\"Suchthingswehavetokeepsecret——thingsthatgoonrightbeforeYOUReyes!\"
\"Whydon\'tsomeofyoutellus?\"heasked。
\"Wecan\'ttellyou。\"
\"Toomuchhonour?\"
\"No。Noteventoomuchhonouramongthieves,Mr。Russell。Wedon\'ttellyouaboutourtricksagainstoneanotherbecauseweknowitwouldn\'tmakeanyimpressiononyou。Thetricksaren\'tplayedagainstyou,andyouhaveasoftsideforcatswithlovelymanners!\"
\"Whataboutyourtricksagainstus?\"
\"Oh,those!\"Alicelaughed。\"Wethinkthey\'rerathercute!\"
\"Bravo!\"hecried,andhammeredtheferruleofhisstickuponthepavement。
\"What\'stheapplausefor?\"
\"Foryou。Whatyousaidwaslikerunninguptheblackflagtothemasthead。\"
\"Oh,no。Itwasjustamodestlittlesigninaprettyflower-bed:\'Gentlemen,beware!\'\"
\"IseeImust,\"hesaid,gallantly。
\"Thanks!ButImean,bewareofthewholebloomin\'garden!\"Then,pickingupathreadthathadalmostdisappeared:\"Youneedn\'tthinkyou\'lleverfindoutwhetherI\'mrightaboutMildred\'snotbeinganexceptionbyaskingher,\"shesaid。\"Shewon\'ttellyou:she\'snotthesortthatevermakesaconfession。\"
ButRussellhadnotfollowedhershifttotheformertopic。
\"\'Mildred\'snotbeinganexception?\'\"hesaid,vaguely。\"I
don\'t——\"
\"Anexceptionaboutthinkingshecouldbewonderfulthingonthestageifsheonlycaredto。IfyouaskedherI\'mprettysureshe\'dsay,\'Whatnonsense!\'Mildred\'sthedearest,finestthinganywhere,butyouwon\'tfindoutmanythingsaboutherbyaskingher。\"
Russell\'sexpressionbecamemoreserious,asitdidwheneverhiscousinwasmadetheirtopic。\"Youthinknot?\"hesaid。\"Youthinkshe\'s——\"
\"No。Butit\'snotbecausesheisn\'tsincereexactly。It\'sonlybecauseshehassuchalottoliveupto。Shehastoliveuptobeingagirlonthegrandstyletoherself,Imean,ofcourse。\"
AndwithoutpausingAlicerippledon,\"YououghttohaveseenME
whenIhadthestage-fever!Iusedtoplay\'Juliet\'allaloneinmyroom。\'Sheliftedherarmsingracefulentreaty,pleadingmusically,\"O,swearnotbythemoon,theinconstantmoon,Thatmonthlychangesinhercircledorb,Lestthyloveprove——\"
Shebrokeoffabruptlywithalittleflourish,snappingthumbandfingerofeachoutstretchedhand,thenlaughedandsaid,\"Papausedtomakesuchfunofme!Thankheaven,Iwasonlyfifteen;I
wasalloveritbythenextyear。\"
\"Nowonderyouhadthefever,\"Russellobserved。\"Youdoitbeautifully。Whydidn\'tyoufinishtheline?\"
\"Whichone?\'Lestthyloveprovelikewisevariable\'?JulietwassayingittoaMAN,youknow。Sheseemstohavebeenreadytoworryabouthisconstancyprettyearlyintheiraffair!\"
Hercompanionwasagainthoughtful。\"Yes,\"hesaid,seemingtoberatherirksomelyimpressedwithAlice\'ssuggestion。\"Yes;itdoesappearso。\"
Aliceglancedathisseriousface,andyieldedtoanaudacioustemptation。\"Youmustn\'ttakeitsohard,\"shesaid,flippantly。
\"Itisn\'taboutyou:it\'sonlyaboutRomeoandJuliet。\"
\"Seehere!\"heexclaimed。\"Youaren\'tatyourmind-readingagain,areyou?Therearetimeswhenitwon\'tdo,youknow!\"
