第8章
CHAPTERXIII
Hehadnotundressed，andhesatbesidethetable，smokinghispipeandreadinghisnewspaper。Uponhisforeheadthelinesinthatoldpattern，thehistoricalmapofhistroubles，hadgrownalittlevaguerlately；relaxedbythecomplacencyofamanwhonotonlyfindshishealthrestored，butseesthedaysbeforehimpromisingoncemoreafamiliarroutinethathehasalwayslikedtofollow。
Ashiswifecamein，closingthedoorbehindher，helookedupcheerfully，"Well，mother，"hesaid，"what"sthenewsdownstairs？"
"That"swhatIcametotellyou，"sheinformedhim，grimly。
Adamsloweredhisnewspapertohiskneeandpeeredoverhisspectaclesather。Shehadremainedbythedoor，standing，andthegreatgreenishshadowofthesmalllamp-shadeuponhistablerevealedherbutdubiously。"Isn"teverythingallright？"heasked。"What"sthematter？"
"Don"tworry:I"mgoingtotellyou，"shesaid，hergrimnessnotrelaxed。"There"smatterenough，VirgilAdams。Matterenoughtomakemesickofbeingalive!"
Withthat，themarkingsonhisbrowsbegantoemergeagaininalltheirsharpness；theoldpatternreappeared。"Oh，my，my!"helamented。"Ithoughtmaybewewereallgoingtosettledowntoalittlepeaceforawhile。What"sitaboutnow？"
"It"saboutAlice。DidyouthinkitwasaboutMEoranythingforMYSELF？"
Likesomereadyoldmachine，alwaysinorder，hisirritabilityrespondedimmediatelyandautomaticallytoheremotion。"HowinthundercouldIthinkwhatit"sabout，orwhoit"sfor？SAYit，andgetitover!"
"Oh，I"ll"say"it，"shepromised，ominously。"WhatI"vecometoaskyouis，Howmuchlongerdoyouexpectmetoputupwiththatoldmanandhisdoings？"
"Whosedoings？Whatoldman？"
Shecameathim，fiercelyaccusing。"Youknowwellenoughwhatoldman，VirgilAdams!Thatoldmanwhowasheretheothernight。"
"Mr。Lamb？"
"Yes；"MisterLamb!""Shemockedhisvoice。"WhatotheroldmanwouldIbelikelytomeanexceptJ。A。Lamb？"
"What"shebeendoingnow？"herhusbandinquired，satirically。
"Where"dyougetsomethingnewagainsthimsincethelasttimeyou——"
"Justthis!"shecried。"Theothernightwhenthatmanwashere，ifI"dknownhowhewasgoingtomakemychildsuffer，I"dneverhavelethimsethisfootinmyhouse。"
Adamsleanedbackinhischairasthoughherabsurdityhadeasedhismind。"Oh，Isee，"hesaid。"You"vejustgoneplaincrazy。
That"stheonlyexplanationofsuchtalk，anditsuitsthecase。"
"Hasn"tthatmanmadeusallsuffereverydayofourlives？"shedemanded。"I"dliketoknowwhyitisthatmylifeandmychildren"sliveshavetobesacrificedtohim？"
"Howarethey"sacrificed"tohim？"
"Becauseyoukeeponworkingforhim!Becauseyoukeeponlettinghimhandoutwhatevermiserablelittlepittancehechoosestogiveyou；that"swhy!It"sasifheweresomehorribleoldJuggernautandIhadtoseemychildren"sownfatherthrowingthemunderthewheelstokeephimsatisfied。"
"Iwon"thearanymoresuchstuff!"Liftinghispaper，Adamsaffectedtoread。
"You"dbetterlistentome，"sheadmonishedhim。"Youmightbesorryyoudidn"t，incaseheevertriedtosetfootinmyhouseagain!ImighttellhimtohisfacewhatIthinkofhim。"
Atthis，Adamsslappedthenewspaperdownuponhisknee。"Oh，thedevil!What"sitmatterwhatyouthinkofhim？"
"Ithadbettermattertoyou!"shecried。"DoyousupposeI"mgoingtosubmitforevertohimandhisfamilyandwhatthey"redoingtomychild？"
"Whatareheandhisfamilydoingto"yourchild？""
Mrs。Adamscameoutwithit。"ThatsnippylittleHenriettaLambhasalwayssnubbedAliceeverytimeshe"severhadthechance。
She"sfollowedtheleadoftheothergirls；they"vealwaysallof"embeenjealousofAlicebecauseshedaredtotryandbehappy，andbecauseshe"sshowierandbetter-lookingthantheyare，eventhoughyoudogiveheronlyaboutthirty-fivecentsayeartodoiton!They"vealldoneeverythingonearththeycouldtodrivetheyoungmenawayfromherandbelittleherto"em；andthismeanlittleHenriettaLamb"sbeentheworstofthewholecrowdtoAlice，everytimeshecouldseeachance。"
"Whatfor？"Adamsasked，incredulously。"WhyshouldsheoranybodyelsepickonAlice？"
""Why？""Whatfor？""hiswiferepeatedwithagreatervehemence。
"DoYOUaskmesuchathingasthat？Doyoureallywanttoknow？"
"Yes；I"dwanttoknow——IwouldifIbelievedit。"
"ThenI"lltellyou，"shesaidinacoldfury。"It"sonaccountofyou，Virgil，andnothingelseintheworld。"
Hehootedather。"Oh，yes!Thesegirlsdon"tlikeME，sotheypickonAlice。"
"Quityourpalaveringandevading，"shesaid。"Acrowdofgirlslikethat，whentheygetaprettygirllikeAliceamongthem，theyactjustlikewildbeasts。They"lltearhertopieces，orelsethey"llchaseherandrunherout，becausetheyknowifshehadhalfachanceshe"doutshine"em。Theycan"tdothattoagirllikeMildredPalmerbecauseshe"sgotmoneyandfamilytobackher。Nowyoulistentome，VirgilAdams:thewaytheworldisnow，moneyISfamily。Alicewouldhavejustasmuch"family"
asanyof"emeverysinglebit——ifyouhadn"tfallenbehindintherace。"
"HowdidI——"
"Yes，youdid!"shecried。"Twenty-fiveyearsagowhenwewerestartingandthistownwassmaller，youandIcouldhavegonewithanyof"emifwe"dtriedhardenough。Lookatthepeopleweknewthenthatdoholdtheirheadsupalongsideofanybodyinthistown!WHYcanthey？Becausethemenofthosefamiliesmademoneyandgavetheirchildreneverythingthatmakeslifeworthliving!Whycan"tweholdourheadsup？Becausethosemenpassedyouintherace。Theywentuptheladder，andyou——you"restillaclerkdownatthatoldhole!"
