mean——they\'llSAYsomething——\"
\"Whatiftheydo？\"
Shemovedhershouldersinalittleapprehensiveshiver。\"It\'llchangeyou，\"shesaid。\"I\'mjustsuresomethingspiteful\'sgoingtohappentome。You\'llfeeldifferentlyabout——things。\"
\"Now，isn\'tthatanidea!\"heexclaimed。
\"Itwill，\"sheinsisted。\"Iknowsomethingspiteful\'sgoingtohappen!\"
\"Youseempossessedbyanotionnotabitflatteringtome，\"heremarked。
\"Oh，butisn\'tit？That\'sjustwhatitis!Whyisn\'tit？\"
\"BecauseitimpliesthatI\'mmadeofsuchsoftmaterialtheslightestbreezewillmessmeallup。I\'mnotsolikethatasI
evidentlyappear；andifit\'struethatwe\'reafraidotherpeoplewilldothethingswe\'dbemostlikelytodoourselves，itseemstomethatIoughttobetheonetobeafraid。IoughttobeafraidthatsomebodymaysaysomethingaboutmetoyouthatwillmakeyoubelieveI\'maprofessionalforger。\"
\"No。Webothknowtheywon\'t，\"shesaid。\"Webothknowyou\'rethesortofpersoneverybodyintheworldsaysnicethingsabout。\"Sheliftedherhandtosilencehimashelaughedatthis。\"Oh，ofcourseyouare!Ithinkperhapsyou\'realittleflirtatious——mostquietmenhavethatoneslywaywith\'em——oh，yes，theydo!Butyouhappentobethekindofmaneverybodylovestopraise。Andifyouweren\'t，_I_shouldn\'thearanythingterribleaboutyou。ItoldyouIwasunpopular:Idon\'tseeanybodyatallanymore。Theonlymanexceptyouwho\'sbeentoseemeinamonthisthatfearfullittlefatFrankDowling，andI
sentwordtoHIMIwasn\'thome。Nobody\'dtellmeofyourwickedness，yousee。\"
\"Thenletmebreaksomenewstoyou，\"Russellsaid。\"Nobodywouldtellmeofyours，either。Nobody\'sevenmentionedyoutome。\"
Sheburlesquedacryofanguish。\"ThatISobscurity!IsupposeI\'mtooapttoforgetthattheysaythepopulation\'sabouthalfamillionnowadays。ThereAREotherpeopletotalkabout，youfeel，then？\"
\"NonethatIwantto，\"hesaid。\"ButIshouldthinkthesizeoftheplacemightrelieveyourmindofwhatseemstoinsistonburdeningit。Besides，I\'dratheryouthoughtmeabettermanthanyoudo。\"
\"WhatkindofamandoIthinkyouare？\"
\"Thekindaffectedbywhat\'ssaidaboutpeopleinsteadofbywhattheydothemselves。\"
\"Aren\'tyou？\"
\"No，I\'mnot，\"hesaid。\"Ifyouwantoursummereveningstobeoveryou\'llhavetodrivemeawayyourself。\"
\"Nobodyelsecould？\"
\"No。\"
Shewassilent，leaningforward，withherelbowsonherkneesandherclaspedhandsagainstherlips。Then，notmoving，shesaidsoftly:
\"Well——Iwon\'t!\"
Shewassilentagain，andhesaidnothing，butlookedather，seemingtobecontentwithlooking。Herattitudewasoneonlyagracefulpersonshouldassume，butshewasgraceful；and，inthewanlight，whichmadeaprettilyshapedmistofher，shehadbeauty。Perhapsitwasbeautyofthehour，andofthelovescenealmostmadeintoformbywhattheyhadbothjustsaid，butshehadit；andthoughbeautyofthehourpasses，hewhoseesitwilllongrememberitandthehourwhenitcame。
\"Whatareyouthinkingof？\"heasked。
Sheleanedbackinherchairanddidnotansweratonce。Thenshesaid:
\"Idon\'tknow；IdoubtifIwasthinkingofanything。ItseemstomeIwasn\'t。IthinkIwasjustbeingsortofsadlyhappyjustthen。\"
\"Wereyou？Wasit\'sadly，\'too？\"
\"Don\'tyouknow？\"shesaid。\"Itseemstomethatonlylittlechildrencanbejusthappilyhappy。IthinkwhenwegetolderourhappiestmomentsareliketheoneIhadjustthen:it\'sasifweheardstrainsofminormusicrunningthroughthem——oh，sosweet，butoh，sosad!\"
\"ButwhatmakesitsadforYOU？\"
\"Idon\'tknow，\"shesaid，inalightertone。\"Perhapsit\'sakindofuselessforebodingIseemtohaveprettyoften。Itmaybethat——oritmaybepoorpapa。\"
\"YouAREafunny，delightfulgirl，though!\"Russelllaughed。
\"Whenyourfather\'ssowellagainthathegoesoutwalkingintheevenings!\"
\"Hedoestoomuchwalking，\"Alicesaid。\"Toomuchaltogether，overathisnewplant。Butthereisn\'tanystoppinghim。\"Shelaughedandshookherhead。\"Whenamangetsanambitiontobeamulti-millionairehisfamilydon\'tappeartohavemuchweightwithhim。He\'llwalkallhewantsto，inspiteofthem。\"
\"Isupposeso，\"Russellsaid，absently；thenheleanedforward。
\"IwishIcouldunderstandbetterwhyyouwere\'sadly\'happy。\"
