第21章

类别:其他 作者:Gene Stratton-Porter字数:8946更新时间:18/12/13 16:09:15
Billycaughtthecoldrollandbegantorubitagainstthetreeexcitedly。 \"Howareyougoingtogetitgreasedtothetop?\"inquiredTerry。 Billy\'sfacelengthened。\"That\'sso!\"hesaid。\"Thethingistobeginatthetopandgreasedown。I\'llshowyou!\" Billyputthebutterinhishandkerchiefandtookthecornersbetweenhisteeth。Heclimbedthepole,greasingitashesliddown。 \"Now,Igottotryfirst,\"hesaid,\"becauseI\'mthebiggestandsoIhavethebestchance;onlytheonethatgoesfirsthasn\'thardlyanychanceatall,becausehehastowipeoffthegreaseonhimself,sotheotherscangetupatlast。See?\" \"Allright!\"saidTerry。\"YougofirstandthenIwillandthenAlice。Phew!It\'sslick。He\'llnevergetup。\" Billywrestledmanfully,andwhenhewasexhaustedheboostedTerry,andthenbothofthemhelpedAlice,towhomtheyawardedaprizeofherowndoll。AstheyrestedBillyremembered。 \"Doyourfolkskeepcows?\"heasked。 \"No,webuymilk,\"saidTerry。 \"Gee!Thenwhataboutthebutter?Maybeyourmaneedsitfordinner!\" \"No,shedoesn\'t!\"criedAlice。\"There\'sstacksofit! IcanhaveallthebutterIwant。\" \"Well,I\'mmightygladofit!\"saidBilly。\"Ididn\'tjustthink。I\'mafraidwe\'vegreasedourclothes,too。\" \"That\'snodifference,\"saidTerry。\"Wecanplaywhatwepleaseinthesethings。\" \"Well,weoughttobealldirty,andbloody,andhavefeathersonustoberealIndians,\"saidBilly。 Alicetriedahandfulofdirtonhersleeveanditstreakedbeautifully。Instantlyallofthembegansmearingthemselves。 \"Ifweonlyhadfeathers,\"lamentedBilly。 Terrydisappearedandshortlyreturnedfromthegaragewithafeatherduster。Billyfellonitwithashriek。 Aroundeachone\'sheadhefirmlytiedatwistedhandkerchief,andstuckinsideitarowofstifflyupstandingfeathers。 \"Now,ifwejustonlyhadsomepokeberriestopaintusred,we\'dbereal,forsureenoughIndians,andwecouldgoonthewarpathandfightalltheothertribesandburnalotofthematthestake。\" Alicesidleduptohim。\"Wouldhuckleberriesdo?\" sheaskedsoftly。 \"Yes!\"shoutedTerry,wildwithexcitement。\"Anythingthat\'sacolour。\" Alicemadeanothertriptotherefrigerator。Billycrushedtheberriesinhishandsandsmearedandstreakedalltheirfacesliberally。 \"Nowareweready?\"askedAlice。 Billycollapsed。\"Iforgottheponies!Yougottorideponiestogoonthewarpath!\" \"Youain\'tneither!\"contradictedTerry。\"It\'stheverylateststyletogoonthewarpathinamotor。 Everybodydoes!Theygoeverywhereinthem。Theyaremuchfasterandbetterthananyoldponies。\" Billygaveonegenuinewhoop。\"Canwetakeyourmotor?\" Terryhesitated。 \"Isupposeyouaretoolittletorunit?\"saidBilly。 \"Iamnot!\"flashedTerry。\"Iknowhowtostartandstopit,andIdrivelotsforStephens。Itishardtoturnovertheenginewhenyoustart。\" \"I\'llturnit,\"volunteeredBilly。\"I\'mstrongasanything。\" \"Maybeitwillstartwithout。IfStephenshasjustbeenrunningit,sometimesitwill。Comeon,let\'stry。\" Billystraightenedup,liftedhischinandcried:\"Houpe! Houpe!Houpe!\" ThelittleO\'Moresstaredinamazement。 \"Whydon\'tyoucomeonandwhoop?\"demandedBilly。 \"Don\'tyouknowhow?YouaregreatIndians! Yougottowhoopbeforeyougoonthewarpath。 Yououghttokillabat,too,andseeifthewindisright。Butmaybetheenginewon\'trunifwewaittodothat。Youcanwhoop,anyway。Alltogethernow!