CHAPTERI
BILLYWRITESALETTER
BillyNeilsonwaseighteenyearsoldwhentheaunt，whohadbroughtherupfrombabyhood，died.MissBenton’sdeathleftBillyquitealoneintheworld——alone，andpeculiarlyforlorn.ToMr.JamesHarding，ofHarding&Harding，whohadchargeofBilly’snotinconsiderableproperty，thegirlpouredoutherheartinallitslonelinesstwodaysafterthefuneral.
\"Yousee，Mr.Harding，thereisn’tanyone——notanyonewho——
cares，\"shechoked.
\"Tut，tut，mychild，it’snotsobadasthat，surely，\"remonstratedtheoldman，gently.\"Why，I——Icare.\"
Billysmiledthroughtear—weteyes.
\"ButIcan’tLIVEwithyou，\"shesaid.
\"I’mnotsosureofthat，either，\"retortedtheman.\"I’mthinkingthatLettyandAnnwouldLIKEtohaveyouwithus.\"
Thegirllaughednowoutright.ShewasthinkingofMissLetty，whohad\"nerves，\"andofMissAnn，whohada\"heart\";andshepicturedherownyoung，breezy，healthyselfattemptingtoconformtothehushedandshadedthingthatlifewas，withinLawyerHarding’shome.
\"Thankyou，butI’msuretheywouldn’t，\"sheobjected.\"Youdon’tknowhownoisyIam.\"
Thelawyerstirredrestlesslyandpondered.
\"But，surely，mydear，isn’ttheresomerelative，somewhere？\"hedemanded.\"Howaboutyourmother’speople？\"
Billyshookherhead.Hereyesfilledagainwithtears.
TherewasonlyAuntElla，ever，thatIknewanythingabout.Sheandmotherweretheonlychildrentherewere，andmotherdiedwhenIwasayearold，youknow.\"
\"Butyourfather’speople？\"
\"It’sevenworsethere.Hewasanonlychildandanorphanwhenmothermarriedhim.HediedwhenIwasbutsixmonthsold.AfterthattherewasonlymotherandAuntElla，thenAuntEllaalone;andnow——noone.\"
\"Andyouknownothingofyourfather’speople？\"
\"Nothing;thatis——almostnothing.\"
\"Thenthereissomeone？\"
Billysmiled.Adeeperpinkshowedinhercheeks.
\"Why，there’sone——amanbutheisn’treallyfather’speople，anyway.ButI——Ihavebeentemptedtowritetohim.\"
\"Whoishe？\"
\"TheoneI’mnamedfor.Hewasfather’sboyhoodchum.Youseethat’swhyI’m’Billy’insteadofbeingaproper’Susie，’or’Bessie，’or’SallyJane.’Fatherhadmadeuphismindtonamehisbaby’William’afterhischum，andwhenIcame，AuntEllasaid，hewasquitebroken—hearteduntilsomebodyhitupontheideaofnamingmeBilly.’Thenhewascontent，foritseemsthathealwayscalledhischum’Billy’anyhow.Andso——’Billy’Iamto—day.\"
\"Doyouknowthisman？\"
\"No.Youseefatherdied，andmotherandAuntEllaknewhimonlyveryslightly.Motherknewhiswife，though，AuntEllasaid，andSHEwaslovely.\"
\"Hm——;well，wemightlookthemup，perhaps.Youknowhisaddress？\"
\"Oh，yesunlesshe’smoved.We’vealwayskeptthat.AuntEllausedtosaysometimesthatshewasgoingtowritetohimsomedayaboutme，youknow.\"
\"What’shisname？\"
\"WilliamHenshaw.HelivesinBoston.\"
LawyerHardingsnatchedoffhisglasses，andleanedforwardinhischair.
\"WilliamHenshaw！NottheBeaconStreetHenshaws！\"hecried.
ItwasBilly’sturntobeexcited.She，too，leanedforwardeagerly.
\"Oh，doyouknowhim？That’slovely！AndhisaddressISBeaconStreet！IknowbecauseIsawitonlyto—day.Yousee，IHAVEbeentemptedtowritehim.\"
\"Writehim？Ofcourseyou’llwritehim，\"criedthelawyer.\"Andwedon’tneedtodomuch’lookingup’there，child.I’veknownthefamilyforyears，andthisWilliamwasacollegemateofmyboy’s.
Nicefellow，too.I’veheardNedspeakofhim.Therewerethreesons，William，andtwoothersmuchyoungerthanhe.I’veforgottentheirnames.\"
\"Thenyoudoknowhim！I’msoglad，\"exclaimedBilly.\"Yousee，heneverseemedtomequitereal.\"
\"Iknowabouthim，\"correctedthelawyer，smilingly，\"thoughI’llconfessI’veratherlosttrackofhimlately.Nedwillknow.I’llaskNed.Nowgohome，mydear，anddrythoseprettyeyesofyours.
Or，betterstill，comehomewithmetotea.I——I’lltelephoneuptothehouse.\"Andherosestifflyandwentintotheinneroffice.
Someminutespassedbeforehecameback，redofface，andplainlydistressed.
\"Mydearchild，I——I’msorry，but——butI’llhavetotakebackthatinvitation，\"heblurtedoutmiserably.\"Mysistersare——arenotwellthisafternoon.Annhasbeenhavingaturnwithherheart——
youknowAnn’sheartis——isbad;andLetty——Lettyisalwaysnervousatsuchtimes——verynervous.Er——I’msosorry！Butyou’ll——excuseit？\"
\"IndeedIwill，\"smiledBilly，\"andthankyoujustthesame;only\"——
hereyestwinkledmischievously——\"youdon’tmindifIdosaythatitISluckythatwehadn’tgoneonplanningtohavemelivewiththem，Mr.Harding！\"
\"Eh？Well——er，IthinkyourplanabouttheHenshawsisverygood，\"
heinterposedhurriedly.\"I’llspeaktoNed——I’llspeaktoNed，\"
hefinished，asheceremoniouslybowedthegirlfromtheoffice.