Meanwhile，asAliceshedwhatfurtherlightshecouldonthispoint，themanambitioustobea\"multi-millionaire\"wasindeedwalkingtoomuchforhisowngood。Hehadgonetobed，hopingtosleepwellandriseearlyforalongday\'swork，buthecouldnotrest，andnow，inhisnightgownandslippers，hewaspacingthefloorofhisroom。
\"IwishIDIDknow，\"hethought，overandover。\"IDOwishI
knewhowhefeelsaboutit。\"
CHAPTERXVIII
Thatwasathoughtalmostcontinuouslyinhismind，evenwhenhewashardestatwork；and，asthedayswentonandhecouldnotfreehimself，hebecamequerulousaboutit。\"IguessI\'mthebiggestdangfoolalive，\"hetoldhiswifeastheysattogetheroneevening。\"Igotplentyelsetobotherme，withoutworryingmyheadoffaboutwhatHEthinks。Ican\'thelpwhathethinks；
it\'stoolateforthat。SowhyshouldIkeeppesteringmyselfaboutit？\"
\"It\'llwearoff，Virgil，\"Mrs。Adamssaid，reassuringly。Shewasgentleandsympatheticwithhim，andforthefirsttimeinmanyyearshewouldcometositwithherandtalk，whenhehadfinishedhisday\'swork。Hehadtoldher，evadinghereye，\"Oh，Idon\'tblameyou。Youdidn\'tgetaftermetodothisonyourownaccount；youcouldn\'thelpit。\"
\"Yes；butitdon\'twearoff，\"hecomplained。\"ThisafternoonI
wasshowingthemenhowIwantedmyvatstogo，andIcaughtmyfoolselfstandingtheresayingtomyfoolself，\'It\'sfunnyI
don\'thearhowhefeelsaboutitfromSOMEbody。\'Iwassayingitaloud，almost——anditISfunnyIdon\'thearanything!\"
\"Well，youseewhatitmeans，don\'tyou，Virgil？Itonlymeanshehasn\'tsaidanythingtoanybodyaboutit。Don\'tyouthinkyou\'regettingkindofmorbidoverit？\"
\"Maybe，maybe，\"hemuttered。
\"Why，yes，\"shesaid，briskly。\"Youdon\'trealizewhatalittlebitofathingallthisistohim。It\'sbeenalong，longwhilesincethelasttimeyouevenmentionedgluetohim，andhe\'sprobablyforgotteneverythingaboutit。\"
\"You\'reoffyourbase；itisn\'tlikehimtoforgetthings，\"Adamsreturned，peevishly。\"Hemayseemtoforget\'em，buthedon\'t。\"
\"Buthe\'snotthinkingaboutthis，oryou\'dhaveheardfromhimbeforenow。\"
Herhusbandshookhishead。\"Ah，that\'sjustit!\"hesaid。\"WhyHAVEN\'TIheardfromhim？\"
\"It\'sallyourmorbidness，Virgil。LookatWalter:ifMr。Lambheldthisupagainstyou，wouldhestillletWalterstaythere？
Wouldn\'thehavedischargedWalterifhefeltangrywithyou？\"
\"Thatdangboy!\"Adamssaid。\"IfheWANTEDtocomewithmenow，Iwouldn\'thardlylethim，Whatdoyousupposemakeshimsobull-headed？\"
\"Buthasn\'thearighttochooseforhimself？\"sheasked。\"I
supposehefeelsheoughttosticktowhathethinksissurepay。
Assoonasheseesthatyou\'regoingtosucceedwiththeglue-workshe\'llwanttobewithyouquickenough。\"
\"Well，hebettergetalittlesenseinhishead，\"Adamsreturned，crossly。\"Hewantedmetopayhimathree-hundred-dollarbonusinadvance，whenanybodywithagrainofcommonsenseknowsI
needeverypennyIcanlaymyhandson!\"
\"Nevermind，\"shesaid。\"He\'llcomearoundlaterandbegladofthechance。\"
\"He\'llhavetobegforitthen!_I_won\'taskhimagain。\"
\"Oh，Walterwillcomeoutallright；youneedn\'tworry。Anddon\'tyouseethatMr。Lamb\'snotdischarginghimmeansthere\'snohardfeelingagainstyou，Virgil？\"
\"Ican\'tmakeitoutatall，\"hesaid，frowning。\"TheonlythingIcanTHINKitmeansisthatJ。A。Lambissofair-minded——andofcourseheISoneofthefair-mindedestmenaliveIsupposethat\'sthereasonhehasn\'tfiredWalter。Hemayknow，\"Adamsconcluded，morosely——\"hemayknowthat\'sjustanotherthingtomakemefeelallthemeaner:keepingmyboythereonasalaryafterI\'vedonehimaninjury。\"
\"Now，now!\"shesaid，tryingtocomforthim。\"Youcouldn\'tdoanybodyaninjurytosaveyourlife，andeverybodyknowsit。\"
\"Well，anybodyoughttoknowIwouldn\'tWANTtodoaninjury，butthisworldisn\'tbuiltso\'twecandojustwhatwewant。\"Hepaused，reflecting。\"OfcoursetheremaybeoneexplanationofwhyWalter\'sstillthere:J。A。maybehasn\'tnoticedthatheIS
there。There\'ssomanyIexpecthehardlyknowshimbysight。\"
\"Well，justdoquitthinkingaboutit，\"sheurgedhim。\"Itonlybothersyouwithoutdoinganygood。Don\'tyouknowthat？\"
