第5章

"Justlovely!"Alicesaid，cheerily，andaftershehadarrangedthelatchforWalter，whohadgonetoreturnthelittlecar，shefollowedhermotherupstairsandhummedadance-tuneontheway。

"Oh，I"msogladyouhadanicetime，"Mrs。Adamssaid，astheyreachedthedoorofherdaughter"sroomtogether。"YouDESERVED

to，andit"slovelytothink——"

Butatthis，withoutwarning，Alicethrewherselfintohermother"sarms，sobbingsoloudlythatinhisroom，closeby，herfather，halfdrowsingthroughthenight，startedtofullwakefulness。

CHAPTERIX

Onamorning，aweekafterthiscollapseoffestalhopes，Mrs。

Adamsandherdaughterwereconcludingathree-days"disturbance，the"Springhouse-cleaning"——postponeduntilnowbyAdams"slongillness——andAlice，onherkneesbeforeachestofdrawers，inhermother"sroom，pausedthoughtfullyafterdustingapacketofletterswrappedinwornmuslin。Shecalledtohermother，whowasscrubbingthefloorofthehallwayjustbeyondtheopendoor，"Theseoldlettersyouhadinthebottomdrawer，weren"ttheysomepapawroteyoubeforeyouweremarried？"

Mrs。Adamslaughedandsaid，"Yes。Justput"embackwheretheywere——orelseupintheattic——anywhereyouwantto。"

"DoyoumindifIreadone，mama？"

Mrs。Adamslaughedagain。"Oh，Iguessyoucanifyouwantto。

Iexpectthey"reprettyfunny!"

Alicelaughedinresponse，andchosethetopmostletterofthepacket。"Mydear，beautifulgirl，"itbegan；andshestaredatthesesingularwords。Theygaveherashocklikethatcausedbyoverhearingsomebewilderingimpropriety；and，havingreadthemovertoherselfseveraltimes，shewentontoexperienceothershocks。

MYDEAR，BEAUTIFULGIRL:

ThistimeyesterdayIhadamightybadcaseofbluesbecauseI

hadnothadawordfromyouintwowholelongdaysandwhenIdonothearfromyoueverydaythingslookmightydowninthemouthtome。NowitisallsodifferentbecauseyourletterhasarrivedandbesidesIhavegotapieceofnewsIbelieveyouwillthinkasfineasIdo。Darling，youwillbesurprised，sogetreadytohearaboutabigeffectonourfuture。Itisthisway。

IhadsortofasuspiciontheheadofthefirmkindoftookafancytomefromthefirstwhenIwentinthere，andlikedthewayIattendedtomyworkandsowhenhetookmeonthisbusinesstripwithhimIfeltprettysureofitandnowitturnsoutIwasaboutright。InreturnIguessIhavegotaboutthebestbossinthisworldandIbelieveyouwillthinksotoo。Yes，sweetheart，afterthetalkIhavejusthadwithhimifJ。A。LambaskedmetocutmyhandoffforhimIguessIwouldcomeprettyneardoingitbecausewhathesaysmeanstheendofourwaitingtobetogether。FromNewYearsonheisgoingtoputmeinentirechargeofthesundriesdept。andwhatdoyouthinkisgoingtobemysalary？Elevenhundredcooldollarsayear($1，100。00)。

That"sall!Justonlyacoolelevenhundredperannum!Well，I

guessthatwillshowyourmotherwhetherIcantakecareofyouornot。AndohhowIwouldliketoseeyourdear，beautiful，lovingfacewhenyougetthisnews。

IwouldliketogooutonthepublicstreetsandjustdanceandshoutanditisallIcandotohelpdoingit，especiallywhenI

knowwewillbetalkingitallovertogetherthistimenextweek，andohmydarling，nowthatyourfolkshavenoexcuseforputtingitoffanylongerwemightbeinourownlittlehomebeforeXmas。

