Alanhadtolooktwiceatthepainter。\"Ohyes。Mr。Durgin,here——
tellingmeabouthisplaceinthemountains。Saysyou’vebeenthere。
Going——goingmyselfinthesummer。Seehis——horses。\"Hemadepausesbetweenhiswordsassomepeopledowhenthey,trytokeepfromstammering。
WestoverbelievedLyndeunderstoodJefftobeacountrygentlemanofsportingtastes,andhewouldnotletthatpass。\"Yes,it’sthepleasantestlittlehotelinthemountains。\"
\"Strictly—temperance,Isuppose?\"saidAlan,tryingtosmilewithlipsthatobeyedhimstiffly。HeappearednottocarewhoorwhatJeffwas;
thechampagnehadwashedawayalldifferencebetweenthem。HewentontosaythathehadheardofJeff’sintentionofrunningthehotelhimselfwhenhegotoutofHarvard。Heheldittobedamnedgoodstuff。
Jefflaughed。\"Yoursisterwouldn’tbelievemewhenItoldher。\"
\"IthinkIdidn’tmentionMissLynde,\"saidAlan,haughtily。
Jefffilledhisglass;Alanlookedatit,faltered,andthendrankitoff。Thetalkbeganagainbetweentheyoungmen,butitleftWestoverout,andhehadtogoaway。WhetherJeffwasgettingLyndebeyondhimselffromtheloveofmischief,suchashadpromptedhimtoteaselittlechildreninhisboyhood,orwastryingtoingratiatehimselfwiththeyoungfellowthroughhisweakness,ordoinghimharmoutofmerethoughtlessness,Westovercameawayveryunhappyatwhathehadseen。
HisunhappinessconnecteditselfsodistinctlywithLynde’sfamilythathewentandsatdownbesideMissLyndefromanobscureimpulseofcompassion,andtriedtotalkwithher。Itwouldnothavebeensohardifsheweremerelydeaf,forshehadtheskillofdeafpeopleinarrangingtheconversationsothatanoddedyesornowouldbeallthatwasneededtocarryitforward。ButtoWestovershewasterriblydull,andhewasgasping,asinanexhaustedreceiver,whenBessiecameupwithasmileofradiantrecognitionforhisextremity。Shegotridofherpartner,anddevotedherselfatoncetoWestover。\"Howgoodofyou!\"
shesaid,withoutgivinghimthepainofanawkwarddisclaimer。
Hecouldcounterinequalsincerityandambiguity,\"Howbeautifulofyou。\"
\"Yes,\"shesaid,\"Iamlookingratherwell,tonight;butdon’tyouthinkeffectivewouldhavebeenabetterword?\"Shesmiledacrossherauntathimoutofacloudofpink,fromwhichherthinshouldersandslenderneckemerged,andherarms,glovedtothetop,fellintoherlap;oneofthemseemedtoterminatenaturallyinthefanwhichsensitivelysharedtheinquiescenceofherperson。
\"Iwillsayeffective,too,ifyouinsist,\"saidWestover。\"Butatthesametimeyou’rethemostbeautifulpersonhere。\"
\"Howlovelyofyou,evenifyoudon’tmeanit,\"shesighed。\"Ifgirlscouldhavemoreofthosethingssaidtothem,theywouldbebetter,don’tyouthink?Oratleastfeelbetter。\"
Westoverlaughed。\"Wemightorganizeasociety——theyhavethemfornearlyeverythingnow——forsayingpleasantthingstoyoungladieswithaviewtothemoraleffect。\"
\"Oh,doI\"
\"Butitoughttobedoneconscientiously,andyoucouldn’tgoroundtellingeveryonethatshewasthemostbeautifulgirlintheroom。\"
\"Whynot?She’dbelieveit!\"
\"Yes;buttheeffectonthemembersofthesociety?\"
