第6章

Andnow，\"sheadded，\"Iwantyoutotellmeeverythingthathappenedthisevening。Don\'tomitaword，oralook，oramotion。Iwishtoproceedintelligently。\" IhopeIwasaccurateinthehistoryofthehopwhichIgaveMrs。 March；IamsureIwasfull。Ithinkmyaccountmaybejustlydescribedashavingacreativetruthfulness，ifnoothermerit。I hadreallynowishtoconcealanythingexceptthefactthatIhadnot，inmyutterhelplessness，eventriedtogetMissGageanyotherpartners。Butinthelargerinterestofthepresentsituation，Mrs。 Marchseemedtohavelostthesenseofmyderelictioninthisrespect。Shemerelyasked，\"Anditwasafteryouwentbacktotheparlour，justbeforeyoucamehome，thatyouwrotethosenamesonhercard？\" \"Kendrickswrotehalfofthem，\"Isaid。 \"Idaresay。Well，itwasveryamusing，andifthecircumstancesweredifferent，Icouldhaveenteredintothespiritofittoo。Butyouseeyourself，Basil，thatwecan\'tletthisaffairgoanyfurtherwithoutdealingfranklywithher。YOUcan\'tspeaktoher，and_I_MUST。Don\'tyousee？\" IsaidthatIsaw，butIhadsuddenlyawildwishthatitwerepracticableformetospeaktoMissGage。Ishouldhavelikedtohaveapeepintoagirl\'sheartatjustsuchamoment，whenitmustbequiveringwiththeunconfessedsenseoflove，andtheconfidenthopeofbeingloved，butwhileasyetnothingwasassured，nothingwasascertained。Ifitwouldnothavebeenshocking，ifitwouldnothavebeensacrilegious，itwouldhavebeeninfinitelyinteresting，andfromanaestheticpointofviewinfinitelyimportant。IthoughtthatIshouldhavebeenwillingtoundergoalltheembarrassmentofsuchaninquiryforthesakeofitspreciousresults，ifithadbeenatallpossible；butIacquiescedthatitwouldnotbepossible。IfeltthatIwasgettingoffprettylightlynottohaveitbroughthometomeagainthatIwasthecauseofallthistrouble，andthatifithadnotbeenformetherewouldhavebeen，asfarasMrs。Marchwasconcerned，noMissGage，andnolove- affairofherstodealwith。IdebatedinmymindamomentwhetherIhadbetterurgehertoletmespeaktoKendricksafterall；butI forbore，andinthemorningIwaitedaboutinmuchperturbation，afterIhadsentMissGagetoher，untilIcouldknowtheresultoftheirinterview。WhenIsawthegirlcomeawayfromherroom，whichshedidrathertrippingly，Iwenttoher，andfoundherbynomeansthewreckIhadexpectedtheordealtoleaveher。 \"DidyoumeetMissGage？\"sheasked。 \"Yes，\"Ireturned，withtremulousexpectation。 \"Well，don\'tyouthinkshelooksperfectlydivineinthatgown？ It\'soneofMme。Cody\'s，andwegotitforthirtydollars。ItwouldhavebeenfiftyinNewYork，anditwas，here，earlierintheseason。Ishallalwayscomehereforsomeofmythings；assoonastheseason\'salittlepasttheysimplyFLINGthemaway。Well，mydear!\" \"Well，what？\" \"Ididn\'tspeaktoherafterall。\" \"Youdidn\'t!Don\'tyouthinkshe\'sinlovewithhim，then？\" \"Dead。\" \"Well？\" \"Well，Icouldn\'tsomehowseemtoapproachthesubjectasIhadexpectedto。Shewassohappy，andsogood，andsoperfectlyobedient，thatIcouldn\'tgetanythingtotakeholdof。Yousee，I didn\'tknowbutshemightbealittlerebellious，orresentfulofmyinterference；butinthelittlegingerlyattemptsIdidmakeshewassosubmissive，don\'tyouunderstand？AndshewasverymodestaboutMr。Kendricks\'attentions，andsoself-depreciatorythat，well——\" \"Lookhere，Isabel，\"Ibrokein，\"thisisprettyshamelessofyou。 Youpretendtobeinthegreatestkindoffidgeaboutthisgirl；andyoumakemelieawakeallnightthinkingwhatyou\'regoingtosaytoher；andnowyouasmuchastellmeyouweresofascinatedwiththemodestwayshewasinlovethatyoucouldn\'tsayanythingtoheragainstbeinginloveonourhandsinanysortofway。Doyoucallthisbusiness？\" \"Well，Idon\'tcareifIDIDencourageher——\" \"Oh，youevenencouragedher!\" \"IDIDN\'Tencourageher。ImerelypraisedMr。Kendricks，andsaidhowmuchyouthoughtofhimasawriter。\" \"Oh!thenyougavethesubjectaliterarycast。Isee!DoyouthinkMissGagewasabletofollowyou？\" \"Thatdoesn\'tmatter。\" \"Andwhatdoyouproposetodonow？\" \"Iproposetodonothing。IthinkthatIhavedoneallmydutyrequires，andthatnowIcanleavethewholeaffairtoyou。Itwasyouraffairinthebeginning。Idon\'tseewhyIshouldworrymyselfaboutit。\" \"Itseemstomethatthisisaverystrangepositionforaladytotakewhowasnotgoingtocloseaneyelastnightinviewofasituationwhichhasnotchangedintheleast，exceptfortheworse。 Don\'tyouthinkyouareratherculpablylight-heartedallofasudden？\" \"Iamlight-hearted，butifthereisanyculpabilityitisyours，Basil。\" Ireflected，butIfailedtofindanynoveltyinthefact。\"Verywell，then；whatdoyouproposethatIshoulddo？