第15章

"Nothin’wouldsuiteithero’yougirlsbutchoosin’thebiggestenemiesI’vegotinthewholevillage！"

"You’venevertakenpainstomakeanythingbutenemies，sowhatcouldwedo？"

"Youmightaswellgotoliveonthepoor—farm！AaronBoyntonwasadisrep’tablehound；LoisBoyntonisascrazyasaloon；theboyisano—body’schild，an’Ivory’snobetterthanacommonpauper。"

"Ivory’sabrave，strong，honorableman，andascholar，too。I

canworkforhimandhelphimearnandsave，asIhaveyou。"

"Howlong’sthisbeengoin’on？"TheDeaconwaschoking，buthemeanttogettothebottomofthingswhilehehadthechance。

"Ithasnotgoneonatall。Hehasneversaidawordtome，andI

havealwaysobeyedyourwillinthesematters；butyoucan’thidelove，anymorethanyoucanhidehate。IknowIvorylovesme，soI’mgoingtotellhimthatmydutyisdonehereandIamreadytohelphim。"

"Goin’tothrowyourselfathishead，beyou？"sneeredtheDeacon。"BytheLord，Idon’knowwhereyoutwogirlsgottheseloosewayso’think—in’an’actingmebbehewon’ttakeyou，an’

thenwhere’llyoube？Youwon’tgitundermyroofagainwhenyou’veonceleftit，youcanmakeupyourmindtothat！"

"IfyouhaveanydoubtsaboutIvory’sbeingwillingtotakeme，you’dbetterdrivealongbehindmeandlistenwhileIaskhim。"

Waitstill’stonehadanexultantthrillofcertaintyinit。Shethrewupherhead，gloryinginwhatshewasabouttodo。Ifshelaidasideherusualreserveandvoicedherthoughtsopenly，itwasnotinthehopeofconvincingherfather，butfortheblissofputtingthemintowordsandintoxicatingherselfbythesoundofthem。

"Comeaftermeifyouwill，father，andwatchthewelcomeIshallget。Oh！IhavenofearofbeingturnedoutbyIvoryBoynton。I

canhardlywaittogivehimthejoyIshallbebringing！It’sselfishtorobhimofthechancetospeakfirst，butI’11doit！"

AndbeforeDeaconBaxtercouldcrosstheroom，Waitstillwasoutofthekitchendoorintotheshed，andflyingdownTown—HouseHilllikeanarrowshotfreefromthebow。

TheDeaconfollowedclosebehind，hardlyknowingwhy，buthewasnomatchforthegirl，andatlasthestoodhelplessonthestepsoftheshed，shakinghisfistandhurlingterriblewordsafterher，wordsthatitwasfortunateforherpeaceofmindshecouldnothear。

"Acurseuponyouboth！"hecriedsavagely。"Notsatisfiedwithdisobeyin’an’defyin’me，you’veputmetoshame，an’nowyou’llbesettin’theneighborsag’in’mean’ruinin’mytrade。Ifyouwasfreezin’inthesnowIwouldn’theaveablankettoyou！Ifyouwasstarvin’Iwouldn’tflingeitherofyouacrust！Nevershallyoudarkenmydoorsagain，an’nevershallyougitapennyo’mymoney，notifIhavetothrowitintotherivertospiteyou！"

Herehisbreathfailed，andhestumbledoutintothebarnwhimperingbetweenhisbrokensentenceslikeawhippedchild。

"HereIamwithnobodytomilk，norfeedthehens；nobodytochurnto—morrow，nordothechores；apoor，mis’ablecreeter，desertedbymychildren，withnobodytodoahand’sturn’thoutbein’paidforeverysteptheytake！I’11give’emwhattheydeserve；Idon’knowwhat，butI’llbeevenwith’emyet。"AndtheDeaconsethisBaxterjawinawaythatmeanthisdeterminationtostopatnothing。

