第6章

"Yes,butheislikeotheryoungmen,whileyouareadearoldbookworm。

Noonewouldevermindwhatyoudid,soyoumaygotopartieswithmeeverynightandnotawordwouldbesaid­or,iftherewas,Ishouldn"tmindsinceitis"onlyMac,""answeredRose,smilingasshequotedahouseholdphraseoftenusedtoexcusehisvagaries。

"ThenIamnobody？"hesaid,liftinghisbrowsasifthediscoverysurprisedandrathernettledhim。

"Nobodyinsocietyasyet,butmyverybestcousininprivate,andI"vejustprovedmyregardbymakingyoumyconfidantandchoosingyouformyknight,"saidRose,hasteningtosoothethefeelingshercarelesswordsseemedtohaveruffledslightly。

"Muchgoodthatislikelytodome,"grumbledMac。

"Youungratefulboy,nottoappreciatethehonorI"veconferreduponyou！Iknowadozenwhowouldbeproudoftheplace,butyouonlycareforcompoundfractures,soIwon"tdetainyouanylonger,excepttoaskifImayconsidermyselfprovidedwithanescortfortomorrownight？"saidRose,atriflehurtathisindifference,forshewasnotusedtorefusals。

"IfImayhopeforthehonor。"And,rising,hemadeherabowwhichwassuchacapitalimitationofCharlie"sgrandmannerthatsheforgavehimatonce,exclaimingwithamusedsurprise:"Why,Mac！Ididn"tknowyoucouldbesoelegant！"

"Afellowcanbealmostanythinghelikesifhetrieshardenough,"

heanswered,standingverystraightandlookingsotallanddignifiedthatRosewasquiteimpressed,andwithastatelycourtesysheretired,sayinggraciously:"Iacceptwiththanks。Goodmorning,Dr。AlexanderMackenzieCampbell。"

WhenFridayeveningcameandwordwassentupthatherescorthadarrived,Roserandown,devoutlyhopingthathehadnotcomeinavelveteenjacket,top—boots,blackgloves,ormadeanytriflingmistakeofthatsort。Ayounggentlemanwasstandingbeforethelongmirror,apparentlyintentuponthearrangementofhishair,andRosepausedsuddenlyashereyewentfromtheglossybroadclothtothewhite—glovedhands,busywithanunrulylockthatwouldnotstayinplace。

"Why,Charlie,Ithought­"shebeganwithanaccentofsurpriseinhervoice,butgotnofurther,forthegentlemanturnedandshebeheldMacinimmaculateeveningcostume,withhishairpartedsweetlyonhisbrow,asuperiorposyathisbuttonhole,andtheexpressionofamartyronhisface。

"Ah,don"tyouwishitwas？Noonebutyourselftothankthatitisn"the。AmIright？Dandygotmeup,andheoughttoknowwhatiswhat,"demandedMac,foldinghishandsandstandingasstiffasaramrod。

"YouaresoregularlysplendidthatIdon"tknowyou。"

"NeitherdoI。"

"Ireallyhadnoideayoucouldlooksolikeagentleman,"addedRose,surveyinghimwithgreatapproval。

"NorthatIcouldfeelsolikeafool。"

"Poorboy！Hedoeslookrathermiserable。WhatcanIdotocheerhimupinreturnforthesacrificeheismaking？"

"Stopcallingmeaboy。Itwillsoothemyagonyimmenselyandgivemecouragetoappearinalow—neckedcoatandcurlonmyforehead,forI"mnotusedtosucheleganciesandIfindthemnoendofatrial。"

Macspokeinsuchapathetictone,andgavesuchagloomyglareattheaforesaidcurl,thatRoselaughedinhisfaceandaddedtohiswoebyhandinghimhercloak。Hesurveyeditgravelyforaminute,thencarefullyputitonwrongsideoutandgavetheswan"s—downhoodagoodpulloverthehead,totheutterdestructionofallsmoothnesstothecurlsinside。