\" \"Ileavethatentirelytoyourownconscience。\" \"Andifmyconsciencehasnosuggestiontomake？\" \"That\'syouraffair。\" Ireflectedagain，andthenIsaid，morethananythingtomakeheruncomfortable，I\'mafraid:\"Ifeelperfectlyeasyinmyconscience，personally，butIhaveasocialdutyinthematter，andIhopeI shallperformitwithmorefidelityandcouragethanyouhaveshown。 IshallspeaktoKendricks。\" Shesaid:\"Thatisjustwhatyououghttodo。I\'mquitesurprised。\"Afterthistouchofironysheaddedearnestly，\"AndI dohope，mydear，youwillusejudgmentinspeakingtohim，andtact。Youmustn\'tgoatitbluntly。RememberthatMr。Kendricksisnotatalltoblame。Hebegantoshowherattentiontoobligeus，andifshehasfalleninlovewithhimitisourfault。\" \"Ishallhandlehimwithoutgloves，\"Isaid。\"Ishalltellhimhehadbettergoaway。\" Iwasjoking，butshesaidseriously，\"Yes；hemustgoaway。AndI don\'tenvyyouhavingtotellhim。Isupposeyouwillbungleit，ofcourse。\" \"Well，then，youmustadviseme，\"Isaid；andwereallybegantoconsiderthequestion。Wecouldhardlyexaggeratethedifficultyanddelicacyofthedutybeforeme。WerecognisedthatbeforeI madeanyexplicitdemandofhimImustfirstascertainthenatureofthewholegroundandthenbegovernedbythefacts。ItwouldbesimpleenoughifIhadmerelytosaythatwethoughtthegirl\'saffectionswerebecomingengaged，andthenappealtohiseagergenerosity，hisdelicatemagnanimity；buttherewerepossiblecomplicationsonhissidewhichmustberegarded。Iwastoascertain，weconcluded，theexactnatureofthesituationbeforeI venturedtosayanythingopenly。IwastomakemyapproachesbyaseriesofambushesbeforeIunmaskedmypurpose，andperhapsImustnotunmaskitatall。AsIsetoffonmymission，whichmustbeginwithfindingKendricksathishotel，Mrs。Marchsaidshepitiedme。 ShecalledmebacktoaskwhetherIthoughtIhadreallybetterdoanything。Then，asIshowedsignsofweakening，shedrovemefromherwith，\"Yes，yes!Youmust!Youmust!\" CHAPTERXVII ItwasstillsoearlythatIhadmydoubtswhetherIshouldfindKendricksupafterthelastnight\'srevelry，buthemetmehalf-waybetweenourhotelandhis。HesaidhewascomingtoseehowMrs。 MarchwasbearingMissGage\'simmensesuccessattheball；butperhapsthiswasnothissolemotive。Heaskedfranklyhowtheyoungladywas，andwhetherIthoughtMrs。Marchwouldconsideralunchatarestaurantbythelakeagoodnotion。WhenIsaidIhadverylittledoubtshewould，andproposedtakingaturnintheparkbeforeIwentbackwithhim，helookedathiswatchandlaughed，andsaidhesupposeditWASratherearlyyet，andcameverywillinglywithme。 Wehadtheprettyplacealmosttoourselvesatthathour。Therewereahalf-dozenorsonursemaids，pushingtheirperambulatorsabout，orstandingthevehiclesacrossthewalkinfrontofthebencheswheretheysat，inthesimplebeliefofallpeoplewhohavetodowithbabiesthattherestoftheworldmaybefitlydiscommodedintheirbehalf。Buttheydidnotactivelymolestus，andtheyscarcelycircumscribedourchoiceofseats。Wewerebynomeansdriventothelittlekioskinthelakeforthem，andIshouldrathersaythatwewerefatefullyledthere，soaptweretheassociationsoftheplacetomypurpose。NothingcouldhavebeenmorenaturalthanthatIshouldsay，aswesatdownthere，\"ThiswaswhereIfirstsawMissGagewithherfriends\"；anditwasbyaperfectlynaturaltransitionthatIshouldgoontospeak，inasemi-humorousstrain，oftheresponsibilitywhichMrs。Marchandmyselfhadincurredbylettingoursympathyforherrunawaywithus。IsaidIsupposedthatifwehadnotbeenwillingfromthefirsttotrytorealiseforhersomeoftheexpectationsweimaginedshehadincomingtoSaratoga，sheneverwouldhavefallentoourcharge；thatpeoplereallybroughtagreatmanymorethingsuponthemselvesthantheywerewillingtoown；andthatfatewasperhapsmorethefulfilmentofourtacitambitionsthanourovertacts。 Thisbitofphilosophy，whichIconfessIthoughtfine，didnotseemtoimpressKendricks。Hemerelysaidthatitmustbegreatfuntohavethechanceofbafflingthemaliceofcircumstanceinacaselikethat，andIperceivedthathefeltnothingcomplexinthesituation。Infact，Idoubtwhetheryouthperceivesanythingcomplexinlife。Totheyoung，lifeisaveryplaincase。Tobesure，theyaremuchmorealarmedthantheireldersatgettingtangledupinitswebattimes，butthatisbecausetheyhavenothadourexperienceingettinguntangled，andthinktheyarenevergoingtogetoutalive。Whentheydo，theythinkthatitistheonlytangletheyareevergoingtobein，anddonotknowthattheyaresimplygoingonfromonetoanotheraslongasthereisenoughofthemlefttobecaughtinamesh。