第13章

ThenheranguishwentbacktoWalteragain；andtohisneedsasafugitive——shehadmeanttorepairhisunderwear，buthadpostponeddoingso，andherneglectnowappearedtobeadetailaslamentableasthecalamityitself。Shecouldneitherbestilleduponit，norherselfexhaustitsurgingstoself- reproach，thoughshefinallytookupanotherthemetemporarily。 Uponanunusuallyviolentoutbreakofherhusband\'s，indenunciationoftherunaway，shecriedoutfaintlythathewascruel；andfurtherweariedherbrokenvoicewithdetailsofWalter\'sbeautyasababy，andofhisbedtimepietiesthroughouthisinfancy。 Sothehotnightworeon。ThreehadstruckbeforeMrs。Adamswasgottobed；andAlice，returningtoherownroom，couldhearherfather\'sbarefeetthuddingbackandforthafterthat。\"Poorpapa!\"shewhisperedinhelplessimitationofhermother。\"Poorpapa!Poormama!PoorWalter!Poorallofus!\" Shefellasleep，afteratime，whilefromacrossthehallthebarefeetstillthuddedovertheirchangelessroute；andshewokeatseven，hearingAdamspassherdoor，shod。Inherwrappersheranoutintothehallwayandfoundhimdescendingthestairs。 \"Papa!\" \"Hush，\"hesaid，andlookedupatherwithreddenedeyes。\"Don\'twakeyourmother。\" \"Iwon\'t，\"shewhispered。\"Howaboutyou？Youhaven\'tsleptanyatall!\" \"Yes，Idid。Igotsomesleep。I\'mgoingovertotheworksnow。 Igottothrowsomefigurestogethertoshowthebank。Don\'tworry:I\'llgetthingsfixedup。Yougobacktobed。Good-bye。\" \"Wait!\"shebadehimsharply。 \"Whatfor？\" \"You\'vegottohavesomebreakfast。\" \"Don\'twant\'ny。\" \"Youwait!\"shesaid，imperiously，anddisappearedtoreturnalmostatonce。\"Icancookinmybedroomslippers，\"sheexplained，\"butIdon\'tbelieveIcouldinmybarefeet!\" Descendingsoftly，shemadehimwaitinthedining-roomuntilshebroughthimtoastandeggsandcoffee。\"Eat!\"shesaid。\"AndI\'mgoingtotelephoneforataxicabtotakeyou，ifyouthinkyou\'vereallygottogo。\" \"No，I\'mgoingtowalk——IWANTtowalk。\" Sheshookherheadanxiously。\"Youdon\'tlookable。You\'vewalkedallnight。\" \"No，Ididn\'t，\"hereturned。\"ItellyouIgotsomesleep。I gotallIwantedanyhow。\" \"But，papa——\" \"Here!\"heinterrupted，lookingupathersuddenlyandsettingdownhiscupofcoffee。\"Lookhere!WhataboutthisMr。 Russell？Iforgotallabouthim。Whatabouthim？\" Herliptrembledalittle，butshecontrolleditbeforeshespoke。\"Well，whatabouthim，papa？\"sheasked，calmlyenough。 \"Well，wecouldhardly——\"Adamspaused，frowningheavily。\"Wecouldhardlyexpecthewouldn\'thearsomethingaboutallthis。\" \"Yes；ofcoursehe\'llhearit，papa。\" \"Well？\" \"Well，what？\"sheasked，gently。 \"Youdon\'tthinkhe\'dbethe——thecheapkindit\'dmakeadifferencewith，ofcourse。\" \"Oh，no；heisn\'tcheap。Itwon\'tmakeanydifferencewithhim。\" Adamssufferedaprofoundsightoescapehim。\"Well——I\'mgladofthat，anyway。\" \"Thedifference，\"sheexplained——\"thedifferencewasmadewithouthishearinganythingaboutWalter。Hedoesn\'tknowaboutTHAT yet。\" \"Well，whatdoesheknowabout？\" \"Only，\"shesaid，\"aboutme。\" \"Whatyoumeanbythat，Alice？\"heasked，helplessly。 \"Nevermind，\"shesaid。\"It\'snothingbesidetherealtroublewe\'rein——I\'lltellyousometime。Youeatyoureggsandtoast； youcan\'tkeepgoingonjustcoffee。\" \"Ican\'teatanyeggsandtoast，\"heobjected，rising。\"I can\'t。\" \"ThenwaittillIcanbringyousomethingelse。\" \"No，\"hesaid，irritably。\"Iwon\'tdoit!Idon\'twantanydangfood!Andlookhere\"——hespokesharplytostopher，asshewenttowardthetelephone——\"Idon\'twantanydangtaxi，either!Youlookafteryourmotherwhenshewakesup。IgottobeatWORK!\" Andthoughshefollowedhimtothefrontdoor，entreating，hecouldnotbestayedorhindered。Hewentthroughthequietmorningstreetsatarickety，rapidgait，swinginghisoldstrawhatinhishands，andwhisperingangrilytohimselfashewent。 Hisgrizzledhair，nottrimmedforamonth，blewbackfromhisdampforeheadinthewarmbreeze；hisreddenedeyesstaredhardatnothingfromunderblinkinglids；andonesideofhisfacetwitchedstartlinglyfromtimetotime；——childrenmighthaverunfromhim，ormockedhim。 Whenhehadcomeintothatfallenquarterhisindustryhadpartlyrevivedandwhollymadeodorous，anegrowoman，leaninguponherwhitewashedgate，gazedafterhimandchuckledforthebenefitofagossipingfriendinthenexttinyyard。\"Oh，goodSatan! Wha\'ssamatterthatoleglueman？\" \"Who？Him？\"theneighbourinquired。\"Whathedonow？\" \"Talkin\'tohisolese\'f!\"thefirstexplained，joyously。\"Looklikegonedistracted——oleglueman!\" Adams\'slegshadgrownmoreuncertainwithhishardwalk，andhestumbledheavilyashecrossedthebakedmudofhisbroadlot，butcaredlittleforthat，wasalmostunawareofit，infact。 Thushiseyessawaslittleashisbodyfelt，andsohefailedtoobservesomethingthatwouldhavegivenhimadditionallightuponanoldphrasethatalreadymeantquiteenoughforhim。 Thereareinthewideworldpeoplewhohaveneverlearneditsmeaning；butmostareeitheryoungorbeautifullyunobservantwhoremainwhollyunawareoftheinnerpoignanciesthewordsconvey: \"arainofmisfortunes。\"Itisaboilingrain，seeminglywhimsicalinitschoiceofspotswhereontofall；and，sofarasmortaleyecantell，neitherthejustnortheunjustmayhopetoavoidit，orneedworrythemselvesbyexpectingit。