Sheleanedtowardhimalittle,asifcompanionably:theywerewalkingslowly,andthisgenialityofhersbroughthershoulderinlightcontactwithhisforamoment。\"Doyoudislikemymind-reading?\"sheasked,and,acrosstheirtwojusttouchingshoulders,gavehimhersuddenlookofsmilingwistfulness。\"Doyouhateit?\"
Heshookhishead。\"No,Idon\'t,\"hesaid,gravely。\"It\'squitepleasant。ButIthinkitsays,\'Gentlemen,beware!\'\"
Sheinstantlymovedawayfromhim,withthelawlessandfranklaughofonewhoisdelightedtobecaughtinapieceofhypocrisy。\"Howlovely!\"shecried。Thenshepointedahead。
\"Ourwalkisnearlyover。We\'recomingtothefoolishlittlehousewhereIlive。It\'saqueerlittleplace,butmyfather\'ssoattachedtoitthefamilyhaveaboutgivenuphopeofgettinghimtobuildarealhousefartherout。Hedoesn\'tmindourbeingextravagantaboutanythingelse,buthewon\'tletusalteronesinglethingabouthispreciouslittleoldhouse。Well!\"Shehalted,andgavehimherhand。\"Adieu!\"
\"Icouldn\'t,\"hebegan;hesitated,thenasked:\"Icouldn\'tcomeinwithyouforalittlewhile?\"
\"Notnow,\"shesaid,quickly。\"Youcancome——\"Shepaused。
\"When?\"
\"Almostanytime。\"Sheturnedandwalkedslowlyupthepath,buthewaited。\"Youcancomeintheeveningifyoulike,\"shecalledbacktohimoverhershoulder。
\"Soon?\"
\"Assoonasyoulike!\"Shewavedherhand;thenranindoorsandwatchedhimfromawindowashewentupthestreet。Hewalkedrapidly,afine,easyfigure,swinginghisstickinawaythatsuggestedexhilaration。Alice,staringafterhimthroughtheirregularaperturesofalacecurtain,showednosimilarbuoyancy。Upontheinstantsheclosedthedoorallsparklelefther:shehadbecomeatoncethesimpleandsometimestroubledgirlherfamilyknew。
\"Whatisgoingonoutthere?\"hermotherasked,approachingfromthedining-room。
\"Oh,nothing,\"Alicesaid,indifferently,assheturnedaway。
\"ThatMr。Russellmetmedowntownandwalkedupwithme。\"
\"Mr。Russell?Oh,theonethat\'sengagedtoMildred?\"
\"Well——Idon\'tknowforcertain。Hedidn\'tseemsomuchlikeanengagedmantome。\"Andsheadded,inthetoneofthoughtfulpreoccupation:\"Anyhow——notsoterribly!\"
Thensheranupstairs,gaveherfatherhistobacco,filledhispipeforhim,andpettedhimashelightedit。
CHAPTERXI
Afterthat,shewenttoherroomandsatdownbeforeherthree-leavedmirror。Therewaswhereshenearlyalwayssatwhenshecameintoherroom,ifshehadnothinginmindtodo。Shewenttothatchairasnaturallyasadoggoestohiscorner。
Sheleanedforward,observingherprofile;gravityseemedtobehermood。Butafteralong,almostmotionlessscrutiny,shebegantoproducedramaticsketchesuponthatever-readystage,hercountenance:sheshowedgaiety,satire,doubt,gentleness,appreciationofacompanionandlove-in-hiding——allstudiedinprofilefirst,thenrepeatedfora\"three-quarterview。\"
Subsequentlysheranthroughthem,facingherselfinfull。
InthismannersheoutlinedaplayfulscenarioforhernextinterviewwithArthurRussell;butgrewsolemnagain,thinkingoftheimpressionshehadalreadysoughttogivehim。Shehadnotwingesforanyunderminingsofher\"mostintimatefriend\"——infact,shefeltthatherworkonanewportraitofMildredforMr。
Russellhadbeenhonestandaccurate。ButwhyhaditbeenherinstincttoshowhimanAliceAdamswhodidn\'texist?
