第10章

"AsadprospectforpoorSteve,unlessIgivehimahinttolookwelltohisways。"

"Oh,mydearchild,I"msureofhim,formyexperiencehasmademeverysharpandI"mconvincedIcanmanagehimwithoutabitoftrouble。We"veknowneachotherforages"­StevewastwentyandKittyeighteen­"andalwaysbeenthebestoffriends。Besides,heisquitemyidealman。Inevercouldbearbighandsandfeet,andhisaresimplyadorable。Thenhe"sthebestdancerIknowanddressesinperfecttaste。IreallydobelieveI

fellinlovewithhispockethandkerchiefsfirst,theyweresoenchantingIcouldn"tresist,"laughedKitty,pullingalargeoneoutofherpocketandburyingherlittlenoseinthefolds,whichshedadeliciousfragranceupontheair。

"Now,thatlookspromising,andIbegintothinkyouhavegotalittlesentimentafterall,"saidRose,wellpleased,forthemerrybrowneyeshadsoftenedsuddenlyandaquickcolorcameupinKitty"scheekassheanswered,stillhalfhidingherfaceinthebelovedhandkerchief:"OfcourseIhave,lotsofit,onlyI"mashamedtoshowittomostpeople,becauseit"sthestyletotakeeverythinginthemostnonchalantway。Mygracious,Rose,you"dhavethoughtmearomanticgooselastnightwhileSteveproposedinthebackparlor,forIactuallycried,hewassodreadfullyinearnestwhenIpretendedthatIdidn"tcareforhim,andsoverydearandnicewhenItoldthetruth。Ididn"tknowhehaditinhim,buthecameoutdelightfullyandnevercaredaparticle,thoughIdroppedtearsalloverhislovelyshirtfront。Wasn"tthatgoodofhim？Foryouknowhehateshisthingstobemussed。"

"He"satrueCampbell,andhasgotagoodwarmheartofhisownunderthosefinefrontsofhis。AuntJanedoesn"tbelieveinsentiment,sohehasbeentrainednevertoshowany,butitisthere,andyoumustencouragehimtoletitout,notfoolishly,butinawaytomakehimmoremanlyandserious。"

"IwillifIcan,forthoughIwouldn"townthistoeverybody,IlikeitinhimverymuchandfeelasifSteveandIshouldgetonbeautifully。

Hereweare­now,besurenottobreatheawordifwemeetanyone。I

wantittobeaprofoundsecretforaweekatleast,"addedKitty,whiskingherhandkerchiefoutofsightasthecarriagestoppedbeforethefashionablestoretheywereabouttovisit。

Rosepromisedwithasmile,forKitty"sfacebetrayedherwithoutwords,sofullwasitofthehappinesswhichfeweyesfailtounderstandwhenevertheyseeit。

"Justaglanceatthesilks。Youaskmyopinionaboutwhiteones,andI"lllookatthecolors。Mamasayssatin,butthatisoutnow,andI"vesetmyheartontheheaviestcordedthingIcanfind,"whisperedKittyastheywentrustlingbythelongcountersstrewnwithallthatcoulddelightthefeminineeyeandtemptthefemininepocket。

"Isn"tthatopaltheloveliestthingyoueversaw？I"mafraidI"mtoodarktowearit,butitwouldjustsuityou。You"llneedavariety,youknow,"addedKittyinasignificantasideasRosestoodamongthewhitesilkswhilehercompanionaffectedgreatinterestinthedelicatehueslaidbeforeher。

"ButIhaveavarietynow,anddon"tneedanewdressofanysort。"

"Nomatter,getit,elseitwillbegone。You"vewornallyoursseveraltimesalreadyandmusthaveanewonewhetheryouneeditornot。

Dearme！IfIhadasmuchpocketmoneyasyouhave,I"dcomeoutinafreshtoiletateverypartyIwentto,"answeredKitty,castinganenviouseyeupontherainbowpilesbeforeher。