\"Ohyes;that!Butyoucouldvaryitsoastosaveyourconscience。Youcouldsay,’Howdivinelyyou’relooking!’or’Howangelic!’or’You’retheverypoetryofmotion,’or’Youaregraceitself,’or’Yourgownisaperfectdream,oranylittlecommonplace,andeveryonewouldtakeitforpraiseofherpersonalappearance,andfeelherselfagreatbeauty,justasIdonow,thoughIknowverywellthatI’malloutofdrawing,andjustchicquedtogether。\"
\"Icouldn’tallowanyonebutyoutosaythat,MissBessie;andIonlyletitpassbecauseyousayitsowell。\"
\"Yes;you’realwayssogood!Youwouldn’tcontradictmeevenwhenyouturnedmeoutofyourclass。\"
\"DidIturnyououtofmyclass?\"
\"Notjustinsomanywords,butwhenIsaidIcouldn’tdoanythinginart,youdidn’tinsistthatitwasbecauseIwouldn’t,andofcoursethenIhadtogo。I’veneverforgivenyou,Mr。Westover,never!Dokeepontalkingveryexcitedly;there’samancominguptousthatIdon’twanttothinkIseehim,orhe’llstop。There!He’sveeredoff!Wherewereyou,Mr。Westover?\"
\"Ah,MissBessie,\"saidthepainter;delightedatherdrama,\"thereisn’tanythingyoucouldn’tdoifyouwould。\"
\"Youmeanparlorentertainments;impersonations;impressions;thatsortofthing?Ihavethoughtofit。Butitwouldbetooeasy。Iwanttotrysomethingdifficult。\"
\"Forinstance。\"
\"Well,beingvery,verygood。Iwantsomethingthatwouldreallytaxmypowers。Ishouldliketobeanexample。ItriedittheothernightjustbeforeIwenttosleep,anditwasfine。Ibecameanexampletoothers。
ButwhenIwokeup——Iwentonintheoldway。Iwantsomethinghard,don’tyouknow;butIwantittobeeasy!\"
Shelaughed,andWestoversaid:\"Iamgladyou’renotserious。Nooneoughttobeanexampletoothers。Tobeexemplaryisasdangerousastobecomplimentary。
\"Itcertainlyisn’tsoagreeabletotheobject,\"saidthegirl。\"Butit’sfineforthesubjectaslongasitlasts。Howmetaphysicalwe’regetting!Theobjectiveandthesubjective。It’squitewhatIshouldexpectoftalkataBostondanceifIwereaNew—Yorker。Haveyouseenanythingofmybrother,withinthelasthourorso,Mr。Westover?\"
\"Yes;Ijustlefthiminthesupper—room。ShallIgogethimforyou?\"
Whenhehadsaidthis,withthenotionofrescuinghimfromJeff,Westoverwassorry,forhedoubtedifAlanLyndewereanylongerinthestatetobebroughtawayfromthesupper—room,andhewasgladtohaveBessiesay:
\"No,no。He’lllookusupinthecourseoftheevening——orthemorning。\"
Ayoungfellowcametoclaimherforadance,andWestoverhadnotthefacetoleaveMissLynde,allthelessbecauseshetoldhimhemustnotthinkofstaying。Hestayedtillthedancewasover,andBessiecamebacktohim。
\"Whattimeisit,Mr。Westover?Iseemyauntbeginningtonodonherperch。\"
Westoverlookedathiswatch。\"It’stenminutespasttwo。\"
\"Howearly!\"sighedthegirl。\"I’mtiredofit,aren’tyou?\"
\"Very,\"saidWestover。\"Iwastiredanhourago。\"
Bessiesankbackinherchairwithanairofnervouscollapse,anddidnotsayanything。Westoversawherwatchingtheyoungcoupleswhopassedinandoutoftheroomwherethedancingwas,orfoundcornersonsofas,orwindow—seats,orshelteredspacesbesidethedoorsandthechimney—
piece,thegirlspantingandthemenleaningforwardtofanthem。Shelookedverytiredofit;andwhenayoungfellowcameupandaskedhertodance,shetoldhimthatshewasprovisionallyengaged。\"Comebackandgetme,ifyoucan’tdobetter,\"shesaid,andheansweredtherewasnousetryingtodobetter,andsaidhewouldwaittilltheothermanturnedup,ordidn’t,ifshewouldlethim。Hesatdownbesideher,andsomeyoungtalkbeganbetweenthem。
