第4章
"AndnowI’mreadytoseemyfriends，"sheannounced.
"AndIthinkyourfriendswillbereadytoseeyou，"Bertramassuredher.
Andtheywere——atleast，soitappeared.ForatoncethelittlehouseperchedonthehillsidebecametheMeccaformanyoftheHenshaws’friendswhohadknownBillyasWilliam’smerry，eighteen—
year—oldnamesake.Therewereothers，too，whomBillyhadmetabroad;andthereweresoft—stepping，sweet—facedoldwomenandanoccasionalwhite—whiskeredoldman——AuntHannah’sfriends——whofoundthattheyoungmistressofHillsidewasacharminghostess.
TherewerealsotheHenshaw"boys，"andtherewasalwaysCalderwell——atleast，soBertramdeclaredtohimselfsometimes.
Bertramcamefrequentlytothelittlehouseonthehill，evenmorefrequentlythanWilliam;butCyrilwasnotseentheresooften.Hecameonceatfirst，itistrue，andfollowedBillyfromroomtoroomassheproudlydisplayedhernewhome.Heshowedpoliteinterestinherview，andaperfunctoryenjoymentoftheteashepreparedforhim.Buthedidnotcomeagainforsometime，andwhenhedidcome，hesatstifflysilent，whilehisbrothersdidmostofthetalking.
AstoCalderwell——Calderwellseemedsuddenlytohavelosthisinterestinimpenetrableforestsandunclimbablemountains.
NothingmoreintricatethanthelongBeaconStreetboulevard，ormoreinaccessiblethanCoreyHillseemedworthexploring，apparently.AccordingtoCalderwell’sownversionofit，hehad"settleddown";hewasgoingto"besomethingthatwassomething."
AndhedidspendsundryofhismorninghoursinaBostonlawofficewithponderous，calf—boundvolumesspreadinimposingarrayonthedeskbeforehim.Otherhours——manyhours——hespentwithBilly.
Oneday，verysoon，infact，aftershearrivedinBoston，BillyaskedCalderwellabouttheHenshaws.
"Tellmeaboutthem，"shesaid."Tellmewhattheyhavebeendoingalltheseyears."
"Tellyouaboutthem！Why，don’tyouknow？"
Sheshookherhead.
"No.Cyrilsaysnothing.Williamlittlemore——aboutthemselves;
andyouknowwhatBertramis.Onecanhardlyseparatesensefromnonsensewithhim."
"Youdon’tknow，then，howsplendidlyBertramhasdonewithhisart？"
"No;onlyfromthemostcasualhearsay.Hashedonewellthen？"
"Finely！Thepublichasbeenhisforyears，andnowthecriticsaretumblingovereachothertodohimhonor.Theyraveabouthis’sensitive，brilliant，nervoustouch，’——whateverthatmaybe;his’marvelouscolorsense’;his’beautyoflineandpose.’Andtheyquarreloverwhetherit’srealismoridealismthatconstituteshischarm."
"I’msoglad！Andisitstillthe’FaceofaGirl’？"
"Yes;onlyhe’sdoingstraightportraiturenowaswell.It’sgottobequitethethingtobe’done’byHenshaw;andthere’smanyafairladythathasgraciouslycommissionedhimtopaintherportrait.He’safinefellow，too——amightyfinefellow.Youmaynotknow，perhaps，butthreeorfouryearsagohewas——well，notwild，but’frolicsome，’hewouldprobablyhavecalledit.Hegotinwithalotoffellowsthat——well，thatweren’tgoodforachapofBertram’stemperament."
"Like——Mr.Seaver？"
Calderwellturnedsharply.
"DidYOUknowSeaver？"hedemandedinobvioussurprise.
"IusedtoSEEhim——withBertram."
"Oh！Well，heWASoneofthem，unfortunately.ButBertramshippedhimyearsago."
Billygaveasuddenradiantsmile——butshechangedthesubjectatonce.
"AndMr.Williamstillcollects，Isuppose，"sheobserved.
"Jove！Ishouldsayhedid！I’veforgottenthelatest;buthe’safinefellow，too，likeBertram."
"And——Mr.Cyril？"
Calderwellfrowned.
"Thatchap’saposerforme，Billy，andnomistake.Ican’tmakehimout！"
"What’sthematter？"
"Idon’tknow.ProbablyI’mnot’tunedtohispitch.’BertramtoldmeoncethatCyrilwasverysensitivelystrung，andneverrespondeduntilacertainnotewasstruck.Well，Ihaven’teverfoundthatnote，Ireckon."
Billylaughed.
"IneverheardBertramsaythat，butIthinkIknowwhathemeans;
andhe’sright，too.IbegintorealizenowwhatajanglingdiscordImusthavecreatedwhenItriedtoharmonizewithhimthreeyearsago！Butwhatishedoinginhismusic？"
Theothershruggedhisshoulders.
"Samething.Playsoccasionally，andplayswell，too;buthe’ssoerraticit’sdifficulttogethimtodoit.Everythingmustbejustso，youknow——air，light，piano，andaudience.He’sgotanotherbookout，I’mtold——aprofoundtreatiseonsomebody’ssomethingorother——musical，ofcourse."
"Andheusedtowritemusic;doesn’thedothatanymore？"
"Ibelieveso.Ihearofitoccasionallythroughmusicalfriendsofmine.Theyevenplayittomesometimes.ButIcan’tstandformuchofit——hisstuff——really，Billy."
"’Stuff’indeed！Andwhynot？"AnoddhostilityshowedinBilly’seyes.
AgainCalderwellshruggedhisshoulders.
"Don’taskme.Idon’tknow.Butthey’realwaysdeadslow，somberthings，withthewailofalostspiritshriekingthroughthem."
"ButIjustlovelostspiritsthatwail，"avowedBilly，withmorethanashadeofreproachinhervoice.
Calderwellstared;thenheshookhishead.
"Notinmine，thankyou;"heretortedwhimsically."Iprefermyspiritsofamoresaneandcheerfulsort."
Thegirllaughed，butalmostinstantlyshefellsilent.
"I’vebeenwondering，"shebeganmusingly，afteratime，"whysomeoneofthosethreemendoesnot——marry."
"Youwouldn’twonder——ifyouknewthembetter，"declaredCalderwell.
"Nowthink.Let’sbeginatthetopoftheStrata——bytheway，Bertram’snameforthatestablishmentismightyclever！First，Cyril：accordingtoBertramCyrilhates’allkindsofwomenandotherconfusion’;andIfancyBertramhitsitaboutright.SothatsettlesCyril.Thenthere’sWilliam——youknowWilliam.AnygirlwouldsayWilliamwasadear;butWilliamisn’taMARRYINGman.Dadsays，"——Calderwell’svoicesoftenedalittle——"dadsaysthatWilliamandhisyoungwifewerethemostdevotedcouplethatheeversaw;
andthatwhenshediedsheseemedtotakewithherthewholeofWilliam’sheart——thatis，whathadn’tgonewiththebabyafewyearsbefore.Therewasaboy，youknow，thatdied."
"Yes，Iknow，"noddedBilly，quicktearsinhereyes."AuntHannahtoldme."
"Well，thatcountsoutWilliam，then，"saidCalderwell，withanairoffinality.
