\"Isforme，\"hesaid。\"Gotdate。\"
\"Iknowyouhave，butthere\'splentyoftime。\"
Hesmiledinbenevolentpity。\"YOUknow，doyou？Ifyoumadeanycoffee——don\'tbotherifyoudidn\'t。Getsomedown-town。\"Heseemedabouttoriseanddepart；whereuponAlice，bitingherlip，sentapanic-strickenglanceathermother。
ButMrs。Adamsseemednotatalldisturbed；andlaughedagain。
\"Why，whatnonsense，Walter!I\'llbringyourcoffeeinafewminutes，butwe\'regoingtohavedessertfirst。\"
\"Whatsort？\"
\"Somelovelypeaches。\"
\"Doe\'want\'nycannedpeaches，\"saidthefrankWalter，movingbackhischair。\"G\'-night。\"
\"Walter!Itdoesn\'tbegintillaboutnineo\'clockattheearliest。\"
Hepaused，mystified。\"Whatdoesn\'t？\"
\"Thedance。\"
\"Whatdance？\"
\"Why，MildredPalmer\'sdance，ofcourse。\"
Walterlaughedbriefly。\"What\'sthattome？\"
\"Why，youhaven\'tforgottenit\'sTO-NIGHT，haveyou？\"Mrs。Adamscried。\"Whataboy!\"
\"ItoldyouaweekagoIwasn\'tgoingtothatoledance，\"hereturned，frowning。\"Youheardme。\"
\"Walter!\"sheexclaimed。\"OfCOURSEyou\'regoing。Igotyourclothesalloutthisafternoon，andbrushedthemforyou。
They\'lllookverynice，and——\"
\"Theywon\'tlookniceonME，\"heinterrupted。\"Gotdatedown-town，Itellyou。\"
\"Butofcourseyou\'ll——\"
\"Seehere!\"Waltersaid，decisively。\"Don\'tgetanywrongideasinyourhead。I\'mjustasliabletogouptothatoledanceatthePalmers\'asIamtoeatacoupleofbarrelsofbrokenglass。\"
\"But，Walter——\"
Walterwasbeginningtobeseriouslyannoyed。\"Don\'t\'Walter\'
me!I\'mnos\'cietysnake。Iwouldn\'tjazzwiththatPalmercrowdiftheycoaxedmewithdiamonds。\"
\"Walter——\"
\"Didn\'tItellyouit\'snouseto\'Walter\'me？\"hedemanded。
\"Mydearchild——\"
\"Oh，Glory!\"
AtthisMrs。Adamsabandonedherairofamusement，lookedhurt，andglancedatthedemureMissPerryacrossthetable。\"I\'mafraidMissPerrywon\'tthinkyouhaveverygoodmanners，Walter。\"
\"You\'rerightshewon\'t，\"heagreed，grimly。\"NotifIhaftohearanymoreaboutmegoin\'to——\"
Buthismotherinterruptedhimwithsomeasperity:\"ItseemsverystrangethatyoualwaysobjecttogoinganywhereamongOUR
friends，Walter。\"
\"YOURfriends!\"hesaid，and，risingfromhischair，gaveutterancetoanironicallaughstrictlymonosyllabic。\"Yourfriends!\"herepeated，goingtothedoor。\"Oh，yes!Certainly!