XXXI

SENTRYDUTY

IVORYBOYNTONdrovehomefromthewoodsthatsameafternoonbywayofthebridge，inordertobuysomeprovisionsatthebrickstore。Whenhewasstillalongdistancefromthebarsthatdividedthelanefromthehighroad，heespiedadark—cladlittlespeckheknewtobeRodmanleaningoverthefence，waitingandlongingasusualforhishome—coming，andhisheartwarmedatthethoughtoftheboyishwelcomethatneverfailed。

Thesleighslippedquicklyoverthehard—packed，shiningroad，andthebellsrangmerrilyintheclear，coldair，givingoutajoyoussoundthathadnoechoinIvory’sbreastthatday。Hehadjusthadavisionofhappinessthroughanotherman’seyes。washealwaystostandout—sidethebanqueting—table，hewondered，andseeothersfeastingwhilehehungeredNowthelittlespeckboundedfromthefence，flewdowntheroadtomeetthesleigh，andjumpedinbythedriver’sside。

"Iknewyou’dcometo—night，"Rodmancriedeagerly。"ItoldAuntBoyntonyou’dcome。"

"Howisshe，wellascommon？"

"No，notabitwellsinceyesterdaymorning，butMrs。Masonsaysit’snothingworsethanacold。Mrs。Masonhasjustgonehome，andwe’vehadagrandhouse—cleaningto—day。She’swashedandironedandbaked，andwe’veputAuntBoyntonincleansheetsandpillow—cases，andherroom’sniceandwarm，andIcarriedtheeatinandputitonherbedtokeephercompanywhileIcametowatchforyou。AuntBoyntonletMrs。Masonbraidherhair，andseemedtolikeherbrushingit。It’sbeendreadfullonesome，andoh！Iamgladyoucameback，Ivory。Didyoufindanymoresprucegumwhereyouwentthistime？"

"Poundsandpounds，Rod；enoughtobringmeinnearlyahundreddollars。IchancedonthegreatestplaceI’vefoundyet。I

followedthewakeofanoldwhirlwindthathadleftlongfurrowsintheforest，——I’vetoldyouhowthethingworks，——andItrackeditscoursebythegumthathadformedwhereverthetreeswerewounded。It’shard，lonelywork，Rod，butitpayswell。"

"IfIcouldhavebeenthere，maybewecouldhavegotmore。I’mgoodatshinninguptrees。"

"Yes，sometimewe’11gogum—pickingtogether。We’llclimbthetreeslikeacoupleofcats，andtakeourknivesandserapeoffthepreciouslumpsthatareworthsomuchmoneytothedruggists。

You’veletdownthebars，Isee。"

"’CauseIknewyou’dcometo—night，"saidRodman。"Ifeltitinmybones。We’regoingtohaveasplendidsupper。"

"Arewe？That’sgoodnews。"Ivorytriedtomakehistonebrightandinterested，thoughhisheartwaslikealumpofleadinhisbreast。"It’stheleastIcandoforthepoorlittlechap，"hethought，"whenhestaysascaretakerinthislonelyspot。——I

wonderifIhadn’tbetterdriveintothebarn，Rod，andleavetheharnessonNicktillIgoinandseemother？GuessIwill。"

"She’shot，AuntBoyntonis，hotandrestless，butMrs。Masonthinksthat’sall。"

Ivoryfoundhismotherfeverish，andhereyeswereunnaturallybright；butshewasclearinXmindandcheerful，too，sittingupinbedtor^breathethebetter，whiletheMalteseeatsnuggledunderherarmandpurredpeacefully"ThecatisRod’sidea，"shesaidsmilinglybutinaveryweakvoice。"HeisagreatnurseIshouldneverhavethoughtoftheeatmyselfbutshegivesmemorecomfortthanallthemedicine。"

