"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。