Shespoketothehorseandhebegantomove。Itookmycouragebetweenmyteeth，ranaftertheanimalandseizedthebridle。
　　"Youarenotgoingalone，"Isaid，decidedly。Iwassmiling，butdetermined。
　　Shelookedatmeinsurprisedindignation。
　　"Whatdoyoumean？"shesaid。
　　Imerelysmiled。Herchinliftedandherbrowsdrewtogether。I
　　recognizedthatlook；Ihadseenitbefore，onthatafternoonwhenIannouncedmyintentionofcarryingherfromthedingytotheskiff。
　　"Willyoubegoodenoughtoletgoofmyrein？"sheasked。Everywordwasasortofverbalicicle。Ifeltthechillandmysmilewasratherforced；butIheldthebridle。
　　"No，"Isaid，serenelyasIcould。Foraminute——Isupposeitwasnotlongerthanthat，itseemedanhourtome——weremainedaswewere。Thenherlipsbegantocurlupwardatthecorners，and，tomysurprise，sheburstoutlaughing。
　　"Really，Mr。Paine，"shesaid，"youarethemostimpossiblepersonIevermet。Doyoualwaysorderpeopleaboutthisway？IfeelasifIwereaboutfiveyearsoldandyouweremynurse。Arewetostandheretherestoftheafternoon？"
　　"Yes；unlessyoupermitmetogowithyouandshowyoutheway。"
　　"ButIcan’t。I’mnotgoingtospoilyourpicnic。Iknowyouwantyourlunch。Youmust。Or，ifyoudon’t，Iwantmine。"
　　"Ifyougoalone，thereareninechancesintenthatyouwillnotgethomeintimefordinner，tosaynothingoflunch。"
　　Shelookedatmeoddly，Ithought，andstartedtospeak。Whateveritwasshewasgoingtosaysheevidentlythoughtbetterofit，forsheremainedsilent。
　　ThenIhadanewidea。WhetherornotitwasherlookwhichinspireditIdonotknow。Ithinkitmusthavebeen；Ineverwouldhavedaredsuchathingwithoutinspiration。
　　"MissColton，"Isaid，hesitatingly，"ifyoureallyarenot——ifyouaresureyourpeoplewillnotworryaboutyou——I——Ishouldbegladtosharemylunchwithyou。Thenwecouldgohometogetherafterward。"
　　Shedidnotlookatmenow。Insteadsheturnedherhead。
　　"Are——areyousurethereisenoughfortwo？"sheasked，inacuriouslychokedtone。
　　BywayofanswerIledthehorsetothebushes，drewthelunchbasketfromtheshade，andthrewbackthecover。Dorinda’spicniclunchesweretriumphsandshehadneverputupamoretemptingone。
　　MissColtonlookeddownintothebasket。
　　"Oh！"sheexclaimed。
　　"Thereappearstobeenough，doesn’tthere？"Iobserved，drily。
　　"But——butIcouldn’tthinkof……AreyousureIwon’tbe……
　　Thankyou。Yes，I’llstay。"
　　BeforeIcouldoffermyhandtohelpherfromthesaddleshesprangtotheground。Hereyesweresparkling。
　　"Mr。Paine，"shesaid，inaburstofconfidence，"itisshamelesstotellyouso，Iknow，butIwasdreadfullyafraidyouweren’tgoingtoaskme。IamabsolutelySTARVED。"
　　CHAPTERXII
　　"Andnow，"continuedMissColton，afteranintervalduringwhich，Ipresume，shehadbeenwaitingforsomereplytoherfrankdeclarationconcerningmindandappetite，"whatmustIdotohelp？
　　ShallIunpackthebasket？"
　　Iwasstruggling，aswesayinDenboro，togettheshipundercontrol。IhadbeentakenabacksosuddenlythatIhadloststeerageway。Myslightexperiencewiththevagariesofthefemininemindhadnotpreparedmeforthelightningchangesofthiskind。Nottwominutesbeforeshehad，ifonemightjudgebyherlookandtone，beendeeplyoffended，almostinsulted，becauseI
　　refusedtopermitherwanderingoffaloneintothewoods。Myinvitationtolunchhadbeengivenonthespurofthemomentandwithnoideathatitwouldbeaccepted。Andshenotonlyaccepted，buthadexpectedmetoinviteher，hadbeenfearfulthatImightnotdoso。Shetoldmeso，herself。
