\"Justlovely!\"Alicesaid，cheerily，andaftershehadarrangedthelatchforWalter，whohadgonetoreturnthelittlecar，shefollowedhermotherupstairsandhummedadance-tuneontheway。
\"Oh，I\'msogladyouhadanicetime，\"Mrs。Adamssaid，astheyreachedthedoorofherdaughter\'sroomtogether。\"YouDESERVED
to，andit\'slovelytothink——\"
Butatthis，withoutwarning，Alicethrewherselfintohermother\'sarms，sobbingsoloudlythatinhisroom，closeby，herfather，halfdrowsingthroughthenight，startedtofullwakefulness。
CHAPTERIX
Onamorning，aweekafterthiscollapseoffestalhopes，Mrs。
Adamsandherdaughterwereconcludingathree-days\'disturbance，the\"Springhouse-cleaning\"——postponeduntilnowbyAdams\'slongillness——andAlice，onherkneesbeforeachestofdrawers，inhermother\'sroom，pausedthoughtfullyafterdustingapacketofletterswrappedinwornmuslin。Shecalledtohermother，whowasscrubbingthefloorofthehallwayjustbeyondtheopendoor，\"Theseoldlettersyouhadinthebottomdrawer，weren\'ttheysomepapawroteyoubeforeyouweremarried？\"
Mrs。Adamslaughedandsaid，\"Yes。Justput\'embackwheretheywere——orelseupintheattic——anywhereyouwantto。\"
\"DoyoumindifIreadone，mama？\"
Mrs。Adamslaughedagain。\"Oh，Iguessyoucanifyouwantto。
Iexpectthey\'reprettyfunny!\"
Alicelaughedinresponse，andchosethetopmostletterofthepacket。\"Mydear，beautifulgirl，\"itbegan；andshestaredatthesesingularwords。Theygaveherashocklikethatcausedbyoverhearingsomebewilderingimpropriety；and，havingreadthemovertoherselfseveraltimes，shewentontoexperienceothershocks。
MYDEAR，BEAUTIFULGIRL:
ThistimeyesterdayIhadamightybadcaseofbluesbecauseI
hadnothadawordfromyouintwowholelongdaysandwhenIdonothearfromyoueverydaythingslookmightydowninthemouthtome。NowitisallsodifferentbecauseyourletterhasarrivedandbesidesIhavegotapieceofnewsIbelieveyouwillthinkasfineasIdo。Darling，youwillbesurprised，sogetreadytohearaboutabigeffectonourfuture。Itisthisway。
IhadsortofasuspiciontheheadofthefirmkindoftookafancytomefromthefirstwhenIwentinthere，andlikedthewayIattendedtomyworkandsowhenhetookmeonthisbusinesstripwithhimIfeltprettysureofitandnowitturnsoutIwasaboutright。InreturnIguessIhavegotaboutthebestbossinthisworldandIbelieveyouwillthinksotoo。Yes，sweetheart，afterthetalkIhavejusthadwithhimifJ。A。LambaskedmetocutmyhandoffforhimIguessIwouldcomeprettyneardoingitbecausewhathesaysmeanstheendofourwaitingtobetogether。FromNewYearsonheisgoingtoputmeinentirechargeofthesundriesdept。andwhatdoyouthinkisgoingtobemysalary？Elevenhundredcooldollarsayear$1，100。00。
That\'sall!Justonlyacoolelevenhundredperannum!Well，I
guessthatwillshowyourmotherwhetherIcantakecareofyouornot。AndohhowIwouldliketoseeyourdear，beautiful，lovingfacewhenyougetthisnews。
IwouldliketogooutonthepublicstreetsandjustdanceandshoutanditisallIcandotohelpdoingit，especiallywhenI
knowwewillbetalkingitallovertogetherthistimenextweek，andohmydarling，nowthatyourfolkshavenoexcuseforputtingitoffanylongerwemightbeinourownlittlehomebeforeXmas。
Wouldyoubeglad？
