第13章
ThenheranguishwentbacktoWalteragain；andtohisneedsasafugitive——shehadmeanttorepairhisunderwear，buthadpostponeddoingso，andherneglectnowappearedtobeadetailaslamentableasthecalamityitself。Shecouldneitherbestilleduponit，norherselfexhaustitsurgingstoself-
reproach，thoughshefinallytookupanotherthemetemporarily。
Uponanunusuallyviolentoutbreakofherhusband"s，indenunciationoftherunaway，shecriedoutfaintlythathewascruel；andfurtherweariedherbrokenvoicewithdetailsofWalter"sbeautyasababy，andofhisbedtimepietiesthroughouthisinfancy。
Sothehotnightworeon。ThreehadstruckbeforeMrs。Adamswasgottobed；andAlice，returningtoherownroom，couldhearherfather"sbarefeetthuddingbackandforthafterthat。"Poorpapa!"shewhisperedinhelplessimitationofhermother。"Poorpapa!Poormama!PoorWalter!Poorallofus!"
Shefellasleep，afteratime，whilefromacrossthehallthebarefeetstillthuddedovertheirchangelessroute；andshewokeatseven，hearingAdamspassherdoor，shod。Inherwrappersheranoutintothehallwayandfoundhimdescendingthestairs。
"Papa!"
"Hush，"hesaid，andlookedupatherwithreddenedeyes。"Don"twakeyourmother。"
"Iwon"t，"shewhispered。"Howaboutyou？Youhaven"tsleptanyatall!"
"Yes，Idid。Igotsomesleep。I"mgoingovertotheworksnow。
Igottothrowsomefigurestogethertoshowthebank。Don"tworry:I"llgetthingsfixedup。Yougobacktobed。Good-bye。"
"Wait!"shebadehimsharply。
"Whatfor？"
"You"vegottohavesomebreakfast。"
"Don"twant"ny。"
"Youwait!"shesaid，imperiously，anddisappearedtoreturnalmostatonce。"Icancookinmybedroomslippers，"sheexplained，"butIdon"tbelieveIcouldinmybarefeet!"
Descendingsoftly，shemadehimwaitinthedining-roomuntilshebroughthimtoastandeggsandcoffee。"Eat!"shesaid。"AndI"mgoingtotelephoneforataxicabtotakeyou，ifyouthinkyou"vereallygottogo。"
"No，I"mgoingtowalk——IWANTtowalk。"
Sheshookherheadanxiously。"Youdon"tlookable。You"vewalkedallnight。"
"No，Ididn"t，"hereturned。"ItellyouIgotsomesleep。I
gotallIwantedanyhow。"
"But，papa——"
"Here!"heinterrupted，lookingupathersuddenlyandsettingdownhiscupofcoffee。"Lookhere!WhataboutthisMr。
Russell？Iforgotallabouthim。Whatabouthim？"
Herliptrembledalittle，butshecontrolleditbeforeshespoke。"Well，whatabouthim，papa？"sheasked，calmlyenough。
"Well，wecouldhardly——"Adamspaused，frowningheavily。"Wecouldhardlyexpecthewouldn"thearsomethingaboutallthis。"
"Yes；ofcoursehe"llhearit，papa。"
"Well？"
"Well，what？"sheasked，gently。
"Youdon"tthinkhe"dbethe——thecheapkindit"dmakeadifferencewith，ofcourse。"
"Oh，no；heisn"tcheap。Itwon"tmakeanydifferencewithhim。"
Adamssufferedaprofoundsightoescapehim。"Well——I"mgladofthat，anyway。"
"Thedifference，"sheexplained——"thedifferencewasmadewithouthishearinganythingaboutWalter。Hedoesn"tknowaboutTHAT
yet。"
"Well，whatdoesheknowabout？"
"Only，"shesaid，"aboutme。"
"Whatyoumeanbythat，Alice？"heasked，helplessly。
"Nevermind，"shesaid。"It"snothingbesidetherealtroublewe"rein——I"lltellyousometime。Youeatyoureggsandtoast；
youcan"tkeepgoingonjustcoffee。"
"Ican"teatanyeggsandtoast，"heobjected，rising。"I
can"t。"
"ThenwaittillIcanbringyousomethingelse。"
"No，"hesaid，irritably。"Iwon"tdoit!Idon"twantanydangfood!Andlookhere"——hespokesharplytostopher，asshewenttowardthetelephone——"Idon"twantanydangtaxi，either!Youlookafteryourmotherwhenshewakesup。IgottobeatWORK!"
Andthoughshefollowedhimtothefrontdoor，entreating，hecouldnotbestayedorhindered。Hewentthroughthequietmorningstreetsatarickety，rapidgait，swinginghisoldstrawhatinhishands，andwhisperingangrilytohimselfashewent。
Hisgrizzledhair，nottrimmedforamonth，blewbackfromhisdampforeheadinthewarmbreeze；hisreddenedeyesstaredhardatnothingfromunderblinkinglids；andonesideofhisfacetwitchedstartlinglyfromtimetotime；——childrenmighthaverunfromhim，ormockedhim。
Whenhehadcomeintothatfallenquarterhisindustryhadpartlyrevivedandwhollymadeodorous，anegrowoman，leaninguponherwhitewashedgate，gazedafterhimandchuckledforthebenefitofagossipingfriendinthenexttinyyard。"Oh，goodSatan!
Wha"ssamatterthatoleglueman？"
"Who？Him？"theneighbourinquired。"Whathedonow？"
"Talkin"tohisolese"f!"thefirstexplained，joyously。"Looklikegonedistracted——oleglueman!"
