\"Don’tmindmycrankiness，Ros。I’vegotsomuchonmymindthatI’dbemeantomyoldgrandmother，ifIhadone，Iguesslikely。
Don’tletmymeannesstroubleyou；itisn’tworthtrouble。\"
Ilaughed。\"George，\"Isaid，\"ifIeverdreamedofsuchathingasgettingmarriedmyself，youwouldscaremeoutofit。Yououghttobeahappyman，andactlikeone；insteadyouactasifyouwereabouttobejailed。\"
Hecaughthisbreathwithasortofgasp。Then，afterapauseandwithoutlookingup，heaskedslowly：
\"Jailed？Whatintheworldmadeyousaythat，Ros？\"
\"Isaiditbecauseyouactasifyouwereboundforstate’sprisoninsteadofthematrimonialaltar。George，whatIStroublingyou？\"
\"Troublingme？Why——why，nothingspecial，ofcourse。Catchingupwithmyworkheremakesmenervousand——andkindofabsent—minded，Iguess。Actabsent—minded，don’tI？\"
Hedid，therewasnodoubtofthat，butIdidnotbelieveitwashisworkwhichcausedtheabsent—mindedness。
\"Ifthereisanytrouble，George，\"Isaid，earnestly；\"ifyou’reinanydifficulty，personally，Ishallbeverygladtohelpyou，ifI
can。Imeanthat。\"
ForamomentIthoughthehesitated。Thenheshookhishead。
\"Iknowyoumeanit，Ros，\"heanswered。\"I’mmuchobligedtoyou，too。Butthere’snothingtohelpmewith。I’mjustnervousandtired，that’sall。\"
Ididnotbelieveit，butIfeltthatIhadsaidallIcould，consideringhisattitude。Ibadehimgoodnightandleftthebuilding。AsIcamedownthestepsMissColtonwasjustcrossingtheroadfromEldredge’sstore，agoodsizedbrownpaperparcelinherhand。
EversincethedaywhenCaptainJedhadgivenmehiswarningIhadbeenstrengtheningmyresolution。TheremarkofMrs。Colton’swhichIhadoverheardonthenightofthefishingtrip，althoughitrevealedtome，asIbelieved，myrealstandinginthemindsofmyneighbors，whatevertheymightpretendwheninmycompany，was，afterall，onlyaminordetail。IknewthatImustbreakoffmyacquaintancewiththisgirl。Byallthatwassensibleandsaneitmustbebrokenoff。Imustnot，formyownsake，continuetomeether，toseeherandspeakwithher。No；IwouldavoidherifI
could，but，atallevents，Iwouldbreakofftheassociation，evenifIwereobligedtooffendher，deliberatelyoffendher，toaccomplishmypurpose。Isworeit；andthenIsworeatmyselfforbeingsoweak—mindedastoneedtoswear。ThatIshouldbeafraidofagirl，ameregirl，tenyearsyoungerthanI，who，asthecasualpastimeofanidlesummer，hadchosentopretendaninterestinme！Iwasnotafraidofher，ofcourse；Iwasafraidofmyself。
NotthatIwasindangeroffallinginlovewithher——thatideawastooridiculoustobeevenfunny。Butshewasbecomingadisturbinginfluenceinmylife——thatwasit，adisturbinginfluence——andI
mustnotpermitmyselftobedisturbed。
Sonow，asIsawthedisturbinginfluencecrossingtheroadinmydirection，myfirstthoughtwastoretreattothebank。Butitwastoolatetoretreat；shehadseenme，andshebowedpleasantlyassheapproached。
\"Goodafternoon，\"shesaid。
Ibowedandadmittedthattheafternoonwasagoodone，consciousasIdidsothatSimEldredgehadfollowedhertothedoorofhisstoreandwasregardinguswithmarkedinterest。
Sheexhibitedthepackage。\"Iamactingasmyownerrandboy，yousee，\"shesaid，smiling。\"ItwassuchabeautifuldaythatI
refusedtosendanyoneforthis，oreventoride。Ididnotrealizethatafewyardsofmuslinwouldmakesuchabundle。NowI
mustcarryit，Isuppose，inspiteofappearances。\"
