第5章

"Nofear,ifyoulookaftermeasyouseemtohavepromisedtodo,judgingbythethanksyougetinthisnote。Pooroldgovernor！Ishouldliketoseehim,forit"salmostfouryearssincehecamehomelastandhemustbegettingon。"

Charliewastheonlyoneoftheboyswhoevercalledhisfather"governor,"

perhapsbecausetheothersknewandlovedtheirfathers,whilehehadseensolittleofhisthatthelessrespectfulnamecamemorereadilytohislips,sincetheeldermanintruthseemedagovernorissuingrequestsorcommands,whichtheyoungertoooftenneglectedorresented。

LongagoRosehaddiscoveredthatUncleStephenfoundhomemadesodistastefulbyhiswife"sdevotiontosocietythathepreferredtoexilehimself,takingbusinessasanexcuseforhisprotractedabsences。

Thegirlwasthinkingofthisasshewatchedhercousinturntheringaboutwithasuddensobrietywhichbecamehimwell;and,believingthatthemomentwaspropitious,shesaidearnestly:"Heisgettingon。

DearCharlie,dothinkofdutymorethanpleasureinthiscaseandI"msureyouneverwillregretit。"

"Doyouwantmetogo？"heaskedquickly。

"Ithinkyouought。"

"AndIthinkyou"dbemuchmorecharmingifyouwouldn"talwaysbeworryingaboutrightandwrong！UncleAlectaughtyouthatalongwiththerestofhisqueernotions。"

"I"mgladhedid！"criedRosewarmly,thencheckedherselfandsaidwithapatientsortofsigh,"Youknowwomenalwayswantthementheycarefortobegoodandcan"thelptryingtomakethemso。"

"Sotheydo,andweoughttobeasetofangels,butI"veastrongconvictionthat,ifwewere,thedearsoulswouldn"tlikeushalfaswell。Wouldtheynow？"askedCharliewithaninsinuatingsmile。

"Perhapsnot,butthatisdodgingthepoint。Willyougo？"persistedRoseunwisely。

"No,Iwillnot。"

Thatwassufficientlydecidedandanuncomfortablepausefollowed,duringwhichRosetiedaknotunnecessarilytightandCharliewentonexploringthedrawerwithmoreenergythaninterest。

"Why,here"sanoldthingIgaveyouagesago！"hesuddenlyexclaimedinapleasedtone,holdingupalittleagateheartonafadedblueribbon。

"Willyouletmetakeawaytheheartofstoneandgiveyouaheartofflesh？"

heasked,halfinearnest,halfinjest,touchedbythelittletrinketandtherecollectionsitawakened。

"No,Iwillnot,"answeredRosebluntly,muchdispleasedbytheirreverentandaudaciousquestion。

Charlielookedratherabashedforamoment,buthisnaturallightheartednessmadeiteasyforhimtogetthebetterofhisownbrieffitsofwaywardnessandputothersingoodhumorwithhimandthemselves。

"Nowweareeven­let"sdropthesubjectandstartafresh,"hesaidwithirresistibleaffabilityashecoollyputthelittleheartinhispocketandpreparedtoshutthedrawer。Butsomethingcaughthiseye,andexclaiming,"What"sthis？What"sthis？"hesnatchedupaphotographwhichlayhalfunderapileofletterswithforeignpostmarks。

"Oh！Iforgotthatwasthere,"saidRosehastily。

"Whoistheman？"demandedCharlie,eyeingthegood—lookingcountenancebeforehimwithafrown。

"ThatistheHonorableGilbertMurray,whowentuptheNilewithusandshotcrocodilesandothersmallgame,beingamightyhunter,asItoldyouinmyletters,"answeredRosegaily,thoughillpleasedatthelittlediscoveryjustthen,forthishadbeenoneofthenarrowescapesherunclespokeof。

"Andtheyhaven"teatenhimyet,Iinferfromthepileofletters？"

saidCharliejealously。

"Ihopenot。Hissisterdidnotmentionitwhenshewrotelast。"

