CHAPTERXIII
Hehadnotundressed，andhesatbesidethetable，smokinghispipeandreadinghisnewspaper。Uponhisforeheadthelinesinthatoldpattern，thehistoricalmapofhistroubles，hadgrownalittlevaguerlately；relaxedbythecomplacencyofamanwhonotonlyfindshishealthrestored，butseesthedaysbeforehimpromisingoncemoreafamiliarroutinethathehasalwayslikedtofollow。
Ashiswifecamein，closingthedoorbehindher，helookedupcheerfully，\"Well，mother，\"hesaid，\"what\'sthenewsdownstairs？\"
\"That\'swhatIcametotellyou，\"sheinformedhim，grimly。
Adamsloweredhisnewspapertohiskneeandpeeredoverhisspectaclesather。Shehadremainedbythedoor，standing，andthegreatgreenishshadowofthesmalllamp-shadeuponhistablerevealedherbutdubiously。\"Isn\'teverythingallright？\"heasked。\"What\'sthematter？\"
\"Don\'tworry:I\'mgoingtotellyou，\"shesaid，hergrimnessnotrelaxed。\"There\'smatterenough，VirgilAdams。Matterenoughtomakemesickofbeingalive!\"
Withthat，themarkingsonhisbrowsbegantoemergeagaininalltheirsharpness；theoldpatternreappeared。\"Oh，my，my!\"helamented。\"Ithoughtmaybewewereallgoingtosettledowntoalittlepeaceforawhile。What\'sitaboutnow？\"
\"It\'saboutAlice。DidyouthinkitwasaboutMEoranythingforMYSELF？\"
Likesomereadyoldmachine，alwaysinorder，hisirritabilityrespondedimmediatelyandautomaticallytoheremotion。\"HowinthundercouldIthinkwhatit\'sabout，orwhoit\'sfor？SAYit，andgetitover!\"
\"Oh，I\'ll\'say\'it，\"shepromised，ominously。\"WhatI\'vecometoaskyouis，Howmuchlongerdoyouexpectmetoputupwiththatoldmanandhisdoings？\"
\"Whosedoings？Whatoldman？\"
Shecameathim，fiercelyaccusing。\"Youknowwellenoughwhatoldman，VirgilAdams!Thatoldmanwhowasheretheothernight。\"
\"Mr。Lamb？\"
\"Yes；\'MisterLamb!\'\"Shemockedhisvoice。\"WhatotheroldmanwouldIbelikelytomeanexceptJ。A。Lamb？\"
\"What\'shebeendoingnow？\"herhusbandinquired，satirically。
\"Where\'dyougetsomethingnewagainsthimsincethelasttimeyou——\"
\"Justthis!\"shecried。\"Theothernightwhenthatmanwashere，ifI\'dknownhowhewasgoingtomakemychildsuffer，I\'dneverhavelethimsethisfootinmyhouse。\"
Adamsleanedbackinhischairasthoughherabsurdityhadeasedhismind。\"Oh，Isee，\"hesaid。\"You\'vejustgoneplaincrazy。
That\'stheonlyexplanationofsuchtalk，anditsuitsthecase。\"
\"Hasn\'tthatmanmadeusallsuffereverydayofourlives？\"shedemanded。\"I\'dliketoknowwhyitisthatmylifeandmychildren\'sliveshavetobesacrificedtohim？\"
\"Howarethey\'sacrificed\'tohim？\"
\"Becauseyoukeeponworkingforhim!Becauseyoukeeponlettinghimhandoutwhatevermiserablelittlepittancehechoosestogiveyou；that\'swhy!It\'sasifheweresomehorribleoldJuggernautandIhadtoseemychildren\'sownfatherthrowingthemunderthewheelstokeephimsatisfied。\"
\"Iwon\'thearanymoresuchstuff!\"Liftinghispaper，Adamsaffectedtoread。
\"You\'dbetterlistentome，\"sheadmonishedhim。\"Youmightbesorryyoudidn\'t，incaseheevertriedtosetfootinmyhouseagain!ImighttellhimtohisfacewhatIthinkofhim。\"
Atthis，Adamsslappedthenewspaperdownuponhisknee。\"Oh，thedevil!What\'sitmatterwhatyouthinkofhim？\"
\"Ithadbettermattertoyou!\"shecried。\"DoyousupposeI\'mgoingtosubmitforevertohimandhisfamilyandwhatthey\'redoingtomychild？\"
\"Whatareheandhisfamilydoingto\'yourchild？\'\"
Mrs。Adamscameoutwithit。\"ThatsnippylittleHenriettaLambhasalwayssnubbedAliceeverytimeshe\'severhadthechance。
She\'sfollowedtheleadoftheothergirls；they\'vealwaysallof\'embeenjealousofAlicebecauseshedaredtotryandbehappy，andbecauseshe\'sshowierandbetter-lookingthantheyare，eventhoughyoudogiveheronlyaboutthirty-fivecentsayeartodoiton!They\'vealldoneeverythingonearththeycouldtodrivetheyoungmenawayfromherandbelittleherto\'em；andthismeanlittleHenriettaLamb\'sbeentheworstofthewholecrowdtoAlice，everytimeshecouldseeachance。\"
\"Whatfor？\"Adamsasked，incredulously。\"WhyshouldsheoranybodyelsepickonAlice？\"
\"\'Why？\'\'Whatfor？\'\"hiswiferepeatedwithagreatervehemence。
\"DoYOUaskmesuchathingasthat？Doyoureallywanttoknow？\"
\"Yes；I\'dwanttoknow——IwouldifIbelievedit。\"
\"ThenI\'lltellyou，\"shesaidinacoldfury。\"It\'sonaccountofyou，Virgil，andnothingelseintheworld。\"
Hehootedather。\"Oh，yes!Thesegirlsdon\'tlikeME，sotheypickonAlice。\"
\"Quityourpalaveringandevading，\"shesaid。\"Acrowdofgirlslikethat，whentheygetaprettygirllikeAliceamongthem，theyactjustlikewildbeasts。They\'lltearhertopieces，orelsethey\'llchaseherandrunherout，becausetheyknowifshehadhalfachanceshe\'doutshine\'em。Theycan\'tdothattoagirllikeMildredPalmerbecauseshe\'sgotmoneyandfamilytobackher。Nowyoulistentome，VirgilAdams:thewaytheworldisnow，moneyISfamily。Alicewouldhavejustasmuch\'family\'
