第7章
ThefineoldgentlemanrevealedwhensheopenedthedoorwasprobablythelastgreatmerchantinAmericatowearthechinbeard。Whiteaswhitefrost，itwastrimmedshortwithexquisiteprecision，whilehisupperlipandthelowerexpansesofhischeekswerecleanandrosyfromfreshshaving。Withthistrimwhitechinbeard，thewhitewaistcoat，thewhitetie，thesuitoffinegraycloth，thebroadandbrilliantlypolishedblackshoes，andthewide-brimmedgrayfelthat，herewasamanwhohadfoundhisstyleintheseventiesofthelastcentury，andthenceforthkeptit。Filesofoldmagazinesofthatperiodmightshowhim，inwoodcut，as，"TypeofBostonMerchant"；Nastmighthavedrawnhimasanhoneststatesman。Hewaseighty，haleandsturdy，notaged；andhisquickblueeyes，stillunflecked，andasbriskasaboy"s，saweverything。
"Well，well，well!"hesaid，heartily。"Youhaven"tlostanyofyourgoodlookssincelastweek，Isee，MissAlice，soIguessI"mtotakeityouhaven"tbeenworryingoveryourdaddy。Theyoungfeller"sgettingalongallright，ishe？"
"He"smuchbetter；he"ssittingup，Mr。Lamb。Won"tyoucomein？"
"Well，Idon"tknowbutImight。"Heturnedtocalltowardtwindisksoflightatthecurb，"Beoutinaminute，Billy"；andthesilhouetteofachauffeurstandingbesideacarcouldbeseentosaluteinresponse，astheoldgentlemansteppedintothehall。
"Youdon"tsupposeyourdaddy"sreceivingcallersyet，ishe？"
"He"sagooddealstrongerthanhewaswhenyouwereherelastweek，butI"mafraidhe"snotverypresentable，though。"
""Presentable？""Theoldmanechoedherjovially。"Pshaw!I"veseenlotsofsickfolks。_I_knowwhattheylooklikeandhowtheylovetokindofnestinamongapileofoldblanketsandwrappers。Don"tyouworryaboutTHAT，MissAlice，ifyouthinkhe"dliketoseeme。"
"Ofcoursehewould——if——"Alicehesitated；thensaidquickly，"
Ofcoursehe"dlovetoseeyouandhe"squiteableto，ifyoucaretocomeup。"
Sheranupthestairsaheadofhim，andhadtimetosnatchthecrochetedwrapfromherfather"sshoulders。Swathedasusual，hewassittingbesideatable，readingtheeveningpaper；butwhenhisemployerappearedinthedoorwayhehalfroseasiftocomeforwardingreeting。
"Sitstill!"theoldgentlemanshouted。"Whatdoyoumean？
Don"tyouknowyou"reweakasacat？D"youthinkamancanbesickaslongasyouhaveandNOTbeweakasacat？WhatyoutryingtodothepolitewithMEfor？"
Adamsgratefullyprotractedthehandshakethataccompaniedtheseinquiries。"Thisiscertainlymightyfineofyou，Mr。Lamb，"hesaid。"IguessAlicehastoldyouhowmuchourwholefamilyappreciateyourcomingheresoregularlytoseehowthisoldbago"boneswasgettingalong。Haven"tyou，Alice？"
"Yes，papa，"shesaid；andturnedtogoout，butLambcheckedher。
"Stayrighthere，MissAlice；I"mnotevengoingtositdown。I
knowhowitupsetssickfolkswhenpeopleoutsidethefamilycomeinforthefirsttime。"
"Youdon"tupsetme，"Adamssaid。"I"llfeelalotbetterforgettingaglimpseofyou，Mr。Lamb。"
Thevisitor"slaughwashusky，butheartyandre-assuring，likehisvoiceinspeaking。"That"sthewayallmyboysblarneyme，MissAlice，"hesaid。"TheythinkI"llmaketheworklighteron"emiftheycangetmekindofflatteredup。Youjusttellyourdaddyit"snouse；hedoesn"tgetonMYsoftside，pretendinghelikestoseemeevenwhenhe"ssick。"
"Oh，I"mnotsosickanymore，"Adamssaid。"Iexpecttobebackinmyplacetendaysfromnowatthelongest。"
"Well，now，don"thurryit，Virgil；don"thurryit。Youtakeyourtime；takeyourtime。"
ThisbroughttoAdams"slipsafeeblesmilenotlackinginakindofvanity，asfeeble。"Why？"heasked。"Isupposeyouthinkmydepartmentrunsitselfdownthere，doyou？"
Hisemployer"sresponsewasanotherhuskylaugh。"Well，well，well!"hecried，andpattedAdams"sshoulderwithastrongpinkhand。"Listentothisyoungfeller，MissAlice，willyou!Hethinkswecan"tgetalongwithouthimaminute!Yes，sir，thisdaddyofyoursbelievesthewholeworks"lljusttakeandrundownifheisn"ttheretokeep"emwoundup。Ialwayssuspectedhethoughtagooddealofhimself，andnowIknowhedoes!"
