第1章

Thepatient，anold-fashionedman，thoughtthenursemadeamistakeinkeepingbothofthewindowsopen，andhersprightlydisregardofhisprotestsaddedsomethingtohishatredofher。

Everyeveninghetoldherthatanybodywithordinarygumptionoughttorealizethatnightairwasbadforthehumanframe。

\"Thehumanframewon\'tstandeverything，MissPerry，\"hewarnedher，resentfully。\"Evenachild，ifithadjustordinarygumption，oughttoknowenoughnottoletthenightairblowonsickpeopleyes，norwellpeople，either!\'Keepoutofthenightair，nomatterhowwellyoufeel。\'That\'swhatmymotherusedtotellmewhenIwasaboy。\'Keepoutofthenightair，Virgil，\'

she\'dsay。\'Keepoutofthenightair。\'\"

\"Iexpectprobablyhermothertoldherthesamething，\"thenursesuggested。

\"Ofcourseshedid。Mygrandmother——\"

\"Oh，IguessyourGRANDmotherthoughtso，Mr。Adams!Thatwaswhenallthisflatcentralcountrywasswampishandhadn\'tbeendrainedoffyet。Iguessthetruthmustbeentheswampmosquitoesbitpeopleandgave\'emmalaria，especiallybeforetheybegantoputscreensintheirwindows。Well，wegotscreensinthesewindows，andnomosquitoesaregoin\'tobiteus；sojustyoubeagoodboyandrestyourmindandgotosleeplikeyouneedto。\"

\"Sleep？\"hesaid。\"Likely!\"

HethoughtthenightairworstofallinApril；hehadn\'tadoubtitwouldkillhim，hedeclared。\"It\'smiraculouswhatthehumanframeWILLsurvive，\"headmittedonthelasteveningofthatmonth。\"Butyouandthedoctoroughttobothbetaughtitwon\'tstandtoodangmuch!YoupoisonamanandpoisonandpoisonhimwiththisAprilnightair——\"

\"Can\'tpoisonyouwithmuchmoreofit，\"MissPerryinterruptedhim，indulgently。\"To-morrowit\'llbeMaynightair，andI

expectthat\'llbealotbetterforyou，don\'tyou？Nowlet\'sjustsoberdownandbeagoodboyandgetsomenicesoundsleep。\"

Shegavehimhismedicine，and，havingsettheglassuponthecentertable，returnedtohercot，where，afterastillinterval，shesnoredfaintly。Uponthis，hisexpressionbecamethatofamangoadedoutofoverpoweringwearinessintoirony。

\"Sleep？Oh，CERTAINLY，thankyou!\"

However，hedidsleepintermittently，drowsedbetweentimes，andevendreamed；but，forgettinghisdreamsbeforeheopenedhiseyes，andhavingsomepartofhimallthewhileawareofhisdiscomfort，hebelieved，asusual，thathelayawakethewholenightlong。Hewasconsciousofthecityasofsomesinglegreatcreaturerestingfitfullyinthedarkoutsidehiswindows。Itlayallroundabout，inthedampcoverofitsnightcloudofsmoke，andtriedtokeepquietforafewhoursaftermidnight，butwastoopowerfulagrowingthingevertoliealtogetherstill。Evenwhileitstrovetosleepitmutteredwithdigestionsofthedaybefore，andthesealreadymergedwithrumblingsofthemorrow。\"Owl\"cars，bringinginlastpassengersoverdistanttrolley-lines，nowandthenhowledonacurve；farawaymetallicstirringscouldbeheardfromfactoriesinthesootysuburbsontheplainoutsidethecity；east，west，andsouth，switch-engineschuggedandsnortedonsidings；

andeverywhereintheairthereseemedtobeafaint，voluminoushumasofinnumerablewirestremblingoverheadtovibrationofmachineryunderground。

InhisyouthAdamsmighthavebeenlessresentfulofsoundssuchasthesewhentheyinterferedwithhisnight\'ssleep:evenduringanillnesshemighthavetakensomeprideinthemasproofofhiscitizenshipina\"livetown\"；butatfifty-fivehemerelyhatedthembecausetheykepthimawake。They\"pressedonhisnerves，\"

asheputit；andsodidalmosteverythingelse，forthatmatter。

Heheardthemilk-wagondriveintothecross-streetbeneathhiswindowsandstopateachhouse。Themilkmancarriedhisjarsroundtothe\"backporch，\"whilethehorsemovedslowlyaheadtothegateofthenextcustomerandwaitedthere。\"He\'sgoneintoPollocks\'，\"Adamsthought，followingthisprogress。\"Ihopeit\'llsouron\'embeforebreakfast。DeliveredtheAndersons\'。

