第9章
Boardmanwasoneofthosewhoseldomlaugh;buthisgrinexpressedallthemaliciousenjoymenthefelt。HesaidnothingintheimpressivesilencewhichMaveringletfollowatthispoint。
“Oh，youthinkitwasfunny？”criedMavering。“Ithoughtitwasfunnytoo;butAliceherselfopenedmyeyestowhatI’ddone，andIalwaysintendedtomakeitallrightwiththemwhenIgotthechance。Isupposedshewishedmetoo。”
Boardmangrinnedafresh。
“ShetoldmeImust;thoughsheseemedtodislikemyhavingbeenwiththemthedayaftershe’dthrownmeover。Butif“——Maveringinterruptedhimselftosay，asthegrinwidenedonBoardman’sface——“ifyouthinkitwasanycaseofvulgarjealousy，you’reverymuchmistaken，Boardman。Sheisn’tcapableofit，andshewassomagnanimousaboutitthatImadeupmymindtodoallIcouldtoretrievemyself。Ifeltthatitwasmydutytoher。
Well，lastnightatMrs。JimBellingham’sreception——“
AlookofprofessionalinterestreplacedthederisioninBoardman’seyes。
“Anyparticularoccasionforthereception？Giveninhonourofanybody？”
“I’llcontributetoyoursocietynotessomeothertime，Boardman。”saidMaveringhaughtily。“I’mspeakingtoafriend，notaninterviewer。Well，whomshouldIseeafterthefirstwaltz——I’dbeendancingwithAlice，andweweretakingaturnthroughthedrawing-room，andshehangingonmyarm，andIkneweverybodysawhowitwas，andIwasfeelingwell——whomshouldI
seebutthesewomen。Theywereinacornerbythemselves，lookingatapicture，andtryingtolookasiftheyweredoingitvoluntarily。ButI
couldseeataglancethattheydidn’tknowanybody;andIknewtheyhadbetterbeintheheartoftheSaharawithoutacquaintancesthanwheretheywere;andwhentheybowedforlornlyacrosstheroomtome，myheartwasinmymouth，Ifeltsosorryforthem;andItoldAlicewhotheywere;andI
supposedshe’dwanttorushrightovertothemwithme——“
“Anddidsherush？”askedBoardman，fillingupapausewhichMaveringmadeinwipinghisface。
“Howinfernallyhotyouhaveitinhere！“Hewenttothewindowandthrewitup;andthendidnotsitdownagain，butcontinuedtowalkbackandforthashetalked。“Shedidn’tseemtoknowwhotheywereatfirst，andwhenImadeherunderstandshehungback，andsaid，’Thoseshowythings？’
andImustsayIthinkshewaswrong;theyweredressedasquietlyasnine-tenthsofthepeoplethere;onlytheyareratherlarge，handsomewomen。IsaidIthoughtweoughttogoandspeaktothem，theyseemedstrandedthere;butshedidn’tseemtoseeit;and，whenIpersisted，shesaid，’Well，yougoifyouthinkbest;buttakemetomamma。’AndI
supposeditwasallright;andItoldMrs。PasmerI’dbebackinaminute，andthenIwentofftothosewomen。AndafterI’dtalkedwiththemawhileIsawMrs。BrinkleysittingwitholdBromfieldCoreyinanothercorner，andIgotthemacrossandintroducedthem;afterI’dexplainedtoMrs。Brinkleywhotheywere;andtheybegantohaveagoodtime，andI——
didn’t。”
“Justso。”saidBoardman。
“IthoughtIhadn’tbeengoneanywhileatallfromAlice;buttheweatherhadchangedbythetimeIhadgotback。Alicewasprettyserious，andshewasengagedtwoorthreedancesdeep;andIcouldseeherlookingoverthefellows’shoulders，asshewentroundandround，prettypale。Ihungabouttillshewasfree;butthenshecouldn’tdancewithme;shesaidherheadached，andshemadehermothertakeherhomebeforesupper;andI
moonedroundlikemyownghostawhile，andthenIwenthome。Andasifthatwasn’tenough，Icouldseebythelooksofthoseotherwomen——oldCoreyforgotMissWrayneinthesupper-room，andIhadtotakeherback——
thatIhadn’tmadeitrightwiththem，even;theywereashardandsmoothasglass。I’druinedmyself，andruinedmyselffornothing。”
MaveringflungBoardman’schairover，andseatedhimselfonitsrungs。
“Iwenttobed，andwaitedforthenextthingtohappen。IfoundmythunderboltwaitingformewhenIwokeup。Ididn’tknowwhatitwasgoingtobe，butwhenIfeltaringthroughtheenvelopeofthatnoteI
knewwhatitwas。Imind-readthatnotebeforeIopenedit。”
“GiveittotheSocietyforPsychicalResearch。”suggestedBoardman。
“Beentobreakfast？”
“Breakfast！“echoedMavering。“Well，now，Boardman，whatusedoyousupposeI’vegotforbreakfastunderthecircumstances？”
“Well，notverymuch;butyourstory’smademeprettyhungry。Wouldyoumindturningyourback，orgoingoutandsittingonthetopstepofthestairs’landing，orsomething，whileIgetupanddress？”
“Oh，Icango，ifyouwanttogetridofme。”saidMavering，withunresentfulsadness。“ButIhopedyoumighthavesomethingtosuggest，Boardy。’
“Well，I’vesuggestedtwothings，andyoudon’tlikeeither。Whynotgoroundandasktoseetheoldlady？”
“Mrs。Pasmer？”
“Yes。”
“Well，Ithoughtofthat。ButIdidn’tliketomentionit，forfearyou’dsitonit。Whenwouldyougo？”
“Well，aboutasquickasIcouldgetthere。It’searlyforacall，butit’sapeculiaroccasion，andit’llshowyourinterestinthething。Youcan’tverywellletitcoolonyourhands，unlessyoumeantoacceptthesituation。”
“Whatdoyoumean？”demandedMavering，gettingupandstandingoverBoardman。“DoyouthinkIcouldacceptthesituation，asyoucallit，andlive？”
“Youdidonce。”saidBoardman。“Youcouldn’t，unlessyoucouldfixitupwithMrs。Frobisher’ssister。”
Maveringblushed。“Itwasadifferentthingaltogetherthen。Icouldhavebrokenoffthen，butItellyouitwouldkillmenow。I’vegotintoodeep。Mywholelife’ssetonthatgirl。Youcan’tunderstand，Boardman，becauseyou’veneverbeenthere;butIcouldn’tgiveherup。”
“Allright。Bettergoandseetheoldladywithoutlossoftime;ortheoldman，ifyouprefer。”
Maveringsatdownontheedgeofthebedagain。“Lookhere，Boardman，whatdoyoumean？”
“Bywhat？”
“Bybeingsoconfoundedlyheartless。DidyousupposethatIwantedtopaythosewomenanyattentionlastnightfromaninterestedmotive？”
“SeemstohavebeenMissPasmer’simpression。”
“Well，you’remistaken。Shehadnosuchimpression。Shewouldhavetoomuchself-respect，toomuchpride——magnanimity。ShewouldknowthataftersuchagirlassheisIcouldn’tthinkofanyotherwoman;thethingissimplyimpossible。”
“That’sthetheory。”
“Theory？It’sthepractice！“
“Certainexceptions。”
“There’snoexceptioninmycase。No，sir！Itellyouthisthingisforalltime——foreternity。Itmakesmeoritmarsme，onceforall。Shemaylistentomeorshemaynotlisten，butaslongasshelivesthere’snootherwomanaliveforme。”
“Bettergoandtellherso。You’rewastingyourargumentsonme。”
