thenherememberedhiswearingafullbeard。
Hedressedhimselfasquicklyashecould，andwentdownintothehotelvestibule，wherehehadnoticedpeoplesellingflowerstheeveningbefore，buttherewasnoonetherewiththemnow，andnoneoftheflorists’shopsonthestreetwereopenyet。HecouldnotfindanythingtillhewenttotheProvidenceDepot，andthemantherehadtotakesomeofhisyesterday’sflowersoutoftherefrigeratorwherehekeptthem;hewasnotsuretheywouldbeveryfresh;buttheheavyrosebudshadfallenopen，andtheyweresuperb。Dantookalltherewere，andwhentheyhadbeensprinkledwithwater，andwrappedincottonbatting，andtiedroundwithpaper，itwasstillonlyquarterofeight，andheleftthemwiththemantillhecouldgethisbreakfastattheDepotrestaurant。Thereithadaconsolingeffectofnotbeingsoearly;manypeoplewerealreadybreakfasting，andwhenDansaid，withhisorder，“Hurryitup，please。”heknewthathewastakenforapassengerjustarrivedordeparting。Byafantasticimpulseheorderedeggsandbaconagain;hefelt，itafinederisionofthepastandasealoftriumphuponthepresenttohavethesamebreakfastafterhisacceptanceashehadorderedafterhisrejection;
hewouldtellAliceaboutit，anditwouldamuseher。Heimaginedhowhewouldsayit，andshewouldlaugh;butshewouldbefullofaravishingcompassionforhispastsuffering。Theywerelongbringingthebreakfast;
whenitcamehedespatcheditsoquicklythatitwasonlyhalfaftereightwhenhepaidhischeckatthecounter。Hetriedtobefiveminutesmoregettinghisflowers，butthemanhadthemallreadyforhim，anditdidnottakehimtenseconds。Hehadsaidhewouldcarrythemathalf-pastnine;butthinkingitoveronabenchintheGarden，hedecidedthathehadbettergosooner;theymightbreakfastearlier，andtherewouldbenofunifAlicedidnotfindtherosesbesideherplate:thatwasthewholeidea。ItwasnottillhestoodatthedoorofthePasmerapartmentthat。
hereflectedthathewasnotaccomplishinghiswishtoseeAlicebyleavingherthoseflowers;hewasafool，fornowhewouldhavetopostponecomingalittle，becausehehadalreadycome。
Thegirlwhoansweredthebelldidnotunderstandthechargehegaveherabouttheroses，andherepeatedhiswords。Someonepassingthroughtheroombeyondseemedtohesitateandpauseatthesoundofhisvoice。CoulditbeAlice？Thenheshouldseeher，afterall！Thegirllookedoverhershoulder，andsaid，“Mrs。Pasmer。”
Mrs。Pasmercameforward，andhefellintoacomplicatedexplanationandapology。Attheendshesaid，“Youhadbettergivethemyourself。Shewillbeheredirectly。”Theywereintheroomnow，andMrs。Pasmermadethetimepassinrapidtalk;butDanfeltthatheoughttoapologisefromtimetotime。“No！“shesaid，lettingherselfgo。“Stayandbreakfastwithus，Mr。Mavering。Weshallbesogladtohaveyou。”
AtlastAlicecamein，andtheydecorouslyshookhands。Mrs。Pasmerturnedawayasmileattheirdecorum。“Iwillseethatthere’saplaceforyou。”shesaid，leavingthem。
Theywereinstantlyineachother’sarms。Itseemedtohimthatallthishadhappenedbecausehehadsostronglywishedit。
“Whatisit，Dan？”Whatdidyoucomefor？”sheasked。
“Toseeifitwasreallytrue，Alice。Icouldn’tbelieveit。”
“Well——letmego——youmustn’t——it’stoosilly。Ofcourseit’strue。”Shepulledherselffree。“Ismyhairtumbled？Yououghtn’ttohavecome;
it’sridiculous;butI’mgladyoucame。I’vebeenthinkingitallover，andI’vegotagreatmanythingstosaytoyou。Butcometobreakfastnow。”
Shehadabusiness-likewayoftreatingthesituationthatwasmoreintoxicatingthansentimentwouldhavebeen，andgaveitmoreactuality。
Mrs。Pasmerwasaloneatthetable，andexplainedthatAlice’sfatherneverbreakfastedwiththem，orveryseldom。“Whereareyourflowers？”
sheaskedAlice。
“Flowers？Whatflowers？”
“ThatMr。Maveringbrought。”
Theyalllookedatoneanother。Danranoutandbroughtinhisroses。
“Theyweretryingtogetawayintheexcitement，Iguess，Mrs。Pasmer;I
foundthembehindthedoor。”Hehadflungthemthere，withoutknowingit，whenMrs。PasmerlefthimwithAlice。
Heexpectedhertojoinhimandhermotherinbeingamusedatthis，buthewasaswellpleasedtohavehertouchedathishavingbroughtthem，andtoturntheirgaietyoffinpraiseoftheroses。Shegotavaseforthem，andsetitonthetable。Henoticedforthefirsttimetheprettyhouse-
dressshehadon，withitsbarredcorsageandunder-skirt，andtheheavysilkenropeknottedrounditatthewaist，anddroppinginheavytuftsorballsinfront。
ThebreakfastwasContinentalinitssimplicity，andMrs。PasmersaidthattheyhadalwayskeptuptheirParishabitofalightbreakfast，eveninLondon，whereitwasnotsoeasytofollowforeigncustomsasitwasinAmerica。Shewasafraidhemightfindittoolight。Thenhetoldallabouthismorning’sadventure，endingwithhisbreakfastattheProvidenceDepot。Mrs。Pasmerenteredintothefunofit，butshesaiditwasforonlyonceinaway，andhemustnotexpecttobeletinifhecameatthathouranothermorning。Hesaidno;heunderstoodwhatanextraordinarypieceofluckitwasforhimtobethere;andhewastheretobebiddentodowhatevertheywished。Hesaidsomuchinrecognitionoftheirgoodness，thathebecameabashedbyit。Mrs。Pasmersatattheheadofthetable，andAliceacrossitfromhim，sofaroffthatsheseemedpartedfromhimbyaninsuperablemoraldistance。Awarmflushseemedtorisefromhisheartintohisthroatandstiflehim。Hewishedtoshedtears。
HiseyeswerewetwithgratefulhappinessinansweringMrs。Pasmerthathewouldnothaveanymorecoffee。“Then。”shesaid，“wewillgointothedrawing-room;“butsheallowedhimandAlicetogoalone。
Hewasstillinthatillusionofaweandofdistance，andhesubmittedtotheinterpositionofanothertablebetweentheirchairs。
“Iwishtotalkwithyou。”shesaid，soseriouslythathewasfrightened，andsaidtohimself:“Nowsheisgoingtobreakitoff。Shehasthoughtitover，andshefindsshecan’tendureme。”
“Well？”hesaidhuskily。
Yououghtn’ttohavecomehere，youknow，thismorning。”
“Iknowit。”hevaguelyconceded。“ButIdidn’texpecttogetin。”
“Well，nowyou’rehere，wemayaswelltalk。Youmusttellyourfamilyatonce。”
“Yes;I’mgoingtowritetothemassoonasIgetbacktomyroom。I
couldn’tlastnight。”
“Butyoumustn’twrite;youmustgo——andpreparetheirminds。”
