第5章
Billywasrelieved.Sheconcludedthat，afterall，Bertramwasgoingtobesensible.Shedecidedthatshe，too，wouldbesensible.Shewouldaccepthimonthis，hischosenplane，andshewouldthinknomoreofhis"nonsense."
Billythrewherselfthenevenmoreenthusiasticallyintoherbelovedwork.ShetoldMariethatafterallwassaidanddone，therecouldnotbeanymanthatwouldtipthescalesoneinchwithmusicontheotherside.Shewasalittlehurt，itistrue，whenMarieonlylaughedandanswered：
"Butwhatifthemanandthemusicbothhappentobeonthesameside，mydear;whatthen？"
Marie’svoicewaswistful，inspiteofthelaugh——sowistfulthatitremindedBillyoftheirconversationafewweeksbefore.
"Butitisyou，Marie，whowantthestockingstodarnandthepuddingstomake，"sheretortedplayfully."NotI！And，doyouknow？IbelieveIshallturnmatchmakeryet，andfindyouaman;
andthechiefestofhisqualificationsshallbethathe’swretchedlyhardonhishose，andthatheadorespuddings."
"No，no，MissBilly，don’t，please！"beggedtheother，inquickterror."ForgetallIsaidtheotherday;pleasedo！Don’ttell——
anybody！"
ShewassoobviouslydistressedandfrightenedthatBillywaspuzzled.
"There，there，’twasonlyajest，ofcourse，"shesoothedher.
"But，reallyMarie，itisthedear，domesticlittlemouselikeyourselfthatoughttobesomebody’swife——andthat’sthekindmenarelookingfor，too."
Mariegaveaslowshakeofherhead.
"Notthekindofmanthatissomebody，thatdoessomething，"sheobjected;"andthat’stheonlykindIcould——love.HEwantsawifethatisbeautifulandclever，thatcandothingslikehimself——LIKE
HIMSELF！"sheiteratedfeverishly.
Billyopenedwidehereyes.
"Why，Marie，onewouldthink——youalreadyknew——suchaman，"shecried.
Thelittlemusicteacherchangedherposition，andturnedhereyesaway.
"Ido，ofcourse，"sheretortedinamerryvoice，"lotsofthem.
Don’tyou？Come，we’vediscussedmymatrimonialprospectsquitelongenough，"shewentonlightly."Youknowwestartedwithyours.Supposewegobacktothose."
"ButIhaven’tany，"demurredBilly，assheturnedwithasmiletogreetAuntHannah，whohadjustenteredtheroom."I’mnotgoingtomarry;amI，AuntHannah？"
"Er——what？Marry？Mygriefandconscience，whataquestion，Billy！Ofcourseyou’regoingtomarry——whenthetimecomes！"
exclaimedAuntHannah.
Billylaughedandshookherheadvigorously.Butevenassheopenedherlipstoreply，RosaappearedandannouncedthatMr.
Calderwellwaswaitingdown—stairs.Billywasangrythen，forafterthemaidwasgone，themerrimentinAuntHannah’slaughonlymatchedthatinMarie’s——andtheintonationwasunmistakable.
"Well，I’mnot！"declaredBillywithpinkcheeksandmuchindignation，asshelefttheroom.Andasiftoconvinceherself，Marie，AuntHannah，andalltheworldthatsuchwasthecase，sherefusedCalderwellsodecidedlythatnightwhenhe，forthehalf—
dozenthtime，laidhishandandheartatherfeet，thatevenCalderwellhimselfwasconvinced——sofarashisowncasewasconcerned——andlefttownthenextday.
BertramtoldAuntHannahafterwardthatheunderstoodMr.Calderwellhadgonetopartsunknown.TohimselfBertramshamelesslyownedthatthemore"unknown"theywere，thebetterhehimselfwouldbepleased.
CHAPTERXXX
MARIEFINDSAFRIEND
ItwasonaverycoldJanuaryafternoon，andCyrilwashurryingupthehilltowardBilly’shouse，whenhewasstartledtoseeaslenderyoungwomansittingonacurbstonewithherheadagainstanelectric—lightpost.Hestoppedabruptly.
"Ibegyourpardon，but——why，MissHawthorn！ItisMissHawthorn;
isn’tit？"
Underhisquestioningeyesthegirl’spalefacebecamesopainfullyscarletthatinsheerpitythemanturnedhiseyesaway.Hethoughthehadseenwomenblushbefore，buthedecidednowthathehadnot.
"I’msure——haven’tImetyouatMissNeilson’s？Areyouill？
Can’tIdosomethingforyou？"hebegged.
"Yes——no——thatis，IAMMissHawthorn，andI’vemetyouatMissNeilson’s，"stammeredthegirl，faintly."Butthereisn’tanything，thankyou，thatyoucando——Mr.Henshaw.Istoppedto——
rest."
Themanfrowned.
"But，surely——pardonme，MissHawthorn，butIcan’tthinkityourusualcustomtochooseanicycurbstoneforarestingplace，withthethermometerdowntozero.Youmustbeill.LetmetakeyoutoMissNeilson’s."
"No，no，thankyou，"criedthegirl，strugglingtoherfeet，thevividredagainfloodingherface."Ihavealesson——togive."
"Nonsense！You’renotfittogivealesson.Besides，theyareallfolderol，anyway，halfofthem.Adozenlessons，moreorless，won’tmakeanydifference;they’llplayjustaswell——andjustasatrociously.Come，IinsistupontakingyoutoMissNeilson’s."
"No，no，thankyou！Ireallymustn’t.I——"Shecouldsaynomore.Astrong，yetverygentlehandhadtakenfirmholdofherarminsuchawayashalftosupporther.Aforcequiteoutsideofherselfwascarryingherforwardstepbystep——andMissHawthornwasnotusedtostrong，gentlehands，noryettoaforcequiteoutsideofherself.NeitherwassheaccustomedtowalkarminarmwithMr.CyrilHenshawtoMissBilly’sdoor.Whenshereachedtherehercheekswerelikeredrosesforcolor，andhereyeswerelikethestarsforbrightness.Yetaminutelater，confrontedbyMissBilly’sastonishedeyes，thestarsandtherosesfled，andaverywhite—facedgirlfelloverinadeathlikefaintinCyrilHenshaw’sarms.
MariewasputtobedinthelittleroomnexttoBilly’s，andwasperemptorilyhushedwhenfaintremonstrancewasmade.Thenextmorning，white—facedandwide—eyed，sheresolutelypulledherselfhalfupright，andannouncedthatshewasallwellandmustgohome——
hometoMariewasasix—by—ninehallbed—roominaSouthEndlodginghouse.
VerygentlyBillypushedherbackonthepillowandlaidadetaininghandonherarm.
"No，dear.Now，pleasebesensibleandlistentoreason.Youaremyguest.Youdidnotknowit，perhaps，forI’mafraidtheinvitationgotalittledelayed.Butyou’retostay——oh，lotsofweeks."
"I——stayhere？Why，Ican’t——indeed，Ican’t，"protestedMarie.
"Butthatisn’tabitofanicewaytoacceptaninvitation，"
disapprovedBilly."Youshouldsay，’Thankyou，I’dbedelighted，I’msure，andI’llstay.’"
Inspiteofherselfthelittlemusicteacherlaughed，andinthelaughhertensemusclesrelaxed.
"MissBilly，MissBilly，whatisonetodowithyou？Surelyyouknow——youmustknowthatIcan’tdowhatyouask！"
"I’msureIdon’tseewhynot，"arguedBilly."I’mmerelygivingyouaninvitationandallyouhavetodoistoacceptit."
"Buttheinvitationisonlythekindwayyourhearthasofcoveringanotherofyourmanycharities，"objectedMarie;"besides，Ihavetoteach.Ihavemylivingtoearn."
"Butyoucan’t，"demurredtheother."That’sjustthetrouble.
Don’tyousee？Thedoctorsaidlastnightthatyoumustnotteachagainthiswinter."
"Notteach——again——thiswinter！No，no，hecouldnotbesocruelasthat！"
"Itwasn’tcruel，dear;itwaskind.Youwouldbeillifyouattemptedit.Nowyou’llgetbetter.Hesaysallyouneedisrestandcare——andthat’sexactlywhatImeanmyguestshallhave."
