第9章

Oneofthem——theonenexttothebarber-shop——hadacrossitsfrontanample，jig-sawedveranda，whereaforetime，nodoubt，thefatherofafamilyhadfannedhimselfwithapalm-leaffanonSundayafternoons，watchingthesurreysgoby，andwherehisdaughterlistenedtomandolinsandbadinageonstarlitevenings； but，althoughyouthstillheldtheveranda，boththeyouthandtheverandawereindecay。Thefourorfiveyoungmenwholoungedtherethisafternoonwereofatypeknowntoshadypool-parlours。Hatsfoundnofavourwiththem；allofthemworecaps；andtheirtightclothes，apparentlyfromacommonsource，showedavivaciousfancyforobliquepockets，falsebelts，andEaster-eggcolourings。Anotherthingcommontothegroupwastheexpressionofeyeandmouth；andAlice，inthemidstofherotherthoughts，hadadistastefulthoughtaboutthis。 Theverandawaswithinadozenfeetofthesidewalk，andassheandherescortcamenearer，shetooknoteoftheyoungmen，herfacehardeningalittle，evenbeforeshesuspectedtheremightbearesemblancebetweenthemandanyonesheknew。Thensheobservedthateachoftheseloungersworenotfortheoccasion，butasofhabit，alookoffurtivelyamusedcontempt；themouthsmiledtoonesideasifnottodislodgeacigarette，whiletheeyeskeptlanguidlysuperior。AllatonceAlicewasremindedofWalter；andtheslightfrowncausedbythisideahadjustbeguntodarkenherforeheadwhenWalterhimselfsteppedoutoftheopendoorofthehouseandappearedupontheveranda。Uponhisheadwasanewstrawhat，andinhishandwasaMalaccastickwithanivorytop，forAlicehadfinallydecidedagainstitforherselfandhadgivenittohim。Hismoodwaslively:hetwirledthestickthroughhisfingerslikeadrum-major\'sbaton，andwhistledloudly。 Moreover，hewasindeedaccompanied。Withhimwasathingirlwhohadmadeaviolentblack-and-whiteposterofherself:blackdress，blackflimsyboa，blackstockings，whiteslippers，greatblackhatdownupontheblackeyes；andbeneaththehatacurveofcheekandchinmadewhiteaswhitewash，andinstrongbilateralmotionwithgum。 Theloungersontheverandawerefamiliarsofthepair；hailedthemwithcacklings；andonebegantosing，inavoicealltin: \"Thenmyskirt，Sal，andmedidgoRightstraighttothemoving-pitchershow。 OH，youbashfulvamp!\" Thegirllaughedairily。\"God，butyouguysarewise!\"shesaid。 \"Comeon，Wallie。\" Walterstaredathissister；thengrinnedfaintly，andnoddedatRussellasthelatterliftedhishatinsalutation。Aliceutteredanincoherentsyllableofexclamation，and，asshebegantowalkfaster，shebitherliphard，notinordertolookwistful，thistime，buttohelpherkeeptearsofangerfromhereyes。 Russelllaughedcheerfully。\"Yourbrothercertainlyseemstohavefoundtheplacefor\'colour\'today，\"hesaid。\"Thatgirl\'stalkmustbefullofit。\" ButAlicehadforgottenthecoloursheherselfhadusedinaccountingforWalter\'speculiarities，andshedidnotunderstand。\"What？\"shesaid，huskily。 \"Don\'tyouremembertellingmeabouthim？Howhewasgoingtowrite，probably，andwouldgoanywheretopickuptypesandgetthemtotalk？\" Shekepthereyesahead，andsaidsharply，\"Ithinkhisliterarytastesscarcelycoverthiscase!\" \"Don\'tbetoosure。Hedidn\'tlookatalldisconcerted。Hedidn\'tseemtomindyourseeinghim。\" \"That\'salltheworse，isn\'tit？\" \"Why，no，\"herfriendsaid，genially。\"Itmeanshedidn\'tconsiderthathewasengagedinanythingoutoftheway。Youcan\'texpecttounderstandeverythingboysdoathisage；theydoallsortsofqueerthings，andoutgrowthem。Yourbrotherevidentlyhasatasteforqueerpeople，andverylikelyhe\'sbeenatleasthalfsincerewhenhe\'smadeyoubelievehehadaliterarymotivebehindit。Weallgothrough——\" \"Thanks，Mr。Russell，\"sheinterrupted。\"Let\'sdon\'tsayanymore。\" Helookedatherflushedfaceandenlargedeyes；andhelikedherallthebetterforherindignation:thiswashowgoodsistersoughttofeel，hethought，failingtounderstandthatmostofwhatshefeltwasnotaboutWalter。Heventuredonlyawordmore。\"Trynottominditsomuch；itreallydoesn\'tamounttoanything。\" Sheshookherhead，andtheywentoninsilence；shedidnotlookathimagainuntiltheystoppedbeforeherownhouse。Thenshegavehimonlyoneglimpseofhereyesbeforeshelookeddown。 \"It\'sspoiled，isn\'tit？\"shesaid，inalowvoice。 \"What\'s\'spoiled？\'\" \"Ourwalk——well，everything。Somehowitalways——is。\" \"\'Alwaysis\'what？\"heasked。 \"Spoiled，\"shesaid。 Helaughedatthat；butwithoutlookingathimshesuddenlyofferedhimherhand，and，ashetookit，hefeltahurried，violentpressureuponhisfingers，asifshemeanttothankhimalmostpassionatelyforbeingkind。Shewasgonebeforehecouldspeaktoheragain。 Inherroom，withthedoorlocked，shedidnotgotohermirror，buttoherbed，flingingherselffacedown，notcaringhowfarthepillowsputherhatawry。Sheergriefhadfollowedheranger；griefforthecalamitousendofherbrightafternoon，griefforthe\"endofeverything，\"asshethoughtthen。 Nevertheless，shegraduallygrewmorecomposed，and，whenhermothertappedonthedoorpresently，letherin。Mrs。Adamslookedatherwithquickapprehension。 \"Oh，poorchild!Wasn\'the——\" Alicetoldher。\"Youseehowit——howitmademelook，mama，\"shequavered，havingconcludedhernarrative。\"I\'dtriedtocoverupWalter\'sawfulnessatthedancewiththatstoryabouthisbeing\'literary，\'butnostorywasbigenoughtocoverthisup——andoh! itmustmakehimthinkItellstoriesaboutotherthings!\" \"No，no，no!\"Mrs。Adamsprotested。\"Don\'tyousee？