ThefineoldgentlemanrevealedwhensheopenedthedoorwasprobablythelastgreatmerchantinAmericatowearthechinbeard。Whiteaswhitefrost，itwastrimmedshortwithexquisiteprecision，whilehisupperlipandthelowerexpansesofhischeekswerecleanandrosyfromfreshshaving。Withthistrimwhitechinbeard，thewhitewaistcoat，thewhitetie，thesuitoffinegraycloth，thebroadandbrilliantlypolishedblackshoes，andthewide-brimmedgrayfelthat，herewasamanwhohadfoundhisstyleintheseventiesofthelastcentury，andthenceforthkeptit。Filesofoldmagazinesofthatperiodmightshowhim，inwoodcut，as，\"TypeofBostonMerchant\"；Nastmighthavedrawnhimasanhoneststatesman。Hewaseighty，haleandsturdy，notaged；andhisquickblueeyes，stillunflecked，andasbriskasaboy\'s，saweverything。
\"Well，well，well!\"hesaid，heartily。\"Youhaven\'tlostanyofyourgoodlookssincelastweek，Isee，MissAlice，soIguessI\'mtotakeityouhaven\'tbeenworryingoveryourdaddy。Theyoungfeller\'sgettingalongallright，ishe？\"
\"He\'smuchbetter；he\'ssittingup，Mr。Lamb。Won\'tyoucomein？\"
\"Well，Idon\'tknowbutImight。\"Heturnedtocalltowardtwindisksoflightatthecurb，\"Beoutinaminute，Billy\"；andthesilhouetteofachauffeurstandingbesideacarcouldbeseentosaluteinresponse，astheoldgentlemansteppedintothehall。
\"Youdon\'tsupposeyourdaddy\'sreceivingcallersyet，ishe？\"
\"He\'sagooddealstrongerthanhewaswhenyouwereherelastweek，butI\'mafraidhe\'snotverypresentable，though。\"
\"\'Presentable？\'\"Theoldmanechoedherjovially。\"Pshaw!I\'veseenlotsofsickfolks。_I_knowwhattheylooklikeandhowtheylovetokindofnestinamongapileofoldblanketsandwrappers。Don\'tyouworryaboutTHAT，MissAlice，ifyouthinkhe\'dliketoseeme。\"
\"Ofcoursehewould——if——\"Alicehesitated；thensaidquickly，\"
Ofcoursehe\'dlovetoseeyouandhe\'squiteableto，ifyoucaretocomeup。\"
Sheranupthestairsaheadofhim，andhadtimetosnatchthecrochetedwrapfromherfather\'sshoulders。Swathedasusual，hewassittingbesideatable，readingtheeveningpaper；butwhenhisemployerappearedinthedoorwayhehalfroseasiftocomeforwardingreeting。
\"Sitstill!\"theoldgentlemanshouted。\"Whatdoyoumean？
Don\'tyouknowyou\'reweakasacat？D\'youthinkamancanbesickaslongasyouhaveandNOTbeweakasacat？WhatyoutryingtodothepolitewithMEfor？\"
Adamsgratefullyprotractedthehandshakethataccompaniedtheseinquiries。\"Thisiscertainlymightyfineofyou，Mr。Lamb，\"hesaid。\"IguessAlicehastoldyouhowmuchourwholefamilyappreciateyourcomingheresoregularlytoseehowthisoldbago\'boneswasgettingalong。Haven\'tyou，Alice？\"
\"Yes，papa，\"shesaid；andturnedtogoout，butLambcheckedher。
\"Stayrighthere，MissAlice；I\'mnotevengoingtositdown。I
knowhowitupsetssickfolkswhenpeopleoutsidethefamilycomeinforthefirsttime。\"
\"Youdon\'tupsetme，\"Adamssaid。\"I\'llfeelalotbetterforgettingaglimpseofyou，Mr。Lamb。\"
Thevisitor\'slaughwashusky，butheartyandre-assuring，likehisvoiceinspeaking。\"That\'sthewayallmyboysblarneyme，MissAlice，\"hesaid。\"TheythinkI\'llmaketheworklighteron\'emiftheycangetmekindofflatteredup。Youjusttellyourdaddyit\'snouse；hedoesn\'tgetonMYsoftside，pretendinghelikestoseemeevenwhenhe\'ssick。\"
\"Oh，I\'mnotsosickanymore，\"Adamssaid。\"Iexpecttobebackinmyplacetendaysfromnowatthelongest。\"
\"Well，now，don\'thurryit，Virgil；don\'thurryit。Youtakeyourtime；takeyourtime。\"