asanyof\'emeverysinglebit——ifyouhadn\'tfallenbehindintherace。\"
\"HowdidI——\"
\"Yes，youdid!\"shecried。\"Twenty-fiveyearsagowhenwewerestartingandthistownwassmaller，youandIcouldhavegonewithanyof\'emifwe\'dtriedhardenough。Lookatthepeopleweknewthenthatdoholdtheirheadsupalongsideofanybodyinthistown!WHYcanthey？Becausethemenofthosefamiliesmademoneyandgavetheirchildreneverythingthatmakeslifeworthliving!Whycan\'tweholdourheadsup？Becausethosemenpassedyouintherace。Theywentuptheladder，andyou——you\'restillaclerkdownatthatoldhole!\"
\"Youleavethatout，please，\"hesaid。\"IthoughtyouweregoingtotellmesomethingHenriettaLambhaddonetoourAlice。\"
\"YouBETI\'mgoingtotellyou，\"sheassuredhim，vehemently。
\"ButfirstI\'mtellingWHYshedoesit。It\'sbecauseyou\'venevergivenAliceanybackingnoranybackground，andtheyallknowtheycandoanythingtheyliketoherwithperfectimpunity。
IfshehadthehundredthpartofwhatTHEYhavetofallbackonshe\'dhavemade\'emsingamightydifferentsonglongago!\"
\"Howwouldshe？\"
\"Oh，myheavens，butyou\'reslow!\"Mrs。Adamsmoaned。\"Lookhere!Yourememberhowpracticallyallthenicestboysinthistownusedtocomehereafewyearsago。Why，theywereallcrazyoverher；andthegirlsHADtobenicetoherthen。Lookatthedifferencenow!There\'llbeawholemonthgobyandnotayoungmancometocallonher，letalonesendhercandyorflowers，oreverthinkofTAKINGheranyplaceandyetshe\'sprettierandbrighterthanshewaswhentheyusedtocome。Itisn\'tthechild\'sfaultshecouldn\'thold\'em，isit？Poorthing，SHE
triedhardenough!Isupposeyou\'dsayitwasherfault，though。\"
\"No；Iwouldn\'t。\"
\"Thenwhosefaultisit？\"
\"Oh，mine，mine，\"hesaid，wearily。\"Idrovetheyoungmenaway，ofcourse。\"
\"Youmightaswellhavedriven\'em，Virgil。Itamountstojustthesamething。\"
\"Howdoesit？\"
\"Becauseastheygotolderagoodmanyof\'embegantothinkmoreaboutmoney；that\'sonething。Money\'satthebottomofitall，forthatmatter。Lookatthesecountryclubsandallsuchthings:theothergirls\'familiesbelongandwedon\'t，andAlicedon\'t；andshecan\'tgounlesssomebodytakesher，andnobodydoesanymore。Lookattheothergirls\'houses，andthenlookatourhouse，soshabbyandold-fashionedshe\'dbeprettynearashamedtoaskanybodytocomeinandsitdownnowadays!Lookatherclothes——oh，yes；youthinkyoushelledoutalotforthatlittlecoatofhersandthehatandskirtshegotlastMarch；butit\'snothing。Someofthesegirlsnowadaysspendmorethanyourwholesalaryontheirclothes。Andwhatjewelleryhasshegot？
Aplatedwatchandtwoorthreelittlepinsandringsofthekindpeople\'smaidswouldn\'twearnow。GoodLord，VirgilAdams，wakeup!Don\'tsitthereandtellmeyoudon\'tknowthingslikethismeanSUFFERINGforthechild!\"
Hehadbeguntorubhishandswretchedlybackandforthoverhisbonyknees，asifinthatwayhesomewhatalleviatedthetediumcausedbyherrackingvoice。\"Oh，my，my!\"hemuttered。\"OH，my，my!\"
\"Yes，IshouldthinkyouWOULDsay\'Oh，my，my!\'\"shetookhimup，loudly。\"Thatdoesn\'thelpthingsmuch!IfyoueverwantedtoDOanythingaboutit，thepoorchildmightseesomegleamofhopeinherlife。Youdon\'tCAREforher，that\'sthetrouble；
youdon\'tcareasinglethingabouther。\"
\"Idon\'t？\"
\"No；youdon\'t。Why，evenwithyourmiserablelittlesalaryyoucouldhavegivenhermorethanyouhave。You\'retheclosestmanIeverknew:it\'slikepullingteethtogetadollaroutofyouforher，nowandthen，andyetyouhidesomeaway，everymonthorso，insomewretchedlittleinvestmentorother。You——\"
\"Lookhere，now，\"heinterrupted，angrily。\"Youlookhere!IfI
didn\'tputalittlebywheneverIcould，inabondorsomething，wherewouldyoubeifanythinghappenedtome？Theinsurancedoctorsneverpassedme；YOUknowthat。Haven\'twegottohaveSOMETHINGtofallbackon？\"
\"Yes，wehave!\"shecried。\"Weoughttohavesomethingtogoonwithrightnow，too，whenweneedit。DoyousupposethesesnippetswouldtreatAlicethewaytheydoifshecouldaffordtoENTERTAIN？Theyleaveheroutoftheirdinnersanddancessimplybecausetheyknowshecan\'tgiveanydinnersanddancestoleavethemoutof!Theyknowshecan\'tgetEVEN，andthat\'sthewholestory!That\'swhyHenriettaLamb\'sdonethisthingtohernow。\"
Adamshadgonebacktohisrubbingofhisknees。\"Oh，my，my!\"
hesaid。\"WHATthing？\"