Wouldyoubeglad？

Well，darling，thissettleseverythingandmakesourfuturejustaboutassmoothforusasanybodycouldask。Icanhardlyrealizeafterallthiswaitinglife"stroublesareoverforyouandmeandwehavenothingtodobuttoenjoythehappinessgrantedusbythiswonderful，beautifulthingwecalllife。I

knowIamnotanypoetandtheoneItriedtowriteaboutyouthedayofthepicnicwasfearfulbutthewayITHINKaboutyouisapoem。

Writemewhatyouthinkofthenews。Iknowbutwritemeanyhow。

I"llgetitbeforewestarthomeandIcanbereadingitoverallthetimeonthetram。

YouralwayslovingVIRGIL。

Thesoundofhermother"sdiligentscrubbinginthehallcamebackslowlytoAlice"shearing，assherestoredthelettertothepacket，wrappedthepacketinitsmuslincovering，andreturnedittothedrawer。Shehadremaineduponherkneeswhileshereadtheletter；nowshesankbackward，sittinguponthefloorwithherhandsbehindher，anunconsciousrelaxingforbettereasetothink。Uponherfacetherehadfallenalookofwonder。

Forthefirsttimeshewasvaguelyperceivingthatlifeiseverlastingmovement。Youthreallybelieveswhatisrunningwatertobeapermanentcrystallizationandseestimefixedtoapoint:somepeoplehavedarkhair，somepeoplehaveblondhair，somepeoplehavegrayhair。Untilthismoment，Alicehadnoconvictionthattherewasauniversebeforeshecameintoit。

Shehadalwaysthoughtofitasthebackgroundofherself:themoonwassomethingtomakeherprettieronasummernight。

Butthisoldletter，throughwhichshesawstillflickeringanancientstarlightofyounglove，astoundedher。Faintlybeforeheritrevealedthewholelivesofherfatherandmother，whohadbeenyoung，afterall——theyREALLYhad——andtheiryouthwasnowsoutterlypassedfromthemthatthepictureofit，intheletter，waslikeaburlesqueofthem。Andsoshe，herself，mustpasstosuchchanges，too，andallthatnowseemedvitaltoherwouldbenothing。

Whenherworkwasfinished，thatafternoon，shewentintoherfather"sroom。HisrecoveryhadprogressedwellenoughtopermitthedepartureofMissPerry；andAdams，wearingoneofMrs。

Adams"swrappersoverhisnight-gown，satinahigh-backedchairbyaclosedwindow。Theweatherwaswarm，buttheclosedwindowandtheflannelwrapperhadnotsufficedhim:roundhisshouldershehadanoldcrochetedscarfofAlice"s；hislegswerewrappedinaheavycomfort；and，withtheseswathingsabouthim，andhiseyesclosed，histhinandgrizzledheadmakingbutaslightindentationinthepillowsupportingit，helookedoldandlittleandqueer。

Alicewouldhavegoneoutsoftly，butwithoutopeninghiseyes，hespoketoher:"Don"tgo，dearie。Comesitwiththeoldmanalittlewhile。"

Shebroughtachairnearhis。"Ithoughtyouwerenapping。"

"No。Idon"thardlyeverdothat。Ijustdriftalittlesometimes。"

"Howdoyoumeanyoudrift，papa？"

Helookedathervaguely。"Oh，Idon"tknow。Kindofpictures。

Theygetalittlemixedup——oldtimeswithtimesstillahead，likeplanningwhattodo，youknow。That"sasnearanapasI

get——whenthepicturesmixupsome。Isupposeit"ssortofdrowsing。"

Shetookoneofhishandsandstrokedit。"Whatdoyoumeanwhenyousayyouhavepictureslike"planningwhattodo"？"sheasked。

"ImeanplanningwhattodowhenIgetoutandabletogotoworkagain。"

"Butthatdoesn"tneedanyplanning，"Alicesaid，quickly。

"You"regoingbacktoyouroldplaceatLamb"s，ofcourse。"

