第9章

Boardmanwasoneofthosewhoseldomlaugh;buthisgrinexpressedallthemaliciousenjoymenthefelt。HesaidnothingintheimpressivesilencewhichMaveringletfollowatthispoint。 “Oh，youthinkitwasfunny？”criedMavering。“Ithoughtitwasfunnytoo;butAliceherselfopenedmyeyestowhatI’ddone，andIalwaysintendedtomakeitallrightwiththemwhenIgotthechance。Isupposedshewishedmetoo。” Boardmangrinnedafresh。 “ShetoldmeImust;thoughsheseemedtodislikemyhavingbeenwiththemthedayaftershe’dthrownmeover。Butif“——Maveringinterruptedhimselftosay，asthegrinwidenedonBoardman’sface——“ifyouthinkitwasanycaseofvulgarjealousy，you’reverymuchmistaken，Boardman。Sheisn’tcapableofit，andshewassomagnanimousaboutitthatImadeupmymindtodoallIcouldtoretrievemyself。Ifeltthatitwasmydutytoher。 Well，lastnightatMrs。JimBellingham’sreception——“ AlookofprofessionalinterestreplacedthederisioninBoardman’seyes。 “Anyparticularoccasionforthereception？Giveninhonourofanybody？” “I’llcontributetoyoursocietynotessomeothertime，Boardman。”saidMaveringhaughtily。“I’mspeakingtoafriend，notaninterviewer。Well，whomshouldIseeafterthefirstwaltz——I’dbeendancingwithAlice，andweweretakingaturnthroughthedrawing-room，andshehangingonmyarm，andIkneweverybodysawhowitwas，andIwasfeelingwell——whomshouldI seebutthesewomen。Theywereinacornerbythemselves，lookingatapicture，andtryingtolookasiftheyweredoingitvoluntarily。ButI couldseeataglancethattheydidn’tknowanybody;andIknewtheyhadbetterbeintheheartoftheSaharawithoutacquaintancesthanwheretheywere;andwhentheybowedforlornlyacrosstheroomtome，myheartwasinmymouth，Ifeltsosorryforthem;andItoldAlicewhotheywere;andI supposedshe’dwanttorushrightovertothemwithme——“ “Anddidsherush？”askedBoardman，fillingupapausewhichMaveringmadeinwipinghisface。 “Howinfernallyhotyouhaveitinhere！“Hewenttothewindowandthrewitup;andthendidnotsitdownagain，butcontinuedtowalkbackandforthashetalked。“Shedidn’tseemtoknowwhotheywereatfirst，andwhenImadeherunderstandshehungback，andsaid，’Thoseshowythings？’ andImustsayIthinkshewaswrong;theyweredressedasquietlyasnine-tenthsofthepeoplethere;onlytheyareratherlarge，handsomewomen。IsaidIthoughtweoughttogoandspeaktothem，theyseemedstrandedthere;butshedidn’tseemtoseeit;and，whenIpersisted，shesaid，’Well，yougoifyouthinkbest;buttakemetomamma。’AndI supposeditwasallright;andItoldMrs。PasmerI’dbebackinaminute，andthenIwentofftothosewomen。AndafterI’dtalkedwiththemawhileIsawMrs。BrinkleysittingwitholdBromfieldCoreyinanothercorner，andIgotthemacrossandintroducedthem;afterI’dexplainedtoMrs。Brinkleywhotheywere;andtheybegantohaveagoodtime，andI—— didn’t。” “Justso。”saidBoardman。 “IthoughtIhadn’tbeengoneanywhileatallfromAlice;buttheweatherhadchangedbythetimeIhadgotback。Alicewasprettyserious，andshewasengagedtwoorthreedancesdeep;andIcouldseeherlookingoverthefellows’shoulders，asshewentroundandround，prettypale。Ihungabouttillshewasfree;butthenshecouldn’tdancewithme;shesaidherheadached，andshemadehermothertakeherhomebeforesupper;andI moonedroundlikemyownghostawhile，andthenIwenthome。Andasifthatwasn’tenough，Icouldseebythelooksofthoseotherwomen——oldCoreyforgotMissWrayneinthesupper-room，andIhadtotakeherback—— thatIhadn’tmadeitrightwiththem，even;theywereashardandsmoothasglass。I’druinedmyself，andruinedmyselffornothing。” MaveringflungBoardman’schairover，andseatedhimselfonitsrungs。 “Iwenttobed，andwaitedforthenextthingtohappen。IfoundmythunderboltwaitingformewhenIwokeup。Ididn’tknowwhatitwasgoingtobe，butwhenIfeltaringthroughtheenvelopeofthatnoteI knewwhatitwas。Imind-readthatnotebeforeIopenedit。” “GiveittotheSocietyforPsychicalResearch。”suggestedBoardman。 “Beentobreakfast？” “Breakfast！“echoedMavering。“Well，now，Boardman，whatusedoyousupposeI’vegotforbreakfastunderthecircumstances？” “Well，notverymuch;butyourstory’smademeprettyhungry。Wouldyoumindturningyourback，orgoingoutandsittingonthetopstepofthestairs’landing，orsomething，whileIgetupanddress？” “Oh，Icango，ifyouwanttogetridofme。”saidMavering，withunresentfulsadness。“ButIhopedyoumighthavesomethingtosuggest，Boardy。’ “Well，I’vesuggestedtwothings，andyoudon’tlikeeither。Whynotgoroundandasktoseetheoldlady？” “Mrs。Pasmer？” “Yes。” “Well，Ithoughtofthat。ButIdidn’tliketomentionit，forfearyou’dsitonit。Whenwouldyougo？” “Well，aboutasquickasIcouldgetthere。It’searlyforacall，butit’sapeculiaroccasion，andit’llshowyourinterestinthething。Youcan’tverywellletitcoolonyourhands，unlessyoumeantoacceptthesituation。” “Whatdoyoumean？”demandedMavering，gettingupandstandingoverBoardman。“DoyouthinkIcouldacceptthesituation，asyoucallit，andlive？” “Youdidonce。”saidBoardman。“Youcouldn’t，unlessyoucouldfixitupwithMrs。Frobisher’ssister。” Maveringblushed。“Itwasadifferentthingaltogetherthen。Icouldhavebrokenoffthen，butItellyouitwouldkillmenow。I’vegotintoodeep。Mywholelife’ssetonthatgirl。Youcan’tunderstand，Boardman，becauseyou’veneverbeenthere;butIcouldn’tgiveherup。” “Allright。Bettergoandseetheoldladywithoutlossoftime;ortheoldman，ifyouprefer。” Maveringsatdownontheedgeofthebedagain。“Lookhere，Boardman，whatdoyoumean？” “Bywhat？” “Bybeingsoconfoundedlyheartless。DidyousupposethatIwantedtopaythosewomenanyattentionlastnightfromaninterestedmotive？” “SeemstohavebeenMissPasmer’simpression。” “Well，you’remistaken。Shehadnosuchimpression。Shewouldhavetoomuchself-respect，toomuchpride——magnanimity。ShewouldknowthataftersuchagirlassheisIcouldn’tthinkofanyotherwoman;thethingissimplyimpossible。” “That’sthetheory。” “Theory？It’sthepractice！“ “Certainexceptions。” “There’snoexceptioninmycase。No，sir！Itellyouthisthingisforalltime——foreternity。Itmakesmeoritmarsme，onceforall。Shemaylistentomeorshemaynotlisten，butaslongasshelivesthere’snootherwomanaliveforme。” “Bettergoandtellherso。