\"Oh!Well，sheisratherplain-minded，asyoucallit。Ithinksheshowsoutherrealfeelingstoomuchforawoman。\"
\"Whydoyoupreferdissimulationinyoursex，mydear？\"
\"Idon\'tcallitdissimulation。Butofcourseagirloughttohideherfeelings。Don\'tyouthinkitwouldhavebeenbetterforhernottohavelookedsoobviouslyoutofhumourwhenyoufirstsawhertheothernight？\"
\"Shewouldn\'thaveinterestedmesomuch，then，andsheprobablywouldn\'thavehadyouracquaintancenow。\"
\"Oh，Idon\'tmeantosaythateventhatkindofgirlwon\'tgeton，ifshegiveshermindtoit；butIthinkIshouldpreferalittlelessplain-mindedness，asyoucallit，ifIwereaman。\"
Ididnotknowexactlywhattosaytothis，andIletMrs。Marchgoon。
\"It\'ssointhesmallestthing。Ifyou\'rechoosingathingforher，andshelikesanother，sheletsyoufeelitatonce。Idon\'tmeanthatshe\'srudeaboutit，butsheseemstosetherselfsosquareacrosstheway，andyoucomeupwithakindofbumpagainsther。I
don\'tthinkthat\'sveryfeminine。That\'swhatImeanbymannish。
Youalwaysknowwheretofindher。\"
Idon\'tknowwhythiscriticismshouldhaveamusedmesomuch，butI
begantolaughquiteuncontrollably，andIlaughedonandon。Mrs。
Marchkepthertemperwithmeadmirably。WhenIwasquietagain，shesaid-
\"Mrs。Deeringisapersonthatwinsyourheartatonce；shehasthatappealingquality。Youcanseethatshe\'scowedbyherhusband，thoughhemeanstobekindtoher；andyetyoumaybesureshegetsroundhim，andhasherownwayallthetime。Iknowitwasherideatohavehimgohomeandleavethemhere，andofcourseshemadehimthinkitwashis。Shesawthataslongashewashere，andanxioustogetbacktohis\'stock，\'therewasnohopeofgivingMissGagethesortofchanceshecamefor，andsoshedeterminedtomanageit。
Atthesametime，youcanseethatsheistrueassteel，andwouldabhoranythinglikedeceitworsethanthepest。\"
\"Isee；andthatiswhyyoudislikeMissGage？\"
\"Dislikeher？No，Idon\'tdislikeher；butsheisdisappointing。
Ifshewereaplaingirlherplain-mindednesswouldbeallright；itwouldbeamusing；shewouldturnittoaccountandmakeitseemhumorous。Butitdoesn\'tseemtogowithherbeauty；ittakesawayfromthat——Idon\'tknowhowtoexpressitexactly。\"
\"Youmeanthatshehasnocharm。\"
\"No；Idon\'tmeanthatatall。Shehasagreatdealofcharmofacertainkind，butit\'saverypeculiarkind。Afterall，thetruthisthetruth，Basil，isn\'tit？\"
\"Itissometimes，mydear，\"Iassented。
\"Andthetruthhasitscharm，evenwhenit\'stooblunt。\"
\"Ah，I\'mnotsosureofthat。\"
\"Yes——yes，ithas。Youmustn\'tsayso，Basil，orIshallloseallmyfaithinyou。IfIcouldn\'ttrustyou，Idon\'tknowwhatI
shoulddo。\"
\"Whatareyouafternow，Isabel？\"
\"Iamnotafteranything。Iwantyoutogoroundtoallthehotelsandseeifthereisnotsomeyoungmanyouknowatoneofthem。
Theresurelymustbe。\"
\"Wouldoneyoungmanbeenough？\"
\"Ifhewereattentiveenough，hewouldbe。Oneyoungmanisasgoodasathousandifthegirlistherightkind。\"
\"ButyouhavejustbeenimplyingthatMissGageiscoldandselfishandgreedy。ShallIgoroundexploringhotelregistersforavictimtosuchadivinityasthat？\"
\"No；youneedn\'tgotillIhavehadatalkwithher。Iamnotsuresheisworthit；IamnotsurethatIwanttodoasinglethingforher。\"
CHAPTERVII
Thenextday，afteranotherforenoon\'sshoppingwithherfriends，Mrs。Marchannounced:\"Well，now，ithasallcomeout，Basil，andI