Adamsclosedhiseyesagain，sighingheavily，butmadenootherresponse。

"Why，ofCOURSEyouare!"shecried。"Whatareyoutalkingabout？"

Hisheadturnedslowlytowardher，revealingtheeyes，openinahaggardstare。"Iheardyoutheothernightwhenyoucamefromtheparty，"hesaid。"Iknowwhatwasthematter。"

"Indeed，youdon"t，"sheassuredhim。"Youdon"tknowanythingaboutit，becausetherewasn"tanythingthematteratall。"

"Don"tyousupposeIheardyoucrying？What"dyoucryforiftherewasn"tanythingthematter？"

"Justnerves，papa。Itwasn"tanythingelseintheworld。"

"Nevermind，"hesaid。"Yourmothertoldme。"

"Shepromisedmenotto!"

AtthatAdamslaughedmournfully。"Itwouldn"tbeverylikelyI"dhearyousoupsetandnotaskaboutit，evenifshedidn"tcomeandtellmeonherownhook。Youneedn"ttrytofoolme；I

tellyouIknowwhatwasthematter。"

"TheonlymatterwasIhadasillyfit，"Aliceprotested。"Itdidmegood，too。"

"How"sthat？"

"BecauseI"vedecidedtodosomethingaboutit，papa。"

"Thatisn"tthewayyourmotherlooksatit，"Adamssaid，ruefully。"Shethinksit"sourplacetodosomethingaboutit。

Well，Idon"tknow——Idon"tknow；everythingseemssochangedthesedays。You"vealwaysbeenagooddaughter，Alice，andyououghttohaveasmuchasanyofthesegirlsyougowith；she"sconvincedmeshe"srightaboutTHAT。Thetroubleis——"Hefaltered，apologetically，thenwenton，"Imeanthequestionis——howtogetitforyou。"

"No!"shecried。"Ihadnobusinesstomakesuchafussjustbecausealotofidiotsdidn"tbreaktheirneckstogetdanceswithmeandbecauseIgotmortifiedaboutWalter——WalterWAS

prettyterrible——"

"Oh，me，my!"Adamslamented。"Iguessthat"ssomethingwejusthavetoleaveworkoutitself。Whatyougoingtodowithaboynineteenortwentyyearsoldthatmakeshisownliving？Can"twhiphim。Can"tkeephimlockedupinthehouse。Justgottohopehe"lllearnbetter，Isuppose。"

"Ofcoursehedidn"twanttogotothePalmers"，"Aliceexplained，tolerantly——"andasmamaandImadehimtakeme，andhethoughtthatwasprettyselfishinme，why，hefelthehadarighttoamusehimselfanywayhecould。Ofcourseitwasawfulthatthis——thatthisMr。Russellshould——"Inspiteofher，therecollectionchokedher。

"Yes，itwasawful，"Adamsagreed。"Justawful。Oh，me，my!"

ButAlicerecoveredherselfatonce，andshowedhimacheerfulface。"Well，justafewyearsfromnowIprobablywon"tevenrememberit!Ibelievehardlyanythingamountstoasmuchaswethinkitdoesatthetime。"

"Well——sometimesitdon"t。"

"WhatI"vebeenthinking，papa:itseemstomeIoughttoDO

something。"

"Whatlike？"

Shelookeddreamy，butwasobviouslyseriousasshetoldhim:

"Well，ImeanIoughttobesomethingbesidesjustakindofnobody。Ioughtto——"Shepaused。

"What，dearie？"

"Well——there"sonethingI"dliketodo。I"msureICOULDdoit，too。"

"What？"

"Iwanttogoonthestage:IknowIcouldact。"Atthis，herfatherabruptlygaveutterancetoafeeblecacklingoflaughter；

andwhenAlice，surprisedandalittleoffended，pressedhimforhisreason，hetriedtoevade，saying，"Nothing，dearie。Ijustthoughtofsomething。"Butshepersisteduntilhehadtoexplain。

"Itmademethinkofyourmother"ssister，yourAuntFlora，thatdiedwhenyouwerelittle，"hesaid。"Shewasalwaystellinghowshewasgoingonthestage，andtalkingabouthowshewascertainshe"dmakeagreatactress，andallsoon；andonedayyourmotherbrokeoutandsaidsheought"a"goneonthestage，herself，becauseshealwaysknewshehadthetalentforit——and，well，theygotintokindofaspataboutwhichone"dmakethebestactress。Ihadtogooutinthehalltolaugh!"