JamesHardingkepthisword，andspoketohissonthatnight;buttherewaslittle，afterall，thatNedcouldtellhim.Yes，herememberedBillyHenshawwell，buthehadnotheardofhimforyears，sinceHenshaw’smarriage，infact.Hemustbefortyyearsold，Nedsaid;buthewasafinefellow，anexceptionallyfinefellow，andwouldbesuretodealkindlyandwiselybyhislittleorphannamesake;ofthatNedwasverysure.
\"That’sgood.I’llwritehim，\"declaredMr.JamesHarding.\"I’llwritehimtomorrow.\"
Hedidwrite——butnotsosoonasBillywrote;forevenashespoke，Billy，inherlonelylittleroomattheotherendofthetown，waslayingbareallherhomesicknessinfourlongpagesto\"DearUncleWilliam.\"
CHAPTERII
\"THESTRATA\"
BertramHenshawcalledtheBeaconStreethome\"TheStrata.\"ThisannoyedCyril，andevenWilliam，notalittle;thoughtheyreflectedthat，afterall，itwas\"onlyBertram.\"ForthewholeofBertram’stwenty—fouryearsoflifeithadbeenlikethis——\"It’sonlyBertram，\"hadbeenatoncethecurseandthesalvationofhisexistence.
Inthisparticularcase，however，Bertram’svagaryoffancyhadsomeexcuse.TheBeaconStreethouse，thehomeofthethreebrothers，wasa\"Strata.\"
\"Yousee，it’slikethis，\"Bertramwouldexplainairilytosomenewacquaintancewhoexpressedsurpriseatthename;\"ifIcouldsliceoffthefrontofthehouselikealoafofcake，you’dunderstanditbetter.ButjustsupposethatoldBunkerHillshouldsuddenlyspoutfireandbrimstoneandburyusundertonsofashes——onlyfancytheconditionofmindofthosefuturearchaeologistswhentheystruckourhouseaftertheirmonthsofdigging！
\"Whatwouldtheyfind？Listen.First：stratumnumberone，thetopfloor;that’sCyril’s，youknow.They’dnotethebarefloors，thesparsebutheavyfurniture，thepiano，theviolin，theflute，thebook—linedwalls，andtheabsenceofeverysortofcurtain，cushion，orknickknack.’Herelivedaplainman，’they’dsay;’ascholar，amusician，stern，unlovedandunloving;amonk.’
\"Andwhatnext？They’dstrikeWilliam’sstratumnext，thethirdfloor.Imagineit！YouknowWilliamasaStateStreetbroker，well—off，awidower，tall，angular，slowofspeech，alittlebald，verymuchnearsighted，andtheownerofthekindestheartintheworld.ButreallytoknowWilliam，youmustknowhisrooms.
Williamcollectsthings.Hehasalwayscollectedthings——andhe’ssavedeveryoneofthem.There’satraditionthatattheageofoneyearhecreptintothehousewithfoursmallroundwhitestones.Anyhow，ifhedid，he’sgotthemnow.Restassuredofthat——andhe’sfortythisyear.Miniatures，carvedivories，bugs，moths，porcelains，jades，stamps，postcards，spoons，baggagetags，theatreprograms，playing—cards——thereisn’tanythingthathedoesn’tcollect.He’sonteapots，now.Imagineit——Williamandteapots！Andthey’reallthereinhisrooms——onegloriousmassofconfusion.Justfancythosearchaeologiststryingtomaketheir’monk’livethere！
\"Butwhentheyreachme，mystratum，they’llhaveaworsetimeyet.
Yousee，_I_likecushionsandcomfort，andIhavethemeverywhere.
AndIlike——well，Ilikelotsofthings.Myroomsdon’tbelongtothatmonk，notalittlebit.Andsoyousee，\"Bertramwouldfinishmerrily，\"that’swhyIcallitall’TheStrata.’\"
And\"TheStrata\"itwastoalltheHenshaws’friends，andeventoWilliamandCyrilthemselves，inspiteoftheirobjectiontotheterm.
FrombabyhoodtheHenshawboyshadlivedinthehandsome，roomyhouse，facingthePublicGarden.Ithadbeentheirfather’sboyhoodhome，aswell，andheandhiswifehaddiedthere，soonafterKate，theonlydaughter，hadmarried.Attheageoftwenty—
two，WilliamHenshaw，theeldestson，hadbroughthisbridetothehouse，andtogethertheyhadstriventomakeahomeforthetwoyoungerorphanboys，Cyril，twelve，andBertram，six.ButMrs.
William，afterashortfiveyearsofmarriedlife，haddied;andsincethen，thehousehadknownalmostnothingofawoman’stouchorcare.
Littlebylittleastheyearspassed，thehouseanditsinmateshadfallenintowhathadgivenBertramhisexcuseforthename.Cyril，thirtyyearsoldnow，dignified，reserved，aversetocats，dogs，women，andconfusion，hadearlytakenhimselfandhismusictothepeaceandexclusivenessofthefourthfloor.Belowhim，Williamhadlongdiscouragedanymeddlingwithhispreciouschaosofpossessions，andhadfinallycometospendnearlyallhissparetimeamongthem.ThisleftBertramtoundisputedownershipofthesecondfloor，andrightroyallydidheholdswaytherewithhispaintsandbrushesandeasels，hisoldarmor，richhangings，rugs，andcushions，andeverywherehisspecialty——his\"FaceofaGirl.\"
Fromcanvas，plaque，andpaneltheylookedout——thosegirlishfaces：winsome，wilful，pert，demure，merry，sad，beautiful，evenalmostugly——theywereallthere;andtheyweregrowingfamous，too.Theworldofartwasbeginningtotakenotice，andtoadjustitsspectaclesforamorecriticalglance.This\"FaceofaGirl\"
byHenshawbadefairtobeworthwhile.
