Oneofthem——theonenexttothebarber-shop——hadacrossitsfrontanample，jig-sawedveranda，whereaforetime，nodoubt，thefatherofafamilyhadfannedhimselfwithapalm-leaffanonSundayafternoons，watchingthesurreysgoby，andwherehisdaughterlistenedtomandolinsandbadinageonstarlitevenings；
but，althoughyouthstillheldtheveranda，boththeyouthandtheverandawereindecay。Thefourorfiveyoungmenwholoungedtherethisafternoonwereofatypeknowntoshadypool-parlours。Hatsfoundnofavourwiththem；allofthemworecaps；andtheirtightclothes，apparentlyfromacommonsource，showedavivaciousfancyforobliquepockets，falsebelts，andEaster-eggcolourings。Anotherthingcommontothegroupwastheexpressionofeyeandmouth；andAlice，inthemidstofherotherthoughts，hadadistastefulthoughtaboutthis。
Theverandawaswithinadozenfeetofthesidewalk，andassheandherescortcamenearer，shetooknoteoftheyoungmen，herfacehardeningalittle，evenbeforeshesuspectedtheremightbearesemblancebetweenthemandanyonesheknew。Thensheobservedthateachoftheseloungersworenotfortheoccasion，butasofhabit，alookoffurtivelyamusedcontempt；themouthsmiledtoonesideasifnottodislodgeacigarette，whiletheeyeskeptlanguidlysuperior。AllatonceAlicewasremindedofWalter；andtheslightfrowncausedbythisideahadjustbeguntodarkenherforeheadwhenWalterhimselfsteppedoutoftheopendoorofthehouseandappearedupontheveranda。Uponhisheadwasanewstrawhat，andinhishandwasaMalaccastickwithanivorytop，forAlicehadfinallydecidedagainstitforherselfandhadgivenittohim。Hismoodwaslively:hetwirledthestickthroughhisfingerslikeadrum-major\'sbaton，andwhistledloudly。
Moreover，hewasindeedaccompanied。Withhimwasathingirlwhohadmadeaviolentblack-and-whiteposterofherself:blackdress，blackflimsyboa，blackstockings，whiteslippers，greatblackhatdownupontheblackeyes；andbeneaththehatacurveofcheekandchinmadewhiteaswhitewash，andinstrongbilateralmotionwithgum。
Theloungersontheverandawerefamiliarsofthepair；hailedthemwithcacklings；andonebegantosing，inavoicealltin:
\"Thenmyskirt，Sal，andmedidgoRightstraighttothemoving-pitchershow。
OH，youbashfulvamp!\"
Thegirllaughedairily。\"God，butyouguysarewise!\"shesaid。
\"Comeon，Wallie。\"
Walterstaredathissister；thengrinnedfaintly，andnoddedatRussellasthelatterliftedhishatinsalutation。Aliceutteredanincoherentsyllableofexclamation，and，asshebegantowalkfaster，shebitherliphard，notinordertolookwistful，thistime，buttohelpherkeeptearsofangerfromhereyes。
Russelllaughedcheerfully。\"Yourbrothercertainlyseemstohavefoundtheplacefor\'colour\'today，\"hesaid。\"Thatgirl\'stalkmustbefullofit。\"
ButAlicehadforgottenthecoloursheherselfhadusedinaccountingforWalter\'speculiarities，andshedidnotunderstand。\"What？\"shesaid，huskily。
\"Don\'tyouremembertellingmeabouthim？Howhewasgoingtowrite，probably，andwouldgoanywheretopickuptypesandgetthemtotalk？\"
Shekepthereyesahead，andsaidsharply，\"Ithinkhisliterarytastesscarcelycoverthiscase!\"
\"Don\'tbetoosure。Hedidn\'tlookatalldisconcerted。Hedidn\'tseemtomindyourseeinghim。\"
\"That\'salltheworse，isn\'tit？\"
\"Why，no，\"herfriendsaid，genially。\"Itmeanshedidn\'tconsiderthathewasengagedinanythingoutoftheway。Youcan\'texpecttounderstandeverythingboysdoathisage；theydoallsortsofqueerthings，andoutgrowthem。Yourbrotherevidentlyhasatasteforqueerpeople，andverylikelyhe\'sbeenatleasthalfsincerewhenhe\'smadeyoubelievehehadaliterarymotivebehindit。Weallgothrough——\"
\"Thanks，Mr。Russell，\"sheinterrupted。\"Let\'sdon\'tsayanymore。\"
Helookedatherflushedfaceandenlargedeyes；andhelikedherallthebetterforherindignation:thiswashowgoodsistersoughttofeel，hethought，failingtounderstandthatmostofwhatshefeltwasnotaboutWalter。Heventuredonlyawordmore。\"Trynottominditsomuch；itreallydoesn\'tamounttoanything。\"
Sheshookherhead，andtheywentoninsilence；shedidnotlookathimagainuntiltheystoppedbeforeherownhouse。Thenshegavehimonlyoneglimpseofhereyesbeforeshelookeddown。
\"It\'sspoiled，isn\'tit？\"shesaid，inalowvoice。
\"What\'s\'spoiled？\'\"
\"Ourwalk——well，everything。Somehowitalways——is。\"
\"\'Alwaysis\'what？\"heasked。
\"Spoiled，\"shesaid。
Helaughedatthat；butwithoutlookingathimshesuddenlyofferedhimherhand，and，ashetookit，hefeltahurried，violentpressureuponhisfingers，asifshemeanttothankhimalmostpassionatelyforbeingkind。Shewasgonebeforehecouldspeaktoheragain。
Inherroom，withthedoorlocked，shedidnotgotohermirror，buttoherbed，flingingherselffacedown，notcaringhowfarthepillowsputherhatawry。Sheergriefhadfollowedheranger；griefforthecalamitousendofherbrightafternoon，griefforthe\"endofeverything，\"asshethoughtthen。
Nevertheless，shegraduallygrewmorecomposed，and，whenhermothertappedonthedoorpresently，letherin。Mrs。Adamslookedatherwithquickapprehension。
\"Oh，poorchild!Wasn\'the——\"
Alicetoldher。\"Youseehowit——howitmademelook，mama，\"shequavered，havingconcludedhernarrative。\"I\'dtriedtocoverupWalter\'sawfulnessatthedancewiththatstoryabouthisbeing\'literary，\'butnostorywasbigenoughtocoverthisup——andoh!