InthemidstofitJeffappeared。HelookedatWestoverfirst,andthenapproachedwithanembarrassedface。
Bessiegotvividlytoherfeet。\"Noapologies,Mr。Durgin,please!Butinjustanothermomentyou’dhavelastyourdance。\"
WestoversawwhathebelievedachangepassinJeff’slookfromembarrassmenttosurpriseandthentoflatteredintelligence。Hebeamedallover;andhewentawaywithBessietowardtheballroom,andleftWestovertoawhollyunsupportedbeliefthatshehadnotbeenengagedtodancewithJeff。Hewonderedwhatherrecklessmeaningcouldbe,buthehadalwaysthoughtherayoungladysingularlyfittedbynatureandarttotakecareofherself,andwhenhereasoneduponwhatwasinhismindhehadtoownthattherewasnoharminJeff’sdancingwithher。
HetookleaveofMissLynde,andwasgoingtogethiscoatandhatforhiswalkhomewhenhewasmysteriouslystoppedinacornerofthestairsbyoneofthecaterer’smenwhomheknew。Itissounnaturaltobeaddressedbyaservantatallunlessheasksyouifyouwillhavesomethingtoeatordrink,thatWestoverwasinamannerpreparedtohavehimsaysomethingstartling。\"It’saboutyoungMr。Lynde,sor。We’vegotuminoneoftheroomsup—stairs,butheain’tfittogohomealone,andI’vebeenlookin’forsomebodythatknowsthefamilytohelpgetumintoacar’ge。Hewon’tgoforannyofus,sor。\"
\"Whereishe?\"askedWestover,inanguishatbeingunabletorefusetheappeal,butloathingtheofficeputuponhim。
\"I’llshowyou,sor,\"saidthecaterer’sman,andhesprangupthestairsbeforeWestover,withgladalacrity。
XXXIII。
Inalittleroomatthesideofthatwherethemen’shatsandcoatswerechecked,AlanLyndesatdroopingforwardinanarm—chair,withhisheadfallenonhisbreast。Herousedhimselfattheflashoftheburnerwhichthemanturnedup。\"What’sallthis?\"hedemanded,haughtily。\"Where’sthecarriage?What’sthematter?\"
\"Yourcarriageiswaiting,Lynde,\"saidWestover。\"I’llseeyoudowntoit,\"andhemurmured,hopelessly,tothecaterer’sman:\"Isthereanybackway?\"
\"There’sthewanwegotumupby。\"
\"Itwilldo,\"saidWestover,assimply。
ButLyndecalledout,defiantly:\"Backway;Isha’n’tgodownbackway。
Inshulttoguest。Iwish——say——good—nightto——Mrs。Enderby。Whoyou,anyway?Damncaterer’sman?\"
\"I’mWestover,Lynde,\"thepainterbegan,buttheyoungfellowbrokeinuponhim,shakinghishandandthentakinghisarm。
\"Oh,Westover!Allright!I’llgodownbackwaywithyou。Thought——
thoughtitwasdamncaterer’sman。No——offence。\"
\"No。It’sallright。\"WestovergothisarmunderLynde’selbow,and,withthemangoingbeforeforthemtofalluponjointlyincasetheyshouldstumble,hegothimdownthedarkandtwistingstairsandthroughthebasementhall,whichwasvaguelyhauntedbythedispossessedwomenservantsofthefamily,andsooutuponthepavementofthemoonlightedstreets。
\"CallMissLynde’scar’ge,\"shoutedthecaterer’smantothebarker,andescapedbackintothebasement,leavingWestovertostayhishelplesschargeonthesidewalk。