　　"ShallIunpackthebasket？"sherepeated。Shewaslookingatmeintentlyandthetoeofherridingbootwaspattingtheleaves。
　　"Whatisthematter？AreyousorryIamgoingtostay？"
　　Itwashightimeformetogetunderway。Thereweresquallsonthehorizon。
　　"Oh，no，no！"Iexclaimed，hastily。"Ofcoursenot。Iamdelighted。Butyouneednottroubletohelp。JustletmeattendtoyourhorseandIwillhavelunchreadyinajiffy。"
　　IledDonovertothelittlegreenbeltofmeadowbetweenthetreesandthesandofthebeach，unbuckledthereinsandmadehimfasttoastoutbirch。Hebenthisheadandbegantopullbigmouthfulsoftherichgrass。He，too，wasevidentlygladtoacceptmyinvitation。
　　WhenIreturnedtomycampinggroundIfoundthebasketunpackedandtheyoungladyarrangingtheeatables。
　　"Youshouldn’thavedonethat，"Isaid。"Iamthehosthere。"
　　Shedidnotlookup。"Don’tbotherthetablemaid，"sheobserved，briskly。"Thatfireisnotkindledyet。"
　　Ilitthefireand，goingovertothebushes，selectedtwoofthefish，abassandapickerel。Icarriedthemdowntotheshoreofthepondandbegancleaningthem，usingmyjacknifeandaflatstone。Iwasnearingtheendoftheoperationwhenshecameovertowatch。
　　"Whyareyoudoingthat？"sheasked。"Youarenotgoingtocookthem——now——areyou？"
　　"Iamgoingtotry，"Ireplied。
　　"Buthow？Youhaven’tanythingtocookthemin。"
　　"Idon’tneedit。Youdon’tappreciatetheconveniencesofthishotel，MissColton。There！nowwe’reready。"
　　Irose，washedmyhandsinthepond，andpickeduptwootherflatstones，largeones，whichIhadpreviouslyputaside。TheseI
　　carriedtothefireand，rakingasidetheburninglogswithastick，laidthestonesinabedofhotcoals。
　　"Thoseareourfryingpans，"Iinformedher。"Whentheyarehotenoughtheywillcookthefish。Atleast，Ihopetheywill。Nowforthecoffee。"
　　Butshewavedmeaside。"Thecoffeeismyaffair，"shesaid。"I
　　insistuponmakingthecoffee。Oh，youneednotlookatmelikethat。Iamnotaltogetheruseless。IstudiedDomesticScience——alittle——inmyprepschoolcourse。AsmuchasIstudiedanythingelse，"laughingly。
　　"But——"
　　"Mr。Paine，Iamnotonhorsebacknowandyoucan’tholdmybridleasyoudidDon’s。Ifyouwillfillthecoffeepotandputitontoboil。Thankyou。Iamgladtoseethatevenyouobeyorders，sometimes。"
　　Ihadcookedfishinout—of—doorfashionoftenbefore，butIamquitesureInevertooksuchpainsasIdidwiththese。Theywerenotculinarytriumphs，evenatthat，butmyguestwaskindenoughtopronouncethemdelicious。Thelunchbasketcontainedtwoplates，butonlyoneknifeandfork。TheseIinsisteduponherusingandIgotonverywellwithsharpenedsticksandaspoon。
　　Thecoffeewas——well，ithadonequalification，strength。
　　Weconversedbutlittleduringthemeal。TheyoungladysaidshewastoohungrytotalkandIwassoconfoundedwiththestrangenessofthewholeaffairthatIwasgladtobesilent。Sittingoppositeme，eatingDorinda’sdoughnutsandapplepuffsandthefishthatI——_I_hadcooked，was"BigJim"Colton’sdaughter，theautomobilegirl，theheiress，the"incarnationofsnobbery，"theyoungladywhosefatherIhadbiddengotothedevilandtowhom，incompanywiththerestofthefamily，Ihadmanytimesmentallyextendedthesameinvitation。Andnowwewerepicnicingtogetherasifwewerefriendsoflongstanding。Why，NellieDeancouldnotappearmoreunpretentiousandunconsciousofsocialdifferencesthanthisgirlto—day！Whatwouldherparentssayiftheysawuslikethis？WhatwouldCaptainJed，andtherestofthoseinrebellionagainsttheEmperorofNewYork，say？ThatIwasatraitor，handandglovewiththeenemy。Well，Iwasnot；andIdidnotintendtobe。Butforherto——