"Ah！Thensheisyourcorrespondent？Sistersaredangerousthingssometimes。"

AndCharlieeyedthepacketsuspiciously。

"Inthiscase,averyconvenientthing,forshetellsmeallaboutherbrother"swedding,asnooneelsewouldtakethetroubletodo。"

"Oh！Well,ifhe"smarried,Idon"tcareastrawabouthim。IfanciedI"dfoundoutwhyyouaresuchahard—heartedcharmer。Butifthereisnosecretidol,I"mallatseaagain。"AndCharlietossedthephotographintothedrawerasifitnolongerinterestedhim。

"I"mhard—heartedbecauseI"mparticularand,asyet,donotfindanyoneatalltomytaste。"

"Noone？"­withatenderglance。

"Noone"­witharebelliousblush,andthetruthfuladdition­"I

seemuchtoadmireandlikeinmanypersons,butnonequitestrongandgoodenoughtosuitme。Myheroesareold—fashioned,youknow。"

"Prigs,likeGuyCarleton,CountAltenberg,andJohnHalifax­Iknowthepatternyougoodygirlslike,"sneeredCharlie,whopreferredtheGuyLivingston,Beauclerc,andRochesterstyle。

"ThenI"mnota"goodygirl,"forIdon"tlikeprigs。Iwantagentlemaninthebestsenseoftheword,andIcanwait,forI"veseenone,andknowtherearemoreintheworld。"

"Thedeuceyouhave！DoIknowhim？"askedCharlie,muchalarmed。

"Youthinkyoudo,"answeredRosewithamischievoussparkleinhereye。

"Ifitisn"tPem,Igiveitup。He"sthebest—bredfellowIknow。"

"Oh,dear,no！FarsuperiortoMr。Pembertonandmanyyearsolder,"

saidRose,withsomuchrespectthatCharlielookedperplexedaswellasanxious。

"Someapostolicminister,Ifancy。Youpiouscreaturesalwaysliketoadoreaparson。Butallweknowaremarried。"

"Heisn"t。"

"Giveaname,forpity"ssake­I"msufferingtorturesofsuspense,"

beggedCharlie。

"AlexanderCampbell。"

"Uncle？Well,uponmyword,that"sarelief,butmightyabsurdallthesame。So,whenyoufindayoungsaintofthatsort,youintendtomarryhim,doyou？"demandedCharliemuchamusedandratherdisappointed。

"WhenIfindanymanhalfashonest,good,andnobleasUncle,Ishallbeproudtomarryhimifheasksme,"answeredRosedecidedly。

"Whatoddtasteswomenhave！"AndCharlieleanedhischinonhishandtomusepensivelyforamomentovertheblindnessofonewomanwhocouldadmireanexcellentoldunclemorethanadashingyoungcousin。

Rose,meanwhile,tiedupherparcelsindustriously,hopingshehadnotbeentoosevere,foritwasveryhardtolectureCharlie,thoughheseemedtolikeitsometimesandcametoconfessionvoluntarily,knowingthatwomenlovetoforgivewhenthesinnersareofhissort。

"Itwillbemailtimebeforeyouaredone,"shesaidpresently,forsilencewaslesspleasantthanhisrattle。

Charlietookthehintanddashedoffseveralnotesinhisbestmanner。

Comingtothebusinessletter,heglancedatitandasked,withapuzzledexpression:"Whatisallthis？Costofrepairs,etc。,fromamannamedBuffum？"

"Nevermindthat­I"llseetoitbyandby。"

"ButIdomind,forI"minterestedinallyouraffairs,andthoughyouthinkI"venoheadforbusiness,you"llfindIhaveifyou"lltryme。"

"Thisisonlyaboutmytwooldhousesinthecity,whicharebeingrepairedandalteredsothattheroomscanbeletsingly。"

