"Oh!Well，sheisratherplain-minded，asyoucallit。Ithinksheshowsoutherrealfeelingstoomuchforawoman。"
　　"Whydoyoupreferdissimulationinyoursex，mydear？"
　　"Idon'tcallitdissimulation。Butofcourseagirloughttohideherfeelings。Don'tyouthinkitwouldhavebeenbetterforhernottohavelookedsoobviouslyoutofhumourwhenyoufirstsawhertheothernight？"
　　"Shewouldn'thaveinterestedmesomuch，then，andsheprobablywouldn'thavehadyouracquaintancenow。"
　　"Oh，Idon'tmeantosaythateventhatkindofgirlwon'tgeton，ifshegiveshermindtoit；butIthinkIshouldpreferalittlelessplain-mindedness，asyoucallit，ifIwereaman。"
　　Ididnotknowexactlywhattosaytothis，andIletMrs。Marchgoon。
　　"It'ssointhesmallestthing。Ifyou'rechoosingathingforher，andshelikesanother，sheletsyoufeelitatonce。Idon'tmeanthatshe'srudeaboutit，butsheseemstosetherselfsosquareacrosstheway，andyoucomeupwithakindofbumpagainsther。I
　　don'tthinkthat'sveryfeminine。That'swhatImeanbymannish。
　　Youalwaysknowwheretofindher。"
　　Idon'tknowwhythiscriticismshouldhaveamusedmesomuch，butI
　　begantolaughquiteuncontrollably，andIlaughedonandon。Mrs。
　　Marchkepthertemperwithmeadmirably。WhenIwasquietagain，shesaid-
　　"Mrs。Deeringisapersonthatwinsyourheartatonce；shehasthatappealingquality。Youcanseethatshe'scowedbyherhusband，thoughhemeanstobekindtoher；andyetyoumaybesureshegetsroundhim，andhasherownwayallthetime。Iknowitwasherideatohavehimgohomeandleavethemhere，andofcourseshemadehimthinkitwashis。Shesawthataslongashewashere，andanxioustogetbacktohis'stock，'therewasnohopeofgivingMissGagethesortofchanceshecamefor，andsoshedeterminedtomanageit。
　　Atthesametime，youcanseethatsheistrueassteel，andwouldabhoranythinglikedeceitworsethanthepest。"
　　"Isee；andthatiswhyyoudislikeMissGage？"
　　"Dislikeher？No，Idon'tdislikeher；butsheisdisappointing。
　　Ifshewereaplaingirlherplain-mindednesswouldbeallright；itwouldbeamusing；shewouldturnittoaccountandmakeitseemhumorous。Butitdoesn'tseemtogowithherbeauty；ittakesawayfromthat——Idon'tknowhowtoexpressitexactly。"
　　"Youmeanthatshehasnocharm。"
　　"No；Idon'tmeanthatatall。Shehasagreatdealofcharmofacertainkind，butit'saverypeculiarkind。Afterall，thetruthisthetruth，Basil，isn'tit？"
　　"Itissometimes，mydear，"Iassented。
　　"Andthetruthhasitscharm，evenwhenit'stooblunt。"
　　"Ah，I'mnotsosureofthat。"
　　"Yes——yes，ithas。Youmustn'tsayso，Basil，orIshallloseallmyfaithinyou。IfIcouldn'ttrustyou，Idon'tknowwhatI
　　shoulddo。"
　　"Whatareyouafternow，Isabel？"
　　"Iamnotafteranything。Iwantyoutogoroundtoallthehotelsandseeifthereisnotsomeyoungmanyouknowatoneofthem。
　　Theresurelymustbe。"
　　"Wouldoneyoungmanbeenough？"
　　"Ifhewereattentiveenough，hewouldbe。Oneyoungmanisasgoodasathousandifthegirlistherightkind。"
　　"ButyouhavejustbeenimplyingthatMissGageiscoldandselfishandgreedy。ShallIgoroundexploringhotelregistersforavictimtosuchadivinityasthat？"
