第16章

Ihave，’hesaid。Ihavepaintedhermanytimes。Infact，IhavepaintedhersooftenthatsheoncedeclareditwasonlythetiltofherchinandtheturnofherheadthatIloved——topaint，’hesaidmerrily，enjoyingBilly’sprettyconfusion，andnotrealizingthathiswordsreallydistressedher。Ihaveawholestudiofullof`Billys’athome。’

Oh，haveyou，really？’questionedMissWinthrop，eagerly。Thenmayn’tIseethem？

Mayn’tI，please，Mrs。Henshaw？I’dsoloveto!’

Why，ofcourseyoumay，’murmuredboththeartistandhiswife。

Thankyou。ThenI’mcomingrightaway。

MayI？I’mgoingtoWashingtonnextweek，yousee。Willyouletmecometo-morrowat——

athalf-pastthree，then？Willitbequiteconvenientforyou，Mrs。Henshaw？’

Quiteconvenient。Ishallbegladtoseeyou，’smiledBilly。AndBertramechoedhiswife’scordialpermission。

Thankyou。ThenI’llbethereathalf-pastthree，’noddedMissWinthrop，withasmile，assheturnedtogiveplacetoanadmiringgroup，whowerewaitingtopaytheirrespectstotheartistandhiswife。

Therewas，afterall，thatevening，oneflyinBilly’sointment。

Itflutteredinatthebehestofanoldacquaintance——oneoftheadvicewomen，’asBillytermedsomeofhertoointerestedfriends。

Well，they’relovely，perfectlylovely，ofcourse，Mrs。Henshaw，’saidthislady，cominguptosaygood-night。But，allthesamee{sic}，I’mgladmyhusbandisjustaplainlawyer。Lookout，mydear，thatwhileMr。Henshawisstealingallthoseprettyfacesforhiscanvases——justlookoutthatthefairladiesdon’tturnaroundandstealhisheartbeforeyouknowit。Dearme，butyoumustbesoproudofhim!’

Iam，’smiledBilly，serenely；andonlythejaggedsplitthatrentthegloveonherhand，atthatmoment，toldofthefierceangerbehindthatsmile。

AsifIcouldn’ttrustBertram!’ragedBillypassionatelytoherself，stealingasurreptitiousglanceatherruinedglove。Andasifthereweren’teveranyperfectlyhappymarriages——

evenifyoudon’teverhearofthem，orreadofthem!’

BertramwasnothometoluncheononthedayfollowingtheopeningnightoftheBohemianTenClub。Amatterofbusinesscalledhimawayfromthehouseearlyinthemorning；buthetoldhiswifethathesurelywouldbeonhandforMissWinthrop’scallathalf-pastthreeo’clockthatafternoon。

Yes，do，’Billyhadurged。Ithinkshe’slovely，butyouknowhersomuchbetterthanI

dothatIwantyouhere。Besides，youneedn’tthink_I’m_goingtoshowherallthoseBillysofyours。Imaybevain，butI’mnotquitevainenoughforthat，sir!’

Don’tworry，’herhusbandhadlaughed。

I’llbehere。’

Asitchanced，however，somethingoccurredanhourbeforehalf-pastthreeo’clockthatdroveeverythoughtofMissWinthrop’scallfromBilly’shead。

Forthreedays，now，PetehadbeenatthehomeofhisnieceinSouthBoston。Hehadbeenforced，finally，togiveupandgoaway。Newsfromhimthedaybeforehadbeenanythingbutreassuring，andto-day，Bertrambeinggone，BillyhadsuggestedthatElizaserveasimpleluncheonandgoimmediatelyafterwardtoSouthBostontoseehowherunclewas。ThissuggestionElizahadfollowed，leavingthehouseatoneo’clock。