wonderyoudidn\'tgetthesecretatoncefromyourMr。Deering。
HaveyoubeensupposingthatMissGagewasapoorgirlwhomtheDeeringshaddonethefavourofbringingwiththem？\"
\"Why，whatofit？\"Iaskedprovisionally。
\"Sheisverywelloff。Herfatherisnotonlythepresident，astheycallit，ofthevillage，buthe\'sthepresidentofthebank。\"
\"Yes；ItoldyouthatDeeringtoldmeso——\"
\"Butheisveryqueer。Hehaskeptherveryclosefromtheotheryoungpeople，andMrs。Deeringistheonlygirlfriendshe\'severhad，andshe\'sgrownupwithouthavingbeenanywherewithouthim。
Theyhadtopleadwithhimtolethercomewiththem——orMrs。
Deeringhad，——butwhenheonceconsented，heconsentedhandsomely。
Hegaveheralotofmoney，andtoldthemhewantedhertohavethebesttimethatmoneycouldbuy；andofcourseyoucanunderstandhowsuchamanwouldthinkthatmoneywouldbuyagoodtimeanywhere。
ButtheDeeringsdidn\'tknowhowtogoaboutit。Sheconfessedasmuchwhenweweretalkingthegirlover。Icouldseethatshestoodinaweofhersomehowfromthebeginning，andthatshefeltmorethantheusualresponsibilityforher。Thatwasthereasonshewassoeagertogetherhusbandoffhome；aslongashewaswiththemshewouldhavetoworkeverythingthroughhim，andthatwouldbedoublelabour，becauseheissohopelesslyvillaginous，don\'tyouknow，thathenevercouldrisetotheconceptionofanythingelse。
Hetookthemtoacheap，second-classhotel，andhewasafraidtogowiththemanywherebecauseheneverwassurethatitwastherightthingtodo；andhewastooproudtoask，andtheyhadtokeepproddinghimallthetime。\"
\"That\'sdelightful!\"
\"Oh，Idaresayyouthinkso；butifyouknewhowitwoundedawoman\'sself-respectyouwouldfeeldifferently；oryouwouldn\'t，rather。Butnow，thankgoodness；they\'vegothimofftheirhands，andtheycanbegintobreathefreely。Thatis，Mrs。Deeringcould，ifshehadn\'therheartinhermouthallthetime，wonderingwhatshecandoforthegirl，andbullyingherselfwiththenotionthatsheistoblameifshedoesn\'thaveagoodtime。Youcanunderstandjusthowitwaswiththemalways。Mrs。Deeringisoneofthosemeeklittlethingsthatagreat，splendid，lonelycreaturelikeMissGagewouldtaketoinasmallplace，andperfectlycrushundertheweightofherconfidence；andshewouldwanttomakeherhusbandliveuptoheridealofthegirl，andwouldbemiserablebecausehewouldn\'torcouldn\'t。\"
\"IbelievethegoodDeeringdidn\'teventhinkherhandsome。\"
\"That\'sit。AndhethoughtanythingthatwasgoodenoughforhiswifewasgoodenoughforMissGage，andhe\'dbestubbornaboutdoingthingsonheraccount，eventopleasehiswife。\"
\"SuchconductisimaginableofthegoodDeering。Idon\'tthinkhelikedher。\"
\"Norshehim。Mrs。Deeringhelplesslyhintedasmuch。Shesaidhedidn\'tliketohaveherworryingsomuchaboutMissGage\'snothavingagoodtime，andshecouldn\'tmakehimfeelasshedidaboutit，andshewashalfgladforhisownsakethathehadtogohome。\"
\"Didshesaythat？\"
\"Notexactly；butyoucouldseethatshemeantit。Doyouthinkitwoulddoforthemtochangefromtheirhotel，andgototheGrandUnionortheStatesorCongressHall？\"
\"Haveyoubeenputtingthemuptothat，Isabel？\"
\"Iknewyouwouldsuspectme，andIwouldn\'thaveaskedforyouropinionifIhadcaredanythingforit，really。Whatwouldbetheharmoftheirdoingit？\"