　　"No；youneedn'tgotillIhavehadatalkwithher。Iamnotsuresheisworthit；IamnotsurethatIwanttodoasinglethingforher。"
　　CHAPTERVII
　　Thenextday，afteranotherforenoon'sshoppingwithherfriends，Mrs。Marchannounced:"Well，now，ithasallcomeout，Basil，andI
　　wonderyoudidn'tgetthesecretatoncefromyourMr。Deering。
　　HaveyoubeensupposingthatMissGagewasapoorgirlwhomtheDeeringshaddonethefavourofbringingwiththem？"
　　"Why，whatofit？"Iaskedprovisionally。
　　"Sheisverywelloff。Herfatherisnotonlythepresident，astheycallit，ofthevillage，buthe'sthepresidentofthebank。"
　　"Yes；ItoldyouthatDeeringtoldmeso——"
　　"Butheisveryqueer。Hehaskeptherveryclosefromtheotheryoungpeople，andMrs。Deeringistheonlygirlfriendshe'severhad，andshe'sgrownupwithouthavingbeenanywherewithouthim。
　　Theyhadtopleadwithhimtolethercomewiththem——orMrs。
　　Deeringhad，——butwhenheonceconsented，heconsentedhandsomely。
　　Hegaveheralotofmoney，andtoldthemhewantedhertohavethebesttimethatmoneycouldbuy；andofcourseyoucanunderstandhowsuchamanwouldthinkthatmoneywouldbuyagoodtimeanywhere。
　　ButtheDeeringsdidn'tknowhowtogoaboutit。Sheconfessedasmuchwhenweweretalkingthegirlover。Icouldseethatshestoodinaweofhersomehowfromthebeginning，andthatshefeltmorethantheusualresponsibilityforher。Thatwasthereasonshewassoeagertogetherhusbandoffhome；aslongashewaswiththemshewouldhavetoworkeverythingthroughhim，andthatwouldbedoublelabour，becauseheissohopelesslyvillaginous，don'tyouknow，thathenevercouldrisetotheconceptionofanythingelse。
　　Hetookthemtoacheap，second-classhotel，andhewasafraidtogowiththemanywherebecauseheneverwassurethatitwastherightthingtodo；andhewastooproudtoask，andtheyhadtokeepproddinghimallthetime。"
　　"That'sdelightful!"
　　"Oh，Idaresayyouthinkso；butifyouknewhowitwoundedawoman'sself-respectyouwouldfeeldifferently；oryouwouldn't，rather。Butnow，thankgoodness；they'vegothimofftheirhands，andtheycanbegintobreathefreely。Thatis，Mrs。Deeringcould，ifshehadn'therheartinhermouthallthetime，wonderingwhatshecandoforthegirl，andbullyingherselfwiththenotionthatsheistoblameifshedoesn'thaveagoodtime。Youcanunderstandjusthowitwaswiththemalways。Mrs。Deeringisoneofthosemeeklittlethingsthatagreat，splendid，lonelycreaturelikeMissGagewouldtaketoinasmallplace，andperfectlycrushundertheweightofherconfidence；andshewouldwanttomakeherhusbandliveuptoheridealofthegirl，andwouldbemiserablebecausehewouldn'torcouldn't。"
　　"IbelievethegoodDeeringdidn'teventhinkherhandsome。"
　　"That'sit。AndhethoughtanythingthatwasgoodenoughforhiswifewasgoodenoughforMissGage，andhe'dbestubbornaboutdoingthingsonheraccount，eventopleasehiswife。"
　　"SuchconductisimaginableofthegoodDeering。Idon'tthinkhelikedher。"
