's graciousness.

Alice's reticence seemed to please the invalid. "I hope you'll like all
your old friends here; you've begun with the worst among us, but perhaps
you like him the best because he is the worst; I do."

"You may believe just half of that, Alice," cried Dan.

"Then believe the best half, or the half you like best," said Mrs.
Mavering. "There must be something good in him if you like him. Have
they welcomed you home, my dear?"

"We've all made a stagger at it," said Dan, while Alice was faltering
over the words which were so slow to come.

"Don't try to answer my formal stupidities. You are welcome, and that's
enough, and more than enough of speeches. Did you have a comfortable
journey up?"

"Oh, very."

"Was it cold?"

"Not at all. The cars were very hot."

"Have you had any snow yet at Boston?"

"No, none at all yet."

"Now I feel that we're talking sense. I hope you found everything in
your room? I can't look after things as I would like, and so I inquire."

"There's everything," said Alice. "We're very comfortable."

"I'm very glad. I had Dan look, he's my housekeeper; he understands me
better than my girls; he's like me, more. That's what makes us so fond
of each other; it's a kind of personal vanity. But he has his good
points, Dan has. He's very amiable, and I was too, at his age--and till
I came here. But I'm not going to tell you of his good points; I dare
say you've found them out. I'll tell you about his bad ones. He says
you're very serious. Are you?" She pressed the girl's hand, which she
had kept in hers, and regarded her keenly.

Alice dropped her eyes at the odd question. "I don't know," she
faltered. "Sometimes."

"Well, that's good. Dan's frivolous."

"Oh, sometimes--only sometimes!" he interposed.

"He's frivolous, and he's very light-minded; but he's none the worse for
that."

"Oh, thank you," said Dan; and Alice, still puzzled, laughed
provisionally.

"No; I want you to understand that. He's light-hearted too, and that's
a great thing in this world. If you're serious you'll be apt to be
heavyhearted, and then you'll find Dan of use. And I hope he'll know
how, to turn your seriousness to account too, he needs something to keep
him down--to keep him from blowing away. Yes, it's very well for people
to be opposites. Only they must understand each other, If they do that,
then they get along. Light-heartedness or heavy-heartedness comes to the
same thing if they kno