Quicktearscametothesickgirl’seyes.
"Therecouldn’tbeakinderheartthanyours，MissBilly，"shemurmured，"butIcouldn’t——Ireallycouldn’tbeaburdentoyoulikethis.Ishallgotosomehospital."
"Butyouaren’tgoingtobeaburden.Youaregoingtobemyfriendandcompanion."
"Acompanion——andinbedlikethis？"
"Well，THATwouldn’tbeimpossible，"smiledBilly;"but，asithappensyouwon’thavetoputthattothetest，foryou’llsoonbeupanddressed.Thedoctorsaysso.Nowsurelyyouwillstay."
Therewasalongpause.Thelittlemusicteacher’seyeshadleftBilly’sfaceandwerecirclingtheroom，wistfullylingeringonthehangingsoffilmylace，thedaintywallcovering，andtheexquisitewatercolorsintheirwhite—and—goldframes.Atlastshedrewadeepsigh.
"Yes，I’llstay，"shebreathedrapturously;"but——youmustletmehelp."
"Help？Helpwhat？"
"Helpyou;yourletters，yourmusic—copying，youraccounts——
anything，everything.Andifyoudon’tletmehelp，"——themusicteacher’svoicewasverysternnow——"ifyoudon’tletmehelp，I
shallgohomejust——as——soon——as——I——can——walk！"
"Dearme！"dimpledBilly."Andisthatall？Well，youshallhelp，andtoyourheart’scontent，too.Infact，I’mnotatallsurethatIsha’n’tkeepyoudarningstockingsandmakingpuddingsallthetime，"sheaddedmischievously，asshelefttheroom.
MissHawthornsatupthenextday.Thedayfollowing，inoneofBilly’s"flutterywrappers，"asshecalledthem，shewalkedallabouttheroom.Verysoonshewasabletogodown—stairs，andinanastonishinglyshorttimeshefittedintothedailylifeasifshehadalwaysbeenthere.Shewas，moreover，ofsuchassistancetoBillythatevensheherselfcouldseethevalueofherwork;andsoshestayed，content.
ThelittlemusicteachersawagooddealofBilly’sfriendsthen，particularlyoftheHenshawbrothers;andverygladwasBillytoseethecomradeshipgrowingbetweenthem.ShehadknownthatWilliamwouldbekindtotheorphangirl，butshehadfearedthatMariewouldnotunderstandBertram’snonsenseorCyril’sreserve.
ButverysoonBertramhadbegged，andobtained，permissiontotrytoreproduceoncanvasthesheenofthefine，fairhair，andtheveiledbloomoftherose—leafskinthatwereMarie’sgreatestcharms;andalreadyCyrilhadunbentfromhisusualstiffnessenoughtoplaytohertwice.SoBilly’sfearsonthatscorewereatanend.
CHAPTERXXXI
THEENGAGEMENTOFONE
ManytimesduringthosewinterdaysBillythoughtofMarie’swords：
"Butwhatifthemanandthemusicbothhappentobeonthesameside？"Theyworriedher，tosomeextent，and，curiously，theypleasedanddispleasedheratthesametime.
Shetoldherselfthatsheknewverywell，ofcourse，whatMariemeant：itwasCyril;hewastheman，andthemusic.ButwasCyrilbeginningtocareforher;anddidshewanthimto？VeryseriouslyonedayBillyaskedherselfthesequestions;verycalmlyshearguedthematterinhermind——aswasBilly’sway.
Shewasproud，certainly，ofwhatherinfluencehadapparentlydoneforCyril.Shewasgratifiedthattoherhewasshowingtherealdepthandbeautyofhisnature.ItWASflatteringtofeelthatshe，andonlyshe，hadthuswontheregardofaprofessionalwoman—
hater.Then，besidesallthis，therewashismusic——hisgloriousmusic.Thinkoftheblissoflivingeverwiththat！Imaginelifewithamanwhosesoulwouldbesoperfectlyattunedtohersthatexistencewouldbeonegrandharmony！Ah，that，truly，wouldbetheidealmarriage！Butshehadplannednottomarry.Billyfrownednow，andtappedherfootnervously.Itwas，indeed，mostpuzzling——thisquestion，andshedidnotwanttomakeamistake.
Then，too，shedidnotwishtowoundCyril.IfthedearmanHAD
comeoutofhisicyprison，andwerereachingouttimidhandstoherforherhelp，herinterest，herlove——thetragedyofit，ifhemetwithnoresponse！ThisvisionofCyrilwithoutstretchedhands，andofherselfwithcold，avertedeyeswasthelaststrawinthebalancewithBilly.ShedecidedsuddenlythatshedidcareforCyril——alittle;andthatsheprobablycouldcareforhimagreatdeal.Withthisthought，Billyblushed——alreadyinherownmindshewasasgoodaspledgedtoCyril.
ItwasagreatchangeforBilly——thissuddenleapfromgirlhoodandirresponsibilitytowomanhoodandcare;butshetookitfearlessly，resolutely.IfshewastobeCyril’swifeshemustmakeherselffitforit——andinpursuanceofthishighidealshefollowedMarieintothekitchentheverynexttimethelittlemusicteacherwentouttomakeoneofherdaintydessertsthatthefamilylikedsowell.
"I’lljustwatch，ifyoudon’tmind，"announcedBilly.
"Why，ofcoursenot，"smiledMarie，"butIthoughtyoudidn’tliketomakepuddings."
"Idon’t，"ownedBilly，cheerfully.
"Thenwhythis——watchfulness？"
"Nothing，onlyIthoughtitmightbejustaswellifIknewhowtomakethem.YouknowhowCyril——thatis，ALLtheHenshawboyslikeeverykindyoumake."
TheegginMarie’shandslippedfromherfingersandcrasheduntidilyontheshelf.WithagleefullaughBillywelcomedthediversion.Shehadnotmeanttospeaksoplainly.ItwasonethingtotrytofitherselftobeCyril’swife，andquiteanothertodisplaythoseeffortssoopenlybeforetheworld.
Thepuddingwasmadeatlast，butMarieprovedtobeanervousteacher.Herhandshook，andhermemoryalmostfailedheratoneortwocriticalpoints.Billylaughinglysaidthatitmustbestagefright，owingtothepresenceofherselfasspectator;andwiththisMariepromptly，andsomewhateffusively，agreed.
SoverybusywasBillyduringthenextfewdays，acquiringhernewdomesticity，thatshedidnotnoticehowlittleshewasseeingofCyril.Thenshesuddenlyrealizedit，andaskedherselfthereasonforit.Cyrilwasatthehousecertainly，justasfrequentlyashehadbeen;butshesawthatanewshynessinherselfhaddevelopedwhichwascausinghertoberestlessinhispresence，andwasleadinghertolikebettertohaveMarieorAuntHannahintheroomwhenhecalled.Shediscovered，too，thatshewelcomedWilliam，andevenBertram，withpeculiarenthusiasm——iftheyhappenedtointerruptatete—a—tetewithCyril.
Billywasdisturbedatthis.Shetoldherselfthatthisshynesswasnotstrange，perhaps，inasmuchasherideasinregardtoloveandmarriagehadundergonesoabruptachange;butitmustbeovercome.IfshewastobeCyril’swife，shemustliketobewithhim——andofcourseshereallydidliketobewithhim，forshehadenjoyedhiscompanionshipverymuchduringallthesepastweeks.
Shesetherselftherefore，now，determinedlytocultivatingCyril.
ItwasthenthatBillymadeastrangeandfearsomediscovery：thereweresomethingsaboutCyrilthatshedid——not——like！
Billywasinexpressiblyshocked.Heretoforehehadbeensohigh，soirreproachable，sogod—like！——butheretoforehehadbeenafriend.Nowhewasappearinginanewrole——thoughunconsciously，sheknew.Heretoforeshehadlookedathimwitheyesthatsawonlythedelightfulandmarvelousunfoldingofacoldlyreservednatureunderthewarmthofherownencouragingsmile.Nowshelookedathimwitheyesthatsawonlythepossibilitiesofthatsamenaturewhenitshouldhavebeenunfoldedinalifelongcompanionship.Andwhatshesawfrightenedher.Therewasstillthemusic——sheacknowledgedthat;butithadcometoBillywithoverwhelmingforcethatmusic，afterall，wasnoteverything.Themancounted，aswell.VeryfranklythenBillystatedthecasetoherself.