Well，darling，thissettleseverythingandmakesourfuturejustaboutassmoothforusasanybodycouldask。Icanhardlyrealizeafterallthiswaitinglife\'stroublesareoverforyouandmeandwehavenothingtodobuttoenjoythehappinessgrantedusbythiswonderful，beautifulthingwecalllife。I
knowIamnotanypoetandtheoneItriedtowriteaboutyouthedayofthepicnicwasfearfulbutthewayITHINKaboutyouisapoem。
Writemewhatyouthinkofthenews。Iknowbutwritemeanyhow。
I\'llgetitbeforewestarthomeandIcanbereadingitoverallthetimeonthetram。
YouralwayslovingVIRGIL。
Thesoundofhermother\'sdiligentscrubbinginthehallcamebackslowlytoAlice\'shearing，assherestoredthelettertothepacket，wrappedthepacketinitsmuslincovering，andreturnedittothedrawer。Shehadremaineduponherkneeswhileshereadtheletter；nowshesankbackward，sittinguponthefloorwithherhandsbehindher，anunconsciousrelaxingforbettereasetothink。Uponherfacetherehadfallenalookofwonder。
Forthefirsttimeshewasvaguelyperceivingthatlifeiseverlastingmovement。Youthreallybelieveswhatisrunningwatertobeapermanentcrystallizationandseestimefixedtoapoint:somepeoplehavedarkhair，somepeoplehaveblondhair，somepeoplehavegrayhair。Untilthismoment，Alicehadnoconvictionthattherewasauniversebeforeshecameintoit。
Shehadalwaysthoughtofitasthebackgroundofherself:themoonwassomethingtomakeherprettieronasummernight。
Butthisoldletter，throughwhichshesawstillflickeringanancientstarlightofyounglove，astoundedher。Faintlybeforeheritrevealedthewholelivesofherfatherandmother，whohadbeenyoung，afterall——theyREALLYhad——andtheiryouthwasnowsoutterlypassedfromthemthatthepictureofit，intheletter，waslikeaburlesqueofthem。Andsoshe，herself，mustpasstosuchchanges，too，andallthatnowseemedvitaltoherwouldbenothing。
Whenherworkwasfinished，thatafternoon，shewentintoherfather\'sroom。HisrecoveryhadprogressedwellenoughtopermitthedepartureofMissPerry；andAdams，wearingoneofMrs。
Adams\'swrappersoverhisnight-gown，satinahigh-backedchairbyaclosedwindow。Theweatherwaswarm，buttheclosedwindowandtheflannelwrapperhadnotsufficedhim:roundhisshouldershehadanoldcrochetedscarfofAlice\'s；hislegswerewrappedinaheavycomfort；and，withtheseswathingsabouthim，andhiseyesclosed，histhinandgrizzledheadmakingbutaslightindentationinthepillowsupportingit，helookedoldandlittleandqueer。
Alicewouldhavegoneoutsoftly，butwithoutopeninghiseyes，hespoketoher:\"Don\'tgo，dearie。Comesitwiththeoldmanalittlewhile。\"
Shebroughtachairnearhis。\"Ithoughtyouwerenapping。\"
\"No。Idon\'thardlyeverdothat。Ijustdriftalittlesometimes。\"
\"Howdoyoumeanyoudrift，papa？\"
Helookedathervaguely。\"Oh，Idon\'tknow。Kindofpictures。
Theygetalittlemixedup——oldtimeswithtimesstillahead，likeplanningwhattodo，youknow。That\'sasnearanapasI
get——whenthepicturesmixupsome。Isupposeit\'ssortofdrowsing。\"
Shetookoneofhishandsandstrokedit。\"Whatdoyoumeanwhenyousayyouhavepictureslike\'planningwhattodo\'？\"sheasked。
\"ImeanplanningwhattodowhenIgetoutandabletogotoworkagain。\"
\"Butthatdoesn\'tneedanyplanning，\"Alicesaid，quickly。
\"You\'regoingbacktoyouroldplaceatLamb\'s，ofcourse。\"