BelowBertram’scheerysecondfloorwerethedimoldlibraryanddrawing—rooms，silent，stately，andalmostneverused;andbelowthemwerethedining—roomandthekitchen.HereruledDongLing，theChinesecook，andPete.
Petewas——indeed，itishardtellingwhatPetewas.Hesaidhewasthebutler;andhelookedthepartwhenheansweredthebellatthegreatfrontdoor.Butatothertimes，whenhesweptaroom，ordustedMasterWilliam’scurios，helooked——likenothingsomuchaswhathewas：afussy，faithfuloldman，whoexpectedtodieintheservicehehadenteredfiftyyearsbeforeasalad.
ThusinalltheBeaconStreethouse，therehadnotforyearsbeenthetouchofawoman’shand.EvenKate，themarriedsister，hadlongsincegivenuptryingtoinstructDongLingortochidePete，thoughshestillwalkedacrosstheGardenfromherCommonwealthAvenuehomeandtrippedupthestairstocallinturnuponherbrothers，Bertram，William，andCyril.
CHAPTERIII
THESTRATA——WHENTHELETTERCOMES
Itwasonthesixo’clockdeliverythatWilliamHenshawreceivedtheletterfromhisnamesake，Billy.Tosaytheleast，theletterwasagreatshocktohim.HehadnotquiteforgottenBilly’sfather，whohaddiedsolongago，itistrue，buthehadforgottenBilly，entirely.Evenashelookedatthedisconcertingepistlewithitsround，neatlyformedletters，hehadgreatdifficultyinferretingouttheparticularnicheinhismemorywhichcontainedthefactthatWalterNeilsonhadhadachild，andhadnameditforhim.
Andthischild，this\"Billy，\"thisunknownprogenyofanallbutforgottenboyhoodfriend，wasaskingahome，andwithhim！
Impossible！AndWilliamHenshawpeeredattheletterasif，atthissecondreading，itsmessagecouldnotbesomonstrous.
\"Well，oldman，what’sup？\"ItwasBertram’samazedvoicefromthehalldoorway;andindeed，WilliamHenshaw，red—facedandplainlytrembling，seatedontheloweststepofthestairway，andgazing，wild—eyed，attheletterinhishand，wassomewhatofanamazingsight.\"WhatISup？\"
\"What’sup！\"groanedWilliam，startingtohisfeet，andwavingtheletterfranticallyintheair.\"What’sup！Youngman，doyouwantustotakeinachildtoboard？——aCHILD？\"herepeatedinslowhorror.
\"Well，hardly，\"laughedtheother.\"Er，perhapsCyrilmightlikeit，though;eh？\"
\"Come，come，Bertram，besensibleforonce，\"pleadedhisbrother，nervously.\"Thisisserious，reallyserious，Itellyou！\"
\"Whatisserious？\"demandedCyril，comingdownthestairway.
\"Can’titwait？Petehasalreadysoundedthegongtwicefordinner.\"
Williammadeadespairinggesture.
\"Well，come，\"hegroaned.\"I’lltellyouatthetableItseemsI’vegotanamesake，\"heresumedinashakingvoice，afewmomentslater;\"WalterNeilson’schild.\"
\"Andwho’sWalterNeilson？\"askedBertram.
\"Aboyhoodfriend.Youwouldn’trememberhim.Thisletterisfromhischild.\"
\"Well，let’shearit.Goahead.Ifancywecanstandthe——LETTER;
eh，Cyril？\"
Cyrilfrowned.Cyrildidnotknow，perhaps，howoftenhefrownedatBertram.
Theeldestbrotherwethislips.Hishandshookashepickeduptheletter.
\"It——it’ssoabsurd，\"hemuttered.Thenheclearedhisthroatandreadtheletteraloud.
\"DEARUNCLEWILLIAM：Doyoumindmycallingyouthat？YouseeI
wantSOMEone，andthereisn’tanyonenow.YouarethenearestI’vegot.Maybeyou’veforgotten，butI’mnamedforyou.WalterNeilsonwasmyfather，youknow.MyAuntEllahasjustdied.
\"WouldyoumindverymuchifIcametolivewithyou？Thatis，betweentimes——I’mgoingtocollege，ofcourse，andafterthatI’mgoingtobe——well，Ihaven’tdecidedthatpartyet.IthinkI’llconsultyou.Youmayhavesomepreference，youknow.YoucanbethinkingitupuntilIcome.
\"There！MaybeIoughtnottohavesaidthat，forperhapsyouwon’twantmetocome.IAMnoisy，I’llown，butnotsoIthinkyou’llminditmuchunlesssomeofyouhave’nerves’ora’heart.’Yousee，MissLettyandMissAnn——they’reMr.Harding’ssisters，andMr.Hardingisourlawyer，andhewillwritetoyou.Well，wherewasI？Oh，Iknow——onMissLetty’snerves.And，say，doyouknow，thatiswhereIdoget——onMissLetty’snerves.Ido，truly.Yousee，Mr.HardingverykindlysuggestedthatIlivewiththem，but，mercy！MissLetty’snerveswon’tletyouwalkexceptontiptoe，andMissAnn’sheartwon’tletyouspeakexceptinwhispers.Allthechairsandtableshavewornlittlesocketsinthecarpets，andit’sacrimetomovethem.Thereisn’tawindow—shadeinthehousethatisn’tpulleddownEXACTLYtothemiddlesash，exceptwherethesunshines，andthosearepulledwaydown.ImaginemeandSpunklivingthere！Oh，bytheway，youdon’tmindmybringingSpunk，doyou？Ihopeyoudon’t，forIcouldn’tlivewithoutSpunk，andhecouldn’tlivewithoutme.