IthadselectedtheAdamsfamilyforitsscaldings；noquestion。 Theglue-worksforeman，standinginthedoorwayofthebrickshed，observedhisemployer\'seccentricapproach，anddoubtfullystrokedawhiskeredchin。 \"Well，theyain\'tnoputticularusegettin\'soupsetoverit，\"hesaid，asAdamscameup。\"Whenathinghappens，why，ithappens，andthat\'sallthereistoit。Whenathing\'sso，why，it\'sso。 Allyoucandoaboutitisthinkifthere\'sanythingyouCANdo； andthat\'swhatyoubetterbedoin\'withthiscase。\" Adamshalted，andseemedtogapeathim。\"What——case？\"hesaid，withdifficulty。\"Wasitinthemorningpapers，too？\" \"No，itain\'tinnomorningpapers。Myland!Itdon\'tneedtobeinnopapers；lookattheSIZEofit!\" \"Thesizeofwhat？\" \"Why，greatGod!\"theforemanexclaimed。\"Heain\'tevenseenit。 Look!Lookyonder!\" Adamsstaredvaguelyattheman\'soutstretchedhandandpointingforefinger，thenturnedandsawagreatsignuponthefacadeofthebigfactorybuildingacrossthestreet。Theletterswerelargeenoughtobereadtwoblocksaway。 \"AFTERTHEFIFTEENTHOFNEXTMONTH THISBUILDINGWILLBEOCCUPIEDBY THEJ。A。LAMBLIQUIDGLUECO。INC。\" Agraytouring-carhadjustcometorestbeforetheprincipalentranceofthebuilding，andJ。A。Lambhimselfdescendedfromit。Heglancedovertowardthehumblerivalofhisprojectedgreatindustry，sawhisoldclerk，andimmediatelywalkedacrossthestreetandthelottospeaktohim。 \"Well，Adams，\"hesaid，inhishusky，cheerfulvoice，\"how\'syourglue-works？\" Adamsutteredaninarticulatesound，andliftedthehandthatheldhishatasiftomakeaprotectivegesture，butfailedtocarryitout；andhisarmsanklimpathisside。Theforeman，however，seemedtofeelthatsomethingoughttobesaid。 \"Ourglue-works，hell!\"heremarked。\"Iguesswewon\'tHAVEnoglue-worksoverherenotverylong，ifwegottocompetewiththesizedthingyougotoverthere!\" Lambchuckled。\"Ikindofhadsomesuchnotion，\"hesaid。\"Yousee，Virgil，Icouldn\'texactlyletyouwalkoffwithitlikeswalleringapato\'butter，now，couldI？Itdidn\'tlookexactlyreasonabletoexpectmetoletgolikethat，now，didit？\" Adamsfoundahalf-chokedvoicesomewhereinhisthroat。\"Doyou——wouldyoustepintomyofficeaminute，Mr。Lamb？\" \"Why，certainlyI\'mwillingtohavealittletalkwithyou，\"theoldgentlemansaid，ashefollowedhisformeremployeeindoors，andheadded，\"IfeelalotmorelikeitthanIdidbeforeIgotTHATup，overyonder，Virgil!\" Adamsthrewopenthedooroftheroughroomhecalledhisoffice，havingasjustificationforthistitlelittlemorethanthefactthathehadatelephonethereandadealtablethatservedasadesk。\"Juststepintotheoffice，please，\"hesaid。 Lambglancedatthedesk，atthekitchenchairbeforeit，atthetelephone，andatthepartitionwallsbuiltofoldboards，somecoveredwithancientpaintandsomemerelyweatherbeaten，thesalvageofahouse-wrecker；andhesmiledbroadly。\"Sotheseareyouroffices，arethey？\"heasked。\"Youexpecttodoquiteabusinesshere，Iguess，don\'tyou，Virgil？\" Adamsturneduponhimastrickenandtorturedface。\"HaveyouseenCharleyLohrsincelastnight，Mr。Lamb？\" \"No；Ihaven\'tseenCharley。\" \"Well，Itoldhimtotellyou，\"Adamsbegan；——\"ItoldhimI\'dpayyou——\" \"Paymewhatyouexpecttomakeouto\'glue，youmean，Virgil？\" \"No，\"Adamssaid，swallowing。\"Imeanwhatmyboyowesyou。 That\'swhatItoldCharleytotellyou。ItoldhimtotellyouI\'dpayyoueverylast——\" \"Well，well!\"theoldgentlemaninterrupted，testily。\"Idon\'tknowanythingaboutthat。\" \"I\'mexpectingtopayyou，\"Adamswenton，swallowingagain，painfully。\"IwasexpectingtodoitoutofaloanIthoughtI couldgetonmyglue-works。\" Theoldgentlemanliftedhisfrostedeyebrows。\"Oh，outo\'theGLUE-works？Youexpectedtoraisemoneyontheglue-works，didyou？\" Atthat，Adams\'sagitationincreasedprodigiously。\"How\'dyouTHINKIexpectedtopayyou？\"hesaid。\"DidyouthinkIexpectedtogetmoneyonmyownoldbones？\"Heslappedhimselfharshlyuponthechestandlegs。\"Doyouthinkabank\'lllendmoneyonaman\'sribsandhisbroken-downoldknee-bones？Theywon\'tdoit! YougottohavesomeBUSINESSprospectstoshow\'em，ifyouhaven\'tgotanypropertynorsecurities；andwhatbusinessprospectshaveIgotnow，withthatsignofyoursupoveryonder？ Why，youdon\'tneedtomakeanOUNCEo\'glue；yoursign\'sfixedMEwithoutyourdoinganotherlick!THAT\'Sallyouhadtodo； justputyoursignup!Youneedn\'tto——\" \"Justletmetellyousomething，VirgilAdams，\"theoldmaninterrupted，harshly。\"Igotjustonerightimportantthingtotellyoubeforewetalkanyfurtherbusiness；andthat\'sthis: there\'ssomefewmeninthistownmadetheirmoneyinoff-colourways，buttherearen\'tmany；andthosetherearehavehadtobeadarnsightslickerthanyouknowhowtobe，oreverWILLknowhowtobe!Yes，sir，andtheynoneofthemhadthelittlegumptiontotrytomakeitoutofamanthathadthespiritnottolet\'em，andtheSTRENGTHnottolet\'em!Iknowwhatyouthought。 \'Here，\'yousaidtoyourself，\'here\'sthisolefoolJ。A。Lamb； he\'skindofwornoutandinhissecondchildhoodlike；Icanputitoveronhim，withouthisever——\'\" \"Ididnot!\"Adamsshouted。\"AgreatdealYOUknowaboutmyfeelingsandallwhatIsaidtomyself!There\'sonethingIwanttotellYOU，andthat\'swhatI\'msayingtomyselfNOW，andwhatmyfeelingsarethisMINUTE!