Thequick—wittedshopmansawthataweddingwasafoot,forwhentwoprettygirlswhisper,smile,andblushovertheirshopping,clerksscentbridalfineryandatransientgleamofinterestbrightenstheirimperturbablecountenancesandlendsabriefenergytolanguidvoiceswearywithcrying,"Cash！"Gatheringbothsilkswithapracticedturnofthehand,heheldthemupforinspection,detectingataglancewhichwasthebride—electandwhichthefriend,forKittyfellbacktostudytheeffectofsilverywhitefoldswithanabsorbinginterestimpossibletomistakewhileRosesatlookingattheopalasifshescarcelyheardablandvoicesaying,withtherustleofsilksodeartogirlishears:"Asuperbthing,justopened;alltherageinParis;veryrareshade;tryingtomost,astheladysays,butquiteperfectforablonde。"

RosewasnotlisteningtothosewordsbuttootherswhichAuntClarahadlatelyuttered,laughedatthen,butthoughtovermorethanoncesince。

"I"mtiredofhearingpeoplewonderwhyMissCampbelldoesnotdressmore。Simplicityisallverywellforschoolgirlsandwomenwhocan"taffordanythingbetter,butyoucan,andyoureallyought。Yourthingsareprettyenoughintheirway,andIratherlikeyoutohaveastyleofyourown,butitlooksoddandpeoplewillthinkyouaremeanifyoudon"tmakemoreshow。Besides,youdon"tdojusticetoyourbeauty,whichwouldbebothpeculiarandstrikingifyou"ddevoteyourmindtogettingupravishingcostumes。"

Muchmoretothesameeffectdidherauntsay,discussingthesubjectquiteartisticallyandunconsciouslyappealingtoseveralofRose"srulingpassions。Onewasaloveforthedelicatefabrics,colors,andornamentswhichrefinedtastesenjoyandwhosecostlinesskeepsthemfromevergrowingcommon;another,herstrongdesiretopleasetheeyesofthoseshecaredforandgratifytheirwishesinthesmallestmatterifshecould。Andlast,butnotleast,thenaturaldesireofayoungandprettywomantoenhancethebeautywhichshesosoondiscoverstobehermostpotentcharmfortheothersex,herpassporttoahighplaceamonghermaidenpeers。

Shehadthoughtseriouslyofsurprisinganddelightingeveryonebyappearinginacostumewhichshoulddojusticetothelovelinesswhichwassomodestthatitwasapttoforgetitselfinadmiringothers­whatgirlscalla"ravishing"dress,suchasshecouldimagineandeasilyprocurebythemagicoftheFortunatus"purseinherpocket。Shehadplanneditall,theshimmerofpalesilkthroughlacelikewovenfrostwork,ornamentsofsomeclassicpattern,andallthedaintyaccessoriesasperfectastime,taste,andmoneycouldmakethem。

SheknewthatUncleAlec"shealthfultraininghadgivenherafigurethatcouldventureonanyfashionandNatureblessedherwithacomplexionthatdefiedallhues。Soitwaslittlewonderthatshefeltastrongdesiretousethesegifts,notforthepleasureofdisplay,buttoseemfairintheeyesthatseldomlookedatherwithoutatendersortofadmiration,allthemorewinningwhennowordsmarredtheinvoluntaryhomagewomenlove。

ThesethoughtswerebusyinRose"smindasshesatlookingatthelovelysilkandwonderingwhatCharliewouldsayifsheshouldsomenightburstuponhiminapalerosycloud,liketheAuroratowhomheoftenlikenedher。Sheknewitwouldpleasehimverymuchandshelongedtodoallshehonestlycouldtogratifythepoorfellow,forhertenderheartalreadyfeltsomeremorsefulpangs,rememberinghowsevereshehadbeenthenightbefore。Shecouldnotrevokeherwords,becauseshemeantthemeveryone,butshemightbekindandshowthatshedidnotwhollyshuthimoutfromherregardbyaskinghimtogowithhertoKitty"sballandgratifyhisartistictastebyalovelycostume。Averygirlishbutkindlyplan,forthatballwastobethelastofherfrivolities,soshewantedittobeapleasantoneandfeltthat"beingfriends"withCharliewouldaddmuchtoherenjoyment。