Almosteverythingshehadsaidtohimwasuponspontaneousimpulse,springingtoherlipsontheinstant;yetitallseemedtohavebeenfoundeduponacarefuldesign,asifsomehiddenselfkeptsuchdesignsinstockandhandedthemuptoher,ready-made,tobeusedforitsownpurpose。Whatappearedtobethedesiredresultwasafalse-colouredimageinRussell\'smind;
butifhelikedthatimagehewouldn\'tbelikingAliceAdams;norwouldanythinghethoughtabouttheimagebeathoughtabouther。
Nevertheless,sheknewshewouldgoonwithherfalse,fancycolouringsofthisnothingassoonasshesawhimagain;shehadjustbeenpracticingthem。\"What\'stheidea?\"shewondered。
\"Whatmakesmetellsuchlies?Whyshouldn\'tIbejustmyself?\"
Andthenshethought,\"Butwhichoneismyself?\"
Hereyesdweltonthesolemneyesinthemirror;andherlips,disquietedbyadeepeningwonder,partedtowhisper:
\"Whointheworldareyou?\"
Theapparitionbeforeherhadobeyedherlikeanalertslave,butnow,asshesubsidedtoacompletestillness,thataspectchangedtotheoldmockerywithwhichmirrorsavengetheirwrongs。Thenucleusofsomequeerthingseemedtogatherandshapeitselfbehindthenothingnessofthereflectedeyesuntilitbecamealmostanactualstrangepresence。Ifitcouldbeidentified,perhapsthepresencewasthatofthehiddendesignerwhohandedupthefalse,ready-madepictures,and,forunknownpurposes,madeAliceexhibitthem;butwhateveritwas,shesuddenlyfounditmonkey-likeandterrifying。Inafluttershejumpedupandwenttoanotherpartoftheroom。
Amomentortwolatershewaswhistlingsoftlyasshehungherlightcoatoverawoodentriangleinhercloset,andhermusingnowwasquainterthantheexperiencethatledtoit;forwhatshethoughtwasthis,\"Icertainlyamaqueergirl!\"Shetookalittleprideinsomuchoriginality,believingherselfprobablytheonlypersonintheworldtohavesuchthoughtsashadbeenherssincesheenteredtheroom,andthefirsttobedisturbedbyastrangepresenceinthemirror。Infact,theeffectofthetinyepisodebecameapparentinthatlookofpreoccupiedcomplacencytobeseenforatimeuponanygirlwhohasfoundreasontosuspectthatsheisabeingwithoutcounterpart。
Thisslightglow,stillfaintlyradiant,wasobservedacrossthedinner-tablebyWalter,buthemisinterpretedit。\"WhatYOU
lookin\'soself-satisfiedabout?\"heinquired,andaddedinhisknowingway,\"Isawyou,allright,cutie!\"
\"Where\'dyouseeme?\"
\"Down-town。\"
\"Thisafternoon,youmean,Walter?\"
\"Yes,\'thisafternoon,Imean,Walter,\'\"hereturned,burlesquinghervoiceatleasthappilyenoughtopleasehimself;
forhelaughedapplausively。\"Oh,youneversawme!Ipassedyoucloseenoughtopullatooth,butyouwereawfulbusy。I
neverdidseeanybodyasbusyasyouget,Alice,whenyou\'retowin\'abarge。My,butyoukeepyourhandsgoin\'!Lookedliketheairwasfullof\'em!That\'swhyI\'montowhyyoulooksotickledthisevening;Isawyouwiththatbigfish。\"
Mrs。Adamslaughedbenevolently;shewasnotdispleasedwiththisrallying。\"Well,whatofit,Walter?\"sheasked。\"Ifyouhappentoseeyoursisteronthestreetwhensomeniceyoungmanisbeingattentivetoher——\"
Walterbarkedandthencackled。\"Whoa,Sal!\"hesaid。\"Yougotthepartsmixed。It\'slittleAlicethatwas\'beingattentive。\'I
knowthebigfishshewasattentiveto,allright,too。\"
\"Yes,\"hissisterretorted,quietly。\"Ishouldthinkyoumighthaverecognizedhim,Walter。\"
Walterlookedannoyed。\"Stillharpin\'onTHAT!\"hecomplained。
\"ThekindofwomenIlike,iftheygetsoretheyjusthityousomewhereonthefaceandthenthey\'rethrough。Bytheway,I
heardthisRussellwassupposedtobeyourdear,old,sweetfriendMildred\'ssteady。Whatyoudoin\'walkin\'asclosetohimasallthat?\"
Mrs。Adamsaddressedhersoningentlereproof,\"WhyWalter!\"