You’rewastingyourargumentsonme。” “Why？” “BecauseI’mconvincedalready。Becausepeoplealwaysmarrytheirfirstandonlyloves。Becausepeoplenevermarrytwiceforlove。BecauseI’veneverseenyouhitbefore，andIknowyounevercouldbeagain。NowgoandconvinceMissPasmer。She’llbelieveyou，becauseshe’llknowthatshecannevercareforanyonebutyou，andyounaturallycan’tcareforanybodybuther。It’saperfectlyclearcase。Allyou’vegottodoistosetitbeforeher。” “IfIwereyou，Iwouldn’ttrytoworkthatcynicalracket，Boardman。” saidMavering。Herose，buthesigheddrearily，andregardedBoardman’sgrinwithlack-lustreabsence。Buthewentawaywithoutsayinganythingmore;andwalkedmechanicallytowardtheCavendish。AsherangatthedoorofMrs。Pasmer’sapartmentsherecalledanotherearlyvisithehadpaidthere;hethoughthowjoyfulandexuberanthewasthen，andhowcrushedanddesperatenow。Hewasnotwithoutyouthfulsatisfactioninthedisparityofhisdifferentmoods;itseemedtostamphimasamanoflargeandvariedexperience。 XXXVIII。 Mrs。PasmerwasgenuinelysurprisedtoseeMavering，andhepursuedhisadvantage——ifitwasanadvantage——bycomingdirectlytothepoint。Hetookitforgrantedthatsheknewallaboutthematter，andhethrewhimselfuponhermercywithoutdelay。 “Mrs。Pasmer，youmusthelpmeaboutthisbusinesswithAlice。”hebrokeoutatonce。“Idon’tknowwhattomakeofit;butIknowIcanexplainit。Ofcourse。”headded，smilingruefully，“thetwostatementsdon’thangtogether;butwhatImeanisthatifIcanfindoutwhatthetroubleis，Icanmakeitallright，becausethere’snothingwrongaboutit;don’tyousee？” Mrs。Pasmertriedtokeepthemystificationoutofhereye;butshecouldnotevensucceedinseemingtodoso，whichshewouldhavelikedalmostaswell。 “Don’tyouknowwhatImean？”askedDan。 Mrs。Pasmerchancedit。“ThatAlicewasalittleoutofsortslastnight？”shequeriedleadingly。 “Yes。”saidMaveringfervently。“Andabouther——herwritingtome。” “Writingtoyou？”Mrs。Pasmerwasgoingtoask，whenDangavehertheletter。 “Idon’tknowwhetherIoughttoshowit，butImust。Imusthaveyourhelp，andIcan’t，unlessyouunderstandthecase。” Mrs。Pasmerhadbeguntoreadthenote。Itexplainedwhatthegirlherselfhadrefusedtogiveanysatisfactoryreasonfor——herearlyretirementfromthereception，hermysteriousdisappearanceintoherownroomonreachinghome，andherresolutesilenceontheway。Mrs。PasmerhadknownthattheremustbesometroublewithDan，andshehadsuspectedthatAlicewasvexedwithhimonaccountofthosewomen;butitwasbeyondhercheerfulimaginationthatsheshouldgotosuchlengthsinherresentment。Shecouldconceiveofherwishingtopunishhim，toretaliatehersufferingonhim;buttorenouncehimforitwasanotherthing;andshedidnotattributetoherdaughteranyothermotivethanshewouldhavefeltherself。ItwasalwaysthiswaywithMrs。Pasmer:shefollowedherdaughteraccuratelyuptoacertainpoint;beyondthatshedidnotbelievethegirlknewherselfwhatshemeant;andperhapsshewasnotaltogetherwrong。Girlhoodisoftenaturmoilofwildimpulses，ignorantexaltations，mistakenideals，whichreallyrepresentnointelligentpurpose，andcomefromdisorderednerves，ill-advisedreading，andtheerroneousperspectiveofinexperience。Mrs。Pasmerfeltthis，andshewastemptedtobreakintoalaughoverAlice’sheroics;butshepreferredtokeepaseriouscountenance，partlybecauseshedidnotfeeltheleastseriously。ShewasinstantlyresolvednottoletthisletteraccomplishanythingmorethanDan’stemporaryabasement，andshewouldhavepreferredtoshortenthistothebriefestmomentpossible。Shelikedhim，andshewasconvincedthatAlicecouldneverdobetter，ifhalfsowell。Shewouldnowhavepreferredtotreathimwithfamiliarconfidence，totellhimthatshehadnoideaofAlice’swritinghimthatnonsensicalletter，andhewasnottopaytheleastattentiontoit;forofcourseitmeantnothing;butanotherprincipleofhercomplexnaturecameintoplay，andshesilentlyfoldedthenoteandreturnedittoDan，tremblingbeforeher。 “Well？”hequavered。 “Well。”returnedMrs。Pasmerjudicially，whilesheenjoyedhistremor，whoseneedlessnessinwardlyamusedher——“well，ofcourse，Alicewas——“ “Annoyed，Iknow。Anditwasallmyfault——ormymisfortune。ButI assureyou，Mrs。Pasmer，thatIthoughtIwasdoingsomethingthatwouldpleaseher——inthehighestandnoblestway。Nowdon’tyouknowIdid？” Mrs。Pasmeragainwishedtolaugh，butinthefaceofDan’stragedyshehadtoforbear。Shecontentedherselfwithsaying:“Ofcourse。Butperhapsitwasn’tthebesttimeforpleasingherjustinthatway。” “Itwasthenornever。Icanseenow——why，Icouldseeallthetime——justhowitmightlook;butIsupposedAlicewouldn’tcareforthat，andifI hadn’ttriedtomakesomereparationthentoMrs。Frobisherandhersister，Inevercould。Don’tyousee？” “Yes，certainly。But——“ “AndAliceherselftoldmetogoandlookafterthem。”interposedMavering。Hesuppressed，alittleuncandidly，thefactofherfirstreluctance。 “Butyouknowitwasthefirsttimeyouhadbeenouttogether？” “Yes。” “Andnaturallyshewouldwishtohaveyouagooddealtoherself，oratleastnotseemingtorunafterotherpeople。” “Yes，yes;Iknowthat。” “Andnooneeverlikestobetakenattheirwordinathinglikethat。” “Ioughttohavethoughtofthat，butIdidn’t。IwishIhadgonetoyoufirst，Mrs。Pasmer。SomehowitseemstomeasifIwereveryyoungandinexperienced;Ididn’tusetofeelso。Iwishyouwerealwaysonhandtoadviseme，Mrs。Pasmer。”Danhunghishead，andhisface，usuallysogay，wasblottedwithgloom。 “Willyoutakemyadvicenow？”askedMrs。Pasmer。 “IndeedIwill！“criedtheyoungfellow，liftinghishead。“Whatisit？” “SeeAliceaboutthis。” Danjumpedtohisfeet，andthesunshinebrokeoutoverhisfaceagain。 “Mrs。Pasmer，Ipromisedtotakeyouradvice，andI’lldoit。Iwillseeher。Buthow？Where？Letmehaveyouradviceonthatpointtoo。” Theybegantolaughtogether，andDanwasatonceinexpressiblyhappy。 Thosetwolightnaturesthoroughlycomprehendedeachother。 Mrs。PasmerhadproposedhisseeingAlicewithdueseriousness，butnowshehadalongingtoletherselfgo;shefeltallthepleasurethatotherpeoplefeltindoingDanMaveringapleasure，andsomethingmore，becausehewassoperfectlyintelligibletoher。Sheletherselfgo。 “Youmightstaytobreakfast。” “Mrs。Pasmer，Iwill——Iwilldothattoo。