"Whatpassesfor’fascinatingmystery’inhimnowwillbeplainmoroseness——sometime.Heis’taciturn’now;he’llbe——cross，then.
Itis’erratic’whenhewon’tplaythepianoto—day;butafewyearsfromnow，whenherefusessomesimplerequestofmine，itwillbe——stubbornness.Allthisitwillbe——ifIdon’tlovehim;
andIdon’t.IknowIdon’t.Besides，wearen’treallycongenial.
Ilikepeoplearound;hedoesn’t.Iliketogotoplays;hedoesn’t.Helikesrainydays;Iabhorthem.Thereisnodoubtofit——lifewithhimwouldnotbeonegrandharmony;itwouldbeonejanglingdiscord.Isimplycannotmarryhim.Ishallhavetobreaktheengagement！
Billyspokewithregretfulsorrow.ItwasevidentthatshegrievedtobringpaintoCyril.Thensuddenlythegloomleftherface：shehadrememberedthatthe"engagement"wasjustthreeweeksold——andwasaprofoundsecret，notonlytothebridegroomelect，buttoalltheworldaswell——saveherself！
Billywasveryhappyafterthat.Shesangaboutthehouseallday，andshedancedsometimesfromroomtoroom，solightwereherfeetandherheart.ShemadenomorepuddingswithMarie’ssupervision，butshewasparticularlycarefultohavethelittlemusicteacherorAuntHannahwithherwhenCyrilcalled.Shemadeuphermind，itistrue，thatshehadbeenmistaken，andthatCyrildidnotloveher;stillshewishedtobeonthesafeside，andshebecamemoreandmoreaversetobeingleftalonewithhimforanylengthoftime.
CHAPTERXXXII
CYRILHASSOMETHINGTOSAY
LongbeforespringBillywasforcedtoowntoherselfthatherfanciedsecurityfromlovemakingonthepartofCyrilnolongerexisted.Shebegantosuspectthattherewasreasonforherfears.
Cyrilcertainlywas"different."Hewasmoreapproachable，lessreserved，evenwithMarieandAuntHannah.Hewasnotnearlysotaciturn，either，andhewasmuchmoregraciousabouthisplaying.
EvenMariedaredtoaskhimfrequentlyformusic，andheneverrefusedherrequest.ThreetimeshehadtakenBillytosomeplaythatshewantedtosee，andhehadinvitedMarie，too，besidesAuntHannah，whichhadpleasedBillyverymuch.HehadbeenatthesametimesogenialandsogallantthatBillyhaddeclaredtoMarieafterwardthathedidnotseemlikehimselfatall，butlikesomeoneelse.
Mariehaddisagreedwithher，itistrue，andhadsaidstiffly：
"I’msureIthoughtheseemedverymuchlikehimself."ButthathadnotchangedBilly’sopinionatall.
ToBilly’smind，nothingbutlovecouldsohavesoftenedthesternCyrilshehadknown.Shewas，therefore，allthemorecarefulthesedaystoavoidatete—a—tetewithhim，thoughshewasnotalwayssuccessful，particularlyowingtoMarie’sunaccountableperversenessinsooftenhavingletterstowriteorworktodo，justwhenBillymostwantedhertomakeasafethirdwithherselfandCyril.Itwasuponsuchanoccasion，afterMariehadabruptlyleftthemalonetogether，thatCyrilhadobserved，alittlesharply：
"Billy，Iwishyouwouldn’tsayagainwhatyousaidtenminutesagowhenMissMariewashere."
"Whatwasthat？"
AverysillyreferencetothatoldnotionthatyouandeveryoneelseseemtohavethatIama’woman—hater.’"
Billy’sheartskippedabeat.Onethought，poundedthroughherbrainanddinneditselfintoherears——atallcostsCyrilmustnotbeallowedtosaythatwhichshesofeared;hemustbesavedfromhimself.
"Woman—hater？Why，ofcourseyou’reawoman—hater，"shecriedmerrily."I’msure，I——Ithinkit’slovelytobeawoman—hater."
Themanopenedwidehiseyes;thenhefrownedangrily.
"Nonsense，Billy，Iknowbetter.Besides，I’minearnest，andI’mnotawoman—hater."
"Oh，buteveryonesaysyouare，"chatteredBilly."And，afterall，youknowitISdistinguishing！"
Withadisdainfulexclamationthemansprangtohisfeet.Foratimehepacedtheroominsilence，watchedbyBilly’sfearfuleyes;
thenhecamebackanddroppedintothelowchairatBilly’sside.
Hiswholemannerhadundergoneacompletechange.Hewasalmostshamefacedashesaid：
"Billy，IsupposeImightaswellownup.Idon’tthinkIdidthinkmuchofwomenuntilIsaw——you."
Billyswallowedandwetherlips.Shetriedtospeak;butbeforeshecouldformthewordsthemanwentonwithhisremarks;andBillydidnotknowwhethertobethemorerelievedorfrightenedthereat.
"Butyouseenowit’sdifferent.That’swhyIdon’tliketosailanylongerunderfalsecolors.There’sbeenachange——agreatandwonderfulchangethatIhardlyunderstandmyself."
"That’sit！Youdon’tunderstandit，I’msure，"interposedBilly，feverishly."Itmaynotbesuchachange，afterall.Youmaybedeceivingyourself，"shefinishedhopefully.
Themansighed.
"Ican’twonderyouthinkso，ofcourse，"healmostgroaned."I
wasafraiditwouldbelikethat.Whenone’sbeenpaintedblackallone’slife，it’snoteasytochangeone’scolor，ofcourse."
"Oh，butIdidn’tsaythatblackwasn’taverynicecolor，"
stammeredBilly，alittlewildly.
"Thankyou."Cyril’sheavybrowsroseandfellthefractionofaninch."Still，ImustconfessthatjustnowIshouldpreferanothershade."
Hepaused，andBillycastdistractedlyaboutinhermindforasimple，naturalchangeofsubject.ShehadjustdecidedtoaskhimwhathethoughtoftheconditionoftheBrittanypeasants，whenhequestionedabruptly，andinavoicethatwasnotquitesteady：
"Billy，whatshouldyousayifIshouldtellyouthattheavowedwoman—haterhadstrayedsofarfromtheprescribedpathasto——tolikeonewomanwellenoughastowantto——marryher？"
ThewordwaslikeamatchtothegunpowderofBilly’sfears.Herself—controlwasshatteredinstantlyintobits.
"Marry？No，no，youwouldn’t——youcouldn’treallybethinkingofthat，"shebabbled，growingredandwhitebyturns."Onlythinkhowawifewould——wouldb—botheryou！"
"Botherme？WhenIlovedher？"
"Butjustthink——remember！She’dwantcushionsandrugsandcurtains，andyoudon’tlikethem;andshe’dalwaysbetalkingandlaughingwhenyouwantedquiet;andshe——she’dwanttodragyououttoplaysandpartiesand——andeverywhere.Indeed，Cyril，I’msureyou’dneverlikeawife——long！"Billystoppedonlybecauseshehadnobreathwithwhichtocontinue.
Cyrillaughedalittlegrimly.
"Youdon’tdrawaveryattractivepicture，Billy.Still，I’mnotafraid.Idon’tthinkthisparticular——wifewoulddoanyofthosethings——totroubleme."
"Oh，butyoudon’tknow，youcan’ttell，"arguedthegirl.
"Besides，youhavehadsolittleexperiencewithwomenthatyou’djustbesuretomakeamistakeatfirst.Youwanttolookaroundverycarefully——verycarefully，beforeyoudecide."
"Ihavelookedaround，andverycarefully，Billy.Iknowthatinalltheworldthereisjustonewomanforme."
Billystruggledtoherfeet.Mingledpainandterrorlookedfromhereyes.Shebegantospeakwildly，incoherently.ShewonderedafterwardjustwhatshewouldhavesaidifAuntHannahhadnotcomeintotheroomatthatmomentandannouncedthatBertramwasatthedoortotakeherforasleigh—rideifshecaredtogo.