"ButhowaboutBertram？Youhaven’tsettledBertram，"laughedBilly，archly.
"Bertram！"Calderwell’seyeswidened."Billy，canyouimagineBertram’smakingloveinrealearnesttoagirl？"
"Why，I——don’t——know;maybe！"Billytippedherheadfromsidetosideasifshewereviewingapicturesetupforherinspection.
"Well，Ican’t.Inthefirstplace，nogirlwouldthinkhewasserious;orifbyanychanceshedid，she’dsoondiscoverthatitwastheturnofherheadorthetiltofherchinthatheadmired——
TOPAINT.Nowisn’tthatso？"
Billylaughed，butshedidnotanswer.
"Itis，andyouknowit，"declaredCalderwell."Andthatsettleshim.Nowyoucansee，perhaps，whynoneofthesemen——willmarry."
ItwasalongminutebeforeBillyspoke.
"Notabitofit.Idon’tseeitatall，"shedeclaredwithroguishmerriment."Moreover，Ithinkthatsomeday，someoneofthem——willmarry，SirDoubtful！"
Calderwellthrewaquickglanceintohereyes.Evidentlysomethinghesawtheresentaswiftshadowtohisown.Hewaitedamoment，thenaskedabruptly：
"Billy，WON’Tyoumarryme？"
Billyfrowned，thoughhereyesstilllaughed.
"Hugh，Itoldyounottoaskmethatagain，"shedemurred.
"AndItoldyounottoaskimpossibilitiesofme，"heretortedimperturbably."Billy，won’tyou，now——seriously？"
"Seriously，no，Hugh.Pleasedon’tletusgoalloverthatagainwhenwe’vedoneitsomanytimes."
"No，let’sdon’t，"agreedtheman，cheerfully."Andwedon’thaveto，either，ifyou’llonlysay’yes，’nowrightaway，withoutanymorefuss."
Billysighedimpatiently.
"Hugh，won’tyouunderstandthatI’mserious？"shecried;thensheturnedsuddenly，withapeculiarflashinhereyes.
"Hugh，Idon’tbelieveBertramhimselfcouldmakeloveanymorenonsensicallythanyoucan！"
Calderwelllaughed，buthefrowned，too;andagainhethrewintoBilly’sfacethatkeenlyquestioningglance.Hesaidsomething——alightsomething——thatbroughtthelaughtoBilly’slipsinspiteofherself;buthewasstillfrowningwhenheleftthehousesomeminuteslater，andtheshadowwasnotgonefromhiseyes.
CHAPTERXXIII
BERTRAMDOESSOMEQUESTIONING
Billy’stimewaswelloccupied.Thereweresomany，manythingsshewishedtodo，andsofew，fewhoursinwhichtodothem.Firsttherewashermusic.ShemadearrangementsatoncetostudywithoneofBoston’sbestpianoteachers，andshealsomadeplanstocontinueherFrenchandGerman.Shejoinedamusicalclub，aliteraryclub，andamorestrictlysocialclub;andtonumerouschurchcharitiesandphilanthropicenterprisesshelentmorethanhername，givingfreelyofbothtimeandmoney.
Fridayafternoons，ofcourse，weretobeheldsacredtotheSymphonyconcerts;andoncertainWednesdaymorningstherewastobeaseriesofrecitals，inwhichshewasgreatlyinterested.
ForSocietywithacapitalS，Billycaredlittle;butforsociabilitywithasmalls，shecaredmuch;andverywidesheopenedherdoorstoherfriends，lavishinguponthemawealthofhospitality.Nordidtheyallcomeincarriagesorautomobiles——
thesefriends.Acertainpale—facedlittlewidowoverattheSouthEndknewjusthowgoodMissNeilson’steatastedonacrispOctoberafternoonandMarieHawthorn，afrailyoungwomanwhogavemusiclessons，knewjusthowrestfulwasMissNeilson’scouchafterawearydayoflongwalksandfretfulpupils.
"Buthowintheworlddoyoudiscoverthemall——theseforlornspecimensofhumanity？"queriedBertramoneevening，whenhehadfoundBillyentertainingafreckled—facedmessenger—boywithaplateoficecreamandabigsquareofcake.
"Anywhere——everywhere，"smiledBilly.
"Well，thislastcandidateforyourfavor，whohasjustgone——who’she？"
"Idon’tknow，beyondthathisnameis’Tom，’andthathelikesicecream."
"Andyouneversawhimbefore？"
"Never."
"Humph！Onewouldn’tthinkit，toseehischarmingairofnonchalantaccustomedness."
"Oh，butitdoesn’ttakemuchtomakealittlefellowlikethatfeelathome，"laughedBilly.
"Andareyouinthehabitoffeedingeveryonewhocomestoyourhouse，onicecreamandchocolatecake？Ithoughtthatstonedoorstepofyourswaslookingalittleworn."
"Notabitofit，"retortedBilly."ThislittlechapcamewithamessagejustasIwasfinishingdinner.Theicecreamwasparticularlygoodto—night，anditoccurredtomethathemightlikeataste;soIgaveittohim."
Bertramraisedhiseyebrowsquizzically.
"Verykind，ofcourse;but——whyicecream？"hequestioned."I
thoughtitwasroastbeefandboiledpotatoesthatwassupposedtobehandedouttogaunt—eyedhunger."
"Itis，"noddedBilly，"andthat’swhyIthinksometimesthey’dlikeicecreamandchocolatefrosting.Besides，togivesugarplumsonedoesn’thavetounwindyardsofredtape，orworryabout’pauperizingthepoor.’Togiveredflannelsandatonofcoal，onemustbeproperlycircumspectandconsultrecordsandcitymissionaries，ofcourse;andthat’swhyit’ssuchareliefsometimesjusttohandoverasimplelittlesugarplumandseethemsmile."
ForaminuteBertramwassilent，thenheaskedabruptly：
"Billy，whydidyouleavetheStrata？"
Billywastakenquitebysurprise.Apinkflushspreadtoherforehead，andhertonguestumbledatfirstoverherreply.
"Why，I——itseemed——you——why，IlefttogotoHampdenFalls，tobesure.Don’tyouremember？"shefinishedgaily.
"Oh，yes，IrememberTHAT，"concededBertramwithdisdainfulemphasis."ButwhydidyougotoHampdenFalls？"
"Why，it——itwastheonlyplacetogo——thatis，IWANTEDtogothere，"shecorrectedhastily."Didn’tAuntHannahtellyouthatI——Iwashomesicktogetbackthere？"
"Oh，yes，AuntHannahSAIDthat，"observedtheman;"butwasn’tthathomesicknessalittle——sudden？"
Billyblushedpinkagain.
"Why，maybe;but——well，homesicknessisalwaysmoreorlesssudden;
isn’tit？"sheparried.
Bertramlaughed，buthiseyesgrewsuddenlyalmosttender.
"Seehere，Billy，youcan’tbluffworthacent，"hedeclared."Youaremuchtoorefreshinglyfrankforthat.Somethingwasthetrouble.Nowwhatwasit？Won’tyoutellme，please？"
Billypouted.Shehesitatedandgazedanywherebutintothechallengingeyesbeforeher.Thenverysuddenlyshelookedstraightintothem.
