ThenheranguishwentbacktoWalteragain；andtohisneedsasafugitive——shehadmeanttorepairhisunderwear，buthadpostponeddoingso，andherneglectnowappearedtobeadetailaslamentableasthecalamityitself。Shecouldneitherbestilleduponit，norherselfexhaustitsurgingstoself-
reproach，thoughshefinallytookupanotherthemetemporarily。
Uponanunusuallyviolentoutbreakofherhusband\'s，indenunciationoftherunaway，shecriedoutfaintlythathewascruel；andfurtherweariedherbrokenvoicewithdetailsofWalter\'sbeautyasababy，andofhisbedtimepietiesthroughouthisinfancy。
Sothehotnightworeon。ThreehadstruckbeforeMrs。Adamswasgottobed；andAlice，returningtoherownroom，couldhearherfather\'sbarefeetthuddingbackandforthafterthat。\"Poorpapa!\"shewhisperedinhelplessimitationofhermother。\"Poorpapa!Poormama!PoorWalter!Poorallofus!\"
Shefellasleep，afteratime，whilefromacrossthehallthebarefeetstillthuddedovertheirchangelessroute；andshewokeatseven，hearingAdamspassherdoor，shod。Inherwrappersheranoutintothehallwayandfoundhimdescendingthestairs。
\"Papa!\"
\"Hush，\"hesaid，andlookedupatherwithreddenedeyes。\"Don\'twakeyourmother。\"
\"Iwon\'t，\"shewhispered。\"Howaboutyou？Youhaven\'tsleptanyatall!\"
\"Yes，Idid。Igotsomesleep。I\'mgoingovertotheworksnow。
Igottothrowsomefigurestogethertoshowthebank。Don\'tworry:I\'llgetthingsfixedup。Yougobacktobed。Good-bye。\"
\"Wait!\"shebadehimsharply。
\"Whatfor？\"
\"You\'vegottohavesomebreakfast。\"
\"Don\'twant\'ny。\"
\"Youwait!\"shesaid，imperiously，anddisappearedtoreturnalmostatonce。\"Icancookinmybedroomslippers，\"sheexplained，\"butIdon\'tbelieveIcouldinmybarefeet!\"
Descendingsoftly，shemadehimwaitinthedining-roomuntilshebroughthimtoastandeggsandcoffee。\"Eat!\"shesaid。\"AndI\'mgoingtotelephoneforataxicabtotakeyou，ifyouthinkyou\'vereallygottogo。\"
\"No，I\'mgoingtowalk——IWANTtowalk。\"
Sheshookherheadanxiously。\"Youdon\'tlookable。You\'vewalkedallnight。\"
\"No，Ididn\'t，\"hereturned。\"ItellyouIgotsomesleep。I
gotallIwantedanyhow。\"
\"But，papa——\"
\"Here!\"heinterrupted，lookingupathersuddenlyandsettingdownhiscupofcoffee。\"Lookhere!WhataboutthisMr。
Russell？Iforgotallabouthim。Whatabouthim？\"
Herliptrembledalittle，butshecontrolleditbeforeshespoke。\"Well，whatabouthim，papa？\"sheasked，calmlyenough。
\"Well，wecouldhardly——\"Adamspaused，frowningheavily。\"Wecouldhardlyexpecthewouldn\'thearsomethingaboutallthis。\"
\"Yes；ofcoursehe\'llhearit，papa。\"
\"Well？\"
\"Well，what？\"sheasked，gently。
\"Youdon\'tthinkhe\'dbethe——thecheapkindit\'dmakeadifferencewith，ofcourse。\"
\"Oh，no；heisn\'tcheap。Itwon\'tmakeanydifferencewithhim。\"
Adamssufferedaprofoundsightoescapehim。\"Well——I\'mgladofthat，anyway。\"
\"Thedifference，\"sheexplained——\"thedifferencewasmadewithouthishearinganythingaboutWalter。Hedoesn\'tknowaboutTHAT
yet。\"
\"Well，whatdoesheknowabout？\"
\"Only，\"shesaid，\"aboutme。\"
\"Whatyoumeanbythat，Alice？\"heasked，helplessly。
\"Nevermind，\"shesaid。\"It\'snothingbesidetherealtroublewe\'rein——I\'lltellyousometime。Youeatyoureggsandtoast；
youcan\'tkeepgoingonjustcoffee。\"
\"Ican\'teatanyeggsandtoast，\"heobjected，rising。\"I
can\'t。\"
\"ThenwaittillIcanbringyousomethingelse。\"
\"No，\"hesaid，irritably。\"Iwon\'tdoit!Idon\'twantanydangfood!Andlookhere\"——hespokesharplytostopher，asshewenttowardthetelephone——\"Idon\'twantanydangtaxi，either!Youlookafteryourmotherwhenshewakesup。IgottobeatWORK!\"
Andthoughshefollowedhimtothefrontdoor，entreating，hecouldnotbestayedorhindered。Hewentthroughthequietmorningstreetsatarickety，rapidgait，swinginghisoldstrawhatinhishands，andwhisperingangrilytohimselfashewent。
Hisgrizzledhair，nottrimmedforamonth，blewbackfromhisdampforeheadinthewarmbreeze；hisreddenedeyesstaredhardatnothingfromunderblinkinglids；andonesideofhisfacetwitchedstartlinglyfromtimetotime；——childrenmighthaverunfromhim，ormockedhim。
Whenhehadcomeintothatfallenquarterhisindustryhadpartlyrevivedandwhollymadeodorous，anegrowoman，leaninguponherwhitewashedgate，gazedafterhimandchuckledforthebenefitofagossipingfriendinthenexttinyyard。\"Oh，goodSatan!