I’mawfullyhungry，andIputmyselfinyourhands。” “Letmesee。”saidMrs。Pasmerthoughtfully，“howitcanbecontrived。” “Yes;“saidMavering，readyforapanic。“How？Shewouldn’tstandasurprise？” “No;Ihadthoughtofthat。” “Nobehind-a-screenornext-roombusiness？” “No。”saidMrs。Pasmer，withalightsigh。“Aliceispeculiar。I’mafraidshewouldn’tlikeit。” “Isn’tthereanylittleruseshewouldlike？” “Ican’tthinkofany。PerhapsI’dbettergoandtellheryou’rehereandwishtoseeher。” “Doyouthinkyou’dbetter？”askedDandoubtfully。“Perhapsshewon’tcome。” “Shewillcome。”saidMrs。Pasmerconfidently。 ShedidnotsaythatshethoughtAlicewouldbecurioustoknowwhyhehadcome，andthatshewastoojusttocondemnhimunheard。 Butshewasrightaboutthemainpoint。Alicecame，andDancouldseewithhisownwearyeyesthatshehadnotslepteither。 Shestoppedjustinsidetheportiere，andwaitedforhimtospeak。Buthecouldnot，thoughasmilefromhissenseoftheabsurdityoftheirseriousnesshoveredabouthislips。Hisfirstimpulsewastorushuponherandcatchherinhisarms，andperhapsthismighthavebeenwell，butthemomentforitpassed，andthenitbecameimpossible。 “Well？”shesaidatlast，liftingherhead，andlookingathimwithimpassionedsolemnity。“Youwishedtoseeme？Ihopedyouwouldn’t。Itwouldhavesparedmesomething。ButperhapsIhadnorighttoyourforbearance。” “Alice，howcanyousaysuchthingstome？”askedtheyoungfellow，deeplyhurt。 Sherespondedtohistone。“I’msorryifitwoundsyou。ButIonlymeanwhatIsay。” “You’vearighttomyforbearance，andnotonlythat，buttomy——mylife; toeverythingthatIam。”criedDan，inaquiveroftendernessatthesightofherandthesoundofhervoice。“Alice，whydidyouwritemethatletter？——whydidyousendmebackmyring？” “Because。”shesaid，lookinghimseriouslyintheface——“becauseIwishedyoutobefree，tobehappy。” “Well，you’vegonethewrongwayaboutit。Icanneverbefreefromyou; Inevercanbehappywithoutyou。” “Ididitforyourgood，then，whichoughttobeaboveyourhappiness。 Don’tthinkIactedhastily。Ithoughtitoverallnightlong。Ididn’tsleep——“ “NeitherdidI。”interposedDan。 “AndIsawthatIhadnoclaimtoyou;thatyounevercouldbetrulyhappywithme——“ “I’lltakethechances。”heinterrupted。“Alice，youdon’tsupposeI caredforthosewomenanymorethanthegroundunderyourfeet，doyou？I don’tsupposeIshouldeverhavegiventhemasecondthoughtifyouhadn’tseemedtofeelsobadlyaboutmyneglectingthem;andIthoughtyou’dbepleasedtohavemetrytomakeituptothemifIcould。” “Iknowyourmotivewasgood——thenoblest。Don’tthinkthatIdidyouinjustice，orthatIwasvexedbecauseyouwentawaywiththem。” “Yousentme。” “Yes;andnowIgiveyouuptothemaltogether。Itwasamistake，acrime，formetothinkwecouldheanythingtoeachotherwhenourlovebeganwithawrongtosomeoneelse。” “Withawrongtosomeoneelse？” “YouneglectedthemonClassDayafteryousawme。” “Why，ofcourseIdid。HowcouldIhelpit？” Aflushofpleasurecameintothegirl’spaleface;butshebanishedit，andcontinuedgravely，“ThenatPortlandyouwerewiththemallday。” “You’dgivenmeup——you’dthrownmeover，Alice。”hepleaded。 “Iknowthat;Idon’tblameyou。Butyoumadethembelievethatyouwereverymuchinterestedinthem。” “Idon’tknowwhatIdid。Iwasperfectlydesperate。” “Yes;itwasmyfault。Andthen，whentheycametomeetyouattheMuseum，Ihadmadeyouforgetthem;I’dmadeyouwoundthemandinsultthemagain。No。I’vethoughtitallout，andwenevercouldbehappy。 Don’tthinkthatIdoitfromanyresentfulmotive。” “Alice？howcouldIthinkthat？——Ofyou！“ “Ihavetried——prayed——tobepurifiedfromthat，andIbelievethatIhavebeen。” “Youneverhadaselfishthought。” “AndIhavecometoseethatyouwereperfectlyrightinwhatyoudidlastnight。AtfirstIwaswounded。” “Oh，didIwoundyou，Alice？”hegrieved。 “ButafterwardIcouldseethatyoubelongedtothem，andnotme，and——andIgiveyouuptothem。Yes，freely，fully。” Alicestoodthere，beautiful，pathetic，austere;andDanhadhaltedinthespottowhichhehadadvanced，whenhereyeforbadehimtoapproachnearer。Hedidnotmeantojoke，anditwasindespairthathecriedout: “Butwhich，Alice？Therearetwoofthem。” “Two？”sherepeatedvaguely。 “Yes;Mrs。FrobisherandMissWrayne。Youcan’tgivemeuptobothofthem。” “Both？”sherepeatedagain。Shecouldnotcondescendtospecify;itwouldberidiculous，andasitwas，shefeltherdignityhopelesslyshaken。Thetearscameintohereyes。 “Yes。Andneitherofthemwantsme——theyhaven’tgotanyuseforme。 Mrs。Frobisherismarriedalready，andMissWraynetookthetroublelastnighttoletmefeelthat，sofarasshewasconcerned，Ihadn’tmadeitallright，andcouldn’t。IthoughtIhadratheracoldpartingwithyou，Alice，butitwasquitetropicaltowhatyouleftmeto。”Afaintsmile，mingledwithablushofrelenting，stoleintoherface，andhehurriedon。 “Idon’tsupposeItriedveryhardtothawherout。Iwasn’tmuchinterested。Ifyoumustgivemeup，youmustgivemeuptosomeoneelse，fortheydon’twantme，andIdon’twantthem。”Alice’sheaddroppedlover，andhecouldcomenearernowwithoutherseemingtoknowit。“Butwhyneedyougivemeup？There’sreallynooccasionforit，Iassureyou。” “Iwished。”sheexplained，“toshowyouthatIlovedyouforsomethingaboveyourselfandmyself——faraboveeither——“ Shestoppedanddroppedthehandwhichshehadraisedtofendhimoff;andheprofitedbythelittlepauseshemadetotakeherinhisarmswithoutseemingtodoso。“Well。”hesaid，“Idon’tbelieveIwasformedtobelovedonaveryhighplane。ButI’mnottooproudtobelovedformyownsake;andIdon’tthinkthere’sanythingaboveyou，Alice。” “Ohyes，thereis！Idon’tdeservetobehappy，andthat’sthereasonwhyI’mnotallowedtobehappyinanynobleway。Ican’tbeartogiveyouup;youknowIcan’t;butyououghttogivemeup——indeedyouought。I haveideals，but1can’tliveuptothem。Yououghttogo。Yououghttoleaveme。”Sheaccentedeachlittlesentencebyvividlypressingherselftohisheart，andhehadthewisdomortheinstincttotreattheirreconciliationasnothingsettled，butmerelyprovisionalinitsnature。 “Well，we’llseeaboutthat。Idon’twanttogotillafterbreakfast，anyway;yourmothersaysImaystay，andI’mawfullyhungry。IfIseeanythingparticularlybaseinyou，perhapsIsha’n’tcomebacktolunch。” Danwouldhavelikedtoturnitaltoffintoajoke，nowthattheworstwasapparentlyover;butAlicefreedherselffromhim，andheldhimoffwithherhandsetagainsthisbreast。