IbelievedIsawanopportunitytoescape。
\"Iamgoingdirectlyhome，\"Isaid。\"Letmecarryitdownforyou。
IwillsenditovertoyourhousebyLute。\"
\"Oh，nothankyou。IcouldnotthinkoftroublingMr。Rogers。Butdoyoureallywanttocarryit？Youmay，forawhile。Wewilltaketurns。Iamgoingdirectlyhome，too；andwewillwalkdowntogether。Unless，ofcourse，youareinahurry。\"
Ithinkitwastheexpressionofmyfacewhichledhertoaddthelastsentence。IfIhadhadtimetothink，tosummonmyresolution，itispossible——yes，itispossiblethatIshouldhavedeclaredmyselftobeinahurryandgoneonalone。Butshehadcaughtmeunawaresandresolutionwaswanting。IannouncedthatIwasinnohurryatall，andtooktheparcel。
Wewalkedontogether，shechattingeasily，andIpretendingtolisten，althoughawarethatourprogresswaswatchedbyeagereyesandcommenteduponandexclaimedoverbymanytongues。Thedrawnshadesofparlorwindowsmovedsignificantlyaswepassedand，asweturnedintotheLowerRoad，IglancedovermyshoulderandsawSimEldredgeandhisclerkandThophNewcombandAlvinBakeronthestoreplatform，staringafterus。Asifthisaudiencewasnotsufficient，andtomaketheaffaircomplete，wemetCaptainDeanstruttingimportantlyonhiswaytothepost—office。Hebowedandsaid\"Afternoon，\"butthelookhegavemewassignificant。Therewassurpriseinit，anddistrust。IknewIshouldhavetodomoreexplainingatournextmeeting。AndIknew，too，orcouldguess，whatwasbeingsaidthatverymomentatthestore，andofthesurmisingandtheorizingandstrengtheningofsuspicionswhichwouldgoonatadozensuppertablesthatevening。
Mycompanion，however，appearedtobequiteunconsciousofallthis。ThatImightbesuspectedandmisjudgedbecauseshehadchancedtoprefermycompanytoawalkhomealonedidnot，evidently，occurtoher。Therewasnoreasonwhyitshould，ofcourse；shewasnotinthepositionwheretheopinionorsuspicionsofDenboro’sinhabitantsneedconcernherintheleast。ButI，angryatCaptainJedforhislookandwithSimEldredgeandhiscompanionsfortheirimpudentstaresandthetroubleIknewtheirgossipytongueswouldmakeforme，wasgloomyandresentful。
ShedidmostofthetalkingandIwalkedbesideher，puttinginawordoccasionallyanddoingmybesttoappearasunconcernedasshereallywas。WecrossedElnathanMullet’sbridgeandcontinueddowntheShoreLane。SuddenlyIwasawarethatshehadnotspokenforsomeminutes。
\"Eh？Yes，MissColton；whatisit？\"Istammered。ThenIrealizedthatwewerestandingbesidethegranitepostsmarkingtheentrancetotheColtongrounds。Ihadbeensowrappedinmyunpleasantthoughtsandforebodingsthatwehadreachedourjourney’sendwithoutmynoticingit。
\"Well！\"Iexclaimed，andthenaddedthebrilliantobservation，\"Wearehere，aren’twe。\"
\"Weare，\"shesaid，dryly。\"Didn’tyouknowit？\"
\"Why，Ihadnotrealized。Thewalkhasseemedsoshort。\"
\"Yes，I’msureitmust。Ithinkyouhavespokenexactlysixwordsinthelastfiveminutes。Willyoucomein？\"
\"Ohno；no，thankyou。\"
\"Whynot？Fatherisinandwillbegladtoseeyou。\"
\"I——Imustbegettingontowardhome。Supperwillbeready。\"
Shebitherlip。\"Farbeitfrommetocriticizeyourdomesticarrangements，Mr。Paine，\"shesaid，\"butitdoesseemtomethatyourhousekeeperservesmealsatoddhours。Itisonlyafewminutesafterfour，bymywatch。\"
Shehadmeatadisadvantage。IimaginedImusthaveappearedembarrassed。IknowIfeltthatway。