IvoryandRodmandrewuptothesuppertable，alreadysetinthekitchen，butbeforeIvorytookhisseathesoftlyclosedthedoorthatledintotheliving—room。Theyatetheirbeansandbrownbreadandthemincepiethathadbeenthe"splendid"featureofthemeal，asreportedbytheboy；andwhentheyhadfinished，andRodmanwasclearingthetable，Ivorywalkedtothewindow，lightinghispipethewhile，andstoodsoberlylookingoutonthesnowylandscape。Onecouldscarcelytellitwastwilight，withsuchsweepsofwhitenesstocatcheverygleamofthedyingday。

"Dropworkaminuteandcomehere，Rod，"hesaidatlength。"Canyoukeepasecret？"

"’CourseIcan！I’mchockfullof’emnow，andnobodycoulddigoneof’emouto’mewithapickaxe！"

"Oh，well！Ifyou’refullyounaturallycouldn’tholdanother！"

"Icouldtrytosqueezeitin，ifit’saniceone，"coaxedtheboy。

"Idon’tknowwhetheryou’11thinkit’saniceone，Rod，foritbreaksuponeofyourplans。I’mnotsuremyselfhowniceitis，butit’saverybig，unexpected，startlingone。Whatdoyouthink？YourfavoritePattyhasgoneandgotmarried。"

"Patty！Married！"criedRod，thenhastilyputtinghishandoverhismouthtohushhistoo—loudspeaking。

"Yes，sheandMarkWilsonranawaylastMonday，droveovertoAllentown，NewHampshire，andweremarriedwithouttellingasoul。DeaconBaxterdiscoveredeverythingthisafternoon，liketheoldfoxthatheis，andturnedPattyoutofthehouse。"

"Meanoldskinflint！"exclaimedRodexcitedly，alltheincipientmanhoodrisinginhisten—year—oldbreast。"IsshegonetolivewiththeWilsons？"

"TheWilsonsdon’tknowyetthatMarkismarriedtoher，butI

methimdrivinglikeJehu，justafterIhadleftPatty，andtoldhimeverythingthathadhappened，anddidmybesttocoolhimdownandkeephimfrommurderinghisnewfather—in—lawbyshowinghimitwouldservenorealpurposenow。"

"Didhelookmarried，andalldifferent？"askedRodcuriously。

"Yes，hedid，andmorelikeamanthaneverhelookedbeforeinhislife。Wetalkedeverythingovertogether，andhewenthomeatoncetobreakthenewstohisfamily，withoutevengoingtotakeapeepatPatty。Icouldn’tbeartohavethemmeettillhehadsomethingcheerfultosaytothepoorlittlesoul。WhenImetherbyUncleBart’sshop，shewastrudgingalonginthesnowlikeadraggledbutterfly，andcryinglikeababy。"

SympathetictearsdimmedRodman’seyes。"Ican’tbeartoseegirlscry，Ivory。Ijustcan’tbearit，especiallyPatty。"

"NeithercanI，Rod。Icameprettynearwipinghereyes，butpulledup，rememberingshewasn’tachildbutamarriedlady。

Well，nowwecometothepoint。"

"Isn’tPatty’sbeingmarriedthepoint？"

"No，onlypartofit。Patty’sbeingsentawayfromhomeleavesWaitstillalonewiththeDeacon，doyousee？AndifPattyisyourfavorite，Waitstillismine——Imightaswellownuptothat。"

"She’smine，too，"criedRod。"They’rebothmyfavorites，butI

alwaysthoughtPattywasthesuitablestformetomarryifshe’dwaitforme。Waitstillistoograndforaboy！"

"She’stoograndforanybody，Rod。Thereisn’tamanalivethat’sworthytostraponherskates。"

"Well，she’stoograndforanybodyexcept——"andhereRod’sshy，wistfulvoicetrailedoffintodiscreetsilence。