"Maybeyouwerewrong，"Alicesaid，gravely。"Iftheybothfeltit，whywouldn"tthatlookasiftherewastalentinthefamily？

I"veALWAYSthought——"

"No，dearie，"hesaid，withafinalchuckle。"YourmotherandFloraweren"tdifferentfromagoodmanyothers。Iexpectninetypercent。ofallthewomenIeverknewwerejustsurethey"dbemightyfineactressesiftheyevergotthechance。Well，Iguessit"sagoodthing；theyenjoythinkingaboutitanditdon"tdoanybodyanyharm。"

Alicewaspiqued。Forseveraldaysshehadthoughtalmostcontinuouslyofacareertobewonbyherowngenius。Notthatsheplanneddetails，orconcernedherselfwithfirststeps；herpicturingsoverleapedallthat。Principally，shesawhernamegreatonallthebill-boardsofthatunkindcity，andherself，unchangedinagebutglamorouswithfameandParisclothes，returninginaprivatecar。NodoubtthepleasantestdevelopmentofhervisionwasadialoguewithMildred；andthisbecamesorealthat，assheprojectedit，Aliceassumedtheproperexpressionsforbothpartiestoit，formedwordswithherlips，andevenspokesomeofthemaloud。"No，Ihaven"tforgottenyou，Mrs。Russell。Irememberyouquitepleasantly，infact。YouwereaMissPalmer，Irecall，inthosefunnyolddays。Verykindofyou，I"mshaw。Iappreciateyoureagernesstodosomethingformeinyourownlittlehome。Asyousay，areceptionWOULD

renewmyacquaintanceshipwithmanyoldfriends——butI"mshawyouwon"tmindmymentioningthatIdon"tfindmuchinspirationintheseprovincials。Ireallymustaskyounottopressme。Anartist"stimeisnotherown，thoughofcourseIcouldhardlyexpectyoutounderstand——"

ThusAliceilluminatedthedulltime；butsheretiredfromtheinterviewwithherfatherstillmanfullydisplayinganoutwardcheerfulness，whiledepressiongrewheavierwithin，asifshehadeatensoggycake。Herfatherknewnothingwhateverofthestage，andshewasawareofhisignorance，yetforsomereasonhisinnocentlyskepticalamusementreducedherbrightprojectalmosttonothing。Somethinglikethisalwayshappened，itseemed；shewascontinuallymakingtheseilluminations，allgaywithgildingsandcolourings；andthenassoonasanybodyelsesomuchasglancedatthem——evenherfather，wholovedher——theprettydesignswerestrickenwithadesolatingpallor。"IsthisLIFE？"

Alicewondered，notdoubtingthatthequestionwasoriginalandallherown。"Isitlifetospendyourtimeimaginingthingsthataren"tso，andneverwillbe？Beautifulthingshappentootherpeople；whyshouldIbetheonlyonetheyneverCANhappento？"

Themoodlastedovernight；andwasstilluponherthenextafternoonwhenanerrandforherfathertookherdown-town。

Adamshaddecidedtobeginsmokingagain，andAlicefeltratherdegraded，aswellasembarrassed，whenshewentintothelargeshopherfatherhadnamed，andaskedforthecheaptobaccoheusedinhispipe。Shefellbackuponanairofamusedindulgence，hopingthustosuggestthatherpurchasewasmadeforsomefaithfuloldretainer，nowinfirm；andalthoughthecalmnessoftheclerkwhoservedhercalledfornosuchelaborationofhersketch，sheornamenteditwithalittlelaughandwiththeremark，asshedroppedthepackageintohercoat-pocket，"I"msureit"llpleasehim；theytellmeit"sthekindhelikes。"