\"Ididnotrealize……Ithoughtitmuchlater，\"Istammered。
\"Thenyouwillcomein？Fatherwillliketodiscussthefishingwithyou，Iknow。Hehastalkedoflittlebuthiswonderfulweakfisheversincehecaughtit。\"
\"No，thankyou，MissColton。Really，Imustnotstop。\"
Shetooktheparcelfrommyhands。
\"Verywell，\"shesaid，indifferently；\"asyouplease。Ithankyouforyourkindnessinwalkingdownwithme。Goodafternoon，Mr。
Paine。\"
Sheturnedaway。HerewastheopportunityIhadbeenwaitingfor，theopportunityofbreakingoffouracquaintance。IfIknewanythingIknewthetoneofthat\"Goodafternoon\"meantthat，forsomereasonorother，shewasoffended，justasIhadbeencertainIwishedhertobe。Herewastheopportunity，Heavensent，toridmylifeofitsdisturbinginfluence。JustwhatIhadprayedforhadcometopass。
Andso，toprovethesincerityofmyprayersandtheworthofmyhighresolve，I——calledherback。
\"MissColton，\"Isaid。
She，apparently，didnothearme，soIcalledagain。
\"MissColton。\"
\"Yes？\"
\"Iseemsomehoworothertohaveoffendedyou。\"AndevenasIsaiditIrealizedthecompletenessoftheback—down，realizeditandblushed。Iwasashamedofmyweakness。YetwhensheaskedmetorepeatmywordsIdidso。
\"Youspoketome？\"shesaid，coldly。
\"I——IsaidIhadnotmeanttooffendyou。\"
\"WhyshouldyouimaginethatIamoffended，pray？Youseemtothinkotherpeoplemustnecessarilyregardyouasseriouslyasyoudoyourself。Iamnotoffended。\"
\"Butyouare。\"
\"Verywell；thenIam。Wewon’targuethematter；itisscarcelyworthargument，isit？\"
Thisobservationcalledfornoanswerinparticular，atleastI
couldnotthinkofone。WhileIwasgropingforawordshespokeagain。
\"Don’tletmedetainyou，Mr。Paine，\"shesaid。\"Iamsureyour——
supper，wasit？——mustbewaiting。\"
\"MissColton，you——youseemtoresentmynotacceptingyourinvitationtovisityourfather。IassureyouI——Ishouldbeverygladtocalluponhim。\"
\"Thankyou。Iwilltellhimso。Hewillbegrateful，doubtless。
Yourcondescensionisoverwhelming，Mr。Paine。\"
\"MissColton，everythingIsayseemstobewrongthisafternoon。I
don’tknowwhatIhavedone。Twiceyouhavespokenofmycondescension。\"
Herfootwasbeginningtopatthegrass。Irecognizedthebattlesignal，butIkepton。
\"Idon’tunderstandwhatyoumeanbycondescension，\"Isaid。
\"Don’tyou，indeed？Youareverydenseallatonce，Mr。Paine。\"
\"Possibly。ButIdon’tunderstand。\"
Foraninstantshehesitated。Thensheturnedonmewithagustoffierceimpatiencewhichtookmybreathaway。Hereyesflashed。
\"Youdo，\"shedeclared。\"Youdounderstand，Iamnotblind。DoyousupposeIcouldnotseethatyouwishedtoavoidmewhenImetyouatthebankjustnow？Thatmycompanywasneitherwelcomenordesired？Thatyouacceptedmysuggestionofwalkingdowntogethermerelybecauseyoucouldthinkofnoexcusefordeclining？\"
Thiswasastaggerer。Andtheworstofitwasitstruth。
\"MissColton，\"Ifaltered，\"Ican’tunderstandwhatyoumean。I——\"
\"Youdounderstand。Andplease，\"withascornfullaugh，\"oh，PLEASEunderstandthatIamnottroubledbecauseofTHAT。Yourcharmingandcultivatedsocietyisnotindispensabletomyhappiness，Mr。Paine，strangeasthatmayappeartoyou。Really，\"
withcuttingcontempt，\"itisnot。\"
\"ThatIquiteunderstand，MissColton，\"Isaid，\"but——\"
