Ihave，’hesaid。Ihavepaintedhermanytimes。Infact，IhavepaintedhersooftenthatsheoncedeclareditwasonlythetiltofherchinandtheturnofherheadthatIloved——topaint，’hesaidmerrily，enjoyingBilly’sprettyconfusion，andnotrealizingthathiswordsreallydistressedher。Ihaveawholestudiofullof`Billys’athome。’
Oh，haveyou，really？’questionedMissWinthrop，eagerly。Thenmayn’tIseethem？
Mayn’tI，please，Mrs。Henshaw？I’dsoloveto!’
Why，ofcourseyoumay，’murmuredboththeartistandhiswife。
Thankyou。ThenI’mcomingrightaway。
MayI？I’mgoingtoWashingtonnextweek，yousee。Willyouletmecometo-morrowat——
athalf-pastthree，then？Willitbequiteconvenientforyou，Mrs。Henshaw？’
Quiteconvenient。Ishallbegladtoseeyou，’smiledBilly。AndBertramechoedhiswife’scordialpermission。
Thankyou。ThenI’llbethereathalf-pastthree，’noddedMissWinthrop，withasmile，assheturnedtogiveplacetoanadmiringgroup，whowerewaitingtopaytheirrespectstotheartistandhiswife。
Therewas，afterall，thatevening，oneflyinBilly’sointment。
Itflutteredinatthebehestofanoldacquaintance——oneoftheadvicewomen，’asBillytermedsomeofhertoointerestedfriends。
Well，they’relovely，perfectlylovely，ofcourse，Mrs。Henshaw，’saidthislady，cominguptosaygood-night。But，allthesamee{sic}，I’mgladmyhusbandisjustaplainlawyer。Lookout，mydear，thatwhileMr。Henshawisstealingallthoseprettyfacesforhiscanvases——justlookoutthatthefairladiesdon’tturnaroundandstealhisheartbeforeyouknowit。Dearme，butyoumustbesoproudofhim!’
Iam，’smiledBilly，serenely；andonlythejaggedsplitthatrentthegloveonherhand，atthatmoment，toldofthefierceangerbehindthatsmile。
AsifIcouldn’ttrustBertram!’ragedBillypassionatelytoherself，stealingasurreptitiousglanceatherruinedglove。Andasifthereweren’teveranyperfectlyhappymarriages——
evenifyoudon’teverhearofthem，orreadofthem!’
BertramwasnothometoluncheononthedayfollowingtheopeningnightoftheBohemianTenClub。Amatterofbusinesscalledhimawayfromthehouseearlyinthemorning；buthetoldhiswifethathesurelywouldbeonhandforMissWinthrop’scallathalf-pastthreeo’clockthatafternoon。
Yes，do，’Billyhadurged。Ithinkshe’slovely，butyouknowhersomuchbetterthanI
dothatIwantyouhere。Besides，youneedn’tthink_I’m_goingtoshowherallthoseBillysofyours。Imaybevain，butI’mnotquitevainenoughforthat，sir!’