"Verywell，thereWASareasonformyleaving，"sheconfessedalittlebreathlessly."I——didn’twantto——botheryouanymore——allofyou."
"Botherus！"
"No.Ifoundout.Youcouldn’tpaint;Mr.Cyrilcouldn’tplayorwrite;and——andeverythingwasdifferentbecauseIwasthere.ButIdidn’tblameyou——no，no！"sheassuredhimhastily."ItwasonlythatI——foundout."
"AndmayIaskHOWyouobtainedthismostextraordinaryinformation？"
demandedBertram，savagely.
Billyshookherhead.Herroundlittlechinlookedsuddenlysquareanddetermined.
"Youmayask，butIshallnottell，"shedeclaredfirmly.
IfBertramhadknownBillyjustalittlebetterhewouldhaveletthematterdropthere;buthedidnotknowBilly，soheasked：
"WasitanythingIdid——orsaid？"
Thegirldidnotanswer.
"Billy，wasit？"Bertram’svoiceshowedterrornow.
Billylaughedunexpectedly.
"DoyouthinkI’mgoingtosay’no’toaseriesofquestions，andthengivethewholethingawaybymysilencewhenyoucometotherightone？"shedemandedmerrily."No，sir！"
"Well，anyhow，itwasn’tI，then，"sighedthemaninrelief;"foryoujustobservedthatyouwerenotgoingtosay’notoaseriesofquestions’——andthatwasthefirstone.SoI’vefoundoutthatmuch，anyhow，"heconcludedtriumphantly.
Thegirleyedhimforamomentinsilence;thensheshookherhead.
"I’mnotgoingtobecaughtthatway，either，"shesmiled."Youknow——justwhatyoudidinthefirstplaceaboutit：nothing."
Themanstirredrestlesslyandpondered.Afteralongpauseheadoptednewtactics.Withasearchingstudyofherfacetonotetheslightestchange，heenumerated：
"WasitCyril，then？Will？AuntHannah？Kate？Itcouldn’thavebeenPete，orDongLing！"
Billystillsmiledinscrutably.AtnonamehadBertramdetectedsomuchastheflickerofaneyelid;andwithaglancehalf—admiring，half—chagrined，hefellbackintohischair.
"I’llgiveitup.You’vewon，"heacknowledged."But，Billy，"——
hismannerchangedsuddenly——"IwonderifyouknowjustwhataholeyouleftintheStratawhenyouwentaway."
"ButIcouldn’thave——inthewholeStrata，"objectedBilly."I
occupiedonlyonestratum，andastratumdoesn’tgoupanddown，youknow，onlyacross;andminewasthesecondfloor."
Bertramgaveaslowshakeofhishead.
"Iknow;butyourswasafreakformation，"hemaintainedgravely.
"ItDIDgoupanddown.Honestly，Billy，wedidcare——lots.WillandIwereinconsolable，andevenCyrilplayeddirgesforaweek."
"Didhe？"gurgledBilly，withsuddenjoyousness."I’msoglad！"
"Thankyou，"murmuredBertram，disapprovingly."Wehadn’tconsidereditasubjectforexultation."
"What？Oh，Ididn’tmeanthat！Thatis——"shestoppedhelplessly.
"Oh，nevermindabouttryingtoexplain，"interposedBertram."I
fancytheremedywouldbeworsethanthedisease，inthiscase."
"Nonsense！IonlymeantthatIliketobemissed——sometimes，"
retortedBilly，alittlenettled.
"Andyourejoicethentohavememope，Cyrilplaydirges，andWillwandermournfullyaboutthehousewithSpunkieinhisarms！YoushouldhaveseenWilliam.Ifhisforlornnessdidnotbringtearstoyoureyes，thegraceofthepinkbowthatloppedbehindSpunkie’sleftearwouldsurelyhavebroughtacopiousflow."
Billylaughed，buthereyesgrewtender.
"DidUncleWilliamdo——that？"sheasked.
"Hedid——andhedidmore.Petetoldmeafteratimethatyouhadnotleftonethinginthehouse，anywhere;butoneday，overbehindWilliam’smosttreasuredLowestoft，Ifoundasmallshellhairpin，andaflatbrownsilkbuttonthatIrecognizedascomingfromoneofyourdresses."
"Oh！"saidBilly，softly."DearUncleWilliam——andhowgoodhewastome！"
CHAPTERXXIV
CYRIL，THEENIGMA
PerhapsitwasbecauseBillysawsolittleofCyrilthatitwasCyrilwhomshewishedparticularlytosee.William，Bertram，Calderwell——allherotherfriendscamefrequentlytothelittlehouseonthehill，Billytoldherself;onlyCyrilheldaloof——anditwasCyrilthatshewanted.
Billysaidthatitwashismusic;thatshewantedtohearhimplay，andthatshewantedhimtohearher.Shefeltgrievedandchagrined.Notoncesinceshehadcomehadheseemedinterested——
reallyinterestedinhermusic.Hehadaskedher，itistrue，inaperfunctorywaywhatshehaddone，andwhoherteachershadbeen.
Butallthewhileshewasansweringshehadfeltthathewasnotlistening;thathedidnotcare.Andshecaredsomuch！Sheknewnowthatallherpractisingthroughthelonghardmonthsofstudy，hadbeenforCyril.Everyscalehadbeensmoothedforhisears，andeveryphrasehadbeeninterpretedwithhisapprobationinview.
Acrossthewidewasteofwatershisfacehadshonelikeastarofpromise，beckoningheronandontoheightsunknownAndnowshewashereinBoston，butshecouldnotevenplaythescale，norinterpretthephrasefortheeartowhichtheyhadbeensolaboriouslyattuned;andCyril’sface，intheflesh，wasnobeckoningstarofpromise，butwasathingascoldandrelentlessaswasthewasteofwatersacrosswhichithadshoneinthepast.
Billydidnotunderstandit.Sheknew，itistrue，ofCyril’sreputedaversiontowomeningeneralandtonoise;butshewasneitherwomeningeneralnornoise，shetoldherselfindignantly.
Shewasonlythelittlemaid，grownthreeyearsolder，whohadsatathisfeetandadoringlylistenedtoallthathehadbeenpleasedtosayintheolddaysatthetopoftheStrata.Andhehadbeenkindthen——verykind，Billydeclaredstoutly.Hehadbeenpatientandinterested，too，andhehadseemednotonlywilling，butgladtoteachher，whilenow——
SometimesBillythoughtshewouldaskhimcandidlywhatwasthematter.Butitwasalwaystheold，frankBillythatthoughtthis;
theimpulsiveBilly，thathadgoneuptoCyril’sroomsyearsbeforeandcheerfullyannouncedthatshehadcometogetacquainted.Itwasneverthesensible，circumspectBillythatAuntHannahhadforthreeyearsbeenshapingandcoaxingintobeing.ButeventhisBillyfrownedrebelliously，anddeclaredthatsometimesomethingshouldbesaidthatwouldatleastgivehimachancetoexplain.
InalltheweekssinceBilly’spurchaseofHillside，Cyrilhadbeenthereonlytwice，anditwasnearlyThanksgivingnow.Billyhadseenhimonceortwice，also，attheBeaconStreethouse，whensheandAuntHannahhaddinedthere;butonalltheseoccasionshehadbeeneitherthecoldlyreservedguestorthepainfullypunctilioushost.Neverhadhebeenintheleastapproachable.