　　"Norshehim。Mrs。Deeringhelplesslyhintedasmuch。Shesaidhedidn'tliketohaveherworryingsomuchaboutMissGage'snothavingagoodtime，andshecouldn'tmakehimfeelasshedidaboutit，andshewashalfgladforhisownsakethathehadtogohome。"
　　"Didshesaythat？"
　　"Notexactly；butyoucouldseethatshemeantit。Doyouthinkitwoulddoforthemtochangefromtheirhotel，andgototheGrandUnionortheStatesorCongressHall？"
　　"Haveyoubeenputtingthemuptothat，Isabel？"
　　"Iknewyouwouldsuspectme，andIwouldn'thaveaskedforyouropinionifIhadcaredanythingforit，really。Whatwouldbetheharmoftheirdoingit？"
　　"Nonewhatever，ifyoureallywantmyworthlessopinion。Butwhatcouldtheydothere？"
　　"Theycouldseesomethingiftheycouldn'tdoanything，andassoonasMissGagehasgothernewgownsI'mgoingtotellthemyouthoughttheycoulddoit。Itwastheirownidea，atanyrate。"
　　''MissGage's？"
　　"Mrs。Deering's。Shehasthecourageofa——Idon'tknowwhat。Sheseesthatit'sadesperatecase，andshewouldn'tstopatanything。"
　　"Nowthatherhusbandhasgonehome。"
　　"Well，whichhotelshalltheygoto？"
　　"Oh，thatrequiresreflection。"
　　"Verywell，then，whenyou'vereflectedIwantyoutogotothehotelyou'vechosen，andintroduceyourselftotheclerk，andtellhimyourwifehastwofriendscoming，andyouwantsomethingverypleasantforthem。TellhimallaboutyourselfandEveryOtherWeek。"
　　"He'llthinkIwantthemdeadheaded。"
　　"Nomatter，ifyourconscienceisclear；anddon'tbesoshamefullymodestasyoualwaysare，butspeakupboldly。Now，willyou？
　　Promisemeyouwill!"
　　"Iwilltry，asthegoodlittleboysays。But，Isabel，wedon'tknowthesepeopleexceptfromtheirownaccount。"
　　"Andthatisquiteenough。"
　　"Itwillbequiteenoughforthehotel-keeperiftheyruntheirboard。Ishallhavetopayit。"
　　"Now，Basildear，don'tbedisgusting，andgoanddoasyou'rebid。"
　　Itwasamusing，butitwasperfectlysafe，andtherewasnoreasonwhyIshouldnotengageroomsfortheladiesatanotherhotel。I
　　hadnottheleastquestionofthem，andIhadfailedtoworrymywifewithapretendeddoubt。SoIdecidedthatIwouldgoupatonceandinquireattheGrandUnion。Ichosethishotelbecause，thoughitlackedthefineflowerofthemoreancientrespectabilityandthelegendarycharmoftheStates，itwassospectacularthatitwouldbeinitselfaperpetualexcitementforthoseladies，andwouldformaneffectofsocietywhich，withsomehelpfromus，mightverywelldeceivethem。ThiswaswhatIsaidtomyself，thoughinmyheartIknewbetter。WhateverMrs。Deeringmightthink，thatgirlwasnotgoingtobetakeninwithanysuchsimpledevice，andI
　　mustcountuponthedailychancesintheplacetoaffordherthegoodtimeshehadcomefor。
　　AsImountedthestepstotheporticooftheGrandUnionwithmyheaddown，andlostinacalculationofthesechances，Iheardmynamegailycalled，andIlookeduptoseeyoungKendricks，formerlyofourstaffonEveryOtherWeek，andstillafrequentcontributor，andagreatfavouriteofmywife'sandmyown。Myheartgaveagreatjoyfulboundatsightofhim。
　　"Mydearboy，whenintheworlddidyoucome？"
　　"Thismorningbythesteamboattrain，andIamnever，nevergoingaway!"