\" Hestruckthetableagreatblowwithhisthinfist，andshookthedamagedknucklesmtheair。\"Ijustwanttotellyou，whateverIdidfeel，Idon\'tfeelMEANanymore；notto-day，I don\'t。There\'sameanermaninthisworldthan_I_am，Mr。 Lamb!\" \"Oh，soyoufeelbetteraboutyourselfto-day，doyou，Virgil？\" \"YoubetIdo!Youworkedtillyougotmewhereyouwantme；andIwouldn\'tdothattoanotherman，nomatterwhathedidtome! Iwouldn\'t——\" \"Whatyoutalkin\'about!How\'veI\'gotyouwhereIwantyou？\'\" \"Ain\'titplainenough？\"Adamscried。\"YouevengotmewhereI can\'traisethemoneytopaybackwhatmyboyowesyou!Doyousupposeanybody\'sfoolenoughtoletmehaveacentonthisbusinessafteronelookatwhatyougotoverthereacrosstheroad？\" \"No，Idon\'t。\" \"No，youdon\'t，\"Adamsechoed，hoarsely。\"What\'smore，youknewmyhousewasmortgaged，andmy——\" \"Ididnot，\"Lambinterrupted，angrily。\"Whatdo_I_careaboutyourhouse？\" \"What\'stheuseyourtalkinglikethat？\"Adamscried。\"YougotmewhereIcan\'tevenraisethemoneytopaywhatmyboyowesthecompany，so\'tIcan\'tshowanyreasontostoptheprosecutionandkeephimoutthepenitentiary。That\'swhereyouworkedtillyougotME!\" \"What!\"Lambshouted。\"Youaccusemeof——\" \"\'Accuseyou？\'WhatamItellingyou？DoyouthinkIgotnoEYES？\"AndAdamshammeredthetableagain。\"Why，youknewtheboywasweak——\" \"Ididnot!\" \"Listen:youkepthimthereafteryougotmadatmyleavingthewayIdid。Youkepthimthereafteryoususpectedhim；andyouhadhimwatched；youlethimgoon；justwaitedtocatchhimandruinhim!\" \"You\'recrazy!\"theoldmanbellowed。\"Ididn\'tknowtherewasanythingagainsttheboytilllastnight。You\'reCRAZY，Isay!\" Adamslookedit。Withhishairdisorderedoverhishaggardforeheadandbloodshoteyes；withhisbruisedhandspoundingthetableandflyinginahundredwildandabsurdgestures，whilehisfeetshuffledconstantlytopreservehisbalanceuponstaggeringlegs，hewasthepictureofamanwithamindgonetorags。 \"MaybeIAMcrazy!\"hecried，hisvoicebreakingandquavering。 \"MaybeIam，butIwouldn\'tstandthereandtauntamanwithitifI\'ddonetohimwhatyou\'vedonetome!Justlookatme:I workedallmylifeforyou，andwhatIdidwhenIquitneverharmedyou——itdidn\'tmaketwocents\'wortho\'differenceinyourlifeanditlookedlikeit\'dmeanallthedifferenceintheworldtomyfamily——andnowlookwhatyou\'veDONEtomeforit!Itellyou，Mr。Lamb，thereneverwasamanlookeduptoanothermanthewayIlookeduptoyouthewholeo\'mylife，butIdon\'tlookuptoyouanymore!Youthinkyougotafinedayofitnow，ridingupinyourautomobiletolookatthatsign——andthenoverhereatmypoorlittleworksthatyou\'veruined。Butlistentomejustthisonelasttime!\"Thecrackingvoicebrokeintofalsetto，andthegesticulatinghandsfluttereduncontrollably。 \"Justyoulisten!\"hepanted。\"YouthinkIdidyouabadturn，andnowyougotmeruinedforit，andyougotmyworksruined，andmyfamilyruined；andifanybody\'d\'a\'toldmethistimelastyearI\'deversaysuchathingtoyouI\'dcalledhimadangliar，butIDOsayit:Isayyou\'veactedtowardmelike——likea——adoggonemean——man!\" Hisvoice，exhausted，likehisbody，wasjustabletodohimthisfinalservice；thenhesank，crumpled，intothechairbythetable，hischindownharduponhischest。 \"Itellyou，you\'recrazy!\"Lambsaidagain。\"Ineverintheworld——\"Buthecheckedhimself，staringinsuddenperplexityathisaccuser。\"Lookhere!\"hesaid。\"What\'sthematterofyou？Haveyougotanotherofthose——？\"HeputhishanduponAdams\'sshoulder，whichjerkedfeeblyunderthetouch。 Theoldmanwenttothedoorandcalledtotheforeman。 \"Here!\"hesaid。\"Runandtellmychauffeurtobringmycaroverhere。Tellhimtodriverightupoverthesidewalkandacrossthelot。Tellhimtohurry!\" So，ithappened，thegreatJ。A。Lambasecondtimebroughthisformerclerkhome，strickenandalmostinanimate。 CHAPTERXXIV Aboutfiveo\'clockthatafternoon，theoldgentlemancamebacktoAdams\'shouse；andwhenAliceopenedthedoor，henodded，walkedintothe\"living-room\"withoutspeaking；thenstoodfrowningasifhehesitatedtodecidesomeperplexingquestion。 \"Well，howishenow？\"heasked，finally。 \"Thedoctorwashereagainalittlewhileago；hethinkspapa\'scomingthroughit。He\'sprettysurehewill。\" \"Somethinglikethewayitwaslastspring？\" \"Yes。\" \"Notabitofsensetoit!\"Lambsaid，gruffly。\"Whenhewasgettingwelltheothertimethedoctortoldmeitwasn\'taregularstroke，sotospeak——this\'cerebraleffusion\'thing。 Saidtherewasn\'tanyparticularreasonforyourfathertoexpecthe\'deverhaveanotherattack，ifhe\'dtakealittlecareofhimself。Saidhecouldconsiderhimselfwellasanybodyelselongashedidthat。\" \"Yes。Buthedidn\'tdoit!\" Lambnodded，sighedaloud，andcrossedtheroomtoachair。\"I guessnot，\"hesaid，ashesatdown。\"Bustin\'hishealthupoverhisglue-works，Iexpect。\" \"Yes。\" \"Iguessso；Iguessso。\"Thenhelookedupatherwithaglimmerofanxietyinhiseyes。\"Hashecametoyet？\" \"Yes。He\'stalkedalittle。Hismind\'sclear；hespoketomamaandmeandtoMissPerry。\"Alicelaughedsadly。\"Wewereluckyenoughtogetherback，butpapadidn\'tseemtothinkitwaslucky。Whenherecognizedherhesaid，\'Oh，mygoodness，\'tisn\'tYOU，isit!\'\" \"Well，that\'sagoodsign，ifhe\'sgettingalittlecross。