第10章

Well，now，youjusttalkbusinesswithhimattheoffice。"

TheonlysocialattentionwhichLaphamsucceededinofferingCoreywastotakehiminhisbuggy，nowandthen，foraspinoutovertheMill—dam。Hekeptthemareintown，andonapleasantafternoonhelikedtoknockoffearly，ashephrasedit，andletthemareoutalittle。

Coreyunderstoodsomethingabouthorses，thoughinapassionlessway，andhewouldhavepreferredtotalkbusinesswhenobligedtotalkhorse。ButhedeferredtohisbusinesssuperiorwiththesenseofdisciplinewhichisinnateintheapparentlyinsubordinateAmericannature。

IfCoreycouldhardlyhavehelpedfeelingthesocialdifferencebetweenLaphamandhimself，inhispresencehesilencedhistraditions，andshowedhimalltherespectthathecouldhaveexactedfromanyofhisclerks。

Hetalkedhorsewithhim，andwhentheColonelwishedhetalkedhouse。BesideshimselfandhispaintLaphamhadnotmanyothertopics；andifhehadachoicebetweenthemareandtheedificeonthewatersideofBeaconStreet，itwasjustnowthelatter。Sometimes，indrivinginorout，hestoppedatthehouse，andmadeCoreyhisguestthere，ifhemightnotatNantasket；andonedayithappenedthattheyoungmanmetIrenethereagain。Shehadcomeupwithhermotheralone，andtheywereinthehouse，interviewingthecarpenterasbefore，whentheColoneljumpedoutofhisbuggyandcastanchoratthepavement。

Moreexactly，Mrs。Laphamwasinterviewingthecarpenter，andIrenewassittinginthebow—windowonatrestle，andlookingoutatthedriving。Shesawhimcomeupwithherfather，andbowedandblushed。Herfatherwentonup—stairstofindhermother，andCoreypulledupanothertrestlewhichhefoundinthebackpartoftheroom。

Thefirstflooringshadbeenlaidthroughoutthehouse，andthepartitionshadbeenlathedsothatonecouldrealisetheshapeoftheinterior。

"Isupposeyouwillsitatthiswindowagooddeal，"

saidtheyoungman。

"Yes，Ithinkitwillbeverynice。There’ssomuchmoregoingonthanthereisintheSquare。"

"Itmustbeveryinterestingtoyoutoseethehousegrow。"

"Itis。Onlyitdoesn’tseemtogrowsofastasIexpected。"

"Why，I’mamazedattheprogressyourcarpenterhasmadeeverytimeIcome。"

Thegirllookeddown，andthenliftinghereyesshesaid，withasortoftimorousappeal——

"I’vebeenreadingthatbooksinceyouweredownatNantasket。"

"Book？"repeatedCorey，whileshereddenedwithdisappointment。

"Ohyes。Middlemarch。Didyoulikeit？"

"Ihaven’tgotthroughwithityet。Penhasfinishedit。"

"Whatdoesshethinkofit？"

"Oh，Ithinkshelikesitverywell。Ihaven’theardhertalkaboutitmuch。Doyoulikeit？"

"Yes；Ilikeditimmensely。Butit’sseveralyearssinceIreadit。"

"Ididn’tknowitwassoold。It’sjustgotintotheSeasideLibrary，"sheurged，withalittlesenseofinjuryinhertone。

"Oh，ithasn’tbeenoutsuchaverygreatwhile，"

saidCoreypolitely。"ItcamealittlebeforeDANIELDERONDA。"

Thegirlwasagainsilent。Shefollowedthecurlofashavingonthefloorwiththepointofherparasol。

"DoyoulikethatRosamondVincy？"sheasked，withoutlookingup。

Coreysmiledinhiskindway。

"Ididn’tsupposeshewasexpectedtohaveanyfriends。

Ican’tsayIlikedher。ButIdon’tthinkIdislikedhersomuchastheauthordoes。She’sprettyhardonhergood—looking"——hewasgoingtosaygirls，butasifthatmighthavebeenratherpersonal，hesaid——"people。"