"Youleavethatout，please，"hesaid。"IthoughtyouweregoingtotellmesomethingHenriettaLambhaddonetoourAlice。"
"YouBETI"mgoingtotellyou，"sheassuredhim，vehemently。
"ButfirstI"mtellingWHYshedoesit。It"sbecauseyou"venevergivenAliceanybackingnoranybackground，andtheyallknowtheycandoanythingtheyliketoherwithperfectimpunity。
IfshehadthehundredthpartofwhatTHEYhavetofallbackonshe"dhavemade"emsingamightydifferentsonglongago!"
"Howwouldshe？"
"Oh，myheavens，butyou"reslow!"Mrs。Adamsmoaned。"Lookhere!Yourememberhowpracticallyallthenicestboysinthistownusedtocomehereafewyearsago。Why，theywereallcrazyoverher；andthegirlsHADtobenicetoherthen。Lookatthedifferencenow!There"llbeawholemonthgobyandnotayoungmancometocallonher，letalonesendhercandyorflowers，oreverthinkofTAKINGheranyplaceandyetshe"sprettierandbrighterthanshewaswhentheyusedtocome。Itisn"tthechild"sfaultshecouldn"thold"em，isit？Poorthing，SHE
triedhardenough!Isupposeyou"dsayitwasherfault，though。"
"No；Iwouldn"t。"
"Thenwhosefaultisit？"
"Oh，mine，mine，"hesaid，wearily。"Idrovetheyoungmenaway，ofcourse。"
"Youmightaswellhavedriven"em，Virgil。Itamountstojustthesamething。"
"Howdoesit？"
"Becauseastheygotolderagoodmanyof"embegantothinkmoreaboutmoney；that"sonething。Money"satthebottomofitall，forthatmatter。Lookatthesecountryclubsandallsuchthings:theothergirls"familiesbelongandwedon"t，andAlicedon"t；andshecan"tgounlesssomebodytakesher，andnobodydoesanymore。Lookattheothergirls"houses，andthenlookatourhouse，soshabbyandold-fashionedshe"dbeprettynearashamedtoaskanybodytocomeinandsitdownnowadays!Lookatherclothes——oh，yes；youthinkyoushelledoutalotforthatlittlecoatofhersandthehatandskirtshegotlastMarch；butit"snothing。Someofthesegirlsnowadaysspendmorethanyourwholesalaryontheirclothes。Andwhatjewelleryhasshegot？
Aplatedwatchandtwoorthreelittlepinsandringsofthekindpeople"smaidswouldn"twearnow。GoodLord，VirgilAdams，wakeup!Don"tsitthereandtellmeyoudon"tknowthingslikethismeanSUFFERINGforthechild!"
Hehadbeguntorubhishandswretchedlybackandforthoverhisbonyknees，asifinthatwayhesomewhatalleviatedthetediumcausedbyherrackingvoice。"Oh，my，my!"hemuttered。"OH，my，my!"
"Yes，IshouldthinkyouWOULDsay"Oh，my，my!""shetookhimup，loudly。"Thatdoesn"thelpthingsmuch!IfyoueverwantedtoDOanythingaboutit，thepoorchildmightseesomegleamofhopeinherlife。Youdon"tCAREforher，that"sthetrouble；
youdon"tcareasinglethingabouther。"
"Idon"t？"
"No；youdon"t。Why，evenwithyourmiserablelittlesalaryyoucouldhavegivenhermorethanyouhave。You"retheclosestmanIeverknew:it"slikepullingteethtogetadollaroutofyouforher，nowandthen，andyetyouhidesomeaway，everymonthorso，insomewretchedlittleinvestmentorother。You——"
"Lookhere，now，"heinterrupted，angrily。"Youlookhere!IfI
didn"tputalittlebywheneverIcould，inabondorsomething，wherewouldyoubeifanythinghappenedtome？Theinsurancedoctorsneverpassedme；YOUknowthat。Haven"twegottohaveSOMETHINGtofallbackon？"
"Yes，wehave!"shecried。"Weoughttohavesomethingtogoonwithrightnow，too，whenweneedit。DoyousupposethesesnippetswouldtreatAlicethewaytheydoifshecouldaffordtoENTERTAIN？Theyleaveheroutoftheirdinnersanddancessimplybecausetheyknowshecan"tgiveanydinnersanddancestoleavethemoutof!Theyknowshecan"tgetEVEN，andthat"sthewholestory!That"swhyHenriettaLamb"sdonethisthingtohernow。"
Adamshadgonebacktohisrubbingofhisknees。"Oh，my，my!"
