfriends；theymadethemisfortunefarlesshisthanhers。

Hermothercomfortedhertooheartily，insistingthatAlicehad"plentyenoughspiritualqualities，"certainlymorethanpossessedbytheothergirlswhoflungthephraseather，woodenthings，jealousofeverythingtheywereincapableofthemselves；

andthenAlice，gettingmorechampionshipthanshesought，grewuneasylestMrs。Adamsshouldrepeatsuchdefenses"outsidethefamily"；andMrs。Adamsendedbyweepingbecausethedaughtersodistrustedherintelligence。Alicefrequentlythoughtitnecessarytoinstructhermother。

Hermorninggreetingwasaninstructionto-day；or，rather，itwasanadmonitioninthestyleofanentreaty，themorepetulantasAlicethoughtthatMrs。Adamsmighthavehadaglimpseoftheposturingstothemirror。Thiswasaneedlessworry；themotherhadcaughtathousandsuchglimpses，withAliceunaware，andshethoughtnothingoftheonejustflitted。

"Forheaven"ssake，mama，comeclearinsidetheroomandshutthedoor!PLEASEdon"tleaveitopenforeverybodytolookatme!"

"Thereisn"tanybodytoseeyou，"Mrs。Adamsexplained，obeying。

"MissPerry"sgonedownstairs，and——"

"Mama，Iheardyouinpapa"sroom，"Alicesaid，notdroppingthenoteofcomplaint。"Icouldhearbothofyou，andIdon"tthinkyououghttogetpooroldpapasoupset——notinhispresentcondition，anyhow。"

Mrs。Adamsseatedherselfontheedgeofthebed。"He"sbetterallthetime，"shesaid，notdisturbed。"He"salmostwell。ThedoctorsayssoandMissPerrysaysso；andifwedon"tgethimintotherightframeofmindnowweneverwill。Thefirstdayhe"soutdoorshe"llgobacktothatoldhole——you"llsee!Andifheoncedoesthat，he"llsettledownthereandit"llbetoolateandwe"llnevergethimout。"

"Well，anyhow，Ithinkyoucouldusealittlemoretactwithhim。"

"Idotryto，"themothersighed。"Itneverwasmuchusewithhim。Idon"tthinkyouunderstandhimaswellasIdo，Alice。"

"There"sonethingIdon"tunderstandabouteitherofyou，"Alicereturned，crisply。"Beforepeoplegetmarriedtheycandoanythingtheywanttowitheachother。Whycan"ttheydothesamethingafterthey"remarried？Whenyouandpapawereyoungpeopleandengaged，he"dhavedoneanythingyouwantedhimto。

Thatmusthavebeenbecauseyouknewhowtomanagehimthen。Whycan"tyougoathimthesamewaynow？"

Mrs。Adamssighedagain，andlaughedalittle，makingnootherresponse；butAlicepersisted。"Well，WHYcan"tyou？Whycan"tyouaskhimtodothingsthewayyouusedtoaskhimwhenyouwerejustinlovewitheachother？Whydon"tyouanyhowtryit，mama，insteadofding-dongingathim？"

""Ding-dongingathim，"Alice？"Mrs。Adamssaid，withapathossomewhatemphasized。"IsthathowmytryingtodowhatIcanforyoustrikesyou？"

"Nevermindthat；it"snothingtohurtyourfeelings。"Alicedisposedofthepathosbriskly。"Whydon"tyouanswermyquestion？What"sthematterwithusingalittlemoretactonpapa？Whycan"tyoutreathimthewayyouprobablydidwhenyouwereyoungpeople，beforeyouweremarried？Ineverhaveunderstoodwhypeoplecan"tdothat。"

"PerhapsyouWILLunderstandsomeday，"hermothersaid，gently。

"Maybeyouwillwhenyou"vebeenmarriedtwenty-fiveyears。"

"Youkeepevading。Whydon"tyouanswermyquestionrightstraightout？"

"Therearequestionsyoucan"tanswertoyoungpeople，Alice。"

"Youmeanbecausewe"retooyoungtounderstandtheanswer？I

don"tseethatatall。Attwenty-twoagirl"ssupposedtohavesomeintelligence，isn"tshe？Andintelligenceistheabilitytounderstand，isn"tit？WhydoIhavetowaittillI"velivedwithamantwenty-fiveyearstounderstandwhyyoucan"tbetactfulwithpapa？"