Nowhe\'sgettingoutours。Listentothedarnbrute!What\'sHE

carewhowantstosleep!\"Hiscomplaintwasofthehorse，whocasuallyshiftedweightwithaclinkofsteelshoesonthewornbrickpavementofthestreet，andthenheartilyshookhimselfinhisharness，perhapstodislodgeaflyfaraheadofitsseason。

Lighthadjustfilmedthewindows；andwiththatthefirstsparrowwoke，chirpedinstantly，androusedneighboursinthetreesofthesmallyard，includingaloud-voicedrobin。

Vociferationsbeganirregularly，butweresoonunanimous。

\"Sleep？Danglikelynow，ain\'tit!\"

Nightsoundswerebecomingdaysounds；thefar-awayhootingoffreight-enginesseemedbriskerthananhouragointhedark。A

cheerfulwhistlerpassedthehouse，evenmorecarelessofsleepersthanthemilkman\'shorsehadbeen；thenagroupofcolouredworkmencameby，andalthoughitwasimpossibletobesurewhethertheywerehomewardboundfromnight-workorontheirwaytoday-work，atleastitwascertainthattheywerejocose。

Loose，aboriginallaughterprecededthemafar，andbeatontheairlongaftertheyhadgoneby。

Thesick-roomnight-light，shieldedfromhiseyesbyanewspaperproppedagainstawater-pitcher，stillshowedathinglimmeringthathadgrownoffensivetoAdams。Inhiswanderingandenfeebledthoughts，whichweremuchmoreoftenimaginingsthanreasonings，theattemptofthenight-lighttoresistthedawnremindedhimofsomethingunpleasant，thoughhecouldnotdiscoverjustwhattheunpleasantthingwas。Herewasapuzzlethatirritatedhimthemorebecausehecouldnotsolveit，yetalwaysseemedjustonthepointofasolution。However，hemayhavelostnothingcheerfulbyremaininginthedarkuponthematter；forifhehadbeenalittlesharperinthisintrospectionhemighthaveconcludedthatthesqualorofthenight-light，initsseemingefforttoshowagainsttheforerunningofthesunitself，hadstimulatedsomehalf-buriedperceptionwithinhimtosketchthepainfullittlesynopsisofanautobiography。

Inspiteofnoiseswithout，hedrowsedagain，notknowingthathedid；andwhenheopenedhiseyesthenursewasjustrisingfromhercot。Hetooknopleasureinthesight，itmaybesaid。Sheexhibitedtohimafacemismodelledbysleep，andsetlikeaclayfaceleftonitscheekinahotanddrystudio。Shewasstillonlyinpartawake，however，andbythetimeshehadextinguishedthenight-lightandgivenherpatienthistonic，shehadrecoveredenoughplasticity。\"Well，isn\'tthatgrand!We\'vehadanothergoodnight，\"shesaidasshedepartedtodressinthebathroom。

\"Yes，youhadanother!\"heretorted，thoughnotuntilaftershehadclosedthedoor。

Presentlyheheardhisdaughtermovingaboutinherroomacrossthenarrowhall，andsoknewthatshehadrisen。Hehopedshewouldcomeintoseehimsoon，forshewastheonethingthatdidn\'tpressonhisnerves，hefelt；thoughthethoughtofherhurthim，as，indeed，everythoughthurthim。Butitwashiswifewhocamefirst。

Sheworealankcottonwrapper，andacrescentofgrayhairescapedtoonetemplefrombeneaththehandkerchiefshehadwornuponherheadforthenightandstillretained；butshedideverythingpossibletomakeherexpressioncheering。

\"Oh，you\'rebetteragain!Icanseethat，assoonasIlookatyou，\"shesaid。\"MissPerrytellsmeyou\'vehadanothersplendidnight。\"

Hemadeasoundofirony，whichseemedtodisposeunfavourablyofMissPerry，andthen，inordertobemorecertainlyintelligible，headded，\"Shesleptwell，asusual!\"

Buthiswife\'ssmilepersisted。\"It\'sagoodsigntobecross；

itmeansyou\'repracticallyconvalescentrightnow。\"

\"Oh，Iam，amI？\"

\"Nodoubtintheworld!\"sheexclaimed。\"Why，you\'repracticallyawellman，Virgil——allexceptgettingyourstrengthback，ofcourse，andthatisn\'tgoingtotakelong。You\'llberightonyourfeetinacoupleofweeksfromnow。\"

\"Oh，Iwill？\"

\"Ofcourseyouwill!\"Shelaughedbriskly，and，goingtothetableinthecenteroftheroom，movedhisglassofmedicineaninchortwo，turnedabookoversothatitlayuponitsotherside，andforafewmomentsoccupiedherselfwithsimilarfutilities，havingtakenontheairofapersonwhomakesthingsneat，thoughsheproducednosuchactualeffectuponthem。\"Ofcourseyouwill，\"sherepeated，absently。\"You\'llbeasstrongasyoueverwere；maybestronger。\"Shepausedforamoment，notlookingathim，thenadded，cheerfully，\"Sothatyoucanflyaroundandfindsomethingreallygoodtogetinto。\"