"Ofcourseshe’llgo，"declaredCyril，promptly，answeringforher.
"ItistimeIwasoffanyhow."ToBilly，hesaidinalowvoice：
"Youhaven’tbeenveryencouraging，littlegirl——infact，you’vebeenmightydiscouraging.Butsomeday——someotherday，I’lltrytomakecleartoyou——manythings."
BillygreetedBertramverycordially.Itwassucharelief——hischeery，genialcompanionship！Theair，too，wasbracing，andalltheworldlayunderasnow—whiteblanketofsparklingpurity.
Everythingwassobeautiful，sorestful！
Itwasnotsurprising，perhaps，thattheveryfranknessofBilly’sjoymisledBertramalittle.Hisbloodtingledathernearness，andhiseyesgrewdeepandtenderashelookeddownatherhappyface.Butofalltheeagerwordsthatweresonearhislips，notonereachedthegirl’searsuntilthegood—byesweresaid;thenwistfullyBertramhazarded：
"Billy，don’tyouthink，sometimes，thatI’mgaining——justalittleonthatrivalofmine——thatmusic？"
Billy’sfaceclouded.Sheshookherheadgently.
"Bertram，pleasedon’t——whenwe’vehadsuchabeautifulhourtogether，"shebegged."Ittroublesme.Ifyoudo，Ican’tgo——
again."
"Butyoushallgoagain，"criedBertram，bravelysmilingstraightintohereyes."Andtheresha’n’teveranythingintheworldtroubleyou，either——thatIcanhelp！"
CHAPTERXXXIII
WILLIAMISWORRIED
Billy’ssleigh—ridehadbeenduetothekindnessofabelatedwinterstormthathadsurprisedeveryonethelastofMarch.Afterthat，March，asifashamedofheruntowardbehavior，donnedhersweetestsmilesand"wentout"liketheproverbiallamb.WiththecomingofApril，andthestirringoflifeinthetrees，Billy，too，begantoberestless;andattheearliestpossiblemomentshemadeherplansforherlonganticipated"digginginthedirt."
Justhere，muchtohersurprise，shemetwithwonderfulassistancefromBertram.Heseemedtoknowjustwhenandwhereandhowtodig，andhedisplayedsuddenlyaremarkableknowledgeoflandscapegardening.（Thatthisknowledgewasasrecentinitsacquirementasitwassuddeninitsdisplay，Billydidnotknow.）Verylearnedlyhetalkedofperennialsandannuals;andwithouthesitationhemadeoutalistoffloweringshrubsandplantsthatwouldgivehera"successionofbloomthroughouttheseason."Hiswordsandphrasessmackedloudlyoftheverynewestflorists’
catalogues，butBillydidnotnoticethat.Sheonlywonderedattheseeminglyexhaustlesssourceofhiswisdom.
"Isuspect’twouldhavebeenbetterifwe’dbegunthingslastfall，"hetoldherfrowninglyoneday."Butthere’splentywecandonowanyway;andwe’llputinsomequick—growingthings，justforthisseason，untilwecangetthemorepermanentthingsestablished."
Andsotheyworkedtogether，studying，scheming，orderingplantsandseeds，theirtwoheadsclosetogetherabovethegailycoloredcatalogues.Latertherewastheworkitselftobedone，andthoughstrongmendidtheheavierpart，therewasyetplentyleftforBilly’seagerfingers——andforBertram’s.Andifsometimesintheintimacyofseed—sowingandplant—setting，thetouchoftheslendererfingerssentathrillthroughthebrownerones，Bertrammadenosign.Hewascarefulalwaystobethecheerful，helpfulassistant——andthatwasall.
Billy，itistrue，wasalittledisturbedatbeingquitesomuchwithBertram.Shedreadedarepetitionofsomesuchwordsashadbeenutteredattheendofthesleigh—ride.ShetoldherselfthatshehadnorighttogrieveBertram，tomakeithardforhimbybeingwithhim;butattheverynextbreath，shecouldbutquestion;didshegrievehim？Wasithardforhimtohaveherwithhim？Thenshewouldglanceathiseagerfaceandmeethisbuoyantsmile——andanswer"no."Afterthat，foratime，atleast，herfearswouldbeless.
SystematicallyBillyavoidedCyrilthesedays.Shecouldnotforgethispromisetomakemanythingscleartohersomeday.Shethoughtsheknewwhathemeant——thathewouldtrytoconvinceher（asshehadtriedtoconvinceherself）thatshewouldmakeagoodwifeforhim.
BillywasverysurethatifCyrilcouldbepreventedfromspeakinghismindjustnow，hismindwouldchangeintime;henceherdeterminationtogivehismindthatopportunity.
Billy’savoidanceofCyrilwasthemoreeasilyaccomplishedbecauseshewasforatimetakingacompleterestfromhermusic.Thenewsongshadbeenfinishedandsenttothepublishers.Therewasnoexcuse，therefore，forCyril’scomingtothehouseonthatscore;
and，indeed，heseemedofhisownaccordtobemakingonlyinfrequentvisitsnow.Billywaspleased，particularlyasMariewasnottheretoplaythirdparty.Mariehadtakenupherteachingagain，muchtoBilly’sdistress.
"ButIcan’tstayherealways，likethis，"Mariehadprotested.
"ButIshouldliketokeepyou！"Billyhadresponded，withnolessdecision.
Mariehadbeenfirm，however，andhadgone，leavingthelittlehouselonelywithouther.
AsidefromherworkinthegardenBillyasresolutelyavoidedBertramasshedidCyril.Itwasnatural，therefore，thatatthiscrisissheshouldturntoWilliamwithapeculiarfeelingofrestfulness.He，atleast，wouldbesafe，shetoldherself.Soshefranklywelcomedhiseveryappearance，sungtohim，playedtohim，andtooklongwalkswithhimtoseesomewonderfulbraceletornecklacethathehaddiscoveredinadingylittlecurio—shop.
Williamwasdelighted.Hewasveryfondofhisnamesake，andhehadsecretlychafedalittleatthewayhisyoungerbrothershadmonopolizedherattention.Hewasrejoicednowthatsheseemedtobeturningtohimforcompanionship;andveryeagerlyheacceptedallthetimeshecouldgivehim.
Williamhad，intruth，beengrowingmoreandmorelonelyeversinceBilly’sbriefstaybeneathhisroofyearsbefore.Thosefewshortweeksofhermerrypresencehadshownhimhowveryforlornthehousewaswithoutit.Moreandmoresorrowfullyduringpastyears，histhoughtshadgonebacktothelittlewhiteflannelbundleandtothedearhopesithadcarriedsolongago.Iftheboyhadonlylived，thoughtWilliam，mournfully，therewouldnotnowhavebeenthatdrearysilenceinhishome，andthatsoreacheinhisheart.
VerysoonafterWilliamhadfirstseenBilly，hebegantolaywonderfulplans，andineveryplanwasBilly.Shewasnothischildbyfleshandblood，heacknowledged，butshewashisbyrightofloveandneededcare.Infancyhelookedstraightdowntheyearsahead，andeverywherehesawBilly，aloving，much—loveddaughter，thejoyofhislife，thesolaceofhisdecliningyears.
TonoonehadWilliamtalkedofthis——andtonoonedidheshowthebitternessofhisgriefwhenhesawhisvisionfadeintonothingnessthroughBilly’sunchangingrefusaltoliveinhishome.
Onlyhehimselfknewtheheartache，theloneliness，thealmostunbearablelongingofthepastwintermonthswhileBillyhadlivedatHillside;andonlyhehimselfknewnowthealmostoverwhelmingjoythatwashisbecauseofwhathethoughthesawinBilly’schangedattitudetowardhimself.
GreataswasWilliam’sjoy，however，hiscautionwasgreater.HesaidnothingtoBillyofhisnewhopes，thoughhedidtrytopavethewaybydroppinganoccasionalwordaboutthelonelinessoftheBeaconStreethousesinceshewentaway.Therewassomethingelse，too，thatcausedWilliamtobesilent——whathethoughthesawbetweenBillyandBertram.ThatBertramwasinlovewithBilly，heguessed;butthatBillywasnotinlovewithBertramheverymuchfeared.Hehesitatedalmosttospeakormovelestsomethingheshouldsayordoshould，justatthecriticalmoment，turnmattersthewrongway.ToWilliamthismarriageofBertramandBillywasanidealmethodofsolvingtheproblem，asofcourseBillywouldcometheretothehousetolive，andhewouldhavehis"daughter"
afterall.Butasthedayspassed，andhecouldseenoprogressonBertram’spart，nochangeinBilly，hebegantobeseriouslyworried——andtoshowit.