Good-NIGHT!\"
Andlookingbackoverhisshouldertoofferafinalbriefviewofhisderisiveface，hetookhimselfoutoftheroom。
Alicegasped:\"Mama——\"
\"I\'llstophim!\"hermotherresponded，sharply；andhurriedafterthetruant，catchinghimatthefrontdoorwithhishatandraincoaton。
\"Walter——\"
\"Toldyouhadadatedown-town，\"hesaid，gruffly，andwouldhaveopenedthedoor，butshecaughthisarmanddetainedhim。
\"Walter，pleasecomebackandfinishyourdinner。WhenItakeallthetroubletocookitforyou，Ithinkyoumightatleast——\"
\"Now，now!\"hesaid。\"Thatisn\'twhatyou\'reupto。Youdon\'twanttomakemeeat；youwanttomakemelisten。\"
\"Well，youMUSTlisten!\"Sheretainedhergraspuponhisarm，andmadeittighter。\"Walter，please!\"sheentreated，hervoicebecomingtremulous。\"PLEASEdon\'tmakemesomuchtrouble!\"
Hedrewbackfromherasfarasherholduponhimpermitted，andlookedathersharply。\"Lookhere!\"hesaid。\"Igetyou，allright!What\'sthematterofAliceGOIN\'tothatpartybyherself？\"
\"ShejustCAN\'T!\"
\"Whynot？\"
\"ItmakesthingstooMEANforher，Walter。Alltheothergirlshavesomebodytodependonaftertheygetthere。\"
\"Well，whydoesn\'tshehavesomebody？\"heasked，testily。
\"SomebodybesidesME，Imean!Whyhasn\'tsomebodyaskedhertogo？SheoughttobeTHATpopular，anyhow，Ish\'dthink——sheTRIESenough!\"
\"Idon\'tunderstandhowyoucanbesohard，\"hismotherwailed，huskily。\"Youknowwhytheydon\'trunafterherthewaytheydotheothergirlsshegoeswith，Walter。It\'sbecausewe\'repoor，andshehasn\'tgotanybackground。
\"\'Background？\'\"Walterrepeated。\"\'Background？\'Whatkindoftalkisthat？\"
\"YouWILLgowithherto-night，Walter？\"hismotherpleaded，notstoppingtoenlightenhim。\"Youdon\'tunderstandhowhardthingsareforherandhowbravesheisaboutthem，oryouCOULDN\'Tbesoselfish!It\'dbemorethanIcanbeartoseeherdisappointedto-night!ShewentclearouttoBelleviewParkthisafternoon，Walter，andspenthoursandhourspickingvioletstowear。YouWILL——\"
Walter\'sheartwasnotiron，andtheepisodeofthevioletsmayhavereachedit。\"Oh，BLUB!\"hesaid，andflunghissofthatviolentlyatthewall。
Hismotherbeamedwithdelight。\"THAT\'Sagoodboy，darling!
You\'llneverbesorryyou——\"
\"Cutitout，\"herequested。\"IfItakeher，willyoupayforataxi？\"
\"Oh，Walter!\"AndagainMrs。Adamsshoweddistress。\"Couldn\'tyou？\"
\"No，Icouldn\'t；I\'mnotgoin\'tothrowawaymygoodmoneylikethat，andyoucan\'ttellwhattimeo\'nightit\'llbebeforeshe\'swillin\'tocomehome。What\'sthematteryoupayin\'forone？\"
\"Ihaven\'tanymoney。\"
\"Well，father——\"
Sheshookherheaddolefully。\"Igotsomefromhimthismorning，andIcan\'tbotherhimforanymore；itupsetshim。He\'sALWAYS
beensoterriblyclosewithmoney——\"
\"Iguesshecouldn\'thelpthat，\"Walterobserved。\"We\'reliabletogotothepoorhousethewayitis。Well，what\'sthematterourwalkin\'tothisrottenparty？\"
\"Intherain，Walter？\"
\"Well，it\'sonlyadrizzleandwecantakeastreetcartowithinablockofthehouse。\"
Againhismothershookherhead。\"Itwouldn\'tdo。\"
\"Well，darntheluck，allright!\"heconsented，explosively。