Somethingimportantbetweenthemcamenearthesurfacehere，forthoughshespokewithwhatseemedbutacasualcheerfulness，therewasalittlebetrayingbreakinhervoice，atremblingjustperceptibleintheutteranceofthefinalword。Andshestillkeptuptheaffectationofbeinghelpfullypreoccupiedwiththetable，anddidnotlookatherhusband——perhapsbecausetheyhadbeenmarriedsomanyyearsthatwithoutlookingsheknewjustwhathisexpressionwouldbe，andpreferredtoavoidtheactualsightofitaslongaspossible。Meanwhile，hestaredhardather，hislipsbeginningtomovewithlittledistortionsnotlackinginthepathosofasickman\'sagitation。

\"Sothat\'sit，\"hesaid。\"That\'swhatyou\'rehintingat。\"

\"\'Hinting？\'\"Mrs。Adamslookedsurprisedandindulgent。\"Why，I\'mnotdoinganyhinting，Virgil。\"

\"Whatdidyousayaboutmyfinding\'somethinggoodtogetinto？\'\"

heasked，sharply。\"Don\'tyoucallthathinting？\"

Mrs。Adamsturnedtowardhimnow；shecametothebedsideandwouldhavetakenhishand，buthequicklymoveditawayfromher。

\"Youmustn\'tletyourselfgetnervous，\"shesaid。\"Butofcoursewhenyougetwellthere\'sonlyonethingtodo。Youmustn\'tgobacktothatoldholeagain。\"

\"\'Oldhole？\'That\'swhatyoucallit，isit？\"Inspiteofhisweakness，angermadehisvoicestrident，anduponthisstimulationshespokemoreurgently。

\"Youjustmustn\'tgobacktoit，Virgil。It\'snotfairtoanyofus，andyouknowitisn\'t。\"

\"Don\'ttellmewhatIknow，please!\"

Sheclaspedherhands，suddenlycarryingherurgencytoplaintiveentreaty。\"Virgil，youWON\'Tgobacktothathole？\"

\"That\'sanicewordtousetome!\"hesaid。\"Callaman\'sbusinessahole!\"

\"Virgil，ifyoudon\'toweittometolookforsomethingdifferent，don\'tyouoweittoyourchildren？Don\'ttellmeyouwon\'tdowhatweallwantyouto，andwhatyouknowinyourheartyououghtto!AndifyouHAVEgotintooneofyourstubbornfitsandareboundtogobacktherefornootherreasonexcepttohaveyourownway，don\'ttellmeso，forIcan\'tbearit!\"

Helookedupatherfiercely。\"You\'vegotafinewaytocureasickman!\"hesaid；butshehadconcludedherappeal——forthattime——andinsteadofmakinganymorewordsinthematter，lethimseethatthereweretearsinhereyes，shookherhead，andlefttheroom。

Alone，helaybreathingrapidly，hisemaciatedchestprovingitselfequaltothedemandshisemotionputuponit。\"Fine!\"herepeated，withhuskyindignation。\"Finewaytocureasickman!

Fine!\"Then，afterasilence，hegaveforthwhisperingsoundsasoflaughter，hisexpressionthewhileremainingsoreandfarfromhumour。

\"Andgiveusourdailybread!\"headded，meaningthathiswife\'slittleperformancewasnonovelty。

CHAPTERII

Infact，theagitationofMrs。Adamswasgenuine，butsowellunderhercontrolthatitstracesvanishedduringthethreeshortstepsshetooktocrossthenarrowhallbetweenherhusband\'sdoorandtheoneopposite。Herexpressionwasmatter-of-course，ratherthanpathetic，assheenteredtheprettyroomwhereherdaughter，halfdressed，satbeforeadressing-tableandplayedwiththereflectionsofathree-leafedmirrorframedinblueenamel。Thatis，justbeforethemomentofhermother\'sentrance，Alicehadbeenplayingwiththemirror\'sreflections——posturingherarmsandherexpressions，claspingherhandsbehindherneck，andtiltingbackherheadtoforeshortenthefaceinatableauconceivedtorepresentsauciness，thenoneofsmilingweariness，thenoneofscornfultoleration，andallverypiquant；butasthedooropenedshehurriedlyresumedthepractical，andoccupiedherhandsinthearrangementofherplentifulbrownishhair。