Roseutteredacryandcastoffthecloak,biddinghimlearntodoitproperly,whichhemeeklydidandthenledherdownthehallwithoutwalkingonherskirtsmorethanthreetimesontheway。ButatthedoorshediscoveredthatshehadforgottenherfurredovershoesandbadeMacgetthem。

"Nevermind­it"snotwet,"hesaid,pullinghiscapoverhiseyesandplungingintohiscoat,regardlessofthe"elegancies"thatafflictedhim。

"ButIcan"twalkoncoldstoneswiththinslippers,canI？"beganRose,showinghimalittlewhitefoot。

"Youneedn"t,for­thereyouare,mylady。"And,unceremoniouslypickingherup,Maclandedherinthecarriagebeforeshecouldsayaword。

"Whatanescort！"sheexclaimedincomicdismay,assherescuedherdelicatedressfromaruginwhichhewasabouttotuckheruplikeamummy。

"It"s"onlyMac,"sodon"tmind,"andhecasthimselfintoanoppositecornerwiththeairofamanwhohadnervedhimselftotheaccomplishmentofmanypainfuldutiesandwasboundtodothemordie。

"Butgentlemendon"tcatchupladieslikebagsofmealandpokethemintocarriagesinthisway。Itisevidentthatyouneedlookingafter,anditishightimeIundertookyoursocietymanners。Now,domindwhatyouareaboutanddon"tgetyourselformeintoascrapeifyoucanhelpit,"besoughtRose,feelingthatonmanyaccountsshehadgonefurtherandfaredworse。

"I"llbehavelikeaTurveydrop­seeifIdon"t。"

Mac"sideaoftheimmortalTurveydrop"sbehaviorseemedtobeapeculiarone;for,afterdancingoncewithhiscousin,helefthertoherowndevicesandsoonforgotallaboutherinalongconversationwithProfessorStumph,thelearnedgeologist。Rosedidnotcare,foronedanceprovedtoherthatthatbranchofMac"seducationhadbeensadlyneglected,andshewasgladtoglidesmoothlyaboutwithSteve,thoughhewasonlyaninchortwotallerthanherself。Shehadplentyofpartners,however,andplentyofchaperons,foralltheyoungmenwerehermostdevoted,andallthematronsbeameduponherwithmaternalbenignity。

Charliewasnotthere,forwhenhefoundthatRosestoodfirm,andhadmoreoverengagedMacasapermanency,hewouldnotgoatallandretiredinhighdudgeontoconsolehimselfwithmoredangerouspastimes。Rosefeareditwouldbeso,andeveninthemidstofthegaietyaboutherananxiousmoodcameoverhernowandthenandmadeherthoughtfulforamoment。Shefeltherpowerandwantedtouseitwisely,butdidnotknowhowtobekindtoCharliewithoutbeinguntruetoherselfandgivinghimfalsehopes。

"Iwishwewereallchildrenagain,withnoheartstoperplexusandnogreattemptationstotryus,"shesaidtoherselfassherestedaminuteinaquietnookwhileherpartnerwenttogetaglassofwater。Rightinthemidstofthishalf—sad,half—sentimentalreverie,sheheardafamiliarvoicebehindhersayearnestly:"Andallophiteisthenewhydroussilicateofaluminaandmagnesia,muchresemblingpseudophite,whichWebskyfoundinSilesia。"

"WhatisMactalkingabout！"shethought,and,peepingbehindagreatazaleainfullbloom,shesawhercousinindeepconversationwiththeprofessor,evidentlyhavingacapitaltime,forhisfacehadlostitsmelancholyexpressionandwasallalivewithinterest,whiletheeldermanwaslisteningasifhisremarkswerebothintelligentandagreeable。