Itseemedapublicationofthewretch’sshamewhenthebarkerbegantofillthenightwithhoarsecriesof,\"MissLynde’scarriage;carriageforMissLynde!\"Thecriesweretakenupbyacoachmanhereandthereintherankofvehicleswhosevarnishedroofsshoneinthemoonupanddownthestreet。AfteratimethatWestoverofcoursefelttobelongerthanitwas,MissLynde’soldcoachmanwasrousedfromhissleepontheboxandstartedoutoftherank。Hetookinthesituationwiththeeyeofcustom,whenhesawAlansupportedonthesidewalkbyastrangerattheendofthecanopycoveringthepavement。
Hesaid,\"Oh,ahlright,sor!\"andwhenthetwowhite—glovedpolicemenfromeithersideofithelpedWestoverintothecarriagewithLynde,hesetoffataquicktrot。Thepolicemenclappedtheirhandstogether,andsmiledacrossthestripofcarpetthatseparatedthem,andwinksandnodsofintelligencepassedamongthebarkerstothefootmenaboutthecurbandsteps。Therewerenoneofthemsorrytoseeagentlemaninthatstate;someofthemhadperhapsseenAlaninthatstatebefore。
Half—wayhomeherousedhimselfandputhishandonthecarriage—doorlatch。\"Tellthecoachmandriveusto——the——club。Makenightofit。\"
\"No,no,\"saidWestover,tryingtorestrainhim。\"We’dbettergorightontoyourhouse。\"
\"Who——who——whoareyou?\"demandedAlan。
\"Westover。\"
\"Ohyes——Westover。ThoughtweleftWestoveratMrs。Enderby’s。Thoughtitwasthatjay——What’shisname?Durgin。He’sawfuljay,butciviltome,andIwantbeciviltohim。You’renot——jay?No?That’sright。
Fellowmademesick;butItookhischampagne;andImustshowhimsome——attention。\"Hereleasedthedoor—handle,andfellbackagainstthecushionedcarriagewall。\"He’sablackguard!\"hesaid,sourly。\"Not——
simplejay—blackguard,too。No——no——businessbringinmysister’sname,hey?You——yousayit’s——Westover?Ohyes,Westover。Oldfriendoffamily。Tellyougoodjoke,Westover——mysister’s。Nomorejaysforme,nomorejagsforyou。That’swhatshesay——justbetweenherandme,youknow;she’salady,Bessis;knowswhentouse——slang。Mark——markofaladyknowwhentouseslang。Prettygood——jaysandjags。Guesswedidn’tcountthistime——eitherofus。\"
WhenthecarriagepulledupbeforeMissLynde’shouse,Westoveropenedthedoor。\"You’reathome,now,Lynde。Come,let’sgetout。\"
Lyndedidnotstir。HeaskedWestoveragainwhohewas,andwhenhehadmadesureofhim,hesaid,withdignity,Verywell;nowtheymustgettheotherfellow。Westoverentreated;heevenreasoned;Lyndelaybackinthecornerofthecarriage,andseemedasleep。
Westoverthoughtofpullinghimupandgettinghimindoorsbymainforce。
Heappealedtothecoachmantoknowiftheycouldnotdoittogether。
\"Why,yousee,Icouldn’tleavemeharsses,sor,\"saidthecoachman。
\"What’shewants,sor?\"HebenturbanelydownfromhisboxandlistenedtotheexplanationthatWestovermadehim,standinginthecoldonthecurbstone,withonehandonthecarriagedoor。\"Thenit’snouse,sor,\"
themandecided。\"Whig\"he’sthatway,ahlhellcouldn’tstirum。Bestgoback,sor,andtrytofindthegentleman。\"
ThiswasintheendwhatWestoverhadtodo,feelingallthetimethatathingsofranticallyabsurdcouldnotbeawakingact,buthelplesstoescapefromitsperformance。Hethoughtofabandoninghischargeandleavinghim,tohisfatewhenheopenedthecarriagedoorbeforeMrs。
