\"Ihaveconsideredthatposition，Father。Iknowyoufeelthatway——you’veoftenmademefeelit。SoI’vebeenatsomepainstoworkitout——onamoneybasis。Hereisanaccount——asfullasIcouldmakeit。\"Shehandedhimapapercoveredwithneatfigures。Thetotalsreadasfollows：
MissDianthaBell，ToMr。HendersonR。Bell，Dr。
Tomedicalanddentalexpenses……$110。00
Toschoolexpenses……$76。00
Toclothing，infull……$1，130。00
Toboardandlodgingat$3。00aweek……$2，184。00
Toincidentals……$100。00
————————
$3。600。00
Hestudiedthevariousitemscarefully，strokinghisbeard，halfinanger，halfinunavoidableamusement。Perhapstherewasatenderfeelingtoo，asherememberedthatdoctor’sbill——thefirstheeverpaid，withtheother，whenshehadscarletfever;andsawtheexactpriceofthehighchairwhichhadservedallthreeofthechildren，butofwhichshemagnanimouslyshoulderedthewholeexpense。
Theclothingtotalwassolargethatitmadehimwhistle——heknewhehadneverspent$1，130。00ononegirl’sclothes。Buttheitemsexplainedit。
Materials，threeyearsatanaverageof$10ayear……$30。00
Fiveyearsaveraging$20eachyear……$100。00
Fiveyearsaveraging$30eachyear……$50。00
Fiveyearsaveraging$50eachyear……$250。00
———————
$530。00
Therestwas\"Mother’slabor，averagingtwentyfulldaysayearat$2aday，$40ayear。Forfifteenyears，$600。00。Mother’slabor——ononechild’s，clothes——footingupto$600。00。Itlookedstrangetoseecashvalueattachedtothatunfailingsourceoffamilycomfortandadvantage。
Theschoolexpensespuzzledhimabit，forshehadonlygonetopublicschools;butshewascountingbooksandslatesandevenpencils——itbroughtupeveningslongpassedby，thesewingwife，thestudyingchildren，the\"Say，Father，I’vegottohaveanewslate——mine’sbroke！\"
\"Broken，Dina，\"herMotherwouldgentlycorrect，whilehedemanded，\"Howdidyoubreakit？\"andscoldedherforhercarelesstomboyways。
Slates——three，$1。50——theywerealldown。Andslatesdidn’tcostsomuchcometothinkofit，eventhered—edgedones，woundwithblack，thatshealwayswanted。
Boardandlodgingwasputlow，at$3。00perweek，buttheitemshadafootnoteastohouse—rentinthecountry，andfoodraisedonthefarm。
Yes，heguessedthatwasafullratefortheplainfoodandbarelittlebedroomtheyalwayshad。
\"It’swhatAuntEstherpaidthewintershewashere，\"saidDiantha。
Circuses——three……$1。50
Shareinmelodeon……$50。00
Yes，shewasoneoffivetouseandenjoyit。
Musiclessons……$30。00
Andquitealargemarginlefthere，calledmiscellaneous，whichhesmiledtoobservemadejustanevenfigure，andsuspectedshehadputinforthatpurposeaswellasfromgenerosity。
\"Thisboardaccountlookskindoffunny，\"hesaid——\"onlyfourteenyearsofit！\"
\"Ididn’ttaketable—board——noraroom——thefirstyear——normuchthesecond。I’veallowed$1。00aweekforthat，and$2。00forthethird——thattakesouttwo，yousee。Thenit’s$156ayeartillIwasfourteenandearnedboardandwages，twomoreyearsat$156——andI’vepaidsinceIwasseventeen，youknow。\"
\"Well——Iguessyoudid——Iguessyoudid。\"Hegrinnedgenially。\"Yes，\"
hecontinuedslowly，\"Iguessthat’safairenoughaccount。’Cordingtothis，youoweme$3，600。00，youngwoman！Ididn’tthinkitcostthatmuchtoraiseagirl。\"
\"Iknowit，\"saidshe。\"Buthere’stheotherside。\"
Itwastheotherside。Hehadneveroncethoughtofsuchasidetothecase。Thisaccountwasasclearandhonestasthefirstandfullofexasperatingdetail。Shelaidbeforehimthesecondsheetoffiguresandwatchedwhileheread，explaininghurriedly：
\"Itwasaclearexpensefortenyears——notcountinghelpwiththebabies。ThenIbegantodohouseworkregularly——whenIwastenoreleven，twohoursaday;threewhenIwastwelveandthirteen——realworkyou’dhavehadtopayfor，andI’veonlyputitattencentsanhour。
WhenMotherwassicktheyearIwasfourteen，andIdiditallbutthewashing——allaservantwouldhavedonefor$3。00aweek。EversincethenIhavedonethreehoursadayoutsideofschool，fullgrownworknow，attwentycentsanhour。That’swhatwehavetopayhere，youknow。\"
Thusitmountedup：
Mr。HendersonR。Bell，ToMissDianthaBell，Dr。
Forlaborandservices——
Twoyears，twohoursadayat10c。anhour……$146。00
Twoyears，threehoursadayat10c。anhour……$219。00
Oneyear，fullwagesat$5。00aweek……$260。00
Sixyearsandahalf，threehoursadayat20c……$1423。50
————————
$2048。50
