“Whatoldman？“demandedJo，thinkinghemustmeanhisgrandfather。
“ThatdevilishProfessoryouwerealwayswritingabout。
Ifyousayyoulovehim，IknowIshalldosomethingdesperate。“
Andhelookedasifhewouldkeephisword，asheclenchedhishandswithawrathfulsparkinhiseyes。
Jowantedtolaugh，butrestrainedherselfandsaidwarmly，forshetoo，wasgettingexcitedwithallthis，“Don’tswear，Teddy!Heisn’told，noranythingbad，butgoodandkind，andthebestfriendI’vegot，nexttoyou。Pray，don’tflyintoapassion。Iwanttobekind，butIknowIshallgetangryifyouabusemyProfessor。Ihaven’ttheleastideaoflovinghimoranybodyelse。“
“Butyouwillafterawhile，andthenwhatwillbecomeofme？“
“You’lllovesomeoneelsetoo，likeasensibleboy，andforgetallthistrouble。“
“Ican’tloveanyoneelse，andI’llneverforgetyou，Jo，Never!Never!“withastamptoemphasizehispassionatewords。
“WhatshallIdowithhim？“sighedJo，findingthatemotionsweremoreunmanagablethansheexpected。“Youhaven’theardwhatIwantedtotellyou。Sitdownandlisten，forindeedI
wanttodorightandmakeyouhappy，“shesaid，hopingtosoothehimwithalittlereason，whichprovedthatsheknewnothingaboutlove。
Seeingarayofhopeinthatlastspeech，Lauriethrewhimselfdownonthegrassatherfeet，leanedhisarmonthelowerstepofthestile，andlookedupatherwithanexpectantface。
NowthatarrangementwasnotconducivetocalmspeechorclearthoughtonJo’spart，forhowcouldshesayhardthingstoherboywhilehewatchedherwitheyesfullofloveandlonging，andlashesstillwetwiththebitterdroportwoherhardnessofhearthadwrungfromhim？Shegentlyturnedhisheadaway，saying，asshestrokedthewavyhairwhichhadbeenallowedtogrowforhersake——howtouchingthatwas，tobesure!
“IagreewithMotherthatyouandIarenotsuitedtoeachother，becauseourquicktempersandstrongwillswouldprobablymakeusverymiserable，ifweweresofoolishasto……“
Jopausedalittleoverthelastword，butLaurieuttereditwitharapturousexpression。
“Marry——noweshouldn’t!Ifyoulovedme，Jo，Ishouldbeaperfectsaint，foryoucouldmakemeanythingyoulike。“
“No，Ican’t。I’vetriedandfailed，andIwon’triskourhappinessbysuchaseriousexperiment。Wedon’tagreeandwenevershall，sowe’llbegoodfriendsallourlives，butwewon’tgoanddoanythingrash。“
“Yes，wewillifwegetthechance，“mutteredLaurierebelliously。
“Nowdobereasonable，andtakeasensibleviewofthecase，“
imploredJo，almostatherwit’send。
“Iwon’tbereasonable。Idon’twanttotakewhatyoucall`asensibleview’。Itwon’thelpme，anditonlymakesitharder。Idon’tbelieveyou’vegotanyheart。“
“IwishIhadn’t。“
TherewasalittlequiverinJo’svoice，andthinkingitagoodomen，Laurieturnedround，bringingallhispersuasivepowerstobearashesaid，inthewheedlesometonethathadneverbeensodangerouslywheedlesomebefore，“Don’tdisappointus，dear!Everyoneexpectsit。Grandpahassethisheartuponit，yourpeoplelikeit，andIcan’tgetonwithoutyou。Sayyouwill，andlet’sbehappy。Do，do!“
NotuntilmonthsafterwarddidJounderstandhowshehadthestrengthofmindtoholdfasttotheresolutionshehadmadewhenshedecidedthatshedidnotloveherboy，andnevercould。Itwasveryhardtodo，butshedidit，knowingthatdelaywasbothuselessandcruel。