Wha\'ssamatterthatoleglueman？\"
\"Who？Him？\"theneighbourinquired。\"Whathedonow？\"
\"Talkin\'tohisolese\'f!\"thefirstexplained，joyously。\"Looklikegonedistracted——oleglueman!\"
Adams\'slegshadgrownmoreuncertainwithhishardwalk，andhestumbledheavilyashecrossedthebakedmudofhisbroadlot，butcaredlittleforthat，wasalmostunawareofit，infact。
Thushiseyessawaslittleashisbodyfelt，andsohefailedtoobservesomethingthatwouldhavegivenhimadditionallightuponanoldphrasethatalreadymeantquiteenoughforhim。
Thereareinthewideworldpeoplewhohaveneverlearneditsmeaning；butmostareeitheryoungorbeautifullyunobservantwhoremainwhollyunawareoftheinnerpoignanciesthewordsconvey:
\"arainofmisfortunes。\"Itisaboilingrain，seeminglywhimsicalinitschoiceofspotswhereontofall；and，sofarasmortaleyecantell，neitherthejustnortheunjustmayhopetoavoidit，orneedworrythemselvesbyexpectingit。IthadselectedtheAdamsfamilyforitsscaldings；noquestion。
Theglue-worksforeman，standinginthedoorwayofthebrickshed，observedhisemployer\'seccentricapproach，anddoubtfullystrokedawhiskeredchin。
\"Well，theyain\'tnoputticularusegettin\'soupsetoverit，\"hesaid，asAdamscameup。\"Whenathinghappens，why，ithappens，andthat\'sallthereistoit。Whenathing\'sso，why，it\'sso。
Allyoucandoaboutitisthinkifthere\'sanythingyouCANdo；
andthat\'swhatyoubetterbedoin\'withthiscase。\"
Adamshalted，andseemedtogapeathim。\"What——case？\"hesaid，withdifficulty。\"Wasitinthemorningpapers，too？\"
\"No，itain\'tinnomorningpapers。Myland!Itdon\'tneedtobeinnopapers；lookattheSIZEofit!\"
\"Thesizeofwhat？\"
\"Why，greatGod!\"theforemanexclaimed。\"Heain\'tevenseenit。
Look!Lookyonder!\"
Adamsstaredvaguelyattheman\'soutstretchedhandandpointingforefinger，thenturnedandsawagreatsignuponthefacadeofthebigfactorybuildingacrossthestreet。Theletterswerelargeenoughtobereadtwoblocksaway。
\"AFTERTHEFIFTEENTHOFNEXTMONTH
THISBUILDINGWILLBEOCCUPIEDBY
THEJ。A。LAMBLIQUIDGLUECO。INC。\"
Agraytouring-carhadjustcometorestbeforetheprincipalentranceofthebuilding，andJ。A。Lambhimselfdescendedfromit。Heglancedovertowardthehumblerivalofhisprojectedgreatindustry，sawhisoldclerk，andimmediatelywalkedacrossthestreetandthelottospeaktohim。
\"Well，Adams，\"hesaid，inhishusky，cheerfulvoice，\"how\'syourglue-works？\"
Adamsutteredaninarticulatesound，andliftedthehandthatheldhishatasiftomakeaprotectivegesture，butfailedtocarryitout；andhisarmsanklimpathisside。Theforeman，however，seemedtofeelthatsomethingoughttobesaid。
\"Ourglue-works，hell!\"heremarked。\"Iguesswewon\'tHAVEnoglue-worksoverherenotverylong，ifwegottocompetewiththesizedthingyougotoverthere!\"
Lambchuckled。\"Ikindofhadsomesuchnotion，\"hesaid。\"Yousee，Virgil，Icouldn\'texactlyletyouwalkoffwithitlikeswalleringapato\'butter，now，couldI？Itdidn\'tlookexactlyreasonabletoexpectmetoletgolikethat，now，didit？\"
Adamsfoundahalf-chokedvoicesomewhereinhisthroat。\"Doyou——wouldyoustepintomyofficeaminute，Mr。Lamb？\"
\"Why，certainlyI\'mwillingtohavealittletalkwithyou，\"theoldgentlemansaid，ashefollowedhisformeremployeeindoors，andheadded，\"IfeelalotmorelikeitthanIdidbeforeIgotTHATup，overyonder，Virgil!\"
Adamsthrewopenthedooroftheroughroomhecalledhisoffice，havingasjustificationforthistitlelittlemorethanthefactthathehadatelephonethereandadealtablethatservedasadesk。\"Juststepintotheoffice，please，\"hesaid。
Lambglancedatthedesk，atthekitchenchairbeforeit，atthetelephone，andatthepartitionwallsbuiltofoldboards，somecoveredwithancientpaintandsomemerelyweatherbeaten，thesalvageofahouse-wrecker；andhesmiledbroadly。\"Sotheseareyouroffices，arethey？\"heasked。\"Youexpecttodoquiteabusinesshere，Iguess，don\'tyou，Virgil？\"
Adamsturneduponhimastrickenandtorturedface。\"HaveyouseenCharleyLohrsincelastnight，Mr。Lamb？\"
\"No；Ihaven\'tseenCharley。\"
\"Well，Itoldhimtotellyou，\"Adamsbegan；——\"ItoldhimI\'dpayyou——\"
\"Paymewhatyouexpecttomakeouto\'glue，youmean，Virgil？\"
\"No，\"Adamssaid，swallowing。\"Imeanwhatmyboyowesyou。
That\'swhatItoldCharleytotellyou。ItoldhimtotellyouI\'dpayyoueverylast——\"
\"Well，well!\"theoldgentlemaninterrupted，testily。\"Idon\'tknowanythingaboutthat。\"
\"I\'mexpectingtopayyou，\"Adamswenton，swallowingagain，painfully。\"IwasexpectingtodoitoutofaloanIthoughtI
couldgetonmyglue-works。\"
Theoldgentlemanliftedhisfrostedeyebrows。\"Oh，outo\'theGLUE-works？Youexpectedtoraisemoneyontheglue-works，didyou？\"
Atthat，Adams\'sagitationincreasedprodigiously。\"How\'dyouTHINKIexpectedtopayyou？\"hesaid。\"DidyouthinkIexpectedtogetmoneyonmyownoldbones？\"Heslappedhimselfharshlyuponthechestandlegs。\"Doyouthinkabank\'lllendmoneyonaman\'sribsandhisbroken-downoldknee-bones？Theywon\'tdoit!
YougottohavesomeBUSINESSprospectstoshow\'em，ifyouhaven\'tgotanypropertynorsecurities；andwhatbusinessprospectshaveIgotnow，withthatsignofyoursupoveryonder？
Why，youdon\'tneedtomakeanOUNCEo\'glue；yoursign\'sfixedMEwithoutyourdoinganotherlick!THAT\'Sallyouhadtodo；
justputyoursignup!Youneedn\'tto——\"
\"Justletmetellyousomething，VirgilAdams，\"theoldmaninterrupted，harshly。\"Igotjustonerightimportantthingtotellyoubeforewetalkanyfurtherbusiness；andthat\'sthis:
there\'ssomefewmeninthistownmadetheirmoneyinoff-colourways，buttherearen\'tmany；andthosetherearehavehadtobeadarnsightslickerthanyouknowhowtobe，oreverWILLknowhowtobe!Yes，sir，andtheynoneofthemhadthelittlegumptiontotrytomakeitoutofamanthathadthespiritnottolet\'em，andtheSTRENGTHnottolet\'em!Iknowwhatyouthought。
\'Here，\'yousaidtoyourself，\'here\'sthisolefoolJ。A。Lamb；
he\'skindofwornoutandinhissecondchildhoodlike；Icanputitoveronhim，withouthisever——\'\"
\"Ididnot!\"Adamsshouted。\"AgreatdealYOUknowaboutmyfeelingsandallwhatIsaidtomyself!There\'sonethingIwanttotellYOU，andthat\'swhatI\'msayingtomyselfNOW，andwhatmyfeelingsarethisMINUTE!\"
Hestruckthetableagreatblowwithhisthinfist，andshookthedamagedknucklesmtheair。\"Ijustwanttotellyou，whateverIdidfeel，Idon\'tfeelMEANanymore；notto-day，I
don\'t。There\'sameanermaninthisworldthan_I_am，Mr。
Lamb!\"
\"Oh，soyoufeelbetteraboutyourselfto-day，doyou，Virgil？\"
\"YoubetIdo!Youworkedtillyougotmewhereyouwantme；andIwouldn\'tdothattoanotherman，nomatterwhathedidtome!