ThisbroughttoAdams\'slipsafeeblesmilenotlackinginakindofvanity，asfeeble。\"Why？\"heasked。\"Isupposeyouthinkmydepartmentrunsitselfdownthere，doyou？\"
Hisemployer\'sresponsewasanotherhuskylaugh。\"Well，well，well!\"hecried，andpattedAdams\'sshoulderwithastrongpinkhand。\"Listentothisyoungfeller，MissAlice，willyou!Hethinkswecan\'tgetalongwithouthimaminute!Yes，sir，thisdaddyofyoursbelievesthewholeworks\'lljusttakeandrundownifheisn\'ttheretokeep\'emwoundup。Ialwayssuspectedhethoughtagooddealofhimself，andnowIknowhedoes!\"
Adamslookedtroubled。\"Well，Idon\'tliketofeelthatmysalary\'sgoingonwithmenotearningit。\"
\"Listentohim，MissAlice!Wouldn\'tyouthink，now，he\'dletmebetheonetoworryaboutthat？Why，onmyword。ifyourdaddyhadhisway，_I_wouldn\'tbeanywhere。He\'dtakeallmyworryingandeverythingelseoffmyshouldersandshovemerightoutofLambandCompany!Hewould!\"
\"ItseemstomeI\'vebeensoldieringonyouaprettylongwhile，Mr。Lamb，\"theconvalescentsaid，querulously。\"Idon\'tfeelrightaboutit；butI\'llbebackintendays。You\'llsee。\"
Theoldmantookhishandinparting。\"Allright；we\'llsee，Virgil。Ofcoursewedoneedyou，seriouslyspeaking；butwedon\'tneedyousobadwe\'llletyoucomedowntherebeforeyou\'refullyfitandable。\"Hewenttothedoor。\"Youhear，MissAlice？That\'swhatIwantedtomaketheoldfellerunderstand，andwhatIwantyoutokindofenforceonhim。Theoldplaceistherewaitingforhim，andit\'dwaittenyearsifittookhimthatlongtogetgoodandwell。Youseethatheremembersit，MissAlice!\"
Shewentdownthestairswithhim，andhecontinuedtoimpressthisuponheruntilhehadgoneoutofthefrontdoor。Andevenafterthat，thehuskyvoicecalledbackfromthedarkness，ashewenttohiscar，\"Don\'tforget，MissAlice；lethimtakehisowntime。Wealwayswanthim，butwewanthimtogetgoodandwellfirst。Good-night，good-night，younglady!\"
Whensheclosedthedoorhermothercamefromthefartherendofthe\"living-room，\"wheretherewasnolight；andAliceturnedtoher。
\"Ican\'thelplikingthatoldman，mama，\"shesaid。\"Healwayssoundsso——well，sosolidandhonestandfriendly!Idolikehim。\"
ButMrs。Adamsfailedinsympathyuponthispoint。\"Hedidn\'tsayanythingaboutraisingyourfather\'ssalary，didhe？\"sheasked，dryly。
\"No。\"
\"No。Ithoughtnot。\"
Shewouldhavesaidmore，butAlice，indisposedtolisten，begantowhistle，ranupthestairs，andwenttositwithherfather。
Shefoundhimbright-eyedwiththeexcitementafirstcallerbringsintoaslowconvalescence:hischeeksshowedactualhintsofcolour；andhewassmilingtremulouslyashefilledandlithispipe。Shebroughtthecrochetedscarfandputitabouthisshouldersagain，thentookachairnearhim。
\"IbelieveseeingMr。Lambdiddoyougood。papa，\"shesaid。
\"Isortofthoughtitmight，andthat\'swhyIlethimcomeup。
Youreallylookalittlelikeyouroldselfagain。\"
Adamsexhaledabreathy\"Ha!\"withthesmokefromhispipeashewavedthematchtoextinguishit。\"That\'sfine，\"hesaid。\"ThesmokeIhadbeforedinnerdidn\'ttastethewayitusedto，andI
kindofwonderedifI\'dlostmylikingfortobacco，butthisoneseemstobeallright。YoubetitdidmegoodtoseeJ。A。
Lamb!He\'sthebiggestmanthat\'severlivedinthistownoreverwilllivehere；andyoucantakealltheGovernorsandSenatorsoranythingthey\'veraisedhere，andput\'eminapotwithhim，andtheywon\'tcomeoutone-two-threealongsideo\'him!