Attheworst，allHEcouldthinkisthatWaltertoldstoriestoyouaboutwhyhelikestobewithsuchdreadfulpeople，andyoubelievedthem。That\'sallHE\'Dthink；don\'tyousee？\" Alice\'sweteyesbegantoshowalittlehopefulness。\"Youhonestlythinkitmightbethatway，mama？\" \"Why，fromwhatyou\'vetoldmehesaid，IKNOWit\'sthatway。 Didn\'thesayhewantedtocomeagain？\" \"N-no，\"Alicesaid，uncertainly。\"ButIthinkhewill。AtleastIbegintothinksonow。He——\"Shestopped。 \"Fromallyoutellme，heseemstobeaverydesirableyoungman，\"Mrs。Adamssaid，primly。 Herdaughterwassilentforseveralmoments；thennewtearsgathereduponherdowncastlashes。\"He\'sjust——dear!\"shefaltered。 Mrs。Adamsnodded。\"He\'stoldyouheisn\'tengaged，hasn\'the？\" \"No。ButIknowheisn\'t。Maybewhenhefirstcameherehewasnearit，butIknowhe\'snot。\" \"IguessMildredPalmerwouldLIKEhimtobe，allright!\"Mrs。 Adamswasfrankenoughtosay，rathertriumphantly；andAlice，withaloweredhead，murmured: \"Anybody——would。\" Thewordswereallbutinaudible。 \"Don\'tyouworry，\"hermothersaid，andpattedherontheshoulder。\"Everythingwillcomeoutallright；don\'tyoufear，Alice。Can\'tyouseethatbesideanyothergirlintownyou\'rejustaperfectQUEEN？Doyouthinkanyyoungmanthatwasn\'tprejudiced，orsomething，wouldneedmorethanjustonelookto——\" ButAlicemovedawayfromthecaressinghand。\"Nevermind，mama。 Iwonderhelooksatmeatall。Andifhedoesagain，afterseeingmybrotherwiththosehorriblepeople——\" \"Now，now!\"Mrs。Adamsinterrupted，expostulatingmournfully。 \"I\'msureWalter\'saGOODboy——\" \"Youare？\"Alicecried，withasuddenvigour。\"YouARE？\" \"I\'msurehe\'sGOOD，yes——andifheisn\'t，it\'snothisfault。 It\'smine。\" \"Whatnonsense!\" \"No，it\'strue，\"Mrs。Adamslamented。\"Itriedtobringhimuptobegood，Godknows；andwhenhewaslittlehewasthebestboyIeversaw。WhenhecamefromSunday-schoolhe\'dalwaysruntomeandwe\'dgooverthelessontogether；andheletmecomeinhisroomatnighttohearhisprayersalmostuntilhewassixteen。Mostboyswon\'tdothatwiththeirmothers——notnearlythatlong。Itriedsohardtobringhimupright——butifanything\'sgonewrongit\'smyfault。\" \"Howcoulditbe？You\'vejustsaid——\" \"It\'sbecauseIdidn\'tmakeyourfatherthis——thisnewstepearlier。ThenWaltermighthavehadalltheadvantagesthatother——\" \"Oh，mama，PLEASE!\"Alicebeggedher。\"Let\'sdon\'tgooverallthatagain。Isn\'titmoreimportanttothinkwhat\'stobedoneabouthim？Ishegoingtobeallowedtogoondisgracingusashedoes？\" Mrs。Adamssighedprofoundly。\"Idon\'tknowwhattodo，\"sheconfessed，unhappily。\"Yourfather\'ssoupsetabout——aboutthisnewstephe\'staking——Idon\'tfeelasifweoughtto——\" \"No，no!\"Alicecried。\"Papamustn\'tbedistressedwiththis，ontopofeverythingelse。ButSOMETHING\'SgottobedoneaboutWalter。\" \"Whatcanbe？\"hermotherasked，helplessly。\"Whatcanbe？\" Aliceadmittedthatshedidn\'tknow。 Atdinner，anhourlater，Walter\'shabituallyveiledglancelifted，nowandthen，totouchherfurtively；——hewaswaiting，ashewouldhavesaid，forherto\"springit\"；andhehadpreparedabriefandsinceredefensetotheeffectthathemadehisownliving，andwouldliketoinquirewhosebusinessitwastoofferintrusivecommentuponhisprivateconduct。Butshesaidnothing，whilehisfatherandmotherwereassilentasshe。 Walterconcludedthattherewastobenoattack，butchangedhismindwhenhisfather，whoateonlyalittle，andbroodinglyatthat，rosetoleavethetableandspoketohim。 \"Walter，\"hesaid，\"whenyou\'vefinishedIwishyou\'dcomeuptomyroom。IgotsomethingIwanttosaytoyou。\" Waltershotahardlookathisapatheticsister，thenturnedtohisfather。\"Makeitto-morrow，\"hesaid。\"ThisisSatad\'ynightandIgotadate。\" \"No，\"Adamssaid，frowning。\"Youcomeupbeforeyougoout。 It\'simportant。\" \"Allright；I\'vehadallIwanttoeat，\"Walterreturned。\"Igotafewminutes。Makeitquick。\" Hefollowedhisfatherupstairs，andwhentheywereintheroomtogetherAdamsshutthedoor，satdown，andbegantorubhisknees。 \"Rheumatism？\"theboyinquired，slyly。\"Thatwhatyouwanttotalktomeabout？\" \"No。\"ButAdamsdidnotgoon；heseemedtobeindifficultiesforwords，andWalterdecidedtohelphim。 \"Hopaheadandspringit，\"hesaid。\"Getitoffyourmind:I\'lltelltheworld_I_shouldworry!Youaren\'tgoin\'tobotherME any，sowhybotheryourself？Alicehoppedhomeandtoldyoushesawmeplayin\'aroundwithsomeprettygay-lookin\'berriesandyou——\" \"Alice？\"hisfathersaid，obviouslysurprised。\"It\'snothingaboutAlice。\" \"Didn\'tshetellyou——\" \"Ihaven\'ttalkedwithherallday。\" \"Oh，Isee，\"Waltersaid。\"Shetoldmotherandmothertoldyou。\" \"No，neitherof\'emhavetoldmeanything。Whatwastheretotell？\" Walterlaughed。\"Oh，it\'snothin\'，\"hesaid。\"Iwasjuststartin\'outtobuyagirlfriendo\'minearhinestonebuckleI losttoheronabet，thisafternoon，andAlicecamealongwiththatbigRussellfish；andIthoughtshelookedsore。Sheexpectsmetolikethekindshelikes，andIdon\'tlike\'em。I thoughtshe\'dprob\'lygotyouallstirredupaboutit。\" \"No，no，\"hisfathersaid，peevishly。\"Idon\'tknowanythingaboutit，andIdon\'tcaretoknowanythingaboutit。Iwanttotalktoyouaboutsomethingimportant。\" Then，ashewasagainsilent，Waltersaid，\"Well，TALKaboutit； I\'mlistening。\" \"It\'sthis，\"Adamsbegan，heavily。\"It\'saboutmegoingintothisgluebusiness。Yourmother\'stoldyou，hasn\'tshe？\" \"Shesaidyouweregoin\'toleavetheoldplacedown-townandstartagluefactory。