Don’tworry，’herhusbandhadlaughed。
I’llbehere。’
Asitchanced，however，somethingoccurredanhourbeforehalf-pastthreeo’clockthatdroveeverythoughtofMissWinthrop’scallfromBilly’shead。
Forthreedays，now，PetehadbeenatthehomeofhisnieceinSouthBoston。Hehadbeenforced，finally，togiveupandgoaway。Newsfromhimthedaybeforehadbeenanythingbutreassuring，andto-day，Bertrambeinggone，BillyhadsuggestedthatElizaserveasimpleluncheonandgoimmediatelyafterwardtoSouthBostontoseehowherunclewas。ThissuggestionElizahadfollowed，leavingthehouseatoneo’clock。
ShortlyaftertwoCalderwellhaddroppedintobringBertram，asheexpressedit，abunchofbouquetshehadgatheredatthepictureshowthenightbefore。Hewasstillinthedrawing-
room，chattingwithBilly，whenthetelephonebellrang。
Ifthat’sBertram，tellhimtocomehome；
he’sgotcompany，’laughedCalderwell，asBillypassedintothehall。
AmomentlaterheheardBillygiveastartledcry，followedbyafewbrokenwordsatshortintervals。Then，beforehecouldsurmisewhathadhappened，shewasbackinthedrawing-roomagain，hereyesfulloftears。
It’sPete，’shechoked。Elizasayshecan’tlivebutafewminutes。Hewantstoseemeoncemore。WhatshallIdo？John’sgotPeggyoutwithAuntHannahandMrs。Greggory。Itwassoniceto-dayImadethemgo。ButImustgettheresomeway——Peteiscallingforme。UncleWilliamisgoing，andItoldElizawhereshemightreachBertram；butwhatshall_I_do？HowshallIgo？’
Calderwellwasonhisfeetatonce。
I’llgetataxi。Don’tworry——we’llgetthere。Pooroldsoul——ofcoursehewantstoseeyou!Getonyourthings。I’llhaveithereinnotime，’hefinished，hurryingtothetelephone。
Oh，Hugh，I’msogladI’vegot_you_here，’
sobbedBilly，stumblingblindlytowardthestairway。I’llbereadyintwominutes。’
Andshewas；butneitherthen，noralittlelaterwhensheandCalderwelldrovehurriedlyawayfromthehouse，didBillyoncerememberthatMissMargueriteWinthropwascomingtocallthatafternoontoseeMrs。BertramHenshawandaroomfulofBillypictures。
PetewasstillalivewhenCalderwellleftBillyatthedoorofthemodestlittlehomewhereEliza’smotherlived。
Yes，you’reintime，ma’am，’sobbedEliza；
and，oh，I’msogladyou’vecome。He’sbeenaskin’andaskin’forye。’
FromElizaBillylearnedthenthatMr。Williamwasthere，butnotMr。Bertram。TheyhadnotbeenabletoreachMr。Bertram，orMr。Cyril。
BillyneverforgotthelookofreverentadorationthatcameintoPete’seyesassheenteredtheroomwherehelay。
MissBilly——myMissBilly!Youweresogood-tocome，’hewhisperedfaintly。
Billychokedbackasob。
OfcourseI’dcome，Pete，’shesaidgently，takingoneofthethin，wornhandsintobothhersoftones。
ItwasmorethanafewminutesthatPetelived。
Fouro’clockcame，andfive，andhewasstillwiththem。Oftenheopenedhiseyesandsmiled。
SometimeshespokealowwordtoWilliamorBilly，ortooneoftheweepingwomenatthefootofthebed。Thatthepresenceofhisbelovedmasterandmistressmeantmuchtohimwasplaintobeseen。
I’msosorry，’hefalteredonce，aboutthatprettydress——Ispoiled，MissBilly。Butyouknow——myhands——’
Iknow，Iknow，’soothedBilly；butdon’tworry。Itwasn’tspoiled，Pete。It’sallfixednow。’
Oh，I’msoglad，’sighedthesickman。AfteranotherlongintervalofsilenceheturnedtoWilliam。
Themsocks——themediumthinones——you’doughterbeputtin’’emonsoon，sir，now。They’reintheright-handcornerofthebottomdrawer——
youknow。’
Yes，Pete；I’llattendtoit，’Williammanagedtostammer，afterhehadclearedhisthroat。
Eliza’sturncamenext。
Rememberaboutthecoffee，’Petesaidtoher，——thewayMr。Williamlikesit。Andalwayseggs，youknow，for——for——’Hisvoicetrailedintoanindistinctmurmur，andhiseyelidsdroopedwearily。
Onebyonetheminutespassed。Thedoctorcameandwent：therewasnothinghecoulddo。
Athalf-pastfivethethinoldfacebecameagainalightwithconsciousness。Therewasagood-bymessageforBertram，andoneforCyril。AuntHannahwasremembered，andevenlittleTommyDunn。Then，gradually，agrayshadowcreptoverthewastedfeatures。Thewordscamemorebrokenly。Themind，plainly，waswandering，foroldPetewasyoungagain，andaroundhimweretheladsheloved，William，Cyril，andBertram。Andthen，veryquietly，soonaftertheclockstrucksix，Petefellintothebeginningofhislongsleep。
E
Itwasalittleafterhalf-pastthreeo’clockthatafternoonwhenBertramHenshawhurriedupBeaconStreettowardhishome。Hehadbeendelayed，andhefearedthatMissWinthropwouldalreadyhavereachedthehouse。MindfulofwhatBillyhadsaidthatmorning，heknewhowhiswifewouldfretifhewerenottherewhentheguestarrived。ThesightofwhathesurmisedtobeMissWinthrop’slimousinebeforehisdoorhastenedhisstepsstillmore。Butashereachedthehouse，hewassurprisedtofindMissWinthropherselfturningawayfromthedoor。
Why，MissWinthrop，’hecried，you’renotgoing_now!_Youcan’thavebeenhereany——yet!’