“Go？”heechoed。“Oh，thatisn’tnecessary！Myfatherknewaboutitfromthebeginning，andIguessthey’vealltalkeditover。Theirmindsareprepared。”Thesenseofhisimmeasurablesuperioritytoanyone’soppositionbegantodissipateDan’sunnaturalawe;atthepleadingfacewhichAliceputon，restingonecheekagainstthebackofoneofherclaspedhands，andleaningonthetablewithherelbows，hebegantobeteasedbythatsilkenroperoundherwaist。
“Butyoudon’tunderstand，dear。”shesaid;andshesaid“dear“asiftheywereoldmarriedpeople。“Youmustgotoseethem，andtellthem;andthensomeofthemmustcometoseeme——yourfatherandsisters。”
“Why，ofcourse。”Hiseyenowbecamefastenedtooneofthefluffysilkenballs。
“AndthenmammaandImustgotoseeyourmother，mustn’twe？”
“It’llbeveryniceofyou——yes。Youknowshecan’tcometoyou。”
“Yes，that’swhatIthought，and——Whatareyoulookingat？”shedrewherselfbackfromthetableandfollowedthedirectionofhiseyewithawoman’sinstinctiveapprehensionofdisarray。
Hewasashamedtotell。“Oh，nothing。Iwasjustthinking。”
“What？”
“Well，Idon’tknow。Thatitseemssostrangeanyoneelseshouldhaveanytodowithit——myfamilyandyours。ButIsupposetheymust。Yes，it’sallright。”
“Why，ofcourse。Ifyourfamilydidn’tlikeit——“
“Itwouldn’tmakeanydifferencetome。”saidDanresolutely。
“Itwouldtome。”sheretorted，withtenderreproach。“Doyousupposeitwouldbepleasanttogointoafamilythatdidn’tlikeyon？Supposepapaandmammadidn’tlikeyou？”
“ButIthoughttheydid。”saidMavering，withhismindstillpartlyontheropeandthefluffyball，butkeepinghiseyesaway。
“Yes，theydo。”saidAlice。“Butyourfamilydon’tknowmeatall;andyourfather’sonlyseenmeonce。Can’tyouunderstand？I’mafraidwedon’tlookatitseriouslyenough——earnestly——andoh，Idowishtohaveeverythingdoneasitshouldbe！Sometimes，whenIthinkofit，itmakesmetremble。I’vebeenthinkingaboutitallthemorning，and——and——
praying。”
Danwantedtofallonhiskneestoher。TheideaofAliceinprayerwasfascinating“Iwishourlifetobeginwithothers，andnotwithourselves。Ifwe’reintrustedwithsomuchhappiness，doesn’titmeanthatwe’retodogoodwithit——togiveittoothersasifitweremoney？”
ThenoblenessofthisthoughtstirredDangreatly;hiseyeswanderedbacktothesilkenrope;butnowitseemedtohimanemblemofvoluntarysufferingandself-sacrifice，likeadevotee’shempengirdle。Heperceivedthattheloveofthisangelicgirlwouldelevatehimandhallowhiswholelifeifhewouldletit。Heansweredher，fervently，thathewouldbeguidedbyherinthisasineverything;thatheknewhewasselfish，andhewasafraidhewasnotverygood;butitwasnotbecausehehadnotwishedtobeso;itwasbecausehehadnothadanyincentive。Hethoughthowmuchnoblerandbetterthiswasthanthetalkhehadusuallyhadwithgirls。Hesaidthatofcoursehewouldgohomeandtellhispeople;hesawnowthatitwouldmakethemhappieriftheycouldhearitdirectlyfromhim。Hehadonlythoughtofwritingbecausehecouldnotbeartothinkoflettingadaypasswithoutseeingher;butifhetooktheearlymorningtrainhecouldgetbackthesamenight，andstillhavethreehoursatPonkwassetFalls，andhewouldgothenextday，ifshesaidso。
“Goto-day，Dan。”shesaid，andshestretchedoutherhandimpressivelyacrossthetabletowardhim。Heseizeditwithagushoftenderness，andtheydrewtogetherintheirresolutiontoliveforothers。Hesaidhewouldgoatonce。Butthenexttraindidnotleavetilltwoo’clock，andtherewasplentyoftime。Inthemeanwhileitwasintheaccomplishmentoftheirhighaimsthattheysatdownonthesofatogetherandtalkedoftheirfuture;Aliceconditioneditwhollyuponhispeople’sapprovalofher，whichseemedwildlyunnecessarytoMavering，andamusedhimimmensely。
“Yes。”shesaid，“Iknowyouwillthinkmestrangeinagreatmanythings;
butIshallneverkeepanythingfromyou，andI’mgoingtotellyouthatI
wenttomatinsthismorning。”
“Tomatins？”echoedDan。HewouldnotquitehavelikedheraCatholic;herememberedwithreliefthatshehadsaidshewasnotaRomanCatholic;
thoughwhenhecametothink，hewouldnothavecaredagreatdeal。
NothingcouldhavechangedherfrombeingAlice。
“Yes，Iwishedtoconsecratethefirstmorningofourengagement;andI’malwaysgoing。IdeterminedthatIwouldgobeforebreakfast——thatwaswhatmadebreakfastsolate。Don’tyoulikeit？”sheaskedtimidly。
“Likeit！“hesaid。“I’mgoingwithyou:“
“Ohno！“sheturneduponhim。“Thatwouldn’tdo。”Shebecamegraveagain。“I’mgladyouapproveofit，forIshouldfeelthattherewassomethingwantingtoourhappiness。Ifmarriageisasacrament，whyshouldn’tanengagementbe？”
“Itis。”saidDan，andhefeltthatitwasholy;tillthenhehadneverrealisedthatmarriagewasasacrament，thoughhehadoftenheardthephrase。
Attheendofanhourtheytookatenderleaveofeachother，hastenedbythesoundofMrs。Pasmer’svoicewithout。Aliceescapedfromonedoorbeforehermotherenteredbytheother。Danremained，tryingtolookunconcerned，buthewassensibleofsucceedingsopoorlythathethoughthehadbetterofferhishandtoMrs。Pasmeratonce。HetoldherthathewasgoinguptoPonkwassetFallsattwoo’clock，andaskedhertopleaserememberhimtoMr。Pasmer。
Shesaidshewould，andaskedhimifheweretobegonelong。
“Ohno;justovernight——tillIcantellthemwhat’shappened。”HefeltitacomforttobetrivialwithMrs。Pasmer，afterbracinguptoAlice’sideals。“Isupposethey’llhavetoknow。”
“Whatanexemplaryson！“saidMrs。Pasmer。“Yes，Isupposetheywill。”
“IsupposeditwouldbeenoughifIwrote，butAlicethinksI’dbetterreportinperson。”
“Ithinkyouhad，indeed！Anditwillbeagoodthingforyoubothtohavethetimeforclarifyingyourideas。Didshetellyoushehadbeenatmatinsthismorning？”AlightoflaughtertrembledinMrs。Pasmer’seyes，andMaveringcouldnotkeeparesponsivegleamoutofhisown。Inaninstantthededicationofhisengagementbymorningprayerceasedtobeahighandsolemnthought，andbecamedeliciouslyamusing;andthislaughingAliceoverwithhermotherdidmoretorealisethefactthatshewashisthananythingelsehadyetdone。
Inthatdarkpassageoutsidehefelttwoarmsgotenderlyroundhisneck;
andasoftshapestrainitselftohisheart。“Iknowyouhavebeenlaughingaboutme。Butyoumay。I’myoursnow，eventolaughat，ifyouwant。”
“Youareminetofalldownandworship。”hevowed，withaninstantrevulsionoffeeling。
Alicedidn’tsayanything;hefeltherhandfumblingabouthiscoatlapel。
“Whereisyourbreastpocket？”sheasked;andhetookholdofherhand，whichleftacarte-de-visite-shapedsomethinginhis。