Thisideamadeherfingerstightenonthegleamingfabricsotemptinglyupheld,andshewasabouttotakeitwhen,"Ifyeplease,sir,wouldyekindlytellmewhereI"dbefindingtheflannelplace？"saidavoicebehindher,and,glancingup,shesawameeklittleIrishwomanlookingquitelostandoutofplaceamongtheluxuriesaroundher。

"Downstairs,turntotheleft,"wastheclerk"shastyreply,withavaguewaveofthehandwhichlefttheinquirermoreinthedarkthanever。

Rosesawthewoman"sperplexityandsaidkindly,"I"llshowyou­thisway。"

"I"mashamedtobethroublin"ye,miss,butit"sstrangeIaminit,andwouldn"tbecomin"hereatall,atall,barrin"theytouldmeI"dgetthebitI"mwantin"chaperinthisbigshopthanthelittleonesmorebecomin"

thelikeo"me,"explainedthelittlewomanhumbly。

Roselookedagainassheledthewaythroughawell—dressedcrowdofbusyshoppers,andsomethingintheanxious,tiredfaceundertheoldwoolenhood­thebare,purplehandsholdingfastameagerwalletandafadedscrapofthedottedflannellittlechildren"sfrocksaresooftenmadeof­touchedthegenerousheartthatnevercouldseewantwithoutanimpulsetorelieveit。Shehadmeantonlytopointtheway,but,followinganewimpulse,shewenton,listeningtothepoorsoul"smotherlyprattleabout"mebaby"andthe"throuble"itwasto"findclothesforthegrowin"

childerwhenmemanisoutavworkandthebitandsupinconvaynientthesehardtimes"astheydescendedtothatdarksomelowerworldwherenecessitiestakerefugewhenluxuriescrowdthemoutfromthegayerplaceabove。

ThepresenceofaladymadeMrs。Sullivan"sshoppingveryeasynow,andheronepoor"bit"offlannelgrewmiraculouslyintoyardsofseveralcolors,sincetheshabbypursewasnolighterwhenshewentaway,wipinghereyesonthecornerofabig,brownbundle。Averylittlething,andnoonesawitbutawooden—facedclerk,whonevertold,yetitdidRosegoodandsentherupintothelightagainwithasoberface,thinkingself—reproachfully,"WhatrighthaveItomoregaygownswhensomepoorbabieshavenone,ortospendtimemakingmyselffinewhilethereissomuchbitterwantintheworld？"

Neverthelesstheprettythingswerejustastemptingasever,andsheyearnedfortheopalsilkwitharenewedyearningwhenshegotback。Itisnotcertainthatitwouldnothavebeenboughtinspiteofherbetterselfifagoodangelinthelikenessofastoutladywithsilverycurlsaboutthebenevolentface,enshrinedinaplainbonnet,hadnotaccostedherasshejoinedKitty,stillbroodingovertheweddinggowns。

"Iwaitedamomentforyou,mydear,becauseI"minhaste,andverygladtosavemyselfajourneyoranote,"beganthenewcomerinalowtoneasRoseshookhandswiththemostaffectionaterespect。"Youknowthegreatboxfactorywasburnedadayortwoagoandoverahundredgirlsthrownoutofwork。Somewerehurtandareinthehospital,manyhavenohomestogoto,andnearlyallneedtemporaryhelpofsomesort。We"vehadsomanycallsthiswinterIhardlyknowwhichwaytoturn,forwantispressing,andI"vehadmyfingerinsomanypursesI"malmostashamedtoaskagain。

Anylittlecontribution­ah,thankyou,Iwassureyouwouldn"tfailme,mygoodchild,"andMrs。Gardenerwarmlypressedthehandthatwentsoquicklyintothelittleporte—monnaieandcameoutsogenerouslyfilled。

"LetmeknowhowelseIcanhelp,andthankyouverymuchforallowingmetohaveashareinyourgoodworks,"saidRose,forgettingallaboutgaygownsasshewatchedtheblackbonnetgobrisklyawaywithanapprovingsmileonthefineoldfaceinsideit。