Shetoldhim。\"Yourdear，grand，oldMisterLamb\'sHenriettahassentoutinvitationsforalargeparty——aLARGEone。Everybodythatisanybodyinthistownisasked，youcanbesure。There\'saveryfineyoungman，aMr。Russell，hasjustcometotown，andhe\'sinterestedinAlice，andhe\'saskedhertogotothisdancewithhim。Well，Alicecan\'taccept。Shecan\'tgowithhim，thoughshe\'dgiveanythingintheworldtodoit。Doyouunderstand？Thereasonshecan\'tisbecauseHenriettaLambhasn\'tinvitedher。DoyouwanttoknowwhyHenriettahasn\'tinvitedher？It\'sbecausesheknowsAlicecan\'tgeteven，andbecauseshethinksAliceoughttobesnubbedlikethisonaccountofonlybeingthedaughterofoneofhergrandfather\'sclerks。I
HOPEyouunderstand!\"
\"Oh，my，my!\"hesaid。\"OH，my，my!\"
\"That\'syoursweetoldemployer，\"hiswifecried，tauntingly。
\"That\'syourdear，kind，grandoldMisterLamb!Alicehasbeenleftoutofagoodmanysmallerthings，likebigdinnersandlittledances，butthisisjustthesameasservinghernoticethatshe\'soutofeverything!Andit\'salldonebyyourdear，grandold——\"
\"Lookhere!\"Adamsexclaimed。\"Idon\'twanttohearanymoreofthat!Youcan\'tholdhimresponsibleforeverythinghisgrandchildrendo，Iguess!Heprobablydoesn\'tknowathingaboutit。Youdon\'tsupposehe\'stroublingHISheadover——\"
Butsheburstoutathimpassionately。\"SupposeyoutroubleYOUR
headaboutit!You\'dbetter，VirgilAdams!You\'dbetter，unlessyouwanttoseeyourchildjustdryupintoamiserableoldmaid!
She\'sstillyoungandshehasachanceforhappiness，ifshehadafatherthatdidn\'tbringamillstonetohangaroundherneck，insteadofwhatheoughttogiveher!YoujustwaittillyoudieandGodasksyouwhatyouhadinyourbreastinsteadofaheart!\"
\"Oh，my，my!\"hegroaned。\"What\'smyheartgottodowithit？\"
\"Nothing!Youhaven\'tgotoneoryou\'dgiveherwhatsheneeded。
AmIaskinganythingyouCAN\'Tdo？Youknowbetter；youknowI\'mnot!\"
Atthishesatsuddenlyrigid，histroubledhandsceasingtorubhisknees；andhelookedatherfixedly。\"Now，tellme，\"hesaid，slowly。\"JustwhatAREyouasking？\"
\"Youknow!\"shesobbed。
\"Youmeanyou\'vebrokenyourwordnevertospeakofTHATtomeagain？\"
\"Whatdo_I_careformyword？\"shecried，and，sinkingtothefloorathisfeet，rockedherselfbackandforththere。\"DoyousupposeI\'llletmy\'word\'keepmefromstrugglingforalittlehappinessformychildren？Itwon\'t，Itellyou；itwon\'t!I\'llstruggleforthattillIdie!Iwill，tillIdietillIdie!\"
Herubbedhisheadnowinsteadofhisknees，and，shakingallover，hegotupandbeganwithuncertainstepstopacethefloor。
\"Hell，hell，hell!\"hesaid。\"I\'vegottogothroughTHAT
again!\"
\"Yes，youhave!\"shesobbed。\"TillIdie。\"
\"Yes；that\'swhatyoubeenafterallthetimeIwasgettingwell。\"
\"Yes，Ihave，andI\'llkeepontillIdie!\"
\"Afinewifeforaman，\"hesaid。\"Beggin\'amantobeadirtydog!\"
\"No!TobeaMAN——andI\'llkeepontillIdie!\"
Adamsagainfellbackuponhislastsolace:hewalked，halfstaggering，upanddowntheroom，swearinginarhythmicrepetition。
Hiswifehadrepetitionsofherown，andshekeptattheminavoicethatrosetoahigherandhigherpitch，likethesoundofanoldwell-pump。\"TillIdie!TillIdie!TillIDIE!\"
Sheendedinascream；andAlice，comingupthestairs，thankedheaventhatRussellhadgone。Sherantoherfather\'sdoorandwentin。
Adamslookedather，andgesticulatedshakilyattheconvulsivefigureonthefloor。\"Canyougetheroutofhere？\"
AlicehelpedMrs。Adamstoherfeet；andthestrickenwomanthrewherarmspassionatelyaboutherdaughter。
\"Getherout!\"Adamssaid，harshly；thencried，\"Wait!\"
Alice，movingtowardthedoor，halted，andlookedathimblankly，overhermother\'sshoulder。\"Whatisit，papa？\"
Hestretchedouthisarmandpointedather。\"Shesays——shesaysyouhaveameanlife，Alice。\"
\"No，papa。\"
Mrs。Adamsturnedinherdaughter\'sarms。\"Doyouhearherlie？
Couldn\'tyoubeasbraveassheis，Virgil？\"
\"Areyoulying，Alice？\"heasked。\"Doyouhaveameantime？\"
\"No，papa。\"
Hecametowardher。\"Lookatme!\"hesaid。\"Thingslikethisdancenow——isthatsohardtobear？\"
Alicetriedtosay，\"No，papa，\"again，butshecouldn\'t。
Suddenlyandinspiteofherselfshebegantocry。
\"Doyouhearher？\"hiswifesobbed。\"Nowdoyou——\"
Hewavedatthemfiercely。\"Getoutofhere!\"hesaid。\"Bothofyou!Getoutofhere!\"
Astheywent，hedroppedinhischairandbentfarforward，sothathishaggardfacewasconcealedfromthem。Then，asAliceclosedthedoor，hebegantorubhiskneesagain，muttering，\"Oh，my，my!OH，my，my!\"
CHAPTERXIV
Thereshoneajovialsunoverheadontheappointed\"dayafterto-morrow\"；adaynotcoolyetofatemperaturefriendlytowalkers；andtheair，powderedwithsunshine，hadsomuchlifeinitthatitseemedtosparkle。ToArthurRussellthiswasadaylikeagaycompanionwhopleasedhimwell；butthegaycompanionathissidepleasedhimevenbetter。Shelookedherprettiest，chatteredherwittiest，smiledherwistfulest，anddelightedhimwithalltogether。
