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。