“Itisn’tverygood。”shemurmured，aswellasshecould，withherlipsagainsthischeek，“butIthoughtyou’dliketoshowthemsomeproofofmyexistence。Ishallhavenoneofyourswhileyou’regone。”
“OAlice！youthinkofeverything！“
Hisheartwaspiercedbythesoftreproachimpliedinherwords;hehadnotthoughttoaskherforherphotograph，butshehadthoughttogiveit;
shemusthavefeltitstrangethathehadnotaskedforit，andshehadmeanttoslipitinhispocketandlethimfinditthere。Butevenhispangofself-upbraidingwasapartofhistransport。Heseemedtofloatdownthestairs;hismindwasinadeliriouswhirl。“Ishallgomad。”hesaidtohimselfintheexcessofhisjoy——“Ishalldie！“
XXVIII。
ThepartingscenewithAlicepersistedinMavering’sthoughtfaronthewaytoPonkwassetFalls。Henowsucceededinsayingeverythingtoher:
howdeeplyhefelthergivinghimherphotographtocheerhiminhisseparationfromher;howmuchheappreciatedherforethoughtinprovidinghimwithsomeanswerwhenhismotherandsistersshouldaskhimaboutherlooks。Hetookoutthepicture，andpretendedtotheotherpassengerstobelookingverycloselyatit，andsomanagedtokissit。Hetoldherthatnowheunderstoodwhatlovereallywas;howpowerful;howitdidconquereverything;thatithadchangedhimandmadehimalreadyabetterman。Hemadeherrefuseallmeritinthework。
Whenhebegantoformulatethefactsforcommunicationtohisfamily，lovedidnotseemsopotent;hefoundhimselfashamedofhispassion，oratleastunwillingtoletitbeitsownexcuseeven;hehadawishtogiveitalmostanyotherappearance。UntilhecameinsightofthestationandtheWorks，ithadnotseemedpossibleforanyonetoobjecttoAlice。Hehadbeengoinghomeasamatterofformtoreceivetheadhesionofhisfamily。Butnowhewasforcedtoseethatshemightbeconsideredcritically，evenreluctantly。ThiswouldonlybebecausehisfamilydidnotunderstandhowperfectAlicewas;buttheymightnotunderstand。
Withhisfathertherewouldbenodifficulty。HisfatherhadseenAliceandadmiredher;hewouldbeallright。Danfoundhimselfhopingthisratheranxiously，asiffromtheinstinctiveneedofhisfather’ssupportwithhismotherandsisters。HestoppedattheWorkswhenheleftthetrain，andfoundhisfatherinhisprivateofficebeyondthebook-keeper’spicket-fence，whichhepenetrated，withanodtotheaccountant。
“Hello，Dan！“saidhisfather，lookingup;and“Hello，father！“saidDan。
Beingalone，thefatherandsonnotonlyshookhands，butkissedeachother，astheyusedtodoinmeetingafteranabsencewhenDanwasyounger。
Hehadclosedhisfather’sdoorwithhislefthandingivinghisright，andnowhesaidatonce，“Father，I’vecomehometotellyouthatI’mengagedtobemarried。”
Danhadprearrangedhisfather’sbehaviouratthisannouncement，buthenowperceivedthathewouldhavetomodifythesceneifitweretorepresentthefacts。Hisfatherdidnotbrightenalloveranddemand，“MissPasmer，ofcourse？”hecontrivedtohidewhateverstartthenewshadgivenhim，andwassometimeinasking，withhissoftlisp，“Isn’tthatrathersudden，Dan？”
“Well，notforme。”saidDan，laughinguneasily。It’s——youknowher，father——MissPasmer。”
“Ohyes。”saidhisfather，certainlynotwithdispleasure，andyetnotwithenthusiasm。
“I’vehadeversinceClassDaytothinkitover，andit——cametoaclimaxyesterday。”
“Andthenyoustoppedthinking。”saidhisfather——togaintime，itappearedtoDan。
“Yes，sir。”saidDan。“Ihaven’tthoughtsince。”
“Well。”saidhisfather，withanamusementwhichwasnotunfriendly。Headded，afteramoment，“ButIthoughtthathadbeenbrokenoff。”andDan’sinstinctpenetratedtothelurkingfactthathisfathermusthavetalkedtheruptureoverwithhismother，andnotwhollyregrettedit。
“Therewasakindof——hitchatonetime。”headmitted;“butit’sallrightnow。”
“Well，well。”saidhisfather，“thisisgreatnews——greatnews。”andheseemedtobeshapinghimselftothenewpostureofaffairs，whilegivingitaconditionalrecognition。“She’sabeautifulcreature。”
“Isn’tshe？”criedDan，withalittlebreakinhisvoice，forhehadfoundhisfather’smannerrathertrying。“Andshe’sgoodtoo。Iassureyouthatsheis——sheissimplyperfecteveryway。”
“Well。”saidtheelderMavering，risingandpullingdowntherollingtopofhisdesk，“I’mgladtohearit，foryoursake，Dan。Haveyoubeenupatthehouseyet？”
“No;I’mjustoffthetrain。”
“Howishermother——howisMrs。Pasmer？Allwell？”
“Yes，sir。”saidDan;“they’reallverywell。Youdon’tknowMr。Pasmer，Ibelieve，sir，doyou？”
“Notsincecollege。Whatsortofpersonishe？”
“He’sveryrefinedandquiet。Veryhandsome。Verycourteous。Veryniceindeed。”
“Ah！that’sgood。”saidElbridgeMavering，withtheeffectofnothavingbeenveryattentivetohisson’sanswer。
Theywalkedupthelongslopeofthehillsideonwhichthehousestood，overlookingthevalleywheretheWorkswere，andfrontingtheplateauacrosstheriverwherethevillageofoperatives’houseswasscattered。
Thepalinglightofwhathadbeenaveryredsunsetflushedthem，andbroughtoutthepicturesquenesswhichthearchitect，whodesignedthemforaparticulareffectintheviewfromtheowner’smansion，hadintended。
Agoodcarriageroadfollowedtheeasiestlineofascenttowardsthisedifice，andreachedagateway。Withinitbegantodescribeacurveborderedwithasphaltedfootwaystothebroadverandahofthehouse，andthendescendedagaintothegate。Thegroundsenclosedwereplantedwithdeciduousshrubs，whichhadnowmostlydroppedtheirleaves，andclumpsoffirsdarkeningintheeveninglightwiththegleamofsomegardenstatuesshiveringaboutthelawnnextthehouse。ThebreezegrewcolderandstifferasthefatherandsonmountedtowardthemansionwhichDanusedtobelievewaslikeachateau，withitsMansard-roofanddormerwindowsandchimneys。Itnowblockeditsspacesharplyoutofthethinpinkofthewesternsky，anditslightssparkledwithawintrykeennesswhichhadoftenthrilledDanwhenheclimbedthehillfromthestationinformerhomecomings。Theirbrilliancygavehimastrangesinkingoftheheartfornoreason。HeandhisfatherhadkeptupasortofdesultorytalkaboutAlice，andhecouldnothavesaidthathisfatherhadseemedindifferent;
hehadtouchedtheaffaironlytooacquiescently;itwaspainfullylikeeverythingelse。Whentheycameinfullsightofthehouse，Danleftthesubject，asherealisedpresently，fromareasonlessfearofbeingoverheard。