Didhe——didhehappentosayanything——forinstance，aboutme？\" Thisquestion，awkwardlydelivered，hadtheeffectofremovingthegirl\'spallor；rosytintscamequicklyuponhercheeks。 \"He——yes，hedid，\"shesaid。\"Naturally，he\'stroubledabout——about——\"Shestopped。 \"Aboutyourbrother，maybe？\" \"Yes，aboutmakingupthe——\" \"Here，now，\"Lambsaid，uncomfortably，asshestoppedagain。 \"Listen，younglady；let\'sdon\'ttalkaboutthatjustyet。I wanttoaskyou:youunderstandallaboutthisgluebusiness，I expect，don\'tyou？\" \"I\'mnotsure。Ionlyknow——\" \"Letmetellyou，\"heinterrupted，impatiently。\"I\'lltellyouallaboutitintwowords。Theprocessbelongedtome，andyourfatherupandwalkedoffwithit；there\'snogettingaroundTHAT much，anyhow。\" \"Isn\'tthere？\"Alicestaredathim。\"Ithinkyou\'remistaken，Mr。Lamb。Didn\'tpapaimproveitsothatitvirtuallybelongedtohim？\" Therewasasparkintheoldblueeyesatthis。\"What？\"hecried。\"Isthatthewayhegotaroundit？Why，inallmylifeI neverheardofsucha——\"Butheleftthesentenceunfinished； thetestinesswentoutofhishuskyvoiceandtheangeroutofhiseyes。\"Well，Iexpectmaybethatwasthewayofit，\"hesaid。\"Anyhow，it\'srightforyoutostandupforyourfather； andifyouthinkhehadarighttoit——\" \"Buthedid!\"shecried。 \"Iexpectso，\"theoldmanreturned，pacifically。\"Iexpectso，probably。Anyhow，it\'saquestionthat\'sneitherherenorthere，rightnow。WhatIwasthinkingofsaying——well，didyourfatherhappentoletoutthatheandIhadwordsthismorning？\" \"No。\" \"Well，wedid。\"Hesighedandshookhishead。\"Yourfather——well，heusedsomeprettyhardexpressionstowardme，younglady。Theyweren\'tSO，I\'mgladtosay，butheused\'emtome，andtheworstofitwashebelieved\'em。Well，Ibeenthinkingitover，andIthoughtI\'djusthaveakindoflittletalkwithyoutosetmattersstraight，sotospeak。\" \"Yes，Mr。Lamb。\" \"Forinstance，\"hesaid，\"it\'slikethis。Now，Ihopeyouwon\'tthinkImeananyindelicacy，butyoutakeyourbrother\'scase，sincewegottomentionit，why，yourfatherhadthewholethingworkedoutinhismindaboutaswrongasanybodyevergotanything。IfI\'dactedthewayyourfatherthoughtIdidaboutthat，why，somebodyjustoughttotakemeoutandshootme!DoYOUknowwhatthatmanthought？\" \"I\'mnotsure。\" Hefrownedather，andasked，\"Well，whatdoyouthinkaboutit？\" \"Idon\'tknow，\"shesaid。\"Idon\'tbelieveIthinkanythingatallaboutanythingto-day。\" \"Well，well，\"hereturned；\"Iexpectnot；Iexpectnot。Youkindoflooktomeasifyououghttobeinbedyourself，younglady。\" \"Oh，no。\" \"Iguessyoumean\'Oh，yes\'；andIwon\'tkeepyoulong，butthere\'ssomethingwegottogetfixedup，andI\'drathertalktoyouthanIwouldtoyourmother，becauseyou\'reasmartgirlandalwaysfriendly；andIwanttobesureI\'munderstood。Now，listen。\" \"Iwill，\"Alicepromised，smilingfaintly。 \"Ineverevenhardlynoticedyourbrotherwasstillworkingforme，\"heexplained，earnestly。\"Ineverthoughtanythingaboutit。Mysonssortoftriedtoteasemeaboutthewayyourfather——abouthistakingupthisgluebusiness，sotospeak——andonedayAlbert，Junior，askedmeifIfeltallrightaboutyourbrother\'sstayingthereafterthat，andItoldhim——well，Ijustaskedhimtoshutup。Iftheboywantedtostaythere，Ididn\'tconsideritmybusinesstosendhimawayonaccountofanyfeelingIhadtowardhisfather；notaslongashedidhisworkright——andthereportshowedhedid。Well，asithappens，itlooksnowasifhestayedbecauseheHADto；hecouldn\'tquitbecausehe\'d\'a\'beenfoundoutifhedid。Well，he\'dbeencoveringuphisshortageforaconsiderabletime——anddoyouknowwhatyourfatherpracticallychargedmewithaboutthat？\" \"No，Mr。Lamb。\" Inhisresentment，theoldgentleman\'sruddyfacebecameruddierandhishuskyvoicehuskier。\"ThinksIkepttheboytherebecauseIsuspectedhim!ThinksIdidittogetevenwithHIM! DoIlooktoYOUlikeamanthat\'ddosuchathing？\" \"No，\"shesaid，gently。\"Idon\'tthinkyouwould。\" \"No!\"heexclaimed。\"NorHEwouldn\'tthinksoifhewashimself； he\'sknownmetoolong。Buthemustbeensortofbroodingoverthiswholebusiness——ImeanbeforeWalter\'stroublehemustbeentakingittoheartprettyhardforsometimeback。HethoughtI didn\'tthinkmuchofhimanymore——andIexpecthemaybewonderedsomewhatIwasgoingtoDO——andthere\'snothingworse\'nthatstateofmindtomakeamansuspiciousofallkindsofmeanness。 Well，hepracticallystoodupthereandaccusedmetomyfaceoffixingthingsso\'thecouldn\'teverraisethemoneytosettleforWalterandaskusnottoprosecute。That\'sthestateofmindyourfather\'sbroodinggothiminto，younglady——chargingmewithatricklikethat!\" \"I\'msorry，\"shesaid。\"Iknowyou\'dnever——\" Theoldmanslappedhissturdyknee，angrily。\"Why，thatdangfoolofaVirgilAdams!\"heexclaimed。\"Hewouldn\'tevengivemeachancetotalk；andhegotmesomadIcouldn\'thardlytalk，anyway!Hemight\'a\'knownfromthefirstIwasn\'tgoingtolethimwalkinandbeatmeoutofmyown——thatis，hemight\'a\' knownIwouldn\'tlethimgetaheadofmeinabusinessmatter——notwithmyboystwittingmeaboutiteveryfewminutes! Buttotalktomethewayhedidthismorning——well，hewasoutofhishead；that\'sall!Now，waitjustaminute，\"heinterposed，assheseemedabouttospeak。