ShortlyaftertwoCalderwellhaddroppedintobringBertram，asheexpressedit，abunchofbouquetshehadgatheredatthepictureshowthenightbefore。Hewasstillinthedrawing-

room，chattingwithBilly，whenthetelephonebellrang。

Ifthat’sBertram，tellhimtocomehome；

he’sgotcompany，’laughedCalderwell，asBillypassedintothehall。

AmomentlaterheheardBillygiveastartledcry，followedbyafewbrokenwordsatshortintervals。Then，beforehecouldsurmisewhathadhappened，shewasbackinthedrawing-roomagain，hereyesfulloftears。

It’sPete，’shechoked。Elizasayshecan’tlivebutafewminutes。Hewantstoseemeoncemore。WhatshallIdo？John’sgotPeggyoutwithAuntHannahandMrs。Greggory。Itwassoniceto-dayImadethemgo。ButImustgettheresomeway——Peteiscallingforme。UncleWilliamisgoing，andItoldElizawhereshemightreachBertram；butwhatshall_I_do？HowshallIgo？’

Calderwellwasonhisfeetatonce。

I’llgetataxi。Don’tworry——we’llgetthere。Pooroldsoul——ofcoursehewantstoseeyou!Getonyourthings。I’llhaveithereinnotime，’hefinished，hurryingtothetelephone。

Oh，Hugh，I’msogladI’vegot_you_here，’

sobbedBilly，stumblingblindlytowardthestairway。I’llbereadyintwominutes。’

Andshewas；butneitherthen，noralittlelaterwhensheandCalderwelldrovehurriedlyawayfromthehouse，didBillyoncerememberthatMissMargueriteWinthropwascomingtocallthatafternoontoseeMrs。BertramHenshawandaroomfulofBillypictures。

PetewasstillalivewhenCalderwellleftBillyatthedoorofthemodestlittlehomewhereEliza’smotherlived。

Yes，you’reintime，ma’am，’sobbedEliza；

and，oh，I’msogladyou’vecome。He’sbeenaskin’andaskin’forye。’

FromElizaBillylearnedthenthatMr。Williamwasthere，butnotMr。Bertram。TheyhadnotbeenabletoreachMr。Bertram，orMr。Cyril。

BillyneverforgotthelookofreverentadorationthatcameintoPete’seyesassheenteredtheroomwherehelay。

MissBilly——myMissBilly!Youweresogood-tocome，’hewhisperedfaintly。

Billychokedbackasob。

OfcourseI’dcome，Pete，’shesaidgently，takingoneofthethin，wornhandsintobothhersoftones。

ItwasmorethanafewminutesthatPetelived。

Fouro’clockcame，andfive，andhewasstillwiththem。Oftenheopenedhiseyesandsmiled。

SometimeshespokealowwordtoWilliamorBilly，ortooneoftheweepingwomenatthefootofthebed。Thatthepresenceofhisbelovedmasterandmistressmeantmuchtohimwasplaintobeseen。

I’msosorry，’hefalteredonce，aboutthatprettydress——Ispoiled，MissBilly。Butyouknow——myhands——’

Iknow，Iknow，’soothedBilly；butdon’tworry。Itwasn’tspoiled，Pete。It’sallfixednow。’

Oh，I’msoglad，’sighedthesickman。AfteranotherlongintervalofsilenceheturnedtoWilliam。

Themsocks——themediumthinones——you’doughterbeputtin’’emonsoon，sir，now。They’reintheright-handcornerofthebottomdrawer——

youknow。’

Yes，Pete；I’llattendtoit，’Williammanagedtostammer，afterhehadclearedhisthroat。

Eliza’sturncamenext。

Rememberaboutthecoffee，’Petesaidtoher，——thewayMr。Williamlikesit。Andalwayseggs，youknow，for——for——’Hisvoicetrailedintoanindistinctmurmur，andhiseyelidsdroopedwearily。