Iwouldn\'t——\"
\"Whatyoutalkin\'about!How\'veI\'gotyouwhereIwantyou？\'\"
\"Ain\'titplainenough？\"Adamscried。\"YouevengotmewhereI
can\'traisethemoneytopaybackwhatmyboyowesyou!Doyousupposeanybody\'sfoolenoughtoletmehaveacentonthisbusinessafteronelookatwhatyougotoverthereacrosstheroad？\"
\"No，Idon\'t。\"
\"No，youdon\'t，\"Adamsechoed，hoarsely。\"What\'smore，youknewmyhousewasmortgaged，andmy——\"
\"Ididnot，\"Lambinterrupted，angrily。\"Whatdo_I_careaboutyourhouse？\"
\"What\'stheuseyourtalkinglikethat？\"Adamscried。\"YougotmewhereIcan\'tevenraisethemoneytopaywhatmyboyowesthecompany，so\'tIcan\'tshowanyreasontostoptheprosecutionandkeephimoutthepenitentiary。That\'swhereyouworkedtillyougotME!\"
\"What!\"Lambshouted。\"Youaccusemeof——\"
\"\'Accuseyou？\'WhatamItellingyou？DoyouthinkIgotnoEYES？\"AndAdamshammeredthetableagain。\"Why，youknewtheboywasweak——\"
\"Ididnot!\"
\"Listen:youkepthimthereafteryougotmadatmyleavingthewayIdid。Youkepthimthereafteryoususpectedhim；andyouhadhimwatched；youlethimgoon；justwaitedtocatchhimandruinhim!\"
\"You\'recrazy!\"theoldmanbellowed。\"Ididn\'tknowtherewasanythingagainsttheboytilllastnight。You\'reCRAZY，Isay!\"
Adamslookedit。Withhishairdisorderedoverhishaggardforeheadandbloodshoteyes；withhisbruisedhandspoundingthetableandflyinginahundredwildandabsurdgestures，whilehisfeetshuffledconstantlytopreservehisbalanceuponstaggeringlegs，hewasthepictureofamanwithamindgonetorags。
\"MaybeIAMcrazy!\"hecried，hisvoicebreakingandquavering。
\"MaybeIam，butIwouldn\'tstandthereandtauntamanwithitifI\'ddonetohimwhatyou\'vedonetome!Justlookatme:I
workedallmylifeforyou，andwhatIdidwhenIquitneverharmedyou——itdidn\'tmaketwocents\'wortho\'differenceinyourlifeanditlookedlikeit\'dmeanallthedifferenceintheworldtomyfamily——andnowlookwhatyou\'veDONEtomeforit!Itellyou，Mr。Lamb，thereneverwasamanlookeduptoanothermanthewayIlookeduptoyouthewholeo\'mylife，butIdon\'tlookuptoyouanymore!Youthinkyougotafinedayofitnow，ridingupinyourautomobiletolookatthatsign——andthenoverhereatmypoorlittleworksthatyou\'veruined。Butlistentomejustthisonelasttime!\"Thecrackingvoicebrokeintofalsetto，andthegesticulatinghandsfluttereduncontrollably。
\"Justyoulisten!\"hepanted。\"YouthinkIdidyouabadturn，andnowyougotmeruinedforit，andyougotmyworksruined，andmyfamilyruined；andifanybody\'d\'a\'toldmethistimelastyearI\'deversaysuchathingtoyouI\'dcalledhimadangliar，butIDOsayit:Isayyou\'veactedtowardmelike——likea——adoggonemean——man!\"
Hisvoice，exhausted，likehisbody，wasjustabletodohimthisfinalservice；thenhesank，crumpled，intothechairbythetable，hischindownharduponhischest。
\"Itellyou，you\'recrazy!\"Lambsaidagain。\"Ineverintheworld——\"Buthecheckedhimself，staringinsuddenperplexityathisaccuser。\"Lookhere!\"hesaid。\"What\'sthematterofyou？Haveyougotanotherofthose——？\"HeputhishanduponAdams\'sshoulder，whichjerkedfeeblyunderthetouch。
Theoldmanwenttothedoorandcalledtotheforeman。
\"Here!\"hesaid。\"Runandtellmychauffeurtobringmycaroverhere。Tellhimtodriverightupoverthesidewalkandacrossthelot。Tellhimtohurry!\"
So，ithappened，thegreatJ。A。Lambasecondtimebroughthisformerclerkhome，strickenandalmostinanimate。
CHAPTERXXIV
Aboutfiveo\'clockthatafternoon，theoldgentlemancamebacktoAdams\'shouse；andwhenAliceopenedthedoor，henodded，walkedintothe\"living-room\"withoutspeaking；thenstoodfrowningasifhehesitatedtodecidesomeperplexingquestion。
\"Well，howishenow？\"heasked，finally。
\"Thedoctorwashereagainalittlewhileago；hethinkspapa\'scomingthroughit。He\'sprettysurehewill。\"
\"Somethinglikethewayitwaslastspring？\"
\"Yes。\"
\"Notabitofsensetoit!\"Lambsaid，gruffly。\"Whenhewasgettingwelltheothertimethedoctortoldmeitwasn\'taregularstroke，sotospeak——this\'cerebraleffusion\'thing。
Saidtherewasn\'tanyparticularreasonforyourfathertoexpecthe\'deverhaveanotherattack，ifhe\'dtakealittlecareofhimself。Saidhecouldconsiderhimselfwellasanybodyelselongashedidthat。\"
\"Yes。Buthedidn\'tdoit!\"
Lambnodded，sighedaloud，andcrossedtheroomtoachair。\"I
guessnot，\"hesaid，ashesatdown。\"Bustin\'hishealthupoverhisglue-works，Iexpect。\"
\"Yes。\"
\"Iguessso；Iguessso。\"Thenhelookedupatherwithaglimmerofanxietyinhiseyes。\"Hashecametoyet？\"
\"Yes。He\'stalkedalittle。Hismind\'sclear；hespoketomamaandmeandtoMissPerry。\"Alicelaughedsadly。\"Wewereluckyenoughtogetherback，butpapadidn\'tseemtothinkitwaslucky。Whenherecognizedherhesaid，\'Oh，mygoodness，\'tisn\'tYOU，isit!\'\"
\"Well，that\'sagoodsign，ifhe\'sgettingalittlecross。Didhe——didhehappentosayanything——forinstance，aboutme？\"
Thisquestion，awkwardlydelivered，hadtheeffectofremovingthegirl\'spallor；rosytintscamequicklyuponhercheeks。
