mean——they'llSAYsomething——"
　　"Whatiftheydo？"
　　Shemovedhershouldersinalittleapprehensiveshiver。"It'llchangeyou，"shesaid。"I'mjustsuresomethingspiteful'sgoingtohappentome。You'llfeeldifferentlyabout——things。"
　　"Now，isn'tthatanidea!"heexclaimed。
　　"Itwill，"sheinsisted。"Iknowsomethingspiteful'sgoingtohappen!"
　　"Youseempossessedbyanotionnotabitflatteringtome，"heremarked。
　　"Oh，butisn'tit？That'sjustwhatitis!Whyisn'tit？"
　　"BecauseitimpliesthatI'mmadeofsuchsoftmaterialtheslightestbreezewillmessmeallup。I'mnotsolikethatasI
　　evidentlyappear；andifit'struethatwe'reafraidotherpeoplewilldothethingswe'dbemostlikelytodoourselves，itseemstomethatIoughttobetheonetobeafraid。IoughttobeafraidthatsomebodymaysaysomethingaboutmetoyouthatwillmakeyoubelieveI'maprofessionalforger。"
　　"No。Webothknowtheywon't，"shesaid。"Webothknowyou'rethesortofpersoneverybodyintheworldsaysnicethingsabout。"Sheliftedherhandtosilencehimashelaughedatthis。"Oh，ofcourseyouare!Ithinkperhapsyou'realittleflirtatious——mostquietmenhavethatoneslywaywith'em——oh，yes，theydo!Butyouhappentobethekindofmaneverybodylovestopraise。Andifyouweren't，_I_shouldn'thearanythingterribleaboutyou。ItoldyouIwasunpopular:Idon'tseeanybodyatallanymore。Theonlymanexceptyouwho'sbeentoseemeinamonthisthatfearfullittlefatFrankDowling，andI
　　sentwordtoHIMIwasn'thome。Nobody'dtellmeofyourwickedness，yousee。"
　　"Thenletmebreaksomenewstoyou，"Russellsaid。"Nobodywouldtellmeofyours，either。Nobody'sevenmentionedyoutome。"
　　Sheburlesquedacryofanguish。"ThatISobscurity!IsupposeI'mtooapttoforgetthattheysaythepopulation'sabouthalfamillionnowadays。ThereAREotherpeopletotalkabout，youfeel，then？"
　　"NonethatIwantto，"hesaid。"ButIshouldthinkthesizeoftheplacemightrelieveyourmindofwhatseemstoinsistonburdeningit。Besides，I'dratheryouthoughtmeabettermanthanyoudo。"
　　"WhatkindofamandoIthinkyouare？"
　　"Thekindaffectedbywhat'ssaidaboutpeopleinsteadofbywhattheydothemselves。"
　　"Aren'tyou？"
　　"No，I'mnot，"hesaid。"Ifyouwantoursummereveningstobeoveryou'llhavetodrivemeawayyourself。"
　　"Nobodyelsecould？"
　　"No。"
　　Shewassilent，leaningforward，withherelbowsonherkneesandherclaspedhandsagainstherlips。Then，notmoving，shesaidsoftly:
　　"Well——Iwon't!"
　　Shewassilentagain，andhesaidnothing，butlookedather，seemingtobecontentwithlooking。Herattitudewasoneonlyagracefulpersonshouldassume，butshewasgraceful；and，inthewanlight，whichmadeaprettilyshapedmistofher，shehadbeauty。Perhapsitwasbeautyofthehour，andofthelovescenealmostmadeintoformbywhattheyhadbothjustsaid，butshehadit；andthoughbeautyofthehourpasses，hewhoseesitwilllongrememberitandthehourwhenitcame。
　　"Whatareyouthinkingof？"heasked。
　　Sheleanedbackinherchairanddidnotansweratonce。Thenshesaid:
　　"Idon'tknow；IdoubtifIwasthinkingofanything。ItseemstomeIwasn't。IthinkIwasjustbeingsortofsadlyhappyjustthen。"
　　"Wereyou？Wasit'sadly，'too？"
　　"Don'tyouknow？"shesaid。"Itseemstomethatonlylittlechildrencanbejusthappilyhappy。IthinkwhenwegetolderourhappiestmomentsareliketheoneIhadjustthen:it'sasifweheardstrainsofminormusicrunningthroughthem——oh，sosweet，butoh，sosad!"
　　"ButwhatmakesitsadforYOU？"
　　"Idon'tknow，"shesaid，inalightertone。"Perhapsit'sakindofuselessforebodingIseemtohaveprettyoften。Itmaybethat——oritmaybepoorpapa。"
　　"YouAREafunny，delightfulgirl，though!"Russelllaughed。
　　"Whenyourfather'ssowellagainthathegoesoutwalkingintheevenings!"