Onebyonetheminutespassed。Thedoctorcameandwent：therewasnothinghecoulddo。

Athalf-pastfivethethinoldfacebecameagainalightwithconsciousness。Therewasagood-bymessageforBertram，andoneforCyril。AuntHannahwasremembered，andevenlittleTommyDunn。Then，gradually，agrayshadowcreptoverthewastedfeatures。Thewordscamemorebrokenly。Themind，plainly，waswandering，foroldPetewasyoungagain，andaroundhimweretheladsheloved，William，Cyril，andBertram。Andthen，veryquietly，soonaftertheclockstrucksix，Petefellintothebeginningofhislongsleep。

E

Itwasalittleafterhalf-pastthreeo’clockthatafternoonwhenBertramHenshawhurriedupBeaconStreettowardhishome。Hehadbeendelayed，andhefearedthatMissWinthropwouldalreadyhavereachedthehouse。MindfulofwhatBillyhadsaidthatmorning，heknewhowhiswifewouldfretifhewerenottherewhentheguestarrived。ThesightofwhathesurmisedtobeMissWinthrop’slimousinebeforehisdoorhastenedhisstepsstillmore。Butashereachedthehouse，hewassurprisedtofindMissWinthropherselfturningawayfromthedoor。

Why，MissWinthrop，’hecried，you’renotgoing_now!_Youcan’thavebeenhereany——yet!’

Well，no，I——Ihaven’t，’retortedthelady，withheightenedcolorandasomewhatpeculiaremphasis。Myringwasn’tanswered。’

Wasn’tanswered!’Bertramreddenedangrily。Why，whatcanthatmean？Where’sthemaid？Where’smywife？Mrs。Henshawmustbehere!Shewasexpectingyou。’

Bertram，inhisannoyedamazement，spokeloudly，vehemently。Hencehewasquiteplainlyheardbythegroupofsmallboysandgirlswhohadbeenimprovingthemildweatherforafroliconthesidewalk，andwhohadbeenattractedtohisdooramomentbeforebytheshiningmagnetoftheWinthroplimousinewithitsresplendentlyliveriedchauffeur。AsBertramspoke，oneofthesmallgirls，BessieBailey，steppedforwardandpipedupashrillreply。

Sheain’t，Mr。Henshaw!Sheain’there。

Isawhergoawayjustalittlewhileago。’

Bertramturnedsharply。

Yousawhergoaway!Whatdoyoumean？’

SmallBessieswelledwithimportance。Bessiewasthirteen，inspiteofherdiminutiveheight。

Bessie’smotherwasdead，andBessie’scaretakersweregossipingnursesandservants，whofrequentlyleftinherwaybooksthatweremuchtoooldforBessietoread——butshereadthem。

Imeansheain’there——yourwife，Mr。Henshaw。

Shewentaway。Isawher。Iguesslikelyshe’seloped，sir。’

Eloped!’

Bessieswelledstillmoreimportantly。Toherexperiencedeyesthesituationcontainedallthenecessaryelementsforthecustomaryflightoftheheroineinherstory-books，ashere，now，wastheirate，desertedhusband。

Sure!And’twasjustbeforeyoucame——

quiteawhilebefore。Abigshinyblackautomobilelikethisdroveup——onlyitwasn’tquitesuchaniceone——an’Mrs。Henshawan’amancameoutofyourhousean’gotin，an’droverightaway_quick!_Theyjustrantogetintoit，too——didn’tthey？’Sheappealedtoheryoungmatesgroupedabouther。

AchorusofshrillexclamationsbroughtMr。

BertramHenshawsuddenlytohissenses。Byadesperateefforthehidhisangryannoyanceasheturnedtothemanifestlyembarrassedyoungwomanwhowasalreadydescendingthesteps。

MydearMissWinthrop，’heapologizedcontritely，I’msureyou’llforgivethisseeminggreatrudenessonthepartofmywife。Notwithstandingtheluridtalesofouryoungfriendshere，IsuspectnothingmoreserioushashappenedthanthatmywifehasbeenhastilysummonedtoAuntHannah，perhaps。Or，ofcourse，shemaynothaveunderstoodthatyouwerecomingto-dayathalf-pastthree——thoughIthoughtshedid。