Enderby’shouse;butwiththenextthoughtheperceivedthatthiswasonallaccountsimpossible。Hewentin,andbeganhisquestforJeff,sendingvariousserving\"menaboutwithvaguedescriptionsofhim,andaskingforhimofdepartingguests,mostlyyoungmenhedidnotknow,butwho,hethought,mightknowJeff。
Hehadtotakeoffhisovercoatatlast,andreappearattheball。Thecrowdwasstillgreat,butvisiblylessdensethanithadbeen。Byasuddeninspirationhemadehiswaytothesupper—room,andhefoundJeffthere,fillingaplate,asifhewereabouttocarryitoffsomewhere。
HecommandedJeff’sinstantpresenceinthecarriageoutside;hetoldhimofAlan’sdesireforhim。
Jeffleanedbackagainstthewallwiththeplateinhishandandlaughedtillithalfslippedfromhishold。Whenhecouldgethisbreath,hesaid:\"I’llbebackinafewminutes;I’vegottotakethistoMissBessieLynde。ButI’llberightback。\"
Westoverhardlybelievedhim。Butwhenhegotonhisownthingsagain,Jeffjoinedhiminhishatandovercoat,andtheywentouttogether。
Itwasanothercarriagethatstoppedthewaynow,andoncemorethebarkermadethenightringwithwhatWestoverfelthisheartlessandshamelesscriesforMissLynde’scarriage。Afteramaddeningdelay,itlaggeduptothecurbandJeffpulledthedooropen。
\"Hello!\"hesaid。\"There’snobodyhere!\"
\"Nobodythere?\"criedWestover,andtheyfelluponthecoachmanwithwildquestionandreproach,;thepolicemanhadtotellhimatlastthatthecarriagemustmoveon,tomakewayforothers。
Thecoachmanhadnoexplanationtooffer:hedidnotknowhoworwhenMr。
Alanhadgotaway。
\"Butyoucangiveaguesswherehe’sgone?\"Jeffsuggested,withapresenceofmindwhichWestovermutelyadmired。
\"Well,sor,Iknowwherehedobegahn,sometimes,\"themanadmitted。
\"Well,thatwilldo;takemethere,\"saidJeff。\"YougoinandaccountformetoMissLynde,\"heinstructedWestover,acrosshisshoulder。
\"I’llgethimhomebeforemorning,somehow;andI’llsendthecarriagerightbackfortheladies,now。\"
WestoverhadtheforethoughttodecidethatMissBessieshouldaskforJeffifshewantedhim,andthissimplifiedmattersverymuch。Sheaskednothingabouthim。AtsightofWestovercominguptoherwhereshesatwithheraunt,shemerelysaid:\"Why,Mr。Westover!Ithoughtyoutookleaveofthissceneofgayetylongago。\"
\"Didyou?\"Westoverreturned,provisionally,andshesavedhimfromthesinofframingsomedeceitinfinalanswerbyhernextquestion。
\"HaveyouseenanythingofAlanlately?\"sheasked,inavoiceinvoluntarilylowered。
Westoverrepliedinthesameoctave:\"Yes;Isawhimgoingagoodwhileago。\"
\"Oh!\"saidthegirl。\"ThenIthinkmyauntandIhadbettergo,too。\"
Stillshedidnotgo,andtherewasanintervalinwhichshehadtheairofvaguelywaiting。ToWestover’svision,theyoungpeoplestillpassingtoandfromtheballroomwerelikethepaintedfiguresofapicturequickenedwithsuddenanimation。Therewerescarcelyanyelderstobeseennow,exceptthechaperons,whosatintheirplaceswithironfortitude;Westoverrealizedthathewastheonlymanofhisageleft。
Hefeltthatthelightsoughttohavegrowndim,buttheplacewasasbrilliantasever。Awindowhadbeenopenedsomewhere,andthecoldbreathofthenightwasdrawingthroughtheheatedrooms。
