第12章

IdidnotintendtoprosecuteJim，hewasnotworthit，butI

shouldhavethoroughlyenjoyeddragginghimoutofthatwagonandsilencinghimbyprimitivemethods。Myangerhadnotcooledtoanyextent。Hedidnotspeaktomeagain，thoughIheardhimmutteringasthecartmovedoff。IremainedwhereIwasuntilIsawitturnintotheLowerRoad。ThenIoncemorestartedforhome。

Iwasverymuchannoyedanddisturbed。EvidentlythissortofthinghadbeengoingonforsometimeandIhadjustdiscoveredit。

Itplacedmeinamiserablelight。WhenColtonhaddeclared，ashehadinbothourinterviews，thattheLanewasanuisanceIhadloftilydeniedtheassertion。Nowthoseidiotsinthevillageweredoingtheirbesttoprovemealiar。IshouldhaveexpectedsuchbehaviorfromHalletandhisfriends，butforCaptainDeantotacitlyapprovetheirconductwasunexpectedandprovoking。Well，Ihadmademypositionplain，atallevents。ButIknewthatTimwoulddistortmywordsandthattheideaofmy"standingin"withtheColtons，whileprofessingindependence，wouldberevived。I

wasdestinedtobedetestedandmisunderstoodbybothsides。Yes，DorindawasrightinsayingthatImightfindsittingonthefenceuncomfortable。Itwasallofthat。

Ienteredthegroveandwasstridingon，headdown，busywiththeseandsimilarreflections，whensomeonesaid："Goodmorning，Mr。

Paine。"

Istoppedshort，cameoutofthedaydreaminwhichIhadbeengivingCaptainJedmyopinionofhisfollowers’behavior，lookedup，andsawMissColtoninthepathbeforeme。

Shewasdressedinwhite，alight，simplesummergown。Herstrawhatwassimplealso，expensivesimplicitydoubtless，butwithoutatraceofthehorticulturalexhibitswithwhichOlindaCahoon，ourDenboromilliner，waswonttodeckthecreationsshepreparedforcustomers。MatildaDeanwouldhavesniffedatthehatandgown；

theywerenotnearlyaselaborateasthoseNellie，herdaughter，woreonSundays。ButMatildaorNellieattheirgrandestcouldnothaveappearedaswelldressedasthisgirl，nomatterwhatshewore。Justnowshelooked，asLuteorDorindamighthavesaid，"asifshecameoutofabandbox。"

"Goodmorning，"shesaid，again。Shewasperfectlyself—possessed。

RemembranceofourtransitofMullet’scranberrybrookdidnotseemtoembarrassherintheleast。NellieDeanwouldhavegiggledandblushed，butshedidnot。

_I_wasembarrassed，Iadmitit，butIhadsufficientpresenceofmindtoremovemyhat。

"Goodmorning，"saidI。ThereflashedthroughmymindthethoughtthatifshehadbeeninthatgroveforanylengthoftimeshemusthaveoverheardmylivelyinterviewwithKendrickandTimHallet。I

wonderedifshehad。

Hernextremarksettledthatquestion。

"Isuppose，"shesaid，soberly，butwiththesametwinkleinhereyewhichIhadobservedonceortwiceinherfather’s，"thatI

shouldapologizeforbeinghere，onyourproperty，Mr。Paine。I

judgethatyoudon’tliketrespassers。"

IwasmorenettledatZebandhiscrowdthanever。"Soyousawthatperformance，"Isaid。"I’msorry。"

"Isawalittleofit，andI’mafraidIheardtherest。IwaswalkingherebythebluffandIcouldnothelpseeingandhearing。"

"Humph！Well，Ihopeyouunderstand，MissColton，thatIdidnotknow，untiljustnow，thissortofthingwasgoingon。"

Shesmiled。"Oh，Iunderstandthat，"shesaid。"Youmadethatquiteplain。Eventhosepeopleinthewagonunderstoodit，I

shouldimagine。"

"Ihopetheydid。"

"Ididnotknowyoucouldbesofierce，Mr。Paine。Ihadnotexpectedit。Youalmostfrightenedme。Youweresovery——well，mildandlong—sufferingontheotheroccasionswhenwemet。"

"Iamnotalwayssomild，MissColton。However，ifIhadknownyouwerewithinhearingImightnothavebeenquitesoemphatic。"