hesaid。"WHATthing？"
Shetoldhim。"Yourdear，grand，oldMisterLamb"sHenriettahassentoutinvitationsforalargeparty——aLARGEone。Everybodythatisanybodyinthistownisasked，youcanbesure。There"saveryfineyoungman，aMr。Russell，hasjustcometotown，andhe"sinterestedinAlice，andhe"saskedhertogotothisdancewithhim。Well，Alicecan"taccept。Shecan"tgowithhim，thoughshe"dgiveanythingintheworldtodoit。Doyouunderstand？Thereasonshecan"tisbecauseHenriettaLambhasn"tinvitedher。DoyouwanttoknowwhyHenriettahasn"tinvitedher？It"sbecausesheknowsAlicecan"tgeteven，andbecauseshethinksAliceoughttobesnubbedlikethisonaccountofonlybeingthedaughterofoneofhergrandfather"sclerks。I
HOPEyouunderstand!"
"Oh，my，my!"hesaid。"OH，my，my!"
"That"syoursweetoldemployer，"hiswifecried，tauntingly。
"That"syourdear，kind，grandoldMisterLamb!Alicehasbeenleftoutofagoodmanysmallerthings，likebigdinnersandlittledances，butthisisjustthesameasservinghernoticethatshe"soutofeverything!Andit"salldonebyyourdear，grandold——"
"Lookhere!"Adamsexclaimed。"Idon"twanttohearanymoreofthat!Youcan"tholdhimresponsibleforeverythinghisgrandchildrendo，Iguess!Heprobablydoesn"tknowathingaboutit。Youdon"tsupposehe"stroublingHISheadover——"
Butsheburstoutathimpassionately。"SupposeyoutroubleYOUR
headaboutit!You"dbetter，VirgilAdams!You"dbetter，unlessyouwanttoseeyourchildjustdryupintoamiserableoldmaid!
She"sstillyoungandshehasachanceforhappiness，ifshehadafatherthatdidn"tbringamillstonetohangaroundherneck，insteadofwhatheoughttogiveher!YoujustwaittillyoudieandGodasksyouwhatyouhadinyourbreastinsteadofaheart!"
"Oh，my，my!"hegroaned。"What"smyheartgottodowithit？"
"Nothing!Youhaven"tgotoneoryou"dgiveherwhatsheneeded。
AmIaskinganythingyouCAN"Tdo？Youknowbetter；youknowI"mnot!"
Atthishesatsuddenlyrigid，histroubledhandsceasingtorubhisknees；andhelookedatherfixedly。"Now，tellme，"hesaid，slowly。"JustwhatAREyouasking？"
"Youknow!"shesobbed。
"Youmeanyou"vebrokenyourwordnevertospeakofTHATtomeagain？"
"Whatdo_I_careformyword？"shecried，and，sinkingtothefloorathisfeet，rockedherselfbackandforththere。"DoyousupposeI"llletmy"word"keepmefromstrugglingforalittlehappinessformychildren？Itwon"t，Itellyou；itwon"t!I"llstruggleforthattillIdie!Iwill，tillIdietillIdie!"
Herubbedhisheadnowinsteadofhisknees，and，shakingallover，hegotupandbeganwithuncertainstepstopacethefloor。
"Hell，hell，hell!"hesaid。"I"vegottogothroughTHAT
again!"
"Yes，youhave!"shesobbed。"TillIdie。"
"Yes；that"swhatyoubeenafterallthetimeIwasgettingwell。"
"Yes，Ihave，andI"llkeepontillIdie!"
"Afinewifeforaman，"hesaid。"Beggin"amantobeadirtydog!"
"No!TobeaMAN——andI"llkeepontillIdie!"
Adamsagainfellbackuponhislastsolace:hewalked，halfstaggering，upanddowntheroom，swearinginarhythmicrepetition。
Hiswifehadrepetitionsofherown，andshekeptattheminavoicethatrosetoahigherandhigherpitch，likethesoundofanoldwell-pump。"TillIdie!TillIdie!TillIDIE!"
Sheendedinascream；andAlice，comingupthestairs，thankedheaventhatRussellhadgone。Sherantoherfather"sdoorandwentin。
Adamslookedather，andgesticulatedshakilyattheconvulsivefigureonthefloor。"Canyougetheroutofhere？"
AlicehelpedMrs。Adamstoherfeet；andthestrickenwomanthrewherarmspassionatelyaboutherdaughter。
"Getherout!"Adamssaid，harshly；thencried，"Wait!"
Alice，movingtowardthedoor，halted，andlookedathimblankly，overhermother"sshoulder。"Whatisit，papa？"
Hestretchedouthisarmandpointedather。"Shesays——shesaysyouhaveameanlife，Alice。"
"No，papa。"
Mrs。Adamsturnedinherdaughter"sarms。"Doyouhearherlie？
Couldn"tyoubeasbraveassheis，Virgil？"
"Areyoulying，Alice？"heasked。"Doyouhaveameantime？"
"No，papa。"
Hecametowardher。"Lookatme!"hesaid。"Thingslikethisdancenow——isthatsohardtobear？"
Alicetriedtosay，"No，papa，"again，butshecouldn"t。
Suddenlyandinspiteofherselfshebegantocry。
"Doyouhearher？"hiswifesobbed。"Nowdoyou——"
Hewavedatthemfiercely。"Getoutofhere!"hesaid。"Bothofyou!Getoutofhere!"