Adams"slegshadgrownmoreuncertainwithhishardwalk，andhestumbledheavilyashecrossedthebakedmudofhisbroadlot，butcaredlittleforthat，wasalmostunawareofit，infact。
Thushiseyessawaslittleashisbodyfelt，andsohefailedtoobservesomethingthatwouldhavegivenhimadditionallightuponanoldphrasethatalreadymeantquiteenoughforhim。
Thereareinthewideworldpeoplewhohaveneverlearneditsmeaning；butmostareeitheryoungorbeautifullyunobservantwhoremainwhollyunawareoftheinnerpoignanciesthewordsconvey:
"arainofmisfortunes。"Itisaboilingrain，seeminglywhimsicalinitschoiceofspotswhereontofall；and，sofarasmortaleyecantell，neitherthejustnortheunjustmayhopetoavoidit，orneedworrythemselvesbyexpectingit。IthadselectedtheAdamsfamilyforitsscaldings；noquestion。
Theglue-worksforeman，standinginthedoorwayofthebrickshed，observedhisemployer"seccentricapproach，anddoubtfullystrokedawhiskeredchin。
"Well，theyain"tnoputticularusegettin"soupsetoverit，"hesaid，asAdamscameup。"Whenathinghappens，why，ithappens，andthat"sallthereistoit。Whenathing"sso，why，it"sso。
Allyoucandoaboutitisthinkifthere"sanythingyouCANdo；
andthat"swhatyoubetterbedoin"withthiscase。"
Adamshalted，andseemedtogapeathim。"What——case？"hesaid，withdifficulty。"Wasitinthemorningpapers，too？"
"No，itain"tinnomorningpapers。Myland!Itdon"tneedtobeinnopapers；lookattheSIZEofit!"
"Thesizeofwhat？"
"Why，greatGod!"theforemanexclaimed。"Heain"tevenseenit。
Look!Lookyonder!"
Adamsstaredvaguelyattheman"soutstretchedhandandpointingforefinger，thenturnedandsawagreatsignuponthefacadeofthebigfactorybuildingacrossthestreet。Theletterswerelargeenoughtobereadtwoblocksaway。
"AFTERTHEFIFTEENTHOFNEXTMONTH
THISBUILDINGWILLBEOCCUPIEDBY
THEJ。A。LAMBLIQUIDGLUECO。INC。"
Agraytouring-carhadjustcometorestbeforetheprincipalentranceofthebuilding，andJ。A。Lambhimselfdescendedfromit。Heglancedovertowardthehumblerivalofhisprojectedgreatindustry，sawhisoldclerk，andimmediatelywalkedacrossthestreetandthelottospeaktohim。
"Well，Adams，"hesaid，inhishusky，cheerfulvoice，"how"syourglue-works？"
Adamsutteredaninarticulatesound，andliftedthehandthatheldhishatasiftomakeaprotectivegesture，butfailedtocarryitout；andhisarmsanklimpathisside。Theforeman，however，seemedtofeelthatsomethingoughttobesaid。
"Ourglue-works，hell!"heremarked。"Iguesswewon"tHAVEnoglue-worksoverherenotverylong，ifwegottocompetewiththesizedthingyougotoverthere!"
Lambchuckled。"Ikindofhadsomesuchnotion，"hesaid。"Yousee，Virgil，Icouldn"texactlyletyouwalkoffwithitlikeswalleringapato"butter，now，couldI？Itdidn"tlookexactlyreasonabletoexpectmetoletgolikethat，now，didit？"
Adamsfoundahalf-chokedvoicesomewhereinhisthroat。"Doyou——wouldyoustepintomyofficeaminute，Mr。Lamb？"
"Why，certainlyI"mwillingtohavealittletalkwithyou，"theoldgentlemansaid，ashefollowedhisformeremployeeindoors，andheadded，"IfeelalotmorelikeitthanIdidbeforeIgotTHATup，overyonder，Virgil!"
Adamsthrewopenthedooroftheroughroomhecalledhisoffice，havingasjustificationforthistitlelittlemorethanthefactthathehadatelephonethereandadealtablethatservedasadesk。"Juststepintotheoffice，please，"hesaid。
Lambglancedatthedesk，atthekitchenchairbeforeit，atthetelephone，andatthepartitionwallsbuiltofoldboards，somecoveredwithancientpaintandsomemerelyweatherbeaten，thesalvageofahouse-wrecker；andhesmiledbroadly。"Sotheseareyouroffices，arethey？"heasked。"Youexpecttodoquiteabusinesshere，Iguess，don"tyou，Virgil？"
Adamsturneduponhimastrickenandtorturedface。"HaveyouseenCharleyLohrsincelastnight，Mr。Lamb？"
"No；Ihaven"tseenCharley。"
"Well，Itoldhimtotellyou，"Adamsbegan；——"ItoldhimI"dpayyou——"
"Paymewhatyouexpecttomakeouto"glue，youmean，Virgil？"
"No，"Adamssaid，swallowing。"Imeanwhatmyboyowesyou。
That"swhatItoldCharleytotellyou。ItoldhimtotellyouI"dpayyoueverylast——"
"Well，well!"theoldgentlemaninterrupted，testily。"Idon"tknowanythingaboutthat。"
"I"mexpectingtopayyou，"Adamswenton，swallowingagain，painfully。"IwasexpectingtodoitoutofaloanIthoughtI
couldgetonmyglue-works。"
Theoldgentlemanliftedhisfrostedeyebrows。"Oh，outo"theGLUE-works？Youexpectedtoraisemoneyontheglue-works，didyou？"
Atthat，Adams"sagitationincreasedprodigiously。"How"dyouTHINKIexpectedtopayyou？"hesaid。"DidyouthinkIexpectedtogetmoneyonmyownoldbones？"Heslappedhimselfharshlyuponthechestandlegs。"Doyouthinkabank"lllendmoneyonaman"sribsandhisbroken-downoldknee-bones？Theywon"tdoit!
YougottohavesomeBUSINESSprospectstoshow"em，ifyouhaven"tgotanypropertynorsecurities；andwhatbusinessprospectshaveIgotnow，withthatsignofyoursupoveryonder？
Why，youdon"tneedtomakeanOUNCEo"glue；yoursign"sfixedMEwithoutyourdoinganotherlick!THAT"Sallyouhadtodo；
justputyoursignup!Youneedn"tto——"
"Justletmetellyousomething，VirgilAdams，"theoldmaninterrupted，harshly。"Igotjustonerightimportantthingtotellyoubeforewetalkanyfurtherbusiness；andthat"sthis:
there"ssomefewmeninthistownmadetheirmoneyinoff-colourways，buttherearen"tmany；andthosetherearehavehadtobeadarnsightslickerthanyouknowhowtobe，oreverWILLknowhowtobe!Yes，sir，andtheynoneofthemhadthelittlegumptiontotrytomakeitoutofamanthathadthespiritnottolet"em，andtheSTRENGTHnottolet"em!Iknowwhatyouthought。
"Here，"yousaidtoyourself，"here"sthisolefoolJ。A。Lamb；
he"skindofwornoutandinhissecondchildhoodlike；Icanputitoveronhim，withouthisever——""
"Ididnot!"Adamsshouted。"AgreatdealYOUknowaboutmyfeelingsandallwhatIsaidtomyself!There"sonethingIwanttotellYOU，andthat"swhatI"msayingtomyselfNOW，andwhatmyfeelingsarethisMINUTE!"