"Youmayunderstandsomethingsbeforethat，"Mrs。Adamssaid，tremulously。"Youmayunderstandhowyouhurtmesometimes。

Youthcan"tknoweverythingbybeingintelligent，andbythetimeyoucouldunderstandtheansweryou"reaskingforyou"dknowit，andwouldn"tneedtoask。Youdon"tunderstandyourfather，Alice；youdon"tknowwhatittakestochangehimwhenhe"smadeuphismindtobestubborn。"

Aliceroseandbegantogetherselfintoaskirt。"Well，Idon"tthinkmakingsceneseverchangesanybody，"shegrumbled。"I

thinkalittlejollypersuasiongoestwiceasfar，myself。"

""Alittlejollypersuasion!""Hermotherturnedtheechoofthisphraseintoanironiclament。"Yes，therewasatimewhenI

thoughtthat，too!Itdidn"twork；that"sall。"

"Perhapsyouleftthe"jolly"partofitout，mama。"

Forthesecondtimethatmorning——itwasnowalittleafterseveno"clock——tearsseemedabouttooffertheirsolacetoMrs。Adams。

"Imighthaveexpectedyoutosaythat，Alice；youneverdomissachance，"shesaid，gently。"Itseemsqueeryoudon"tsometimemissjustONEchance!"

ButAlice，progressingwithhertoilet，appearedtobelittleconcerned。"Oh，well，Ithinktherearebetterwaysofmanagingamanthanjusthammeringathim。"

Mrs。Adamsutteredalittlecryofpain。""Hammering，"Alice？"

"Ifyou"dleftitentirelytome，"herdaughterwenton，briskly，"Ibelievepapa"dalreadybewillingtodoanythingwewanthimto。"

"That"sit；tellmeIspoileverything。Well，Iwon"tinterferefromnowon，youcanbesureofit。"

"Pleasedon"ttalklikethat，"Alicesaid，quickly。"I"moldenoughtorealizethatpapamayneedpressureofallsorts；I

onlythinkitmakeshimmoreobstinatetogethimcross。Youprobablydounderstandhimbetter，butthat"sonethingI"vefoundoutandyouhaven"t。There!"Shegavehermotherafriendlytapontheshoulderandwenttothedoor。"I"llhopinandsayhellotohimnow。"

Asshewent，shecontinuedthefasteningofherblouse，andappearedinherfather"sroomwithonehandstillthusengaged，butshepattedhisforeheadwiththeother。

"Pooroldpapa-daddy!"shesaid，gaily。"Everytimehe"sbettersomebodytalkshimintogettingsomadhehasarelapse。It"sashame!"

Herfather"seyes，beneaththeirmelancholybrows，lookedupatherwistfully。"Isupposeyouheardyourmothergoingforme，"

hesaid。

"Iheardyougoingforher，too!"Alicelaughed。"Whatwasitallabout？"

"Oh，thesamedangedoldstory!"

"Youmeanshewantsyoutotrysomethingnewwhenyougetwell？"

Aliceasked，withcheerfulinnocence。"Sowecouldallhavealotmoremoney？"

Atthishissorrowfulforeheadwasmoresorrowfulthanever。Thedeephorizontallinesmovedupwardtoapatternofsufferingsofamiliartohisdaughterthatitmeantnothingtoher；buthespokequietly。"Yes；sowewouldn"thaveanymoneyatall，mostlikely。"

"Oh，no!"shelaughed，and，finishingwithherblouse，pattedhischeekswithbothhands。"Justthinkhowmanygrandopeningstheremustbeforamanthatknowsasmuchasyoudo!Ialwaysdidbelieveyoucouldgetrichifyouonlycaredto，papa。"

Butuponhisforeheadthepainfulpatternstilldeepened。"Don"tyouthinkwe"vealwayshadenough，thewaythingsare，Alice？"

"NotthewaythingsARE!"Shepattedhischeeksagain；laughedagain。"Itusedtobeenough，maybeanywaywedidskimpalongonit——butthewaythingsarenowIexpectmama"sreallyprettypracticalinherideas，though，Ithinkit"sashameforhertobotheryouaboutitwhileyou"resoweak。Don"tyouworryaboutit，though；justthinkaboutotherthingstillyougetstrong。"

"Youknow，"hesaid；"youknowitisn"texactlytheeasiestthingintheworldforamanofmyagetofindthesegrandopeningsyouspeakof。Andwhenyou"vepassedhalf-wayfromfiftytosixtyyou"reapttoseesomeriskingivingupwhatyouknowhowtodoandtryingsomethingnew。"

"My，whatafrown!"shecried，blithely。"Didn"tItellyoutostopthinkingaboutittillyougetALLwell？"Shebentoverhim，givinghimagaylittlekissonthebridgeofhisnose。"There!