That\'sallIknowaboutit；Igotmyownaffairsto\'tendto。\" \"Well，thisisyouraffair，\"hisfathersaid，frowning。\"Youcan\'tstaywithLambandCompany。\" Walterlookedalittlestartled。\"Whatyoumean，Ican\'t？Whynot？\" \"You\'vegottohelpme，\"Adamsexplainedslowly；andhefrownedmoredeeply，asiftheinterviewweregrowingincreasinglylaboriousforhim。\"It\'sgoingtobeabigpulltogetthisbusinessonitsfeet。\" \"Yes!\"Walterexclaimedwithasharpskepticism。\"Ishouldsayitwas!\"Hestaredathisfatherincredulously。\"Lookhere； aren\'tyoujustalittlebitsudden，thewayyou\'regoin\'aboutthings？You\'veletmothershoveyoualittletoofast，haven\'tyou？Doyouknowanythingaboutwhatitmeanstosetupanewbusinessthesedays？\" \"Yes，Iknowallaboutit，\"Adamssaid。\"Aboutthisbusiness，I do。\" \"Howdoyou？\" \"BecauseImadealongstudyofit。I\'mnotafraidofgoingaboutitthewrongway；butit\'sahardjobandyou\'llhavetoputinallwhateversenseandstrengthyou\'vegot。\" Walterbegantobreathequickly，andhislipswereagitated；thenhesetthemobstinately。\"Oh；Iwill，\"hesaid。 \"Yes，youwill，\"Adamsreturned，notnoticingthathisson\'sinflectionwassatiric。\"It\'sgoingtotakeeverybitofenergyinyourbody，andalltheenergyIgotleftinmine，andeverycentofthelittleI\'vesaved，besidessomethingI\'llhavetoraiseonthishouse。I\'mgoingrightatit，nowI\'vegotto；andyou\'llhavetoquitLamb\'sbytheendofnextweek。\" \"Oh，Iwill？\"Walter\'svoicegrewlouder，andtherewasashrillnessinit。\"IgottoquitLamb\'stheendofnextweek，haveI？\"Hesteppedforward，angrily。\"Listen!\"hesaid。\"I\'mnotwalkin\'outo\'Lamb\'s，see？I\'mnotquittin\'downthere:I staywith\'em，see？\" Adamslookedupathim，astonished。\"You\'llleavetherenextSaturday，\"hesaid。\"I\'vegottohaveyou。\" \"Youdon\'tanythingo\'thekind，\"Waltertoldhim，sharply。\"Doyouexpecttopaymeanything？\" \"I\'dpayyouaboutwhatyoubeengettingdownthere。\" \"Thenpaysomebodyelse；_I_don\'tknowanythingaboutglue。Yougetsomebodyelse。\" \"No。You\'vegotto——\" Waltercuthimoffwiththeutmostvehemence。\"Don\'ttellmewhatIgottodo!IknowwhatIgottodobetter\'nyou，Iguess! IstayatLamb\'s，see？\" Adamsroseangrily。\"You\'lldowhatItellyou。Youcan\'tstaydownthere。\" \"Whycan\'tI？\" \"BecauseIwon\'tletyou。\" \"Listen!Keeponnotlettin\'me:I\'llbetherejustthesame。\" Atthathisfatherbrokeintoasourlaughter。\"THEYwon\'tletyou，Walter!Theywon\'thaveyoudownthereaftertheyfindoutI\'mgoing。\" \"Whywon\'tthey？Youdon\'tthinkthey\'regoin\'tobeallshottopiecesoverlosin\'YOU，doyou？\" \"Itellyoutheywon\'tletyoustay，\"hisfatherinsisted，loudly。 \"Why，whatdotheycarewhetheryougoornot？\" \"They\'llcareenoughtofireYOU，myboy!\" \"Lookhere，then；showmewhy。\" \"They\'lldoit!\" \"Yes，\"Walterjeered；\"youkeepsayin\'theywill，butwhenIaskyoutoshowmewhy，youkeepsayin\'theywill!ThatmakeslittleheadwaywithME，Icantellyou!\" Adamsgroaned，and，rubbinghishead，begantopacethefloor。 Walter\'srefusalwassomethinghehadnotanticipated；andhefelttheweaknessofhisownattempttomeetit:heseemedpowerlesstodoanythingbututterangrywords，which，asWaltersaid，madelittleheadway。\"Oh，my，my!\"hemuttered，\"OH，my，my!\" Walter，usuallysallow，hadgrownpale:hewatchedhisfathernarrowly，andnowtookasuddenresolution。\"Lookhere，\"hesaid。\"WhenyousayLamb\'sislikelytofiremebecauseyou\'regoin\'toquit，youtalklikethepeoplethathavetobelockedup。Idon\'tknowwhereyougetsuchthingsinyourhead；LambandCompanywon\'tknowyou\'regone。Listen:IcanstaytherelongasIwantto。ButI\'lltellyouwhatI\'lldo:makeitworthmywhileandI\'llhookupwithyouroldgluefactory，afterall。\" Adamsstoppedhispacingabruptly，andstaredathim。\"\'Makeitworthyourwhile？\'Whatyoumean？\" \"Igotagooduseforthreehundreddollarsrightnow，\"Waltersaid。\"LetmehaveitandI\'llquitLamb\'stoworkforyou。 Don\'tletmehaveitandISWEARIwon\'t!\" \"Areyoucrazy？\" \"Iseverybodycrazythatneedsthreehundreddollars？\" \"Yes，\"Adamssaid。\"TheyareiftheyaskMEforit，whenIgottostretcheverycentIcanlaymyhandsontomakeitlooklikeadollar!\" \"Youwon\'tdoit？\" Adamsburstoutathim。\"Youlittlefool!IfIhadthreehundreddollarstothrowaway，besidesthepayIexpectedtogiveyou，haven\'tyougotsenseenoughtoseeIcouldhireamanworththreehundreddollarsmoretomethanyou\'dbe？It\'saFINEtimetoaskmeforthreehundreddollars，isn\'tit!WhatFOR？ Rhinestonebucklestothrowaroundonyour\'girlfriends？\'Shameonyou!AskmetoBRIBEyoutohelpyourselfandyourownfamily!\" \"I\'llgiveyoualastchance，\"Waltersaid。\"EitheryoudowhatIwant，orIwon\'tdowhatyouwant。Don\'taskmeagainafterthis，because——\" Adamsinterruptedhimfiercely。\"\'Askyouagain!\'Don\'tworryaboutthat，myboy!AllIaskyouistogetouto\'myroom。\" \"Lookhere，\"Waltersaid，quietly；andhislopsidedsmiledistortedhislividcheek。\"Lookhere:IexpectYOUwouldn\'tgivemethreehundreddollarstosavemylife，wouldyou？\" \"Youmakemesick，\"Adamssaid，inhisbitterness。\"Getoutofhere。\" Walterwentout，whistling；andAdamsdroopedintohisoldchairagainasthedoorclosed。\"OH，my，my!\"hegroaned。\"Oh，Lordy，Lordy!Thewayofthetransgressor——\" CHAPTERXVI Hemeanthisowntransgressionandhisownway；forWalter\'sstubbornrefusalappearedtoAdamsjustthenasoneoftheinexplicablebutrighteousbesettingshemustencounterinfollowingthatway。