Hestruckthetableagreatblowwithhisthinfist，andshookthedamagedknucklesmtheair。"Ijustwanttotellyou，whateverIdidfeel，Idon"tfeelMEANanymore；notto-day，I
don"t。There"sameanermaninthisworldthan_I_am，Mr。
Lamb!"
"Oh，soyoufeelbetteraboutyourselfto-day，doyou，Virgil？"
"YoubetIdo!Youworkedtillyougotmewhereyouwantme；andIwouldn"tdothattoanotherman，nomatterwhathedidtome!
Iwouldn"t——"
"Whatyoutalkin"about!How"veI"gotyouwhereIwantyou？""
"Ain"titplainenough？"Adamscried。"YouevengotmewhereI
can"traisethemoneytopaybackwhatmyboyowesyou!Doyousupposeanybody"sfoolenoughtoletmehaveacentonthisbusinessafteronelookatwhatyougotoverthereacrosstheroad？"
"No，Idon"t。"
"No，youdon"t，"Adamsechoed，hoarsely。"What"smore，youknewmyhousewasmortgaged，andmy——"
"Ididnot，"Lambinterrupted，angrily。"Whatdo_I_careaboutyourhouse？"
"What"stheuseyourtalkinglikethat？"Adamscried。"YougotmewhereIcan"tevenraisethemoneytopaywhatmyboyowesthecompany，so"tIcan"tshowanyreasontostoptheprosecutionandkeephimoutthepenitentiary。That"swhereyouworkedtillyougotME!"
"What!"Lambshouted。"Youaccusemeof——"
""Accuseyou？"WhatamItellingyou？DoyouthinkIgotnoEYES？"AndAdamshammeredthetableagain。"Why，youknewtheboywasweak——"
"Ididnot!"
"Listen:youkepthimthereafteryougotmadatmyleavingthewayIdid。Youkepthimthereafteryoususpectedhim；andyouhadhimwatched；youlethimgoon；justwaitedtocatchhimandruinhim!"
"You"recrazy!"theoldmanbellowed。"Ididn"tknowtherewasanythingagainsttheboytilllastnight。You"reCRAZY，Isay!"
Adamslookedit。Withhishairdisorderedoverhishaggardforeheadandbloodshoteyes；withhisbruisedhandspoundingthetableandflyinginahundredwildandabsurdgestures，whilehisfeetshuffledconstantlytopreservehisbalanceuponstaggeringlegs，hewasthepictureofamanwithamindgonetorags。
"MaybeIAMcrazy!"hecried，hisvoicebreakingandquavering。
"MaybeIam，butIwouldn"tstandthereandtauntamanwithitifI"ddonetohimwhatyou"vedonetome!Justlookatme:I
workedallmylifeforyou，andwhatIdidwhenIquitneverharmedyou——itdidn"tmaketwocents"wortho"differenceinyourlifeanditlookedlikeit"dmeanallthedifferenceintheworldtomyfamily——andnowlookwhatyou"veDONEtomeforit!Itellyou，Mr。Lamb，thereneverwasamanlookeduptoanothermanthewayIlookeduptoyouthewholeo"mylife，butIdon"tlookuptoyouanymore!Youthinkyougotafinedayofitnow，ridingupinyourautomobiletolookatthatsign——andthenoverhereatmypoorlittleworksthatyou"veruined。Butlistentomejustthisonelasttime!"Thecrackingvoicebrokeintofalsetto，andthegesticulatinghandsfluttereduncontrollably。
"Justyoulisten!"hepanted。"YouthinkIdidyouabadturn，andnowyougotmeruinedforit，andyougotmyworksruined，andmyfamilyruined；andifanybody"d"a"toldmethistimelastyearI"deversaysuchathingtoyouI"dcalledhimadangliar，butIDOsayit:Isayyou"veactedtowardmelike——likea——adoggonemean——man!"
Hisvoice，exhausted，likehisbody，wasjustabletodohimthisfinalservice；thenhesank，crumpled，intothechairbythetable，hischindownharduponhischest。
"Itellyou，you"recrazy!"Lambsaidagain。"Ineverintheworld——"Buthecheckedhimself，staringinsuddenperplexityathisaccuser。"Lookhere!"hesaid。"What"sthematterofyou？Haveyougotanotherofthose——？"HeputhishanduponAdams"sshoulder，whichjerkedfeeblyunderthetouch。
Theoldmanwenttothedoorandcalledtotheforeman。
"Here!"hesaid。"Runandtellmychauffeurtobringmycaroverhere。Tellhimtodriverightupoverthesidewalkandacrossthelot。Tellhimtohurry!"
So，ithappened，thegreatJ。A。Lambasecondtimebroughthisformerclerkhome，strickenandalmostinanimate。
CHAPTERXXIV
Aboutfiveo"clockthatafternoon，theoldgentlemancamebacktoAdams"shouse；andwhenAliceopenedthedoor，henodded，walkedintothe"living-room"withoutspeaking；thenstoodfrowningasifhehesitatedtodecidesomeperplexingquestion。
"Well，howishenow？"heasked，finally。
"Thedoctorwashereagainalittlewhileago；hethinkspapa"scomingthroughit。He"sprettysurehewill。"
"Somethinglikethewayitwaslastspring？"
"Yes。"
"Notabitofsensetoit!"Lambsaid，gruffly。"Whenhewasgettingwelltheothertimethedoctortoldmeitwasn"taregularstroke，sotospeak——this"cerebraleffusion"thing。
Saidtherewasn"tanyparticularreasonforyourfathertoexpecthe"deverhaveanotherattack，ifhe"dtakealittlecareofhimself。Saidhecouldconsiderhimselfwellasanybodyelselongashedidthat。"
"Yes。Buthedidn"tdoit!"
Lambnodded，sighedaloud，andcrossedtheroomtoachair。"I
guessnot，"hesaid，ashesatdown。"Bustin"hishealthupoverhisglue-works，Iexpect。"
"Yes。"
"Iguessso；Iguessso。"Thenhelookedupatherwithaglimmerofanxietyinhiseyes。"Hashecametoyet？"
"Yes。He"stalkedalittle。Hismind"sclear；hespoketomamaandmeandtoMissPerry。"Alicelaughedsadly。"Wewereluckyenoughtogetherback，butpapadidn"tseemtothinkitwaslucky。Whenherecognizedherhesaid，"Oh，mygoodness，"tisn"tYOU，isit!""