\"He——yes，hedid，\"shesaid。\"Naturally，he\'stroubledabout——about——\"Shestopped。
\"Aboutyourbrother，maybe？\"
\"Yes，aboutmakingupthe——\"
\"Here，now，\"Lambsaid，uncomfortably，asshestoppedagain。
\"Listen，younglady；let\'sdon\'ttalkaboutthatjustyet。I
wanttoaskyou:youunderstandallaboutthisgluebusiness，I
expect，don\'tyou？\"
\"I\'mnotsure。Ionlyknow——\"
\"Letmetellyou，\"heinterrupted，impatiently。\"I\'lltellyouallaboutitintwowords。Theprocessbelongedtome，andyourfatherupandwalkedoffwithit；there\'snogettingaroundTHAT
much，anyhow。\"
\"Isn\'tthere？\"Alicestaredathim。\"Ithinkyou\'remistaken，Mr。Lamb。Didn\'tpapaimproveitsothatitvirtuallybelongedtohim？\"
Therewasasparkintheoldblueeyesatthis。\"What？\"hecried。\"Isthatthewayhegotaroundit？Why，inallmylifeI
neverheardofsucha——\"Butheleftthesentenceunfinished；
thetestinesswentoutofhishuskyvoiceandtheangeroutofhiseyes。\"Well，Iexpectmaybethatwasthewayofit，\"hesaid。\"Anyhow，it\'srightforyoutostandupforyourfather；
andifyouthinkhehadarighttoit——\"
\"Buthedid!\"shecried。
\"Iexpectso，\"theoldmanreturned，pacifically。\"Iexpectso，probably。Anyhow，it\'saquestionthat\'sneitherherenorthere，rightnow。WhatIwasthinkingofsaying——well，didyourfatherhappentoletoutthatheandIhadwordsthismorning？\"
\"No。\"
\"Well，wedid。\"Hesighedandshookhishead。\"Yourfather——well，heusedsomeprettyhardexpressionstowardme，younglady。Theyweren\'tSO，I\'mgladtosay，butheused\'emtome，andtheworstofitwashebelieved\'em。Well，Ibeenthinkingitover，andIthoughtI\'djusthaveakindoflittletalkwithyoutosetmattersstraight，sotospeak。\"
\"Yes，Mr。Lamb。\"
\"Forinstance，\"hesaid，\"it\'slikethis。Now，Ihopeyouwon\'tthinkImeananyindelicacy，butyoutakeyourbrother\'scase，sincewegottomentionit，why，yourfatherhadthewholethingworkedoutinhismindaboutaswrongasanybodyevergotanything。IfI\'dactedthewayyourfatherthoughtIdidaboutthat，why，somebodyjustoughttotakemeoutandshootme!DoYOUknowwhatthatmanthought？\"
\"I\'mnotsure。\"
Hefrownedather，andasked，\"Well，whatdoyouthinkaboutit？\"
\"Idon\'tknow，\"shesaid。\"Idon\'tbelieveIthinkanythingatallaboutanythingto-day。\"
\"Well，well，\"hereturned；\"Iexpectnot；Iexpectnot。Youkindoflooktomeasifyououghttobeinbedyourself，younglady。\"
\"Oh，no。\"
\"Iguessyoumean\'Oh，yes\'；andIwon\'tkeepyoulong，butthere\'ssomethingwegottogetfixedup，andI\'drathertalktoyouthanIwouldtoyourmother，becauseyou\'reasmartgirlandalwaysfriendly；andIwanttobesureI\'munderstood。Now，listen。\"
\"Iwill，\"Alicepromised，smilingfaintly。
\"Ineverevenhardlynoticedyourbrotherwasstillworkingforme，\"heexplained，earnestly。\"Ineverthoughtanythingaboutit。Mysonssortoftriedtoteasemeaboutthewayyourfather——abouthistakingupthisgluebusiness，sotospeak——andonedayAlbert，Junior，askedmeifIfeltallrightaboutyourbrother\'sstayingthereafterthat，andItoldhim——well，Ijustaskedhimtoshutup。Iftheboywantedtostaythere，Ididn\'tconsideritmybusinesstosendhimawayonaccountofanyfeelingIhadtowardhisfather；notaslongashedidhisworkright——andthereportshowedhedid。Well，asithappens，itlooksnowasifhestayedbecauseheHADto；hecouldn\'tquitbecausehe\'d\'a\'beenfoundoutifhedid。Well，he\'dbeencoveringuphisshortageforaconsiderabletime——anddoyouknowwhatyourfatherpracticallychargedmewithaboutthat？\"
\"No，Mr。Lamb。\"
Inhisresentment，theoldgentleman\'sruddyfacebecameruddierandhishuskyvoicehuskier。\"ThinksIkepttheboytherebecauseIsuspectedhim!ThinksIdidittogetevenwithHIM!
DoIlooktoYOUlikeamanthat\'ddosuchathing？\"
\"No，\"shesaid，gently。\"Idon\'tthinkyouwould。\"
\"No!\"heexclaimed。\"NorHEwouldn\'tthinksoifhewashimself；
he\'sknownmetoolong。Buthemustbeensortofbroodingoverthiswholebusiness——ImeanbeforeWalter\'stroublehemustbeentakingittoheartprettyhardforsometimeback。HethoughtI
didn\'tthinkmuchofhimanymore——andIexpecthemaybewonderedsomewhatIwasgoingtoDO——andthere\'snothingworse\'nthatstateofmindtomakeamansuspiciousofallkindsofmeanness。
Well，hepracticallystoodupthereandaccusedmetomyfaceoffixingthingsso\'thecouldn\'teverraisethemoneytosettleforWalterandaskusnottoprosecute。That\'sthestateofmindyourfather\'sbroodinggothiminto，younglady——chargingmewithatricklikethat!\"
\"I\'msorry，\"shesaid。\"Iknowyou\'dnever——\"
Theoldmanslappedhissturdyknee，angrily。\"Why，thatdangfoolofaVirgilAdams!\"heexclaimed。\"Hewouldn\'tevengivemeachancetotalk；andhegotmesomadIcouldn\'thardlytalk，anyway!Hemight\'a\'knownfromthefirstIwasn\'tgoingtolethimwalkinandbeatmeoutofmyown——thatis，hemight\'a\'
knownIwouldn\'tlethimgetaheadofmeinabusinessmatter——notwithmyboystwittingmeaboutiteveryfewminutes!