"Whatisit？"askedSteve,comingupwiththewaterandseeingasmileonRose"sface。

Shepointedoutthescientifictête—à—têtegoingonbehindtheazalea,andStevegrinnedashepeeped,thengrewsoberandsaidinatoneofdespair:"IfyouhadseenthepainsItookwiththatfellow,thepatiencewithwhichIbrushedhiswig,thetimeIspenttryingtoconvincehimthathemustwearthinboots,andthefightIhadtogethimintothatcoat,you"dunderstandmyfeelingswhenIseehimnow。"

"Why,what"sthematterwithhim？"askedRose。

"Willyoutakealookandseewhataspectaclehehasmadeofhimself。

He"dbetterbesenthomeatonceorhewilldisgracethefamilybylookingasifhe"dbeeninarow。"

StevespokeinsuchatragictonethatRosetookanotherpeepanddidsympathizewithDandy,forMac"selegancewasquitegone。Histiewasunderoneear,hisposyhungupsidedown,hisgloveswererolledintoaball,whichheabsentlysqueezedandpoundedashetalked,andhishairlookedasifawhirlwindhadpassedoverit,forhistenfingerssetitonendnowandthen,astheyhadahabitofdoingwhenhestudiedortalkedearnestly。

Buthelookedsohappyandwideawake,inspiteofhisdishevelment,thatRosegaveanapprovingnodandsaidbehindherfan:"Itisatryingspectacle,Steve­yet,onthewhole,IthinkhisownoddwayssuithimbestandIfancyweshallbeproudofhim,forheknowsmorethanalltherestofusputtogether。Hearthatnow。"AndRosepausedthattheymightlistentothefollowingburstofeloquencefromMac"slips:"YouknowFrenzalhasshownthattheglobularformsofsilicateofbismuthatSchneeburgandJohanngeorgenstadtarenotisometric,butmonoclinicincrystallineform,andconsequentlyheseparatesthemfromtheoldeulytiteandgivesthemthenewnameAgricolite。"

"Isn"titawful？Letusgetoutofthisbeforethere"sanotheravalancheorweshallbeglobularsilicatesandisometriccrystalsinspiteofourselves,"

whisperedStevewithapanic—strickenair,andtheyfledfromthehailstormofhardwordsthatrattledabouttheirears,leavingMactoenjoyhimselfinhisownway。

ButwhenRosewasreadytogohomeandlookedaboutforherescort,hewasnowheretobeseen,fortheprofessorhaddeparted,andMacwithhim,soabsorbedinsomenewtopicthatheentirelyforgothiscousinandwentplacidlyhome,stillponderingonthecharmsofgeology。WhenthispleasingfactdawneduponRoseherfeelingsmaybeimagined。Shewasbothangryandamused­itwassolikeMactogomooningoffandleavehertoherfate。Notahardone,however;for,thoughStevewasgonewithKittybeforeherplightwasdiscovered,Mrs。Blisswasonlytoogladtotakethedeserteddamselunderherwingandbearhersafelyhome。

RosewaswarmingherfeetandsippingthechocolatewhichPhebealwayshadreadyforher,assheneveratesupper,whenahurriedtapcameatthelongwindowwhencethelightstreamedandMac"svoicewasheardsoftlyaskingtobeletin"justforoneminute。"

Curioustoknowwhathadbefallenhim,RosebadePhebeobeyhiscallandthedelinquentcavalierappeared,breathless,anxious,andmoredilapidatedthanever,forhehadforgottenhisovercoat;histiewasatthebackofhisnecknow;andhishairasrampantlyerectasifallthewindsofheavenhadbeenblowingfreelythroughit,astheyhad,forhehadbeentearingtoandfrothelasthalfhour,tryingtoundothedreadfuldeedhehadsoinnocentlycommitted。

"Don"ttakeanynoticeofme,forIdon"tdeserveit。Ionlycametoseethatyouweresafe,Cousin,andthengohangmyself,asSteveadvised,"

hebeganinaremorsefultonethatwouldhavebeenveryeffectiveifhehadnotbeenobligedtocatchhisbreathwithacomicalgaspnowandthen。