CHAPTERXXXIV
CLASSDAY
EarlyinJuneBillyannouncedherintentionofnotgoingawayatallthatsummer.
"Idon’tneedit，"shedeclared."Ihavethiscool，beautifulhouse，thisair，thissunshine，thisadorableview.Besides，I’vegotaschemeImeantocarryout."
TherewassomeconsternationamongBilly’sfriendswhentheyfoundoutwhatthis"scheme"was：sundryofBilly’shumbleracquaintancesweretosharethehouse，theair，thesunshine，andtheadorableviewwithher.
"But，mydearBilly，"Bertramcried，aghast，"youdon’tmeantosaythatyouaregoingtoturnyourbeautifullittlehouseintoafresh—airplaceforBoston’sslumchildren！"
"Notabitofit，"smiledthegirl，"thoughI’dliketo，really，ifIcould，"sheadded，perversely."Butthisisquiteanotherthing.
It’snoslumwork，nocharity.Inthefirstplacemyguestsaren’tquitesopoorasthat，andthey’remuchtooproudtobereachedbytheavowedcharityworker.Buttheyneeditjustthesame."
"Butyouhaven’tmuchspareroom;haveyou？"questionedBertram.
"No，unfortunately;soIshallhavetotakeonlytwoorthreeatatime，andkeepthemmaybeaweekortendays.It’sjustasugarplum，Bertram.Trulyitis，"sheaddedwhimsically，butwithatenderlightinhereyes.
"Butwhoarethesepeople？"Bertram’sfacehadlostitslookofshockedsurprise，andhisvoiceexpressedgenuineinterest.
"Well，tobeginwith，there’sMarie.She’llstayallsummerandhelpmeentertainmyguests;atthesametimeherdutieswon’tbearduous，andshe’llgetalittleplaytimeherself.OneweekI’mgoingtohavealittleoldmaidwhokeepsalodginghouseintheWestEnd.Foruncountedyearsshe’sbeenpracticallytiedtoadoorbell，withneverawholedaytobreathefree.I’vemadearrangementsthereforasistertokeephouseawholeweek，andI’mgoingtoshowthislittleoldmaidthingsshehasn’tseenforyears：theocean，thegreenfields，andasummerplayortwo，perhaps.
"Thenthere’salittlecouplethatliveinathird—storyflatinSouthBoston.They’reyoungandlikegoodtimes;butthemanisonasmallsalary，andtheyhavehadlotsofsickness.He’sbeenoutsomuchhecan’ttakeanyvacation，andtheywouldn’thaveanymoneytogoanywhereifhecould.Well，I’mgoingtohavethemaweek.She’llbehereallthetime，andhe’llcomeoutatnight，ofcourse.
"Anotheroneisawidowwithsixchildren.Thechildrenarealreadyprovidedforbyafresh—airsociety，butthewomanI’mgoingtotake，and——andgiveherawholeweekoffoodthatshedidn’thavetocookherself.Anotheroneisawomanwhoisnotsoverypoor，butwhohaslostherbaby，andisblueanddiscouraged.
Therearesomechildren，too，onecrippled，andaboywhosayshe’s’justlonesome.’Andthereare——really，Bertram，thereisnoendtothem."
"Icanwellbelievethat，"declaredBertram，withemphasis，"sofarasyourgenerousheartisconcerned."
Billycoloredandlookeddistressed.
"Butitisn’tgenerosityorcharityatall，Bertram，"sheprotested.
"Youaremistakenwhenyouthinkitis——really！Why，Ishallenjoyeverybitofitjustaswellastheydo——andbetter，perhaps."
"Butyoustayhere——inthecity——allsummerfortheirsakes."
"WhatifIdo？Besides，thisisn’ttherealcity，"arguedBilly，"withallthesetreesandlawnsaboutone.Andanotherthing，"sheadded，leaningforwardconfidentially，"Imightaswellconfess，Bertram，youcouldn’thiremetoleavetheplacethissummer——notwhileallthesethingsIplantedarecomingup！"
Bertramlaughed;butforsomereasonhelookedwonderfullyhappyasheturnedaway.
OnthefifteenthofJuneKateandherhusbandarrivedfromtheWest.AyoungbrotherofMr.Hartwell’swastobegraduatedfromHarvard，andKatesaidtheyhadcomeontorepresentthefamily，astheelderMr.andMrs.Hartwellwerenotstrongenoughtoundertakethejourney.Katewaslookingwellandhappy.ShegreetedBillywitheffusivecordiality，andopenlyexpressedheradmirationofHillside.Shelookedverykeenlyintoherbrothers’face，andseemedwellpleasedwiththeappearanceofCyrilandBertram，butnotsomuchsowithWilliam’scountenance.
"WilliamdoesNOTlookwell，"shedeclaredonedaywhensheandBillywerealonetogether.
"Sick？UncleWilliamsick？Oh，Ihopenot！"criedthegirl.
"Idon’tknowwhetherit’s’sick’ornot，"returnedMrs.Hartwell.
"Butit’ssomething.He’stroubled.I’mgoingtospeaktohim.
He’sworriedoversomething;andhe’sgrownterriblythin."
"Buthe’salwaysthin，"reasonedBilly.
"Iknow，butnotlikethis——ever.Youdon’tnoticeit，perhaps，orrealizeit，seeinghimeverydayasyoudo.ButIknowsomethingtroubleshim."
"Oh，Ihopenot，"murmuredBilly，withanxiouseyes."Wedon’twantUncleWilliamtroubled：wealllovehimtoowell."
Mrs.Hartwelldidnotatoncereply;butforalongminuteshethoughtfullystudiedBilly’sfaceasitwasbentabovethesewinginBilly’shand.Whenshedidspeakshehadchangedthesubject.
YoungHartwellwastodelivertheIvyOrationintheStadiumonClassDay，andalltheHenshawswerelookingeagerlyforwardtotheoccasion.
"YouhaveseentheStadium，ofcourse，"saidBertramtoBilly，afewdaysbeforetheanticipatedFriday.
"Onlyfromacrosstheriver."
"Isthatso？Andyou’veneverbeenhereClassDay，either.Good！
Thenyou’vegotatreatinstore.Justwaitandsee！"
AndBillywaited——andshesaw.Billybegantosee，infact，beforeClassDay.YoungHartwellwasapopularfellow，andhewaseagertohavehisfriendsmeetBillyandtheHenshaws.HewasamemberoftheInstituteof1770，D.K.E.，Stylus，Signet，RoundTable，andHastyPuddingClubs，andnearlyeveryoneofthesehadsomesortoffunctionplannedforClass—Dayweek.BythetimethedayitselfarrivedBillywasalmostasexcitedaswasyoungHartwellhimself.
ItrainedClass—Daymorning，butatnineo’clockthesuncameoutanddrovethecloudsaway，muchtoeveryone’sdelight.Billy’sdaybeganatnoonwiththespreadgivenbytheHastyPuddingClub.
Billywonderedafterwardhowmanytimesthatdayremarksliketheseweremadetoher：
"You’vebeenhereClassDaybefore，ofcourse.You’veseentheconfetti—throwing！No？Well，youjustwait！"
AttenminutesoffourBillyandMrs.Hartwell，withMr.HartwellandBertramasescorts，enteredthecool，echoingshadowsundertheStadium，andthenoutinthesunlighttheybegantoclimbthebroadstepstotheirseats.
"Iwantedthemhighup，yousee，"explainedBertram，"becauseyoucangettheeffectsomuchbetter.There，hereweare！"
ForthefirsttimeBillyturnedandlookedabouther.Shegavealowcryofdelight.
"Oh，oh，howbeautiful——howwonderfullybeautiful！"
"Youjustwait！"crowedBertram."Ifyouthinkthisisbeautiful，youjustwait！"
Billydidnotseemtohearhim.Hereyesweresweepingthewonderfulscenebeforeher，andherfacewasaglowwithdelight.