ToKendricksweMarchesweresimplytwoamiablepeople，whohadfancieddoingapleasantthingforabeautifulgirlthataccidenthadthrownitinourpowertobefriend，andwerebynomeansthetremblingarbitersofherdestinywefeltourselvestobe。Thedifferencebetweenhisobjectivesenseandmysubjectivesensewasthedifferencebetweenhistwenty-sevenyearsandmyfifty-two，andwhilethisremainedIsawthatitwouldbeuselesstotrytogetoncommongroundwithhim，ortogivehimourpointofview。IfIweretospeaktohimatall，itmustbewithauthority，withtherightofonewhostoodintheplaceofthegirl\'sparents，andhadherhappinessatheart。Thatis，itwassomethinglikethat；butmywordssayittoobluntly。Ifoundmyselfbeginning，\"Ihaveratherhadanotionthatherfathermightcomeon，andtaketheenterpriseoffourhands，\"though，totellthetruth，Ihadneverimaginedsuchathing，whichcameintomyheadatthatmomentthroughanassociationwiththethoughtofparents。 \"Haveyouanyideawhatsortofmanheis？\"askedKendricks。 \"Oh，somelittlelocalmagnate，presidentofthevillageandpresidentofthevillagebank；Ifancythechieffigureintheplace，butprobablyasignorantofourworldasaCherokee。\" \"Well，Idon\'tknow，\"saidtheyoungfellow。\"Doyouthinkthatfollowsbecausehedoesn\'tliveinit？\"IcouldseethathedidnotquitelikewhatIhadsaid。\"Isupposeoursisratherasmallworld。\" \"Thesmallestofallworlds，\"Ianswered。\"AndintheeyesofPapaGage，iftheycouldoncebefocuseduponit，ourworldwouldshriveltoanatom。\" \"Doyouthink，\"heasked，withamanifestanxiety，\"thatitwouldinhers？\" \"No；sheisnottheAmericanpeople，andherfatheris，asIfancyhim。ImakeoutfromthevaguehintsthatBrotherDeering(asFulkersonwouldcallhim)droppedwhenhetalkedabouthimthatPapaGageisashrewd，practical，home-keepingbusinessman，withaneyesingletothemainchance，lavish，butnotgenerous，Philistinetothebackbone，blindlydevotedtohisdaughter，andcontemptuousofallthemyriadmysteriesofcivilisationthathedoesn\'tunderstand。 Idon\'tknowwhyIshouldbeauthorisedtoimaginehimpersonallylongandlank，withpossiblyatobaccohabitofsomesort。Hisnaturalhistory，uponnobetterauthority，isthatofahard-headedfarmer，whofoundoutthatfarmingcouldneverbemorethanalivelihood，andcameintothevillage，andbegantolendmoney，andgetgain，tillhewasinapositiontohelpfoundtheDeWittPointNationalBank，andthen，byweightofhismoneyedsolidity，imposedhimselfuponthefreeandindependentvotersofthevillage——amajorityofthemundermortgagetohim——andbecameitspresident。 Itisn\'tapleasanttype，butit\'sideallyAmerican。\" \"Yes，\"saidKendricksruefully。 \"Buthisdaughter，\"Icontinued，\"isprobablyaltogetherdifferent。 Thereissomethingfineabouther——reallyfine。Ourworldwouldn\'tshrivelinhereye；itwouldprobablyswellupandfilltheuniverse，\"Iaddedbyanimpulsethatcamefromnowhereirresistiblyuponme:\"thatis，ifshecouldseeYOUinit。\" \"Whatdoyoumean？\"heaskedwithastart。 \"Oh，nowImusttellyouwhatImean，\"Isaiddesperately。\"It\'syouthathavecomplicatedthiscasesodreadfullyforus。Can\'tyouthinkwhy？\" \"No，Ican\'t，\"hesaid；buthehadtosaythat。 Hisfine，sensitivefaceflamedatoncesofire-redthatitcouldonlyturnpaleforachangewhenIplungedon:\"I\'mafraidwe\'vetrifledwithherhappiness\"；andthisformulationofthecasedisgustedmesomuchthatIlaughedwildly，andadded，\"unlesswe\'vetrifledwithyours，too。\" \"Idon\'tknowwhyyoucallittriflingwithhappiness，\"hereturnedwithdignity，butwithoutoffence。\"Ifyouwillleaveheroutofthequestion，IwillsaythatyouhavegivenmethegreatesthappinessofmylifeinintroducingmetoMissGage。\" \"Now，\"Idemanded，\"mayIaskwhatYOUmean？YouknowIwouldn\'tifIdidn\'tfeelboundforhersake，andifyouhadn\'tsaidjustwhatyouhavesaid。Youneedn\'tanswermeunlessyoulike!It\'spleasanttoknowthatyou\'venotbeenbored，andMrs。MarchandI areinfinitelyobligedtoyouforhelpingusout。\" Kendricksmadeasifheweregoingtosaysomething，andthenhedidnot。HehunghisheadlowerandlowerinthesilencewhichIhadtobreakforhim——\"IhopeIhaven\'tbeenintrusive，mydearfellow。 ThisissomethingIfeltboundtospeakof。Youknowwecouldn\'tletitgoon。Mrs。MarchandIhaveblamedourselvesagooddeal，andwecouldn\'tletitgoon。ButI\'mafraidIhaven\'tbeenasdelicatewithyou——\" \"Oh!delicate!\"Heliftedhisheadandflashedafaceofgenerousself-reproachuponme。\"It\'s_I_thathaven\'tbeendelicatewithYOU。I\'vebeenmonstrouslyindelicate。ButInevermeanttobe，and——and——Iwascomingtoseeyoujustnowwhenwemet——toseeyou—— MissGage——andaskher——tellherthatwe——I——musttellyouandMrs。 