“Doesmammaknowaboutit？”shedemandedsternly。 “Well，sheknowsthere’sbeensomemisunderstanding。”saidDan，withalaughthatwasanxious，inviewofthecloudspossiblygatheringagain。 “Howmuch？” “Well，Ican’tsayexactly。”Hewouldnotsaythathedidnotknow，buthefeltthathecouldtrulysaythathecouldnotsay。 Shedroppedherhand，andconsentedtobedeceived。Dancaughtheragaintohisbreast;buthehadanodd，vaguesenseofdoingitcarefully，ofusingalittleofthecautionwithwhichoneseizesthestemofarosebetweenthethorns。 “Icanbeartoberidiculouswithyou。”shewhispered，withanimplicationwhichheunderstood。 “Youhaven’tbeenridiculous，dearest。”hesaid;andhistensiongavewayinaconvulsivelaugh，whichpartiallyexpressedhisfeelingofrestoredsecurity，andpartlyhisamusementinrealisinghowthesituationwouldhavepleasedMrs。Pasmerifshecouldhaveknownit。 Mrs。Pasmerwasseatedbehindhercoffeebigginatthebreakfast-tablewhenhecameintotheroomwithAlice，andsheliftedaneyefromitsglassbulblongenoughtocatchhisflyingglanceofexultationandadmonition。Then，whilesheregardedthechemicalstruggleinthebulb，withtherapteyeofamagicianreadingfateinhiscrystalball，shequestionedherselfhowmuchsheshouldknow，andhowmuchsheshouldignore。ItwasagreatmomentforMrs。Pasmer，fullofdeliciouschoice。 “Doyouunderstandthisprocess，Mr。Mavering？”shesaid，glancingupathimwarilyforfartherinstruction。 “I’veseenitdone。”saidDan，“butIneverknewhowitwasmanaged。I alwaysthoughtitwasgoingtoblowup;butitseemedtomethatifyouweregoodandtrueandverymeek，andhadaconsciencevoidofoffence，itwouldn’t。” “Yes，that’swhatitseemstodependupon。”saidMrs。Pasmer，keepinghereyeonthebulb。Shedodgedsuddenlyforward，andputoutthespirit- lamp。“Nowhaveyourcoffee！“shecried，withagreatairofrelief。“Youmustneeditbythistime。”shesaidwithalowcynicallaugh——“bothofyou！“ “DidyoualwaysmakecoffeewithabiggininFrance，Mrs。Pasmer？”askedDan;andhelaughedoutthelastburdenthatlurkedinhisheart。 Mrs。Pasmerjoinedhim。“No，Mr。Mavering。InFranceyoudon’tneedabiggin。IsetmineupwhenwewenttoEngland。” Alicelookeddarklyfromoneoftheselightspiritstotheother，andthentheyallshriekedtogether。 Theywentontalkingvolublyfromthat，andtheytalkedasfarawayfromwhattheywerethinkingaboutaspossible。TheytalkedofEurope，andMrs。Pasmersaidwheretheywouldliveandwhattheywoulddowhentheyallgotbacktheretogether。Danabettedher，andsaidthattheymustcrossinJune。Mrs。PasmersaidthatshethoughtJunewasagoodmonth。 Heaskedifitwerenotthemonthofthemarriagestoo，andsheansweredthathemustaskAliceaboutthat。Aliceblushedandlaughedhersweetreluctantlaugh，andsaidshedidnotknow;shehadneverbeenmarried。 Itwassilly，butitwasdelicious;itmadethemreallyonefamily。DeepinhisconsciousnessacompunctionpiercedandteasedDan。ButhesaidtohimselfthatitwasallajokeabouttheirEuropeanplans，orelsehispeoplewouldconsenttoitifhereallywishedit。 XXXIX。 Aperiodofentireharmonyandtendernessfollowedtheepisodewhichseemedtothreatentheloverswiththelossofeachother。MaveringforboretomakeAlicefeelthatinattemptingasacrificewhichconsultedonlyhisgoodandignoredhishappiness，andthenfailinginitsopromptly，shehadplayedratherasillypart。Afteroneortwotentativejokesinthatdirectionhefoundthegroundunsafe，andwiththeinstinctwhichservedhiminplaceofmorepremeditatedpietyhewithdrew，andwasabletotreattheaffairwithsomethinglikereligiousawe。Hewasobliged，infact，tosteadyAlice’sownfaithinit，andtokeepherfromfallingunderdangerousself-condemnationinthatandotherexcessesofuninstructedself-devotion。Thisbroughtnofatiguetohisrobustaffection，whateveritmighthavedonetoaheartmoretriedinsuchexercises。Loveacquaintsyouthwithmanythingsincharacterandtemperamentwhicharenonethelessinterestingbecauseitneverexplainsthem;andDanwasofsuchamakethatitsrevelationsofAlicewerecharmingtohimbecausetheywerenovel。Hehadthoughtherapersonofsuchsereneandflawlesswisdomthatitwasratherarelieftofindhersubjecttogustsofimprudence，tounexpectedpassionsandresentments，tofoiblesanderrors，likeotherpeople。Herpowerofcoldreticence;whichshecouldemployatwill，wassomethingthatfascinatedhimalmostasmuchasthathabitofimpulsiveconcessionwhichseemedtocameneitherfromherwillnorherreason。Hewasapersonhimselfwhowassoeagertogiveotherpeoplepleasurethathequiveredwithimpatiencetoseethemhappythroughhiswordsoracts;hecouldnotbeartothinkthatanyonetowhomhewasspeakingwasnotperfectlycomfortableinregardtohim;anditwasforthisreasonperhapsthatheadmiredagirlwhocouldprescribeherselfalineofsocialconduct，andfollowitoutregardlessofindividualpangs——whocouldactfromidealsandprinciples，andnotfromemotionsandsympathies。Heknewthatshehadtheemotionsandsympathies，forthereweretimeswhenshelavishedthemonhim;andthatshecouldseemwithoutthemwasanotherproofofthatdepthofnaturewhichhelikedtoimaginehadfirstattractedhimtoher。DanMaveringhadneverbeenabletosnubanyoneinhislife;itgavehimagreatrespectforAlicethatitseemednottocostheraneffortoraregret，anditcharmedhimtothinkthatherseveritywaspartoftheunconsciousshamwhichimposedherupontheworldforapersonofinflexibledesignandinvariableconstancytoit。 Hewasnotlonginseeingthatshesharedthisillusion，ifitwasanillusion，andthatperhapstheonlypersonbesideshimselfwhowasinthejokewashermother。Mrs。Pasmerandhegrewmoreandmoreintoeachother’sconfidenceintalkingAliceover，andheadmiredtheintrepidityofthislady，whowasnotafraidofherdaughtereveninthegirl’smosttoppingmomentsofself-abasement。Forhisownpart，thesemoodsofhersneverfailedtocausehimconfusionandanxiety。Theycommonlyintimatedthemselvesparentheticallyinthemidstofsomeblissfultalktheywerehaving，andovercasthisclearskywithretrospectiveidealsofconductorpresentimentalplansforcontingenciesthatmightneveroccur。