Buttotalktomethewayhedidthismorning——well，hewasoutofhishead；that\'sall!Now，waitjustaminute，\"heinterposed，assheseemedabouttospeak。\"Inthefirstplace，wearen\'tgoingtopushthiscaseagainstyourbrother。I
believeinthelaw，allright，andbusinessmengottoprotectthemselves；butinacaselikethis，whererestitution\'smadebythefamily，why，Iexpectit\'sjustaswellsometimestousealittleinfluenceandletmattersdrop。Ofcourseyourbrother\'llhavetokeepouto\'thisstate；that\'sall。\"
\"But——yousaid——\"shefaltered。
\"Yes。What\'dIsay？\"
\"Yousaid，\'whererestitution\'smadebythefamily。\'That\'swhatseemedtotroublepapasoterribly，because——becauserestitutioncouldn\'t——\"
\"Why，yes，itcould。That\'swhatI\'mheretotalktoyouabout。\"
\"Idon\'tsee——\"
\"I\'mgoingtoTELLyou，ain\'tI？\"hesaid，gruffly。\"Justholdyourhorsesaminute，please。\"Hecoughed，rosefromhischair，walkedupanddowntheroom，thenhaltedbeforeher。\"It\'slikethis，\"hesaid。\"AfterIbroughtyourfatherhome，thismorning，therewasoneofthethingshetoldme，whenhewasgoingforme，overyonder——itkindofstuckinmycraw。Itwassomethingaboutallthisgluecontroversynotmeaninganythingtomeinparticular，andmeaningawholeheaptohimandhisfamily。
Well，hewaswrongaboutthattwoways。Thefirstonewas，itdidmeanagooddealtometohavehimgobackonmeaftersomanyyears。Idon\'tneedtosayanymoreaboutit，exceptjusttotellyouitmeantquitealittlemoretomethanyou\'dthink，maybe。Theotherwayhewaswrongis，thathowmuchathingmeanstoonemanandhowlittleitmeanstoanotherain\'ttherightwaytolookatabusinessmatter。\"
\"Isupposeitisn\'t，Mr。Lamb。\"
\"No，\"hesaid。\"Itisn\'t。It\'snottherightwaytolookatanything。Yes，andyourfatherknowsitaswellasIdo，whenhe\'sinhisrightmind；andIexpectthat\'soneofthereasonshegotsomadatme——butanyhow，Icouldn\'thelpthinkingabouthowmuchallthisthingHADmaybemeanttohim；——asIsay，itkindofstuckinmycraw。Iwantyoutotellhimsomethingfromme，andIwantyoutogoandtellhimrightoff，ifhe\'sableandwillingtolisten。YoutellhimIgotkindofanotionhewaspushedintothisthingbycircumstances，andtellhimI\'velivedlongenoughtoknowthatcircumstancescanbeatthebestofus——youtellhimIsaid\'theBESTofus。\'TellhimIhaven\'tgotabitoffeelingagainsthim——notanymore——andtellhimIcameheretoaskhimnottohaveanyagainstme。\"
\"Yes，Mr。Lamb。\"
\"TellhimIsaid——\"TheoldmanpausedabruptlyandAlicewassurprised，inadullandtiredway，whenshesawthathislipshadbeguntotwitchandhiseyelidstoblink；butherecoveredhimselfalmostatonce，andcontinued:\"Iwanthimtoremember，\'Forgiveusourtransgressions，asweforgivethosethattransgressagainstus\'；andifheandIbeentransgressingagainsteachother，why，tellhimIthinkit\'stimeweQUITsuchfoolishness!\"
Hecoughedagain，smiledheartilyuponher，andwalkedtowardthedoor；thenturnedbacktoherwithanexclamation:\"Well，ifI
ain\'tanoldfool!\"
\"Whatisit？\"sheasked。
\"Why，Iforgotwhatwewerejusttalkingabout!YourfatherwantstosettleforWalter\'sdeficit。Tellhimwe\'llbegladtoacceptit；butofcoursewedon\'texpecthimtocleanthematterupuntilhe\'sabletotalkbusinessagain。\"
Alicestaredathimblanklyenoughforhimtoperceivethatfurtherexplanationswerenecessary。\"It\'slikethis，\"hesaid。
\"Yousee，ifyourfatherdecidedtokeephisworksgoingoveryonder，Idon\'tsaybuthemightgiveussomelittlecompetitionforatime，\'speciallyashe\'sgotthestartonusandaboutreadyforthemarket。ThenIwasfiguringwecouldusehisplant——it\'ssmall，butit\'dbetoourbenefittohavetheuseofit——andhe\'sgotaleaseonthatbiglot；itmaycomeinhandyforusifwewanttoexpandsome。Well，I\'dprefertomakeadealwithhimasquietlyaspossible——nogoodineveryTom，DickandHarryhearingaboutthingslikethis——butIfiguredhecouldsellouttomeforalittlesomethingmore\'nenoughtocoverthemortgageheputonthishouse，andWalter\'sdeficit，too——THAT
don\'tamounttomuchindollarsandcents。ThewayIfigureit，Icouldofferhimaboutninety-threehundreddollarsasatotal——orsayninety-threehundredandfifty——andifhefeelslikeaccepting，why，I\'llsendaconfidentialmanupherewiththepaperssoon\'syourfather\'sabletolook\'emover。Youtellhim，willyou，andaskhimifheseeshiswaytoacceptingthatfigure？\"
\"Yes，\"Alicesaid；andnowherownlipstwitched，whilehereyesfilledsothatshesawbutablurredimageoftheoldman，whoheldouthishandinparting。\"I\'lltellhim。Thankyou。\"
Heshookherhandhastily。\"Well，let\'sjustkeepitkindofquiet，\"hesaid，atthedoor。\"NogoodineveryTom，DickandHarryknowingallwhatgoesonintown!Youtelephonemewhenyourpapa\'sreadytogooverthepapers——andcallmeupatmyhouseto-night，willyou？Letmehearhowhe\'sfeeling？\"
\"Iwill，\"shesaid，andthroughhergratefultearsgavehimasmilealmostradiant。\"He\'llbebetter，Mr。Lamb。Weallwill。\"
CHAPTERXXV
Onemorning，thatautumn，Mrs。AdamscameintoAlice\'sroom，andfoundhercompletingasobertoiletforthestreet；moreover，theexpressionrevealedinhermirrorwasharmoniouswiththebusiness-likeseverityofherattire。\"Whatmakesyoulooksocross，dearie？\"themotherasked。\"Couldn\'tyoufindanythingnicertowearthanthatplainolddarkdress？\"
\"Idon\'tbelieveI\'mcross，\"thegirlsaid，absently。\"IbelieveI\'mjustthinking。Isn\'titabouttime？\"