"NowIhadsometalkwithPatty，andshethinksWaitstillwillhavenotroublewithherfatherjustatpresent。Shesayshelavishedsomuchrageuponherthatthere’llbenoneleftforanybodyelseforadayortwo。And，moreover，thathewillneverdaretogotoofarwithWaitstill，becauseshe’ssousefultohim。I’mnotafraidofhisbeatingorinjuringhersolongashekeepshissobersenses，ifhe’severrightlyhadany；butIdon’tliketothinkofhisupbraidingherandbreakingherheartwithhiscrueltalkjustaftershe’slostthesisterthat’sbeenheronlycompanion。"AndIvory’shandtrembledashefilledhispipe。

Hehadnoconfidantbutthisquaint，tender—hearted，old—fashionedlittlelad，towhomhehadgrowntospeakhismindasifhewereamanofhisownage；andRod，inthesameway，hadgraduallylearnedtounderstandandsympathize。

"It’sdreadfullonesomeonTown—HouseHill，"saidtheboyinahushedtone"Dreadfullonesome，"echoedIvorywithasigh；"andIdon’tdareleavemotheruntilherfeverdiesdownabitandshesleeps。Nowdoyourememberthenightthatshewastakenill，andwesharedthewatch？"

Rodmanheldhisbreath。"Doyoumeanyou’regoingtoletmehelpjustasifIwasbig？"heasked，speakingthroughagreatlumpinhisthroat。

"Thereareonlytwoofus，Rod。You’reratheryoungforthispieceofwork，butyou’retrusty——you’retrusty！"

"AmItokeepwatchontheDeacon？"

"That’sit，andthisismyplan：Nickwillhavehadhisfeed；you’retodrivetothebridgewhenitgetsalittledarkerandhitchinUncleBart’shorse—shed，coveringNickwell。You’retogointothebrickstore，andwhileyou’regettingsomegrocerieswrappedup，listentoanythingthemensay，toseeiftheyknowwhat’shappened。Whenyou’vehungaboutaslongasyoudare，leaveyourbundleandsayyou’llcallinagainforit。ThenseeifBaxter’sstoreisopen。Idon’tbelieveitwillbe，andifitIsn’t，lookforalightinhiskitchenwindow，andprowlabouttillyouknowthatWaitstillandtheDeaconhavegoneuptotheirbedrooms。

ThengotoUncleBart’sandfindoutifPattyisthere。"

Rod’seyesgrewbiggerandbigger："ShallItalktoher？"heasked；"andwhat’llIsay？"

"No，justaskifshe’sthere。Ifshe’sgone，Markhasmadeitrightwithhisfamilyandtakenherhome。Ifshehasn’t，why，Godknowshowthatmatterwillbestraightenedout。Anyhow，shehasahusbandnow，andheseemstovalueher；andWaitstillisaloneonthetopofthatwind—swepthill！"

"I’llgo。I’llremembereverything，"criedRodman，intheseventhheavenofdelightattheresponsibilitiesIvorywasheapinguponhim。

318

"Don’tstaybeyondeighto’clock；butcomebackandtellmeeverythingyou’velearned。Then，ifmothergrowsnoworse，I’llwalkbacktoUncleBart’sshopandspendthenightthere，just——justtobenear，that’sall。"

"Youcouldn’thearWaitstill，evenifshecalled，"Rodsaid。

"Couldn’tI？Aman’searsareverysharpundercertaincircumstances。IbelieveifWaitstillneededhelpIcouldhearher——breathe！Besides，IshallbeupanddownthehilltillI

knowall’swell；andatsunriseI’11goupandhidebehindsomeofBaxter’sbuildingstillIseehimgethisbreakfastandgotothestore。Nowwashyourdishes"；

andIvorycaughtuphiscapfromahookbehindthedoor。

"Areyougoingtothebarn？"askedRodman。

"No，onlydowntothegateforaminute。Marksaidthatifhehadagoodchancehe’dsendaboywithanote，andgethimtoputitunderthestonegate—post。It’stoosoontoexpectit，perhaps，butIcan’tseemtokeepstill。"

Rodmantiedaginghamapronroundhiswaist，carriedthetea—kettletothesink，andpouredthedishpanfullofboilingwater；thendippedthecupsandplatesinandout，wipedthemandreplacedthemonthetable’gavethebean—platteraspecialpolish，andsetthehalfmincepieandthebutter—dishinthecellar—way。