Astheywent，hedroppedinhischairandbentfarforward，sothathishaggardfacewasconcealedfromthem。Then，asAliceclosedthedoor，hebegantorubhiskneesagain，muttering，"Oh，my，my!OH，my，my!"
CHAPTERXIV
Thereshoneajovialsunoverheadontheappointed"dayafterto-morrow"；adaynotcoolyetofatemperaturefriendlytowalkers；andtheair，powderedwithsunshine，hadsomuchlifeinitthatitseemedtosparkle。ToArthurRussellthiswasadaylikeagaycompanionwhopleasedhimwell；butthegaycompanionathissidepleasedhimevenbetter。Shelookedherprettiest，chatteredherwittiest，smiledherwistfulest，anddelightedhimwithalltogether。
"Youlooksohappyit"seasytoseeyourfather"stakenagoodturn，"hetoldher。
"Yes；hehasthisafternoon，atleast，"shesaid。"Imighthaveotherreasonsforlookingcheerful，though。"
"Forinstance？"
"Exactly!"shesaid，givinghimasweetlookjustenoughmockedbyherlaughter。"Forinstance!"
"Well，goon，"hebegged。
"Isn"titexpected？"sheasked。
"Ofyou，youmean？"
"No，"shereturned。"Foryou，Imean!"
Inthisstyle，whichusesawordforanymeaningthatquicklookandcolourfulgesturecaretoendowitwith，shewasanexpert；
andshecarrieditmerrilyon，leavinghimatliberty(oneofthegreatvaluesofthestyle)tochooseashewouldhowmuchorhowlittleshemeant。Hewascontenttosupplymerecues，foralthoughhehadlittlecoquetryofhisown，hehadlatelybeguntofindthattheonlyinterestingmomentsinhislifewerethoseduringwhichAliceAdamscoquettedwithhim。Happily，theseobligingmomentsextendedthemselvestocoverallthetimehespentwithher。Howeverseriousshemightseem，whateverappearedtobehertopic，allwasthou-and-I。
Heplannedformoreofit，seeingotherwiseadulleveningahead；
andreverted，afterwhile，toaforbiddensubject。"AboutthatdanceatMissLamb"s——sinceyourfather"ssomuchbetter——"
Sheflushedalittle。"Now，now!"shechidedhim。"Weagreednottosayanymoreaboutthat。"
"Yes，butsinceheISbetter——"
Aliceshookherhead。"Hewon"tbebetterto-morrow。Healwayshasabaddayafteragoodoneespeciallyaftersuchagoodoneasthisis。"
"Butifthistimeitshouldbedifferent，"Russellpersisted；
"wouldn"tyoubewillingtocomeifhe"sbetterbyto-morrowevening？Whynotwaitanddecideatthelastminute？"
Shewavedherhandsairily。"Whatapother!"shecried。"WhatdoesitmatterwhetherpoorlittleAliceAdamsgoestoadanceornot？"
"Well，IthoughtI"dmadeitclearthatitlooksfairlybleaktomeifyoudon"tgo。"
"Oh，yes!"shejeered。
"It"sthesimpletruth，"heinsisted。"Idon"tcareagreatdealaboutdancesthesedays；andifyouaren"tgoingtobethere——"
"Youcouldstayaway，"shesuggested。"Youwouldn"t!"
"Unfortunately，Ican"t。I"mafraidI"msupposedtobetheexcuse。MissLamb，inhercapacityasafriendofmyrelatives——"
"Oh，she"sgivingitforYOU!Isee!OnMildred"saccountyoumean？"
Atthathisfaceshowedanincreaseofcolour。"IsupposejustonaccountofmybeingacousinofMildred"sandof——"
"Ofcourse!You"llhaveabeautifultime，too。Henrietta"llseethatyouhavesomebodytodancewithbesidesMissDowling，poorman!"
"ButwhatIwantsomebodytoseeisthatIdancewithyou!Andperhapsyourfather——"
"Wait!"shesaid，frowningasifshedebatedwhetherornottotellhimsomethingofimport；then，seemingtodecideaffirmatively，sheasked:"Wouldyoureallyliketoknowthetruthaboutit？"
"Ifitisn"ttoounflattering。"
"Ithasn"tanythingtodowithyouatall，"shesaid。"OfcourseI"dliketogowithyouandtodancewithyou——thoughyoudon"tseemtorealizethatyouwouldn"tbepermittedmuchtimewithme。"
"Oh，yes，I——"
"Nevermind!"shelaughed。"Ofcourseyouwouldn"t。Butevenifpapashouldbebetterto-morrow，IdoubtifI"dgo。Infact，I
knowIwouldn"t。There"sanotherreasonbesidespapa。"
"Isthere？"
"Yes。Thetruthis，Idon"tgetonwithHenriettaLamb。Asamatteroffact，Idislikeher，andofcoursethatmeansshedislikesme。IshouldneverthinkofaskinghertoanythingI
gave，andIreallywondersheasksmetothingsSHEgives。"Thiswasanewinspiration；andAlice，beginningtoseeherwayoutofaperplexity，wishedthatshehadthoughtofitearlier:sheshouldhavetoldhimfromthefirstthatsheandHenriettahadafeud，andconsequentlyexchangednoinvitations。Moreover，therewasanotherthingtobesetherwithlittleanxieties:shemightbetternothavetoldhimfromthefirst，asshehadindeedtoldhimbyintimation，thatshewasthepampereddaughterofanindulgentfather，presumablyabletoindulgeher；fornowshemustelaboratelykeeptothepart。Veracityisusuallysimple；
anditsopposite，tobesuccessful，shouldbeassimple；butpractitionersoftheoppositearemostoftenimpulsive，likeAlice；and，likeher，theybecomeenmeshedinelaborations。
"Itwouldn"tbeveryniceformetogotoherhouse，"Alicewenton，"whenIwouldn"twantherinmine。I"veneveradmiredher。
I"vealwaysthoughtshewaslackinginsomethingsmostpeoplearesupposedtobeequippedwith——forinstance，acertainfeelingaboutthedeathofafatherwhowasalwaysprettydecenttohisdaughter。Henrietta"sfatherdiedjust，elevenmonthsandtwenty-sevendaysbeforeyourcousin"sdance，butshecouldn"tstickoutthosefewlastdaysandmakeitayear；shewasthere。"
Alicestopped，thenlaughedruefully，exclaiming，"Butthisisdreadfulofme!"