"Ineverthoughtyouwouldbetheonetodesertme,"saidRosewithareproachfullook,thinkingitbestnottorelenttoosoon,thoughshewasquitereadytodoitwhenshesawhowsincerelydistressedhewas。

"Itwasthatconfoundedman！Hewasaregularwalkingencyclopedia,and,findingIcouldgetagooddealoutofhim,Iwentinforgeneralinformation,asthetimewasshort。YouknowIalwaysforgeteverythingelsewhenIgetholdofsuchafellow。"

"Thatisevident。Iwonderhowyoucametoremembermeatall,"answeredRose,onthebrinkofalaugh­itwassoabsurd。

"Ididn"ttillStevesaidsomethingthatremindedme­thenitburstuponme,inoneawfulshock,thatI"dgoneandleftyou,andyoumighthaveknockedmedownwithafeather,"saidhonestMac,hidingnoneofhisiniquity。

"Whatdidyoudothen？"

"Do！IwentofflikeashotandneverstoppedtillIreachedtheHopes"­"

"Youdidn"twalkalltheway？"criedRose。

"Blessyou,no­Iran。ButyouweregonewithMrs。Bliss,soIpeltedbackagaintoseewithmyowneyesthatyouweresafeathome,"answeredMacwithasighofrelief,wipinghishotforehead。

"Butitisthreemilesatleasteachway,andtwelveo"clock,anddarkandcold。Oh,Mac！Howcouldyou！"exclaimedRose,suddenlyrealizingwhathehaddoneassheheardhislaboredbreathing,sawthestateofthethinboots,anddetectedtheabsenceofanovercoat。

"Couldn"tdoless,couldI？"askedMac,leaningupagainstthedoorandtryingnottopant。

"Therewasnoneedofhalfkillingyourselfforsuchatrifle。YoumighthaveknownIcouldtakecareofmyselfforonce,atleast,withsomanyfriendsabout。Sitdownthisminute。Bringanothercup,please,Phebe­thisboyisn"tgoinghometillheisrestedandrefreshedaftersucharunasthat,"commandedRose。

"Don"tbegoodtome­I"drathertakeascoldingthanachair,anddrinkhemlockinsteadofchocolateifyouhappentohaveanyready,"answeredMacwithapatheticpuffashesubsidedontothesofaandmeeklytookthedraftPhebebroughthim。

"Ifyouhadanythingthematterwithyourheart,sir,araceofthissortmightbethedeathofyou­soneverdoitagain,"saidRose,offeringherfantocoolhisheatedcountenance。

"Haven"tgotanyheart。"

"Yes,youhave,forIhearitbeatinglikeatrip—hammer,anditismyfault­IoughttohavestoppedaswewentbyandtoldyouIwasallright。"

"It"sthemortification,notthemiles,thatupsetsme。Ioftentakethatrunforexerciseandthinknothingofit­buttonightIwassomadImadeextra—goodtime,Ifancy。Nowdon"tyouworry,butcomposeyourmindand"sipyourdishoftea,"asEvelinasays,"answeredMac,artfullyturningtheconversationfromhimself。

"WhatdoyouknowaboutEvelina？"

askedRoseingreatsurprise。

"Allabouther。DoyousupposeIneverreadanovel？"

"IthoughtyoureadnothingbutGreekandLatin,withanoccasionalglanceatWebsky"spseudophitesandthemonoclinicsofJohanngeorgenstadt。"

Macopenedhiseyeswideatthisreply,thenseemedtoseethejokeandjoinedinthelaughwithsuchheartinessthatAuntPlenty"svoicewashearddemandingfromabovewithsleepyanxiety:"Isthehouseafire？"

"No,ma"am,everythingissafe,andI"monlysayinggoodnight,"answeredMac,divingforhiscap。

"Thengoatonceandletthatchildhavehersleep,"addedtheoldlady,retiringtoherbed。

Roseranintothehall,andcatchingupheruncle"sfurcoat,metMacashecameoutofthestudy,absentlylookingaboutforhisown。