\"Pleaseletmehearfromyouverysoon.Idon’tmindifyoutelegraph;andjust’come’wouldbeallyou’dhavetosay.ThenI’dgetreadyrightawayandletyouknowwhattraintomeetmeon.
And，oh，say——ifyou’llwearapinkinyourbuttonholeIwill，too.
Thenwe’llknoweachother.Myaddressisjust’HampdenFalls.’
\"Yourawfullyhomesicknamesake，\"BILLYHENSHAWNEILSON\"
ForonelongminutetherewasablanksilenceabouttheHenshawdinner—table;thentheeldestbrother，lookinganxiouslyfromonemantotheother，stammered：
\"W—well？\"
\"GreatScott！\"breathedBertram.
Cyrilsaidnothing，buthislipswerewhitewiththeirtensepressureagainsteachother.
Therewasanotherpause，andagainWilliambrokeitanxiously.
\"Boys，thisisn’thelpingmeoutany！What’stobedone？\"
\"’Done’！\"flamedCyril.\"Surely，youaren’tthinkingforamomentofLETTINGthatchildcomehere，William！\"
Bertramchuckled.
\"HeWOULDliventhingsup，Cyril;wouldn’the？Suchnicesmoothfloorsyou’vegotup—stairstotrundlelittletincartsacross！\"
\"Tinnonsense！\"retortedCyril.\"Don’tbesilly，Bertram.Thatletterwasn’twrittenbyababy.He’dbemuchmorelikelytomakehimselfathomewithyourpaintbox，orwithsomeofWilliam’sjunk.\"
\"Oh，Isay，\"expostulatedWilliam，\"we’llHAVEtokeephimoutofthosethings，youknow.\"
Cyrilpushedbackhischairfromthetable.
\"’We’llhavetokeephimout’！William，youcan’tbeinearnest！
Youaren’tgoingtoletthatboycomehere，\"hecried.
\"ButwhatcanIdo？\"falteredtheman.
\"Do？Say’no，’ofcourse.Asifwewantedaboytobringup！\"
\"ButImustdosomething.I——I’mallhe’sgot.Hesaysso.\"
\"Goodheavens！Well，sendhimtoboarding—school，then，ortothepenitentiary;anywherebuthere！\"
\"Shucks！Letthekidcome，\"laughedBertram.\"Poorlittlehomesickdevil！What’stheuse？I’lltakehimin.Howoldishe，anyhow？\"
Williamfrowned，andmusedaloudslowly.
\"Why，Idon’tknow.Hemustbe——er——why，boys，he’snochild，\"
brokeoffthemansuddenly.\"Walterhimselfdiedseventeenoreighteenyearsago，notmorethanayearortwoafterhewasmarried.Thatchildmustbesomewherearoundeighteenyearsold！\"
\"AndonlythinkhowCyrilWASworryingaboutthosetincarts，\"
laughedBertram.\"Nevermind——eightoreighteen——lethimcome.Ifhe’sthatage，hewon’tbothermuch.\"
\"Andthis——er——’Spunk’;doyoutakehim，too？Butprobablyhedoesn’tbother，either，\"murmuredCyril，withsmoothsarcasm.
\"Gorry！IforgotSpunk，\"acknowledgedBertram.\"Say，whatintimeisSpunk，doyousuppose？\"
\"Dog，maybe，\"suggestedWilliam.
\"Well，whateverheis，youwillkindlykeepSpunkdown—stairs，\"
saidCyrilwithdecision.\"Theboy，IsupposeIshallhavetoendure;butthedog——！\"
\"Hm—m;well，judgingbyhisname，\"murmuredBertram，apologetically，\"itmaybejustpossiblethatSpunkwon’tbeeasilycontrolled.Butmaybeheisn’tadog，anyhow.He——er——soundssomethinglikeaparrottome.\"
Cyrilrosetohisfeetabruptly.Hehadeatenalmostnodinner.
\"Verywell，\"hesaidcoldly.\"ButpleaserememberthatIholdyouresponsible，Bertram.Whetherit’sadog，oraparrot，or——oramonkey，IshallexpectyoutokeepSpunkdown—stairs.Thisadoptingintothefamilyanunknownboyseemstomeveryabsurdfrombeginningtoend.ButifyouandWilliamwillhaveitso，ofcourseI’venothingtosay.FortunatelymyroomsareattheTOPofthehouse，\"hefinished，asheturnedandleftthedining—room.
Foramomenttherewassilence.Thebrowsoftheyoungermanwereupliftedquizzically.
\"I’mafraidCyrilisbothered，\"murmuredWilliamthen，inatroubledvoice.
Bertram’sfacechanged.Sternlinescametohisboyishmouth.
\"Heisalwaysbothered——withanything，lately.\"
Theeldermansighed.
\"Iknow，butwithhistalent——\"
\"’Talent’！GreatScott！\"cutinBertram.\"Halftheworldhastalentofonesortoranother;butthatdoesn’tnecessarilymakethemunabletolivewithanyoneelse！Really，Will，it’sbecomingserious——aboutCyril.He’sgettingtobe，foralltheworld，likethosefinickyoldmaidsthatthatyoungnamesakeofyourswroteabout.He’llmakeuswhisperandwalkontiptoeyet！\"
Theothersmiled.