Adamslookedtroubled。"Well，Idon"tliketofeelthatmysalary"sgoingonwithmenotearningit。"
"Listentohim，MissAlice!Wouldn"tyouthink，now，he"dletmebetheonetoworryaboutthat？Why，onmyword。ifyourdaddyhadhisway，_I_wouldn"tbeanywhere。He"dtakeallmyworryingandeverythingelseoffmyshouldersandshovemerightoutofLambandCompany!Hewould!"
"ItseemstomeI"vebeensoldieringonyouaprettylongwhile，Mr。Lamb，"theconvalescentsaid，querulously。"Idon"tfeelrightaboutit；butI"llbebackintendays。You"llsee。"
Theoldmantookhishandinparting。"Allright；we"llsee，Virgil。Ofcoursewedoneedyou，seriouslyspeaking；butwedon"tneedyousobadwe"llletyoucomedowntherebeforeyou"refullyfitandable。"Hewenttothedoor。"Youhear，MissAlice？That"swhatIwantedtomaketheoldfellerunderstand，andwhatIwantyoutokindofenforceonhim。Theoldplaceistherewaitingforhim，andit"dwaittenyearsifittookhimthatlongtogetgoodandwell。Youseethatheremembersit，MissAlice!"
Shewentdownthestairswithhim，andhecontinuedtoimpressthisuponheruntilhehadgoneoutofthefrontdoor。Andevenafterthat，thehuskyvoicecalledbackfromthedarkness，ashewenttohiscar，"Don"tforget，MissAlice；lethimtakehisowntime。Wealwayswanthim，butwewanthimtogetgoodandwellfirst。Good-night，good-night，younglady!"
Whensheclosedthedoorhermothercamefromthefartherendofthe"living-room，"wheretherewasnolight；andAliceturnedtoher。
"Ican"thelplikingthatoldman，mama，"shesaid。"Healwayssoundsso——well，sosolidandhonestandfriendly!Idolikehim。"
ButMrs。Adamsfailedinsympathyuponthispoint。"Hedidn"tsayanythingaboutraisingyourfather"ssalary，didhe？"sheasked，dryly。
"No。"
"No。Ithoughtnot。"
Shewouldhavesaidmore，butAlice，indisposedtolisten，begantowhistle，ranupthestairs，andwenttositwithherfather。
Shefoundhimbright-eyedwiththeexcitementafirstcallerbringsintoaslowconvalescence:hischeeksshowedactualhintsofcolour；andhewassmilingtremulouslyashefilledandlithispipe。Shebroughtthecrochetedscarfandputitabouthisshouldersagain，thentookachairnearhim。
"IbelieveseeingMr。Lambdiddoyougood。papa，"shesaid。
"Isortofthoughtitmight，andthat"swhyIlethimcomeup。
Youreallylookalittlelikeyouroldselfagain。"
Adamsexhaledabreathy"Ha!"withthesmokefromhispipeashewavedthematchtoextinguishit。"That"sfine，"hesaid。"ThesmokeIhadbeforedinnerdidn"ttastethewayitusedto，andI
kindofwonderedifI"dlostmylikingfortobacco，butthisoneseemstobeallright。YoubetitdidmegoodtoseeJ。A。
Lamb!He"sthebiggestmanthat"severlivedinthistownoreverwilllivehere；andyoucantakealltheGovernorsandSenatorsoranythingthey"veraisedhere，andput"eminapotwithhim，andtheywon"tcomeoutone-two-threealongsideo"him!