\"I\'llgethersomethingtoridein。Itmeansseventy-fivecents。\"
\"Why，Walter!\"Mrs。Adamscried，muchpleased。\"Doyouknowhowtogetacabforthatlittle？Howsplendid!\"
\"Tain\'tacab，\"Walterinformedhercrossly。\"It\'satinLizzie，butyoudon\'thaf\'totellherwhatitistillIgetherintoit，doyou？\"
Mrs。Adamsagreedthatshedidn\'t。
CHAPTERVI
Alicewasbusywithherselffortwohoursafterdinner；butalittlebeforenineo\'clockshestoodinfrontofherlongmirror，completed，bright-eyedandsolemn。Herhair，exquisitelyarranged，gaveallsheaskedofit；whatartificialitiesincolourshehaduseduponherfacewereonlybitsofemphasisthatmadeherprettinessthemoredistinct；andthedress，notrumpledbyhermother\'scarefulhoursofwork，wasawhitecloudofloveliness。Finallythereweretwotriumphantbouquetsofviolets，eachwiththestemswrappedintin-foilshroudedbyabowofpurplechiffon；andonebouquetsheworeatherwaistandtheothershecarriedinherhand。
MissPerry，calledinbyarapturousmotherforthefreetreatofalookatthisradiance，insistedthatAlicewasavision。
\"Purelyandsimplyavision!\"shesaid，meaningthatnootherdefinitionwhateverwouldsatisfyher。\"Ineversawanybodylookavisionifshedon\'tlookoneto-night，\"theadmiringnursedeclared。\"Herpapa\'llthinkthesameIdoaboutit。Youseeifhedoesn\'tsayshe\'spurelyandsimplyavision。\"
AdamsdidnotfulfilthepredictionquiteliterallywhenAlicepaidabriefvisittohisroomto\"show\"himandbidhimgood-night；buthechuckledfeebly。\"Well，well，well!\"hesaid。
\"Youlookmightyfine——MIGHTYfine!\"Andhewaggledabonyfingerathertwobouquets。\"Why，Alice，who\'syourbeau？\"
\"Neveryoumind!\"shelaughed，archlybrushinghisnosewiththevioletsinherhand。\"Hetreatsmeprettywell，doesn\'the？\"
\"Mustliketothrowhismoneyaround!Thesevioletssmellmightysweet，andtheyoughtto，ifthey\'regoingtoapartywithYOU。
Haveagoodtime，dearie。\"
\"Imeanto!\"shecried；andsherepeatedthisgaily，butwithanemphasisexpressingsharpdeterminationasshelefthim。\"IMEAN
to!\"
\"Whatwashetalkingabout？\"hermotherinquired，smoothingtheratherwornandoldeveningwrapshehadplacedonAlice\'sbed。
\"Whatwereyoutellinghimyou\'meanto？\'\"
Alicewentbacktohertriplemirrorforthelasttime，thenstoodbeforethelongone。\"ThatImeantohaveagoodtimeto-night，\"shesaid；andassheturnedfromherreflectiontothewrapMrs。Adamsheldupforher，\"ItlooksasthoughICOULD，don\'tyouthinkso？\"
\"You\'lljustbeaqueento-night，\"hermotherwhisperedinfondemotion。\"Youmustn\'tdoubtyourself。\"
\"Well，there\'sonething，\"saidAlice。\"IthinkIdolookniceenoughtogetalongwithouthavingtodancewiththatFrankDowling!AllIaskisforittohappenjustonce；andifhecomesnearmeto-nightI\'mgoingtotreathimthewaytheothergirlsdo。DoyousupposeWalter\'sgotthetaxioutinfront？\"
\"He——he\'swaitingdowninthehall，\"Mrs。Adamsanswered，nervously；andsheheldupanothergarmenttogooverthewrap。
Alicefrownedatit。\"What\'sthat，mama？\"
\"It\'s——it\'syourfather\'sraincoat。Ithoughtyou\'dputitonover——\"
\"ButIwon\'tneeditinataxicab。\"