"Youhaven"tany,youbenightedboy！Sotakethis,andhaveyourwitsaboutyounexttimeorIwon"tletyouoffsoeasily,"shesaid,holdinguptheheavygarmentandpeepingoverit,withnosignofdispleasureinherlaughingeyes。

"Nexttime！Thenyoudoforgiveme？Youwilltrymeagain,andgivemeachancetoprovethatI"mnotafool？"criedMac,embracingthebigcoatwithemotion。

"OfcourseIwill,and,sofarfromthinkingyouafool,IwasmuchimpressedwithyourlearningtonightandtoldStevethatweoughttobeproudofourphilosopher。"

"Learningbehanged！I"llshowyouthatI"mnotabookwormbutasmuchamanasanyofthem,andthenyoumaybeproudornot,asyoulike！"criedMacwithadefiantnodthatcausedtheglassestoleapwildlyoffhisnoseashecaughtuphishatanddepartedashecame。

AdayortwolaterRosewenttocalluponAuntJane,asshedutifullydidonceortwiceaweek。Onherwayupstairssheheardasingularsoundinthedrawingroomandinvoluntarilystoppedtolisten。

"One,two,three,slide！One,two,three,turn！Now,then,comeon！"

saidonevoiceimpatiently。

"It"sveryeasytosay"comeon,"butwhatthedickensdoIdowithmyleftlegwhileI"mturningandslidingwithmyright？"demandedanothervoiceinabreathlessandmournfultone。

Thenthewhistlingandthumpingwentonmorevigorouslythanbefore,andRose,recognizingthevoices,peepedthroughthehalf—opendoortobeholdasightwhichmadehershakewithsuppressedlaughter。Steve,witharedtableclothtiedaroundhiswaist,languisheduponMac"sshoulder,dancinginperfecttimetotheairhewhistled,forDandywasproficientinthegracefulartandplumedhimselfuponhisskill。Mac,withaflushedfaceanddizzyeye,clutchedhisbrotherbythesmallofhisback,vainlyendeavoringtosteerhimdownthelongroomwithoutentanglinghisownlegsinthetablecloth,treadingonhispartner"stoes,orcollidingwiththefurniture。Itwasverydroll,andRoseenjoyedthespectacletillMac,inafranticattempttoswingaround,dashedhimselfagainstthewallandlandedSteveuponthefloor。Thenitwasimpossibletorestrainherlaughteranylongerandshewalkedinuponthem,sayingmerrily:"Itwassplendid！

Doitagain,andI"llplayforyou。"

Stevesprangupandtoreoffthetableclothingreatconfusion,whileMac,stillrubbinghishead,droppedintoachair,tryingtolookquitecalmandcheerfulashegaspedout:"Howareyou,Cousin？Whendidyoucome？Johnshouldhavetoldus。"

"I"mgladhedidn"t,forthenIshouldhavemissedthistouchingtableauofcousinlydevotionandbrotherlylove。Gettingreadyforournextparty,Isee。"

"Tryingto,buttherearesomanythingstorememberallatonce­keeptime,steerstraight,dodgethepetticoats,andmanagemyconfoundedlegs­thatitisn"teasytogetonatfirst,"answeredMacwithasighofexhaustion,wipinghishotforehead。

"HardestjobIeverundertookand,asI"mnotabatteringram,Ideclinetobeknockedroundanylonger,"growledSteve,dustinghiskneesandruefullysurveyingthefeetthathadbeentrampledontilltheytingled,forhisbootsandbroadclothweredeartotheheartofthedapperyouth。

"Verygoodofyou,andI"mmuchobliged。I"vegotthepace,Ithink,andcanpracticewithachairtokeepmyhandin,"saidMacwithsuchacomicmixtureofgratitudeandresignationthatRosewentoffagainsoirresistiblythathercousinsjoinedherwithaheartyroar。