“Why？”
“BecauseI’mconvincedalready。Becausepeoplealwaysmarrytheirfirstandonlyloves。Becausepeoplenevermarrytwiceforlove。BecauseI’veneverseenyouhitbefore，andIknowyounevercouldbeagain。NowgoandconvinceMissPasmer。She’llbelieveyou，becauseshe’llknowthatshecannevercareforanyonebutyou，andyounaturallycan’tcareforanybodybuther。It’saperfectlyclearcase。Allyou’vegottodoistosetitbeforeher。”
“IfIwereyou，Iwouldn’ttrytoworkthatcynicalracket，Boardman。”
saidMavering。Herose，buthesigheddrearily，andregardedBoardman’sgrinwithlack-lustreabsence。Buthewentawaywithoutsayinganythingmore;andwalkedmechanicallytowardtheCavendish。AsherangatthedoorofMrs。Pasmer’sapartmentsherecalledanotherearlyvisithehadpaidthere;hethoughthowjoyfulandexuberanthewasthen，andhowcrushedanddesperatenow。Hewasnotwithoutyouthfulsatisfactioninthedisparityofhisdifferentmoods;itseemedtostamphimasamanoflargeandvariedexperience。
XXXVIII。
Mrs。PasmerwasgenuinelysurprisedtoseeMavering，andhepursuedhisadvantage——ifitwasanadvantage——bycomingdirectlytothepoint。Hetookitforgrantedthatsheknewallaboutthematter，andhethrewhimselfuponhermercywithoutdelay。
“Mrs。Pasmer，youmusthelpmeaboutthisbusinesswithAlice。”hebrokeoutatonce。“Idon’tknowwhattomakeofit;butIknowIcanexplainit。Ofcourse。”headded，smilingruefully，“thetwostatementsdon’thangtogether;butwhatImeanisthatifIcanfindoutwhatthetroubleis，Icanmakeitallright，becausethere’snothingwrongaboutit;don’tyousee？”
Mrs。Pasmertriedtokeepthemystificationoutofhereye;butshecouldnotevensucceedinseemingtodoso，whichshewouldhavelikedalmostaswell。
“Don’tyouknowwhatImean？”askedDan。
Mrs。Pasmerchancedit。“ThatAlicewasalittleoutofsortslastnight？”shequeriedleadingly。
“Yes。”saidMaveringfervently。“Andabouther——herwritingtome。”
“Writingtoyou？”Mrs。Pasmerwasgoingtoask，whenDangavehertheletter。
“Idon’tknowwhetherIoughttoshowit，butImust。Imusthaveyourhelp，andIcan’t，unlessyouunderstandthecase。”
Mrs。Pasmerhadbeguntoreadthenote。Itexplainedwhatthegirlherselfhadrefusedtogiveanysatisfactoryreasonfor——herearlyretirementfromthereception，hermysteriousdisappearanceintoherownroomonreachinghome，andherresolutesilenceontheway。Mrs。PasmerhadknownthattheremustbesometroublewithDan，andshehadsuspectedthatAlicewasvexedwithhimonaccountofthosewomen;butitwasbeyondhercheerfulimaginationthatsheshouldgotosuchlengthsinherresentment。Shecouldconceiveofherwishingtopunishhim，toretaliatehersufferingonhim;buttorenouncehimforitwasanotherthing;andshedidnotattributetoherdaughteranyothermotivethanshewouldhavefeltherself。ItwasalwaysthiswaywithMrs。Pasmer:shefollowedherdaughteraccuratelyuptoacertainpoint;beyondthatshedidnotbelievethegirlknewherselfwhatshemeant;andperhapsshewasnotaltogetherwrong。Girlhoodisoftenaturmoilofwildimpulses，ignorantexaltations，mistakenideals，whichreallyrepresentnointelligentpurpose，andcomefromdisorderednerves，ill-advisedreading，andtheerroneousperspectiveofinexperience。Mrs。Pasmerfeltthis，andshewastemptedtobreakintoalaughoverAlice’sheroics;butshepreferredtokeepaseriouscountenance，partlybecauseshedidnotfeeltheleastseriously。ShewasinstantlyresolvednottoletthisletteraccomplishanythingmorethanDan’stemporaryabasement，andshewouldhavepreferredtoshortenthistothebriefestmomentpossible。Shelikedhim，andshewasconvincedthatAlicecouldneverdobetter，ifhalfsowell。Shewouldnowhavepreferredtotreathimwithfamiliarconfidence，totellhimthatshehadnoideaofAlice’swritinghimthatnonsensicalletter，andhewasnottopaytheleastattentiontoit;forofcourseitmeantnothing;butanotherprincipleofhercomplexnaturecameintoplay，andshesilentlyfoldedthenoteandreturnedittoDan，tremblingbeforeher。
“Well？”hequavered。
“Well。”returnedMrs。Pasmerjudicially，whilesheenjoyedhistremor，whoseneedlessnessinwardlyamusedher——“well，ofcourse，Alicewas——“
“Annoyed，Iknow。Anditwasallmyfault——ormymisfortune。ButI
assureyou，Mrs。Pasmer，thatIthoughtIwasdoingsomethingthatwouldpleaseher——inthehighestandnoblestway。Nowdon’tyouknowIdid？”
Mrs。Pasmeragainwishedtolaugh，butinthefaceofDan’stragedyshehadtoforbear。Shecontentedherselfwithsaying:“Ofcourse。Butperhapsitwasn’tthebesttimeforpleasingherjustinthatway。”
“Itwasthenornever。Icanseenow——why，Icouldseeallthetime——justhowitmightlook;butIsupposedAlicewouldn’tcareforthat，andifI
hadn’ttriedtomakesomereparationthentoMrs。Frobisherandhersister，Inevercould。Don’tyousee？”
“Yes，certainly。But——“
“AndAliceherselftoldmetogoandlookafterthem。”interposedMavering。Hesuppressed，alittleuncandidly，thefactofherfirstreluctance。
“Butyouknowitwasthefirsttimeyouhadbeenouttogether？”
“Yes。”
“Andnaturallyshewouldwishtohaveyouagooddealtoherself，oratleastnotseemingtorunafterotherpeople。”
“Yes，yes;Iknowthat。”
“Andnooneeverlikestobetakenattheirwordinathinglikethat。”
“Ioughttohavethoughtofthat，butIdidn’t。IwishIhadgonetoyoufirst，Mrs。Pasmer。SomehowitseemstomeasifIwereveryyoungandinexperienced;Ididn’tusetofeelso。Iwishyouwerealwaysonhandtoadviseme，Mrs。Pasmer。”Danhunghishead，andhisface，usuallysogay，wasblottedwithgloom。
“Willyoutakemyadvicenow？”askedMrs。Pasmer。
“IndeedIwill！“criedtheyoungfellow，liftinghishead。“Whatisit？”
“SeeAliceaboutthis。”
Danjumpedtohisfeet，andthesunshinebrokeoutoverhisfaceagain。
“Mrs。Pasmer，Ipromisedtotakeyouradvice，andI’lldoit。Iwillseeher。Buthow？Where？Letmehaveyouradviceonthatpointtoo。”
Theybegantolaughtogether，andDanwasatonceinexpressiblyhappy。
Thosetwolightnaturesthoroughlycomprehendedeachother。
Mrs。PasmerhadproposedhisseeingAlicewithdueseriousness，butnowshehadalongingtoletherselfgo;shefeltallthepleasurethatotherpeoplefeltindoingDanMaveringapleasure，andsomethingmore，becausehewassoperfectlyintelligibletoher。Sheletherselfgo。
“Youmightstaytobreakfast。”
“Mrs。Pasmer，Iwill——Iwilldothattoo。I’mawfullyhungry，andIputmyselfinyourhands。”