Adamsclosedhiseyesagain，sighingheavily，butmadenootherresponse。
\"Why，ofCOURSEyouare!\"shecried。\"Whatareyoutalkingabout？\"
Hisheadturnedslowlytowardher，revealingtheeyes，openinahaggardstare。\"Iheardyoutheothernightwhenyoucamefromtheparty，\"hesaid。\"Iknowwhatwasthematter。\"
\"Indeed，youdon\'t，\"sheassuredhim。\"Youdon\'tknowanythingaboutit，becausetherewasn\'tanythingthematteratall。\"
\"Don\'tyousupposeIheardyoucrying？What\'dyoucryforiftherewasn\'tanythingthematter？\"
\"Justnerves，papa。Itwasn\'tanythingelseintheworld。\"
\"Nevermind，\"hesaid。\"Yourmothertoldme。\"
\"Shepromisedmenotto!\"
AtthatAdamslaughedmournfully。\"Itwouldn\'tbeverylikelyI\'dhearyousoupsetandnotaskaboutit，evenifshedidn\'tcomeandtellmeonherownhook。Youneedn\'ttrytofoolme；I
tellyouIknowwhatwasthematter。\"
\"TheonlymatterwasIhadasillyfit，\"Aliceprotested。\"Itdidmegood，too。\"
\"How\'sthat？\"
\"BecauseI\'vedecidedtodosomethingaboutit，papa。\"
\"Thatisn\'tthewayyourmotherlooksatit，\"Adamssaid，ruefully。\"Shethinksit\'sourplacetodosomethingaboutit。
Well，Idon\'tknow——Idon\'tknow；everythingseemssochangedthesedays。You\'vealwaysbeenagooddaughter，Alice，andyououghttohaveasmuchasanyofthesegirlsyougowith；she\'sconvincedmeshe\'srightaboutTHAT。Thetroubleis——\"Hefaltered，apologetically，thenwenton，\"Imeanthequestionis——howtogetitforyou。\"
\"No!\"shecried。\"Ihadnobusinesstomakesuchafussjustbecausealotofidiotsdidn\'tbreaktheirneckstogetdanceswithmeandbecauseIgotmortifiedaboutWalter——WalterWAS
prettyterrible——\"
\"Oh，me，my!\"Adamslamented。\"Iguessthat\'ssomethingwejusthavetoleaveworkoutitself。Whatyougoingtodowithaboynineteenortwentyyearsoldthatmakeshisownliving？Can\'twhiphim。Can\'tkeephimlockedupinthehouse。Justgottohopehe\'lllearnbetter，Isuppose。\"
\"Ofcoursehedidn\'twanttogotothePalmers\'，\"Aliceexplained，tolerantly——\"andasmamaandImadehimtakeme，andhethoughtthatwasprettyselfishinme，why，hefelthehadarighttoamusehimselfanywayhecould。Ofcourseitwasawfulthatthis——thatthisMr。Russellshould——\"Inspiteofher，therecollectionchokedher。
\"Yes，itwasawful，\"Adamsagreed。\"Justawful。Oh，me，my!\"
ButAlicerecoveredherselfatonce，andshowedhimacheerfulface。\"Well，justafewyearsfromnowIprobablywon\'tevenrememberit!Ibelievehardlyanythingamountstoasmuchaswethinkitdoesatthetime。\"
\"Well——sometimesitdon\'t。\"
\"WhatI\'vebeenthinking，papa:itseemstomeIoughttoDO
something。\"
\"Whatlike？\"
Shelookeddreamy，butwasobviouslyseriousasshetoldhim:
\"Well，ImeanIoughttobesomethingbesidesjustakindofnobody。Ioughtto——\"Shepaused。
\"What，dearie？\"
\"Well——there\'sonethingI\'dliketodo。I\'msureICOULDdoit，too。\"
\"What？\"
\"Iwanttogoonthestage:IknowIcouldact。\"Atthis，herfatherabruptlygaveutterancetoafeeblecacklingoflaughter；
andwhenAlice，surprisedandalittleoffended，pressedhimforhisreason，hetriedtoevade，saying，\"Nothing，dearie。Ijustthoughtofsomething。\"Butshepersisteduntilhehadtoexplain。