Andtothinkasbigamanasthat，withallhisinterestsandeverythinghe\'sgotonhismind——tothinkhe\'dneverletanythingpreventhimfromcominghereonceeveryweektoaskhowIwasgettingalong，andthenwalkrightupstairsandkindofCALLonme，asitwerewell，itmakesmesortoffeelasifIwasn\'tsomuchofanobody，sotospeak，asyourmotherseemstoliketomakeoutsometimes。\"
\"Howfoolish，papa!OfCOURSEyou\'renot\'anobody。\'\"
Adamschuckledfaintlyuponhispipe-stem，whatvanityhehadseemingtobefurtherstimulatedbyhisdaughter\'sapplause。\"I
guesstherearen\'tawholelotofpeopleinthistownthatcouldclaimJ。A。showedthatmuchinterestin\'em，\"hesaid。\"OfcourseIdon\'tsetuptobelieveit\'sallbecauseofmerit，oranythinglikethat。He\'ddothesameforanybodyelsethat\'dbeenwiththecompanyaslongasIhave，butstillitIS
somethingtobewiththecompanythatlongandhavehimshowheappreciatesit。\"
\"Yes，indeed，itis，papa。\"
\"Yes，sir，\"Adamssaid，reflectively。\"Yes，sir，Iguessthat\'sso。Andbesides，itallgoestoshowthekindofamanheis。
Simonpure，that\'swhatthatmanis，Alice。Simonpure!There\'sneverbeenanybodyworkforhimthatdidn\'trespecthimmorethantheydidanyothermanintheworld，Iguess。Andwhenyouworkforhimyouknowherespectsyou，too。RightfromthestartyougetthefeelingthatJ。A。putsabsoluteconfidenceinyou；andthat\'smightystimulating:itmakesyouwanttoshowhimhehasn\'tmisplacedit。There\'sgreatbigmoralvaluestothewayamanlikehimgetsyoutofeelingaboutyourrelationswiththebusiness:itain\'talljustdollarsandcents——notbyanymeans!\"
Hewassilentforatime，thenreturnedwithincreasingenthusiasmtothistheme，andAlicewasgladtoseesomuchrenewaloflifeinhim；hehadnotspokenwithalikecheerfulvigoursincebeforehisillness。Thevisitofhisidolizedgreatmanhadindeedbeengoodforhim，puttingnewspiritintohim；
andlivelinessofthebodyfollowedthatofthespirit。Hisimprovementcarriedoverthenight:hesleptwellandawokelate，declaringthathewas\"prettynearawellmanandreadyforbusinessrightnow。\"Moreover，havingsleptagainintheafternoon，hedressedandwentdowntodinner，leaningbutlightlyonAlice，whoconductedhim。
\"My!butyouandyourmotherhavebeenatitwithyourscrubbinganddusting!\"hesaid，astheycamethroughthe\"living-room。\"
\"Idon\'tknowIeverdidseethehousesospickandspanbefore!\"
Hisglancefelluponafewcarnationsinavase，andhechuckledadmiringly。\"Flowers，too!SoTHAT\'Swhatyoucoaxedthatdollarandahalfouto\'mefor，thismorning!\"
Otherembellishmentsbroughtforthhiscommentwhenhehadtakenhisoldseatattheheadofthesmalldinner-table。\"Why，I
declare，Alice!\"heexclaimed。\"Ibeensobusylookingatallthespick-and-spanishnessafterthehouse-cleaning，andtheflowersoutintheparlour——\'living-room\'Isupposeyouwantmetocallit，ifIjustGOTtobefashionable——Ibeensobusystudyingoverallthisso-and-so，IdeclareInevernoticedYOU
tillthisminute!My，butyouAREalldressedup!What\'sgoin\'
on？What\'sitabout:yousoalldressedup，andflowersintheparlourandeverything？\"
\"Don\'tyousee，papa？It\'sinhonourofyourcomingdownstairsagain，ofcourse。\"
\"Oh，sothat\'sit，\"hesaid。\"Ineverwould\'a\'thoughtofthat，Iguess。\"
ButWalterlookedsidelongathisfather，andgaveforthhisslyandknowinglaugh。\"NeitherwouldI!\"hesaid。
Adamsliftedhiseyebrowsjocosely。\"You\'rejealous，areyou，sonny？Youdon\'twanttheoldmantothinkouryounglady\'dmakesomuchfussoverhim，doyou？\"
\"Goonthinkin\'it\'soveryou，\"Walterretorted，amused。\"Goonandthinkit。It\'lldoyougood。\"
\"OfcourseI\'llthinkit，\"Adamssaid。\"Itisn\'tanybody\'sbirthday。Certainlythedecorationsareonaccountofmecomingdownstairs。Didn\'tyouhearAlicesayso？\"
