Summary
Alice walks home with Arthur Russell, Mildred's supposed fiancé, after their chance encounter downtown. Despite knowing he's 'taken,' Alice can't resist deploying her full arsenal of charm—witty banter, playful mind-reading, and strategic vulnerability. She spins elaborate lies about Walter's gambling (claiming he's researching 'darky stories' for future writing), while Russell seems increasingly captivated by her spontaneity and warmth. Their conversation reveals Alice's sharp social intelligence: she understands exactly how different she is from the reserved, proper Mildred, and she uses this contrast to her advantage. Russell responds with obvious delight to Alice's theatrical gestures, her mock-Spanish dancing, and her frank admissions about female social games. The flirtation builds as Alice quotes Juliet's balcony scene, creating an intimate moment that both thrills and alarms Russell. When he asks to come in, Alice plays it perfectly—saying no but leaving the door open for future visits. The moment he leaves, Alice's performance drops entirely. She becomes the 'simple and sometimes troubled girl her family knew,' suggesting the exhausting nature of maintaining such elaborate social facades. Her final comment to her mother—that Russell 'didn't seem so much like an engaged man'—reveals both her growing interest and her dangerous willingness to pursue unavailable men.
Coming Up in Chapter 11
Alice retreats to her room and her three-way mirror, where she always goes when she needs to think. What she sees reflected back might force her to confront some uncomfortable truths about the performance she just gave—and what it might cost her.
Share it with friends
An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
N her pocket as she spoke her hand rested upon the little sack of tobacco, which responded accusingly to the touch of her restless fingers; and she found time to wonder why she was building up this fiction for Mr. Arthur Russell. His discovery of Walter's device for whiling away the dull evening had shamed and distressed her; but she would have suffered no less if almost any other had been the discoverer. In this gentleman, after hearing that he was Mildred's Mr. Arthur Russell, Alice felt not the slightest “personal interest”; and there was yet to develop in her life such a thing as an interest not personal. At twenty-two this state of affairs is not unique. So far as Alice was concerned Russell might have worn a placard, “Engaged.” She looked upon him as diners entering a restaurant look upon tables marked “Reserved”: the glance, slightly discontented, passes on at once. Or so the eye of a prospector wanders querulously over staked and established claims on the mountainside, and seeks the virgin land beyond; unless, indeed, the prospector be dishonest. But Alice was no claim-jumper--so long as the notice of ownership was plainly posted. Though she was indifferent now, habit ruled her: and, at the very time she wondered why she created fictitious cigars for her father, she was also regretting that she had not boldly carried her Malacca stick down-town with her. Her vivacity increased automatically. “Perhaps the clerk thought you wanted the cigars for yourself,” Russell suggested. “He may have taken you for a Spanish countess.” “I'm sure he did!” Alice agreed, gaily; and she hummed a bar or two of “LaPaloma,” snapping her fingers as castanets, and swaying her body a little, to suggest the accepted stencil of a “Spanish Dancer.” “Would you have taken me for one, Mr. Russell?” she asked, as she concluded the impersonation. “I? Why, yes,” he said. “I'D take you for anything you wanted me to.” “Why, what a speech!” she cried, and, laughing, gave him a quick glance in which there glimmered some real surprise. He was looking at her quizzically, but with the liveliest appreciation. Her surprise increased; and she was glad that he had joined her. To be seen walking with such a companion added to her pleasure. She would have described him as “altogether quite stunning-looking”; and she liked his tall, dark thinness, his gray clothes, his soft hat, and his clean brown shoes; she liked his easy swing of the stick he carried. “Shouldn't I have said it?” he asked. “Would you rather not be taken for a Spanish countess?” “That isn't it,” she explained. “You said----” “I said I'd take you for whatever you wanted me to. Isn't that all right?” “It would all depend, wouldn't it?” “Of course it would depend on what you wanted.” “Oh, no!” she laughed. “It might depend on a lot of things.” “Such as?” “Well----” She hesitated, having the mischievous impulse to say, “Such as Mildred!” But she...
Master this chapter. Complete your experience
Purchase the complete book to access all chapters and support classic literature
As an Amazon Associate, we earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
Available in paperback, hardcover, and e-book formats
Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Strategic Authenticity - When Being Real Becomes Performance
Using genuine parts of yourself as calculated tools to achieve social or emotional goals, creating connection that's real but not honest.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to recognize when someone's realness feels calculated—and when you're doing it yourself.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when someone's vulnerability or spontaneity seems perfectly timed to get something from you, and trust that instinct.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
claim-jumper
In mining, someone who illegally takes over another person's staked mining claim. Tarkington uses this as a metaphor for women who pursue men who are already taken or engaged.
Modern Usage:
We'd call this being a 'homewrecker' or someone who 'goes after taken men' - the woman who slides into a married man's DMs.
Malacca stick
A fashionable walking stick made from Malacca cane, popular among well-dressed people in the early 1900s. It was a status symbol that showed sophistication and style.
Modern Usage:
Today's equivalent would be carrying designer accessories or wearing expensive sneakers - items that signal your social status.
vivacity
Lively, animated behavior - being sparkly, energetic, and charming in social situations. Alice turns this on and off like a switch depending on her audience.
Modern Usage:
This is like someone who becomes super bubbly and animated on social media or at parties, but is totally different in private.
darky stories
A racist term from the 1920s referring to stories featuring Black characters, often told in dialect and usually stereotypical. Alice uses this as a cover story for Walter's gambling.