\"Timeforwhat？\"
\"Timeforthinking——forme，Imean？\"
Disregardingthis，Mrs。Adamslookedheroverthoughtfully。\"I
can\'tseewhyyoudon\'twearmorecolour，\"shesaid。\"Atyourageit\'sbecomingandproper，too。Anyhow，whenyou\'regoingonthestreet，Ithinkyououghttolookjustasgayandlivelyasyoucanmanage。Youwanttoshow\'emyou\'vegotsomespunk!\"
\"Howdoyoumean，mama？\"
\"ImeanaboutWalter\'srunningawayandthemessyourfathermadeofhisbusiness。Itwouldhelptoshow\'emyou\'reholdingupyourheadjustthesame。\"
\"Showwhom!\"
\"Alltheseothergirlsthat——\"
\"NotI!\"Alicelaughedshortly，shakingherhead。\"I\'vequitdressingatthem，andiftheysawmetheywouldn\'tthinkwhatyouwant\'emto。It\'sfunny；butwedon\'toftenmakepeoplethinkwhatwewant\'emto，mama。Youdothusandso；andyoutellyourself，\'Now，seeingmedothusandso，peoplewillnaturallythinkthisandthat\'；buttheydon\'t。Theythinksomethingelse——usuallyjustwhatyouDON\'Twant\'emto。Isupposeabouttheonlygoodinpretendingisthefunwegetoutoffoolingourselvesthatwefoolsomebody。\"
\"Well，butitwouldn\'tbepretending。Yououghttoletpeopleseeyou\'restillholdingyourheadupbecauseyouARE。Youwouldn\'twantthatMildredPalmertothinkyou\'recastdownabout——well，youknowyouwouldn\'twantHERnottothinkyou\'reholdingyourheadup，wouldyou？\"
\"Shewouldn\'tknowwhetherIamornot，mama。\"Alicebitherlip，thensmiledfaintlyasshesaid:
\"Anyhow，I\'mnotthinkingaboutmyheadinthatway——notthismorning，I\'mnot。\"
Mrs。Adamsdroppedthesubjectcasually。\"Areyougoingdown-town？\"sheinquired。
\"Yes。\"
\"Whatfor？\"
\"JustsomethingIwanttoseeabout。I\'lltellyouwhenIcomeback。Anythingyouwantmetodo？\"
\"No；Iguessnotto-day。Ithoughtyoumightlookforarug，butI\'drathergowithyoutoselectit。We\'llhavetogetanewrugforyourfather\'sroom，Iexpect。\"
\"I\'mgladyouthinkso，mama。Idon\'tsupposehe\'severevennoticedit，butthatoldrugofhis——well，really!\"
\"Ididn\'tmeanforhim，\"hermotherexplained，thoughtfully。
\"No；hedon\'tmindit，andhe\'dlikelymakeafussifwechangeditonhisaccount。No；whatImeant——we\'llhavetoputyourfatherinWalter\'sroom。Hewon\'tmind，Idon\'texpect——notmuch。\"
\"No，Isupposenot，\"Aliceagreed，rathersadly。\"Iheardthebellawhileago。Wasitsomebodyaboutthat？\"
\"Yes；justbeforeIcameupstairs。Mrs。Lohrgavehimanotetome，andhewasreallyaverypleasant-lookingyoungman。AVERY
pleasant-lookingyoungman，\"Mrs。Adamsrepeatedwithincreasedanimationandathoughtfulglanceatherdaughter。\"He\'saMr。
WillDickson；hehasafirst-ratepositionwiththegasworks，Mrs。Lohrsays，andhe\'sfullyabletoaffordaniceroom。SoifyouandIdoubleupinhere，thenwiththatyoungmarriedcoupleinmyroom，andthisMr。Dicksoninyourfather\'s，we\'lljustabouthavethingssettled。IthoughtmaybeIcouldmakeonemoreplaceattable，too，sothatwiththeotherpeoplefromoutsidewe\'dbeservingelevenaltogether。YouseeifIhavetopaythiscooktwelvedollarsaweek——itcan\'tbehelped，I
guess——well，onemorewouldcertainlyhelptowardaprofit。Ofcourseit\'saterriblyworryingthingtoseehowweWILLcomeout。Don\'tyousupposewecouldsqueezeinonemore？\"
\"IsupposeitCOULDbemanaged；yes。\"
Mrs。Adamsbrightened。\"I\'msureit\'llbepleasanthavingthatyoungmarriedcoupleinthehouseandespeciallythisMr。WillDickson。Heseemedverymuchofagentleman，andanxioustogetsettledingoodsurroundings。Iwasveryfavourablyimpressedwithhimineveryway；andheexplainedtomeabouthisname；itseemsitisn\'tWilliam，it\'sjust\'Will\'；hisparentshadhimchristenedthatway。It\'scurious。\"Shepaused，andthen，withanefforttoseemcasual，whichveilednothingfromherdaughter:
\"It\'sQUITEcurious，\"shesaidagain。\"Butit\'sratherattractiveanddifferent，don\'tyouthink？\"
\"Poormama!\"Alicelaughedcompassionately。\"Poormama!\"
\"Heis，though，\"Mrs。Adamsmaintained。\"He\'sverymuchofagentleman，unlessI\'mnojudgeofappearances；andit\'llreallybenicetohavehiminthehouse。\"
\"Nodoubt，\"Alicesaid，assheopenedherdoortodepart。\"I
don\'tsupposewe\'llmindhavinganyof\'emasmuchaswethoughtwewould。Good-bye。\"
Buthermotherdetainedher，catchingherbythearm。\"Alice，youdohateit，don\'tyou!\"
\"No，\"thegirlsaid，quickly。\"Therewasn\'tanythingelsetodo。\"
Mrs。Adamsbecameemotionalatonce:herfacecriedtragedy，andhervoicemisfortune。\"ThereMIGHThavebeensomethingelsetodo!Oh，Alice，yougaveyourfatherbadadvicewhenyouupheldhimintakingamiserablelittleninety-threehundredandfiftyfromthatoldwretch!Ifyourfather\'djusthadthegumptiontoholdout，they\'dhavehadtopayhimanythingheasked。Ifhe\'djusthadthegumptionandalittlemanlyCOURAGE——\"
\"Hush!\"Alicewhispered，forhermother\'svoicegrewlouder。
\"Hush!He\'llhearyou，mama。\"
\"Couldhehearmetoooften？\"theembitteredladyasked。\"Ifhe\'dlistenedtomeattherighttime，wouldwehavetobetakinginboardersandsinkingDOWNinthescaleattheendofourlives，insteadofgoingUP？Youwerebothwrong；wedidn\'tneedtobesopanicky——thatwasjustwhatthatoldmanwanted:toscareusandbuyusoutfornothing!Ifyourfather\'djustlistenedtomethen，orifforonceinhislifehe\'djustbeenhalfaMAN——\"
Aliceputherhandoverhermother\'smouth。\"Youmustn\'t!HeWILLhearyou!\"