　　"Hedoestoomuchwalking，"Alicesaid。"Toomuchaltogether，overathisnewplant。Butthereisn'tanystoppinghim。"Shelaughedandshookherhead。"Whenamangetsanambitiontobeamulti-millionairehisfamilydon'tappeartohavemuchweightwithhim。He'llwalkallhewantsto，inspiteofthem。"
　　"Isupposeso，"Russellsaid，absently；thenheleanedforward。
　　"IwishIcouldunderstandbetterwhyyouwere'sadly'happy。"
　　Meanwhile，asAliceshedwhatfurtherlightshecouldonthispoint，themanambitioustobea"multi-millionaire"wasindeedwalkingtoomuchforhisowngood。Hehadgonetobed，hopingtosleepwellandriseearlyforalongday'swork，buthecouldnotrest，andnow，inhisnightgownandslippers，hewaspacingthefloorofhisroom。
　　"IwishIDIDknow，"hethought，overandover。"IDOwishI
　　knewhowhefeelsaboutit。"
　　CHAPTERXVIII
　　Thatwasathoughtalmostcontinuouslyinhismind，evenwhenhewashardestatwork；and，asthedayswentonandhecouldnotfreehimself，hebecamequerulousaboutit。"IguessI'mthebiggestdangfoolalive，"hetoldhiswifeastheysattogetheroneevening。"Igotplentyelsetobotherme，withoutworryingmyheadoffaboutwhatHEthinks。Ican'thelpwhathethinks；
　　it'stoolateforthat。SowhyshouldIkeeppesteringmyselfaboutit？"
　　"It'llwearoff，Virgil，"Mrs。Adamssaid，reassuringly。Shewasgentleandsympatheticwithhim，andforthefirsttimeinmanyyearshewouldcometositwithherandtalk，whenhehadfinishedhisday'swork。Hehadtoldher，evadinghereye，"Oh，Idon'tblameyou。Youdidn'tgetaftermetodothisonyourownaccount；youcouldn'thelpit。"
　　"Yes；butitdon'twearoff，"hecomplained。"ThisafternoonI
　　wasshowingthemenhowIwantedmyvatstogo，andIcaughtmyfoolselfstandingtheresayingtomyfoolself，'It'sfunnyI
　　don'thearhowhefeelsaboutitfromSOMEbody。'Iwassayingitaloud，almost——anditISfunnyIdon'thearanything!"
　　"Well，youseewhatitmeans，don'tyou，Virgil？Itonlymeanshehasn'tsaidanythingtoanybodyaboutit。Don'tyouthinkyou'regettingkindofmorbidoverit？"
　　"Maybe，maybe，"hemuttered。
　　"Why，yes，"shesaid，briskly。"Youdon'trealizewhatalittlebitofathingallthisistohim。It'sbeenalong，longwhilesincethelasttimeyouevenmentionedgluetohim，andhe'sprobablyforgotteneverythingaboutit。"
　　"You'reoffyourbase；itisn'tlikehimtoforgetthings，"Adamsreturned，peevishly。"Hemayseemtoforget'em，buthedon't。"
　　"Buthe'snotthinkingaboutthis，oryou'dhaveheardfromhimbeforenow。"
　　Herhusbandshookhishead。"Ah，that'sjustit!"hesaid。"WhyHAVEN'TIheardfromhim？"
　　"It'sallyourmorbidness，Virgil。LookatWalter:ifMr。Lambheldthisupagainstyou，wouldhestillletWalterstaythere？
　　Wouldn'thehavedischargedWalterifhefeltangrywithyou？"
　　"Thatdangboy!"Adamssaid。"IfheWANTEDtocomewithmenow，Iwouldn'thardlylethim，Whatdoyousupposemakeshimsobull-headed？"
　　"Buthasn'thearighttochooseforhimself？"sheasked。"I
　　supposehefeelsheoughttosticktowhathethinksissurepay。
　　Assoonasheseesthatyou'regoingtosucceedwiththeglue-workshe'llwanttobewithyouquickenough。"
　　"Well，hebettergetalittlesenseinhishead，"Adamsreturned，crossly。"Hewantedmetopayhimathree-hundred-dollarbonusinadvance，whenanybodywithagrainofcommonsenseknowsI
　　needeverypennyIcanlaymyhandson!"
　　"Nevermind，"shesaid。"He'llcomearoundlaterandbegladofthechance。"
　　"He'llhavetobegforitthen!_I_won'taskhimagain。"
　　"Oh，Walterwillcomeoutallright；youneedn'tworry。Anddon'tyouseethatMr。Lamb'snotdischarginghimmeansthere'snohardfeelingagainstyou，Virgil？"
　　"Ican'tmakeitoutatall，"hesaid，frowning。"TheonlythingIcanTHINKitmeansisthatJ。A。Lambissofair-minded——andofcourseheISoneofthefair-mindedestmenaliveIsupposethat'sthereasonhehasn'tfiredWalter。Hemayknow，"Adamsconcluded，morosely——"hemayknowthat'sjustanotherthingtomakemefeelallthemeaner:keepingmyboythereonasalaryafterI'vedonehimaninjury。"
　　"Now，now!"shesaid，tryingtocomforthim。"Youcouldn'tdoanybodyaninjurytosaveyourlife，andeverybodyknowsit。"
　　"Well，anybodyoughttoknowIwouldn'tWANTtodoaninjury，butthisworldisn'tbuiltso'twecandojustwhatwewant。"Hepaused，reflecting。"OfcoursetheremaybeoneexplanationofwhyWalter'sstillthere:J。A。maybehasn'tnoticedthatheIS
　　there。There'ssomanyIexpecthehardlyknowshimbysight。"
　　"Well，justdoquitthinkingaboutit，"sheurgedhim。"Itonlybothersyouwithoutdoinganygood。Don'tyouknowthat？"
　　"Don'tI，though!"helaughed，feebly。"Iknowitbetter'nanybody!Howfunnythatis:whenyouknowthinkingaboutathingonlypestersyouwithouthelpinganythingatall，andyetyoukeeprightonpesteringyourselfwithit!"