March——Mr。March!AtthehoplastnightIaskedhertobemywife，andassoonasshecanhearfromherfather——ButthefirstthingwhenIwokethismorning，IsawthatImusttellMrs。Marchandyou。 Andyou——youmustforgiveus——orme，rather；foritwasmyfault—— fornottellingyoulastnight——atonce——oh，thankyou!thankyou!\" Ihadseizedhishand，andwaswringingitvehementlyinexpressionofmypleasureinwhathehadtoldme。InthatfirstmomentIfeltnothingbutpurejoyandanimmeasurablerelief。Idrewmybreath，averydeepandfullone，inasudden，absolutefreedomfromanxietieswhichhadbeennonethelessrealandconstantbecausesooftenburlesqued。Afterwardconsiderationspresentedthemselvestoalloymyrapture，butforthatmoment，asIsay，itwasnothingbutrapture。Therewasnoquestioninitofthelovers\'fitnessforeachother，oftheiracceptabilitytotheirrespectivefamilies，oftheirgeneralconduct，oroftheirespecialbehaviourtowardus。 AllthatIcouldrealisewasthatitwasagreatescapeforbothofus，andagreattriumphforme。IhadbeenafraidthatIshouldnothavethecouragetospeaktoKendricksofthematteratall，muchlessaskhimtogoaway；andhereIhadactuallyspokentohim，withthesplendidresultthatIneedonlycongratulatehimonhisengagementtotheladywhoseunrequitedaffectionsIhadbeenwishinghimtospare。Idon\'trememberjustthetermsIusedindoingthis，buttheyseemedsatisfactorytoKendricks；probablyarepetitionofthelettersofthealphabetwouldhavebeenequallyacceptable。AtlastIsaid，\"Well，nowImustgoandtellthegreatnewstoMrs。March，\"andIshookhandswithhimagain；wehadbeenshakinghandsathalf-minutelyintervalseversincethefirsttime。 CHAPTERXVIII IsawMrs。Marchwaitingformeonthehotelverandah。Sheworeherbonnet，andshewarnedmenottoapproach，andthenrandowntomeetme。 \"Well，mydear，\"shesaid，asshepushedherhandthroughmyarmandbegantopropelmeawayfromthesightandhearingofpeopleonthepiazza，\"Ihopeyoudidn\'tmakeafoolofyourselfwithKendricks。 They\'reengaged!\" Sheapparentlyexpectedmetobeprostratedbythisstroke。\"Yes，\" Isaidverycoolly；\"Iwasjustcomingtotellyou。\" \"Howdidyouknowit？Whotoldyou？DidKendricks？Idon\'tbelieveit!\"shecriedinanexcitementnotunmixedwithresentment。 \"Noonetoldme，\"Isaid。\"Isimplydivinedit。\" Shedidn\'tmindthatforamoment。\"Well，I\'mgladhehadthegracetodoso，andIhopehediditbeforeyouaskedhimanyleadingquestions。\"Withoutwaitingtohearwhetherthiswassoornot，shewenton，withanemphasisonthenextwordthatalmostblotteditoutofthelanguage，\"SHEcamebacktomealmosttheinstantyouweregone，andtoldmeeverything。Shesaidshewantedtotellmelastnight，butshehadn\'tthecourage，andthismorning，whenshesawthatIwasbeginningtohintuptoMr。Kendricksalittle，shehadn\'tthecourageatall。Isentherstraightofftotelegraphforherfather。Sheisbehavingsplendidly。Andnow，whatarewegoingtodo？\" \"Whattherestoftheworldis——nothing。Itseemstomethatweareoutofthestory，mydear。Atanyrate，Ishan\'tattempttocompetewithMissGageinsplendidbehaviour，andIhopeyouwon\'t。Itwouldbesoeasyforus。IwonderwhatPapaGageisgoingtobelike。\" Ifeltmythrillofapprehensionimpartitselftoher。\"Yes!\"shegasped；\"whatifheshouldn\'tlikeit？\" \"Well，then，that\'shisaffair。\"ButIdidnotfeelsolightlyaboutitasIspoke，andfromtimetotimeduringthedayIwasovertakenwithacolddismayatthethoughtoftheunknownquantityintheproblem。 Whenwereturnedtothehotelafteratouroftheblock，wesawKendricksinourcorneroftheverandahwithMissGage。Theywerebothlaughingconvulsively，andtheyrandowntomeetusinyetwilderthroesofmerriment。 \"We\'vejustbeencomparingnotes，\"hesaid，\"andattheverymomentwhenIwastellingyou，Mr。March，JuliawastellingMrs。March。\" \"Wonderfulcaseoftelepathy，\"Imocked。 \"GiveittothePsychicalResearch。\" Theybothseemedalittledaunted，andMissGagesaid，\"IknowMr。 Marchdoesn\'tlikethewaywe\'vedone。\" \"Likeit!\"criedMrs。March，contrivingtoshakemealittlewiththehandshestillhadinmyarm。\"Ofcoursehelikesit。Hewasjustsayingyouhadbehavedsplendidly。HesaidHEwouldn\'tattempttocompetewithyou。Butyoumustn\'tregardhimintheleast。\" IadmiredtheskillwithwhichIsabelsavedherconscienceinthisstatementtoomuchtodisputeit；andIsupposethatwhatevershehadsaid，MissGagewouldhavebeenreassured。Icannotparticularlypraisethewisdomofherbehaviourduringthatday，or，forthematterofthat，thebehaviourofKendrickseither。Theidealthingwouldhavebeenforhimtokeepawaynowtillherfathercame，butitseemedtomethathewasaboutunderourfeetallthewhile，andthatshe，sofarfrommakinghimremainathisownhotel，encouragedhimtopassthetimeatours。