\"Youwilltogetinandout，andyouneedn\'ttakeitintothePalmers\'。Youcanleaveitinthe——inthe——It\'sdrizzling，andyou\'llneedit。\"
\"Oh，well，\"Aliceconsented；andafewminuteslater，aswithWalter\'sassistancesheclimbedintothevehiclehehadprovided，shebetterunderstoodhermother\'ssolicitude。
\"WhatonearthISthis，Walter？\"sheasked。
\"Nevermind；it\'llkeepyoudryenoughwiththetopup，\"hereturned，takinghisseatbesideher。Thenforatime，astheywentratherjerkilyupthestreet，shewassilent；butfinallysherepeatedherquestion:\"WhatISit，Walter？\"
\"What\'swhat？\"
\"This——thisCAR？\"
\"It\'saottomobile。\"
\"Imean——whatkindisit？\"
\"Haven\'tyougoteyes？\"
\"It\'stoodark。\"
\"It\'sasecond-handtinLizzie，\"saidWalter。\"D\'youknowwhatthatmeans？Itmeansaflivver。\"
\"Yes，Walter。\"
\"Got\'ny\'bjections？\"
\"Why，no，dear，\"shesaid，placatively。\"Isityours，Walter？
Haveyouboughtit？\"
\"Me？\"helaughed。\"_I_couldn\'tbuyausedwheelbarrow。IrentthissometimeswhenI\'mgoin\'outamong\'em。Costsmeseventy-fivecentsandthepriceo\'thegas。\"
\"Thatseemsverymoderate。\"
\"Iguessitis!Thefellerowesmesomemoney，andthisistheonlywayI\'devergetitoffhim。\"
\"Isheagarage-keeper？\"
\"Notexactly!\"Walterutteredhuskysoundsofamusement。\"You\'llbejustashappy，Iguess，ifyoudon\'tknowwhoheis，\"hesaid。
Histonemisgaveher；andshesaidtruthfullythatshewascontentnottoknowwhoownedthecar。\"Ijokesometimesabouthowyoukeepthingstoyourself，\"sheadded，\"butIreallyneverdopryinyouraffairs，Walter。\"
\"Oh，no，youdon\'t!\"
\"Indeed，Idon\'t。\"
\"Yes，you\'remightyniceandcooingwhenyougotmewhereyouwantme，\"hejeered。\"Well，_I_justassoontellyouwhereI
getthiscar。\"
\"I\'djustassoonyouwouldn\'t，Walter，\"shesaid，hurriedly。
\"Pleasedon\'t。\"
ButWaltermeanttotellher。\"Why，there\'snothin\'exactlyCRIMINALaboutit，\"hesaid。\"ItbelongstooldJ。A。Lambhimself。Hekeepsitfortheircoonchauffeur。Irentitfromhim。\"
\"FromMr。LAMB？\"
\"No；fromthecoonchauffeur。\"
\"Walter!\"shegasped。
\"SureIdo!Icangetitanynightwhenthecoonisn\'tgoin\'touseithimself。He\'sdrivin\'theirlimousineto-night——thatlittleHenriettaLamb\'sgoin\'totheparty，nomatterifherfatherHASonlybeendeadless\'nayear!\"Hepaused，theninquired:\"Well，howd\'youlikeit？\"
Shedidnotspeak，andhebegantoberemorsefulforhavingimpartedsomuchinformation，thoughhiswayofexpressingregretwashisown。\"Well，youWILLmakethefolksmakemetakeyoutoparties!\"hesaid。\"IgottodoitthebestwayICAN，don\'tI？\"
Thenasshemadenoresponse，\"Oh，thecar\'sCLEANenough，\"hesaid。\"Thiscoon，he\'sasparticularasanywhiteman；youneedn\'tworryaboutthat。\"Andasshestillsaidnothing，headdedgruffly，\"I\'dofhadabettercarifIcouldaffordedit。
Youneedn\'tgetsoupsetaboutit。\"
\"Idon\'tunderstand——\"shesaidinalowvoice——\"Idon\'tunderstandhowyouknowsuchpeople。\"
\"Suchpeopleaswho？\"
\"As——colouredchauffeurs。\"
\"Oh，lookhere，now!\"heprotested，loudly。\"Don\'tyouknowthisisademocraticcountry？\"
\"Notquitethatdemocratic，isit，Walter？\"