“Letmesee。”saidMrs。Pasmerthoughtfully，“howitcanbecontrived。”
“Yes;“saidMavering，readyforapanic。“How？Shewouldn’tstandasurprise？”
“No;Ihadthoughtofthat。”
“Nobehind-a-screenornext-roombusiness？”
“No。”saidMrs。Pasmer，withalightsigh。“Aliceispeculiar。I’mafraidshewouldn’tlikeit。”
“Isn’tthereanylittleruseshewouldlike？”
“Ican’tthinkofany。PerhapsI’dbettergoandtellheryou’rehereandwishtoseeher。”
“Doyouthinkyou’dbetter？”askedDandoubtfully。“Perhapsshewon’tcome。”
“Shewillcome。”saidMrs。Pasmerconfidently。
ShedidnotsaythatshethoughtAlicewouldbecurioustoknowwhyhehadcome，andthatshewastoojusttocondemnhimunheard。
Butshewasrightaboutthemainpoint。Alicecame，andDancouldseewithhisownwearyeyesthatshehadnotslepteither。
Shestoppedjustinsidetheportiere，andwaitedforhimtospeak。Buthecouldnot，thoughasmilefromhissenseoftheabsurdityoftheirseriousnesshoveredabouthislips。Hisfirstimpulsewastorushuponherandcatchherinhisarms，andperhapsthismighthavebeenwell，butthemomentforitpassed，andthenitbecameimpossible。
“Well？”shesaidatlast，liftingherhead，andlookingathimwithimpassionedsolemnity。“Youwishedtoseeme？Ihopedyouwouldn’t。Itwouldhavesparedmesomething。ButperhapsIhadnorighttoyourforbearance。”
“Alice，howcanyousaysuchthingstome？”askedtheyoungfellow，deeplyhurt。
Sherespondedtohistone。“I’msorryifitwoundsyou。ButIonlymeanwhatIsay。”
“You’vearighttomyforbearance，andnotonlythat，buttomy——mylife;
toeverythingthatIam。”criedDan，inaquiveroftendernessatthesightofherandthesoundofhervoice。“Alice，whydidyouwritemethatletter？——whydidyousendmebackmyring？”
“Because。”shesaid，lookinghimseriouslyintheface——“becauseIwishedyoutobefree，tobehappy。”
“Well，you’vegonethewrongwayaboutit。Icanneverbefreefromyou;
Inevercanbehappywithoutyou。”
“Ididitforyourgood，then，whichoughttobeaboveyourhappiness。
Don’tthinkIactedhastily。Ithoughtitoverallnightlong。Ididn’tsleep——“
“NeitherdidI。”interposedDan。
“AndIsawthatIhadnoclaimtoyou;thatyounevercouldbetrulyhappywithme——“
“I’lltakethechances。”heinterrupted。“Alice，youdon’tsupposeI
caredforthosewomenanymorethanthegroundunderyourfeet，doyou？I
don’tsupposeIshouldeverhavegiventhemasecondthoughtifyouhadn’tseemedtofeelsobadlyaboutmyneglectingthem;andIthoughtyou’dbepleasedtohavemetrytomakeituptothemifIcould。”
“Iknowyourmotivewasgood——thenoblest。Don’tthinkthatIdidyouinjustice，orthatIwasvexedbecauseyouwentawaywiththem。”
“Yousentme。”
“Yes;andnowIgiveyouuptothemaltogether。Itwasamistake，acrime，formetothinkwecouldheanythingtoeachotherwhenourlovebeganwithawrongtosomeoneelse。”
“Withawrongtosomeoneelse？”
“YouneglectedthemonClassDayafteryousawme。”
“Why，ofcourseIdid。HowcouldIhelpit？”
Aflushofpleasurecameintothegirl’spaleface;butshebanishedit，andcontinuedgravely，“ThenatPortlandyouwerewiththemallday。”
“You’dgivenmeup——you’dthrownmeover，Alice。”hepleaded。
“Iknowthat;Idon’tblameyou。Butyoumadethembelievethatyouwereverymuchinterestedinthem。”
“Idon’tknowwhatIdid。Iwasperfectlydesperate。”
“Yes;itwasmyfault。Andthen，whentheycametomeetyouattheMuseum，Ihadmadeyouforgetthem;I’dmadeyouwoundthemandinsultthemagain。No。I’vethoughtitallout，andwenevercouldbehappy。
Don’tthinkthatIdoitfromanyresentfulmotive。”
“Alice？howcouldIthinkthat？——Ofyou！“
“Ihavetried——prayed——tobepurifiedfromthat，andIbelievethatIhavebeen。”
“Youneverhadaselfishthought。”
“AndIhavecometoseethatyouwereperfectlyrightinwhatyoudidlastnight。AtfirstIwaswounded。”
“Oh，didIwoundyou，Alice？”hegrieved。
“ButafterwardIcouldseethatyoubelongedtothem，andnotme，and——andIgiveyouuptothem。Yes，freely，fully。”
Alicestoodthere，beautiful，pathetic，austere;andDanhadhaltedinthespottowhichhehadadvanced，whenhereyeforbadehimtoapproachnearer。Hedidnotmeantojoke，anditwasindespairthathecriedout:
“Butwhich，Alice？Therearetwoofthem。”
“Two？”sherepeatedvaguely。
“Yes;Mrs。FrobisherandMissWrayne。Youcan’tgivemeuptobothofthem。”
“Both？”sherepeatedagain。Shecouldnotcondescendtospecify;itwouldberidiculous，andasitwas，shefeltherdignityhopelesslyshaken。Thetearscameintohereyes。
“Yes。Andneitherofthemwantsme——theyhaven’tgotanyuseforme。
Mrs。Frobisherismarriedalready，andMissWraynetookthetroublelastnighttoletmefeelthat，sofarasshewasconcerned，Ihadn’tmadeitallright，andcouldn’t。IthoughtIhadratheracoldpartingwithyou，Alice，butitwasquitetropicaltowhatyouleftmeto。”Afaintsmile，mingledwithablushofrelenting，stoleintoherface，andhehurriedon。
“Idon’tsupposeItriedveryhardtothawherout。Iwasn’tmuchinterested。Ifyoumustgivemeup，youmustgivemeuptosomeoneelse，fortheydon’twantme，andIdon’twantthem。”Alice’sheaddroppedlover，andhecouldcomenearernowwithoutherseemingtoknowit。“Butwhyneedyougivemeup？There’sreallynooccasionforit，Iassureyou。”
“Iwished。”sheexplained，“toshowyouthatIlovedyouforsomethingaboveyourselfandmyself——faraboveeither——“
Shestoppedanddroppedthehandwhichshehadraisedtofendhimoff;andheprofitedbythelittlepauseshemadetotakeherinhisarmswithoutseemingtodoso。“Well。”hesaid，“Idon’tbelieveIwasformedtobelovedonaveryhighplane。ButI’mnottooproudtobelovedformyownsake;andIdon’tthinkthere’sanythingaboveyou，Alice。”
“Ohyes，thereis！Idon’tdeservetobehappy，andthat’sthereasonwhyI’mnotallowedtobehappyinanynobleway。Ican’tbeartogiveyouup;youknowIcan’t;butyououghttogivemeup——indeedyouought。I
haveideals，but1can’tliveuptothem。Yououghttogo。Yououghttoleaveme。”Sheaccentedeachlittlesentencebyvividlypressingherselftohisheart，andhehadthewisdomortheinstincttotreattheirreconciliationasnothingsettled，butmerelyprovisionalinitsnature。
“Well，we’llseeaboutthat。Idon’twanttogotillafterbreakfast，anyway;yourmothersaysImaystay，andI’mawfullyhungry。IfIseeanythingparticularlybaseinyou，perhapsIsha’n’tcomebacktolunch。”