"Asyouaremakingamartyrofyourselfinmyservice,theleastIcandoislendahand。Playforus,Steve,andI"llgiveMacalesson,unlessheprefersthechair。"And,throwingoffherhatandcloak,Rosebeckonedsoinvitinglythatthegravestphilosopherwouldhaveyielded。

"Athousandthanks,butI"mafraidIshallhurtyou,"beganMac,muchgratified,butmindfulofpastmishaps。

"I"mnot。Stevedidn"tmanagehistrainwell,forgooddancersalwayslooptheirsup。Ihavenoneatall,sothattroubleisgoneandthemusicwillmakeitmucheasiertokeepstep。JustdoasItellyou,andyou"llgobeautifullyafterafewturns。"

"Iwill,Iwill！Pipeup,Steve！Now,Rose！"And,brushinghishairoutofhiseyeswithanairofsterndetermination,MacgraspedRoseandreturnedtothechargebentondistinguishinghimselfifhediedintheattempt。

Thesecondlessonprospered,forStevemarkedthetimebyaseriesofemphaticbangs;Macobeyedordersaspromptlyasifhislifedependedonit;and,afterseveralnarrowescapesatexcitingmoments,Rosehadthesatisfactionofbeingsteeredsafelydowntheroomandlandedwithagrandpirouetteatthebottom。Steveapplauded,andMac,muchelated,exclaimedwithartlesscandor:"Therereallyisasortofinspirationaboutyou,Rose。Ialwaysdetesteddancingbefore,butnow,doyouknow,Iratherlikeit。"

"Iknewyouwould,onlyyoumustn"tstandwithyourarmroundyourpartnerinthiswaywhenyouaredone。Youmustseatandfanher,ifshelikesit,"saidRose,anxioustoperfectapupilwhoseemedsolamentablyinneedofateacher。

"Yes,ofcourse,Iknowhowtheydoit。"And,releasinghiscousin,Macraisedasmallwhirlwindaroundherwithafoldednewspaper,sofullofzealthatshehadnotthehearttochidehimagain。

"Welldone,oldfellow。Ibegintohavehopesofyouandwillorderyouanewdresscoatatonce,sinceyouarereallygoinginfortheproprietiesoflife,"saidStevefromthemusicstool,withtheapprovingnodofonewhowasajudgeofsaidproprieties。"Now,Rose,ifyouwilljustcoachhimalittleinhissmalltalk,hewon"tmakealaughingstockofhimselfashedidtheothernight,"addedSteve。"Idon"tmeanhisgeologicalgabble­thatwasbadenough,buthischatwithEmmaCurtiswasmuchworse。Tellher,Mac,andseeifshedoesn"tthinkpoorEmmahadarighttothinkyouafirst—classbore。"

"Idon"tseewhy,whenImerelytriedtohavealittlesensibleconversation,"

beganMacwithreluctance,forhehadbeenunmercifullychaffedbyhiscousins,towhomhisbrotherhadbetrayedhim。

"Whatdidyousay？Iwon"tlaughifIcanhelpit,"saidRose,curioustohear,forSteve"seyesweretwinklingwithfun。

"Well,Iknewshewasfondoftheaters,soItriedthatfirstandgotonprettywelltillIbegantotellherhowtheymanagedthosethingsinGreece。Mostinterestingsubject,youknow？"

"Very。DidyougiveheroneofthechorusesorabitofAgamemnon,asyoudidwhenyoudescribedittome？"askedRose,keepingsoberwithdifficultyassherecalledthatserio—comicscene。

"Ofcoursenot,butIwasadvisinghertoreadPrometheuswhenshegapedbehindherfanandbegantotalkaboutPhebe。Whata"nicecreature"

shewas,"keptherplace,"dressedaccordingtoherstation,andthatsortoftwaddle。Isupposeitwasratherrude,butbeingpulledupsoshortconfusedmeabit,andIsaidthefirstthingthatcameintomyhead,whichwasthatIthoughtPhebethebest—dressedwomanintheroombecauseshewasn"tallfussandfeatherslikemostofthegirls。"