Withoutconsultingme，Mrs。Marchaskedhimtostaytodinnerafterhehadstayedalltheforenoon，andhemadethisapretextforspendingtheafternooninourcorneroftheverandah。ShemademegiveituptohimandMissGage，sothattheycouldbealonetogether，thoughImustsaytheydidnotseemtomindusagreatdealwhenwewerepresent；hewasalwaysleaningonthebackofherchair，orsittingnextherwithhishanddanglingoveritinamannerthatmademesick。IwonderedifIwaseversuchanassasthat，andIquitelosttherespectforKendricks\'sgoodsenseandgoodtastewhichhadbeenthegroundofmylikingforhim。 Ifeltmyselfwithdrawnfromtheaffairfartherandfartherinsympathy，sinceithadnowpassedbeyondmycontrol；andIresentedthestrainoftheresponsibilitywhichIhadthrownoff，Ifound，onlyforamoment，andmustcontinuetosufferuntilthegirl\'sfatherappearedandfinallyrelievedme。TheworstwasthatIhadtobearitalone。ItwasimpossibletodetachMrs。March\'sinterestfromMissGage，asagirlwhohadbeenmadeloveto，longenoughtoenablehertorealiseherasadaughterwithfilialtiesandduties。 Shedidtryinaperfunctorywaytodoit，butIcouldseethatshenevergavehermindtoit。Icouldnotevenmakehersharemysenseofmyownculpability，athingshewasonlytoowillingtodoinmostmatters。SheadmittedthatitwasabsurdformetohaveletmyfancyplayaboutthegirlwhenIfirstsawheruntilwefeltthatI mustdosomethingforher；butIcouldnotgethertoownthatwehadbothactedpreposterouslyinlettingMrs。DeeringleaveMissGageinourcharge。Inthefirstplace，shedeniedthatshehadbeenleftinourcharge。Shehadsimplybeenleftinthehotelwherewewerestaying，andweshouldhavebeenperfectlyfreetodonothingforher。ButwhenKendricksturnedupsounexpectedly，itwasquitenaturalweshouldaskhimtobepolitetoher。Mrs。Marchsawnothingstrangeinallthat。WhatwasIworryingabout？Whatshehadbeenafraidofwasthathehadnotbeeninlovewiththegirlwhenshewassoclearlyinlovewithhim。Butnow! \"Andsupposeherfatherdoesn\'tlikeit!\" \"NotlikeMr。Kendricks!\"Shestaredatme，andIcouldseehowinfatuatedshewas。 Iwasmyselfalwayscharmedwiththeyoungfellow。Hewasnotonlygoodandgenerousandhandsome，andclever——Ineverthoughthimafirst-classtalent——buthewasbeautifullywellbred，andhewasverywellborn，asthosethingsgowithus。Thatis，hecameofpeoplewhohadnotdonemuchofanythingforageneration，andhadacquiredmeritwiththemselvesforit。Theywerenotveryrich，buttheyhadarighttothinkthathemighthavedonenothing，ordonesomethingbetterthanliterature；andIwishIcouldsetforthexactlytheterms，tacitandexplicit，inwhichhismotherandsisterscondonedhisderelictiontomeatareceptionwherehepresentedmetothem。Invirtueofhiswishtodosomething，hehadbecomeahumanbeing，andtheycouldnotquitefollowhim；buttheywereverypoliteintoleratingme，andtryingtomakemefeelthatI wasnotatallodd，thoughhewassoqueerinbeingproudofwritingformypaper，astheycalledit。HewassounlikethemallthatI likedhimmorethaneveraftermeetingthem。Still，Icouldimagineafondfather，asIimaginedMissGage\'sfathertobe，objectingtohim，onsomegroundsatleast，tillheknewhim，andMrs。Marchapparentlycouldnotimagineeventhis。 IdonotknowwhyIshouldhaveprefiguredMissGage\'sfatherastallandlank。Shewasnotherselfsoverytall，thoughshewasrathertallthanshort，andthoughshewasratheroftheDianaorgirlishtypeofgoddess，shewasbynomeanslank。YetitwasinthisshapethatIhadalwaysthoughtofhim，perhapsthroughanobscureassociationwithhisfellow-villager，Deering。Ihadfanciedhimsaturnineofspirit，slovenlyofdress，andloungingofhabit，uponnoauthoritythatIcouldallege，andIwaswhollyunpreparedfortheneat，smallfigureofaman，verypreciseofmannerandscrupulousofaspect，whosaid，\"Howdoyoudo，sir？I hopeIseeyouwell，sir，\"whenhisdaughterpresentedustoeachother，themorningaftertheeventfuldaydescribed，andheshookmyhandwithhisverysmall，dryhand。 Icouldnotmakeoutfromtheirmannerwitheachotherwhethertheyhadbeenspeakingofthegreatmatterinhandornot。IamratheratalossaboutpeopleofthatPhilistinemakeastowhattheirprocedurewillbeincircumstanceswhereIknowjustwhatpeopleofmyownsortofsophisticationwoulddo。Thesewouldcomestraightatthetrouble，butIfancythatwiththeothersorttheconventionisapreliminaryreserve。IfoundMr。Gagedisposedtoprolong，withmeatleast，adiscussionoftheweather，andtheaspectsofSaratoga，theeventsofhisjourneyfromDeWittPoint，andthehardshipofhavingtorideallthewaytoMooer\'sJunctioninastage-coach。