Theywereprettyhands，ofashapelinessdelicateandfine。\"Thebestthingsshe\'sgot!\"acold-bloodedgirlfriendsaidofthem，andmeanttoincludeAlice\'smindandcharacterintheimpliedlistofpossessionssurpassedbythenotablehands。Howeverthatmayhavebeen，therestofherwaswellenough。Shewasoftencalled\"arightprettygirl\"——temperatepraisemeaningagirlratherprettythanotherwise，andthisshedeserved，tosaytheleast。Eveninreposeshedeservedit，thoughreposewasanythingbutherhabit，beingseldomseenuponherexceptathome。Onexhibitionsheledalifeofgestures，theunkindsaidtomakeherlovelyhandsmorememorable；butallofherusuallyaccompaniedthegesturesofthehands，theshouldersevergivingthemtheirimpulsesfirst，andevenherfeetbeingcalledupon，atthesametime，foreloquence。

Somuchlivelinesstookproperplaceasonlyaccessorytothatoftheface，wherehervivacityreacheditsclimax；anditwasunfortunatethatanungiftedyoungman，newinthetown，shouldhaveattemptedtodefinetheeffectuponhimofallthisgenerosityofemphasis。Hesaidthat\"thewaysheusedhercutehazeleyesandthewonderfulglowofherfacialexpressiongaveheramightyspiritualquality。\"Hisactualrenditionofthewordwas\"spirichul\"；butitwasnothispronunciationthatembalmedthisoutburstintheperenniallaughterofAlice\'sgirlfriends；theymadethemisfortunefarlesshisthanhers。

Hermothercomfortedhertooheartily，insistingthatAlicehad\"plentyenoughspiritualqualities，\"certainlymorethanpossessedbytheothergirlswhoflungthephraseather，woodenthings，jealousofeverythingtheywereincapableofthemselves；

andthenAlice，gettingmorechampionshipthanshesought，grewuneasylestMrs。Adamsshouldrepeatsuchdefenses\"outsidethefamily\"；andMrs。Adamsendedbyweepingbecausethedaughtersodistrustedherintelligence。Alicefrequentlythoughtitnecessarytoinstructhermother。

Hermorninggreetingwasaninstructionto-day；or，rather，itwasanadmonitioninthestyleofanentreaty，themorepetulantasAlicethoughtthatMrs。Adamsmighthavehadaglimpseoftheposturingstothemirror。Thiswasaneedlessworry；themotherhadcaughtathousandsuchglimpses，withAliceunaware，andshethoughtnothingoftheonejustflitted。

\"Forheaven\'ssake，mama，comeclearinsidetheroomandshutthedoor!PLEASEdon\'tleaveitopenforeverybodytolookatme!\"

\"Thereisn\'tanybodytoseeyou，\"Mrs。Adamsexplained，obeying。

\"MissPerry\'sgonedownstairs，and——\"

\"Mama，Iheardyouinpapa\'sroom，\"Alicesaid，notdroppingthenoteofcomplaint。\"Icouldhearbothofyou，andIdon\'tthinkyououghttogetpooroldpapasoupset——notinhispresentcondition，anyhow。\"

Mrs。Adamsseatedherselfontheedgeofthebed。\"He\'sbetterallthetime，\"shesaid，notdisturbed。\"He\'salmostwell。ThedoctorsayssoandMissPerrysaysso；andifwedon\'tgethimintotherightframeofmindnowweneverwill。Thefirstdayhe\'soutdoorshe\'llgobacktothatoldhole——you\'llsee!Andifheoncedoesthat，he\'llsettledownthereandit\'llbetoolateandwe\'llnevergethimout。\"

\"Well，anyhow，Ithinkyoucouldusealittlemoretactwithhim。\"

\"Idotryto，\"themothersighed。\"Itneverwasmuchusewithhim。Idon\'tthinkyouunderstandhimaswellasIdo，Alice。\"

\"There\'sonethingIdon\'tunderstandabouteitherofyou，\"Alicereturned，crisply。\"Beforepeoplegetmarriedtheycandoanythingtheywanttowitheachother。Whycan\'ttheydothesamethingafterthey\'remarried？Whenyouandpapawereyoungpeopleandengaged，he\'dhavedoneanythingyouwantedhimto。

Thatmusthavebeenbecauseyouknewhowtomanagehimthen。Whycan\'tyougoathimthesamewaynow？\"

Mrs。Adamssighedagain，andlaughedalittle，makingnootherresponse；butAlicepersisted。\"Well，WHYcan\'tyou？Whycan\'tyouaskhimtodothingsthewayyouusedtoaskhimwhenyouwerejustinlovewitheachother？Whydon\'tyouanyhowtryit，mama，insteadofding-dongingathim？\"

\"\'Ding-dongingathim，\'Alice？\"Mrs。Adamssaid，withapathossomewhatemphasized。\"IsthathowmytryingtodowhatIcanforyoustrikesyou？\"

\"Nevermindthat；it\'snothingtohurtyourfeelings。\"Alicedisposedofthepathosbriskly。\"Whydon\'tyouanswermyquestion？What\'sthematterwithusingalittlemoretactonpapa？Whycan\'tyoutreathimthewayyouprobablydidwhenyouwereyoungpeople，beforeyouweremarried？Ineverhaveunderstoodwhypeoplecan\'tdothat。\"