\"Sure，Iheardhersayso。\"
\"Well，then——\"
Walterinterruptedhimwithalittlemusic。LookingshrewdlyatAlice，hesang:
\"Iwaswalkin\'outonMondaywithmysweetthing。
She\'smyneatthing，Mysweetthing:
I\'llgoroundonTuesdaynighttoseeher。
Oh，howwe\'llspoon——\"
\"Walter!\"hismothercried。\"WHEREdoyoulearnsuchvulgarsongs？\"However，sheseemednotgreatlydispleasedwithhim，andlaughedasshespoke。
\"Sothat\'sit，Alice!\"saidAdams。\"Playingthehypocritewithyouroldman，areyou？It\'ssomenewbeau，isit？\"
\"Ionlywishitwere，\"shesaid，calmly。\"No。It\'sjustwhatI
said:it\'sallforyou。dear。\"
\"Don\'tletherconyou，\"Walteradvisedhisfather。\"She\'sgotexpectations。Youhangarounddownstairsawhileafterdinnerandyou\'llsee。\"
Buttheprophecyfailed，thoughAdamswenttohisownroomwithoutwaitingtotestit。Noonecame。
Alicestayedinthe\"living-room\"untilhalf-pastnine，whenshewentslowlyupstairs。Hermother，almosttearful，metheratthetop，andwhispered，\"Youmustn\'tmind，dearie。\"
\"Mustn\'tmindwhat？\"Aliceasked，andthen，asshewentonherway，laughedscornfully。\"Whatutternonsense!\"shesaid。
Nextdayshecutthestemsoftheratherscantshowofcarnationsandrefreshedthemwithnewwater。Atdinner，herfather，stillinhighspirits，observedthatshehadagain\"dressedup\"inhonourofhisseconddescentofthestairs；andWalterrepeatedhisfragmentofobjectionablesong；butthesejocularitieswererenderedpointlessbytheeventlesseveningthatfollowed；andinthemorningthecarnationsbegantoappeartarnishedandflaccid。
Alicegavethemalonglook，thenthrewthemaway；andneitherWalternorherfatherwasinspiredtoanyrallyingbyherplaincostumeforthatevening。Mrs。Adamswasvisiblydepressed。
WhenAlicefinishedhelpinghermotherwiththedishes，shewentoutdoorsandsatuponthestepsofthelittlefrontveranda。Thenight，gentlewithwarmairfromthesouth，surroundedherpleasantly，andtheperpetualsmokewasthinner。Nowthatthefurnacesofdwelling-houseswerenolongerfired，lifeinthatcityhadbeguntobelesslikelifeinarailwaytunnel；peoplewereawareofsummerintheair，andinthethickenedfoliageoftheshade-trees，andinthesky。Starswereunveiledbythepassingofthedensersmokefogs，andto-nighttheycouldbeseenclearly；theylookedwarmandnear。OthergirlssatuponverandasandstoopsinAlice\'sstreet，cheerfulasyoungfishermenalongthebanksofastream。
Alicecouldhearthemfromtimetotime；thinsopranospersistentinlaughterthatfelldismallyuponherears。Shehadsetnolinesornetsherself，andwhatshehadof\"expectations，\"asWaltercalledthem，werevanished。ForAlicewasexperienced；
andoneoftheconclusionsshedrewfromherexperiencewasthatwhenamansays，\"I\'dtakeyouforanythingyouwantedmeto，\"hemaymeanitor，hemaynot；but，ifhedoes，hewillnotpostponethefirstopportunitytosaysomethingmore。Littleaffairs，oncebegun，mustbewarmedquickly；foriftheycooltheyaredead。
ButAlicewasnotthinkingofArthurRussell。Whenshetossedawaythecarnationsshelikewisetossedawayherthoughtsofthatyoungman。Shehadbeenlikeaboywhoseesuponthestreet，somedistancebeforehim，abitofsomethingroundandglittering，apossibledime。Hehopesitisadime，and，untilhecomesnearenoughtomakesure，heplaysthatitisadime。
Inhismindhehasanadventurewithit:hebuyssomethingdelightful。Ifhepicksitup，discoveringonlysometin-foilwhichhashappeneduponaroundshape，hefeelsasinking。A
dulnessfallsuponhim。
SoAlicewasdullwiththelossofanadventure；andwhenthelaughterofothergirlsreachedher，intermittently，shehadnotsprightlinessenoughleftinhertobeenviousoftheirgaiety。