Ifeltmoreandmore，whilewebandiedthesefutilities，asifMr。Gagehadanoverduenoteofmine，andwaswaitingforme，sinceIcouldnotpayit，tomakesomepropositiontowarditsrenewal；andhedidreallytiremeoutatlast，sothatI said，\"Well，Mr。Gage，IsupposeMissGagehastoldyousomethingofthetremendoussituationthathasdevelopeditselfhere？\" IthoughtIhadbettergivetheaffairsuchsmilingcharacterasajocosetreatmentmightimpart，andthedrylittlemantwinkledupresponsivelysofarasmannerwasconcerned。\"Well，yes，yes。 Therehasbeensometalkofitbetweenus，\"andagainheleftthewordtome。 \"Mrs。Marchurgedyourdaughtertosendforyouatoncebecausethatwastherightandfitthingtodo，andbecausewefeltthattheaffairhadnowquitetranscendedourpowers，suchastheywere，andnobodycouldreallycopewithitbutyourself。Ihopeyouwerenotundulyalarmedbythesummons？\" \"Notatall。Shesaidinthedespatchthatshewasnotsick。IhadbeenanticipatingashortvisittoSaratogaforsomedays，andmybusinesswasinashapesothatIcouldleave。\" \"Oh!\"Isaidvaguely，\"Iamveryglad。Mrs。Marchfelt，asIdid，thatcircumstanceshadgivenusacertainobligationinregardtoMissGage，andwewereanxioustodischargeitfaithfullyandtotheutmost。Weshouldhavewrittentoyou，summonedyou，before，ifwecouldhavesupposed——orbeensure；butyouknowthesethingsgoonsoobscurely，andweactedattheveryfirstpossiblemoment。I wishyoutounderstandthat。Wetalkeditoveragreatdeal，andI hopeyouwillbelievethatwestudiedthroughout——thatweweremostsolicitousfrombeginningtoendforMissGage\'shappiness，andthatifwecouldhaveforeseenorimagined——ifwecouldhavetakenanysteps——Itrustyouwillbelieve——\"Iwasfuriousatmyselfforbeingsoconfoundedlyapologetic，forIwasthinkingallthetimeofthebotherandafflictionwehadhadwiththegirl；andtheresatthatlittlewoodenimageacceptingmyself-inculpations，andapparentlydemandingmoreofme；butIcouldnothelpgoingoninthesamestrain:\"Wefeltespeciallyboundinthematter，fromthefactthatMr。Kendrickswasapersonalfriendofours，whomweareveryfondof，andwebothareveryanxiousthatyoushouldnotsupposethatwepromoted，orthatwewerenotmostvigilant——thatwewereforamomentforgetfulofyourrightsinsuchanaffair——\" Istopped，andMr。Gagepassedhishandacrosshislittlemeagre，smilingmouth。 \"Thenheisnotaconnectionofyours，Mr。March？\" \"Blessme，no!\"Isaidingreatrelief；\"wearenotsoswellasthat。\"AndItriedtogivehimsomenotionofKendricks\'slocalquality，repeatingalistofagglutinatedNewYorksurnamestowhichhiswasmoreorlessaffiliated。Theyalwaysamuseme，thosenames，whichmorethananyintheworldgivethenotionofsocialstraining；butIdoubtiftheyaffectedtheimaginationofMr。Gage，eitherinthiswayorinthewayImeanlymeantthemtoaffecthim。 \"Andwhatdidyousayhisbusinesswas？\"heasked，withthatimplicationofapreviousstatementonyourpartwhichsomepeoplethinkitsoclevertomakewhentheyquestionyou。 Ialwayshateit，andIavengedmyselfbyansweringsimply，\"Blessmysoul，hehasnobusiness!\"andlettinghimtakeupthewordnowornot，asheliked。 \"Thenheisamanofindependentmeans？\" Icouldnotresistanswering，\"Independentmeans？Kendrickshasnomeanswhatever。\"Buthavingdealtthisblow，Icouldadd，\"I believehismotherhassomemoney。Theyarepeoplewholivecomfortably\" \"Thenhehasnoprofession？\"askedMr。Gage，withalittlemorestringencyinhissmile。 \"Idon\'tknowwhetheryouwillcallitaprofession。Heisawriter。\" \"Ah!\"Mr。Gagesoftlybreathed。\"Doeshewriteforyour——paper？\" InotedthatastotheliterarytechnicalitiesheseemednottobemuchmoreignorantthanKendricks\'sownfamily，andIsaid，tolerantly，\"Yes；hewritesforourmagazine。\" \"Magazine——yes；Ibegyourpardon，\"heinterrupted。 \"Andforanyotherswherehecanplacehismaterial。\" ThisapparentlydidnotconveyanyveryluminousideatoMr。Gage\'smind，andheaskedafteramoment，\"Whatkindofthingsdoeshewrite？\" \"Oh，stories，sketches，poems，reviews，essays——almostanything，infact。\" Thelightlefthisface，andIperceivedthatIhadcarriedmyrevengetoofar，atleastforKendricks\'sadvantage，andI determinedtotakeanewdepartureatthefirstchance。Thechancedidnotcomeimmediately。 \"Andcanamansupportawifebythatkindofwriting？\"askedMr。 Gage。 Ilaugheduneasily。\"Somepeopledo。Itdependsuponhowmuchofithecansell。Itdependsuponhowhandsomelyawifewishestobesupported。Theresultisn\'tusuallybeyondthedreamsofavarice，\" Isaid，withadesperatelevity。 \"Excuseme，\"returnedthelittleman。\"Doyouliveinthatway？Byyourwritings？