"Aboyhastodomosteverythinginthisfamily！"Hesighedtohimself。

"Idon’tmindwashingdishes，exceptthenastyfrying—panandthestickybean—pot；butwhatI’mgoingtodoto—nightisdifferent。"

Hereheglowedandtingledwithanticipation。"Iknowwhattheycallitinthestory—books——it’ssentryduty；andthat’sbraverworkforaboythandish—washing！"

Which，however，dependsagooddealuponcircumstances，andsomewhatonthepointofview。

XXXII

THEHOUSEOFAARON

AFEELINGthatthedaywastobringgreatthingshaddawneduponWaitstillwhenshewokethatmorning，andnowitwascomingtrue。

ClimbingSacoHillwaslikeclimbingthehillofherdreams；lifeandlovebeckonedtoheracrossthesnowyslopes。

AtrestaboutPatty’sfuture，thoughtroubledastohersorryplightatthemoment，shewasconsciouschieflyofhernew—bornfreedom。Sherevelledinthekeenairthattingledagainsthercheek，anddrewinfreshhopewitheverybreath。Asshetrodtheshiningpathwayshewasfullofexpectancy，hereyesdancing，herheartasbuoyantasherstep。Notavestigeofconfusionoruncertaintyvexedhermind。SheknewIvoryforhertruemate，andifthewaytohimtookherthroughdarkplacesitwaslightedbyasteadfastbeaconoflove。

Atthetopofthehillsheturnedthecornerbreathlessly，andfacedthelengthofroadthatledtotheBoyntonfarm。Mrs。

Mason’shousewasbeyond，andoh，howshehopedthatIvorywouldbeathome，andthatsheneednotwaitanotherdaytotellhimall，andclaimthegiftsheknewwashersbeforesheaskedit。

Shemightnothavethesameexaltationto—morrow，fornowtherewerenolevelsinherheartandsoul。Shehadasenseofmountingfromheighttoheightandlightingfiresoneverypeakofherbeing。Shetooknoheedoftheroadshewastravelling；shewasconsciousonlyofawonderfulinwardglow。

Thehousewasnowinsight，andatallfigurewasissuingfromthesidedoor，puttingonafurcapasitcameoutonthestepsanddownthelane。Ivorywasathome，then，and，bestofall，hewasunconsciouslycomingtomeether——althoughtheirheartshadbeencomingtomeeteachother，shethought，eversincetheyfirstbegantobeat。

AsshenearedthebarsshecalledIvory’sname。Hishandswereinthepocketsofhisgreat—coat，andhiseyeswerefixedontheground。Sombrehewas，distinctlysombre，inmienandgait；couldshemakehimsmileandflushandglow，asshewassmilingandflushingandglowing？Asheheardhervoiceheraisedhisheadquicklyanduncomprehendingly。

"Don’tcomeanynearer，"shesaid，"untilIhavetoldyousomething！"Hismindhadbeensofullofherthatthesightofherintheflesh，standingtwentyfeetaway，bewilderedhim。

Shetookafewstepsnearerthegate，nearenoughnowforhimtoseeherrosyfaceframedinabluehood，andtocatchthebrightnessofhereyesundertheirlovelylashes。Ordinarilytheywerecoolandlimpidandgrave，Waitstill’seyes；nowasunbeamdancedineachofthem。Andherlips，almostalwaystightlyclosed，asifshewereholdingbackhernaturalspeech，——herlipswereredandparted，andthesoulofher，freeatlast，shonethroughherface，makingitluminouswithanewbeauty。

"Ihavelefthomeforgoodandall，"shesaid。"I’lltellyoumoreofthislateron，butIhaveleftmyfather’shousewithnothingtomynamebuttheclothesIstandin。Iamgoingtolookforworkinthemillsto—morrow，butIstoppedheretosaythatI’mreadytomarryyouwheneveryouwantme——ifyoudowantme。"