Besides，theseneighbourswereineligibleevenforherenvy，beingofanothercaste；theycouldneverknowadanceatthePalmers\'，exceptremotely，throughanewspaper。Theirlaughterwasfortheencouragementofsnappyyoungmenofthestoresandofficesdown-town，clerks，bookkeepers，whatnot——someofthemprobablygraduatesofFrincke\'sBusinessCollege。
Then，assherecalledthatdarkportal，withitsdustystairwaymountingbetweenclosewallstodisappearintheuppershadows，herminddrewbackasfromadoorwaytoPurgatory。Nevertheless，itwasapictureofteninherreverie；andsometimesitcamesuddenly，withoutsequence，intothemidstofherotherthoughts，asifitleapedupamongthemfromalowerdarkness；andwhenitarriveditwantedtostay。Soatraveller，stillroamingtheworldafar，sometimesbroodswithoutapparentreasonuponhisfamilyburiallot:\"IwonderifIshallendthere。\"
Theforebodingpassedabruptly，withajerkofherbreath，asthestreet-lamprevealedatallandeasyfigureapproachingfromthenorth，swingingastickintimetoitsstride。ShehadgivenRussellup——andhecame。
\"Whatluckforme!\"heexclaimed。\"Tofindyoualone!\"
Alicegavehimherhandforaninstant，nototherwisemoving。
\"I\'mgladithappenedso，\"shesaid。\"Let\'sstayouthere，shallwe？Doyouthinkit\'stooprovincialtositonagirl\'sfrontstepswithher？\"
\"\'Provincial？\'Why，it\'stheverybestofourinstitutions，\"hereturned，takinghisplacebesideher。\"Atleast，Ithinksoto-night。\"
\"Thanks!Isthatpracticeforothernightssomewhereelse？\"
\"No，\"helaughed。\"Thepracticingallleduptothis。DidI
cometoosoon？\"
\"No，\"shereplied，gravely。\"Justintime!\"
\"I\'mgladtobesoaccurate；I\'vespenttwoeveningswantingtocome，MissAdams，insteadofdoingwhatIwasdoing。\"
\"Whatwasthat？\"
\"Dinners。Largeandlongdinners。Yourfellow-citizensareimmenselyhospitabletoanewcomer。\"
\"Oh，no，\"Alicesaid。\"Wedon\'tdoitforeverybody。Didn\'tyoufindyourselfcharmed？\"
\"Onewasamen\'sdinner，\"heexplained。\"Mr。PalmerseemedtothinkIoughttobeshowntotheprincipalbusinessmen。\"
\"Whatwastheotherdinner？\"
\"MycousinMildredgaveit。\"
\"Oh，DIDshe!\"Alicesaid，sharply，butsherecoveredherselfinthesameinstant，andlaughed。\"Shewantedtoshowyoutotheprincipalbusinesswomen，Isuppose。\"
\"Idon\'tknow。Atallevents，Ishouldn\'tgivemyselfouttobesomuchfetedbyyour\'fellow-citizens，\'afterall，seeingthesewerebothdonebymyrelatives，thePalmers。However，thereareotherstofollow，I\'mafraid。Iwaswondering——Ihopedmaybeyou\'dbecomingtosomeofthem。Aren\'tyou？\"
\"Iratherdoubtit，\"Alicesaid，slowly。\"Mildred\'sdancewasalmosttheonlyeveningI\'vegoneoutsincemyfather\'sillnessbegan。Heseemedbetterthatday；soIwent。Hewasbettertheotherdaywhenhewantedthosecigars。He\'sverymuchupanddown。\"Shepaused。\"I\'dalmostforgottenthatMildredisyourcousin。\"
\"Notaverynearone，\"heexplained。\"Mr。Palmer\'sfatherwasmygreat-uncle。\"
\"Still，ofcourseyouarerelated。\"
\"Yes；thatdistantly。\"
Alicesaidplacidly，\"It\'squiteanadvantage。\"
Heagreed。\"Yes。Itis。\"
\"No，\"shesaid，inthesameplacidtone。\"ImeanforMildred。\"
\"Idon\'tsee——\"
Shelaughed。\"No。Youwouldn\'t。Imeanit\'sanadvantageovertherestofuswhomightliketocompeteforsomeofyourtime；
andtheworstofitiswecan\'taccuseherofbeingunfairaboutit。Wecan\'tprovesheshowedanytrickinessinhavingyouforacousin。Whateverelseshemightplantodowithyou，shedidn\'tplanthat。Sotherestofusmustjustbearit!\"
\"The\'restofyou!\'\"helaughed。\"It\'sgoingtomeanagreatdealofsuffering!\"
Aliceresumedherplacidtone。\"You\'restayingatthePalmers\'，aren\'tyou？\"