"Yes，that’swhatPensays。Shesaysshedoesn’tgiveheranychancetobegood。ShesayssheshouldhavebeenjustasbadasRosamondifshehadbeeninherplace。"

Theyoungmanlaughed。"Yoursisterisverysatirical，isn’tshe？"

"Idon’tknow，"saidIrene，stillintentupontheconvolutionsoftheshaving。"Shekeepsuslaughing。

Papathinksthere’snobodythatcantalklikeher。"

Shegavetheshavingalittletossfromher，andtooktheparasolupacrossherlap。TheunworldlinessoftheLaphamgirlsdidnotextendtotheirdress；

Irene’scostumewasverystylish，andshegovernedherheadandshouldersstylishly。"Wearegoingtohavethebackroomupstairsforamusic—roomandlibrary，"

shesaidabruptly。

"Yes？"returnedCorey。"Ishouldthinkthatwouldbecharming。"

"Weexpectedtohavebook—cases，butthearchitectwantstobuildtheshelvesin。"

ThefactseemedtobereferredtoCoreyforhiscomment。

"Itseemstomethatwouldbethebestway。They’lllooklikepartoftheroomthen。Youcanmakethemlow，andhangyourpicturesabovethem。"

"Yes，that’swhathesaid。"Thegirllookedoutofthewindowinadding，"Ipresumewithnicebindingsitwilllookverywell。"

"Oh，nothingfurnishesaroomlikebooks。"

"No。Therewillhavetobeagoodmanyofthem。"

"Thatdependsuponthesizeofyourroomandthenumberofyourshelves。"

"Oh，ofcourse！Ipresume，"saidIrene，thoughtfully，"weshallhavetohaveGibbon。"

"Ifyouwanttoreadhim，"saidCorey，withalaughofsympathyforanimaginablejoke。

"Wehadagreatdealabouthimatschool。Ibelievewehadoneofhisbooks。Mine’slost，butPenwillremember。"

Theyoungmanlookedather，andthensaid，seriously，"You’llwantGreene，ofcourse，andMotley，andParkman。"

"Yes。Whatkindofwritersarethey？"

"They’rehistorianstoo。"

"Ohyes；Iremembernow。That’swhatGibbonwas。

IsitGibbonorGibbons？"

Theyoungmandecidedthepointwithapparentlysuperfluousdelicacy。"Gibbon，Ithink。"

"Thereusedtobesomanyofthem，"saidIrenegaily。

"Iusedtogetthemmixedupwitheachother，andI

couldn’ttellthemfromthepoets。Shouldyouwanttohavepoetry？"

"Yes；IsupposesomeeditionoftheEnglishpoets。"

"Wedon’tanyofuslikepoetry。Doyoulikeit？"

"I’mafraidIdon’tverymuch，"Coreyowned。

"But，ofcourse，therewasatimewhenTennysonwasagreatdealmoretomethanheisnow。"

"Wehadsomethingabouthimatschooltoo。IthinkIrememberthename。IthinkweoughttohaveALLtheAmericanpoets。"

"Well，notall。Fiveorsixofthebest：youwantLongfellowandBryantandWhittierandHolmesandEmersonandLowell。"

Thegirllistenedattentively，asifmakingmentalnoteofthenames。

"AndShakespeare，"sheadded。"Don’tyoulikeShakespeare’splays？"

"Ohyes，verymuch。"

"Iusedtobeperfectlycrazyabouthisplays。

Don’tyouthink’Hamlet’issplendid？WehadeversomuchaboutShakespeare。Weren’tyouperfectlyastonishedwhenyoufoundouthowmanyotherplaysofhistherewere？Ialwaysthoughttherewasnothingbut’Hamlet’

and’RomeoandJuliet’and’Macbeth’and’RichardIII。’

and’KingLear，’andthatonethatRobesonandCranehave——ohyes！’ComedyofErrors。’"

"Thosearetheonestheyusuallyplay，"saidCorey。

"IpresumeweshallhavetohaveScott’sworks，"saidIrene，returningtothequestionofbooks。

"Ohyes。"