"HetreatsmeexactlyashetreatedpoorlittleSpunkthatfirstnight，"Billydeclaredhotlytoherself.
OnlyoncesinceshecamehadBillyheardCyrilplay，andthatwaswhenshehadsharedtheprivilegewithhundredsofothersatapublicconcert.Shehadsatthenentranced，withhereyesontheclean—cuthandsomeprofileofthemanwhoplayedwithsosureaskillandpower，yetwithoutanotebeforehim.Afterwardshehadmethimfacetoface，andhadtriedtotellhimhowmovedshewas;
butinheragitation，andbecauseofastrangeshynessthathadsuddenlycometoher，shehadendedonlyinstammeringoutsomeflippantbanalitythathadbroughttohisfacemerelyaboredsmileofacknowledgment.
Twiceshehadaskedhimtoplayforher;buteachtimehehadbeggedtobeexcused，courteously，butdecidedly.
"It’snousetotease，"Bertramhadinterposedonce，withanairywaveofhishands."Thislionalwaysdidrefusetoroartoorder.
Ifyoureallymusthearhim，you’llhavetoslipup—stairsandcampoutsidehisdoor，waitingpatientlyforsuchcrumbsasmayfallfromhistable."
"Aren’tyourmetaphorsalittlemixed？"questionedCyrilirritably.
"Yes，sir，"acknowledgedBertramwithunruffledtemper."butI
don’tmindifBillydoesn’t.Ionlymeanthertounderstandthatshe’dhavetodoassheusedtodo——listenoutsideyourdoor."
Billy’scheeksreddened.
"ButthatiswhatIsha’n’tdo，"sheretortedwithspirit."And，moreover，Istillhavehopesthatsomedayhe’llplaytome."
"Maybe，"concededBertram，doubtfully;"ifthestoolandthepianoandthepedalsandtheweatherandhisfingersandyourearsandmywatcharealljustright——thenhe’llplay."
"Nonsense！"scowledCyril."I’llplay，ofcourse，someday.ButI’drathernottoday."Andtherethematterhadended.SincethenBillyhadnotaskedhimtoplay.
CHAPTERXXV
THEOLDROOM——ANDBILLY
ThanksgivingwastobeagreatdayintheHenshawfamily.TheHenshawbrothersweretoentertain.BillyandAuntHannahhadbeeninvitedtodinner;andsojoyouslyhospitablewasWilliam’sinvitationthatitwouldhaveincludedthenewkittenandthecanaryifBillywouldhaveconsentedtobringthem.
OncemorePetesweptandgarnishedthehouse，andoncemoreDongLingspoileduncountedsquaresofchocolatetryingtomakethebafflingfudge.BertramsaidthattheentireStratawasa—quiver.
NotbutthatBillyandAuntHannahhadvisitedtherebefore，butthatthiswasdifferent.Theyweretocomeatnoonthistime.
Thisvisitwasnottobeatantalizinglittlepieceofstiffnessanhourandahalflong.Itwastobeasatisfying，whole—souledmatterofhalfaday’scomradeship，almostlikeoldtimes.Sooncemoretherosesgracedtherooms，andaflaringpinkbowadornedSpunkie’sfatneck;andoncemoreBertramplacedhislatest"FaceofaGirl"inthebestpossiblelight.Therewasstilladifference，however，forthistimeCyrildidnotbringanymusicdowntothepiano，nordisplayanywhereacopyofhisnewestbook.
Thedinnerwastobeatthreeo’clock，butbyspecialinvitationtheguestsweretoarriveattwelve;andpromptlyattheappointedhourtheycame.
"There，thisissomethinglike，"exultedBertram，whentheladies，divestedoftheirwraps，toastedtheirfeetbeforetheopenfireinhisden.
"Indeeditis，fornowI’vetimetoseeeverything——everythingyou’vedonesinceI’vebeengone，"criedBilly，gazingeagerlyabouther.
"Hm—m;well，THATwasn’twhatImeant，"shruggedBertram.
"Ofcoursenot;butit’swhatImeant，"retortedBilly."Andthereareotherthings，too.Iexpecttherearehalfadozennew’OldBlues’andblackbasaltsthatIwanttosee;eh，UncleWilliam？"
shefinished，smilingintotheeyesofthemanwhohadbeengazingatherwithdotingprideforthelastfiveminutes.
"Ho！Willisn’tonteapotsnow，"quothBertram，beforehisbrotherhadachancetoreply."Youmightdangletheoldest’OldBlue’
thateverwasbeforehimnow，andhe’dpayscantattentionifhehappenedatthesametimetogethiseyesonsomeoldpewterchainwithagreenstoneinit."
Billylaughed;butatthelookofgenuinedistressthatcameintoWilliam’sface，shesoberedatonce.
"Don’tyoulethimteaseyou，UncleWilliam，"shesaidquickly.
"I’msurepewterchainswithgreenstonesinthemsoundjustawfullyinteresting，andIwanttoseethemrightawaynow.Come，"
shefinished，springingtoherfeet，"takemeup—stairs，please，andshowthemtome."
Williamshookhisheadandsaid，"No，no！"protestingthatwhathehadwerescarcelyworthherattention;butevenwhilehetalkedherosetohisfeetandadvancedhalfeagerly，halfreluctantly，towardthedoor.
"Nonsense，"saidBilly，fondly，asshelaidherhandonhisarm.
"Iknowtheyareverymuchworthseeing.Come！"Andsheledthewayfromtheroom."Oh，oh！"sheexclaimedafewmomentslater，asshestoodbeforeasmallcabinetinoneofWilliam’srooms."Oh，oh，howpretty！"
"Doyoulikethem？Ithoughtyouwould，"triumphedWilliam，quickjoydrivingawaytheanxiousfearinhiseyes."Yousee，I——I
thoughtofyouwhenIgotthem——everyoneofthem.Ithoughtyou’dlikethem.ButIhaven’tverymany，yet，ofcourse.Thisisthelatestone."Andhetenderlyliftedfromitsblackvelvetmatacurioussilvernecklacemadeofsmall，flat，chain—linkeddisks，heavilychased，andsetatregularintervalswithastrange，blue—
greenstone.
Billyhungaboveitenraptured.
"Oh，whatabeauty！Andthis，Isuppose，isBertram’s’pewterchain’！’Pewter，’indeed！"shescoffed."Tellme，UncleWilliam，wheredidyougetit？"
AnduncleWilliamtold，happily，thirstily，drinkinginBilly’sevidentinterestwithdelight.Therewere，too，aquaintly—setringandacat’s—eyebrooch;andtoeachbelongedastorywhichWilliamwasequallygladtotell.Therewereothertreasures，also：buckles，rings，brooches，andnecklaces，someofdullgold，someofequallydullsilver;butallofodddesignandcuriousworkmanship，studdedhereandtherewithbitsofred，green，yellow，blue，andflame—coloredstones.VerylearnedlythenfromWilliam’slipsfellthenewvocabularythathadcometohimwithhislatesttreasures：chrysoprase，carnelian，girasol，onyx，plasma，sardonyx，lapislazuli，tourmaline，chrysolite，hyacinth，andcarbuncle.