\" Theydidwhoop,andafterseveraleffortsthecrysatisfiedBilly,soheledthewaytothebigmotor,andtookthefrontseatwithTerry。AliceandLittleBrotherclimbedintotheback。 \"Willitgo?\"askedBilly,\"ordowehavetoturnit?\" \"Itwillgo,\"saidTerryasthemachinegentlyslidoutintotheavenueandstartedunderhisguidance。 \"Thisisnowarpath!\"scoffedBilly。\"Wegottogoalotfasterthanthis,andwegottowhoop。Alice,whydon\'tyouwhoop? Alicearose,tookholdoftheseatinfrontandwhooped。 \"IfIopenthethrottle,Ican\'tsqueezethebulbtoscarepeopleoutofourway,\"saidTerry。\"Ican\'tsteerandsqueeze,too。\" \"We\'llwhoopenoughtogetthemoutoftheway。Gofaster!\" urgedBilly。 Billyalsostood,liftedhischinandwhoopedlikethewildestlittlesavagethatevercameoutoftheWest。 AliceandLittleBrotheraddedtheirvoices,andwhenhewasnotabsorbedwiththesteeringgear,Terryjoinedin。 \"Faster!\"shoutedBilly。 Intoxicatedwiththespeedandexcitement,Terrythrewthethrottlewiderandthebigcarleapedforwardandspeddowntheavenue。Initfourblack,feather- bedeckedchildrenwhoopedinwildgleeuntilsuddenlyTerry\'swarcrychangedtoascreamofpanic。 \"Thelakeiscoming!\" \"Stop!\"criedBilly。\"Stop!Whydon\'tyoustop?\" ParalyzedwithfearTerryclungtothesteeringgearandthecarspedonward。 \"Youlittlefool!Whydon\'tyoustop?\"screamedBilly,catchingTerry\'sarm。\"Tellmehowtostop!\" AbicycleshotbesidethemandFrecklesstandingonthepedalsshouted:\"Pulloutthepininthatlittlecircleatyourfeet!\" Billyfellonhiskneesandtuggedandthepinyieldedatlast。Justasthewheelsstruckthewhitesandthebicyclesheeredclose,Frecklescaughttheleverandwithonestrongshovesetthebrake。ThewaterflewasthecarstruckHuron,butluckilyitwasshallowandthebeachsmooth。HubdeepthebigmotorstoodquiveringasFrecklesclimbedinandbackedittodrysand。 Thenhedrewadeepbreathandstaredathisbrood。 \"Terence,wouldyoukindlybeexplaining?\"hesaidatlast。 BillylookedatthepantinglittlefigureofTerry。 \"IguessIbetter,\"hesaid。\"WewereplayingIndiansonthewarpath,andwehadn\'tanyponies,andTerrysaiditwasallthestyletogoinautomobilesnow,sowe——\" Freckles\'sheadwentback,andbedidsomewhoopinghimself。 \"Iwonderifyourealizehownearlyyoucametobeingfourdrownedchildren?\"hesaidgravely,afteratime。 \"Oh,IthinkIcouldswimenoughtogetmostofusout,\" saidBilly。\"Anyway,weneedwashing。\" \"Youdoindeed,\"saidFreckles。\"Iwillheadthisprocessiontothegarage,andtherewewillremovethefirstcoat。\"FortheremainderofBilly\'svisitthenurse,chauffeur,andeveryservantoftheO\'Morehouseholdhadsomethingofimportanceontheirminds,andBilly\'severystepwasshadowed。 \"IhaveBilly\'sconsent,\"saidPhiliptoElnora,\"andalltheotherconsentyouhavestipulated。Beforeyouthinkofsomethingmore,givemeyourlefthand,please。\" Elnoragaveitgladly,andtheemeraldslippedonherfinger。 Thentheywenttogetherintotheforesttotelleachotherallaboutit,andtalkitover。 \"HaveyouseenEdith?\"askedPhilip。 \"No,\"answeredElnora。\"Butshemustbehere,orshemayhaveseenmewhenwewenttoPetoskeyafewdaysago。 Herpeoplehaveacottageoveronthebluff,buttheAngelnevertoldmeuntilto-day。Ididn\'twanttomakethattrip,butthefolksweresoanxioustoentertainme,anditwasonlyafewdaysuntilIintendedtoletyouknowmyselfwhereIwas。\" \"AndIwasgoingtowaitjustthatlong,andifIdidn\'thearthenIwasgettingreadytoturnoverthecountry。 IcanscarcelyrealizeyetthatEdithsentmethattelegram。