StillplayingLadyBountiful，smilingtoherselfinanticipationofthejoyshewasbringingtothesimpleoldnegroorIrishfollowerofthefamily，shelefttheshop；butasshecameoutuponthecrowdedpavementhersmilevanishedquickly。

Nexttothedoorofthetobacco-shop，therewastheopenentrancetoastairway，and，abovethisratherbleakanddarkaperture，asign-boarddisplayedinbegrimedgiltletterstheinformationthatFrincke"sBusinessCollegeoccupiedtheupperfloorsofthebuilding。Furthermore，Frinckeherepubliclyoffered"personalinstructionandtraininginpracticalmathematics，bookkeeping，andallbranchesofthebusinesslife，includingstenography，typewriting，etc。"

Alicehaltedforamoment，frowningatthissignboardasthoughitweresomethingsurprisinganddistastefulwhichshehadneverseenbefore。Yetitwasconspicuousinabusyquarter；shealmostalwayspasseditwhenshecamedown-town，andneverwithoutnoticingit。Norwasthisthefirsttimeshehadpausedtolifttowarditthatsameglanceofvaguemisgiving。

Thebuildingwasnotwhatthechangefulcitydefinedasamodernone，andthedustywoodenstairway，asseenfromthepavement，disappearedupwardintoasmokydarkness。Sowouldthefootstepsofagirlascendingthereleadtoahideousobscurity，Alicethought；anobscurityasdrearyandaspermanentasdeath。AndlikedryleavesfallingabouthershesawherwintryimaginingsintheMayair:prettygirlsturningintowitheredcreaturesastheyworkedattyping-machines；oldmaids"takingdictation"frommenwithdoublechins；Alicesawoldmaidsofadozendifferentkinds"takingdictation。"Hermind"seyewascrowdedwiththem，asitalwayswaswhenshepassedthatstairwayentrance；andthoughtheywerealldifferentfromoneanother，allofthemlookedalittlelikeherself。

Shehatedtheplace，andyetsheseldomhurriedbyitoravertedhereyes。Ithadanunpleasantfascinationforher，andamysteriousreproach，whichshedidnotseektofathom。Shewalkedonthoughtfullyto-day；andwhen，atthenextcorner，sheturnedintothestreetthatledtowardhome，shewasgivenasurprise。ArthurRussellcamerapidlyfrombehindher，liftinghishatasshesawhim。

"Areyouwalkingnorth，MissAdams？"heasked。"DoyoumindifI

walkwithyou？"

Shewasnotdelighted，butseemedso。"Howcharming!"shecried，givinghimalittleflourishoftheshapelyhands；andthen，becauseshewonderedifhehadseenhercomingoutofthetobacco-shop，shelaughedandadded，"I"vejustbeenonthemostridiculouserrand!"

"Whatwasthat？"

"Toordersomecigarsformyfather。He"sbeenquiteill，poorman，andhe"ssoparticular——butwhatintheworlddo_I_knowaboutcigars？"

Russelllaughed。"Well，whatDOyouknowabout"em？Didyouselectbytheprice？"

"Mercy，no!"sheexclaimed，andadded，withanafterthought，"OfcoursehewrotedownthenameofthekindhewantedandIgaveittotheshopman。Icouldneverhavepronouncedit。"

CHAPTERX

Inherpocketasshespokeherhandresteduponthelittlesackoftobacco，whichrespondedaccusinglytothetouchofherrestlessfingers；andshefoundtimetowonderwhyshewasbuildingupthisfictionforMr。ArthurRussell。HisdiscoveryofWalter"sdeviceforwhilingawaythedulleveninghadshamedanddistressedher；butshewouldhavesufferednolessifalmostanyotherhadbeenthediscoverer。Inthisgentleman，afterhearingthathewasMildred"sMr。ArthurRussell，Alicefeltnottheslightest"personalinterest"；andtherewasyettodevelopinherlifesuchathingasaninterestnotpersonal。Attwenty-twothisstateofaffairsisnotunique。