Andtothinkasbigamanasthat，withallhisinterestsandeverythinghe"sgotonhismind——tothinkhe"dneverletanythingpreventhimfromcominghereonceeveryweektoaskhowIwasgettingalong，andthenwalkrightupstairsandkindofCALLonme，asitwerewell，itmakesmesortoffeelasifIwasn"tsomuchofanobody，sotospeak，asyourmotherseemstoliketomakeoutsometimes。"
"Howfoolish，papa!OfCOURSEyou"renot"anobody。""
Adamschuckledfaintlyuponhispipe-stem，whatvanityhehadseemingtobefurtherstimulatedbyhisdaughter"sapplause。"I
guesstherearen"tawholelotofpeopleinthistownthatcouldclaimJ。A。showedthatmuchinterestin"em，"hesaid。"OfcourseIdon"tsetuptobelieveit"sallbecauseofmerit，oranythinglikethat。He"ddothesameforanybodyelsethat"dbeenwiththecompanyaslongasIhave，butstillitIS
somethingtobewiththecompanythatlongandhavehimshowheappreciatesit。"
"Yes，indeed，itis，papa。"
"Yes，sir，"Adamssaid，reflectively。"Yes，sir，Iguessthat"sso。Andbesides，itallgoestoshowthekindofamanheis。
Simonpure，that"swhatthatmanis，Alice。Simonpure!There"sneverbeenanybodyworkforhimthatdidn"trespecthimmorethantheydidanyothermanintheworld，Iguess。Andwhenyouworkforhimyouknowherespectsyou，too。RightfromthestartyougetthefeelingthatJ。A。putsabsoluteconfidenceinyou；andthat"smightystimulating:itmakesyouwanttoshowhimhehasn"tmisplacedit。There"sgreatbigmoralvaluestothewayamanlikehimgetsyoutofeelingaboutyourrelationswiththebusiness:itain"talljustdollarsandcents——notbyanymeans!"
Hewassilentforatime，thenreturnedwithincreasingenthusiasmtothistheme，andAlicewasgladtoseesomuchrenewaloflifeinhim；hehadnotspokenwithalikecheerfulvigoursincebeforehisillness。Thevisitofhisidolizedgreatmanhadindeedbeengoodforhim，puttingnewspiritintohim；
andlivelinessofthebodyfollowedthatofthespirit。Hisimprovementcarriedoverthenight:hesleptwellandawokelate，declaringthathewas"prettynearawellmanandreadyforbusinessrightnow。"Moreover，havingsleptagainintheafternoon，hedressedandwentdowntodinner，leaningbutlightlyonAlice，whoconductedhim。
"My!butyouandyourmotherhavebeenatitwithyourscrubbinganddusting!"hesaid，astheycamethroughthe"living-room。"
"Idon"tknowIeverdidseethehousesospickandspanbefore!"
Hisglancefelluponafewcarnationsinavase，andhechuckledadmiringly。"Flowers，too!SoTHAT"Swhatyoucoaxedthatdollarandahalfouto"mefor，thismorning!"
Otherembellishmentsbroughtforthhiscommentwhenhehadtakenhisoldseatattheheadofthesmalldinner-table。"Why，I
declare，Alice!"heexclaimed。"Ibeensobusylookingatallthespick-and-spanishnessafterthehouse-cleaning，andtheflowersoutintheparlour——"living-room"Isupposeyouwantmetocallit，ifIjustGOTtobefashionable——Ibeensobusystudyingoverallthisso-and-so，IdeclareInevernoticedYOU
tillthisminute!My，butyouAREalldressedup!What"sgoin"
on？What"sitabout:yousoalldressedup，andflowersintheparlourandeverything？"
"Don"tyousee，papa？It"sinhonourofyourcomingdownstairsagain，ofcourse。"
"Oh，sothat"sit，"hesaid。"Ineverwould"a"thoughtofthat，Iguess。"
ButWalterlookedsidelongathisfather，andgaveforthhisslyandknowinglaugh。"NeitherwouldI!"hesaid。
Adamsliftedhiseyebrowsjocosely。"You"rejealous，areyou，sonny？Youdon"twanttheoldmantothinkouryounglady"dmakesomuchfussoverhim，doyou？"
"Goonthinkin"it"soveryou，"Walterretorted，amused。"Goonandthinkit。It"lldoyougood。"
"OfcourseI"llthinkit，"Adamssaid。"Itisn"tanybody"sbirthday。Certainlythedecorationsareonaccountofmecomingdownstairs。Didn"tyouhearAlicesayso？"
"Sure，Iheardhersayso。"
"Well，then——"
Walterinterruptedhimwithalittlemusic。LookingshrewdlyatAlice，hesang:
"Iwaswalkin"outonMondaywithmysweetthing。
She"smyneatthing，Mysweetthing:
I"llgoroundonTuesdaynighttoseeher。
Oh，howwe"llspoon——"
"Walter!"hismothercried。"WHEREdoyoulearnsuchvulgarsongs？"However，sheseemednotgreatlydispleasedwithhim，andlaughedasshespoke。
"Sothat"sit，Alice!"saidAdams。"Playingthehypocritewithyouroldman，areyou？It"ssomenewbeau，isit？"