"OneofthegirlsusedtothinkhewasGREAT。ShewasalwaystalkingaboutScott。"Irenemadeaprettylittleamiablycontemptuousmouth。"Heisn’tAmerican，though？"

shesuggested。

"No，"saidCorey；"he’sScotch，Ibelieve。"

Irenepassedhergloveoverherforehead。"IalwaysgethimmixedupwithCooper。Well，papahasgottogetthem。

Ifwehavealibrary，wehavegottohavebooksinit。

Pensaysit’sperfectlyridiculoushavingone。Butpapathinkswhateverthearchitectsaysisright。Hefoughthimhardenoughatfirst。Idon’tseehowanyonecankeepthepoetsandthehistoriansandnovelistsseparateintheirmind。Ofcoursepapawillbuythemifwesayso。

ButIdon’tseehowI’mevergoingtotellhimwhichones。"

Thejoyouslightfadedoutofherfaceandleftitpensive。

"Why，ifyoulike，"saidtheyoungman，takingouthispencil，"I’llputdownthenameswe’vebeentalkingabout。"

Heclappedhimselfonhisbreastpocketstodetectsomelurkingscrapofpaper。

"Willyou？"shecrieddelightedly。"Here！takeoneofmycards，"

andshepulledouthercard—case。"Thecarpenterwritesonathree—corneredblockandputsitintohispocket，andit’ssouncomfortablehecan’thelprememberingit。

Pensaysshe’sgoingtoadoptthethree—cornered—blockplanwithpapa。"

"Thankyou，"saidCorey。"IbelieveI’lluseyourcard。"

Hecrossedovertoher，andafteramomentsatdownonthetrestlebesideher。Shelookedoverthecardashewrote。

"Thosearetheoneswementioned，butperhapsI’dbetteraddafewothers。"

"Oh，thankyou，"shesaid，whenhehadwrittenthecardfullonbothsides。"Hehasgottogettheminthenicestbinding，too。Ishalltellhimabouttheirhelpingtofurnishtheroom，andthenhecan’tobject。"

Sheremainedwiththecard，lookingatitratherwistfully。

PerhapsCoreydivinedhertroubleofmind。"Ifhewilltakethattoanybookseller，andtellhimwhatbindingshewants，hewillfilltheorderforhim。"jdh—

spell—checkedtothispoint"Oh，thankyouverymuch，"

shesaid，andputthecardbackintohercard—casewithgreatapparentrelief。Thensheturnedherlovelyfacetowardtheyoungman，beamingwiththetriumphawomanfeelsinanybitofsuccessfulmanoeuvring，andbegantotalkwithrecoveredgaietyofotherthings，asif，havinggotridofamatterannoyingoutofallproportiontoitsimportance，shewasnowgoingtoindemnifyherself。

Coreydidnotreturntohisowntrestle。Shefoundanothershavingwithinreachofherparasol，andbeganpokingthatwithit，andtryingtofollowitthroughitsfolds。

Coreywatchedherawhile。

"Youseemtohaveagreatpassionforplayingwithshavings，"

hesaid。"Isitanewone？"

"Newwhat？"

"Passion。"

"Idon’tknow，"shesaid，droppinghereyelids，andkeepingonwithhereffort。Shelookedshylyaslantathim。

"Perhapsyoudon’tapproveofplayingwithshavings？"

"Ohyes，Ido。Iadmireitverymuch。Butitseemsratherdifficult。I’veagreatambitiontoputmyfootontheshaving’stailandholditforyou。"

"Well，"saidthegirl。

"Thankyou，"saidtheyoungman。Hedidso，andnowsheranherparasolpointeasilythroughit。Theylookedateachotherandlaughed。"Thatwaswonderful。

Wouldyouliketotryanother？"heasked。

"No，Ithankyou，"shereplied。"Ithinkonewilldo。"