　　"Youlikeit，then？"
　　"Likeit!It'sthemostdelightfulthingintheuniverse。Why，I'msimplywildaboutit，Mr。March。Igoroundsayingtomyself，WhyhaveIthrownawaymylife？WhyhaveInevercometoSaratogabefore？It'ssimplysupreme，andit'sAmericandowntotheground。
　　Yes；that'swhatmakesitsodelightful。Nootherpeoplecouldhaveinventedit，anditdoesn'ttrytobeanythingbutwhatwemadeit。"
　　"I'msogladyoulookatitinthatway。WElikeit。Wediscovereditthreeorfouryearsago，andweneverletasummerslip，ifwecanhelpit，withoutcominghereforaweekoramonth。Theplace，"
　　Ienlarged，"hasthecharmofruin，thoughit'sinsuchobviousrepair；ithasapast；it'ssocompletelygonebyinasocietysense。Thecottagelifeherehasn'tkilledthehotellife，asithasatNewportandBarHarbour；buttheidealofcottagelifeeverywhereelsehasmadehotellifeatSaratogaungenteel。Thehotelsarefull，butatthesametimetheyaresocietysolitudes。"
　　"Howgayitis!"saidtheyoungfellow，ashegazedwithapensivesmileintothestreet，whereallthosefestivevehicleswerecomingandgoing，dappledbytheleaf-shadowsfromthetalltreesoverhead。
　　"Whatair!whatasky!"Theonewasindeedsparkling，andtheotherwithoutacloud，forithadrainedinthenight，anditseemedasiftheweathercouldneverbehotandcloseagain。
　　IforgothowIhadbeenswelteringabout，andsaid:"Yes；itisaSaratogaday。It'ssupposedthatthesparkleoftheaircomesfromthehealthfulgasesthrownoffbythesprings。Somepeoplesaythespringsaredoctored；that'swhatmakestheirgasessohealthful。"
　　"Why，anythingmighthappenhere，"Kendricksmused，unheedfulofme。
　　"Whatascene!whatastage!WhyhasnobodydoneastoryaboutSaratoga？"heasked，withaliteraryturnIknewhisthoughtswouldbetaking。AllGeraldKendricks'sthoughtswereofliterature，butsometimestheywerenotofimmediateliteraryeffect，thoughthatwasneverforlong。
　　"Because，"Isuggested，"oneprobablycouldn'tgethisyoungladycharacterstocomehereiftheywereatallinsociety。Butofcoursetheremustbecharmingpresenceshereaccidentally。Someyounggirl，say，mightcomeherefromacountryplace，expectingtoseesocialgaiety——"
　　"Ah，butthatwouldbetooheart-breaking!"
　　"Notatall。Notifshemetsomeyoungfellowaccidentally——don'tyousee？"
　　"Itwouldbedifficulttomanage；andhasn'titbeendone？"
　　"Everythinghasbeendone，mydearfellow。Or，youmightsupposeayoungladywhocomesonherewithherfather，aveteranpolitician，delegatetotheRepublicanorDemocraticconvention——alltheconventionsmeetinSaratoga，——andsomeardentyoungdelegatefallsinlovewithher。Thatwouldbenewground。Thereyouwouldhavethepoliticalnovel，whichtheywondereverynowandthensomeofusdon'twrite。"ThesmilefadedfromKendricks'slips，andIlaughed。
　　"Well，then，there'snothingforitbuttheSocialScienceCongress。
　　Haveabrilliantprofessorwintheheartofalovelysister-in-lawofanothermemberbyapaperhereadsbeforetheCongress。No？
　　You'redifficult。Areyoustoppinghere？"
　　"Yes；areyou？"
　　"ItrytogivemyselftheairofitwhenIamfeelingveryproud。
　　Butreally，weliveatamostcharminglittlehotelonabackstreet，outofthewhirlandrushthatweshouldprefertobeinifwecouldaffordit。"Hesaiditmustbedelightful，andhemadetheproperinquiriesaboutMrs。March。Kendricksneverforgotthegentlemanintheartist，andhewasastruetotheconvenancesasiftheyhadbeenprinciples。ThatwaswhatmadeMrs。Marchlikehisstoriessomuchmorethanthestoriesofsomepeoplewhowrotebetter。Hesaidhewoulddropinduringtheafternoon，andIwentindoorsonthepretextofbuyinganewspaper。Then，withoutengagingroomsforMrs。DeeringandMissGage，Ihurriedhome。
　　CHAPTERVIII
　　"Well，didyougettherooms？"askedmywifeassoonasshesawme。
　　ShedidnotquitecallitacrossthestreettomeasIcameupfromwhereshesatonthepiazza。
　　"No，Ididn't，"Isaidboldly，ifsomewhatbreathlessly。
　　"Whydidn'tyou？YououghttohavegonetotheStatesiftheywerefullattheGrandUnion。"
　　"Theywerenotfull，unlessKendricksgottheirlastroom。"
　　"DoyoumeanthatHEwasthere？Mr。Kendricks？Ifyouarehoaxingme，Basil!"