“Itseemsmuchlaterhere，sir，thanitdoesinBoston。”hesaid，glancingroundatthemaples，whichstoodragged，withhalftheirleavesblownfromthem。
“Yes;we’reinthehills，andwe’refurthernorth。”answeredhisfather。
“There’sMinnie。”
Danhadseenhissisterontheverandah，pausingatsightofhim，andpuzzledtomakeoutwhowaswithherfather。Hehadanimpulsetohailherwithashout，buthecouldnot。Inhislastwalkwithherhehadtoldherthatheshouldnevermarry，andtheyhadplannedtolivetogether。Itwasajoke;butnowhefeltasifhehadcometorobherofsomething，andhewalkedsoberlyonwithhisfather。
“Why，Dan，yougood-for-nothingfellow！“shecalledoutwhenhecamenearenoughtobeunmistakable，andrandownthestepstokisshim。“Whatintheworldareyoudoinghere？Whendidyoucome？Whydidn’tyouhollo，insteadoflettingmestandhereguessing？You’renotsick，areyou？”
Thefathergothimselfindoorsunnoticedintheexcitementofthebrother’sarrival。ThiswouldhavebeenthebestmomentforDantotellhissisterofhisengagement;heknewit，butheparriedhercuriosityabouthiscoming;andthenhissisterEunicecameout，andhecouldnotspeak。Theyallwenttogetherintothehouseflamingwithnaphthagas，andwiththesteamheatalreadyon，andDansaidhewouldtakehisbagtohisroom，andthencomedownagain。Heknewthathehadleftthemtothinkthattherewassomethingverymysteriousinhiscoming，andwhilehewashedawaythegrimeofhisjourneyhewasplanninghowtoappearperfectlynaturalwhenheshouldgetbacktohissisters。Herecollectedthathehadnotaskedeitherthemorhisfatherhowhismotherwas，butitwascertainlynotbecausehismindwasnotfullofher。Alicenowseemedveryremotefromhim，furthereventhanhisgun，orhisboyishcollectionofmothsandbutterflies，onwhichhiseyefellinrovingabouthisroom。
Forabitterinstantitseemedtohimasiftheywereallaliketoys，andinasuddendespairheaskedhimselfwhathadbecomeofhishappiness。ItwasscarcelyhalfadaysincehehadpartedintransportfromAlice。
Hemadepretextstokeepfromreturningatoncetohissisters，anditwasnearlyhalfanhourbeforehewentdowntothem。Bythattimehisfatherwaswiththeminthelibrary，andtheywerewaitingteaforhim。
XXIX。
Afamilyofrichpeopleinthecountry，apartfromintellectualinterests，isapttogormandise;andtheMaveringsalwayssatdowntoaluxurioustable，whichwasmostabundantandtemptingatthemealtheycalledtea，whentheinventionofthePortugueseman-cookwastaxedtosupplythedemandsofappetitesatonceeagerandfastidious。Theyprolongedthemealasmuchaspossibleinwinter，andDanusedtoliketogethomejustintimeforteawhenhecameupfromHarvard;itwasalwaysveryjolly，andhebroughtaboy’shungertoitsabundance。Thedining-room，fullofshininglight，andtreatedfromthelow-downgrate，wasapleasantplace。
Butnowhisspiritsfailedtorisewiththephysicalcheer;hewasalmostbashfullysilent;hesatcowedinthepresenceofhissisters，andcarewornintheplacewhereheusedtobesogayandbold。Theywerewaitingtohavehimbeginabouthimself，ashealwaysdidwhenhehadbeenaway，andwerereadytosympathisewithhisegotism，whatevernewturnittook。Hemystifiedthembyaskingaboutthemandtheiraffairs，andbydealinginfutilegeneralities，insteadoflaunchingoutwithanybusinessthathehappenedatthetimetobefullof。Buthedidnotattendtotheiranswerstohisquestions;hewasabsent-minded，andonlyknewthathisfacewasflushed，andthathewasobviouslyillatease。
Hisyoungersisterturnedfromhimimpatientlyatlast。“Father，whatisthematterwithDan？”
Herboldrecognitionoftheircommonconstraintbrokeitdown。Danlookedathisfatherwithhelplessconsent，andhisfathersaidquietly，“Hetellsmehe’sengaged。”
“Whatnonsense！“saidhissisterEunice。
“Why，Dan！“criedMinnie;andhefeltareproachinherwordswhichthewordsdidnotexpress。Asilencefollowed，inwhichthefatheralongwentonwithhissupper。ThegirlssatstaringatDanwithincredulouseyes。
Hebecamesuddenlyangry。
“Idon’tknowwhat’ssoveryextraordinaryaboutit，orwhythereshouldbesuchapother。”hebegan;andheknewthathewasinsolentlyignoringabundantreasonsforpother，iftherehadbeenanypother。“Yes，I’mengaged。”
Heexpectednowthattheywouldbelievehim，andaskwhomhewasengagedto;butapparentlytheywerestillunabletorealiseit。Hewasobligedtogoon。“I’mengagedtoMissPasmer。”
“ToMissPasmer！“repeatedEunice。
“ButIthought——“Minniebegan，andthenstopped。
Dancommandedhistemperbyastrongeffort，andcondescendedtoexplain。
“Therewasamisunderstanding，butit’sallrightnow;Ionlymetheryesterday，and——it’sallright。”HehadtokeeponignoringwhathadpassedbetweenhimandhissistersduringthemonthhespentathomeafterhisreturnfromCampobello。Hedidnotwishtodoso;hewouldhavebeengladtolaughoverthatepochofill-concealedheart-breakwiththem;butthewaytheyhadtakenthefactofhisengagementmadeitimpossible。Hewasforcedtokeepthematadistance;theyforcedhim。“I’mglad。”headdedbitterly，“thatthenewsseemstobesoagreeabletomyfamily。
Thankyouforyourcordialcongratulations。”Heswallowedalargecupoftea，andkeptlookingdown。
“Howsilly！“saidEunice，whowasmuchtheoldestofthethree。“Didyouexpectustofalluponyourneckbeforewecouldbelieveitwasn’tahoaxoffather’s？”
“Ahoax！“Danburstout。
“Isuppose。”saidMinnie，withmockmeekness，“thatifwe’retobedevoured，it’snousesayingwedidn’troilthebrook。I’msureI
congratulateyou，Dan，withallmyheart。”sheadded，withatremblingvoice。
“IcongratulateMissPasmer。”saidEunice，“onsecuringsuchaveryreasonablehusband。”
WhenEunicefirstbecameayoungladyshewassomucholderthanDanthatinhismother’sabsenceshesometimesauthorisedherselftoboxhisears，tillshewasfinallyoverthrowninbattlebythegrowingboy。Shestillfeltherselfsomuchhistutelarygeniusthatshecouldnotlettheideaofhisengagementaweher，orkeepherfromgivinghimaneededlesson。
Danjumpedtohisfeet，andpassionatelythrewhisnapkinonhischair。
“There，thatwilldo，Eunice！“interposedthefather。“Sitdown，Dan，anddon’tbeanass，ifyouareengaged。Doyouexpecttocomeupherewithabombshellinyourpocket，andexplodeitamonguswithoutcausinganycommotion？Wealldesireyourhappiness，andwearegladifyouthinkyou’vefoundit，butwewanttohavetimetorealiseit。Wehadonlyadjustedourmindstotheapparentfactthatyouhadn’tfounditwhenyouwereherebefore。”Hisfatherbeganveryseverely，butwhenheendedwiththisrecognitionofwhattheyhadallblinkedtillthen，theylaughedtogether。