SofarasAlicewasconcernedRussellmighthavewornaplacard，"Engaged。"Shelookeduponhimasdinersenteringarestaurantlookupontablesmarked"Reserved":theglance，slightlydiscontented，passesonatonce。Orsotheeyeofaprospectorwandersquerulouslyoverstakedandestablishedclaimsonthemountainside，andseeksthevirginlandbeyond；unless，indeed，theprospectorbedishonest。ButAlicewasnoclaim-jumper——solongasthenoticeofownershipwasplainlyposted。

Thoughshewasindifferentnow，habitruledher:and，attheverytimeshewonderedwhyshecreatedfictitiouscigarsforherfather，shewasalsoregrettingthatshehadnotboldlycarriedherMalaccastickdown-townwithher。Hervivacityincreasedautomatically。

"Perhapstheclerkthoughtyouwantedthecigarsforyourself，"

Russellsuggested。"HemayhavetakenyouforaSpanishcountess。"

"I"msurehedid!"Aliceagreed，gaily；andshehummedabarortwoof"LaPaloma，"snappingherfingersascastanets，andswayingherbodyalittle，tosuggesttheacceptedstencilofa"SpanishDancer。""Wouldyouhavetakenmeforone，Mr。Russell？"sheasked，assheconcludedtheimpersonation。

"I？Why，yes，"hesaid。"I"Dtakeyouforanythingyouwantedmeto。"

"Why，whataspeech!"shecried，and，laughing，gavehimaquickglanceinwhichthereglimmeredsomerealsurprise。Hewaslookingatherquizzically，butwiththeliveliestappreciation。

Hersurpriseincreased；andshewasgladthathehadjoinedher。

Tobeseenwalkingwithsuchacompanionaddedtoherpleasure。

Shewouldhavedescribedhimas"altogetherquitestunning-looking"；andshelikedhistall，darkthinness，hisgrayclothes，hissofthat，andhiscleanbrownshoes；shelikedhiseasyswingofthestickhecarried。

"Shouldn"tIhavesaidit？"heasked。"WouldyourathernotbetakenforaSpanishcountess？"

"Thatisn"tit，"sheexplained。"Yousaid——"

"IsaidI"dtakeyouforwhateveryouwantedmeto。Isn"tthatallright？"

"Itwouldalldepend，wouldn"tit？"

"Ofcourseitwoulddependonwhatyouwanted。"

"Oh，no!"shelaughed。"Itmightdependonalotofthings。"

"Suchas？"

"Well——"Shehesitated，havingthemischievousimpulsetosay，"SuchasMildred!"Butshedecidedtoomitthisreference，andbecameserious，rememberingRussell"sservicetoheratMildred"shouse。"SpeakingofwhatIwanttobetakenfor，"shesaid；——"I"vebeenwonderingeversincetheothernightwhatyoudidtakemefor!Youmusthavetakenmeforthesisterofaprofessionalgambler，I"mafraid!"

Russell"slookofkindnesswasthetruthabouthim，shewastodiscover；andhereassuredhernowbythepromptnessofhisfriendlychuckle。"ThenyouryoungbrothertoldyouwhereI

foundhim，didhe？Ikeptmyfacestraightatthetime，butI

laughedafterward——tomyself。Itstruckmeasoriginal，tosaytheleast:hisamusinghimselfwiththosedarkies。"

"WalterISoriginal，"Alicesaid；and，havingadoptedthisnewviewofherbrother"seccentricities，sheimpulsivelywentontomakeitmoreplausible。"He"saveryoddboy，andIwasafraidyou"dmisunderstand。Hetellswonderful"darkystories，"andhe"lldoanythingtodrawcolouredpeopleoutandmakethemtalk；

andthat"swhathewasdoingatMildred"swhenyoufoundhimforme——hesayshewinstheirconfidencebyplayingdicewiththem。

Inthefamilywethinkhe"llprobablywriteaboutthemsomeday。

He"sratherliterary。"

"Areyou？"Russellasked，smiling。

"I？Oh——"Shepaused，liftingbothhandsinacharminggestureofhelplessness。"Oh，I"mjust——me!"