Danwouldhavelikedtoturnitaltoffintoajoke，nowthattheworstwasapparentlyover;butAlicefreedherselffromhim，andheldhimoffwithherhandsetagainsthisbreast。“Doesmammaknowaboutit？”shedemandedsternly。
“Well，sheknowsthere’sbeensomemisunderstanding。”saidDan，withalaughthatwasanxious，inviewofthecloudspossiblygatheringagain。
“Howmuch？”
“Well，Ican’tsayexactly。”Hewouldnotsaythathedidnotknow，buthefeltthathecouldtrulysaythathecouldnotsay。
Shedroppedherhand，andconsentedtobedeceived。Dancaughtheragaintohisbreast;buthehadanodd，vaguesenseofdoingitcarefully，ofusingalittleofthecautionwithwhichoneseizesthestemofarosebetweenthethorns。
“Icanbeartoberidiculouswithyou。”shewhispered，withanimplicationwhichheunderstood。
“Youhaven’tbeenridiculous，dearest。”hesaid;andhistensiongavewayinaconvulsivelaugh，whichpartiallyexpressedhisfeelingofrestoredsecurity，andpartlyhisamusementinrealisinghowthesituationwouldhavepleasedMrs。Pasmerifshecouldhaveknownit。
Mrs。Pasmerwasseatedbehindhercoffeebigginatthebreakfast-tablewhenhecameintotheroomwithAlice，andsheliftedaneyefromitsglassbulblongenoughtocatchhisflyingglanceofexultationandadmonition。Then，whilesheregardedthechemicalstruggleinthebulb，withtherapteyeofamagicianreadingfateinhiscrystalball，shequestionedherselfhowmuchsheshouldknow，andhowmuchsheshouldignore。ItwasagreatmomentforMrs。Pasmer，fullofdeliciouschoice。
“Doyouunderstandthisprocess，Mr。Mavering？”shesaid，glancingupathimwarilyforfartherinstruction。
“I’veseenitdone。”saidDan，“butIneverknewhowitwasmanaged。I
alwaysthoughtitwasgoingtoblowup;butitseemedtomethatifyouweregoodandtrueandverymeek，andhadaconsciencevoidofoffence，itwouldn’t。”
“Yes，that’swhatitseemstodependupon。”saidMrs。Pasmer，keepinghereyeonthebulb。Shedodgedsuddenlyforward，andputoutthespirit-
lamp。“Nowhaveyourcoffee！“shecried，withagreatairofrelief。“Youmustneeditbythistime。”shesaidwithalowcynicallaugh——“bothofyou！“
“DidyoualwaysmakecoffeewithabiggininFrance，Mrs。Pasmer？”askedDan;andhelaughedoutthelastburdenthatlurkedinhisheart。
Mrs。Pasmerjoinedhim。“No，Mr。Mavering。InFranceyoudon’tneedabiggin。IsetmineupwhenwewenttoEngland。”
Alicelookeddarklyfromoneoftheselightspiritstotheother，andthentheyallshriekedtogether。
Theywentontalkingvolublyfromthat，andtheytalkedasfarawayfromwhattheywerethinkingaboutaspossible。TheytalkedofEurope，andMrs。Pasmersaidwheretheywouldliveandwhattheywoulddowhentheyallgotbacktheretogether。Danabettedher，andsaidthattheymustcrossinJune。Mrs。PasmersaidthatshethoughtJunewasagoodmonth。
Heaskedifitwerenotthemonthofthemarriagestoo，andsheansweredthathemustaskAliceaboutthat。Aliceblushedandlaughedhersweetreluctantlaugh，andsaidshedidnotknow;shehadneverbeenmarried。
Itwassilly，butitwasdelicious;itmadethemreallyonefamily。DeepinhisconsciousnessacompunctionpiercedandteasedDan。ButhesaidtohimselfthatitwasallajokeabouttheirEuropeanplans，orelsehispeoplewouldconsenttoitifhereallywishedit。
XXXIX。
Aperiodofentireharmonyandtendernessfollowedtheepisodewhichseemedtothreatentheloverswiththelossofeachother。MaveringforboretomakeAlicefeelthatinattemptingasacrificewhichconsultedonlyhisgoodandignoredhishappiness，andthenfailinginitsopromptly，shehadplayedratherasillypart。Afteroneortwotentativejokesinthatdirectionhefoundthegroundunsafe，andwiththeinstinctwhichservedhiminplaceofmorepremeditatedpietyhewithdrew，andwasabletotreattheaffairwithsomethinglikereligiousawe。Hewasobliged，infact，tosteadyAlice’sownfaithinit，andtokeepherfromfallingunderdangerousself-condemnationinthatandotherexcessesofuninstructedself-devotion。Thisbroughtnofatiguetohisrobustaffection，whateveritmighthavedonetoaheartmoretriedinsuchexercises。Loveacquaintsyouthwithmanythingsincharacterandtemperamentwhicharenonethelessinterestingbecauseitneverexplainsthem;andDanwasofsuchamakethatitsrevelationsofAlicewerecharmingtohimbecausetheywerenovel。Hehadthoughtherapersonofsuchsereneandflawlesswisdomthatitwasratherarelieftofindhersubjecttogustsofimprudence，tounexpectedpassionsandresentments，tofoiblesanderrors，likeotherpeople。Herpowerofcoldreticence;whichshecouldemployatwill，wassomethingthatfascinatedhimalmostasmuchasthathabitofimpulsiveconcessionwhichseemedtocameneitherfromherwillnorherreason。Hewasapersonhimselfwhowassoeagertogiveotherpeoplepleasurethathequiveredwithimpatiencetoseethemhappythroughhiswordsoracts;hecouldnotbeartothinkthatanyonetowhomhewasspeakingwasnotperfectlycomfortableinregardtohim;anditwasforthisreasonperhapsthatheadmiredagirlwhocouldprescribeherselfalineofsocialconduct，andfollowitoutregardlessofindividualpangs——whocouldactfromidealsandprinciples，andnotfromemotionsandsympathies。Heknewthatshehadtheemotionsandsympathies，forthereweretimeswhenshelavishedthemonhim;andthatshecouldseemwithoutthemwasanotherproofofthatdepthofnaturewhichhelikedtoimaginehadfirstattractedhimtoher。DanMaveringhadneverbeenabletosnubanyoneinhislife;itgavehimagreatrespectforAlicethatitseemednottocostheraneffortoraregret，anditcharmedhimtothinkthatherseveritywaspartoftheunconsciousshamwhichimposedherupontheworldforapersonofinflexibledesignandinvariableconstancytoit。
Hewasnotlonginseeingthatshesharedthisillusion，ifitwasanillusion，andthatperhapstheonlypersonbesideshimselfwhowasinthejokewashermother。Mrs。Pasmerandhegrewmoreandmoreintoeachother’sconfidenceintalkingAliceover，andheadmiredtheintrepidityofthislady，whowasnotafraidofherdaughtereveninthegirl’smosttoppingmomentsofself-abasement。Forhisownpart，thesemoodsofhersneverfailedtocausehimconfusionandanxiety。Theycommonlyintimatedthemselvesparentheticallyinthemidstofsomeblissfultalktheywerehaving，andovercasthisclearskywithretrospectiveidealsofconductorpresentimentalplansforcontingenciesthatmightneveroccur。Hefoundhimselfsuddenlyundercondemnationfornothavingreprovedheratagiventimewhensheforcedhimtoadmitshehadseemedunkindorcoldtoothers;