\"Inthefirstplace，wearen\'tgoingtopushthiscaseagainstyourbrother。I believeinthelaw，allright，andbusinessmengottoprotectthemselves；butinacaselikethis，whererestitution\'smadebythefamily，why，Iexpectit\'sjustaswellsometimestousealittleinfluenceandletmattersdrop。Ofcourseyourbrother\'llhavetokeepouto\'thisstate；that\'sall。\" \"But——yousaid——\"shefaltered。 \"Yes。What\'dIsay？\" \"Yousaid，\'whererestitution\'smadebythefamily。\'That\'swhatseemedtotroublepapasoterribly，because——becauserestitutioncouldn\'t——\" \"Why，yes，itcould。That\'swhatI\'mheretotalktoyouabout。\" \"Idon\'tsee——\" \"I\'mgoingtoTELLyou，ain\'tI？\"hesaid，gruffly。\"Justholdyourhorsesaminute，please。\"Hecoughed，rosefromhischair，walkedupanddowntheroom，thenhaltedbeforeher。\"It\'slikethis，\"hesaid。\"AfterIbroughtyourfatherhome，thismorning，therewasoneofthethingshetoldme，whenhewasgoingforme，overyonder——itkindofstuckinmycraw。Itwassomethingaboutallthisgluecontroversynotmeaninganythingtomeinparticular，andmeaningawholeheaptohimandhisfamily。 Well，hewaswrongaboutthattwoways。Thefirstonewas，itdidmeanagooddealtometohavehimgobackonmeaftersomanyyears。Idon\'tneedtosayanymoreaboutit，exceptjusttotellyouitmeantquitealittlemoretomethanyou\'dthink，maybe。Theotherwayhewaswrongis，thathowmuchathingmeanstoonemanandhowlittleitmeanstoanotherain\'ttherightwaytolookatabusinessmatter。\" \"Isupposeitisn\'t，Mr。Lamb。\" \"No，\"hesaid。\"Itisn\'t。It\'snottherightwaytolookatanything。Yes，andyourfatherknowsitaswellasIdo，whenhe\'sinhisrightmind；andIexpectthat\'soneofthereasonshegotsomadatme——butanyhow，Icouldn\'thelpthinkingabouthowmuchallthisthingHADmaybemeanttohim；——asIsay，itkindofstuckinmycraw。Iwantyoutotellhimsomethingfromme，andIwantyoutogoandtellhimrightoff，ifhe\'sableandwillingtolisten。YoutellhimIgotkindofanotionhewaspushedintothisthingbycircumstances，andtellhimI\'velivedlongenoughtoknowthatcircumstancescanbeatthebestofus——youtellhimIsaid\'theBESTofus。\'TellhimIhaven\'tgotabitoffeelingagainsthim——notanymore——andtellhimIcameheretoaskhimnottohaveanyagainstme。\" \"Yes，Mr。Lamb。\" \"TellhimIsaid——\"TheoldmanpausedabruptlyandAlicewassurprised，inadullandtiredway，whenshesawthathislipshadbeguntotwitchandhiseyelidstoblink；butherecoveredhimselfalmostatonce，andcontinued:\"Iwanthimtoremember，\'Forgiveusourtransgressions，asweforgivethosethattransgressagainstus\'；andifheandIbeentransgressingagainsteachother，why，tellhimIthinkit\'stimeweQUITsuchfoolishness!\" Hecoughedagain，smiledheartilyuponher，andwalkedtowardthedoor；thenturnedbacktoherwithanexclamation:\"Well，ifI ain\'tanoldfool!\" \"Whatisit？\"sheasked。 \"Why，Iforgotwhatwewerejusttalkingabout!YourfatherwantstosettleforWalter\'sdeficit。Tellhimwe\'llbegladtoacceptit；butofcoursewedon\'texpecthimtocleanthematterupuntilhe\'sabletotalkbusinessagain。\" Alicestaredathimblanklyenoughforhimtoperceivethatfurtherexplanationswerenecessary。\"It\'slikethis，\"hesaid。 \"Yousee，ifyourfatherdecidedtokeephisworksgoingoveryonder，Idon\'tsaybuthemightgiveussomelittlecompetitionforatime，\'speciallyashe\'sgotthestartonusandaboutreadyforthemarket。ThenIwasfiguringwecouldusehisplant——it\'ssmall，butit\'dbetoourbenefittohavetheuseofit——andhe\'sgotaleaseonthatbiglot；itmaycomeinhandyforusifwewanttoexpandsome。Well，I\'dprefertomakeadealwithhimasquietlyaspossible——nogoodineveryTom，DickandHarryhearingaboutthingslikethis——butIfiguredhecouldsellouttomeforalittlesomethingmore\'nenoughtocoverthemortgageheputonthishouse，andWalter\'sdeficit，too——THAT don\'tamounttomuchindollarsandcents。ThewayIfigureit，Icouldofferhimaboutninety-threehundreddollarsasatotal——orsayninety-threehundredandfifty——andifhefeelslikeaccepting，why，I\'llsendaconfidentialmanupherewiththepaperssoon\'syourfather\'sabletolook\'emover。Youtellhim，willyou，andaskhimifheseeshiswaytoacceptingthatfigure？\" \"Yes，\"Alicesaid；andnowherownlipstwitched，whilehereyesfilledsothatshesawbutablurredimageoftheoldman，whoheldouthishandinparting。\"I\'lltellhim。Thankyou。\" Heshookherhandhastily。\"Well，let\'sjustkeepitkindofquiet，\"hesaid，atthedoor。\"NogoodineveryTom，DickandHarryknowingallwhatgoesonintown!Youtelephonemewhenyourpapa\'sreadytogooverthepapers——andcallmeupatmyhouseto-night，willyou？Letmehearhowhe\'sfeeling？\" \"Iwill，\"shesaid，andthroughhergratefultearsgavehimasmilealmostradiant。\"He\'llbebetter，Mr。Lamb。Weallwill。\" CHAPTERXXV Onemorning，thatautumn，Mrs。AdamscameintoAlice\'sroom，andfoundhercompletingasobertoiletforthestreet；moreover，theexpressionrevealedinhermirrorwasharmoniouswiththebusiness-likeseverityofherattire。\"Whatmakesyoulooksocross，dearie？\"themotherasked。\"Couldn\'tyoufindanythingnicertowearthanthatplainolddarkdress？\" \"Idon\'tbelieveI\'mcross，\"thegirlsaid，absently。\"IbelieveI\'mjustthinking。Isn\'titabouttime？\" \"Timeforwhat？\" \"Timeforthinking——forme，Imean？\" Disregardingthis，Mrs。