Theybothlaughedagain，forwhateverreasonornoreason，andthentheyounggirlbecamesober。Toagirleverythingayoungmandoesisofsignificance；andifheholdsashavingdownwithhisfootwhileshepokesthroughitwithherparasol，shemustaskherselfwhathemeansbyit。

"Theyseemtobehavingratheralonginterviewwiththecarpenterto—day，"saidIrene，lookingvaguelytowardtheceiling。SheturnedwithpoliteceremonytoCorey。

"I’mafraidyou’relettingthemkeepyou。Youmustn’t。"

"Ohno。You’relettingmestay，"hereturned。

Shebridledandbitherlipforpleasure。"Ipresumetheywillbedownbeforeagreatwhile。Don’tyoulikethesmellofthewoodandthemortar？It’ssofresh。"

"Yes，it’sdelicious。"Hebentforwardandpickedupfromthefloortheshavingwithwhichtheyhadbeenplaying，andputittohisnose。"It’slikeaflower。MayIofferittoyou？"heasked，asifithadbeenone。

"Oh，thankyou，thankyou！"Shetookitfromhimandputitintoherbelt，andthentheybothlaughedoncemore。

Stepswerehearddescending。Whentheelderpeoplereachedthefloorwheretheyweresitting，Coreyroseandpresentlytookhisleave。

"Whatmakesyousosolemn，’Rene？"askedMrs。Lapham。

"Solemn？"echoedthegirl。"I’mnotaBITsolemn。

WhatCANyoumean？"

Coreydinedathomethatevening，andashesatlookingacrossthetableathisfather，hesaid，"Iwonderwhattheaverageliteratureofnon—cultivatedpeopleis。"

"Ah，"saidtheelder，"Isuspecttheaverageisprettylowevenwithcultivatedpeople。Youdon’treadagreatmanybooksyourself，Tom。"

"No，Idon’t，"theyoungmanconfessed。"IreadmorebookswhenIwaswithStanton，lastwinter，thanIhadsinceIwasaboy。ButIreadthembecauseImust——therewasnothingelsetodo。Itwasn’tbecauseIwasfondofreading。

StillIthinkIreadwithsomesenseofliteratureandthedifferencebetweenauthors。Idon’tsupposethatpeoplegenerallydothat；Ihavemetpeoplewhohadreadbookswithouttroublingthemselvestofindouteventheauthor’sname，muchlesstryingtodecideuponhisquality。

Isupposethat’sthewaythevastmajorityofpeopleread。"

"Yes。Ifauthorswerenotalmostnecessarilyrecluses，andignorantoftheignoranceaboutthem，Idon’tseehowtheycouldendureit。Ofcoursetheyarefatedtobeoverwhelmedbyoblivionatlast，poorfellows；buttoseeitwelteringallroundthemwhiletheyareintheveryactofachievingimmortalitymustbetremendouslydiscouraging。

Idon’tsupposethatwewhohavethehabitofreading，andatleastanoddingacquaintancewithliterature，canimaginethebestialdarknessofthegreatmassofpeople——evenpeoplewhosehousesarerichandwhoselinenispurpleandfine。Butoccasionallywegetglimpsesofit。

IsupposeyoufoundthelatestpublicationslyingallaboutinLaphamcottagewhenyouweredownthere？"

YoungCoreylaughed。"Itwasn’texactlycumberedwiththem。"

"No？"

"Totellthetruth，Idon’tsupposetheyeverbuybooks。

Theyoungladiesgetnovelsthattheyheartalkedofoutofthecirculatinglibrary。"

"Hadtheyknowledgeenoughtobeashamedoftheirignorance？"

"Yes，incertainways——toacertaindegree。"

"It’sacuriousthing，thisthingwecallcivilisation，"

saidtheeldermusingly。"Wethinkitisanaffairofepochsandofnations。It’sreallyanaffairofindividuals。

Onebrotherwillbecivilisedandtheotherabarbarian。

I’veoccasionallymetyounggirlswhoweresobrutally，insolently，wilfullyindifferenttotheartswhichmakecivilisationthattheyoughttohavebeenclothedintheskinsofwildbeastsandgoneaboutbarefootwithclubsovertheirshoulders。Yettheywereofpoliteorigin，andtheirparentswereatleastrespectfulofthethingsthattheseyounganimalsdespised。"

