第15章

Herhusbandbegantolaugh。"Ah，youoverdidtheaccusing—spiritbusiness，andthisisreparation。"

ButMrs。Coreyhurriedon，withcombineddignityandanxiety——

"Wecan’tignoreTom’sintimacywiththem——itamountstothat；itwillprobablycontinueevenifit’smerelyafancy，andwemustseemtoknowit；whatevercomesofit，wecan’tdisownit。Theyareverysimple，unfashionablepeople，andunworldly；butIcan’tsaythattheyareoffensive，unless——unless，"sheadded，inpropitiationofherhusband’ssmile，"unlessthefather——howdidyoufindthefather？"sheimplored。

"Hewillbeveryentertaining，"saidCorey，"ifyoustarthimonhispaint。Whatwasthedisagreeabledaughterlike？Shallyouhaveher？"

"She’slittleanddark。Wemusthavethemall，"

Mrs。Coreysighed。"Thenyoudon’tthinkadinnerwoulddo？"

"Ohyes，Ido。Asyousay，wecan’tdisownTom’srelationtothem，whateveritis。Wehadmuchbetterrecogniseit，andmakethebestoftheinevitable。

IthinkaLaphamdinnerwouldbedelightful。"Helookedatherwithdelicateironyinhisvoiceandsmile，andshefetchedanothersigh，sodeepandsorenowthathelaughedoutright。"Perhaps，"hesuggested，"itwouldbethebestwayofcuringTomofhisfancy，ifhehasone。

Hehasbeenseeingherwiththedangerousadvantageswhichamotherknowshowtogiveherdaughterinthefamilycircle，andwithnomeansofcomparingherwithothergirls。

Youmustinviteseveralotherveryprettygirls。"

"Doyoureallythinkso，Bromfield？"askedMrs。Corey，takingcouragealittle。"Thatmightdo，"Butherspiritsvisiblysankagain。"Idon’tknowanyothergirlhalfsopretty。"

"Well，then，betterbred。"

"Sheisverylady—like，verymodest，andpleasing。"

"Well，morecultivated。"

"Tomdoesn’tgetonwithsuchpeople。"

"Oh，youwishhimtomarryher，Isee。"

"No，no"

"Thenyou’dbettergivethedinnertobringthemtogether，topromotetheaffair。"

"YouknowIdon’twanttodothat，Bromfield。ButI

feelthatwemustdosomething。Ifwedon’t，ithasaclandestineappearance。Itisn’tjusttothem。

Adinnerwon’tleaveusinanyworseposition，andmayleaveusinabetter。Yes，"saidMrs。Corey，afteranotherthoughtfulinterval，"wemusthavethem——havethemall。

Itcouldbeverysimple。"

"Ah，youcan’tgiveadinnerunderabushel，ifItakeyourmeaning，mydear。Ifwedothisatall，wemustn’tdoitasifwewereashamedofit。Wemustaskpeopletomeetthem。"

"Yes，"sighedMrs。Corey。"Therearenotmanypeopleintownyet，"sheadded，withreliefthatcausedherhusbandanothersmile。"Therereallyseemsasortoffatalityaboutit，"sheconcludedreligiously。

"Thenyouhadbetternotstruggleagainstit。

GoandreconcileLilyandNannytoitassoonaspossible。"

Mrs。Coreyblanchedalittle。"Butdon’tyouthinkitwillbethebestthing，Bromfield？"

"Idoindeed，mydear。TheonlythingthatshakesmyfaithintheschemeisthefactthatIfirstsuggestedit。

Butifyouhaveadoptedit，itmustbeallright，Anna。

Ican’tsaythatIexpectedit。"

"No，"saidhiswife，"itwouldn’tdo。"

XIII。

HAVINGdistinctlygivenuptheprojectofaskingtheLaphamstodinner，Mrs。Coreywasabletocarryitoutwiththecourageofsinnerswhohavesacrificedtovirtuebyfranklyacknowledgingitssuperioritytotheirintendedtransgression。