Imustruntobreakfast。Cheerupnow!Au"voir!"Andwithherprettyhandshewavedfurtherencouragementfromtheclosingdoorasshedeparted。

Lightsomelydescendingthenarrowstairway，shewhistledasshewent，herfingersdrummingtimeontherail；and，stillwhistling，shecameintothedining-room，wherehermotherandherbrotherwerealreadyatthetable。Thebrother，athinandsallowboyoftwenty，greetedherwithoutmuchapprovalasshetookherplace。

"Nothingseemstotroubleyou!"hesaid。

"No；nothingmuch，"shemadeairyresponse。"What"stroublingyourself，Walter？"

"Don"tletthatworryyou!"hereturned，seemingtoconsiderthistobereparteeofaneffectivesort；forhefurnishedashortlaughtogowithit，andturnedtohiscoffeewiththemannerofonewhohassatisfactorilyclosedanepisode。

"Walteralwaysseemstohavesomanysecrets!"Alicesaid，studyinghimshrewdly，butwithafriendlyenoughamusementinherscrutiny。"Everythinghedoesorsaysseemstobeactedforthebenefitofsomemysteriousaudienceinsidehimself，andhealwaysgetsitsapplause。Takewhathesaidjustnow:heseemstothinkitmeanssomething，butifitdoes，why，that"sjustanothersecretbetweenhimandthesecretaudienceinsideofhim!

Wedon"treallyknowanythingaboutWalteratall，dowe，mama？"

Walterlaughedagain，inamannerthatsustainedhertheorywellenough；thenafterfinishinghiscoffee，hetookfromhispocketaflattenedpacketinglazedbluepaper；extractedwithstainedfingersabentandwrinkledlittlecigarette，lightedit，hitcheduphisbeltedtrouserswiththeairofapersonwhoturnsfromtriflestothingsbetterworthhisattention，andlefttheroom。

Alicelaughedasthedoorclosed。"He"sALLsecrets，"shesaid。

"Don"tyouthinkyoureallyoughttoknowmoreabouthim，mama？"

"I"msurehe"sagoodboy，"Mrs。Adamsreturned，thoughtfully。

"He"sbeenverybraveaboutnotbeingabletohavetheadvantagesthatareenjoyedbytheboyshe"sgrownupwith。I"veneverheardawordofcomplaintfromhim。"

"Abouthisnotbeingsenttocollege？"Alicecried。"Ishouldthinkyouwouldn"t!Hedidn"tevenhaveenoughambitiontofinishhighschool!"

Mrs。Adamssighed。"ItseemedtomeWalterlosthisambitionwhennearlyalltheboyshe"dgrownupwithwenttoEasternschoolstoprepareforcollege，andwecouldn"taffordtosendhim。Ifonlyyourfatherwouldhavelistened——"

Aliceinterrupted:"Whatnonsense!Walterhatedbooksandstudying，andathletics，too，forthatmatter。Hedoesn"tcareforanythingnicethatIeverheardof。Whatdoyousupposehedoeslike，mama？Hemustlikesomethingorothersomewhere，butwhatdoyousupposeitis？Whatdoeshedowithhistime？"

"Why，thepoorboy"satLambandCompany"sallday。Hedoesn"tgetthroughuntilfiveintheafternoon；hedoesn"tHAVEmuchtime。"

"Well，weneverhavedinneruntilaboutseven，andhe"salwayslatefordinner，andgoesout，heavenknowswhere，rightafterward!"Aliceshookherhead。"Heusedtogowithourfriends"boys，butIdon"tthinkhedoesnow。"

"Why，howcouldhe？"Mrs。Adamsprotested。"Thatisn"thisfault，poorchild!Theboysheknewwhenhewasyoungerarenearlyallawayatcollege。"

"Yes，buthedoesn"tseeanythingof"emwhenthey"rehereatholiday-timeorvacation。Noneof"emcometothehouseanymore。"

"Isupposehe"smadeotherfriends。It"snaturalforhimtowantcompanions，athisage。"