\"Oh，Lordy，Lord!\"hegroaned，andthen，asresentmentmovedhim——\"Thatdangboy!Dangidiot\"YetheknewhimselfforagreateridiotbecausehehadnotbeenabletotellWalterthetruth。Hecouldnotbringhimselftodoit，noreventostatehiscaseinitsbestterms；andthatwasbecausehefeltthateveninitsbesttermsthecasewasabadone。 Ofallhisregretsthegreatestwasthatinamomentofvanityandtenderness，twenty-fiveyearsago，hehadtoldhisyoungwifeabusinesssecret。Hehadwantedtoshowhowimportantherhusbandwasbecoming，andhowmuchtheheadoftheuniverse，J。 A。Lamb，trustedtohisintegrityandability。Thegreatmanhadanidea:hethoughtof\"branchingoutalittle，\"hetoldAdamsconfidentially，andtherewerepossibilitiesofprofitinglue。 Whathewantedwasaliquidgluetobeputintolittlebottlesandsoldcheaply。\"Thekindofthingthatsellsitself，\"hesaid；\"thekindofthingthatpaysitsownsmallwayasitgoesalong，untilithasprofitsenoughtobeginadvertisingitright。 Everybodyhastouseglue，andifImakemineconvenientandcheap，everybody\'llbuymine。Butit\'sgottobegluethat\'llSTICK；it\'sgottobethebest；andifwefindhowtomakeitwe\'vegot，tokeepitabigsecret，ofcourse，oranybodycanstealitfromus。Therewasamanherelastmonth；heknewaformulahewantedtosellme，\'sightunseen\'；buthewasinsuchahurryIgotsuspicious，andIfoundhe\'dmanagedtostealit，workingforthebigpackersintheirglue-works。We\'vegottofindabettergluethanthat，anyhow。I\'mgoingtosetyouandCampbellatit。You\'reapractical，wide-awakeyoungfeller，andCampbell\'samightygoodchemist；Iguessyoutwoboysoughttomakesomethinghappen。\" Hisguesswasshrewdenough。Workinginashedalittlewayoutsidethetown，wheretheircheeryemployervisitedthemsometimestostudytheirmalodorousstews，thetwoyoungmenfoundwhatLambhadsetthemtofind。ButCampbellwasthoughtfuloverthediscovery。\"Lookhere，\"hesaid。\"Whyain\'tthisjustaboutyoursandmine？Afterall，itmaybeLamb\'smoneythat\'spaidforthestuffwe\'veused，butithasn\'tcostmuch。\" \"ButhepaysUS，\"Adamsremonstrated，horrifiedbyhiscompanion\'sidea。\"Hepaidustodoit。Itbelongsabsolutelytohim。\" \"Oh，IknowheTHINKSitdoes，\"Campbelladmitted，plaintively。 \"Isupposewe\'vegottolethimtakeit。It\'snotpatentable，andhe\'llhavetodoprettywellbyuswhenhestartshisfactory，becausehe\'sgottodependonustorunthemakingofthestuffsothattheworkmencan\'tgetontotheprocess。YoubetteraskhimthesamesalaryIdo，andmine\'sgoingtobehigh。 Butthehighsalary，thuspleasantlyimagined，wasneverpaid。 Campbelldiedoftyphoidfever，thatsummer，leavingAdamsandhisemployertheonlypossessorsoftheformula，anunwrittenone；andAdams，pleasedtothinkhimselfmoreimportanttothegreatmanthanever，toldhiswifethattherecouldbelittledoubtofhisbeingputinsolechargeoftheprospectiveglue-works。Unfortunately，theenterpriseremainedprospective。 Itsprojectorhadalreadybecome\"inveigledintoanotherside-line，\"ashetoldAdams。Oneofhissonshadpersuadedhimtotakeupa\"cough-lozenge，\"tobecalledthe\"JalambBalmTrochee\"；andthelozengedidwellenoughtoamuseMr。Lambandoccupyhissparetime，whichwasreallyaboutallhehadaskedoftheglueproject。Hehad\"alltheMONEYanybodyoughttowant，\" hesaid，whenAdamsurgedhim；andhecould\"startupthislittleglueside-line\"atanytime；theformulawassafeintheirtwoheads。 AtintervalsAdamswouldseekopportunitytospeakof\"thelittleglueside-line\"tohispatron，andtosuggestthattheyearswerepassing；butLamb，pettingotherhobbies，hadlostinterest。 \"Oh，I\'llstartitupsomeday，maybe。IfIdon\'t，Imayturnitovertomyheirs:it\'salwaysanasset，worthsomethingorother，ofcourse。We\'llprobablytakeitupsomeday，though，youandI。\" Thesunpersistentlydeclinedtoriseonthatday，and，astimewenton，Adamssawthathisrathertimidurgingsboredhisemployer，andheceasedtobringupthesubject。Lambapparentlyforgotallaboutglue，butAdamsdiscoveredthatunfortunatelytherewassomeoneelsewhorememberedit。 \"It\'sreallyYOURS，\"sheargued，thatpainfuldaywhenforthefirsttimeshesuggestedhisusinghisknowledgeforthebenefitofhimselfandhisfamily。\"Mr。Campbellmighthavehadarighttopartofit，buthediedanddidn\'tleaveanykin，soitbelongstoyou。\" \"SupposeJ。A。Lambhiredmetosawsomewood，\"Adamssaid。 \"Wouldthesticksbelongtome？\" \"Hehasn\'tgotanyrighttotakeyourinventionandburyit，\"sheprotested。\"Whatgoodisitdoinghimifhedoesn\'tDOanythingwithit？WhatgoodisitdoingANYBODY？Noneintheworld!Andwhatharmwoulditdohimifyouwentaheadanddidthisforyourselfandforyourchildren？Noneintheworld!AndwhatcouldhedotoyouifheWASoldpigenoughtogetangrywithyoufordoingit？Hecouldn\'tdoasinglething，andyou\'veadmittedhecouldn\'t，yourself。Sowhat\'syourreasonfordeprivingyourchildrenandyourwifeofthebenefitsyouknowyoucouldgive\'em？\" \"Nothingbutdecency，\"heanswered；andshehadherreplyreadyforthat。Itseemedtohimthat，striveashewould，hecouldnotreachhermindwitheventheplainestlanguage；whileeverythingthatshesaidtohim，withsuchvehemence，soundedlikesomuchobstinategibberish。Overandoverhepressedherwiththesameillustration，onthepointofownership，thoughhethoughthewasvaryingit。 \"Supposehehiredmetobuildhimahouse:wouldthatbeMY house？\" \"Hedidn\'thireyoutobuildhimahouse。YouandCampbellinvented——\" \"Lookhere:supposeyougiveacookasoup-boneandsomevegetables，andpayhertomakeyouasoup:hasshegotarighttotakeandsellit？