\"Thetroublewithyou，\"heretorted，\"youdon\'tknowthere\'sanybodyintownexceptjustthissilk-shirtcrowd。\"Hepaused，seemingtoawaitarefutation；butasnonecame，heexpressedhimselfdefinitely:\"Theymakemesick。\"
Theywerecomingneartheirdestination，andtheglowofthebig，brightlylightedhousewasseenbeforetheminthewetnight。
Othercars，notliketheirs，wereapproachingthiscenterofbrilliance；longtrianglesoflightnearthegroundsweptthroughthefinedrizzle；smallredtail-lightsgleamedagainfromthemoistpavementofthestreet；and，throughthemyriadsoflittleglisteningleavesalongthecurvingdriveway，glimpseswerecaughtoflivelycoloursmovinginawhiteglareasthelimousinesreleasedtheiroccupantsundertheshelteroftheporte-cochere。
AliceclutchedWalter\'sarminapanic；theywerejustatthedrivewayentrance。\"Walter，wemustn\'tgointhere。\"
\"What\'sthematter？\"
\"Leavethisawfulcaroutside。\"
\"Why，I——\"
\"Stop!\"sheinsisted，vehemently。\"You\'vegotto!Goback!\"
\"Oh，Glory!\"
Thelittlecarwasbetweentheentranceposts；butWalterbackeditout，avoidingacollisionwithanimpressivemachinewhichswervedawayfromthemandpassedontowardtheporte-cochere，showingaman\'sfacegrinningatthewindowasitwentby。
\"Flivverrunaboutgotthewrongnumber!\"hesaid。
\"DidheSEEus？\"Alicecried。
\"Didwhoseeus？\"
\"HarveyMalone——inthatforeigncoupe。\"
\"No；hecouldn\'ttellwhowewereunderthistop，\"Walterassuredherashebroughtthelittlecartoastandstillbesidethecurbstone，outinthestreet。\"What\'sitmatterifhedid，thebigfish？\"
Alicerespondedwithaloudsigh，andsatstill。
\"Well，wanttogoonback？\"Walterinquired。\"YoubetI\'mwilling!\"
\"No。\"
\"Well，then，what\'sthematterourdrivin\'onuptotheporte-cochere？There\'sroomformetoparkjusttheothersideofit。\"
\"No，NO!\"
\"Whatyouexpecttodo？SitHEREallnight？\"
\"No，leavethecarhere。\"
\"_I_don\'tcarewhereweleaveit，\"hesaid。\"SitstilltillI
lockher，sononeo\'thesemillionairesaroundhere\'llrunoffwithher。\"Hegotoutwithapadlockandchain；and，havingputtheseinplace，offeredAlicehishand。\"Comeon，ifyou\'reready。\"
\"Wait，\"shesaid，and，divestingherselfoftheraincoat，handedittoWalter。\"Pleaseleavethiswithyourthingsinthemen\'sdressing-room，asifitwereanextraoneofyourown，Walter。\"
Henodded；shejumpedout；andtheyscurriedthroughthedrizzle。
Astheyreachedtheporte-cochereshebegantolaughairily，andspoketotheimpassivemaninliverywhostoodthere。\"Jokeonus!\"shesaid，hurryingbyhimtowardthedoorofthehouse。
\"Ourcarbrokedownoutsidethegate。\"
Themanremainedimpassive，thoughherespondedwithafaintgleamasWalter，lookingbackathim，producedforhisbenefitacynicaldistortionofcountenancewhichofferedlittleconfirmationofAlice\'saccountofthings。Thenthedoorwasswiftlyopenedtothebrotherandsister；andtheycameintoamarble-flooredhall，whereadozensleekedyoungmenlounged，smokedcigarettesandfastenedtheirgloves，astheywaitedfortheirladies。Alicenoddedtooneoranotherofthese，andwentquicklyon，herfaceupliftedandsmiling；butWalterdetainedheratthedoortowhichshehastened。
