\"Nofear,ifyoulookaftermeasyouseemtohavepromisedtodo,judgingbythethanksyougetinthisnote。Pooroldgovernor！Ishouldliketoseehim,forit\'salmostfouryearssincehecamehomelastandhemustbegettingon。\"
Charliewastheonlyoneoftheboyswhoevercalledhisfather\"governor,\"
perhapsbecausetheothersknewandlovedtheirfathers,whilehehadseensolittleofhisthatthelessrespectfulnamecamemorereadilytohislips,sincetheeldermanintruthseemedagovernorissuingrequestsorcommands,whichtheyoungertoooftenneglectedorresented。
LongagoRosehaddiscoveredthatUncleStephenfoundhomemadesodistastefulbyhiswife\'sdevotiontosocietythathepreferredtoexilehimself,takingbusinessasanexcuseforhisprotractedabsences。
Thegirlwasthinkingofthisasshewatchedhercousinturntheringaboutwithasuddensobrietywhichbecamehimwell;and,believingthatthemomentwaspropitious,shesaidearnestly:\"Heisgettingon。
DearCharlie,dothinkofdutymorethanpleasureinthiscaseandI\'msureyouneverwillregretit。\"
\"Doyouwantmetogo？\"heaskedquickly。
\"Ithinkyouought。\"
\"AndIthinkyou\'dbemuchmorecharmingifyouwouldn\'talwaysbeworryingaboutrightandwrong！UncleAlectaughtyouthatalongwiththerestofhisqueernotions。\"
\"I\'mgladhedid！\"criedRosewarmly,thencheckedherselfandsaidwithapatientsortofsigh,\"Youknowwomenalwayswantthementheycarefortobegoodandcan\'thelptryingtomakethemso。\"
\"Sotheydo,andweoughttobeasetofangels,butI\'veastrongconvictionthat,ifwewere,thedearsoulswouldn\'tlikeushalfaswell。Wouldtheynow？\"askedCharliewithaninsinuatingsmile。
\"Perhapsnot,butthatisdodgingthepoint。Willyougo？\"persistedRoseunwisely。
\"No,Iwillnot。\"
Thatwassufficientlydecidedandanuncomfortablepausefollowed,duringwhichRosetiedaknotunnecessarilytightandCharliewentonexploringthedrawerwithmoreenergythaninterest。
\"Why,here\'sanoldthingIgaveyouagesago！\"hesuddenlyexclaimedinapleasedtone,holdingupalittleagateheartonafadedblueribbon。
\"Willyouletmetakeawaytheheartofstoneandgiveyouaheartofflesh？\"
heasked,halfinearnest,halfinjest,touchedbythelittletrinketandtherecollectionsitawakened。
\"No,Iwillnot,\"answeredRosebluntly,muchdispleasedbytheirreverentandaudaciousquestion。
Charlielookedratherabashedforamoment,buthisnaturallightheartednessmadeiteasyforhimtogetthebetterofhisownbrieffitsofwaywardnessandputothersingoodhumorwithhimandthemselves。
\"Nowweareevenlet\'sdropthesubjectandstartafresh,\"hesaidwithirresistibleaffabilityashecoollyputthelittleheartinhispocketandpreparedtoshutthedrawer。Butsomethingcaughthiseye,andexclaiming,\"What\'sthis？What\'sthis？\"hesnatchedupaphotographwhichlayhalfunderapileofletterswithforeignpostmarks。
\"Oh！Iforgotthatwasthere,\"saidRosehastily。
\"Whoistheman？\"demandedCharlie,eyeingthegood—lookingcountenancebeforehimwithafrown。
\"ThatistheHonorableGilbertMurray,whowentuptheNilewithusandshotcrocodilesandothersmallgame,beingamightyhunter,asItoldyouinmyletters,\"answeredRosegaily,thoughillpleasedatthelittlediscoveryjustthen,forthishadbeenoneofthenarrowescapesherunclespokeof。