Mr。Bellmeditatedcarefullyonthesefigures。Tothinkofthatchild’slaborfootinguptotwothousanddollarsandover！Itwasluckyamanhadawifeanddaughterstodothiswork，orhecouldneversupportafamily。
Thencameherschool—teachingyears。Shehadalwaysbeenafinescholarandhehadfeltveryproudofhisgirlwhenshegotagoodschoolpositioninhereighteenthyear。
Californiasalarieswerehigherthaneasternones，andtimeshadchangedtoo;theyearhetaughtschoolherememberedthesalarywasonly$300。00——andhewasaman。Thisgirlgot$600，nextyear$700，$800，$900;whyitmade$3，000shehadearnedinfouryears。Astonishing。
Outofthisshehadabalanceinthebankof$550。00。Hewaspleasedtoseethatshehadbeensosaving。Andherclothingaccount——littleenoughheadmittedforfouryearsandsixmonths，$300。00。Allincidentalsforthewholetime，$50。00——thiswithherbalancemadejust$900。Thatleft$2，100。00。
\"Twenty—onehundreddollarsunaccountedfor，younglady！——besidesthisnestegginthebank——I’dnoideayouweresowealthy。Whathaveyoudonewithallthat？\"
\"Givenittoyou，Father，\"saidshequietly，andhandedhimthethirdsheetoffigures。
Boardandlodgingat$4。00aweekfor41/2yearsmade$936。00，thathecouldrealize;but\"cashadvance\"$1，164more——hecouldnotbelieveit。
ThattimehermotherwassosickandDianthahadpaidboththedoctorandthenurse——yes——hehadbeenmuchcrampedthatyear——andnursescomehigh。ForHenderson，Jr。’s，expensestoSanFrancisco，andagainforHendersonwhenhewasoutofajob——Mr。Bellrememberedtheboy’swritingforthemoney，andhisnothavingit，andMrs。BellsayingshecouldarrangewithDiantha。
Arrange！Andthatgirlhadkeptthisniggardlyaccountofit！ForMinnie’striptotheYosemite——andwhatwasthis？——forhisraisinexperiment——forthenewhorsetheysimplyhadtohaveforthedryingapparatusthatyearhelostsomuchmoneyinapricots——andforthesprayingmaterials——yes，hecouldnotdenytheitems，andtheycoveredthat$1，164。00exactly。
Thencamethedeadlybalance，oftheaccountbetweenthem：
Herlabor……$2，047。00
Herboard……$936。00
Her\"cashadvanced\"……$1，164。00
—————————
$4，147。00
Hisexpenseforher……$3，600
—————————
Dueherfromhim……$547。00
Diantharevolvedherpencilbetweenfirmpalms，andlookedathimratherquizzically;whilehermotherrockedanddarnedandwipedawayanoccasionaltear。Shealmostwishedshehadnotkeptaccountssowell。
Mr。Bellpushedthepapersawayandstartedtohisfeet。
\"ThisisthemostshamefulpieceofcalculationIeversawinmylife，\"
saidhe。\"Ineverheardofsuchathing！Yougoandcountupincolddollarstheworkthateverydecentgirldoesforherfamilyandisgladto！Iwonderyouhaven’tchargedyourmotherfornursingher？\"
\"YounoticeIhaven’t，\"saidDianthacoldly。
\"Andtothink，\"saidhe，grippingthebackofachairandlookingdownatherfiercely，\"tothinkthatagirlwhocanearnninehundreddollarsayearteachingschool，andstayathomeanddoherdutybyherfamilybesides，shouldplantodeserthermotheroutright——nowshe’soldandsick！OfcourseIcan’tstopyou！You’reofage，andchildrennowadayshavenosenseofnaturalobligationafterthey’regrownup。Youcango，ofcourse，anddisgracethefamilyasyoupropose——butyouneedn’texpecttohavemeconsenttoitorapproveofit——orofyou。It’sashamefulthing——andyouareanunnaturaldaughter——that’sallI’vegottosay！\"
Mr。Belltookhishatandwentout——aconclusiveformofpunctuationmuchusedbymenindiscussionsofthissort。
WHATDIANTHADID
CHAPTERIII。
BREAKERS
Duck！Dive！Herecomesanotherone！
Waittillthecrest—rufflesshow！
Beyondissmoothwaterinbeautyandwonder——
Shutyourmouth！Holdyourbreath！Dipyourheadunder！
Divethroughtheweightandthewash，andthethunder——
Lookoutfortheundertow！
IfDianthaimaginedthatherarithmeticalvictoryoveratoo—sordidpresentationoftheparentalclaimwasafinalone，shesoonfoundherselfmistaken。
Itiseasytosay——puttinganepicinanepigram——\"Sheseenherdutyandshedoneit！\"butthespaceandtimecoveredaregenerallyasfarbeyondourplansastheestimatesofanamateurmountainclimberexceedhisachievements。
Herdeterminationwasnotconcealedbyheroutragedfamily。Possiblytheythoughtthatifthematterwaswellaired，andgenerallydiscussed，thedaringoffendermightreconsider。Well—aireditcertainlywas，andwidelydiscussedbytheparentsofthelittletownbeforeyoungpeoplewhosatindumbness，ormadefaintdefense。Itwasalsodiscussedbytheyoungpeople，butnotbeforetheirparents。