　　Sheinterruptedmymeditations。
　　"Mr。Paine，"sheobserved，suddenly，"youwillexcusemymentioningit，butyouaredistinctlynotentertaining。Youhavenotspokenawordforfiveminutes。Andyouarenotattendingtomyneeds。Theapplepuffsareonyoursideofthe——table。"
　　Ihastenedtopassthepapercontainingthepuffs。
　　"Ibegyourpardon，"Isaid，hurriedly。"I——Iwasdaydreaming，I
　　guess。"
　　"SoIimagined。Iforgiveyou；thislunchwouldtemptmetoforgivegreatersinsthanyours。Didthatdelightfuloldhousekeeperofyourscookallthesenicethings？"
　　"Shedid。SoyouthinkDorindadelightful，doyou？"
　　"Yes。Sheissosincereandgood—hearted。Andsooddandbrightandfunny。Icouldlistentoherforhours。"
　　"Humph！Well，ifyouwereamemberofherhouseholdyouwouldhavethatprivilegeoften。Idoubtifherhusbandconsidersitsuchaprivilege。"
　　"Herhusband？Oh，yes！Imethim。Heisacharacter，too，isn’the？"
　　"Yes；aweakone。"
　　Sheputdownhercoffeecupandsighed，contentedly。
　　"IthinkInevertastedanythingsogoodasthislunch，"sheobserved。"AndI’mquitesureIneveratesomuchatonesitting。
　　Iamgoingtohelpyouclearaway，butpleasedon’taskmetodoitjustnow。Haveyoufinished？Youmaysmoke，ifyoulike。"
　　IhadbeenlongingforasmokeandnowIfilledmypipeandlightedit。
　　"Nowwecantalk，can’twe？"shesaid。"Iwantyoutotellmeaboutyourmother。Howisshe？"
　　"Justasshewaswhenyousawher，"Ianswered。"Motherisalwaysthesame。"
　　"Sheisadear。IhadheardsomanynicethingsaboutherandI
　　wasnotdisappointed。IintendedtomakeonlyashortcallandI
　　stayedandstayed。IhopeIdidnottireher。"
　　"Notatall。Motherenjoyedyourcallexceedingly。"
　　"Didshe？Iamsoglad。Ireallyam。Iwenttoyourhousewithagooddealofmisgiving，Mr。Paine。Ifearedthatmycomingmightbeconsideredanintrusion。"
　　"Itoldyouthatitwouldnot。"
　　"Iknow。But，underthecircumstances——Father’sdisagreementwith——
　　consideringallthe——the——Oh，whatshallIcallit？"
　　"Thelateunpleasantness，"Isuggested。
　　Againcamethetwinkleinhereye。Shenodded。
　　"Thankyou，"shesaid。"Thatisaquotation，butitwascleverofyoutothinkofit。Yes，consideringthelateunpleasantness，I
　　wasafraidmyvisitmightbemisunderstood。Iwasfearfulthatyourmotheror——someone——mightthinkIcametherewithanulteriormotive，somethingconnectedwiththattroublesomeLanedispute。Ofcoursenoonedidthinksuchathing？"
　　Sheaskedthequestionquicklyandwithintenseseriousness。I
　　rememberedLute’shintandmyownsecretsuspicions，butIansweredpromptly。
　　"Ofcoursenot，"Isaid。
　　"Youdidnotthinkthat，didyou？"
　　"No，"unblushingly。
　　"IcamebecausefromwhatIhadheardofyourmotherIwassureshemustbeawonderfulwoman。Iwantedtomeether。AndsheIS
　　wonderful；andsopatientandsweetandgood。Ifellinlovewithher。Everyonemustloveher。Youshouldbeproudofyourmother，Mr。Paine。"
　　"Iam，"Ianswered，simply。
　　"Youhavereason。Andsheisveryproudofyou。"
　　"Withoutthereason，I’mafraid。"
　　Shedidnotspeak。Hersilencehurt。IfeltthatIknewwhatshewasthinkingandIdeterminedtomakehersayit。
　　"Withoutthereason，"Irepeated。
　　"Ididnotsaythat。"
　　"Butyouthoughtit。"
　　Mystubbornpersistencewasamistake。Again，asatourmeetinginthegrove，Ihadgonetoofar。Heranswerwasascompletelyindifferentasspeechandtonecouldbe。
　　"Indeed？"shesaid，coldly。"ItisbarelypossiblethatIdidnotthinkaboutitatall……Now，Mr。Paine，ifyouarereadyshallweclearaway？"