"Theyarelovely，perfectlylovely！"breathedBilly，whenthelastchainhadslippedthroughherfingersintoWilliam’shand."I
thinktheyaretheverynicestthingsyouevercollected."
"SodoI，"agreedtheman，emphatically."Andtheyare——different，too."
"Theyare，"saidBilly，"very——different."Butshewasnotlookingatthejewelry：hereyeswereonasmallshellhairpinandabrownsilkbuttonhalfhiddenbehindaLowestoftteapot.
Onthewaydown—stairsWilliamstoppedamomentatBilly’soldrooms.
"Iwishyouwereherenow，"hesaidwistfully."They’reallreadyforyou——theserooms."
"Oh，butwhydon’tyouusethem？——suchprettyrooms！"criedBilly，quickly.
Williamgaveagestureofdissent.
"Wehavenouseforthem;besides，theybelongtoyouandAuntHannah.Youleftyourimprintlongago，mydear——weshouldnotfeelathomeinthem."
"Oh，butyoushould！Youmustn’tfeellikethat！"objectedBilly，hurriedlycrossingtheroomtothewindowtohideasuddennervousnessthathadassailedher."Andhere’smypiano，too，andopen！"shefinishedgaily，droppingherselfuponthepianostoolanddashingintoabrilliantmazourka.
Billy，likeCyril，hadawayofworkingoffhermoodsatherfingertips;andto—daythetrippingnotesandcrashingchordstoldofanervousexcitementthatwasnotalljoy.FromthedoorwayWilliamwatchedherflyingfingerswithfondpride，anditwasveryreluctantlythatheaccededtoPete’srequesttogodown—stairsforamomenttosettleavexedquestionconcerningthetabledecorations.
Billy，leftalone，stillplayed，butwithadifference.Thetrippingnotesslowedintoaweirdmelodythatroseandfellandlostitselfintheexquisiteharmonythathadbeenbornofthecrashingchords.Billywasimprovisingnow，andintohermusichadcreptsomethingofherold—timelongingwhenshehadcometothathousealonely，orphangirl，insearchofahome.Onandonsheplayed;thenwithadiscordantnote，shesuddenlyrosefromthepiano.ShewasthinkingofKate，andwonderingif，hadKatenot"managed"thelittleroomwouldstillbehome.
SoswiftlydidBillycrosstothedoorthatthemanonthestairsoutsidehadnottimetogetquiteoutofsight.Billydidnotseehisface，however;shesawonlyapairofgray—trouseredlegsdisappearingaroundthecurveofthelandingabove.Shethoughtnothingofituntillaterwhendinnerwasannounced，andCyrilcamedown—stairs;thenshesawthathe，andheonly，thatafternoonworetrousersofthatparticularshadeofgray.
Thedinnerwasagreatsuccess.Eventhechocolatefudgeinthelittlecutglassbonbondisheswasperfect;anditwasaquestionwhetherPeteorDongLingtriedthehardertoplease.
Afterdinnerthefamilygatheredinthedrawing—roomandchattedpleasantly.Bertramdisplayedhisprettiestandnewestpictures，andBillyplayedandsung——bright，tunefullittlethingsthatsheknewAuntHannahandUncleWilliamliked.IfCyrilwaspleasedordispleased，hedidnotshowit——butBillyhadceasedtoplayforCyril’sears.Shetoldherselfthatshedidnotcare;butshedidwonder：wasthatCyrilonthestairs，andifso——whatwashedoingthere？
CHAPTERXXVI
"MUSICHATHCHARMS"
TwodaysafterThanksgivingCyrilcalledatHillside.
"I’vecometohearyouplay，"heannouncedabruptly.
Billy’sheartsungwithinher——buthertemperrose.Didhethinkthenthathehadbuttobeckonandshewouldcome——andatthislateday，sheaskedherself.Aloudshesaid：
"Play？Butthisis’sosudden’！Besides，youhaveheardme."
Themanmadeadisdainfulgesture.
"Notthat.Imeanplay——reallyplay.Billy，whyhaven’tyouplayedtomebefore？"
Billy’schinroseperceptibly.
"Whyhaven’tyouaskedme？"sheparried.
ToBilly’ssurprisethemanansweredthiswithcalmdirectness.
"BecauseCalderwellsaidthatyouwereadandyplayer，andIdon’tcarefordandyplayers."
Billylaughednow.
"AndhowdoyouknowI’mnotadandyplayer，SirImpertinent？"shedemanded.
"BecauseI’veheardyou——whenyouweren’t."
"Thankyou，"murmuredBilly.
Cyrilshruggedhisshoulders.
"Oh，youknowverywellwhatImean，"hedefended."I’veheardyou;that’sall."
"When？"
"Thatdoesn’tsignify."
Billywassilentforamoment，hereyesgravelystudyinghisface.
Thensheasked：
"Wereyoulong——onthatstairway？"
"Eh？What？Oh！"Cyril’sforeheadgrewsuddenlypink."Well？"hefinishedalittleaggressively.
"Oh，nothing，"smiledthegirl."Ofcoursepeoplewholiveinglasshousesmustnotthrowstones."
"Verywellthen，Ididlisten，"acknowledgedtheman，testily."I
likedwhatyouwereplaying.Ihoped，down—stairslater，thatyou’dplayitagain;butyoudidn’t.Icameto—daytohearit."
AgainBilly’sheartsungwithinher——butagainhertemperrose，too.
"Idon’tthinkIfeellikeit，"shesaidsweetly，withashakeofherhead."Notto—day."
ForabriefmomentCyrilstaredfrowningly;thenhisfacelightedwithhisraresmile.
"I’mfairlycheckmated，"hesaid，risingtohisfeetandgoingstraighttothepiano.
Forlongminutesheplayed，modulatingfromoneenchantingcompositiontoanother，andfinishingwiththeone"allchordswithbigbassnotes"thatmarchedonandon——theoneBillyhadsatlongagoonthestairstohear.
"There！Nowwillyouplayforme？"heasked，risingtohisfeet，andturningreproachfuleyesuponher.
Billy，too，rosetoherfeet.Herfacewasflushedandhereyeswereshining.Herlipsquiveredwithemotion.Aswasalwaysthecase，Cyril’smusichadcarriedherquiteoutofherself.
"Oh，thankyou，thankyou，"shesighed."Youdon’tknow——youcan’tknowhowbeautifulitallis——tome！"
"Thankyou.Thensurelynowyou’llplaytome，"hereturned.
AlookofrealdistresscametoBilly’sface.
"ButIcan’t——notwhatyouheardtheotherday，"shecriedremorsefully."Yousee，Iwas——onlyimprovising."
Cyrilturnedquickly.
"Onlyimprovising！Billy，didyoueverwriteitdown——anyofyourimprovising？"
AnembarrassedredflewtoBilly’sface.
"Not——notthatamountedto——well，thatis，some——alittle，"shestammered.
"Letmeseeit."
"No，no，Icouldn’t——notYOU！"
AgaintheraresmilelightedCyril’seyes.
"Billy，letmeseethatpaper——please."
Veryslowlythegirlturnedtowardthemusiccabinet.Shehesitated，glancedoncemoreappealinglyintoCyril’sface，thenwithnervoushasteopenedthelittlemahoganydoorandtookfromoneoftheshelvesasheetofmanuscriptmusic.But，likeashychildwithherfirstcopybook，sheheldithalfbehindherbackasshecametowardthepiano.