ShehadtoldRoss，firstofall，meaningtohaveaquiettalkwithhimtoclearthegroundbeforearousingherownfamily;buthewassuddenlyawayjustassheopenedthesubject，byamanonawheel——somewretchedbusinessaboutthestoreofcourse——andsentwordthatnightthathecouldnotcomeupagain。Couldn’tcomeupthenextnighteither。Twolongdays——twolongeveningswithoutseeinghim。Well——ifshewentawayshe’dhavetogetusedtothat。
Butshehadsomanythingstoexplain，somuchtosaytomakeitrightwithhim;sheknewwellwhatablowitwas。Nowitwasallovertown——andshehadhadnochancetodefendherposition。
Theneighborscalled。TallbonyMrs。DelafieldwholivednearesttothemandhadknownDianthaforsomeyears，feltitherdutytomakeaspecialappeal——orattackrather;andbroughtwithherstoutMrs。
Schlosster，whoseancestorsandtraditionswereevidentlyofGermanextraction。
Diantharetiredtoherroomwhenshesawthesetwobearingdownuponthehouse;buthermothercalledhertomakeapitcheroflemonadeforthem——andhavingenteredtherewasnoescape。Theyharriedherwithquestions，wereincreasinglyoffendedbyherreticence，andexpresseddisapprovalwithafullnessthatovermasteredthegirl’sself—control。
\"Ihaveasmuchrighttogointobusinessasanyothercitizen，Mrs。
Delafield，\"shesaidwithrepressedintensity。\"Iamofageandliveinafreecountry。Whatyousayofchildrennolongerappliestome。\"
\"Andwhatisthismysteriousbusinessyou’regoin’into——ifonemayinquire？Nothinyou’reashamedtomention，Ihope？\"askedMrs。
Delafield。
\"Ifawomanrefusestomentionherageisitbecauseshe’sashamedofit？\"thegirlretorted，andMrs。Delafieldflusheddarkly。
\"NeverhaveIheardsuchtalkfromamaidentoherelders，\"saidMrs。
Schlosster。\"Inmycountrytheyounghavemorerespect，asisright。\"
Mrs。Bellobjectedinwardlytoanyreprimandofherchildbyothers;butsheagreedtotheprincipleadvancedandmadenocomment。
Dianthalistenedtoquiteavolumeofdetailedcriticism，inquiryandcondemnation，andfinallyrosetoherfeetwiththestiffcourtesyoftheyoung。
\"Youmustexcusemenow，\"shesaidwithsetlips。\"Ihavesomenecessaryworktodo。\"
Shemarchedupstairs，shutherbedroomdoorandlockedit，raginginwardly。\"Itsnoneoftheirbusiness！Notashadow！WhyshouldMothersitthereandletthemtalktomelikethat！Onewouldthinkchildhoodhadnolimit——unlessit’smatrimony！\"
Thisremindedherofheryoungersister’sairsofsuperiorwisdom，anddidnotconducetoapleasanterframeofmind。\"Withalltheirmiserablelittleconventionsandidiocies！Andwhat’they’llsay，’and’they’llthink’！AsifIcared！Minnie’llbejustsuchanother！\"
Sheheardtheladiesgoingout，stilltalkingcontinuously，afaintresponsefromhermothernowandthen，agrowingquietastheirstepsrecededtowardthegate;andthenanotherdeepervoicetookupthethemeandheavilyapproached。
Itwastheminister！Dianthadroppedintoherrockerandheldthearmstight。\"NowI’llhavetotakeitagainIsuppose。Butheoughttoknowmewellenoughtounderstand。\"
\"Diantha！\"calledhermother，\"Here’sDr。Major;\"andthegirlwashedherfaceandcamedownagain。
Dr。Majorwasaheavyelderlymanwithastrongmouthandawarmhandclasp。\"What’sallthisIhearaboutyou，younglady？\"hedemanded，holdingherhandandlookingherstraightintheeye。\"IsthisanewkindofProdigalDaughterwe’reencountering？\"
Hedidnotlooknorsoundcondemnatory，andasshefacedhimshecaughtatwinkleinthewiseoldeyes。
\"Youcancallitthatifyouwantto，\"shesaid，\"OnlyIthoughttheProdigalSonjustspenthismoney——I’mgoingtoearnsome。\"
\"IwantyoutotalktoDiantha，DoctorMajor，\"Mrs。Bellstruckin。
\"I’mgoingtoaskyoutoexcuseme，andgoandliedownforalittle。I
dobelieveshe’lllistentoyoumorethantoanybody。\"
Themotherretired，feelingsurethatthegoodmanwhohadknownherdaughterforoverfifteenyearswouldhavearestraininginfluencenow;
andDianthabracedherselffortheattack。
Itcame，heavyandsolid，basedonreason，religion，tradition，thecustomofages，thepastoralhabitofcontrolandprotection，thefather’sinstinct，theman’sobjectiontoagirl’sadventure。Butitwascourteous，kind，andrationallyput，andshemetitpointbypointwiththewhole—souledargumentsofanewposition，thepassionateenthusiasmofheryears。