shemadehimpromisethatevenattheriskofalienatingheraffectionshewouldmakeupforherdeficienciesofbehaviourinsuchmatterswheneverhenoticedthem。ShenowpraisedhimforwhathehaddoneforMrs。
FrobisherandhersisteratMrs。Bellingham’sreception;shesaiditwasgenerous，heroic。ButMaveringrestedsatisfiedwithhisachievementinthatinstance，anddidnotattemptanythingelseofthekind。Hedidnotreasonfromcausetoeffectinregardtoit:aman’sloveissuchthatwhileitlastshecannotprojectitsobjectfarenoughfromhimtojudgeitreasonableorunreasonable;butDan’sinstinctshadbeendisciplinedandhisperceptionssharpenedbythatexperience。Besides，inbiddinghimtakethisimpartialandevenadmonitorycoursetowardher，shestipulatedthattheyshouldmaintaintotheworldaperfectharmonyofconductwhichshouldbeanoutwardimageoftheunionoftheirlives。Shesaidthatanythinglessthanacontinuedself-sacrificeofonetotheotherwasnotworthyofthenameoflove，andthatsheshouldnotbehappyunlessherequiredthisofher。Shesaidthattheyoughteachtofindoutwhatwasthemostdistastefulthingwhichtheycouldmutuallyrequire，andthendoit;sheaskedhimtotrytothinkwhatshemosthated，andletherdothatforhim;asforher，sheonlyaskedtoasknothingofhim。
Maveringcouldnotworshipenoughthisnobilityofsoulinher，andhecelebratedittoBoardmanwiththepassionateneedofimpartinghisrapturewhichaloverfeel。Boardmanacquiescedinsilence，withaglanceofreservedsarcasm，orcontentedhimselfwithlaconicsatireofhisfriend’sgeneralcondition，andavoidedanycommentthatmightspecificallyapplytothepointsDanmade。Aliceallowedhimtohavethisconfidant，anddidnotdemandofhimareportofallhesaidtoBoardman。
Amainfactoftheirlove，shesaid，mustbetheirutterfaithineachother。Shehadherownconfidante，andthedisparityofyearsbetweenherandMissCottoncountedfornothinginthefriendshipwhichtheirexchangeoftrustandsympathycemented。MissCotton，inthefreshnessofhersympathyandtheidealityofherinexperience，wasinfactyoungerthanAlice，atwhosefeet，inthethingsofsoulandcharacter，shelovedtosit。Sheneversaidtoherwhatshebelieved:thatagirlofherexemplaryprinciples，anatureconsciousofsuchnobleideals，sosuperiortoothergirls，whoinherplacewouldbegivenuptothehappinessofthemoment，andindifferenttothesenseofdutytoherselfandtoothers，wassacrificedtoapersonofMavering’sgay，brightnatureandtrivialconceptionoflife。Shedidnotdenyhissweetness;thatwasperhapstheonesavingthingabouthim;andsheconfessedthathesimplyadoredAlice;
thatcountedforeverything，anditwaseverythinginhisfavourthathecouldappreciatesuchagirl。Shehoped，sheprayed，thatAlicemightneverrealisehowlittledepthhehad;thatshemightgothroughlifeandneversuspectit。Ifshedidso，thentheymightbehappytogethertotheend，oratleastAlicemightneverknowshewasunhappy。
MissCottonneversaidthesethingsinsomanywords;itisdoubtfulifsheeversaidtheminanyformofwords;withhersensitiveanxietynottodoinjusticetoanyone，shetookDan’spartagainstthosewhoviewedtheengagementassheallowedittoappearonlytohersecretheart。ShedefendedhimthemoreeagerlybecauseshefeltthatitwasforAlice’ssake，andthateverythingmustbedonetokeepherfromknowinghowpeoplelookedattheaffair，eventochangingpeople’sminds。ShesaidtoallwhospoketoherofitthatofcourseAlicewassuperiortohim，buthewasdevotedtoher，andhewouldgrowintoanequalitywithher。Hewasnaturallyveryrefined，shesaid，and，ifhewasnotaveryseriousperson，hewasamiablebeyondanything。SheallegedmanylittleincidentsoftheiracquaintanceatCampobelloinproofofhertheorythathehadaninstinctiveappreciationofAlice，andshewassurethatnoonecouldvaluehernoblenessofcharactermorethanhe。Shehadseenthemagooddealtogethersincetheirengagement，anditwasbeautifultoseehismannerwithher。Theywereopposites，butshecountedagooddealuponthatverydifferenceintheirtemperamentstodrawthemtoeachother。
ItwasaneasymattertoseeDanandAlicetogether。Theirengagementcameoutintheusualway:ithadbeenannouncedtoafewoftheirnearestfriends，andintelligenceofitsoonspreadfromtheirownsetthroughsocietygenerally;ithadbeenpublishedintheSundaypaperswhileitwasstillinthetenderconditionofarumour，andhadbeendeniedbysomeoftheiracquaintanceandbelievedbyall。
ThePasmercousinshiphadbeenjustintheperformanceofthedutiesofbloodtowardAlicesincethereturnofherfamilyfromEurope，andnowdidwhatwasproperinthecircumstances。Allwhowereconnectedwithhercalleduponherandcongratulatedher;theyknewDan，theyoungerofthem，muchbetterthantheyknewher;andthoughhehadshrunkfromthenebulousbulkofsocialpotentialitywhicheveryyoungmanistothatmuchsmallernucleustowhichdefinitebetrothalreduceshim，theycouldbeperfectlysincereincallinghimthesweetestfellowthateverwas，andtoolovelytolive。
InsuchamatterMr。Pasmerwasnaturallynothing;hecouldnotbelessthanhewasatothertimes，buthewasnotmore;anditwasMrs。PasmerwhosharedfullywithherdaughterthemomentaryinterestwhichtheengagementgaveAlicewithallherkindred。Theybelieved，ofcourse，thattheyrecognisedinitaneffectofherskillinmanaging;theyagreedtosupposethatshehadgotMaveringforAlice，andtoignorethebeautyandpassionofyouthasfactorsinthecase。Theclosestofthekindred，withtheromanticdelicacyofAmericansinsuchthings，approachedthequestionofDan’spositionandprospects，andheardwithsatisfactionthegoodaccountswhichMrs。Pasmerwasabletogiveofhisfather’sprosperity。TherehadalwaysbeenmoreorlessapprehensionamongthemofatimewhenafamilysubscriptionwouldbenecessaryforBobPasmer，andinthereliefwhichthenewsituationgavethemsomeofthemtriedtorememberhavingknownDan’sfatherinCollege，butitfinallycametotheirguessingthattheymusthaveheardJohnMuntspeakofhim。