"Ionlywishitwere，"shesaid，calmly。"No。It"sjustwhatI
said:it"sallforyou。dear。"
"Don"tletherconyou，"Walteradvisedhisfather。"She"sgotexpectations。Youhangarounddownstairsawhileafterdinnerandyou"llsee。"
Buttheprophecyfailed，thoughAdamswenttohisownroomwithoutwaitingtotestit。Noonecame。
Alicestayedinthe"living-room"untilhalf-pastnine，whenshewentslowlyupstairs。Hermother，almosttearful，metheratthetop，andwhispered，"Youmustn"tmind，dearie。"
"Mustn"tmindwhat？"Aliceasked，andthen，asshewentonherway，laughedscornfully。"Whatutternonsense!"shesaid。
Nextdayshecutthestemsoftheratherscantshowofcarnationsandrefreshedthemwithnewwater。Atdinner，herfather，stillinhighspirits，observedthatshehadagain"dressedup"inhonourofhisseconddescentofthestairs；andWalterrepeatedhisfragmentofobjectionablesong；butthesejocularitieswererenderedpointlessbytheeventlesseveningthatfollowed；andinthemorningthecarnationsbegantoappeartarnishedandflaccid。
Alicegavethemalonglook，thenthrewthemaway；andneitherWalternorherfatherwasinspiredtoanyrallyingbyherplaincostumeforthatevening。Mrs。Adamswasvisiblydepressed。
WhenAlicefinishedhelpinghermotherwiththedishes，shewentoutdoorsandsatuponthestepsofthelittlefrontveranda。Thenight，gentlewithwarmairfromthesouth，surroundedherpleasantly，andtheperpetualsmokewasthinner。Nowthatthefurnacesofdwelling-houseswerenolongerfired，lifeinthatcityhadbeguntobelesslikelifeinarailwaytunnel；peoplewereawareofsummerintheair，andinthethickenedfoliageoftheshade-trees，andinthesky。Starswereunveiledbythepassingofthedensersmokefogs，andto-nighttheycouldbeseenclearly；theylookedwarmandnear。OthergirlssatuponverandasandstoopsinAlice"sstreet，cheerfulasyoungfishermenalongthebanksofastream。
Alicecouldhearthemfromtimetotime；thinsopranospersistentinlaughterthatfelldismallyuponherears。Shehadsetnolinesornetsherself，andwhatshehadof"expectations，"asWaltercalledthem，werevanished。ForAlicewasexperienced；
andoneoftheconclusionsshedrewfromherexperiencewasthatwhenamansays，"I"dtakeyouforanythingyouwantedmeto，"hemaymeanitor，hemaynot；but，ifhedoes，hewillnotpostponethefirstopportunitytosaysomethingmore。Littleaffairs，oncebegun，mustbewarmedquickly；foriftheycooltheyaredead。
ButAlicewasnotthinkingofArthurRussell。Whenshetossedawaythecarnationsshelikewisetossedawayherthoughtsofthatyoungman。Shehadbeenlikeaboywhoseesuponthestreet，somedistancebeforehim，abitofsomethingroundandglittering，apossibledime。Hehopesitisadime，and，untilhecomesnearenoughtomakesure，heplaysthatitisadime。
Inhismindhehasanadventurewithit:hebuyssomethingdelightful。Ifhepicksitup，discoveringonlysometin-foilwhichhashappeneduponaroundshape，hefeelsasinking。A
dulnessfallsuponhim。
SoAlicewasdullwiththelossofanadventure；andwhenthelaughterofothergirlsreachedher，intermittently，shehadnotsprightlinessenoughleftinhertobeenviousoftheirgaiety。
Besides，theseneighbourswereineligibleevenforherenvy，beingofanothercaste；theycouldneverknowadanceatthePalmers"，exceptremotely，throughanewspaper。Theirlaughterwasfortheencouragementofsnappyyoungmenofthestoresandofficesdown-town，clerks，bookkeepers，whatnot——someofthemprobablygraduatesofFrincke"sBusinessCollege。
Then，assherecalledthatdarkportal，withitsdustystairwaymountingbetweenclosewallstodisappearintheuppershadows，herminddrewbackasfromadoorwaytoPurgatory。Nevertheless，itwasapictureofteninherreverie；andsometimesitcamesuddenly，withoutsequence，intothemidstofherotherthoughts，asifitleapedupamongthemfromalowerdarkness；andwhenitarriveditwantedtostay。Soatraveller，stillroamingtheworldafar，sometimesbroodswithoutapparentreasonuponhisfamilyburiallot:"IwonderifIshallendthere。"
Theforebodingpassedabruptly，withajerkofherbreath，asthestreet-lamprevealedatallandeasyfigureapproachingfromthenorth，swingingastickintimetoitsstride。ShehadgivenRussellup——andhecame。
"Whatluckforme!"heexclaimed。"Tofindyoualone!"