"Isit？"
"Blackguardinghertoyouwhenshe"sgivingabigpartyforyou!
JustthewayHenriettawouldblackguardmetoyou——heavenknowswhatsheWOULDN"Tsayifshetalkedaboutmetoyou!Itwouldbefair，ofcourse，but——well，I"drathershedidn"t!"Andwiththat，Aliceletherprettyhand，initswhiteglove，restuponhisarmforamoment；andhelookeddownatit，notunmovedtoseeitthere。"Iwanttobeunfairaboutjustthis，"shesaid，lettingatroubledlaughtertremblethroughherappealingvoiceasshespoke。"Iwon"ttakeadvantageofherwithanybody，exceptjust——you!I"dalittleratheryoudidn"thearanybodyblackguardme，and，ifyoudon"tmind——couldyoupromisenottogiveHenriettathechance？"
Itwascharminglydone，withahumorous，faintpathosaltogethergenuine；andRussellfoundhimselfsuddenlywantingtoshoutather，"Oh，youDEAR!"Nothingelseseemedadequate；buthecontrolledtheimpulseinfavourofsomethingmoreconservative。
"Imagineanyonespeakingunkindlyofyou——notpraisingyou!"
"WhoHASpraisedmetoyou？"sheasked，quickly。
"Ihaven"ttalkedaboutyouwithanyone；butifIdid，Iknowthey"d——"
"No，no!"shecried，andwenton，againaccompanyingherwordswithlittletremulousrunsoflaughter。"Youdon"tunderstandthistownyet。You"llbesurprisedwhenyoudo；we"redifferent。
Wetalkaboutoneanotherfearfully!Haven"tIjustprovedit，thewayI"vebeengoingforHenrietta？OfcourseIdidn"tsayanythingreallyveryterribleabouther，butthat"sonlybecauseIdon"tfollowthatpracticethewaymostoftheothersdo。Theydon"tstopwiththeworstofthetruththeycanfind:theymakeUPthings——yes，theyreallydo!And，oh，I"dRATHERtheydidn"tmakeupthingsaboutme——toyou!"
"Whatdifferencewoulditmakeiftheydid？"heinquired，cheerfully。"I"dknowtheyweren"ttrue。"
"Evenifyoudidknowthat，they"dmakeadifference，"shesaid。
"Oh，yes，theywould!It"stoobad，butwedon"tlikeanythingquitesowellthat"shadspecksonit，evenifwe"vewipedthespecksoff；——it"sjustthatmuchspoiled，andsomethingsareallspoiledtheinstantthey"retheleastbitspoiled。Whatamanthinksaboutagirl，forinstance。Doyouwanttohavewhatyouthinkaboutmespoiled，Mr。Russell？"
"Oh，butthat"salreadyfarbeyondreach，"hesaid，lightly。
"Butitcan"tbe!"sheprotested。
"Whynot？"
"Becauseitnevercanbe。Mendon"tchangetheirmindsaboutoneanotheroften:theymakeitquiteaneventwhentheydo，andtalkaboutitasifsomethingimportanthadhappened。Butagirlonlyhastogodown-townwithashoe-stringunfastened，andeverymanwhoseesherwillchangehismindabouther。Don"tyouknowthat"strue？"
"Notofmyself，Ithink。"
"There!"shecried。"That"spreciselywhateverymanintheworldwouldsay!"
"Soyouwouldn"ttrustme？"
"Well——I"llbeawfullyworriedifyougive"emachancetotellyouthatI"mtoolazytotiemyshoe-strings!"
Helaugheddelightedly。"Isthatwhattheydosay？"heasked。
"Justabout!Whatevertheyhopewillgetresults。"Sheshookherheadwisely。"Oh，yes；wedothathere!"