itmustmakehimthinkItellstoriesaboutotherthings!\"
\"No，no，no!\"Mrs。Adamsprotested。\"Don\'tyousee？Attheworst，allHEcouldthinkisthatWaltertoldstoriestoyouaboutwhyhelikestobewithsuchdreadfulpeople，andyoubelievedthem。That\'sallHE\'Dthink；don\'tyousee？\"
Alice\'sweteyesbegantoshowalittlehopefulness。\"Youhonestlythinkitmightbethatway，mama？\"
\"Why，fromwhatyou\'vetoldmehesaid，IKNOWit\'sthatway。
Didn\'thesayhewantedtocomeagain？\"
\"N-no，\"Alicesaid，uncertainly。\"ButIthinkhewill。AtleastIbegintothinksonow。He——\"Shestopped。
\"Fromallyoutellme，heseemstobeaverydesirableyoungman，\"Mrs。Adamssaid，primly。
Herdaughterwassilentforseveralmoments；thennewtearsgathereduponherdowncastlashes。\"He\'sjust——dear!\"shefaltered。
Mrs。Adamsnodded。\"He\'stoldyouheisn\'tengaged，hasn\'the？\"
\"No。ButIknowheisn\'t。Maybewhenhefirstcameherehewasnearit，butIknowhe\'snot。\"
\"IguessMildredPalmerwouldLIKEhimtobe，allright!\"Mrs。
Adamswasfrankenoughtosay，rathertriumphantly；andAlice，withaloweredhead，murmured:
\"Anybody——would。\"
Thewordswereallbutinaudible。
\"Don\'tyouworry，\"hermothersaid，andpattedherontheshoulder。\"Everythingwillcomeoutallright；don\'tyoufear，Alice。Can\'tyouseethatbesideanyothergirlintownyou\'rejustaperfectQUEEN？Doyouthinkanyyoungmanthatwasn\'tprejudiced，orsomething，wouldneedmorethanjustonelookto——\"
ButAlicemovedawayfromthecaressinghand。\"Nevermind，mama。
Iwonderhelooksatmeatall。Andifhedoesagain，afterseeingmybrotherwiththosehorriblepeople——\"
\"Now，now!\"Mrs。Adamsinterrupted，expostulatingmournfully。
\"I\'msureWalter\'saGOODboy——\"
\"Youare？\"Alicecried，withasuddenvigour。\"YouARE？\"
\"I\'msurehe\'sGOOD，yes——andifheisn\'t，it\'snothisfault。
It\'smine。\"
\"Whatnonsense!\"
\"No，it\'strue，\"Mrs。Adamslamented。\"Itriedtobringhimuptobegood，Godknows；andwhenhewaslittlehewasthebestboyIeversaw。WhenhecamefromSunday-schoolhe\'dalwaysruntomeandwe\'dgooverthelessontogether；andheletmecomeinhisroomatnighttohearhisprayersalmostuntilhewassixteen。Mostboyswon\'tdothatwiththeirmothers——notnearlythatlong。Itriedsohardtobringhimupright——butifanything\'sgonewrongit\'smyfault。\"
\"Howcoulditbe？You\'vejustsaid——\"
\"It\'sbecauseIdidn\'tmakeyourfatherthis——thisnewstepearlier。ThenWaltermighthavehadalltheadvantagesthatother——\"
\"Oh，mama，PLEASE!\"Alicebeggedher。\"Let\'sdon\'tgooverallthatagain。Isn\'titmoreimportanttothinkwhat\'stobedoneabouthim？Ishegoingtobeallowedtogoondisgracingusashedoes？\"
Mrs。Adamssighedprofoundly。\"Idon\'tknowwhattodo，\"sheconfessed，unhappily。\"Yourfather\'ssoupsetabout——aboutthisnewstephe\'staking——Idon\'tfeelasifweoughtto——\"
\"No，no!\"Alicecried。\"Papamustn\'tbedistressedwiththis，ontopofeverythingelse。ButSOMETHING\'SgottobedoneaboutWalter。\"
\"Whatcanbe？\"hermotherasked，helplessly。\"Whatcanbe？\"
Aliceadmittedthatshedidn\'tknow。
Atdinner，anhourlater，Walter\'shabituallyveiledglancelifted，nowandthen，totouchherfurtively；——hewaswaiting，ashewouldhavesaid，forherto\"springit\"；andhehadpreparedabriefandsinceredefensetotheeffectthathemadehisownliving，andwouldliketoinquirewhosebusinessitwastoofferintrusivecommentuponhisprivateconduct。Butshesaidnothing，whilehisfatherandmotherwereassilentasshe。
Walterconcludedthattherewastobenoattack，butchangedhismindwhenhisfather，whoateonlyalittle，andbroodinglyatthat，rosetoleavethetableandspoketohim。
\"Walter，\"hesaid，\"whenyou\'vefinishedIwishyou\'dcomeuptomyroom。IgotsomethingIwanttosaytoyou。\"
Waltershotahardlookathisapatheticsister，thenturnedtohisfather。\"Makeitto-morrow，\"hesaid。\"ThisisSatad\'ynightandIgotadate。\"
\"No，\"Adamssaid，frowning。\"Youcomeupbeforeyougoout。
It\'simportant。\"
\"Allright；I\'vehadallIwanttoeat，\"Walterreturned。\"Igotafewminutes。Makeitquick。\"
Hefollowedhisfatherupstairs，andwhentheywereintheroomtogetherAdamsshutthedoor，satdown，andbegantorubhisknees。
\"Rheumatism？\"theboyinquired，slyly。\"Thatwhatyouwanttotalktomeabout？\"
\"No。\"ButAdamsdidnotgoon；heseemedtobeindifficultiesforwords，andWalterdecidedtohelphim。
\"Hopaheadandspringit，\"hesaid。\"Getitoffyourmind:I\'lltelltheworld_I_shouldworry!Youaren\'tgoin\'tobotherME
any，sowhybotheryourself？Alicehoppedhomeandtoldyoushesawmeplayin\'aroundwithsomeprettygay-lookin\'berriesandyou——\"
\"Alice？\"hisfathersaid，obviouslysurprised。\"It\'snothingaboutAlice。\"
\"Didn\'tshetellyou——\"
\"Ihaven\'ttalkedwithherallday。\"
\"Oh，Isee，\"Waltersaid。\"Shetoldmotherandmothertoldyou。\"
\"No，neitherof\'emhavetoldmeanything。Whatwastheretotell？\"
Walterlaughed。\"Oh，it\'snothin\'，\"hesaid。\"Iwasjuststartin\'outtobuyagirlfriendo\'minearhinestonebuckleI
losttoheronabet，thisafternoon，andAlicecamealongwiththatbigRussellfish；andIthoughtshelookedsore。Sheexpectsmetolikethekindshelikes，andIdon\'tlike\'em。I
thoughtshe\'dprob\'lygotyouallstirredupaboutit。\"