\" \"Nowonder!It\'sadifficultthingtobelieve。Ican\'texpresshowIfeelforher。\" \"Letusneverspeakofitagain,\"saidPhilip。\"IcamenearerfeelingsorryforherlastnightthanIhaveyet。 Icouldn\'tsleeponthatboatcomingover,andIcouldn\'tputawaythethoughtofwhatsendingthatmessagecosther。 Ineverwouldhavebelieveditpossiblethatshewoulddoit。 Butitisdone。Wewillforgetit。\" \"IscarcelythinkIshall,\"saidElnora。\"ItissomethingIliketoremember。Howsufferingmusthavechangedher! Iwouldgiveanythingtobringherpeace。\" \"Hendersoncametoseemeatthehospitalafewdaysago。 He\'sgonearatherwildpace,butifhehadbeenheldfromyouthbytheloveofagoodwomanhemighthaveliveddifferently。Therearethingsabouthimonecannothelpadmiring。\" \"Ithinkhelovesher,\"saidElnorasoftly。 \"Hedoes!Healwayshas!Henevermadeanysecretofit。Hewillcutinnowanddohislevelbest,buthetoldmethathethoughtshewouldsendhimaway。 Heunderstandsherthoroughly。\" EdithCarrdidnotunderstandherself。Shewenttoherroomafterhergood-byetoHenderson,layonherbedandtriedtothinkwhyshewassufferingasshewas。 \"Itisallmyselfishness,myunrestrainedtemper,myprideinmylooks,myambitiontobefirst,\"shesaid。 \"Thatiswhathascausedthistrouble。\" Thenshewentdeeper。 \"HowdoesithappenthatIamsoselfish,thatInevercontrolledmytemper,thatIthoughtbeautyandsocialpositionthevitalthingsoflife?\"shemuttered。\"Ithinkthatgoesalittlepastme。IthinkamotherwhoallowsachildtogrowupasIdid,whoeducatesitonlyforthefrivolitiesoflife,hasashareinthatchild\'sending。 Ithinkmymotherhassomeresponsibilityinthis,\"EdithCarrwhisperedtothenight。\"Butshewillrecognizenone。 ShewouldlaughatmeifItriedtotellherwhatIhavesufferedandthebitter,bitterlessonIhavelearned。 Noonereallycares,butHart。I\'vesenthimaway,sothereisnoone!Noone!\" Edithpressedherfingersacrossherburningeyesandlaystill。 \"Heisgone!\"shewhisperedatlast。\"Hewouldgoatonce。 Hewouldnotseemeagain。Ishouldthinkheneverwouldwanttoseemeanymore。ButIwillwanttoseehim! Mysoul!Iwanthimnow!Iwanthimeveryminute! HeisallIhave。AndI\'vesenthimaway。Oh,thesedreadfuldaystocome,alone!Ican\'tbearit。Hart! Hart!\"shecriedaloud。\"Iwantyou!Noonecaresbutyou。 Nooneunderstandsbutyou。Oh,Iwantyou!\" Shesprangfromherbedandfeltherwaytoherdesk。 \"GetmesomeoneattheHendersoncottage,\"shesaidtoCentral,andwaitedshivering。 \"Theydon\'tanswer。\" \"Theyarethere!Youmustgetthem。Turnonthebuzzer。\" AfteratimethesleepyvoiceofMrs。Hendersonanswered。 \"HasHartgone?\"pantedEdithCarr。 \"No!HecameinlateandbegantotalkaboutstartingtoCalifornia。Hehasn\'tsleptinweekstoamounttoanything。Iputhimtobed。ThereistimeenoughtostarttoCaliforniawhenheawakens。Edith,whatareyouplanningtodonextwiththatboyofmine?\" \"WillyoutellhimIwanttoseehimbeforehegoes?\" \"Yes,butIwon\'twakehim。\" \"Idon\'twantyouto。Justtellhiminthemorning。\" \"Verywell。\" \"Youwillbesure?\" \"Sure!\" Hartwasnotgone。Edithfellasleep。Shearoseatnoonthenextday,tookacoldbath,ateherbreakfast,dressedcarefully,andleavingwordthatshehadgonetotheforest,shewalkedslowlyacrosstheleaves。Itwascoolandquietthere,soshesatwhereshecouldseehimcoming,andwaited。Shewasthinkingdeepandfast。 Hendersoncameswiftlydownthepath。Alongsleep,food,andEdith\'smessagehaddonehimgood。