\"Nonewhatever，ifyoureallywantmyworthlessopinion。Butwhatcouldtheydothere？\"
\"Theycouldseesomethingiftheycouldn\'tdoanything，andassoonasMissGagehasgothernewgownsI\'mgoingtotellthemyouthoughttheycoulddoit。Itwastheirownidea，atanyrate。\"
\'\'MissGage\'s？\"
\"Mrs。Deering\'s。Shehasthecourageofa——Idon\'tknowwhat。Sheseesthatit\'sadesperatecase，andshewouldn\'tstopatanything。\"
\"Nowthatherhusbandhasgonehome。\"
\"Well，whichhotelshalltheygoto？\"
\"Oh，thatrequiresreflection。\"
\"Verywell，then，whenyou\'vereflectedIwantyoutogotothehotelyou\'vechosen，andintroduceyourselftotheclerk，andtellhimyourwifehastwofriendscoming，andyouwantsomethingverypleasantforthem。TellhimallaboutyourselfandEveryOtherWeek。\"
\"He\'llthinkIwantthemdeadheaded。\"
\"Nomatter，ifyourconscienceisclear；anddon\'tbesoshamefullymodestasyoualwaysare，butspeakupboldly。Now，willyou？
Promisemeyouwill!\"
\"Iwilltry，asthegoodlittleboysays。But，Isabel，wedon\'tknowthesepeopleexceptfromtheirownaccount。\"
\"Andthatisquiteenough。\"
\"Itwillbequiteenoughforthehotel-keeperiftheyruntheirboard。Ishallhavetopayit。\"
\"Now，Basildear，don\'tbedisgusting，andgoanddoasyou\'rebid。\"
Itwasamusing，butitwasperfectlysafe，andtherewasnoreasonwhyIshouldnotengageroomsfortheladiesatanotherhotel。I
hadnottheleastquestionofthem，andIhadfailedtoworrymywifewithapretendeddoubt。SoIdecidedthatIwouldgoupatonceandinquireattheGrandUnion。Ichosethishotelbecause，thoughitlackedthefineflowerofthemoreancientrespectabilityandthelegendarycharmoftheStates，itwassospectacularthatitwouldbeinitselfaperpetualexcitementforthoseladies，andwouldformaneffectofsocietywhich，withsomehelpfromus，mightverywelldeceivethem。ThiswaswhatIsaidtomyself，thoughinmyheartIknewbetter。WhateverMrs。Deeringmightthink，thatgirlwasnotgoingtobetakeninwithanysuchsimpledevice，andI
mustcountuponthedailychancesintheplacetoaffordherthegoodtimeshehadcomefor。
AsImountedthestepstotheporticooftheGrandUnionwithmyheaddown，andlostinacalculationofthesechances，Iheardmynamegailycalled，andIlookeduptoseeyoungKendricks，formerlyofourstaffonEveryOtherWeek，andstillafrequentcontributor，andagreatfavouriteofmywife\'sandmyown。Myheartgaveagreatjoyfulboundatsightofhim。
\"Mydearboy，whenintheworlddidyoucome？\"
\"Thismorningbythesteamboattrain，andIamnever，nevergoingaway!\"
\"Youlikeit，then？\"
\"Likeit!It\'sthemostdelightfulthingintheuniverse。Why，I\'msimplywildaboutit，Mr。March。Igoroundsayingtomyself，WhyhaveIthrownawaymylife？WhyhaveInevercometoSaratogabefore？It\'ssimplysupreme，andit\'sAmericandowntotheground。
Yes；that\'swhatmakesitsodelightful。Nootherpeoplecouldhaveinventedit，anditdoesn\'ttrytobeanythingbutwhatwemadeit。\"
\"I\'msogladyoulookatitinthatway。WElikeit。Wediscovereditthreeorfouryearsago，andweneverletasummerslip，ifwecanhelpit，withoutcominghereforaweekoramonth。Theplace，\"
Ienlarged，\"hasthecharmofruin，thoughit\'sinsuchobviousrepair；ithasapast；it\'ssocompletelygonebyinasocietysense。Thecottagelifeherehasn\'tkilledthehotellife，asithasatNewportandBarHarbour；buttheidealofcottagelifeeverywhereelsehasmadehotellifeatSaratogaungenteel。Thehotelsarefull，butatthesametimetheyaresocietysolitudes。\"