\"Andtheyhaven\'teatenhimyet,Iinferfromthepileofletters？\"
saidCharliejealously。
\"Ihopenot。Hissisterdidnotmentionitwhenshewrotelast。\"
\"Ah！Thensheisyourcorrespondent？Sistersaredangerousthingssometimes。\"
AndCharlieeyedthepacketsuspiciously。
\"Inthiscase,averyconvenientthing,forshetellsmeallaboutherbrother\'swedding,asnooneelsewouldtakethetroubletodo。\"
\"Oh！Well,ifhe\'smarried,Idon\'tcareastrawabouthim。IfanciedI\'dfoundoutwhyyouaresuchahard—heartedcharmer。Butifthereisnosecretidol,I\'mallatseaagain。\"AndCharlietossedthephotographintothedrawerasifitnolongerinterestedhim。
\"I\'mhard—heartedbecauseI\'mparticularand,asyet,donotfindanyoneatalltomytaste。\"
\"Noone？\"withatenderglance。
\"Noone\"witharebelliousblush,andthetruthfuladdition\"I
seemuchtoadmireandlikeinmanypersons,butnonequitestrongandgoodenoughtosuitme。Myheroesareold—fashioned,youknow。\"
\"Prigs,likeGuyCarleton,CountAltenberg,andJohnHalifaxIknowthepatternyougoodygirlslike,\"sneeredCharlie,whopreferredtheGuyLivingston,Beauclerc,andRochesterstyle。
\"ThenI\'mnota\'goodygirl,\'forIdon\'tlikeprigs。Iwantagentlemaninthebestsenseoftheword,andIcanwait,forI\'veseenone,andknowtherearemoreintheworld。\"
\"Thedeuceyouhave！DoIknowhim？\"askedCharlie,muchalarmed。
\"Youthinkyoudo,\"answeredRosewithamischievoussparkleinhereye。
\"Ifitisn\'tPem,Igiveitup。He\'sthebest—bredfellowIknow。\"
\"Oh,dear,no！FarsuperiortoMr。Pembertonandmanyyearsolder,\"
saidRose,withsomuchrespectthatCharlielookedperplexedaswellasanxious。
\"Someapostolicminister,Ifancy。Youpiouscreaturesalwaysliketoadoreaparson。Butallweknowaremarried。\"
\"Heisn\'t。\"
\"Giveaname,forpity\'ssakeI\'msufferingtorturesofsuspense,\"
beggedCharlie。
\"AlexanderCampbell。\"
\"Uncle？Well,uponmyword,that\'sarelief,butmightyabsurdallthesame。So,whenyoufindayoungsaintofthatsort,youintendtomarryhim,doyou？\"demandedCharliemuchamusedandratherdisappointed。
\"WhenIfindanymanhalfashonest,good,andnobleasUncle,Ishallbeproudtomarryhimifheasksme,\"answeredRosedecidedly。
\"Whatoddtasteswomenhave！\"AndCharlieleanedhischinonhishandtomusepensivelyforamomentovertheblindnessofonewomanwhocouldadmireanexcellentoldunclemorethanadashingyoungcousin。
Rose,meanwhile,tiedupherparcelsindustriously,hopingshehadnotbeentoosevere,foritwasveryhardtolectureCharlie,thoughheseemedtolikeitsometimesandcametoconfessionvoluntarily,knowingthatwomenlovetoforgivewhenthesinnersareofhissort。
\"Itwillbemailtimebeforeyouaredone,\"shesaidpresently,forsilencewaslesspleasantthanhisrattle。
Charlietookthehintanddashedoffseveralnotesinhisbestmanner。
Comingtothebusinessletter,heglancedatitandasked,withapuzzledexpression:\"Whatisallthis？Costofrepairs,etc。,fromamannamedBuffum？\"
\"NevermindthatI\'llseetoitbyandby。\"
\"ButIdomind,forI\'minterestedinallyouraffairs,andthoughyouthinkI\'venoheadforbusiness,you\'llfindIhaveifyou\'lltryme。\"
\"Thisisonlyaboutmytwooldhousesinthecity,whicharebeingrepairedandalteredsothattheroomscanbeletsingly。\"