\"Oh,nevermind,mama,\"Alicesaid。\"Tothehorridallthingsarehorrid。\"
\"Getout!\"Walterprotested,carelessly。\"IheardallaboutthisRusselldownattheshop。YoungJoeLamb\'ssuchatalkerI
wonderhedon\'truinhisgrandfather\'sbusiness;hekeepsalluscheaphelpstandin\'roundlisteningtohimnine-tenthsofourtime。Well,JoetoldmethisRussell\'ssomekinorothertothePalmerfamily,andhe\'sgotsomelittlemoneyofhisown,andhe\'sputtin\'itintoolePalmer\'strustcompanyandPalmer\'sgoin\'tomakehimavice-presidentofthecompany。Sortofakeep-the-money-in-the-familyarrangement,JoeLambsays。\"
Mrs。Adamslookedthoughtful。\"Idon\'tsee——\"shebegan。
\"Why,thisRussell\'ssupposedtobetieduptoMildred,\"hersonexplained。\"WhenolePalmerdiesthisRussellwillbehisson-in-law,andallhe\'llhaf\'todo\'llbetobarelylifthisfeetandstepintotheoleman\'sshoes。It\'scertainlyamightyfathand-me-outforthisRussell!Youbetterlayoffo\'there,Alice。Picksomebodythat\'sgotlesstoloseandyou\'llmakebettershowing。\"
Mrs。Adams\'sairofthoughtfulnesshadnotdeparted。\"ButyousaythisMr。Russelliswelloffonhisownaccount,Walter。\"
\"Oh,JoeLambsayshe\'sgotsomelittleofhisown。Didn\'tknowhowmuch。\"
\"Well,then——\"
Walterlaughedhislaugh。\"Cutitout,\"hebadeher。\"Alicewouldn\'truninfourthplace。\"
Alicehadbeenlookingathiminadetachedway,asthoughestimatingthevalueofaspecimeninacollectionnotherown。
\"Yes,\"shesaid,indifferently。\"YouREALLYarevulgar,Walter。\"
Hehadfinishedhismeal;and,rising,hecameroundthetabletoherandpattedhergood-naturedlyontheshoulder。\"GoodoleAllie!\"hesaid。\"HONEST,youwouldn\'truninfourthplace。IfIwasyouI\'dneverevenstartintheclass。Thatfrozen-face;
gangwillruleyouoffthetracksoonastheyseeyourcolours。\"
\"Walter!\"hismothersaidagain。
\"Well,ain\'tIherbrother?\"hereturned,seemingtobeentirelyseriousanddirect,forthemoment,atleast。\"_I_liketheolegirlallright。Factis,sometimesI\'mkindofsorryforher。\"
\"Butwhat\'sitallABOUT?\"Alicecried。\"Simplybecauseyoumetmedown-townwithamanIneversawbutoncebeforeandjustbarelyknow!Whyallthispalaver?\"
\"\'Why?\'\"herepeated,grinning。\"Well,I\'veseenyoustartbefore,youknow!\"Hewenttothedoor,andpaused。\"Igotnodateto-night。Takeyoutothemovies,youcaretogo。\"
Shedeclinedcrisply。\"No,thanks!\"
\"Comeon,\"hesaid,aspleasantlyasheknewhow。
\"Givemeachancetoshowyouabettertimethanwehadupatthatfrozen-facejoint。I\'llgetyousomechopsueyafterward。\"
\"No,thanks!\"
\"Allright,\"herespondedandwavedaflippantadieu。\"Asthebarbersays,\'Thebettertheadvice,theworseit\'swasted!\'
Good-night!\"
Aliceshruggedhershoulders;butamomentortwolater,asthejarofthecarelesslyslammedfrontdoorwentthroughthehouse,sheshookherhead,reconsidering。\"PerhapsIoughttohavegonewithhim。Itmighthavekepthimawayfromwhateverdreadfulpeoplearehisfriends——atleastforonenight。\"
\"Oh,I\'msureWalter\'saGOODboy,\"Mrs。Adamssaid,soothingly;
andthiswaswhatshealmostalwayssaidwheneitherherhusbandorAliceexpressedsuchmisgivings。\"He\'sodd,andhe\'spickeduprightqueermanners;butthat\'sonlybecausewehaven\'tgivenhimadvantagesliketheotheryoungmen。ButI\'msurehe\'saGOODboy。\"
Sherevertedtothesubjectalittlelater,whileshewashedthedishesandAlicewipedthem。\"OfcourseWaltercouldtakehisplacewiththeotherniceboysofthetownevenyet,\"shesaid。
\"Imean,ifwecouldaffordtohelphimfinancially。Theyallbelongtothecountryclubsandhavecarsand——\"
\"Let\'sdon\'tgointothatanymore,mama,\"thedaughterbeggedher。\"What\'stheuse?\"
\"ItCOULDbeofuse,\"Mrs。Adamsinsisted。\"Itcouldifyourfather——\"