\"Howgayitis!\"saidtheyoungfellow，ashegazedwithapensivesmileintothestreet，whereallthosefestivevehicleswerecomingandgoing，dappledbytheleaf-shadowsfromthetalltreesoverhead。
\"Whatair!whatasky!\"Theonewasindeedsparkling，andtheotherwithoutacloud，forithadrainedinthenight，anditseemedasiftheweathercouldneverbehotandcloseagain。
IforgothowIhadbeenswelteringabout，andsaid:\"Yes；itisaSaratogaday。It\'ssupposedthatthesparkleoftheaircomesfromthehealthfulgasesthrownoffbythesprings。Somepeoplesaythespringsaredoctored；that\'swhatmakestheirgasessohealthful。\"
\"Why，anythingmighthappenhere，\"Kendricksmused，unheedfulofme。
\"Whatascene!whatastage!WhyhasnobodydoneastoryaboutSaratoga？\"heasked，withaliteraryturnIknewhisthoughtswouldbetaking。AllGeraldKendricks\'sthoughtswereofliterature，butsometimestheywerenotofimmediateliteraryeffect，thoughthatwasneverforlong。
\"Because，\"Isuggested，\"oneprobablycouldn\'tgethisyoungladycharacterstocomehereiftheywereatallinsociety。Butofcoursetheremustbecharmingpresenceshereaccidentally。Someyounggirl，say，mightcomeherefromacountryplace，expectingtoseesocialgaiety——\"
\"Ah，butthatwouldbetooheart-breaking!\"
\"Notatall。Notifshemetsomeyoungfellowaccidentally——don\'tyousee？\"
\"Itwouldbedifficulttomanage；andhasn\'titbeendone？\"
\"Everythinghasbeendone，mydearfellow。Or，youmightsupposeayoungladywhocomesonherewithherfather，aveteranpolitician，delegatetotheRepublicanorDemocraticconvention——alltheconventionsmeetinSaratoga，——andsomeardentyoungdelegatefallsinlovewithher。Thatwouldbenewground。Thereyouwouldhavethepoliticalnovel，whichtheywondereverynowandthensomeofusdon\'twrite。\"ThesmilefadedfromKendricks\'slips，andIlaughed。
\"Well，then，there\'snothingforitbuttheSocialScienceCongress。
Haveabrilliantprofessorwintheheartofalovelysister-in-lawofanothermemberbyapaperhereadsbeforetheCongress。No？
You\'redifficult。Areyoustoppinghere？\"
\"Yes；areyou？\"
\"ItrytogivemyselftheairofitwhenIamfeelingveryproud。
Butreally，weliveatamostcharminglittlehotelonabackstreet，outofthewhirlandrushthatweshouldprefertobeinifwecouldaffordit。\"Hesaiditmustbedelightful，andhemadetheproperinquiriesaboutMrs。March。Kendricksneverforgotthegentlemanintheartist，andhewasastruetotheconvenancesasiftheyhadbeenprinciples。ThatwaswhatmadeMrs。Marchlikehisstoriessomuchmorethanthestoriesofsomepeoplewhowrotebetter。Hesaidhewoulddropinduringtheafternoon，andIwentindoorsonthepretextofbuyinganewspaper。Then，withoutengagingroomsforMrs。DeeringandMissGage，Ihurriedhome。
CHAPTERVIII
\"Well，didyougettherooms？\"askedmywifeassoonasshesawme。
ShedidnotquitecallitacrossthestreettomeasIcameupfromwhereshesatonthepiazza。
\"No，Ididn\'t，\"Isaidboldly，ifsomewhatbreathlessly。
\"Whydidn\'tyou？YououghttohavegonetotheStatesiftheywerefullattheGrandUnion。\"
\"Theywerenotfull，unlessKendricksgottheirlastroom。\"
\"DoyoumeanthatHEwasthere？Mr。Kendricks？Ifyouarehoaxingme，Basil!\"