\"PerhapsyouWILLunderstandsomeday，\"hermothersaid，gently。

\"Maybeyouwillwhenyou\'vebeenmarriedtwenty-fiveyears。\"

\"Youkeepevading。Whydon\'tyouanswermyquestionrightstraightout？\"

\"Therearequestionsyoucan\'tanswertoyoungpeople，Alice。\"

\"Youmeanbecausewe\'retooyoungtounderstandtheanswer？I

don\'tseethatatall。Attwenty-twoagirl\'ssupposedtohavesomeintelligence，isn\'tshe？Andintelligenceistheabilitytounderstand，isn\'tit？WhydoIhavetowaittillI\'velivedwithamantwenty-fiveyearstounderstandwhyyoucan\'tbetactfulwithpapa？\"

\"Youmayunderstandsomethingsbeforethat，\"Mrs。Adamssaid，tremulously。\"Youmayunderstandhowyouhurtmesometimes。

Youthcan\'tknoweverythingbybeingintelligent，andbythetimeyoucouldunderstandtheansweryou\'reaskingforyou\'dknowit，andwouldn\'tneedtoask。Youdon\'tunderstandyourfather，Alice；youdon\'tknowwhatittakestochangehimwhenhe\'smadeuphismindtobestubborn。\"

Aliceroseandbegantogetherselfintoaskirt。\"Well，Idon\'tthinkmakingsceneseverchangesanybody，\"shegrumbled。\"I

thinkalittlejollypersuasiongoestwiceasfar，myself。\"

\"\'Alittlejollypersuasion!\'\"Hermotherturnedtheechoofthisphraseintoanironiclament。\"Yes，therewasatimewhenI

thoughtthat，too!Itdidn\'twork；that\'sall。\"

\"Perhapsyouleftthe\'jolly\'partofitout，mama。\"

Forthesecondtimethatmorning——itwasnowalittleafterseveno\'clock——tearsseemedabouttooffertheirsolacetoMrs。Adams。

\"Imighthaveexpectedyoutosaythat，Alice；youneverdomissachance，\"shesaid，gently。\"Itseemsqueeryoudon\'tsometimemissjustONEchance!\"

ButAlice，progressingwithhertoilet，appearedtobelittleconcerned。\"Oh，well，Ithinktherearebetterwaysofmanagingamanthanjusthammeringathim。\"

Mrs。Adamsutteredalittlecryofpain。\"\'Hammering，\'Alice？\"

\"Ifyou\'dleftitentirelytome，\"herdaughterwenton，briskly，\"Ibelievepapa\'dalreadybewillingtodoanythingwewanthimto。\"

\"That\'sit；tellmeIspoileverything。Well，Iwon\'tinterferefromnowon，youcanbesureofit。\"

\"Pleasedon\'ttalklikethat，\"Alicesaid，quickly。\"I\'moldenoughtorealizethatpapamayneedpressureofallsorts；I

onlythinkitmakeshimmoreobstinatetogethimcross。Youprobablydounderstandhimbetter，butthat\'sonethingI\'vefoundoutandyouhaven\'t。There!\"Shegavehermotherafriendlytapontheshoulderandwenttothedoor。\"I\'llhopinandsayhellotohimnow。\"

Asshewent，shecontinuedthefasteningofherblouse，andappearedinherfather\'sroomwithonehandstillthusengaged，butshepattedhisforeheadwiththeother。

\"Pooroldpapa-daddy!\"shesaid，gaily。\"Everytimehe\'sbettersomebodytalkshimintogettingsomadhehasarelapse。It\'sashame!\"

Herfather\'seyes，beneaththeirmelancholybrows，lookedupatherwistfully。\"Isupposeyouheardyourmothergoingforme，\"

hesaid。

\"Iheardyougoingforher，too!\"Alicelaughed。\"Whatwasitallabout？\"

\"Oh，thesamedangedoldstory!\"

\"Youmeanshewantsyoutotrysomethingnewwhenyougetwell？\"

Aliceasked，withcheerfulinnocence。\"Sowecouldallhavealotmoremoney？\"

Atthishissorrowfulforeheadwasmoresorrowfulthanever。Thedeephorizontallinesmovedupwardtoapatternofsufferingsofamiliartohisdaughterthatitmeantnothingtoher；buthespokequietly。\"Yes；sowewouldn\'thaveanymoneyatall，mostlikely。\"

\"Oh，no!\"shelaughed，and，finishingwithherblouse，pattedhischeekswithbothhands。\"Justthinkhowmanygrandopeningstheremustbeforamanthatknowsasmuchasyoudo!Ialwaysdidbelieveyoucouldgetrichifyouonlycaredto，papa。\"