Hehaddressedinnewlightflannelsthatwerebecoming。 Editharoseandwenttomeethim。 \"Letuswalkintheforest,\"shesaid。 TheypassedtheoldCatholicgraveyard,andenteredthedeepestwoodoftheIsland,whereallshadowsweregreen,allvoicesofhumanityceased,andtherewasnosoundsavethewhisperingofthetrees,afewbirdnotesandsquirrelrustle。ThereEdithseatedherselfonamossyoldlog,andHendersonstudiedher。Hecoulddetectachange。 Shewasstillpaleandhereyestired,butthedull,strainedlookwasgone。Hewantedtohope,buthedidnotdare。 Anyothermanwouldhaveforcedhertospeak。ThemightytendernessinHenderson\'sheartshieldedherineveryway。 \"Whathaveyouthoughtofthatyouwantedyet,Edith?\" heaskedlightlyashestretchedhimselfatherfeet。 \"You!\" Hendersonlaytenseandverystill。 \"Well,Iamhere!\" \"ThankHeavenforthat!\" Hendersonsatupsuddenly,leaningtowardherwithquestioningeyes。Notknowingwhathedaredsay,afraidofthehopewhichfoundbirthinhisheart,hetriedtoshieldherandatthesametimetofeelhisway。 \"IammorethankfulthanIcanexpressthatyoufeelso,\"hesaid。\"Iwouldbeofuse,ofcomfort,toyouifI knewhow,Edith。\" \"Youaremyonlycomfort,\"shesaid。\"Itriedtosendyouaway。IthoughtIdidn\'twantyou。IthoughtI couldn\'tbearthesightofyou,becauseofwhatyouhaveseenmesuffer。ButIwenttotherootofthisthinglastnight,Hart,andwithselfinmind,asusual,IfoundthatIcouldnotlivewithoutyou。\" Hendersonbeganbreathinglightly。Hewasafraidtospeakormove。 \"Ifacedthefactthatallthisismyownfault,\" continuedEdith,\"andcamethroughmyownselfishness。 ThenIwentfartherbackandrealizedthatIamasI wasreared。Idon\'twanttoblamemyparents,butI wascarefullytrainedintowhatIam。IfElnoraComstockhadbeenlikeme,Philwouldhavecomebacktome。IcanseehowselfishIseemtohim,andhowIappeartoyou,ifyouwouldadmitit。\" \"Edith,\"saidHendersondesperately,\"thereisnousetotrytodeceiveyou。YouhaveknownfromthefirstthatIfoundyouwronginthis。Butit\'sthefirsttimeinyourlifeIeverthoughtyouwrongaboutanything——andit\'stheonlytimeIevershall。Understand,Ithinkyouthebravest,mostbeautifulwomanonearth,theonemostworthloving。\" \"I\'mnottobeconsideredinthesameclasswithher。\" \"Idon\'tgrantthat,butifIdid,you,mustrememberhowIcomparewithPhil。He\'smysuperiorateverypoint。 There\'snouseindiscussingthat。Youwantedtoseeme,Edith。 Whatdidyouwant?\" \"Iwantedyoutonotgoaway。\" \"Notatall?\" \"Notatall!Notever!Notunlessyoutakemewithyou,Hart。\" Sheslightlyextendedonehandtohim。Hendersontookthathand,kissingitagainandagain。 \"Anythingyouwant,Edith,\"hesaidbrokenly。\"Justasyouwishit。Doyouwantmetostayhere,andgoonaswehavebeen?\" \"Yes,onlywithadifference。\" \"Canyoutellme,Edith?\" \"First,Iwantyoutoknowthatyouarethedearestthingonearthtome,rightnow。Iwouldgiveupeverythingelse,beforeIwouldyou。Ican\'thonestlysaythatIloveyouwiththeloveyoudeserve。Myheartistoosore。It\'stoosoontoknow。ButIloveyousomeway。 Youarenecessarytome。Youaremycomfort,myshield。 Ifyouwantme,asyouknowmetobe,Hart,youmayconsidermeyours。IgiveyoumywordofhonourIwilltrytobeasyouwouldhaveme,justassoonasIcan。\" Hendersonkissedherhandpassionately。\"Don\'t,Edith,\" hebegged。\"Don\'tsaythosethings。Ican\'tbearit。 Iunderstand。Everythingwillcomerightintime。 Lovelikeminemustbringareward。Youwilllovemesomeday。