　　"ButWHY？"shesaid。"What'stheusewhenyouknowyouhaven'tdoneanythingwrong，Virgil？Yousaidyourselfyouweregoingtoimprovetheprocesssomuchitwouldbedifferentfromtheoldone，andyou'dREALLYhavearighttoit。"
　　Adamshadpersuadedhimselfofthiswhenheyielded；hehadfounditnecessarytopersuadehimselfofit——thoughtherewasapartofhim，ofcourse，thatremainedunpersuaded；andthisdiscomfitingpartofhimwaswhatmadehispresenttrouble。
　　"Yes，Iknow，"hesaid。"That'strue，butIcan'tquiteseemtogetawayfromthefactthattheprincipleoftheprocessisagooddealthesame——well，it'smore'nthat；it'sjustaboutthesameastheonehehiredCampbellandmetoworkoutforhim。
　　Truthis，nobodycouldtellthedifference，andIdon'tknowasthereISanydifferenceexceptintheseimprovementsI'mmaking。
　　Ofcourse，theimprovementsdogivemeprettynearaperfectrighttoit，asapersonmightsay；andthat'soneofthethingsIthoughtofputtinginmylettertohim；butIwasafraidhe'djustthinkIwastryingtomakeupexcuses，soIleftitout。I
　　kindofworriedallthetimeIwaswritingthatletter，becauseifhethoughtIWASjustmakingupexcuses，why，itmightsethimjustsomuchmoreagainstme。"
　　EversinceMrs。Adamshadfoundthatshewastohaveherway，thedepthsofhereyeshadbeentroubledbyacontinuousuneasiness；and，althoughsheknewitwasthere，andsometimesveileditbykeepingtherevealingeyesavertedfromherhusbandandchildren，shecouldnotalwayscoveritunderthatassumptionofabsent-mindedness。Theuneasylookbecamevivid，andhervoicewasslightlytremulousnow，asshesaid，"ButwhatifheSHOULDbeagainstyou——althoughIdon'tbelieveheis，ofcourse——youtoldmehecouldn'tDOanythingtoyou，Virgil。"
　　"No，"hesaid，slowly。"Ican'tseehowhecoulddoanything。
　　Itwasjustasecret，notapatent；thethingain'tpatentable。
　　I'vetriedtothinkwhathecoulddo——supposinghewastowantto——butIcan'tfigureoutanythingatallthatwouldbeanyharmtome。Thereisn'tanywayintheworlditcouldbemadeaquestionoflaw。Onlythinghecoulddo'dbetoTELLpeoplehissideofit，andset'emagainstme。Ibeenkindofwaitingforthattohappen，allalong。"
　　Shelookedsomewhatrelieved。"SodidIexpectit，"shesaid。
　　"IwasdreadingitmostonAlice'saccount:itmighthave——well，youngmenaresoeasilyinfluencedandall。Butsofarasthebusinessisconcerned，whatifMr。Lambdidtalk？Thatwouldn'tamounttomuch。Itwouldn'taffectthebusiness；nottohurt。
　　And，besides，heisn'tevendoingthat。"
　　"No；anyhownotyet，itseems。"AndAdamssighedagain，wistfully。"ButIWOULDgiveagooddealtoknowwhathethinks!"
　　Beforehissurrenderhehadalwayssupposedthatifhedidsuchanunthinkablethingastoseizeupontheglueprocessforhimself，whathewouldfeelmustbeanoverpoweringshame。Butshameistherarestthingintheworld:whathefeltwasthisunremittentcuriosityabouthisoldemployer'sthoughts。Itwasanobsession，yethedidnotwanttohearwhatLamb"thought"
　　fromLambhimself，forAdamshadasecondobsession，andthiswashisdreadofmeetingtheoldmanfacetoface。Suchanencountercouldhappenonlybychanceandunexpectedly；sinceAdamswouldhaveavoidedanydeliberatemeeting，solongashislegshadstrengthtocarryhim，evenifLambcametothehousetoseehim。
　　Butpeopledomeetunexpectedly；andwhenAdamshadtobedown-townhekeptawayfromthe"wholesaledistrict。"OnedayhedidseeLamb，asthelatterwentbyinhiscar，impassive，goinghometolunch；andAdams，inthecrowdatacorner，knewthattheoldmanhadnotseenhim。Nevertheless，inastreetcar，onthewaybacktohissheds，anhourlater，hewasstillsubjecttolittleshiveringseizuresofhorror。
　　Heworkedunceasingly，seemingtokeepatiteveninhissleep，forhealwayswokeinthemidstofaplanningandestimatingthatmusthavebeengoingoninhismindbeforeconsciousnessofhimselfreturned。Moreover，thework，thusurged，wentrapidly，inspiteofthehighwageshehadtopayhislabourersfortheirshorthours。"Iteatsmoney，"hecomplained，and，infact，bythetimehisvatsandboilerswereinplaceithadeatenalmostallhecouldsupply；butinadditiontohisequipmenthenowownedastockof"rawmaterial，"rawindeed；andwhenoperationsshouldbealittlefurtheralonghewasconfidenthisbankerwouldbewillingto"carry"him。