\"Listenhere，\"hesaid。\"Isupposeyouwantmetodancethefirstdancewithyou——\"
\"Ifyouplease，Walter，\"shesaid，meekly。
\"Howlongyougoin\'tohangaroundfixin\'upinthatdressin\'-room？\"
\"I\'llbeoutbeforeyou\'rereadyyourself，\"shepromisedhim；andkeptherword，shewassoeagerforhergoodtimetobegin。Whenhecameforher，theywentdownthehalltoacorridoropeninguponthreegreatroomswhichhadbeenthrownopentogether，withthefurnitureremovedandthebroadfloorswaxed。Atoneendofthecorridormusicianssatinagreengrove，andWalter，withsomeinterest，turnedtowardthese；buthissister，pressinghisarm，impelledhimintheoppositedirection。
\"What\'sthematternow？\"heasked。\"That\'sJazzLouieandhishalf-breedbunch——threewhiteandfourmulatto。Let\'s——？\"
\"No，no，\"shewhispered。\"WemustspeaktoMildredandMr。andMrs。Palmer。\"
\"\'Speak\'to\'em？Ihaven\'tgotathingtosaytoTHOSEberries!\"
\"Walter，won\'tyouPLEASEbehave？\"
Heseemedtoconsent，forthemoment，atleast，andsufferedhertotakehimdownthecorridortowardafloralbowerwherethehostessstoodwithherfatherandmother。Othercouplesandgroupsweremovinginthesamedirection，carryingwiththemahubbuboflaughterandfragmentarychatterings；andAlice，smilingallthetime，greetedpeopleoneverysideofhereagerly——alittlemoreeagerlythanmostofthemresponded——whileWalternoddedinanoncommittalmannertooneortwo，saidnothing，andyawnedaudibly，thelastresourceofapersonwhofindshimselfnervousinafalsesituation。Herepeatedhisyawnandwasbeginninganotherwhenaconvulsivepressureuponhisarmmadehimunderstandthathemustabandonthismethodofreassuringhimself。Theywerecloseuponthefloralbower。
Mildredwasgivingherhandtooneandanotherofherguestsasrapidlyasshecould，passingthemontoherfatherandmother，andatthesametimeresistingtheeffortsofthreeorfourdetachedbachelorswhobesoughthertogiveoverherdutyinfavourofthedance-musicjustbeginningtoblare。
Shewasalarge，fairgirl，withakindnessofeyesomewhatwithheldbyanexpressionoffastidiousness；atfirstsightofheritwasclearthatshewouldneverinherlifedoanything\"incorrect，\"orwearanything\"incorrect。\"Buthercorrectnesswasofthefinersort，andhadnoairofbeingstudiedorachieved；conductwouldneverofferheraproblemtobesettledfromabookofrules，fortherulesweresodeepwithinherthatshewasunconsciousofthem。AndbehindthisperfectiontherewasanevenamplerperfectionofwhatMrs。Adamscalled\"background。\"Thebig，rich，simplehousewaspartofit，andMildred\'sfatherandmotherwerepartofit。Theystoodbesideher，large，serenepeople，murmuringgraciouslyandgentlyincliningtheirhandsomeheadsastheygavetheirhandstotheguests；andeventheyoungestandmostebullientofthesetookonahushedmannerlinesswithacloserapproachtothebower。
WhentheopportunitycameforAliceandWaltertopasswithinthisprecinct，Alice，goingfirst，leanedforwardandwhisperedinMildred\'sear。\"YouDIDN\'Twearthemaizegeorgette!That\'swhatIthoughtyouweregoingto。ButyoulooksimplyDARLING!