"Well，that"sagoodsign，ifhe"sgettingalittlecross。Didhe——didhehappentosayanything——forinstance，aboutme？"
Thisquestion，awkwardlydelivered，hadtheeffectofremovingthegirl"spallor；rosytintscamequicklyuponhercheeks。
"He——yes，hedid，"shesaid。"Naturally，he"stroubledabout——about——"Shestopped。
"Aboutyourbrother，maybe？"
"Yes，aboutmakingupthe——"
"Here，now，"Lambsaid，uncomfortably，asshestoppedagain。
"Listen，younglady；let"sdon"ttalkaboutthatjustyet。I
wanttoaskyou:youunderstandallaboutthisgluebusiness，I
expect，don"tyou？"
"I"mnotsure。Ionlyknow——"
"Letmetellyou，"heinterrupted，impatiently。"I"lltellyouallaboutitintwowords。Theprocessbelongedtome，andyourfatherupandwalkedoffwithit；there"snogettingaroundTHAT
much，anyhow。"
"Isn"tthere？"Alicestaredathim。"Ithinkyou"remistaken，Mr。Lamb。Didn"tpapaimproveitsothatitvirtuallybelongedtohim？"
Therewasasparkintheoldblueeyesatthis。"What？"hecried。"Isthatthewayhegotaroundit？Why，inallmylifeI
neverheardofsucha——"Butheleftthesentenceunfinished；
thetestinesswentoutofhishuskyvoiceandtheangeroutofhiseyes。"Well，Iexpectmaybethatwasthewayofit，"hesaid。"Anyhow，it"srightforyoutostandupforyourfather；
andifyouthinkhehadarighttoit——"
"Buthedid!"shecried。
"Iexpectso，"theoldmanreturned，pacifically。"Iexpectso，probably。Anyhow，it"saquestionthat"sneitherherenorthere，rightnow。WhatIwasthinkingofsaying——well，didyourfatherhappentoletoutthatheandIhadwordsthismorning？"
"No。"
"Well，wedid。"Hesighedandshookhishead。"Yourfather——well，heusedsomeprettyhardexpressionstowardme，younglady。Theyweren"tSO，I"mgladtosay，butheused"emtome，andtheworstofitwashebelieved"em。Well，Ibeenthinkingitover，andIthoughtI"djusthaveakindoflittletalkwithyoutosetmattersstraight，sotospeak。"
"Yes，Mr。Lamb。"
"Forinstance，"hesaid，"it"slikethis。Now，Ihopeyouwon"tthinkImeananyindelicacy，butyoutakeyourbrother"scase，sincewegottomentionit，why，yourfatherhadthewholethingworkedoutinhismindaboutaswrongasanybodyevergotanything。IfI"dactedthewayyourfatherthoughtIdidaboutthat，why，somebodyjustoughttotakemeoutandshootme!DoYOUknowwhatthatmanthought？"
"I"mnotsure。"
Hefrownedather，andasked，"Well，whatdoyouthinkaboutit？"
"Idon"tknow，"shesaid。"Idon"tbelieveIthinkanythingatallaboutanythingto-day。"
"Well，well，"hereturned；"Iexpectnot；Iexpectnot。Youkindoflooktomeasifyououghttobeinbedyourself，younglady。"
"Oh，no。"
"Iguessyoumean"Oh，yes"；andIwon"tkeepyoulong，butthere"ssomethingwegottogetfixedup，andI"drathertalktoyouthanIwouldtoyourmother，becauseyou"reasmartgirlandalwaysfriendly；andIwanttobesureI"munderstood。Now，listen。"
"Iwill，"Alicepromised，smilingfaintly。
"Ineverevenhardlynoticedyourbrotherwasstillworkingforme，"heexplained，earnestly。"Ineverthoughtanythingaboutit。Mysonssortoftriedtoteasemeaboutthewayyourfather——abouthistakingupthisgluebusiness，sotospeak——andonedayAlbert，Junior，askedmeifIfeltallrightaboutyourbrother"sstayingthereafterthat，andItoldhim——well，Ijustaskedhimtoshutup。Iftheboywantedtostaythere，Ididn"tconsideritmybusinesstosendhimawayonaccountofanyfeelingIhadtowardhisfather；notaslongashedidhisworkright——andthereportshowedhedid。Well，asithappens，itlooksnowasifhestayedbecauseheHADto；hecouldn"tquitbecausehe"d"a"beenfoundoutifhedid。Well，he"dbeencoveringuphisshortageforaconsiderabletime——anddoyouknowwhatyourfatherpracticallychargedmewithaboutthat？"
"No，Mr。Lamb。"
Inhisresentment，theoldgentleman"sruddyfacebecameruddierandhishuskyvoicehuskier。"ThinksIkepttheboytherebecauseIsuspectedhim!ThinksIdidittogetevenwithHIM!
DoIlooktoYOUlikeamanthat"ddosuchathing？"
"No，"shesaid，gently。"Idon"tthinkyouwould。"
"No!"heexclaimed。"NorHEwouldn"tthinksoifhewashimself；
he"sknownmetoolong。Buthemustbeensortofbroodingoverthiswholebusiness——ImeanbeforeWalter"stroublehemustbeentakingittoheartprettyhardforsometimeback。HethoughtI
didn"tthinkmuchofhimanymore——andIexpecthemaybewonderedsomewhatIwasgoingtoDO——andthere"snothingworse"nthatstateofmindtomakeamansuspiciousofallkindsofmeanness。
Well，hepracticallystoodupthereandaccusedmetomyfaceoffixingthingsso"thecouldn"teverraisethemoneytosettleforWalterandaskusnottoprosecute。That"sthestateofmindyourfather"sbroodinggothiminto，younglady——chargingmewithatricklikethat!"
"I"msorry，"shesaid。"Iknowyou"dnever——"
Theoldmanslappedhissturdyknee，angrily。"Why，thatdangfoolofaVirgilAdams!"heexclaimed。"Hewouldn"tevengivemeachancetotalk；andhegotmesomadIcouldn"thardlytalk，anyway!Hemight"a"knownfromthefirstIwasn"tgoingtolethimwalkinandbeatmeoutofmyown——thatis，hemight"a"
knownIwouldn"tlethimgetaheadofmeinabusinessmatter——notwithmyboystwittingmeaboutiteveryfewminutes!
