  We examine spectra of the Ca II H line, obtained under good seeing conditions
with the VTT Echelle Spectrograph in June of 2007, and higher resolution data
of the Ca II 8542 Angstrom line from Fabry-Perot instruments. The VTT targets
were areas near disk center which included quiet Sun and some dispersed plage.
The infrared data included quiet Sun and plage associated with small pores.
Bright chromospheric network emission patches expand little with wavelength
from line wing to line center, i.e. with increasing line opacity and height. We
argue that this simple observation has implications for the force and energy
balance of the chromosphere, since bright chromospheric network emission is
traditionally associated with enhanced local mechanical heating which increases
temperatures and pressures. Simple physical considerations then suggest that
the network chromosphere may not be able to reach horizontal force balance with
its surroundings, yet the network is a long-lived structure. We speculate on
possible reasons for the observed behavior. By drawing attention to a potential
conundrum, we hope to contribute to a better understanding of a long-standing
unsolved problem: the heating of the chromospheric network.