“Mypillowisn’tdryyet，withthetearsIshedforyou，Dan。”saidMinniedemurely。
“Ishallhavetocountermandmymourning。”saidEunice，“andwearloudercoloursthanever。Unless。”sheadded，“MissPasmerchangeshermindagain。”
Thisdivinationofthepastgavethemallachanceforanotherlaugh，andDan’ssistersbegantoreconcilethemselvestothefactofhisengagement，ifnottoMissPasmer。Inwhatwasabstractlysodisagreeabletherewasthecomfortthattheycouldjokeabouthishappiness;theyhadnotfeltfreetomakelightofhismiserywhenhewasathomebefore。Theybegantoaskallthequestionstheycouldthinkofastohowandwhen，andtheyassimilatedthefactmoreandmoreinacquiringtheseparticularsandmakingamockofthemandhim。
“Ofcourseyouhaven’tgotherphotograph。”suggestedEunice。“Youknowwe’veneverhadthepleasureofmeetingtheyoungladyyet。”
“Yes。”Danowned，blushing，“Ihave。ShethoughtImightliketoshowittomother:Butitisn’t——“
“Averygoodone——theyneverare。”saidMinnie。
“Anditwastakenseveralyearsago——theyalwaysare。”saidEunice。
“Andshedoesn’tphotographwell，anyway。”
“Andthisonewasjustafteralongfitofsickness。”
Dandrewitoutofhispocket，aftersomefumblingforit，whilehetoleratedtheirgibes。
Euniceputhernosetoit。“Ihopeit’syourcigarettesitsmellsof。”
shesaid。
“Yes;shedoesn’tusetheweed。”answeredDan。
“Oh，Ididn’tmeanthat，exactly。”returnedhissister，holdingthepictureoffatarm’slength，andviewingitcriticallywithcontractedeyes。
Dancouldnothelplaughing。“Idon’tthinkit’sbeennearanyothercigar-case。”heansweredtranquilly。
Minnielookedatitverynearto，coveringallbutthefacewithherhand。
“Dan，she’slovely！“shecried，andDan’sheartleapedintohisthroatAshegratefullymethissister’seyes。
“You’lllikeher，Min。”
Eunicetookthephotographfromherforasecondscrutiny。“She’scertainlyverystylish。Ratherabeakofanose，andalittletoobird——
likeonthewhole。Butsheisn’tsobad。Isitlikeher？”sheaskedwithaglanceatherfather。
“Imightsay——afterlooking。”hereplied。
“True！Ididn’tknowbutDanhadshownittoyouassoonasyoumet。Heseemedtobeinsuchahurrytoletusallknow。”
Thefathersaid，“Idon’tthinkitflattersher。”andhelookedatitmorecarefully。“Notmuchofhermotherthere？”hesuggestedtoDan。
“No，sir;she’smorelikeherfather。”
“Well，afterallthisexcitement，IbelieveI’llhaveanothercupoftea，andtakesomethingtoeat，ifMissPasmer’sphotographdoesn’tobject。”
saidEunice，andshereplenishedhercupandplate。
“Whatcolouredhairandeyeshasshe，Dan？”askedMinnie。
Hehadtothinksoastobeexact。“Well，youmightsaytheywereblack，hereyebrowsaresodark。ButIbelievethey’reasortofgreyish-blue。”
“Notanuncommoncolourforeyes。”saidEunice，“butratherpeculiarforhair。”
Theygottomakingfunofthepicture，andDantoldthemaboutAliceandherfamily;thefatherleftthematthetable，andthencamebackwithwordfromDan’smotherthatshewasreadytoseehim。
XXX。
Byeighto’clockintheeveningthepainwithwhicheverydaybeganforMrs。Maveringwaslulled，andherjarrednerveswerestayedbytheopiatestillshefellasleepaboutmidnight。Inthisintervalthefamilygatheredintoherroom，andbroughthertheirnewsandthecheeroftheirhealth。
Thegirlschatteredononesideofherbed，andtheirfathersatwithhisnewspaperontheother，andreadaloudthepassageswhichhethoughtwouldinteresther，whileshelayproppedamongherpillows，brilliantlyeagerfortheworldopeningthisglimpseofitselftohershiningeyes。Thatwasonhergoodnights，whenthedrugsdidtheirwork，butthereweretimeswhentheyfailed，andtheday’sagonyprolongeditselfthroughtheevening，andthesleepwonatlastwasaheavystupor。Thenthesufferer’stempergavewayunderthestress;shebecamethetormentshesuffered，andtoretheheartssheloved。Mostofall，sheafflictedthemanwhohadbeensofaithfultohermisery，andmaddenedhimtoreprisals，ofwhichheafterwardabjectlyrepented。Hertonguewassharpenedbypain，andpitilesslyskilledtoinculpateandtopunish;itpiercedandburnedlikefirebutwhenagooddaycameagainshemadeituptothevictimsbytheangelicsweetnessandsanitywhichtheyfeltwasherrealself;thecrueltywasonlythemaskofhersuffering。
Whenshewasbettertheybroughttoherroomanybodywhowasstayingwiththem，andshelikedthemtobejollyinthespaciouschamber。Thepleasantestthingsofthehousewereassembled，andallitscomfortsconcentrated，intheplacewhichsheandtheyknewsheshouldquitbutonce。Itwasmadegaywithflowersandpictures;itwasthesalonforthosefortunatehourswhenshebecamethelightestandblithestofthecompanyinit，andmadetheyoungestguestforgetthattherewassicknessorpainintheworldbythespiritwithwhichsheignoredherown。Herlaughbecameyoungagain;shejoked;sheenteredintowhattheyweredoingandreadingandthinking，andsentthemawayfullofthesympathywhichinthismoodofhersshehadforeverymoodinothers。Girlssighedouttheirwonderandenvytoherdaughterswhentheylefther;theyoungmenwhomshecaptivatedwithherdivinationoftheirpassionsorambitionswentawaycelebratinghersupernaturalknowledgeofhumannature。Thenexteveningaftersomenightofrareandhappyexcitement，thefamilysawhernursecarryingthepicturesandflowersandvasesoutofherroom，insignofherrenunciationofthemall，andassembledsilently，shrinkingly，inherchamber，totakeeachtheirportionofheranguish，oftheblameandthepenalty。Thehouseholdadjusteditselftoherhumours，forshewassupremeinit。
WhenDanusedtocomehomefromHarvardsheputonaprettycapforhim，anddistinguishedhimascompanybycertainlaceshidingherwastedframe，andgivingtheirpatheticcoquetrytohertransparentwrists。Hewasherfavourite，andthegirlsacknowledgedhimso，andmadetheirfunofherforspoilinghim。Hefoundoutashegrewupthatherbrokenhealthdatedfromhisbirth，andatfirstthisdeeplyaffectedhim;buthisyounglifesoonlostthekeennessoftheimpression，andhelovedhismotherbecauseshelovedhim，andnotbecauseshehadbeendyingforhimsomanyyears。