Theycalledatruce。
\"Icanseethatyou_think_itsyourduty，young，woman——that’sthemainthing。Ithinkyou’rewrong。Butwhatyoubelievetoberightyouhavetodo。That’sthewaywelearnmydear，that’sthewaywelearn！
Well——you’vebeenagoodchildeversinceI’veknownyou。Aremarkablygoodchild。Ifyouhavetosowthiskindofwildoats——\"theybothsmiledatthis，\"Iguesswecan’tstopyou。I’llkeepyoursecret——\"
\"Itsnotasecretreally，\"thegirlexplained，\"I’lltellthemassoonasI’msettled。Thentheycantell——iftheywantto。\"Andtheybothsmiledagain。
\"Well——Iwon’ttelltillIhearofitthen。And——yes，IguessIcanfurnishthatdocumentwithacleanconscience。\"
Shegavehimpaperandpenandhewrote，withagrin，handinghertheresult。
Shereadit，agirlishgigglelighteningtheatmosphere。\"Thankyou！\"
shesaidearnestly。\"Thankyoueversomuch。Iknewyouwouldhelpme。\"
\"Ifyougetstuckanywherejustletmeknow，\"hesaidrising。\"ThisProddyGalmaywantareturnticketyet！\"
\"I’llwalkfirst！\"saidDiantha。
\"ODr。Major，\"criedhermotherfromthewindow，\"Don’tgo！Wewantyoutostaytosupperofcourse！\"
Buthehadothercallstomake，hesaid，andwentaway，hisbighandsclaspedbehindhim;hisheadbent，smilingoneminuteandshakinghisheadthenext。
Dianthaleanedagainstapearlyeucalyptustrunkandwatchedhim。ShewouldmissDr。Major。Butwhowasthisapproaching？Herheartsankmiserably。Mrs。Warden——and_all_thegirls。
Shewenttomeetthem——perforce。Mrs。Wardenhadalwaysbeenkindandcourteoustoher;thegirlsshehadnotseenverymuchof，buttheyhadthesweetSouthernmanner，werealwayspolite。Ross’smothershemustlove。Ross’ssisterstoo——ifshecould。Whydidthebottomdropoutofhercourageatsightofthem？
\"Youdearchild！\"saidMrs。Warden，kissingher。\"Iknowjusthowyoufeel！Youwanttohelpmyboy！That’syoursecret！Butthiswon’tdoit，mydear！\"
\"You’venoideahowbadlyRossfeels！\"saidMadeline。\"Mrs。Delafielddroppedinjustnowandtoldus。Yououghttohaveseenhim！\"
\"Hedidn’tbelieveitofcourse，\"Adelineputin。\"Andhewouldn’tsayathing——notathingtoblameyou。\"
\"Wesaidwe’dcomeoverrightoff——andtriedtobringhim——buthesaidhe’dgottogobacktothestore，\"Coralineexplained。
\"Hewasmadthough！\"saidDora——\"_I_know。\"
Dianthalookedfromonetotheotherhelplessly。
\"Comein！Comein！\"saidMrs。Bellhospitably。\"Havethisrocker，Mrs。
Warden——wouldn’tyoulikesomecooldrink？Diantha？\"
\"Noindeed！\"Mrs。Wardenprotested。\"Don’tgetathing。We’regoingrightback，it’snearsuppertime。No，wecan’tthinkofstaying，ofcoursenot，noindeed！——Butwehadtocomeoverandhearaboutthisdearchild’sidea！——Nowtellusallaboutit，Diantha！\"
Theretheysat——fivepairsofcuriouseyes——andhermother’ssadones——allkind——allutterlyincapableofunderstanding。
Shemoistenedherlipsandplungeddesperately。\"Itisnothingdreadful，Mrs。Warden。Plentyofgirlsgoawaytoearntheirlivingsnowadays。ThatisallI’mdoing。\"
\"Butwhygoaway？\"
\"Ithoughtyouwereearningyourlivingbefore！\"
\"Isn’tteachingearningyourliving？\"
\"What_are_yougoingtodo？\"thegirlsprotestedvariously，andMrs。
Warden，withamotherlysmile，suggested——
\"Thatdoesn’texplainyourwantingtoleaveRoss，mydear——andyourmother！\"
\"Idon’twanttoleavethem，\"protestedDiantha，tryingtokeephervoicesteady。\"ItissimplythatIhavemadeupmymindIcandobetterelsewhere。\"
\"Dowhatbetter？\"askedMrs。Wardenwithsweetpatience，whichreducedDianthatothebaldstatement，\"Earnmoremoneyinlesstime。\"
\"Andisthatbetterthanstayingwithyourmotherandyourlover？\"
pursuedthegentleinquisitor;whilethegirlstried，\"Whatdoyouwanttoearnmoremoneyfor？\"and\"Ithoughtyouearnedalotbefore。\"
NowDianthadidnotwishtostateinsomanywordsthatshewantedmoremoneyinordertomarrysooner——shehadhardlyputittoherselfthatway。Shecouldnotmakethemseeinafewmomentsthatherplanwastodofarmoreforhermotherthanshewouldotherwiseeverbeableto。
Andastomakingthemunderstandthelargerprinciplesatstake——therangeanddepthofherfullpurpose——thatwouldbephysicallyimpossible。
\"Iamsorry！\"shesaidwithtremblinglips。\"Iamextremelysorry。
But——Icannotexplain！\"