\"Youlooksohappyit\'seasytoseeyourfather\'stakenagoodturn，\"hetoldher。
\"Yes；hehasthisafternoon，atleast，\"shesaid。\"Imighthaveotherreasonsforlookingcheerful，though。\"
\"Forinstance？\"
\"Exactly!\"shesaid，givinghimasweetlookjustenoughmockedbyherlaughter。\"Forinstance!\"
\"Well，goon，\"hebegged。
\"Isn\'titexpected？\"sheasked。
\"Ofyou，youmean？\"
\"No，\"shereturned。\"Foryou，Imean!\"
Inthisstyle，whichusesawordforanymeaningthatquicklookandcolourfulgesturecaretoendowitwith，shewasanexpert；
andshecarrieditmerrilyon，leavinghimatlibertyoneofthegreatvaluesofthestyletochooseashewouldhowmuchorhowlittleshemeant。Hewascontenttosupplymerecues，foralthoughhehadlittlecoquetryofhisown，hehadlatelybeguntofindthattheonlyinterestingmomentsinhislifewerethoseduringwhichAliceAdamscoquettedwithhim。Happily，theseobligingmomentsextendedthemselvestocoverallthetimehespentwithher。Howeverseriousshemightseem，whateverappearedtobehertopic，allwasthou-and-I。
Heplannedformoreofit，seeingotherwiseadulleveningahead；
andreverted，afterwhile，toaforbiddensubject。\"AboutthatdanceatMissLamb\'s——sinceyourfather\'ssomuchbetter——\"
Sheflushedalittle。\"Now，now!\"shechidedhim。\"Weagreednottosayanymoreaboutthat。\"
\"Yes，butsinceheISbetter——\"
Aliceshookherhead。\"Hewon\'tbebetterto-morrow。Healwayshasabaddayafteragoodoneespeciallyaftersuchagoodoneasthisis。\"
\"Butifthistimeitshouldbedifferent，\"Russellpersisted；
\"wouldn\'tyoubewillingtocomeifhe\'sbetterbyto-morrowevening？Whynotwaitanddecideatthelastminute？\"
Shewavedherhandsairily。\"Whatapother!\"shecried。\"WhatdoesitmatterwhetherpoorlittleAliceAdamsgoestoadanceornot？\"
\"Well，IthoughtI\'dmadeitclearthatitlooksfairlybleaktomeifyoudon\'tgo。\"
\"Oh，yes!\"shejeered。
\"It\'sthesimpletruth，\"heinsisted。\"Idon\'tcareagreatdealaboutdancesthesedays；andifyouaren\'tgoingtobethere——\"
\"Youcouldstayaway，\"shesuggested。\"Youwouldn\'t!\"
\"Unfortunately，Ican\'t。I\'mafraidI\'msupposedtobetheexcuse。MissLamb，inhercapacityasafriendofmyrelatives——\"
\"Oh，she\'sgivingitforYOU!Isee!OnMildred\'saccountyoumean？\"
Atthathisfaceshowedanincreaseofcolour。\"IsupposejustonaccountofmybeingacousinofMildred\'sandof——\"
\"Ofcourse!You\'llhaveabeautifultime，too。Henrietta\'llseethatyouhavesomebodytodancewithbesidesMissDowling，poorman!\"
\"ButwhatIwantsomebodytoseeisthatIdancewithyou!Andperhapsyourfather——\"
\"Wait!\"shesaid，frowningasifshedebatedwhetherornottotellhimsomethingofimport；then，seemingtodecideaffirmatively，sheasked:\"Wouldyoureallyliketoknowthetruthaboutit？\"
\"Ifitisn\'ttoounflattering。\"
\"Ithasn\'tanythingtodowithyouatall，\"shesaid。\"OfcourseI\'dliketogowithyouandtodancewithyou——thoughyoudon\'tseemtorealizethatyouwouldn\'tbepermittedmuchtimewithme。\"
\"Oh，yes，I——\"
\"Nevermind!\"shelaughed。\"Ofcourseyouwouldn\'t。Butevenifpapashouldbebetterto-morrow，IdoubtifI\'dgo。Infact，I
knowIwouldn\'t。There\'sanotherreasonbesidespapa。\"
\"Isthere？\"
\"Yes。Thetruthis，Idon\'tgetonwithHenriettaLamb。Asamatteroffact，Idislikeher，andofcoursethatmeansshedislikesme。IshouldneverthinkofaskinghertoanythingI
gave，andIreallywondersheasksmetothingsSHEgives。\"Thiswasanewinspiration；andAlice，beginningtoseeherwayoutofaperplexity，wishedthatshehadthoughtofitearlier:sheshouldhavetoldhimfromthefirstthatsheandHenriettahadafeud，andconsequentlyexchangednoinvitations。Moreover，therewasanotherthingtobesetherwithlittleanxieties:shemightbetternothavetoldhimfromthefirst，asshehadindeedtoldhimbyintimation，thatshewasthepampereddaughterofanindulgentfather，presumablyabletoindulgeher；fornowshemustelaboratelykeeptothepart。Veracityisusuallysimple；
anditsopposite，tobesuccessful，shouldbeassimple；butpractitionersoftheoppositearemostoftenimpulsive，likeAlice；and，likeher，theybecomeenmeshedinelaborations。
\"Itwouldn\'tbeveryniceformetogotoherhouse，\"Alicewenton，\"whenIwouldn\'twantherinmine。I\'veneveradmiredher。
I\'vealwaysthoughtshewaslackinginsomethingsmostpeoplearesupposedtobeequippedwith——forinstance，acertainfeelingaboutthedeathofafatherwhowasalwaysprettydecenttohisdaughter。Henrietta\'sfatherdiedjust，elevenmonthsandtwenty-sevendaysbeforeyourcousin\'sdance，butshecouldn\'tstickoutthosefewlastdaysandmakeitayear；shewasthere。\"
Alicestopped，thenlaughedruefully，exclaiming，\"Butthisisdreadfulofme!\"
\"Isit？\"
\"Blackguardinghertoyouwhenshe\'sgivingabigpartyforyou!