Alicegavehimherhandforaninstant，nototherwisemoving。
"I"mgladithappenedso，"shesaid。"Let"sstayouthere，shallwe？Doyouthinkit"stooprovincialtositonagirl"sfrontstepswithher？"
""Provincial？"Why，it"stheverybestofourinstitutions，"hereturned，takinghisplacebesideher。"Atleast，Ithinksoto-night。"
"Thanks!Isthatpracticeforothernightssomewhereelse？"
"No，"helaughed。"Thepracticingallleduptothis。DidI
cometoosoon？"
"No，"shereplied，gravely。"Justintime!"
"I"mgladtobesoaccurate；I"vespenttwoeveningswantingtocome，MissAdams，insteadofdoingwhatIwasdoing。"
"Whatwasthat？"
"Dinners。Largeandlongdinners。Yourfellow-citizensareimmenselyhospitabletoanewcomer。"
"Oh，no，"Alicesaid。"Wedon"tdoitforeverybody。Didn"tyoufindyourselfcharmed？"
"Onewasamen"sdinner，"heexplained。"Mr。PalmerseemedtothinkIoughttobeshowntotheprincipalbusinessmen。"
"Whatwastheotherdinner？"
"MycousinMildredgaveit。"
"Oh，DIDshe!"Alicesaid，sharply，butsherecoveredherselfinthesameinstant，andlaughed。"Shewantedtoshowyoutotheprincipalbusinesswomen，Isuppose。"
"Idon"tknow。Atallevents，Ishouldn"tgivemyselfouttobesomuchfetedbyyour"fellow-citizens，"afterall，seeingthesewerebothdonebymyrelatives，thePalmers。However，thereareotherstofollow，I"mafraid。Iwaswondering——Ihopedmaybeyou"dbecomingtosomeofthem。Aren"tyou？"
"Iratherdoubtit，"Alicesaid，slowly。"Mildred"sdancewasalmosttheonlyeveningI"vegoneoutsincemyfather"sillnessbegan。Heseemedbetterthatday；soIwent。Hewasbettertheotherdaywhenhewantedthosecigars。He"sverymuchupanddown。"Shepaused。"I"dalmostforgottenthatMildredisyourcousin。"
"Notaverynearone，"heexplained。"Mr。Palmer"sfatherwasmygreat-uncle。"
"Still，ofcourseyouarerelated。"
"Yes；thatdistantly。"
Alicesaidplacidly，"It"squiteanadvantage。"
Heagreed。"Yes。Itis。"
"No，"shesaid，inthesameplacidtone。"ImeanforMildred。"
"Idon"tsee——"
Shelaughed。"No。Youwouldn"t。Imeanit"sanadvantageovertherestofuswhomightliketocompeteforsomeofyourtime；
andtheworstofitiswecan"taccuseherofbeingunfairaboutit。Wecan"tprovesheshowedanytrickinessinhavingyouforacousin。Whateverelseshemightplantodowithyou，shedidn"tplanthat。Sotherestofusmustjustbearit!"
"The"restofyou!""helaughed。"It"sgoingtomeanagreatdealofsuffering!"