Mrs。Pasmerhadasupremecontrolintheaffair。Shebelievedwiththerest——sodeeplyisthisdelusionseated——thatshehadmadethematch;butknowingherselftohaveusednodishonestmagicintheprocess，shewasabletoenjoyitwithacleanconscience。ShegrewfonderofDan;theyunderstoodeachother;shewashisrefugefromAlice’sideals，andhelpedhimlaughoffhisperplexitywiththem。Theywerenonethelesssincerebecausetheywerenotintheleastfrankwitheachother。SheletDanbeataboutthebushtohisheart’scontent，andwaitedforhimatthepointwhichsheknewhewascomingto，withanunconsciousnesswhichheknewwasfactitious;neitherofthemgottiredofthis，orfailedfreshlytoadmiretheother’sstrategy。
XL。
ItcannotbepretendedthatAlicewasquitepleasedwiththewayherfriendstookherengagement，orratherthewayinwhichtheyspokeofDan。
Itseemedtoherthatshealone，orshechiefly，oughttofeelthatsweetnessandlovelinessofwhicheveryonetoldher，asifshecouldnothaveknownit。Ifhewassweetandlovelytoeveryone，howwashedifferenttoherexceptindegree？Oughthenottobedifferentinkind？
SheputthecasetoMissCotton，whomitpuzzled，whilesheassuredAlicethathewasdifferentinkindtoher，thoughhemightnotseemso;theveryfactthathewasdifferentindegreeprovedthathewasdifferentinkind。Thislogicsufficedforthemomentofitsexpression，butitdidnotpreventAlicefromputtingthecasetoDanhimself。Atoneofthoselittletimeswhenshesatbesidehimaloneandrearrangedhisnecktie，orplayedwithhiswatchchain，orpassedacriticalhandoverhiscowlick，sheaskedhimifhedidnotthinktheyoughttohaveanidealintheirengagement。“Whatideal？”heasked。Hethoughtitwasallsolididealthroughandthrough。“Oh。”shesaid，“bemoreandmoretoeachother。”
Hesaidhedidnotseehowthatcouldbe;iftherewasanythingmoreofhim，shewaswelcometoit，butheratherthoughtshehaditall。Sheexplainedthatshemeantbeinglesstoothers;andheaskedhertoexplainthat。
“Well，whenwe’reanywheretogether，don’tyouthinkweoughttoshowhowdifferentwearetoeachotherfromwhatwearetoanyoneelse。”
Danlaughed。“I’mafraidwedo，Alice;Ialwayssupposedoneoughttohidethatlittlepreferenceasmuchaspossible。Youdon’twantmetobedanglingafteryoueverymoment？”
“No-o-o。Butnot——dangleafterothers。”
Dansighedalittle——alittleimpatiently。“DoIdangleafterothers？”
“Ofcoursenot。Butshowthatwe’rethoroughlyunitedinallourtastesandfeelings，and——likeanddislikethesamepersons。”
“Idon’tthinkthatwillbedifficult。”saidDan。
Shewassilentamoment，andthenshesaid;“Youdon’tliketohavemebringupsuchthings？”
“Ohyes，Ido。Iwishtobeanddojustwhatyouwish。”
“ButIcansee，Icanunderstand，thatyouwouldsoonerpassthetimewithouttalkingofthem。Youliketobeperfectlyhappy，andnottohaveanycareswhen——whenyou’rewithmethisway？”
“Well，yes，IsupposeIdo。”saidDan，laughingagain。“IsupposeI
ratherdoliketokeeppleasureanddutyapart。Butthere’snothingyoucanwish，Alice，thatisn’tapleasuretome。”
“I’mverydifferent。”saidthegirl。“Ican’tbeatpeaceunlessIknowthatIhavearighttobeso。Butnow，afterthis，I’mgoingtodoyourway。Ifit’syourway，it’llbetherightway——forme。”Shelookedsublimelyresolved，withagrandliftoftheeyes，andDancaughthertohiminarapture，breakingintolaughter。
“Oh，don’t！Mine’sabadway——theworstkindofaway。”hecried。
“Itmakeseverybodylikeyou，andminemakesnobodylikeme。”
“Itmakesmelikeyou，andthat’squiteenough。Idon’twantotherpeopletolikeyou！“
“Yes，that’swhatImean！“criedAlice;andnowsheflungherselfonhisneck，andthetearscame。“Doyousupposeitcanbeverypleasanttohaveeverybodytalkingofyouasifeverybodylovedyouasmuch——asmuchasI
do？”Sheclutchedhimtighterandsobbed。
“OAlice！Alice！Alice！Nobodycouldeverbewhatyouaretome！“Hesoothedandcomfortedherwithendearingwordsandtouches;butbeforehecouldhavebelievedherhalfconsoledshepulledawayfromhim，andasked，withshiningeyes，“DoyouthinkMr。Boardmanisagoodinfluenceinyourlife？”
“Boardman！“criedMavering，inastonishment。“Why，IthoughtyoulikedBoardman？”
“Ido;andIrespecthimverymuch。Butthatisn’tthequestion。Don’tyouthinkweoughttoaskourselveshowothersinfluenceus？”
“Well，Idon’tseemuchofBoardynowadays;butIliketodropdownandtouchearthinBoardyonceinawhile——I’mintheairsomuch。Boardhasmorecommon-sense，moresolidchunk-wisdom，thananybodyIknow。He’skeptmefrommakingafoolofmyselfmoretimes——“
“Wasn’thewithyouthatdaywith——withthosewomeninPortland？”
Danwincedalittle，andthenlaughed。“No，hewasn’t。Thatwasthetrouble。Boardmanwasoffonthepressboat。IthoughtItoldyou。ButifyouobjecttoBoardman——“
“Idon’t。Youmustn’tthinkIobjecttopeoplewhenIaskyouaboutthem。
AllthatIwishedwasthatyoushouldthinkyourselfwhatsortofinfluencehewas。Ithinkhe’saverygoodinfluence。”
“He’sasplendidfellow，Boardmanis，Alice！“criedDan。“Yououghttohaveseenhowhefoughthiswaythroughcollegeonsuchalittlemoney，andneverskulkedorfeltmean。Hewasn’tappreciatedforit;themendon’tnoticethesethingsmuch;buthedidn’twanttohaveitnoticed;
alwaysactedasifitwasneitherherenorthere;andnowIguesshesendsouthomewhateverhehasleftafterkeepingsoulandbodytogethereveryweek。”
Hespoke，perhaps，withtoogreataneffectofrelief。Alicelistened，asitseemed，tohistoneratherthanhiswords，andsaidabsently——
“Yes，that’sgrand。ButIdon’twantyoutoactasifyouwereafraidofmeinsuchthings。”
“Afraid？”Danechoed。
“Idon’tmeanactuallyafraid，butasifyouthoughtIcouldn’tbereasonable;asifyousupposedIdidn’texpectyoutomakemistakesortobeimperfect。”
“Yes，Iknowyou’reveryreasonable，andyou’remorepatientwithmethanIdeserve;Iknowallthat，andit’sonlymywishtocomeuptoyourstandard，Isuppose，thatgivesmethatapprehensiveappearance。”
“ThatwaswhatvexedmewithyouthereatCampobello，whenyou——askedme“
“Yes，Iknow。”
“Yououghttohaveunderstoodmebetter。YououghttoknownowthatI
don’twishyoutodoanythingonmyaccount，butbecauseit’ssomethingweowetoothers。”
“Oh，excuseme！I’dmuchratherdoitforyou。”criedDan;butAlicelookedsograve，sohurt，thathehastenedon:“Howintheworlddoesitconcernotherswhetherwearedevotedornot，whetherwe’reharmoniousandtwo-souls-with-but-a-single-thought，andallthat？”Hecouldnothelpbeinglightaboutit。
“How？”Alicerepeated。“Won’titgivethemanideaofwhat——what——ofhowmuch——howtruly——ifwecareforeachother——howpeopleoughttocare？Wedon’tdoitforourselves。Thatwouldbeselfishanddisgusting。Wedoitbecauseit’ssomethingthatweowetotheideaofbeingengaged——ofhavingdevotedourlivestoeachother，andwouldshow——wouldteach——“