ShedidnotquestionbuttheLaphamswouldcome；andsheonlydoubtedastothepeoplewhomsheshouldinvitetomeetthem。Sheopenedthematterwithsometrepidationtoherdaughters，butneitherofthemopposedher；

theyratherlookedattheschemefromherownpointofview，andagreedwithherthatnothinghadreallyyetbeendonetowipeouttheobligationtotheLaphamshelplesslycontractedthesummerbefore，andstrengthenedbythatill—advisedapplicationtoMrs。Laphamforcharity。

Notonlytheprincipaloftheirdebtofgratituderemained，buttheaccruinginterest。Theysaid，Whatharmcouldgivingthedinnerpossiblydothem？Theymightaskanyoralloftheiracquaintancewithoutdisadvantagetothemselves；butitwouldbeperfectlyeasytogivethedinnerjustthecharactertheychose，andstillflattertheignoranceoftheLaphams。ThetroublewouldbewithTom，ifhewerereallyinterestedinthegirl；

buthecouldnotsayanythingiftheymadeitafamilydinner；

hecouldnotfeelanything。Theyhadeachturnedinherownmind，asitappearedfromacomparisonofideas，tooneofthemostcomprehensiveofthosecousinshipswhichformtheadmirationandterroroftheadventurerinBostonsociety。Hefindshimselfhemmedinandleftoutateveryturnbyramificationsthatforbidhimallhopeofsafepersonalityinhiscommentsonpeople；heisneverlesssecurethanwhenhehearssomegivenBostoniandenouncingorridiculinganother。Ifhewillbeadvised，hewillguardhimselffromconcurringinthesecriticisms，howeverjusttheyappear，fortheprobabilityisthattheirobjectisacousinofnotmorethanoneremovefromthecensor。

WhenthealienhearsagroupofBostonladiescallingoneanother，andspeakingofalltheirgentlemenfriends，bythefamiliarabbreviationsoftheirChristiannames，hemustfeelkeenlytheexiletowhichhewasborn；

butheisthen，atleast，incomparativelylittledanger；

whiletheselatentandtacitcousinshipsopenpitfallsateverysteparoundhim，inasocietywhereMiddlesexeshavemarriedEssexesandproducedSuffolksfortwohundredandfiftyyears。

Theseconditions，however，soperiloustotheforeigner，areasourceofstrengthandsecuritytothosenativetothem。Anuncertainacquaintancemaybesoeffectuallyinvolvedinthemeshesofsuchacousinship，asnevertobeheardofoutsideofitandtremendousstoriesaretoldofpeoplewhohavespentawholewinterinBoston，inawhirlofgaiety，andwho，theoriginalguestsoftheSuffolks，discoveruponreflectionthattheyhavemetnoonebutEssexesandMiddlesexes。

Mrs。Corey’sbrotherJamescamefirstintohermind，andshethoughtwithuncommontolerationoftheeasy—going，uncritical，good—natureofhiswife。

JamesBellinghamhadbeentheadviserofhersonthroughout，andmightbesaidtohaveactivelypromotedhisconnectionwithLapham。Shethoughtnextofthewidowofhercousin，HenryBellingham，whohadletherdaughtermarrythatWesternsteamboatman，andwasfondofherson—in—law；

shemightbeexpectedatleasttoendurethepaint—kingandhisfamily。ThedaughtersinsistedsostronglyuponMrs。Bellingham’ssonCharles，thatMrs。Coreyputhimdown——ifhewereintown；hemightbeinCentralAmerica；

hegotonwithallsortsofpeople。Itseemedtoherthatshemightstopatthis：fourLaphams，fiveCoreys，andfourBellinghamswereenough。

"Thatmakesthirteen，"saidNanny。"YoucanhaveMr。andMrs。Sewell。"

"Yes，thatisagoodidea，"assentedMrs。Corey。

"Heisourminister，anditisveryproper。"

"Idon’tseewhyyoudon’thaveRobertChase。

Itisapityheshouldn’tseeher——forthecolour。"

"Idon’tquiteliketheideaofthat，"saidMrs。Corey；

"butwecanhavehimtoo，ifitwon’tmaketoomany。"