"Yes，"Alicesaid，withdisapprovingemphasis。"Butwhoarethey？I"vegotanideaheplayspoolatsomeroughplacedown-town。"

"Oh，no；I"msurehe"sasteadyboy，"Mrs。Adamsprotested，buthertonewasnotthatofthoroughgoingconviction，andsheadded，"Lifemightbeaverydifferentthingforhimifonlyyourfathercanbebroughttosee——"

"Nevermind，mama!Itisn"tmethathastobeconvinced，youknow；andwecandoalotmorewithpapaifwejustlethimaloneaboutitforadayortwo。Promisemeyouwon"tsayanymoretohimuntil——well，untilhe"sabletocomedownstairstotable。

Willyou？"

Mrs。Adamsbitherlip，whichhadbeguntotremble。"IthinkyoucantrustmetoknowaFEWthings，Alice，"shesaid。"I"malittleolderthanyou，youknow。"

"That"sagoodgirl!"Alicejumpedup，laughing。"Don"tforgetit"sthesameasapromise，anddojustcheerhimupalittle。

I"llsaygood-byetohimbeforeIgoout。"

"Whereareyougoing？"

"Oh，I"vegotlotstodo。IthoughtI"drunouttoMildred"stoseewhatshe"sgoingtowearto-night，andthenIwanttogodownandbuyayardofchiffonandsomenarrowribbontomakenewbowsformyslippers——you"llhavetogivemesomemoney——"

"Ifhe"llgiveittome!"hermotherlamented，astheywenttowardthefrontstairstogether；butanhourlatershecameintoAlice"sroomwithabillinherhand。

"Hehassomemoneyinhisbureaudrawer，"shesaid。"Hefinallytoldmewhereitwas。"

Thereweretracesofemotioninhervoice，andAlice，lookingshrewdlyather，sawmoistureinhereyes。

"Mama!"shecried。"Youdidn"tdowhatyoupromisedmeyouwouldn"t，didyou——NOTbeforeMissPerry!"

"MissPerry"sgettinghimsomebroth，"Mrs。Adamsreturned，calmly。"Besides，you"remistakeninsayingIpromisedyouanything；IsaidIthoughtyoucouldtrustmetoknowwhatisright。"

"Soyoudidbringitupagain!"AndAliceswungawayfromher，strodetoherfather"sdoor，flungitopen，wenttohim，andputalighthandsoothinglyoverhisunrelaxedforehead。

"Pooroldpapa!"shesaid。"It"sashamehoweverybodywantstotroublehim。Heshan"tbebotheredanymoreatall!Hedoesn"tneedtohaveeverybodytellinghimhowtogetawayfromthatoldholehe"sworkedinsolongandbegintomakeusallniceandrich。HEknowshow!"

Thereuponshekissedhimaconsolinggood-bye，andmadeanothergaydeparture，thecharminghandagainflutteringlikeawhitebutterflyintheshadowoftheclosingdoor。

CHAPTERIII

Mrs。AdamshadremainedinAlice"sroom，buthermoodseemedtohavechanged，duringherdaughter"slittlemorethanmomentaryabsence。

"WhatdidheSAY？"sheasked，quickly，andhertonewashopeful。

""Say？""Alicerepeated，impatiently。"Why，nothing。Ididn"tlethim。Really，mama，Ithinkthebestthingforyoutodowouldbetojustkeepoutofhisroom，becauseIdon"tbelieveyoucangointhereandnottalktohimaboutit，andifyoudotalkwe"llnevergethimtodotherightthing。Never!"

Themother"sresponsewasagrievingsilence；sheturnedfromherdaughterandwalkedtothedoor。

"Now，forgoodness"sake!"Alicecried。"Don"tgomakingtragedyoutofmyofferingyoualittlepracticaladvice!"