“Ohyes！Iknowwhatyoumean。”saidDan，andhegavewayinasputteringlaugh。“Buttheywouldn’tunderstand。They’donlythinkwewerespoonsoneachother;andiftheynoticedthatIcooledofftowardpeopleI’dliked，andwarmeduptowardthoseyouliked，they’dsayyoumademe。”
“Shouldyoucare？”askedAlicesublimely，withdrawingalittlefromhisarm。
“Ohno！onlyonyouraccount。”heanswered，checkinghislaugh。
“Youneedn’tonmyaccount。”shereturned。“Ifwesacrificesomelittlepreferencestoeachother，isn’tthatright？Ishallbegladtosacrificeallofminetoyou。Isn’tour——marriagetobefullofsuchsacrifices？I
expecttogiveupeverythingtoyou。”Shelookedathimwithasadseverity。
Hebegantolaughagain。“Ohno，Alice！Don’tdothat！Icouldn’tstandit。Iwantsomelittlechanceattherenunciationsmyself。”
Shewithdrewstillfurtherfromhisside，andsaid，withacoldanger，“It’sthatdetestableMrs。Brinkley。”
“Mrs。Brinkley！“shoutedDan。
“Yes;withherpessimism。Ihaveheardhertalk。Sheinfluencesyou。
Nothingissacredtoher。Itwasshewhotookupwiththosearmywomenthatnight。”
“Well，Alice，Imustsayyoucangivethingsasuglynamesasthenextone。Ihaven’tseenMrs。Brinkleythewholewinter，exceptinyourcompany。ButshehasmoresensethanalltheotherwomenIknow。”
“Oh，thankyou！“
“YouknowIdon’tmeanyou。”hepushedon。“Andsheisn’tapessimist。
She’sverykindhearted，andthatnightshewasverypoliteandgoodtothosearmywomen，asyoucallthem，whenyouhadrefusedtosayawordordoanythingforthem。”
“Iknewithadbeenranklinginyourmindallalong。”saidthegirl“I
expectedittocomaoutsoonerorlater。Andyoutalkaboutrenunciation！
Youneverforgetnorforgivetheslightestthing。ButIdon’taskyourforgiveness。”
“Alice！“
“No。Youareashardasiron。Youhavethatpleasantoutsidemannerthatmakespeoplethinkyou’reverygentleandyielding，butallthetimeyou’relikeadamant。Iwouldratherdiethanaskyourforgivenessforanything，andyou’dratherletmethangiveit。”
“Well，then，Iaskyourforgiveness，Alice，andI’msureyouwon’tletmediewithoutit。”
Theyregardedeachotheramoment。Thenthetendernessgushedupintheirhearts，apassionatetide，andsweptthemintoeachother’sarms。
“ODan。”shecried，“howsweetyouare！howgood！howlovely！Oh，howwonderfulitis！Iwantedtohateyou，butIcouldn’t。Icouldn’tdoanythingbutloveyou。Yes，nowIunderstandwhatloveis，andhowitcandoeverything，andlastforever。”
XLI。
Maveringcametolunchthenextday，andhadawordwithMrs。PasmerbeforeAlicecamein。Mr。Pasmerusuallylunchedattheclub。
“Wedon’tseemuchofMrs。Saintsburynowadays。”hesuggested。
“No;it’sagreatwaytoCambridge。”saidMrs。Pasmer，stifling，inalittlesighofapparentregretfortheseparation，thecuriosityshefeltastoDan’smotiveinmentioningMrs。Saintsbury。Shewasverypatientwithhimwhenhewenton。
“Yes，itisagreatway。Andastrangethingaboutitisthatwhenyou’relivinghereit’sagooddealfurtherfromBostontoCambridgethanitisfromCambridgetoBoston。”
“Yes。”saidMrs。Pasmer;“everyonenoticesthat。”
Dansatabsentlysilentforatimebeforehesaid，“Yes，IguessImustgooutandseeMrs。Saintsbury。”
“Yes，youought。She’sveryfondofyou。YouandAliceoughtbothtogo。”
“DoesMrs。Saintsburylikeme？”askedDan。“Well，she’sawfullynice。
Don’tyouthinkshe’sawfullyfondofformulatingpeople？”
“Oh，everybodyinCambridgedoesthat。Theydon’tgossip;theymerelyaccumulatematerialsfortheformulationofcharacter。”
“Andtheygettherejustthesame！“criedDan。“Mrs。Saintsburyusedtothinkshehadgotmedownprettyfine。”hesuggested。
“Yes！“saidMrs。Pasmer，withanindifferencewhichtheybothknewshedidnotfeel。
“Yes。Sheusedtoaccusemeofpreferringtotack，eveninafairwind。”
HelookedinquiringlyatMrs。Pasmer;andshesaid，“Howridiculous！“
“Yes，itwas。Well，IsupposeIamrathercircuitousaboutsomethings。”
“Oh，notatall！“
“AndIsupposeI’mratheratrialtoAliceinthatway。”
HelookedatMrs。Pasmeragain，andshesaid:“Idon’tbelieveyouare，intheleast。Youcan’ttellwhatistryingtoagirl。”
“No。”saidDanpensively，“Ican’t。”Mrs。Pasmertriedtorendertheinterestinherfacelessvivid。“Ican’ttellwhereshe’sgoingtobringup。Talkabouttacking！“
“Doyoumeantheabstractgirl;orAlice？”
“Oh，theabstractgirl。”saidDan，andtheylaughedtogether。“YouthinkAliceisverystraightforward，don’tyou？”
“Very。”saidMrs。Pasmer，lookingdownwithasmile——“foragirl。”
“Yes，that’swhatImean。Anddon’tyouthinkthemostcircuitouskindoffellowwouldbeprettydirectcomparedwiththestraight-forwardestkindofgirl？”
TherewasaruefuldefeatandbewildermentinDan’sfacethatmadeMrs。
Pasmerlaugh。“Whathasshebeendoingnow？”sheasked。
“Mrs。Pasmer。”saidDan，“youandIaretheonlyfrankandopenpeopleI
know。Well，shebegantotalklastnightaboutinfluence——theinfluenceofotherpeopleonus;andshekilledoffnearlyallthepeopleIlikebeforeIknewwhatshewasupto，andshefinishedwithMrs。Brinkley。
I’mgladshedidn’thappentothinkofyou，Mrs。Pasmer，orIshouldn’tbeassociatingwithyouatthepresentmoment。”ThisideaseemedtogiveMrs。Pasmerinexpressiblepleasure。Danwenton:“DoyouquiteseetheconnectionbetweenourbeingentirelydevotedtoeachotherandmydroppingMrs。Brinkley？”
“Idon’tknow。”saidMrs。Pasmer。“Alicedoesn’tlikesatiricalpeople。”
“Well，ofcoursenot。ButMrs。Brinkleyissuchanadmirerofhers。”
“Idaresayshetellsyouso。”
“Oh，butsheis！“
“Idon’tdenyit。”saidMrs。Pasmer。“ButifAlicefeelssomethinginimical——antipatico——inheratmosphere，it’snousetalking。”
“Ohno，it’snousetalking，andIdon’tknowthatIwanttotalk。”Afterapause，Maveringasked，“Mrs。Pasmer，don’tyouthinkthatwheretwopeoplearegoingtobeentirelydevotedtoeachother，andself-
sacrificingtoeachother，theyoughttodivide，andonedoallthedevotion，andtheotheralltheself-sacrifice？”
Mrs。PasmerwasamusedbythedrolllookinDan’seyes。“Ithinktheyoughttobewillingtoshareevenly。”shesaid。
“Yes;that’swhatIsay——shareandsharealike。I’mnotselfishaboutthoselittlethings。”Heblewoffalongsighingbreath。“Mrs。Pasmer，don’tyouthinkweoughttohaveanidealofconduct？”