ButfromtheothersideofAdams\'scloseddoorhisvoicecamequerulously。\"Oh，IHEARher，allright!\"
\"Yousee，mama？\"Alicesaid，and，asMrs。Adamsturnedaway，weeping，thedaughtersighed；thenwentintospeaktoherfather。
Hewasinhisoldchairbythetable，withapillowbehindhishead，butthecrochetedscarfandMrs。Adams\'swrapperswathedhimnomore；heworeadressing-gownhiswifehadboughtforhim，andwassmokinghispipe。\"Theoldstory，isit？\"hesaid，asAlicecamein。\"Thesame，sameoldstory!Well，well!Hasshegone？\"
\"Yes，papa。\"
\"Gotyourhaton，\"hesaid。\"Whereyougoing？\"
\"I\'mgoingdown-townonanerrandofmyown。Isthereanythingyouwant，papa？\"
\"Yes，thereis。\"Hesmiledather。\"Iwishyou\'dsitdownawhileandtalktomeunlessyourerrand——\"
\"No，\"shesaid，takingachairnearhim。\"IwasjustgoingdowntoseeaboutsomearrangementsIwasmakingformyself。There\'snohurry。\"
\"Whatarrangementsforyourself，dearie？\"
\"I\'lltellyouafterwards——afterIfindoutsomethingabout\'emmyself。\"
\"Allright，\"hesaid，indulgently。\"Keepyoursecrets；keepyoursecrets。\"Hepaused，drewmusinglyuponhispipe，andshookhishead。\"Funny——thewayyourmotherlooksatthings!Forthemattero\'that，everything\'sprettyfunny，Iexpect，ifyoustoptothinkaboutit。Forinstance，lethersayallshelikes，butwewerepushedrightspangtothewall，ifJ。A。Lambhadn\'ttakenitintohisheadtomakethatofferfortheworks；andthere\'soneofthethingsIbeenthinkingaboutlately，Alice:
thinkingabouthowfunnytheyworkout。\"
\"Whatdidyouthinkaboutit，papa!\"
\"Well，I\'veseenithappeninotherpeople\'slives，timeandtimeagain；andnowit\'shappenedinours。Youthinkyou\'regoingtobepushedrightupagainstthewall；youcan\'tseeanywayout，oranyhopeatall；youthinkyou\'reGONE——andthensomethingyounevercountedonturnsup；and，whilemaybeyouneverdogetbacktowhereyouusedtobe，yetsomehowyoukindofsquirmoutofbeingrightSPANGagainstthewall。Youkeepongoing——maybeyoucan\'tgomuch，butyoudogoalittle。SeewhatImean？\"
\"Yes。Iunderstand，dear。\"
\"Yes，I\'mafraidyoudo，\"hesaid。\"Toobad!Yououghtn\'ttounderstanditatyourage。ItseemstomeagooddealasiftheLordreallymeantfortheyoungpeopletohavethegoodtimes，andfortheoldtohavethetroubles；andwhenanybodyasyoungasyouhastroublethere\'sabigmistakesomewhere。\"
\"Oh，no!\"sheprotested。
Buthepersistedwhimsicallyinthisviewofdivineerror:\"Yes，itdoeslookagooddealthatway。Butofcoursewecan\'ttell；
we\'renevercertainaboutanything——notaboutanythingatall。
SometimesIlookatitanotherway，though。Sometimesitlookstomeasifabody\'stroublescameonhimmainlybecausehehadn\'thadsenseenoughtoknowhownottohaveany——asifhistroubleswerekindoflikeaboy\'sgettingkeptinafterschoolbytheteacher，togivehimdiscipline，orsomethingorother。
But，my，my!Wedon\'tlearneasy!\"Hechuckledmournfully。\"Nottolearnhowtolivetillwe\'reaboutreadytodie，itcertainlyseemstomedangtough!\"
\"ThenIwouldn\'tbroodonsuchanotion，papa，\"shesaid。
\"\'Brood？\'No!\"hereturned。\"Ijustkindo\'mullitover。\"Hechuckledagain，sighed，andthen，notlookingather，hesaid，\"ThatMr。Russell——yourmothertellsmehehasn\'tbeenhereagain——notsince——\"
\"No，\"shesaid，quietly，asAdamspaused。\"Henevercameagain。\"
\"Well，butmaybe——\"
\"No，\"shesaid。\"Thereisn\'tany\'maybe。\'Itoldhimgood-byethatnight，papa。ItwasbeforeheknewaboutWalter——Itoldyou。\"
\"Well，well，\"Adamssaid。\"Youngpeopleareentitledtotheirownprivacy；Idon\'twanttopry。\"Heemptiedhispipeintoachippedsauceronthetablebesidehim，laidthepipeaside，andrevertedtoaformertopic。\"Speakingofdying——\"
\"Well，butweweren\'t!\"Aliceprotested。
\"Yes，aboutnotknowinghowtolivetillyou\'rethroughliving——andTHENmaybenot!\"hesaid，chucklingathisowndeterminedpessimism。\"IseeI\'mprettyoldbecauseItalkthisway——IremembermygrandmothersayingthingsagooddeallikeallwhatI\'msayingnow；IusedtohearheratitwhenIwasayoungfellow——shewasarightgloomyoldlady，Iremember。Well，anyhow，itremindsme:IwanttogetonmyfeetagainassoonasIcan；Igottolookaroundandfindsomethingtogointo。\"
Aliceshookherheadgently。\"But，papa，hetoldyou——\"
\"Nevermindthrowingthatdangdoctorupatme!\"Adamsinterrupted，peevishly。\"HesaidI\'dbegoodforSOMEkindoflightjob——ifIcouldfindjusttherightthing。\'Wheretherewouldn\'tbeeitheranyphysicalormentalstrain，\'hesaid。
Well，Igottofindsomethinglikethat。Anyway，I\'llfeelbetterifIcanjustgetoutLOOKINGforit。\"
\"But，papa，I\'mafraidyouwon\'tfindit，andyou\'llbedisappointed。\"
\"Well，IwanttohuntaroundandSEE，anyhow。\"
Alicepattedhishand。\"Youmustjustbecontented，papa。
Everything\'sgoingtobeallright，andyoumustn\'tgettoworryingaboutdoinganything。Weownthishouseit\'sallclear——andyou\'vetakencareofmamaandmeallourlives；nowit\'sourturn。\"
\"No，sir!\"hesaid，querulously。\"Idon\'tliketheideaofbeingthelandlady\'shusbandaroundaboarding-house；itgoesagainstmygizzard。_I_know:makesoutthebillsforhiswifeSundaymornings——workswithascrew-driveronsomebody\'sbureaudrawersometimes——\'tendsthefurnacemaybe——onetheboardersgiveshimacigarnowandthen。That\'saFINElifetolookforwardto!No，sir；Idon\'twanttofinishasalandlady\'shusband!\"