"Goingtomaketenementhousesofthem？Well,that"snotabadidea­suchplacespaywell,I"veheard。"

"ThatisjustwhatI"mnotgoingtodo。Iwouldn"thaveatenementhouseonmyconscienceforamilliondollars­notastheyarenow,"

saidRosedecidedly。

"Why,whatdoyouknowaboutit,exceptthatpeopleliveinthemandtheownersturnaprettypennyontherents？"

"Iknowagooddealaboutthem,forI"veseenmanysuch,bothhereandabroad。Itwasnotallpleasurewithus,Iassureyou。Unclewasinterestedinhospitalsandprisons,andIsometimeswentwithhim,buttheymademesadsohesuggestedothercharitiesthatIcouldbeofhelpaboutwhenwecamehome。Ivisitedinfantschools,workingwomen"shomes,orphanasylums,andplacesofthatsort。Youdon"tknowhowmuchgooditdidmeandhowgladIamthatIhavethemeansoflighteningalittlesomeofthemiseryintheworld。"

"But,mydeargirl,youneedn"tmakeducksanddrakesofyourfortunetryingtofeedandcureandclotheallthepoorwretchesyousee。Give,ofcourse­everyoneshoulddosomethinginthatlineandnoonelikesitbetterthanI。Butdon"t,formercy"ssake,goatitassomewomendoandgetsodesperatelyearnest,practical,andcharity—madthatthereisnolivinginpeacewithyou,"protestedCharlie,lookingalarmedattheprospect。

"Youcandoasyouplease。IintendtodoallthegoodIcanbyaskingtheadviceandfollowingtheexampleofthemost"earnest,""practical,"

and"charitable"peopleIknow­so,ifyoudon"tapprove,youcandropmyacquaintance,"answeredRose,emphasizingtheobnoxiouswordsandassumingtheresoluteairshealwaysworewhendefendingherhobbies。

"You"llbelaughedat。"

"I"musedtothat。"

"Andcriticizedandshunned。"

"NotbypeoplewhoseopinionIvalue。"

"Womenshouldn"tgopokingintosuchplaces。"

"I"vebeentaughtthattheyshould。"

"Well,you"llgetsomedreadfuldiseaseandloseyourbeauty,andthenwhereareyou？"addedCharlie,thinkingthatmightdaunttheyoungphilanthropist。

Butitdidnot,forRoseanswered,withasuddenkindlingoftheeyesassherememberedhertalkwithUncleAlec:"Ishouldn"tlikeit。Buttherewouldbeonesatisfactioninit,forwhenI"dlostmybeautyandgivenawaymymoney,Ishouldknowwhoreallycaredforme。"

Charlienibbledhispeninsilenceforamoment,thenasked,meekly,"CouldIrespectfullyinquirewhatgreatreformistobecarriedonintheoldhouseswhichtheiramiableownerisrepairing？"

"Iammerelygoingtomakethemcomfortablehomesforpoorbutrespectablewomentolivein。Thereisaclasswhocannotaffordtopaymuch,yetsufferagreatdealfrombeingobligedtostayinnoisy,dirty,crowdedplacesliketenementhousesandcheaplodgings。IcanhelpafewofthemandI"mgoingtotry。"

"MayIhumblyaskifthesedecayedgentlewomenaretoinhabittheirpalatialretreatrent—free？"

"Thatwasmyfirstplan,butUncleshowedmethatitwaswisernotmakegenteelpaupersofthem,butletthempayasmallrentandfeelindependent。

Idon"twantthemoney,ofcourse,andshalluseitinkeepingthehousestidyorhelpingotherwomeninlikecase,"saidRose,entirelyignoringhercousin"scovertridicule。

"Don"texpectanygratitude,foryouwon"tgetit;normuchcomfortwithalotofforlornitiesonyourhands,andbesurethatwhenitistoolateyouwilltireofitallandwishyouhaddoneasotherpeopledo。"

"Thanksforyourcheerfulprophecies,butIthinkI"llventure。"