Firsttherewasthegreatamphitheateritself.Onlythewidecurveofthehorseshoewasropedoffforto—day’saudience.Beyondlaythetwosideswiththeirtierabovetierofemptyseats，almostdazzlinginthesunshine.Withintheroped—offcurvethescenewasofkaleidoscopicbeauty.Charminglygownedyoungwomenandcarefullygroomedyoungmenwereeverywhere，stirring，chatting，laughing.Gay—coloredparasolsandflower—gardenhatsmadehereandtherebrilliantsplashesofrainbowtints.Abovewasanalmostcloudlesscanopyofblue，andatthefarhorizon，earthandskymetandmadeapicturethatwaslikeawondrouspaintedcurtainhungfromheavenitself.
Atthefirstsoundofthedistantbandthattoldofthegraduates’
coming，Bertramsaidalmostwistfully：
"ClassDayistheonlytimewhenIfeel’outofit.’YouseeI’mthefirstmaleHenshawforagesthathasn’tbeenthroughHarvard;
andto—day，youknow，isthetimewhentheoldgradscomebackanddostuntslikethekids——iftheycan（andsomeofthemcanallright！）.Theymarchinbyclassesaheadoftheseniors，andviewitheachotheringivingtheiryells.You’llseeCyrilandWilliam，ifyoureyesaresharpenough——andyou’llseethemasyouneversawthembefore."
FardownthegreenfieldBillyspiednowthelongblacklineofmovingfigureswithabandinthelead.Nearerandneareritcameuntil，greetedbyamightyroarfromthousandsofthroats，theleaderssweptintothegreatbowlofthehorseshoecurve.
Andhowtheyyelledandcheered——thosemenwhosefirstClassDaylayfive，ten，fifteen，eventwentyormoreyearsbehindthem，astoldbythebannerswhichtheysoproudlycarried.Howtheygottheirheadstogetherandgavethe"Rah！Rah！Rah！"withunswervingeyesontheirleader！Howtheybeattheairwiththeirhatsintimetotheirlustyshouts！Andhowthethrongsabovecheeredandclappedinanswer，untiltheyalmostsplittheirthroats——anddidsplittheirgloves——especiallywhentheblack—gownedseniorssweptintoview.
Andwhenthecurvinglineofblackhadbecomeonesolidmassofhumanitythatfilledthebowlfromsidetoside，thevastthrongseatedthemselves，andagreathushfellwhiletheGleeClubsang.
YoungHartwellprovedtobeagoodspeaker，andhisringingvoicereachedeventhetopmosttierofseats.Billywascharmedandinterested.Everythingshesawandheardwasbutanewsourceofenjoyment，andshehadquiteforgottenthethingforwhichshewasto"wait，"whenshesawtheusherspassingthroughtheaisleswiththeirbasketsofmany—huedpackagesofconfettiandcountlessrollsofpaperribbon.
Itbeganthen，themerrywarbetweenthestudentsbelowandthethrongabove.Inatricetheairwasfilledwithshimmeringbitsofred，blue，white，green，purple，pink，andyellow.Fromalldirectionsflutteringstreamersthatshowedeverycoloroftherainbow，wereflungtothebreezeuntil，upheldbythesupportingwires，theymadeafairylaceworkofmarvelousbeauty.
"Oh，oh，oh！"criedBilly，hereyesmistywithemotion."IthinkI
neversawanythinginmylifesolovely！
"Ithoughtyou’dlikeit，"gloriedBertram."YouknowIsaidtowait！"
Butevenwiththis，ClassDayforBillywasnotfinished.TherewasstillHartwell’sownspreadfromsixtoeight，andafterthattherewerethePresident’sreception，anddancingintheMemorialHallandintheGymnasium.TherewastheFairylandoftheyard，too，softlyaglowwithmovingthrongsofbeautifulwomenandgallantmen.ButwhatBillyrememberedbestofallwastheexquisiteharmonythatcametoherthroughthehushednightairwhentheGleeClubsangFairHarvardonthestepsofHolworthyHall.
CHAPTERXXXV
SISTERKATEAGAIN
ItwasontheSundayfollowingClassDaythatMrs.Hartwellcarriedoutherdeterminationto"speaktoWilliam."TheWesthadnottakenfromKateherloveofmanaging，andshethoughtshesawnowamatterthatsorelyneededherguidinghand.
William’sthinface，anxiouslooks，andnervousmannerhadtroubledhereversinceshecame.Thenoneday，verysuddenly，hadcomeenlightenment：Williamwasinlove——andwithBilly.
Mrs.HartwellwatchedWilliamverycloselyafterthat.ShesawhiseyesfollowBillyfondly，yetanxiously.Shesawhisopenjoyatbeingwithher，andatanylittleattention，word，orlookthatthegirlgavehim.Sheremembered，too，somethingthatBertramhadsaidaboutWilliam’sgriefbecauseBillywouldnotliveattheStrata.Shethoughtshesawsomethingelse，also：thatBillywasfondofWilliam，butthatWilliamdidnotknowit;hencehisfrequenttroubledscrutinyofherface.WhythesetwoshouldplayatcrosspurposesSisterKatecouldnotunderstand.Shesmiled，however，confidently：theyshouldnotplayatcrosspurposesmuchlonger，shedeclared.
OnSundayafternoonKateaskedhereldestbrothertotakeherdriving.
"Notamotorcar;Iwantahorse——thatwillletmetalk，"shesaid.
"Certainly，"agreedWilliam，withasmile;butBertram，whochancedtohearher，putintheslycomment："AsifANYhorsecouldprevent——that！"
OnthedriveKatebegantotalkatonce，butshedidnotplungeintothesubjectnearestherheartuntilshehadadroitlyledWilliamintoaglowingenumerationofBilly’smanycharmingcharacteristics;thenshesaid：
"William，whydon’tyoutakeBillyhomewithyou？"
Williamstirreduneasilyashealwaysdidwhenanythingannoyedhim.
"MydearKate，thereisnothingIshouldlikebettertodo，"hereplied.
"Thenwhydon’tyoudoit？"
"I——hopeto，sometime."
"Butwhynotnow？"
"I’mafraidBillyisnotquite——ready."
"Nonsense！Ayounggirllikethatdoesnotknowherownmindlotsoftimes.Justpressthematteralittle.Lovewillworkwonders——
sometimes."
Williamblushedlikeagirl.Tohimherwordshadbutonemeaning——
Bertram’sloveforBilly.Williamhadneverspokenofthissuspectedloveaffairtoanyone.Hehadeventhoughtthathewastheonlyonethathaddiscoveredit.Tohearhissisterreferthuslightlytoitcamethereforeinthenatureofashocktohim.
"Thenyouhave——seenit——too？"hestammered"’Seenit，too，’"laughedKate，withherconfidenteyesonWilliam’sflushedface，"IshouldsayIhadseenit！Anyonecouldseeit."
Williamblushedagain.Lovetohimhadalwaysbeensomethingsacred;somethingthatcalledforhushedvoicesandtwilight.
Thismerrydiscussioninthesunlightofevenanother’slovewasdisconcerting.
"Nowcome，William，"resumedKate，afteramoment;"speaktoBilly，andhavethemattersettledonceforall.It’sworryingyou.I
canseeitis."
AgainWilliamstirreduneasily.
"But，Kate，Ican’tdoanything.Itoldyoubefore;Idon’tbelieveBillyis——ready."
"Nonsense！Askher."
"ButKate，agirlwon’tmarryagainstherwill！"
"Idon’tbelieveitisagainstherwill."
"Kate！Honestly？"
"Honestly！I’vewatchedher."
"ThenIWILLspeak，"criedtheman，hisfacealight，"if——ifyouthinkanythingIcansaywould——help.Thereisnothing——nothinginallthisworldthatIsodesire，Kate，astohavethatlittlegirlbackhome.Andofcoursethatwoulddoit.She’dlivethere，youknow."