Icanwait。Iamthemostpatientfellow。\" \"ButImustsayit,\"criedEdith。\"I——Ithink,Hart,thatIhavebeenonthewrongroadtofindhappiness。 IplannedtofinishlifeasIstarteditwithPhil;andyouseehowgladhewastochange。Hewantedtheothersortofgirlfarmorethanheeverwantedme。Andyou,Hart,honest,now——I\'llknowifyoudon\'ttellmethetruth! WouldyouratherhaveawifeasIplannedtolivelifewithPhil,orwouldyouratherhaveherasElnoraComstockintendstolivewithhim?\" \"Edith!\"criedtheman,\"Edith!\" \"Ofcourse,youcan\'tsayitinplainEnglish,\"saidthegirl。 \"Youarefartoochivalrousforthat。Youneedn\'tsayanything。Iamanswered。Ifyoucouldhaveyourchoiceyouwouldn\'thaveasocietywife,either。Inyourheartyou\'dlikethesmallerhomeofcomfort,thefurtheranceofyourambitions,thepalatablemealsregularlyserved,andlittlechildrenaroundyou。Iamsickofallwehavegrownupto,Hart。Whenyourhouroftroublecomes,thereisnocomfortforyou。Iamtiredtodeath。 Youfindoutwhatyouwanttodo,andbe,thatisaman\'sworkintheworld,andIwillplanourhome,withnothoughtsaveyourcomfort。I\'llbetheotherkindofagirl,asfastasIcanlearn。Ican\'tcorrectallmyfaultsinoneday,butI\'llchangeasrapidlyasIcan。\" \"Godknows,Iwillbedifferent,too,Edith。Youshallnotbetheonlygenerousone。Iwillmakealltherestoflifeworthyofyou。Iwillchange,too!\" \"Don\'tyoudare!\"saidEdithCarr,takinghisheadbetweenherhandsandholdingitagainstherknees,whilethetearssliddownhercheeks。\"Don\'tyoudarechange,youbig-hearted,splendidlover!Iamlittleandselfish。 Youaretheveryfinest,justasyouare!\" Hendersonwasnottalkingthen,sotheysatthroughalongsilence。AtlastheheardEdithdrawaquickbreath,andliftinghisheadhelookedwhereshepointed。 Upafernstalkclimbedacuriouslookingobject。 Theywatchedbreathlessly。Bylavenderfeetclungabig,pursy,lavender-splotched,yellowbody。Yellowandlavenderwingsbegantoexpandandtakeoncolour。Everyinstantgreatbeautybecamemoreapparent。Itwasoneofthosedouble-broodedfreaks,whichdooccuronrareoccasions,ormerelyanEaclesImperialismoththatinthecooldampnorthernforesthadfailedtoemergeinJune。EdithCarrdrewbackwithalong,shiveringbreath。Hendersoncaughtherhandsandgrippedthemfirmly。Steadilyshelookedthethoughtofherheartintohiseyes。 \"Byallthepowers,youshallnot!\"sworetheman。 \"Youhavedoneenough。Iwillsmashthatthing!\" \"Ohnoyouwon\'t!\"criedthegirl,clingingtohishands。 \"Iamnotbigenoughyet,Hart,butbeforeIleavethisforestIshallhavegrowntobreadthandstrengthtocarrythattoher。Sheneedstwoofeachkind。Philonlysentherone!\" \"EdithIcan\'tbearit!That\'snotdemanded!Letmetakeit!\" \"Youmaygowithme。IknowwheretheO\'Morecottageis。 Ihavebeenthereoften。\" \"I\'llsayyousentit!\" \"Youmaywatchmedeliverit!\" \"Philmaybetherebynow。\" \"Ihopeheis!Ishouldlikehimtoseemedoonedecentthingbywhichtorememberme。\" \"Itellyouthatisnotnecessary!\" \"`Notnecessary!\'\"criedthegirl,herbigeyesshining。 \"Notnecessary?Thenwhatonearthisthethingdoinghere?IjusthaveboastedthatIwouldchange,thatI wouldbelikeher,thatIwouldgrowbiggerandbroader。 AsthewordsarespokenGodgivesmetheopportunitytoprovewhetherIamsincere。Thisismytest,Hart!Don\'tyouseeit?IfIambigenoughtocarrythattoher,youwillbelievethatthereissomegoodinme。Youwillnotbelovingmeinvain。ThisisanespecialProvidence,man! Bemystrength!Helpme,asyoualwayshavedone!