JustthewayHenriettawouldblackguardmetoyou——heavenknowswhatsheWOULDN\'Tsayifshetalkedaboutmetoyou!Itwouldbefair，ofcourse，but——well，I\'drathershedidn\'t!\"Andwiththat，Aliceletherprettyhand，initswhiteglove，restuponhisarmforamoment；andhelookeddownatit，notunmovedtoseeitthere。\"Iwanttobeunfairaboutjustthis，\"shesaid，lettingatroubledlaughtertremblethroughherappealingvoiceasshespoke。\"Iwon\'ttakeadvantageofherwithanybody，exceptjust——you!I\'dalittleratheryoudidn\'thearanybodyblackguardme，and，ifyoudon\'tmind——couldyoupromisenottogiveHenriettathechance？\"
Itwascharminglydone，withahumorous，faintpathosaltogethergenuine；andRussellfoundhimselfsuddenlywantingtoshoutather，\"Oh，youDEAR!\"Nothingelseseemedadequate；buthecontrolledtheimpulseinfavourofsomethingmoreconservative。
\"Imagineanyonespeakingunkindlyofyou——notpraisingyou!\"
\"WhoHASpraisedmetoyou？\"sheasked，quickly。
\"Ihaven\'ttalkedaboutyouwithanyone；butifIdid，Iknowthey\'d——\"
\"No，no!\"shecried，andwenton，againaccompanyingherwordswithlittletremulousrunsoflaughter。\"Youdon\'tunderstandthistownyet。You\'llbesurprisedwhenyoudo；we\'redifferent。
Wetalkaboutoneanotherfearfully!Haven\'tIjustprovedit，thewayI\'vebeengoingforHenrietta？OfcourseIdidn\'tsayanythingreallyveryterribleabouther，butthat\'sonlybecauseIdon\'tfollowthatpracticethewaymostoftheothersdo。Theydon\'tstopwiththeworstofthetruththeycanfind:theymakeUPthings——yes，theyreallydo!And，oh，I\'dRATHERtheydidn\'tmakeupthingsaboutme——toyou!\"
\"Whatdifferencewoulditmakeiftheydid？\"heinquired，cheerfully。\"I\'dknowtheyweren\'ttrue。\"
\"Evenifyoudidknowthat，they\'dmakeadifference，\"shesaid。
\"Oh，yes，theywould!It\'stoobad，butwedon\'tlikeanythingquitesowellthat\'shadspecksonit，evenifwe\'vewipedthespecksoff；——it\'sjustthatmuchspoiled，andsomethingsareallspoiledtheinstantthey\'retheleastbitspoiled。Whatamanthinksaboutagirl，forinstance。Doyouwanttohavewhatyouthinkaboutmespoiled，Mr。Russell？\"
\"Oh，butthat\'salreadyfarbeyondreach，\"hesaid，lightly。
\"Butitcan\'tbe!\"sheprotested。
\"Whynot？\"
\"Becauseitnevercanbe。Mendon\'tchangetheirmindsaboutoneanotheroften:theymakeitquiteaneventwhentheydo，andtalkaboutitasifsomethingimportanthadhappened。Butagirlonlyhastogodown-townwithashoe-stringunfastened，andeverymanwhoseesherwillchangehismindabouther。Don\'tyouknowthat\'strue？\"
\"Notofmyself，Ithink。\"
\"There!\"shecried。\"That\'spreciselywhateverymanintheworldwouldsay!\"
\"Soyouwouldn\'ttrustme？\"
\"Well——I\'llbeawfullyworriedifyougive\'emachancetotellyouthatI\'mtoolazytotiemyshoe-strings!\"
Helaugheddelightedly。\"Isthatwhattheydosay？\"heasked。
\"Justabout!Whatevertheyhopewillgetresults。\"Sheshookherheadwisely。\"Oh，yes；wedothathere!\"
\"ButIdon\'tmindlooseshoe-strings，\"hesaid。\"Notifthey\'reyours。\"
\"They\'llfindoutwhatyoudomind。\"
\"Butsuppose，\"hesaid，lookingatherwhimsically；\"supposeI
wouldn\'tmindanything——solongasit\'syours？\"
Shecourtesied。\"Oh，prettyenough!Butagirlwho\'stalkedabouthasaweaknessthat\'softenafatalone。\"
\"Whatisit？\"
\"It\'sthis:whenshe\'stalkedaboutsheisn\'tTHERE。That\'showtheykillher。\"
\"I\'mafraidIdon\'tfollowyou。\"
\"Don\'tyousee？IfHenrietta——orMildred——oranyof\'em——orsomeoftheirmothers——oh，weALLdoit!Well，ifanyof\'emtoldyouIdidn\'ttiemyshoe-strings，andifIwerethere，sothatyoucouldseeme，you\'dknowitwasn\'ttrue。EvenifIweresittingsothatyoucouldn\'tseemyfeet，andcouldn\'ttellwhetherthestringsweretiedornotjustthen，stillyoucouldlookatme，andseethatIwasn\'tthesortofgirltoneglectmyshoe-strings。Butthatisn\'tthewayithappens:they\'llgetatyouwhenI\'mnowherearoundandcan\'tremindyouofthesortofgirlIreallyam。\"