　　"Iamnot，mydear；indeedI'mnot，"saidI，beginningtolaugh，andthismadeherdoubtmethemore。
　　"BecauseifyouareIshallsimplyneverforgiveyou。AndI'minearnestthistime，"shereplied。
　　"WhyshouldIwanttohoaxyouaboutsuchavitalthingasthat。
　　Couldn'tKendrickscometoSaratogaaswellaswe？He'sherelookingupthegroundofastoryIshouldthinkfromwhathesaid。"
　　"Nomatterwhathe'sherefor；he'shere，andthat'senough。I
　　neverknewofanythingsoperfectlyprovidential。DidyouTELLhim，Basil？Didyoudare？"
　　"Tellhimwhat？"
　　"Youknow；aboutMissGage。"
　　"Well，Icameverynearit。Idangledthefactbeforehiseyesonce，butIcaughtitawayagainintime。Heneversawit。I
　　thoughtI'dbetterletyoutellhim。"
　　"Ishecomingheretoseeus？"
　　"Heaskedifhemight。"
　　"He'salwaysnice。Idon'tknowthatIshallaskhimtodoanythingforthem，afterall；I'mnotsurethatshe'sworthit。Iwishsomecommonerpersonhadhappenedalong。Kendricksistooprecious。I
　　shallhavetothinkaboutit；anddon'tyouteaseme，Basil，willyou？"
　　"Idon'tknow。IfI'mnotallowedtohaveanyvoiceinthematter，I'mafraidIshalltakeitoutinteasing。Idon'tseewhyMissGageisn'tquiteasgoodasKendricks。Ibelieveshe'staller，andthoughhe'sprettygood-looking，Ipreferherstyleofbeauty。I
　　daresayhisfamilyisbetter，butIfancyshe'sricher；andhisfamilyisn'tgoodbeyondNewYorkcity，andhermoneywillgoanywhere。It'saprettyeventhing。"
　　"Goodgracious，Basil!youtalkasifitwereaquestionofmarriage。"
　　"AndyouTHINKitis。"
　　"NowIseethatyou'rebentuponteasing，andwewon'ttalkanymore，please。Whattimedidhesayhewouldcall？"
　　"IfImayn'ttalk，Ican'ttell。"
　　"Youmaytalkthatmuch。"
　　"Well，then，hedidn'tsay。"
　　"Basil，"saidmywife，afteramoment，"ifyoucouldbeserious，I
　　shouldlikeverymuchtotalkwithyou。Iknowthatyou'reexcitedbymeetingMr。Kendricks，andIknowwhatyouthoughttheinstantyousawhim。But，indeed，itwon'tdo，mydear。It'smorethanwe'veanyrighttoask，andIshallnotaskit，andIshallnotletyou。Sheisastiff，awkwardvillageperson，andIdon'tbelieveshe'samiableorintelligent；andtoletagraceful，refined，superiormanlikeMr。Kendricksthrowawayhistimeuponherwouldbewicked，simplywicked。Letthosepeoplemanageforthemselvesfromthisout。Ofcourseyoumustn'tgetthemroomsattheGrandUnionnow，forhe'dbeseeingustherewiththem，andfeelboundtopayherattention。YoumusttryforthemattheStates，sincethematter'sbeenspokenof，oratCongressHall。Butthere'snohurry。
　　WemusthavetimetothinkwhetherweshalluseMr。Kendrickswiththem。Isupposeitwilldonoharmtointroducehim。Ifhestayswecan'tverywellavoidit；andIconfessIshouldliketoseehowsheimpresseshim!Ofcourseweshallintroducehim!ButIinsistIshalljustdoitmerelyasonehumanbeingtoanother；anddon'tyoucomeinwithanyofyourromanticnonsense，Basil，abouthersocialdisappointment。Justhowmuchdidyougivethesituationaway？"
　　ItoldaswellasIcouldremember。"Well，that'snothing。He'llneverthinkofit，andyoumustn'thintanythingofthekindagain。"
　　Ipromiseddevoutly，andshewenton-
　　"Itwouldn'tbenice——itwouldn'tbedelicatetolethimintotheconspiracy。Thatmustbeentirelyouraffair，don'tyousee？AndI
　　don'twantyoutotakeasinglestepwithoutme。Idon'twantyoueventodiscussherwithhim。Willyou？Becausethatwilltemptyoufurther。"
