Mrs. Adams smiled, pathetically. "Of course you
think it's nonsense, dearie. Young people think
everything's nonsense that they don't know anything
about."

"Good gracious!" Alice cried. "I should think
I used to hear enough ajbout that horrible old glue
factory to know something about it!"

"No," her mother returned patiently. "YouVe
never heard anything about it at all."



ALICE ADAMS 171

'*I haven't?"

"No. Your father and I didn't discuss it before
you children. All you ever heard was when he'd get
in such a rage, after we'd been speaking of it, that he
couldn't control himself when you came in. Wasn't I
always quiet? Did I ever go on talking about it? "

"No; perhaps not. But you're talking about it
now, mama> after you promised never to mention it
again."

"I promised not to mention it to your father,"
said Mrs. Adams, gently. "I haven't mentioned it
to him, have I?"

"Ah, but if you mention it to me I'm afraid you
will mention it to him. You always do speak of
things that you have on your mind, and you might

get papa all stirred up again about "Alice paused,

a light oi divination flickering in her eyes, "Oh!"
she cried. "I see !^*

"What do you see?"

**You have been at him about it!"

"Not one single word!"

"No!" Alice cried. "Not a wordy but that's what
you've meant all along! You haven't spoken the
words to him, but all this urging him to change, to
*find something better to go into' — ^it's all been about



172 ALICE ADAMS

nothing on earth but your foolish old glue factory
that you know upsets him, and you gave your
solemn word never to speak to him about again!
You didn't say it, but you meant it — ^and he knows
that's what you meant! Oh, mama!"

Mrs. Adams, with her hands still automatically at
work in the flooded dishpan, turned to face her
daughter. *' Alice," she said, tremulously, ""what
do I ask for myself? "

"What?"

"I say. 