Ashenowcameintoherroom，andthewaiting-womanwentoutofitwithherusual，“Well，Mr。Dan！“thetendernesswhichfilledhimatsightofhismotherwasmixedwiththatsenseofguiltwhichhadtormentedhimattimeseversincehemethissisters。Hewasgoingtotakehimselffromher;herealisedthat。
“Well，Dan！“shecalled，sogailythathesaidtohimself，“No，fatherhasn’ttoldheranythingaboutit。”andwasinstantlyabletoanswerherascheerfully，“Well，mother！“
Hebentoverhertokissher，andtheodourofthecleanlinenminglingwiththatoftheopium，andthecolognewithwhichshehadtriedtobanishitsscent，openedtohimoneofthosevastreachesofassociationswhichperfumescanunlock，andhesawherlyingtherethroughthoseyearsofpain，asmanyashalfhislife，andsuddenlythetearsgushedintohiseyes，andhefellonhisknees，andhidhisfaceinthebed-clothesandsobbed。
Shekeptsmoothinghishead，whichshookunderherthinhand，andsaying，“PoorDan！poorDan！“butdidnotquestionhim。Heknewthatsheknewwhathehadcometotellher，andthathistears，whichhadnotbeenmeantforthat，hadmadeinterestwithherforhimandhiscause，andthatshewasalreadyonhisside。
Hetriedboyishlytodignifythesituationwhenheliftedhisface，andhesaid，“Ididn’tmeantocomeboohooingtoyouinthisway，andI’mashamedofmyself。”
“Iknow，Dan;butyou’vebeenwroughtup，andIdon’twonder。Youmustn’tmindyourfatherandyoursisters。Ofcourse，they’rerathersurprised，andtheydon’tlikeyourtakingyourselffromthem——we，noneofusdo。”
AtthesehonestwordsDantriedtobecomehonesttoo。Atleasthedroppedhispretenceofdignity，andbecameasalittlechildinhissimplegreedforsympathy。“Butitisn’tnecessarilythat;isit，mother？”
“Yes，it’sallthat，Dan;andit’sallright，becauseit’sthat。Wedon’tlikeit，butournotlikingithasnothingtodowithitsbeingrightorwrong。”
“Isupposedthatfatherwouldhavebeenpleased，anyway;forhehasseenher，and——and。Ofcoursethegirlshaven’t，butIthinktheymighthavetrustedmyjudgmentalittle。I’mnotquiteafool。”
Hismothersmiled。“Oh，itisn’taquestionofthewisdomofyourchoice;
it’stheunexpectedness。Weallsawthatyouwereveryunhappywhenyouwereherebefore，andwesupposedithadgonewrong。”
“Ithad，mother。”saidDan。“SherefusedmeatCampobello。Butitwasamisunderstanding，andassoonaswemet——“
“Iknewyouhadmetagain，andwhatyouhadcomehomefor，andItoldyourfatherso，whenhecametosayyouwerehere。”
“Didyou，mother？”heasked，charmedatherhavingguessedthat。
“Yes。Shemustbeagoodgirltosendyoustraighthometotellus。”
“YouknewIwouldn’thavethoughtofthatmyself。”saidDanjoyously。“I
wantedtowrite;Ithoughtthatwoulddojustaswell。Ihatedtoleaveher，butshemademecome。Sheisthebest，andthewisest，andthemostunselfish-Omother，Ican’ttellyouabouther！Youmustseeher。Youcan’trealisehertillyouseeher，mother。You’lllikeeachother，I’msureofthat。You’rejustalike。”ItseemedtoDanthattheywereexactlyalike。
“Thenperhapswesha’n’t。”suggestedhismother。“Letmeseeherpicture。”
“HowdidyouknowIhadit？Ifithadn’tbeenforher，Ishouldn’thavebroughtany。SheputitintomypocketjustasIwasleaving。Shesaidyouwouldallwanttoseewhatshelookedlike。”
Hehadtakenitoutofhispocket，andheheldit，smilingfondlyuponit。
Aliceseemedtosmilebackathim。Hehadlostherinthereluctanceofhisfatherandsisters;andnowhismother——itwashismotherwhohadgivenhertohimagain。Hethoughthowtenderlyhelovedhismother。
Whenhecouldyieldherthephotograph，shelookedlongandsilentlyatit。“Shehasagreatdealofcharacter，Dan。”
“Thereyou’vehitit，mother！I’dratheryouwouldhavesaidthatthananythingelse。Butdon’tyouthinkshe’sbeautiful？She’sthegentlestcreature，whenyoucometoknowher！Iwasawfullyafraidofheratfirst。Ithoughtshewasveryhaughty。Butsheisn’tatall。She’sreallyveryself-depreciatory;shethinkssheisn’tgoodenoughforme。
Yououghttohearhertalk，mother，asIhave。She’sfullofthenoblestideals——ofbeingofsomeuseintheworld，ofbeingself-devoted，and——allthatkindofthing。Andyoucanseethatshe’scapableofit。Heraunt’sinaProtestantsisterhood。”hesaid，withasolemnitywhichdidnotseemtocommunicateitselftohismother，forMrs。Maveringsmiled。Dansmiledtoo，andsaid:“ButIcan’ttellyouaboutAlice，mother。She’sperfect。”
Hisheartoverflowedwithprouddelightinher，andhewasfoolenoughtoadd，“She’ssoaffectionate！“
Hismotherkeptherselffromlaughing。“Idaresaysheis，Dan——withyou。”Thenshehidallbuthereyeswiththephotograph，andgaveway。
“Whatadonkey！“saidDan，meaninghimself。“IfIgoon，Ishalldisgustyouwithher。WhatImeanisthatsheisn’tatallproud，asIusedtothinkshewas。”
“Nogirlis，underthecircumstances。Shehasallshecandotobeproudofyou。”
“Doyouthinkso，mother？”“hesaid，enrapturedwiththenotion。“I’vedonemybest——ormyworst——nottogiveheranyreasontobeso。”
“Shedoesn’t’wantany——thelessthebetter。Yousillyboy！Don’tyousupposeshewantstomakeyououtofwholeclothjustasyoudowithher？
Shedoesn’twantanyfactstostartwith;they’dbeintheway。Well，now，Icanmakeout，withyourhelp，whattheyoungladyis;butwhatarethefatherandmother？They’reratherimportantinthesecases。”
“Oh，they’rethenicestkindofpeople。”saidDan，inoptimisticgeneralisation。“You’dlikeMrs。Pasmer。She’sawfullynice。”
“DoyousaythatbecauseyouthinkIwouldn’t？”askedhismother。“Isn’tsheratherslyandhum-bugging？”
“Well，yes，sheis，toacertainextent。”Danadmitted，withalaugh。
“Butshedoesn’tmeananyharmbyit。She’sextremelykind-hearted。”
“Toyou？Idaresay。AndMr。Pasmerisratherunderherthumb？”
“Well，yes，youmightsaythumb。”Danconsented，feelingituselesstodefendthePasmersagainstthisanalysis。
“Wewon’tsayheel。”returnedhismother;“we’retoopolite。Andyourfathersayshehadthereputationincollegeofbeingoneofthemostselfishfellowsintheworld。He’sneverdoneanythingsincebutlosemostofhismoney。He’sbeenabsolutelyidleanduselessallhisdays。”
Sheturnedhervividblueeyessuddenlyuponherson’s。
Danwinced。“Youknowhowhardfatherisuponpeoplewhohaven’tdoneanything。It’samaniaofhis。OfcourseMr。Pasmerdoesn’tshowtoadvantagewherethere’sno——noleisureclass。”
“Poorman！“
Danwasgoingtosay，“He’sveryamiable，though。”buthewasafraidofhismother’sretorting，“Toyou？”andheheldhispeace，lookingchapfallen。