\"No，no，\"hisfathersaid，peevishly。\"Idon\'tknowanythingaboutit，andIdon\'tcaretoknowanythingaboutit。Iwanttotalktoyouaboutsomethingimportant。\"
Then，ashewasagainsilent，Waltersaid，\"Well，TALKaboutit；
I\'mlistening。\"
\"It\'sthis，\"Adamsbegan，heavily。\"It\'saboutmegoingintothisgluebusiness。Yourmother\'stoldyou，hasn\'tshe？\"
\"Shesaidyouweregoin\'toleavetheoldplacedown-townandstartagluefactory。That\'sallIknowaboutit；Igotmyownaffairsto\'tendto。\"
\"Well，thisisyouraffair，\"hisfathersaid，frowning。\"Youcan\'tstaywithLambandCompany。\"
Walterlookedalittlestartled。\"Whatyoumean，Ican\'t？Whynot？\"
\"You\'vegottohelpme，\"Adamsexplainedslowly；andhefrownedmoredeeply，asiftheinterviewweregrowingincreasinglylaboriousforhim。\"It\'sgoingtobeabigpulltogetthisbusinessonitsfeet。\"
\"Yes!\"Walterexclaimedwithasharpskepticism。\"Ishouldsayitwas!\"Hestaredathisfatherincredulously。\"Lookhere；
aren\'tyoujustalittlebitsudden，thewayyou\'regoin\'aboutthings？You\'veletmothershoveyoualittletoofast，haven\'tyou？Doyouknowanythingaboutwhatitmeanstosetupanewbusinessthesedays？\"
\"Yes，Iknowallaboutit，\"Adamssaid。\"Aboutthisbusiness，I
do。\"
\"Howdoyou？\"
\"BecauseImadealongstudyofit。I\'mnotafraidofgoingaboutitthewrongway；butit\'sahardjobandyou\'llhavetoputinallwhateversenseandstrengthyou\'vegot。\"
Walterbegantobreathequickly，andhislipswereagitated；thenhesetthemobstinately。\"Oh；Iwill，\"hesaid。
\"Yes，youwill，\"Adamsreturned，notnoticingthathisson\'sinflectionwassatiric。\"It\'sgoingtotakeeverybitofenergyinyourbody，andalltheenergyIgotleftinmine，andeverycentofthelittleI\'vesaved，besidessomethingI\'llhavetoraiseonthishouse。I\'mgoingrightatit，nowI\'vegotto；andyou\'llhavetoquitLamb\'sbytheendofnextweek。\"
\"Oh，Iwill？\"Walter\'svoicegrewlouder，andtherewasashrillnessinit。\"IgottoquitLamb\'stheendofnextweek，haveI？\"Hesteppedforward，angrily。\"Listen!\"hesaid。\"I\'mnotwalkin\'outo\'Lamb\'s，see？I\'mnotquittin\'downthere:I
staywith\'em，see？\"
Adamslookedupathim，astonished。\"You\'llleavetherenextSaturday，\"hesaid。\"I\'vegottohaveyou。\"
\"Youdon\'tanythingo\'thekind，\"Waltertoldhim，sharply。\"Doyouexpecttopaymeanything？\"
\"I\'dpayyouaboutwhatyoubeengettingdownthere。\"
\"Thenpaysomebodyelse；_I_don\'tknowanythingaboutglue。Yougetsomebodyelse。\"
\"No。You\'vegotto——\"
Waltercuthimoffwiththeutmostvehemence。\"Don\'ttellmewhatIgottodo!IknowwhatIgottodobetter\'nyou，Iguess!
IstayatLamb\'s，see？\"
Adamsroseangrily。\"You\'lldowhatItellyou。Youcan\'tstaydownthere。\"
\"Whycan\'tI？\"
\"BecauseIwon\'tletyou。\"
\"Listen!Keeponnotlettin\'me:I\'llbetherejustthesame。\"
Atthathisfatherbrokeintoasourlaughter。\"THEYwon\'tletyou，Walter!Theywon\'thaveyoudownthereaftertheyfindoutI\'mgoing。\"
\"Whywon\'tthey？Youdon\'tthinkthey\'regoin\'tobeallshottopiecesoverlosin\'YOU，doyou？\"
\"Itellyoutheywon\'tletyoustay，\"hisfatherinsisted，loudly。
\"Why，whatdotheycarewhetheryougoornot？\"
\"They\'llcareenoughtofireYOU，myboy!\"
\"Lookhere，then；showmewhy。\"
\"They\'lldoit!\"
\"Yes，\"Walterjeered；\"youkeepsayin\'theywill，butwhenIaskyoutoshowmewhy，youkeepsayin\'theywill!ThatmakeslittleheadwaywithME，Icantellyou!\"
Adamsgroaned，and，rubbinghishead，begantopacethefloor。
Walter\'srefusalwassomethinghehadnotanticipated；andhefelttheweaknessofhisownattempttomeetit:heseemedpowerlesstodoanythingbututterangrywords，which，asWaltersaid，madelittleheadway。\"Oh，my，my!\"hemuttered，\"OH，my，my!\"
Walter，usuallysallow，hadgrownpale:hewatchedhisfathernarrowly，andnowtookasuddenresolution。\"Lookhere，\"hesaid。\"WhenyousayLamb\'sislikelytofiremebecauseyou\'regoin\'toquit，youtalklikethepeoplethathavetobelockedup。Idon\'tknowwhereyougetsuchthingsinyourhead；LambandCompanywon\'tknowyou\'regone。Listen:IcanstaytherelongasIwantto。ButI\'lltellyouwhatI\'lldo:makeitworthmywhileandI\'llhookupwithyouroldgluefactory，afterall。\"
Adamsstoppedhispacingabruptly，andstaredathim。\"\'Makeitworthyourwhile？\'Whatyoumean？\"
\"Igotagooduseforthreehundreddollarsrightnow，\"Waltersaid。\"LetmehaveitandI\'llquitLamb\'stoworkforyou。
Don\'tletmehaveitandISWEARIwon\'t!\"
\"Areyoucrazy？\"
\"Iseverybodycrazythatneedsthreehundreddollars？\"
\"Yes，\"Adamssaid。\"TheyareiftheyaskMEforit，whenIgottostretcheverycentIcanlaymyhandsontomakeitlooklikeadollar!\"
\"Youwon\'tdoit？\"
Adamsburstoutathim。\"Youlittlefool!IfIhadthreehundreddollarstothrowaway，besidesthepayIexpectedtogiveyou，haven\'tyougotsenseenoughtoseeIcouldhireamanworththreehundreddollarsmoretomethanyou\'dbe？It\'saFINEtimetoaskmeforthreehundreddollars，isn\'tit!WhatFOR？
Rhinestonebucklestothrowaroundonyour\'girlfriends？\'Shameonyou!AskmetoBRIBEyoutohelpyourselfandyourownfamily!\"
\"I\'llgiveyoualastchance，\"Waltersaid。\"EitheryoudowhatIwant，orIwon\'tdowhatyouwant。Don\'taskmeagainafterthis，because——\"
Adamsinterruptedhimfiercely。\"\'Askyouagain!\'Don\'tworryaboutthat，myboy!AllIaskyouistogetouto\'myroom。\"