\"Goingtomaketenementhousesofthem？Well,that\'snotabadideasuchplacespaywell,I\'veheard。\"
\"ThatisjustwhatI\'mnotgoingtodo。Iwouldn\'thaveatenementhouseonmyconscienceforamilliondollarsnotastheyarenow,\"
saidRosedecidedly。
\"Why,whatdoyouknowaboutit,exceptthatpeopleliveinthemandtheownersturnaprettypennyontherents？\"
\"Iknowagooddealaboutthem,forI\'veseenmanysuch,bothhereandabroad。Itwasnotallpleasurewithus,Iassureyou。Unclewasinterestedinhospitalsandprisons,andIsometimeswentwithhim,buttheymademesadsohesuggestedothercharitiesthatIcouldbeofhelpaboutwhenwecamehome。Ivisitedinfantschools,workingwomen\'shomes,orphanasylums,andplacesofthatsort。Youdon\'tknowhowmuchgooditdidmeandhowgladIamthatIhavethemeansoflighteningalittlesomeofthemiseryintheworld。\"
\"But,mydeargirl,youneedn\'tmakeducksanddrakesofyourfortunetryingtofeedandcureandclotheallthepoorwretchesyousee。Give,ofcourseeveryoneshoulddosomethinginthatlineandnoonelikesitbetterthanI。Butdon\'t,formercy\'ssake,goatitassomewomendoandgetsodesperatelyearnest,practical,andcharity—madthatthereisnolivinginpeacewithyou,\"protestedCharlie,lookingalarmedattheprospect。
\"Youcandoasyouplease。IintendtodoallthegoodIcanbyaskingtheadviceandfollowingtheexampleofthemost\'earnest,\'\'practical,\'
and\'charitable\'peopleIknowso,ifyoudon\'tapprove,youcandropmyacquaintance,\"answeredRose,emphasizingtheobnoxiouswordsandassumingtheresoluteairshealwaysworewhendefendingherhobbies。
\"You\'llbelaughedat。\"
\"I\'musedtothat。\"
\"Andcriticizedandshunned。\"
\"NotbypeoplewhoseopinionIvalue。\"
\"Womenshouldn\'tgopokingintosuchplaces。\"
\"I\'vebeentaughtthattheyshould。\"
\"Well,you\'llgetsomedreadfuldiseaseandloseyourbeauty,andthenwhereareyou？\"addedCharlie,thinkingthatmightdaunttheyoungphilanthropist。
Butitdidnot,forRoseanswered,withasuddenkindlingoftheeyesassherememberedhertalkwithUncleAlec:\"Ishouldn\'tlikeit。Buttherewouldbeonesatisfactioninit,forwhenI\'dlostmybeautyandgivenawaymymoney,Ishouldknowwhoreallycaredforme。\"
Charlienibbledhispeninsilenceforamoment,thenasked,meekly,\"CouldIrespectfullyinquirewhatgreatreformistobecarriedonintheoldhouseswhichtheiramiableownerisrepairing？\"
\"Iammerelygoingtomakethemcomfortablehomesforpoorbutrespectablewomentolivein。Thereisaclasswhocannotaffordtopaymuch,yetsufferagreatdealfrombeingobligedtostayinnoisy,dirty,crowdedplacesliketenementhousesandcheaplodgings。IcanhelpafewofthemandI\'mgoingtotry。\"
\"MayIhumblyaskifthesedecayedgentlewomenaretoinhabittheirpalatialretreatrent—free？\"
\"Thatwasmyfirstplan,butUncleshowedmethatitwaswisernotmakegenteelpaupersofthem,butletthempayasmallrentandfeelindependent。
Idon\'twantthemoney,ofcourse,andshalluseitinkeepingthehousestidyorhelpingotherwomeninlikecase,\"saidRose,entirelyignoringhercousin\'scovertridicule。
\"Don\'texpectanygratitude,foryouwon\'tgetit;normuchcomfortwithalotofforlornitiesonyourhands,andbesurethatwhenitistoolateyouwilltireofitallandwishyouhaddoneasotherpeopledo。\"
\"Thanksforyourcheerfulprophecies,butIthinkI\'llventure。\"