\"Butyouarelikeeveryoneelseinthishorrid，narrow，bigotedplace。Don’tyousupposethatIseeiteverywhereIgo！Everyoneherehatesus——everyone。Weareintruders；wearenotwantedhere，andyoualltakepainstomakeusfeelasuncomfortableasyoucan。Oh，youareallsnobs——allofyou。\"
Iactuallygasped。
\"Snobs！\"Irepeated。\"We——snobs？\"
\"Yes。Thatisexactlywhatyouare。WhenFathercameherehemeanttobeacitizen，agoodcitizen，ofthetown。Hehadintendedtodoallsortsofthingstohelpthevillageandthepeopleinit。HeandIdiscussedeversomanyplansfordoinggoodhere。Andwewantedtobefriendlywitheveryone。Buthowhaveyoutreatedus！Noonecomestoseeus。Weareavoidedasifwehadthesmall—pox。Themajorityofpeoplescarcelyspeaktousonthestreet。Iamsolonelyand——\"
Shestopped。Ihadneverseenhersoagitated。Asforme，astonishmentismuchtoomildatermtouseindescribingmyfeelings。Thatthesepeople，thesemillionairesandaristocratsshouldfeelthattheyhadbeenavoidedandslighted，thatweDenboroiteswerethesnobs，thatTHEYshouldbelonelybecausenoone，oralmostnoone，cametocalluponthem——thiswastoomuchformybewilderedbraintograspallatonce。
Theyoungladywenton。
\"Andyou！\"sheexclaimed。\"Youareasbadastherest。Fatherhascalleduponyouseveraltimes。Ihavecalledonyourmother。
FatherandIhavetriedtobefriendlyandneighborly。Notthatwearelackinginfriends。We，\"haughtily，\"arenotobligedtoBEG
forfriendship。Butwefeltitourdutyto——\"
Iinterrupted。ThereisalimittoforbearanceandIconsideredthatlimitreached。
\"MissColton，\"Ideclared，\"youaretalkingnonsense。Consideringthemannerinwhichyourfathertreatedmewhenwefirstmet，I——\"
\"Howdidyoutreathim？HowdidyoutreatMr。Carverandmewhenyoufirstmetusintheauto？Youinsultedus。Itwasplainenoughthenthatyouhatedus。\"
\"I——why，MissColton，Ididnotknowwhoyouwere。\"
\"Indeed！Wouldithavemadeanydifferenceifyouhadknown？I
doubtit。No，youareliketherestofthepeoplehere。Becausewehavecomefromthecityyouhavechosentobeasenviousandpettyanddisagreeableasyoucan。EvenNellieDean，whomIknowbetterthananyonehere，hasneverreturnedmycall。Thereisaconcertedplantomakeusfeelweareneitherwelcomenorwanted。
Verywell，\"disdainfully，\"weknowit。I，forone，shallnotforcemypresenceuponanyoneofyouagain。AnditisprobablethatI
shallmanagetoexistevenwithoutthedelightsofDenborosociety。
Good—by，Mr。Paine。\"
\"But，MissColton——\"
\"Good—by。\"
\"MissColton，listentome。Youarewrong，allwrong，Itellyou。
Thereisnoplanorplottomakeyoufeeluncomfortable。Weareplainvillagepeoplehere，andyouarewealthyandhavebeenusedtoassociatingwiththoseofyourclass。EveryoneinDenboroknewthatwhenyoucame，andtheyhavebeenshyofintrudingwheretheymightnotbewelcome。ThentherewasthatmatteroftheLanehere。\"
\"Oh，thatpreciousLane！IwishIhadneverseenit。\"
\"Ihavewishedthatanumberoftimesinthepastfewmonths。Butitishereandthequestionovershadowseverythingelseinthevillagejustnow。Itdoesnotseemofmuchimportancetoyou，perhaps；perhapsitisnotsoveryimportanttome；but——\"
Againsheinterruptedme。
\"Ithinkitisimportantenoughtomakeyouforget——ordinarycourtesy，\"shedeclared。\"Yes，courtesy。DON’Tlookatmelikethat！YouknowwhatImean。AsItoldyoubefore，Iamnotblind。
Docreditmewithsomeintelligence。Allthewayduringthischeerfulwalkofoursyouscarcelyspokeaword。DidyousupposeI