\"Lookhere，\"Waltersaid，quietly；andhislopsidedsmiledistortedhislividcheek。\"Lookhere:IexpectYOUwouldn\'tgivemethreehundreddollarstosavemylife，wouldyou？\"
\"Youmakemesick，\"Adamssaid，inhisbitterness。\"Getoutofhere。\"
Walterwentout，whistling；andAdamsdroopedintohisoldchairagainasthedoorclosed。\"OH，my，my!\"hegroaned。\"Oh，Lordy，Lordy!Thewayofthetransgressor——\"
CHAPTERXVI
Hemeanthisowntransgressionandhisownway；forWalter\'sstubbornrefusalappearedtoAdamsjustthenasoneoftheinexplicablebutrighteousbesettingshemustencounterinfollowingthatway。\"Oh，Lordy，Lord!\"hegroaned，andthen，asresentmentmovedhim——\"Thatdangboy!Dangidiot\"YetheknewhimselfforagreateridiotbecausehehadnotbeenabletotellWalterthetruth。Hecouldnotbringhimselftodoit，noreventostatehiscaseinitsbestterms；andthatwasbecausehefeltthateveninitsbesttermsthecasewasabadone。
Ofallhisregretsthegreatestwasthatinamomentofvanityandtenderness，twenty-fiveyearsago，hehadtoldhisyoungwifeabusinesssecret。Hehadwantedtoshowhowimportantherhusbandwasbecoming，andhowmuchtheheadoftheuniverse，J。
A。Lamb，trustedtohisintegrityandability。Thegreatmanhadanidea:hethoughtof\"branchingoutalittle，\"hetoldAdamsconfidentially，andtherewerepossibilitiesofprofitinglue。
Whathewantedwasaliquidgluetobeputintolittlebottlesandsoldcheaply。\"Thekindofthingthatsellsitself，\"hesaid；\"thekindofthingthatpaysitsownsmallwayasitgoesalong，untilithasprofitsenoughtobeginadvertisingitright。
Everybodyhastouseglue，andifImakemineconvenientandcheap，everybody\'llbuymine。Butit\'sgottobegluethat\'llSTICK；it\'sgottobethebest；andifwefindhowtomakeitwe\'vegot，tokeepitabigsecret，ofcourse，oranybodycanstealitfromus。Therewasamanherelastmonth；heknewaformulahewantedtosellme，\'sightunseen\'；buthewasinsuchahurryIgotsuspicious，andIfoundhe\'dmanagedtostealit，workingforthebigpackersintheirglue-works。We\'vegottofindabettergluethanthat，anyhow。I\'mgoingtosetyouandCampbellatit。You\'reapractical，wide-awakeyoungfeller，andCampbell\'samightygoodchemist；Iguessyoutwoboysoughttomakesomethinghappen。\"
Hisguesswasshrewdenough。Workinginashedalittlewayoutsidethetown，wheretheircheeryemployervisitedthemsometimestostudytheirmalodorousstews，thetwoyoungmenfoundwhatLambhadsetthemtofind。ButCampbellwasthoughtfuloverthediscovery。\"Lookhere，\"hesaid。\"Whyain\'tthisjustaboutyoursandmine？Afterall，itmaybeLamb\'smoneythat\'spaidforthestuffwe\'veused，butithasn\'tcostmuch。\"
\"ButhepaysUS，\"Adamsremonstrated，horrifiedbyhiscompanion\'sidea。\"Hepaidustodoit。Itbelongsabsolutelytohim。\"
\"Oh，IknowheTHINKSitdoes，\"Campbelladmitted，plaintively。
\"Isupposewe\'vegottolethimtakeit。It\'snotpatentable，andhe\'llhavetodoprettywellbyuswhenhestartshisfactory，becausehe\'sgottodependonustorunthemakingofthestuffsothattheworkmencan\'tgetontotheprocess。YoubetteraskhimthesamesalaryIdo，andmine\'sgoingtobehigh。
Butthehighsalary，thuspleasantlyimagined，wasneverpaid。
Campbelldiedoftyphoidfever，thatsummer，leavingAdamsandhisemployertheonlypossessorsoftheformula，anunwrittenone；andAdams，pleasedtothinkhimselfmoreimportanttothegreatmanthanever，toldhiswifethattherecouldbelittledoubtofhisbeingputinsolechargeoftheprospectiveglue-works。Unfortunately，theenterpriseremainedprospective。
Itsprojectorhadalreadybecome\"inveigledintoanotherside-line，\"ashetoldAdams。Oneofhissonshadpersuadedhimtotakeupa\"cough-lozenge，\"tobecalledthe\"JalambBalmTrochee\"；andthelozengedidwellenoughtoamuseMr。Lambandoccupyhissparetime，whichwasreallyaboutallhehadaskedoftheglueproject。Hehad\"alltheMONEYanybodyoughttowant，\"
hesaid，whenAdamsurgedhim；andhecould\"startupthislittleglueside-line\"atanytime；theformulawassafeintheirtwoheads。
AtintervalsAdamswouldseekopportunitytospeakof\"thelittleglueside-line\"tohispatron，andtosuggestthattheyearswerepassing；butLamb，pettingotherhobbies，hadlostinterest。
\"Oh，I\'llstartitupsomeday，maybe。IfIdon\'t，Imayturnitovertomyheirs:it\'salwaysanasset，worthsomethingorother，ofcourse。We\'llprobablytakeitupsomeday，though，youandI。\"
Thesunpersistentlydeclinedtoriseonthatday，and，astimewenton，Adamssawthathisrathertimidurgingsboredhisemployer，andheceasedtobringupthesubject。Lambapparentlyforgotallaboutglue，butAdamsdiscoveredthatunfortunatelytherewassomeoneelsewhorememberedit。
\"It\'sreallyYOURS，\"sheargued，thatpainfuldaywhenforthefirsttimeshesuggestedhisusinghisknowledgeforthebenefitofhimselfandhisfamily。\"Mr。Campbellmighthavehadarighttopartofit，buthediedanddidn\'tleaveanykin，soitbelongstoyou。\"
\"SupposeJ。A。Lambhiredmetosawsomewood，\"Adamssaid。
\"Wouldthesticksbelongtome？\"
\"Hehasn\'tgotanyrighttotakeyourinventionandburyit，\"sheprotested。\"Whatgoodisitdoinghimifhedoesn\'tDOanythingwithit？WhatgoodisitdoingANYBODY？Noneintheworld!Andwhatharmwoulditdohimifyouwentaheadanddidthisforyourselfandforyourchildren？Noneintheworld!AndwhatcouldhedotoyouifheWASoldpigenoughtogetangrywithyoufordoingit？Hecouldn\'tdoasinglething，andyou\'veadmittedhecouldn\'t，yourself。Sowhat\'syourreasonfordeprivingyourchildrenandyourwifeofthebenefitsyouknowyoucouldgive\'em？\"