Hefoundhimselfsuddenlyundercondemnationfornothavingreprovedheratagiventimewhensheforcedhimtoadmitshehadseemedunkindorcoldtoothers; shemadehimpromisethatevenattheriskofalienatingheraffectionshewouldmakeupforherdeficienciesofbehaviourinsuchmatterswheneverhenoticedthem。ShenowpraisedhimforwhathehaddoneforMrs。 FrobisherandhersisteratMrs。Bellingham’sreception;shesaiditwasgenerous，heroic。ButMaveringrestedsatisfiedwithhisachievementinthatinstance，anddidnotattemptanythingelseofthekind。Hedidnotreasonfromcausetoeffectinregardtoit:aman’sloveissuchthatwhileitlastshecannotprojectitsobjectfarenoughfromhimtojudgeitreasonableorunreasonable;butDan’sinstinctshadbeendisciplinedandhisperceptionssharpenedbythatexperience。Besides，inbiddinghimtakethisimpartialandevenadmonitorycoursetowardher，shestipulatedthattheyshouldmaintaintotheworldaperfectharmonyofconductwhichshouldbeanoutwardimageoftheunionoftheirlives。Shesaidthatanythinglessthanacontinuedself-sacrificeofonetotheotherwasnotworthyofthenameoflove，andthatsheshouldnotbehappyunlessherequiredthisofher。Shesaidthattheyoughteachtofindoutwhatwasthemostdistastefulthingwhichtheycouldmutuallyrequire，andthendoit;sheaskedhimtotrytothinkwhatshemosthated，andletherdothatforhim;asforher，sheonlyaskedtoasknothingofhim。 Maveringcouldnotworshipenoughthisnobilityofsoulinher，andhecelebratedittoBoardmanwiththepassionateneedofimpartinghisrapturewhichaloverfeel。Boardmanacquiescedinsilence，withaglanceofreservedsarcasm，orcontentedhimselfwithlaconicsatireofhisfriend’sgeneralcondition，andavoidedanycommentthatmightspecificallyapplytothepointsDanmade。Aliceallowedhimtohavethisconfidant，anddidnotdemandofhimareportofallhesaidtoBoardman。 Amainfactoftheirlove，shesaid，mustbetheirutterfaithineachother。Shehadherownconfidante，andthedisparityofyearsbetweenherandMissCottoncountedfornothinginthefriendshipwhichtheirexchangeoftrustandsympathycemented。MissCotton，inthefreshnessofhersympathyandtheidealityofherinexperience，wasinfactyoungerthanAlice，atwhosefeet，inthethingsofsoulandcharacter，shelovedtosit。Sheneversaidtoherwhatshebelieved:thatagirlofherexemplaryprinciples，anatureconsciousofsuchnobleideals，sosuperiortoothergirls，whoinherplacewouldbegivenuptothehappinessofthemoment，andindifferenttothesenseofdutytoherselfandtoothers，wassacrificedtoapersonofMavering’sgay，brightnatureandtrivialconceptionoflife。Shedidnotdenyhissweetness;thatwasperhapstheonesavingthingabouthim;andsheconfessedthathesimplyadoredAlice; thatcountedforeverything，anditwaseverythinginhisfavourthathecouldappreciatesuchagirl。Shehoped，sheprayed，thatAlicemightneverrealisehowlittledepthhehad;thatshemightgothroughlifeandneversuspectit。Ifshedidso，thentheymightbehappytogethertotheend，oratleastAlicemightneverknowshewasunhappy。 MissCottonneversaidthesethingsinsomanywords;itisdoubtfulifsheeversaidtheminanyformofwords;withhersensitiveanxietynottodoinjusticetoanyone，shetookDan’spartagainstthosewhoviewedtheengagementassheallowedittoappearonlytohersecretheart。ShedefendedhimthemoreeagerlybecauseshefeltthatitwasforAlice’ssake，andthateverythingmustbedonetokeepherfromknowinghowpeoplelookedattheaffair，eventochangingpeople’sminds。ShesaidtoallwhospoketoherofitthatofcourseAlicewassuperiortohim，buthewasdevotedtoher，andhewouldgrowintoanequalitywithher。Hewasnaturallyveryrefined，shesaid，and，ifhewasnotaveryseriousperson，hewasamiablebeyondanything。SheallegedmanylittleincidentsoftheiracquaintanceatCampobelloinproofofhertheorythathehadaninstinctiveappreciationofAlice，andshewassurethatnoonecouldvaluehernoblenessofcharactermorethanhe。Shehadseenthemagooddealtogethersincetheirengagement，anditwasbeautifultoseehismannerwithher。Theywereopposites，butshecountedagooddealuponthatverydifferenceintheirtemperamentstodrawthemtoeachother。 ItwasaneasymattertoseeDanandAlicetogether。Theirengagementcameoutintheusualway:ithadbeenannouncedtoafewoftheirnearestfriends，andintelligenceofitsoonspreadfromtheirownsetthroughsocietygenerally;ithadbeenpublishedintheSundaypaperswhileitwasstillinthetenderconditionofarumour，andhadbeendeniedbysomeoftheiracquaintanceandbelievedbyall。 ThePasmercousinshiphadbeenjustintheperformanceofthedutiesofbloodtowardAlicesincethereturnofherfamilyfromEurope，andnowdidwhatwasproperinthecircumstances。Allwhowereconnectedwithhercalleduponherandcongratulatedher;theyknewDan，theyoungerofthem，muchbetterthantheyknewher;andthoughhehadshrunkfromthenebulousbulkofsocialpotentialitywhicheveryyoungmanistothatmuchsmallernucleustowhichdefinitebetrothalreduceshim，theycouldbeperfectlysincereincallinghimthesweetestfellowthateverwas，andtoolovelytolive。 InsuchamatterMr。Pasmerwasnaturallynothing;hecouldnotbelessthanhewasatothertimes，buthewasnotmore;anditwasMrs。PasmerwhosharedfullywithherdaughterthemomentaryinterestwhichtheengagementgaveAlicewithallherkindred。Theybelieved，ofcourse，thattheyrecognisedinitaneffectofherskillinmanaging;theyagreedtosupposethatshehadgotMaveringforAlice，andtoignorethebeautyandpassionofyouthasfactorsinthecase。Theclosestofthekindred，withtheromanticdelicacyofAmericansinsuchthings，approachedthequestionofDan’spositionandprospects，andheardwithsatisfactionthegoodaccountswhichMrs。Pasmerwasabletogiveofhisfather’sprosperity。TherehadalwaysbeenmoreorlessapprehensionamongthemofatimewhenafamilysubscriptionwouldbenecessaryforBobPasmer，andinthereliefwhichthenewsituationgavethemsomeofthemtriedtorememberhavingknownDan’sfatherinCollege，butitfinallycametotheirguessingthattheymusthaveheardJohnMuntspeakofhim。 Mrs。Pasmerhadasupremecontrolintheaffair。Shebelievedwiththerest——sodeeplyisthisdelusionseated——thatshehadmadethematch;butknowingherselftohaveusednodishonestmagicintheprocess，shewasabletoenjoyitwithacleanconscience。