"Oh,Mac！ThattoEmma,whomakesitthelaborofherlifetobealwaysintheheightoffashionandwasparticularlysplendidthatnight。Whatdidshesay？"criedRose,fullofsympathyforbothparties。

"Shebridledandlookeddaggersatme。"

"Andwhatdidyoudo？"

"Ibitmytongueandtumbledoutofonescrapeintoanother。Followingherexample,Ichangedthesubjectbytalkingaboutthecharityconcertfortheorphans,andwhenshegushedaboutthe"littledarlings,"Iadvisedhertoadoptoneandwonderedwhyyoungladiesdidn"tdothatsortofthing,insteadofcuddlingcatsandlapdogs。"

"Unhappyboy！Herpugistheidolofherlife,andshehatesbabies,"

saidRose。

"Morefoolshe！Well,shegotmyopiniononthesubject,anyway,andshe"sverywelcome,forIwentontosaythatIthoughtitwouldnotonlybealovelycharity,butexcellenttrainingforthetimewhentheyhadlittledarlingsoftheirown。Noendofpoorthingsdiethroughtheignoranceofmothers,youknow,"addedMac,soseriouslythatRosedarednotsmileatwhatwentbefore。

"ImagineEmmatrottingroundwithapauperbabyunderherarminsteadofhercherishedToto,"saidStevewithanecstatictwirlonthestool。

"Didsheseemtolikeyouradvice,MonsieurMalapropos？"askedRose,wishingshehadbeenthere。

"No,shegavealittleshriekandsaid,"Goodgracious,Mr。Campbell,howdrollyouare！TakemetoMama,please,"whichIdidwithathankfulheart。Catchmesettingherpug"slegagain,"endedMacwithagrimshakeofthehead。

"Nevermind。Youwereunfortunateinyourlistenerthattime。Don"tthinkallgirlsaresofoolish。IcanshowyouadozensensibleoneswhowoulddiscussdressreformandcharitywithyouandenjoyGreektragedyifyoudidthechorusforthemasyoudidforme,"saidRoseconsolingly,forStevewouldonlyjeer。

"Givemealistofthem,please,andI"llcultivatetheiracquaintance。

Afellowmusthavesomerewardformakingateetotumofhimself。"

"Iwillwithpleasure;andifyoudancewelltheywillmakeitverypleasantforyou,andyou"llenjoypartiesinspiteofyourself。"

"Icannotbea"glassoffashionandamoldofform"likeDandyhere,butI"lldomybest:only,ifIhadmychoice,I"dmuchrathergoroundthestreetswithanorganandamonkey,"answeredMacdespondently。

"Thankyoukindlyforthecompliment,"andRosemadehimalowcourtesy,whileStevecried,"Nowyouhavedoneit！"inatoneofreproachwhichremindedtheculprit,alltoolate,thathewasRose"schosenescort。

"Bythegods,soIhave！"Andcastingawaythenewspaperwithagestureofcomicdespair,Macstrodefromtheroom,chantingtragicallythewordsofCassandra,""Woe！woe！OEarth！OApollo！Iwilldaretodie;IwillaccostthegatesofHades,andmakemyprayerthatImayreceiveamortalblow！""Chapter7。Chapter7。7PHEBEWhileRosewasmakingdiscoveriesandhavingexperiences,Phebewasdoingthesameinaquieterway,butthoughtheyusuallycomparednotesduringthebedtimetête—à—têtewhichalwaysendedtheirday,certaintopicswerenevermentioned,soeachhadalittleworldofherownintowhicheventheeyeoffriendshipdidnotpeep。