\"Butyoudon\'tdothat，\"hecomplained。\"Youdon\'tremindmeyoudon\'teventellme——thesortofgirlyoureallyare!I\'dliketoknow。\"
\"Let\'sbeseriousthen，\"shesaid，andlookedseriousenoughherself。\"Wouldyouhonestlyliketoknow？\"
\"Yes。\"
\"Well，then，youmustbecareful。\"
\"\'Careful？\'\"Thewordamusedhim。
\"Imeancarefulnottogetmemixedup，\"shesaid。\"CarefulnottomixupthegirlyoumighthearsomebodytalkingaboutwiththemeIhonestlytrytomakeyousee。Ifyoudogetthosetwomixedup——well，thewholeshow\'llbespoiled!\"
\"Whatmakesyouthinkso？\"
\"Becauseit\'s——\"Shecheckedherself，havingbeguntospeaktooimpulsively；andshewasdisturbed，realizinginwhattrickystuffshedealt。Whathadbeenonherlipstosaywas，\"Becauseit\'shappenedbefore!\"Shechangedto，\"Becauseit\'ssoeasytospoilanything——easiestofalltospoilanythingthat\'spleasant。\"
\"Thatmightdepend。\"
\"No；it\'sso。Andifyoucareatallabout——aboutknowingagirlwho\'dlikesomeonetoknowher——\"
\"Just\'someone？\'That\'sdisappointing。\"
\"Well——you，\"shesaid。
\"Tellmehow\'careful\'youwantmetobe，then!\"
\"Well，don\'tyouthinkitwouldbeniceifyoudidn\'tgiveanybodythechancetotalkaboutmetheway——thewayI\'vejustbeentalkingaboutHenriettaLamb？\"
Withthattheylaughedtogether，andhesaid，\"Youmaybecuttingmeofffromagreatdealofinformation，youknow。\"
\"Yes，\"Aliceadmitted。\"Somebodymightbegintopraisemetoyou，too；soit\'sdangeroustoaskyoutochangethesubjectifI
everhappentobementioned。Butafterall——\"Shepaused。
\"\'Afterall\'isn\'ttheendofathought，isit？\"
\"Sometimesitisofagirl\'sthought；Isupposemenareneaterabouttheirthoughts，andalwaysfinish\'em。Itisn\'ttheendofthethoughtIhadthen，though。\"
\"Whatistheendofit？\"
Shelookedathimimpulsively。\"Oh，it\'sfoolish，\"shesaid，andshelaughedaslaughsonewhoproposessomethingprobablyimpossible。\"But，WOULDN\'TitbepleasantiftwopeoplecouldeverjustkeepthemselvesTOthemselves，sofarastheytwowereconcerned？Imean，iftheycouldjustmanagetobefriendswithoutpeopletalkingaboutit，ortalkingtoTHEMaboutit？\"
\"Isupposethatmightberatherdifficult，\"hesaid，moreamusedthanimpressedbyheridea。
\"Idon\'tknow:itmightbedone，\"shereturned，hopefully。
\"Especiallyinatownofthissize；it\'sgrownsoit\'squiteahugeplacethesedays。Peoplecankeepthemselvestothemselvesinabigplacebetter，youknow。Forinstance，nobodyknowsthatyouandIaretakingawalktogethertoday。\"
\"Howabsurd，whenhereweareonexhibition!\"
\"No；wearen\'t。\"
\"Wearen\'t？\"
\"Notabitofit!\"shelaughed。\"Weweretheotherday，whenyouwalkedhomewithme，butanybodycouldtellthathadjusthappenedbychance，onaccountofyourovertakingme；peoplecanalwaysseethingslikethat。Butwe\'renotonexhibitionnow。
LookwhereI\'veledyou!\"
Amusedandalittlebewildered，helookedupanddownthestreet，whichwasoneofgaunt-facedapartment-houses，old，sooty，frameboarding-houses，smallgroceriesanddrug-stores，laundriesandone-roomplumbers\'shops，withthesignofaclairvoyanthereandthere。
\"Yousee？\"shesaid。\"I\'vebeenleadingyouwithoutyourknowingit。Ofcoursethat\'sbecauseyou\'renewtothetown，andyougiveyourselfuptotheguidanceofanoldcitizen。\"
\"I\'mnotsosure，MissAdams。ItmightmeanthatIdon\'tcarewhereIfollowsolongasIfollowyou。\"
\"Verywell，\"shesaid。\"I\'dlikeyoutokeeponfollowingmeatleastlongenoughformetoshowyouthatthere\'ssomethingniceraheadofusthanthisdingystreet。\"
\"Isthatfigurative？\"heasked。
\"Mightbe!\"shereturned，gaily。\"There\'saprettylittleparkattheend，butit\'sveryproletarian，andnobodyyouandIknowwillbemorelikelytoseeustherethanonthisstreet。\"
\"Whatanimaginationyouhave!\"heexclaimed。\"YouturnourproperlittlewalkintoaParisianadventure。\"
Shelookedathiminwhatseemedtobeamomentarygravepuzzlement。\"PerhapsyoufeelthataParisianadventuremightn\'tpleaseyour——yourrelatives？\"