\"ButpapaCAN\'T。\"
\"Yes,hecan。\"
\"Buthowcanhe?HetoldmeamanofhisageCAN\'Tgiveupabusinesshe\'sbeeninpracticallyallhislife,andjustgogropingaboutforsomethingthatmightneverturnupatall。I
thinkhe\'srightaboutit,too,ofcourse!\"
Mrs。Adamssplashedamongtheplateswithanewvigourheightenedbyanoldbitterness。\"Oh,yes,\"shesaid。\"Hetalksthatway;butheknowsbetter。\"
\"Howcouldhe\'knowbetter,\'mama?\"
\"HEknowshow!\"
\"Butwhatdoesheknow?\"
Mrs。Adamstossedherhead。\"Youdon\'tsupposeI\'msuchafoolI\'dbeurginghimtogiveupsomethingfornothing,doyou,Alice?DoyousupposeI\'dwanthimtojustgo\'gropingaround\'
likehewastellingyou?Thatwouldbecrazy,ofcourse。LittleashisworkatLamb\'sbringsin,Iwouldn\'tbesosillyastoaskhimtogiveitupjustonaCHANCEhecouldfindsomethingelse。
Goodgracious,Alice,youmustgivemecreditforalittleintelligenceonceinawhile!\"
Alicewaspuzzled。\"Butwhatelsecouldtherebeexceptachance?Idon\'tsee——\"
\"Well,Ido,\"hermotherinterrupted,decisively。\"Thatmancouldmakeusallwelloffrightnowifhewantedto。Wecouldhavebeenrichlongagoifhe\'deverreallyfeltasheoughttoabouthisfamily。\"
\"What!Why,howcould——\"
\"YouknowhowaswellasIdo,\"Mrs。Adamssaid,crossly。\"I
guessyouhaven\'tforgottenhowhetreatedmeaboutittheSundaybeforehegotsick。\"
Shewentonwithherwork,puttingintoitasuddenviolenceinspiredbytherecollection;butAlice,enlightened,gaveutterancetoalaughoflugubriousderision。\"Oh,theGLUE
factoryagain!\"shecried。\"Howsilly!\"Andsherenewedherlaughter。
Sooftendothegreatprojectsofparentsappearignominioustotheirchildren。Mrs。Adams\'sconceptionofagluefactoryasafairygodmotherofthisfamilywasanabsurdoldstorywhichAlicehadnevertakenseriously。SherememberedthatwhenshewasaboutfifteenhermotherbegannowandthentosaysomethingtoAdamsabouta\"gluefactory,\"rathertimidly,andasavaguesuggestion,butneverwithoutirritatinghim。Then,foryears,thepreposteroussubjecthadnotbeenmentioned;possiblybecauseofsomeexplosiononthepartofAdams,whenhisdaughterhadnotbeenpresent。ButduringthelastyearMrs。Adamshadquietlygonebacktotheseoldhints,revivingthematintervalsandalsorevivingherhusband\'sirritation。Alice\'sboredimpressionwasthathermotherwantedhimtofound,orbuy,ordosomething,orother,aboutagluefactory;andthatheconsideredtheproposalsoimpracticableastobeinsulting。TheparentalconversationstookplacewhenneitherAlicenorWalterwasathand,butsometimesAlicehadcomeinupontheconclusionofone,tofindherfatherinashoutingmood,andshockingtheairbehindhimwithprofanemonosyllablesashedeparted。Mrs。Adamswouldbeleftquietandtroubled;andwhenAlice,sympathizingwiththegoadedman,inquiredofhermotherwhythesetiresomebickeringshadbeenrenewed,shealwaysgotthebroodingandcrypticanswer,\"HeCOULDdoit——ifhewantedto。\"Alicefailedtocomprehendthedesirabilityofagluefactory——tohermindafatherengagedinagluefactorylackedimpressiveness;hadnoadvantageoverafatheremployedbyLambandCompany;andshesupposedthatAdamsknewbetterthanhermotherwhethersuchanenterprisewouldbeprofitableornot。Emphatically,hethoughtitwouldnot,forshehadheardhimshoutingattheendofoneofthesepainfulinterviews,\"YoucankeepupyourdangtalktillYOUdieand_I_
die,butI\'llnevermakeoneGod\'scentthatway!\"
Therehadbeenaculmination。ReturningfromchurchontheSundayprecedingthecollapsewithwhichAdams\'sillnesshadbegun,Alicefoundhermotherdownstairs,weepingandintimidated,whileherfather\'sstampingfootstepswereloudlyaudibleashestrodeupanddownhisroomoverhead。Sowerehisendlessrepetitionsofinvectiveloudlyaudible:\"Thatwoman!