"ButIdon"tmindlooseshoe-strings，"hesaid。"Notifthey"reyours。"
"They"llfindoutwhatyoudomind。"
"Butsuppose，"hesaid，lookingatherwhimsically；"supposeI
wouldn"tmindanything——solongasit"syours？"
Shecourtesied。"Oh，prettyenough!Butagirlwho"stalkedabouthasaweaknessthat"softenafatalone。"
"Whatisit？"
"It"sthis:whenshe"stalkedaboutsheisn"tTHERE。That"showtheykillher。"
"I"mafraidIdon"tfollowyou。"
"Don"tyousee？IfHenrietta——orMildred——oranyof"em——orsomeoftheirmothers——oh，weALLdoit!Well，ifanyof"emtoldyouIdidn"ttiemyshoe-strings，andifIwerethere，sothatyoucouldseeme，you"dknowitwasn"ttrue。EvenifIweresittingsothatyoucouldn"tseemyfeet，andcouldn"ttellwhetherthestringsweretiedornotjustthen，stillyoucouldlookatme，andseethatIwasn"tthesortofgirltoneglectmyshoe-strings。Butthatisn"tthewayithappens:they"llgetatyouwhenI"mnowherearoundandcan"tremindyouofthesortofgirlIreallyam。"
"Butyoudon"tdothat，"hecomplained。"Youdon"tremindmeyoudon"teventellme——thesortofgirlyoureallyare!I"dliketoknow。"
"Let"sbeseriousthen，"shesaid，andlookedseriousenoughherself。"Wouldyouhonestlyliketoknow？"
"Yes。"
"Well，then，youmustbecareful。"
""Careful？""Thewordamusedhim。
"Imeancarefulnottogetmemixedup，"shesaid。"CarefulnottomixupthegirlyoumighthearsomebodytalkingaboutwiththemeIhonestlytrytomakeyousee。Ifyoudogetthosetwomixedup——well，thewholeshow"llbespoiled!"
"Whatmakesyouthinkso？"
"Becauseit"s——"Shecheckedherself，havingbeguntospeaktooimpulsively；andshewasdisturbed，realizinginwhattrickystuffshedealt。Whathadbeenonherlipstosaywas，"Becauseit"shappenedbefore!"Shechangedto，"Becauseit"ssoeasytospoilanything——easiestofalltospoilanythingthat"spleasant。"
"Thatmightdepend。"
"No；it"sso。Andifyoucareatallabout——aboutknowingagirlwho"dlikesomeonetoknowher——"
"Just"someone？"That"sdisappointing。"
"Well——you，"shesaid。
"Tellmehow"careful"youwantmetobe，then!"
"Well，don"tyouthinkitwouldbeniceifyoudidn"tgiveanybodythechancetotalkaboutmetheway——thewayI"vejustbeentalkingaboutHenriettaLamb？"
Withthattheylaughedtogether，andhesaid，"Youmaybecuttingmeofffromagreatdealofinformation，youknow。"
"Yes，"Aliceadmitted。"Somebodymightbegintopraisemetoyou，too；soit"sdangeroustoaskyoutochangethesubjectifI
everhappentobementioned。Butafterall——"Shepaused。
""Afterall"isn"ttheendofathought，isit？"
"Sometimesitisofagirl"sthought；Isupposemenareneaterabouttheirthoughts，andalwaysfinish"em。Itisn"ttheendofthethoughtIhadthen，though。"
"Whatistheendofit？"
Shelookedathimimpulsively。"Oh，it"sfoolish，"shesaid，andshelaughedaslaughsonewhoproposessomethingprobablyimpossible。"But，WOULDN"TitbepleasantiftwopeoplecouldeverjustkeepthemselvesTOthemselves，sofarastheytwowereconcerned？Imean，iftheycouldjustmanagetobefriendswithoutpeopletalkingaboutit，ortalkingtoTHEMaboutit？"
"Isupposethatmightberatherdifficult，"hesaid，moreamusedthanimpressedbyheridea。
"Idon"tknow:itmightbedone，"shereturned，hopefully。
"Especiallyinatownofthissize；it"sgrownsoit"squiteahugeplacethesedays。Peoplecankeepthemselvestothemselvesinabigplacebetter，youknow。Forinstance，nobodyknowsthatyouandIaretakingawalktogethertoday。"
"Howabsurd，whenhereweareonexhibition!"
"No；wearen"t。"
"Wearen"t？"
"Notabitofit!"shelaughed。"Weweretheotherday，whenyouwalkedhomewithme，butanybodycouldtellthathadjusthappenedbychance，onaccountofyourovertakingme；peoplecanalwaysseethingslikethat。Butwe"renotonexhibitionnow。
LookwhereI"veledyou!"