Aliceresumedherplacidtone。"You"restayingatthePalmers"，aren"tyou？"
"No，notnow。I"vetakenanapartment。I"mgoingtolivehere；
I"mpermanent。Didn"tItellyou？"
"IthinkI"dheardsomewherethatyouwere，"shesaid。"Doyouthinkyou"lllikelivinghere？"
"Howcanonetell？"
"IfIwereinyourplaceIthinkIshouldbeabletotell，Mr。
Russell。"
"How？"
"Why，goodgracious!"shecried。"Haven"tyougotthemostperfectcreatureintownforyour——yourcousin？SHEexpectstomakeyoulikelivinghere，doesn"tshe？Howcouldyoukeepfromlikingit，evenifyoutriednotto，underthecircumstances？"
"Well，yousee，there"ssuchalotofcircumstances，"heexplained；"I"mnotsureI"lllikegettingbackintoabusinessagain。Isupposemostofthemenofmyageinthecountryhavebeengoingthroughthesameexperience:theWarleftuswithaconsiderablerestlessnessofspirit。"
"YouwereintheWar？"sheasked，quickly，andasquicklyansweredherself，"Ofcourseyouwere!"
"Iwasaleft-over；theyonlyletmeoutaboutfourmonthsago，"
hesaid。"It"squiteashake-uptryingtosettledownagain。"
"YouwereinFrance，then？"
"Oh，yes；butIdidn"tgetuptothefrontmuch——onlytwoorthreetimes，andthenjustforadayorso。Iwasinthetransportationservice。"
"Youwereanofficer，ofcourse。"
"Yes，"hesaid。"TheyletmeplayIwasamajor。"
"Iguessedamajor，"shesaid。"You"dalwaysbeprettygrand，ofcourse。"
Russellwasamused。"Well，yousee，"heinformedher，"asithappened，wehadatleastseveralothermajorsinourarmy。WhywouldIalwaysbesomething"prettygrand？""
"You"rerelatedtothePalmers。Don"tyounoticetheyalwaysaffecttheprettygrand？"
"ThenyouthinkI"monlyoneoftheiraffectations，Itakeit。"
"Yes，youseemtobethemostsuccessfulonethey"vegot!"Alicesaid，lightly。"Youcertainlydobelongtothem。"Andshelaughedasifatsomethinghiddenfromhim。"Don"tyou？"
"Butyou"vejustexcusedmeforthat，"heprotested。"Yousaidnobodycouldbeblamedformybeingtheirthirdcousin。Whatacontradictorygirlyouare!"
Aliceshookherhead。"Let"skeepawayfromthekindofgirlI
am。"
"No，"hesaid。"That"sjustwhatIcameheretotalkabout。"
Sheshookherheadagain。"Let"skeepfirsttothekindofmanyouare。I"mgladyouwereintheWar。"
"Why？"
"Oh，Idon"tknow。"Shewasquietamoment，forshewasthinkingthathereshespokethetruth:hisserviceputabouthimalittleglamourthathelpedtopleaseherwithhim。Shehadbeenpleasedwithhimduringtheirwalk；pleasedwithhimonhisownaccount；
andnowthatpleasurewasgrowingkeener。Shelookedathim，andthoughthelightinwhichshesawhimwaslittlemorethanstarlight，shesawthathewaslookingsteadilyatherwithakindlyandsmilingseriousness。Allatonceitseemedtoherthatthenightairwassweetertobreathe，asifadistantfragranceofnewblossomshadbeenblowntoher。Shesmiledbacktohim，andsaid，"Well，whatkindofmanareyou？"
"Idon"tknow；I"veoftenwondered，"hereplied。"Whatkindofgirlareyou？"
"Don"tyouremember？Itoldyoutheotherday。I"mjustme!"
"Butwhoisthat？"
"Youforgeteverything；"saidAlice。"YoutoldmewhatkindofagirlIam。Youseemedtothinkyou"dtakenquiteafancytomefromtheveryfirst。"
"SoIdid，"heagreed，heartily。
"Buthowquicklyyouforgotit!"
"Oh，no。IonlywantYOUtosaywhatkindofagirlyouare。"
Shemockedhim。""Idon"tknow；I"veoftenwondered!"WhatkindofagirldoesMildredtellyouIam？WhathasshesaidaboutmesinceshetoldyouIwas"aMissAdams？""
"Idon"tknow；Ihaven"taskedher。"
"ThenDON"Taskher，"Alicesaid，quickly。
"Why？"
"Becauseshe"ssuchaperfectcreatureandI"msuchanimperfectone。Perfectcreatureshavethemostperfectwayofruiningtheimperfectones。"
"Butthentheywouldn"tbeperfect。Notifthey——"
"Oh，yes，theyremainperfectlyperfect，"sheassuredhim。
"That"sbecausetheynevergointodetails。They"renotsovulgarastocomerightoutandTELLthatyou"vebeeninjailforstealingchickens。Theyjustlookabsent-mindedandsayinalowvoice，"Oh，very；butIscarcelythinkyou"dlikeherparticularly"；andthenbegintotalkofsomethingelserightaway。"
Hissmilehaddisappeared。"Yes，"hesaid，somewhatruefully。
"ThatdoessoundlikeMildred。Youcertainlydoseemtoknowher!Doyouknoweverybodyaswellasthat？"
"Notmyself，"Alicesaid。"Idon"tknowmyselfatall。Igottowonderingaboutthat——aboutwhoIwas——theotherdayafteryouwalkedhomewithme。"
Heutteredanexclamation，andadded，explainingit，"Youdogiveamanachancetobefatuous，though!Asifitwerewalkinghomewithmethatmadeyouwonderaboutyourself!"