"Thankyou，"saidCyrilashereachedfaroutforthemusic.Thenextmomentheseatedhimselfagainatthepiano.
Twiceheplayedthelittlesongthroughcarefully，slowly.
"Now，singit，"hedirected.
Falteringly，inaveryfaintvoice，andwithverymanybreathstakenwheretheyshouldnothavebeentaken，Billyobeyed.
"Whenwewanttoshowoffyoursong，Billy，wewon’taskyoutosingit，"observedtheman，dryly，whenshehadfinished.
Billylaughedanddimpledintoablush.
"WhenIwanttoshowoffmysongIsha’n’tbesingingittoyouforthefirsttime，"shepouted.
Cyrildidnotanswer.Hewasplayingoverandovercertainharmoniesinthemusicbeforehim.
"Hm—m;Iseeyou’vestudiedyourcounterpointtosomepurpose，"hevouchsafed，finally;then："Wheredidyougetthewords？"
Thegirlhesitated.Theflushhaddeepenedonherface.
"Well，I——"shestoppedandgaveanembarrassedlaugh."I’mlikethesmallboywhomadethetoys.’Igotthemalloutofmyownhead，andthere’swoodenoughtomakeanother.’"
"Hm—m;indeed！"gruntedtheman."Well，haveyoumadeanyothers？"
"One——ortwo，maybe."
"Letmeseethem，please."
"Ithink——we’vehadenough——fortoday，"shefaltered.
"Ihaven’t.Besides，ifIcouldhaveacouplemoretogowiththis，itwouldmakeaveryprettylittlegroupofsongs."
"’Togowiththis’！Whatdoyoumean？"
"Tothepublishers，ofcourse."
"ThePUBLISHERS！"
"Certainly.Didyouthinkyouweregoingtokeepthesesongstoyourself？"
"Buttheyaren’tworthit！Theycan’tbe——goodenough！"
UnbelievingjoywasinBilly’svoice.
"No？Well，we’llletothersdecidethat，"observedCyril，withashrug."Allis，ifyou’vegotanymorewood——likethis——Iadviseyoutomakeituprightaway."
"ButIhavealready！"criedthegirl，excitedly."TherearelotsoflittlethingsthatI’ve——thatis，thereare——some，"shecorrectedhastily，atthelookthatsprangintoCyril’seyes.
"Oh，thereare，"laughedCyril."Well，we’llseewhat——"Buthedidnotsee.Hedidnotevenfinishhissentence;forBilly’smaid，Rosa，appearedjustthenwithacard.
"ShowMr.Calderwellinhere，"saidBilly.Cyrilsaidnothing——
aloud;whichwaswell.Histhoughts，justthen，werebetterleftunspoken.
CHAPTERXXVII
MARIE，WHOLONGSTOMAKEPUDDINGS
WonderfuldayscamethentoBilly.Foursongs，itseemed，hadbeenpronouncedbycompetentcriticsdecidedly"worthit"——unmistakably"goodenough";andtheyweretobebroughtoutassoonaspossible.
"Ofcourseyouunderstand，"explainedCyril，"thatthere’sno’hit’
expected.Thankheaventheyaren’tthatsort！Andthere’snogreatmoneyinit，either.You’dhavetowriteamasterpiecelike’She’smyJu—JuBaby’orsomesuchgemtogetthe’hit’andthemoney.Butthesongsarefine，andthey’lltakewithculturedhearers.We’llgetthemintroducedbygoodsingers，ofcourse，andthey’llbefavoritessoonfortheconcertstage，andforparlors."
BillysawagooddealofCyrilnow.Alreadyshewasatworkrewritingandpolishingsomeofherhalf—completedmelodies，andCyrilwashelpingher，byhisinterestaswellasbyhiscriticism.
Hewas，infact，atthehouseveryfrequently——toofrequently，indeed，tosuiteitherBertramorCalderwell.EvenWilliamfrownedsometimeswhenhiscozychatswithBillywereinterruptedbyCyril’sappearingwitharollofnewmusicforherto"try";thoughWilliamtoldhimselfthatheoughttobethankfuliftherewasanythingthatcouldmakeCyrilmorecompanionable，lessreservedandmorose.AndCyrilWASdifferent——therewasnodisputingthat.
Calderwellsaidthathehadcome"outofhisshell";andBertramtoldBillythatshemusthave"foundhisnoteandstruckitgoodandhard."
Billywasveryhappy.Tothelittlemusicteacher，MarieHawthorn，shetalkedmorefreely，perhaps，thanshedidtoanyoneelse.
"It’ssowonderful，Marie——sowonderfullywonderful，"shesaidoneday，"tosithereinmyownroomandsingalittlesongthatcomesfromsomewhere，anywhere，outoftheskyitself.Thenbyandby，thatlittlesongwillflyaway，away，overlandandsea;andsomedayitwilltouchsomebody’sheartjustasithastouchedmine.
Oh，Marie，isitnotwonderful？"
"Itis，dear——anditisnot.Yoursongscouldnothelpreachingsomebody’sheart.There’snothingwonderfulinthat."
"Sweetflatterer！"
"ButImeanit.Theyarebeautiful;andsois——Mr.Henshaw’smusic."
"Yes，itis，"murmuredBilly，abstractedly.
Therewasalongpause，thenMarieaskedwithshyhesitation：
"Doyouthink，MissBilly——thathewouldcare？Ilistenedyesterdaywhenhewasplayingtoyou.Iwasuphereinyourroom，butwhenIheardthemusicI——Iwentout，onthestairsandsatdown.Wasitvery——badofme？"
Billylaughedhappily.
"Ifitwas，hecan’tsayanything，"shereassuredher."He’sdonethesamethinghimself——andsohaveI."
"HEhasdoneit！"
"Yes.ItwasathishomelastThanksgiving.Itwasthenthathefoundout——aboutmyimprovising."
"Oh—h！"Marie’seyeswerewistful."Andhecaressomuchnowforyourmusic！"
"Doeshe？Doyouthinkhedoes？"demandedBilly.
"Iknowhedoes——andfortheonewhomakesit，too."
"Nonsense！"laughedBilly，withpinkercheeks."It’sthemusic，notthemusician，thatpleaseshim.Mr.Cyrildoesn’tlikewomen."
"Hedoesn’tlikewomen！"
"No.Butdon’tlooksoshocked，mydear.EveryonewhoknowsMr.
Cyrilknowsthat."
"ButIdon’tthink——Ibelieveit，"demurredMarie，gazingstraightintoBilly’seyes."I’msureIdon’tbelieveit."
Underthelittlemusicteacher’ssteadygazeBillyflushedagain.
Thelaughshegavewasanembarrassedone，butthroughitvibratedapleasedring.
"Nonsense！"sheexclaimed，springingtoherfeetandmovingrestlesslyabouttheroom.WiththenextbreathshehadchangedthesubjecttoonefarremovedfromMr.Cyrilandhislikesanddislikes.
SometimelaterBillyplayed，anditwasthenthatMariedrewalongsigh.
"Howbeautifulitmustbetoplay——likethat，"shebreathed.