Adamslookedheroverthoughtfully。\"I can\'tseewhyyoudon\'twearmorecolour，\"shesaid。\"Atyourageit\'sbecomingandproper，too。Anyhow，whenyou\'regoingonthestreet，Ithinkyououghttolookjustasgayandlivelyasyoucanmanage。Youwanttoshow\'emyou\'vegotsomespunk!\" \"Howdoyoumean，mama？\" \"ImeanaboutWalter\'srunningawayandthemessyourfathermadeofhisbusiness。Itwouldhelptoshow\'emyou\'reholdingupyourheadjustthesame。\" \"Showwhom!\" \"Alltheseothergirlsthat——\" \"NotI!\"Alicelaughedshortly，shakingherhead。\"I\'vequitdressingatthem，andiftheysawmetheywouldn\'tthinkwhatyouwant\'emto。It\'sfunny；butwedon\'toftenmakepeoplethinkwhatwewant\'emto，mama。Youdothusandso；andyoutellyourself，\'Now，seeingmedothusandso，peoplewillnaturallythinkthisandthat\'；buttheydon\'t。Theythinksomethingelse——usuallyjustwhatyouDON\'Twant\'emto。Isupposeabouttheonlygoodinpretendingisthefunwegetoutoffoolingourselvesthatwefoolsomebody。\" \"Well，butitwouldn\'tbepretending。Yououghttoletpeopleseeyou\'restillholdingyourheadupbecauseyouARE。Youwouldn\'twantthatMildredPalmertothinkyou\'recastdownabout——well，youknowyouwouldn\'twantHERnottothinkyou\'reholdingyourheadup，wouldyou？\" \"Shewouldn\'tknowwhetherIamornot，mama。\"Alicebitherlip，thensmiledfaintlyasshesaid: \"Anyhow，I\'mnotthinkingaboutmyheadinthatway——notthismorning，I\'mnot。\" Mrs。Adamsdroppedthesubjectcasually。\"Areyougoingdown-town？\"sheinquired。 \"Yes。\" \"Whatfor？\" \"JustsomethingIwanttoseeabout。I\'lltellyouwhenIcomeback。Anythingyouwantmetodo？\" \"No；Iguessnotto-day。Ithoughtyoumightlookforarug，butI\'drathergowithyoutoselectit。We\'llhavetogetanewrugforyourfather\'sroom，Iexpect。\" \"I\'mgladyouthinkso，mama。Idon\'tsupposehe\'severevennoticedit，butthatoldrugofhis——well，really!\" \"Ididn\'tmeanforhim，\"hermotherexplained，thoughtfully。 \"No；hedon\'tmindit，andhe\'dlikelymakeafussifwechangeditonhisaccount。No；whatImeant——we\'llhavetoputyourfatherinWalter\'sroom。Hewon\'tmind，Idon\'texpect——notmuch。\" \"No，Isupposenot，\"Aliceagreed，rathersadly。\"Iheardthebellawhileago。Wasitsomebodyaboutthat？\" \"Yes；justbeforeIcameupstairs。Mrs。Lohrgavehimanotetome，andhewasreallyaverypleasant-lookingyoungman。AVERY pleasant-lookingyoungman，\"Mrs。Adamsrepeatedwithincreasedanimationandathoughtfulglanceatherdaughter。\"He\'saMr。 WillDickson；hehasafirst-ratepositionwiththegasworks，Mrs。Lohrsays，andhe\'sfullyabletoaffordaniceroom。SoifyouandIdoubleupinhere，thenwiththatyoungmarriedcoupleinmyroom，andthisMr。Dicksoninyourfather\'s，we\'lljustabouthavethingssettled。IthoughtmaybeIcouldmakeonemoreplaceattable，too，sothatwiththeotherpeoplefromoutsidewe\'dbeservingelevenaltogether。YouseeifIhavetopaythiscooktwelvedollarsaweek——itcan\'tbehelped，I guess——well，onemorewouldcertainlyhelptowardaprofit。Ofcourseit\'saterriblyworryingthingtoseehowweWILLcomeout。Don\'tyousupposewecouldsqueezeinonemore？\" \"IsupposeitCOULDbemanaged；yes。\" Mrs。Adamsbrightened。\"I\'msureit\'llbepleasanthavingthatyoungmarriedcoupleinthehouseandespeciallythisMr。WillDickson。Heseemedverymuchofagentleman，andanxioustogetsettledingoodsurroundings。Iwasveryfavourablyimpressedwithhimineveryway；andheexplainedtomeabouthisname；itseemsitisn\'tWilliam，it\'sjust\'Will\'；hisparentshadhimchristenedthatway。It\'scurious。\"Shepaused，andthen，withanefforttoseemcasual，whichveilednothingfromherdaughter: \"It\'sQUITEcurious，\"shesaidagain。\"Butit\'sratherattractiveanddifferent，don\'tyouthink？\" \"Poormama!\"Alicelaughedcompassionately。\"Poormama!\" \"Heis，though，\"Mrs。Adamsmaintained。\"He\'sverymuchofagentleman，unlessI\'mnojudgeofappearances；andit\'llreallybenicetohavehiminthehouse。\" \"Nodoubt，\"Alicesaid，assheopenedherdoortodepart。\"I don\'tsupposewe\'llmindhavinganyof\'emasmuchaswethoughtwewould。Good-bye。\" Buthermotherdetainedher，catchingherbythearm。\"Alice，youdohateit，don\'tyou!\" \"No，\"thegirlsaid，quickly。\"Therewasn\'tanythingelsetodo。\" Mrs。Adamsbecameemotionalatonce:herfacecriedtragedy，andhervoicemisfortune。\"ThereMIGHThavebeensomethingelsetodo!Oh，Alice，yougaveyourfatherbadadvicewhenyouupheldhimintakingamiserablelittleninety-threehundredandfiftyfromthatoldwretch!Ifyourfather\'djusthadthegumptiontoholdout，they\'dhavehadtopayhimanythingheasked。Ifhe\'djusthadthegumptionandalittlemanlyCOURAGE——\" \"Hush!\"Alicewhispered，forhermother\'svoicegrewlouder。 \"Hush!He\'llhearyou，mama。\" \"Couldhehearmetoooften？\"theembitteredladyasked。\"Ifhe\'dlistenedtomeattherighttime，wouldwehavetobetakinginboardersandsinkingDOWNinthescaleattheendofourlives，insteadofgoingUP？Youwerebothwrong；wedidn\'tneedtobesopanicky——thatwasjustwhatthatoldmanwanted:toscareusandbuyusoutfornothing!Ifyourfather\'djustlistenedtomethen，orifforonceinhislifehe\'djustbeenhalfaMAN——\" Aliceputherhandoverhermother\'smouth。\"Youmustn\'t!HeWILLhearyou!\" ButfromtheothersideofAdams\'scloseddoorhisvoicecamequerulously。