Youknowbetter!\" \"IknowONEthing:ifthatoldmantriedtokeepyourowninventionfromyouhe\'snobetterthanarobber!\" Theyneverfoundanypointofcontactinalltheirpassionatediscussionsofthisethicalquestion；andthequestionwasnomoresettledbetweenthem，nowthatAdamshadsuccumbed，thanithadeverbeen。Butatleastthewranglingaboutitwasover: theyweregravetogether，almostsilent，andanuneasinessprevailedwithherasmuchaswithhim。 Hehadalreadybeenoutofthehouse，towalkaboutthesmallgreenyard；andonMondayafternoonhesentforataxicabandwentdown-town，butkeptalongwayfromthe\"wholesalesection，\" wherestoodtheformidableoldoblongpileofLambandCompany。 Hearrangedforthesaleofthebondshehadlaidaway，andforplacingamortgageuponhishouse；andonhiswayhome，afterfiveo\'clock，hewenttoseeanoldfriend，amanwhosetermofservicewithLambandCompanywasevenalittlelongerthanhisown。 Thisveteran，returnedfromtheday\'swork，wassittinginfrontoftheapartmenthousewherehelived，butwhenthecabstoppedatthecurbheroseandcameforward，offeringajoculargreeting。\"Well，well，VirgilAdams!Ialwaysthoughtyouhadasportystreakinyou。Travelinyourownhiredprivateautomobilenowadays，doyou？Pamperin\'yourselfbecauseyou\'restilllayin\'offsick，Iexpect。\" \"Oh，I\'mwellenoughagain，CharleyLohr，\"Adamssaid，ashegotoutandshookhands。Then，tellingthedrivertowait，hetookhisfriend\'sarm，walkedtothebenchwithhim，andsatdown。\"I beenpracticallywellforsometime，\"hesaid。\"I\'mfixin\'togetintoharnessagain。\" \"Bein\'sickhascertainlyproducedachangeofheartinyou，\"hisfriendlaughed。\"You\'rethelastmanIeverexpectedtoseeblowin\'yourself——oranybodyelsetoataxicab!Forthatmatter，Ineverheardofyoubein\'inANYkindofacab，\'less\'nitmightbewhenyoubeenpall-bearerforsomebody。What\'scomeoveryou？\" \"Well，Igottoturnoveranewleaf，andthat\'safact，\"Adamssaid。\"Igotalottodo，andtheonlywaytoaccomplishit，it\'sgottobedonesoon，orIwon\'thaveanythingtoliveonwhileI\'mdoingit。\" \"Whatyoutalkin\'about？Whatyougottodoexcepttogetstrongenoughtocomebacktotheoldplace？\" \"Well——\"Adamspaused，thencoughed，andsaidslowly，\"Factis，CharleyLohr，IbeenthinkinglikelyIwouldn\'tcomeback。\" \"What!Whatyoutalkin\'about？\" \"No，\"saidAdams。\"IbeenthinkingImightlikelykindofbranchoutonmyownaccount。\" \"Well，I\'llbedoggoned!\"OldCharleyLohrwasamazed；heruffleduphisgraymoustachewiththumbandforefinger，leavinghismouthopenbeneath，likeadarkcaveunderatangledwintrythicket。\"Why，that\'sthedoggonedestthingIeverheard!\"hesaid。\"Ialreadyamtheoldestinhabitantdownthere，butifyougo，therewon\'tbeanybodyelseoftheoldgenerationatall。 Whatonearthyouthinkin\'ofgoin\'into？\" \"Well，\"saidAdams，\"Iratheryoudidn\'tmentionittillIgetstartedofcourseanybody\'llknowwhatitisbythen——butIHAVE beenkindofplanningtoputaliquidglueonthemarket。\" Hisfriend，stillrufflingthegraymoustacheupward，staredathiminfrowningperplexity。\"Glue？\"hesaid。\"GLUE!\" \"Yes。Ibeensortofmillingovertheideaoftakingupsomethinglikethat。\" \"Handlin\'itforsomefirm，youmean？\" \"No。Makingit。Sortofaglue-workslikely。\" Lohrcontinuedtofrown。\"Letmethink，\"hesaid。\"Didn\'ttheolemanhavesomesuchideaonce，himself？\" Adamsleanedforward，rubbinghisknees；andhecoughedagainbeforehespoke。\"Well，yes。Factis，hedid。Thatistosay，amightylongwhileagohedid。\" \"Iremember，\"saidLohr。\"HeneversaidanythingaboutitthatI knowof；butseemstomeIrecollectwehadsortofarumouraroundtheplacehowyouandthatman——le\'ssee，wasn\'thisnameCampbell，thatdiedoftyphoidfever？Yes，thatwasit，Campbell。Didn\'ttheolemanhaveyouandCampbellworkin\'sortofprivateonsomegluepropositionorother？\" \"Yes，hedid。\"Adamsnodded。\"Ifoundoutagooddealaboutgluethen，too。\" \"Beenworkin\'onitsince，Isuppose？\" \"Yes。Keptitinmymindandstudiedoutnewthingsaboutit。\" Lohrlookedserious。\"Well，butseehere，\"hesaid。\"Ihopeitain\'tanythingtheoleman\'llthinkmightinfringeonwhateverhehadyoudoin\'forHIM。Youknowhowheis:broad-minded，liberal，free-handedmanaswalksthisearth，andifhethoughtheowedyouacenthe\'dsellhisrighthandforapork-choptopayit，ifthatwastheonlyway；butifhegottheideaanybodywastryin\'togetthebetterofhim，he\'dsellBOTHhishands，ifhehadto，tokeep\'emfromdoin\'it。Yes，ateighty，hewould! NotthatImeanIthinkyoumightbetryin\'togetthebetterofhim，Virg。You\'reamightycloseolecodger，butsuchathingain\'tinyou。WhatImean:Ihopethereain\'tanychancefortheolemantoTHINKyoumightbe——\" \"Oh，no，\"Adamsinterrupted。\"Asamatteroffact，Idon\'tbelievehe\'lleverthinkaboutitatall，andifhedidhewouldn\'thaveanyrealrighttofeeloffendedatme:theprocessI\'mgoingtouseisoneIexpecttochangeandimprovealotdifferentfromtheoneCampbellandIworkedonforhim。\" \"Well，that\'sgood，\"saidLohr。\"Ofcourseyouknowwhatyou\'reupto:you\'reoldenough，Godknows!\"Helaughedruefully。\"My，butitwillseemfunnytome——downtherewithyougone!IexpectyouandIbothbeengettin\'tobeprettymuchdead-woodintheplace，thewaytheyoungfellowslookatit，andtheonlyonethat\'dmisseitherofuswouldbetheotherone!Haveyoutoldtheolemanyet？\" \"Well——\"Adamsspokelaboriously。\"No。No，Ihaven\'t。I thought——well，that\'swhatIwantedtoseeyouabout。\" \"WhatcanIdo？