　　Theclearing，mostofit，wasdonesilently。Iwashedtheplates，thecoffeepotandotherthings，inthepondandshepackedtheminthebasket。AsIreturnedwiththeknifeandforksIfoundherlookingatthecoffeepotandsmiling。
　　"Whatisthematter？"Iasked，sulkily。IwasprovokedwithmyselfforforgettingwhoandwhatIwas，andwithherformakingmeforget。"Isn’titclean？"
　　"Why，yes，"sheanswered，"surprisinglyso。DidtheyteachDomesticScienceatyourcollege，too？"
　　Istarted。"MYcollege！"Irepeated。"HowdidyouknowIhadbeenatcollege？DidMothertellyou？"
　　Shelaughedgleefully。
　　"DidMothertellyou？"Idemanded。"Ifshedid——"
　　"Well，whatifshedid？However，shedidnot。Butyouhavetoldmenow。Harvard，wasit？orYale？"
　　Itossedtheknifeandforkintothebasketandturnedaway。
　　"Princeton，perhaps，"suggestedMissColton。
　　Iwalkedoverandbegantounjointmyrod。Iwasafooltobetrappedlikethis。NooneinDenboroexceptMotherandGeorgeTaylorknewofmybriefcollegecareer，andnowIhad，practically，toldthisgirlofit。Shemight——ifsheweresufficientlyinterestedtoremember，whichwasfortunatelynotprobable——tellherfatherandhemightaskotherquestionsconcerningmyhistory。
　　Wherewouldthosequestionslead？
　　IwasangrilytuggingattherodwhenIheardherstepbehindme。
　　Ididnotturn。
　　"Ibegyourpardon，"shesaid。
　　Ipretendednottohear。
　　"Ibegyourpardon，Mr。Paine，"shesaidagain。
　　"It’sallright，"Imuttered。"Noapologiesarenecessary。"
　　Isaiditlikeasullenschoolboy。Therewasanothermomentofsilence。ThenIheardhermoveaway。Ilookedovermyshoulder。
　　ShewaswalkingtowardthemeadowwhereDon，thehorse，waspicketed。Therewasoffendeddignityineverylineofherfigure。
　　ForamomentIfoughtwithmyprideandinjuredself—respect。ThenIhurriedafterher。
　　"MissColton，"Isaid。
　　"Well？"sheneitherturnednorstopped。
　　"MissColton，Ishouldnothaveansweredlikethat。Iwasrude。"
　　Shestopped。"Youwere，"shesaid。
　　"Iknowit。Iamsorry。Iapologize。"
　　"Noapologiesarenecessary。"
　　Herewastitfortat。Ididnotknowwhatmoretosay，soIsaidnothing。
　　"DoIunderstandthatyouaskmypardon？"sheinquired，stillwithoutturning。
　　"Ido。Ifyouwillpermitme，Iwillexplain。I——"
　　Shewhirledaboutandfacedme。Tomyastonishmentshewassmilingoncemore。
　　"Ofcourseyouwon’texplain，"shedeclared。"Ihadnorighttoaskyouaboutyourcollege。ButIcouldn’thelpguessing。ItoldyouthatIlikedpuzzles。We’llsaynomoreaboutit。IhaveenjoyedthispicnicandIwon’thaveitspoiled。Nowwhyareyoutakingyourrodapart？"
　　"BecauseIknowyouwanttogohomeandIamgoingwithyoutoshowyoutheway。"
　　"ButIdon’thavetogoyet，doI？Itisnotlate。AndIthoughtperhapsyouwouldletmeseeyoucatchanotherbass。Won’tyou？
　　Please。"
　　Oncemoreshehadmeatadisadvantage。Ihadnodesireformorefishing，andIwasfearfuloffurtherquestions，butwhatcouldI
　　do？Anditwasnotlate——butalittlepasttwoo’clock。
　　SoIriggedtherodagainandledthewaydowntheshoretothespotwherethesedgeextendedoutintothepond，withthelilypadsbeyondit。Shewalkedbesideme。ThensheseatedherselfonafallentreeandIbaitedthehookwithalivelyminnowandcast。
　　ForsometimeIgotnotevenanibble。AsIwaitedsheandI
　　talked。ButnowitwasIwhoquestioned。
　　"DoyoulikeDenboro？"Iasked。
　　"Iambeginningtolikeitverymuch。AtfirstIthoughtitverydull，butnowIamgettingacquainted。"