Butuponhisforeheadthepainfulpatternstilldeepened。\"Don\'tyouthinkwe\'vealwayshadenough，thewaythingsare，Alice？\"

\"NotthewaythingsARE!\"Shepattedhischeeksagain；laughedagain。\"Itusedtobeenough，maybeanywaywedidskimpalongonit——butthewaythingsarenowIexpectmama\'sreallyprettypracticalinherideas，though，Ithinkit\'sashameforhertobotheryouaboutitwhileyou\'resoweak。Don\'tyouworryaboutit，though；justthinkaboutotherthingstillyougetstrong。\"

\"Youknow，\"hesaid；\"youknowitisn\'texactlytheeasiestthingintheworldforamanofmyagetofindthesegrandopeningsyouspeakof。Andwhenyou\'vepassedhalf-wayfromfiftytosixtyyou\'reapttoseesomeriskingivingupwhatyouknowhowtodoandtryingsomethingnew。\"

\"My，whatafrown!\"shecried，blithely。\"Didn\'tItellyoutostopthinkingaboutittillyougetALLwell？\"Shebentoverhim，givinghimagaylittlekissonthebridgeofhisnose。\"There!

Imustruntobreakfast。Cheerupnow!Au\'voir!\"Andwithherprettyhandshewavedfurtherencouragementfromtheclosingdoorasshedeparted。

Lightsomelydescendingthenarrowstairway，shewhistledasshewent，herfingersdrummingtimeontherail；and，stillwhistling，shecameintothedining-room，wherehermotherandherbrotherwerealreadyatthetable。Thebrother，athinandsallowboyoftwenty，greetedherwithoutmuchapprovalasshetookherplace。

\"Nothingseemstotroubleyou!\"hesaid。

\"No；nothingmuch，\"shemadeairyresponse。\"What\'stroublingyourself，Walter？\"

\"Don\'tletthatworryyou!\"hereturned，seemingtoconsiderthistobereparteeofaneffectivesort；forhefurnishedashortlaughtogowithit，andturnedtohiscoffeewiththemannerofonewhohassatisfactorilyclosedanepisode。

\"Walteralwaysseemstohavesomanysecrets!\"Alicesaid，studyinghimshrewdly，butwithafriendlyenoughamusementinherscrutiny。\"Everythinghedoesorsaysseemstobeactedforthebenefitofsomemysteriousaudienceinsidehimself，andhealwaysgetsitsapplause。Takewhathesaidjustnow:heseemstothinkitmeanssomething，butifitdoes，why，that\'sjustanothersecretbetweenhimandthesecretaudienceinsideofhim!

Wedon\'treallyknowanythingaboutWalteratall，dowe，mama？\"

Walterlaughedagain，inamannerthatsustainedhertheorywellenough；thenafterfinishinghiscoffee，hetookfromhispocketaflattenedpacketinglazedbluepaper；extractedwithstainedfingersabentandwrinkledlittlecigarette，lightedit，hitcheduphisbeltedtrouserswiththeairofapersonwhoturnsfromtriflestothingsbetterworthhisattention，andlefttheroom。

Alicelaughedasthedoorclosed。\"He\'sALLsecrets，\"shesaid。

\"Don\'tyouthinkyoureallyoughttoknowmoreabouthim，mama？\"

\"I\'msurehe\'sagoodboy，\"Mrs。Adamsreturned，thoughtfully。

\"He\'sbeenverybraveaboutnotbeingabletohavetheadvantagesthatareenjoyedbytheboyshe\'sgrownupwith。I\'veneverheardawordofcomplaintfromhim。\"

\"Abouthisnotbeingsenttocollege？\"Alicecried。\"Ishouldthinkyouwouldn\'t!Hedidn\'tevenhaveenoughambitiontofinishhighschool!\"

Mrs。Adamssighed。\"ItseemedtomeWalterlosthisambitionwhennearlyalltheboyshe\'dgrownupwithwenttoEasternschoolstoprepareforcollege，andwecouldn\'taffordtosendhim。Ifonlyyourfatherwouldhavelistened——\"

Aliceinterrupted:\"Whatnonsense!Walterhatedbooksandstudying，andathletics，too，forthatmatter。Hedoesn\'tcareforanythingnicethatIeverheardof。Whatdoyousupposehedoeslike，mama？Hemustlikesomethingorothersomewhere，butwhatdoyousupposeitis？Whatdoeshedowithhistime？\"

\"Why，thepoorboy\'satLambandCompany\'sallday。Hedoesn\'tgetthroughuntilfiveintheafternoon；hedoesn\'tHAVEmuchtime。\"

\"Well，weneverhavedinneruntilaboutseven，andhe\'salwayslatefordinner，andgoesout，heavenknowswhere，rightafterward!\"Aliceshookherhead。\"Heusedtogowithourfriends\'boys，butIdon\'tthinkhedoesnow。\"