\" \"IthoughtI\'dwritehimaletterandgetyoutohandittohimforme。\" \"Mysoul!\"hisfriendexclaimed。\"Whyonearthdon\'tyoujustgodownthereandtellhim？\" Adamsbecamepitiablyembarrassed。Hestammered，coughed，stammeredagain，wrinklinghisfacesodeeplyheseemedabouttoweep；butfinallyhecontrivedtoutteranapologeticlaugh。\"I oughttodothat，ofcourse；butinsomewayorotherIjustdon\'tseemtobeableto——tomanageit。\" \"Whyintheworldnot？\"themystifiedLohrinquired。 \"Icouldhardlytellyou——\'less\'nitistosaythatwhenyoubeenwithonebossallyourlifeit\'sso——sokindofembarrassing——toquithim，Ijustcan\'tmakeupmymindtogoandspeaktohimaboutit。No；Igotitinmyheadaletter\'stheonlysatisfactorywaytodoit，andIthoughtI\'daskyoutohandittohim，\" \"Well，ofcourseIdon\'tminddoin\'thatforyou，\"Lohrsaid，mildly。\"Butwhyintheworlddon\'tyoujustmailittohim？\" \"Well，I\'lltellyou，\"Adamsreturned。\"Youknow，likethat，it\'dhavetogothroughaclerkandthatsecretaryofhis，andI don\'tknowwhoall。There\'sacoupleofkindofdelicatepointsIwanttoputinit:forinstance，IwanttoexplaintohimhowmuchimprovementandsoonI\'mgoingtointroduceontheoldprocessIhelpedtoworkoutwithCampbellwhenwewereworkingforhim，so\'the\'llunderstandit\'sadifferentarticleandnoinfringementatall。Thenthere\'sanotherthing:youseeallduringwhileIwassickhehadmysalarypaidtomeitamountstoconsiderable，Iwasonmybacksolong。Underthecircumstances，becauseI\'mquitting，Idon\'tfeelasifIoughttoacceptit，andsoI\'llhaveacheckforhiminthelettertocoverit，andI wanttobesureheknowsit，andgetsitpersonally。Ifithadtogothroughalotofotherpeople，thewayitwouldifIputitinthemail，why，youcan\'ttell。SowhatIthought:ifyou\'dhandittohimforme，andmaybeifhehappenedtoreaditrightthen，oranything，itmightbeyou\'dnoticewhateverhe\'dhappentosayaboutit——andyoucouldtellmeafterward。\" \"Allright，\"Lohrsaid。\"Certainlyifyou\'dratherdoitthatway，I\'llhandittohimandtellyouwhathesays；thatis，ifhesaysanythingandIhearhim。Gotitwritten？\" \"No；I\'llsenditaroundtoyoulastoftheweek。\"Adamsmovedtowardhistaxicab。\"Don\'tsayanythingtoanybodyaboutit，Charley，especiallytillafterthat。\" \"Allright。\" \"And，Charley，I\'llbemightyobligedtoyou，\"Adamssaid，andcamebacktoshakehandsinfarewell。\"There\'sonethingmoreyoumightdo——ifyou\'deverhappentofeellikeit。\"Hekepthiseyesrathervaguelyfixedonapointabovehisfriend\'sheadashespoke，andhisvoicewasnotwellcontrolled。\"Ibeen——IbeendownthereagoodmanyyearsandImaynot\'a\'beensomuchuselatelyasIwasatfirst，butIalwaystriedtodomybestfortheoldfirm。Ifanythingturnedoutso\'stheyDIDkindoftakeoffensewithme，downthere，why，justsayagoodwordforme——ifyou\'dhappentofeellikeit，maybe。\" OldCharleyLohrassuredhimthathewouldspeakagoodwordifopportunitybecameavailable；then，afterthecabhaddrivenaway，hewentuptohissmallapartmentonthethirdfloorandmutteredruminativelyuntilhiswifeinquiredwhathewastalkingtohimselfabout。 \"OleVirgAdams，\"hetoldher。\"He\'soutagainafterhislongspellofsickness，andthewayitlookstomehe\'dbetterstayedinbed。\" \"Youmeanhestilllookstoobadtobeout？\" \"Oh，Iexpecthe\'sgettin\'hisHEALTHback，\"Lohrsaid，frowning。 \"Thenwhat\'sthematterwithhim？Youmeanhe\'slosthismind？\" \"Mygoodness，butwomendojumpatconclusions!\"heexclaimed。 \"Well，\"saidMrs。Lohr，\"whatotherconclusiondidyouleavemetojumpat？\" Herhusbandexplainedwithalittleheat:\"PeoplecanhaveasicknessthatAFFECTStheirmind，can\'tthey？Theirmindcangetsomeaffectedwithoutbein\'LOST，can\'tit？\" \"Thenyoumeanthepoorman\'sminddoesseemaffected？\" \"Why，no；I\'dscarcelygoasfarasthat，\"Lohrsaid，inconsistently，anddeclinedtobemoredefinite。 Adamsdevotedthelatterpartofthateveningtothecompositionofhisletter——adisquietingtasknotcompletedwhen，ateleveno\'clock，heheardhisdaughtercomingupthestairs。Shewassingingtoherselfinalow，sweetvoice，andAdamspausedtolistenincredulously，withhispenliftedandhismouthopen，asifheheardthestrangestsoundintheworld。Thenhesetdownthepenuponablotter，wenttohisdoor，andopenedit，lookingoutatherasshecame。 \"Well，dearie，youseemtobefeelingprettygood，\"hesaid。 \"Whatyoubeendoing？\" \"Justsittingoutonthefrontsteps，papa。\" \"Allalone，Isuppose。\" \"No。Mr。Russellcalled。\" \"Oh，hedid？\"Adamspretendedtobesurprised。\"Whatallcouldyouandhefindtotalkabouttillthishouro\'thenight？\" Shelaughedgaily。\"Youdon\'tknowme，papa!\" \"How\'sthat？\" \"You\'veneverfoundoutthatIalwaysdoallthetalking。\" \"Didn\'tyoulethimgetawordinallevening？\" \"Oh，yes；everynowandthen。\" Adamstookherhandandpettedit。\"Well，whatdidhesay？\" Alicegavehimaradiantlookandkissedhim。\"Notwhatyouthink!\"shelaughed；thenslappedhischeekwithsaucyaffection，pirouettedacrossthenarrowhallandintoherownroom，andcurtsiedtohimassheclosedherdoor。 Adamswentbacktohiswritingwithalighterheart；forsinceAlicewasbornshehadbeentohimtheappleofhiseye，hisownphraseinthinkingofher；andwhathewasdoingnowwasforher。 Hesmiledashepickeduphispentobeginanewdraftofthepainfulletter；butpresentlyhelookedpuzzled。Afterall，shecouldbehappyjustasthingswere，itseemed。Thenwhyhadhetakenwhathiswifecalled\"thisnewstep，\"whichhehadsolongresisted？ Hecouldonlysighandwonder。