“Naturalindolence，youmean。It’sreallydreadful!“
　　AndAmylookedsevere。
　　“Notsobadasitseems，forIshouldonlyplaguehimifI
　　went，soImightaswellstayandplagueyoualittlelonger，youcanbearitbetter，infactIthinkitagreeswithyouexcellently。“
　　AndLauriecomposedhimselfforaloungeonthebroadledgeofthebalustrade。
　　Amyshookherheadandopenedhersketchbookwithanairofresignation，butshehadmadeuphermindtolecture`thatboy’andinaminuteshebeganagain。
　　“Whatareyoudoingjustnow？“
　　“Watchinglizards。“
　　“No，no。Imeanwhatdoyouintendandwishtodo？“
　　“Smokeacigarette，ifyou’llallowme。“
　　“Howprovokingyouare!Idon’tapproveofcigarsandIwillonlyallowitonconditionthatyouletmeputyouintomysketch。Ineedafigure。“
　　“Withallthepleasureinlife。Howwillyouhaveme，fulllengthorthree-quarters，onmyheadormyheels？Ishouldrespectfullysuggestarecumbentposture，thenputyourselfinalsoandcallit`Dolcefarniente’。“
　　“Stayasyouare，andgotosleepifyoulike。Iintendtoworkhard，“saidAmyinhermostenergetictone。
　　“Whatdelightfulenthusiasm!“Andheleanedagainstatallurnwithanirofentiresatisfaction。
　　“WhatwouldJosayifshesawyounow？“askedAmyimpatiently，hopingtostirhimupbythementionofherstillmoreenergeticsister’sname。
　　“Asusual，`Goaway，Teddy。I’mbusy!’“Helaughedashespoke，butthelaughwasnotnatural，andashadepassedoverhisface，fortheutteranceofthefamiliarnametouchedthewoundthatwasnothealedyet。BothtoneandshadowstruckAmy，forshehadseenandheardthembefore，andnowshelookedupintimetocatchanewexpressiononLaurie’sface——ahardbitterlook，fullofpain，dissatisfaction，andregret。Itwasgonebeforeshecouldstudyitandthelistlessexpressionbackagain。
　　Shewatchedhimforamomentwithartisticpleasure，thinkinghowlikeanItalianhelooked，ashelaybaskinginthesunwithuncoveredheadandeyesfullofsoutherndreaminess，forheseemedtohaveforgottenherandfallenintoareverie。
　　“Youlookliketheeffigyofayoungknightasleeponhistomb，“shesaid，carefullytracingthewell-cutprofiledefinedagainstthedarkstone。
　　“WishIwas!“
　　“That’safoolishwish，unlessyouhavespoiledyourlife。
　　Youaresochanged，Isometimesthink——“ThereAmystopped，withahalf-timid，half-wistfullook，moresignificantthanherunfinishedspeech。
　　Lauriesawandunderstoodtheaffectionateanxietywhichshehesitatedtoexpress，andlookingstraightintohereyes，said，justasheusedtosayittohermother，“It’sallright，ma’am。“
　　Thatsatisfiedherandsetatrestthedoubtsthathadbeguntoworryherlately。Italsotouchedher，andsheshowedthatitdid，bythecordialtoneinwhichshesaid……
　　“I’mgladofthat!Ididn’tthinkyou’dbeenaverybadboy，butIfanciedyoumighthavewastedmoneyatthatwickedBaden-Baden，lostyourhearttosomecharmingFrenchwomanwithahusband，orgotintosomeofthescrapesthatyoungmenseemtoconsideranecessarypartofaforeigntour。Don’tstayoutthereinthesun，comeandlieonthegrasshereand`letusbefriendly’，asJousedtosaywhenwegotinthesofacornerandtoldsecrets。“
　　Laurieobedientlythrewhimselfdownontheturf，andbegantoamusehimselfbystickingdaisiesintotheribbonsofAmy’shat，thatlaythere。
　　“I’mallreadyforthesecrets。“Andheglancedupwithadecidedexpressionofinterestinhiseyes。
　　“I’venonetotell。Youmaybegin。“