ShelookedsoundauntedthatCharliewasalittlenettledandfiredhislastshotratherrecklessly:"Well,onethingIdoknow­you"llnevergetahusbandifyougooninthisabsurdway,and­byJove！­youneedonetotakecareofyouandkeepthepropertytogether！"

Rosehadatemper,butseldomletitgetthebetterofher;now,however,itflashedupforamoment。Thoselastwordswerepeculiarlyunfortunate,becauseAuntClarahadusedthemmorethanoncewhenwarningheragainstimpecunioussuitorsandgenerousprojects。Shewasdisappointedinhercousin,annoyedathavingherlittleplanslaughedat,andindignantwithhimforhisfinalsuggestion。

"I"llneverhaveone,ifImustgiveupthelibertyofdoingwhatI

knowisright,andI"drathergointothepoorhousetomorrowthan"keepthepropertytogether"intheselfishwayyoumean！"

Thatwasall­butCharliesawthathehadgonetoofarandhastenedtomakehispeacewiththeskillofalover,for,turningtothelittlecabinetpianobehindhim,hesanginhisbeststylethesweetoldsong:"Ohwerethouinthecauldblast,"

dwellingwithgreateffect,notonlyuponthetenderassurancethat"Myplaidshouldshelterthee,"

butalsothat,evenifaking,"ThebrightestjewelinmycrownWadbemyqueen,wadbemyqueen。"

ItwasveryevidentthatPrinceCharminghadnotgonetroubadouringinvain,forOrpheushimselfcouldnothaverestoredharmonymoresuccessfully。

Thetunefulapologywasacceptedwithaforgivingsmileandafrank"I"msorryIwascross,butyouhaven"tforgottenhowtotease,andI"mratheroutofsortstoday。Latehoursdon"tagreewithme。"

"Thenyouwon"tfeellikegoingtoMrs。Hope"stomorrow,I"mafraid,"

andCharlietookupthelastnotewithanexpressionofregretwhichwasveryflattering。

"Imustgo,becauseitismadeforme,butIcancomeawayearlyandmakeuplostsleep。Idohatetobesofractious,"andRoserubbedtheforeheadthatachedwithtoomuchracketing。

"ButtheGermandoesnotbegintilllate­I"mtoleadanddependuponyou。Juststaythisoncetoobligeme,"pleadedCharlie,forhehadsethisheartondistinguishinghimself。

"No­IpromisedUncletobetemperateinmypleasuresandImustkeepmyword。I"msowellnow,itwouldbeveryfoolishtogetillandmakehimanxious­nottomentionlosingmybeauty,asyouaregoodenoughtocallit,forthatdependsonhealth,youknow。"

"Butthefundoesn"tbegintillaftersupper。Everythingwillbedelightful,Iassureyou,andwe"llhaveagayoldtimeaswedidlastweekatEmma"s。"

"ThenIcertainlywillnot,forI"mashamedofmyselfwhenIrememberwhatarompthatwasandhowsoberUnclelookedasheletmeinatthreeinthemorning,allfaggedout­mydressinrags,myheadaching,myfeetsotiredthatIcouldhardlystand,andnothingtoshowforfivehours"

hardworkbutapocketfulofbonbons,artificialflowers,andtissue—paperfool"scaps。UnclesaidI"dbetterputoneonandgotobed,forIlookedasthoughI"dbeentoaFrenchbalmasque。Ineverwanttohearhimsaysoagain,andI"llneverletdawncatchmeoutinsuchaplightanymore。"

"Youwereallrightenough,formotherdidn"tobjectandIgotyoubothhomebeforedaylight。Uncleisnotionalaboutsuchthings,soIshouldn"tmind,forwehadajollytimeandwewerenonetheworseforit。"

"Indeedwewere,everyoneofus！AuntClarahasn"tgottenoverhercoldyet。Isleptallthenextday,andyoulookedlikeaghost,foryou"dbeenouteverynightforweeks,Ithink。"