"Youextravagantthing！Howcouldyougivesomuch？"whisperedKitty,whosecuriouseyehadseenthreefiguresonthesinglebillwhichhadsorapidlychangedhands。

"IbelieveifMrs。GardeneraskedmeformyheadIshouldgiveittoher,"answeredRoselightly,then,turningtothesilks,sheasked,"Whichhaveyoudecidedupon,theyellowwhiteortheblue,thecordedorthestriped？"

"I"vedecidednothing;exceptthatyouaretohavethepinkandwearitatmy­ahem！ball,"saidKitty,whohadmadeuphermind,butcouldnotgiveherorderstillMamahadbeenconsulted。

"No,Ican"tafforditjustyet。Ineveroverstepmyallowance,andIshallhavetoifIgetanymorefinery。Come,weoughtnottowastetimehereifyouhaveallthepatternsyouwant。"AndRosewalkedquicklyaway,gladthatitwasoutofherpowertobreakthroughtworesolutionswhichhithertohadbeenfaithfullykept­onetodresssimplyforexample"ssake,theothernottobeextravagantforcharity"ssake。

AsRosamondhadherdayofmisfortunes,sothisseemedtobeoneofsmalltemptationstoRose。AftershehadsetKittydownathomeandbeentoseehernewhouses,shedroveaboutdoingvariouserrandsfortheauntsand,whilewaitinginthecarriagefortheexecutionofanorder,youngPembertoncameby。

AsStevesaid,thisgentlemanhadbeen"hardhit"andstillhoveredmothlikeabouttheforbiddenlight。Beingthemosteligiblepartioftheseason,hisregardwasconsideredadistinctiontobeproudof,andRosehadbeenwellscoldedbyAuntClaraforrefusingsohonorableamate。Thegirllikedhim,andhewasthesuitorofwhomshehadspokensorespectfullytoDr。AlecbecausehehadnoneedoftheheiressandhadsincerelylovedRose。Hehadbeenaway,andshehopedhadgottenoverhisdisappointmentashappilyastherest,butnowwhenhesawher,andcamehurryingupsohungryforaword,shefeltthathehadnotforgottenandwastookindtochillhimwiththebowwhichplainlysays"Don"tstop。"

ApersonableyouthwasPemberton,andhadbroughtwithhimfromthewildsofCanadaasable—linedovercoatwhichwastheenvyofeverymasculineandtheadmirationofeveryfemininefriendhehad,andashestoodathercarriagewindowRoseknewthatthisluxuriousgarmentanditsstalwartwearerwereobjectsofinteresttothepassersby。Itchancedthatthetideofshoppersflowedinthatdirectionand,asshechatted,familiarfacesoftenpassedwithglances,smiles,andnodsofvaryingcuriosity,significance,andwonder。

Shecouldnothelpfeelingacertainsatisfactioningivinghimamoment"spleasure,sinceshecoulddonomore,butitwasnotthatamiabledesirealonewhichmadeherignoretheneatwhiteparcelswhichthedruggist"sboydepositedonthefrontseatandkeptherlingeringalittlelongertoenjoyoneofthesmalltriumphswhichgirlsoftenriskmorethanacoldintheheadtodisplay。Thesightofseveralsnowflakesonthebroadshoulderswhichpartiallyobstructedherview,aswellastherapidlyincreasinganimationofPemberton"schat,remindedherthatitwashightimetogo。

"Imustn"tkeepyou­itisbeginningtostorm,"shesaid,takinguphermuff,muchtooldJacob"ssatisfaction,forsmalltalkisnotexcitingtoahungrymanwhosenosefeelslikeanicicle。

"Isit？Ithoughtthesunwasshining。"Andtheabsorbedgentlemanturnedtotheouterworldwithvisiblereluctance,foritlookedverywarmandcozyinthered—linedcarriage。

"Wisepeoplesaywemustcarryoursunshinewithus,"answeredRose,takingrefugeincommonplaces,forthefaceatthewindowgrewpensivesuddenlyasheanswered,withalonginglook,"IwishIcould。"Then,smilinggratefully,headded,"Thankyouforgivingmealittleofyours。"