　　“Haven’tonetoblessmyselfwith。Ithoughtperhapsyou’dhadsomenewsfromhome……“
　　“Youhaveheardallthathascomelately。Don’tyouhearoften？IfanciedJowouldsendyouvolumes。“
　　“She’sverybusy。I’mrovingaboutso，it’simpossibletoberegular，youknow。Whendoyoubeginyourgreatworkofart，Raphaella？’heasked。changingthesubjectabruptlyafteranotherpause，inwhichhehadbeenwonderingifAmyknewhissecretandwantedtotalkaboutit。
　　“Never，“sheanswered，withadespondentbutdecidedair。
　　“Rometookallthevanityoutofme，forafterseeingthewondersthere，Ifelttooinsignificanttoliveandgaveupallmyfoolishhopesindespair。“
　　“Whyshouldyou，withsomuchenergyandtalent？“
　　“That’sjustwhy，becausetalentisn’tgenius，andnoamountofenergycanmakeitso。Iwanttobegreat，ornothing。
　　Iwon’tbeacommon-placedauber，soIdon’tintendtotryanymore。“
　　“Andwhatareyougoingtodowithyourselfnow，ifImayask？“
　　“Polishupmyothertalents，andbeanornamenttosociety，ifIgetthechance。“
　　Itwasacharacteristicspeech，andsoundeddaring，butaudacitybecomesyoungpeople，andAmy’sambitionhadagoodfoundation。Lauriesmiled，buthelikedthespiritwithwhichshetookupanewpurposewhenalong-cherishedonedied，andspentnotimelamenting。
　　“Good!AndhereiswhereFredVaughncomesin，Ifancy。“
　　Amypreservedadiscreetsilence，buttherewasaconsciouslookinherdowncastfacethatmadeLauriesitupandsaygravely，“NowI’mgoingtoplaybrother，andaskquestions。MayI？“
　　“Idon’tpromisetoanswer。“
　　“Yourfacewill，ifyourtonguewon’t。Youaren’twomanoftheworldenoughyettohideyourfeelings，mydear。IheardrumorsaboutFredandyoulastyear，andit’smyprivateopinionthatifhehadnotbeencalledhomesosuddenlyanddetainedsolong，somethingwouldhavecomeofit，hey？“
　　“That’snotformetosay，“wasAmy’sgrimreply，butherlipswouldsmile，andtherewasatraitoroussparkleoftheeyewhichbetrayedthatsheknewherpowerandenjoyedtheknowledge。
　　“Youarenotengaged，Ihope？“AndLaurielookedveryelder-brotherlyandgraveallofasudden。
　　“No。“
　　“Butyouwillbe，ifhecomesbackandgoesproperlydownonhisknees，won’tyou？“
　　“Verylikely。“
　　“ThenyouarefondofoldFred？“
　　“Icouldbe，ifItried。“
　　“Butyoudon’tintendtotrytillthepropermoment？Blessmysoul，whatunearthlyprudence!He’sagoodfellow，Amy，butnotthemanIfanciedyou’dlike。“
　　“Heisrich，agentleman，andhasdelightfulmanners，“
　　beganAmy，tryingtobequitecoolanddignified，butfeelingalittleashamedofherself，inspiteofthesincerityofherintentions。
　　“Iunderstand。Queensofsocietycan’tgetonwithoutmoney，soyoumeantomakeagoodmatch，andstartinthatway？Quiterightandproper，astheworldgoes，butitsoundsoddfromthelipsofoneofyourmother’sgirls。“
　　“True，nevertheless。“
　　Ashortspeech，butthequietdecisionwithwhichitwasutteredcontrastedcuriouslywiththeyoungspeaker。Lauriefeltthisinstinctivelyandlaidhimselfdownagain，withasenseofdisappointmentwhichhecouldnotexplain。Hislookandsilence，aswellasacertaininwardself-disapproval，ruffledAmy，andmadeherresolvetodeliverherlecturewithoutdelay。
　　“Iwishyou’ddomethefavortorouseyourselfalittle，“
　　shesaidsharply。
　　“Doitforme，there’sadeargirl。“
　　“Icould，ifItried。“Andshelookedasifshewouldlikedoingitinthemostsummarystyle。