Oh,thatwoman;Oh,thatdangedwoman!\"
Mrs。Adamsadmittedtoherdaughterthatitwas\"theoldgluefactory\"andthatherhusband\'swildnesshadfrightenedherintoa\"solemnpromise\"nevertomentionthesubjectagainsolongasshehadbreath。Alicelaughed。The\"gluefactory\"ideawasnotonlyabore,butridiculous,andhermother\'sevidentseriousnessaboutitoneofthoseinexplicablevagarieswesometimesdiscoverinthepeopleweknowbest。ButthisSundayrampageappearedtobetheendofit,andwhenAdamscamedowntodinner,anhourlater,hewasunusuallycheerful。Alicewasgladhehadgonewildenoughtosettlethegluefactoryonceandforall;andshehadceasedtothinkoftheepisodelongbeforeFridayofthatweek,whenAdamswasbroughthomeinthemiddleoftheafternoonbyhisoldemployer,the\"greatJ。A。Lamb,\"inthelatter\'scar。
Duringthelongillnessthe\"gluefactory\"wascompletelyforgotten,byAliceatleast;andherlaughwasruefulaswellasderisivenow,inthekitchen,whensherealizedthathermother\'smindagaindweltuponthisabandonednuisance。\"Ithoughtyou\'dgotoverallthatnonsense,mama,\"shesaid。
Mrs。Adamssmiled,pathetically。\"Ofcourseyouthinkit\'snonsense,dearie。Youngpeoplethinkeverything\'snonsensethattheydon\'tknowanythingabout。\"
\"Goodgracious!\"Alicecried。\"IshouldthinkIusedtohearenoughaboutthathorribleoldgluefactorytoknowsomethingaboutit!\"
\"No,\"hermotherreturnedpatiently。\"You\'veneverheardanythingaboutitatall。\"
\"Ihaven\'t?\"
\"No。YourfatherandIdidn\'tdiscussitbeforeyouchildren。
Allyoueverheardwaswhenhe\'dgetinsucharage,afterwe\'dbeenspeakingofit,thathecouldn\'tcontrolhimselfwhenyoucamein。Wasn\'t_I_alwaysquiet?Did_I_evergoontalkingaboutit?\"
\"No;perhapsnot。Butyou\'retalkingaboutitnow,mama,afteryoupromisednevertomentionitagain。\"
\"Ipromisednottomentionittoyourfather,\"saidMrs。Adams,gently。\"Ihaven\'tmentionedittohim,haveI?\"
\"Ah,butifyoumentionittomeI\'mafraidyouWILLmentionittohim。Youalwaysdospeakofthingsthatyouhaveonyourmind,andyoumightgetpapaallstirredupagainabout——\"Alicepaused,alightofdivinationflickeringinhereyes。\"Oh!\"shecried。\"ISEE!\"
\"Whatdoyousee?\"
\"YouHAVEbeenathimaboutit!\"
\"Notonesingleword!\"
\"No!\"Alicecried。\"NotaWORD,butthat\'swhatyou\'vemeantallalong!Youhaven\'tspokenthewordstohim,butallthisurginghimtochange,to\'findsomethingbettertogointo\'——it\'sallbeenaboutnothingonearthbutyourfoolisholdgluefactorythatyouknowupsetshim,andyougaveyoursolemnwordnevertospeaktohimaboutagain!Youdidn\'tsayit,butyoumeantit——andheKNOWSthat\'swhatyoumeant!Oh,mama!\"
Mrs。Adams,withherhandsstillautomaticallyatworkinthefloodeddishpan,turnedtofaceherdaughter。\"Alice,\"shesaid,tremulously,\"whatdoIaskformyself?\"
\"What?\"