\"No，notnow。I\'vetakenanapartment。I\'mgoingtolivehere；
I\'mpermanent。Didn\'tItellyou？\"
\"IthinkI\'dheardsomewherethatyouwere，\"shesaid。\"Doyouthinkyou\'lllikelivinghere？\"
\"Howcanonetell？\"
\"IfIwereinyourplaceIthinkIshouldbeabletotell，Mr。
Russell。\"
\"How？\"
\"Why，goodgracious!\"shecried。\"Haven\'tyougotthemostperfectcreatureintownforyour——yourcousin？SHEexpectstomakeyoulikelivinghere，doesn\'tshe？Howcouldyoukeepfromlikingit，evenifyoutriednotto，underthecircumstances？\"
\"Well，yousee，there\'ssuchalotofcircumstances，\"heexplained；\"I\'mnotsureI\'lllikegettingbackintoabusinessagain。Isupposemostofthemenofmyageinthecountryhavebeengoingthroughthesameexperience:theWarleftuswithaconsiderablerestlessnessofspirit。\"
\"YouwereintheWar？\"sheasked，quickly，andasquicklyansweredherself，\"Ofcourseyouwere!\'
\"Iwasaleft-over；theyonlyletmeoutaboutfourmonthsago，\"
hesaid。\"It\'squiteashake-uptryingtosettledownagain。\"
\"YouwereinFrance，then？\"
\"Oh，yes；butIdidn\'tgetuptothefrontmuch——onlytwoorthreetimes，andthenjustforadayorso。Iwasinthetransportationservice。\"
\"Youwereanofficer，ofcourse。\"
\"Yes，\"hesaid。\"TheyletmeplayIwasamajor。\"
\"Iguessedamajor，\"shesaid。\"You\'dalwaysbeprettygrand，ofcourse。\"
Russellwasamused。\"Well，yousee，\"heinformedher，\"asithappened，wehadatleastseveralothermajorsinourarmy。WhywouldIalwaysbesomething\'prettygrand？\'\"
\"You\'rerelatedtothePalmers。Don\'tyounoticetheyalwaysaffecttheprettygrand？\"
\"ThenyouthinkI\'monlyoneoftheiraffectations，Itakeit。\"
\"Yes，youseemtobethemostsuccessfulonethey\'vegot!\"Alicesaid，lightly。\"Youcertainlydobelongtothem。\"Andshelaughedasifatsomethinghiddenfromhim。\"Don\'tyou？\"
\"Butyou\'vejustexcusedmeforthat，\"heprotested。\"Yousaidnobodycouldbeblamedformybeingtheirthirdcousin。Whatacontradictorygirlyouare!\"
Aliceshookherhead。\"Let\'skeepawayfromthekindofgirlI
am。\"
\"No，\"hesaid。\"That\'sjustwhatIcameheretotalkabout。\"
Sheshookherheadagain。\"Let\'skeepfirsttothekindofmanyouare。I\'mgladyouwereintheWar。\"
\"Why？\"
\"Oh，Idon\'tknow。\"Shewasquietamoment，forshewasthinkingthathereshespokethetruth:hisserviceputabouthimalittleglamourthathelpedtopleaseherwithhim。Shehadbeenpleasedwithhimduringtheirwalk；pleasedwithhimonhisownaccount；
andnowthatpleasurewasgrowingkeener。Shelookedathim，andthoughthelightinwhichshesawhimwaslittlemorethanstarlight，shesawthathewaslookingsteadilyatherwithakindlyandsmilingseriousness。Allatonceitseemedtoherthatthenightairwassweetertobreathe，asifadistantfragranceofnewblossomshadbeenblowntoher。Shesmiledbacktohim，andsaid，\"Well，whatkindofmanareyou？\"
\"Idon\'tknow；I\'veoftenwondered，\"hereplied。\"Whatkindofgirlareyou？\"
\"Don\'tyouremember？Itoldyoutheotherday。I\'mjustme!\"
\"Butwhoisthat？\"
\"Youforgeteverything；\"saidAlice。\"YoutoldmewhatkindofagirlIam。Youseemedtothinkyou\'dtakenquiteafancytomefromtheveryfirst。\"
\"SoIdid，\"heagreed，heartily。
\"Buthowquicklyyouforgotit!\"
\"Oh，no。IonlywantYOUtosaywhatkindofagirlyouare。\"
Shemockedhim。\"\'Idon\'tknow；I\'veoftenwondered!\'WhatkindofagirldoesMildredtellyouIam？WhathasshesaidaboutmesinceshetoldyouIwas\'aMissAdams？\'\"
\"Idon\'tknow；Ihaven\'taskedher。\"
\"ThenDON\'Taskher，\"Alicesaid，quickly。
\"Why？\"
\"Becauseshe\'ssuchaperfectcreatureandI\'msuchanimperfectone。Perfectcreatureshavethemostperfectwayofruiningtheimperfectones。\"
\"Butthentheywouldn\'tbeperfect。Notifthey——\"