"I"mnot，"Mrs。Adamsgulped，halting。"I"mjust——justgoingtodustthedownstairs，Alice。"Andwithherfacestillaverted，shewentoutintothelittlehallway，closingthedoorbehindher。Amomentlatershecouldbehearddescendingthestairs，thesoundofherfootstepscarryingsomehowaneffectofresignation。

Alicelistened，sighed，and，breathingthewords，"Oh，murder!"

turnedtocheeriermatters。Sheputonalittleapple-greenturbanwithadimgoldbandroundit，andthen，havingshroudedtheturbaninawhiteveil，whichshekeptpushedupaboveherforehead，shegotherselfintoatancoatofsoftclothfashionedwithrakishseverity。Afterthat，havingstudiedherselfgravelyinalongglass，shetookfromoneofthedrawersofherdressing-tableablackleathercard-casecorneredinsilverfiligree，butfounditempty。

Sheopenedanotherdrawerwhereinweretwowhitepasteboardboxesofcards，theonesetshowingsimply"MissAdams，"theotherengravedinGothiccharacters，"MissAlysTuttleAdams。"ThelatterbelongedtoAlice"s"Alys"period——mostgirlsgothroughit；andAlicemusthavefeltthatshehadgraduated，for，afterfrowningthoughtfullyattheexhibitthismorning，shetooktheboxwithitscontents，andletthewhiteshowerfallfromherfingersintothewaste-basketbesidehersmalldesk。Shereplenishedthecard-casefromthe"MissAdams"box；then，havingfoundapairoffreshwhitegloves，shetuckedanivory-toppedMalaccawalking-stickunderherarmandsetforth。

Shewentdownthestairs，buttoningherglovesandstillwearingthefrownwithwhichshehadput"Alys"finallyoutofherlife。

Shedescendedslowly，andpausedontheloweststep，lookingaboutherwithanexpressionthatneededbutaslightdeepeningtobetokenbitterness。Itsconnectionwithherdropping"Alys"

foreverwasslight，however。

Thesmallframehouse，aboutfifteenyearsold，wasalreadyincliningtobecomeanewColonialrelic。TheAdamseshadbuiltit，movingintoitfromthe"QueenAnne"housetheyhadrenteduntiltheytookthisstepinfashion。Butfifteenyearsisalongtimetostandstillinthemidlandcountry，evenforahouse，andthisonewaslightlymade，thoughtheAdamseshadnotrealizedhowflimsilyuntiltheyhadlivedinitforsometime。

"Solid，compact，andconvenient"weretheinstructionstothearchitect，andhehadmadeitcompactsuccessfully。Alice，pausingatthefootofthestairway，wasatthesametimefairlyinthe"living-room，"fortheonlyseparationbetweenthe"livingroom"andthehallwasademarcationsuggestedtowillingimaginationsbyapairofwoodencolumnspaintedwhite。Thesecolumns，pineunderthepaint，werebruisedandchippedatthebase；oneofthemshowedacrackthatthreatenedtobecomeasplit；the"hard-wood"floorhadbecomeuneven；andinacornerthewallsapparentlyfailedofsolidity，wherethewall-paperhaddeclinedtoaccompanysomestaggeringsoftheplasterbeneathit。

Thefurniturewasingreatpartanaccumulationbegunwiththeweddinggifts；thoughsomeofitwasolder，twolargepatentrocking-chairsandafootstoolhavingbelongedtoMrs。Adams"smotherinthedaysofhardbrownplushandveneer。Fordecorationtherewerepicturesandvases。Mrs。Adamshadalwaysbeenfondofvases，shesaid，andeveryyearherhusband"sChristmaspresenttoherwasavaseofonesortoranother——whatevertheclerkshowedhim，markedatabouttwelveorfourteendollars。Thepicturesweresomeofthemetchingsframedingilt:Rheims，Canterbury，schoonersgroupedagainstawharf；

andAlicecouldrememberhow，inherchildhood，herfathersometimespointedoutthewateryreflectionsinthislastasveryfine。Butitwasalongtimesincehehadshowninterestinsuchthings——"orinanythingmuch，"asshethought。

Otherpicturesweretwowater-coloursinbaroqueframes；onebeingtheAmalfimonkonapergolawall，whilethesecondwasayard-widedisplayofirisblossoms，paintedbyAliceherselfatfourteen，asabirthdaygifttohermother。Alice"sglancepauseduponitnowwithnogreatpride，butshowedmoreapprovalofanenormousphotographoftheColosseum。Thisshethoughtofas"theonlygoodthingintheroom"；itpossessedandbestoweddistinction，shefelt；andshedidnotregrethavingwonherstruggletogetithunginitsconspicuousplaceofhonouroverthemantelpiece。Formerlythatplacehadbeenheldforyearsbyasteel-engraving，anaccuraterepresentationoftheSuspensionBridgeatNiagaraFalls。Itwasalmostaslargeasitssuccessor，the"Colosseum，"andithadbeenpresentedtoMr。