\"Don\'tI，though!\"helaughed，feebly。\"Iknowitbetter\'nanybody!Howfunnythatis:whenyouknowthinkingaboutathingonlypestersyouwithouthelpinganythingatall，andyetyoukeeprightonpesteringyourselfwithit!\"
\"ButWHY？\"shesaid。\"What\'stheusewhenyouknowyouhaven\'tdoneanythingwrong，Virgil？Yousaidyourselfyouweregoingtoimprovetheprocesssomuchitwouldbedifferentfromtheoldone，andyou\'dREALLYhavearighttoit。\"
Adamshadpersuadedhimselfofthiswhenheyielded；hehadfounditnecessarytopersuadehimselfofit——thoughtherewasapartofhim，ofcourse，thatremainedunpersuaded；andthisdiscomfitingpartofhimwaswhatmadehispresenttrouble。
\"Yes，Iknow，\"hesaid。\"That\'strue，butIcan\'tquiteseemtogetawayfromthefactthattheprincipleoftheprocessisagooddealthesame——well，it\'smore\'nthat；it\'sjustaboutthesameastheonehehiredCampbellandmetoworkoutforhim。
Truthis，nobodycouldtellthedifference，andIdon\'tknowasthereISanydifferenceexceptintheseimprovementsI\'mmaking。
Ofcourse，theimprovementsdogivemeprettynearaperfectrighttoit，asapersonmightsay；andthat\'soneofthethingsIthoughtofputtinginmylettertohim；butIwasafraidhe\'djustthinkIwastryingtomakeupexcuses，soIleftitout。I
kindofworriedallthetimeIwaswritingthatletter，becauseifhethoughtIWASjustmakingupexcuses，why，itmightsethimjustsomuchmoreagainstme。\"
EversinceMrs。Adamshadfoundthatshewastohaveherway，thedepthsofhereyeshadbeentroubledbyacontinuousuneasiness；and，althoughsheknewitwasthere，andsometimesveileditbykeepingtherevealingeyesavertedfromherhusbandandchildren，shecouldnotalwayscoveritunderthatassumptionofabsent-mindedness。Theuneasylookbecamevivid，andhervoicewasslightlytremulousnow，asshesaid，\"ButwhatifheSHOULDbeagainstyou——althoughIdon\'tbelieveheis，ofcourse——youtoldmehecouldn\'tDOanythingtoyou，Virgil。\"
\"No，\"hesaid，slowly。\"Ican\'tseehowhecoulddoanything。
Itwasjustasecret，notapatent；thethingain\'tpatentable。
I\'vetriedtothinkwhathecoulddo——supposinghewastowantto——butIcan\'tfigureoutanythingatallthatwouldbeanyharmtome。Thereisn\'tanywayintheworlditcouldbemadeaquestionoflaw。Onlythinghecoulddo\'dbetoTELLpeoplehissideofit，andset\'emagainstme。Ibeenkindofwaitingforthattohappen，allalong。\"
Shelookedsomewhatrelieved。\"SodidIexpectit，\"shesaid。
\"IwasdreadingitmostonAlice\'saccount:itmighthave——well，youngmenaresoeasilyinfluencedandall。Butsofarasthebusinessisconcerned，whatifMr。Lambdidtalk？Thatwouldn\'tamounttomuch。Itwouldn\'taffectthebusiness；nottohurt。
And，besides，heisn\'tevendoingthat。\"
\"No；anyhownotyet，itseems。\"AndAdamssighedagain，wistfully。\"ButIWOULDgiveagooddealtoknowwhathethinks!\"
Beforehissurrenderhehadalwayssupposedthatifhedidsuchanunthinkablethingastoseizeupontheglueprocessforhimself，whathewouldfeelmustbeanoverpoweringshame。Butshameistherarestthingintheworld:whathefeltwasthisunremittentcuriosityabouthisoldemployer\'sthoughts。Itwasanobsession，yethedidnotwanttohearwhatLamb\"thought\"
fromLambhimself，forAdamshadasecondobsession，andthiswashisdreadofmeetingtheoldmanfacetoface。Suchanencountercouldhappenonlybychanceandunexpectedly；sinceAdamswouldhaveavoidedanydeliberatemeeting，solongashislegshadstrengthtocarryhim，evenifLambcametothehousetoseehim。
Butpeopledomeetunexpectedly；andwhenAdamshadtobedown-townhekeptawayfromthe\"wholesaledistrict。\"OnedayhedidseeLamb，asthelatterwentbyinhiscar，impassive，goinghometolunch；andAdams，inthecrowdatacorner，knewthattheoldmanhadnotseenhim。Nevertheless，inastreetcar，onthewaybacktohissheds，anhourlater，hewasstillsubjecttolittleshiveringseizuresofhorror。
Heworkedunceasingly，seemingtokeepatiteveninhissleep，forhealwayswokeinthemidstofaplanningandestimatingthatmusthavebeengoingoninhismindbeforeconsciousnessofhimselfreturned。Moreover，thework，thusurged，wentrapidly，inspiteofthehighwageshehadtopayhislabourersfortheirshorthours。\"Iteatsmoney，\"hecomplained，and，infact，bythetimehisvatsandboilerswereinplaceithadeatenalmostallhecouldsupply；butinadditiontohisequipmenthenowownedastockof\"rawmaterial，\"rawindeed；andwhenoperationsshouldbealittlefurtheralonghewasconfidenthisbankerwouldbewillingto\"carry\"him。