Mrs。Pasmerabandonedherselftolaughter。“ODan！Dan！Youwillbethedeathofme。”
“Wewilldietogether，then，Mrs。Pasmer。Alicewillkillme。”Heregardedherwithasadsympathyinhiseyeasshelaughedandlaughedwithdeliciousintelligenceofthecase。Theintelligencewasperfect，fromtheirpointofview;butwhetheritfathomedthegirl’swholeintentionoraspirationisanothermatter。Perhapsthiswasnotverycleartoherself。Atanyrate，MaveringdidnotgoanymoretoseeMrs。
Brinkley，whosehousehehadlikedtodropinto。Alicewentseveraltimes，toshow，shesaid，thatshehadnofeelinginthematter;andMrs。
Brinkley，whenshemetDan，forboretoembarrasshimwithquestionsorreproaches;sheonlypraisedAlicetohim。
TherewerenotmanyotherinfluencesthatAlicecuthimofffrom;sheevenexposedhimtosomeinfluencesthatmighthavebeenthoughtdeleterious。
Shemadehimgoandcallaloneuponcertainyoungladieswhomshespecified，andshepraisedseveralotherstohim，thoughshedidnotpraisethemforthesamethingsthathedid。OneofthemwasagirltowhomAlicehadtakenagreatfancy，suchasoftenbudsintoaromanticpassionbetweenwomen;shewasverygentleandmild，andshehadnoneofthatstrengthofwillwhichsheadmiredinAlice。Onenighttherewasasleighingpartytoahotelinthesuburbs，wheretheyhaddancingandthensupper。Afterthesuppertheydanced“LittleSallyWaters“forafinale，insteadoftheVirginiaReel，andAlicewouldnotgoonthefloorwithDan;shesaidshedislikedthatdance;butshetoldhimtodancewithMissLangham。Itbecameagaleoffun，andintheheightofitDanslippedandfellwithhispartner。Theylaugheditoff，withtherest，butafterawhilethegirlbegantocry;shehadreceivedapainfulbruise。Allthewayhome，whiletheotherslaughedandsangandchattered，Danwastroubledaboutthispoorgirl;hisanxietybecameajokewiththewholesleighfulofpeople。
WhenhepartedwithAliceatherdoor，hesaid，“I’mafraidIhurtMissLangham;Ifeelawfullyaboutit。”
“Yes;there’snodoubtofthat。Goodnight！“
Shelefthimtogoofftohislodging，hotandtinglingwithindignationatherinjustice。Butkindlierthoughtscametohimbeforeheslept，andhefellasleepwithasmileoftendernessforheronhislips。HecouldseehowhewaswrongtogooutwithanyoneelsewhenAlicesaidshedislikedthedance;heoughtnottohavetakenadvantageofhergenerosityinappointinghimapartner;itwastryingforhertoseehimmakethatludicroustumble，ofcourse;andperhapshehadoverdonetheattentivesympathyonthewayhome。Itflatteredhimthatshecouldnothelpshowingherjealousy——thatisflattering，atfirst;andDanwasabletogoandconfessallbutthistoAlice。Shereceivedhissubmissionmagnanimously，andsaidthatshewasgladithadhappened，becausehissayingthisshowedthatnowtheyunderstoodeachotherperfectly。Thenshefixedhereyesonhis，andsaid，“I’vejustbeenroundtoseeLilly，andshe’saswellasever;itwasonlyanervousshock。”
WhetherMaveringwasreallyindifferenttoMissLangham’scondition，orwhethertheeducationofhisperceptionshadgonesofarthatheconsciouslyignoredher，heanswered，“Thatwassplendidofyou，Alice。”
“No。”shesaid;“it’syouthataresplendid;andyoualwaysare。Oh，I
wonderifIcaneverbeworthyofyou！“
Theirmutualforgivenesswasverysweettothem，andtheywentonpraisingeachother。Alicesuddenlybrokeawayfromthisweakeningexchangeofworship，andsaid，withthatairofcomingtobusinesswhichheladlearnedtorecogniseanddreadalittle，“Dan，don’tyouthinkIoughttowritetoyourmother？”
“Writetomymother？”Why，youhavewrittentoher。Youwroteassoonasyougotback，andsheansweredyou。”
“Yes;butwriteregularly？——ShowthatIthinkofherallthetime？”WhenIreallythinkI’mgoingtotakeyoufromher，Iseemsocruelandheartless！“
“Oh，Idon’tlookatitinthatlight，Alice。”
“Don’tjoke！AndwhenIthinkthatwe’regoingawaytoleaveher，forseveralyears，perhaps，assoonaswe’remarried，Ican’tmakeitseemright。Iknowhowshedependsuponyourbeingnearher，andseeinghereverynowandthen;andtogoofftoEuropeforyears，perhaps——Ofcourseyoucanbeofusetoyourfatherthere;butdoyouthinkit’srighttowardyourmother？Iwantyoutothink。”
Danthought，buthisthinkingwasmainlytotheeffectthathedidnotknowwhatshewasdrivingat。Hadshegotanyinklingofthatplanofhismother’sforthemtocomeandstayayearortwoattheFallsaftertheirmarriage？HealwaysexpectedtobeabletoreconcilethatplanwiththePasmerplanofgoingatonce;tohisoptimismthetwowerenotreallyincompatible;buthedidnotwishthemprematurelyconfrontedinAlice’smind。Wasthisherwayoflettinghimknowthatsheknewwhathismotherwished，andthatshewaswillingtomakethesacrifice？Orwasitjustsomevaguelongingtopleasehimbyashowofaffectiontowardhisfamily，anunmeditatedimpulseofreparation？HehadanimpulsehimselftobefrankwithAlice，totakeheratherword，andtoallowthathedidnotlikethenotionofgoingabroad。ThiswasDan’snotionofbeingfrank;hecouldstillreservethefactthathehadgivenhismotheratacitpromisetobringAlicehometolive，buthepostponedeventhis。Hesaid:“Oh，I
guessthat’llbeallright，Alice。Atanyrate，there’snoneedtothinkaboutityetawhile。Thatcanbearranged。”
“Yes。”saidAlice;“butdon’tyouthinkI’dbettergetintothehabitofwritingregularlytoyourmothernow，sothatthereneedn’tbeanybreakwhenwegoabroad？”Hecouldseenowthatshehadnoideaofgivingthatplanup，andhewasgladthathehadnotsaidanything。“Ithink。”shecontinued，“thatIshallwritetoheronceaweek，andgiveherafullaccountofourlifefromdaytoday;it’llbemorelikeadiary;andthen，whenwegetoverthere，Icankeepitupwithoutanyeffort，andshewon’tfeelsomuchthatyou’vegone。”
Sheseemedtorefertheplantohim，andhesaiditwascapital。Infact，hedidlikethenotionofadiary;thatsortofhistoricalviewwouldinvolvelessdangerofprecipitatingadiscussionofthetwoschemesoflifeforthefuture。“It’sawfullykindofyou，Alice，toproposesuchathing，andyoumustn’tmakeitaburden。Anysortoflittlesketchyrecordwilldo;mothercanreadbetweenthelines，youknow。”
“Itwon’tbeaburden。”saidthegirltenderly。“Ishallseemtobedoingitforyourmother，butIknowIshallbedoingitforyou。Idoeverythingforyou。Doyouthinkit’sright？”
“Oh;itmustbe。”saidDan，laughing。“It’ssopleasant。”
“Oh。”saidthegirlgloomily;“that’swhatmakesmedoubtit。”