　　"Therearefewcottagersandsummerpeoplehere。ButinHarnissthereisalargecolony。Verynicepeople，Ibelieve。"
　　"Yes，Ihavemetsomeofthem。ButitwasnotthesummerpeopleI
　　meant。Iambeginningtoknowthetownspeopleandtolikesomeofthem。ImetthatdelightfuloldCaptainWarrentheotherday。"
　　"Heisasgoodastheymake。"
　　"Indeedheis。AndIhadaninterviewwithanothercaptain，MissDean’sfather，yesterday。Wehadaninterestingencounter。"
　　"SoIshouldimagine。CaptainJed！Whew！ItMUSThavebeeninteresting。"
　　"Itwas。Oh，wewereveryfierceatfirst——atleasthewas，andI
　　foughtformysideashardasIcould。HesaidFatherwasaselfishpigforwantingtoclosetheLane，andIsaiditwasbecauseofitsusebythepigsthathewishedtocloseit。"
　　"Ha！ha！Howdiditend？"
　　"Oh，weagreedtodisagree。IrespectCaptainDeanforhisfight；
　　butFatherwillwin，ofcourse。Healwaysdoes。"
　　"Hewon’twinthistime，MissColton。"
　　"Whynot？Oh，IactuallyforgotIwastalkingtotheheadandfrontoftheopposition。Soyouthinkhewillnotwin，Mr。Paine？"
　　"Iamsureofit。HecannotclosethatLaneuntilIsellit，andI
　　shallnotsell。"
　　Sheregardedmethoughtfully，herchinuponherhand。
　　"Itwouldbeoddifheshouldnot，afterall，"shesaid。"Heprideshimselfonhavinghisownway。Itwouldbestrangeifheshouldbebeatendownhere，afterwinningsoofteninNewYork。
　　Yourmothertoldmesomethingofyourfeelinginthematter，Mr。
　　Paine。Fatherhasofferedyouagoodpricefortheland，hasn’the？"
　　"Hehasofferedmeadozentimeswhatitisworth。"
　　"Yes。Hedoesnotcountmoneywhenhehassethisheartuponanything。Andyourefused？"
　　"Yes。"
　　"ButNellieDeansaysthetownalsowishedtobuyandyourefuseditsoffer，too。"
　　"Yes。"
　　"Youdon’tseemtocareformoney，either，Mr。Paine。AreallCapeCodpeoplesounmercenary？Orisitthatyouallhavemoneyenough——……Pardonme。Thatwasimpolite。Ispokewithoutthinking。"
　　"Oh，nevermind。Iamnotsensitive——onthatpoint，atleast。"
　　"ButIdomind。AndIamsorryIsaidit。AndIshouldliketounderstand。IseewhythetownspeopledonotwanttheLaneclosed。
　　Butyouhavenotlivedherealways。Onlyafewyears，soMissDeansays。Shesaid，too，thatthatMr。Taylor，thecashier，wasalmosttheonlyintimatefriendyouhavemadesinceyoucame。Otherswouldliketobefriendly，butyouwillnotpermitthemtobe。
　　And，yetforthesepeople，mereacquaintances，youaresacrificingwhatFatherwouldcallaprofitabledeal。"
　　"Notaltogetherforthem。Ican’texplainmyfeelingexactly。I
　　knowonlythattosellthemoutandmakemoney——andheavenknowsI
　　needmoney——attheirexpenseseemstomedeadwrong。"
　　"Thenwhydon’tyouselltoTHEM？"
　　"Idon’tknow。Unlessitwasbecausetorefuseyourfather’sofferandacceptaloweroneseemedameantrick，too。AndIwon’tbebulliedintosellingtoanyone。Iguessthatisit，asmuchasanything。"
　　"My！howstubbornyoumustbe。"
　　"Idon’tknowwhyIhavepreachedthissermontoyou，MissColton。
　　yoursympathiesinthefightarewithyourfather，naturally。"
　　"Oh，no，theyarenot。"
　　Ialmostdroppedtherod。
　　"Not——with——"Irepeated。
　　"Notaltogether。Theyarewithyou，justatpresent。Ifyouhadsold——ifyouhadgivenintoFather，feelingasyoudo，Ishouldnothaveanysympathywithyouatall。Asitis——"
　　"Asitis？"Iaskedeagerly——tooeagerly。Ishouldhavedonebettertopretendindifference。
　　"Asitis，"sheanswered，lightly，"IrespectyouasIwouldanysincerefighterforalosingcause。AndIshallprobablyfeelsomesympathyforyouafterthecauseislost。Excusemybreakinginonyoursermon，provideditisnotfinished，but——Ithinkyouhaveabite，Mr。Paine。"