HewascontenttohaveBessiestayon,thoughhewasalmostdroppingwithsleep,forhewasafraidthatifshewentatonce,thecarriagemightnothavegotback,andthewholeaffairmustsomehowbegivenaway;atlast,ifshewerewaiting,shedecidedtowaitnolonger,andthenWestoverdidnotknowhowtokeepher。Hesawherriseandstoopoverheraunt,puttinghermouthtotheelderlady’sear,andheheardhersaying,\"Iamgoinghome,AuntLouisa。\"Sheturnedsweetlytohim。\"Won’tyouletussetyoudown,Mr。Westover?\"
\"Why,thankyou,IbelieveIpreferwalking。Butdoletmehaveyourcarriagecalled,\"andagainhehurriedhimselfintohisovercoatandhat,andrandown—stairs,andthebarkerathirdtimesentforthhislamentablecriesinsummonsofMissLynde’scarriage。
Whilehestoodonthecurb—stoneeagerlypeeringupanddownthestreet,heheard,withoutbeingableeithertoenjoyorresentit,oneofthepolicemensayacrosshimtotheother,\"Misslyndeseemstobedoin’alivery—stablebusinessto—night。\"
Almostatthemomentacarriagedroveup,andherecognizedMissLynde’scoachman,whorecognizedhim。
\"Justgotback,sor,\"hewhispered,andaminutelaterBessiecamedaintilyoutoverthecarpetedwaywithheraunt。
\"Howgoodofyou!\"shesaid,and\"Good—night,Mr。Westover,\"saidMissLynde,withanimplicationinhervoicethatvirtuewaspeculiarlyitsownrewardforthosewhoperformedanygoodofficeforherorhers。
Westovershutthemin,thecarriagerolledoff,andhestartedonhishomewardwalkwithalongsighofrelief。
XXXIV。
Bessieaskedthesleepymanwhoopenedheraunt’sdoorwhetherherbrotherhadcomeinyet,andfoundthathehadnot。Shehelpedherauntoffup—stairswithhermaid,andwhenshecamedownagainshesentthemantobed;shetoldhimshewasgoingtositupandshewouldletherbrotherin。ThecapricesofAlan’slatch—keywereknowntoalltheservants,andthemanunderstoodwhatshe,meant。Hesaidhehadleftalightinthereception—roomandtherewasafirethere;andBessietrippedondownfromthelibraryfloor,whereshehadmethim。Shehadputoffherballdressandhadslippedintothesimplestandeasiestofbreakfastfrocks,whichwasbynomeansplain。Bessiehadnoplainfrocksforanyhouroftheday;herfrocksallexpressedinstuffandstyleandcolor,andthebraveryoftheirflyinglacesandribbons,theaudacityofspiritwithwhichshewasherselfchicquedtogether,asshesaid。Thisoneshehadonnowwassomethingthatbrightenedherdullcomplexion,andbroughtoutthebesteffectofhereyesandmouth,andseemedtheeffluenceofherpersonaldashandgrace。Itmadethemostofher,andshelikeditbeyondallherothernegligeesforitscomplaisance。
Shegotabook,andsatdowninalong,lowchairbeforethefireandcrossedherprettyslippersonthewarmhearth。Itwasaquarterafterthreebytheclockonthemantel;butshehadneverfeltmoreeagerlyawake。Thepartyhadnotbeenaltogethertohermind,uptomidnight,butafterthatithadbeenaseriesofrapidandvividemotions,whichcontinuedthemselvesstillinthetumultofhernerves,andseemedtodemandanindefinitesequenceofexperience。Shedidnotknowwhatstateherbrothermightbeinwhenhecamehome;shehadnotseenanythingofhimaftershefirstwentouttosupper;tillthen,though,hehadkepthimselfstraight,asheneedsmust;butshecouldnottellwhathappenedtohimafterward。Shehopedthathewouldcomehomeabletotalk,forshewishedtotalk。