Whetherhismothertookpityonhimornot，hernextsallywasconsoling。
“ButyourAlicemaynottakeaftereitherofthem。Herfatheristheworstofhisbreed，itseems;therestareusefulpeople，fromwhatyourfatherknows，andthere’sagreatdealtobehopedforcollaterally。Shehadanuncleincollegeatthesametimewhowaseverythingthatherfatherwasnot。”
“OneofherauntsisinoneofthoseProtestantreligioushousesinEngland。”repeatedDan。
“Oh！“saidhismothershortly，“Idon’tknowthatIlikethatparticularly。Butprobablysheisn’tuselessthere。IsAliceveryreligious？”
“Well，Isuppose。”saidDan，withasmileforthedevotionsthatcameintohisthought，“she’swhatwouldbecalled’Piscopalpious。”
Mrs。Maveringreferredtothephotograph，whichshestillheldinherhand。“Well，she’spureandgood，atanyrate。Isupposeyoulookforwardtoalongengagement？”
Danwassomewhattakenabackatasuppositionsoverycontrarytowhatwasinhismind。“Well，Idon’tknow。Why？”
“Itmightbesaidthatyouareveryyoung。HowoldisAgnes——Alice，I
mean？”
“Twenty-one。Butnow，lookhere，mother！It’snouseconsideringsuchathingintheabstract，isit？”
“No。”saidhismother，withasmileforwhatmightbecoming。
“ThisisthewayI’vebeenviewingit;Imaysayit’sthewayAlicehasbeenviewingit——orMrs。Pasmer，rather。”
“DecidedlyMrs。Pasmer，rather。Betterbehonest，Dan。”
“I’lldomybest。Iwasthinking，hoping，thatis，thatasI’mgoingrightintothebusiness——havegoneintoitalready，infact——andcouldbeginlifeatonce，thatperhapstherewouldn’tbemuchsenseinwaitingagreatwhile。”
“Yes？”
“That’sall。Thatis，ifyouandfatherareagreed。”Hereflecteduponthisprovision，andadded，withalaughofconfusionandpleasure:“ItseemstobesoverymuchmoreofafamilyaffairthanIusedtothinkitwas。”
“Youthoughtitconcernedjustyouandher？”saidhismother，witharchsympathy。
“Well，yes。”
“Poorfellow！Sheknewbetterthanthat，youmaybesure。Atanyrate，hermotherdid。”
“WhatMrs。Pasmerdoesn’tknowisn’tprobablyworthknowing。”saidDan，withanamusedsenseofheromniscience。
“Ithoughtso。”sighedhismother，smilingtoo。“Andnowyoubegintofindoutthatitconcernsthefamiliesinalltheirbranchesonbothsides。”
“Oh，ifitstoppedatthefamiliesandtheirramifications！Butitseemstotakeinsocietyandthegeneralpublic。”
“Soitdoes——morethanyoucanrealise。Youcan’tgetmarriedtoyourselfalone，asyoungpeoplethink;andifyoudon’tmarryhappily，yousinagainstthepeaceandcomfortofthewholecommunity。”
“Yes，that’swhatI’mchieflylookingoutfornow。Idon’twantanyofthosepeopleinCentralAfricatosuffer。That’sthereasonIwanttomarryAliceattheearliestopportunity。ButIsupposethere’llhavetobeaMaveringembassytothehighcontractingpowersoftheotherpartnow？”
“Yourfatherandoneofthegirlshadbettergodown。”
“Yes？”
“AndinviteMr。andMrs。Pasmerandtheirdaughtertocomeuphere。”
“Allonprobation？”
“Ohno。Ifyou’repleased，Dan——“
Iam，mother——measurably。”Theybothlaughedatthismildwayofputtingit。
“Why，thenit’stobesupposedthatwe’reallpleased。Youneedn’tbringthewholePasmerfamilyhometolivewithyou，ifyoudomarrythemall。”
“No。”saidDan，andsuddenlybebecameverydistraught。ItflashedthroughhimthathismotherwasexpectinghimtocomehomewithAlicetolive，andthatshewouldnotbeatallpleasedwithhisschemeofaEuropeansojourn，whichMrs。Pasmerhadsocordiallyadopted。Hewasamazedthathehadnotthoughtofthat，butherefusedtoseeanydifficultywhichhishappinesscouldnotcopewith。
“No，there’sthatviewofit。”hesaidjollily;andheburiedhismomentaryanxietyoutofsight，and，asitwere，danceduponitsgrave。
Nevertheless，hehadadesiretogetquicklyawayfromthespot。“IhopetheMaveringembassywon’tbeagreatwhilegettingreadytogo。”hesaid。
“Ofcourseit’sallright;butIshouldn’twantanappearanceofreluctanceexactly，youknow，mother;andifthereshouldbemuchofanintervalbetweenmygettingbackandtheircomingon，don’tyouknow，why，thecatmightletherselfoutofthebag。”
“Whatcat？”askedhismotherdemurely。
“Well，youknow，youhaven’treceivedmyengagementwithunmingledenthusiasm，and——andIsupposetheywouldfinditoutfromme——frommymanner;and——andIwishthey’dcomealongprettysoon，mother。”
“Poorboy！I’mafraidthecatgotoutofthebagwhenMrs。Pasmercametotheyearsofdiscretion。Butyousha’n’tbeleftapreytoher。Theyshallgobackwithyou。Ringthebell，andlet’stalkitoverwiththemnow。”
Danjoyfullyobeyed。Hecouldseethathismotherwasallonfirewithinterestinhisaffair，andthattheideaofsomehowcircumventingMrs。
Pasmerbypromptactionwasfascinatingher。
Hissisterscameupatonce，andhisfatherfollowedamomentlater。Theyalltooktheircuefromthemother’sgaiety，andbegantalkingandlaughing，exceptthefather，whosatlookingonwithasmileattheirlivelyspiritsandthejokesofwhichDanbecamethevictim。Eachfamilyhasitsownfantasticmedium，inwhichitgetsaffairstorelievethemoftheirconcreteseriousness，andtheMaveringsnowdidthiswithDan’sengagement，andplayedwithitasanairyabstraction。TheydebatedthecharacteroftheembassywhichwastobesentdowntoBostonontheirbehalf，anditwasdecidedthatEunicehadbettergowithherfather，asrepresentingmorefullytheageandrespectabilityofthefamily:atfirstglancethePasmerswouldtakeherforDan’smother，andthiswouldbeatremendousadvantage。
“AndifIliketheridiculouslittlechit。”saidEunice，“IthinkIshallletDanmarryheratonce。Iseenoreasonwhyheshouldn’tandI
couldn’tstandalongengagement;Ishouldbreakitoff。”
“Iguessthereareotherswhowillhavesomethingtosayaboutthat。”
retortedtheyoungersister。“I’vealwayswantedalongengagementinthisfamily，andasthereseemstobenochanceforitwiththeladies，I
wishtomakethemostofDan’s。Ialwayslikeitwheretheherogetssickandtheheroinenurseshim。IwantDantogetsick，andhaveAlicecomehereandtakecareofhim。”
“No;thismarriagemusttakeplaceatonce。Whatdoyousay，father？”
askedEunice。
Herfathersat，enjoyingthetalk，atthefootofthebed，withatendencytodoze。“YoumightaskDan。”hesaid，withalazycastofhiseyetowardhisson。
“Danhasnothingtodowithit。”
“Danshallnotbeconsulted。”
Thetwogirlsstormedupontheirfatherwiththeirdifferentreasons。
“NowIwilltellyouGirls，bestill！“theirmotherbrokein。“Listentome:Ihaveanidea。”