Amusedandalittlebewildered，helookedupanddownthestreet，whichwasoneofgaunt-facedapartment-houses，old，sooty，frameboarding-houses，smallgroceriesanddrug-stores，laundriesandone-roomplumbers"shops，withthesignofaclairvoyanthereandthere。
"Yousee？"shesaid。"I"vebeenleadingyouwithoutyourknowingit。Ofcoursethat"sbecauseyou"renewtothetown，andyougiveyourselfuptotheguidanceofanoldcitizen。"
"I"mnotsosure，MissAdams。ItmightmeanthatIdon"tcarewhereIfollowsolongasIfollowyou。"
"Verywell，"shesaid。"I"dlikeyoutokeeponfollowingmeatleastlongenoughformetoshowyouthatthere"ssomethingniceraheadofusthanthisdingystreet。"
"Isthatfigurative？"heasked。
"Mightbe!"shereturned，gaily。"There"saprettylittleparkattheend，butit"sveryproletarian，andnobodyyouandIknowwillbemorelikelytoseeustherethanonthisstreet。"
"Whatanimaginationyouhave!"heexclaimed。"YouturnourproperlittlewalkintoaParisianadventure。"
Shelookedathiminwhatseemedtobeamomentarygravepuzzlement。"PerhapsyoufeelthataParisianadventuremightn"tpleaseyour——yourrelatives？"
"Why，no，"hereturned。"YouseemtothinkofthemoftenerthanIdo。"
ThisappearedtoamuseAlice，oratleasttopleaseher，forshelaughed。"ThenIcanaffordtoquitthinkingofthem，Isuppose。
It"sonlythatIusedtobequiteafriendofMildred"s——butthere!weneedn"ttogointothat。I"veneverbeenafriendofHenriettaLamb"s，though，andIalmostwishsheweren"ttakingsuchpainstobeafriendofyours。"
"Oh，butshe"snot。It"sallonaccountof——"
"OnMildred"saccount，"Alicefinishedthisforhim，coolly。
"Yes，ofcourse。"
"It"sonaccountofthetwofamilies，"hewasatpainstoexplain，alittleawkwardly。"It"sbecauseI"marelativeofthePalmers，andthePalmersandtheLambsseemtobeoldfamilyfriends。"
"SomethingtheAdamsescertainlyarenot，"Alicesaid。"Notwitheitherof"em；particularlynotwiththeLambs!"Andhere，scarceawareofwhatimpelledher，shereturnedtoherformerelaborationsandcolourings。"Yousee，thedifferencesbetweenHenriettaandmearen"tentirelypersonal:Icouldn"tgotoherhouseevenifIlikedher。TheLambsandAdamsesdon"tgetonwitheachother，andwe"vejustaboutcometothebreaking-pointasithappens。"
"Ihopeit"snothingtobotheryou。"
"Why？Alotofthingsbotherme。"
"I"msorrytheydo，"hesaid，andseemedsimplytomeanit。
Shenoddedgratefully。"That"sniceofyou，Mr。Russell。Ithelps。ThebreakbetweentheAdamsesandtheLambsisaprettybothersomething。It"sbeencomingonalongtime。"Shesigheddeeply，andthesighwashalfgenuine；thishalfbeingforherfather，buttheotherhalfprobablybelongedtoherinstinctiverenderingofJulietCapulet，daughtertoawarringhouse。"I
hateitallso!"sheadded。
"Ofcourseyoumust。"
"Isupposemostquarrelsbetweenfamiliesareonaccountofbusiness，"shesaid。"That"swhythey"resosordid。CertainlytheLambsseemasordidlottome，thoughofcourseI"mbiased。"
AndwiththatshebegantosketchahistoryofthecommercialantagonismthathadrisenbetweentheAdamsesandtheLambs。
Thesketchingwasspontaneousanddramatic。Mathematicshadnopartinit；norwasthereaccuratedefinitionofMr。Adams"srelationtotheinstitutionofLambandCompany。Thepointwasclouded，infact；thoughthatmighteasilybesetdowntothegeneralhazinessofyoungladiesconfrontedwiththemysteriesoftradeorcommerce。Mr。Adamseitherhadbeenavaguesortofjuniormemberofthefirm，itappeared，orelseheshouldhavebeenmadesomesuchthing；atallevents，hewasanoldmainstayofthebusiness；andhe，asmuchasanyLamb，hadhelpedtobuilduptheprosperityofthecompany。Butatlast，tiredofprovidingsomuchintelligenceandenergyforwhichotherpeopletookprofitgreaterthanhisown，hehaddecidedtoleavethecompanyandfoundabusinessentirelyforhimself。TheLambsweregoingtobeenragedwhentheylearnedwhatwasafoot。
Suchwastheimpression，alittlemisted，wroughtbyAlice"squicknarrative。Buttherewasdolorousfactbehindit:Adamshadsuccumbed。
Hiswife，graveandnervous，ratherthantriumphant，insuccess，hadtoldtheirdaughterthatthegreatJ。A。wouldbefuriousandpossiblyvindictive。Adamswasafraidofhim，shesaid。
"Butwhatfor，mama？"Aliceasked，sincethisseemedaturnofaffairsoutofreason。"WhatintheworldhasMr。Lambtodowithpapa"sleavingthecompanytosetupforhimself？Whatrighthashetobeangryaboutit？Ifhe"ssuchafriendasheclaimstobe，Ishouldthinkhe"dbeglad——thatis，ifthegluefactoryturnsoutwell。Whatwillhebeangryfor？"
Mrs。AdamsgaveAliceanuneasyglance，hesitated，andthenexplainedthataresignationfromLamb"shadalwaysbeenlookedupon，especiallyby"thatoldman，"astreachery。Youweresupposedtodieintheservice，shesaidbitterly，andherdaughter，alittlemystified，acceptedthisexplanation。Adamshadnotspokentoherofhissurrender；heseemednotinclinedtospeaktoheratall，ortoanyone。
Alicewasnotserioustoolong，andshebegantolaughasshecametotheendofherdecorativesketch。"Afterall，thewholethingisperfectlyridiculous，"shesaid。"Infact，it"sFUNNY!
That"sonaccountofwhatpapa"sgoingtothrowovertheLambbusinessFOR!Tosaveyourlifeyoucouldn"timaginewhathe"sgoingtodo!"