"ThenIamgladyoudidn’tknow。Ithinkthoseruffiansweretreatedastheydeserved。"

"Nothalfastheydeserved。IshallwatchfromnowonandifthereareanymoreattemptsatannoyingyouoryourpeopleIshalldomorethantalk。"

"Thankyou。Theyhavebeentroublesome——oflate。Iamsureweareverymuchobligedtoyou，allofus。"

"Notatall。"

"Ohyes，weare。Notonlyforthis，butfor——alltherest。Foryourhelptheothernightespecially；Iwanttothankyouforthat。"

"Itwasnothing，"Ianswered，awkwardly。

"Nothing！Youarenotverycomplimentary，Mr。Paine。"

"Imean——thatis，I——"

"Youmayconsiderrescuingshipwreckedyoungladies，afloatandashore，nothing——perhapsyoudoitsooftenthatitisoflittleconsequencetoyou；butIamnotsomodest。Iestimatemysafetyasworthsomething，evenifyoudonot。"

"Ididnotmeanthat，ofcourse，MissColton。YouknowIdidnot。

Imeantthat——thatwhatIdidwasnomorethananyoneelsewouldhavedoneunderthesamecircumstances。Youwereinnodanger；youwouldhavebeensafeenoughevenifIhadnothappenedalong。

Pleasedon’tsayanythingmoreaboutit。"

"Verywell。ButIamverygladyouhappenedalong，nevertheless。

Youseemtohavethefacultyofhappeningalongjustattherighttime。"

Thissoundedlikeareferencetotheepisodeinthebay，andIdidnotcaretodiscussthat。

"You——Ibelieveyourfathersaidyouwerenotillafteryourexperience，"Iobservedhastily。

"Notintheleast，thankyou。Andyou？"

"Oh，Iwasallright。Ratherwet，butIdidnotmindthat。Isailandfishagooddeal，andwater，freshorsalt，doesn’ttroubleme。"

Thiswasanunluckyremark，foritleddirectlytothesubjectI

wastryingtoavoid。

"SoIshouldimagine，"sheanswered。"AndthatremindsmethatI

oweyouanotherdebtofthanksforhelpingme——helpingusoutofourdifficultyintheboat。Iamobligedtoyouforthatalso。

EventhoughwhatyousavedwasNOTworthfivedollars。"

Ilookedupatherquickly。Shewasbitingherlipsandtherewasasmileatthecornersofhermouth。Icouldnotanswerimmediatelyforthelifeofme。IwouldhavegivensomethingifI

hadnottoldColtonofVictor’smessageandmyreply。

"Yourfathermisrepresentedmymeaning，I’mafraid，"Istammered。

"IwasangrywhenIsentthatmessage。Itwasnotintendedtoincludeyou。"

"Thankyou。Fatherseemedinclinedtoagreewithyourestimate——

partofit，atleast。Heisverymuchinterestedinyou，Mr。

Paine。"

"Yes，"Ianswered，dryly。"Icanunderstandthat。"

Hersmilebrokeintoarippleoflaughter。

"Youarequitedistinctive，inyourway，"shesaid。"Youmaynotbeawareofit，butIhaveneverknownfathertobesodisturbedandpuzzledaboutanyoneasheisaboutyou。"

"Indeed？"

"Yes，heis，indeed。"

"IamsorrythatIamthecauseofsomuchmentalstrain。"

"No，youarenot。FromwhatIhavelearnedaboutyou，fromhim，I

thinkyouenjoyit。Youmust。Itisgreatfun。"

"Fun！Well，perhaps。Doesyour——doesMrs。Coltonfinditfunny？"

Shehesitated。"Well，"sheanswered，moreslowly，"tobeperfectlyfrank——Ipresumethatiswhatyouwantmetobe——IthinkMotherblamesyousomewhat。Sheisnotwell，Mr。Paine，andthisLaneofyoursisherpetbugbearjustnow。She——liketherestofus——

cannotunderstandwhyyouwillnotsell，and，becauseyouwillnot，sheisrather——rather——"

"Isee。I’mnotsurethatIblameher。IpresumeshehasblamedmefortheseoutrageousdisturbancesintheLanesuchasyouhavejustwitnessed。"