ThepainterhadmarriedintoapoorerbranchoftheCoreys，andhiswifewasdead。"Isthereanyoneelse？"

"ThereisMissKingsbury。"

"Wehavehadhersomuch。Shewillbegintothinkweareusingher。"

"Shewon’tmind；she’ssogood—natured。"

"Well，then，"themothersummedup，"therearefourLaphams，fiveCoreys，fourBellinghams，oneChase，andoneKingsbury——fifteen。Oh！andtwoSewells。Seventeen。Tenladiesandsevengentlemen。Itdoesn’tbalanceverywell，andit’stoolarge。"

"Perhapssomeoftheladieswon’tcome，"suggestedLily。

"Oh，theladiesalwayscome，"saidNanny。

Theirmotherreflected。"Well，Iwillaskthem。

Theladieswillrefuseintimetoletuspickupsomegentlemensomewhere；somemoreartists。Why！wemusthaveMr。Seymour，thearchitect；he’sabachelor，andhe’sbuildingtheirhouse，Tomsays。"

Hervoicefellalittlewhenshementionedherson’sname，andshetoldhimofherplan，whenhecamehomeintheevening，withevidentmisgiving。

"Whatareyoudoingitfor，mother？"heasked，lookingatherwithhishonesteyes。

Shedroppedherowninalittleconfusion。"Iwon’tdoitatall，mydear，"shesaid，"ifyoudon’tapprove。

ButIthought——YouknowwehavenevermadeanyproperacknowledgmentoftheirkindnesstousatBaieSt。Paul。

Theninthewinter，I’mashamedtosay，IgotmoneyfromherforacharityIwasinterestedin；andIhatetheideaofmerelyUSINGpeopleinthatway。Andnowyourhavingbeenattheirhousethissummer——wecan’tseemtodisapproveofthat；andyourbusinessrelationstohim————"

"Yes，Isee，"saidCorey。"Doyouthinkitamountstoadinner？"

"Why，Idon’tknow，"returnedhismother。"Weshallhavehardlyanyoneoutofourfamilyconnection。"

"Well，"Coreyassented，"itmightdo。Isupposewhatyouwishistogivethemapleasure。"

"Why，certainly。Don’tyouthinkthey’dliketocome？"

"Oh，they’dliketocome；butwhetheritwouldbeapleasureaftertheywerehereisanotherthing。Ishouldhavesaidthatifyouwantedtohavethem，theywouldenjoybetterbeingsimplyaskedtomeetourownimmediatefamily。"

"That’swhatIthoughtofinthefirstplace，butyourfatherseemedtothinkitimpliedasocialdistrustofthem；andwecouldn’taffordtohavethatappearance，eventoourselves。"

"Perhapshewasright。"

"Andbesides，itmightseemalittlesignificant。"

Coreyseemedinattentivetothisconsideration。"Whomdidyouthinkofasking？"Hismotherrepeatedthenames。

"Yes，thatwoulddo，"hesaid，withavaguedissatisfaction。

"Iwon’thaveitatall，ifyoudon’twish，Tom。"

"Ohyes，haveit；perhapsyouought。Yes，Idaresayit’sright。Whatdidyoumeanbyafamilydinnerseemingsignificant？"

Hismotherhesitated。Whenitcametothat，shedidnotliketorecogniseinhispresencetheanxietiesthathadtroubledher。But"Idon’tknow，"shesaid，sinceshemust。

"Ishouldn’twanttogivethatyounggirl，orhermother，theideathatwewishedtomakemoreoftheacquaintancethan——thanyoudid，Tom。"

Helookedatherabsent—mindedly，asifhedidnottakehermeaning。Buthesaid，"Ohyes，ofcourse，"

andMrs。Corey，intheuncertaintyinwhichsheseemeddestinedtoremainconcerningthisaffair，wentoffandwroteherinvitationtoMrs。Lapham。Laterintheevening，whentheyagainfoundthemselvesalone，hersonsaid，"Idon’tthinkIunderstoodyou，mother，inregardtotheLaphams。IthinkIdonow。Icertainlydon’twishyoutomakemoreoftheacquaintancethanIhavedone。