\"Why，howcouldhe？\"Mrs。Adamsprotested。\"Thatisn\'thisfault，poorchild!Theboysheknewwhenhewasyoungerarenearlyallawayatcollege。\"

\"Yes，buthedoesn\'tseeanythingof\'emwhenthey\'rehereatholiday-timeorvacation。Noneof\'emcometothehouseanymore。\"

\"Isupposehe\'smadeotherfriends。It\'snaturalforhimtowantcompanions，athisage。\"

\"Yes，\"Alicesaid，withdisapprovingemphasis。\"Butwhoarethey？I\'vegotanideaheplayspoolatsomeroughplacedown-town。\"

\"Oh，no；I\'msurehe\'sasteadyboy，\"Mrs。Adamsprotested，buthertonewasnotthatofthoroughgoingconviction，andsheadded，\"Lifemightbeaverydifferentthingforhimifonlyyourfathercanbebroughttosee——\"

\"Nevermind，mama!Itisn\'tmethathastobeconvinced，youknow；andwecandoalotmorewithpapaifwejustlethimaloneaboutitforadayortwo。Promisemeyouwon\'tsayanymoretohimuntil——well，untilhe\'sabletocomedownstairstotable。

Willyou？\"

Mrs。Adamsbitherlip，whichhadbeguntotremble。\"IthinkyoucantrustmetoknowaFEWthings，Alice，\"shesaid。\"I\'malittleolderthanyou，youknow。\"

\"That\'sagoodgirl!\"Alicejumpedup，laughing。\"Don\'tforgetit\'sthesameasapromise，anddojustcheerhimupalittle。

I\'llsaygood-byetohimbeforeIgoout。\"

\"Whereareyougoing？\"

\"Oh，I\'vegotlotstodo。IthoughtI\'drunouttoMildred\'stoseewhatshe\'sgoingtowearto-night，andthenIwanttogodownandbuyayardofchiffonandsomenarrowribbontomakenewbowsformyslippers——you\'llhavetogivemesomemoney——\"

\"Ifhe\'llgiveittome!\"hermotherlamented，astheywenttowardthefrontstairstogether；butanhourlatershecameintoAlice\'sroomwithabillinherhand。

\"Hehassomemoneyinhisbureaudrawer，\"shesaid。\"Hefinallytoldmewhereitwas。\"

Thereweretracesofemotioninhervoice，andAlice，lookingshrewdlyather，sawmoistureinhereyes。

\"Mama!\"shecried。\"Youdidn\'tdowhatyoupromisedmeyouwouldn\'t，didyou——NOTbeforeMissPerry!\"

\"MissPerry\'sgettinghimsomebroth，\"Mrs。Adamsreturned，calmly。\"Besides，you\'remistakeninsayingIpromisedyouanything；IsaidIthoughtyoucouldtrustmetoknowwhatisright。\"

\"Soyoudidbringitupagain!\"AndAliceswungawayfromher，strodetoherfather\'sdoor，flungitopen，wenttohim，andputalighthandsoothinglyoverhisunrelaxedforehead。

\"Pooroldpapa!\"shesaid。\"It\'sashamehoweverybodywantstotroublehim。Heshan\'tbebotheredanymoreatall!Hedoesn\'tneedtohaveeverybodytellinghimhowtogetawayfromthatoldholehe\'sworkedinsolongandbegintomakeusallniceandrich。HEknowshow!\"

Thereuponshekissedhimaconsolinggood-bye，andmadeanothergaydeparture，thecharminghandagainflutteringlikeawhitebutterflyintheshadowoftheclosingdoor。

CHAPTERIII

Mrs。AdamshadremainedinAlice\'sroom，buthermoodseemedtohavechanged，duringherdaughter\'slittlemorethanmomentaryabsence。

\"WhatdidheSAY？\"sheasked，quickly，andhertonewashopeful。

\"\'Say？\'\"Alicerepeated，impatiently。\"Why，nothing。Ididn\'tlethim。Really，mama，Ithinkthebestthingforyoutodowouldbetojustkeepoutofhisroom，becauseIdon\'tbelieveyoucangointhereandnottalktohimaboutit，andifyoudotalkwe\'llnevergethimtodotherightthing。Never!\"

Themother\'sresponsewasagrievingsilence；sheturnedfromherdaughterandwalkedtothedoor。

\"Now，forgoodness\'sake!\"Alicecried。\"Don\'tgomakingtragedyoutofmyofferingyoualittlepracticaladvice!\"

\"I\'mnot，\"Mrs。Adamsgulped，halting。\"I\'mjust——justgoingtodustthedownstairs，Alice。\"Andwithherfacestillaverted，shewentoutintothelittlehallway，closingthedoorbehindher。Amomentlatershecouldbehearddescendingthestairs，thesoundofherfootstepscarryingsomehowaneffectofresignation。