　　ThatafternoonKendrickscamepromptlytocall，likethelittlegentlemanhewas，andhewasmoresatisfactoryaboutSaratogathanhehadbeeninthemorningeven。Mrs。Marchcatechisedhim，andshedidn'tleaveanemotionofhisunsearchedbyhervividsympathy。
　　Sheendedbysaying-
　　"YoumustwriteastoryaboutSaratoga。AndIhavegotjusttheheroineforyou。"
　　Istarted，butsheignoredmystart。
　　Kendrickslaughed，delighted，andasked，"Isshepretty？"
　　"Mustaheroinebepretty？"
　　"Shehadbetterbe。Otherwiseshewillhavetobetremendouslycleverandsayallsortsofbrilliantthings，andthatputsagreatburdenontheauthor。Ifyouproclaimboldlyatthestartthatshe'sabeauty，theillustratorhasgottolookafterher，andtheauthorhasacomparativesinecure。"
　　Mrs。Marchthoughtamoment，andthenshesaid:"Well，sheisabeauty。Idon'twanttomakeittoohardforyou。"
　　"WhenshallIseeher？"Kendricksdemanded，andhefeignedanamusinganxiety。
　　"Well，thatdependsuponhowyoubehave，Mr。Kendricks。Ifyouarevery，verygood，perhapsImayletyouseeherthisevening。Wewilltakeyoutocalluponher。"
　　"Isitpossible？Doyoumeanbusiness？Thensheis——insociety？"
　　"MR。Kendricks!"criedMrs。March，withburlesqueseverity。"DoyouthinkthatIwouldofferyouaheroinewhowasNOTinsociety？YouforgetthatIamfromBoston!"
　　"Ofcourse，ofcourse!Iunderstandthatanyheroineofyouracquaintancemustbeinsociety。ButIthought——Ididn'tknow——butforthemoment——Saratogaseemstobesotremendouslymixed；andMr。
　　Marchsaysthereisnosocietyhere:ButifsheisfromBoston——"
　　"Ididn'tsayshewasfromBoston，Mr。Kendricks。"
　　"Oh，Ibegyourpardon!"
　　"SheisfromDeWittPoint，"saidMrs。March，andsheapparentlyenjoyedhisconfusion，nolessthanmybewildermentatthecourseshewastaking。
　　Iwasnotgoingtobeleftbehind，though，andIsaid:"I
　　discoveredthisheroinemyself，Kendricks，andifthereistobeanygivingaway——"
　　"Now，Basil!"
　　"Iamgoingtodoit。Mrs。Marchwouldneverhavecaredanythingaboutherifithadn'tbeenforme。Ican'tletherimposeonyou。
　　ThisheroineisnomoreinsocietythansheisfromBoston。Thatisthetroublewithher。Shehascomehereforsociety，andshecan'tfindany。"
　　"Oh，thatwaswhatyouwerehintingatthismorning，"saidKendricks。"Ithoughtitapurefigmentoftheimagination。"
　　"Onedoesn'timaginesuchthingsasthat，mydearfellow。Oneimaginesaheroinecominghere，andhavingthemostmagnificentkindofsocialcareer——lawn-parties，lunches，teas，dinners，picnics，hops——andgoingbacktoDeWittPointwithadozenoffersofmarriage。That'sthekindofworktheimaginationdoes。Butthissimpleandappealingsituation——thisbeautifulyounggirl，withherpoorlittleillusions，hersecrethopeshalfhiddenfromherself，herignorantpast，hervisionaryfuture——"
　　"Now，_I_amgoingtotellyouallabouther，Mr。Kendricks，"Mrs。
　　Marchbrokeinuponme，withdefianceinhereye；andsheflungoutthewholefactwitharapidityofutterancethatwouldhaveleftfarbehindanyattemptofmine。ButImadenoattempttocompetewithher；IcontentedmyselfwithasarcasticsilencewhichIcouldseedauntedheralittleatlast。
　　"Andallthatwe'vedone，mydearfellow"——Itookinironythewordshelefttome——"istoloadourselvesupwiththesetwoimpossiblepeople，togotheirsecuritytodestiny，andanswerfortheirhavingagoodtime。We'reinluck。"
　　"Why，Idon'tknow，"saidKendricks，andIcouldseethathisfancywasbeginningtoplaywiththesituation；"Idon'tseewhyitisn'tacharmingscheme。"