Sixweeksfromthedayhehadobtainedhisleasehebeganhisglue-making。Theterriblesmellscameoutoftheshedsandwentwrithinglikesnakesallthroughthatquarterofthetown。A
smilingman，strollingandbreathingtheairwithsatisfaction，wouldturnacornerandsmilenomore，buthurry。However，colouredpeoplehadalmostallthedwellingsofthisoldsectiontothemselves；andalthougheventheyweretroubled，therewasrecompenseforthem。Beingphilosophicaboutwhatappearedtothemasintheorderofnature，theysoughtneitherescapenorredress，andsoonlearnedtobearwhatthewindbroughtthem。
Theyevenmadeuseofittoenrichthosefiguresofspeechwithwhichthenativeimpulsesofcolouredpeopledecoratetheircommunications:theyflavouredmetaphor，simile，andinvectivewithit；andthusmaybesaidtohaveenjoyedit。Butthemanwhoproducedittookahotbathassoonashereachedhishometheeveningofthatfirstdaywhenhismanufacturingbegan。Thenheputonfreshclothes；butafterdinnerheseemedtobehaunted，andaskedhiswifeifshe\"noticedanything。\"
Shelaughedandinquiredwhathemeant。
\"Seemstomeasifthatglue-workssmellhadn\'tquithangingtome，\"heexplained。\"Don\'tyounoticeit？\"
\"No!Whatanidea!\"
Helaughed，too，butuneasily；andtoldherhewassure\"thedanggluesmell\"wassomehowstickingtohim。Later，hewentoutdoorsandwalkedupanddownthesmallyardinthedusk；butnowandthenhestoodstill，withhisheadlifted，andsniffedtheairsuspiciously。\"CanYOUsmellit？\"hecalledtoAlice，whosatupontheveranda，prettilydressedandwaitinginareverie。
\"Smellwhat，papa？\"
\"Thatdangglue-works。\"
Shedidthesamethinghermotherhaddone:laughed，andsaid，\"No!Howfoolish!Why，papa，it\'sovertwomilesfromhere!\"
\"Youdon\'tgetitatall？\"heinsisted。
\"Theidea!Theairislovelyto-night，papa。\"
Theairdidnotseemlovelytohim，forhewaspositivethathedetectedthetaint。Hewonderedhowfaritcarried，andifJ。
A。Lambwouldsmellit，too，outonhisownlawnamiletothenorth；andifhedid，wouldheguesswhatitwas？ThenAdamslaughedathimselfforsuchnonsense；butcouldnotridhisnostrilsoftheirdisgust。Tohimthewholetownseemedtosmellofhisglue-works。
Nevertheless，thegluewasmaking，andhisshedswerebusy。
\"Guesswe\'restirrin\'upthisoleneighbourhoodwithmorethanthesmell，\"hisforemanremarkedonemorning。
\"How\'sthat？\"Adamsinquired。
\"Thatgreatbig，enormousoledeadbutterinefactoryacrossthestreetfromourlot，\"themansaid。\"Nothin\'likesettin\'anexampletobringrealestatetolife。Thatplaceisfullo\'
carpentersstartin\'intomakearegularbuildin\'ofitagain。
Guessyououghttohavethecreditofit，becauseyouwasthefirstmanintenyearstoseeanypossibilitiesinthisneighbourhood。\"
Adamswaspleased，and，goingouttoseeforhimself，heardagreathammeringandsawingfromwithinthebuilding；whilecarpenterswerejustemerginggingerlyuponthedangerousroof。
Hewalkedoutoverthedriedmudofhisdeeplot，crossedthestreet，andspokegeniallytoaworkmanwhowasremovingthebrokenglassofawindowonthegroundfloor。
\"Here!What\'sallthishowdy-dooverhere？\"
\"Goin\'tofixherallup，Iguess，\"theworkmansaid。\"Bigjobitis，too。\"
\"Sh\'thinkitwouldbe。\"
\"Yes，sir；aprettybigjob——aprettybigjob。Gotmenatitonallfourfloorsandontheroof。They\'redoin\'itRIGHT。\"
\"Who\'sdoingit？\"
\"Lord!Id\'know。Someo\'theseherebigmanufacturingcorporations，Iguess。\"
\"What\'sitgoingtobe？\"
\"TheytellME，\"theworkmananswered——\"theytellMEshe\'sgoin\'
tobeabutterinefactoryagain。Anyways，Ihopeshewon\'tbeanythingtosmelllikethatglue-worksyougotovertherenotwhileI\'mworkin\'aroundher，anyways!\"
\"Thatsmell\'sallright，\"Adamssaid。\"Yousoongetusedtoit。\"
\"Youdo？\"Themanappearedincredulous。\"Listen!IwasoverinFrance:it\'sagoodthingthemDutchmenneverthoughtofit；we\'dofhadtoquit!\"