ShelookedsoundauntedthatCharliewasalittlenettledandfiredhislastshotratherrecklessly:\"Well,onethingIdoknowyou\'llnevergetahusbandifyougooninthisabsurdway,andbyJove！youneedonetotakecareofyouandkeepthepropertytogether！\"
Rosehadatemper,butseldomletitgetthebetterofher;now,however,itflashedupforamoment。Thoselastwordswerepeculiarlyunfortunate,becauseAuntClarahadusedthemmorethanoncewhenwarningheragainstimpecunioussuitorsandgenerousprojects。Shewasdisappointedinhercousin,annoyedathavingherlittleplanslaughedat,andindignantwithhimforhisfinalsuggestion。
\"I\'llneverhaveone,ifImustgiveupthelibertyofdoingwhatI
knowisright,andI\'drathergointothepoorhousetomorrowthan\'keepthepropertytogether\'intheselfishwayyoumean！\"
ThatwasallbutCharliesawthathehadgonetoofarandhastenedtomakehispeacewiththeskillofalover,for,turningtothelittlecabinetpianobehindhim,hesanginhisbeststylethesweetoldsong:\"Ohwerethouinthecauldblast,\"
dwellingwithgreateffect,notonlyuponthetenderassurancethat\"Myplaidshouldshelterthee,\"
butalsothat,evenifaking,\"ThebrightestjewelinmycrownWadbemyqueen,wadbemyqueen。\"
ItwasveryevidentthatPrinceCharminghadnotgonetroubadouringinvain,forOrpheushimselfcouldnothaverestoredharmonymoresuccessfully。
Thetunefulapologywasacceptedwithaforgivingsmileandafrank\"I\'msorryIwascross,butyouhaven\'tforgottenhowtotease,andI\'mratheroutofsortstoday。Latehoursdon\'tagreewithme。\"
\"Thenyouwon\'tfeellikegoingtoMrs。Hope\'stomorrow,I\'mafraid,\"
andCharlietookupthelastnotewithanexpressionofregretwhichwasveryflattering。
\"Imustgo,becauseitismadeforme,butIcancomeawayearlyandmakeuplostsleep。Idohatetobesofractious,\"andRoserubbedtheforeheadthatachedwithtoomuchracketing。
\"ButtheGermandoesnotbegintilllateI\'mtoleadanddependuponyou。Juststaythisoncetoobligeme,\"pleadedCharlie,forhehadsethisheartondistinguishinghimself。
\"NoIpromisedUncletobetemperateinmypleasuresandImustkeepmyword。I\'msowellnow,itwouldbeveryfoolishtogetillandmakehimanxiousnottomentionlosingmybeauty,asyouaregoodenoughtocallit,forthatdependsonhealth,youknow。\"
\"Butthefundoesn\'tbegintillaftersupper。Everythingwillbedelightful,Iassureyou,andwe\'llhaveagayoldtimeaswedidlastweekatEmma\'s。\"
\"ThenIcertainlywillnot,forI\'mashamedofmyselfwhenIrememberwhatarompthatwasandhowsoberUnclelookedasheletmeinatthreeinthemorning,allfaggedoutmydressinrags,myheadaching,myfeetsotiredthatIcouldhardlystand,andnothingtoshowforfivehours\'
hardworkbutapocketfulofbonbons,artificialflowers,andtissue—paperfool\'scaps。UnclesaidI\'dbetterputoneonandgotobed,forIlookedasthoughI\'dbeentoaFrenchbalmasque。Ineverwanttohearhimsaysoagain,andI\'llneverletdawncatchmeoutinsuchaplightanymore。\"
\"Youwereallrightenough,formotherdidn\'tobjectandIgotyoubothhomebeforedaylight。Uncleisnotionalaboutsuchthings,soIshouldn\'tmind,forwehadajollytimeandwewerenonetheworseforit。\"
\"Indeedwewere,everyoneofus！AuntClarahasn\'tgottenoverhercoldyet。Isleptallthenextday,andyoulookedlikeaghost,foryou\'dbeenouteverynightforweeks,Ithink。\"