\"Itmademethinkofyourmother\'ssister，yourAuntFlora，thatdiedwhenyouwerelittle，\"hesaid。\"Shewasalwaystellinghowshewasgoingonthestage，andtalkingabouthowshewascertainshe\'dmakeagreatactress，andallsoon；andonedayyourmotherbrokeoutandsaidsheought\'a\'goneonthestage，herself，becauseshealwaysknewshehadthetalentforit——and，well，theygotintokindofaspataboutwhichone\'dmakethebestactress。Ihadtogooutinthehalltolaugh!\"
\"Maybeyouwerewrong，\"Alicesaid，gravely。\"Iftheybothfeltit，whywouldn\'tthatlookasiftherewastalentinthefamily？
I\'veALWAYSthought——\"
\"No，dearie，\"hesaid，withafinalchuckle。\"YourmotherandFloraweren\'tdifferentfromagoodmanyothers。Iexpectninetypercent。ofallthewomenIeverknewwerejustsurethey\'dbemightyfineactressesiftheyevergotthechance。Well，Iguessit\'sagoodthing；theyenjoythinkingaboutitanditdon\'tdoanybodyanyharm。\"
Alicewaspiqued。Forseveraldaysshehadthoughtalmostcontinuouslyofacareertobewonbyherowngenius。Notthatsheplanneddetails，orconcernedherselfwithfirststeps；herpicturingsoverleapedallthat。Principally，shesawhernamegreatonallthebill-boardsofthatunkindcity，andherself，unchangedinagebutglamorouswithfameandParisclothes，returninginaprivatecar。NodoubtthepleasantestdevelopmentofhervisionwasadialoguewithMildred；andthisbecamesorealthat，assheprojectedit，Aliceassumedtheproperexpressionsforbothpartiestoit，formedwordswithherlips，andevenspokesomeofthemaloud。\"No，Ihaven\'tforgottenyou，Mrs。Russell。Irememberyouquitepleasantly，infact。YouwereaMissPalmer，Irecall，inthosefunnyolddays。Verykindofyou，I\'mshaw。Iappreciateyoureagernesstodosomethingformeinyourownlittlehome。Asyousay，areceptionWOULD
renewmyacquaintanceshipwithmanyoldfriends——butI\'mshawyouwon\'tmindmymentioningthatIdon\'tfindmuchinspirationintheseprovincials。Ireallymustaskyounottopressme。Anartist\'stimeisnotherown，thoughofcourseIcouldhardlyexpectyoutounderstand——\"
ThusAliceilluminatedthedulltime；butsheretiredfromtheinterviewwithherfatherstillmanfullydisplayinganoutwardcheerfulness，whiledepressiongrewheavierwithin，asifshehadeatensoggycake。Herfatherknewnothingwhateverofthestage，andshewasawareofhisignorance，yetforsomereasonhisinnocentlyskepticalamusementreducedherbrightprojectalmosttonothing。Somethinglikethisalwayshappened，itseemed；shewascontinuallymakingtheseilluminations，allgaywithgildingsandcolourings；andthenassoonasanybodyelsesomuchasglancedatthem——evenherfather，wholovedher——theprettydesignswerestrickenwithadesolatingpallor。\"IsthisLIFE？\"
Alicewondered，notdoubtingthatthequestionwasoriginalandallherown。\"Isitlifetospendyourtimeimaginingthingsthataren\'tso，andneverwillbe？Beautifulthingshappentootherpeople；whyshouldIbetheonlyonetheyneverCANhappento？\"
Themoodlastedovernight；andwasstilluponherthenextafternoonwhenanerrandforherfathertookherdown-town。
Adamshaddecidedtobeginsmokingagain，andAlicefeltratherdegraded，aswellasembarrassed，whenshewentintothelargeshopherfatherhadnamed，andaskedforthecheaptobaccoheusedinhispipe。Shefellbackuponanairofamusedindulgence，hopingthustosuggestthatherpurchasewasmadeforsomefaithfuloldretainer，nowinfirm；andalthoughthecalmnessoftheclerkwhoservedhercalledfornosuchelaborationofhersketch，sheornamenteditwithalittlelaughandwiththeremark，asshedroppedthepackageintohercoat-pocket，\"I\'msureit\'llpleasehim；theytellmeit\'sthekindhelikes。\"