　　"Ofcourseitis，"criedMrs。March，takingalittleheartfromhiscourage。
　　"Wecan'tmakeoutyetwhetherthegirlisinteresting，"Iputinmaliciously。
　　"ThatiswhatYOUsay，"saidmywife。"Sheisveryshy，andofcourseshewouldn'tshowoutherrealnaturetoyou。IfoundherVERYinteresting。"
　　"Now，Isabel!"Iprotested。
　　"Sheisfascinating，"theperversewomanpersisted。"Shehasafascinatingdulness。"
　　KendrickslaughedandIjeeredatthiscomplexcharacterisation。
　　"Youmakemeimpatienttojudgeformyself，"hesaid。
　　"Willyougowithmetocalluponthemthisevening？"askedMrs。
　　March。
　　"Ishallbedelighted。Andyoucancountuponmetoaidandabetyouinyourgenerousconspiracy，Mrs。March，tothebestofmyability。There'snothingIshouldlikebetterthantohelpyou——"
　　"Throw'dustinherbeautifuleyes，'"Iquoted。
　　"Notatall，"saidmywife。"Buttospreadabeatifichazeovereverything，sothataslongasshestaysinSaratogasheshallseeliferose-colour。Ofcourseyoumaysaythatit'sakindofdeception——"
　　"Notatall!"criedtheyoungfellowinhisturn。"Wewillmakeitreality。Thentherewillbenoharminit。"
　　"Whatajesuiticalcasuist!YouhadbetterreadwhatCardinalNewmansaysinhisApologiaaboutlying，youngman。"
　　Neitherofthemmindedme，forjustthentherewasastirofdraperyroundthecornerofthepiazzafromwhereweweresitting，andthenextmomentMrs。DeeringandMissGageshowedthemselves。
　　"Wewerejusttalkingofyou，"saidMrs。March。"MayIpresentourfriendMr。Kendricks，Mrs。Deering？AndMissGage？"
　　Atsightoftheyoungman，sowelldressedandgood-looking，whobowedsoprettilytoher，andthenbustledtoplacechairsforthem，acertaincloudseemedtoliftfromMissGage'sbeautifulface，andtobeatleastpartlybrokenonMrs。Deering'svisage。Ibegantotalktothegirl，andsheansweredingoodspirits，andwithmoreapparentinterestinmyconversationthanshehadyetshown，whileKendricksveryproperlydevotedhimselftotheotherladies。Bothhiseyeswereonthem，butIfeltthathehadathirdsomehowuponher，andthatthesmallestfactofherbeautyandgracewasnotlostuponhim。Iknewthatherrich，tendervoicewasdoingitswork，too，throughthecommonplacesshevouchsafedtome。TherewasamomentwhenIsawhimliftaquestioningeyebrowuponMrs。March，andsawheranswerwithafleetingfrownofaffirmation。Icannottelljusthowitwasthat，beforeheleftus，hischairwasontheothersideofMissGage's，andIwaseliminatedfromthedialogue。
　　Hedidnotstaytoolong。Therewasanothertableauofhimonfoot，takingleaveofMrs。March，withahighhand-shake，whichhadthenlatelycomein，andwhichIsawthegirlnote，andthenbowingtoherandtoMrs。Deering。
　　"Don'tforget，"mywifecalledafterhim，withareadyinventionnotlostonhisquickintelligence，"thatyou'regoingtotheconcertwithusaftertea。Eighto'clock，remember。"
　　"YoumaybesureIshallrememberTHAT，"hereturnedgaily。
　　CHAPTERIX
　　Thecountenancesoftheladiesfellinstantlywhenhewasgone。
　　"Mrs。March，"saidMrs。Deering，withanervoustremor，"didMr。
　　MarchgetusthoseroomsattheGrandUnion？"
　　"No——no，"mywifebegan，andshemadealittlepause，asiftogatherplausibility。"TheGrandUnionwasveryfull，andhethoughtthatattheStates——"
　　"Because，"saidMrs。Deering，"Idon'tknowasweshalltroublehim，afterall。Mr。Deeringisn'tverywell，andIguesswehavegottogohome——"
　　"GOHOME!"Mrs。Marchechoed，andhervoicewasatone-sceneofatopplinghopeandawidespreaddesolation。"Why，youmustn't!"