\"Lifeworksoutprettypeculiarly，\"hethought；forhecouldn\'tgobacknow，thoughthereasonhecouldn\'twasnotclearlyapparent。Hehadtogoahead。 CHAPTERXVII Hewasoutinhistaxicabagainthenextmorning，andbynoonhehadsecuredwhathewanted。 Itwascuriouslysignificantthatheworkedsoquickly。Alltheyearsduringwhichhiswifehadpressedhimtowardhispresentshifthehadsworntohimself，aswellastoher，thathewouldneveryield；andyetwhenhedidyieldhehadnoplanstomake，becausehefoundthemalreadypreparedandworkedoutindetailinhismind；asifhehadlongcontemplatedthe\"step\"hebelievedhimselfincapableoftaking。 Sometimeshehadthoughtofimprovinghisincomebyexchanginghislittlecollectionofbondsfora\"smallrentalproperty，\"ifhecouldfind\"agoodbuy\"；andhehadspentmanyofhissparehoursramblingovertheenormouslyspreadingcityanditspurlieus，lookingfortheideal\"buy。\"Itremainedunattainable，sofarashewasconcerned；buthefoundotherthings。 Nottwiceacrow\'smilefromhisownhousetherewasadismalandslummishquarter，adecayed\"industrialdistrict\"ofearlierdays。Mostoftheindustriesweresmall；someofthemdied，perishingofbankruptcyorfire；andafewhadmoved，leavingtheirshells。Oftherelics，thebestwasabrickbuildingwhichhadbeenthelargestandmostimportantfactoryinthequarter: ithadbeeninjuredbyalongvacancyalmostasseriousasafire，ineffect，andAdamshadoftenguessedatthesumneededtoputitinrepair。 Whenhepassedit，hewouldlookatitwithaninterestwhichhesupposeddetachedandidlyspeculative。\"That\'dbejustthething，\"hethought。\"Ifafellowhadmoneyenough，andtookanotiontosetupsomenewbusinessonabigscale，thiswouldbeaprettygoodplace——tomakeglue，forinstance，ifthatwasn\'toutofthequestion，ofcourse。Itwouldtakealotofmoney，though；agreatdealtoomuchformetoexpecttohandle——evenifI\'deverdreamofdoingsuchathing。\" Oppositethedismantledfactorywasamuddy，openlotoftwoacresorso，andnearthemiddleofthelot，alongbrickshedstoodinadesolateabandonment，nothappilydecoratedbyoldcoatingsoftheatricalandmedicinaladvertisements。Butthebrickshedhadtwowoodenells，and，thoughbothshedandellswereofasinglestory，herewasemptyspaceenoughforamodestenterprise——\"spaceenoughforalmostanything，tostartwith，\" Adamsthought，ashewalkedthroughthelowbuildings，oneday，whenhewasprospectinginthatsection。\"Yes，IsupposeICOULD swingthis，\"hethought。\"Iftheprocessbelongedtome，say，insteadofbeingoutofthequestionbecauseitisn\'tmyproperty——orifIwasthekindofmantodosuchathinganyhow，herewouldbesomethingIcouldprobablygetholdofprettycheap。They\'dwantalotofmoneyforaleaseonthatbigbuildingovertheway——butthis，why，Ishouldthinkit\'dbepracticallynothingatall。\" Then，bychance，meetinganagentheknew，hemadeinquiries——merelytosatisfyacasualcuriosity，hethought——andhefoundmattersmuchashehadsupposed，exceptthattheownersofthebigbuildingdidnotwishtolet，buttosellit，andthisatapricesoexorbitantthatAdamslaughed。Butthelongbrickshedinthegreatmuddylotwasforsaleortolet，or\"prettyneartobegivenaway，\"helearned，ifanybodywouldtakeit。 Adamstookitnow，thoughwithoutseeingthathehadbeendestinedtotakeit，andthatsomedrearywizardinthebackofhisheadhadforeseenallalongthathewouldtakeit，andplannedtobeready。Hedroveinhistaxicabtolooktheplaceoveragain，thendown-towntoarrangeforalease；andcamehometolunchwithhiswifeanddaughter。Thingswere\"moving，\"hetoldthem。 Heboastedalittleofhavingactedsodecisively，andsaidthatsincethedangthinghadtobedone，itwas\"goingtobedoneRIGHT!\"Hewasalmostcheerful，inafeverishway，andwhenthecabcameforhimagain，soonafterlunch，heexplainedthatheintendednotonlytogetthingsdoneright，butalsoto\"get\'emdonequick!\"Alice，followinghimtothefrontdoor，lookedathimanxiouslyandaskedifshecouldn\'thelp。Helaughedathergrimly。 \"Thenletmegoalongwithyouinthecab，\"shebegged。\"Youdon\'tlookabletostartinsohard，papa，justwhenyou\'rebarelybeginningtogetyourstrengthback。DoletmegowithyouandseeifIcan\'thelp——oratleasttakecareofyouifyoushouldgettofeelingbadly。\" Hedeclined，butuponpressureletherputatinybottleofspiritsofammoniainhispocket，andpromisedtomakeuseofitifhe\"feltfaintorany-thing。\"Thenhewasoffagain；andthenextmorninghadmenatworkinhissheds，thoughthewageshehadtopayfrightenedhim。 Hedirectedtheworkmenineverydetail，hurryingthembyexampleandexhortations，andreceiving，inconsequence，severaldeclarationsofindependence，aswellasoneresignation，whichtookeffectimmediately。\"Youscapitalustsseemtothinkaman\'sgotnothin\'todobutbreakhisbackp\'doosin\'wealthferyoustosquander，\"theresigningpersonloudlycomplained。\"Youlookout:thetoiler\'sdayisa-comin\'，anditain\'tsofuroff，neither!\"Butthecapitalistwasalreadyoutofhearing，gonetofindamantotakethisorator\'splace。 Bytheendoftheweek，Adamsfeltthathehadmovedsatisfactorilyforwardinhispreparationsforthesimpleequipmentheneeded；buthehatedthepauseofSunday。Hedidn\'tWANTanyrest，hetoldAliceimpatiently，whenshesuggestedthattheidledaymightbegoodforhim。 LatethatafternoonhewalkedovertotheapartmenthousewhereoldCharleyLohrlived，andgavehisfriendtheletterhewantedtheheadofLambandCompanytoreceive\"personally。\"\"I\'lltakeitasamightygreatfavourinyoutohandittohimpersonally，Charley，\"hesaid，inparting。