\"Oh，IHEARher，allright!\" \"Yousee，mama？\"Alicesaid，and，asMrs。Adamsturnedaway，weeping，thedaughtersighed；thenwentintospeaktoherfather。 Hewasinhisoldchairbythetable，withapillowbehindhishead，butthecrochetedscarfandMrs。Adams\'swrapperswathedhimnomore；heworeadressing-gownhiswifehadboughtforhim，andwassmokinghispipe。\"Theoldstory，isit？\"hesaid，asAlicecamein。\"Thesame，sameoldstory!Well，well!Hasshegone？\" \"Yes，papa。\" \"Gotyourhaton，\"hesaid。\"Whereyougoing？\" \"I\'mgoingdown-townonanerrandofmyown。Isthereanythingyouwant，papa？\" \"Yes，thereis。\"Hesmiledather。\"Iwishyou\'dsitdownawhileandtalktomeunlessyourerrand——\" \"No，\"shesaid，takingachairnearhim。\"IwasjustgoingdowntoseeaboutsomearrangementsIwasmakingformyself。There\'snohurry。\" \"Whatarrangementsforyourself，dearie？\" \"I\'lltellyouafterwards——afterIfindoutsomethingabout\'emmyself。\" \"Allright，\"hesaid，indulgently。\"Keepyoursecrets；keepyoursecrets。\"Hepaused，drewmusinglyuponhispipe，andshookhishead。\"Funny——thewayyourmotherlooksatthings!Forthemattero\'that，everything\'sprettyfunny，Iexpect，ifyoustoptothinkaboutit。Forinstance，lethersayallshelikes，butwewerepushedrightspangtothewall，ifJ。A。Lambhadn\'ttakenitintohisheadtomakethatofferfortheworks；andthere\'soneofthethingsIbeenthinkingaboutlately，Alice: thinkingabouthowfunnytheyworkout。\" \"Whatdidyouthinkaboutit，papa!\" \"Well，I\'veseenithappeninotherpeople\'slives，timeandtimeagain；andnowit\'shappenedinours。Youthinkyou\'regoingtobepushedrightupagainstthewall；youcan\'tseeanywayout，oranyhopeatall；youthinkyou\'reGONE——andthensomethingyounevercountedonturnsup；and，whilemaybeyouneverdogetbacktowhereyouusedtobe，yetsomehowyoukindofsquirmoutofbeingrightSPANGagainstthewall。Youkeepongoing——maybeyoucan\'tgomuch，butyoudogoalittle。SeewhatImean？\" \"Yes。Iunderstand，dear。\" \"Yes，I\'mafraidyoudo，\"hesaid。\"Toobad!Yououghtn\'ttounderstanditatyourage。ItseemstomeagooddealasiftheLordreallymeantfortheyoungpeopletohavethegoodtimes，andfortheoldtohavethetroubles；andwhenanybodyasyoungasyouhastroublethere\'sabigmistakesomewhere。\" \"Oh，no!\"sheprotested。 Buthepersistedwhimsicallyinthisviewofdivineerror:\"Yes，itdoeslookagooddealthatway。Butofcoursewecan\'ttell； we\'renevercertainaboutanything——notaboutanythingatall。 SometimesIlookatitanotherway，though。Sometimesitlookstomeasifabody\'stroublescameonhimmainlybecausehehadn\'thadsenseenoughtoknowhownottohaveany——asifhistroubleswerekindoflikeaboy\'sgettingkeptinafterschoolbytheteacher，togivehimdiscipline，orsomethingorother。 But，my，my!Wedon\'tlearneasy!\"Hechuckledmournfully。\"Nottolearnhowtolivetillwe\'reaboutreadytodie，itcertainlyseemstomedangtough!\" \"ThenIwouldn\'tbroodonsuchanotion，papa，\"shesaid。 \"\'Brood？\'No!\"hereturned。\"Ijustkindo\'mullitover。\"Hechuckledagain，sighed，andthen，notlookingather，hesaid，\"ThatMr。Russell——yourmothertellsmehehasn\'tbeenhereagain——notsince——\" \"No，\"shesaid，quietly，asAdamspaused。\"Henevercameagain。\" \"Well，butmaybe——\" \"No，\"shesaid。\"Thereisn\'tany\'maybe。\'Itoldhimgood-byethatnight，papa。ItwasbeforeheknewaboutWalter——Itoldyou。\" \"Well，well，\"Adamssaid。\"Youngpeopleareentitledtotheirownprivacy；Idon\'twanttopry。\"Heemptiedhispipeintoachippedsauceronthetablebesidehim，laidthepipeaside，andrevertedtoaformertopic。\"Speakingofdying——\" \"Well，butweweren\'t!\"Aliceprotested。 \"Yes，aboutnotknowinghowtolivetillyou\'rethroughliving——andTHENmaybenot!\"hesaid，chucklingathisowndeterminedpessimism。\"IseeI\'mprettyoldbecauseItalkthisway——IremembermygrandmothersayingthingsagooddeallikeallwhatI\'msayingnow；IusedtohearheratitwhenIwasayoungfellow——shewasarightgloomyoldlady，Iremember。Well，anyhow，itremindsme:IwanttogetonmyfeetagainassoonasIcan；Igottolookaroundandfindsomethingtogointo。\" Aliceshookherheadgently。\"But，papa，hetoldyou——\" \"Nevermindthrowingthatdangdoctorupatme!\"Adamsinterrupted，peevishly。\"HesaidI\'dbegoodforSOMEkindoflightjob——ifIcouldfindjusttherightthing。\'Wheretherewouldn\'tbeeitheranyphysicalormentalstrain，\'hesaid。 Well，Igottofindsomethinglikethat。Anyway，I\'llfeelbetterifIcanjustgetoutLOOKINGforit。\" \"But，papa，I\'mafraidyouwon\'tfindit，andyou\'llbedisappointed。\" \"Well，IwanttohuntaroundandSEE，anyhow。\" Alicepattedhishand。\"Youmustjustbecontented，papa。 Everything\'sgoingtobeallright，andyoumustn\'tgettoworryingaboutdoinganything。Weownthishouseit\'sallclear——andyou\'vetakencareofmamaandmeallourlives；nowit\'sourturn。\" \"No，sir!\"hesaid，querulously。\"Idon\'tliketheideaofbeingthelandlady\'shusbandaroundaboarding-house；itgoesagainstmygizzard。_I_know:makesoutthebillsforhiswifeSundaymornings——workswithascrew-driveronsomebody\'sbureaudrawersometimes——\'tendsthefurnacemaybe——onetheboardersgiveshimacigarnowandthen。That\'saFINElifetolookforwardto!No，sir；Idon\'twanttofinishasalandlady\'shusband!