"Youareverywelcome。"AndRoseofferedhimherhandwhilehereyesmutelyaskedpardonforwithholdingherleavetokeepit。

Hepresseditsilentlyand,shoulderingtheumbrellawhichheforgottoopen,turnedawaywithan"upagainandtakeanother"expression,whichcausedthesofteyestofollowhimadmiringly。

"IoughtnottohavekepthimaminutelongerthanIcouldhelp,foritwasn"tallpity;itwasmyfoolishwishtoshowoffanddoasIlikedforaminute,topayforbeinggoodaboutthegown。Oh,me！HowweakandsillyIaminspiteofallmytrying！"AndMissCampbellfellintoaremorsefulreverie,whichlastedtillshegothome。

"Now,youngman,whatbroughtyououtinthisdrivingstorm？"askedRoseasJamiecamestampinginthatsameafternoon。

"Mamasentyouanewbook­thoughtyou"dlikeit。Idon"tmindyouroldstorms！"repliedtheboy,wrestlinghiswayoutofhiscoatandpresentingafaceasroundandredandshinyasawell—polishedBaldwinapple。

"Muchobliged­itisjustthedaytoenjoyitandIwaslongingforsomethingnicetoread,"saidRoseasJamiesatdownuponthelowerstairforaprotractedstrugglewithhisrubberboots。

"Hereyouare,then­no­yes­IdobelieveI"veforgottenit,afterall！"criedJamie,slappinghispocketsoneaftertheotherwithadismayedexpressionofcountenance。

"Nevermind,I"llhuntupsomethingelse。Letmehelpyouwiththose­yourhandsaresocold。"AndRosegood—naturedlygaveatugatthebootswhileJamieclutchedthebanisters,murmuringsomewhatincoherentlyashislegsflewupanddown:"I"llgobackifyouwantmeto。I"msosorry！It"sverygoodofyou,I"msure。Gettingthesehorridthingsonmademeforget。Motherwouldmakemewear"em,thoughItoldherthey"dsticklike­likegumdrops,"

headded,inspiredbyrecollectionsofcertaindiredisappointmentswhentheabove—mentionedsweetmeatmeltedinhispocketsandrefusedtocomeout。

"Nowwhatshallwedo？"askedRosewhenhewasfinallyextricated。"SinceI"venothingtoread,Imayaswellplay。"

"I"llteachyoutopitchandtoss。Youcatchverywellforagirl,butyoucan"tthrowworthacent,"repliedJamie,gambolingdownthehallinhisslippersandproducingaballfromsomeofthemysteriousreceptaclesinwhichboyshavetheartofstoringrubbishenoughtofillapeckmeasure。

OfcourseRoseagreedandcheerfullyriskedgettinghereyesblackenedandherfingersbruisedtillheryoungreceptorgratefullyobservedthat"itwasnofunplayingwhereyouhadtolookoutforwindowsandjarsandthings,soI"dlikethatjollybookaboutCaptainNemoandtheNautilus,please。"

Beinggratified,hespreadhimselfuponthecouch,crossedhislegsintheair,andwithoutanotherworddivedTwentyThousandLeaguesUndertheSea,whereheremainedfortwomortalhours,tothegeneralsatisfactionofhisrelatives。

Bereftbothofherunexpectedplayfellowandthemuchdesiredbook,Rosewentintotheparlor,theretodiscoveraFrenchnovelwhichKittyhadtakenfromalibraryandleftinthecarriageamongthebundles。Settlingherselfinherfavoriteloungingchair,shereadasdiligentlyasJamiewhilethewindhowledandsnowfellfastwithout。

ForanhournothingdisturbedthecozyquietofthehouseforAuntPlentywasnappingupstairsandDr。Alecwritinginhisownsanctum;atleastRosethoughtso,tillhisstepmadeherhastilydropthebookandlookupwithverymuchtheexpressionsheusedtowearwhencaughtinmischiefyearsago。

"DidIstartleyou？Haveascreen­youareburningyourfacebeforethishotfire。"AndDr。Alecpulledoneforward。