\"Nothingbutdecency，\"heanswered；andshehadherreplyreadyforthat。Itseemedtohimthat，striveashewould，hecouldnotreachhermindwitheventheplainestlanguage；whileeverythingthatshesaidtohim，withsuchvehemence，soundedlikesomuchobstinategibberish。Overandoverhepressedherwiththesameillustration，onthepointofownership，thoughhethoughthewasvaryingit。
\"Supposehehiredmetobuildhimahouse:wouldthatbeMY
house？\"
\"Hedidn\'thireyoutobuildhimahouse。YouandCampbellinvented——\"
\"Lookhere:supposeyougiveacookasoup-boneandsomevegetables，andpayhertomakeyouasoup:hasshegotarighttotakeandsellit？Youknowbetter!\"
\"IknowONEthing:ifthatoldmantriedtokeepyourowninventionfromyouhe\'snobetterthanarobber!\"
Theyneverfoundanypointofcontactinalltheirpassionatediscussionsofthisethicalquestion；andthequestionwasnomoresettledbetweenthem，nowthatAdamshadsuccumbed，thanithadeverbeen。Butatleastthewranglingaboutitwasover:
theyweregravetogether，almostsilent，andanuneasinessprevailedwithherasmuchaswithhim。
Hehadalreadybeenoutofthehouse，towalkaboutthesmallgreenyard；andonMondayafternoonhesentforataxicabandwentdown-town，butkeptalongwayfromthe\"wholesalesection，\"
wherestoodtheformidableoldoblongpileofLambandCompany。
Hearrangedforthesaleofthebondshehadlaidaway，andforplacingamortgageuponhishouse；andonhiswayhome，afterfiveo\'clock，hewenttoseeanoldfriend，amanwhosetermofservicewithLambandCompanywasevenalittlelongerthanhisown。
Thisveteran，returnedfromtheday\'swork，wassittinginfrontoftheapartmenthousewherehelived，butwhenthecabstoppedatthecurbheroseandcameforward，offeringajoculargreeting。\"Well，well，VirgilAdams!Ialwaysthoughtyouhadasportystreakinyou。Travelinyourownhiredprivateautomobilenowadays，doyou？Pamperin\'yourselfbecauseyou\'restilllayin\'offsick，Iexpect。\"
\"Oh，I\'mwellenoughagain，CharleyLohr，\"Adamssaid，ashegotoutandshookhands。Then，tellingthedrivertowait，hetookhisfriend\'sarm，walkedtothebenchwithhim，andsatdown。\"I
beenpracticallywellforsometime，\"hesaid。\"I\'mfixin\'togetintoharnessagain。\"
\"Bein\'sickhascertainlyproducedachangeofheartinyou，\"hisfriendlaughed。\"You\'rethelastmanIeverexpectedtoseeblowin\'yourself——oranybodyelsetoataxicab!Forthatmatter，Ineverheardofyoubein\'inANYkindofacab，\'less\'nitmightbewhenyoubeenpall-bearerforsomebody。What\'scomeoveryou？\"
\"Well，Igottoturnoveranewleaf，andthat\'safact，\"Adamssaid。\"Igotalottodo，andtheonlywaytoaccomplishit，it\'sgottobedonesoon，orIwon\'thaveanythingtoliveonwhileI\'mdoingit。\"
\"Whatyoutalkin\'about？Whatyougottodoexcepttogetstrongenoughtocomebacktotheoldplace？\"
\"Well——\"Adamspaused，thencoughed，andsaidslowly，\"Factis，CharleyLohr，IbeenthinkinglikelyIwouldn\'tcomeback。\"
\"What!Whatyoutalkin\'about？\"
\"No，\"saidAdams。\"IbeenthinkingImightlikelykindofbranchoutonmyownaccount。\"
\"Well，I\'llbedoggoned!\"OldCharleyLohrwasamazed；heruffleduphisgraymoustachewiththumbandforefinger，leavinghismouthopenbeneath，likeadarkcaveunderatangledwintrythicket。\"Why，that\'sthedoggonedestthingIeverheard!\"hesaid。\"Ialreadyamtheoldestinhabitantdownthere，butifyougo，therewon\'tbeanybodyelseoftheoldgenerationatall。
Whatonearthyouthinkin\'ofgoin\'into？\"
\"Well，\"saidAdams，\"Iratheryoudidn\'tmentionittillIgetstartedofcourseanybody\'llknowwhatitisbythen——butIHAVE
beenkindofplanningtoputaliquidglueonthemarket。\"
Hisfriend，stillrufflingthegraymoustacheupward，staredathiminfrowningperplexity。\"Glue？\"hesaid。\"GLUE!\"
\"Yes。Ibeensortofmillingovertheideaoftakingupsomethinglikethat。\"
\"Handlin\'itforsomefirm，youmean？\"
\"No。Makingit。Sortofaglue-workslikely。\"
Lohrcontinuedtofrown。\"Letmethink，\"hesaid。\"Didn\'ttheolemanhavesomesuchideaonce，himself？\"
Adamsleanedforward，rubbinghisknees；andhecoughedagainbeforehespoke。\"Well，yes。Factis，hedid。Thatistosay，amightylongwhileagohedid。\"
\"Iremember，\"saidLohr。\"HeneversaidanythingaboutitthatI
knowof；butseemstomeIrecollectwehadsortofarumouraroundtheplacehowyouandthatman——le\'ssee，wasn\'thisnameCampbell，thatdiedoftyphoidfever？Yes，thatwasit，Campbell。Didn\'ttheolemanhaveyouandCampbellworkin\'sortofprivateonsomegluepropositionorother？\"
\"Yes，hedid。\"Adamsnodded。\"Ifoundoutagooddealaboutgluethen，too。\"
\"Beenworkin\'onitsince，Isuppose？\"
\"Yes。Keptitinmymindandstudiedoutnewthingsaboutit。\"
Lohrlookedserious。\"Well，butseehere，\"hesaid。\"Ihopeitain\'tanythingtheoleman\'llthinkmightinfringeonwhateverhehadyoudoin\'forHIM。Youknowhowheis:broad-minded，liberal，free-handedmanaswalksthisearth，andifhethoughtheowedyouacenthe\'dsellhisrighthandforapork-choptopayit，ifthatwastheonlyway；butifhegottheideaanybodywastryin\'togetthebetterofhim，he\'dsellBOTHhishands，ifhehadto，tokeep\'emfromdoin\'it。Yes，ateighty，hewould!