ShegrewfonderofDan;theyunderstoodeachother;shewashisrefugefromAlice’sideals，andhelpedhimlaughoffhisperplexitywiththem。Theywerenonethelesssincerebecausetheywerenotintheleastfrankwitheachother。SheletDanbeataboutthebushtohisheart’scontent，andwaitedforhimatthepointwhichsheknewhewascomingto，withanunconsciousnesswhichheknewwasfactitious;neitherofthemgottiredofthis，orfailedfreshlytoadmiretheother’sstrategy。 XL。 ItcannotbepretendedthatAlicewasquitepleasedwiththewayherfriendstookherengagement，orratherthewayinwhichtheyspokeofDan。 Itseemedtoherthatshealone，orshechiefly，oughttofeelthatsweetnessandlovelinessofwhicheveryonetoldher，asifshecouldnothaveknownit。Ifhewassweetandlovelytoeveryone，howwashedifferenttoherexceptindegree？Oughthenottobedifferentinkind？ SheputthecasetoMissCotton，whomitpuzzled，whilesheassuredAlicethathewasdifferentinkindtoher，thoughhemightnotseemso;theveryfactthathewasdifferentindegreeprovedthathewasdifferentinkind。Thislogicsufficedforthemomentofitsexpression，butitdidnotpreventAlicefromputtingthecasetoDanhimself。Atoneofthoselittletimeswhenshesatbesidehimaloneandrearrangedhisnecktie，orplayedwithhiswatchchain，orpassedacriticalhandoverhiscowlick，sheaskedhimifhedidnotthinktheyoughttohaveanidealintheirengagement。“Whatideal？”heasked。Hethoughtitwasallsolididealthroughandthrough。“Oh。”shesaid，“bemoreandmoretoeachother。” Hesaidhedidnotseehowthatcouldbe;iftherewasanythingmoreofhim，shewaswelcometoit，butheratherthoughtshehaditall。Sheexplainedthatshemeantbeinglesstoothers;andheaskedhertoexplainthat。 “Well，whenwe’reanywheretogether，don’tyouthinkweoughttoshowhowdifferentwearetoeachotherfromwhatwearetoanyoneelse。” Danlaughed。“I’mafraidwedo，Alice;Ialwayssupposedoneoughttohidethatlittlepreferenceasmuchaspossible。Youdon’twantmetobedanglingafteryoueverymoment？” “No-o-o。Butnot——dangleafterothers。” Dansighedalittle——alittleimpatiently。“DoIdangleafterothers？” “Ofcoursenot。Butshowthatwe’rethoroughlyunitedinallourtastesandfeelings，and——likeanddislikethesamepersons。” “Idon’tthinkthatwillbedifficult。”saidDan。 Shewassilentamoment，andthenshesaid;“Youdon’tliketohavemebringupsuchthings？” “Ohyes，Ido。Iwishtobeanddojustwhatyouwish。” “ButIcansee，Icanunderstand，thatyouwouldsoonerpassthetimewithouttalkingofthem。Youliketobeperfectlyhappy，andnottohaveanycareswhen——whenyou’rewithmethisway？” “Well，yes，IsupposeIdo。”saidDan，laughingagain。“IsupposeI ratherdoliketokeeppleasureanddutyapart。Butthere’snothingyoucanwish，Alice，thatisn’tapleasuretome。” “I’mverydifferent。”saidthegirl。“Ican’tbeatpeaceunlessIknowthatIhavearighttobeso。Butnow，afterthis，I’mgoingtodoyourway。Ifit’syourway，it’llbetherightway——forme。”Shelookedsublimelyresolved，withagrandliftoftheeyes，andDancaughthertohiminarapture，breakingintolaughter。 “Oh，don’t！Mine’sabadway——theworstkindofaway。”hecried。 “Itmakeseverybodylikeyou，andminemakesnobodylikeme。” “Itmakesmelikeyou，andthat’squiteenough。Idon’twantotherpeopletolikeyou！“ “Yes，that’swhatImean！“criedAlice;andnowsheflungherselfonhisneck，andthetearscame。“Doyousupposeitcanbeverypleasanttohaveeverybodytalkingofyouasifeverybodylovedyouasmuch——asmuchasI do？”Sheclutchedhimtighterandsobbed。 “OAlice！Alice！Alice！Nobodycouldeverbewhatyouaretome！“Hesoothedandcomfortedherwithendearingwordsandtouches;butbeforehecouldhavebelievedherhalfconsoledshepulledawayfromhim，andasked，withshiningeyes，“DoyouthinkMr。Boardmanisagoodinfluenceinyourlife？” “Boardman！“criedMavering，inastonishment。“Why，IthoughtyoulikedBoardman？” “Ido;andIrespecthimverymuch。Butthatisn’tthequestion。Don’tyouthinkweoughttoaskourselveshowothersinfluenceus？” “Well，Idon’tseemuchofBoardynowadays;butIliketodropdownandtouchearthinBoardyonceinawhile——I’mintheairsomuch。Boardhasmorecommon-sense，moresolidchunk-wisdom，thananybodyIknow。He’skeptmefrommakingafoolofmyselfmoretimes——“ “Wasn’thewithyouthatdaywith——withthosewomeninPortland？” Danwincedalittle，andthenlaughed。“No，hewasn’t。Thatwasthetrouble。Boardmanwasoffonthepressboat。IthoughtItoldyou。ButifyouobjecttoBoardman——“ “Idon’t。Youmustn’tthinkIobjecttopeoplewhenIaskyouaboutthem。 AllthatIwishedwasthatyoushouldthinkyourselfwhatsortofinfluencehewas。Ithinkhe’saverygoodinfluence。” “He’sasplendidfellow，Boardmanis，Alice！“criedDan。“Yououghttohaveseenhowhefoughthiswaythroughcollegeonsuchalittlemoney，andneverskulkedorfeltmean。Hewasn’tappreciatedforit;themendon’tnoticethesethingsmuch;buthedidn’twanttohaveitnoticed; alwaysactedasifitwasneitherherenorthere;andnowIguesshesendsouthomewhateverhehasleftafterkeepingsoulandbodytogethereveryweek。” Hespoke，perhaps，withtoogreataneffectofrelief。Alicelistened，asitseemed，tohistoneratherthanhiswords，andsaidabsently—— “Yes，that’sgrand。ButIdon’twantyoutoactasifyouwereafraidofmeinsuchthings。” “Afraid？”Danechoed。 “Idon’tmeanactuallyafraid，butasifyouthoughtIcouldn’tbereasonable;asifyousupposedIdidn’texpectyoutomakemistakesortobeimperfect。” “Yes，Iknowyou’reveryreasonable，andyou’remorepatientwithmethanIdeserve;Iknowallthat，andit’sonlymywishtocomeuptoyourstandard，Isuppose，thatgivesmethatapprehensiveappearance。” “ThatwaswhatvexedmewithyouthereatCampobello，whenyou——askedme“ “Yes，Iknow。” “Yououghttohaveunderstoodmebetter。YououghttoknownowthatI don’twishyoutodoanythingonmyaccount，butbecauseit’ssomethingweowetoothers。” “Oh，excuseme！I’dmuchratherdoitforyou。”criedDan;butAlicelookedsograve，sohurt，thathehastenedon:“Howintheworlddoesitconcernotherswhetherwearedevotedornot，whetherwe’reharmoniousandtwo-souls-with-but-a-single-thought，andallthat？”Hecouldnothelpbeinglightaboutit。 “How？”Alicerepeated。“Won’titgivethemanideaofwhat——what——ofhowmuch——howtruly——ifwecareforeachother——howpeopleoughttocare？Wedon’tdoitforourselves。Thatwouldbeselfishanddisgusting。