"Idon’tthinkthatisexactlythecasewiththeLaphamfamily，"saidtheson，smiling。"Thefatherandmotherratherapologisedaboutnotgettingtimetoread，andtheyoungladiesbynomeansscornedit。"

"Theyarequiteadvanced！"

"TheyaregoingtohavealibraryintheirBeaconStreethouse。"

"Oh，poorthings！Howaretheyevergoingtogetthebookstogether？"

"Well，sir，"saidtheson，colouringalittle，"Ihavebeenindirectlyappliedtoforhelp。"

"You，Tom！"Hisfatherdroppedbackinhischairandlaughed。

"Irecommendedthestandardauthors，"saidtheson。

"Oh，IneversupposedyourPRUDENCEwouldbeatfault，Tom！"

"Butseriously，"saidtheyoungman，generouslysmilinginsympathywithhisfather’senjoyment，"they’renotunintelligentpeople。Theyareveryquick，andtheyareshrewdandsensible。"

"IhavenodoubtthatsomeoftheSiouxareso。Butthatisnotsayingthattheyarecivilised。Allcivilisationcomesthroughliteraturenow，especiallyinourcountry。

AGreekgothiscivilisationbytalkingandlooking，andinsomemeasureaParisianmaystilldoit。Butwe，wholiveremotefromhistoryandmonuments，wemustreadorwemustbarbarise。Onceweweresoftened，ifnotpolished，byreligion；butIsuspectthatthepulpitcountsformuchlessnowincivilising。"

"They’reenormousdevourersofnewspapers，andtheatre—goers；

andtheygoagreatdealtolectures。TheColonelprefersthemwiththestereopticon。"

"Theymightgetasomethinginthatway，"saidtheelderthoughtfully。"Yes，Isupposeonemusttakethosethingsintoaccount——especiallythenewspapersandthelectures。

Idoubtifthetheatreisafactorincivilisationamongus。

Idaresayitdoesn’tdepraveagreatdeal，butfromwhatI’veseenofitIshouldsaythatitwasintellectuallydegrading。

Perhapstheymightgetsomesortofliftfromit；

Idon’tknow。Tom！"headded，afteramoment’sreflection。

"IreallythinkIoughttoseethispatronofyours。

Don’tyouthinkitwouldberatherdecentinmetomakehisacquaintance？"

"Well，ifyouhavethefancy，sir，"saidtheyoungman。

"Butthere’snosortofobligation。ColonelLaphamwouldbethelastmanintheworldtowanttogiveourrelationanysortofsocialcharacter。Themeetingwillcomeaboutinthenaturalcourseofthings。"

"Ah，Ididn’tintendtoproposeanythingimmediate，"

saidthefather。"Onecan’tdoanythinginthesummer，andIshouldpreferyourmother’ssuperintendence。

Still，Ican’tridmyselfoftheideaofadinner。

Itappearstomethatthereoughttobeadinner。"

"Oh，praydon’tfeelthatthere’sanynecessity。"

"Well，"saidtheelder，witheasyresignation，"there’satleastnohurry。"

"ThereisonethingIdon’tlike，"saidLapham，inthecourseofoneofthosetalkswhichcameupbetweenhiswifeandhimselfconcerningCorey，"oratleastIdon’tunderstandit；andthat’sthewayhisfatherbehaves。Idon’twanttoforcemyselfonanyman；

butitseemstomeprettyqueerthewayheholdsoff。

Ishouldthinkhewouldtakeenoughinterestinhissontowanttoknowsomethingabouthisbusiness。

Whatisheafraidof？"demandedLaphamangrily。"DoeshethinkI’mgoingtojumpatachancetogetinwithhim，ifhegivesmeone？He’smightilymistakenifhedoes。

Idon’twanttoknowhim。"

