"How do you get _back_? That's the mystery!" said Mr. Atwater. "You're
always walkin' down street and never up. You know my wife's never been
too strong a woman, Noble, and all this isn't doing her any good.
Besides, we sort of figured out that you ought really to be at Julia's
dance this evening."
"I am," said Noble nervously. "I mean that's where I'm going. I'm going
there. I'm going there."
"That's what's upsetting us so!" the fat man exclaimed. "You keep on
going there! Just when we've decided you must _be_ there, at last, here
you come, going there again. Well, don't let me detain you. But if you
do decide to go in, some time, Noble, I'm afraid you aren't going to be
able to do much dancing."
Noble, who had begun to walk on, halted in sudden panic. Did this
sinister fear of Mr. Atwater's mean that, as an uncle, he had heard
Julia was suddenly ill?
"Why won't I?" he asked quickly. "Is anything----"
"Your poor feet!" said Mr. Atwater, withdrawing. "Good-night, Noble."
The youth went on, somewhat disturbed; it seemed to him that this uncle,
though Julia's, was either going queer in the head or had chosen a poor
occasion to be facetious. Next time, probably, it would be better to
walk round the block below this. But it was no longer advisable to walk
round any block. When he came to the happy gateway, the tuning of
instruments and a fanfare of voices sounded from within the house; girls
in light wraps were fluttering through the hall with young men; it was
"time for the party!" And Noble went in.
Throughout the accomplishment of the entrance he made, his outside and
his inside were directly contradictory. His inside was almost
fluttering: there might have been a nest of nervous young birds in his
chest; but as he went upstairs to the "gentlemen's dressing-room," to
leave his hat and stick, this flopping and scrambling within him was
never to be guessed from his outside. His outside was unsympathetic,
even stately; he greeted his fellow guests with negligent hauteur, while
his glance seemed to say: "Only peasantry here!"