Shewishedtotalkaboutherself;andasshehadalreadyhadflatteryenough,shewantedsometruthaboutherself;shewantedAlantosaywhathethoughtofherbehaviorthewholeeveningwiththatjay。Hemusthaveseensomethingofitinthebeginning,andsheshouldtellhimalltherest。Sheshouldtellhimjusthowoftenshehaddancedwiththeman,andhowmanydancesshehadsatoutwithhim;howshehadpretendedoncethatshewasengagedwhenanothermanaskedher,andthendancedwiththejay,towhomshepretendedthathehadengagedherforthedance。Shehadwishedtoseehowhewouldtakeit;forthesamereasonshehadgiventosomeoneelseadancethatwasreallyhis。
ShewouldtellAlanhowthejayhadaskedherforthatlastdance,andthennevercomenearheragain。Thatwouldgivehimthewholesituation,andshewouldknowjustwhathethoughtofit。
Whatshethoughtofherselfshehardlyknew,ormadebelieveshehardlyknew。Shepridedherselfuponnotbeingaflirt;shemightnotbeverygood,asgoodnesswent,butshewasnotdespicable,andaflirtwasdespicable。Shedidnotcalltheaudacityofherbehaviorwiththejayflirting;heseemedtounderstanditaswellasshe,andtomeetherinherownspirit;shewonderednowwhetherthisjaywasreallymoreinterestingthantheothermenonemet,oronlydifferent;whetherhewasoriginal,likeAlanhimself,ormerelynovel,andwouldsoonweardowntothetiresomenessthatseemedtounderliethemall,andmadeonewishtodosomethingdreadful。Inthejay’spresenceshehadnowishtodoanythingdreadful。Wasitbecausehewasdreadfulenoughforboth,allthetime,withoutdoinganything?ShewouldliketoaskAlanthat,andseehowhewouldtakeit。Nothingseemedtoputthejayout,sofarasshehadtried,andshehadtriedsomeboldimpertinenceswithhim。Hewasveryjollythroughthemall,andattheworstofthemhelaughedandaskedherforthatdance,whichhenevercametoclaim,thoughinthemeantimehebroughthersomebelatedsupper,andwasdevotedtoherandheraunt,inventingservicestodoforthem。Thensuddenlyhewentoffanddidnotreturn,andMr。Westovermysteriouslyreappeared,andgottheircarriage。
Sheheardascratchingatthekey—holeoftheoutsidedoor;sheknewitwasAlan’slatch。Shehadlefttheinnerdoorajarthattheremightbenouncertaintyofhearinghim,andsheranoutintothespacebetweenthatandtheouterdoorwherethefumblingandscrapingkepton。
\"Isthatyou,Alan?\"shecalled,softly,andifshehadanydoubtbefore,shehadnonewhensheheardherbrotheroutside,cursinghisluckwithhiskeyasusual。
Sheflungthedooropen,andconfrontedhimwithanotherman,whohadhisarmsaroundhimasifhehadcaughthimfromfallingwiththeinwardpullofthedoor。Alangottohisfeetandgrappledwiththeman,andinsistedthatheshouldcomeinandmakeanightofit。
BessiesawthatitwasJeff,andtheystoodamoment,lookingateachother。JefftriedtofreehimselfwithanappealtoBessie:\"Ibegyourpardon,MissLynde。Iwalkedhomewithyourbrother,andIwasjusthelpinghimtogetin——Ididn’tthinkthatyou——\"
Alansaid,withhismeasureddistinctness:\"Nobodycareswhatyouthink。
Comein,andgetsomethingtocarryyouoverthebridge。Cambridgecarsstoppedrunninglongago。Isayyoushall!\"Hebegantoraisehisvoice。Alightflashedinawindowacrosstheway,andasashwaslifted;someonemustbelookingout。