ButI’msosorry——whenyouweresokindastocome——’MissWinthropinterruptedwithaquickgesture。

Saynomore，Ibegofyou，’sheentreated。

Mrs。Henshawisquiteexcusable，I’msure。

Pleasedon’tgiveitanotherthought，’shefinished，aswithahurrieddirectiontothemanwhowasholdingopenthedoorofhercar，shesteppedinsideandbowedhergood-byes。

Bertram，withsternself-control，forcedhimselftowalknonchalantlyuphissteps，leisurelytakeouthiskey，andopenhisdoor，undertheinterestedeyesofBessieBaileyandherfriends；

butoncebeyondtheirhatefulstare，hisdemeanorunderwentacompletechange。Throwingasidehishatandcoat，hestrodetothetelephone。

Oh，isthatyou，AuntHannah？’hecalledcrisply，amomentlater。Well，ifBilly’stherewillyoutellherIwanttospeaktoher，please？’

Billy？’answeredAuntHannah’sslow，gentletones。Why，mydearboy，Billyisn’there!’

Sheisn’t？Well，whendidsheleave？She’sbeenthere，hasn’tshe？’

Why，Idon’tthinkso，butI’llsee，ifyoulike。Mrs。GreggoryandIhavejustthisminutecomeinfromanautomobileride。Wewouldhavestayedlonger，butitbegantogetchilly，andIforgottotakeoneoftheshawlsthatI’dlaidout。’

Yes；well，ifyouwillsee，please，ifBillyhasbeenthere，andwhensheleft，’saidBertram，withgrimself-control。

Allright。I’llsee，’murmuredAuntHannah。

Inafewmomentshervoiceagainsoundedacrossthewires。Why，no，Bertram，Rosasaysshehasn’tbeenheresinceyesterday。Isn’tshetheresomewhereaboutthehouse？Didn’tyouknowwhereshewasgoing？’

Well，no，Ididn’t——elseIshouldn’thavebeenaskingyou，’snappedtheirateBertramandhungupthereceiverwithmostrudehaste，therebycuttingoffanastoundedOh，mygriefandconscience!’inthemiddleofit。

ThenexttenminutesBertramspentingoingthroughthewholehouse，fromgarrettobasement。

Needlesstosay，hefoundnothingtoenlightenhim，ortosoothehistemper。Fouro’clockcame，thenhalf-past，andfive。AtfiveBertrambegantolookforEliza，butinvain。

Athalf-pastfivehewatchedforWilliam；butWilliam，too，didnotcome。

Bertramwaspacingthefloornow，nervously。

Hewasalittlefrightened，butmoremortifiedandangry。ThatBillyshouldhaveallowedMissWinthroptocallbyappointmentonlytofindnohostess，nomessage，nomaid，even，toanswerherring——itwasinexcusable!Impulsiveness，unconventionality，andgirlishirresponsibilitywereallverydelightful，ofcourse——attimes；butnotnow，certainly。Billywasnotagirlanylonger。Shewasamarriedwoman。_Something_

wasduetohim，herhusband!Aprettypicturehemusthavemadeonthosesteps，tryingtoapologizeforatruantwife，andtolaughoffthatabsurdBessieBailey’spreposterousassertionatthesametime!WhatwouldMissWinthropthink？Whatcouldshethink？Bertramfairlygroundhisteethwithchagrin，atthesituationinwhichhefoundhimself。

NorweremattershelpedanybythefactthatBertramwashungry。Bertram’sluncheonhadbeenmeagerandunsatisfying。Thatthekitchendown-stairsstillremainedinsilent，spotlessorderinsteadofbeingastirwiththesoundsandsmellsofagooddinner(asitshouldhavebeen)didnotimprovehistemper。WhereBillywashecouldnotimagine。Hethought，onceortwice，ofcallingupsomeofherfriends；butsomethingheldhimbackfromthat——thoughhedidtrytogetMarie，knowingverywellthatshewasprobablyovertothenewhouseandwouldnotanswer。