StillplayingLadyBountiful，smilingtoherselfinanticipationofthejoyshewasbringingtothesimpleoldnegroorIrishfollowerofthefamily，shelefttheshop；butasshecameoutuponthecrowdedpavementhersmilevanishedquickly。
Nexttothedoorofthetobacco-shop，therewastheopenentrancetoastairway，and，abovethisratherbleakanddarkaperture，asign-boarddisplayedinbegrimedgiltletterstheinformationthatFrincke\'sBusinessCollegeoccupiedtheupperfloorsofthebuilding。Furthermore，Frinckeherepubliclyoffered\"personalinstructionandtraininginpracticalmathematics，bookkeeping，andallbranchesofthebusinesslife，includingstenography，typewriting，etc。\"
Alicehaltedforamoment，frowningatthissignboardasthoughitweresomethingsurprisinganddistastefulwhichshehadneverseenbefore。Yetitwasconspicuousinabusyquarter；shealmostalwayspasseditwhenshecamedown-town，andneverwithoutnoticingit。Norwasthisthefirsttimeshehadpausedtolifttowarditthatsameglanceofvaguemisgiving。
Thebuildingwasnotwhatthechangefulcitydefinedasamodernone，andthedustywoodenstairway，asseenfromthepavement，disappearedupwardintoasmokydarkness。Sowouldthefootstepsofagirlascendingthereleadtoahideousobscurity，Alicethought；anobscurityasdrearyandaspermanentasdeath。AndlikedryleavesfallingabouthershesawherwintryimaginingsintheMayair:prettygirlsturningintowitheredcreaturesastheyworkedattyping-machines；oldmaids\"takingdictation\"frommenwithdoublechins；Alicesawoldmaidsofadozendifferentkinds\"takingdictation。\"Hermind\'seyewascrowdedwiththem，asitalwayswaswhenshepassedthatstairwayentrance；andthoughtheywerealldifferentfromoneanother，allofthemlookedalittlelikeherself。
Shehatedtheplace，andyetsheseldomhurriedbyitoravertedhereyes。Ithadanunpleasantfascinationforher，andamysteriousreproach，whichshedidnotseektofathom。Shewalkedonthoughtfullyto-day；andwhen，atthenextcorner，sheturnedintothestreetthatledtowardhome，shewasgivenasurprise。ArthurRussellcamerapidlyfrombehindher，liftinghishatasshesawhim。
\"Areyouwalkingnorth，MissAdams？\"heasked。\"DoyoumindifI
walkwithyou？\"
Shewasnotdelighted，butseemedso。\"Howcharming!\"shecried，givinghimalittleflourishoftheshapelyhands；andthen，becauseshewonderedifhehadseenhercomingoutofthetobacco-shop，shelaughedandadded，\"I\'vejustbeenonthemostridiculouserrand!\"
\"Whatwasthat？\"
\"Toordersomecigarsformyfather。He\'sbeenquiteill，poorman，andhe\'ssoparticular——butwhatintheworlddo_I_knowaboutcigars？\"
Russelllaughed。\"Well，whatDOyouknowabout\'em？Didyouselectbytheprice？\"
\"Mercy，no!\"sheexclaimed，andadded，withanafterthought，\"OfcoursehewrotedownthenameofthekindhewantedandIgaveittotheshopman。Icouldneverhavepronouncedit。\"
CHAPTERX