\"Why，no，\"hereturned。\"YouseemtothinkofthemoftenerthanIdo。\"
ThisappearedtoamuseAlice，oratleasttopleaseher，forshelaughed。\"ThenIcanaffordtoquitthinkingofthem，Isuppose。
It\'sonlythatIusedtobequiteafriendofMildred\'s——butthere!weneedn\'ttogointothat。I\'veneverbeenafriendofHenriettaLamb\'s，though，andIalmostwishsheweren\'ttakingsuchpainstobeafriendofyours。\"
\"Oh，butshe\'snot。It\'sallonaccountof——\"
\"OnMildred\'saccount，\"Alicefinishedthisforhim，coolly。
\"Yes，ofcourse。\"
\"It\'sonaccountofthetwofamilies，\"hewasatpainstoexplain，alittleawkwardly。\"It\'sbecauseI\'marelativeofthePalmers，andthePalmersandtheLambsseemtobeoldfamilyfriends。\"
\"SomethingtheAdamsescertainlyarenot，\"Alicesaid。\"Notwitheitherof\'em；particularlynotwiththeLambs!\"Andhere，scarceawareofwhatimpelledher，shereturnedtoherformerelaborationsandcolourings。\"Yousee，thedifferencesbetweenHenriettaandmearen\'tentirelypersonal:Icouldn\'tgotoherhouseevenifIlikedher。TheLambsandAdamsesdon\'tgetonwitheachother，andwe\'vejustaboutcometothebreaking-pointasithappens。\"
\"Ihopeit\'snothingtobotheryou。\"
\"Why？Alotofthingsbotherme。\"
\"I\'msorrytheydo，\"hesaid，andseemedsimplytomeanit。
Shenoddedgratefully。\"That\'sniceofyou，Mr。Russell。Ithelps。ThebreakbetweentheAdamsesandtheLambsisaprettybothersomething。It\'sbeencomingonalongtime。\"Shesigheddeeply，andthesighwashalfgenuine；thishalfbeingforherfather，buttheotherhalfprobablybelongedtoherinstinctiverenderingofJulietCapulet，daughtertoawarringhouse。\"I
hateitallso!\"sheadded。
\"Ofcourseyoumust。\"
\"Isupposemostquarrelsbetweenfamiliesareonaccountofbusiness，\"shesaid。\"That\'swhythey\'resosordid。CertainlytheLambsseemasordidlottome，thoughofcourseI\'mbiased。\"
AndwiththatshebegantosketchahistoryofthecommercialantagonismthathadrisenbetweentheAdamsesandtheLambs。
Thesketchingwasspontaneousanddramatic。Mathematicshadnopartinit；norwasthereaccuratedefinitionofMr。Adams\'srelationtotheinstitutionofLambandCompany。Thepointwasclouded，infact；thoughthatmighteasilybesetdowntothegeneralhazinessofyoungladiesconfrontedwiththemysteriesoftradeorcommerce。Mr。Adamseitherhadbeenavaguesortofjuniormemberofthefirm，itappeared，orelseheshouldhavebeenmadesomesuchthing；atallevents，hewasanoldmainstayofthebusiness；andhe，asmuchasanyLamb，hadhelpedtobuilduptheprosperityofthecompany。Butatlast，tiredofprovidingsomuchintelligenceandenergyforwhichotherpeopletookprofitgreaterthanhisown，hehaddecidedtoleavethecompanyandfoundabusinessentirelyforhimself。TheLambsweregoingtobeenragedwhentheylearnedwhatwasafoot。
Suchwastheimpression，alittlemisted，wroughtbyAlice\'squicknarrative。Buttherewasdolorousfactbehindit:Adamshadsuccumbed。
Hiswife，graveandnervous，ratherthantriumphant，insuccess，hadtoldtheirdaughterthatthegreatJ。A。wouldbefuriousandpossiblyvindictive。Adamswasafraidofhim，shesaid。
\"Butwhatfor，mama？\"Aliceasked，sincethisseemedaturnofaffairsoutofreason。\"WhatintheworldhasMr。Lambtodowithpapa\'sleavingthecompanytosetupforhimself？Whatrighthashetobeangryaboutit？Ifhe\'ssuchafriendasheclaimstobe，Ishouldthinkhe\'dbeglad——thatis，ifthegluefactoryturnsoutwell。Whatwillhebeangryfor？\"
Mrs。AdamsgaveAliceanuneasyglance，hesitated，andthenexplainedthataresignationfromLamb\'shadalwaysbeenlookedupon，especiallyby\"thatoldman，\"astreachery。Youweresupposedtodieintheservice，shesaidbitterly，andherdaughter，alittlemystified，acceptedthisexplanation。Adamshadnotspokentoherofhissurrender；heseemednotinclinedtospeaktoheratall，ortoanyone。
Alicewasnotserioustoolong，andshebegantolaughasshecametotheendofherdecorativesketch。\"Afterall，thewholethingisperfectlyridiculous，\"shesaid。\"Infact，it\'sFUNNY!