　　“Try，then。Igiveyouleave，“returnedLaurie，whoenjoyedhavingsomeonetotease，afterhislongabstinencefromhisfavoritepastime。
　　“You’dbeangryinfiveminutes。“
　　“I’mneverangrywithyou。Ittakestwoflintstomakeafire。
　　Youareascoolandsoftassnow。“
　　“Youdon’tknowwhatIcando。Snowproducesaglowandatingle，ifappliedrightly。Yourindifferenceishalfaffectation，andagoodstirringupwouldproveit。“
　　“Stiraway，itwon’thurtmeanditmayamuseyou，asthebigmansaidwhenhislittlewifebeathim。Regardmeinthelightofahusbandoracarpet，andbeattillyouaretired，ifthatsortofexerciseagreeswithyou。“
　　Beingdecidedlynettledherself，andlongingtoseehimshakeofftheapathythatsoalteredhim，Amysharpenedbothtongueandpencil，andbegan。
　　“FloandIhavegotanewnameforyou。It’sLazyLaurence。
　　Howdoyoulikeit？“
　　Shethoughtitwouldannoyhim，butheonlyfoldedhisarmsunderhishead，withanimperturbable，“That’snotbad。
　　Thankyou，ladies。“
　　“DoyouwanttoknowwhatIhonestlythinkofyou？“
　　“Piningtobetold。“
　　“Well，Idespiseyou。“
　　Ifshehadevensaid`Ihateyou’inapetulantorcoquettishtone，hewouldhavelaughedandratherlikedit，butthegrave，almostsad，accentinhervoicemadehimopenhiseyes，andaskquickly……
　　“Why，ifyouplease？“
　　“Because，witheverychanceforbeinggood，useful，andhappy，youarefaulty，lazy，andmiserable。“
　　“Stronglanguage，mademoiselle。“
　　“Ifyoulikeit，I’llgoon。“
　　“Praydo，it’squiteinteresting。“
　　“Ithoughtyou’dfinditso。Selfishpeoplealwaysliketotalkaboutthemselves。“
　　“AmIselfish？“Thequestionslippedoutinvoluntarilyandinatoneofsurprise，fortheonevirtueonwhichhepridedhimselfwasgenerosity。
　　“Yes，veryselfish，“continuedAmy，inacalm，coolvoice，twiceaseffectivejustthenasanangryone。“I’llshowyouhow，forI’vestudiedyouwhilewewerefrolicking，andI’mnotatallsatisfiedwithyou。Hereyouhavebeenabroadnearlysixmonths，anddonenothingbutwastetimeandmoneyanddisappointyourfriends。“
　　“Isn’tafellowtohaveanypleasureafterafour-yeargrind？“
　　“Youdon’tlookasifyou’dhadmuch。Atanyrate，youarenonethebetterforit，asfarasIcansee。Isaidwhenwefirstmetthatyouhadimproved。NowItakeitallback，forI
　　don’tthinkyouhalfsoniceaswhenIleftyouathome。Youhavegrownabominablylazy，youlikegossip，andwastetimeonfrivolousthings，youarecontentedtobepettedandadmiredbysillypeople，insteadofbeinglovedandrespectedbywiseones。Withmoney，talent，position，health，andbeauty，ahyoulikethatoldVanity!Butit’sthetruth，soIcan’thelpsayingit，withallthesesplendidthingstouseandenjoy，youcanfindnothingtodobutdawdle，andinsteadofbeingthemanyououghttobe，youareonly……“Thereshestopped，withalookthathadbothpainandpityinit。
　　“SaintLaurenceonagridiron，“addedLaurie，blandlyfinishingthesentence。Butthelecturebegantotakeeffect，fortherewasawide-awakesparkleinhiseyesnowandahalf-angry，half-injuredexpressionreplacedtheformerindifference。
　　“Isupposedyou’dtakeitso。Youmentellusweareangels，andsaywecanmakeyouwhatwewill，buttheinstantwehonestlytrytodoyougood，youlaughatusandwon’tlisten，whichproveshowmuchyourflatteryisworth。“Amyspokebitterly，andturnedherbackontheexasperatingmartyratherfeet。