\"Don’tyouworry.Youaren’tinanydangerofbeingkepttooquiet，youngman.\"
\"NothankstoCyril，then，\"retortedBertram.\"Anyhow，that’sonereasonwhyIwasfortakingthekid——tomellowupCyril.Heneedsitallright.\"
\"ButIhadtotakehim，Bert，\"arguedtheelderbrother，hisfacegrowinganxiousagain.\"ButHeavenonlyknowswhatI’mgoingtodowithhimwhenIgethim.WhatshallIsaytohim，anyway？HowshallIwrite？Idon’tknowhowtogetupaletterofthatsort！\"
\"Whynottakehimathiswordandtelegraph？Ifancyyouwon’thavetosay’come’butoncebeforeyouseehim.Hedoesn’tseemtobeabashfulyouth.\"
\"Hm—m;Imightdothat，\"acquiescedWilliam，slowly.\"Butwasn’ttheresomebody——alawyer——goingtowritetome？\"hefinished，consultingtheletterbyhisplate.\"Yes，\"headded，afteramoment，\"aMr.Harding.Wonderifhe’sanyrelationtoNedHarding.IusedtoknowNedatHarvard，andseemsasifhecamefromHampdenFalls.We’llsoonsee，atallevents.MaybeI’llhearto—morrow.\"
\"Ishouldn’twonder，\"noddedBertram，asherosefromthetable.
\"Anyhow，Iwouldn’tdoanythingtillIdidhear.\"
CHAPTERIV
BILLYSENDSATELEGRAM
JamesHarding’sletterverypromptlyfollowedBilly’s，thoughitwasnotlikeBilly’satall.IttoldsomethingofBilly’sproperty，andmentionedthat，accordingtoMrs.Neilson’swill，Billywouldnotcomeintocontrolofherfortuneuntiltheageoftwenty—oneyearswasreached.ItdweltatsomelengthuponthefactofBilly’slonelinessintheworld，andexpressedthehopethatherfather’sfriendcouldfinditinhishearttowelcometheorphanintohishome.ItmentionedNed，andtheoldcollegefriendship，anditclosedbysayingthatthewriter，JamesHarding，wasgladtorenewhisacquaintancewiththegoodoldHenshawfamilythathehadknownlongyearsago;andthathehopedsoontohearfromWilliamHenshawhimself.
Itwasagoodletter——butitwasnotwellwritten.JamesHarding’shandwritingwasnotdistinguishedforitslegibility，andhiscorrespondentsrejoicedthatthemostofhislettersweredictatedtohisstenographer.Inthiscase，however，hehadelectedtousethemorepersonalpen;anditwasbecauseofthisthatWilliamHenshaw，evenafterreadingtheletter，wasstillunawareofhismistakeinsupposinghisnamesake，Billy，tobeaboy.
InthemainthelawyerhadreferredtoBillybyname，oras\"theorphan，\"orasthat\"poor，lonelychild.\"Andwheneverthemoredistinctivefeminine\"her\"or\"herself\"hadoccurred，thecarelesslyformedlettershadmadethemsomuchlike\"his\"and\"himself\"thattheycarriednohintofthetruthtoamanwhohadnottheslightestreasonforthinkinghimselfinthewrong.Itwasthereforestillforthe\"boy，\"Billy，thatWilliamHenshawatoncesetaboutmakingaplaceinthehome.
Firsthetelegraphedthesingleword\"Come\"toBilly.
\"I’llsetthepoorlad’sheartatrest，\"hesaidtoBertram.\"I
shallanswerHarding’slettermoreatlength，ofcourse.NaturallyhewantstoknowsomethingaboutmenowbeforehesendsBillyalong;butthereisnoneedfortheboytowaitbeforeheknowsthatI’lltakehim.Ofcoursehewon’tcomeyet，tillHardinghearsfromme.\"
Itwasjusthere，however，thatWilliamHenshawmetwithasurprise，forwithintwenty—fourhourscameBilly’sanswer，andbytelegraph.
\"I’mcomingto—morrow.TraindueatfiveP.M.
\"BILLY.\"
WilliamHenshawdidnotknowthatinHampdenFallsBilly’strunkhadbeenpackedfordays.Billywasdesperate.Thehouse，evenwiththemaid，andwiththeobligingneighborandhiswifewhostayedtherenights，wastoBillynothingbutadismaltomb.
LawyerHardinghadfallensuddenlyill;shecouldnoteventellhimthattheblessedtelegram\"Come\"hadarrived.HenceBilly，lonely，impulsive，andalwaysusedtopleasingherself，hadtakenmattersinhandwithaconfidentgrasp，andhaddeterminedtowaitnolonger.
Thatitwasafearsomelyunknownfuturetowhichshewassojauntilypledgingherselfdidnottroublethegirlintheleast.
Billywasromantic.Tosallygailyforthwithapinkinthebuttonholeofhercoattofindherfather’sfriendwhowasa\"Billy\"too，seemedtoBillyNeilsonnotonlydelightful，buteminentlysensible，andanexcellentwayoutofherpresenthomesickloneliness.Sosheboughtthepinkandherticket，andimpatientlyawaitedthetimetostart.
TotheBeaconStreethouse，Billy’scheerfultelegrambroughtthedirestconsternation.EvenKatewashastilysummonedtothefamilyconclavethatimmediatelyresulted.
\"There’snothing——simplynothingthatIcando，\"shedeclaredirritably，whenshehadheardthestory.\"Surely，youdon’texpectMEtotaketheboy！\"
\"No，no，ofcoursenot，\"sighedWilliam.\"Butyousee，IsupposedI’dhavetimeto——togetusedtothings，andtomakearrangements;
andthisisso——sosudden！Ihadn’tevenansweredHarding’sletteruntilto—day;andhehasn’tgotthat——muchlessrepliedtoit.\"
\"Butwhatcouldyouexpectaftersendingthatidiotictelegram？\"
demandedthelady.\"’Come，’indeed！\"
\"Butthat’swhatBillytoldmetodo.\"
\"Whatifitwas？Justbecauseafoolisheighteen—year—oldboytellsyoutodosomething，mustyou，asupposedlysensibleforty—
year—oldmanobey？\"
\"IthinkittickledWill’sromanticstreak，\"laughedBertram.\"Itseemedsosortofalluringtosendthatoneword’Come’outintospace，andwatchwhathappened.\"
\"Well，he’sfoundout，certainly，\"observedCyril，withgrimsatisfaction.