Buttotalktomethewayhedidthismorning——well，hewasoutofhishead；that"sall!Now，waitjustaminute，"heinterposed，assheseemedabouttospeak。"Inthefirstplace，wearen"tgoingtopushthiscaseagainstyourbrother。I
believeinthelaw，allright，andbusinessmengottoprotectthemselves；butinacaselikethis，whererestitution"smadebythefamily，why，Iexpectit"sjustaswellsometimestousealittleinfluenceandletmattersdrop。Ofcourseyourbrother"llhavetokeepouto"thisstate；that"sall。"
"But——yousaid——"shefaltered。
"Yes。What"dIsay？"
"Yousaid，"whererestitution"smadebythefamily。"That"swhatseemedtotroublepapasoterribly，because——becauserestitutioncouldn"t——"
"Why，yes，itcould。That"swhatI"mheretotalktoyouabout。"
"Idon"tsee——"
"I"mgoingtoTELLyou，ain"tI？"hesaid，gruffly。"Justholdyourhorsesaminute，please。"Hecoughed，rosefromhischair，walkedupanddowntheroom，thenhaltedbeforeher。"It"slikethis，"hesaid。"AfterIbroughtyourfatherhome，thismorning，therewasoneofthethingshetoldme，whenhewasgoingforme，overyonder——itkindofstuckinmycraw。Itwassomethingaboutallthisgluecontroversynotmeaninganythingtomeinparticular，andmeaningawholeheaptohimandhisfamily。
Well，hewaswrongaboutthattwoways。Thefirstonewas，itdidmeanagooddealtometohavehimgobackonmeaftersomanyyears。Idon"tneedtosayanymoreaboutit，exceptjusttotellyouitmeantquitealittlemoretomethanyou"dthink，maybe。Theotherwayhewaswrongis，thathowmuchathingmeanstoonemanandhowlittleitmeanstoanotherain"ttherightwaytolookatabusinessmatter。"
"Isupposeitisn"t，Mr。Lamb。"
"No，"hesaid。"Itisn"t。It"snottherightwaytolookatanything。Yes，andyourfatherknowsitaswellasIdo，whenhe"sinhisrightmind；andIexpectthat"soneofthereasonshegotsomadatme——butanyhow，Icouldn"thelpthinkingabouthowmuchallthisthingHADmaybemeanttohim；——asIsay，itkindofstuckinmycraw。Iwantyoutotellhimsomethingfromme，andIwantyoutogoandtellhimrightoff，ifhe"sableandwillingtolisten。YoutellhimIgotkindofanotionhewaspushedintothisthingbycircumstances，andtellhimI"velivedlongenoughtoknowthatcircumstancescanbeatthebestofus——youtellhimIsaid"theBESTofus。"TellhimIhaven"tgotabitoffeelingagainsthim——notanymore——andtellhimIcameheretoaskhimnottohaveanyagainstme。"
"Yes，Mr。Lamb。"
"TellhimIsaid——"TheoldmanpausedabruptlyandAlicewassurprised，inadullandtiredway，whenshesawthathislipshadbeguntotwitchandhiseyelidstoblink；butherecoveredhimselfalmostatonce，andcontinued:"Iwanthimtoremember，"Forgiveusourtransgressions，asweforgivethosethattransgressagainstus"；andifheandIbeentransgressingagainsteachother，why，tellhimIthinkit"stimeweQUITsuchfoolishness!"
Hecoughedagain，smiledheartilyuponher，andwalkedtowardthedoor；thenturnedbacktoherwithanexclamation:"Well，ifI
ain"tanoldfool!"
"Whatisit？"sheasked。
"Why，Iforgotwhatwewerejusttalkingabout!YourfatherwantstosettleforWalter"sdeficit。Tellhimwe"llbegladtoacceptit；butofcoursewedon"texpecthimtocleanthematterupuntilhe"sabletotalkbusinessagain。"
Alicestaredathimblanklyenoughforhimtoperceivethatfurtherexplanationswerenecessary。"It"slikethis，"hesaid。
"Yousee，ifyourfatherdecidedtokeephisworksgoingoveryonder，Idon"tsaybuthemightgiveussomelittlecompetitionforatime，"speciallyashe"sgotthestartonusandaboutreadyforthemarket。ThenIwasfiguringwecouldusehisplant——it"ssmall，butit"dbetoourbenefittohavetheuseofit——andhe"sgotaleaseonthatbiglot；itmaycomeinhandyforusifwewanttoexpandsome。Well，I"dprefertomakeadealwithhimasquietlyaspossible——nogoodineveryTom，DickandHarryhearingaboutthingslikethis——butIfiguredhecouldsellouttomeforalittlesomethingmore"nenoughtocoverthemortgageheputonthishouse，andWalter"sdeficit，too——THAT
don"tamounttomuchindollarsandcents。ThewayIfigureit，Icouldofferhimaboutninety-threehundreddollarsasatotal——orsayninety-threehundredandfifty——andifhefeelslikeaccepting，why，I"llsendaconfidentialmanupherewiththepaperssoon"syourfather"sabletolook"emover。Youtellhim，willyou，andaskhimifheseeshiswaytoacceptingthatfigure？"
"Yes，"Alicesaid；andnowherownlipstwitched，whilehereyesfilledsothatshesawbutablurredimageoftheoldman，whoheldouthishandinparting。"I"lltellhim。Thankyou。"
Heshookherhandhastily。"Well，let"sjustkeepitkindofquiet，"hesaid，atthedoor。"NogoodineveryTom，DickandHarryknowingallwhatgoesonintown!Youtelephonemewhenyourpapa"sreadytogooverthepapers——andcallmeupatmyhouseto-night，willyou？Letmehearhowhe"sfeeling？"
"Iwill，"shesaid，andthroughhergratefultearsgavehimasmilealmostradiant。"He"llbebetter，Mr。Lamb。Weallwill。"
CHAPTERXXV
Onemorning，thatautumn，Mrs。AdamscameintoAlice"sroom，andfoundhercompletingasobertoiletforthestreet；moreover，theexpressionrevealedinhermirrorwasharmoniouswiththebusiness-likeseverityofherattire。"Whatmakesyoulooksocross，dearie？"themotherasked。"Couldn"tyoufindanythingnicertowearthanthatplainolddarkdress？"
"Idon"tbelieveI"mcross，"thegirlsaid，absently。"IbelieveI"mjustthinking。Isn"titabouttime？"
"Timeforwhat？"
"Timeforthinking——forme，Imean？"
Disregardingthis，Mrs。Adamslookedheroverthoughtfully。"I
can"tseewhyyoudon"twearmorecolour，"shesaid。"Atyourageit"sbecomingandproper，too。Anyhow，whenyou"regoingonthestreet，Ithinkyououghttolookjustasgayandlivelyasyoucanmanage。Youwanttoshow"emyou"vegotsomespunk!"