　　Inaminuteahandcamedownoverthepage，sothatshecouldnotdraw，andLaurie’svoicesaid，withadrollimitationofapenitentchild，“Iwillbegood，oh，Iwillbegood!“
　　ButAmydidnotlaugh，forshewasinearnest，andtappingontheoutspreadhandwithherpencil，saidsoberly，“Aren’tyouashamedofahandlikethat？It’sassoftandwhiteasawoman’s，andlooksasifitneverdidanythingbutwearJouvin’sbestglovesandpickflowersforladies。Youarenotadandy，thankHeaven，soI’mgladtoseetherearenodiamondsorbigsealringsonit，onlythelittleoldoneJogaveyousolongago。Dearsoul，Iwishshewasheretohelpme!“
　　“SodoI!“
　　Thehandvanishedassuddenlyasitcame，andtherewasenergyenoughintheechoofherwishtosuitevenAmy。Sheglanceddownathimwithanewthoughtinhermind，buthewaslyingwithhishathalfoverhisface，asifforshade，andhismustachehidhismouth。Sheonlysawhischestriseandfall，withalongbreaththatmighthavebeenasigh，andthehandthatworetheringnestleddownintothegrass，asiftohidesomethingtoopreciousortootendertobespokenof。
　　AllinaminutevarioushintsandtriflesassumedshapeandsignificanceinAmy’smind，andtoldherwhathersisterneverhadconfidedtoher。SherememberedthatLaurieneverspokevoluntarilyofJo，sherecalledtheshadowonhisfacejustnow，thechangeinhischaracter，andthewearingofthelittleoldringwhichwasnoornamenttoahandsomehand。Girlsarequicktoreadsuchsignsandfeeltheireloquence。Amyhadfanciedthatperhapsalovetroublewasatthebottomofthealteration，andnowshewassureofit。Herkeeneyesfilled，andwhenshespokeagain，itwasinavoicethatcouldbebeautifullysoftandkindwhenshechosetomakeitso。
　　“IknowIhavenorighttotalksotoyou，Laurie，andifyouweren’tthesweetest-temperedfellowintheworld，you’dbeveryangrywithme。Butweareallsofondandproudofyou，Icouldn’tbeartothinktheyshouldbedisappointedinyouathomeasIhavebeen，though，perhapstheywouldunderstandthechangebetterthanIdo。“
　　“Ithinktheywould，“camefromunderthehat，inagrimtone，quiteastouchingasabrokenone。
　　“Theyoughttohavetoldme，andnotletmegoblunderingandscolding，whenIshouldhavebeenmorekindandpatientthanever。IneverdidlikethatMissRandalandnowIhateher!“saidartfulAmy，wishingtobesureofherfactsthistime。
　　“HangMissRandal!“AndLaurieknockedthehatoffhisfacewithalookthatleftnodoubtofhissentimentstowardthatyounglady。
　　“Ibegpardon，Ithought……“Andthereshepauseddiplomatically。
　　“No，youdidn’t，youknewperfectlywellInevercaredforanyonebutJo，“Lauriesaidthatinhisold，impetuoustone，andturnedhisfaceawayashespoke。
　　“Ididthinkso，butastheyneversaidanythingaboutit，andyoucameaway，IsupposedIwasmistaken。AndJowouldn’tbekindtoyou？Why，Iwassureshelovedyoudearly。“
　　“Shewaskind，butnotintherightway，andit’sluckyforhershedidn’tloveme，ifI’mthegood-for-nothingfellowyouthinkme。It’sherfaultthough，andyoumaytellherso。“
　　Thehard，bitterlookcamebackagainashesaidthat，andittroubledAmy，forshedidnotknowwhatbalmtoapply。
　　“Iwaswrong，Ididn’tknow。I’mverysorryIwassocross，butIcan’thelpwishingyou’dbearitbetter，Teddy，dear。“
　　“Don’t，that’shernameforme!“AndLaurieputuphishandwithaquickgesturetostopthewordsspokeninJo’shalf-kind，half-reproachfultone。“Waittillyou’vetriedityourself，“headdedinalowvoice，ashepulledupthegrassbythehandful。