\"Iamnot，mydear；indeedI\'mnot，\"saidI，beginningtolaugh，andthismadeherdoubtmethemore。
\"BecauseifyouareIshallsimplyneverforgiveyou。AndI\'minearnestthistime，\"shereplied。
\"WhyshouldIwanttohoaxyouaboutsuchavitalthingasthat。
Couldn\'tKendrickscometoSaratogaaswellaswe？He\'sherelookingupthegroundofastoryIshouldthinkfromwhathesaid。\"
\"Nomatterwhathe\'sherefor；he\'shere，andthat\'senough。I
neverknewofanythingsoperfectlyprovidential。DidyouTELLhim，Basil？Didyoudare？\"
\"Tellhimwhat？\"
\"Youknow；aboutMissGage。\"
\"Well，Icameverynearit。Idangledthefactbeforehiseyesonce，butIcaughtitawayagainintime。Heneversawit。I
thoughtI\'dbetterletyoutellhim。\"
\"Ishecomingheretoseeus？\"
\"Heaskedifhemight。\"
\"He\'salwaysnice。Idon\'tknowthatIshallaskhimtodoanythingforthem，afterall；I\'mnotsurethatshe\'sworthit。Iwishsomecommonerpersonhadhappenedalong。Kendricksistooprecious。I
shallhavetothinkaboutit；anddon\'tyouteaseme，Basil，willyou？\"
\"Idon\'tknow。IfI\'mnotallowedtohaveanyvoiceinthematter，I\'mafraidIshalltakeitoutinteasing。Idon\'tseewhyMissGageisn\'tquiteasgoodasKendricks。Ibelieveshe\'staller，andthoughhe\'sprettygood-looking，Ipreferherstyleofbeauty。I
daresayhisfamilyisbetter，butIfancyshe\'sricher；andhisfamilyisn\'tgoodbeyondNewYorkcity，andhermoneywillgoanywhere。It\'saprettyeventhing。\"
\"Goodgracious，Basil!youtalkasifitwereaquestionofmarriage。\"
\"AndyouTHINKitis。\"
\"NowIseethatyou\'rebentuponteasing，andwewon\'ttalkanymore，please。Whattimedidhesayhewouldcall？\"
\"IfImayn\'ttalk，Ican\'ttell。\"
\"Youmaytalkthatmuch。\"
\"Well，then，hedidn\'tsay。\"
\"Basil，\"saidmywife，afteramoment，\"ifyoucouldbeserious，I
shouldlikeverymuchtotalkwithyou。Iknowthatyou\'reexcitedbymeetingMr。Kendricks，andIknowwhatyouthoughttheinstantyousawhim。But，indeed，itwon\'tdo，mydear。It\'smorethanwe\'veanyrighttoask，andIshallnotaskit，andIshallnotletyou。Sheisastiff，awkwardvillageperson，andIdon\'tbelieveshe\'samiableorintelligent；andtoletagraceful，refined，superiormanlikeMr。Kendricksthrowawayhistimeuponherwouldbewicked，simplywicked。Letthosepeoplemanageforthemselvesfromthisout。Ofcourseyoumustn\'tgetthemroomsattheGrandUnionnow，forhe\'dbeseeingustherewiththem，andfeelboundtopayherattention。YoumusttryforthemattheStates，sincethematter\'sbeenspokenof，oratCongressHall。Butthere\'snohurry。
WemusthavetimetothinkwhetherweshalluseMr。Kendrickswiththem。Isupposeitwilldonoharmtointroducehim。Ifhestayswecan\'tverywellavoidit；andIconfessIshouldliketoseehowsheimpresseshim!Ofcourseweshallintroducehim!ButIinsistIshalljustdoitmerelyasonehumanbeingtoanother；anddon\'tyoucomeinwithanyofyourromanticnonsense，Basil，abouthersocialdisappointment。Justhowmuchdidyougivethesituationaway？\"
ItoldaswellasIcouldremember。\"Well，that\'snothing。He\'llneverthinkofit，andyoumustn\'thintanythingofthekindagain。\"
Ipromiseddevoutly，andshewenton-
\"Itwouldn\'tbenice——itwouldn\'tbedelicatetolethimintotheconspiracy。Thatmustbeentirelyouraffair，don\'tyousee？AndI
don\'twantyoutotakeasinglestepwithoutme。Idon\'twantyoueventodiscussherwithhim。Willyou？Becausethatwilltemptyoufurther。\"