\"Oh，no;ithasn’thappenedyet，\"correctedBertram，cheerfully.
\"It’sjustgoingtohappen.William’sgottoputonthepinkfirst，youknow.That’sthetalisman.\"
Williamreddened.
\"Bertram，don’tbefoolish.Isha’n’twearanypink.Youmustknowthat.\"
\"How’llyoufindhim，then？\"
\"Why，he’llhaveoneon;that’senough，\"settledWilliam.
\"Hm—m;maybe.Thenhe’llhaveSpunk，too，\"murmuredBertram，mischievously.
\"Spunk！\"criedKate.
\"Yes.Hewrotethathehopedwewouldn’tmindhisbringingSpunkwithhim.\"
\"Who’sSpunk？
\"Wedon’tknow.\"Bertram’slipstwitched.
\"Youdon’tknow！Whatdoyoumean？\"
\"Well，Willthinksit’sadog，andIbelieveCyrilisanticipatingamonkey.Imyselfambackingitforaparrot.\"
\"Boys，whathaveyoudone！\"groanedKate，fallingbackinherchair.\"Whathaveyoudone！\"
ToWilliamherwordswerelikeanelectricshockstirringhimtoinstantaction.Hesprangabruptlytohisfeet.
\"Well，whateverwe’vedone，we’vedoneit，\"hedeclaredsternly;
\"andnowwemustdotherest——anddoitwell，too.He’sthesonofmyboyhood’sdearestfriend，andheshallbemadewelcome.Nowtobusiness！Bertram，yousaidyou’dtakehimin.Didyoumeanit？\"
Bertramsoberedinstantly，andcameerectinhischair.Williamdidnotoftenspeaklikethis;butwhenhedid——
\"Yes，Will.Heshallhavethelittlebedroomattheendofthehall.Ineverusedtheroommuch，anyhow，andwhatfewdudsIhavethereshallbeclearedoutto—morrow.\"
\"Good！Nowtherearesomeotherlittledetailstoarrange，thenI’llgodown—stairsandtellPeteandDongLing.And，pleasetounderstand，we’regoingtomakethisladwelcome——welcome，Isay！\"
\"Yes，sir，\"saidBertram.NeitherKatenorCyrilspoke.
CHAPTERV
GETTINGREADYFORBILLY
TheHenshawhouseholdwasearlyastironthedayofBilly’sexpectedarrival，andpreparationsfortheguest’scomfortwerewellunderwaybeforebreakfast.Thecenterofactivitywasinthelittleroomattheendofthehallonthesecondfloor;though，asBertramsaid，thewholeStratafeltthe\"upheaval.\"
BybreakfasttimeBertramwiththeavowedintentionofgiving\"thelittlechaphalfashow，\"hadtheroomclearedforaction;andafterthatthewholehousewascalleduponforcontributionstowardtheroom’sadornment.Andmostgenerouslydidmostofthehouserespond.EvenDongLingslipperedup—stairsandpresentedaweirdChinesebannerwhichhesaidhewas\"vellymuchglad\"togive.AstoPete——Petewasinhiselement.Petelovedboys.Hadhenotservedthemnearlyallhislife？Incidentallyitmaybementionedthathedidnotcareforgirls.
OnlyCyrilheldhimselfaloof.Butthathewasnotobliviousoftheproceedingsbelowhimwasevidencedbythesomberbassthatfloateddownfromhispianostrings.Cyrilalwaysplayedaccordingtothemoodthatwasonhim;andwhenBertramheardthismorningtherhythmicbeatsofmournfulness，hechuckledandsaidtoWilliam：
\"That’sChopin’sFuneralMarch.EvidentlyCythinksthisisthedeathknelltoallhishopesoffuturepeaceandhappiness.\"
\"Dearme！IwishCyrilwouldtakesomeinterest，\"grievedWilliam.
\"Oh，hetakesinterestallright，\"laughedBertram，meaningly.\"HetakesINTEREST！\"
\"Iknow，but——Bertram，\"brokeofftheelderman，anxiously，fromhisperchonthestepladder，\"wouldyouputtherifleoverthiswindow，orthefishing—rod？\"
\"Why，Idon’tthinkitmakesmuchdifference，solongasthey’resomewhere，\"answeredBertram.\"AndtherearetheseIndianclubsandtheswordstobedisposedof，youknow.\"
\"Yes;andit’sgoingtolookfine;don’tyouthink？\"exultedWilliam.\"Andyouknowforthewall—spacebetweenthewindowsI’mgoingtobringdownthatcaseofmine，ofspiders.\"
Bertramraisedhishandsinmocksurprise.
\"Here——downhere！You’regoingtotrustanyofthoseprecioustreasuresofyoursdownhere！\"
Williamfrowned.
\"Nonsense，Bertram，don’tbesilly！They’llbesafeenough.
Besides，they’reold，anyhow.Iwasonspidersyearsago——whenI
wasBilly’sage，infact.Ithoughthe’dlikethemhere.Youknowboysalwayslikesuchthings.\"
\"Oh，’twasn’tBillyIwasworryingabout，\"retortedBertram.\"Itwasyou——andthespiders.\"
\"Notmuchyouworryaboutme——oranythingelse，\"repliedWilliam，good—humoredly.\"There！howdoesthatlook？\"hefinished，ashecarefullypickedhiswaydownthestepladder.