　　Sixweeksfromthedayhehadobtainedhisleasehebeganhisglue-making。Theterriblesmellscameoutoftheshedsandwentwrithinglikesnakesallthroughthatquarterofthetown。A
　　smilingman，strollingandbreathingtheairwithsatisfaction，wouldturnacornerandsmilenomore，buthurry。However，colouredpeoplehadalmostallthedwellingsofthisoldsectiontothemselves；andalthougheventheyweretroubled，therewasrecompenseforthem。Beingphilosophicaboutwhatappearedtothemasintheorderofnature，theysoughtneitherescapenorredress，andsoonlearnedtobearwhatthewindbroughtthem。
　　Theyevenmadeuseofittoenrichthosefiguresofspeechwithwhichthenativeimpulsesofcolouredpeopledecoratetheircommunications:theyflavouredmetaphor，simile，andinvectivewithit；andthusmaybesaidtohaveenjoyedit。Butthemanwhoproducedittookahotbathassoonashereachedhishometheeveningofthatfirstdaywhenhismanufacturingbegan。Thenheputonfreshclothes；butafterdinnerheseemedtobehaunted，andaskedhiswifeifshe"noticedanything。"
　　Shelaughedandinquiredwhathemeant。
　　"Seemstomeasifthatglue-workssmellhadn'tquithangingtome，"heexplained。"Don'tyounoticeit？"
　　"No!Whatanidea!"
　　Helaughed，too，butuneasily；andtoldherhewassure"thedanggluesmell"wassomehowstickingtohim。Later，hewentoutdoorsandwalkedupanddownthesmallyardinthedusk；butnowandthenhestoodstill，withhisheadlifted，andsniffedtheairsuspiciously。"CanYOUsmellit？"hecalledtoAlice，whosatupontheveranda，prettilydressedandwaitinginareverie。
　　"Smellwhat，papa？"
　　"Thatdangglue-works。"
　　Shedidthesamethinghermotherhaddone:laughed，andsaid，"No!Howfoolish!Why，papa，it'sovertwomilesfromhere!"
　　"Youdon'tgetitatall？"heinsisted。
　　"Theidea!Theairislovelyto-night，papa。"
　　Theairdidnotseemlovelytohim，forhewaspositivethathedetectedthetaint。Hewonderedhowfaritcarried，andifJ。
　　A。Lambwouldsmellit，too，outonhisownlawnamiletothenorth；andifhedid，wouldheguesswhatitwas？ThenAdamslaughedathimselfforsuchnonsense；butcouldnotridhisnostrilsoftheirdisgust。Tohimthewholetownseemedtosmellofhisglue-works。
　　Nevertheless，thegluewasmaking，andhisshedswerebusy。
　　"Guesswe'restirrin'upthisoleneighbourhoodwithmorethanthesmell，"hisforemanremarkedonemorning。
　　"How'sthat？"Adamsinquired。
　　"Thatgreatbig，enormousoledeadbutterinefactoryacrossthestreetfromourlot，"themansaid。"Nothin'likesettin'anexampletobringrealestatetolife。Thatplaceisfullo'
　　carpentersstartin'intomakearegularbuildin'ofitagain。
　　Guessyououghttohavethecreditofit，becauseyouwasthefirstmanintenyearstoseeanypossibilitiesinthisneighbourhood。"
　　Adamswaspleased，and，goingouttoseeforhimself，heardagreathammeringandsawingfromwithinthebuilding；whilecarpenterswerejustemerginggingerlyuponthedangerousroof。
　　Hewalkedoutoverthedriedmudofhisdeeplot，crossedthestreet，andspokegeniallytoaworkmanwhowasremovingthebrokenglassofawindowonthegroundfloor。
　　"Here!What'sallthishowdy-dooverhere？"
　　"Goin'tofixherallup，Iguess，"theworkmansaid。"Bigjobitis，too。"
　　"Sh'thinkitwouldbe。"
　　"Yes，sir；aprettybigjob——aprettybigjob。Gotmenatitonallfourfloorsandontheroof。They'redoin'itRIGHT。"
　　"Who'sdoingit？"
　　"Lord!Id'know。Someo'theseherebigmanufacturingcorporations，Iguess。"
　　"What'sitgoingtobe？"
　　"TheytellME，"theworkmananswered——"theytellMEshe'sgoin'
　　tobeabutterinefactoryagain。Anyways，Ihopeshewon'tbeanythingtosmelllikethatglue-worksyougotovertherenotwhileI'mworkin'aroundher，anyways!"
　　"Thatsmell'sallright，"Adamssaid。"Yousoongetusedtoit。"
　　"Youdo？"Themanappearedincredulous。"Listen!IwasoverinFrance:it'sagoodthingthemDutchmenneverthoughtofit；we'dofhadtoquit!"