didnotknowwhatwastroublingyou？IsawhowthatCaptainDeanlookedatyou。Isawthosepeoplestaringfromthepost—officedoor。Iknewwhatyouwereafraidoftheirsaying：thatyouarealtogethertoocompanionablewithFatherandme；thatyouintendsellingthelandtous，afterall。Thatiswhatyouthoughttheywouldsayandyouwereafraid——AFRAIDoftheirgossip。Oh，itishumiliating！And，foratime，Ireallythoughtyouweredifferentfromtherestandabovesuchthings。\"
IbegantofeelasifIwereoncemoreasmallboyreceivingalecturefromthegoverness。
\"Iamnotatallafraidofthem，MissColton，\"Iprotested。
\"Youare。Why？Yourconscienceisclear，isn’tit？Youdon’tintendsellingouttomyfather？\"
\"Certainlynot。\"
\"Thenwhyshouldyoucarewhatpeoplelikethatmaythink？Oh，youwearyme！Iadmiredyouforyourindependence。TherearefewpersonswiththecouragetofacemyfatherasyouhavedoneandI
admiredyouforit。IwouldnothavehadyousellusthelandforANYTHING。\"
\"Youwouldnot？\"Igasped。
\"Certainlynot！Ihavebeenonyoursideallthetime。IfyouhadsoldIshouldhavethoughtyou，likealltherest，holdingbackmerelyforahigherprice。Irespectedyouforthefightyouweremaking。Youmusthaveknownit。IfIhadnotwhydoyousupposeI
gaveyouthathintabouttheDevelopmentCompany？\"
\"Goodnessknows！\"Iexclaimed，devoutly。
\"AndIwassureyoucouldnotbebribedbyanofferofapositioninFather’soffice。Itwasnotreallyabribe——Fatherhas，forsomeunexplainablereason，takenafancytoyou——butIknewyouwouldbelieveittobebribery。ThatiswhyIwassopositiveintellinghimthatyouwouldnotaccept。Andnowyou——oh，whenI
thinkofhowIhaveLOWEREDmyself！HowIhavestoopedto……
Butthere！Iamsurethatsupperofyoursmustbewaiting。Praycondescendtoconveymyregretstothefaithful——whatishername？
OddthatIshouldforgetanamelikeTHAT。Oh，yes！Dorinda！——PrayconveymyregretstothefaithfulDorindaforbeingunwittinglythecauseofthedelay，andassureherthattheoffensewillNOTberepeated。Good—by，Mr。Paine。\"
Shewalkedoff，betweenthegranitepostsandalongthecurveddrive。ThistimeImadenoattempttocallherback。ThestormhadburstsounexpectedlyandhaddevelopedintosuchahurricanethatIhadhadtimetodolittlemorethanbendmyheadbeforeit。
ButIhadhadtimeenoughtogrowangry。Iwouldnothavecalledherbackthenfortheworld。Shehadinsultedme，notonceonly，butagainandagain。Istoodandwatchedhergoonherway，andthenIturnedandwentonmyown。
Thepartinghadcome。Theacquaintancewasbrokenoff；notpreciselyasIhadintendedittobebroken，butbroken，nevertheless，andendedforgoodandall。Iwasgladofit。Therewouldbenomorefishingexcursions，nomoregiftsofflowersandbooks，nomorecharitycalls。The\"commonfellow\"wasfreefromthedisturbinginfluenceandhewasgladofit——heartilygladofit。
Yethisgladnesswasnotasapparenttoothersasitshould，byallthatwasconsistent，havebeen。Lute，evidently，observednotracesoftranscendenthappiness，whenIencounteredhiminthebackyard，besidethewoodpile，sharpeningthekindlinghatchetwithawhetstone，aprocesspeculiarlysatisfyingtohistemperamentbecauseittooksuchalongtimetoachieveanoticeableresult。
\"Hello，Ros！\"hehailed。\"Why！whatailsyou？\"
\"Ailsme？\"Irepeated，crossly。\"Nothingailsme，ofcourse。\"
\"Well，I’mgladtohearit。Youlookasifyou’dlostyourlastfriend。\"