　　"Wemust，Iguess。Ithadbeguntobeverypleasant，and——IguessI
　　havegottogo。Ican'tfeeleasyabouthim。"
　　"Why，ofcourse，"Mrs。Marchnowassented，andshewavedherfanthoughtfullybeforeherface。Iknewwhatshewasthinkingof，andIlookedatMissGage，whohadinvoluntarilytakentheposeandexpressionofthemomentwhenIfirstsawheratthekioskinCongressPark。"AndMissGage？"
　　"Ohyes；Imustgotoo，"saidthegirlwistfully，forlornly。Shehadtearsinhervoice，tearsofdespairandvexation，Ishouldhavesaid。
　　"That'stoobad，"saidMrs。March，and，asshedidnotofferanysolutionofthematter，Ithoughtitratherheartlessofhertogoonandrubitin。"Andwewerejustplanningsomethingswecoulddotogether。"
　　"Itcan'tbehelpednow，"returnedthegirl。
　　"Butweshallseeyouagainbeforeyougo？"Mrs。Marchaskedofboth。
　　"Well，Idon'tknow，"saidthegirl，withalookatMrs。Deering，whonowsaid-
　　"Iguessso。We'llletyouknowwhenwe'regoing。"Andtheygotawayratherstiffly。
　　"Whyintheworld，mydear，"Iasked，"ifyouweren'tgoingtopromotetheirstay，needyouprolongtheagonyoftheiracquaintance？"
　　"Didyoufeelthataboutittoo？Well，Iwantedtoaskyoufirstifyouthoughtitwoulddo。"
　　"Whatdo？"
　　"Youknow；getheraroomhere。Becauseifwedoweshallhaveherliterallyonourhandsaslongaswearehere。Weshallhavetohavethewholecareandresponsibilityofher，andIwantedyoutofeeljustwhatyouweregoinginfor。YouknowverywellIcan'tdothingsbyhalves，andthatifIundertaketochaperonthisgirlI
　　shallchaperonher——"
　　"Tothebitterend。Yes；Iunderstandtheconditionsofyouruncompromisingconscience。ButIdon'tbelieveitwillbeanysuchkillingmatter。Thereareothersemi-detachedgirlsinthehouse；
　　shecouldgoroundwiththem。"
　　Wetalkedon，and，assometimeshappens，weconvincedeachothersothoroughlythatshecametomygroundandIwenttohers。Thenitwaseasierforustocometogether，andaftermakingmegototheclerkandfindoutthathehadavacantroom，Mrs。MarchagreedwithmethatitwouldnotdoatalltohaveMissGagestaywithus；thefactthattherewasavacantroomseemedtosettlethequestion。
　　WewerestillcongratulatingourselvesonourescapewhenMrs。
　　Deeringsuddenlyreappearedroundourcorneroftheverandah。Shewasalone，andshelookedexcited。
　　"Oh，itisn'tanything，"shesaidinanswertothealarmthatshoweditselfinMrs。March'sfaceatsightofher。"Ihopeyouwon'tthinkit'stoopresuming，Mrs。March，andIwantyoutobelievethatit'ssomethingIhavethoughtofbymyself，andthatJuliawouldn'thaveletmecomeifshehaddreamedofsuchathing。Idohatesototakeherbackwithme，nowthatshe'sbeguntohaveagoodtime，andIwaswondering——wonderingwhetheritwouldbeaskingtoomuchifItriedtogetheraroomhere。Ishouldn'texactlyliketoleaveherinthehotelalone，thoughIsupposeitwouldbeperfectlyproper；butMr。Deeringfoundoutwhenhewastryingtogetroomsbeforethatthereweresomeyoungladiesstayingbythemselveshere，andIdidn'twanttoasktheclerkforaroomunlessyoufeltjustrightaboutit。"