That\'sonaccountofwhatpapa\'sgoingtothrowovertheLambbusinessFOR!Tosaveyourlifeyoucouldn\'timaginewhathe\'sgoingtodo!\"
\"Iwon\'ttry，then，\"Russellassented。
\"IttakesalltheromanceoutofME，\"shelaughed。\"You\'llnevergoforaParisianwalkwithmeagain，afterItellyouwhatI\'llbeheiressto。\"Theyhadcometotheentranceofthelittlepark；and，asAlicehadsaid，itwasaprettyplace，especiallyonadaysoradiant。Treesoftheoldestforeststoodthere，haleandsereneoverthetrim，brightgrass；andtheproletarianshadnotcomefromtheirfactoriesatthishour；onlyafewmothersandtheirbabiesweretobeseen，hereandthere，intheshade。\"IthinkI\'llpostponetellingyouaboutittillwegetnearlyhomeagain，\"Alicesaid，astheybegantosaunterdownoneofthegravelledpaths。\"There\'sabenchbesideaspringfartheron；wecansitthereandtalkaboutalotofthings——thingsnotsostickyasmydowry\'sgoingtobe。\"
\"\'Sticky？\'\"heechoed。\"Whatintheworld——\"Shelaugheddespairingly。
\"Agluefactory!\"
Thenhelaughed，too，asmuchfromfriendlinessasfromamusement；andsherememberedtotellhimthattheprojectofagluefactorywasstill\"anAdamssecret。\"Itwouldbeknownsoon，however，sheadded；andthewholeLambconnectionwouldprobablybeginsayingallsortsofthings，heavenknewwhat!
ThusAlicebuiltherwallsofflimsy，workingalwaysgaily，orwithatleasttheairofgaiety；andevenassherattledon，therewassomewhereinhermindaconstantlittlewonder。
Everythingshesaidseemedtobenecessarytosupportsomethingelseshehadsaid。Howhadithappened？Shefoundherselftellinghimthatsinceherfatherhaddecidedonmakingsogreatachangeinhisways，sheandhermotherhopedatlasttopersuadehimtogiveupthat\"foolishlittlehouse\"hehadbeensoobstinateabout；andshecheckedherselfabruptlyonthisdeclivityjustasshewasabouttoslideintoaremarkconcerningherownpreferencefora\"countryplace。\"Discretioncaughtherintime；andsomethingelse，incompanywithdiscretion，caughther，forshestoppedshortinhertalkandblushed。
Theyhadtakenpossessionofthebenchbesidethespring，bythistime；andRussell，hiselbowonthebackofthebenchandhischinonhishand，thebettertolookather，hadnoguessatthecauseoftheblush，butwascontenttofinditlovely。AthisfirstsightofAliceshehadseemedprettyintheparticularwayofbeingprettythathehappenedtolikebest；and，witheverymomenthespentwithher，thisprettinessappearedtoincrease。
Hefeltthathecouldnotlookatherenough:hisgazefollowedtheflutteringofthegracefulhandsinalmostcontinualgestureasshetalked；thenliftedhappilytothevivaciousfaceagain。
Shecharmedhim。
Afterherabruptpause，shesighed，thenlookedathimwithhereyebrowsliftedinacomedyappeal。\"Youhaven\'tsaidyouwouldn\'tgiveHenriettathechance，\"shesaid，inthesoftestvoicethatcanstillhavealittlelaughrunninginit。
Hewaspuzzled。\"GiveHenriettathechance？\"
\"YOUknow!You\'llletmekeeponbeingunfair，won\'tyou？Notgivetheothergirlsachancetogeteven？\"
Hepromised，heartily。
CHAPTERXV
AlicehadsaidthatnoonewhokneweitherRussellorherselfwouldbelikelytoseethemintheparkoruponthedingystreet；
butalthoughtheyreturnedbythatsameungenteelthoroughfaretheywereseenbyapersonwhoknewthemboth。Also，withsomesurpriseonthepartofRussell，andsomethingmorepoignantthansurpriseforAlice，theysawthisperson。
Allofthedingystreetwasugly，butthegreaterpartofitappearedtobehonest。Thetwopedestrianscameuponablockortwo，however，whereitofferedsuggestionsofalessuprightcharacter，likeasteadyenoughworkingmanwithanaughtybookstickingoutofhispocket。Threeorfourdimshops，asinglestoryinheight，exhibitedfoulsignboards，yetfairenoughsofarasthewordingwent；oneproclaimingatobacconist，oneajunk-dealer，oneadispenserof\"softdrinksandcigars。\"Themostcredulouswouldhavedoubtedthesesignboards；forthecraftofthemoderntradesmanisexertedtolureindoorsthepassingglance，sinceiftheglanceispleasedthefeetmayfollow；butthisallegedtobacconistandhisneighbourshadlongbeenfondofdustontheirwindows，evidently，andshadeswerepulledfardownontheglassoftheirdoors。Thusthepubliceye，smallofpupilinthelightoftheopenstreet，wasintentionallynotinvitedtotheduskyinteriors。Somethingdifferentfrommerelackofenterprisewasapparent；andthesignboardsmighthavebeenomitted；theywerepainsthrownaway，sinceitwasplaintotheworldthatthebusinesspartsoftheseshopswerethebrighterbackroomsimpliedbythedarkfrontrooms；andthatthecommercetherewasinperilousnewliquorsandindiceandroughgirls。
Nothingcouldhavebeenmoreinnocentthantheserenitywithwhichthesewickedlittleplacesrevealedthemselvesforwhattheywere；and，boundbythisfinaltieofguilelessness，theystoodtogetherinarowwhichendedwithacompanionablebarbershop，muchlikethem。Beyondwasaseriesofsoot-harriedframetwo-storyhouses，oncepartofacheerfulneighbourhoodwhenthetownwasmiddle-agedandsettled，andnotoldandgrowing。Thesehouses，allcarryingthelabel。\"Rooms，\"hadtheworriedlookofvacancythathouseshavewhentheyaretoofullofeverybodywithoutbeinganybody\'shome；andtherewas，too，asurreptitiousairaboutthem，asif，likethefalselittleshops，theyadvertisedsomethingbyconcealingit。