Well，no，I——Ihaven’t，’retortedthelady，withheightenedcolorandasomewhatpeculiaremphasis。Myringwasn’tanswered。’
Wasn’tanswered!’Bertramreddenedangrily。Why，whatcanthatmean？Where’sthemaid？Where’smywife？Mrs。Henshawmustbehere!Shewasexpectingyou。’
Bertram，inhisannoyedamazement，spokeloudly，vehemently。Hencehewasquiteplainlyheardbythegroupofsmallboysandgirlswhohadbeenimprovingthemildweatherforafroliconthesidewalk，andwhohadbeenattractedtohisdooramomentbeforebytheshiningmagnetoftheWinthroplimousinewithitsresplendentlyliveriedchauffeur。AsBertramspoke，oneofthesmallgirls，BessieBailey，steppedforwardandpipedupashrillreply。
Sheain’t，Mr。Henshaw!Sheain’there。
Isawhergoawayjustalittlewhileago。’
Bertramturnedsharply。
Yousawhergoaway!Whatdoyoumean？’
SmallBessieswelledwithimportance。Bessiewasthirteen，inspiteofherdiminutiveheight。
Bessie’smotherwasdead，andBessie’scaretakersweregossipingnursesandservants，whofrequentlyleftinherwaybooksthatweremuchtoooldforBessietoread——butshereadthem。
Imeansheain’there——yourwife，Mr。Henshaw。
Shewentaway。Isawher。Iguesslikelyshe’seloped，sir。’
Eloped!’
Bessieswelledstillmoreimportantly。Toherexperiencedeyesthesituationcontainedallthenecessaryelementsforthecustomaryflightoftheheroineinherstory-books，ashere，now，wastheirate，desertedhusband。
Sure!And’twasjustbeforeyoucame——
quiteawhilebefore。Abigshinyblackautomobilelikethisdroveup——onlyitwasn’tquitesuchaniceone——an’Mrs。Henshawan’amancameoutofyourhousean’gotin，an’droverightaway_quick!_Theyjustrantogetintoit，too——didn’tthey？’Sheappealedtoheryoungmatesgroupedabouther。
AchorusofshrillexclamationsbroughtMr。
BertramHenshawsuddenlytohissenses。Byadesperateefforthehidhisangryannoyanceasheturnedtothemanifestlyembarrassedyoungwomanwhowasalreadydescendingthesteps。
MydearMissWinthrop，’heapologizedcontritely，I’msureyou’llforgivethisseeminggreatrudenessonthepartofmywife。Notwithstandingtheluridtalesofouryoungfriendshere，IsuspectnothingmoreserioushashappenedthanthatmywifehasbeenhastilysummonedtoAuntHannah，perhaps。Or，ofcourse，shemaynothaveunderstoodthatyouwerecomingto-dayathalf-pastthree——thoughIthoughtshedid。
ButI’msosorry——whenyouweresokindastocome——’MissWinthropinterruptedwithaquickgesture。
Saynomore，Ibegofyou，’sheentreated。
Mrs。Henshawisquiteexcusable，I’msure。
Pleasedon’tgiveitanotherthought，’shefinished，aswithahurrieddirectiontothemanwhowasholdingopenthedoorofhercar，shesteppedinsideandbowedhergood-byes。
Bertram，withsternself-control，forcedhimselftowalknonchalantlyuphissteps，leisurelytakeouthiskey，andopenhisdoor，undertheinterestedeyesofBessieBaileyandherfriends；
butoncebeyondtheirhatefulstare，hisdemeanorunderwentacompletechange。Throwingasidehishatandcoat，hestrodetothetelephone。
Oh，isthatyou，AuntHannah？’hecalledcrisply，amomentlater。Well，ifBilly’stherewillyoutellherIwanttospeaktoher，please？’
Billy？’answeredAuntHannah’sslow，gentletones。Why，mydearboy，Billyisn’there!’