Hisglancefollowedthelightlywavedhandswithkeenapproval，thenrosetothelivelyandcolourfulface，withitshazeleyes，itssmallandprettynose，andthelip-caughtsmilewhichseemedtheclimaxofherdecorativetransition。Neverhadheseenacreaturesoplasticorsowistful。

HerewasacontrasttohiscousinMildred，whowasnotwistful，andcontrolledanyimpulsestowardplasticity，ifshehadthem。

"ByGeorge!"hesaid。"ButyouAREdifferent!"

Withthat，thereleapedinhersuchanimpulseofroguishgallantryasshecouldneverresist。Sheturnedherhead，and，laughingandbright-eyed，lookedhimfullintheface。

"Fromwhom？"shecried。

"From——everybody!"hesaid。"Areyouamind-reader？"

"Why？"

"HowdidyouknowIwasthinkingyouweredifferentfrommycousin，MildredPalmer？"

"WhatmakesyouthinkIDIDknowit？"

"Nonsense!"hesaid。"YouknewwhatIwasthinkingandIknewyouknew。"

"Yes，"shesaidwithcoolhumour。"Howintimatethatseemstomakeusallatonce!"

Russellleftnodoubtthathewasdelightedwiththesegaietiesofhers。"ByGeorge!"heexclaimedagain。"IthoughtyouwerethissortofgirlthefirstmomentIsawyou!"

"Whatsortofgirl？Didn"tMildredtellyouwhatsortofgirlI

amwhensheaskedyoutodancewithme？"

"Shedidn"taskmetodancewithyou——I"dbeenlookingatyou。

Youweretalkingtosomeoldladies，andIaskedMildredwhoyouwere。"

"Oh，soMildredDIDN"T——"Alicecheckedherself。"WhodidshetellyouIwas？"

"ShejustsaidyouwereaMissAdams，soI——"

""A"MissAdams？"Aliceinterrupted。

"Yes。ThenIsaidI"dliketomeetyou。"

"Isee。Youthoughtyou"dsavemefromtheoldladies。"

"No。IthoughtI"dsavemyselffromsomeofthegirlsMildredwasgettingmetodancewith。TherewasaMissDowling——"

"Poorman!"Alicesaid，gently，andherimpulsivethoughtwasthatMildredhadtakenfewchances，andthatasamatterofself-defensehercarefulnessmighthavebeenwellfounded。ThisMr。ArthurRussellwasamuchmoreresponsivepersonthanonehadsupposed。

"So，Mr。Russell，youdon"tknowanythingaboutmeexceptwhatyouthoughtwhenyoufirstsawme？"

"Yes，IknowIwasrightwhenIthoughtit。"

"Youhaven"ttoldmewhatyouthought。"

"IthoughtyouwerelikewhatyouARElike。"

"Notverydefinite，isit？I"mafraidyoushedmorelightaminuteorsoago，whenyousaidhowdifferentfromMildredyouthoughtIwas。ThatWASdefinite，unfortunately!"