　　Adamslaughed，andwentbacktohissheds。"Iguessmyforemanwasright，"hetoldhiswife，thatevening，withalittlesatisfaction。"Assoonasonemanshowsenterpriseenoughtofoundanindustryinabroken-downneighbourhood，somebodyelseissuretofollow。Ikindoflikethelookofit:it'llhelpmakeourplaceseemsortofmorebusyandprosperouswhenitcomestogettingaloanfromthebank——andIgottogetonemightysoon，too。Ididthinksomethatifthingsgoaswellasthere'severyreasontothinktheyOUGHTto，Imightwanttospreadoutandmaybegetholdofthatoldfactorymyself；butI
　　hardlyexpectedtobeabletohandleapropositionofthatsizebeforetwoorthreeyearsfromnow，andanyhowthere'sroomenoughonthelotIgot，ifweneedmorebuildingssomeday。
　　ThingsaregoingaboutasfineasIcouldask:Ihiredsomegirlsto-daytodothebottling——colouredgirlsalongaboutsixteentotwentyyearsold。Afterwhile，Iexpecttogetamachinetoputthestuffinthelittlebottles，whenwebegintogetgoodreturns；buthalfadozenofthesecolouredgirlscandoitallrightnow，byhand。We'regettingtohavereallyquitealittleplantoverthere:yes，sir，quitearegularlittleplant!"
　　Hechuckled，andatthischeerfulsound，ofakindhiswifehadalmostforgottenhewascapableofproducing，sheventuredtoputherhanduponhisarm。Theyhadgoneoutdoors，afterdinner，takingtwochairswiththem，andweresittingthroughthelatetwilighttogether，keepingwellawayfromthe"frontporch，"
　　whichwasnotyetoccupied，howeverAlicewasinherroomchangingherdress。
　　"Well，honey，"Mrs。Adamssaid，takingconfidencenotonlytoputherhanduponhisarm，buttorevivethisdisusedendearment；——"it'sgrandtohaveyousooptimistic。Maybesometimeyou'lladmitIwasright，afterall。Everything'sgoingsowell，itseemsapityyoudidn'ttakethis——thisstep——longago。
　　Don'tyouthinkmaybeso，Virgil？"
　　"Well——ifIwasevergoingto，Idon'tknowbutImightaswellof。Igottoadmitthepropositionbeginstolookprettygood:I
　　knowthestuff'llsell，andIcan'tseeathingintheworldtostopit。Itdoeslookgood，andif——if——"Hepaused。
　　"Ifwhat？"shesaid，suddenlyanxious。
　　Helaughedplaintively，asifconfessingasuperstition。"It'sfunny——well，it'smightyfunnyaboutthatsmell。I'vegotsousedtoitattheplantIneverseemtonoticeitatalloverthere。It'sonlywhenIgetaway。Honestly，can'tyounotice——？"
　　"Virgil!"Sheliftedherhandtostrikehisarmchidingly。"Doquitharpingonthatnonsense!"
　　"Oh，ofcourseitdon'tamounttoanything，"hesaid。"Apersoncanstandagooddealofjustsmell。Itdon'tWORRYmeany。"
　　"Ishouldthinknotespeciallyasthereisn'tany。"
　　"Well，"hesaid，"Ifeelprettyfairoverthewholething——alotbetter'nIeverexpectedto，anyhow。Idon'tknowasthere'sanyreasonIshouldn'ttellyouso。"
　　Shewasdeeplypleasedwiththisacknowledgment，andhervoicehadtendernessinitassheresponded:"There，honey!Didn'tI
　　alwayssayyou'dbegladifyoudidit？"
　　Embarrassed，hecoughedloudly，thenfilledhispipeandlitit。
　　"Well，"hesaid，slowly，"it'sapuzzle。Yes，sir，it'sapuzzle。"
　　"Whatis？"
　　"Prettymucheverything，Iguess。"
　　Ashespoke，asongcametothemfromalightedwindowovertheirheads。Thenthewindowdarkenedabruptly，butthesongcontinuedasAlicewentdownthroughthehousetowaitonthelittleveranda。"MichiamoMimi，"shesang，andinhervoicethrobbedsomethingalmoststartlinginitssweetness。Herfatherandmotherlistened，notspeakinguntilthesongstoppedwiththeclickofthewirescreenatthefrontdoorasAlicecameout。
　　"My!"saidherfather。"Howsweetshedoessing!Idon'tknowasIeverheardhervoicesoundnicerthanitdidjustthen。"
　　"There'ssomethingthatmakesitsoundthatway，"hiswifetoldhim。
　　"Isupposeso，"hesaid，sighing。"Isupposeso。Youthink——"
　　"She'sjustterriblyinlovewithhim!"
　　"Iexpectthat'sthewayitoughttobe，"hesaid，thendrewuponhispipeforreflection，andbecamemurmurouswiththesymptomsofmelancholylaughter。"Itdon'tmakethingslessofapuzzle，though，doesit？"
　　"Inwhatway，Virgil？"
　　"Why，here，"hesaid——"herewegothroughallthismuckandmoiltohelpfixthingsnicerforherathome，andwhat'sitallamountto？Seemslikeshe'sjustgoneaheadthewayshe'd'a'
　　goneanyhow；andnow，Isuppose，gettingreadytoupandleaveus!Ain'tthatapuzzletoyou？Itistome。"
　　"Oh，butthingshaven'tgonethatfaryet。"
　　"Why，youjustsaid——"
　　Shegavealittlecryofprotest。"Oh，theyaren'tENGAGEDyet。
　　OfcoursetheyWILLbe；he'sjustasmuchinterestedinherassheisinhim，but——"
　　"Well，what'sthetroublethen？"
　　"YouAREasimpleoldfellow!"hiswifeexclaimed，andthenrosefromherchair。"Thatremindsme，"shesaid。
　　"Whatof？"heasked。"What'smybeingsimpleremindyouof？"
　　"Nothing!"shelaughed。"Itwasn'tyouthatremindedme。Itwasjustsomethingthat'sbeenonmymind。Idon'tbelievehe'sactuallyeverbeeninsideourhouse!"