\"Andyouwon\'tforget，incasehesaysanythingaboutit——andrememberifyoueverdogetachancetoputinagoodwordformelater，youknow——\" OldCharleypromisedtoremember，and，whenMrs。Lohrcameoutofthe\"kitchenette，\"afterthedoorclosed，hesaidthoughtfully，\"Justskinandbones。\" \"YoumeanMr。Adamsis？\"Mrs。Lohrinquired。 \"Who\'dyouthinkImeant？\"hereturned。\"Oneo\'thesepartridgesinthewall-paper？\" \"Didhelooksobadly？\" \"Lookedkindofdistractedtome，\"herhusbandreplied。\"Theselittlethinfellerscanstandaheapsometimes，though。He\'llbeoverhereagainMonday。\" \"Didhesayhewould？\" \"No，\"saidLohr。\"Buthewill。You\'llsee。He\'llbeovertofindoutwhatthebigbosssayswhenIgivehimthisletter。 ExpectI\'dbekindofanxious，myself，ifIwashim。\" \"Whywouldyou？What\'sMr。Adamsdoingtobesoanxiousabout？\" Lohr\'sexpressionbecameoneofreserve，thelookofamanwhohasfoundthatwhenhespeakshisinnerthoughtshiswifejumpstoofartoconclusions。\"Oh，nothing，\"hesaid。\"Ofcourseanymanstartingupanewbusinessisboundtobeprettynervousawhile。He\'llbeoverhereto-morrowevening，allright；you\'llsee。\" Thepredictionwasfulfilled:AdamsarrivedjustafterMrs。Lohrhadremovedthedinnerdishestoher\"kitchenette\"；butLohrhadlittleinformationtogivehiscaller。 \"Hedidn\'tsayaword，Virgil；naryaword。Itookitintohisofficeandhandedittohim，andhejustsatandreadit；that\'sall。IkindofstoodaroundaslongasIcould，buthewassittin\'athisdeskwithhissidetome，andheneverturnedaroundfulltowardme，asitwere，soIcouldn\'thardlyeventellanything。AllIknow:hejustreadit。\" \"Well，butseehere，\"Adamsbegan，nervously。\"Well——\" \"Wellwhat，Virg？\" \"Well，butwhatdidhesaywhenheDIDspeak？\" \"Hedidn\'tspeak。NotsolongIwasinthere，anyhow。Hejustsatthereandreadit。Readkindofslow。Then，whenhecametotheend，heturnedbackandstartedtoreaditalloveragain。 Bythattimetherewasthreeorfourothermenstandin\'aroundintheofficewaitin\'tospeaktohim，andIhadtogo。\" Adamssighed，andstaredatthefloor，irresolute。\"Well，I\'llbegettingalongbackhomethen，Iguess，Charley。Soyou\'resureyoucouldn\'ttellanythingwhathemighthavethoughtaboutit，then？\" \"Notathingintheworld。I\'vetoldyouallIknow，Virg。\" \"Iguessso，Iguessso，\"Adamssaid，mournfully。\"Ifeelmightyobligedtoyou，CharleyLohr；mightyobliged。Good-nighttoyou。\"Andhedeparted，sighinginperplexity。 Onhiswayhome，preoccupiedwithmanythoughts，hewalkedsoslowlythatonceortwicehestoppedandstoodmotionlessforafewmoments，withoutbeingawareofit；andwhenhereachedthejunctureofthesidewalkwiththeshortbrickpaththatledtohisownfrontdoor，hestoppedagain，andstoodformorethanaminute。\"Ah，IwishIknew，\"hewhispered，plaintively。\"IdowishIknewwhathethoughtaboutit。\" Hewasrousedbyalaughthatcamelightlyfromthelittleverandanearby。\"Papa!\"Alicecalledgaily。\"Whatareyoustandingtheremutteringtoyourselfabout？\" \"Oh，areyouthere，dearie？\"hesaid，andcameupthepath。A tallfigurerosefromachairontheveranda。 \"Papa，thisisMr。Russell。\" Thetwomenshookhands，Adamssaying，\"Pleasedtomakeyouracquaintance，\"astheylookedateachotherinthefaintlightdiffusedthroughtheopaqueglassintheupperpartofthedoor。 Adams\'simpressionwasofastrongandtallyoungman，fashionablebutgentle；andRussell\'swasofadried，littleoldbusinessmanwithagrizzledmoustache，worriedbrighteyes，shapelessdarkclothes，andahomelymanner。 \"Niceevening，\"Adamssaidfurther，astheirhandsparted。\"Nicetimeo\'yearitis，butwedon\'talwayshaveasgoodweatherasthis；that\'sthetroubleofit。Well——\"Hewenttothedoor。 \"Well——Ibidyougoodevening，\"hesaid，andretiredwithinthehouse。 Alicelaughed。\"He\'stheold-fashionedestmanintown，Isupposeandfrightfullyimpressedwithyou，Icouldsee!\" \"Whatnonsense!\"saidRussell。\"Howcouldanybodybeimpressedwithme？\" \"Whynot？Becauseyou\'requiet？Goodgracious!Don\'tyouknowthatyou\'rethemostimpressivesort？Wechatterersspendallourtimeplayingtoyouquietpeople。\" \"Yes；we\'reonlytheaudience。\" \"\'Only!\'\"sheechoed。\"Why，weliveforyou，andwecan\'tlivewithoutyou。\" \"Iwishyoucouldn\'t，\"saidRussell。\"Thatwouldbeanewexperienceforbothofus，wouldn\'tit？\" \"Itmightbearatherbleakoneforme，\"sheanswered，lightly。 \"I\'mafraidI\'llmissthesesummereveningswithyouwhenthey\'reover。I\'llmissthemenough，thanks!\" \"Dotheyhavetobeoversometime？\"heasked。 \"Oh，everything\'soversometime，isn\'tit？\" Russelllaughedather。\"Don\'tlet\'slooksofaraheadasthat，\" hesaid。\"Wedon\'tneedtobealreadythinkingofthecemetery，dowe？\" \"Ididn\'t，\"shesaid，shakingherhead。\"Oursummereveningswillbeoverbeforethen，Mr。Russell。\" \"Why？\"heasked。 \"Goodheavens!\"shesaid。\"THERE\'Slaconiceloquence:almostaproposalinasingleword!Nevermind，Ishan\'tholdyoutoit。 Buttoansweryou:well，I\'malwayslookingahead，andsomehowI usuallyseeabouthowthingsarecomingout。\" \"Yes，\"hesaid。\"Isupposemostofusdo；atleastitseemsasifwedid，becausewesoseldomfeelsurprisedbythewaytheydocomeout。Butmaybethat\'sonlybecauselifeisn\'tlikeaplayinatheatre，andmostthingscomeaboutsograduallywegetusedtothem。\" \"No，I\'msureIcanseequitealongwayahead，\"sheinsisted，gravely。\"Anditdoesn\'tseemtomeasifoursummereveningscouldlastverylong。Something\'llinterfere——somebodywill，I