\"Isay,WhatdoIaskformyself?Doyousuppose_I_wantanything?Don\'tyouknowI\'dbeperfectlycontentonyourfather\'spresentincomeifIweretheonlypersontobeconsidered?WhatdoIcareaboutanypleasureformyself?I\'dbewillingnevertohaveamaidagain;_I_don\'tminddoingthework。Ifwedidn\'thaveanychildrenI\'dbegladtodoyourfather\'scookingandthehouseworkandthewashingandironing,too,fortherestofmylife。Iwouldn\'tcare。I\'mapoorcookandapoorhousekeeper;Idon\'tdoanythingwell;butitwouldbegoodenoughforjusthimandme。Iwouldn\'teverutteronewordofcom——\"
\"Oh,goodness!\"Alicelamented。\"WhatISitallabout?\"
\"It\'saboutthis,\"saidMrs。Adams,swallowing。\"YouandWalterareanewgenerationandyououghttohavethesameastherestofthenewgenerationget。PoorWalter——askingyoutogotothemoviesandaChineserestaurant:thebesthehadtooffer!Don\'tyousuppose_I_seehowthepoorboyisdeteriorating?Don\'tyousupposeIknowwhatYOUhavetogothrough,Alice?AndwhenI
thinkofthatmanupstairs——\"Theagitatedvoicegrewlouder。
\"WhenIthinkofhimandknowthatnothingintheworldbuthisSTUBBORNNESSkeepsmychildrenfromhavingalltheywantandwhattheyOUGHTtohave,doyousupposeI\'mgoingtoholdmyselfboundtokeeptotheabsoluteletterofasillypromisehegotfrommebybehavinglikeacrazyman?Ican\'t!Ican\'tdoit!Nomothercouldsitbyandseehimlockupahornofplentylikethatinhisclosetwhenthechildrenwerestarving!\"
\"Oh,goodness,goodnessme!\"Aliceprotested。\"Wearen\'tprecisely\'starving,\'arewe?\"
Mrs。Adamsbegantoweep。\"It\'sjustthesame。Didn\'tIseehowflushedandprettyyoulooked,thisafternoon,afteryou\'dbeenwalkingwiththisyoungmanthat\'scomehere?Doyousupposehe\'dLOOKatagirllikeMildredPalmerifyouhadwhatyououghttohave?Doyousupposehe\'dbegoingintobusinesswithherfatherifYOURfather——\"
\"Goodheavens,mama;you\'reworsethanWalter:Ijustbarelyknowtheman!DON\'Tbesoabsurd!\"
\"Yes,I\'malways\'absurd,\'\"Mrs。Adamsmoaned。\"AllIcandoiscry,whileyourfathersitsupstairs,andhishornofplenty——\"
ButAliceinterruptedwithapealofdesperatelaughter。\"Oh,that\'hornofplenty!\'Docomedowntoearth,mama。HowcanyoucallaGLUEfactory,thatdoesn\'texistexceptinyourmind,a\'hornofplenty\'?Dolet\'sbealittlerational!\"
\"ItCOULDbeahornofplenty,\"thetearfulMrs,Adamsinsisted。
\"Itcould!Youdon\'tunderstandathingaboutit。\"
\"Well,I\'mwilling,\"Alicesaid,withtiredskepticism。\"Makemeunderstand,then。Where\'dyouevergettheidea?\"
Mrs。Adamswithdrewherhandsfromthewater,driedthemonatowel,andthenwipedhereyeswithahandkerchief。\"Yourfathercouldmakeafortuneifhewantedto,\"shesaid,quietly。\"Atleast,Idon\'tsayafortune,butanyhowagreatdealmorethanhedoesmake。\"
\"Yes,I\'veheardthatbefore,mama,andyouthinkhecouldmakeitoutofagluefactory。WhatI\'maskingis:How?\"
\"How?Why,bymakingglueandsellingit。Don\'tyouknowhowbadmostglueiswhenyoutrytomendanything?Agoodglueisoneoftherarestthingsthereis;anditwouldjustsellitself,onceitgotstarted。Well,yourfatherknowshowtomakeasgoodaglueasthereisintheworld。\"