Adamslaughed，andwentbacktohissheds。\"Iguessmyforemanwasright，\"hetoldhiswife，thatevening，withalittlesatisfaction。\"Assoonasonemanshowsenterpriseenoughtofoundanindustryinabroken-downneighbourhood，somebodyelseissuretofollow。Ikindoflikethelookofit:it\'llhelpmakeourplaceseemsortofmorebusyandprosperouswhenitcomestogettingaloanfromthebank——andIgottogetonemightysoon，too。Ididthinksomethatifthingsgoaswellasthere\'severyreasontothinktheyOUGHTto，Imightwanttospreadoutandmaybegetholdofthatoldfactorymyself；butI
hardlyexpectedtobeabletohandleapropositionofthatsizebeforetwoorthreeyearsfromnow，andanyhowthere\'sroomenoughonthelotIgot，ifweneedmorebuildingssomeday。
ThingsaregoingaboutasfineasIcouldask:Ihiredsomegirlsto-daytodothebottling——colouredgirlsalongaboutsixteentotwentyyearsold。Afterwhile，Iexpecttogetamachinetoputthestuffinthelittlebottles，whenwebegintogetgoodreturns；buthalfadozenofthesecolouredgirlscandoitallrightnow，byhand。We\'regettingtohavereallyquitealittleplantoverthere:yes，sir，quitearegularlittleplant!\"
Hechuckled，andatthischeerfulsound，ofakindhiswifehadalmostforgottenhewascapableofproducing，sheventuredtoputherhanduponhisarm。Theyhadgoneoutdoors，afterdinner，takingtwochairswiththem，andweresittingthroughthelatetwilighttogether，keepingwellawayfromthe\"frontporch，\"
whichwasnotyetoccupied，howeverAlicewasinherroomchangingherdress。
\"Well，honey，\"Mrs。Adamssaid，takingconfidencenotonlytoputherhanduponhisarm，buttorevivethisdisusedendearment；——\"it\'sgrandtohaveyousooptimistic。Maybesometimeyou\'lladmitIwasright，afterall。Everything\'sgoingsowell，itseemsapityyoudidn\'ttakethis——thisstep——longago。
Don\'tyouthinkmaybeso，Virgil？\"
\"Well——ifIwasevergoingto，Idon\'tknowbutImightaswellof。Igottoadmitthepropositionbeginstolookprettygood:I
knowthestuff\'llsell，andIcan\'tseeathingintheworldtostopit。Itdoeslookgood，andif——if——\"Hepaused。
\"Ifwhat？\"shesaid，suddenlyanxious。
Helaughedplaintively，asifconfessingasuperstition。\"It\'sfunny——well，it\'smightyfunnyaboutthatsmell。I\'vegotsousedtoitattheplantIneverseemtonoticeitatalloverthere。It\'sonlywhenIgetaway。Honestly，can\'tyounotice——？\"
\"Virgil!\"Sheliftedherhandtostrikehisarmchidingly。\"Doquitharpingonthatnonsense!\"
\"Oh，ofcourseitdon\'tamounttoanything，\"hesaid。\"Apersoncanstandagooddealofjustsmell。Itdon\'tWORRYmeany。\"
\"Ishouldthinknotespeciallyasthereisn\'tany。\"
\"Well，\"hesaid，\"Ifeelprettyfairoverthewholething——alotbetter\'nIeverexpectedto，anyhow。Idon\'tknowasthere\'sanyreasonIshouldn\'ttellyouso。\"
Shewasdeeplypleasedwiththisacknowledgment，andhervoicehadtendernessinitassheresponded:\"There，honey!Didn\'tI
alwayssayyou\'dbegladifyoudidit？\"
Embarrassed，hecoughedloudly，thenfilledhispipeandlitit。
\"Well，\"hesaid，slowly，\"it\'sapuzzle。Yes，sir，it\'sapuzzle。\"
\"Whatis？\"
\"Prettymucheverything，Iguess。\"
Ashespoke，asongcametothemfromalightedwindowovertheirheads。Thenthewindowdarkenedabruptly，butthesongcontinuedasAlicewentdownthroughthehousetowaitonthelittleveranda。\"MichiamoMimi，\"shesang，andinhervoicethrobbedsomethingalmoststartlinginitssweetness。Herfatherandmotherlistened，notspeakinguntilthesongstoppedwiththeclickofthewirescreenatthefrontdoorasAlicecameout。
\"My!\"saidherfather。\"Howsweetshedoessing!Idon\'tknowasIeverheardhervoicesoundnicerthanitdidjustthen。\"
\"There\'ssomethingthatmakesitsoundthatway，\"hiswifetoldhim。
\"Isupposeso，\"hesaid，sighing。\"Isupposeso。Youthink——\"
\"She\'sjustterriblyinlovewithhim!\"
\"Iexpectthat\'sthewayitoughttobe，\"hesaid，thendrewuponhispipeforreflection，andbecamemurmurouswiththesymptomsofmelancholylaughter。\"Itdon\'tmakethingslessofapuzzle，though，doesit？\"
\"Inwhatway，Virgil？\"
\"Why，here，\"hesaid——\"herewegothroughallthismuckandmoiltohelpfixthingsnicerforherathome，andwhat\'sitallamountto？Seemslikeshe\'sjustgoneaheadthewayshe\'d\'a\'