NotthatImeanIthinkyoumightbetryin\'togetthebetterofhim，Virg。You\'reamightycloseolecodger，butsuchathingain\'tinyou。WhatImean:Ihopethereain\'tanychancefortheolemantoTHINKyoumightbe——\"
\"Oh，no，\"Adamsinterrupted。\"Asamatteroffact，Idon\'tbelievehe\'lleverthinkaboutitatall，andifhedidhewouldn\'thaveanyrealrighttofeeloffendedatme:theprocessI\'mgoingtouseisoneIexpecttochangeandimprovealotdifferentfromtheoneCampbellandIworkedonforhim。\"
\"Well，that\'sgood，\"saidLohr。\"Ofcourseyouknowwhatyou\'reupto:you\'reoldenough，Godknows!\"Helaughedruefully。\"My，butitwillseemfunnytome——downtherewithyougone!IexpectyouandIbothbeengettin\'tobeprettymuchdead-woodintheplace，thewaytheyoungfellowslookatit，andtheonlyonethat\'dmisseitherofuswouldbetheotherone!Haveyoutoldtheolemanyet？\"
\"Well——\"Adamsspokelaboriously。\"No。No，Ihaven\'t。I
thought——well，that\'swhatIwantedtoseeyouabout。\"
\"WhatcanIdo？\"
\"IthoughtI\'dwritehimaletterandgetyoutohandittohimforme。\"
\"Mysoul!\"hisfriendexclaimed。\"Whyonearthdon\'tyoujustgodownthereandtellhim？\"
Adamsbecamepitiablyembarrassed。Hestammered，coughed，stammeredagain，wrinklinghisfacesodeeplyheseemedabouttoweep；butfinallyhecontrivedtoutteranapologeticlaugh。\"I
oughttodothat，ofcourse；butinsomewayorotherIjustdon\'tseemtobeableto——tomanageit。\"
\"Whyintheworldnot？\"themystifiedLohrinquired。
\"Icouldhardlytellyou——\'less\'nitistosaythatwhenyoubeenwithonebossallyourlifeit\'sso——sokindofembarrassing——toquithim，Ijustcan\'tmakeupmymindtogoandspeaktohimaboutit。No；Igotitinmyheadaletter\'stheonlysatisfactorywaytodoit，andIthoughtI\'daskyoutohandittohim，\"
\"Well，ofcourseIdon\'tminddoin\'thatforyou，\"Lohrsaid，mildly。\"Butwhyintheworlddon\'tyoujustmailittohim？\"
\"Well，I\'lltellyou，\"Adamsreturned。\"Youknow，likethat，it\'dhavetogothroughaclerkandthatsecretaryofhis，andI
don\'tknowwhoall。There\'sacoupleofkindofdelicatepointsIwanttoputinit:forinstance，IwanttoexplaintohimhowmuchimprovementandsoonI\'mgoingtointroduceontheoldprocessIhelpedtoworkoutwithCampbellwhenwewereworkingforhim，so\'the\'llunderstandit\'sadifferentarticleandnoinfringementatall。Thenthere\'sanotherthing:youseeallduringwhileIwassickhehadmysalarypaidtomeitamountstoconsiderable，Iwasonmybacksolong。Underthecircumstances，becauseI\'mquitting，Idon\'tfeelasifIoughttoacceptit，andsoI\'llhaveacheckforhiminthelettertocoverit，andI
wanttobesureheknowsit，andgetsitpersonally。Ifithadtogothroughalotofotherpeople，thewayitwouldifIputitinthemail，why，youcan\'ttell。SowhatIthought:ifyou\'dhandittohimforme，andmaybeifhehappenedtoreaditrightthen，oranything，itmightbeyou\'dnoticewhateverhe\'dhappentosayaboutit——andyoucouldtellmeafterward。\"
\"Allright，\"Lohrsaid。\"Certainlyifyou\'dratherdoitthatway，I\'llhandittohimandtellyouwhathesays；thatis，ifhesaysanythingandIhearhim。Gotitwritten？\"
\"No；I\'llsenditaroundtoyoulastoftheweek。\"Adamsmovedtowardhistaxicab。\"Don\'tsayanythingtoanybodyaboutit，Charley，especiallytillafterthat。\"
\"Allright。\"
\"And，Charley，I\'llbemightyobligedtoyou，\"Adamssaid，andcamebacktoshakehandsinfarewell。\"There\'sonethingmoreyoumightdo——ifyou\'deverhappentofeellikeit。\"Hekepthiseyesrathervaguelyfixedonapointabovehisfriend\'sheadashespoke，andhisvoicewasnotwellcontrolled。\"Ibeen——IbeendownthereagoodmanyyearsandImaynot\'a\'beensomuchuselatelyasIwasatfirst，butIalwaystriedtodomybestfortheoldfirm。Ifanythingturnedoutso\'stheyDIDkindoftakeoffensewithme，downthere，why，justsayagoodwordforme——ifyou\'dhappentofeellikeit，maybe。\"
OldCharleyLohrassuredhimthathewouldspeakagoodwordifopportunitybecameavailable；then，afterthecabhaddrivenaway，hewentuptohissmallapartmentonthethirdfloorandmutteredruminativelyuntilhiswifeinquiredwhathewastalkingtohimselfabout。
\"OleVirgAdams，\"hetoldher。\"He\'soutagainafterhislongspellofsickness，andthewayitlookstomehe\'dbetterstayedinbed。\"
\"Youmeanhestilllookstoobadtobeout？\"
\"Oh，Iexpecthe\'sgettin\'hisHEALTHback，\"Lohrsaid，frowning。
\"Thenwhat\'sthematterwithhim？Youmeanhe\'slosthismind？\"
\"Mygoodness，butwomendojumpatconclusions!\"heexclaimed。
\"Well，\"saidMrs。Lohr，\"whatotherconclusiondidyouleavemetojumpat？\"
Herhusbandexplainedwithalittleheat:\"PeoplecanhaveasicknessthatAFFECTStheirmind，can\'tthey？Theirmindcangetsomeaffectedwithoutbein\'LOST，can\'tit？\"
\"Thenyoumeanthepoorman\'sminddoesseemaffected？\"
\"Why，no；I\'dscarcelygoasfarasthat，\"Lohrsaid，inconsistently，anddeclinedtobemoredefinite。
Adamsdevotedthelatterpartofthateveningtothecompositionofhisletter——adisquietingtasknotcompletedwhen，ateleveno\'clock，heheardhisdaughtercomingupthestairs。Shewassingingtoherselfinalow，sweetvoice，andAdamspausedtolistenincredulously，withhispenliftedandhismouthopen，asifheheardthestrangestsoundintheworld。Thenhesetdownthepenuponablotter，wenttohisdoor，andopenedit，lookingoutatherasshecame。
\"Well，dearie，youseemtobefeelingprettygood，\"hesaid。
\"Whatyoubeendoing？\"
\"Justsittingoutonthefrontsteps，papa。\"
\"Allalone，Isuppose。\"
\"No。Mr。Russellcalled。\"
\"Oh，hedid？\"Adamspretendedtobesurprised。\"Whatallcouldyouandhefindtotalkabouttillthishouro\'thenight？\"
Shelaughedgaily。\"Youdon\'tknowme，papa!\"
\"How\'sthat？\"
\"You\'veneverfoundoutthatIalwaysdoallthetalking。\"
\"Didn\'tyoulethimgetawordinallevening？\"
\"Oh，yes；everynowandthen。\"
Adamstookherhandandpettedit。\"Well，whatdidhesay？\"