Sheisn’t？Well，whendidsheleave？She’sbeenthere，hasn’tshe？’
Why，Idon’tthinkso，butI’llsee，ifyoulike。Mrs。GreggoryandIhavejustthisminutecomeinfromanautomobileride。Wewouldhavestayedlonger，butitbegantogetchilly，andIforgottotakeoneoftheshawlsthatI’dlaidout。’
Yes；well，ifyouwillsee，please，ifBillyhasbeenthere，andwhensheleft，’saidBertram，withgrimself-control。
Allright。I’llsee，’murmuredAuntHannah。
Inafewmomentshervoiceagainsoundedacrossthewires。Why，no，Bertram，Rosasaysshehasn’tbeenheresinceyesterday。Isn’tshetheresomewhereaboutthehouse？Didn’tyouknowwhereshewasgoing？’
Well，no，Ididn’t——elseIshouldn’thavebeenaskingyou，’snappedtheirateBertramandhungupthereceiverwithmostrudehaste，therebycuttingoffanastoundedOh，mygriefandconscience!’inthemiddleofit。
ThenexttenminutesBertramspentingoingthroughthewholehouse，fromgarrettobasement。
Needlesstosay，hefoundnothingtoenlightenhim，ortosoothehistemper。Fouro’clockcame，thenhalf-past，andfive。AtfiveBertrambegantolookforEliza，butinvain。
Athalf-pastfivehewatchedforWilliam；butWilliam，too，didnotcome。
Bertramwaspacingthefloornow，nervously。
Hewasalittlefrightened，butmoremortifiedandangry。ThatBillyshouldhaveallowedMissWinthroptocallbyappointmentonlytofindnohostess，nomessage，nomaid，even，toanswerherring——itwasinexcusable!Impulsiveness，unconventionality，andgirlishirresponsibilitywereallverydelightful，ofcourse——attimes；butnotnow，certainly。Billywasnotagirlanylonger。Shewasamarriedwoman。_Something_
wasduetohim，herhusband!Aprettypicturehemusthavemadeonthosesteps，tryingtoapologizeforatruantwife，andtolaughoffthatabsurdBessieBailey’spreposterousassertionatthesametime!WhatwouldMissWinthropthink？Whatcouldshethink？Bertramfairlygroundhisteethwithchagrin，atthesituationinwhichhefoundhimself。
NorweremattershelpedanybythefactthatBertramwashungry。Bertram’sluncheonhadbeenmeagerandunsatisfying。Thatthekitchendown-stairsstillremainedinsilent，spotlessorderinsteadofbeingastirwiththesoundsandsmellsofagooddinner(asitshouldhavebeen)didnotimprovehistemper。WhereBillywashecouldnotimagine。Hethought，onceortwice，ofcallingupsomeofherfriends；butsomethingheldhimbackfromthat——thoughhedidtrytogetMarie，knowingverywellthatshewasprobablyovertothenewhouseandwouldnotanswer。