"Asifyou，amusicteacher，couldnotplay！"laughedBilly.
"Notlikethat，dear.Youknowitisnotlikethat."
Billyfrowned.
"Butyouaresoaccurate，Marie，andyoucanreadatsightsorapidly！"
"Oh，yes，likealittlemachine，Iknow！"scornedtheusuallygentleMarie，bitterly."Don’ttheyhaveathingofmetalthataddsfigureslikemagic？Well，I’mlikethat.IseegandIplayg;IseedandIplayd;IseefandIplayf;andafterI’veseenenoughg’sandd’sandf’sandplayedthemall，thethingisdone.
I’veplayed."
"Why，Marie！Marie，mydear！"Thesecondexclamationwasverytender，forMariewascrying.
"There！IknewIshouldsomedayhaveitout——allout，"sobbedMarie."Ifeltitcoming."
"Thenperhapsyou’ll——you’llfeelbetternow，"stammeredBilly.
Shetriedtosaymore——otherwordsthatwouldhavebeenarealcomfort;buthertonguerefusedtospeakthem.Sheknewsowell，sowoefullywell，howverywoodenandmechanicalthelittlemusicteacher’splayingalwayshadbeen.ButthatMarieshouldrealizeitherselflikethis——thetragedyofitmadeBilly’sheartache.
AtMarie’snextwords，however，Billycaughtherbreathinsurprise.
"Butyouseeitwasn’tmusic——itwasn’tevermusicthatIwanted——
todo，"sheconfessed.
"Itwasn’tmusic！Butwhat——Idon’tunderstand，"murmuredBilly.
"No，Isupposenot，"sighedtheother."Youplaysobeautifullyyourself."
"ButIthoughtyoulovedmusic."
"Ido.Iloveitdearly——inothers.ButIcan’t——Idon’twanttomakeitmyself."
"Butwhatdoyouwanttodo？"
Marielaughedsuddenly.
"Doyouknow，mydear，IhavehalfamindtotellyouwhatIdoliketodo——justtomakeyoustare."
"Well？"Billy’seyeswerewidewithinterest.
"Ilikebestofanythingto——darnstockingsandmakepuddings."
"Marie！"
"Rankheresy，isn’tit？"smiledMarie，tearfully."ButIdo，truly.Ilovetoweavethethreadsevenlyinandout，andseeabigholeclose.AsforthepuddingsIdon’tmeanthecommonbread—
and—butterkind，buttheonesthathavewhitesofeggsandfruit，andprettyquiveryjelliesallrubyandamberlights，youknow."
"Youdearlittlepieceofdomesticity，"laughedBilly."Thenwhyintheworlddon’tyoudothesethings？"
"Ican’t，inmyownkitchen;Ican’taffordakitchentodothemin.AndIjustcouldn’tdothem——rightalong——inotherpeople’skitchens."
"Butwhydoyou——play？"
"Iwasbroughtuptoit.Youknowwehadmoneyonce，lotsofit，"
sighedMarie，asifsheweredeploringamisfortune."Andmotherwasdeterminedtohavememusical.Eventhen，asalittletot，I
likedpudding—making，andaftermymud—piedaysIwasalwaysbeggingmothertoletmegodownintothekitchen，tocook.Butshewouldn’tallowit，ever.Sheengagedthemostexpensivemastersandsetmepractising，alwayspractising.Isimplyhadtolearnmusic;andIlearneditliketheaddingmachine.Thenafterward，whenfatherdied，andthenmother，andthemoneyflewaway，why，ofcourseIhadtodosomething，sonaturallyIturnedtothemusic.ItwasallIcoulddo.But——well，youknowhowitis，dear.Iteach，andteachwell，perhaps，sofarasthemechanicalpartgoes;butasfortherest——Iamalwayslongingforacozycornerwithabasketofstockingstomend，orakitchenwherethereisapuddingwaitingtobemade."
"Youpoordear！"criedBilly."I’veapairofstockingsnowthatneedsattention，andI’vebeenjustlongingforoneofyour’quiveryjelliesallrubyandamberlights’eversinceyoumentionedthem.But——well，isthereanythingIcoulddotohelp？"
"Nothing，thankyou，"sighedMarie，risingwearilytoherfeet，andcoveringhereyeswithherhandforamoment."Myheadachesshockingly，butI’vegottogothisminuteandinstructlittleJennieKnowlshowtoplaythewonderfulscaleofGwithablackkeyinit.Besides，youdohelpme，youhavehelpedme，youarealwayshelpingme，dear，"sheaddedremorsefully;"andit’swickedofmetomakethatshadowcometoyoureyes.Pleasedon’tthinkofit，orofme，anymore."Andwithachokinglittlesobshehurriedfromtheroom，followedbytheamazed，questioning，sorrowfuleyesofBilly.
CHAPTERXXVIII
"I’MGOINGTOWIN"
NearlyallofBilly’sfriendsknewthatBertramHenshawwasinlovewithBillyNeilsonbeforeBillyherselfknewit.Notthattheyregardeditasanythingserious——"it’sonlyBertram"wasstillsaidofhimonalmostalloccasions.ButtoBertramhimselfitwasveryserious.
TheworldtoBertram，indeed，hadcometoassumeavastlydifferentaspectfromwhatithaddisplayedintimespast.Heretoforeithadbeenaplaythingwhichlikeajuggler’stinselballmightbetossedfromhandtohandatwill.Nowitwasnoplaything——noglitteringbauble.Itwassomethingbigandseriousandsplendid——becauseBillylivedinit;somethingthatdemandedallhispowerstodo，andbe——becauseBillywaswatching;somethingthatmightbeaHadesoftormentoranElysiumofbliss——accordingtowhetherBillysaid"no"or"yes."
SinceThanksgivingBertramhadknownthatitwaslove——thisconsumingfirewithinhim;andsinceThanksgivinghehadknown，too，thatitwasjealousy——thisfiercehatredofCalderwell.Hewasashamedofthehatred.Hetoldhimselfthatitwasunmanly，unkind，andunreasonable;andhevowedthathewouldovercomeit.
Attimesheevenfanciedthathehadovercomeit;butalwaysthesightofCalderwellinBilly’slittledrawing—roomorofeventheman’scardonBilly’ssilvertraywasenoughtoshowhimthathehadnot.
Therewereothers，too，whoannoyedBertramnotalittle，foremostofthesebeinghisownbrothers.StillhewasnotreallyworriedaboutWilliamandCyril，hetoldhimself.Williamhedidnotconsidertobeamarryingman;andCyril——everyoneknewthatCyrilwasawoman—hater.HewasdoubtlessattractednowonlybyBilly’smusic.TherewasnorealrivalrytobefearedfromWilliamandCyril.ButtherewasalwaysCalderwell，andCalderwellwasserious.Bertramdecided，therefore，aftersomeweeksoffeverishunrest，thattheonlyroadtopeacelaythroughafrankavowalofhisfeelings，andadirectappealtoBillytogivehimthegreatboonofherlove.
Justhere，however，Bertrammetwithanunexpecteddifficulty.Hecouldnotfindwordswithwhichtomakehisavowalortopresenthisappeal.Hewassurprisedandannoyed.Neverbeforehadhebeenatalossforwords——merewords.Anditwasnotthathelackedopportunity.Hewalked，drove，andtalkedwithBilly，andalwaysshewascompanionable，attentivetowhathehadtosay.