“Listentoher:shehasanidea！“echoedEunice，inrecitative。
“Willyoubequiet？”demandedthemother。
“Wewillbedu-u-mb！“
Whentheybecameso，atthevergeoftheirmother’spatience，ofwhichtheyknewthelimits，shewenton:“IthinkDanhadbettergetmarriedatonce。”
“There，Minnie！“
“ButwhatdoesDansay？”
“Iwill——makethesacrifice。”saidDanmeekly。
“Nobleboy！That’sexactlywhatWashingtonsaidtohismotherwhensheaskedhimnottogotosea。”saidMinnie。
“Andthenhewentintothemilitia，andmadeitallrightwithhimselfthatway。”saidEunice。“Dancan’tplayhisfilialpietyonthisfamily。
Goon，mother。”
“Iwanthimtobringhiswifehome，andlivewithus。”continuedhismother。
“IntheLpart！“criedMinnie，claspingherhandsinrapture。“I’vealwayssaidwhataperfectlittleapartmentitwasbyitself。”
“Well，don’tsayitagain，then。”returnedhersister。“Alwaysisoftenenough。Well，intheLpartGoon，mother！Don’taskwhereyouwere，whenit’ssoexciting。”
“Idon’tcarewhetherit’sintheLpartornot。There’splentyofroominthegreatbarnofaplaceeverywhere。”
“ButwhatabouthistakingcareofthebusinessinBoston？”suggestedEunice，lookingatherfather。
“There’snohurryaboutthat。”
“Andabouttheexcursiontoaestheticcentresabroad？”Minnieadded。
“Thatcouldbemanaged。”saidherfather，withthesameironicalsmile。
ThemotherandthegirlswentonwildlyplanningDan’sfutureforhim。Itwasallinastrainofextravagantburlesque。Buthecouldnottakehispartinitwithhisusualzest。Helaughedandjokedtoo，butatthebottomofhisheartwasanuneasyremembranceofthedifferentfuturehehadtalkedoverwithMrs。Pasmersoconfidently。Buthesaidtohimselfbuoyantlyatlastthatitwouldcomeoutallright。Hismotherwouldgivein，orelseAlicecouldreconcilehermothertowhateverseemedreallybest。
Hepartedfromhismotherwithfondgaiety。Hissisterscameoutoftheroomwithhim。
“I’mperfectlysorewithlaughing。”saidMinnie。“Itseemslikeoldtimes——doesn’tit，Dan？——suchagalewithmother。”
XXXI。
Anengagementmustalwaysbealittleincredibleatfirsttothefamiliesofthebetrothed，andespeciallytothefamilyoftheyoungman;inthegirl’s，themother，atleast，willhaveamorerealisingsenseofthesituation。Ifthereareeldersisterswhohavebeenaccustomedtoregardtheirbrotherasveryyoung，hewillseemalltheyoungerbecauseinsuchamatterhehastreatedhimselfasifhewereaman;andEuniceMaveringsaid，afterseeingthePasmers，“Well，Dan，it’sallwellenough，I
suppose，butitseemstooridiculous。”
“What’sridiculousaboutit，Ishouldliketoknow？”hedemanded。
“Oh，Idon’tknow。Who’lllookafteryouwhenyou’remarried？Oh，I
forgotMa’amPasmer！“
“Iguessweshallbeabletolookafterourselves。”saidDan;alittlesulkily。
“Yes，ifyou’llbeallowedto。”insinuatedhissister。
TheyspokeattheendofatalkinwhichhehadfrettedatthereticenceofbothhissisterandhisfatherconcerningthePasmers，whomtheyhadjustbeentosee。Hewasvexedwithhisfather，becausehefeltthathehadbeeninfluencedbyEunice，andhadsomehowgonebackonhim。HewasvexedandhewasgrievedbecausehisfatherhadleftthematthedoorofthehotelwithoutsayinganythinginpraiseofAlice，beyondthegeneralitiesthatwouldnotcarryfavourwithEunice;andhewasdepressedwithacertainsenseofAlice’sfatherandmother，whichseemedtohaveimparteditselftohimfromtheothers，andtobetheMaveringopinionofthem。HecouldnolongerseeMrs。Pasmerharmlessiftrivial，andgood-
heartedifinveteratelyscheming;hecouldnotseethedignityandrefinementwhichhehadbelievedinMr。Pasmer;theyhadbothsufferedasortofshrinkageorcollapse，fromwhichhecouldnotrehabilitatethem。
Butthiswouldhavebeennothingifhissister’sandhisfather’seyes，throughwhichheseemedtohavebeenlooking，hadnotshownhimAliceinalightinwhichsheappearedstrangeandqueeralmosttoeccentricity。Hewashurtatthiseffectfromtheirwantofsympathy，hispridewastouched，andhesaidtohimselfthatheshouldnotfishforEunice’spraise;buthefoundhimselfsaying，withoutsurprise，“IsupposeyouwilldowhatyoucantoprejudicemotherandMin。”
“Isn’tthatalittleprevious？”askedEunice。“HaveIsaidanythingagainstMissPasmer？”
“Youhaven’tbecauseyoucouldn’t。”saidDan，withfoolishbitterness。
“Oh，Idon’tknowaboutthat。She’sahumanbeing，Isuppose——atleastthatwastheimpressionIgotfromherparentage。”
“Whathaveyougottosayagainstherparents？”demandedDansavagely。
“Oh，nothing。Ididn’tcomedowntoBostontodenouncethePasmerfamily。”
“Isupposeyoudidn’tliketheirbeinginaflat;you’dhavelikedtofindtheminahouseonCommonwealthAvenueorBeaconStreet。”
“I’llownI’masnob。”saidEunice，withmaddeningmeekness。“So’sfather。”
“Theyareconnectedwiththebestfamiliesinthecity，andtheyareinthebestsociety。Theydowhattheyplease，andtheylivewheretheylike。TheyhavebeensolonginEuropethattheydon’tcareforthosesillydistinctions。Butwhatyousaydoesn’tharmthem。It’ssimplydisgracefultoyou;that’sall。”saidDanfuriously。
“I’mgladit’snoworse，Dan。”saidhissister，withatranquilsmile。
“Andifyou’llstopprancingupanddowntheroom，andtakeaseat，andbehaveyourselfinaChristianmanner，I’lltalkwithyou;andifyoudon’t，Iwon’t。DoyousupposeI’mgoingtobebulliedintolikingthem？”
“Youcanlikethemornot，asyouplease。”saidDansullenly;buthesatdown，andwaiteddecentlyforhissistertospeak。“Butyoucan’tabusethem——atleastinmypresence。”
“Ididn’tknowmenlosttheirheadsaswellastheirhearts。”saidEunice。
“Perhapsit’sonlyanexchange，though，andit’sMissPasmer’shead。”Danstarted，butdidnotsayanything，andEunicesmoothlycontinued:“No，I
don’tbelieveitis。Shelookedlikeasensiblegirl，andshetalkedsensibly。Ishouldthinkshehadaverygoodhead。Shehasgoodmanners，andshe’sextremelypretty，andverygraceful。I’msurprisedsheshouldbeinlovewithsuchasimpleton。”
“Oh，goon！Abusemeasmuchasyoulike。”saidDan。HewasatoncesoothedbyherpraiseofAlice。
“No，itisn’tnecessarytogoon;thecaseisalittletooobvious。ButI
thinkshewilldoverywell。Ihopeyou’renotmarryingthewholefamily，though。Isupposethatit’salwaysaquestionofwhichshallbescoopedup。Theywillwanttoscoopyouup，andweshallwanttoscoopherup。I
daresayMa’amPasmerhasherlittleplan;whatisit？”