Alicegavehimaradiantlookandkissedhim。\"Notwhatyouthink!\"shelaughed；thenslappedhischeekwithsaucyaffection，pirouettedacrossthenarrowhallandintoherownroom，andcurtsiedtohimassheclosedherdoor。
Adamswentbacktohiswritingwithalighterheart；forsinceAlicewasbornshehadbeentohimtheappleofhiseye，hisownphraseinthinkingofher；andwhathewasdoingnowwasforher。
Hesmiledashepickeduphispentobeginanewdraftofthepainfulletter；butpresentlyhelookedpuzzled。Afterall，shecouldbehappyjustasthingswere，itseemed。Thenwhyhadhetakenwhathiswifecalled\"thisnewstep，\"whichhehadsolongresisted？
Hecouldonlysighandwonder。\"Lifeworksoutprettypeculiarly，\"hethought；forhecouldn\'tgobacknow，thoughthereasonhecouldn\'twasnotclearlyapparent。Hehadtogoahead。
CHAPTERXVII
Hewasoutinhistaxicabagainthenextmorning，andbynoonhehadsecuredwhathewanted。
Itwascuriouslysignificantthatheworkedsoquickly。Alltheyearsduringwhichhiswifehadpressedhimtowardhispresentshifthehadsworntohimself，aswellastoher，thathewouldneveryield；andyetwhenhedidyieldhehadnoplanstomake，becausehefoundthemalreadypreparedandworkedoutindetailinhismind；asifhehadlongcontemplatedthe\"step\"hebelievedhimselfincapableoftaking。
Sometimeshehadthoughtofimprovinghisincomebyexchanginghislittlecollectionofbondsfora\"smallrentalproperty，\"ifhecouldfind\"agoodbuy\"；andhehadspentmanyofhissparehoursramblingovertheenormouslyspreadingcityanditspurlieus，lookingfortheideal\"buy。\"Itremainedunattainable，sofarashewasconcerned；buthefoundotherthings。
Nottwiceacrow\'smilefromhisownhousetherewasadismalandslummishquarter，adecayed\"industrialdistrict\"ofearlierdays。Mostoftheindustriesweresmall；someofthemdied，perishingofbankruptcyorfire；andafewhadmoved，leavingtheirshells。Oftherelics，thebestwasabrickbuildingwhichhadbeenthelargestandmostimportantfactoryinthequarter:
ithadbeeninjuredbyalongvacancyalmostasseriousasafire，ineffect，andAdamshadoftenguessedatthesumneededtoputitinrepair。
Whenhepassedit，hewouldlookatitwithaninterestwhichhesupposeddetachedandidlyspeculative。\"That\'dbejustthething，\"hethought。\"Ifafellowhadmoneyenough，andtookanotiontosetupsomenewbusinessonabigscale，thiswouldbeaprettygoodplace——tomakeglue，forinstance，ifthatwasn\'toutofthequestion，ofcourse。Itwouldtakealotofmoney，though；agreatdealtoomuchformetoexpecttohandle——evenifI\'deverdreamofdoingsuchathing。\"
Oppositethedismantledfactorywasamuddy，openlotoftwoacresorso，andnearthemiddleofthelot，alongbrickshedstoodinadesolateabandonment，nothappilydecoratedbyoldcoatingsoftheatricalandmedicinaladvertisements。Butthebrickshedhadtwowoodenells，and，thoughbothshedandellswereofasinglestory，herewasemptyspaceenoughforamodestenterprise——\"spaceenoughforalmostanything，tostartwith，\"
Adamsthought，ashewalkedthroughthelowbuildings，oneday，whenhewasprospectinginthatsection。\"Yes，IsupposeICOULD
swingthis，\"hethought。\"Iftheprocessbelongedtome，say，insteadofbeingoutofthequestionbecauseitisn\'tmyproperty——orifIwasthekindofmantodosuchathinganyhow，herewouldbesomethingIcouldprobablygetholdofprettycheap。They\'dwantalotofmoneyforaleaseonthatbigbuildingovertheway——butthis，why，Ishouldthinkit\'dbepracticallynothingatall。\"
Then，bychance，meetinganagentheknew，hemadeinquiries——merelytosatisfyacasualcuriosity，hethought——andhefoundmattersmuchashehadsupposed，exceptthattheownersofthebigbuildingdidnotwishtolet，buttosellit，andthisatapricesoexorbitantthatAdamslaughed。Butthelongbrickshedinthegreatmuddylotwasforsaleortolet，or\"prettyneartobegivenaway，\"helearned，ifanybodywouldtakeit。
Adamstookitnow，thoughwithoutseeingthathehadbeendestinedtotakeit，andthatsomedrearywizardinthebackofhisheadhadforeseenallalongthathewouldtakeit，andplannedtobeready。Hedroveinhistaxicabtolooktheplaceoveragain，thendown-towntoarrangeforalease；andcamehometolunchwithhiswifeanddaughter。Thingswere\"moving，\"hetoldthem。
Heboastedalittleofhavingactedsodecisively，andsaidthatsincethedangthinghadtobedone，itwas\"goingtobedoneRIGHT!\"Hewasalmostcheerful，inafeverishway，andwhenthecabcameforhimagain，soonafterlunch，heexplainedthatheintendednotonlytogetthingsdoneright，butalsoto\"get\'emdonequick!\"Alice，followinghimtothefrontdoor，lookedathimanxiouslyandaskedifshecouldn\'thelp。Helaughedathergrimly。
\"Thenletmegoalongwithyouinthecab，\"shebegged。\"Youdon\'tlookabletostartinsohard，papa，justwhenyou\'rebarelybeginningtogetyourstrengthback。DoletmegowithyouandseeifIcan\'thelp——oratleasttakecareofyouifyoushouldgettofeelingbadly。\"
Hedeclined，butuponpressureletherputatinybottleofspiritsofammoniainhispocket，andpromisedtomakeuseofitifhe\"feltfaintorany-thing。\"Thenhewasoffagain；andthenextmorninghadmenatworkinhissheds，thoughthewageshehadtopayfrightenedhim。
Hedirectedtheworkmenineverydetail，hurryingthembyexampleandexhortations，andreceiving，inconsequence，severaldeclarationsofindependence，aswellasoneresignation，whichtookeffectimmediately。\"Youscapitalustsseemtothinkaman\'sgotnothin\'todobutbreakhisbackp\'doosin\'wealthferyoustosquander，\"theresigningpersonloudlycomplained。\"Youlookout:thetoiler\'sdayisa-comin\'，anditain\'tsofuroff，neither!\"Butthecapitalistwasalreadyoutofhearing，gonetofindamantotakethisorator\'splace。
Bytheendoftheweek，Adamsfeltthathehadmovedsatisfactorilyforwardinhispreparationsforthesimpleequipmentheneeded；buthehatedthepauseofSunday。Hedidn\'tWANTanyrest，hetoldAliceimpatiently，whenshesuggestedthattheidledaymightbegoodforhim。