Itwouldn’tberight；itmightbeveryunfortunate。

Don’tgivethedinner！"

"It’stoolatenow，myson，"saidMrs。Corey。"IsentmynotetoMrs。Laphamanhourago。"HercourageroseatthetroublewhichshowedinCorey’sface。"Butdon’tbeannoyedbyit，Tom。Itisn’tafamilydinner，youknow，andeverythingcanbemanagedwithoutembarrassment。

Ifwetakeuptheaffairatthispoint，youwillseemtohavebeenmerelyactingforus；andtheycan’tpossiblyunderstandanythingmore。"

"Well，well！Letitgo！Idaresayit’sallrightAtanyrate，itcan’tbehelpednow。"

"Idon’twishtohelpit，Tom，"saidMrs。Corey，withacheerfullnesswhichthethoughtoftheLaphamshadneverbroughtherbefore。"Iamsureitisquitefitandproper，andwecanmakethemhaveaverypleasanttime。Theyaregood，inoffensivepeople，andweoweittoourselvesnottobeafraidtoshowthatwehavefelttheirkindnesstous，andhisappreciationofyou。"

"Well，"consentedCorey。Thetroublethathismotherhadsuddenlycastoffwasinhistone；butshewasnotsorry。

Itwasquitetimethatheshouldthinkseriouslyofhisattitudetowardthesepeopleifhehadnotthoughtofitbefore，but，accordingtohisfather’stheory，hadbeenmerelydangling。

Itwasaviewofherson’scharacterthatcouldhardlyhavepleasedherindifferentcircumstances，yetitwasnowunquestionablyaconsolationifnotwhollyapleasure。

IfsheconsideredtheLaphamsatall，itwaswiththeresignationwhichwefeelattheevilsofothers，evenwhentheyhavenotbroughtthemonthemselves。

Mrs。Lapham，forherpart，hadspentthehoursbetweenMrs。Corey’svisitandherhusband’scominghomefrombusinessinreachingthesameconclusionwithregardtoCorey；andherspiritswereatthelowestwhentheysatdowntosupper。Irenewasdowncastwithher；

Penelopewaspurposelygay；andtheColonelwasbeginning，afterhisfirstplateoftheboiledham，——which，bristlingwithcloves，roundeditsbulkonawideplatterbeforehim，——totakenoteofthesurroundingmood，whenthedoor—belljingledperemptorily，andthegirlleftwaitingonthetabletogoandanswerit。ShereturnedatoncewithanoteforMrs。Lapham，whichsheread，andthen，afterahelplesssurveyofherfamily，readagain。

"Why，whatISit，mamma？"askedIrene，whiletheColonel，whohadtakenuphiscarving—knifeforanotherattackontheham，helditdrawnhalfacrossit。

"Why，Idon’tknowwhatitdoesmean，"answeredMrs。Laphamtremulously，andsheletthegirltakethenotefromher。

Ireneranitover，andthenturnedtothenameattheendwithajoyfulcryandaflushthatburnedtothetopofherforehead。Thenshebegantoreaditoncemore。

TheColoneldroppedhisknifeandfrownedimpatiently，andMrs。Laphamsaid，"Youreaditoutloud，ifyouknowwhattomakeofit，Irene。"ButIrene，withanervousscreamofprotest，handedittoherfather，whoperformedtheoffice。

"DEARMRS。LAPHAM：

"WillyouandGeneralLapham————"

"Ididn’tknowIwasageneral，"grumbledLapham。

"IguessIshallhavetobelookingupmybackpay。

Whoisitwritesthis，anyway？"heasked，turningtheletteroverforthesignature。

"Oh，nevermind。Readitthrough！"criedhiswife，withakindlingglanceoftriumphatPenelope，andheresumed——

"——andyourdaughtersgiveusthepleasureofyourcompanyatdinneronThursday，the28th，athalf—pastsix。

"Yourssincerely，"ANNAB。COREY。"