"Silas，"saidhiswife，makingawife’sfreeversionofherhusband’swords，andreplyingtotheirspiritratherthantheirletter，"IhopeyouneversaidawordtoMr。Coreytolethimknowthewayyoufeel。"

"Inevermentionedhisfathertohim！"roaredtheColonel。

"That’sthewayIfeelaboutit！"

"Becauseitwouldspoileverything。Iwouldn’thavethemthinkwecaredtheleastthingintheworldfortheiracquaintance。Weshouldn’tbeabitbetteroff。

Wedon’tknowthesamepeopletheydo，andwedon’tcareforthesamekindofthings。"

Laphamwasbreathlesswithresentmentofhiswife’simplication。

"Don’tItellyou，"hegasped，"thatIdon’twanttoknowthem？Whobeganit？They’refriendsofyoursifthey’reanybody’s。"

"They’redistantacquaintancesofmine，"returnedMrs。Laphamquietly；"andthisyoungCoreyisaclerkofyours。AndI

wantweshouldholdourselvessothatwhentheygetreadytomaketheadvanceswecanmeetthemhalf—wayornot，justaswechoose。"

"That’swhatgrindsme，"criedherhusband。

"Whyshouldwewaitforthemtomaketheadvances？Whyshouldn’twemake’em？Aretheyanybetterthanweare？

MynoteofhandwouldbeworthtentimeswhatBromfieldCorey’sisonthestreetto—day。AndImadeMYmoney。

Ihaven’tloafedmylifeaway。"

"Oh，itisn’twhatyou’vegot，anditisn’twhatyou’vedoneexactly。It’swhatyouare。"

"Well，then，what’sthedifference？"

"Nonethatreallyamountstoanything，orthatneedgiveyouanytrouble，ifyoudon’tthinkofit。Buthe’sbeenallhislifeinsociety，andheknowsjustwhattosayandwhattodo，andhecantalkaboutthethingsthatsocietypeopleliketotalkabout，andyou——can’t。"

Laphamgaveafurioussnort。"Anddoesthatmakehimanybetter？"

"No。Butitputshimwherehecanmaketheadvanceswithoutdemeaninghimself，anditputsyouwhereyoucan’t。Now，lookhere，SilasLapham！YouunderstandthisthingaswellasIdo。YouknowthatIappreciateyou，andthatI’dsoonerdiethanhaveyouhumbleyourselftoalivingsoul。ButI’mnotgoingtohaveyoucomingtome，andpretendingthatyoucanmeetBromfieldCoreyasanequalonhisownground。Youcan’t。He’sgotabettereducationthanyou，andifhehasn’tgotmorebrainsthanyou，he’sgotdifferent。Andheandhiswife，andtheirfathersandgrandfathersbefore’em，havealwayshadahighposition，andyoucan’thelpit。Ifyouwanttoknowthem，you’vegottoletthemmaketheadvances。

Ifyoudon’t，allwellandgood。"

"Iguess，"saidthechafedandvanquishedColonel，afteramomentforswallowingthepill，"thatthey’dhavebeeninaprettyfixifyou’dwaitedtoletthemmaketheadvanceslastsummer。"

"Thatwasadifferentthingaltogether。Ididn’tknowwhotheywere，ormaybeIshouldhavewaited。

ButallIsaynowisthatifyou’vegotyoungCoreyintobusinesswithyou，inhopesofourgettingintosocietywithhisfather，youbettershiphimatonce。

ForIain’tgoingtohaveitonthatbasis。"

"Whowantstohaveitonthatbasis？"retortedherhusband。

"Nobody，ifyoudon’t，"saidMrs。Laphamtranquilly。

Irenehadcomehomewiththeshavinginherbelt，unnoticedbyherfather，andunquestionedbyhermother。

Buthersistersawitatonce，andaskedherwhatshewasdoingwithit。

"Oh，nothing，"saidIrene，withajoyfulsmileofself—betrayal，takingtheshavingcarefullyout，andlayingitamongthelacesandribbonsinherdrawer。