LatethatafternoonhewalkedovertotheapartmenthousewhereoldCharleyLohrlived，andgavehisfriendtheletterhewantedtheheadofLambandCompanytoreceive\"personally。\"\"I\'lltakeitasamightygreatfavourinyoutohandittohimpersonally，Charley，\"hesaid，inparting。\"Andyouwon\'tforget，incasehesaysanythingaboutit——andrememberifyoueverdogetachancetoputinagoodwordformelater，youknow——\"
OldCharleypromisedtoremember，and，whenMrs。Lohrcameoutofthe\"kitchenette，\"afterthedoorclosed，hesaidthoughtfully，\"Justskinandbones。\"
\"YoumeanMr。Adamsis？\"Mrs。Lohrinquired。
\"Who\'dyouthinkImeant？\"hereturned。\"Oneo\'thesepartridgesinthewall-paper？\"
\"Didhelooksobadly？\"
\"Lookedkindofdistractedtome，\"herhusbandreplied。\"Theselittlethinfellerscanstandaheapsometimes，though。He\'llbeoverhereagainMonday。\"
\"Didhesayhewould？\"
\"No，\"saidLohr。\"Buthewill。You\'llsee。He\'llbeovertofindoutwhatthebigbosssayswhenIgivehimthisletter。
ExpectI\'dbekindofanxious，myself，ifIwashim。\"
\"Whywouldyou？What\'sMr。Adamsdoingtobesoanxiousabout？\"
Lohr\'sexpressionbecameoneofreserve，thelookofamanwhohasfoundthatwhenhespeakshisinnerthoughtshiswifejumpstoofartoconclusions。\"Oh，nothing，\"hesaid。\"Ofcourseanymanstartingupanewbusinessisboundtobeprettynervousawhile。He\'llbeoverhereto-morrowevening，allright；you\'llsee。\"
Thepredictionwasfulfilled:AdamsarrivedjustafterMrs。Lohrhadremovedthedinnerdishestoher\"kitchenette\"；butLohrhadlittleinformationtogivehiscaller。
\"Hedidn\'tsayaword，Virgil；naryaword。Itookitintohisofficeandhandedittohim，andhejustsatandreadit；that\'sall。IkindofstoodaroundaslongasIcould，buthewassittin\'athisdeskwithhissidetome，andheneverturnedaroundfulltowardme，asitwere，soIcouldn\'thardlyeventellanything。AllIknow:hejustreadit。\"
\"Well，butseehere，\"Adamsbegan，nervously。\"Well——\"
\"Wellwhat，Virg？\"
\"Well，butwhatdidhesaywhenheDIDspeak？\"
\"Hedidn\'tspeak。NotsolongIwasinthere，anyhow。Hejustsatthereandreadit。Readkindofslow。Then，whenhecametotheend，heturnedbackandstartedtoreaditalloveragain。
Bythattimetherewasthreeorfourothermenstandin\'aroundintheofficewaitin\'tospeaktohim，andIhadtogo。\"
Adamssighed，andstaredatthefloor，irresolute。\"Well，I\'llbegettingalongbackhomethen，Iguess，Charley。Soyou\'resureyoucouldn\'ttellanythingwhathemighthavethoughtaboutit，then？\"
\"Notathingintheworld。I\'vetoldyouallIknow，Virg。\"
\"Iguessso，Iguessso，\"Adamssaid，mournfully。\"Ifeelmightyobligedtoyou，CharleyLohr；mightyobliged。Good-nighttoyou。\"Andhedeparted，sighinginperplexity。
Onhiswayhome，preoccupiedwithmanythoughts，hewalkedsoslowlythatonceortwicehestoppedandstoodmotionlessforafewmoments，withoutbeingawareofit；andwhenhereachedthejunctureofthesidewalkwiththeshortbrickpaththatledtohisownfrontdoor，hestoppedagain，andstoodformorethanaminute。\"Ah，IwishIknew，\"hewhispered，plaintively。\"IdowishIknewwhathethoughtaboutit。\"
Hewasrousedbyalaughthatcamelightlyfromthelittleverandanearby。\"Papa!\"Alicecalledgaily。\"Whatareyoustandingtheremutteringtoyourselfabout？\"
\"Oh，areyouthere，dearie？\"hesaid，andcameupthepath。A
tallfigurerosefromachairontheveranda。
\"Papa，thisisMr。Russell。\"
Thetwomenshookhands，Adamssaying，\"Pleasedtomakeyouracquaintance，\"astheylookedateachotherinthefaintlightdiffusedthroughtheopaqueglassintheupperpartofthedoor。
Adams\'simpressionwasofastrongandtallyoungman，fashionablebutgentle；andRussell\'swasofadried，littleoldbusinessmanwithagrizzledmoustache，worriedbrighteyes，shapelessdarkclothes，andahomelymanner。
\"Niceevening，\"Adamssaidfurther，astheirhandsparted。\"Nicetimeo\'yearitis，butwedon\'talwayshaveasgoodweatherasthis；that\'sthetroubleofit。Well——\"Hewenttothedoor。
\"Well——Ibidyougoodevening，\"hesaid，andretiredwithinthehouse。
Alicelaughed。\"He\'stheold-fashionedestmanintown，Isupposeandfrightfullyimpressedwithyou，Icouldsee!\"
\"Whatnonsense!\"saidRussell。\"Howcouldanybodybeimpressedwithme？\"
\"Whynot？Becauseyou\'requiet？Goodgracious!Don\'tyouknowthatyou\'rethemostimpressivesort？Wechatterersspendallourtimeplayingtoyouquietpeople。\"
\"Yes；we\'reonlytheaudience。\"
\"\'Only!\'\"sheechoed。\"Why，weliveforyou，andwecan\'tlivewithoutyou。\"
\"Iwishyoucouldn\'t，\"saidRussell。\"Thatwouldbeanewexperienceforbothofus，wouldn\'tit？\"
\"Itmightbearatherbleakoneforme，\"sheanswered，lightly。
\"I\'mafraidI\'llmissthesesummereveningswithyouwhenthey\'reover。I\'llmissthemenough，thanks!\"
\"Dotheyhavetobeoversometime？\"heasked。
\"Oh，everything\'soversometime，isn\'tit？\"
Russelllaughedather。\"Don\'tlet\'slooksofaraheadasthat，\"
hesaid。\"Wedon\'tneedtobealreadythinkingofthecemetery，dowe？\"
\"Ididn\'t，\"shesaid，shakingherhead。\"Oursummereveningswillbeoverbeforethen，Mr。Russell。\"
\"Why？\"heasked。
\"Goodheavens!\"shesaid。\"THERE\'Slaconiceloquence:almostaproposalinasingleword!Nevermind，Ishan\'tholdyoutoit。
Buttoansweryou:well，I\'malwayslookingahead，andsomehowI
usuallyseeabouthowthingsarecomingout。\"
\"Yes，\"hesaid。\"Isupposemostofusdo；atleastitseemsasifwedid，becausewesoseldomfeelsurprisedbythewaytheydocomeout。Butmaybethat\'sonlybecauselifeisn\'tlikeaplayinatheatre，andmostthingscomeaboutsograduallywegetusedtothem。\"
\"No，I\'msureIcanseequitealongwayahead，\"sheinsisted，gravely。\"Anditdoesn\'tseemtomeasifoursummereveningscouldlastverylong。Something\'llinterfere——somebodywill，I