Shehesitatedagain。"Whyyes，"shesaid，moreslowlystill；"alittle，Ithink。Sheisnotwell，asIsaid，andshemayhavethoughtyouwere，ifnotinstigatingthem，atleastawareofwhatwasgoingon。ButIamsurefatherdoesnotthinkso。"

"Butyou，MissColton；didyoubelievemeresponsibleforthem？"

"No。"

"Whynot？"

"Because，fromwhatIhaveseenofyou，youdidnotseemtomelikethatkindofaman。Youkeptyourtemperthatdayintheboat，thoughyouhadagoodreasonforlosingit。Allthis，"withagesturetowardtheLane，"theshoutingandnoiseandpettyinsults，wassolittleandmeanandcommon。Ididnotbelieveyouwouldpermitit，ifyouknew。And，fromwhatIhavelearnedaboutyou，I

wassureyouwouldnot。"

"Fromwhatyoulearnedaboutme？Fromyourfather？"

"No。"

"Thenfromwhom，pray？"

"Fromyourfriends。FromthatMr。TaylorandMissDeanandtheothers。Theyspokeofyousohighly，andofyourmotherandyourcareofher。Theydescribedyouasagentleman，andnogentlemanwouldcountenanceTHAT。"

IwassoastonishedthatIblurtedoutmynextquestionwithoutthinking。

"YouwerespeakingtothemaboutME？"Icried。

Hermannerchanged。PossiblyshethoughtIwaspresumingonourchanceacquaintance，orthatshemadeamistakeinadmittingevenacasualinterest；Imightconsiderthatinteresttobereal，insteadofmerelyperfunctory。Atanyrate，Inoticedadifferenceinhertone。Itwasasifshehadsuddenlywithdrawnbehindthefencewhichmarkedtheborderofoursocialline。

"Oh，"shesaid，carelessly，"Ididnotcross—question，ofcourse。

Puzzlesarealwaysinteresting，moreorless。Andapuzzlewhichperplexedmyfatherwascertainlyunique。SoIwasatriflecurious，that’sall。"

Icametoearthwithathud。

"Isee，"Isaid，curtly。"Well，IpresumeIshouldthankmyfriendsforthetestimonialstomycharacter。AndIpromiseyouthatyoushallnotbeannoyedagain。Goodmorning，MissColton。"

Iwasturningawaywhenshespokemyname。

"Mr。Paine，"shesaid。

"Yes，MissColton。"

"IhavenotexplainedwhyIwashere，onyourland，thismorning。"

"Thatisallright。Youarequitewelcometobehereatanytime。"

"Thankyou。ItoldyouIwaswalkingbythebluff；thatistrue，butitisn’tthewholetruth。Iwastryingtomustercouragetocallonyourmother。"

Ilookedatherinamazement。

"CallonMother！"Irepeated。

"Yes，Ihaveheardagreatdealaboutyourmother，andnothingexcepttheverybest。IthinkIshouldliketoknowher。DoyouthinkshewouldconsidermepresumingandintrusiveifIdidcall？"

"Why，MissColton，I——"

"Pleasebefrankaboutit，Mr。Paine。Andpleasebelievethatmycallwouldnotbefromidlecuriosity。Ishouldliketoknowher。

Ofcourse，ifthisdisagreementaboutthelandmakesadifference，ifshefeelsresentfultowardus，Iwillnotthinkofsuchathing。

Doesshe？Whydoyousmile？Iaminearnest。"

"Ididnotmeantosmile，MissColton。TheideaofMother’sfeelingresentmenttowardanyoneseemedabsurdtome，thatwasall。"

"ThenmayIcallonher？"

"Certainly。Thatis，if——ifyouthinkitwise。Ifyourmother——"

"Oh，Motherhaslongagogivenuptryingtosolveme。Iamagreaterpuzzletoherthanyouseemtobetoeveryone，Mr。Paine。

Ihavespokentomyfatheraboutitandheisquitewilling。Hisdifferencewithyouispurelyabusinessone，asyouknow。"

Someofthe"business"hadbeenoddlyconducted，butIdidnotraisethepoint。Icouldnotreasonjustthen。Thatthisspoiled，city—breddaughterof"BigJim"Coltonshouldwishtoknowmymotherwasbeyondreasoning。