"Ididn"tsayit，"Russellexplained。"Ithoughtit，andyoureadmymind。That"sthesortofgirlIthoughtyouwere——onethatcouldreadaman"smind。Whydoyousay"unfortunately"

you"renotlikeMildred？"

Alice"ssmoothgestureseemedtosketchMildred。"Becauseshe"sperfect——why，she"sPERFECTLYperfect!Shenevermakesamistake，andeverybodylooksuptoher——oh，yes，weallfairlyadoreher!She"slikesomebig，noble，coldstatue——"wayabovetherestofus——andshehardlyeverdoesanythingmeanortreacherous。OfallthegirlsIknowIbelieveshe"splayedthefewestreallypettytricks。She"s——"

Russellinterrupted；helookedperplexed。"Yousayshe"sperfectlyperfect，butthatshedoesplaySOME——"

Alicelaughed，asifathissweetinnocence。"Menaresofunny!"

sheinformedhim。"OfcoursegirlsALLdomeanthingssometimes。

Myowncareer"sjustonelongbrazensmirchof"em!WhatImeanis，Mildred"sperfectlyperfectcomparedtotherestofus。

"Isee，"hesaid，andseemedtoneedamomentortwoofthoughtfulness。Thenheinquired，"WhatsortoftreacherousthingsdoYOUdo？"

"I？Oh，theveryworstkind!Mostpeopleboremeparticularlythemeninthistown——andIshowit。"

"ButIshouldn"tcallthattreacherous，exactly。"

"Well，THEYdo，"Alicelaughed。"It"smademeaterriblyunpopularcharacter!Idoalotofthingstheyhate。Forinstance，atadanceI"dalotratherfindsomecleveroldwomanandtalktoherthandancewithnine-tenthsofthesenonentities。

Iusuallydoit，too。"

"Butyoudancedasifyoulikedit。YoudancedbetterthananyothergirlI——"

"Thisflatteryofyoursdoesn"tquiteturnmyhead，Mr。

Russell，"Aliceinterrupted。"ParticularlysinceMildredonlygaveyouEllaDowlingtocomparewithme!"

"Oh，no，"heinsisted。"Therewereothers——andofcourseMildred，herself。"

"Oh，ofcourse，yes。Iforgotthat。Well——"Shepaused，thenadded，"IcertainlyOUGHTtodancewell。"

"Whyisitsomuchaduty？"

"WhenIthinkofthedancing-teachersandtheexpensetopapa!

Allsortsoffancyinstructors——Isupposethat"swhatdaughtershavefathersfor，though，isn"tit？Tothrowmoneyawayonthem？"

"Youdon"t——"Russellbegan，andhislookwasoneofalarm。

"Youhaven"ttakenup——"

Sheunderstoodhisapprehensionandrespondedmerrily，"Oh，murder，no!Youmeanyou"reafraidIbreakoutsometimesinapieceofcheeseclothandrunaroundafountainthirtytimes，andthen，foranencore，showhowmuchlikesnakesIcanmakemyarmslook。"

"ISAIDyouwereamind-reader!"heexclaimed。"That"sexactlywhatIwaspretendingtobeafraidyoumightdo。"

""Pretending？"That"snicerofyou。No；it"snotmymania。"

"Whatis？"

"Oh，nothinginparticularthatIknowofjustnow。OfcourseI"vehadtheusualone:theonethateverygirlgoesthrough。"

"What"sthat？"

"Goodheavens，Mr。Russell，youcan"texpectmetobelieveyou"rereallyamanoftheworldifyoudon"tknowthateverygirlhasatimeinherlifewhenshe"spositiveshe"sdivinelytalentedforthestage!It"stheonlyuniversalruleaboutwomenthathasn"tgotanexception。Idon"tmeanweallwanttogoonthestage，butweallthinkwe"dbewonderfulifwedid。EvenMildred。Oh，shewouldn"tconfessittoyou:you"dhavetoknowheragreatdealbetterthananymancaneverknowhertofindout。"

"Isee，"hesaid。"Girlsarealwaystellinguswecan"tknowthem。Iwonderifyou——"

Shetookuphisthoughtbeforeheexpressedit，andagainhewasfascinatedbyherquickness，whichindeedseemedtohimalmosttelepathic。"Oh，butDON"Tweknowoneanother，though!"shecried。