Mrs。Wardendrewherselfupalittle。\"Cannotexplaintome？——Yourmother，ofcourse，knows？\"
\"Dianthaisnaturallymorefrankwithmethanwith——anyone，\"saidMrs。
Bellproudly，\"Butshedoesnotwishher——business——plans——madepublicatpresent！\"
Herdaughterlookedatherwithvividgratitude，butthewords\"madepublic\"werealittleunfortunateperhaps。
\"Ofcourse，\"Mrs。Wardenagreed，withhercharmingsmile，\"thatwecanquiteunderstand。I’msureIshouldalwayswishmygirlstofeelso。
Madeline——justshowMrs。Bellthatnecktieyou’remaking——shewasaskingaboutthestitch，youremember。\"
Thenecktiewasproducedandadmired，whiletheothergirlsaskedDianthaifshehadherfalldressmakingdoneyet——andwhethershefoundwashribbonsatisfactory。Andpresentlythewholegracefulfamilywithdrew，onlyDoraholdingherheadwithvisiblestiffness。
Dianthasatonthefloorbyhermother，putherheadinherlapandcried。\"Howsplendidofyou，Mother！\"shesobbed。\"Howsimplysplendid！Iwilltellyounow——if——if——youwon’ttellevenFather——yet。\"
\"Dearchild\"saidherMother，\"I’drathernotknowinthatcase。Itis——easier。\"
\"That’swhatIkeptstillfor！\"saidthegirl。\"It’shardenough，goodnessknows——asitis！Itsnothingwicked，orevenrisky，Motherdear——andasfarasIcanseeitisright！\"
Hermothersmiledthroughhertears。\"Ifyousaythat，mydearchild，I
knowthere’snostoppingyou。AndIhatetoarguewithyou——evenforyourownsake，becauseitissomuchtomyadvantagetohaveyouhere。
I——shallmissyou——Diantha！\"
\"Don’t，Mother！\"sobbedthegirl。
\"Itsnaturalfortheyoungtogo。Weexpectit——intime。Butyouaresoyoungyet——and——well，IhadhopedtheteachingwouldsatisfyyoutillRosswasready。\"
Dianthasatupstraight。
\"Mother！can’tyouseeRoss’llneverbeready！Lookatthatfamily！
Andthewaytheylive！Andthosemortgages！IcouldwaitandteachandsavealittleevenwithFatheralwayslosingmoney;butIcan’tseeRosswearinghimselfoutforyearsandyears——Ijust_can’t_bearit！\"
Hermotherstrokedherfairhairsoftly，notsurprisedthatherownpleawassolostinthoughtofthebraveyounglover。
\"Andbesides，\"thegirlwenton\"IfIwaited——andsaved——andmarriedRoss——whatbecomesof_you，_I’dliketoknow？WhatIcan’tstandistohaveyougrowolderandsicker——andneverhaveanygoodtimeinallyourlife！\"
Mrs。Bellsmiledtenderly。\"Youdearchild！\"shesaid;asifanaffectionatefive—yearoldhadofferedtogetherarainbow，\"Iknowyoumeanitallforthebest。But，Omy_dearest_！I’dratherhaveyou——here——athomewithme———thananyother’goodtime’youcanimagine！\"
Shecouldnotseethesufferinginherdaughter’sface;butshefeltshehadmadeanimpression，andfolloweditupwithheart—breakingsincerity。Shecaughtthegirltoherbreastandheldherlikealittlechild。\"Omybaby！mybaby！Don’tleaveyourmother。Ican’tbearit！\"
Afamiliarstepoutside，heavy，yetuncertain，andtheybothlookedateachotherwithfrightenedeyes。
Theyhadforgottenthebiscuit。
\"Supperready？\"askedMr。Bell，withgrimhumor。
\"Itwillbeinamoment，Father，\"criedDianthaspringingtoherfeet。
\"Atleast——inafewmoments。\"
\"Don’tfretthechild，Father，\"saidMrs。Hendersonsoftly。\"She’sfeelingbadenough。\"
\"Sh’dthinkshewould，\"repliedherhusband。\"Moreover——tomymind——sheoughtto。\"
Hegotoutthesmalldamplocalpaperandhispipe，andcomposedhimselfinobviouspatience：yetsomehowthispatienceseemedtofillthekitchen，andtoactlikeaballandchaintoDiantha’sfeet。
Shegotsupperready，atlast，makinggriddle—cakesinsteadofbiscuit，andnocommentwasmadeofthechange：butthetensionintheatmospherewassharplyfeltbythetwowomen;andpossiblybythetalloldman，whoatelessthanusual，andsaidabsolutelynothing。
\"I’mgoingovertoseeEdwardsaboutthatnewincubator，\"hesaidwhenthemealwasover，anddeparted;andMrs。Bell，aftertryinginvaintodohermending，wipedhercloudedglassesandwenttobed。
Dianthamadeallneatandtidy;washedherownweteyesagain，andwentoutunderthemoon。Inthatbroadtendermellowlightshedrewadeepbreathandstretchedherstrongyoungarmstowardtheskyindumbappeal。
\"Iknewitwouldbehard，\"shemurmuredtoherself，\"ThatisIknewthefacts——butIdidn’tknowthefeeling！\"
Shestoodatthegatebetweenthecypresses，satwaitingundertheacaciaboughs，walkedrestlesslyupanddownthepathoutside，thedrypepperberriescrushsoftlyunderfoot;bracingherselfforonemorestruggle——andthehardestofall。