\" \"No，\"Isaidwithsomestate，whichItriedtosubdue；\"IamtheeditorofEveryOtherWeek，andpartowner。Mr。Kendricksismerelyacontributor。\" \"Ah，\"hebreathedagain。\"Andifheweresuccessfulinsellinghiswritings，howmuchwouldheprobablymakeinayear？\" \"Inayear？\"Irepeated，togaintime。\"Mr。Kendricksiscomparativelyabeginner。Sayfifteenhundred——twothousand—— twenty-fivehundred。\" \"AndthatwouldnotgoveryfarinNewYork。\" \"No；thatwouldnotgofarinNewYork。\"Iwasbeginningtofindacertainpleasureindealingsofranklywiththishardlittleman。I likedtoseehimsuffer，andIcouldseethathedidsuffer；hesufferedasafathermustwholearnsthatfromapecuniarypointofviewhisdaughterisimprudentlyinlove。Whyshouldwealwaysregardsuchasuffererasacomicfigure？Heis，ifwethinkofitrightly，amostserious，eventragicalfigure，andatalleventsamostrespectablefigure。Helovesher，andhisheartistornbetweenthewishtoindulgeherandthewishtodowhatwillbefinallybestforher。Whyshouldoursympathies，insuchacase，beallforthefoolishyounglovers？Theyoughtingreatmeasuretobeforthefather，too。Somethinglikeasenseofthissmoteme，andI wasashamedinmypleasure。 \"ThenIshouldsay，Mr。March，thatthisseemsamostundesirableengagementformydaughter。Whatshouldyousay？Iaskyoutomakethecaseyourown。\" \"Excuseme，\"Ianswered；\"Iwouldmuchrathernotmakethecasemyown，Mr。Gage，andImustdeclinetohaveyouconsultme。IthinkthatinthismatterIhavedoneallthatIwascalledupontodo。I havetoldyouwhatIknowofMr。Kendricks\'scircumstancesandconnections。Astohischaracter，IcantrulysaythatheisoneofthebestmenIeverknew。Ibelieveinhisabsolutepurityofheart，andheisthemostunselfish，themostgenerous——\" Mr。Gagewavedthefactsasidewithhishand。\"Idon\'tundervaluethosethings。IfIcouldbemaster，nooneshouldhavemygirlwithoutthem。Buttheydonotconstitutealivelihood。FromwhatyoutellmeofMr。Kendricks\'sprospects，IamnotpreparedtosaythatIthinktheoutlookisbrilliant。Ifhehascounteduponmysupplyingadeficiency——\" \"Oh，excuseme，Mr。Gage!Yourinsinuation——\" \"ExcuseME!\"heretorted。\"Iammakingnoinsinuation。Imerelywishtosaythat，whilemymeansaresuchastoenablemetoliveincomfortatDeWittPoint，IamwellawarethatmuchmorewouldbeneededinNewYorktoenablemydaughtertoliveinthesamecomfort。I\'mnotwillingsheshouldliveinless。IthinkitismydutytosaythatIamnotatallarichman，andiftherehasbeenanysuppositionthatIamso，itisamistakethatcannotbecorrectedtoosoon。\" ThistimeIcouldnotresenthisinsinuation，forsincehehadbeguntospeakIhadbecomeguiltilyawareofhavingfeltasortofeaseinregardtoKendricks\'smodestyofcompetencefromabelief，givenme，Isuspect，bythetalkofDeering，thatMr。Gagehadplentyofmoney，andcouldcometotherescueinanyamountneeded。Icouldonlysay，\"Mr。Gage，allthisissofarbeyondmycontrolthatI oughtnottoallowyoutosayittome。ItissomethingthatyoumustsaytoMr。Kendricks。\" AsIspokeIsawtheyoungfellowcomeroundthecornerofthestreet，andmountthehotelsteps。Hedidnotseeme，forhedidnotlooktowardthelittlecorneroflawnwhereMr。GageandIhadputourchairsforthesakeofthemorningshade，andfortheseclusionthatthespotaffordedus。Itwasattheangleofthehousefarthestfromourpeculiarcornerofthepiazza，whitherIhadthebeliefthatthegirlhadwithdrawnwhensheleftmetoherfather。IwassurethatKendrickswouldseekherthere，farenoughbeyondeyeshotorearshotofus，andIhadnodoubtthatshewasexpectinghim。 \"YouareMr。Kendricks\'sfriend——\" \"IhavetriedmuchmoretobeMissGage\'sfriend；andMrs。March——\" Itcameintomymindthatshewasmostselfishlyandshamelesslykeepingoutoftheway，andIcouldnotgoonandcelebratehermagnanimousimpartiality，hereagerandsleeplessvigilance。 \"Ihavenodoubtofthat，\"saidthelittleman，\"andIamverymuchobligedtoyouforallthetroubleyouhavetakenonmydaughter\'saccount。Butyouarehisfriend，andIcanspeaktoyoumuchmorefullyandfranklythanIcouldtohim。\" Ididnotknowjustwhattosaytothis，andhewenton:\"Inpointoffact，Idon\'tthinkthatIshallspeaktohimatall。\" \"Thatisquiteyouraffair，mydearsir，\"Isaiddryly。\"Itisn\'ttobesupposedthatyouwouldseekaninterviewwithhim。\" \"Andifheseeksaninterviewwithme，Ishalldeclineit。\"Helookedatmedefiantlyandyetinterrogatively。Icouldseethathewasveryangry，andyetuncertain。 \"Imustsay，then，Mr。Gage，thatIdon\'tthinkyouwouldberight。\" \"How，notright？\" \"Ishouldsaythatinequityhehadafullandperfectrighttomeetyou，andtotalkthismatteroverwithyou。