\"Oh,nonsense！Everyonedoesitduringtheseason,andyou\'llgetusedtothepaceverysoon,\"beganCharlie,bentonmakinghergo,forhewasinhiselementinaballroomandneverhappierthanwhenhehadhisprettycousinonhisarm。
\"Ah！ButIdon\'twanttogetusedtoit,foritcoststoomuchintheend。Idon\'twishtogetusedtobeingwhiskedaboutahotroombymenwhohavetakentoomuchwine,toturndayintonight,wastingtimethatmightbebetterspent,andgrowintoafashionablefastgirlwhocan\'tgetalongwithoutexcitement。Idon\'tdenythatmuchofitispleasant,butdon\'ttrytomakemetoofondofgaiety。HelpmetoresistwhatIknowishurtful,andpleasedon\'tlaughmeoutofthegoodhabitsUnclehastriedsohardtogiveme。\"
Rosewasquitesincereinherappeal,andCharlieknewshewasright,buthealwaysfoundithardtogiveupanythinghehadsethishearton,nomatterhowtrivial,forthematernalindulgencewhichhadharmedtheboyhadfosteredthehabitofself—indulgence,whichwasruiningtheman。
SowhenRoselookedupathim,withaveryhonestdesiretosavehimaswellasherselffrombeingsweptintothegiddyvortexwhichkeepssomanyyoungpeoplerevolvingaimlessly,tilltheygodownorarecastupontheshore,wrecksofwhattheymighthavebeen,hegaveashrugandansweredbriefly:\"Asyouplease。I\'llbringyouhomeasearlyasyoulike,andEffieWaringshalltakeyourplaceintheGerman。WhatflowersshallI
sendyou？\"
Now,thatwasanartfulspeechofCharlie\'s,forMissWaringwasafastandfashionabledamselwhoopenlyadmiredPrinceCharmingandhadgivenhimthename。Rosedislikedherandwassureherinfluencewasbad,foryouthmadefrivolityforgivable,withidwantofrefinement,andbeautyalwayscoversamultitudeofsinsinaman\'seyes。AtthesoundofEffie\'sname,Rosewavered,andwouldhaveyieldedbutforthememoryofthe\"firstmate\'s\"lastwords。Shediddesireto\"keepastraightcourse\";so,thoughthecurrentofimpulsesetstronglyinasoutherlydirection,principle,theonlycompassworthhaving,pointedduenorth,andshetriedtoobeyitlikeawiseyoungnavigator,sayingsteadily,whileshedirectedtoAnnabeltheparcelcontainingacapaciouspairofslippersintendedforUncleMac:\"Don\'ttroubleyourselfaboutme。IcangowithUncleandslipawaywithoutdisturbinganybody。\"
\"Idon\'tbelieveyou\'llhavethehearttodoit,\"saidCharlieincredulouslyashesealedthelastnote。
\"Waitandsee。\"
\"Iwill,butIshallhopetothelast。\"Andkissinghishandtoher,hedepartedtopostherletters,quitesurethatMissWaringwouldnotleadtheGerman。
ItcertainlylookedforamomentasifMissCampbellwould,becausesherantothedoorwiththewords\"I\'llgo\"uponherlips。ButshedidnotopenittillshehadstoodaminutestaringhardattheoldgloveonPsyche\'shead;thenlikeonewhohadsuddenlygottenabrightidea,shegaveadecidednodandwalkedslowlyoutoftheroom。Chapter6。Chapter6。6POLISHINGMAC\"PleasecouldIsayoneword？\"wasthequestionthreetimesrepeatedbeforearoughheadbobbedoutfromthegrottoofbooksinwhichMacusuallysatwhenhestudied。
\"Didanyonespeak？\"heasked,blinkinginthefloodofsunshinethatenteredwithRose。
\"Onlythreetimes,thankyou。Don\'tdisturbyourself,Ibeg,forImerelywanttosayaword,\"answeredRoseasshepreventedhimfromofferingtheeasychairinwhichhesat。