"Thankyou,Uncle。Ididn"tfeelit。"Andthecolorseemedtodeepeninspiteofthescreenwhiletheuneasyeyesfelluponthebookinherlap。

"HaveyougottheQuarterlythere？Iwanttoglanceatanarticleinitifyoucanspareitforamoment,"hesaid,leaningtowardherwithaninquiringglance。

"No,sir,Iamreading­"And,withoutmentioningthename,Roseputthebookintohishand。

Theinstanthiseyefellonthetitleheunderstoodthelooksheworeandknewwhat"mischief"shehadbeenin。Heknithisbrows,thensmiled,becauseitwasimpossibletohelpit­Roselookedsoconscience—strickeninspiteofhertwentyyears。

"Howdoyoufindit？Interesting？"

"Oh,very！IfeltasifIwasinanotherworldandforgotallaboutthis。"

"Notaverygoodworld,Ifancy,ifyouwereafraidorashamedtobefoundinit。Wheredidthiscomefrom？"askedDr。Alec,surveyingthebookwithgreatdisfavor。Rosetoldhim,andaddedslowly,"Iparticularlywantedtoreadit,andfanciedImight,becauseyoudidwhenitwassomuchtalkedaboutthewinterwewereinRome。"

"Ididreadittoseeifitwasfitforyou。"

"Anddecidedthatitwasnot,Isuppose,sinceyounevergaveittome！"

"Yes。"

"ThenIwon"tfinishit。But,Uncle,Idon"tseewhyIshouldnot,"

addedRosewistfully,forshehadreachedtheheartoftheromanceandfounditwonderfullyfascinating。

"Youmaynotsee,butdon"tyoufeelwhynot？"askedDr。

Alecgravely。

Roseleanedherflushedcheekonherhandandthoughtaminute,thenlookedupandansweredhonestly,"Yes,Ido,butcan"texplainit,exceptthatIknowsomethingmustbewrong,becauseIblushedandstartedwhenyoucamein。"

"Exactly。"Andthedoctorgaveanemphaticnod,asifthesymptomspleasedhim。

"ButIreallydon"tseeanyharminthebooksofar。Itisbyafamousauthor,wonderfullywellwritten,asyouknow,andthecharacterssolifelikethatIfeelasifIshouldreallymeetthemsomewhere。"

"Ihopenot！"ejaculatedthedoctor,shuttingthebookquickly,asiftokeeptheobjectionablebeingsfromescaping。

Roselaughed,butpersistedinherdefense,forshedidwanttofinishtheabsorbingstory,yetwouldnotwithoutleave。

"IhavereadFrenchnovelsbefore,andyougavethemtome。Notmany,tobesure,butthebest,soIthinkIknowwhatisgoodandshouldn"tlikethisifitwasharmful。"

Heruncle"sanswerwastoreopenthevolumeandturntheleavesaninstantasiftofindaparticularplace。Thenheputitintoherhand,sayingquietly:"Readapageortwoaloud,translatingasyougo。Youusedtolikethat­tryitagain。"

Roseobeyedandwentgliblydownapage,doingherbesttogivethesenseinherpurestEnglish。Presentlyshewentmoreslowly,thenskippedasentencehereandthere,andfinallystoppedshort,lookingasifsheneededascreenagain。

"What"sthematter？"askedheruncle,whohadbeenwatchingherwithaseriouseye。

"Somephrasesareuntranslatable,anditonlyspoilsthemtotry。TheyarenotamissinFrench,butsoundcoarseandbadinourbluntEnglish,"

shesaidalittlepettishly,forshefeltannoyedbyherfailuretoprovethecontestedpoint。

"Ah,mydear,ifthefinephraseswon"tbearputtingintohonestEnglish,thethoughtstheyexpresswon"tbearputtingintoyourinnocentmind！Thatchapteristhekeytothewholebook,andifyouhadbeenledup,orratherdown,toitartfullyandartistically,youmighthavereadittoyourselfwithoutseeinghowbaditis。Alltheworsefortheundeniabletalentwhichhidestheevilsosubtlyandmakesthedangersodelightful。"