\"Hewillunderstand！\"hetoldherself，overandover，butatthebottomofherheartsheknewhewouldn’t。
Hecameatlast;aslower，wearierstepthanusual;cameandtookbothherhandsinhisandstoodholdingthem，lookingatherquestioningly。
Thenheheldherfacebetweenhispalmsandmadeherlookathim。Hereyeswerebraveandsteady，butthemouthtrembledinspiteofher。
Hestilleditwithakiss，anddrewhertoaseatonthebenchbesidehim。\"MypoorLittleGirl！Youhaven’thadachanceyettoreallytellmeaboutthisthing，andIwantyoutorightnow。ThenI’mgoingtokillaboutfortypeopleinthistown！_Somebody_hasbeenmightyfoolish。\"
Shesqueezedhishand，butfounditverydifficulttospeak。Hislove，hissympathy，histenderness，weresodeliciousafterthisday’strials——andbeforethosefurtheronesshecouldsowellanticipate。Shedidn’twishtocryanymore，thatwouldbynomeansstrengthenherposition，andshefoundshecouldn’tseemtospeakwithoutcrying。
\"Onewouldthinktohearthegoodpeopleofthistownthatyouwereabouttoleavehomeandmotherfor——well，foratriptothemoon！\"headded。\"Thereisn’tanyagreementastowhatyou’regoingtodo，butthey’reunanimousastoitsbeingentirelywrong。Nowsupposeyoutellmeaboutit。\"
\"Iwill，\"saidDiantha。\"Ibegantotheothernight，youknow，youfirstofcourse——itwastoobad！yourhavingtogooffatthatexactmoment。ThenIhadtotellmother——because——wellyou’llseepresently。
Nowdear——justletmesayit_all_——beforeyou——doanything。\"
\"Sayaway，mydarling。Itrustyouperfectly。\"
Sheflashedagratefullookathim。\"Itisthisway，mydear。Ihavetwo，three，yesfour，thingstoconsider：——Myownpersonalproblem——myfamily’s——yours——andasocialone。\"
\"Myfamily’s？\"heasked，withafaintshadeofoffenceinhistone。
\"Nonodear——yourown，\"sheexplained。
\"Bettercutmineout，LittleGirl，\"hesaid。\"I’llconsiderthatmyself。\"
\"Well——Iwon’ttalkaboutitifyoudon’twantmeto。Therearetheotherthree。\"
\"Iwon’tquestionyoursecond，noryourimposingthird，butisn’tthefirstone——yourownpersonalproblem——agooddealanswered？\"hesuggested，holdinghercloseforamoment。
\"Don’t！\"shesaid。\"Ican’ttalkstraightwhenyouputitthatway。\"
Sherosehurriedlyandtookasteportwoupanddown。\"Idon’tsuppose——inspiteofyourlovingme，thatIcanmakeyouseeitasIdo。
ButI’llbejustasclearasIcan。Therearesomeyearsbeforeusbeforewecanbetogether。InthattimeIintendtogoawayandundertakeabusinessIaminterestedin。Mypurposeisto——developthework，toearnmoney，tohelpmyfamily，andto——well，nottohinderyou。\"
\"Idon’tunderstand，Iconfess，\"hesaid。\"Don’tyouproposetotellmewhatthis’work’is？\"
\"Yes——Iwill——certainly。Butnotyetdear！LetmetrytoshowyouhowIfeelaboutit。\"
\"Wait，\"saidhe。\"OnethingIwanttobesureof。Areyoudoingthiswithanyquixoticnotionofhelpingme——in_my_business？Helpingmetotakecareofmyfamily？Helpingmeto——\"hestoodupnow，lookingverytallandratherforbidding，\"No，Iwon’tsaythattoyou。\"
\"Wouldtherebeanythingwronginmymeaningexactlythat？\"sheasked，holdingherownheadalittlehigher;\"bothwhatyousaidandwhatyoudidn’t？\"
\"Itwouldbeabsolutelywrong，allofit，\"heanswered。\"IcannotbelievethatthewomanIlovewould——couldtakesuchaposition。\"
\"Lookhere，Ross！\"saidthegirlearnestly。\"Supposeyouknewwheretherewasagoldmine——_knewit_——andbygoingawayforafewyearsyoucouldgetarealfortune——wouldn’tyoudoit？\"
\"NaturallyIshould，\"heagreed。
\"Well，supposeitwasn’tagoldmine，butabusiness，anewsystemlikethosecigarstores——or——somepatentamusementspecialty——or_anything_——thatyouknewwasbetterthanwhatyou’redoing——wouldn’tyouhavearighttotryit？\"
\"OfcourseIshould——butwhathasthattodowiththiscase？\"
\"Whyit’sthesamething！Don’tyousee？Ihaveplansthatwillbeofrealbenefittoallofus，somethingworthwhileto_do_——andnotonlyforusbutfor_everybody_——arealpieceofprogress——andI’mgoingtoleavemypeople——andevenyou！——foralittlewhile——tomakeusallhappierlateron。\"
Hesmiledlovinglyatherbutshookhisheadslowly。\"Youdear，brave，foolishchild！\"hesaid。\"Idon’tforonemomentdoubtyournoblepurposes。Butyoudon’tgettheman’spointofview——naturally。What’smoreyoudon’tseemtogetthewoman’s。\"