Wedoitbecauseit’ssomethingthatweowetotheideaofbeingengaged——ofhavingdevotedourlivestoeachother，andwouldshow——wouldteach——“ “Ohyes！Iknowwhatyoumean。”saidDan，andhegavewayinasputteringlaugh。“Buttheywouldn’tunderstand。They’donlythinkwewerespoonsoneachother;andiftheynoticedthatIcooledofftowardpeopleI’dliked，andwarmeduptowardthoseyouliked，they’dsayyoumademe。” “Shouldyoucare？”askedAlicesublimely，withdrawingalittlefromhisarm。 “Ohno！onlyonyouraccount。”heanswered，checkinghislaugh。 “Youneedn’tonmyaccount。”shereturned。“Ifwesacrificesomelittlepreferencestoeachother，isn’tthatright？Ishallbegladtosacrificeallofminetoyou。Isn’tour——marriagetobefullofsuchsacrifices？I expecttogiveupeverythingtoyou。”Shelookedathimwithasadseverity。 Hebegantolaughagain。“Ohno，Alice！Don’tdothat！Icouldn’tstandit。Iwantsomelittlechanceattherenunciationsmyself。” Shewithdrewstillfurtherfromhisside，andsaid，withacoldanger，“It’sthatdetestableMrs。Brinkley。” “Mrs。Brinkley！“shoutedDan。 “Yes;withherpessimism。Ihaveheardhertalk。Sheinfluencesyou。 Nothingissacredtoher。Itwasshewhotookupwiththosearmywomenthatnight。” “Well，Alice，Imustsayyoucangivethingsasuglynamesasthenextone。Ihaven’tseenMrs。Brinkleythewholewinter，exceptinyourcompany。ButshehasmoresensethanalltheotherwomenIknow。” “Oh，thankyou！“ “YouknowIdon’tmeanyou。”hepushedon。“Andsheisn’tapessimist。 She’sverykindhearted，andthatnightshewasverypoliteandgoodtothosearmywomen，asyoucallthem，whenyouhadrefusedtosayawordordoanythingforthem。” “Iknewithadbeenranklinginyourmindallalong。”saidthegirl“I expectedittocomaoutsoonerorlater。Andyoutalkaboutrenunciation！ Youneverforgetnorforgivetheslightestthing。ButIdon’taskyourforgiveness。” “Alice！“ “No。Youareashardasiron。Youhavethatpleasantoutsidemannerthatmakespeoplethinkyou’reverygentleandyielding，butallthetimeyou’relikeadamant。Iwouldratherdiethanaskyourforgivenessforanything，andyou’dratherletmethangiveit。” “Well，then，Iaskyourforgiveness，Alice，andI’msureyouwon’tletmediewithoutit。” Theyregardedeachotheramoment。Thenthetendernessgushedupintheirhearts，apassionatetide，andsweptthemintoeachother’sarms。 “ODan。”shecried，“howsweetyouare！howgood！howlovely！Oh，howwonderfulitis！Iwantedtohateyou，butIcouldn’t。Icouldn’tdoanythingbutloveyou。Yes，nowIunderstandwhatloveis，andhowitcandoeverything，andlastforever。” XLI。 Maveringcametolunchthenextday，andhadawordwithMrs。PasmerbeforeAlicecamein。Mr。Pasmerusuallylunchedattheclub。 “Wedon’tseemuchofMrs。Saintsburynowadays。”hesuggested。 “No;it’sagreatwaytoCambridge。”saidMrs。Pasmer，stifling，inalittlesighofapparentregretfortheseparation，thecuriosityshefeltastoDan’smotiveinmentioningMrs。Saintsbury。Shewasverypatientwithhimwhenhewenton。 “Yes，itisagreatway。Andastrangethingaboutitisthatwhenyou’relivinghereit’sagooddealfurtherfromBostontoCambridgethanitisfromCambridgetoBoston。” “Yes。”saidMrs。Pasmer;“everyonenoticesthat。” Dansatabsentlysilentforatimebeforehesaid，“Yes，IguessImustgooutandseeMrs。Saintsbury。” “Yes，youought。She’sveryfondofyou。YouandAliceoughtbothtogo。” “DoesMrs。Saintsburylikeme？”askedDan。“Well，she’sawfullynice。 Don’tyouthinkshe’sawfullyfondofformulatingpeople？” “Oh，everybodyinCambridgedoesthat。Theydon’tgossip;theymerelyaccumulatematerialsfortheformulationofcharacter。” “Andtheygettherejustthesame！“criedDan。“Mrs。Saintsburyusedtothinkshehadgotmedownprettyfine。”hesuggested。 “Yes！“saidMrs。Pasmer，withanindifferencewhichtheybothknewshedidnotfeel。 “Yes。Sheusedtoaccusemeofpreferringtotack，eveninafairwind。” HelookedinquiringlyatMrs。Pasmer;andshesaid，“Howridiculous！“ “Yes，itwas。Well，IsupposeIamrathercircuitousaboutsomethings。” “Oh，notatall！“ “AndIsupposeI’mratheratrialtoAliceinthatway。” HelookedatMrs。Pasmeragain，andshesaid:“Idon’tbelieveyouare，intheleast。Youcan’ttellwhatistryingtoagirl。” “No。”saidDanpensively，“Ican’t。”Mrs。Pasmertriedtorendertheinterestinherfacelessvivid。“Ican’ttellwhereshe’sgoingtobringup。Talkabouttacking！“ “Doyoumeantheabstractgirl;orAlice？” “Oh，theabstractgirl。”saidDan，andtheylaughedtogether。“YouthinkAliceisverystraightforward，don’tyou？” “Very。”saidMrs。Pasmer，lookingdownwithasmile——“foragirl。” “Yes，that’swhatImean。Anddon’tyouthinkthemostcircuitouskindoffellowwouldbeprettydirectcomparedwiththestraight-forwardestkindofgirl？” TherewasaruefuldefeatandbewildermentinDan’sfacethatmadeMrs。 Pasmerlaugh。“Whathasshebeendoingnow？”sheasked。 “Mrs。Pasmer。”saidDan，“youandIaretheonlyfrankandopenpeopleI know。Well，shebegantotalklastnightaboutinfluence——theinfluenceofotherpeopleonus;andshekilledoffnearlyallthepeopleIlikebeforeIknewwhatshewasupto，andshefinishedwithMrs。Brinkley。 I’mgladshedidn’thappentothinkofyou，Mrs。Pasmer，orIshouldn’tbeassociatingwithyouatthepresentmoment。”ThisideaseemedtogiveMrs。Pasmerinexpressiblepleasure。Danwenton:“DoyouquiteseetheconnectionbetweenourbeingentirelydevotedtoeachotherandmydroppingMrs。Brinkley？” “Idon’tknow。”saidMrs。Pasmer。“Alicedoesn’tlikesatiricalpeople。” “Well，ofcoursenot。ButMrs。Brinkleyissuchanadmirerofhers。” “Idaresayshetellsyouso。” “Oh，butsheis！“ “Idon’tdenyit。”saidMrs。Pasmer。“ButifAlicefeelssomethinginimical——antipatico——inheratmosphere，it’snousetalking。” “Ohno，it’snousetalking，andIdon’tknowthatIwanttotalk。”Afterapause，Maveringasked，“Mrs。Pasmer，don’tyouthinkthatwheretwopeoplearegoingtobeentirelydevotedtoeachother，andself- sacrificingtoeachother，theyoughttodivide，andonedoallthedevotion，andtheotheralltheself-sacrifice？” Mrs。PasmerwasamusedbythedrolllookinDan’seyes。“Ithinktheyoughttobewillingtoshareevenly。”shesaid。 “Yes;that’swhatIsay——shareandsharealike。I’mnotselfishaboutthoselittlethings。”Heblewoffalongsighingbreath。“Mrs。Pasmer，don’tyouthinkweoughttohaveanidealofconduct？” Mrs。