ThatafternoonKendrickscamepromptlytocall，likethelittlegentlemanhewas，andhewasmoresatisfactoryaboutSaratogathanhehadbeeninthemorningeven。Mrs。Marchcatechisedhim，andshedidn\'tleaveanemotionofhisunsearchedbyhervividsympathy。
Sheendedbysaying-
\"YoumustwriteastoryaboutSaratoga。AndIhavegotjusttheheroineforyou。\"
Istarted，butsheignoredmystart。
Kendrickslaughed，delighted，andasked，\"Isshepretty？\"
\"Mustaheroinebepretty？\"
\"Shehadbetterbe。Otherwiseshewillhavetobetremendouslycleverandsayallsortsofbrilliantthings，andthatputsagreatburdenontheauthor。Ifyouproclaimboldlyatthestartthatshe\'sabeauty，theillustratorhasgottolookafterher，andtheauthorhasacomparativesinecure。\"
Mrs。Marchthoughtamoment，andthenshesaid:\"Well，sheisabeauty。Idon\'twanttomakeittoohardforyou。\"
\"WhenshallIseeher？\"Kendricksdemanded，andhefeignedanamusinganxiety。
\"Well，thatdependsuponhowyoubehave，Mr。Kendricks。Ifyouarevery，verygood，perhapsImayletyouseeherthisevening。Wewilltakeyoutocalluponher。\"
\"Isitpossible？Doyoumeanbusiness？Thensheis——insociety？\"
\"MR。Kendricks!\"criedMrs。March，withburlesqueseverity。\"DoyouthinkthatIwouldofferyouaheroinewhowasNOTinsociety？YouforgetthatIamfromBoston!\"
\"Ofcourse，ofcourse!Iunderstandthatanyheroineofyouracquaintancemustbeinsociety。ButIthought——Ididn\'tknow——butforthemoment——Saratogaseemstobesotremendouslymixed；andMr。
Marchsaysthereisnosocietyhere:ButifsheisfromBoston——\"
\"Ididn\'tsayshewasfromBoston，Mr。Kendricks。\"
\"Oh，Ibegyourpardon!\"
\"SheisfromDeWittPoint，\"saidMrs。March，andsheapparentlyenjoyedhisconfusion，nolessthanmybewildermentatthecourseshewastaking。
Iwasnotgoingtobeleftbehind，though，andIsaid:\"I
discoveredthisheroinemyself，Kendricks，andifthereistobeanygivingaway——\"
\"Now，Basil!\"
\"Iamgoingtodoit。Mrs。Marchwouldneverhavecaredanythingaboutherifithadn\'tbeenforme。Ican\'tletherimposeonyou。
ThisheroineisnomoreinsocietythansheisfromBoston。Thatisthetroublewithher。Shehascomehereforsociety，andshecan\'tfindany。\"
\"Oh，thatwaswhatyouwerehintingatthismorning，\"saidKendricks。\"Ithoughtitapurefigmentoftheimagination。\"
\"Onedoesn\'timaginesuchthingsasthat，mydearfellow。Oneimaginesaheroinecominghere，andhavingthemostmagnificentkindofsocialcareer——lawn-parties，lunches，teas，dinners，picnics，hops——andgoingbacktoDeWittPointwithadozenoffersofmarriage。That\'sthekindofworktheimaginationdoes。Butthissimpleandappealingsituation——thisbeautifulyounggirl，withherpoorlittleillusions，hersecrethopeshalfhiddenfromherself，herignorantpast，hervisionaryfuture——\"
\"Now，_I_amgoingtotellyouallabouther，Mr。Kendricks，\"Mrs。
Marchbrokeinuponme，withdefianceinhereye；andsheflungoutthewholefactwitharapidityofutterancethatwouldhaveleftfarbehindanyattemptofmine。ButImadenoattempttocompetewithher；IcontentedmyselfwithasarcasticsilencewhichIcouldseedauntedheralittleatlast。
\"Andallthatwe\'vedone，mydearfellow\"——Itookinironythewordshelefttome——\"istoloadourselvesupwiththesetwoimpossiblepeople，togotheirsecuritytodestiny，andanswerfortheirhavingagoodtime。We\'reinluck。\"