Rose"slifejustnowwasthegaiestbutPhebe"sthehappiest。Bothwentoutagooddeal,forthebeautifulvoicewaswelcomedeverywhere,andmanywerereadytopatronizethesingerwhowouldhavebeenslowtorecognizethewoman。Phebeknewthisandmadenoattempttoassertherself,contenttoknowthatthosewhoseregardshevaluedfeltherworthandhopefulofatimewhenshecouldgracefullytaketheplaceshewasmeanttofill。

ProudasaprincesswasPhebeaboutsomethings,thoughinmostashumbleasachild;therefore,wheneachyearlessenedtheserviceshelovedtogiveandincreasedtheobligationsshewouldhaverefusedfromanyothersource,dependencebecameaburdenwhicheventhemostferventgratitudecouldnotlighten。Hithertothechildrenhadgoneontogether,findingnoobstaclestotheircompanionshipinthesecludedworldinwhichtheylived。Nowthattheywerewomentheirpathsinevitablydiverged,andbothreluctantlyfeltthattheymustpartbeforelong。

Ithadbeensettled,whentheywereabroad,thatontheirreturnPhebeshouldtakeheronegiftinherhandandtryherfortunes。Onnoothertermswouldsheaccepttheteachingwhichwastofitherfortheindependenceshedesired。Faithfullyhadsheusedthefacilitiessogenerouslyaffordedbothathomeandabroadandnowwasreadytoprovethattheyhadnotbeeninvain。Muchencouragedbythesmallsuccessesshewonindrawingrooms,andthepraisebestowedbyinterestedfriends,shebegantofeelthatshemightventureonalargerfieldandbeginhercareerasaconcertsinger,forsheaimednohigher。

Justatthistimemuchinterestwasfeltinanewasylumfororphangirls,whichcouldnotbecompletedforwantoffunds。TheCampbellswellhadbornetheirpartandstilllaboredtoaccomplishthemuch—neededcharity。

Severalfairshadbeengivenforthispurpose,followedbyaseriesofconcerts。RosehadthrownherselfintotheworkwithallherheartandnowproposedthatPhebeshouldmakeherdebutatthelastconcert,whichwastobeapeculiarlyinterestingone,asalltheorphansweretobepresentandwereexpectedtopleadtheirowncausebythesightoftheirinnocenthelplessnessaswellastouchheartsbythesimpleairstheyweretosing。

SomeofthefamilythoughtPhebewouldobjecttosohumbleabeginning,butRoseknewherbetterandwasnotdisappointed,forwhenshemadeherproposalPhebeansweredreadily:"WherecouldIfindafittertimeandplacetocomebeforethepublicthanhereamongmylittlesistersinmisfortune？

I"llsingforthemwithallmyheart­onlyImustbeoneofthemandhavenoflourishmadeaboutme。"

"Youshallarrangeitasyoulike,andasthereistobelittlevocalmusicbutyoursandthechildren"s,I"llseethatyouhaveeverythingasyouplease,"promisedRose。

Itwaswellshedid,forthefamilygotmuchexcitedovertheprospectof"ourPhebe"sdebut"andwouldhavemadeaflourishifthegirlshadnotresisted。AuntClarawasindespairaboutthedressbecausePhebedecidedtowearaplainclaret—coloredmerinowithfrillsatneckandwristssothatshemightlook,asmuchaspossible,liketheotherorphansintheirstuffgownsandwhiteaprons。AuntPlentywantedtohavealittlesupperafterwardinhonoroftheoccasion,butPhebebeggedhertochangeittoaChristmasdinnerforthepoorchildren。Theboysplannedtothrowbushelsofflowers,andCharlieclaimedthehonorofleadingthesingerin。ButPhebe,withtearsinhereyes,declinedtheirkindlyoffers,sayingearnestly:"IhadbetterbeginasIamtogoonanddependuponmyselfentirely。Indeed,Mr。Charlie,I"dratherwalkinalone,foryou"dbeoutofplaceamongusandspoilthepatheticeffectwewishtoproduce。"AndasmilesparkledthroughthetearsasPhebelookedatthepieceofelegancebeforeherandthoughtofthebrowngownsandpinafores。