\"Oh，yes，theyremainperfectlyperfect，\"sheassuredhim。
\"That\'sbecausetheynevergointodetails。They\'renotsovulgarastocomerightoutandTELLthatyou\'vebeeninjailforstealingchickens。Theyjustlookabsent-mindedandsayinalowvoice，\'Oh，very；butIscarcelythinkyou\'dlikeherparticularly\'；andthenbegintotalkofsomethingelserightaway。\"
Hissmilehaddisappeared。\"Yes，\"hesaid，somewhatruefully。
\"ThatdoessoundlikeMildred。Youcertainlydoseemtoknowher!Doyouknoweverybodyaswellasthat？\"
\"Notmyself，\"Alicesaid。\"Idon\'tknowmyselfatall。Igottowonderingaboutthat——aboutwhoIwas——theotherdayafteryouwalkedhomewithme。\"
Heutteredanexclamation，andadded，explainingit，\"Youdogiveamanachancetobefatuous，though!Asifitwerewalkinghomewithmethatmadeyouwonderaboutyourself!\"
\"Itwas，\"Aliceinformedhim，coolly。\"IwaswonderingwhatI
wantedtomakeyouthinkofme，incaseIshouldeverhappentoseeyouagain。\"
Thisaudacityappearedtotakehisbreath。\"ByGeorge!\"hecried。
\"Youmustn\'tbeastonished，\"shesaid。\"WhatIdecidedthenwasthatIwouldprobablyneverdaretobejustmyselfwithyou——notifIcaredtohaveyouwanttoseemeagain——andyethereIam，justbeingmyselfafterall!\"
\"YouAREthecheeriestseriesofshocks，\"Russellexclaimed，whereuponAliceaddedtotheseries。
\"Tellme:Isitagoodpolicyformetofollowwithyou？\"sheasked，andhefoundthemockeryinhervoicedelightful。\"Wouldyouadvisemetoofferyoushocksasasortofvacationfromsuavity？\"
\"Suavity\"wasyetanothersketchofMildred；arecognizableone，oritwouldnothavebeenhumorous。InAlice\'shands，sodexterousinthiswork，herstatuesquefriendwasbecomingasridiculousasafinefigureofwaxlefttothemerciesofasatirist。
Butthelivelyyoungsculptressknewbetterthantooverdo:whatshedidmustappeartospringallfrommirth；soshelaughedasifunwillingly，andsaid，\"IMUSTN\'TlaughatMildred!Inthefirstplace，she\'syour——yourcousin。Andinthesecondplace，she\'snotmeanttobefunny；itisn\'trighttolaughatreallysplendidpeoplewhotakethemselvesseriously。Inthethirdplace，youwon\'tcomeagainifIdo。\"
\"Don\'tbesureofthat，\"Russellsaid，\"whateveryoudo。\"
\"\'WhateverIdo？\'\"sheechoed。\"ThatsoundsasifyouthoughtI
COULDbeterrific!Becareful；there\'sonethingIcoulddothatwouldkeepyouaway。\"
\"What\'sthat？\"
\"Icouldtellyounottocome，\"shesaid。\"IwonderifIoughtto。\"
\"Whydoyouwonderifyou\'oughtto？\'\"
\"Don\'tyouguess？\"
\"No。\"
\"Thenlet\'sbothbemysteriestoeachother，\"shesuggested。\"I
mystifyyoubecauseIwonder，andyoumystifymebecauseyoudon\'tguesswhyIwonder。We\'llletitgoatthat，shallwe？\"
\"Verywell；solongasit\'scertainthatyouDON\'Ttellmenottocomeagain。\"
\"I\'llnottellyouthat——yet，\"shesaid。\"Infact——\"Shepaused，reflecting，withherheadtooneside。\"Infact，Iwon\'ttellyounottocome，probably，untilIseethat\'swhatyouwantmetotellyou。I\'llletyououteasily——andI\'llbesuretoseeit。Evenbeforeyoudo，perhaps。\"
\"Thatarrangementsuitsme，\"Russellreturned，andhisvoiceheldnotraceofjocularity:hehadbecomeserious。\"Itsuitsmebetterifyou\'reenoughinearnesttomeanthatIcancome——oh，notwheneverIwantto；Idon\'texpectsomuch!——butifyoumeanthatIcanseeyouprettyoften。\"
\"OfcourseI\'minearnest，\"shesaid。\"ButbeforeIsayyoucancome\'prettyoften，\'I\'dliketoknowhowmuchofmytimeyou\'dneedifyoudidcome\'wheneveryouwantto\'；andofcourseyouwouldn\'tdaremakeanyanswertothatquestionexceptone。
Wouldn\'tyouletmehaveThursdaysout？\"
\"No，no，\"heprotested。\"Iwanttoknow。Willyouletmecomeprettyoften？\"