\"Why，Idon\'tknow，\"saidKendricks，andIcouldseethathisfancywasbeginningtoplaywiththesituation；\"Idon\'tseewhyitisn\'tacharmingscheme。\"
\"Ofcourseitis，\"criedMrs。March，takingalittleheartfromhiscourage。
\"Wecan\'tmakeoutyetwhetherthegirlisinteresting，\"Iputinmaliciously。
\"ThatiswhatYOUsay，\"saidmywife。\"Sheisveryshy，andofcourseshewouldn\'tshowoutherrealnaturetoyou。IfoundherVERYinteresting。\"
\"Now，Isabel!\"Iprotested。
\"Sheisfascinating，\"theperversewomanpersisted。\"Shehasafascinatingdulness。\"
KendrickslaughedandIjeeredatthiscomplexcharacterisation。
\"Youmakemeimpatienttojudgeformyself，\"hesaid。
\"Willyougowithmetocalluponthemthisevening？\"askedMrs。
March。
\"Ishallbedelighted。Andyoucancountuponmetoaidandabetyouinyourgenerousconspiracy，Mrs。March，tothebestofmyability。There\'snothingIshouldlikebetterthantohelpyou——\"
\"Throw\'dustinherbeautifuleyes，\'\"Iquoted。
\"Notatall，\"saidmywife。\"Buttospreadabeatifichazeovereverything，sothataslongasshestaysinSaratogasheshallseeliferose-colour。Ofcourseyoumaysaythatit\'sakindofdeception——\"
\"Notatall!\"criedtheyoungfellowinhisturn。\"Wewillmakeitreality。Thentherewillbenoharminit。\"
\"Whatajesuiticalcasuist!YouhadbetterreadwhatCardinalNewmansaysinhisApologiaaboutlying，youngman。\"
Neitherofthemmindedme，forjustthentherewasastirofdraperyroundthecornerofthepiazzafromwhereweweresitting，andthenextmomentMrs。DeeringandMissGageshowedthemselves。
\"Wewerejusttalkingofyou，\"saidMrs。March。\"MayIpresentourfriendMr。Kendricks，Mrs。Deering？AndMissGage？\"
Atsightoftheyoungman，sowelldressedandgood-looking，whobowedsoprettilytoher，andthenbustledtoplacechairsforthem，acertaincloudseemedtoliftfromMissGage\'sbeautifulface，andtobeatleastpartlybrokenonMrs。Deering\'svisage。Ibegantotalktothegirl，andsheansweredingoodspirits，andwithmoreapparentinterestinmyconversationthanshehadyetshown，whileKendricksveryproperlydevotedhimselftotheotherladies。Bothhiseyeswereonthem，butIfeltthathehadathirdsomehowuponher，andthatthesmallestfactofherbeautyandgracewasnotlostuponhim。Iknewthatherrich，tendervoicewasdoingitswork，too，throughthecommonplacesshevouchsafedtome。TherewasamomentwhenIsawhimliftaquestioningeyebrowuponMrs。March，andsawheranswerwithafleetingfrownofaffirmation。Icannottelljusthowitwasthat，beforeheleftus，hischairwasontheothersideofMissGage\'s，andIwaseliminatedfromthedialogue。
Hedidnotstaytoolong。Therewasanothertableauofhimonfoot，takingleaveofMrs。March，withahighhand-shake，whichhadthenlatelycomein，andwhichIsawthegirlnote，andthenbowingtoherandtoMrs。Deering。
\"Don\'tforget，\"mywifecalledafterhim，withareadyinventionnotlostonhisquickintelligence，\"thatyou\'regoingtotheconcertwithusaftertea。Eighto\'clock，remember。\"
\"YoumaybesureIshallrememberTHAT，\"hereturnedgaily。
CHAPTERIX
Thecountenancesoftheladiesfellinstantlywhenhewasgone。
\"Mrs。March，\"saidMrs。Deering，withanervoustremor，\"didMr。
MarchgetusthoseroomsattheGrandUnion？\"
\"No——no，\"mywifebegan，andshemadealittlepause，asiftogatherplausibility。\"TheGrandUnionwasveryfull，andhethoughtthatattheStates——\"