Shesaidgoodmorningandweparted。Iwalkedhome，rackingmybrainstofindtheanswertothisnewconundrum。Itwasawhimonherpart，ofcourse，inspiredbysomethingGeorgeorNelliehadtoldher。Ididnotknowwhethertoresentthewhimornot，whethertobeangryorindifferent。IfsheintendedtoinspectMotherasapossibleobjectoffuturecharityIshouldbeangryandthefirstcallwouldbethelast。ButMotherherselfwouldsettleallquestionsofcharity；Iknewthat。Andthegirlhadnotspokeninapatronizingway。Shehaddeclaredthatidlecuriosityhadnopartinherwish。Sheseemedinearnest。WhatwouldMothersaywhenItoldher？

LutewasjustcomingthroughthegateasIapproachedit。Hewasinhighgoodhumor。

"I’mgoin’upstreet，"hedeclared。"Anythingyouwantmetofetchyoufromthestore，Ros？"

Ilookedatmywatch。Itwasonlyeleveno’clock。

"Upstreet？"Irepeated。"Ithoughtyouwereslatedtowashwindowsthisforenoon。IheardDorindagiveyouyourorderstothateffect。Youhaven’tfinishedwashingthemalready？"

"No，"withabroadgrin，"Iain’tfinished’em。Factis，Iain’tbegun’emyet。"

"So！DoesDorindaknowthatyouaregoingupstreet？"

"Um—hm。Sheknows。Anyhow，sheknowsI’mgoin’somewheres。Shetoldmetogoherself。"

"Shedid！Why？"

"Don’taskME。Iwasallreadytowashthewindows；hadthebucketpumpedfullandeverything。ButwhenIcomeintothedinin’—roomshesungouttoknowwhatIwasdoin’withallthatwateronhercleanfloor。’Why，Dorindy！’Isays，’I’ma—goin’towashthemwindowssame’syoutoldmeto。’’No，youain’t，’saysshe。’ButwhatwillIdo？’saysI。’Idon’tcare，’saysshe。’Clearoutofhere，that’sall。’’Butwhere’llIclearoutto？’Iwantedtoknow。’Idon’tcare！’shesnapsagain，savageasasettin’hen，’solong’syouclearoutofmysight。’SohereIbe。Don’taskmewhyshechangedhermind：_I_don’tknow。Nothin’youwanttothestore？"

"No。"

"Say，Ros，youknowwhatIthink？"

"Farbeitfrommetopresumetoguessyourthoughts，Lute。"

"Well，Ithinkthisisastrangeworldandthestrangestthinginitisawoman。Younevercantellwhatthey’lldotenminutesatastretch。I——"

"Allright，Lute。I’llheartherestofthephilosophylater。"

"Philosophyornot，it’sthelivin’truth。Andwhenyou’reasoldasIbeyou’llknowit。"

Iwentinthroughthedining—room，steeringclearofDorinda，whoscarcelylookedupfromherfloorscrubbing。

"Mother，"saidI，enteringthedarkenedbedroom，"IjustmettheColtongirlandwhatdoyousupposeshetoldme？"

"Thatshewasverygratefultoyouforcomingtoherrescuetheothernight。"

"That，ofcourse。Butshetoldmesomethingelse。Shesaidshewascomingtocallonyou。OnYOU，Mother！"

Idon’tknowwhatanswerIexpected。Iflungtheannouncementlikeabombshellandwasreadyforalmostanysortofexplosionatall。

"Didshe？"observedMother，placidly。"Iamveryglad。IhavenodoubtIshalllikeher。"

MynextremarkhadnothingtodowithMissColton。

"Well，byGeorge！"Iexclaimed，withemphasis。"LuteISaphilosopher，afterall。Itakeoffmyhattohim。"

CHAPTERXI

ImetMabelColtonseveraltimesduringthefollowingweek。Once，attheplacewhereIhadmetherbefore，inthegrovebytheedgeofthebluff，andagainwalkinguptheLaneincompanywithherfather。OncealsoontheLowerRoad，thoughthatcouldscarcelybecalledameeting，forIwasafootandsheandherfatherandmotherwereintheautomobile。

Onlyatthemeetinginthegrovewerewordsexchangedbetweenus。

Shebowedpleasantlyandcommentedonthewonderfulview。

"Iamtrespassingagain，yousee，"shesaid。"Takingadvantageofyourgood—nature，Mr。Paine。ThisspotisthemostattractiveI

havefoundinDenboro。"