"Howdoyoumean，mama？"
"ImeanaboutWalter"srunningawayandthemessyourfathermadeofhisbusiness。Itwouldhelptoshow"emyou"reholdingupyourheadjustthesame。"
"Showwhom!"
"Alltheseothergirlsthat——"
"NotI!"Alicelaughedshortly，shakingherhead。"I"vequitdressingatthem，andiftheysawmetheywouldn"tthinkwhatyouwant"emto。It"sfunny；butwedon"toftenmakepeoplethinkwhatwewant"emto，mama。Youdothusandso；andyoutellyourself，"Now，seeingmedothusandso，peoplewillnaturallythinkthisandthat"；buttheydon"t。Theythinksomethingelse——usuallyjustwhatyouDON"Twant"emto。Isupposeabouttheonlygoodinpretendingisthefunwegetoutoffoolingourselvesthatwefoolsomebody。"
"Well，butitwouldn"tbepretending。Yououghttoletpeopleseeyou"restillholdingyourheadupbecauseyouARE。Youwouldn"twantthatMildredPalmertothinkyou"recastdownabout——well，youknowyouwouldn"twantHERnottothinkyou"reholdingyourheadup，wouldyou？"
"Shewouldn"tknowwhetherIamornot，mama。"Alicebitherlip，thensmiledfaintlyasshesaid:
"Anyhow，I"mnotthinkingaboutmyheadinthatway——notthismorning，I"mnot。"
Mrs。Adamsdroppedthesubjectcasually。"Areyougoingdown-town？"sheinquired。
"Yes。"
"Whatfor？"
"JustsomethingIwanttoseeabout。I"lltellyouwhenIcomeback。Anythingyouwantmetodo？"
"No；Iguessnotto-day。Ithoughtyoumightlookforarug，butI"drathergowithyoutoselectit。We"llhavetogetanewrugforyourfather"sroom，Iexpect。"
"I"mgladyouthinkso，mama。Idon"tsupposehe"severevennoticedit，butthatoldrugofhis——well，really!"
"Ididn"tmeanforhim，"hermotherexplained，thoughtfully。
"No；hedon"tmindit，andhe"dlikelymakeafussifwechangeditonhisaccount。No；whatImeant——we"llhavetoputyourfatherinWalter"sroom。Hewon"tmind，Idon"texpect——notmuch。"
"No，Isupposenot，"Aliceagreed，rathersadly。"Iheardthebellawhileago。Wasitsomebodyaboutthat？"
"Yes；justbeforeIcameupstairs。Mrs。Lohrgavehimanotetome，andhewasreallyaverypleasant-lookingyoungman。AVERY
pleasant-lookingyoungman，"Mrs。Adamsrepeatedwithincreasedanimationandathoughtfulglanceatherdaughter。"He"saMr。
WillDickson；hehasafirst-ratepositionwiththegasworks，Mrs。Lohrsays，andhe"sfullyabletoaffordaniceroom。SoifyouandIdoubleupinhere，thenwiththatyoungmarriedcoupleinmyroom，andthisMr。Dicksoninyourfather"s，we"lljustabouthavethingssettled。IthoughtmaybeIcouldmakeonemoreplaceattable，too，sothatwiththeotherpeoplefromoutsidewe"dbeservingelevenaltogether。YouseeifIhavetopaythiscooktwelvedollarsaweek——itcan"tbehelped，I
guess——well，onemorewouldcertainlyhelptowardaprofit。Ofcourseit"saterriblyworryingthingtoseehowweWILLcomeout。Don"tyousupposewecouldsqueezeinonemore？"
"IsupposeitCOULDbemanaged；yes。"
Mrs。Adamsbrightened。"I"msureit"llbepleasanthavingthatyoungmarriedcoupleinthehouseandespeciallythisMr。WillDickson。Heseemedverymuchofagentleman，andanxioustogetsettledingoodsurroundings。Iwasveryfavourablyimpressedwithhimineveryway；andheexplainedtomeabouthisname；itseemsitisn"tWilliam，it"sjust"Will"；hisparentshadhimchristenedthatway。It"scurious。"Shepaused，andthen，withanefforttoseemcasual，whichveilednothingfromherdaughter:
"It"sQUITEcurious，"shesaidagain。"Butit"sratherattractiveanddifferent，don"tyouthink？"
"Poormama!"Alicelaughedcompassionately。"Poormama!"
"Heis，though，"Mrs。Adamsmaintained。"He"sverymuchofagentleman，unlessI"mnojudgeofappearances；andit"llreallybenicetohavehiminthehouse。"
"Nodoubt，"Alicesaid，assheopenedherdoortodepart。"I
don"tsupposewe"llmindhavinganyof"emasmuchaswethoughtwewould。Good-bye。"
Buthermotherdetainedher，catchingherbythearm。"Alice，youdohateit，don"tyou!"
"No，"thegirlsaid，quickly。"Therewasn"tanythingelsetodo。"
Mrs。Adamsbecameemotionalatonce:herfacecriedtragedy，andhervoicemisfortune。"ThereMIGHThavebeensomethingelsetodo!Oh，Alice，yougaveyourfatherbadadvicewhenyouupheldhimintakingamiserablelittleninety-threehundredandfiftyfromthatoldwretch!Ifyourfather"djusthadthegumptiontoholdout，they"dhavehadtopayhimanythingheasked。Ifhe"djusthadthegumptionandalittlemanlyCOURAGE——"
"Hush!"Alicewhispered，forhermother"svoicegrewlouder。
"Hush!He"llhearyou，mama。"
"Couldhehearmetoooften？"theembitteredladyasked。"Ifhe"dlistenedtomeattherighttime，wouldwehavetobetakinginboardersandsinkingDOWNinthescaleattheendofourlives，insteadofgoingUP？Youwerebothwrong；wedidn"tneedtobesopanicky——thatwasjustwhatthatoldmanwanted:toscareusandbuyusoutfornothing!Ifyourfather"djustlistenedtomethen，orifforonceinhislifehe"djustbeenhalfaMAN——"
Aliceputherhandoverhermother"smouth。"Youmustn"t!HeWILLhearyou!"