"Oh,nonsense！Everyonedoesitduringtheseason,andyou"llgetusedtothepaceverysoon,"beganCharlie,bentonmakinghergo,forhewasinhiselementinaballroomandneverhappierthanwhenhehadhisprettycousinonhisarm。

"Ah！ButIdon"twanttogetusedtoit,foritcoststoomuchintheend。Idon"twishtogetusedtobeingwhiskedaboutahotroombymenwhohavetakentoomuchwine,toturndayintonight,wastingtimethatmightbebetterspent,andgrowintoafashionablefastgirlwhocan"tgetalongwithoutexcitement。Idon"tdenythatmuchofitispleasant,butdon"ttrytomakemetoofondofgaiety。HelpmetoresistwhatIknowishurtful,andpleasedon"tlaughmeoutofthegoodhabitsUnclehastriedsohardtogiveme。"

Rosewasquitesincereinherappeal,andCharlieknewshewasright,buthealwaysfoundithardtogiveupanythinghehadsethishearton,nomatterhowtrivial,forthematernalindulgencewhichhadharmedtheboyhadfosteredthehabitofself—indulgence,whichwasruiningtheman。

SowhenRoselookedupathim,withaveryhonestdesiretosavehimaswellasherselffrombeingsweptintothegiddyvortexwhichkeepssomanyyoungpeoplerevolvingaimlessly,tilltheygodownorarecastupontheshore,wrecksofwhattheymighthavebeen,hegaveashrugandansweredbriefly:"Asyouplease。I"llbringyouhomeasearlyasyoulike,andEffieWaringshalltakeyourplaceintheGerman。WhatflowersshallI

sendyou？"

Now,thatwasanartfulspeechofCharlie"s,forMissWaringwasafastandfashionabledamselwhoopenlyadmiredPrinceCharmingandhadgivenhimthename。Rosedislikedherandwassureherinfluencewasbad,foryouthmadefrivolityforgivable,withidwantofrefinement,andbeautyalwayscoversamultitudeofsinsinaman"seyes。AtthesoundofEffie"sname,Rosewavered,andwouldhaveyieldedbutforthememoryofthe"firstmate"s"lastwords。Shediddesireto"keepastraightcourse";so,thoughthecurrentofimpulsesetstronglyinasoutherlydirection,principle,theonlycompassworthhaving,pointedduenorth,andshetriedtoobeyitlikeawiseyoungnavigator,sayingsteadily,whileshedirectedtoAnnabeltheparcelcontainingacapaciouspairofslippersintendedforUncleMac:"Don"ttroubleyourselfaboutme。IcangowithUncleandslipawaywithoutdisturbinganybody。"

"Idon"tbelieveyou"llhavethehearttodoit,"saidCharlieincredulouslyashesealedthelastnote。

"Waitandsee。"

"Iwill,butIshallhopetothelast。"Andkissinghishandtoher,hedepartedtopostherletters,quitesurethatMissWaringwouldnotleadtheGerman。

ItcertainlylookedforamomentasifMissCampbellwould,becausesherantothedoorwiththewords"I"llgo"uponherlips。ButshedidnotopenittillshehadstoodaminutestaringhardattheoldgloveonPsyche"shead;thenlikeonewhohadsuddenlygottenabrightidea,shegaveadecidednodandwalkedslowlyoutoftheroom。Chapter6。Chapter6。6POLISHINGMAC"PleasecouldIsayoneword？"wasthequestionthreetimesrepeatedbeforearoughheadbobbedoutfromthegrottoofbooksinwhichMacusuallysatwhenhestudied。

"Didanyonespeak？"heasked,blinkinginthefloodofsunshinethatenteredwithRose。

"Onlythreetimes,thankyou。Don"tdisturbyourself,Ibeg,forImerelywanttosayaword,"answeredRoseasshepreventedhimfromofferingtheeasychairinwhichhesat。