Thebriefinvitationhadbeenspreadovertwopages，andtheColonelhaddifficultieswiththesignaturewhichhedidnotinstantlysurmount。Whenhehadmadeoutthenameandpronouncedit，helookedacrossathiswifeforanexplanation。

"Idon’tknowwhatitallmeans，"shesaid，shakingherheadandspeakingwithapleasedflutter。

"Shewasherethisafternoon，andIshouldhavesaidshehadcometoseehowbadshecouldmakeusfeel。

IdeclareIneverfeltsoputdowninmylifebyanybody。"

"Why，whatdidshedo？Whatdidshesay？"Laphamwasready，inhisdensepride，toresentanyaffronttohisblood，butdoubtful，withtheevidenceofthisinvitationtothecontrary，ifanyaffronthadbeenoffered。Mrs。Laphamtriedtotellhim，buttherewasreallynothingtangible；

andwhenshecametoputitintowords，shecouldnotmakeoutacase。Herhusbandlistenedtoherexcitedattempt，andthenhesaid，withjudicialsuperiority，"Iguessnobody’sbeentryingtomakeyoufeelbad，Persis。

Whatwouldshegorighthomeandinviteyoutodinnerfor，ifshe’dactedthewayyousay？"

Inthisviewitdidseemimprobable，andMrs。Laphamwasshaken。Shecouldonlysay，"PenelopefeltjustthewayIdidaboutit。"

Laphamlookedatthegirl，whosaid，"Oh，Ican’tproveit！Ibegintothinkitneverhappened。Iguessitdidn’t。"

"Humph！"saidherfather，andhesatfrowningthoughtfullyawhile——ignoringhermockingirony，orchoosingtotakeherseriously。"Youcan’treallyputyourfingeronanything，"hesaidtohiswife，"anditain’tlikelythereisanything。Anyway，she’sdonetheproperthingbyyounow。"

Mrs。Laphamfalteredbetweenherlingeringresentmentandtheappealsofherflatteredvanity。ShelookedfromPenelope’simpassivefacetotheeagereyesofIrene。

"Well——justasyousay，Silas。Idon’tknowassheWAS

soverybad。Iguessmaybeshewasembarrassedsome————"

"That’swhatItoldyou，mamma，fromthestart，"

interruptedIrene。"Didn’tItellyoushedidn’tmeananythingbyit？It’sjustthewaysheactedatBaieSt。Paul，whenshegotwellenoughtorealisewhatyou’ddoneforher！"

Penelopebrokeintoalaugh。"Isthatherwayofshowinghergratitude？I’msorryIdidn’tunderstandthatbefore。"

Irenemadenoefforttoreply。Shemerelylookedfromhermothertoherfatherwithagrievedfacefortheirprotection，andLaphamsaid，"Whenwe’vedonesupper，youanswerher，Persis。Saywe’llcome。"

"Withoneexception，"saidPenelope。

"Whatdoyoumean？"demandedherfather，withamouthfullofham。"Oh，nothingofimportance。MerelythatI’mnotgoing。"

Laphamgavehimselftimetoswallowhismorsel，andhisrisingwrathwentdownwithit。"Iguessyou’llchangeyourmindwhenthetimecomes，"hesaid。"Anyway，Persis，yousaywe’llallcome，andthen，ifPenelopedon’twanttogo，youcanexcuseherafterwegetthere。

That’sthebestway。"

Noneofthem，apparently，sawanyreasonwhytheaffairshouldnotbeleftinthisway，orhadasenseoftheawfulandbindingnatureofadinnerengagement。

IfshebelievedthatPenelopewouldnotfinallychangehermindandgo，nodoubtMrs。LaphamthoughtthatMrs。Coreywouldeasilyexcuseherabsence。Shedidnotfinditsosimpleamattertoaccepttheinvitation。

Mrs。Coreyhadsaid"DearMrs。Lapham，"butMrs。Laphamhadherdoubtswhetheritwouldnotbeaservileimitationtosay"DearMrs。Corey"inreturn；andshewastormentedastotheproperphrasingthroughoutandtheprecisetemperaturewhichsheshouldimparttoherpoliteness。