\"Ihaven’tlostanyfriends。Farfromit。\"
\"Nobody’sdead，then？\"
\"No。ThoughIcouldfindsomewhoarehalfdeadwithouttryingveryhard。\"
Moreperfectlygoodsarcasmwasted。LuteinquiredeagerlyifI
meantoldMrs。LobeliaGlover。\"Iheardyesterdayshewasprettyfeeble，\"headded。\"’Tain’ttobeexpectedshe’lllastalongspell，atherage。DoctorQuimbysaysshehadaspineinherbackfortwentyyears。\"
ImadenocommentuponpoorMrs。Glover’ssurprisingaffliction。I
merelygruntedandwentintothehouse。Dorindalookedatmecuriously。
\"What’sthetrouble？\"sheasked。
\"Trouble！Thereisn’tanytrouble。YouandLuteseemtobelookingfortrouble。\"
\"Don’thavetolookfartofindit，inthisworld。Anythingwrongatthebank？\"
\"No。\"
\"Um—hm。Settin’solongonthefencemakeyouuneasy？Itoldyouthepicketswouldwearthroughifyouroostedon’emtoolong。\"
\"Thereisnothingthematter，Itellyou。HowisMother？\"
\"Sheain’tanywuss。If’twan’tanimpossibilityI’dsayshewasbetterthelastmonththanI’dseenhersinceshewastook。NellieDeancalledonherthisafternoon。\"
\"Humph！Ishouldthinkanextweek’sbridewouldbetoobusytocallonanyoneexceptpossiblythedressmaker。\"
\"Um—hm。Well，Nellielooksasifshe’dbeencallin’onthedressmakerprettyoften。AnyhowshelookedworriedandOlindyCahoon’sdressmakin’gabbleisenoughtoworryanybody。Sheleftanoteforyou。\"
\"Who？Olinda？\"
\"Landsakes！no！WhatwouldOlindybedoin’downhere？Thereain’tanybridestodressinthishouse，orbridegroomseitherunlessyou’recal’latin’tobeone，orLuteturnsMormon。Thatlastnotionain’tsuchabadone，\"withadrysmile。\"Anotherwifeortwotohelpmetakecareofhimwouldcomeinhandy。\"
\"Whodidleavethenoteforme，then？\"
\"Nellie，ofcourse。Shewantedmetobesureyougotit。
Somethin’aboutthatwonderfulweddin’，Is’pose。Ileftitupstairsonyourbureau。\"
Ifoundthenoteandputitinmypockettoreadlateron。Ididnotfeellikereadingitthen。Ididnotfeellikedoinganythingorseeinganyone；yetleastofalldidIfeellikebeingalone。
ForifIwasaloneIshouldthink，andIdidnotwanttothink。I
prowledaboutmyroomforatimeandthenwentdownandspentashorttimewithMother。Herfirstquestionwasconcerningmydayatthebank，andhersecondifIhadseenanyoftheColtonsrecently。\"IratherhopedMissMabelwouldcometoseemeto—day，\"
sheadded。\"Ilookforwardtohervisitsso，Ithinkshe’sarealfriendofours，Roscoe。Iknowyoudon’t，dear，oryoutrytobelieveyoudonot；butsheis——Iamconvincedofit。Iwonderifshewillcometo—morrow。\"
Icouldhaveputastoptoherwonderingonthatsubject，butIwasinnomoodtodoitthen。Iwentintothedining—room。Dorindawarnedmenottogofarfromthehousebecausesupperwouldbereadyinafewminutes。Theword\"supper\"remindedmeofmyunfortunatechoiceofanexcuseandthesarcasticreferencetoourodddomesticarrangements；whichremindedme，initsturn，ofothersarcasmswhichhadfollowedit。My\"charmingandcultivatedsociety\"wasnotnecessarytoherhappiness……Whenshethoughtofhowshehadloweredherself……OtherpeopledidnotnecessarilyregardmeasseriouslyasIdidmyself……Andsoon……untilDorindacalledmeintositatthetable，andpretendtoeatwhilesheandLutecommentedonmylackofappetiteandmyabsent—mindedness。