"Iwasratherdeepinacompoundfractureanddidn"thear。WhatcanIdoforyou,Cousin？"AndMacshovedastackofpamphletsoffthechairnearhimwithahospitablewaveofthehandthatsenthispapersflyinginalldirections。

Rosesatdown,butdidnotseemtofindher"word"aneasyonetoutter,forshetwistedherhandkerchiefaboutherfingersinembarrassedsilencetillMacputonhisglassesand,afterakeenlook,askedsoberly:"Isitasplinter,acut,orawhitlow,ma"am？"

"Itisneither。Doforgetyourtiresomesurgeryforaminuteandbethekindestcousinthateverwas,"answeredRose,beginningrathersharplyandendingwithhermostengagingsmile。

"Can"tpromiseinthedark,"saidthewaryyouth。

"Itisafavor,agreatfavor,andoneIdon"tchoosetoaskanyoftheotherboys,"answeredtheartfuldamsel。

Maclookedpleasedandleanedforward,sayingmoreaffably,"Nameit,andbesureI"llgrantitifIcan。"

"GowithmetoMrs。Hope"spartytomorrownight。"

"What！"AndMacrecoiledasifshehadputapistoltohishead。

"I"veleftyouinpeacealongtime,butitisyourturnnow,sodoyourdutylikeamanandacousin。"

"ButInevergotoparties！"criedtheunhappyvictimingreatdismay。

"Hightimeyoubegan,sir。"

"ButIdon"tdancefittobeseen。"

"I"llteachyou。"

"Mydresscoatisn"tdecent,Iknow。"

"Archiewilllendyouone­heisn"tgoing。"

"I"mafraidthere"salecturethatIoughtnottocut。"

"No,thereisn"t­IaskedUncle。"

"I"malwayssotiredanddullintheevening。"

"Thissortofthingisjustwhatyouwanttorestandfreshenupyourspirits。"

Macgaveagroanandfellbackvanquished,foritwasevidentthatescapewasimpossible。

"Whatputsuchaperfectlywildideaintoyourhead？"hedemanded,ratherroughly,forhithertohehadbeenleftinpeaceandthissuddenattackdecidedlyamazedhim。

"Sheernecessity,butdon"tdoitifitissoverydreadfultoyou。

Imustgotoseveralmoreparties,becausetheyaremadeforme,butafterthatI"llrefuse,andthennooneneedbetroubledwithme。"

SomethinginRose"svoicemadeMacanswerpenitently,evenwhileheknithisbrowsinperplexity。"Idon"tmeantoberude,andofcourseI"llgoanywhereifI"mreallyneeded。ButIdon"tunderstandwherethesuddennecessityis,withthreeotherfellowsatcommand,allbetterdancersandbeausthanIam。"

"Idon"twantthem,andIdowantyou,forIhaven"tthehearttodragUncleoutanymore,andyouknowInevergowithanygentlemanbutthoseofmyownfamily。"

"Nowlookhere,Rose­ifStevehasbeendoinganythingtoteaseyou,justmentionitandI"llattendtohim,"criedMac,plainlyseeingthatsomethingwasamissandfancyingthatDandywasatthebottomofit,ashehaddoneescortdutyseveraltimeslately。

"No,Stevehasbeenverygood,butIknowhehadratherbewithKittyVan,soofcourseIfeellikeamarplot,thoughheistoopolitetohintit。"

"Whatanoodlethatboyis！Butthere"sArchie­he"ssteadyasachurchandhasnosweethearttointerfere,"continuedMac,boundtogetatthetruthandhalfsuspectingwhatitwas。

"Heisonhisfeetallday,andAuntJessiewantshimintheevening。

Hedoesnotcarefordancingasheused,andIsupposehereallydoesprefertorestandread。"Rosemighthaveadded,"AndhearPhebesing,"forPhebedidnotgooutasmuchasRosedid,andAuntJessieoftencametositwiththeoldladywhentheyoungfolkswereawayand,ofcourse,dutifulArchiecamewithher,sowillinglyoflate！