Iobservedthattheviewfromherverandasmustbealmostthesame。

"Almost，butnotquite，"shesaid。"Thesepinesshutofftheinletbelow，andallthelittlefishingboats。Oneofthemisyours，I

suppose。Which？"

"Thatismylaunchthere，"Ireplied，pointing。

"Thelittlewhiteone？Youbuiltityourself，IthinkFathersaid。"

"Hewasmistaken，ifhesaidthat。Iamnotcleverenoughtobuildaboat，MissColton。IboughttheComfort，second—hand。"

Idon’tknowwhyIaddedthe"second—hand。"ProbablybecauseIhadnotyetfreedmymindfromthebitterness——yes，andenvy——whichthesightofthisgirlandherpeoplealwaysbroughtwithit。ItiscomparativelyeasytobefreefromenvyifoneiswhatGeorgeTaylortermeda"never—was"；fora"hasbeen"itisharder。

Theboat’snamewastheonlyportionofmyremarkwhichattractedherattention。

"TheComfort？"sherepeated。"Thatisajollynameforapleasureboat。"

"Itismymother’sname，"Ianswered。

"Isit？Why，Iremembernow。MissDeantoldme。Ibegyourpardon，Mr。Paine。Itisaprettyname，atallevents。"

"Thankyou。"

"ImusthavemisunderstoodFather。Iwassurehesaidthatboatbuildingwasyourbusiness。"

"No。Hesawmeoverhaulingtheengine，andperhapsthatgavehimtheimpressionthatIwasabuilder。ItoldhimIwasnot，butnodoubtheforgot。Ihavenobusiness，MissColton。"

Ithinkshewassurprised。Sheglancedatmecuriouslyandherlipsopenedasiftoaskanotherquestion。Shedidnotaskithowever，and，exceptforacasualremarkortwoabouttheviewandthebluenessofthewaterinthebay，shesaidnothingmore。I

ratherexpectedshewouldrefertoherintentionofcallingonMother，butshedidnotmentionthesubject。Iinferredthatshehadthoughtbetterofherwhim。

Ontheotheroccasionswhenwemetshemerelybowed。"BigJim"

noddedcarelessly。Mrs。Colton，fromherseatintheauto，noddedalso，thoughhermajesticbowcouldscarcelybetermedanod。Itwasmoreliketheacknowledgment，byaqueeninherchariot，oftheapplaudingcitizenonthesidewalk。Shesawme，andshedeignedtoletmeknowthatIwasseen，thatwasall。

ButwhenIinferredthatherdaughterhadforgotten，orhaddecidednottomakethecallatourhouse，Imisjudgedtheyounglady。I

returned，oneafternoon，fromacruiseupanddownthebayintheComfort，tofindoursmallestablishment——theRogersportionofit，atleast——inahighstateofexcitement。LuteandDorindawereinthekitchenandbeforeIreachedthebackdoor，whichwasopen，I

heardtheirvoicesinanimateddiscussion。

"Whywouldn’tIsayit，Dorinda？"pleadedLute。"Youcan’tblamemenone。ThereIwas，withmysleevesrolledupandjustsettin’

inthechair，restin’myarmsajiffyandthinkin’whichwindowI’dwashnext，whentherecomethatknockatthedoor。ThinksI，’It’sAsaPeters’daughter’syoung—onepeddlin’clams。’That’swhatcometomymindfust。Thatideepoppedrightintomyhead，itdid。"

"Foundplentyofroomwhenitgotthere，Ical’late，"snappedDorinda。"Musthavefeltlonesome。"

"That’sit！keeponpitchin’intome。Iswantoman！sometimesI

getsodiscouragedandworeoutandreckless——hello！here’sRos。

Youaskhimnow！Ros，she’slayin’intomebecauseIdidn’tunderstandwhat——"

"Roscoe，"brokeinhiswife，"Ineverwasmoremortifiedinallmyborndays。He——"

"Letmetellyouallaboutit，Ros。Iwenttothedoor——thinkin’

’twasapeddler，youknow；hadthisoldsuiton，allsloshedupwithsoapsudsandwater，andawetraginmyhand；andthereshestood，styledupliketheQueenofSheby。Well，sir！I’llleaveittoyouif’tain’tenoughtosurpriseanybody。HER！comin’HERE！"