Andthosepearls——\"
Otherswerecrowdingdecorouslyforward，anxioustobedonewithceremonyandgettothedancing；andMildreddidnotprolongtheintimacyofAlice\'senthusiasticwhispering。Withafaintaccessionofcolourandasmiletendingsomewhatinthedirectionofrigidity，shecarriedAlice\'shandimmediatelyonwardtoMrs。
Palmer\'s。Alice\'sowncolourshowedalittleheighteningassheacceptedthesuggestionthusimplied；norwasthatemotionaltintinanywisedecreased，amomentlater，byanimpressionthatWalter，inconcludingthebriefexchangeofcourtesiesbetweenhimselfandthestatelyMr。Palmer，hadagainreassuredhimselfwithayawn。
ButshedidnotspeakofittoWalter；shepreferrednottoconfirmtheimpressionandtoleaveinhermindapossibledoubtthathehaddoneit。Hefollowedheroutuponthewaxedfloor，saidresignedly:\"Well，comeon，\"puthisarmabouther，andtheybegantodance。
Alicedancedgracefullyandwell，butnotsowellasWalter。Ofallthestepsandruns，ofallthewhimsicalturnsandtwirlings，ofalltherhythmicswayingsanddipscommandedthatseasonbysuchblaringsaswerethebarbaricproduct，loudandwild，oftheJazzLouiesandtheirhalf-breedbunches，thethinandsallowyouthwasamaster。Uponhisfacecouldbeseencontemptoftheeasymarvelsheperformedashemovedinswiftprecisionfromonesmoothagilitytoanother；andifsometoo-daintyorjealouscavaliercomplainedthattobesomuchastylistindancingwas\"notquitelikeagentleman，\"atleastWalter\'sstylewaswhatthemusiccalledfor。Nootherdancerintheroomcouldbethoughtcomparabletohim。Alicetoldhimso。
\"It\'swonderful!\"shesaid。\"Andthemysteryis，whereyoueverlearnedtoDOit!Youneverwenttodancing-school，butthereisn\'tamanintheroomwhocandancehalfsowell。Idon\'tseewhy，whenyoudancelikethis，youalwaysmakesuchafussaboutcomingtoparties。\"
Hesoundedhisbrieflaugh，ajeeringbarkoutofonesideofthemouth，andswunghermiraculouslythroughaclosingspacebetweentwoothercouples。\"Youknowalotaboutwhatgoeson，don\'tyou？Youprob\'lythinkthere\'snootherplacetodanceinthistownexceptthesefrozen-facejoints。\"
\"\'Frozenface？\'\"sheechoed，laughing。\"Why，everybody\'shavingasplendidtime。Lookatthem。\"
\"Oh，theyhollerloudenough，\"hesaid。\"Theydoittomakeeachotherthinkthey\'rehavin\'agoodtime。Youdon\'tcallthatPalmerfamilyfrozen-faceberries，Is\'pose。No？\"
\"Certainlynot。They\'rejustdignifiedand——\"
\"Yeuh!\"saidWalter。\"They\'redignified，\'speciallywhenyoutriedtowhispertoMildredtoshowhowINwithheryouwere，andshemovedyouonthatway。SHE\'Sahotfriend，isn\'tshe!\"
\"Shedidn\'tmeananythingbyit。She——\"
\"OlePalmer\'sahearty，slapyou-on-the-backoleberry，\"Walterinterrupted；addinginacasualtone，\"AllI\'dlike，I\'dliketohithim。\"
\"Walter!Bytheway，youmustn\'tforgettoaskMildredforadancebeforetheeveningisover。\"
\"Me？\"Heproducedthelop-sidedappearanceofhislaugh，butwithoutmakingitvocal。\"Youwatchmedoit!\"
\"Sheprobablywon\'thaveoneleft，butyoumustaskher，anyway。\"
\"WhymustI？\"
\"Because，inthefirstplace，you\'resupposedto，and，inthesecondplace，she\'smymostintimatefriend。\"