“Ican’tsay`yes’truly，soIwon’tsayitatall。You’llseethatI’mright，by-and-by，andthankmeforit……“shebegansolemnly。
“I’llbehangedifIdo!“AndLauriebouncedupoffthegrass，burningwithindignationattheveryidea。
“Yes，youwill!“persistedJo。“You’llgetoverthisafterawhile，andfindsomelovelyaccomplishedgirl，whowilladoreyou，andmakeafinemistressforyourfinehouse。Ishouldn’t。
I’mhomelyandawkwardandoddandold，andyou’dbeashamedofme，andweshouldquarrel——wecan’thelpitevennow，yousee-andIshouldn’tlikeelegantsocietyandyouwould，andyou’dhatemyscribbling，andIcouldn’tgetonwithoutit，andweshouldbeunhappy，andwishwehadn’tdoneit，andeverythingwouldbehorrid!“
“Anythingmore？“askedaskedLaurie，findingithardtolistenpatientlytothispropheticburst。
“Nothingmore，exceptthatIdon’tbelieveIshallevermarry。I’mhappyasIam，andlovemylibertytoowelltobeinahurrytogiveitupforanymortalman。“
“Iknowbetter!“brokeinLaurie。“Youthinksonow，butthere’llcomeatimewhenyouwillcareforsomebody，andyou’lllovehimtremendously，andliveanddieforhim。I
knowyouwill，it’syourway，andIshallhavetostandbyandseeit。“Andthedespairinglovercasthishatuponthegroundwithagesturethatwouldhaveseemedcomical，ifhisfacehadnotbeensotragic。
“Yes，Iwillliveanddieforhim，ifherevercomesandmakesmelovehiminspiteofmyself，andyoumustdothebestyoucan!“criedJo，losingpatiencewithpoorTeddy。“I’vedonemybest，butyouwon’tbereasonable，andit’sselfishofyoutokeepteasingforwhatIcan’tgive。Ishallalwaysbefondofyou，veryfondindeed，asafriend，butI’llnevermarryyou，andthesooneryoubelieveitthebetterforbothofus——sonow!“
Thatspeechwaslikegunpowder。Laurielookedatheraminuteasifhedidnotquiteknowwhattodowithhimself，thenturnedsharplyaway，sayinginadesperatesortoftone，“You’llbesorrysomeday，Jo。“
“Oh，whereareyougoing？“shecried，forhisfacefrightenedher。
“Tothedevil!“wastheconsolinganswer。
ForaminuteJo’sheartstoodstill，asheswunghimselfdownthebanktowardtheriver，butittakesmuchfolly，sinormiserytosendayoungmantoaviolentdeath，andLauriewasnotoneoftheweaksortwhoareconqueredbyasinglefailure。Hehadnothoughtofamelodramaticplunge，butsomeblindinstinctledhimtoflinghatandcoatintohisboat，androwawaywithallhismight，makingbettertimeuptheriverthanhehaddoneinanyrace。Jodrewalongbreathandunclaspedherhandsasshewatchedthepoorfellowtryingtooutstripthetroublewhichhecarriedinhisheart。
“Thatwilldohimgood，andhe’llcomehomeinsuchatender，penitentstateofmind，thatIshan’tdaretoseehim。“
shesaid，adding，asshewentslowlyhome，feelingasifshehadmurderedsomeinnocentthing，andburieditundertheleaves。“NowImustgoandprepareMr。Laurencetobeverykindtomypoorboy。Iwishhe’dloveBeth，perhapshemayintime，butIbegintothinkIwasmistakenabouther。Ohdear!Howcangirlsliketohaveloversandrefusethem？
I
thinkit’sdreadful。“
Beingsurethatnoonecoulddoitsowellasherself，shewentstraighttoMr。Laurence，toldthehardstorybravelythrough，andthenbrokedown，cryingsodismallyoverherowninsensibilitythatthekindoldgentleman，thoughsorelydisappointed，didnotutterareproach。HefounditdifficulttounderstandhowanygirlcouldhelplovingLaurie，andhopedshewouldchangehermind，butheknewevenbetterthanJothatlovecannotbeforced，soheshookhisheadsadlyandresolvedtocarryhisboyoutofharm’sway，forYoungImpetuosity’spartingwordstoJodisturbedhimmorethanhewouldconfess。