"Iwon"ttry，then，"Russellassented。
"IttakesalltheromanceoutofME，"shelaughed。"You"llnevergoforaParisianwalkwithmeagain，afterItellyouwhatI"llbeheiressto。"Theyhadcometotheentranceofthelittlepark；and，asAlicehadsaid，itwasaprettyplace，especiallyonadaysoradiant。Treesoftheoldestforeststoodthere，haleandsereneoverthetrim，brightgrass；andtheproletarianshadnotcomefromtheirfactoriesatthishour；onlyafewmothersandtheirbabiesweretobeseen，hereandthere，intheshade。"IthinkI"llpostponetellingyouaboutittillwegetnearlyhomeagain，"Alicesaid，astheybegantosaunterdownoneofthegravelledpaths。"There"sabenchbesideaspringfartheron；wecansitthereandtalkaboutalotofthings——thingsnotsostickyasmydowry"sgoingtobe。"
""Sticky？""heechoed。"Whatintheworld——"Shelaugheddespairingly。
"Agluefactory!"
Thenhelaughed，too，asmuchfromfriendlinessasfromamusement；andsherememberedtotellhimthattheprojectofagluefactorywasstill"anAdamssecret。"Itwouldbeknownsoon，however，sheadded；andthewholeLambconnectionwouldprobablybeginsayingallsortsofthings，heavenknewwhat!
ThusAlicebuiltherwallsofflimsy，workingalwaysgaily，orwithatleasttheairofgaiety；andevenassherattledon，therewassomewhereinhermindaconstantlittlewonder。
Everythingshesaidseemedtobenecessarytosupportsomethingelseshehadsaid。Howhadithappened？Shefoundherselftellinghimthatsinceherfatherhaddecidedonmakingsogreatachangeinhisways，sheandhermotherhopedatlasttopersuadehimtogiveupthat"foolishlittlehouse"hehadbeensoobstinateabout；andshecheckedherselfabruptlyonthisdeclivityjustasshewasabouttoslideintoaremarkconcerningherownpreferencefora"countryplace。"Discretioncaughtherintime；andsomethingelse，incompanywithdiscretion，caughther，forshestoppedshortinhertalkandblushed。
Theyhadtakenpossessionofthebenchbesidethespring，bythistime；andRussell，hiselbowonthebackofthebenchandhischinonhishand，thebettertolookather，hadnoguessatthecauseoftheblush，butwascontenttofinditlovely。AthisfirstsightofAliceshehadseemedprettyintheparticularwayofbeingprettythathehappenedtolikebest；and，witheverymomenthespentwithher，thisprettinessappearedtoincrease。
Hefeltthathecouldnotlookatherenough:hisgazefollowedtheflutteringofthegracefulhandsinalmostcontinualgestureasshetalked；thenliftedhappilytothevivaciousfaceagain。
Shecharmedhim。
Afterherabruptpause，shesighed，thenlookedathimwithhereyebrowsliftedinacomedyappeal。"Youhaven"tsaidyouwouldn"tgiveHenriettathechance，"shesaid，inthesoftestvoicethatcanstillhavealittlelaughrunninginit。
Hewaspuzzled。"GiveHenriettathechance？"
"YOUknow!You"llletmekeeponbeingunfair，won"tyou？Notgivetheothergirlsachancetogeteven？"
Hepromised，heartily。
CHAPTERXV
AlicehadsaidthatnoonewhokneweitherRussellorherselfwouldbelikelytoseethemintheparkoruponthedingystreet；
butalthoughtheyreturnedbythatsameungenteelthoroughfaretheywereseenbyapersonwhoknewthemboth。Also，withsomesurpriseonthepartofRussell，andsomethingmorepoignantthansurpriseforAlice，theysawthisperson。
Allofthedingystreetwasugly，butthegreaterpartofitappearedtobehonest。Thetwopedestrianscameuponablockortwo，however，whereitofferedsuggestionsofalessuprightcharacter，likeasteadyenoughworkingmanwithanaughtybookstickingoutofhispocket。Threeorfourdimshops，asinglestoryinheight，exhibitedfoulsignboards，yetfairenoughsofarasthewordingwent；oneproclaimingatobacconist，oneajunk-dealer，oneadispenserof"softdrinksandcigars。"Themostcredulouswouldhavedoubtedthesesignboards；forthecraftofthemoderntradesmanisexertedtolureindoorsthepassingglance，sinceiftheglanceispleasedthefeetmayfollow；butthisallegedtobacconistandhisneighbourshadlongbeenfondofdustontheirwindows，evidently，andshadeswerepulledfardownontheglassoftheirdoors。Thusthepubliceye，smallofpupilinthelightoftheopenstreet，wasintentionallynotinvitedtotheduskyinteriors。Somethingdifferentfrommerelackofenterprisewasapparent；andthesignboardsmighthavebeenomitted；theywerepainsthrownaway，sinceitwasplaintotheworldthatthebusinesspartsoftheseshopswerethebrighterbackroomsimpliedbythedarkfrontrooms；andthatthecommercetherewasinperilousnewliquorsandindiceandroughgirls。
Nothingcouldhavebeenmoreinnocentthantheserenitywithwhichthesewickedlittleplacesrevealedthemselvesforwhattheywere；and，boundbythisfinaltieofguilelessness，theystoodtogetherinarowwhichendedwithacompanionablebarbershop，muchlikethem。Beyondwasaseriesofsoot-harriedframetwo-storyhouses，oncepartofacheerfulneighbourhoodwhenthetownwasmiddle-agedandsettled，andnotoldandgrowing。Thesehouses，allcarryingthelabel。"Rooms，"hadtheworriedlookofvacancythathouseshavewhentheyaretoofullofeverybodywithoutbeinganybody"shome；andtherewas，too，asurreptitiousairaboutthem，asif，likethefalselittleshops，theyadvertisedsomethingbyconcealingit。