Ivorywasbewildered，indeed，butnotsomuchsothathefailedtoapprehend，andinstantly，too，therealsignificanceofthisspeech。

Hetookacoupleoflongstrides，andbeforeWaitstillhadanyideaofhisintentionshevaultedoverthebarsandgatheredherinhisarms。

"Nevershallyougotothemills，nevershallyouleavemysightforasinglehouragain，myone—woman—in—all—the—world！Cometome，tobelovedandtreasuredallyourlifelong！I’veworshippedyoueversinceIwasaboy；I’vekeptmyheartsweptandgarnishedforyouandnoother，hopingImightwinyouatlast。"

Howglorioustohearallthisdeliciouspoetryoflove，andtofeelIvory’sarmsabouther，makingthedreamseemsurer！

"Oh，howlikeyoutoshortenthetimeofmywaiting！"hewenton，hiswordsfairlychasingoneanotherintheireagernesstobespokenHowlikeyoutocountonme，toguessmyhungerforyourlove，torealizethechainsthatheldmeback，andbreakthemyourselfwithyourowndear，womanlyhands！Howlikeyou，oh，wonderfulWaitstill！"

Ivorywentonmurmuringphrasesthathadbeenlyinginhisheartunsaidforyears，scarcelyconsciousofwhathewassaying，realizingonlythatthemiracleofmiracleshadhappened。

Waitstill，forherpart，wasalmostdumbwithjoytobelyingsoclosetohisheartthatshecouldhearitbeating；tofeelthepassionatetendernessofhisembraceandhiskissfallinguponherhair。

"Ididnotknowagirlcouldbesohappy！"shewhispered。"I’vedreamedofit，butitwasnothinglikethis。Iamalla—tremblewithit。"

Ivoryheldheroffatarm’slengthforamoment，reluctantly，grudgingly。"Youtookmefairlyoffmyfeet，dearest，"hesaid，"andforgoteverythingbuttheonesupremefactyouweretellingme。HadIbeenonguardIshouldhavetoldyouthatIamnoworthyhusbandforyou，Waitstill。Ihaven’tenoughtooffersuchagirlasyou。"

"You’retoolate，Ivory！Youshowedmeyourheartfirst，andnowyouaresearchingyourmindforbugbearstofrightenme。"

"Iamapoorman。"

"NogirlcouldbepoorerthanIam。"

"Afterwhatyou’veendured，yououghttohaverestandcomfort。"

"Ishallhaveboth——inyou！"Thiswitheyes，allwet，liftedtoIvory’s。

"Mymotherisagreatburden——averydearandprecious，butagrievousone。"

"Sheneedsadaughter。ItisinsuchthingsthatIshallbeyourhelpmate。"

"Willnottheboytroubleyouandaddtoyourcares？"

"Rod？Ilovehim；heshallbemylittlebrother。"

"Whatifmyfatherwerenotreallydead？——Ithinkofthissometimesinthenight！——Whatifheshouldwanderback，brokeninspirit，feebleinbody，emptyinpurse？"

"Idonotcometoyoufreeofburdens。Ifmyfatherisdesertedbyall，Imustseethatheismadecomfortable。Henevertreatedmelikeadaughter，butIacknowledgehisclaim。"

"Mineissuchagloomyhouse！"

"WillitbegloomywhenIaminit？"andWaitstill，usuallysograve，laughedatlastlikeacare—freechild。

Ivoryfelthimselfhiddeninthebeautifulshelterofthegirl’slove。Itwasdarknow，orasdarkasthenighteveristhathasmoonlightandsnow。HetookWaitstillinhisarmsagainreverently，andlaidhischeekagainstherhair。"IworshipGodaswellasIknowhow，"hewhispered；"worshiphimasthemakerofthisbigheavenandearththatsurroundsus。ButIworshipyouasthemakerofmylittleheavenandearth，andmyheartissayingitsprayerstoyouatthisverymoment！"

