\"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。