\" Alicelookedgrave；forsheknewthesketchwasbuttooaccuratelypropheticineveryprobability。\"But，papa，\"shesaid，toconsolehim，\"don\'tyouthinkmaybethereisn\'tsuchathingasa\'finish，\'afterall!Yousayperhapswedon\'tlearntolivetillwediebutmaybethat\'showitisAFTERwedie，too——justlearningsomemore，thewaywedohere，andmaybethroughtroubleagain，evenafterthat。\" \"Oh，itmightbe，\"hesighed。\"Iexpectso。\" \"Well，then，\"shesaid，\"what\'stheuseoftalkingabouta\'finish？\'Wedokeeplookingaheadtothingsasifthey\'dfinishsomething，butwhenwegetTOthem，theydon\'tfinishanything。 They\'rejustpartofgoingon。I\'lltellyou——IlookedaheadallsummertosomethingIwasafraidof，andIsaidtomyself，\'Well，ifthathappens，I\'mfinished!\'Butitwasn\'tso，papa。Itdidhappen，andnothing\'sfinished；I\'mgoingon，justthesameonly——\"Shestoppedandblushed。 \"Onlywhat？\"heasked。 \"Well——\"Sheblushedmoredeeply，thenjumpedup，and，standingbeforehim，caughtbothhishandsinhers。\"Well，don\'tyouthink，sincewedohavetogoon，weoughtatleasttohavelearnedsomesenseabouthowtodoit？\" Helookedupatheradoringly。 \"What_I_think，\"hesaid，andhisvoicetrembled；——\"Ithinkyou\'rethesmartestgirlintheworld!Iwouldn\'ttradeyouforthewholekit-and-boodleof\'em!\" Butasthisfollyofhisthreatenedtomakehertearful，shekissedhimhastily，andwentforthuponhererrand。 Sincethenightofthetragic-comicdinnershehadnotseenRussell，norcaughteventheremotestchanceglimpseofhim；anditwascuriousthatsheshouldencounterhimasshewentuponsuchanerrandasnowengagedher。Atacorner，notfarfromthattobacconist\'sshopshehadjustleftwhenheovertookherandwalkedwithherforthefirsttime，shemethimto-day。Heturnedthecorner，comingtowardher，andtheywerefacetoface； whereuponthatengagingfaceofRussell\'swasinstantlyreddened，butAlice\'sremainedserene。 Shestoppedshort，though；andsodidhe；thenshesmiledbrightlyassheputoutherhand。 \"Why，Mr。Russell!\" \"I\'mso——I\'msogladtohavethis——thischance，\"hestammered。 \"I\'vewantedtotellyou——it\'sjustthatgoingintoanewundertaking——thisbusinesslife——onedoesn\'tgettodoagreatmanythingshe\'dliketo。Ihopeyou\'llletmecallagainsometime，ifIcan。\" \"Yes，do!\"shesaid，cordially，andthen，withaquicknod，wentbrisklyon。 Shebreathedmorerapidly，butknewthathecouldnothavedetectedit，andshetooksomeprideinherselfforthewayshehadmetthislittlecrisis。Buttohavemetitwithsucheasycouragemeanttohersomethingmorereassuringthanamomentaryprideintheserenityshehadshown。Forshefoundthatwhatshehadresolvedinherinmostheartwasnowreallytrue:shewas\"throughwithallthat!\" Shewalkedon，butmoreslowly，forthetobacconist\'sshopwasnotfarfromhernow——and，beyondit，thatportalofdoom，Frincke\'sBusinessCollege。AlreadyAlicecouldreadthebegrimedgiltlettersofthesign；andalthoughtheyhadspelleddestinyneverwithamorepainfulimminencethanjustthen，anoldhabitofdramatizingherselfstillprevailedwithher。 TherecameintohermindawhimsicalcomparisonofherfatewiththatoftheheroineinaFrenchromanceshehadreadlongagoandrememberedwell，forshehadcriedoverit。Thestoryendedwiththeheroine\'stakingtheveilafteradeathblowtolove；andthefinalsceneagainbecamevividtoAlice，foramoment。Again，aswhenshehadreadandwept， sheseemedherselftostandamongthegreatshadowsinthecathedralnave；smelledthesmokyincenseontheenclosedair，andheardthesolemnpulsesoftheorgan。Sherememberedhowthenovice\'sfatherknelt，trembling，besideapillarofgraystone；howthefaithlessloverwatchedandshiveredbehindthestatueofasaint；howstifledsobsandoutcrieswereheardwhenthenovicecametothealtar；andhowashaftoflightstruckthroughtherose-window，envelopingherinanamberglow。 Itwasthevisionofamomentonly，andfornolongerthanamomentdidAlicetellherselfthattheromanceprovidedaprettierwayoftakingtheveilthanshehadchosen，andthatafaithlesslover，shakingwithremorsebehindasaint\'sstatue，wasagreatersolacethanoneleftonastreetcornerprotestingthathe\'dliketocallsometime——ifhecould!Herpityforherselfvanishedmorereluctantly；butsheshookitoffandtriedtosmileatit，andatherromanticrecollections——atallofthem。Shehadsomethingimportanttothinkof。 Shepassedthetobacconist\'s，andbeforeherwasthatdarkentrancetothewoodenstairwayleadinguptoFrincke\'sBusinessCollege——theverydoorwayshehadalwayslookeduponastheendofyouthandtheendofhope。 Howoftenshehadgonebyhere，hatingthedrearyobscurityofthatstairway；howoftenshehadthoughtofthisobscurityassomethinglyinginwaittoobliteratethefootstepsofanygirlwhoshouldascendintothesmokydarknessabove!Neverhadshepassedwithoutthoseominousimaginingsofhers:prettygirlsturningintooldmaids\"takingdictation\"——oldmaidsofadozendifferenttypes，yetalllookingalittlelikeherself。 Well，shewashereatlast!Shelookedupanddownthestreetquickly，andthen，withalittleheaveoftheshoulders，shewentbravelyin，underthesign，andbegantoclimbthewoodensteps。 Half-wayuptheshadowswereheaviest，butafterthattheplacebegantoseembrighter。Therewasanopenwindowoverheadsomewhere，shefound；andthestepsatthetopweregaywithsunshine。