Shewroteanunpractised，uncharacteristicroundhand，thesameinwhichsheusedtosetthechildren’scopiesatschool，andshesubscribedherself，aftersomehesitationbetweenherhusband’sgivennameandherown，"Yourstruly，Mrs。S。Lapham。"

Penelopehadgonetoherroom，withoutwaitingtobeaskedtoadviseorcriticise；butIrenehaddecideduponthepaper，andonthewhole，Mrs。Lapham’snotemadeaverydecentappearanceonthepage。

"Whenthefurnace—mancame，theColonelsenthimouttopostitintheboxatthecornerofthesquare。

Hehaddeterminednottosayanythingmoreaboutthematterbeforethegirls，notchoosingtoletthemseethathewaselated；hetriedtogivetheeffectofitsbeinganeverydaysortofthing，abruptlyclosingthediscussionwithhisordertoMrs。Laphamtoaccept；

buthehadremainedswellingbehindhisnewspaperduringherprolongedstrugglewithhernote，andhecouldnolongerhidehiselationwhenIrenefollowedhersisterupstairs。

"Well，Pers，"hedemanded，"whatdoyousaynow？"

Mrs。Laphamhadbeensoberedintosomethingofherformermisgivingbyherdifficultieswithhernote。

"Well，Idon’tknowwhatTOsay。Ideclare，I’mallmixedupaboutit，andIdon’tknowaswe’vebegunaswecancarryoutinpromisingtogo。Ipresume，"shesighed，"thatwecanallsendsomeexcuseatthelastmoment，ifwedon’twanttogo。"

"Iguesswecancarryout，andIguessweshan’twanttosendanyexcuse，"braggedtheColonel。"Ifwe’reevergoingtobeanybodyatall，we’vegottogoandseehowit’sdone。Ipresumewe’vegottogivesomesortofpartywhenwegetintothenewhouse，andthisgivesthechancetoask’embackagain。Youcan’tcomplainnowbutwhatthey’vemadetheadvances，Persis？"

"No，"saidMrs。Laphamlifelessly；"Iwonderwhytheywantedtodoit。Oh，Isupposeit’sallright，"sheaddedindeprecationoftheangerwithherhumilitywhichshesawrisinginherhusband’sface；"butifit’sallgoingtobeasmuchtroubleasthatletter，I’dratherbewhipped。

Idon’tknowwhatI’mgoingtowear；orthegirlseither。

Idowonder——I’veheardthatpeoplegotodinnerinlow—necks。Doyousupposeit’sthecustom？"

"HowshouldIknow？"demandedtheColonel。"Iguessyou’vegotclothesenough。Anyrate，youneedn’tfretaboutit。

YoujustgoroundtoWhite’sorJordan&Marsh’s，andaskforadinnerdress。Iguessthat’llsettleit；

they’llknow。Getsomeofthemimporteddresses。Isee’eminthewindoweverytimeIpass；lotsof’em"

"Oh，itain’tthedress！"saidMrs。Lapham。"Idon’tsupposebutwhatwecouldgetalongwiththat；andIwanttodothebestwecanforthechildren；butIdon’tknowwhatwe’regoingtotalkabouttothosepeoplewhenwegetthere。Wehaven’tgotanythingincommonwiththem。

Oh，Idon’tsaythey’reanybetter，"sheagainmadehastetosayinarrestofherhusband’sresentment。"Idon’tbelievetheyare；andIdon’tseewhytheyshouldbe。

Andthereain’tanybodyhasgotabetterrighttoholduptheirheadthanyouhave，Silas。You’vegotplentyofmoney，andyou’vemadeeverycentofit。"

"IguessIshouldn’tamountedtomuchwithoutyou，Persis，"

interposedLapham，movedtothisjusticebyherpraise。

"Oh，don’ttalkaboutME！"protestedthewife。

"Nowthatyou’vemadeitallrightaboutRogers，thereain’tathinginthisworldagainstyou。Butstill，forallthat，Icansee——andIcanfeelitwhenI

can’tseeit——thatwe’redifferentfromthosepeople。

They’rewell—meaningenough，andthey’dexcuseit，Ipresume，butwe’retoooldtolearntobelikethem。"