\" Hendersonaroseandshooktheleavesfromhisclothing。 HedrewEdithCarrtoherfeetandcarefullypickedthemossesfromherskirts。Hewenttothewaterandmoistenedhishandkerchieftobatheherface。 \"Nowadustofpowder,\"hesaidwhenthetearswerewashedaway。 FromatinybookEdithtoreleavesthatshepassedoverherface。 \"Allgone!\"criedHenderson,criticallystudyingher。 \"Youlookalmosthalfaslovelyasyoureallyare!\" EdithCarrdrewawaveringbreath。Shestretchedonehandtohim。 \"Holdtight,Hart!\"shesaid。\"Iknowtheyhandlethesethings,butIwouldquiteassoontouchasnake。\" Hendersonclenchedhisteethandheldsteadily。Themothhademergedtoorecentlytobetroublesome。Itclimbedonherfingersquietlyandobliginglyclungtherewithoutmoving。Sohandinhandtheywentdownthedarkforestpath。Whentheycametotheavenue,thefirstpersontheymetpausedwithanejaculationofwonder。 Thenextstoppedalso,andeveryonefollowing。Theycouldmakelittleprogressonaccountofmarvelling,interestedpeople。AstrangeexcitementtookpossessionofEdith。Shebegantofeelproudofthemoth。 \"Doyouknow,\"shesaidtoHenderson,\"thisisgrowingeasiereverystep。ItsclingingisnotdisagreeableasI thoughtitwouldbe。IfeelasifIweresavingit,protectingit。Iamproudthatwearetakingittobeputintoacollectionorabook。Itseemslikedoingathingworthwhile。Oh,Hart,Iwishwecouldworktogetheratsomethingforwhichpeoplewouldcareastheyseemtoforthis。Hearwhattheysay!Seethemlifttheirlittlechildrentolookatit!\" \"Edith,ifyoudon\'tstop,\"saidHenderson,\"Iwilltakeyouinmyarmshereontheavenue。Youareadorable!\" \"Don\'tyoudare!\"laughedEdithCarr。Thecolourrushedtohercheeksandanewlightleapedinhereyes\"Oh,Hart!\"shecried。\"Let\'swork!Let\'sdosomething! That\'sthewayshemakespeopleloveherso。There\'stheplace,andthankgoodness,thereisacrowd。\" \"Youdarling!\"whisperedHendersonastheypassedupthewalk。Herfacewasrose-flushedwithexcitementandhereyesshone。 \"Hello,every,one!\"shecriedasshecameonthewideveranda。 \"Onlyseewhatwefoundupintheforest!Wethoughtyoumightliketohaveitforsomeofyourcollections。\" SheheldoutthemothasshewalkedstraighttoElnora,whoarosetomeether,crying:\"Howperfectlysplendid! Idon\'tevenknowhowtobegintothankyou。\" Elnoratookthemoth。EdithshookhandswithallofthemandaskedPhilipifhewereimproving。ShesaidafewpolitewordstoFrecklesandtheAngel,declinedtoremainonaccountofanengagement,andwentaway,gracefully。 \"Wellbullyforher!\"saidMrs。Comstock。\"She\'salittlethoroughbredafterall!\" \"Thatwasamightybigthingforhertobedoing,\" saidFrecklesinahushedvoice。 \"IfyouknewheraswellasIdo,\"saidPhilipAmmon,\"youwouldhaveabetterconceptionofwhatthatcost。\" \"Itwasaterror!\"criedtheAngel。\"Inevercouldhavedoneit。\" \"`Nevercouldhavedoneit!\'\"echoedFreckles。\"Why,Angel,dear,thatistheonethingofalltheworldyouwouldhavedone!\" \"Ihavetotakecareofthis,\"falteredElnora,hurryingtowardthedoortohidethetearswhichwererollingdownhercheeks。 \"Imusthelp,\"saidPhilip,disappearingalso。\"Elnora,\" hecalled,catchingupwithher,\"takemewhereImaycry,too。 Wasn\'tshegreat?\" \"Superb!\"exclaimedElnora。\"Ihavenowords。Ifeelsohumbled!\" \"SodoI,\"saidPhilip。\"Ithinkabravedeedlikethatalwaysmakesonefeelso。Nowareyouhappy?\" \"Unspeakablyhappy!\"answeredElnora。