WhenLauriecamehome，deadtiredbutquitecomposed，hisgrandfathermethimasifheknewnothing，andkeptupthedelusionverysuccessfullyforanhourortwo。Butwhentheysattogetherinthetwilight，thetimetheyusedtoenjoysomuch，itwashardworkfortheoldmantorambleonasusual，andharderstillfortheyoungonetolistentopraisesofthelastyear’ssuccess，whichtohimnowseemedlikelove’slaborlost。Heboreitaslongashecould，thenwenttohispianoandbegantoplay。Thewindow’swereopen，andJo，walkinginthegardenwithBeth，foronceunderstoodmusicbetterthanhersister，forheplayedthe`SONATAPATHETIQUE’，andplayeditasheneverdidbefore。
“That’sveryfine，Idaresay，butit’ssadenoughtomakeonecry。Giveussomethinggayer，lad，“saidMr。Laurence，whosekindoldheartwasfullofsympathy，whichhelongedtoshowbutknewnothow。
Lauriedashedintoalivelierstrain，playedstormilyforseveralminutes，andwouldhavegotthroughbravely，ifinamomentarylullMrs。March’svoicehadnotbeenheardcalling，“Jo，dear，comein。Iwantyou。“
JustwhatLaurielongedtosay，withadifferentmeaning!
Ashelistened，helosthisplace，themusicendedwithabrokenchord，andthemusiciansatsilentinthedark。
“Ican’tstandthis，“mutteredtheoldgentleman。Uphegot，gropedhiswaytothepiano，laidakindhandoneitherofthebroadshoulders，andsaid，asgentlyasawoman，“I
know，myboy，Iknow。“
Noanswerforaninstant，thenLaurieaskedsharply，“Whotoldyou？“
“Joherself。“
“Thenthere’sanendofit!“Andheshookoffhisgrandfather’shandswithanimpatientmotion，forthoughgratefulforthesympathy，hisman’spridecouldnotbearaman’spity。
“Notquite。Iwanttosayonething，andthenthereshallbeanendofit，“returnedMr。Laurencewithunusualmildness。
“Youwon’tcaretostayathomenow，perhaps？“
“Idon’tintendtorunawayfromagirl。Jocan’tpreventmyseeingher，andIshallstayanddoitaslongasIlike，“
interruptedLaurieinadefianttone。
“NotifyouarethegentlemanIthinkyou。I’mdisappointed，butthegirlcan’thelpit，andtheonlythingleftforyoutodoistogoawayforatime。Wherewillyougo？“
“Anywhere。Idon’tcarewhatbecomesofme。“AndLauriegotupwitharecklesslaughthatgratedonhisgrandfather’sear。
“Takeitlikeaman，anddon’tdoanythingrash，forGod’ssake。Whynotgoabroad，asyouplanned，andforgetit？“
“Ican’t。“
“Butyou’vebeenwildtogo，andIpromisedyoushouldwhenyougotthroughcollege。“
“Ah，butIdidn’tmeantogoalone!“AndLauriewalkedfastthroughtheroomwithanexpressionwhichitwaswellhisgrandfatherdidnotsee。
“Idon’taskyoutogoalone。There’ssomeonereadyandgladtogowithyou，anywhereintheworld。“
“Who，Sir？’stoppingtolisten。
“Myself。“
Lauriecamebackasquicklyashewent，andputouthishand，sayinghuskily，“I’maselfishbrute，but——youknow-Grandfather——“
“Lordhelpme，yes，Idoknow，forI’vebeenthroughitallbefore，onceinmyownyoungdays，andthenwithyourfather。
Now，mydearboy，justsitquietlydownandhearmyplan。It’sallsettled，andcanbecarriedoutatonce，“saidMr。Laurence，keepingholdoftheyoungman，asiffearfulthathewouldbreakawayashisfatherhaddonebeforehim。