Itwaseighto’clock，andIhadgoneuptomyroomtoescapefromtheirsolicitudeandpointedquestioning，whenIhappenedtothinkofNellie’snote。Ihadnotbeencuriousconcerningitscontents，for，asIhadagreedtoactasbestmanatthewedding，Iassumed，asDorindahaddone，thatshehadwrittenonthat，toher，all—
importanttopic。Itookthenotefrommypocketandtoreopentheenvelope。
Nelliehadnotwrittenaboutthewedding。Herletterwasalongone，evidentlywritteningreatagitationandwithwordsblottedandunderscored。Itssubjectwasthemansheloved，GeorgeTaylor。
Shewassoanxiousabouthim。DidIremember，thatnightwhenmymotherwasill，howshehadspokenofhimtomeandaskedifIhadnoticedhowtroubledandworriedheseemedoflate？
\"And，Roscoe，\"shewrote，\"Ihavenoticeditmoreandmoresincethen。HeISintrouble。Thereissomethingonhismind，somethingthathewillnottellmeandthatIcanseeisworryinghimdreadfully。Heisnotlikehimselfatall。IKNOWsomethingiswrong，andIcannotfindoutwhatitis。IwanttohelphimSO
much。Oh，please，Roscoe，don’tthinkthisisjustafoolishgirl’simagination，anddoesnotamounttoanything。Itdoes。I
knowitdoes。Youarehisbestfriend。Can’tYOUfindoutwhatistroublinghimandhelphim，formysake？Ihavemeanttospeaktoyouaboutthiseversomanytimes，butIseldomseeyoualoneandI
couldnotspeakwhilehewaswithme。SoIdecidedtowritethisletter。Ifyouwilltry，justTRYtofindoutwhatailshimandhelphimIshallnever，NEVERforgetyourkindness。Perhapshedoesnotwanttomarryme。Perhapshedoesnotcareformeasmuchashethoughthedidandwillnottellmebecausehedoesnotwantmetofeelbad。Ifthatisittellhimnottomindmyfeelingsatall。Iwanthimtobehappy。IfitwouldmakehimhappiertohavemegivehimupIwilldoit，eventhoughIshallpraytodierightaway。Ohcan’tyouhelphimandme，Roscoe？Please，PLEASEtry。
Agirloughttobeperfectlyhappywhoisgoingtobemarried。AndIamsomiserable。Ican’ttellMotherandFatherbecausetheywouldnotbelieveme。TheywouldthinkIjustimagineditall。
ButYOUwon’tthinkthat，willyou？Youwillseehimandtrytohelphim，formysake。\"
Andsoon，eightcloselywrittenpages，endingwithanotherpleatometosee\"poorGeorge\"andhelphim，andbeggingmeto\"burnthisletter，becauseIshouldbesoashamedtohaveanyoneelseseeit。\"
Itwasapitifulletterand，evenintheframeofmindIwasthenin，disgustedwithhumanityandhatingtheentirefemininesex，I
couldnothelpfeelingsorryforNellieDean。OfcourseIwassurprisedatreceivingsuchaletterandIbelieved，justasshebeggedmenottobelieve，thatthecauseofherdistressandanxietywasmoreimaginarythanreal。ButthatsomethingwastroublingGeorgeTaylorIhadfeltcertainforagoodwhile。TheideathathedidnotloveNellieIknewwaspreposterous。Thatwasnotit。Therewassomethingelse，butwhatIcouldnotimagine。I
wantedtohelpthegirlifIcould，buthowcouldIaskGeorgetotellmehissecrets？I，withasecretofmyown。
AfterponderingforsometimeIdecidedtowalkuptoGeorge’sboardingplaceandtalkwithhim。Nothingwouldcomeoftheinterview，probably，butImightaswelldothatasanythingelse。
Imustdosomething，somethingbesidessitinthatroomandseemockingfacesineverycorner，faceswithdarkeyesandscornfullipswhichtoldmethatmycharmingandcultivatedsocietywasnotnecessarytotheirhappiness。
Taylorrentedtheupperfloorofahouseaquarterofamilefromthebank。Hishousekeeperansweredmyringandinformedmethatheremployerhadnotyetcomehome。