Modern Usage:
This reflects how people in that era casually used racist language that would be completely unacceptable today.
reserved table
A table in a restaurant that's already been claimed by someone else. Alice compares engaged men to reserved tables - off-limits but still tempting to look at.
Modern Usage:
Like seeing someone attractive but noticing their wedding ring, or crushing on someone who's clearly in a relationship on Instagram.
personal interest
In Alice's world, this means romantic interest. The narrator notes that Alice doesn't yet understand having interests that aren't about potential romance or personal gain.
Modern Usage:
This is like someone who can't be friends with people without wondering 'what's in it for me' - everything is about dating or networking.
Characters in This Chapter
Alice Adams
protagonist
Alice deploys her full charm arsenal on Russell despite knowing he's engaged to Mildred. She lies expertly about Walter's gambling, flirts shamelessly, and reveals her exhausting need to perform constantly in social situations.
Modern Equivalent:
The girl who turns on maximum charm around any attractive guy, even taken ones
Arthur Russell
love interest
Russell responds with obvious delight to Alice's spontaneous charm and theatrical behavior, contrasting her warmth with Mildred's reserved nature. He's clearly smitten despite his supposed engagement.
Modern Equivalent:
The guy who's 'committed' but gets swept up by someone more exciting
Walter Adams
Alice's brother
Though not physically present, Walter's gambling problem drives Alice's elaborate lies. She transforms his shameful behavior into a respectable story about researching 'darky stories' for future writing.
Modern Equivalent:
The family member whose problems you have to constantly cover for and make excuses about
Mildred
romantic rival
Though absent from this scene, Mildred represents everything Alice isn't - proper, reserved, and socially secure. Alice uses their differences strategically to stand out.
Modern Equivalent:
The 'perfect' girlfriend who makes you feel like you have to be extra to compete
Key Quotes & Analysis
"But Alice was no claim-jumper--so long as the notice of ownership was plainly posted."
Context: Describing how Alice views Russell as off-limits because he's engaged to Mildred
This reveals Alice's moral flexibility - she won't pursue taken men only when their unavailability is crystal clear. It foreshadows that she might bend this rule if the situation becomes ambiguous.
In Today's Words:
Alice won't go after guys in relationships - as long as it's totally obvious they're taken.
"Her vivacity increased automatically."
Context: Alice turns up her charm despite wondering why she's lying for Walter
This shows how Alice's social performance is almost involuntary - she can't help but become more animated around men, even when she's not consciously trying to attract them.
In Today's Words:
She automatically got more bubbly and flirty without even thinking about it.
"He didn't seem so much like an engaged man."
Context: Alice's final comment to her mother after Russell leaves
This reveals Alice's dangerous rationalization - she's already convincing herself that Russell might be available. It shows how she interprets his interest in her as evidence that his engagement isn't solid.
In Today's Words:
He didn't act like someone who was really committed to his girlfriend.
Thematic Threads
Performance
In This Chapter
Alice's charm offensive with Russell requires constant calibration—she's performing authenticity, which is more exhausting than simple acting
Development
Evolved from earlier social performances to this more sophisticated emotional labor
In Your Life:
You might recognize this in how differently you act with your boss versus your family, both versions real but strategically chosen.
Class
In This Chapter
Alice positions herself as the exciting alternative to Mildred's proper reserve, using her different class background as an asset rather than liability
Development
Shifted from shame about class differences to weaponizing them as charm
In Your Life:
You might find yourself emphasizing your 'realness' or work ethic when around people from different backgrounds.
Deception
In This Chapter
Alice lies about Walter's gambling but frames it as protecting family dignity, showing how people justify deception through noble motives
Development
Her lies are becoming more elaborate and self-justifying
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when you tell yourself a lie is 'protecting' someone when it's really protecting yourself.
Identity
In This Chapter
Alice becomes 'the simple and sometimes troubled girl her family knew' the moment Russell leaves, showing the gap between public and private self
Development
The split between performed and authentic Alice is widening
In Your Life:
You might feel this exhaustion after social events where you had to be 'on' all evening.
Desire
In This Chapter
Alice pursues Russell despite knowing he's engaged, showing how want can override moral boundaries when justified through emotion
Development
Her romantic desires are becoming more reckless and self-justifying
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when you find yourself making exceptions to your own rules because 'this situation is different.'
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What specific techniques does Alice use to charm Russell during their walk, and how does she position herself as different from Mildred?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does Alice immediately drop her performance the moment Russell leaves? What does this reveal about the cost of her social strategy?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see people using 'strategic authenticity' today—being genuinely themselves but carefully choosing which authentic parts to show?
application • medium - 4
How would you handle being attracted to someone who's supposedly unavailable? What are the risks Alice is taking here?
application • deep - 5
What does Alice's exhaustion after Russell leaves teach us about the difference between performing and just being yourself?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Own Strategic Authenticity
Think about a situation where you've shown carefully chosen parts of your real self to get something you wanted—a job, friendship, romantic interest, or family approval. Write down what authentic qualities you emphasized, what you downplayed, and how it felt to maintain that performance. No judgment—we all do this.
Consider:
- •What was your goal in that situation?
- •How much energy did it take to maintain that version of yourself?
- •Did you achieve what you wanted, and at what cost?
Journaling Prompt
Write about a relationship or situation where you can be completely, messily authentic without calculation. What makes that space safe? How can you create more of those spaces in your life?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 11: The Mirror's Truth
As the story unfolds, you'll explore we create false versions of ourselves to win approval, while uncovering family secrets and buried opportunities create ongoing tension. These lessons connect the classic to contemporary challenges we all face.