Hepausedamoment,thenaddedwithananxiousglanceatthebook,overwhichshewasstillbending,"Finishitifyouchoose­onlyremember,mygirl,thatonemayreadatfortywhatisunsafeattwenty,andthatwenevercanbetoocarefulwhatfoodwegivethatpreciousyetperilousthingcalledimagination。"

AndtakinghisReview,hewentawaytolookoveralearnedarticlewhichinterestedhimmuchlessthantheworkingsofayoungmindnearby。

Anotherlongsilence,brokenonlybyanoccasionalexcitedbouncefromJamiewhenthesociablecuttlefishlookedinatthewindowsortheNautilusscuttledashiportwoinitsterrificcourse。Abellrang,andthedoctorpoppedhisheadouttoseeifhewaswanted。ItwasonlyamessageforAuntPlenty,andhewasabouttopopinagainwhenhiseyewascaughtbyasquareparcelontheslab。

"What"sthis？"heasked,takingitup。

"RosewantsmetoleaveitatKittyVan"swhenIgo。IforgottobringherbookfromMama,soIshallgoandgetitassoonaseverI"vedonethis,"repliedJamiefromhisnest。

Asthevolumeinhishandswasacorpulentone,andJamieonlyathirdofthewaythrough,Dr。AlecthoughtRose"sprospectratherdoubtfuland,slippingtheparcelintohispocket,hewalkedaway,sayingwithasatisfiedair:"Virtuedoesn"talwaysgetrewarded,butitshallbethistimeifIcandoit。"

Morethanhalfanhourafterward,Rosewokefromalittlenapandfoundthevariousoldfavoriteswithwhichshehadtriedtosolaceherselfreplacedbythesimple,wholesomestorypromisedbyAuntJessie。

"Goodboy！I"llgoandthankhim,"shesaidhalfaloud,jumpingup,wideawakeandmuchpleased。

Butshedidnotgo,forjustthenshespiedherunclestandingontherugwarminghishandswithagenerallyfreshandbreezylookabouthimwhichsuggestedarecentstrugglewiththeelements。

"Howdidthiscome？"sheaskedsuspiciously。

"Amanbroughtit。"

"Thisman？Oh,Uncle！Whydidyoutakesomuchtroublejusttogratifyawishofmine？"shecried,takingboththecoldhandsinherswithatenderlyreproachfulglancefromthestormwithouttotheruddyfaceaboveher。

"Because,havingtakenawayyourFrenchbonbonswiththepoisonouscoloronthem,Iwantedtogetyousomethingbetter。Hereitis,allpuresugar,thesortthatsweetenstheheartaswellasthetongueandleavesnobadtastebehind。"

"Howgoodyouaretome！Idon"tdeserveit,forIdidn"tresisttemptation,thoughItried。Uncle,afterI"dputthebookaway,IthoughtImustjustseehowitended,andI"mafraidIshouldhavereaditallifithadnotbeengone,"saidRose,layingherfacedownonthehandssheheldashumblyasarepentantchild。

ButUncleAlecliftedupthebentheadand,lookingintotheeyesthatmethisfrankly,thougheitherheldatear,hesaid,withtheenergythatalwaysmadehiswordsremembered:"Mylittlegirl,Iwouldfaceadozenstormsfarworsethanthistokeepyoursoulasstainlessassnow,foritisthesmalltemptationswhichundermineintegrityunlesswewatchandprayandneverthinkthemtootrivialtoberesisted。"