Alicelookedgrave；forsheknewthesketchwasbuttooaccuratelypropheticineveryprobability。\"But，papa，\"shesaid，toconsolehim，\"don\'tyouthinkmaybethereisn\'tsuchathingasa\'finish，\'afterall!Yousayperhapswedon\'tlearntolivetillwediebutmaybethat\'showitisAFTERwedie，too——justlearningsomemore，thewaywedohere，andmaybethroughtroubleagain，evenafterthat。\"
\"Oh，itmightbe，\"hesighed。\"Iexpectso。\"
\"Well，then，\"shesaid，\"what\'stheuseoftalkingabouta\'finish？\'Wedokeeplookingaheadtothingsasifthey\'dfinishsomething，butwhenwegetTOthem，theydon\'tfinishanything。
They\'rejustpartofgoingon。I\'lltellyou——IlookedaheadallsummertosomethingIwasafraidof，andIsaidtomyself，\'Well，ifthathappens，I\'mfinished!\'Butitwasn\'tso，papa。Itdidhappen，andnothing\'sfinished；I\'mgoingon，justthesameonly——\"Shestoppedandblushed。
\"Onlywhat？\"heasked。
\"Well——\"Sheblushedmoredeeply，thenjumpedup，and，standingbeforehim，caughtbothhishandsinhers。\"Well，don\'tyouthink，sincewedohavetogoon，weoughtatleasttohavelearnedsomesenseabouthowtodoit？\"
Helookedupatheradoringly。
\"What_I_think，\"hesaid，andhisvoicetrembled；——\"Ithinkyou\'rethesmartestgirlintheworld!Iwouldn\'ttradeyouforthewholekit-and-boodleof\'em!\"
Butasthisfollyofhisthreatenedtomakehertearful，shekissedhimhastily，andwentforthuponhererrand。
Sincethenightofthetragic-comicdinnershehadnotseenRussell，norcaughteventheremotestchanceglimpseofhim；anditwascuriousthatsheshouldencounterhimasshewentuponsuchanerrandasnowengagedher。Atacorner，notfarfromthattobacconist\'sshopshehadjustleftwhenheovertookherandwalkedwithherforthefirsttime，shemethimto-day。Heturnedthecorner，comingtowardher，andtheywerefacetoface；
whereuponthatengagingfaceofRussell\'swasinstantlyreddened，butAlice\'sremainedserene。
Shestoppedshort，though；andsodidhe；thenshesmiledbrightlyassheputoutherhand。
\"Why，Mr。Russell!\"
\"I\'mso——I\'msogladtohavethis——thischance，\"hestammered。
\"I\'vewantedtotellyou——it\'sjustthatgoingintoanewundertaking——thisbusinesslife——onedoesn\'tgettodoagreatmanythingshe\'dliketo。Ihopeyou\'llletmecallagainsometime，ifIcan。\"
\"Yes，do!\"shesaid，cordially，andthen，withaquicknod，wentbrisklyon。
Shebreathedmorerapidly，butknewthathecouldnothavedetectedit，andshetooksomeprideinherselfforthewayshehadmetthislittlecrisis。Buttohavemetitwithsucheasycouragemeanttohersomethingmorereassuringthanamomentaryprideintheserenityshehadshown。Forshefoundthatwhatshehadresolvedinherinmostheartwasnowreallytrue:shewas\"throughwithallthat!\"
Shewalkedon，butmoreslowly，forthetobacconist\'sshopwasnotfarfromhernow——and，beyondit，thatportalofdoom，Frincke\'sBusinessCollege。AlreadyAlicecouldreadthebegrimedgiltlettersofthesign；andalthoughtheyhadspelleddestinyneverwithamorepainfulimminencethanjustthen，anoldhabitofdramatizingherselfstillprevailedwithher。
TherecameintohermindawhimsicalcomparisonofherfatewiththatoftheheroineinaFrenchromanceshehadreadlongagoandrememberedwell，forshehadcriedoverit。Thestoryendedwiththeheroine\'stakingtheveilafteradeathblowtolove；andthefinalsceneagainbecamevividtoAlice，foramoment。Again，aswhenshehadreadandwept，
sheseemedherselftostandamongthegreatshadowsinthecathedralnave；smelledthesmokyincenseontheenclosedair，andheardthesolemnpulsesoftheorgan。Sherememberedhowthenovice\'sfatherknelt，trembling，besideapillarofgraystone；howthefaithlessloverwatchedandshiveredbehindthestatueofasaint；howstifledsobsandoutcrieswereheardwhenthenovicecametothealtar；andhowashaftoflightstruckthroughtherose-window，envelopingherinanamberglow。
Itwasthevisionofamomentonly，andfornolongerthanamomentdidAlicetellherselfthattheromanceprovidedaprettierwayoftakingtheveilthanshehadchosen，andthatafaithlesslover，shakingwithremorsebehindasaint\'sstatue，wasagreatersolacethanoneleftonastreetcornerprotestingthathe\'dliketocallsometime——ifhecould!Herpityforherselfvanishedmorereluctantly；butsheshookitoffandtriedtosmileatit，andatherromanticrecollections——atallofthem。Shehadsomethingimportanttothinkof。
Shepassedthetobacconist\'s，andbeforeherwasthatdarkentrancetothewoodenstairwayleadinguptoFrincke\'sBusinessCollege——theverydoorwayshehadalwayslookeduponastheendofyouthandtheendofhope。
Howoftenshehadgonebyhere，hatingthedrearyobscurityofthatstairway；howoftenshehadthoughtofthisobscurityassomethinglyinginwaittoobliteratethefootstepsofanygirlwhoshouldascendintothesmokydarknessabove!Neverhadshepassedwithoutthoseominousimaginingsofhers:prettygirlsturningintooldmaids\"takingdictation\"——oldmaidsofadozendifferenttypes，yetalllookingalittlelikeherself。
Well，shewashereatlast!Shelookedupanddownthestreetquickly，andthen，withalittleheaveoftheshoulders，shewentbravelyin，underthesign，andbegantoclimbthewoodensteps。
Half-wayuptheshadowswereheaviest，butafterthattheplacebegantoseembrighter。Therewasanopenwindowoverheadsomewhere，shefound；andthestepsatthetopweregaywithsunshine。