Inherpocketasshespokeherhandresteduponthelittlesackoftobacco，whichrespondedaccusinglytothetouchofherrestlessfingers；andshefoundtimetowonderwhyshewasbuildingupthisfictionforMr。ArthurRussell。HisdiscoveryofWalter\'sdeviceforwhilingawaythedulleveninghadshamedanddistressedher；butshewouldhavesufferednolessifalmostanyotherhadbeenthediscoverer。Inthisgentleman，afterhearingthathewasMildred\'sMr。ArthurRussell，Alicefeltnottheslightest\"personalinterest\"；andtherewasyettodevelopinherlifesuchathingasaninterestnotpersonal。Attwenty-twothisstateofaffairsisnotunique。
SofarasAlicewasconcernedRussellmighthavewornaplacard，\"Engaged。\"Shelookeduponhimasdinersenteringarestaurantlookupontablesmarked\"Reserved\":theglance，slightlydiscontented，passesonatonce。Orsotheeyeofaprospectorwandersquerulouslyoverstakedandestablishedclaimsonthemountainside，andseeksthevirginlandbeyond；unless，indeed，theprospectorbedishonest。ButAlicewasnoclaim-jumper——solongasthenoticeofownershipwasplainlyposted。
Thoughshewasindifferentnow，habitruledher:and，attheverytimeshewonderedwhyshecreatedfictitiouscigarsforherfather，shewasalsoregrettingthatshehadnotboldlycarriedherMalaccastickdown-townwithher。Hervivacityincreasedautomatically。
\"Perhapstheclerkthoughtyouwantedthecigarsforyourself，\"
Russellsuggested。\"HemayhavetakenyouforaSpanishcountess。\"
\"I\'msurehedid!\"Aliceagreed，gaily；andshehummedabarortwoof\"LaPaloma，\"snappingherfingersascastanets，andswayingherbodyalittle，tosuggesttheacceptedstencilofa\"SpanishDancer。\"\"Wouldyouhavetakenmeforone，Mr。Russell？\"sheasked，assheconcludedtheimpersonation。
\"I？Why，yes，\"hesaid。\"I\'Dtakeyouforanythingyouwantedmeto。\"
\"Why，whataspeech!\"shecried，and，laughing，gavehimaquickglanceinwhichthereglimmeredsomerealsurprise。Hewaslookingatherquizzically，butwiththeliveliestappreciation。
Hersurpriseincreased；andshewasgladthathehadjoinedher。
Tobeseenwalkingwithsuchacompanionaddedtoherpleasure。
Shewouldhavedescribedhimas\"altogetherquitestunning-looking\"；andshelikedhistall，darkthinness，hisgrayclothes，hissofthat，andhiscleanbrownshoes；shelikedhiseasyswingofthestickhecarried。
\"Shouldn\'tIhavesaidit？\"heasked。\"WouldyourathernotbetakenforaSpanishcountess？\"
\"Thatisn\'tit，\"sheexplained。\"Yousaid——\"
\"IsaidI\'dtakeyouforwhateveryouwantedmeto。Isn\'tthatallright？\"
\"Itwouldalldepend，wouldn\'tit？\"
\"Ofcourseitwoulddependonwhatyouwanted。\"
\"Oh，no!\"shelaughed。\"Itmightdependonalotofthings。\"
\"Suchas？\"
\"Well——\"Shehesitated，havingthemischievousimpulsetosay，\"SuchasMildred!\"Butshedecidedtoomitthisreference，andbecameserious，rememberingRussell\'sservicetoheratMildred\'shouse。\"SpeakingofwhatIwanttobetakenfor，\"shesaid；——\"I\'vebeenwonderingeversincetheothernightwhatyoudidtakemefor!Youmusthavetakenmeforthesisterofaprofessionalgambler，I\'mafraid!\"
Russell\'slookofkindnesswasthetruthabouthim，shewastodiscover；andhereassuredhernowbythepromptnessofhisfriendlychuckle。\"ThenyouryoungbrothertoldyouwhereI
foundhim，didhe？Ikeptmyfacestraightatthetime，butI
laughedafterward——tomyself。Itstruckmeasoriginal，tosaytheleast:hisamusinghimselfwiththosedarkies。\"
