\"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。