Pasmerabandonedherselftolaughter。“ODan！Dan！Youwillbethedeathofme。” “Wewilldietogether，then，Mrs。Pasmer。Alicewillkillme。”Heregardedherwithasadsympathyinhiseyeasshelaughedandlaughedwithdeliciousintelligenceofthecase。Theintelligencewasperfect，fromtheirpointofview;butwhetheritfathomedthegirl’swholeintentionoraspirationisanothermatter。Perhapsthiswasnotverycleartoherself。Atanyrate，MaveringdidnotgoanymoretoseeMrs。 Brinkley，whosehousehehadlikedtodropinto。Alicewentseveraltimes，toshow，shesaid，thatshehadnofeelinginthematter;andMrs。 Brinkley，whenshemetDan，forboretoembarrasshimwithquestionsorreproaches;sheonlypraisedAlicetohim。 TherewerenotmanyotherinfluencesthatAlicecuthimofffrom;sheevenexposedhimtosomeinfluencesthatmighthavebeenthoughtdeleterious。 Shemadehimgoandcallaloneuponcertainyoungladieswhomshespecified，andshepraisedseveralotherstohim，thoughshedidnotpraisethemforthesamethingsthathedid。OneofthemwasagirltowhomAlicehadtakenagreatfancy，suchasoftenbudsintoaromanticpassionbetweenwomen;shewasverygentleandmild，andshehadnoneofthatstrengthofwillwhichsheadmiredinAlice。Onenighttherewasasleighingpartytoahotelinthesuburbs，wheretheyhaddancingandthensupper。Afterthesuppertheydanced“LittleSallyWaters“forafinale，insteadoftheVirginiaReel，andAlicewouldnotgoonthefloorwithDan;shesaidshedislikedthatdance;butshetoldhimtodancewithMissLangham。Itbecameagaleoffun，andintheheightofitDanslippedandfellwithhispartner。Theylaugheditoff，withtherest，butafterawhilethegirlbegantocry;shehadreceivedapainfulbruise。Allthewayhome，whiletheotherslaughedandsangandchattered，Danwastroubledaboutthispoorgirl;hisanxietybecameajokewiththewholesleighfulofpeople。 WhenhepartedwithAliceatherdoor，hesaid，“I’mafraidIhurtMissLangham;Ifeelawfullyaboutit。” “Yes;there’snodoubtofthat。Goodnight！“ Shelefthimtogoofftohislodging，hotandtinglingwithindignationatherinjustice。Butkindlierthoughtscametohimbeforeheslept，andhefellasleepwithasmileoftendernessforheronhislips。HecouldseehowhewaswrongtogooutwithanyoneelsewhenAlicesaidshedislikedthedance;heoughtnottohavetakenadvantageofhergenerosityinappointinghimapartner;itwastryingforhertoseehimmakethatludicroustumble，ofcourse;andperhapshehadoverdonetheattentivesympathyonthewayhome。Itflatteredhimthatshecouldnothelpshowingherjealousy——thatisflattering，atfirst;andDanwasabletogoandconfessallbutthistoAlice。Shereceivedhissubmissionmagnanimously，andsaidthatshewasgladithadhappened，becausehissayingthisshowedthatnowtheyunderstoodeachotherperfectly。Thenshefixedhereyesonhis，andsaid，“I’vejustbeenroundtoseeLilly，andshe’saswellasever;itwasonlyanervousshock。” WhetherMaveringwasreallyindifferenttoMissLangham’scondition，orwhethertheeducationofhisperceptionshadgonesofarthatheconsciouslyignoredher，heanswered，“Thatwassplendidofyou，Alice。” “No。”shesaid;“it’syouthataresplendid;andyoualwaysare。Oh，I wonderifIcaneverbeworthyofyou！“ Theirmutualforgivenesswasverysweettothem，andtheywentonpraisingeachother。Alicesuddenlybrokeawayfromthisweakeningexchangeofworship，andsaid，withthatairofcomingtobusinesswhichheladlearnedtorecogniseanddreadalittle，“Dan，don’tyouthinkIoughttowritetoyourmother？” “Writetomymother？”Why，youhavewrittentoher。Youwroteassoonasyougotback，andsheansweredyou。” “Yes;butwriteregularly？——ShowthatIthinkofherallthetime？”WhenIreallythinkI’mgoingtotakeyoufromher，Iseemsocruelandheartless！“ “Oh，Idon’tlookatitinthatlight，Alice。” “Don’tjoke！AndwhenIthinkthatwe’regoingawaytoleaveher，forseveralyears，perhaps，assoonaswe’remarried，Ican’tmakeitseemright。Iknowhowshedependsuponyourbeingnearher，andseeinghereverynowandthen;andtogoofftoEuropeforyears，perhaps——Ofcourseyoucanbeofusetoyourfatherthere;butdoyouthinkit’srighttowardyourmother？Iwantyoutothink。” Danthought，buthisthinkingwasmainlytotheeffectthathedidnotknowwhatshewasdrivingat。Hadshegotanyinklingofthatplanofhismother’sforthemtocomeandstayayearortwoattheFallsaftertheirmarriage？HealwaysexpectedtobeabletoreconcilethatplanwiththePasmerplanofgoingatonce;tohisoptimismthetwowerenotreallyincompatible;buthedidnotwishthemprematurelyconfrontedinAlice’smind。Wasthisherwayoflettinghimknowthatsheknewwhathismotherwished，andthatshewaswillingtomakethesacrifice？Orwasitjustsomevaguelongingtopleasehimbyashowofaffectiontowardhisfamily，anunmeditatedimpulseofreparation？HehadanimpulsehimselftobefrankwithAlice，totakeheratherword，andtoallowthathedidnotlikethenotionofgoingabroad。ThiswasDan’snotionofbeingfrank;hecouldstillreservethefactthathehadgivenhismotheratacitpromisetobringAlicehometolive，buthepostponedeventhis。Hesaid:“Oh，I guessthat’llbeallright，Alice。Atanyrate，there’snoneedtothinkaboutityetawhile。Thatcanbearranged。” “Yes。”saidAlice;“butdon’tyouthinkI’dbettergetintothehabitofwritingregularlytoyourmothernow，sothatthereneedn’tbeanybreakwhenwegoabroad？”Hecouldseenowthatshehadnoideaofgivingthatplanup，andhewasgladthathehadnotsaidanything。“Ithink。”shecontinued，“thatIshallwritetoheronceaweek，andgiveherafullaccountofourlifefromdaytoday;it’llbemorelikeadiary;andthen，whenwegetoverthere，Icankeepitupwithoutanyeffort，andshewon’tfeelsomuchthatyou’vegone。” Sheseemedtorefertheplantohim，andhesaiditwascapital。Infact，hedidlikethenotionofadiary;thatsortofhistoricalviewwouldinvolvelessdangerofprecipitatingadiscussionofthetwoschemesoflifeforthefuture。“It’sawfullykindofyou，Alice，toproposesuchathing，andyoumustn’tmakeitaburden。Anysortoflittlesketchyrecordwilldo;mothercanreadbetweenthelines，youknow。” “Itwon’tbeaburden。”saidthegirltenderly。“Ishallseemtobedoingitforyourmother，butIknowIshallbedoingitforyou。Idoeverythingforyou。Doyouthinkit’sright？” “Oh;itmustbe。”saidDan，laughing。“It’ssopleasant。” “Oh。”saidthegirlgloomily;“that’swhatmakesmedoubtit。”