Hehasdoneyounowrongwhateverinadmiringyourdaughter，andwishingtomarryher。 It\'sforyouandhertodecidewhetheryouwilllethim。Butasfarashiswishgoes，andhisexpressionofittoher，heisquitewithinhisrights。Youmustseethatyourself。\" \"Iconsider，\"heanswered，\"thathehasdonemeawronginthatverything。Amanwithoutmeans，oranystatedoccupation，hehadnobusinesstospeaktomydaughterwithoutspeakingtome。Hetookadvantageofthecircumstances。Whatdoeshethink？DoeshesupposeIamMADEofmoney？DoeshesupposeIwanttosupportason-in-law？IcantellyouthatifIwerepossessedofunlimitedmeans，Ishouldnotdoit。\"IbegantosuspectthatDeeringwasnearerright，afterall，inhisrepresentationsoftheman\'sfinancialability；Ifanciedsomethingoftheanxiety，thetremorofavarice，inhisresentmentofpoorKendricks\'spossible，orratherimpossible，designsuponhispocket。\"Ifhehadanyprofession，oranykindofbusiness，Ishouldfeeldifferently，andIshouldbewillingtoassisthimtoareasonabledegree；orifhehadabusinesstraining，Imighttakehiminwithme；butasitis，I shouldhaveahelplessburdenonmyhands，andIcantellyouIamnotgoinginforthatsortofthing。Ishallmakeshortworkofit。 IshalldeclinetomeetMr。Hendricks，orKendricks，andIshallaskyoutosayasmuchtohimfromme。\" \"AndIshalldeclinetobethebearerofanysuchmessagefromyou，Mr。Gage，\"Ianswered，andIsaw，notwithoutpleasure，thebewildermentthatbegantomixwithhisarrogance。 \"Verywell，then，sir，\"heanswered，afteramoment；\"Ishallsimplytakemydaughterawaywithme，andthatwillendit。\" Theprimlittle，grimlittlemanlookedatmewithhishardeyes，andsethislipssoclosethatthebeardontheloweronestuckoutatmewithasortofadditionalmenaceIfeltthathewastoocapableofdoingwhathesaid，andIlostmyselfinasenseofhissordidness，asensewhichwasalmostwithoutatraceofcompassion。 ItseemedasifIwerealongtimeunderthespellofthis，andthesightofhisrepugnantface；butitcouldreallyhavebeenmerelyamoment，whenIheardastirofdraperyonthegrassnearus，andthesoft，richvoiceofMissGagesaying，\"Papa!\" Webothstartedtoourfeet。Idonotknowwhethershehadheardwhathesaidornot。Wehadspokenlow，andintheutmostvehemenceofhisspeechhedidnotlifthisvoice。Inanycase，shedidnotheedwhathesaid。 \"Papa，\"sherepeated，\"IwantyoutocomeupandseeMrs。Marchonthepiazza。And——Mr。Kendricksisthere。\" Ihadawilddesiretolaughatwhatfollowed，andyetitwasnotwithoutitspathos。\"I——I——hm!hm!I——cannotseeMr。Kendricksjustatpresent。I——thefactis，Idonotwanttoseehim。Itisbetter——not。Ithinkyouhadbettergetreadytogohomewithmeatonce，daughter。I——hm!——cannotapproveofanyengagementtoMr。 Kendricks，andI——prefernottomeethim。\"Hestopped。 MissGagesaidnothing，andIcannotsaythatshelookedanything。 ShesimplyCLOUDEDUP，ifImaysoexpresstheeffectthatcameandremaineduponhercountenance，whichwasnowthecountenanceshehadshownmethefirsteveningIsawher，whenIsawtheDeeringscoweringinitsshadow。Ihadnoneedtolookattheadamantinelittlemanbeforehertoknowthathewassofteningintowax，and，infact，Ifeltasortofindecencyinbeholdinghisinteneration，forIknewthatitcamefromhisheart，andhaditsconsecrationthroughhisloveforher。 ThatiswhyIturnedaway，anddonotknowtothismomentjusthowthechangeshedesiredinhimwasbroughtabout。IwillnotsaythatIdidnotlookbackfromadiscreetdistance，andcontinuelookinguntilIsawthemstartawaytogetherandmoveinthedirectionofthatcornerofthepiazzawhereKendrickswaswaitingwithMrs。March。 Itappeared，fromheraccount，thatMr。Gage，withnouncommonshowofill-will，butwithmerelyanaturaldryness，sufferedKendrickstobepresentedtohim，andentereduponsomepreliminarybanalitieswithhim，suchashehadusedinopeningaconversationwithme。 BeforethesecametoacloseMrs。Marchhadthoughtitwelltoleavethethreetogether。 Afterward，whenweknewtheonlyresultthattheaffaircouldhave，shesaid，\"Thegirlhasapowerfulwill。Iwonderwhatthemotherwaslike。\" \"Yes；evidentlyshedidn\'tgetthatwillfromherfather。Ihavestillasenseofexhaustionfromitinourowncase。WhatdoyouthinkitportendsforpoorKendricks!\" \"PoorKendricks!\"sherepeatedthoughtfully。\"Yes；inthatsenseI supposeyoumightcallhimpoor。Itisn\'tanequalthingasfarasnature，ascharacter，goes。Butisn\'titalwaysdreadfultoseetwopeoplewhohavemadeuptheirmindstogetmarried？\" \"It\'sverycommon，\"Isuggested。 \"Thatdoesn\'tchangethefact，orlessentherisk。Sheisverybeautiful，andnowheisinlovewithherbeautifulgirlhood。Butafterawhilethegirlhoodwillgo。\" \"Andthegirlwillremain，\"Isaid。