\"Fine！——er——onlyratherwarlike，maybe，withthegunsandthatriotousconfusionofknivesandscimitersoverthechiffonier.Butthen，maybeyou’reintendingBillyforasoldier;eh？\"
\"Doyouknow？IAMgettinginterestedinthatboy，\"beamedWilliam，withsomeexcitement.\"Whatkindofthingsdoyousupposehedoeslike？\"
\"There’snotelling.Maybehe’sasissychap，andwillhowlatyourgunsandspiders.Perhapshe’llpreferautumnleavesandworstedmottoesfordecoration.\"
\"Notmuchhewill，\"contestedtheother.\"NosonofWalterNeilson’scouldbeasissy.Neilsonwasthebesthalf—backintenyearsatHarvard，andhewasalwaysinforeverythinggoingthatwasworthwhile.’Autumnleavesandworstedmottoes’indeed！
Bah！\"
\"Allright;butthere’sstilladarkhorseinthecase，youknow.
Wemustn’tforget——Spunk.\"
Theeldermanstirreduneasily.
\"Bert，whatdoyousupposethatcreatureis？Youdon’tthinkCyrilcanberight，andthatit’sa——monkey？\"
\"’Younevercantell，’\"quotedBertram，merrily.\"OfcoursethereAREotherthings.Ifitwereyou，now，we’donlyhavetohuntupthespecialthingyouhappenedtobecollectingatthetime，andthatwouldbeit：asnake，alizard，atoad，ormaybeabutterfly.
Youknowyouwerealwaysluggingthosethingshomewhenyouwerehisage.\"
\"Yes，Iknow，\"sighedWilliam.\"ButIcan’tthinkit’sanythinglikethat，\"hefinished，asheturnedaway.
TherewasverylittledoneintheBeaconStreethousethatdaybutto\"getreadyforBilly.\"InthekitchenDongLingcooked.
Everywhereelse，exceptinCyril’sdomain，Petedustedandsweptand\"puttered\"tohisheart’scontent.Williamdidnotgototheofficeatallthatday，andBertramdidnottouchhisbrushes.
OnlyCyrilattendedtohisusualwork：practisingforacomingconcert，andcorrectingtheproofsofhisnewbook，\"MusicinRussia.\"
AttenminutesbeforefiveWilliam，anxious—eyedandnervous，foundhimselfattheNorthStation.Then，andnottillthen，didhedrawalongbreathofrelief.
\"There！Ithinkeverything’sready，\"hesighedtohimself.\"Atlast！\"
Heworenopinkinhisbuttonhole.Therewasnoneedthatheshouldaccedetothatsillyrequest，hetoldhimself.Hehadonlytolookforayouthofperhapseighteenyears，whowouldbealone，alittlefrightened，possibly，andwhowouldhaveapinkinhisbuttonhole，andprobablyadogonaleash.
Ashewaited，themanwasconsciousofacuriouswarmthathisheart.Itwashisnamesake，WalterNeilson’sboy，thathehadcometomeet;ahomesick，lonelyorphanwhohadappealedtohim——tohim，outofalltheworld.Longyearsagoinhisownarmstherehadbeenlaidatinybundleofflannelholdingapreciouslittlered，puckeredface.Butinamonth’stimethelittlefacehadturnedcoldandwaxen，andthehopesthatthewhiteflannelbundlehadcarriedhaddiedwiththebabyboy;——andthatbabywouldhavebeenaladgrownbythistime，ifhehadlived——aladnotfarfromtheageofthisBillywhowascomingto—day，reflectedtheman.AndthewarmthinhisheartdeepenedandglowedthemoreashestoodwaitingatthegateforBillytoarrive.
ThetrainfromHampdenFallswaslate.Notuntilquitefifteenminutespastfivediditrollintothetrain—shed.Thenatonceitslonglineofpassengersbegantosweeptowardtheirongate.
Williamwasjustinsidethegatenow，anxiouslyscanningeveryfaceandformthatpassed.Thereweremanyhalf—grownlads，buttherewasnotonewithapinkinhisbuttonholeuntilveryneartheend.
ThenWilliamsawhim——apleasant—faced，blue—eyedboyinaneatgraysuit.WithalowcryWilliamstartedforward;buthesawatoncethatthegray—cladyouthwasunmistakablyoneofamerryfamilyparty.Helookedtobeanythingbutaladthatwaslonelyandforlorn.
Williamhesitatedandfellback.Thisdebonair，self—reliantfellowcouldnotbeBilly！Butasahastyglancedownthelinerevealedonlyhalfadozenstragglingwomen，andbeyondthem，noone，WilliamdecidedthatitmustbeBilly;andtakingbraveholdofhiscourage，hehurriedaftertheblue—eyedyouthandtappedhimontheshoulder.
\"Er——aren’tyouBilly？\"hestammered.
Theladstoppedandstared.Heshookhisheadslowly.
\"No，sir，\"hesaid.
\"Butyoumustbe！Areyousure？\"
Theboylaughedthistime.
\"Sorry，sir，butmynameis’Frank’;isn’tit，mother？\"headdedmerrily，turningtotheladyathisside，whowasregardingWilliamveryunfavorablythroughapairofgold—bowedspectacles.
Williamdidnotwaitformore.Withastammeredapologyandaflusteredliftingofhishathebackedaway.
ButwherewasBilly？
Williamlookedabouthiminhelplessdismay.Allaroundwasawide，emptyspace.ThelongaisletotheHampdenFallstrainwasdesertedsaveforthebaggage—menloadingthetrunksandbagsontotheirtrucks.Nowherewasthereanyonewhoseemedforlornorillateaseexceptaprettygirlwithasuit—case，andwithacoveredbasketonherarm，whostoodjustoutsidethegate，gazingalittlenervouslyabouther.