"What"samisswithCharlie？Ithoughthewastheprinceofcavaliers。

Annabelsayshedances"likeanangel,"andIknowadozenmotherscouldn"tkeephimathomeofanevening。HaveyouhadatiffwithAdonisandsofallbackonpoorme？"askedMac,cominglasttothepersonofwhomhethoughtfirstbutdidnotmention,feelingshyaboutalludingtoasubjectoftendiscussedbehindherback。

"Yes,Ihave,andIdon"tintendtogowithhimanymoreforsometime。

Hiswaysdonotsuitme,andminedonotsuithim,soIwanttobequiteindependent,andyoucanhelpmeifyouwill,"saidRose,rathernervouslyspinningthebigglobecloseby。

Macgavealowwhistle,lookingwideawakeallinaminuteashesaidwithagesture,asifhebrushedacobweboffhisface:"Now,seehere,Cousin,I"mnotgoodatmysteries­andshallonlyblunderifyouputmeblindfoldintoanynicemaneuver。JusttellmestraightoutwhatyouwantandI"lldoitifIcan。PlayI"mUncleandfreeyourmind­comenow。"

Hespokesokindly,andthehonesteyesweresofullofmerrygoodwill,thatRosethoughtshemightconfideinhimandansweredasfranklyashecoulddesire:"Youareright,Mac,andIdon"tmindtalkingtoyoualmostasfreelyastoUncle,becauseyouaresuchareliablefellowandwon"tthinkmesillyfortryingtodowhatIbelievetoberight。Charliedoes,andsomakesithardformetoholdtomyresolutions。Iwanttokeepearlyhours,dresssimply,andbehaveproperly­nomatterwhatfashionablepeopledo。Youwillagreetothat,I"msure,andstandbymethroughthickandthinforprinciple"ssake。"

"Iwill,andbeginbyshowingyouthatIunderstandthecase。Idon"twonderyouarenotpleased,forCharlieistoopresuming,andyoudoneedsomeonetohelpyouheadhimoffabit。Hey,Cousin？"

"Whatawaytoputit！"AndRoselaughedinspiteofherself,addingwithanairofrelief,"Thatisit,andIdowantsomeonetohelpmemakehimunderstandthatIdon"tchoosetobetakenpossessionofinthatlordlyway,asifIbelongedtohimmorethantotherestofthefamily。

Idon"tlikeit,forpeoplebegintotalk,andCharliewon"tseehowdisagreeableitistome。"

"Tellhimso,"wasMac"sbluntadvice。

"Ihave,butheonlylaughsandpromisestobehave,andthenhedoesitagainwhenIamsoplacedthatIcan"tsayanything。Youwillneverunderstand,andIcannotexplain,foritisonlyalook,oraword,orsomelittlething­butIwon"thaveit,andthebestwaytocurehimistoputitoutofhispowertoannoymeso。"

"Heisagreatflirtandwantstoteachyouhow,Isuppose。I"llspeaktohimifyoulikeandtellhimyoudon"twanttolearn。ShallI？"askedMac,findingthecaseratheraninterestingone。

"No,thankyou­thatwouldonlymaketrouble。Ifyouwillkindlyplayescortafewtimes,itwillshowCharliethatIaminearnestwithoutmorewordsandputastoptothegossip,"saidRose,coloringlikeapoppyattherecollectionofwhatsheheardoneyoungmanwhispertoanotherasCharlieledherthroughacrowdedsupperroomwithhismostdevotedair,"Luckydog！Heissuretogettheheiress,andwearenowhere。"

"There"snodangerofpeoplegossipingaboutus,isthere？"AndMaclookedupwiththeoddestofallhisoddexpressions。

"Ofcoursenot­you"reonlyaboy。"

"I"mtwenty—one,thankyou,andPrinceisbutacoupleofyearsolder,"

saidMac,promptlyresentingtheslightputuponhismanhood。