"Hush，mydear！hush！anddon’tvaluemetoomuch，orIshalllosemyhead——Ithathaveneverknownasweetwordinallmylifesavethosethatmysisterhasgivenme。——ImusttellyouallaboutPattynow。"

"Ihappentoknowmorethanyou，dear。ImetheratthebridgewhenIwascominghomefromthewoods，andIsawhersafelytoUncleBart’sdoor。——Idon’tknowwhywespeakofitasUncleBart’swhenitisreallyAuntAbby’s！——InextmetMark，whohadfairlyflownfromBridgtononthewingsoflove，arrivinghoursaheadoftime。Imanagedtokeephimfromavengingtheinsultsheapeduponhisbride，andhehasdriventotheMillstoconfideinhisfatherandmother。BythistimePattyisprobablythecentreofthefamilygroup，charmingthemallasishercustom。"

"Oh，IamsogladMarkisathome！NowIcanbeatrestaboutPatty。AndImustnotlingeranothermoment，forIamgoingtoaskMrs。Masontokeepmeovernight，"criedWaitstill，bethinkingherselfsuddenlyoftimeandplace。

"Iwilltakeyoutheremyselfandexplaineverything。AndthemomentI’velightedafireinMrs。Mason’sbestbedroomandsettledyouthere，whatdoyouthinkIamgoingtodo？Ishalldrivetothetownclerk’shouse，andifheisinbed，routhimoutandhavethenoticeofourintendedmarriagepostedinapublicplaceaccordingtolaw。PerhapsIshallsaveadayoutofthefourteenI’vegottowaitformywife。’Mills，’

indeed！Iwonderatyou，Waitstill！AsifMrs。Mason’shousewasnotfarenoughaway，withoutyourspeakingof’mills。’"

"Ionlysuggestedmillsincaseyoudidnotwanttomarryme，"

saidWaitstill。

"Walkuptothedoorwithme，"beggedIvory。

"Thehorseisallharnessed，andRodwillsliphimintothesleighinajiffy。"

"Oh，Ivory！doyourealizewhatthismeans？"——andWaitstillclungtohisarmastheywentupthelanetogether——"thatwhateversorrow，whateverhardshipcomestous，neitherofuswilleverhavetobearitaloneagain？"

"IbelieveIdorealizeitasfewmencould，forneverinmyfive—and—twentyyearshaveIhadahumancreaturetowhomIcouldpourmyselfout，inwhomIcouldreallyconfide，withwhomI

couldtakecounsel。Youcanguesswhatitwillbetohaveacomprehendingwomanatmyside。Shallwetellmymother？Dosay’yes’；Ibelieveshewillunderstand。——Rod，Rod！comeandseewho’ssteppinginthedoorthisveryminute！"

Rodmanwasupinhisbedroom，attiringhimselfelaboratelyforsentryduty。HisdelightatseeingWaitstillwasperhapsslightlytemperedbythethoughtthatflashedatoncethroughhismind，——thatifshewassafe，hewouldnotberequiredtostandguardinthesnowforhoursashehadhoped。ButthisgriefpassedwhenhefullyrealizedwhatWaitstill’spresenceatthefarmatthisunaccustomedhourreallymeant。Afterhehadbeentold，hehungaboutherlikethechildthathewas，——thoughhehadabitoftheheroinhim，atbottom，too，——embracingherwaistfondly，andbristlingwithwonderingquestions。

"Isshereallygoingtostaywithusforalways，Ivory？"heasked。

"Everydayandallthedays；everynightandallthenights。

’PraiseGodfromwhomallblessingsflow！’"saidIvory，takingoffhisfurcapandopeningthedooroftheliving—room。"Butwe’vegottowaitforherawholefortnight，Rod。Isn’tthataridiculoussnailofalaw？"

"Pattydidn’twaitafortnight。"