　　Ihad，verymuchofabite。Theminnowonmyhookhadbeenforgottenandallowedtosinktothebottom，andabigpouthadswallowedit，alongwiththehookandasectionofline。Idraggedthecreatureoutofthewaterandperformedasurgicaloperation，resultingintherecoveryofmytackle。
　　"There！"Iexclaimed，indisgust。"IthinkIhavehadenoughfishingforoneday。Supposewecallitoff。Unlessyouwouldliketotry，MissColton。"
　　Imadetheofferbywayofajoke。Sheaccepteditinstantly。
　　"MayI？"shecried，eagerly。"IhavebeendyingtoeversinceI
　　came。
　　"But——butyouwillgetwet。"
　　"Nomatter。Thisisanoldsuit。"
　　Itdidnotlookoldtomycountrifiedeyes，butIprotestednomore。Therewasarockalittlebelowwherewethenwere，oneofthetypicalglacialbouldersoftheCape——lyingjustattheedgeofthewaterandprojectingoutintoit。Ihelpedherupontothisrockandbaitedherhookwithshrimp。
　　"ShallIcastforyou？"Iasked。
　　"Noindeed。Icandoit，thankyou。"
　　Shedid，anddiditwell。Moreover，thelinehadscarcelystraightenedoutinthewaterwhenitwassavagelyjerked，thepolebentintoahalf—circle，andoutofthefoamingeddybeneathitstipleapedthebiggestbassIhadseenthatday，orinthatpondonanyday。
　　"ByGeorge！"Iexclaimed。"Canyouhandlehim？ShallI——"
　　Shedidnotlookatme，butIreceivedmyorders，nevertheless。
　　"Pleasedon’t！Keepaway！"shesaidsharply。
　　Fornearlyfifteenminutesshefoughtthatfish，inandoutamongthepads，keepingthelinetight，handlinghimatleastaswellasIcouldhavedone。Iranforthelandingnetand，asshebroughthercaptiveupbesidetherock，reachedforwardtouseit。Butshestoppedme。
　　"No，"shesaid，breathlessly，"Iwanttodothisallmyself。"
　　Ittookherseveralmoreminutestodoit，andshewasprettywellsplashed，whenatlast，withtheheavynetdraggingfromonehandandtherodintheother，shesprangdownfromtherock。Togetherwebentoverthefish。
　　"Afour—pounder，ifheisanounce，"saidI。"Icongratulateyou，MissColton。"
　　"Poorthing，"shemused。"Iamalmostsorryhedidnotgetaway。
　　HeISabeauty，isn’the！NowIamreadytogohome。"
　　Thatjourneyhomewasastrangeexperiencetome。SherodeDonandborethelunchbasketandthenetbeforeheronthesaddle。I
　　walkedalongside，carryingtherod，boots，andthefishintheotherwiseemptybaitpail。Thesunshine，streamingthroughtheleavesofthearchingboughsoverhead，dappledthenarrow，overgrownpathswithshiftingblotchesoflightandshadow。Arounduswasthedeep，livinggreenofthewoods，thesongsofbirds，thechatterofredsquirrels，andthescentofwildhoneysuckle。Andaswemovedonwardwetalked——thatis，shedidmostofthetalkingandIlistened。YetImusthavetalkedmorethanIknew，becauseI
　　rememberexpressingopinionsconcerningbooksandoperasandpictures，subjectsIhadnotdiscussedforyearsexceptoccasionallywithMother，andthenonlybecauseshewasstillinterestedinthem。
　　Iseemed，somehow，tohavebecomeadifferent，ayoungerman，undertheinfluenceofthesefewhourswiththegirlIhadprofessedtohatesocordially。Ourcompanionship——perfectlymeaninglessasitwas，themerecapriceofanidledayonherpart——hadrejuvenatedme。DuringthathomewardwalkIforgotmyselfentirely，forgotthatIwasRosPaine，thecountryloafer；forgot，too，thatshewastheonlychildofthecitymillionaire，thatwehad，orcouldhave，nothingincommon。She，also，seemedtoforget，andwechattedtogetherasunconsciouslyandeasilyasifwehadknowneachotherallourlives。