\"Canyouseenootherpointofviewthanthose？\"sheasked。
\"Therearenoothers，\"heanswered。\"Come！come！mydarling，don’taddthisnewdifficultytowhatwe’vegottocarry！Iknowyouhaveahardtimeofitathome。Someday，pleaseGod，youshallhaveaneasierone！
AndI’mhavingahardtimetoo——Idon’tdenyit。ButyouarethegreatestjoyandcomfortIhave，dear——youknowthat。Ifyougoaway——itwillbeharderandslowerandlonger——that’sall。Ishallhaveyoutoworryabouttoo。Letsomebodyelsedothegold—mine，dear——youstayhereandcomfortyourMotheraslongasyoucan——andme。HowcanI
getalongwithoutyou？\"
Hetriedtoputhisarmaroundheragain，butshedrewback。\"Dear，\"
shesaid。\"IfIdeliberatelydowhatIthinkisright——againstyourwishes——whatwillyoudo？\"
\"Do？\"Thelaughedbitterly。\"WhatcanIdo？I’mtiedbytheleghere——lcan’tgoafteryou。I’venothingtopullyououtofascrapewithifyougetinone。Icouldn’tdoanythingbut——standit。\"
\"AndifIgoahead，anddowhatyoudon’tlike——andmakeyou——suffer——wouldyou——wouldyouratherbefree？\"Hervoicewasverylowandshaken，butheheardherwellenough。
\"Freeofyou？Freeof_you_？\"Hecaughtherandheldherandkissedheroverandover。
\"Youaremine！\"hesaid。\"Youhavegivenyourselftome！Youcannotleaveme。Neitherofusisfree——everagain。\"Butshestruggledawayfromhim。
\"Bothofusarefree——todowhatwethinkright，_always_Ross！I
wouldn’ttrytostopyouifyouthoughtitwasyourdutytogototheNorthPole！\"Sheheldhimalittlewayoff。\"Letmetellyou，dear。
Sitdown——letmetellyouallaboutit。\"Buthewouldn’tsitdown。
\"Idon’tthinkIwanttoknowthedetails，\"hesaid。\"Itdoesn’tmuchmatterwhatyou’regoingtodo——ifyoureallygoaway。Ican’tstopyou——Iseethat。Ifyouthinkthisthingisyour’duty’you’lldoitifitkillsusall——andyoutoo！Ifyouhavetogo——Ishalldonothing——candonothing——butwaittillyoucomebacktome！Whateverhappens，darling——nomatterhowyoufail——don’teverbeafraidtocomebacktome。\"
Hefoldedhisarmsnow——didnotattempttoholdher——gaveherthefreedomsheaskedandpromisedhertheloveshehadalmostfearedtolose——andherwholecarefullyconstructedplanseemedlikeachild’ssandcastleforamoment;herheroicdecisionthewildestfolly。
Hewasnotevenlookingather;shesawhisstrong，clean—cutprofiledarkagainstthemoonlithouse，asettledpatienceinitslines。Duty！
Herewasduty，surely，withtenderesthappiness。Shewasleaningtowardhim——herhandwasseekinghis，whensheheardthroughthefragrantsilenceasoundfromhermother’sroom——thefaintcreakofherlightrockingchair。Shecouldnotsleep——shewassittingupwithhertrouble，bearingitquietlyasshehadsomanyothers。
Thequieteverydaytragedyofthatdistastefullife——theslowwitheringawayofyouthandhopeandambitionintoagraywasteofineffectualsubmissivelabor——notonlyofherlife，butofthousandsuponthousandslikeher——itallroseuplikeafloodinthegirl’shotyoungheart。
Rosshadturnedtoher——washoldingouthisarmstoher。\"Youwon’tgo，mydarling！\"hesaid。
\"IamgoingWednesdayonthe7。10，\"saidDiantha。
WHATDIANTHADID
CHAPTERIV。
ACRYINGNEED
\"Lovestthoume？\"saidtheFairLadye;
AndtheLoverhesaid，\"Yea！\"
\"Thenclimbthistree——formysake，\"saidshe，\"Andclimbiteveryday！\"
SofromdawntilldarkheabrazedthebarkAndworehisclothesaway;
Till，\"Whathasthistreetodowiththee？\"
TheLoveratlastdidsay。
Itwasapoordinner。Coldinthefirstplace，becauseIsabelwouldwaittothoroughlywashherlongartistichands;andputonanotherdress。Shehatedthesmellofcookinginhergarments;hateditworseonherwhitefingers;andnowtolookatthegracefulerectfigure，theroundthroatwiththesilvernecklaceaboutit，thesoftsmoothhair，silver—filletted，thenegativebeautyofthedove—coloredgown，speciallydesignedforhomeevenings，onewouldneverdreamshehadsetthetablesowell——andcookedthesteaksoabominably。
Isabelwasneveracook。InthemanyservantlessgapsofdomesticlifeinOrchardina，therewasalwaysastrainedatmosphereinthePornehousehold。
\"Dear，\"saidMr。Porne，\"mightIpetitiontohavethesteaklesscooked？
Iknowyoudon’tliketodoit，sowhynotshortentheprocess？\"
\"I’msorry，\"sheanswered，\"Ialwaysforgetaboutthesteakfromonetimetothenext。\"
\"Yetwe’vehaditthreetimesthisweek，mydear。\"