　　"Hasn'the？"
　　"Iactuallydon'tbelieveheeverhas，"shesaid。"Ofcoursewemust——"Shepaused，debating。
　　"Wemustwhat？"
　　"IguessIbettertalktoAliceaboutitrightnow，"shesaid。
　　"Hedon'tusuallycomeforabouthalfanhouryet；IguessI'vegottime。"Andwiththatshewalkedaway，leavinghimtohispuzzles。
　　CHAPTERXIX
　　Alicewassoftlycrooningtoherselfashermotherturnedthecornerofthehouseandapproachedthroughthedusk。
　　"Isn'titthemostBEAUTIFULevening!"thedaughtersaid。"WHY
　　can'tsummerlastallyear？Didyoueverknowaloveliertwilightthanthis，mama？"
　　Mrs。Adamslaughed，andanswered，"NotsinceIwasyourage，I
　　expect。"
　　Alicewaswistfulatonce。"Don'ttheystaybeautifulaftermyage？"
　　"Well，it'snotthesamething。"
　　"Isn'tit？Notever？"
　　"Youmayhaveadifferentkindfrommine，"themothersaid，alittlesadly。"Ithinkyouwill，Alice。Youdeserve——"
　　"No，Idon't。Idon'tdeserveanything，andIknowit。ButI'mgettingagreatdealthesedays——morethanIeverdreamedCOULD
　　cometome。I'm——I'mprettyhappy，mama!"
　　"Dearie!"Hermotherwouldhavekissedher，butAlicedrewaway。
　　"Oh，Idon'tmean——"Shelaughednervously。"Iwasn'tmeaningtotellyouI'mENGAGED，mama。We'renot。Imean——oh!thingsseemprettybeautifulinspiteofallI'vedonetospoil'em。"
　　"You？"Mrs。Adamscried，incredulously。"Whathaveyoudonetospoilanything？"
　　"Littlethings，"Alicesaid。"Athousandlittlesilly——oh，what'stheuse？He'ssohonestlywhatheis——justsimpleandgoodandintelligent——Ifeelatrickymessbesidehim!Idon'tseewhyhelikesme；andsometimesI'mafraidhewouldn'tifheknewme。"
　　"He'djustworshipyou，"saidthefondmother。"Andthemoreheknewyou，themorehe'dworshipyou。"
　　Aliceshookherhead。"He'snottheworshipingkind。Notlikethatatall。He'smore——"
　　ButMrs。Adamswasnotinterestedinthisanalysis，andsheinterruptedbriskly，"Ofcourseit'stimeyourfatherandI
　　showedsomeinterestinhim。IwasjustsayingIactuallydon'tbelievehe'severbeeninsidethehouse。"
　　"No，"Alicesaid，musingly；"that'strue:Idon'tbelievehehas。
　　Exceptwhenwe'vewalkedintheeveningwe'vealwayssatouthere，eventhosetwotimeswhenitwasdrizzly。It'ssomuchnicer。"
　　"We'llhavetodoSOMETHINGorother，ofcourse，"hermothersaid。
　　"Whatlike？"
　　"Iwasthinking——"Mrs。Adamspaused。"Well，ofcoursewecouldhardlyputoffaskinghimtodinner，orsomething，muchlonger。"
　　Alicewasnotenthusiastic；sofarfromit，indeed，thattherewasamelancholyalarminhervoice。"Oh，mama，mustwe？Doyouthinkso？"
　　"Yes，Ido。Ireallydo。"
　　"Couldn'twe——well，couldn'twewait？"
　　"Itlooksqueer，"Mrs。Adamssaid。"Itisn'tthethingatallforayoungmantocomeasmuchashedoes，andnevermorethanjustbarelymeetyourfatherandmother。No。Weoughttodosomething。"
　　"Butadinner!"Aliceobjected。"Inthefirstplace，thereisn'tanybodyIwanttoask。Thereisn'tanybodyIWOULDask。"
　　"Ididn'tmeantryingtogiveabigdinner，"hermotherexplained。"Ijustmeanhavinghimtodinner。Thatmulattowoman，MalenaBurns，goesoutbytheday，andshecouldbringawaitress。Wecangetsomeflowersforthetableandsometoputintheliving-room。Wemightjustaswellgoaheadanddoitto-morrowasanyothertime；becauseyourfather'sinafinemood，andIsawMalenathisafternoonandtoldherImightwanthersoon。Shesaidshedidn'thaveanyengagementsthisweek，andIcanletherknowto-night。Supposewhenhecomesyouaskhimforto-morrow，Alice。Everything'llbeverynice，I'msure。
　　Don'tworryaboutit。"
　　"Well——but——"Alicewasuncertain。
　　"Butdon'tyousee，itlookssoqueer，nottodoSOMETHING？"hermotherurged。"Itlookssokindofpoverty-stricken。Wereallyoughtn'ttowaitanylonger。"
　　Aliceassented，thoughnotwithagoodheart。"Verywell，I'llaskhim，ifyouthinkwe'vegotto。"
　　"Thatmatter'ssettledthen，"Mrs。Adamssaid。"I'llgotelephoneMalena，andthenI'lltellyourfatheraboutit。"
　　Butwhenshewentbacktoherhusband，shefoundhiminanexcitedstateofmind，andWalterstandingbeforehiminthedarkness。Adamswasalmostshouting，sogreatwashisvehemence。
　　"Hush，hush!"hiswifeimplored，asshecamenearthem。"They'llhearyououtonthefrontporch!"