Alicewasnotinterested。\"Whatofit?Isupposeprobablyanybodycouldmakeitiftheywantedto。\"
\"ISAIDyoudidn\'tknowanythingaboutit。Nobodyelsecouldmakeit。Yourfatherknowsaformulaformakingit。\"
\"Whatofthat?\"
\"It\'sasecretformula。Itisn\'tevendownonpaper。It\'sworthanyamountofmoney。\"
\"\'Anyamount?\'\"Alicesaid,remainingincredulous。\"Whyhasn\'tpapasolditthen?\"
\"Justbecausehe\'stoostubborntodoanythingwithitatall!\"
\"Howdidpapagetit?\"
\"Hegotitbeforeyouwereborn,justafterweweremarried。I
didn\'tthinkmuchaboutitthen:itwasn\'ttillyouweregrowingupandIsawhowmuchweneededmoneythatI——\"
\"Yes,buthowdidpapagetit?\"Alicebegantofeelalittlemorecuriousaboutthispossibleburiedtreasure。\"Didheinventit?\"
\"Partly,\"Mrs。Adamssaid,lookingsomewhatpreoccupied。\"Heandanothermaninventedit。\"
\"Thenmaybetheotherman——\"
\"He\'sdead。\"
\"Thenhisfamily——\"
\"Idon\'tthinkheleftanyfamily,\"Mrs。Adamssaid。\"Anyhow,itbelongstoyourfather。Atleastitbelongstohimasmuchasitdoestoanyoneelse。He\'sgotanabsolutelyperfectrighttodoanythinghewantstowithit,anditwouldmakeusallcomfortableifhe\'ddowhatIwanthimto——andheKNOWSitwould,too!\"
Aliceshookherheadpityingly。\"Poormama!\"shesaid。\"Ofcourseheknowsitwouldn\'tdoanythingofthekind,orelsehe\'dhavedoneitlongago。\"
\"Hewould,yousay?\"hermothercried。\"Thatonlyshowshowlittleyouknowhim!\"
\"Poormama!\"Alicesaidagain,soothingly。\"Ifpapawerelikewhatyousayheis,he\'dbe——why,he\'dbecrazy!\"
Mrs。Adamsagreedwithavehemencenearpassion。\"You\'rerightabouthimforonce:that\'sjustwhatheis!Hesitsupthereinhisstubbornnessandletsusslavehereinthekitchenwhenifhewantedto——ifhe\'dsomuchaslifthislittlefinger——\"
\"Oh,come,now!\"Alicelaughed。\"Youcan\'tbuildevenagluefactorywithjustonelittlefinger。\"
Mrs。Adamsseemedabouttoreplythatfindingfaultwithafigureofspeechwasbesidethepoint;butaringingofthefrontdoorbellforestalledtheretort。\"Now,whodoyousupposethatis?\"shewonderedaloud,thenherfacebrightened。\"Ah——didMr。
Russellaskifhecould——\"
\"No,hewouldn\'tbecomingthisevening,\"Alicesaid。\"Probablyit\'sthegreatJ。A。Lamb:heusuallystopsforaminuteonThursdaystoaskhowpapa\'sgettingalong。I\'llgo。\"
Shetossedherapronoff,andasshewentthroughthehouseherexpressionwasthoughtful。Shewasthinkingvaguelyaboutthegluefactoryandwonderingiftheremightbe\"somethinginit\"
afterall。IfhermotherwasrightabouttherichpossibilitiesofAdams\'ssecret——butthatwasasfarasAlice\'sspeculationsuponthematterwentatthistime:theywerechecked,partlybythethoughtthatherfatherprobablyhadn\'tenoughmoneyforsuchanenterprise,andpartlybythefactthatshehadarrivedatthefrontdoor。
CHAPTERXII