\"Ithoughtyoulikeditbetterthananything，\"shewithmarkedgentleness。\"I’llgetyouotherthings——oftener。\"
\"It’sashameyoushouldhavethistodo，Isabel。Inevermeantyoushouldcookforme。IndeedIdidn’tdreamyoucaredsolittleaboutit。\"
\"AndIneverdreamedyoucaredsomuchaboutit，\"shereplied，stillwithrepression。\"I’mnotcomplaining，amI？I’monlysorryyoushouldbedisappointedinme。\"
\"It’snot_you，_deargirl！You’reallright！It’sjustthiseverlastingbother。Can’tyouget_anybody_thatwillstay？\"
Ican’tseemtogetanybodyonanyterms，sofar。I’mgoingagain，to—morrow。Cheerup，dear——thebabykeepswell——that’sthemainthing。\"
Hesatontherose—boweredporchandsmokedwhilesheclearedthetable。
Atfirsthehadtriedtohelpherontheseoccasions，buttheirmethodsweredissimilarandshefranklytoldhimshepreferredtodoitalone。
Sosheslippedoffthesilkandputontheginghamagain，washedthedisheswiththelaboredaccuracyofatrainedminddoingunfamiliarwork，madethebread，redressedatlast，andjoinedhimaboutnineo’clock。
\"It’stoolatetogoanywhere，Isuppose？\"heventured。
\"Yes——andI’mtootired。Besides——wecan’tleaveEddiealone。\"
\"Oyes——Iforget。Ofcoursewecan’t。\"
Hishandstoleouttotakehers。\"I_am_sorry，dear。It’sawfullyroughonyouwomenouthere。Howdotheyallstandit？\"
\"MostofthemstanditmuchbetterthanIdo，Ned。Youseetheydon’twanttobedoinganythingelse。\"
\"Yes。That’sthemischiefofit！\"heagreed;andshelookedathimintheclearmoonlight，wonderingexactlywhathethoughtthemischiefwas。
\"Shallwegoinandreadabit？\"heoffered;butshethoughtnot。
\"I’mtootired，I’mafraid。AndEddie’llwakeupassoonaswebegin。\"
Sotheysatawhileenjoyingthesoftsilence，andtherichflowerscentsaboutthem，tillEddiedidwakepresently，andIsabelwentupstairs。
Shesleptlittlethatnight，lyingquitestill，listeningtoherhusband’sregularbreathingsonearher，andthelightersoundfromthecrib。\"Iamaveryhappywoman，\"shetoldherselfresolutely;buttherewasnooutpouringsenseofloveandjoy。Sheknewshewashappy，butbynomeansfeltit。Soshestaredatthemoonshadowsandthoughtitover。
Shehadplannedthelittlehouseherself，withsuchlove，suchhope，suchtenderhappycare！Notherfirstwork，whichwonhighpraiseintheschoolinParis，nottheprize—winningplanforthelibrary，nowgracingOrchardina’sprettiestsquare，wasasdeartoherasthismostwomanlytask——themakingofahome。
Itwasthelibrarysuccesswhichbroughtherhere，freshfromherforeignstudies，andOrchardinaacceptedwithwesterncordialitytheyouthandbeautyoftheyoungarchitect，thoughabitsurprisedatfirstthat\"I。H。Wright\"wasanIsabel。Inherfurtherworkofoverseeingtheconstructionofthatlibrary，shehadmetEdgarPorne，oneofthenumerouseageryoungrealestatemenofthatregion，whoshowedaliberalenthusiasmforthegeneralcapacityofwomenintheprofessions，andamuchwarmerfeelingforthepersonalattractionsofthisone。
Togethertheychosethelotonpepper—shadedInezAvenue;togethertheywatchedtherisingoftheconcretewallsandplannedthegardenwalksandseats，andthetinypreciouspoolinthefarcorner。Hewassosympathetic！soadmiring！Hetookasmuchprideinthebig\"drawingroom\"onthethirdfloorasshedidherself。\"Architectureissuchfineworktodoathome！\"theyhadbothagreed。\"Hereyouhaveyournorthlight——yourbigtable——plentyofroomforwork！Youwillgrowfamouserandfamouser，\"hehadlovinglyinsisted。Andshehadanswered，\"IfearIshallbetoocontented，dear，towanttobefamous。\"
Thatwasonlysomeyearanda—halfago，——butIsabel，lyingtherebyhersleepinghusbandandsleepingchild，wasstarkawakeandonlybyassertionhappy。Shewasthinking，persistently，ofdust。Shelovedadelicatecleanliness。Herartwasapreciseone，herstudioaworkshopofwhitepaperandfinepointedhardpencils，herpaintingthemechanicalperfectionofanevenwashofcolor。Andshesaw，throughthefloorsandwallsandthedarkness，thedustinthelittleshadedparlor——twodays’dustatleast，andOrchardinaisverydusty！——dustinthedining—roomgatheredsinceyesterday——thedustinthekitchen——shewouldnotcounttimethere，andthedust——hereshecounteditinexorably——thedustofeightdaysinhergreat，lightworkroomupstairs。Eightdayssinceshehadfoundtimetogoupthere。