"Pattyneverwaitedforanything，"Ivoryrespondedwithasmile；

"butshehadagoodreason，and，alas！wehaven’t，orthey’11saythatwehaven’t。AndIamverygratefultothesamedearlittlePatty，forwhenshegotherselfahusbandshefoundmeawife！"

Rodmandidnotwhollyunderstandthis，butfeltthatthereweremanymysteriesattendingtheloveaffairsofgrown—uppeoplethatweretoocomplicatedforhimtograsp；anditdidnotseemtobejusttherightmomentforquestions。

WaitstillandIvorywentintoMrs。Boynton’sroomquietly，handinhand，andwhenshesawWaitstillsheraisedherselffromherpillowandheldoutherarmswithasoftcryofdelight。

"Ihaven’thadyouforsolong，solong！"shesaid，touchingthegirl’scheekwithherfrailhand。

"Youaregoingtohavemeeverydaynow，dear，"whisperedWaitstill，withasobinhervoice；forshesawachangeintheface，anewtransparency，astillmoreethereallookthanhadbeentherebefore。

"Everyday？"sherepeated，longingly。Waitstilltookoffherhood，andkneltonthefloorbesidethebed，hidingherfaceinthecounterpanetoconcealthetears。

"Sheiscomingtolivewithus，dear。——Comein，Rod，andhearmetellher。——Waitstilliscomingtolivewithus：isn’tthatabeautifulthingtohappentothisdrearyhouse？"askedIvory，bendingtotakehismother’shand。

"Don’tyourememberwhatyouthoughtthefirsttimeIevercamehere，mother？"andWaitstillliftedherhead，andlookedatMrs。

Boyntonwithswimmingeyesandlipsthattrembled。"Ivoryismakingitallcometrue，andIshallbeyourdaughter！"

Mrs。Boyntonsankfartherbackintoherpillows，andclosinghereyes，gavealongsighofinfinitecontent。Hervoicewassofaintthattheyhadtostooptocatchthewords，andIvory，feelingthestrangebenedictionthatseemedtobepassingfromhismother’sspirittotheirs，tookRod’shandandkneltbesideWaitstill。

TheverseofafavoritepsalmwasrunningthroughLoisBoynton’smind，andinamomentthewordscameclearly，assheopenedhereyes，liftedherhands，andtouchedthebowedheads。"LetthehouseofAaronnowsaythathismercyendurethforever！"shesaid，slowlyandreverently；andIvory，withallhisheart，responded，"Amen！"

XXXIII

AARON’SROD

"IVORY！IVORY！"

Ivorystirredinasleepthathadbeentroubledbytoogreathappiness。Totraveladrearypathalone，apathleadingseeminglynowhere，andthensuddenlytohaveacompanionbyone’sside，theverysightofwhomenchantedtheeye，theverytouchofwhomdelightedthesenses——whatjoyunspeakable！Whocouldsleepsoundlywhenwakefulnessbroughtatrainofsuchblissfulthoughts？

"Ivory！Ivory！"

Hewasfullyawakenow，forheknewhismother’svoice。Inalltheyears，everthoughtfulofhiscomfortandoftheconstantstrainuponhisstrength，Loishadneverwakenedhersonatnight。

"Coming，mother，coming！"hesaid，whenherealizedshewascallinghim；andhastilydrawingonsomeclothing，forthenightwasbitterlycold，hecameoutofhisroomandsawhismotherstandingatthefootofthestairway，withalightedcandleinherhand。

"Canyoucomedown，Ivory？ItisastrangehourtocallyoubutI

havesomethingtotellyou；somethingIhavebeenpiecingtogetherforweeks；somethingIhavejustclearlyremembered。"

"Ifit’ssomethingthatwon’tkeeptillmorning，mother，youcreepbackintobedandwe’llhearitcomfortably，"hesaid，comingdownstairsandleadinghertoherroom。"I’llsmooththecovers，so；beatupthepillows，——there，andthrowanotherlogonthesitting—roomfire。Now，what’sthematter？Couldn’tyousleep？"