Alicelistened，sighed，and，breathingthewords，\"Oh，murder!\"

turnedtocheeriermatters。Sheputonalittleapple-greenturbanwithadimgoldbandroundit，andthen，havingshroudedtheturbaninawhiteveil，whichshekeptpushedupaboveherforehead，shegotherselfintoatancoatofsoftclothfashionedwithrakishseverity。Afterthat，havingstudiedherselfgravelyinalongglass，shetookfromoneofthedrawersofherdressing-tableablackleathercard-casecorneredinsilverfiligree，butfounditempty。

Sheopenedanotherdrawerwhereinweretwowhitepasteboardboxesofcards，theonesetshowingsimply\"MissAdams，\"theotherengravedinGothiccharacters，\"MissAlysTuttleAdams。\"ThelatterbelongedtoAlice\'s\"Alys\"period——mostgirlsgothroughit；andAlicemusthavefeltthatshehadgraduated，for，afterfrowningthoughtfullyattheexhibitthismorning，shetooktheboxwithitscontents，andletthewhiteshowerfallfromherfingersintothewaste-basketbesidehersmalldesk。Shereplenishedthecard-casefromthe\"MissAdams\"box；then，havingfoundapairoffreshwhitegloves，shetuckedanivory-toppedMalaccawalking-stickunderherarmandsetforth。

Shewentdownthestairs，buttoningherglovesandstillwearingthefrownwithwhichshehadput\"Alys\"finallyoutofherlife。

Shedescendedslowly，andpausedontheloweststep，lookingaboutherwithanexpressionthatneededbutaslightdeepeningtobetokenbitterness。Itsconnectionwithherdropping\"Alys\"

foreverwasslight，however。

Thesmallframehouse，aboutfifteenyearsold，wasalreadyincliningtobecomeanewColonialrelic。TheAdamseshadbuiltit，movingintoitfromthe\"QueenAnne\"housetheyhadrenteduntiltheytookthisstepinfashion。Butfifteenyearsisalongtimetostandstillinthemidlandcountry，evenforahouse，andthisonewaslightlymade，thoughtheAdamseshadnotrealizedhowflimsilyuntiltheyhadlivedinitforsometime。

\"Solid，compact，andconvenient\"weretheinstructionstothearchitect，andhehadmadeitcompactsuccessfully。Alice，pausingatthefootofthestairway，wasatthesametimefairlyinthe\"living-room，\"fortheonlyseparationbetweenthe\"livingroom\"andthehallwasademarcationsuggestedtowillingimaginationsbyapairofwoodencolumnspaintedwhite。Thesecolumns，pineunderthepaint，werebruisedandchippedatthebase；oneofthemshowedacrackthatthreatenedtobecomeasplit；the\"hard-wood\"floorhadbecomeuneven；andinacornerthewallsapparentlyfailedofsolidity，wherethewall-paperhaddeclinedtoaccompanysomestaggeringsoftheplasterbeneathit。

Thefurniturewasingreatpartanaccumulationbegunwiththeweddinggifts；thoughsomeofitwasolder，twolargepatentrocking-chairsandafootstoolhavingbelongedtoMrs。Adams\'smotherinthedaysofhardbrownplushandveneer。Fordecorationtherewerepicturesandvases。Mrs。Adamshadalwaysbeenfondofvases，shesaid，andeveryyearherhusband\'sChristmaspresenttoherwasavaseofonesortoranother——whatevertheclerkshowedhim，markedatabouttwelveorfourteendollars。Thepicturesweresomeofthemetchingsframedingilt:Rheims，Canterbury，schoonersgroupedagainstawharf；

andAlicecouldrememberhow，inherchildhood，herfathersometimespointedoutthewateryreflectionsinthislastasveryfine。Butitwasalongtimesincehehadshowninterestinsuchthings——\"orinanythingmuch，\"asshethought。

Otherpicturesweretwowater-coloursinbaroqueframes；onebeingtheAmalfimonkonapergolawall，whilethesecondwasayard-widedisplayofirisblossoms，paintedbyAliceherselfatfourteen，asabirthdaygifttohermother。Alice\'sglancepauseduponitnowwithnogreatpride，butshowedmoreapprovalofanenormousphotographoftheColosseum。Thisshethoughtofas\"theonlygoodthingintheroom\"；itpossessedandbestoweddistinction，shefelt；andshedidnotregrethavingwonherstruggletogetithunginitsconspicuousplaceofhonouroverthemantelpiece。Formerlythatplacehadbeenheldforyearsbyasteel-engraving，anaccuraterepresentationoftheSuspensionBridgeatNiagaraFalls。Itwasalmostaslargeasitssuccessor，the\"Colosseum，\"andithadbeenpresentedtoMr。