goneanyhow；andnow，Isuppose，gettingreadytoupandleaveus!Ain\'tthatapuzzletoyou？Itistome。\"
\"Oh，butthingshaven\'tgonethatfaryet。\"
\"Why，youjustsaid——\"
Shegavealittlecryofprotest。\"Oh，theyaren\'tENGAGEDyet。
OfcoursetheyWILLbe；he\'sjustasmuchinterestedinherassheisinhim，but——\"
\"Well，what\'sthetroublethen？\"
\"YouAREasimpleoldfellow!\"hiswifeexclaimed，andthenrosefromherchair。\"Thatremindsme，\"shesaid。
\"Whatof？\"heasked。\"What\'smybeingsimpleremindyouof？\"
\"Nothing!\"shelaughed。\"Itwasn\'tyouthatremindedme。Itwasjustsomethingthat\'sbeenonmymind。Idon\'tbelievehe\'sactuallyeverbeeninsideourhouse!\"
\"Hasn\'the？\"
\"Iactuallydon\'tbelieveheeverhas，\"shesaid。\"Ofcoursewemust——\"Shepaused，debating。
\"Wemustwhat？\"
\"IguessIbettertalktoAliceaboutitrightnow，\"shesaid。
\"Hedon\'tusuallycomeforabouthalfanhouryet；IguessI\'vegottime。\"Andwiththatshewalkedaway，leavinghimtohispuzzles。
CHAPTERXIX
Alicewassoftlycrooningtoherselfashermotherturnedthecornerofthehouseandapproachedthroughthedusk。
\"Isn\'titthemostBEAUTIFULevening!\"thedaughtersaid。\"WHY
can\'tsummerlastallyear？Didyoueverknowaloveliertwilightthanthis，mama？\"
Mrs。Adamslaughed，andanswered，\"NotsinceIwasyourage，I
expect。\"
Alicewaswistfulatonce。\"Don\'ttheystaybeautifulaftermyage？\"
\"Well，it\'snotthesamething。\"
\"Isn\'tit？Notever？\"
\"Youmayhaveadifferentkindfrommine，\"themothersaid，alittlesadly。\"Ithinkyouwill，Alice。Youdeserve——\"
\"No，Idon\'t。Idon\'tdeserveanything，andIknowit。ButI\'mgettingagreatdealthesedays——morethanIeverdreamedCOULD
cometome。I\'m——I\'mprettyhappy，mama!\"
\"Dearie!\"Hermotherwouldhavekissedher，butAlicedrewaway。
\"Oh，Idon\'tmean——\"Shelaughednervously。\"Iwasn\'tmeaningtotellyouI\'mENGAGED，mama。We\'renot。Imean——oh!thingsseemprettybeautifulinspiteofallI\'vedonetospoil\'em。\"
\"You？\"Mrs。Adamscried，incredulously。\"Whathaveyoudonetospoilanything？\"
\"Littlethings，\"Alicesaid。\"Athousandlittlesilly——oh，what\'stheuse？He\'ssohonestlywhatheis——justsimpleandgoodandintelligent——Ifeelatrickymessbesidehim!Idon\'tseewhyhelikesme；andsometimesI\'mafraidhewouldn\'tifheknewme。\"
\"He\'djustworshipyou，\"saidthefondmother。\"Andthemoreheknewyou，themorehe\'dworshipyou。\"
Aliceshookherhead。\"He\'snottheworshipingkind。Notlikethatatall。He\'smore——\"
ButMrs。Adamswasnotinterestedinthisanalysis，andsheinterruptedbriskly，\"Ofcourseit\'stimeyourfatherandI
showedsomeinterestinhim。IwasjustsayingIactuallydon\'tbelievehe\'severbeeninsidethehouse。\"
\"No，\"Alicesaid，musingly；\"that\'strue:Idon\'tbelievehehas。
Exceptwhenwe\'vewalkedintheeveningwe\'vealwayssatouthere，eventhosetwotimeswhenitwasdrizzly。It\'ssomuchnicer。\"
\"We\'llhavetodoSOMETHINGorother，ofcourse，\"hermothersaid。
\"Whatlike？\"
\"Iwasthinking——\"Mrs。Adamspaused。\"Well，ofcoursewecouldhardlyputoffaskinghimtodinner，orsomething，muchlonger。\"
Alicewasnotenthusiastic；sofarfromit，indeed，thattherewasamelancholyalarminhervoice。\"Oh，mama，mustwe？Doyouthinkso？\"
\"Yes，Ido。Ireallydo。\"
\"Couldn\'twe——well，couldn\'twewait？\"
\"Itlooksqueer，\"Mrs。Adamssaid。\"Itisn\'tthethingatallforayoungmantocomeasmuchashedoes，andnevermorethanjustbarelymeetyourfatherandmother。No。Weoughttodosomething。\"
\"Butadinner!\"Aliceobjected。\"Inthefirstplace，thereisn\'tanybodyIwanttoask。Thereisn\'tanybodyIWOULDask。\"
\"Ididn\'tmeantryingtogiveabigdinner，\"hermotherexplained。\"Ijustmeanhavinghimtodinner。Thatmulattowoman，MalenaBurns，goesoutbytheday，andshecouldbringawaitress。Wecangetsomeflowersforthetableandsometoputintheliving-room。Wemightjustaswellgoaheadanddoitto-morrowasanyothertime；becauseyourfather\'sinafinemood，andIsawMalenathisafternoonandtoldherImightwanthersoon。Shesaidshedidn\'thaveanyengagementsthisweek，andIcanletherknowto-night。Supposewhenhecomesyouaskhimforto-morrow，Alice。Everything\'llbeverynice，I\'msure。