“Well，sir，whatisit？“AndLauriesatdown，withoutasignofinterestinfaceorvoice。
“ThereisbusinessinLondonthatneedslookingafter。I
meantyoushouldattendtoit，butIcandoitbettermyself，andthingsherewillgetonverywellwithBrooketomanagethem。Mypartnersdoalmosteverything，I’mmerelyholdingonuntilyoutakemyplace，andcanbeoffatanytime。“
“Butyouhatetraveling，Sir。Ican’taskitofyouatyourage，“beganLaurie，whowasgratefulforthesacrifice，butmuchpreferredtogoalone，ifhewentatall。
Theoldgentlemanknewthatperfectlywell，andparticularlydesiredtopreventit，forthemoodinwhichhefoundhisgrandsonassuredhimthatitwouldnotbewisetoleavehimtohisowndevices。So，stiflinganaturalregretatthethoughtofthehomecomfortshewouldleavebehindhim，hesaidstoutly，Blessyoursoul，I’mnotsuperannuatedyet。Iquiteenjoytheidea。Itwilldomegood，andmyoldboneswon’tsuffer，fortravelingnowadaysisalmostaseasyassittinginachair。“
ArestlessmovementfromLauriesuggestedthathischairwasnoteasy，orthathedidnotliketheplan，andmadetheoldmanaddhastily，“Idon’tmeantobeamarplotoraburden。
IgobecauseIthinkyou’dfeelhappierthanifIwasleftbehind。Idon’tintendtogadaboutwithyou，butleaveyoufreetogowhereyoulike，whileIamusemyselfinmyownway。I’vefriendsinLondonandParis，andshouldliketovisitthem。MeantimeyoucangotoItaly，Germany，Switzerland，whereyouwill，andenjoypictures，music，scenery，andadventurestoyourheart’scontent。“
Now，Lauriefeltjustthenthathisheartwasentirelybrokenandtheworldahowlingwilderness，butatthesoundofcertainwordswhichtheoldgentlemanartfullyintroducedintohisclosingsentence，thebrokenheartgaveanunexpectedleap，andagreenoasisortwosuddenlyappearedinthehowlingwilderness。Hesighed，andthensaid，inaspiritlesstone，“Justasyoulike，Sir。Itdoesn’tmatterwhereIgoorwhatI
do。“
“Itdoestome，rememberthat，mylad。Igiveyouentireliberty，butItrustyoutomakeanhonestuseofit。Promisemethat，Laurie。“
“Anythingyoulike，Sir。“
“Good，“thoughttheoldgentleman。“Youdon’tcarenow，butthere’llcomeatimewhenthatpromisewillkeepyououtofmischief，orI’mmuchmistaken。“
Beinganenergeticindividual，Mr。Laurencestruckwhiletheironwashot，andbeforetheblightedbeingrecoveredspiritenoughtorebel，theywereoff。Duringthetimenecessaryforpreparation，Laurieborehimselfasyounggentlemanusuallydoinsuchcases。Hewasmoody，irritable，andpensivebyturns，losthisappetite，neglectedhisdressanddevotedmuchtimetoplayingtempestuouslyonhispiano，avoidedJo，butconsoledhimselfbystaringatherfromhiswindow，withatragicfacethathauntedherdreamsbynightandoppressedherwithaheavysenseofguiltbyday。Unlikesomesufferers，heneverspokeofhisunrequitedpassion，andwouldallownoone，notevenMrs。March，toattemptconsolationoroffersympathy。Onsomeaccounts，thiswasarelieftohisfriends，buttheweeksbeforehisdeparturewereveryuncomfortable，andeveryonerejoicedthatthe`poor，dearfellowwasgoingawaytoforgethistrouble，andcomehomehappy’。Ofcourse，hesmileddarklyattheirdelusion，butpasseditbywiththesadsuperiorityofonewhoknewthathisfidelitylikehislovewasunalterable。