SomepeoplewouldconsiderDr。Alecanovercarefulman,butRosefeltthathewasright,andwhenshesaidherprayersthatnight,addedameekpetitiontobekeptfromyieldingtothreeofthesmalltemptationswhichbesetarich,pretty,andromanticgirl­extravagance,coquetry,andnovelreading。Chapter12。Chapter12。12ATKITTY"SBALLRosehadnonewgowntowearonthisfestiveoccasion,andgaveonelittlesighofregretassheputonthepalebluesilkrefreshedwithcloudsofgazedeChambéry。Butasmilefollowed,verybrightandsweet,assheaddedtheclustersofforget—me—notwhichCharliehadconjuredupthroughtheagencyofanoldGermanflorist,foronepartofherplanhadbeencarriedout,andPrincewasinvitedtobeherescort,muchtohisdelight,thoughhewiselymadenoprotestationsofanysortandshowedhisgratitudebybeingamodelgentleman。ThispleasedRose,forthelatehumiliationandaverysinceredesiretoatoneforitgavehimanairofpensivedignitywhichwasveryeffective。

AuntClaracouldnotgo,foracertainnewcosmetic,privatelyusedtoimprovetheoncefinecomplexion,whichhadbeenherpridetilllatehoursimpairedit,hadbroughtoutanunsightlyeruption,reducinghertothedepthsofwoeandleavinghernosolaceforherdisappointmentbutthesightoftheelegantvelvetdressspreadforthuponherbedinmelancholystate。

SoAuntJessiewaschaperon,toRose"sgreatsatisfaction,andlookedas"prettyasapink,"Archiethought,inhermatronlypearl—coloredgownwithadaintytrifleofrichlaceonherstillabundanthair。Hewasveryproudofhislittlemama,andasdevotedasalover,"tokeephishandinagainstPhebe"sreturn,"shesaidlaughinglywhenhebroughtheranosegayofblushrosestolightupherquietcostume。

AhappiermotherdidnotlivethanMrs。JessieasshesatcontentedlybesideSisterJane（whogracedthefrivoloussceneinaseriousblackgownwithadiademofpurpleastersnoddingaboveherseverebrow）,bothwatchingtheirboyswiththematernalconvictionthatnootherparentcouldshowsuchremarkablespecimensasthese。Eachhaddoneherbestaccordingtoherlight,andyearsoffaithfulcarewerenowbeginningtobearfruitinthepromiseofgoodlymen,sodeartotheheartsoftruemothers。

Mrs。Jessiewatchedherthreetallsonswithsomethinglikewonder,forArchiewasafinefellow,graveandratherstately,butfullofthecordialcourtesyandrespectweseesolittleofnowadaysandwhichisthesuresignofgoodhometraining。"Thecadets,"asWillandGeordiecalledthemselves,werethereasgorgeousasyouplease,andtheagoniestheysufferedthatnightwithtightbootsandstiffcollarsnopencanfitlytell。Butonlytooneanotherdidtheyconfidethesesufferingsandtheraremomentsofreposewhentheycouldstandononeachingfootwithheadscomfortablysunkeninsidetheexcruciatingcollars,whichraspedtheirearsandmadethelobesthereofapleasingscarlet。Briefwerethesemoments,however,andtheSpartanboysdancedonwithsmilingfaces,undauntedbythehiddenanguishwhichpreyeduponthem"foreandaft,"asWillexpressedit。

Mrs。Jane"spairwereanoddcontrast,andeventhesterndisciplinarianherselfcouldnothelpsmilingasshewatchedthem。Stevewassuperb,andmighthavebeenmarriedonthespot,sosuperfinewashisbroad—cloth,glossyhislinen,andperfectthefitofhisgloves。Whileprideandhappinesssofermentedinhisyouthfulbosom,therewouldhavebeendangerofspontaneouscombustionifdancinghadnotprovedasafetyvalve,forhisstrongsenseoftheproprietieswouldnotpermithimtoventhisemotionsinanyotherway。

Kittyfeltnosuchrestraint,andlookedlikeablissfullittlegypsy,withherbrunetprettinesssetoffbyadashingcostumeofcardinalandcreamcolorandeveryhaironherheadcurledinaMerryPecksniffiancrop,foryouthwasherstrongpoint,andshemuchenjoyedthefactthatshehadbeenengagedthreetimesbeforeshewasnineteen。

ToseeherandStevespinaroundtheroomwasasighttobringasmiletothelipsofthecrustiestbachelororsaddestspinster,forhappyloversarealwaysapleasingspectacle,andtwosuchmerrylittlegrigsastheseareseldomseen。