\"WalterISoriginal，\"Alicesaid；and，havingadoptedthisnewviewofherbrother\'seccentricities，sheimpulsivelywentontomakeitmoreplausible。\"He\'saveryoddboy，andIwasafraidyou\'dmisunderstand。Hetellswonderful\'darkystories，\'andhe\'lldoanythingtodrawcolouredpeopleoutandmakethemtalk；
andthat\'swhathewasdoingatMildred\'swhenyoufoundhimforme——hesayshewinstheirconfidencebyplayingdicewiththem。
Inthefamilywethinkhe\'llprobablywriteaboutthemsomeday。
He\'sratherliterary。\"
\"Areyou？\"Russellasked，smiling。
\"I？Oh——\"Shepaused，liftingbothhandsinacharminggestureofhelplessness。\"Oh，I\'mjust——me!\"
Hisglancefollowedthelightlywavedhandswithkeenapproval，thenrosetothelivelyandcolourfulface，withitshazeleyes，itssmallandprettynose，andthelip-caughtsmilewhichseemedtheclimaxofherdecorativetransition。Neverhadheseenacreaturesoplasticorsowistful。
HerewasacontrasttohiscousinMildred，whowasnotwistful，andcontrolledanyimpulsestowardplasticity，ifshehadthem。
\"ByGeorge!\"hesaid。\"ButyouAREdifferent!\"
Withthat，thereleapedinhersuchanimpulseofroguishgallantryasshecouldneverresist。Sheturnedherhead，and，laughingandbright-eyed，lookedhimfullintheface。
\"Fromwhom？\"shecried。
\"From——everybody!\"hesaid。\"Areyouamind-reader？\"
\"Why？\"
\"HowdidyouknowIwasthinkingyouweredifferentfrommycousin，MildredPalmer？\"
\"WhatmakesyouthinkIDIDknowit？\"
\"Nonsense!\"hesaid。\"YouknewwhatIwasthinkingandIknewyouknew。\"
\"Yes，\"shesaidwithcoolhumour。\"Howintimatethatseemstomakeusallatonce!\"
Russellleftnodoubtthathewasdelightedwiththesegaietiesofhers。\"ByGeorge!\"heexclaimedagain。\"IthoughtyouwerethissortofgirlthefirstmomentIsawyou!\"
\"Whatsortofgirl？Didn\'tMildredtellyouwhatsortofgirlI
amwhensheaskedyoutodancewithme？\"
\"Shedidn\'taskmetodancewithyou——I\'dbeenlookingatyou。
Youweretalkingtosomeoldladies，andIaskedMildredwhoyouwere。\"
\"Oh，soMildredDIDN\'T——\"Alicecheckedherself。\"WhodidshetellyouIwas？\"
\"ShejustsaidyouwereaMissAdams，soI——\"
\"\'A\'MissAdams？\"Aliceinterrupted。
\"Yes。ThenIsaidI\'dliketomeetyou。\"
\"Isee。Youthoughtyou\'dsavemefromtheoldladies。\"
\"No。IthoughtI\'dsavemyselffromsomeofthegirlsMildredwasgettingmetodancewith。TherewasaMissDowling——\"
\"Poorman!\"Alicesaid，gently，andherimpulsivethoughtwasthatMildredhadtakenfewchances，andthatasamatterofself-defensehercarefulnessmighthavebeenwellfounded。ThisMr。ArthurRussellwasamuchmoreresponsivepersonthanonehadsupposed。
\"So，Mr。Russell，youdon\'tknowanythingaboutmeexceptwhatyouthoughtwhenyoufirstsawme？\"
\"Yes，IknowIwasrightwhenIthoughtit。\"
\"Youhaven\'ttoldmewhatyouthought。\"
\"IthoughtyouwerelikewhatyouARElike。\"
\"Notverydefinite，isit？I\'mafraidyoushedmorelightaminuteorsoago，whenyousaidhowdifferentfromMildredyouthoughtIwas。ThatWASdefinite，unfortunately!\"
\"Ididn\'tsayit，\"Russellexplained。\"Ithoughtit，andyoureadmymind。That\'sthesortofgirlIthoughtyouwere——onethatcouldreadaman\'smind。Whydoyousay\'unfortunately\'
you\'renotlikeMildred？\"