Don\'tworryaboutit。\"
\"Well——but——\"Alicewasuncertain。
\"Butdon\'tyousee，itlookssoqueer，nottodoSOMETHING？\"hermotherurged。\"Itlookssokindofpoverty-stricken。Wereallyoughtn\'ttowaitanylonger。\"
Aliceassented，thoughnotwithagoodheart。\"Verywell，I\'llaskhim，ifyouthinkwe\'vegotto。\"
\"Thatmatter\'ssettledthen，\"Mrs。Adamssaid。\"I\'llgotelephoneMalena，andthenI\'lltellyourfatheraboutit。\"
Butwhenshewentbacktoherhusband，shefoundhiminanexcitedstateofmind，andWalterstandingbeforehiminthedarkness。Adamswasalmostshouting，sogreatwashisvehemence。
\"Hush，hush!\"hiswifeimplored，asshecamenearthem。\"They\'llhearyououtonthefrontporch!\"
\"Idon\'tcarewhohearsme，\"Adamssaid，harshly，thoughhetemperedhisloudness。\"Doyouwanttoknowwhatthisboy\'saskingmefor？Ithoughthe\'dmaybecometotellmehe\'dgotalittlesenseinhisheadatlast，andalittledecencyaboutwhat\'sduehisfamily!Ithoughthewasgoingtoaskmetotakehimintomyplant。No，ma\'am；THAT\'Snotwhathewants!\"
\"No，itisn\'t，\"Waltersaid。Inthedarknesshisfacecouldnotbeseen；hestoodmotionless，inwhatseemedanapatheticattitude；andhespokequietly，\"No，\"herepeated。\"Thatisn\'twhatIwant。\"
\"Youstaydownatthatplace，\"Adamswenton，hotly，\"insteadoftryingtobealittleusetoyourfamily；andtheonlyreasonyou\'reALLOWEDtostaythereisbecauseMr。Lamb\'sneverhappenedtonoticeyouAREstillthere!Youjustwait——\"
\"You\'reoff，\"Waltersaid，inthesamequietway。\"HeknowsI\'mthere。Hespoketomeyesterday:heaskedmehowIwasgettingalongwithmywork。\"
\"Hedid？\"Adamssaid，seemingnottobelievehim。
\"Yes。Hedid。\"
\"Whatelsedidhesay，Walter？\"Mrs。Adamsaskedquickly。
\"Nothin\'。Justwalkedon。\"
\"Idon\'tbelieveheknewwhoyouwere，\"Adamsdeclared。
\"Thinknot？Hecalledme\'WalterAdams。\'\"
AtthisAdamswassilent；andWalter，afterwaitingamoment，said:
\"Well，areyougoingtodoanythingaboutme？AboutwhatItoldyouIgottohave？\"
\"Whatisit，Walter？\"hismotherasked，sinceAdamsdidnotspeak。
Walterclearedhisthroat，andrepliedinatoneasquietasthathehadusedbefore，thoughwithaslighthuskiness，\"Igottohavethreehundredandfiftydollars。Youbettergethimtogiveittomeifyoucan。\"
Adamsfoundhisvoice。\"Yes，\"hesaid，bitterly。\"That\'sallheasks!Hewon\'tdoanythingIaskHIMto，andinreturnheasksmeforthreehundredandfiftydollars!That\'sall!\"
\"Whatintheworld!\"Mrs。Adamsexclaimed。\"WhatFOR，Walter？\"
\"Igottohaveit，\"Waltersaid。
\"ButwhatFOR？\"
Hisquiethuskinessdidnotalter。\"Igottohaveit。\"
\"Butcan\'tyoutellus——\"
\"Igottohaveit。\"
\"That\'sallyoucangetoutofhim，\"Adamssaid。\"Heseemstothinkit\'llbringhiminthreehundredandfiftydollars!\"
Afainttremulousnessbecameevidentinthehuskyvoice。
\"Haven\'tyougotit？\"
\"NO，Ihaven\'tgotit!\"hisfatheranswered。\"AndI\'vegottogotoabankformorethanmypay-rollnextweek。DoyouthinkI\'mamint？\"
\"Idon\'tunderstandwhatyoumean，Walter，\"Mrs。Adamsinterposed，perplexedanddistressed。\"Ifyourfatherhadthemoney，ofcoursehe\'dneedeverycentofit，especiallyjustnow，and，anyhow，youcouldscarcelyexpecthimtogiveittoyou，unlessyoutolduswhatyouwantwithit。Buthehasn\'tgotit。\"
\"Allright，\"Waltersaid；andafterstandingamomentmore，insilence，headded，impersonally，\"Idon\'tseeasyoueverdidanythingmuchforme，anyhoweitherofyou。\"
Then，asifthiswerehisvaledictory，heturnedhisbackuponthem，walkedawayquickly，andwasatoncelosttotheirsightinthedarkness。
\"There\'safineboyto\'vehadthetroubleofraising!\"Adamsgrumbled。\"Justcrazy，that\'sall。\"
\"Whatintheworlddoyousupposehewantsallthatmoneyfor？\"
hiswifesaid，wonderingly。\"Ican\'timaginewhathecouldDO
withit。Iwonder——\"Shepaused。\"Iwonderifhe——\"
\"Ifhewhat？\"Adamspromptedherirritably。
\"IfheCOULDhavebad——associates。\"