　　"Idon'tcarewhohearsme，"Adamssaid，harshly，thoughhetemperedhisloudness。"Doyouwanttoknowwhatthisboy'saskingmefor？Ithoughthe'dmaybecometotellmehe'dgotalittlesenseinhisheadatlast，andalittledecencyaboutwhat'sduehisfamily!Ithoughthewasgoingtoaskmetotakehimintomyplant。No，ma'am；THAT'Snotwhathewants!"
　　"No，itisn't，"Waltersaid。Inthedarknesshisfacecouldnotbeseen；hestoodmotionless，inwhatseemedanapatheticattitude；andhespokequietly，"No，"herepeated。"Thatisn'twhatIwant。"
　　"Youstaydownatthatplace，"Adamswenton，hotly，"insteadoftryingtobealittleusetoyourfamily；andtheonlyreasonyou'reALLOWEDtostaythereisbecauseMr。Lamb'sneverhappenedtonoticeyouAREstillthere!Youjustwait——"
　　"You'reoff，"Waltersaid，inthesamequietway。"HeknowsI'mthere。Hespoketomeyesterday:heaskedmehowIwasgettingalongwithmywork。"
　　"Hedid？"Adamssaid，seemingnottobelievehim。
　　"Yes。Hedid。"
　　"Whatelsedidhesay，Walter？"Mrs。Adamsaskedquickly。
　　"Nothin'。Justwalkedon。"
　　"Idon'tbelieveheknewwhoyouwere，"Adamsdeclared。
　　"Thinknot？Hecalledme'WalterAdams。'"
　　AtthisAdamswassilent；andWalter，afterwaitingamoment，said:
　　"Well，areyougoingtodoanythingaboutme？AboutwhatItoldyouIgottohave？"
　　"Whatisit，Walter？"hismotherasked，sinceAdamsdidnotspeak。
　　Walterclearedhisthroat，andrepliedinatoneasquietasthathehadusedbefore，thoughwithaslighthuskiness，"Igottohavethreehundredandfiftydollars。Youbettergethimtogiveittomeifyoucan。"
　　Adamsfoundhisvoice。"Yes，"hesaid，bitterly。"That'sallheasks!Hewon'tdoanythingIaskHIMto，andinreturnheasksmeforthreehundredandfiftydollars!That'sall!"
　　"Whatintheworld!"Mrs。Adamsexclaimed。"WhatFOR，Walter？"
　　"Igottohaveit，"Waltersaid。
　　"ButwhatFOR？"
　　Hisquiethuskinessdidnotalter。"Igottohaveit。"
　　"Butcan'tyoutellus——"
　　"Igottohaveit。"
　　"That'sallyoucangetoutofhim，"Adamssaid。"Heseemstothinkit'llbringhiminthreehundredandfiftydollars!"
　　Afainttremulousnessbecameevidentinthehuskyvoice。
　　"Haven'tyougotit？"
　　"NO，Ihaven'tgotit!"hisfatheranswered。"AndI'vegottogotoabankformorethanmypay-rollnextweek。DoyouthinkI'mamint？"
　　"Idon'tunderstandwhatyoumean，Walter，"Mrs。Adamsinterposed，perplexedanddistressed。"Ifyourfatherhadthemoney，ofcoursehe'dneedeverycentofit，especiallyjustnow，and，anyhow，youcouldscarcelyexpecthimtogiveittoyou，unlessyoutolduswhatyouwantwithit。Buthehasn'tgotit。"
　　"Allright，"Waltersaid；andafterstandingamomentmore，insilence，headded，impersonally，"Idon'tseeasyoueverdidanythingmuchforme，anyhoweitherofyou。"
　　Then，asifthiswerehisvaledictory，heturnedhisbackuponthem，walkedawayquickly，andwasatoncelosttotheirsightinthedarkness。
　　"There'safineboyto'vehadthetroubleofraising!"Adamsgrumbled。"Justcrazy，that'sall。"
　　"Whatintheworlddoyousupposehewantsallthatmoneyfor？"
　　hiswifesaid，wonderingly。"Ican'timaginewhathecouldDO
　　withit。Iwonder——"Shepaused。"Iwonderifhe——"
　　"Ifhewhat？"Adamspromptedherirritably。
　　"IfheCOULDhavebad——associates。"
　　"Godknows!"saidAdams。"_I_don't!ItjustlookstomelikehehadsomethinginhimIdon'tunderstand。Youcan'tkeepyoureyeonaboyallthetimeinacitythissize，notaboyWalter'sage。Yougotagirlprettymuchinthehouse，butaboy'llfollowhisnature。_I_don'tknowwhattodowithhim!"