"Why，of——course，"murmuredKate，withapuzzledfrown.TherewassomethinginthislastremarkofWilliam’sthatshedidnotquiteunderstand.SurelyhecouldnotsupposethatshehadanyideathatafterhehadmarriedBillytheywouldgotoliveanywhereelse;——
shethought.Foramomentsheconsideredthemattervaguely;thensheturnedherattentiontosomethingelse.Shewasthemorereadytodothisbecauseshebelievedthatshehadsaidenoughforthepresent：itwaswelltosowseeds，butitwasalsowelltoletthemhaveachancetogrow，shetoldherself.
Mrs.Hartwell’snextmovewastospeaktoBilly，andshewascarefultodothisatonce，sothatshemightpavethewayforWilliam.
Shebeganherconversationwithaningratiatingsmileandthewords：
"Well，Billy，I’vebeendoingalittledetectiveworkonmyownaccount."
"Detectivework？"
"Yes;aboutWilliam.YouknowItoldyoutheotherdayhowtroubledandanxioushelookedtome.Well，I’vefoundoutwhat’sthematter."
"Whatisit？"
"Yourself."
"Myself！Why，Mrs.Hartwell，whatcanyoumean？"
Theelderladysmiledsignificantly.
"Oh，it’smerelyanothercase，mydear，of’faintheartneverwonfairlady.’I’vebeenhelpingonthefaintheart;that’sall."
"ButIdon’tunderstand."
"No？Ican’tbelieveyouquitemeanthat，mydear.SurelyyoumustknowhowearnestlymybrotherWilliamislongingforyoutogobackandlivewithhim."
LikeWilliam，Billyflushedscarlet.
"Mrs.Hartwell，certainlynoonecouldknowbetterthanYOURSELF
whythatisquiteimpossible，"shefrowned.
Theothercoloredconfusedly.
"Iunderstand，ofcourse，whatyoumean.And，Billy，I’llconfessthatI’vebeensorrylotsoftimes，since，thatIspokeasIdidtoyou，particularlywhenIsawhowitgrievedmybrotherWilliamtohaveyougoaway.IfIblunderedthen，I’msorry;andperhapsI
didblunder.Atallevents，thatisonlythemorereasonnowwhyI
amsoanxioustodowhatIcantorectifythatoldmistake，andpleadWilliam’ssuit."
ToMrs.Hartwell’sblankamazement，Billylaughedoutright.
"’William’ssuit’！"shequotedmerrily."Why，Mrs.Hartwell，thereisn’tany’suit’toit.UncleWilliamdoesn’twantmetomarryhim！"
"Indeedhedoes."
Billystoppedlaughing，andsatsuddenlyerect.
"MRS.HARTWELL！"
"Billy，isitpossiblethatyoudidnotknowthis？"
"IndeedIdon’tknowit，and——excuseme，butIdon’tthinkyoudo，either."
"ButIdo.I’vetalkedwithhim，andhe’sverymuchinearnest，"
urgedMrs.Hartwell，speakingveryrapidly."Hesaysthere’snothinginalltheworldthathesodesires.And，Billy，youdocareforhim——Iknowyoudo！"
"Why，ofcourseIcareforhim——butnot——thatway."
"But，Billy，think！"Mrs.Hartwellwasveryearnestnow，andalittlefrightened.ShefeltthatshemustbringBillytotermsinsomewaynowthatWilliamhadbeenencouragedtoputhisfatetothetest."JustrememberhowgoodWilliamhasalwaysbeentoyou，andthinkwhatyouhavebeen，andmayBE——ifyouonlywill——inhislonelylife.Thinkofhisgreatsorrowyearsago.Thinkofthisdrearywasteofyearsbetween.Thinkhownowhishearthasturnedtoyouforloveandcomfortandrest.Billy，youcan’tturnaway！——
youcan’tfinditinyourhearttoturnawayfromthatdear，goodmanwholovesyouso！"Mrs.Hartwell’svoiceshookeffectively，andevenhereyeslookedthroughtears.Mentallyshewascongratulatingherself：shehadnotsupposedshecouldmakesotouchinganappeal.
Inthechairoppositethegirlsatverystill.Shewaspale，andhereyesshowedafrightenedquestioningintheirdepths.Foralongminuteshesaidnothing，thensherosedazedlytoherfeet.
"Mrs.Hartwell，pleasedonotspeakofthistoanyone，"shebeggedinalowvoice."I——Iamtakenquitebysurprise.Ishallhavetothinkitout——alone."
Billydidnotsleepwellthatnight.AlwaysbeforehereyeswasthevisionofWilliam’sface;andalwaysinherearswastheechoofMrs.Hartwell’swords："RememberhowgoodWilliamhasalwaysbeentoyou.Thinkofhisgreatsorrowyearsago.Thinkofthisdrearywasteofyearsbetween.Thinkhownowhishearthasturnedtoyouforloveandcomfortandrest."
ForatimeBillytossedaboutonherbedtryingtoclosehereyestothevisionandherearstotheecho.Then，findingthatneitherwaspossible，shesetherselfearnestlytothinkingthematterout.
Williamlovedher.Extraordinaryasitseemed，suchwasthefact;
Mrs.Hartwellsaidso.Andnow——whatmustshedo;whatcouldshedo？Shelovednoone——ofthatshewasverysure.Shewasevenbeginningtothinkthatshewouldneverloveanyone.TherewereCalderwell，Cyril，Bertram，tosaynothingofsundryothers，whohadlovedher，apparently，butwhomshecouldnotlove.Suchbeingthecase，ifshewere，indeed，incapableofloveherself，whyshouldshenotmakethesacrificeofgivinguphercareer，herindependence，andinthatwaybringthisgreatjoytoUncleWilliam’sheart？Evenasshesaidthe"UncleWilliam"toherself，Billybitherlipandrealizedthatshemustnolongersay"Uncle"William——ifshemarriedhim.
"Ifshemarriedhim."Thewordsstartledher."Ifshemarriedhim."Well，whatofit？ShewouldgotoliveattheStrata，ofcourse;andtherewouldbeCyrilandBertram.Itmightbeawkward，andyet——shedidnotbelieveCyrilwasinlovewithanythingbuthismusic;andastoBertram——itwasthesamewithBertramandhispainting，andhewouldsoonforgetthathehadeverfanciedhelovedher.Afterthathewouldbesimplyacongenialfriendandcompanion——agoodcomrade.AsBillythoughtofit，indeed，oneofthepleasantestfeaturesofthismarriagewithWilliamwouldbethedelightfulcomradeshipofher"brother，"
Bertram.
BillydweltthenatsomelengthonWilliam’sloveforher，hislongingforherpresence，andhisdrearyyearsofloneliness
Andhewassogoodtoher，sherecollected;hehadalwaysbeengoodtoher.Hewasolder，tobesure——mucholderthanshe;but，afterall，itwouldnotbesodifficult，soverydifficult，tolearntolovehim.Atallevents，whateverhappened，shewouldhavethesupremesatisfactionofknowingthatatleastshehadbroughtintodearUncle——thatis，intoWilliam’slifethegreatpeaceandjoythatonlyshecouldgive.
ItwasalmostdawnwhenBillyarrivedatthisnotuncheerfulstateofprospectivemartyrdom.Sheturnedoverthenwithasigh，andsettledherselftosleep.Shewasrelievedthatshehaddecidedthequestion.ShewasgladthatsheknewjustwhattosaywhenWilliamshouldspeak.Hewasadear，dearman，andshewouldnotmakeithardforhim，shepromisedherself.ShewouldbeWilliam’swife.
CHAPTERXXXVI
WILLIAMMEETSWITHASURPRISE
Inspiteofhissister’sconfidentassurancethatthetimewasripeforhimtospeaktoBilly，Williamdelayedsomedaysbeforebroachingthemattertoher.HiscouragewasnotsogoodasithadbeenwhenhewastalkingwithKate.Itseemednow，asitalwayshad，afearsomethingtotrytohastenonthisloveaffairbetweenBillyandBertram.Hecouldnotsee，inspiteofKate’swords，thatBillyshowedunmistakableevidenceatallofbeinginlovewithhisbrother.Themorehethoughtofit，infact，themorehedreadedthecarryingoutofhispromisetospeaktohisnamesake.