\"Godknows!\"saidAdams。\"_I_don\'t!ItjustlookstomelikehehadsomethinginhimIdon\'tunderstand。Youcan\'tkeepyoureyeonaboyallthetimeinacitythissize，notaboyWalter\'sage。Yougotagirlprettymuchinthehouse，butaboy\'llfollowhisnature。_I_don\'tknowwhattodowithhim!\"
Mrs。Adamsbrightenedalittle。\"He\'llcomeoutallright，\"shesaid。\"I\'msurehewill。I\'msurehe\'dneverbeanythingreallybad:andhe\'llcomearoundallrightabouttheglue-works，too；
you\'llsee。Ofcourseeveryyoungmanwantsmoney——itdoesn\'tprovehe\'sdoinganythingwrongjustbecauseheasksyouforit。\"
\"No。Allitprovestomeisthathehasn\'tgotgoodsenseaskingmeforthreehundredandfiftydollars，whenheknowsaswellasyoudothepositionI\'min!IfIwantedto，Icouldn\'thardlylethimhavethreehundredandfiftycents，letalonedollars!\"
\"I\'mafraidyou\'llhavetoletMEhavethatmuch——andmaybealittlemore，\"sheventured，timidly；andshetoldhimofherplansforthemorrow。Heobjectedvehemently。
\"Oh，butAlicehasprobablyaskedhimbythistime，\"Mrs。Adamssaid。\"Itreallymustbedone，Virgil:youdon\'twanthimtothinkshe\'sashamedofus，doyou？\"
\"Well，goahead，butjustletmestayaway，\"hebegged。\"OfcourseIexpecttoundergoakindoftalkwithhim，whenhegetsreadytosaysomethingtousaboutAlice，butIdohatetohavetositthroughafashionabledinner。\"
\"Why，itisn\'tgoingtobotheryou，\"shesaid；\"justoneyoungmanasaguest。\"
\"Yes，Iknow；butyouwanttohaveallthisfancycookin\'；andI
seewellenoughyou\'regoingtogetthatolddresssuitoutofthecedarchestintheattic，andtrytomakemeputitonme。\"
\"Idothinkyoubetter，Virgil。\"
\"Ihopethemothshavegotinit，\"hesaid。\"LasttimeIworeitwastothebanquet，anditwasprettyoldthen。OfcourseI
didn\'tmindwearingittothebanquetsomuch，becausethatwaswhatyoumightcallquiteanoccasion。\"Hespokewithsomereminiscentcomplacency；\"thebanquet，\"anaffairnowfiveyearspast，havingprovidedtheonetimeinhislifewhenhehadbeensodistinguishedamonghisfellow-citizensastoreceiveaninvitationtobepresent，withsomesevenhundredothers，attheannualeatingandspeech-makingofthecity\'sChamberofCommerce。\"Anyhow，asyousay，Ithinkitwouldlookfoolishofmetowearadresssuitforjustoneyoungman，\"hewentonprotesting，feebly。\"What\'stheuseofallsomuchhowdy-do，anyway？Youdon\'texpecthimtobelieveweputonallthatstyleeverynight，doyou？Isthatwhatyou\'reafter？\"
\"Well，wewanthimtothinkwelivenicely，\"sheadmitted。
\"Sothat\'sit!\"hesaid，querulously。\"Youwanthimtothinkthat\'sourregulargait，doyou？Well，he\'llknowbetteraboutme，nomatterhowyoufixmeup，becausehesawmeinmyregularsuittheeveningsheintroducedmetohim，andhecouldtellanywayI\'mnotoneofthesemoving-picturesporting-menthat\'salwaysgotadresssuiton。Besides，youandAlicecertainlyhavesomeideahe\'llcomeAGAIN，haven\'tyou？Iftheygetthingssettledbetween\'emhe\'llbearoundthehouseandtomealsmostanytime，won\'the？Youdon\'thardlyexpecttoputonstyleallthetime，Iguess。Well，he\'llseethenthatthiskindofthingwasallshow-off，andbluff，won\'the？Whataboutit？\"
\"Oh，well，byTHATtime——\"Sheleftthesentenceunfinished，asifabsently。\"Youcouldletushavealittlemoneyforto-morrow，couldn\'tyou，honey？\"
\"Oh，Ireckon，Ireckon，\"hemumbled。\"AgirllikeAliceissomecomfort:shedon\'tcomearoundactingasifshe\'dcommitsuicideifshedidn\'tgetthreehundredandfiftydollarsinthenextfiveminutes。IexpectIcansparefiveorsixdollarsforyourshow-offifIgotto。\"
However，shefinallyobtainedfifteenbeforehisbedtime；andthenextmorning\"wenttomarket\"afterbreakfast，leavingAlicetomakethebeds。Walterhadnotyetcomedownstairs。\"Youhadbettercallhim，\"Mrs。Adamssaid，asshedepartedwithabigbasketonherarm。\"Iexpecthe\'sprettysleepy；hewasoutsolatelastnightIdidn\'thearhimcomein，thoughIkeptawaketillaftermidnight，listeningforhim。Tellhimhe\'llbelatetoworkifhedoesn\'thurry；andseethathedrinkshiscoffee，evenifhehasn\'ttimeforanythingelse。AndwhenMalenacomes，getherstartedinthekitchen:showherwhereeverythingis。\"
Shewavedherhand，asshesetoutforacornerwherethecarsstopped。\"Everything\'llbelovely。Don\'tforgetaboutWalter。\"