\"Leantowardmealittle，\"Alicesaid。\"Iwantyoutounderstand。\"Andasheobedientlybenthisheadnearhers，sheinclinedtowardhimasiftowhisper；then，inahalf-shout，shecried，\"YES!\"
Heclappedhishands。\"ByGeorge!\"hesaid。\"Whatagirlyouare!\"
\"Why？\"
\"Well，forthefirstreason，becauseyouhavesuchgaietiesasthatone。Ishouldthinkyourfatherwouldactuallylikebeingill，justtobeinthehousewithyouallthetime。\"
\"Youmeanbythat，\"Aliceinquired，\"Ikeepmyfamilycheerfulwithmyamusinglittleways？\"
\"Yes。Don\'tyou？\"
\"Therewereonlyboysinyourfamily，weren\'tthere，Mr。
Russell？\"
\"Iwasanonlychild，unfortunately。\"
\"Yes，\"shesaid。\"Iseeyouhadn\'tanysisters。\"
Foramomenthepuzzledoverhermeaning，thensawit，andwasmoredelightedwithherthanever。\"Icanansweraquestionofyours，now，thatIcouldn\'tawhileago。\"
\"Yes，Iknow，\"shereturned，quietly。
\"Buthowcouldyouknow？\"
\"It\'sthequestionIaskedyouaboutwhetheryouweregoingtolikelivinghere，\"shesaid。\"You\'reabouttotellmethatnowyouknowyouWILLlikeit。\"
\"Moretelepathy!\"heexclaimed。\"Yes，thatwasit，precisely。I
supposethesamething\'sbeensaidtoyousomanytimesthatyou——\"
\"No，ithasn\'t，\"Alicesaid，alittleconfusedforthemoment。
\"Notatall。Imeant——\"Shepaused，thenaskedinagentlevoice，\"Wouldyoureallyliketoknow？\"
\"Yes。\"
\"Well，then，Iwasonlyafraidyoudidn\'tmeanit。\"
\"Seehere，\"hesaid。\"Ididmeanit。Itoldyouitwasbeingprettydifficultformetosettledowntothingsagain。Well，it\'smoredifficultthanyouknow，butIthinkIcanpullthroughinfairspiritsifIcanseeagirllikeyou\'prettyoften。\'\"
\"Allright，\"shesaid，inabusiness-liketone。\"I\'vetoldyouthatyoucanifyouwantto。\"
\"Idowantto，\"heassuredher。\"Ido，indeed!\"
\"Howoftenis\'prettyoften，\'Mr。Russell？\"
\"Wouldyouwalkwithmesometimes？To-morrow？\"
\"Sometimes。Notto-morrow。Thedayafter。\"
\"That\'ssplendid!\"hesaid。\"You\'llwalkwithmedayafterto-morrow，andthenightafterthatI\'llseeyouatMissLamb\'sdance，won\'tI？\"
ButthisfellratherchillinglyuponAlice。\"MissLamb\'sdance？
WhichMissLamb？\"sheasked。
\"Idon\'tknow——it\'stheonethat\'sjustcomingoutofmourning。\"
\"Oh，Henrietta——yes。Isherdancesosoon？I\'dforgotten。\"
\"You\'llbethere，won\'tyou？\"heasked。\"Pleasesayyou\'regoing。\"
Alicedidnotrespondatonce，andheurgedheragain:\"Pleasedopromiseyou\'llbethere。\"
\"No，Ican\'tpromiseanything，\"shesaid，slowly。\"Yousee，foronething，papamightnotbewellenough。\"
\"Butifheis？\"saidRussell。\"Ifheisyou\'llsurelycome，won\'tyou？Or，perhaps——\"Hehesitated，thenwentonquickly，\"Idon\'tknowtherulesinthisplaceyet，anddifferentplaceshavedifferentrules；butdoyouhavetohaveachaperone，ordon\'tgirlsjustgotodanceswiththemensometimes？Iftheydo，wouldyou——wouldyouletmetakeyou？\"
Alicewasstartled。\"Goodgracious!\"
\"What\'sthematter？\"
\"Don\'tyouthinkyourrelatives——Aren\'tyouexpectedtogowithMildred——andMrs。Palmer？\"
\"Notnecessarily。Itdoesn\'tmatterwhatImightbeexpectedtodo，\"hesaid。\"Willyougowithme？\"
\"I——No；Icouldn\'t。\"
\"Whynot？\"
\"Ican\'t。I\'mnotgoing。\"
\"Butwhy？\"
\"Papa\'snotreallyanybetter，\"Alicesaid，huskily。\"I\'mtooworriedabouthimtogotoadance。\"Hervoicesoundedemotional，genuinelyenough；therewassomethingalmostlikeasobinit。\"Let\'stalkofotherthings，please。\"
Heacquiescedgently；butMrs。Adams，whohadbeenlisteningtotheconversationattheopenwindow，justoverhead，didnothearhim。ShehadcorrectlyinterpretedthesobinAlice\'svoice，and，tremblingwithsuddenanger，sherosefromherknees，andwentfiercelytoherhusband\'sroom。