　　Mrs。Adamsbrightenedalittle。"He'llcomeoutallright，"shesaid。"I'msurehewill。I'msurehe'dneverbeanythingreallybad:andhe'llcomearoundallrightabouttheglue-works，too；
　　you'llsee。Ofcourseeveryyoungmanwantsmoney——itdoesn'tprovehe'sdoinganythingwrongjustbecauseheasksyouforit。"
　　"No。Allitprovestomeisthathehasn'tgotgoodsenseaskingmeforthreehundredandfiftydollars，whenheknowsaswellasyoudothepositionI'min!IfIwantedto，Icouldn'thardlylethimhavethreehundredandfiftycents，letalonedollars!"
　　"I'mafraidyou'llhavetoletMEhavethatmuch——andmaybealittlemore，"sheventured，timidly；andshetoldhimofherplansforthemorrow。Heobjectedvehemently。
　　"Oh，butAlicehasprobablyaskedhimbythistime，"Mrs。Adamssaid。"Itreallymustbedone，Virgil:youdon'twanthimtothinkshe'sashamedofus，doyou？"
　　"Well，goahead，butjustletmestayaway，"hebegged。"OfcourseIexpecttoundergoakindoftalkwithhim，whenhegetsreadytosaysomethingtousaboutAlice，butIdohatetohavetositthroughafashionabledinner。"
　　"Why，itisn'tgoingtobotheryou，"shesaid；"justoneyoungmanasaguest。"
　　"Yes，Iknow；butyouwanttohaveallthisfancycookin'；andI
　　seewellenoughyou'regoingtogetthatolddresssuitoutofthecedarchestintheattic，andtrytomakemeputitonme。"
　　"Idothinkyoubetter，Virgil。"
　　"Ihopethemothshavegotinit，"hesaid。"LasttimeIworeitwastothebanquet，anditwasprettyoldthen。OfcourseI
　　didn'tmindwearingittothebanquetsomuch，becausethatwaswhatyoumightcallquiteanoccasion。"Hespokewithsomereminiscentcomplacency；"thebanquet，"anaffairnowfiveyearspast，havingprovidedtheonetimeinhislifewhenhehadbeensodistinguishedamonghisfellow-citizensastoreceiveaninvitationtobepresent，withsomesevenhundredothers，attheannualeatingandspeech-makingofthecity'sChamberofCommerce。"Anyhow，asyousay，Ithinkitwouldlookfoolishofmetowearadresssuitforjustoneyoungman，"hewentonprotesting，feebly。"What'stheuseofallsomuchhowdy-do，anyway？Youdon'texpecthimtobelieveweputonallthatstyleeverynight，doyou？Isthatwhatyou'reafter？"
　　"Well，wewanthimtothinkwelivenicely，"sheadmitted。
　　"Sothat'sit!"hesaid，querulously。"Youwanthimtothinkthat'sourregulargait，doyou？Well，he'llknowbetteraboutme，nomatterhowyoufixmeup，becausehesawmeinmyregularsuittheeveningsheintroducedmetohim，andhecouldtellanywayI'mnotoneofthesemoving-picturesporting-menthat'salwaysgotadresssuiton。Besides，youandAlicecertainlyhavesomeideahe'llcomeAGAIN，haven'tyou？Iftheygetthingssettledbetween'emhe'llbearoundthehouseandtomealsmostanytime，won'the？Youdon'thardlyexpecttoputonstyleallthetime，Iguess。Well，he'llseethenthatthiskindofthingwasallshow-off，andbluff，won'the？Whataboutit？"
　　"Oh，well，byTHATtime——"Sheleftthesentenceunfinished，asifabsently。"Youcouldletushavealittlemoneyforto-morrow，couldn'tyou，honey？"
　　"Oh，Ireckon，Ireckon，"hemumbled。"AgirllikeAliceissomecomfort:shedon'tcomearoundactingasifshe'dcommitsuicideifshedidn'tgetthreehundredandfiftydollarsinthenextfiveminutes。IexpectIcansparefiveorsixdollarsforyourshow-offifIgotto。"
　　However，shefinallyobtainedfifteenbeforehisbedtime；andthenextmorning"wenttomarket"afterbreakfast，leavingAlicetomakethebeds。Walterhadnotyetcomedownstairs。"Youhadbettercallhim，"Mrs。Adamssaid，asshedepartedwithabigbasketonherarm。"Iexpecthe'sprettysleepy；hewasoutsolatelastnightIdidn'thearhimcomein，thoughIkeptawaketillaftermidnight，listeningforhim。Tellhimhe'llbelatetoworkifhedoesn'thurry；andseethathedrinkshiscoffee，evenifhehasn'ttimeforanythingelse。AndwhenMalenacomes，getherstartedinthekitchen:showherwhereeverythingis。"
　　Shewavedherhand，asshesetoutforacornerwherethecarsstopped。"Everything'llbelovely。Don'tforgetaboutWalter。"