ButfromtheothersideofAdams"scloseddoorhisvoicecamequerulously。"Oh，IHEARher，allright!"
"Yousee，mama？"Alicesaid，and，asMrs。Adamsturnedaway，weeping，thedaughtersighed；thenwentintospeaktoherfather。
Hewasinhisoldchairbythetable，withapillowbehindhishead，butthecrochetedscarfandMrs。Adams"swrapperswathedhimnomore；heworeadressing-gownhiswifehadboughtforhim，andwassmokinghispipe。"Theoldstory，isit？"hesaid，asAlicecamein。"Thesame，sameoldstory!Well，well!Hasshegone？"
"Yes，papa。"
"Gotyourhaton，"hesaid。"Whereyougoing？"
"I"mgoingdown-townonanerrandofmyown。Isthereanythingyouwant，papa？"
"Yes，thereis。"Hesmiledather。"Iwishyou"dsitdownawhileandtalktomeunlessyourerrand——"
"No，"shesaid，takingachairnearhim。"IwasjustgoingdowntoseeaboutsomearrangementsIwasmakingformyself。There"snohurry。"
"Whatarrangementsforyourself，dearie？"
"I"lltellyouafterwards——afterIfindoutsomethingabout"emmyself。"
"Allright，"hesaid，indulgently。"Keepyoursecrets；keepyoursecrets。"Hepaused，drewmusinglyuponhispipe，andshookhishead。"Funny——thewayyourmotherlooksatthings!Forthemattero"that，everything"sprettyfunny，Iexpect，ifyoustoptothinkaboutit。Forinstance，lethersayallshelikes，butwewerepushedrightspangtothewall，ifJ。A。Lambhadn"ttakenitintohisheadtomakethatofferfortheworks；andthere"soneofthethingsIbeenthinkingaboutlately，Alice:
thinkingabouthowfunnytheyworkout。"
"Whatdidyouthinkaboutit，papa!"
"Well，I"veseenithappeninotherpeople"slives，timeandtimeagain；andnowit"shappenedinours。Youthinkyou"regoingtobepushedrightupagainstthewall；youcan"tseeanywayout，oranyhopeatall；youthinkyou"reGONE——andthensomethingyounevercountedonturnsup；and，whilemaybeyouneverdogetbacktowhereyouusedtobe，yetsomehowyoukindofsquirmoutofbeingrightSPANGagainstthewall。Youkeepongoing——maybeyoucan"tgomuch，butyoudogoalittle。SeewhatImean？"
"Yes。Iunderstand，dear。"
"Yes，I"mafraidyoudo，"hesaid。"Toobad!Yououghtn"ttounderstanditatyourage。ItseemstomeagooddealasiftheLordreallymeantfortheyoungpeopletohavethegoodtimes，andfortheoldtohavethetroubles；andwhenanybodyasyoungasyouhastroublethere"sabigmistakesomewhere。"
"Oh，no!"sheprotested。
Buthepersistedwhimsicallyinthisviewofdivineerror:"Yes，itdoeslookagooddealthatway。Butofcoursewecan"ttell；
we"renevercertainaboutanything——notaboutanythingatall。
SometimesIlookatitanotherway，though。Sometimesitlookstomeasifabody"stroublescameonhimmainlybecausehehadn"thadsenseenoughtoknowhownottohaveany——asifhistroubleswerekindoflikeaboy"sgettingkeptinafterschoolbytheteacher，togivehimdiscipline，orsomethingorother。
But，my，my!Wedon"tlearneasy!"Hechuckledmournfully。"Nottolearnhowtolivetillwe"reaboutreadytodie，itcertainlyseemstomedangtough!"
"ThenIwouldn"tbroodonsuchanotion，papa，"shesaid。
""Brood？"No!"hereturned。"Ijustkindo"mullitover。"Hechuckledagain，sighed，andthen，notlookingather，hesaid，"ThatMr。Russell——yourmothertellsmehehasn"tbeenhereagain——notsince——"
"No，"shesaid，quietly，asAdamspaused。"Henevercameagain。"
"Well，butmaybe——"
"No，"shesaid。"Thereisn"tany"maybe。"Itoldhimgood-byethatnight，papa。ItwasbeforeheknewaboutWalter——Itoldyou。"
"Well，well，"Adamssaid。"Youngpeopleareentitledtotheirownprivacy；Idon"twanttopry。"Heemptiedhispipeintoachippedsauceronthetablebesidehim，laidthepipeaside，andrevertedtoaformertopic。"Speakingofdying——"
"Well，butweweren"t!"Aliceprotested。
"Yes，aboutnotknowinghowtolivetillyou"rethroughliving——andTHENmaybenot!"hesaid，chucklingathisowndeterminedpessimism。"IseeI"mprettyoldbecauseItalkthisway——IremembermygrandmothersayingthingsagooddeallikeallwhatI"msayingnow；IusedtohearheratitwhenIwasayoungfellow——shewasarightgloomyoldlady，Iremember。Well，anyhow，itremindsme:IwanttogetonmyfeetagainassoonasIcan；Igottolookaroundandfindsomethingtogointo。"
Aliceshookherheadgently。"But，papa，hetoldyou——"
"Nevermindthrowingthatdangdoctorupatme!"Adamsinterrupted，peevishly。"HesaidI"dbegoodforSOMEkindoflightjob——ifIcouldfindjusttherightthing。"Wheretherewouldn"tbeeitheranyphysicalormentalstrain，"hesaid。
Well，Igottofindsomethinglikethat。Anyway，I"llfeelbetterifIcanjustgetoutLOOKINGforit。"
"But，papa，I"mafraidyouwon"tfindit，andyou"llbedisappointed。"
"Well，IwanttohuntaroundandSEE，anyhow。"
Alicepattedhishand。"Youmustjustbecontented，papa。
Everything"sgoingtobeallright，andyoumustn"tgettoworryingaboutdoinganything。Weownthishouseit"sallclear——andyou"vetakencareofmamaandmeallourlives；nowit"sourturn。"
"No，sir!"hesaid，querulously。"Idon"tliketheideaofbeingthelandlady"shusbandaroundaboarding-house；itgoesagainstmygizzard。_I_know:makesoutthebillsforhiswifeSundaymornings——workswithascrew-driveronsomebody"sbureaudrawersometimes——"tendsthefurnacemaybe——onetheboardersgiveshimacigarnowandthen。That"saFINElifetolookforwardto!No，sir；Idon"twanttofinishasalandlady"shusband!"