Neverwasshecoldorreserved.Neverdidshefailtogreethimwithacheerysmile.
Bertramconcluded，indeed，afteratime，thatshewastoocompanionable，toocheery.Hewishedshewouldhesitate，stammer，blush;bealittleshy.Hewishedthatshewoulddisplaysurprise，annoyance，even——anythingbutthateternalairofcomradeship.Andthen，oneafternoonintheearlytwilightofaJanuaryday，hefreedhismind，quiteunexpectedly.
"Billy，IwishyouWOULDN’Tbeso——sofriendly！"heexclaimedinavoicethatwasalmostsharp.
Billylaughedatfirst，butthenextmomentashameddistressdrovethemerrimentquiteoutofherface.
"YoumeanthatIpresumeon——onourfriendship？"shestammered.
"ThatyoufearthatIwillagain——shadowyourfootsteps？"ItwasthefirsttimesincethememorablenightitselfthatBillyhadeverinBertram’spresencereferredtoheryoungguardianshipofhiswelfare.Sherealizednow，suddenly，thatshehadjustbeengivingthemanbeforehersomevery"sisterlyadvice，"andthethoughtsentaconfusedredtohercheeks.
Bertramturnedquickly.
"Billy，thatwasthedearestandloveliestthingagirleverdid——
onlyIwastoogreatachumptoappreciateit！"finishedBertraminavoicethatwasnotquitesteady.
"Thankyou，"smiledthegirl，withaslowshakeofherheadandarelievedlookinhereyes;"butI’mafraidIcan’tquiteagreetothat."Thenextmomentshehaddemandedmischievously："Why，then，pray，thisunflatteringobjectiontomy——friendlinessnow？"
"BecauseIdon’twantyouforafriend，orasister，oranythingelsethat’srelated，"stormedBertram，withsuddenvehemence."I
don’twantyouforanythingbut——awife！Billy，WON’Tyoumarryme？"
AgainBillylaughed——laugheduntilshesawthepainedangerleaptothegrayeyesbeforeher;thenshebecamegraveatonce.
"Bertram，forgiveme.Ididn’tthinkyoucould——youcan’tbe——
serious！"
"ButIam."
Billyshookherhead.
"Butyoudon’tloveme——notME，Bertram.It’sonlytheturnofmyheador——orthetiltofmychinthatyoulove——topaint，"sheprotested，unconsciouslyechoingthewordsCalderwellhadsaidtoherweeksbefore."I’monlyanother’FaceofaGirl.’"
"You’retheonly’Faceofagirl’tomenow，Billy，"declaredtheman，withdisarmingtenderness.
"No，no，notthat，"demurredBilly，indistress."Youdon’tmeanit.Youonlythinkyoudo.Itcouldn’tbethat.Itcan’tbe！"
"Butitis，dear.IthinkIhavelovedyoueversincethatnightlongagowhenIsawyourdear，startledfaceappealingtomefrombeyondSeaver’shatefulsmile.And，Billy，IneverwentoncewithSeaveragain——anywhere.Didyouknowthat？"
"No;but——I’mglad——soglad！"
"AndI’mglad，too.Soyousee，Imusthavelovedyouthen，thoughunconsciously，perhaps;andIloveyounow."
"No，no，pleasedon’tsaythat.Itcan’tbe——itreallycan’tbe.
I——Idon’tloveyou——thatway，Bertram."
Themanpaledalittle.
"Billy——forgivemeforasking，butit’ssomuchtome——isitthatthereis——someoneelse？"Hisvoiceshook.
"No，no，indeed！Thereisnoone."
"It’snot——Calderwell？"
Billy’sforeheadgrewpink.Shelaughednervous1y.
"No，no，never！"
"Butthereareothers，somanyothers！"
"Nonsense，Bertram;there’snoone——noone，Iassureyou！"
"It’snotWilliam，ofcourse，norCyril.Cyrilhateswomen."
AdeeperflushcametoBilly’sface.Herchinrosealittle;andanodddefianceflashedfromhereyes.Butalmostinstantlyitwasgone，andaslowsmilehadcometoherlips.
"Yes，Iknow.Everyone——saysthatCyrilhateswomen，"sheobserveddemurely.
"Then，Billy，Isha’n’tgiveup！"vowedBertram，softly."SometimeyouWILLloveme！"
"No，no，Icouldn’t.Thatis，I’mnotgoingto——tomarry，"
stammeredBilly.
"Notgoingtomarry！"
"No.There’smymusic——youknowhowIlovethat，andhowmuchitistome.Idon’tthinkthere’lleverbeaman——thatI’lllovebetter."
Bertramliftedhishead.Veryslowlyherosetillhissplendidsixfeetofclean—limbedstrengthandmanlybeautytoweredawayabovethelowchairinwhichBillysat.Hismouthshowednewlinesaboutthecorners，andhiseyeslookeddownverytenderlyatthegirlbesidehim;buthisvoice，whenhespoke，hadalightwhimsicalitythatdeceivedevenBilly’sears.
"Andsoit’smusic——acold，senselessthingofspiderymarksoncleanwhitepaper——thatismyonlyrival，"hecried."ThenI’llwarnyou，Billy，I’llwarnyou.I’mgoingtowin！"Andwiththathewasgone.
CHAPTERXXIX
"I’MNOTGOINGTOMARRY"
BillydidnotknowwhethertobemoreamazedoramusedatBertram’sproposalofmarriage.Shewasvexed;shewasverysureofthat.
TomarryBertram？Absurd！Thenshereflectedthat，afterall，itwasonlyBertram，soshecalmedherself.
Still，itwasannoying.ShelikedBertram，shehadalwayslikedhim.Hewasaniceboy，andamostcongenialcompanion.Heneverboredher，asdidsomeothers;andhewasalwaysthoughtfulofcushionsandfootstoolsandcupsofteawhenonewastired.Hewas，infact，anidealfriend，justthesortshewanted;anditwassuchapitythathemustspoilitallnowwiththissillysentimentality！Andofcoursehehadspoileditall.Therewasnogoingbacknowtotheiroldfriendliness.Hewouldbemoroseorsillybyturns，accordingtowhethershefrownedorsmiled;orelsehewouldtakehimselfoffinatragicsortofwaythatwasverydisturbing.Hehadsaid，tobesure，thathewould"win."Win，indeed！AsifshecouldmarryBertram！Whenshemarried，herchoicewouldfalluponaman，notaboy;abig，grave，earnestmantowhomtheworldmeantsomething;amanwholovedmusic，ofcourse;amanwhowouldsingleheroutfromalltheworld，andshowtoher，andtoheronly，thedepthandtendernessofhislove;amanwho——butshewasnotgoingtomarry，anyway，rememberedBilly，suddenly.Andwiththatshebegantocry.Thewholethingwasso"tiresome，"shedeclared，andso"absurd."
BillyratherdreadedhernextmeetingwithBertram.Shefeared——
sheknewnotwhat.But，asitturnedout，sheneednothavefearedanything，forhemethertranquilly，cheerfully，asusual;andhedidnothingandsaidnothingthathemightnothavedoneandsaidbeforethattwilightchattookplace.