"Itwas，"Aliceinformedhim，coolly。"IwaswonderingwhatI
wantedtomakeyouthinkofme，incaseIshouldeverhappentoseeyouagain。"
Thisaudacityappearedtotakehisbreath。"ByGeorge!"hecried。
"Youmustn"tbeastonished，"shesaid。"WhatIdecidedthenwasthatIwouldprobablyneverdaretobejustmyselfwithyou——notifIcaredtohaveyouwanttoseemeagain——andyethereIam，justbeingmyselfafterall!"
"YouAREthecheeriestseriesofshocks，"Russellexclaimed，whereuponAliceaddedtotheseries。
"Tellme:Isitagoodpolicyformetofollowwithyou？"sheasked，andhefoundthemockeryinhervoicedelightful。"Wouldyouadvisemetoofferyoushocksasasortofvacationfromsuavity？"
"Suavity"wasyetanothersketchofMildred；arecognizableone，oritwouldnothavebeenhumorous。InAlice"shands，sodexterousinthiswork，herstatuesquefriendwasbecomingasridiculousasafinefigureofwaxlefttothemerciesofasatirist。
Butthelivelyyoungsculptressknewbetterthantooverdo:whatshedidmustappeartospringallfrommirth；soshelaughedasifunwillingly，andsaid，"IMUSTN"TlaughatMildred!Inthefirstplace，she"syour——yourcousin。Andinthesecondplace，she"snotmeanttobefunny；itisn"trighttolaughatreallysplendidpeoplewhotakethemselvesseriously。Inthethirdplace，youwon"tcomeagainifIdo。"
"Don"tbesureofthat，"Russellsaid，"whateveryoudo。"
""WhateverIdo？""sheechoed。"ThatsoundsasifyouthoughtI
COULDbeterrific!Becareful；there"sonethingIcoulddothatwouldkeepyouaway。"
"What"sthat？"
"Icouldtellyounottocome，"shesaid。"IwonderifIoughtto。"
"Whydoyouwonderifyou"oughtto？""
"Don"tyouguess？"
"No。"
"Thenlet"sbothbemysteriestoeachother，"shesuggested。"I
mystifyyoubecauseIwonder，andyoumystifymebecauseyoudon"tguesswhyIwonder。We"llletitgoatthat，shallwe？"
"Verywell；solongasit"scertainthatyouDON"Ttellmenottocomeagain。"
"I"llnottellyouthat——yet，"shesaid。"Infact——"Shepaused，reflecting，withherheadtooneside。"Infact，Iwon"ttellyounottocome，probably，untilIseethat"swhatyouwantmetotellyou。I"llletyououteasily——andI"llbesuretoseeit。Evenbeforeyoudo，perhaps。"
"Thatarrangementsuitsme，"Russellreturned，andhisvoiceheldnotraceofjocularity:hehadbecomeserious。"Itsuitsmebetterifyou"reenoughinearnesttomeanthatIcancome——oh，notwheneverIwantto；Idon"texpectsomuch!——butifyoumeanthatIcanseeyouprettyoften。"
"OfcourseI"minearnest，"shesaid。"ButbeforeIsayyoucancome"prettyoften，"I"dliketoknowhowmuchofmytimeyou"dneedifyoudidcome"wheneveryouwantto"；andofcourseyouwouldn"tdaremakeanyanswertothatquestionexceptone。
Wouldn"tyouletmehaveThursdaysout？"
"No，no，"heprotested。"Iwanttoknow。Willyouletmecomeprettyoften？"
"Leantowardmealittle，"Alicesaid。"Iwantyoutounderstand。"Andasheobedientlybenthisheadnearhers，sheinclinedtowardhimasiftowhisper；then，inahalf-shout，shecried，"YES!"