"Hadn’tyoubetterputitinwater，’Rene？It’llbeallwiltedbymorning，"saidPen。

"Youmeanthing！"criedthehappygirl。"Itisn’taflower！"

"Oh，Ithoughtitwasawholebouquet。Whogaveittoyou？"

"Ishan’ttellyou，"saidIrenesaucily。

"Oh，well，nevermind。DidyouknowMr。Coreyhadbeendownherethisafternoon，walkingonthebeachwithme？"

"Hewasn’t——hewasn’tatall！HewasatthehousewithME。

There！I’vecaughtyoufairly。"

"Isthatso？"drawledPenelope。"ThenInevercouldguesswhogaveyouthatpreciousshaving。"

"No，youcouldn’t！"saidIrene，flushingbeautifully。

"Andyoumayguess，andyoumayguess，andyoumayguess！"

Withherlovelyeyesshecoaxedhersistertokeeponteasingher，andPenelopecontinuedthecomedywiththepatiencethatwomenhaveforsuchthings。

"Well，I’mnotgoingtotry，ifit’snouse。ButI

didn’tknowithadgottobethefashiontogiveshavingsinsteadofflowers。Butthere’ssomesenseinit。

Theycanbeusedforkindlingswhentheygetold，andyoucan’tdoanythingwitholdflowers。Perhapshe’llgettosending’embythebarrel。"

Irenelaughedforpleasureinthistormenting。"OPen，Iwanttotellyouhowitallhappened。"

"Oh，heDIDgiveittoyou，then？Well，IguessIdon’tcaretohear。"

"Youshall，andyou’vegotto！"Ireneranandcaughthersister，whofeignedtobegoingoutoftheroom，andpushedherintoachair。"There，now！"Shepulledupanotherchair，andhemmedherinwithit。"Hecameover，andsatdownonthetrestlealongsideofme————"

"What？Ascloseasyouaretomenow？"

"Youwretch！IwillGIVEittoyou！No，ataproperdistance。

Andherewasthisshavingonthefloor，thatI’dbeenpokingwithmyparasol————"

"Tohideyourembarrassment。"

"Pshaw！Iwasn’tabitembarrassed。Iwasjustasmuchatmyease！Andthenheaskedmetolethimholdtheshavingdownwithhisfoot，whileIwentonwithmypoking。

AndIsaidyeshemight————"

"Whataboldgirl！Yousaidhemightholdashavingdownforyou？"

"Andthen——andthen————"continuedIrene，liftinghereyesabsently，andlosingherselfinthebeatificrecollection，"andthen————Ohyes！ThenIaskedhimifhedidn’tlikethesmellofpineshavings。Andthenhepickeditup，andsaiditsmeltlikeaflower。Andthenheaskedifhemightofferittome——justforajoke，youknow。

AndItookit，andstuckitinmybelt。Andwehadsuchalaugh！Wegotintoaregulargale。AndOPen，whatdoyousupposehemeantbyit？"Shesuddenlycaughtherselftohersister’sbreast，andhidherburningfaceonhershoulder。

"Well，thereusedtobeabookaboutthelanguageofflowers。

ButIneverknewmuchaboutthelanguageofshavings，andIcan’tsayexactly————"

"Oh，don’t——DON’T，Pen！"andhereIrenegaveoverlaughing，andbegantosobinhersister’sarms。

"Why，’Rene！"criedtheeldergirl。

"YouKNOWhedidn’tmeananything。Hedoesn’tcareabitaboutme。Hehatesme！Hedespisesme！Oh，whatshallIdo？"

Atroublepassedoverthefaceofthesisterasshesilentlycomfortedthechildinherarms；thenthedrollinglightcamebackintohereyes。"Well，’Rene，YOUhaven’tgottodoANYthing。That’soneadvantagegirlshavegot——ifitISanadvantage。I’mnotalwayssure。"

Irene’stearsturnedtolaughingagain。Whensheliftedherheaditwastolookintothemirrorconfrontingthem，whereherbeautyshowedallthemorebrilliantfortheshowerthathadpassedoverit。Sheseemedtogathercouragefromthesight。