\"Iwasratherdeepinacompoundfractureanddidn\'thear。WhatcanIdoforyou,Cousin？\"AndMacshovedastackofpamphletsoffthechairnearhimwithahospitablewaveofthehandthatsenthispapersflyinginalldirections。
Rosesatdown,butdidnotseemtofindher\"word\"aneasyonetoutter,forshetwistedherhandkerchiefaboutherfingersinembarrassedsilencetillMacputonhisglassesand,afterakeenlook,askedsoberly:\"Isitasplinter,acut,orawhitlow,ma\'am？\"
\"Itisneither。Doforgetyourtiresomesurgeryforaminuteandbethekindestcousinthateverwas,\"answeredRose,beginningrathersharplyandendingwithhermostengagingsmile。
\"Can\'tpromiseinthedark,\"saidthewaryyouth。
\"Itisafavor,agreatfavor,andoneIdon\'tchoosetoaskanyoftheotherboys,\"answeredtheartfuldamsel。
Maclookedpleasedandleanedforward,sayingmoreaffably,\"Nameit,andbesureI\'llgrantitifIcan。\"
\"GowithmetoMrs。Hope\'spartytomorrownight。\"
\"What！\"AndMacrecoiledasifshehadputapistoltohishead。
\"I\'veleftyouinpeacealongtime,butitisyourturnnow,sodoyourdutylikeamanandacousin。\"
\"ButInevergotoparties！\"criedtheunhappyvictimingreatdismay。
\"Hightimeyoubegan,sir。\"
\"ButIdon\'tdancefittobeseen。\"
\"I\'llteachyou。\"
\"Mydresscoatisn\'tdecent,Iknow。\"
\"Archiewilllendyouoneheisn\'tgoing。\"
\"I\'mafraidthere\'salecturethatIoughtnottocut。\"
\"No,thereisn\'tIaskedUncle。\"
\"I\'malwayssotiredanddullintheevening。\"
\"Thissortofthingisjustwhatyouwanttorestandfreshenupyourspirits。\"
Macgaveagroanandfellbackvanquished,foritwasevidentthatescapewasimpossible。
\"Whatputsuchaperfectlywildideaintoyourhead？\"hedemanded,ratherroughly,forhithertohehadbeenleftinpeaceandthissuddenattackdecidedlyamazedhim。
\"Sheernecessity,butdon\'tdoitifitissoverydreadfultoyou。
Imustgotoseveralmoreparties,becausetheyaremadeforme,butafterthatI\'llrefuse,andthennooneneedbetroubledwithme。\"
SomethinginRose\'svoicemadeMacanswerpenitently,evenwhileheknithisbrowsinperplexity。\"Idon\'tmeantoberude,andofcourseI\'llgoanywhereifI\'mreallyneeded。ButIdon\'tunderstandwherethesuddennecessityis,withthreeotherfellowsatcommand,allbetterdancersandbeausthanIam。\"
\"Idon\'twantthem,andIdowantyou,forIhaven\'tthehearttodragUncleoutanymore,andyouknowInevergowithanygentlemanbutthoseofmyownfamily。\"
\"Nowlookhere,RoseifStevehasbeendoinganythingtoteaseyou,justmentionitandI\'llattendtohim,\"criedMac,plainlyseeingthatsomethingwasamissandfancyingthatDandywasatthebottomofit,ashehaddoneescortdutyseveraltimeslately。
\"No,Stevehasbeenverygood,butIknowhehadratherbewithKittyVan,soofcourseIfeellikeamarplot,thoughheistoopolitetohintit。\"
\"Whatanoodlethatboyis！Butthere\'sArchiehe\'ssteadyasachurchandhasnosweethearttointerfere,\"continuedMac,boundtogetatthetruthandhalfsuspectingwhatitwas。
\"Heisonhisfeetallday,andAuntJessiewantshimintheevening。
Hedoesnotcarefordancingasheused,andIsupposehereallydoesprefertorestandread。\"Rosemighthaveadded,\"AndhearPhebesing,\"forPhebedidnotgooutasmuchasRosedid,andAuntJessieoftencametositwiththeoldladywhentheyoungfolkswereawayand,ofcourse,dutifulArchiecamewithher,sowillinglyoflate！