\"Because，\"saidMrs。Deering，\"Idon\'tknowasweshalltroublehim，afterall。Mr。Deeringisn\'tverywell，andIguesswehavegottogohome——\"
\"GOHOME!\"Mrs。Marchechoed，andhervoicewasatone-sceneofatopplinghopeandawidespreaddesolation。\"Why，youmustn\'t!\"
\"Wemust，Iguess。Ithadbeguntobeverypleasant，and——IguessI
havegottogo。Ican\'tfeeleasyabouthim。\"
\"Why，ofcourse，\"Mrs。Marchnowassented，andshewavedherfanthoughtfullybeforeherface。Iknewwhatshewasthinkingof，andIlookedatMissGage，whohadinvoluntarilytakentheposeandexpressionofthemomentwhenIfirstsawheratthekioskinCongressPark。\"AndMissGage？\"
\"Ohyes；Imustgotoo，\"saidthegirlwistfully，forlornly。Shehadtearsinhervoice，tearsofdespairandvexation，Ishouldhavesaid。
\"That\'stoobad，\"saidMrs。March，and，asshedidnotofferanysolutionofthematter，Ithoughtitratherheartlessofhertogoonandrubitin。\"Andwewerejustplanningsomethingswecoulddotogether。\"
\"Itcan\'tbehelpednow，\"returnedthegirl。
\"Butweshallseeyouagainbeforeyougo？\"Mrs。Marchaskedofboth。
\"Well，Idon\'tknow，\"saidthegirl，withalookatMrs。Deering，whonowsaid-
\"Iguessso。We\'llletyouknowwhenwe\'regoing。\"Andtheygotawayratherstiffly。
\"Whyintheworld，mydear，\"Iasked，\"ifyouweren\'tgoingtopromotetheirstay，needyouprolongtheagonyoftheiracquaintance？\"
\"Didyoufeelthataboutittoo？Well，Iwantedtoaskyoufirstifyouthoughtitwoulddo。\"
\"Whatdo？\"
\"Youknow；getheraroomhere。Becauseifwedoweshallhaveherliterallyonourhandsaslongaswearehere。Weshallhavetohavethewholecareandresponsibilityofher，andIwantedyoutofeeljustwhatyouweregoinginfor。YouknowverywellIcan\'tdothingsbyhalves，andthatifIundertaketochaperonthisgirlI
shallchaperonher——\"
\"Tothebitterend。Yes；Iunderstandtheconditionsofyouruncompromisingconscience。ButIdon\'tbelieveitwillbeanysuchkillingmatter。Thereareothersemi-detachedgirlsinthehouse；
shecouldgoroundwiththem。\"
Wetalkedon，and，assometimeshappens，weconvincedeachothersothoroughlythatshecametomygroundandIwenttohers。Thenitwaseasierforustocometogether，andaftermakingmegototheclerkandfindoutthathehadavacantroom，Mrs。MarchagreedwithmethatitwouldnotdoatalltohaveMissGagestaywithus；thefactthattherewasavacantroomseemedtosettlethequestion。
WewerestillcongratulatingourselvesonourescapewhenMrs。
Deeringsuddenlyreappearedroundourcorneroftheverandah。Shewasalone，andshelookedexcited。
\"Oh，itisn\'tanything，\"shesaidinanswertothealarmthatshoweditselfinMrs。March\'sfaceatsightofher。\"Ihopeyouwon\'tthinkit\'stoopresuming，Mrs。March，andIwantyoutobelievethatit\'ssomethingIhavethoughtofbymyself，andthatJuliawouldn\'thaveletmecomeifshehaddreamedofsuchathing。Idohatesototakeherbackwithme，nowthatshe\'sbeguntohaveagoodtime，andIwaswondering——wonderingwhetheritwouldbeaskingtoomuchifItriedtogetheraroomhere。Ishouldn\'texactlyliketoleaveherinthehotelalone，thoughIsupposeitwouldbeperfectlyproper；butMr。Deeringfoundoutwhenhewastryingtogetroomsbeforethatthereweresomeyoungladiesstayingbythemselveshere，andIdidn\'twanttoasktheclerkforaroomunlessyoufeltjustrightaboutit。\"