"Thatwan’tanyreasonwhyyoushouldbehavelikeanaturalborn——"

"Holdon！youletmefinishtellin’Roscoe。’Goodafternoon，’saysshe。’IsMrs。Painein？’Saiditjustlikethat，shedid。IwassoflusteredupfromthesightofherthatIdidn’tsenseitrightoffandIsays，’Whatma’am？’’IsMrs。Painein？’saysshe。’In？’

saysI——"

"Justlikeapollparrot，"interjectedDorinda。

"Areyougoin’toletmetellthisorain’tyou？’In？’saysI；

hadn’tsensedityet，yousee。’IsMrs。Painetohome？’shesays。

Nowyourma，Ros，ain’tneverbeennowhereselseBUThomesencelandknowswhen，soIsupposedshemustmeansomebodyelse。’Who？’

saysI，again。’Mrs。ComfortPaine，’saysshe。Sheraisedhervoicealittle；guessedIwasdeef，probably。"

"Ifshe’dguessedyouwasdumbshewouldn’thavebeenfuroff，"

commentedDorinda。Ihadnotseenhersodisturbedformanyaday。

Herhusbanddisdainedtonoticethisinterruption。

"’Mrs。ComfortPaine，’saysshe，"hecontinued。"’Sheisin？AndIsays’In？’"

"No，youdidn’t。Yousaid，’Inwhere？’Andshehadallshecoulddotokeepfromlaughin’。IseeherfaceasIgottothedoor，andit’samercyIgottherewhenIdid。Landknowswhatyou’dhavesaidnext！"

"But，Dorindy，ItellyouIthought——"

"YOUthought！IknowwhatSHEmusthavethought。Thatshe’dmadeamistakeandrunafoulofanasylumforthefeeble—minded。"

"Umph！IshouldhaveGOTfeeble—mindedifI’dhadanymoreofthatkindoftalk。WhatmadeheraskifasickwomanlikeComfortwas’in’and’tohome’？Couldn’tbenowhereselse，couldshe？"

"Rubbish！shemeantcouldMrs。Paineseefolks，that’sall。"

"See’em！Howyoutalk！Sheain’tblind。"

"Oh，mysoulandbody！Shewastryin’toaskifshemightmakeacallonComfort。"

"Wellthen，whydidn’tsheaskit；’steadofwantin’toknowifshewasin？"

"That’sthehigh—tonedwayTOask，andyou’doughttohaveknownit。"

"Humph！Dotell！Well，Iain’ttony，myself。Don’thavenochancetobeinthishouse。Nothin’butwork，work，work！tongue，tongue，tongue！formearoundhere。I’mdisgusted，that’swhatI

am。"

"YOU’REdisgusted！Whatabout，me？"

IhadlistenedtoasmuchofthislittledomesticdisagreementasI

caredtohear。

"Waitaminute，"Isaid。"Whatisallthis？WhohasbeenheretoseeMother？"

Bothansweredatonce。

"ThatColtongirl，"criedLute。

"ThatMabelColton，"saidDorinda。

"MissColton？Shehasbeenhere？thisafternoon。"

"Um—hm，"Dorindanoddedemphatically。"Shestayedinyourma’sroom’mostanhour。"

"’Twasfifty—threeminutes，"declaredLute。"Itimedherbytheclock。"Andshefetchedagreat，bigbouquet。Comfortsaysshe——"

Iwaitedtohearnomore，butwentintoMother’sroom。Thelittlebedchamberwasfragrantwiththeperfumeofflowers。AclusterofbigJacqueminotrosesdroopedtheirvelvetypetaledheadsoverthesidesoftheblueandwhitepitcheronthebureau。MotherlovedflowersandIfrequentlybroughthertheoldfashionedposiesfromDorinda’slittlegardenorwildblossomsfromthewoodsandfields。

Butrosessuchasthesewerebeyondmyreachnow—a—days。Theygrewingreenhouses，notinthegardensofcountrypeople。

MotherdidnotmoveasIenteredandIthoughtshewasasleep。ButasIbentovertherosessheturnedonthepillowandspoke。

"Aren’ttheybeautiful，Roscoe？"shesaid。

"Yes，"Ianswered。"Theyarebeautiful。"

"Doyouknowwhobroughtthemtome？"

"Yes，Mother。Lutetoldme。"