Alice\'ssmoothgestureseemedtosketchMildred。\"Becauseshe\'sperfect——why，she\'sPERFECTLYperfect!Shenevermakesamistake，andeverybodylooksuptoher——oh，yes，weallfairlyadoreher!She\'slikesomebig，noble，coldstatue——\'wayabovetherestofus——andshehardlyeverdoesanythingmeanortreacherous。OfallthegirlsIknowIbelieveshe\'splayedthefewestreallypettytricks。She\'s——\"
Russellinterrupted；helookedperplexed。\"Yousayshe\'sperfectlyperfect，butthatshedoesplaySOME——\"
Alicelaughed，asifathissweetinnocence。\"Menaresofunny!\"
sheinformedhim。\"OfcoursegirlsALLdomeanthingssometimes。
Myowncareer\'sjustonelongbrazensmirchof\'em!WhatImeanis，Mildred\'sperfectlyperfectcomparedtotherestofus。
\"Isee，\"hesaid，andseemedtoneedamomentortwoofthoughtfulness。Thenheinquired，\"WhatsortoftreacherousthingsdoYOUdo？\"
\"I？Oh，theveryworstkind!Mostpeopleboremeparticularlythemeninthistown——andIshowit。\"
\"ButIshouldn\'tcallthattreacherous，exactly。\"
\"Well，THEYdo，\"Alicelaughed。\"It\'smademeaterriblyunpopularcharacter!Idoalotofthingstheyhate。Forinstance，atadanceI\'dalotratherfindsomecleveroldwomanandtalktoherthandancewithnine-tenthsofthesenonentities。
Iusuallydoit，too。\"
\"Butyoudancedasifyoulikedit。YoudancedbetterthananyothergirlI——\"
\"Thisflatteryofyoursdoesn\'tquiteturnmyhead，Mr。
Russell，\"Aliceinterrupted。\"ParticularlysinceMildredonlygaveyouEllaDowlingtocomparewithme!\"
\"Oh，no，\"heinsisted。\"Therewereothers——andofcourseMildred，herself。\"
\"Oh，ofcourse，yes。Iforgotthat。Well——\"Shepaused，thenadded，\"IcertainlyOUGHTtodancewell。\"
\"Whyisitsomuchaduty？\"
\"WhenIthinkofthedancing-teachersandtheexpensetopapa!
Allsortsoffancyinstructors——Isupposethat\'swhatdaughtershavefathersfor，though，isn\'tit？Tothrowmoneyawayonthem？\"
\"Youdon\'t——\"Russellbegan，andhislookwasoneofalarm。
\"Youhaven\'ttakenup——\"
Sheunderstoodhisapprehensionandrespondedmerrily，\"Oh，murder，no!Youmeanyou\'reafraidIbreakoutsometimesinapieceofcheeseclothandrunaroundafountainthirtytimes，andthen，foranencore，showhowmuchlikesnakesIcanmakemyarmslook。\"
\"ISAIDyouwereamind-reader!\"heexclaimed。\"That\'sexactlywhatIwaspretendingtobeafraidyoumightdo。\"
\"\'Pretending？\'That\'snicerofyou。No；it\'snotmymania。\"
\"Whatis？\"
\"Oh，nothinginparticularthatIknowofjustnow。OfcourseI\'vehadtheusualone:theonethateverygirlgoesthrough。\"
\"What\'sthat？\"
\"Goodheavens，Mr。Russell，youcan\'texpectmetobelieveyou\'rereallyamanoftheworldifyoudon\'tknowthateverygirlhasatimeinherlifewhenshe\'spositiveshe\'sdivinelytalentedforthestage!It\'stheonlyuniversalruleaboutwomenthathasn\'tgotanexception。Idon\'tmeanweallwanttogoonthestage，butweallthinkwe\'dbewonderfulifwedid。EvenMildred。Oh，shewouldn\'tconfessittoyou:you\'dhavetoknowheragreatdealbetterthananymancaneverknowhertofindout。\"
\"Isee，\"hesaid。\"Girlsarealwaystellinguswecan\'tknowthem。Iwonderifyou——\"
Shetookuphisthoughtbeforeheexpressedit，andagainhewasfascinatedbyherquickness，whichindeedseemedtohimalmosttelepathic。\"Oh，butDON\'Tweknowoneanother，though!\"shecried。