\"Yeuh？Isshe？I\'veheardyoupullthat\'most-intimate-friend\'
stuffoftenenoughabouther。What\'sSHEeverdotoshowsheis？\"
\"Nevermind。Youreallymustaskher，Walter。Iwantyouto；
andIwantyoutoaskseveralothergirlsafterwhile；I\'lltellyouwho。\"
\"Keeponwanting；it\'lldoyougood。\"
\"Oh，butyoureally——\"
\"Listen!\"hesaid。\"I\'mjustasliabletodancewithanyofthesefairiesasIamtobuyabucketo\'rustytacksandeat\'em。
Forgetit!SoonasIgetridofyouI\'mgoin\'backtothatroomwhereIleftmyhatandovercoatandsmokemyselftodeath。\"
\"Well，\"shesaid，alittleruefully，asthefrenzyofJazzLouieandhishalf-breedswassuddenlyabatedtosilence，\"youmustn\'t——youmustn\'tgetridofmeTOOsoon，Walter。\"
Theystoodnearoneofthewidedoorways，remainingwheretheyhadstopped。Othercouples，everywhere，joinedoneanother，formingvivaciousclusters，butnoneofthesegroupsadoptedthebrotherandsister，nordidanyoneappeartobehurryinginAlice\'sdirectiontoaskherforthenextdance。Shelookedabouther，stillmaintainingthatjubilanceoflookandmannershefeltsonecessary——foritistothegirlswhoare\"havingagoodtime\"thatpartnersareattracted——and，inordertolendgreatercolourtoherimpersonationofalivelybelle，shebegantochatterloudly，bringingintoplayanaccompanimentoffrolicsomegesture。ShebrushedWalter\'snosesaucilywiththebunchofvioletsinherhand，tappedhimontheshoulder，shookherprettyforefingerinhisface，flourishedherarms，kepthershouldersmoving，andlaughedcontinuouslyasshespoke。
\"YouNAUGHTYoldWalter!\"shecried。\"AREN\'Tyouashamedtobesuchawonderfuldancerandthenonlydancewithyourownlittlesister!Youcoulddanceonthestageifyouwantedto。Why，youcouldmadeyourFORTUNEthatway!Whydon\'tyou？Wouldn\'titbejustlovelytohavealltherowsandrowsofpeopleclappingtheirhandsandshouting，\'Hurrah!Hurrah，forWalterAdams!
Hurrah!Hurrah!Hurrah!\"
Hestoodlookingatherinstolidpity。
\"Cutitout，\"hesaid。\"Youbetterbegivin\'someoftheseberriestheeyesothey\'llaskyoutodance。\"
Shewasnottobesoeasilychecked，andlaughedloudly，flourishinghervioletsinhisfaceagain。\"YouWOULDlikeit；
youknowyouwould；youneedn\'tpretend!Justthink!Awholebigaudienceshouting，\'Hurrah!HURRAH!HUR——\'\"
\"Theplace\'llbepulledifyougetanynoisier，\"heinterrupted，notungently。\"Besides，I\'mnomuleycow。\"
\"A\'COW？\'\"shelaughed。\"Whatonearth——\"
\"Ican\'teatdeadviolets，\"heexplained。\"Sodon\'tkeeptryin\'
tomakemedoit。\"
Thishadtheeffecthedesired，andsubduedher；sheabandonedherunsisterlycoquetries，andlookedbeaminglyabouther，buthersmilewasmoremechanicalthanithadbeenatfirst。
Athomeshehadseemedbeautiful；buthere，wheretheothergirlscompeted，thingswerenotastheyhadbeenthere，withonlyhermotherandMissPerrytogivecontrast。Thesecrowdsofothergirlshadalldonetheirbest，also，tolookbeautiful，thoughnotoneofthemhadworkedsohardforsuchaconsummationasAlicehad。Theydidnotneedto；theydidnotneedtogettheirmotherstomakeolddressesover；theydidnotneedtohuntvioletsintherain。