Alice Adams by Booth Tarkington

Author:Booth Tarkington
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, azw3
Tags: Classics, Family, Azizex666, Pulitzer
ISBN: 9781595474544
Publisher: NuVision Publications
Published: 2010-05-05T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XIV

There shone a jovial sun overhead on the appointed “day after to-morrow”; a day not cool yet of a temperature friendly to walkers; and the air, powdered with sunshine, had so much life in it that it seemed to sparkle. To Arthur Russell this was a day like a gay companion who pleased him well; but the gay companion at his side pleased him even better. She looked her prettiest, chattered her wittiest, smiled her wistfulest, and delighted him with all together.

“You look so happy it’s easy to see your father’s taken a good turn,” he told her.

“Yes; he has this afternoon, at least,” she said. “I might have other reasons for looking cheerful, though.”

“For instance?”

“Exactly!” she said, giving him a sweet look just enough mocked by her laughter. “For instance!”

“Well, go on,” he begged.

“Isn’t it expected?” she asked.

“Of you, you mean?”

“No,” she returned. “For you, I mean!”

In this style, which uses a word for any meaning that quick look and colourful gesture care to endow it with, she was an expert; and she carried it merrily on, leaving him at liberty (one of the great values of the style) to choose as he would how much or how little she meant. He was content to supply mere cues, for although he had little coquetry of his own, he had lately begun to find that the only interesting moments in his life were those during which Alice Adams coquetted with him. Happily, these obliging moments extended themselves to cover all the time he spent with her. However serious she might seem, whatever appeared to be her topic, all was thou-and-I.

He planned for more of it, seeing otherwise a dull evening ahead; and reverted, afterwhile, to a forbidden subject. “About that dance at Miss Lamb’s —since your father’s so much better–-“

She flushed a little. “Now, now!” she chided him. “We agreed not to say any more about that.”

“Yes, but since he IS better–-“

Alice shook her head. “He won’t be better to-morrow. He always has a bad day after a good one especially after such a good one as this is.”

“But if this time it should be different,” Russell persisted; “wouldn’t you be willing to come if he’s better by to-morrow evening? Why not wait and decide at the last minute?”

She waved her hands airily. “What a pother!” she cried. “What does it matter whether poor little Alice Adams goes to a dance or not?”

“Well, I thought I’d made it clear that it looks fairly bleak to me if you don’t go.”

“Oh, yes!” she jeered.

“It’s the simple truth,” he insisted. “I don’t care a great deal about dances these days; and if you aren’t going to be there–-“

“You could stay away,” she suggested. “You wouldn’t!”

“Unfortunately, I can’t. I’m afraid I’m supposed to be the excuse. Miss Lamb, in her capacity as a friend of my relatives–-“

“Oh, she’s giving it for YOU! I see! On Mildred’s account you mean?”

At that his face showed an increase of colour. “I suppose just on account

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