\"What\'samisswithCharlie？Ithoughthewastheprinceofcavaliers。
Annabelsayshedances\'likeanangel,\'andIknowadozenmotherscouldn\'tkeephimathomeofanevening。HaveyouhadatiffwithAdonisandsofallbackonpoorme？\"askedMac,cominglasttothepersonofwhomhethoughtfirstbutdidnotmention,feelingshyaboutalludingtoasubjectoftendiscussedbehindherback。
\"Yes,Ihave,andIdon\'tintendtogowithhimanymoreforsometime。
Hiswaysdonotsuitme,andminedonotsuithim,soIwanttobequiteindependent,andyoucanhelpmeifyouwill,\"saidRose,rathernervouslyspinningthebigglobecloseby。
Macgavealowwhistle,lookingwideawakeallinaminuteashesaidwithagesture,asifhebrushedacobweboffhisface:\"Now,seehere,Cousin,I\'mnotgoodatmysteriesandshallonlyblunderifyouputmeblindfoldintoanynicemaneuver。JusttellmestraightoutwhatyouwantandI\'lldoitifIcan。PlayI\'mUncleandfreeyourmindcomenow。\"
Hespokesokindly,andthehonesteyesweresofullofmerrygoodwill,thatRosethoughtshemightconfideinhimandansweredasfranklyashecoulddesire:\"Youareright,Mac,andIdon\'tmindtalkingtoyoualmostasfreelyastoUncle,becauseyouaresuchareliablefellowandwon\'tthinkmesillyfortryingtodowhatIbelievetoberight。Charliedoes,andsomakesithardformetoholdtomyresolutions。Iwanttokeepearlyhours,dresssimply,andbehaveproperlynomatterwhatfashionablepeopledo。Youwillagreetothat,I\'msure,andstandbymethroughthickandthinforprinciple\'ssake。\"
\"Iwill,andbeginbyshowingyouthatIunderstandthecase。Idon\'twonderyouarenotpleased,forCharlieistoopresuming,andyoudoneedsomeonetohelpyouheadhimoffabit。Hey,Cousin？\"
\"Whatawaytoputit！\"AndRoselaughedinspiteofherself,addingwithanairofrelief,\"Thatisit,andIdowantsomeonetohelpmemakehimunderstandthatIdon\'tchoosetobetakenpossessionofinthatlordlyway,asifIbelongedtohimmorethantotherestofthefamily。
Idon\'tlikeit,forpeoplebegintotalk,andCharliewon\'tseehowdisagreeableitistome。\"
\"Tellhimso,\"wasMac\'sbluntadvice。
\"Ihave,butheonlylaughsandpromisestobehave,andthenhedoesitagainwhenIamsoplacedthatIcan\'tsayanything。Youwillneverunderstand,andIcannotexplain,foritisonlyalook,oraword,orsomelittlethingbutIwon\'thaveit,andthebestwaytocurehimistoputitoutofhispowertoannoymeso。\"
\"Heisagreatflirtandwantstoteachyouhow,Isuppose。I\'llspeaktohimifyoulikeandtellhimyoudon\'twanttolearn。ShallI？\"askedMac,findingthecaseratheraninterestingone。
\"No,thankyouthatwouldonlymaketrouble。Ifyouwillkindlyplayescortafewtimes,itwillshowCharliethatIaminearnestwithoutmorewordsandputastoptothegossip,\"saidRose,coloringlikeapoppyattherecollectionofwhatsheheardoneyoungmanwhispertoanotherasCharlieledherthroughacrowdedsupperroomwithhismostdevotedair,\"Luckydog！Heissuretogettheheiress,andwearenowhere。\"
\"There\'snodangerofpeoplegossipingaboutus,isthere？\"AndMaclookedupwiththeoddestofallhisoddexpressions。
\"Ofcoursenotyou\'reonlyaboy。\"
\"I\'mtwenty—one,thankyou,andPrinceisbutacoupleofyearsolder,\"
saidMac,promptlyresentingtheslightputuponhismanhood。