Heclappedhishands。"ByGeorge!"hesaid。"Whatagirlyouare!"
"Why？"
"Well，forthefirstreason，becauseyouhavesuchgaietiesasthatone。Ishouldthinkyourfatherwouldactuallylikebeingill，justtobeinthehousewithyouallthetime。"
"Youmeanbythat，"Aliceinquired，"Ikeepmyfamilycheerfulwithmyamusinglittleways？"
"Yes。Don"tyou？"
"Therewereonlyboysinyourfamily，weren"tthere，Mr。
Russell？"
"Iwasanonlychild，unfortunately。"
"Yes，"shesaid。"Iseeyouhadn"tanysisters。"
Foramomenthepuzzledoverhermeaning，thensawit，andwasmoredelightedwithherthanever。"Icanansweraquestionofyours，now，thatIcouldn"tawhileago。"
"Yes，Iknow，"shereturned，quietly。
"Buthowcouldyouknow？"
"It"sthequestionIaskedyouaboutwhetheryouweregoingtolikelivinghere，"shesaid。"You"reabouttotellmethatnowyouknowyouWILLlikeit。"
"Moretelepathy!"heexclaimed。"Yes，thatwasit，precisely。I
supposethesamething"sbeensaidtoyousomanytimesthatyou——"
"No，ithasn"t，"Alicesaid，alittleconfusedforthemoment。
"Notatall。Imeant——"Shepaused，thenaskedinagentlevoice，"Wouldyoureallyliketoknow？"
"Yes。"
"Well，then，Iwasonlyafraidyoudidn"tmeanit。"
"Seehere，"hesaid。"Ididmeanit。Itoldyouitwasbeingprettydifficultformetosettledowntothingsagain。Well，it"smoredifficultthanyouknow，butIthinkIcanpullthroughinfairspiritsifIcanseeagirllikeyou"prettyoften。""
"Allright，"shesaid，inabusiness-liketone。"I"vetoldyouthatyoucanifyouwantto。"
"Idowantto，"heassuredher。"Ido，indeed!"
"Howoftenis"prettyoften，"Mr。Russell？"
"Wouldyouwalkwithmesometimes？To-morrow？"
"Sometimes。Notto-morrow。Thedayafter。"
"That"ssplendid!"hesaid。"You"llwalkwithmedayafterto-morrow，andthenightafterthatI"llseeyouatMissLamb"sdance，won"tI？"
ButthisfellratherchillinglyuponAlice。"MissLamb"sdance？
WhichMissLamb？"sheasked。
"Idon"tknow——it"stheonethat"sjustcomingoutofmourning。"
"Oh，Henrietta——yes。Isherdancesosoon？I"dforgotten。"
"You"llbethere，won"tyou？"heasked。"Pleasesayyou"regoing。"
Alicedidnotrespondatonce，andheurgedheragain:"Pleasedopromiseyou"llbethere。"
"No，Ican"tpromiseanything，"shesaid，slowly。"Yousee，foronething，papamightnotbewellenough。"
"Butifheis？"saidRussell。"Ifheisyou"llsurelycome，won"tyou？Or，perhaps——"Hehesitated，thenwentonquickly，"Idon"tknowtherulesinthisplaceyet，anddifferentplaceshavedifferentrules；butdoyouhavetohaveachaperone，ordon"tgirlsjustgotodanceswiththemensometimes？Iftheydo，wouldyou——wouldyouletmetakeyou？"
Alicewasstartled。"Goodgracious!"
"What"sthematter？"
"Don"tyouthinkyourrelatives——Aren"tyouexpectedtogowithMildred——andMrs。Palmer？"
"Notnecessarily。Itdoesn"tmatterwhatImightbeexpectedtodo，"hesaid。"Willyougowithme？"
"I——No；Icouldn"t。"
"Whynot？"
"Ican"t。I"mnotgoing。"
"Butwhy？"
"Papa"snotreallyanybetter，"Alicesaid，huskily。"I"mtooworriedabouthimtogotoadance。"Hervoicesoundedemotional，genuinelyenough；therewassomethingalmostlikeasobinit。"Let"stalkofotherthings，please。"
Heacquiescedgently；butMrs。Adams，whohadbeenlisteningtotheconversationattheopenwindow，justoverhead，didnothearhim。ShehadcorrectlyinterpretedthesobinAlice"svoice，and，tremblingwithsuddenanger，sherosefromherknees，andwentfiercelytoherhusband"sroom。