"Thechildrenain’t，"saidLaphamshrewdly。

"No，thechildrenain’t，"admittedhiswife，"andthat’stheonlythingthatreconcilesmetoit。"

"YouseehowpleasedIrenelookedwhenIreadit？"

"Yes，shewaspleased。"

"AndIguessPenelope’llthinkbetterofitbeforethetimecomes。"

"Ohyes，wedoitforthem。Butwhetherwe’redoingthebestthingfor’em，goodnessknows。I’mnotsayinganythingagainstHIM。Irene’llbealuckygirltogethim，ifshewantshim。Butthere！I’dtentimesrathershewasgoingtomarrysuchafellowasyouwere，Si，thathadtomakeeveryinchofhisownway，andshehadtohelphim。

It’sinher！"

Laphamlaughedaloudforpleasureinhiswife’sfondness；

butneitherofthemwishedthatheshouldresponddirectlytoit。"Iguess，ifitwa’n’tforme，hewouldn’thaveamucheasiertime。Butdon’tyoufret！It’sallcomingoutright。

Thatdinnerain’tathingforyoutobeuneasyabout。

It’llpassoffperfectlyeasyandnatural。"

Laphamdidnotkeephiscourageousmindquitetotheendoftheweekthatfollowed。ItwashistheorynottoletCoreyseethathewassetupabouttheinvitation，andwhentheyoungmansaidpolitelythathismotherwasgladtheywereabletocome，Laphamwasveryshortwithhim。Hesaidyes，hebelievedthatMrs。Laphamandthegirlsweregoing。

AfterwardhewasafraidCoreymightnotunderstandthathewascomingtoo；buthedidnotknowhowtoapproachthesubjectagain，andCoreydidnot，soheletitpass。

ItworriedhimtoseeallthepreparationthathiswifeandIreneweremaking，andhetriedtolaughatthemforit；

anditworriedhimtofindthatPenelopewasmakingnopreparationatallforherself，butonlyhelpingtheothers。

Heaskedherwhatshouldshedoifshechangedhermindatthelastmomentandconcludedtogo，andshesaidsheguessedsheshouldnotchangehermind，butifshedid，shewouldgotoWhite’swithhimandgethimtochooseheranimporteddress，heseemedtolikethemsomuch。

Hewastooproudtomentionthesubjectagaintoher。

Finally，allthatdress—makinginthehousebegantoscarehimwithvagueapprehensionsinregardtohisowndress。

Assoonashehaddeterminedtogo，anidealofthefigureinwhichheshouldgopresenteditselftohismind。

Heshouldnotwearanydress—coat，because，foronething，heconsideredthatamanlookedlikeafoolinadress—coat，and，foranotherthing，hehadnone——hadnoneonprinciple。

Hewouldgoinafrock—coatandblackpantaloons，andperhapsawhitewaistcoat，butablackcravatanyway。

Butassoonashedevelopedthisidealtohisfamily，whichhedidinpompousdisdainoftheiranxietiesabouttheirowndress，theysaidheshouldnotgoso。

Ireneremindedhimthathewastheonlypersonwithoutadress—coatatacorpsreuniondinnerwhichhehadtakenhertosomeyearsbefore，andsherememberedfeelingawfullyaboutitatthetime。Mrs。Lapham，whowouldperhapshaveagreedofherself，shookherheadwithmisgiving。

"Idon’tseebutwhatyou’llhavetogetyouone，Si，"

shesaid。"Idon’tbelievetheyevergowithout’emtoaprivatehouse。"

Heheldoutopenly，butonhiswayhomethenextday，inasuddenpanic，hecastanchorbeforehistailor’sdoorandgotmeasuredforadress—coat。Afterthathebegantoheafflictedabouthiswaist—coat，concerningwhichhehadhithertobeenairilyindifferent。

Hetriedtogetopinionoutofhisfamily，buttheywerenotsoclearaboutitastheywereaboutthefrock。