Whatshouldhesay，heaskedhimself.Howcouldhewordit？Hecouldnotverywellaccostherwith："Oh，Billy，Iwishyou’dpleasehurryupandmarryBertram，becausethenyou’dcomeandlivewithme."NeithercouldhepleadBertram’scausedirectly.QuiteprobablyBertramwouldprefertopleadhisown.Then，too，ifBillyreallywasnotinlovewithBertram——whatthen？Mightnothisownuntimelyhasteinthematterforeverputanendtothechanceofhercaringforhim？
Itwas，indeed，adelicatematter，andasWilliamponderedithewishedhimselfwelloutofit，andthatKatehadnotspoken.Butevenasheformedthewish，WilliamrememberedwithathrillKate’spositiveassertionthatawordfromhimwoulddowonders，andthatnowwasthetimetoutterit.Hedecidedthenthathewouldspeak;
thathemustspeak;butthatatthesametimehewouldproceedwithacautionthatwouldpermitahastyretreatifhesawthathiswordswerenothavingthedesiredeffect.Hewouldbeginwithafrankconfessionofhisgriefatherleavinghim，andofhislongingforherreturn;thenverygradually，ifwisdomcounseledit，hewouldgoontospeakofBertram’sloveforher，andofhisownhopethatshewouldmakeBertramandalltheStratagladbylovinghiminreturn.
Mrs.HartwellhadreturnedtoherWesternhomebeforeWilliamfoundjusttheopportunityforhistalkwithBilly.Truetohisbeliefthatonlyhushedvoicesandtwilightwerefittingforsuchasubject，hewaiteduntilhefoundthegirlearlyoneeveningaloneonhervine—shadedveranda.Henoticedthatasheseatedhimselfathersidesheflushedalittleandhalfstartedtorise，withanervousflutteringofherhands，andamurmured"I’llcallAuntHannah."Itwasthenthatwithsuddencourage，heresolvedtospeak.
"Billy，don’tgo，"hesaidgently，withatouchofhishandonherarm."ThereissomethingIwanttosaytoyou.I——Ihavewantedtosayitforsometime."
"Why，of——ofcourse，"stammeredthegirl，fallingbackinherseat.
AndagainWilliamnoticedthatoddflutteringoftheslimlittlehands.
Foratimenoonespoke，thenWilliambegansoftly，hiseyesonthedistantsky—linestillfaintlyaglowwiththesunset’sreflection.
"Billy，Iwanttotellyouastory.Longyearsagotherewasamanwhohadahappyhomewithayoungwifeandatinybabyboyinit.
Icouldnotbegintotellyoualltheplansthatmanmadeforthatbabyboy.Suchagreatandgoodandwonderfulbeingthattinybabywasonedaytobecome.Butthebaby——wentaway，afteratime，andcarriedwithhimalltheplans——andhenevercameback.Behindhimheleftemptyheartsthatached，andgreatbareroomsthatseemedalwaystobeechoingsighsandsobs.Andthen，oneday，suchafewyearsafter，theyoungwifewenttofindherbaby，andleftthemanallalonewiththeheartthatachedandthegreatbareroomsthatechoedsighsandsobs.
"Perhapsitwasthis——thebarenessoftherooms——thatmadethemanturntohisboyishpassionforcollectingthings.Hewantedtofillthoseroomsfull，full！——sothatthesighsandsobscouldnotbeheard;andhewantedtofillhisheart，too，withsomethingthatwouldstilltheache.Andhetried.Alreadyhehadhisboyishtreasures，andthesehelinedupinbravearray，buthisroomsstillechoed，andhisheartstillached;sohebuiltmoreshelvesandboughtmorecabinets，andsethimselftofillingthem，hopingatthesametimethathemightfillallthatdrearywasteofhoursoutsideofbusiness——hourswhichoncehadbeenalltooshorttodevotetotheyoungwifeandthebabyboy.
"Onebyonetheyearspassed，andonebyonetheshelvesandthecabinetswerefilled.Themanfancied，sometimes，thathehadsucceeded;butinhisheartofheartsheknewthattheachewasmerelydulled，andthatdarknesshadonlytocometosettheroomsoncemoretoechoingthesighsandsobs.Andthen——butperhapsyouaretiredofthestory，Billy."Williamturnedwithquestioningeyes.
"No，oh，no，"falteredBilly."Itisbeautiful，butso——sad！"
"Butthesaddestpartisdone——Ihope，"saidWilliam，softly."Letmetellyou.Awonderfulthinghappenedthen.Suddenly，rightoutofadullgrayskyofhopelessness，droppedalittlebrown—eyedgirlandalittlegraycat.Alloverthehousetheyfrolicked，fillingeverynookandcrannywithlaughterandlightandhappiness.Andthen，likemagic，themanlosttheacheinhisheart，andtheroomslosttheirechoingsighsandsobs.Themanknew，then，thatneveragaincouldhehopetofillhisheartandlifewithsenselessthingsofclayandmetal.Heknewthattheonethinghewantedalwaysnearhimwasthelittlebrown—eyedgirl;andhehopedthathecouldkeepher.Butjustashewasbeginningtobaskinthisnewlight——itwentout.Assuddenlyastheyhadcome，thelittlebrown—eyedgirlandthegraycatwentaway.Why，themandidnotknow.Heknewonlythattheachehadcomeback，doublyintense，andthattheroomsweremoregloomythanever.Andnow，Billy，"——William’svoiceshookalittle——"itisforyoutofinishthestory.Itisforyoutosaywhetherthatman’sheartshallacheonandondowntoalonelyoldage，andwhetherthoseroomsshallalwaysechothesighsandsobsofthepast."
"AndIwillfinishit，"chokedBilly，holdingoutbothherhands.
"Itsha’n’tache——theysha’n’techo！"
Themanleanedforwardeagerly，unbelievingly，andcaughtthehandsinhisown.
"Billy，doyoumeanit？Thenyouwill——come？"
"Yes，yes！Ididn’tknow——Ididn’tthink.Ineversupposeditwaslikethat！OfcourseI’llcome！"Andinamomentshewassobbinginhisarms.
"Billy！"breathedWilliamrapturously，ashetouchedhislipstoherforehead."MyownlittleBilly！"
Itwasafewminuteslater，whenBillywasmorecalm，thatWilliamstartedtospeakofBertram.Foramomenthehadbeentemptednottomentionhisbrother，nowthathisownpointhadbeenwonsosurprisinglyquick;butthenewsoftnessinBilly’sfacehadencouragedhim，andhedidnotliketolettheoccasionpasswhenawordfromhimmightdosomuchforBertram.Hislipsparted，butnowordscame——Billyherselfhadbeguntospeak.
"I’msureIdon’tknowwhyI’mcrying，"shestammered，dabbinghereyeswithherroundmoistballofahanderchief."IhopewhenI’myourwifeI’lllearntobemoreself—controlled.ButyouknowIamyoung，andyou’llhavetobepatient."
AsoncebeforeatsomethingBillysaid，theworldtoWilliamwentsuddenlymad.Hisheadswamdizzily，andhisthroattightenedsothathecouldscarcelybreathe.BysheerforceofwillhekepthisarmaboutBilly’sshoulder，andheprayedthatshemightnotknowhownumbandcoldithadgrown.Eventhenhethoughthecouldnothaveheardaright.
"Er——yousaid——"hequestionedfaintly.
"IsaywhenI’myourwifeIhopeI’lllearntobemoreself—
controlled，"laughedBilly，nervously."YouseeIjustthoughtI
oughttoremindyouthatIamyoung，andthatyou’llhavetobepatient."
Williamstammeredsomething——ahurriedsomething;hewonderedafterwardwhatitwas.ThatitmusthavebeensatisfactorytoBillywasevident，forshebeganlaughinglytotalkagain.Whatshesaid，Williamscarcelyknew，thoughhewasconsciousofmakinganoccasionalvaguereply.Hewasstillflounderinginahopelessseaofconfusionanddismay.Hisowndesirewastogetupandsaygoodnightatonce.Hewantedtobealonetothink.Herealized，however，withsickeningforce，thatmendonotproposeandrunaway——iftheyareaccepted.Andhewasaccepted;herealizedthat，too，overwhelmingly.Thenhetriedtothinkhowithadhappened，whathehadsaid;howshecouldsohavemisunderstoodhismeaning.