Alicelookedgrave；forsheknewthesketchwasbuttooaccuratelypropheticineveryprobability。"But，papa，"shesaid，toconsolehim，"don"tyouthinkmaybethereisn"tsuchathingasa"finish，"afterall!Yousayperhapswedon"tlearntolivetillwediebutmaybethat"showitisAFTERwedie，too——justlearningsomemore，thewaywedohere，andmaybethroughtroubleagain，evenafterthat。"
"Oh，itmightbe，"hesighed。"Iexpectso。"
"Well，then，"shesaid，"what"stheuseoftalkingabouta"finish？"Wedokeeplookingaheadtothingsasifthey"dfinishsomething，butwhenwegetTOthem，theydon"tfinishanything。
They"rejustpartofgoingon。I"lltellyou——IlookedaheadallsummertosomethingIwasafraidof，andIsaidtomyself，"Well，ifthathappens，I"mfinished!"Butitwasn"tso，papa。Itdidhappen，andnothing"sfinished；I"mgoingon，justthesameonly——"Shestoppedandblushed。
"Onlywhat？"heasked。
"Well——"Sheblushedmoredeeply，thenjumpedup，and，standingbeforehim，caughtbothhishandsinhers。"Well，don"tyouthink，sincewedohavetogoon，weoughtatleasttohavelearnedsomesenseabouthowtodoit？"
Helookedupatheradoringly。
"What_I_think，"hesaid，andhisvoicetrembled；——"Ithinkyou"rethesmartestgirlintheworld!Iwouldn"ttradeyouforthewholekit-and-boodleof"em!"
Butasthisfollyofhisthreatenedtomakehertearful，shekissedhimhastily，andwentforthuponhererrand。
Sincethenightofthetragic-comicdinnershehadnotseenRussell，norcaughteventheremotestchanceglimpseofhim；anditwascuriousthatsheshouldencounterhimasshewentuponsuchanerrandasnowengagedher。Atacorner，notfarfromthattobacconist"sshopshehadjustleftwhenheovertookherandwalkedwithherforthefirsttime，shemethimto-day。Heturnedthecorner，comingtowardher，andtheywerefacetoface；
whereuponthatengagingfaceofRussell"swasinstantlyreddened，butAlice"sremainedserene。
Shestoppedshort，though；andsodidhe；thenshesmiledbrightlyassheputoutherhand。
"Why，Mr。Russell!"
"I"mso——I"msogladtohavethis——thischance，"hestammered。
"I"vewantedtotellyou——it"sjustthatgoingintoanewundertaking——thisbusinesslife——onedoesn"tgettodoagreatmanythingshe"dliketo。Ihopeyou"llletmecallagainsometime，ifIcan。"
"Yes，do!"shesaid，cordially，andthen，withaquicknod，wentbrisklyon。
Shebreathedmorerapidly，butknewthathecouldnothavedetectedit，andshetooksomeprideinherselfforthewayshehadmetthislittlecrisis。Buttohavemetitwithsucheasycouragemeanttohersomethingmorereassuringthanamomentaryprideintheserenityshehadshown。Forshefoundthatwhatshehadresolvedinherinmostheartwasnowreallytrue:shewas"throughwithallthat!"
Shewalkedon，butmoreslowly，forthetobacconist"sshopwasnotfarfromhernow——and，beyondit，thatportalofdoom，Frincke"sBusinessCollege。AlreadyAlicecouldreadthebegrimedgiltlettersofthesign；andalthoughtheyhadspelleddestinyneverwithamorepainfulimminencethanjustthen，anoldhabitofdramatizingherselfstillprevailedwithher。
TherecameintohermindawhimsicalcomparisonofherfatewiththatoftheheroineinaFrenchromanceshehadreadlongagoandrememberedwell，forshehadcriedoverit。Thestoryendedwiththeheroine"stakingtheveilafteradeathblowtolove；andthefinalsceneagainbecamevividtoAlice，foramoment。Again，aswhenshehadreadandwept，
sheseemedherselftostandamongthegreatshadowsinthecathedralnave；smelledthesmokyincenseontheenclosedair，andheardthesolemnpulsesoftheorgan。Sherememberedhowthenovice"sfatherknelt，trembling，besideapillarofgraystone；howthefaithlessloverwatchedandshiveredbehindthestatueofasaint；howstifledsobsandoutcrieswereheardwhenthenovicecametothealtar；andhowashaftoflightstruckthroughtherose-window，envelopingherinanamberglow。
Itwasthevisionofamomentonly，andfornolongerthanamomentdidAlicetellherselfthattheromanceprovidedaprettierwayoftakingtheveilthanshehadchosen，andthatafaithlesslover，shakingwithremorsebehindasaint"sstatue，wasagreatersolacethanoneleftonastreetcornerprotestingthathe"dliketocallsometime——ifhecould!Herpityforherselfvanishedmorereluctantly；butsheshookitoffandtriedtosmileatit，andatherromanticrecollections——atallofthem。Shehadsomethingimportanttothinkof。
Shepassedthetobacconist"s，andbeforeherwasthatdarkentrancetothewoodenstairwayleadinguptoFrincke"sBusinessCollege——theverydoorwayshehadalwayslookeduponastheendofyouthandtheendofhope。
Howoftenshehadgonebyhere，hatingthedrearyobscurityofthatstairway；howoftenshehadthoughtofthisobscurityassomethinglyinginwaittoobliteratethefootstepsofanygirlwhoshouldascendintothesmokydarknessabove!Neverhadshepassedwithoutthoseominousimaginingsofhers:prettygirlsturningintooldmaids"takingdictation"——oldmaidsofadozendifferenttypes，yetalllookingalittlelikeherself。
Well，shewashereatlast!Shelookedupanddownthestreetquickly，andthen，withalittleheaveoftheshoulders，shewentbravelyin，underthesign，andbegantoclimbthewoodensteps。
Half-wayuptheshadowswereheaviest，butafterthattheplacebegantoseembrighter。Therewasanopenwindowoverheadsomewhere，shefound；andthestepsatthetopweregaywithsunshine。