Williamlookedtwiceatthisgirl.First，becausethesplashofcoloragainstherbrowncoathadcalledhisattentiontothefactthatshewaswearingapink;andsecondlybecauseshewasverypretty，andherdarkeyescarriedapeculiarlywistfulappeal.
\"ToobadBertramisn’there，\"thoughtWilliam.\"He’dbesketchingthatfaceinnotimeonhiscuff.\"
ThepinkhadgivenWilliamalmostapang.Hehadbeensolongingtoseeapink——thoughinadifferentplace.Hewonderedsympatheticallyifshe，too，hadcometomeetsomeonewhohadnotappeared.Henoticedthatshewalkedawayfromthegateonceortwice，towardthewaiting—room，andpeeredanxiouslythroughtheglassdoors;butalwaysshecamebacktothegateasiffearfultobelongawayfromthatplace.Heforgotallaboutherverysoon，forhermovementshadgivenhimasuddenidea：perhapsBillywasinthewaiting—room.Howstupidofhimnottothinkofitbefore！
Doubtlesstheyhadmissedeachotherinthecrowd，andBillyhadgonestraighttothewaiting—roomtolookforhim.AndwiththisthoughtWilliamhurriedawayatonce，leavingthegirlstillstandingbythegatealone.
Helookedeverywhere.Systematicallyhepacedupanddownbetweenthelongrowsofseats，lookingforaboywithapink.Heevenwentoutuponthestreet，andgazedanxiouslyinalldirections.
ItoccurredtohimafteratimethatpossiblyBilly，likehimself，hadchangedhismindatthelastmoment，andnotwornthepink.
Perhapshehadforgottenit，orlostit，orevennotbeenabletogetitatall.VerybitterlyWilliamblamedhimselfthenfordisregardinghisownpartofthesuggestedplan.Ifonlyhehadwornthepinkhimself！——buthehadnot;anditwasuselesstorepine.Inthemeantime，wherewasBilly，hewonderedfrantically.
CHAPTERVI
THECOMINGOFBILLY
AfteranotherlongsearchWilliamcamebacktothetrain—shed，vaguelyhopingthatBillymighteventhenbethere.Thegirlwasstillstandingalonebythegate.Therewasanothertrainonthetracknow，andtherushofmanyfeethadsweptheralittletooneside.Shelookedfrightenednow，andalmostreadytocry.Still，Williamnoticedthatherchinwasliftedbravely，andthatshewasmakingasterneffortatself—control.Hehesitatedamoment，thenwentstraighttowardher.
\"Ibegyourpardon，\"hesaidkindly，liftinghishat，\"butInoticethatyouhavebeenwaitingheresometime.PerhapsthereissomethingIcandoforyou.\"
Arosycolorswepttothegirl’sface.Hereyeslosttheirfrightenedappeal，andsmiledfranklyintohis.
\"Oh，thankyou，sir！ThereISsomethingyoucandoforme，ifyouwillbesokind.Yousee，Ican’tleavethisplace，I’msoafraidhe’llcomeandI’llmisshim.But——Ithinkthere’ssomemistake.
Couldyoutelephoneforme？\"BillyNeilsonwascountry—bred，andinHampdenFallsallmenservedallothermenandwomen，whethertheywerestrangersornot;sotoBillythiswasnotanextraordinaryrequesttomake，intheleast.
WilliamHenshawsmiled.
\"Certainly;Ishallbeverygladtotelephoneforyou.Justtellmewhomyouwant，andwhatyouwanttosay.\"
\"Thankyou.Ifyou’llcallupMr.WilliamHenshaw，then，ofBeaconStreet，please，andtellhimBilly’scome.I’llwaithere.\"
\"Oh，thenBillydidcome！\"criedthemaningladsurprise，hisfacealight.\"Butwhereishe？DoYOUknowBilly？\"
\"IshouldsayIdid，\"laughedBilly，withthelightnessofalong—
lostchildwhohasfoundafriend.\"Why，IamBilly，myself！\"
ToWilliamHenshawtheworldswamdizzily，andwentsuddenlymad.
Thefloorrose，andtherooffell，whilecarsandpeopleperformedimpossibleacrobaticfeatsabove，below，andaroundhim.Then，fromafaroff，heheardhisownvoicestammer：
\"You——are——B—Billy！\"
\"Yes;andI’llwaithere，ifyou’lljusttellhim，please.He’sexpectingme，youknow，soit’sallright，onlyperhapshemadeamistakeinthetime.Maybeyouknowhim，anyhow.\"
WithonemightyeffortWilliamHenshawpulledhimselfsharplytogether.Heevenlaughed，andtossedhisheadinavaliantimitationofBillyherself;buthisvoiceshook.
\"Knowhim！——IshouldsayIdid！\"hecried.\"Why，IamWilliamHenshaw，myself.\"
\"You！——UncleWilliam！Why，where’syourpink？\"
Theman’sfacewasalreadysoreditcouldnotgetanyredder——butittriedtodoso.
\"Why，er——I——it——er——ifyou’lljustcomeintothewaiting—roomaminute，mydear，\"hestutteredmiserably，\"I——I’llexplain——aboutthat.Ishallhavetoleaveyou——foraminute，\"heplungedonfrenziedly，asheledthewaytoaseat;\"A——matterofbusinessthatImustattendto.I’llbe——rightback.Waithere，please！\"
Andhealmostpushedthegirlintoaseatandhurriedaway.
AtasafedistanceWilliamHenshawturnedandlookedback.Hiskneeswereshaking，andhisfingershadgrowncoldattheirtips.
Hecouldseeherplainly，asshebentoverthebasketinherlap.
Hecouldseeeventheprettycurveofhercheek，andofherslenderthroatwhensheliftedherhead.
AndthatwasBilly——aGIRL！
Peoplenearhimatthatmomentsawaflushed—faced，nervous—
appearingmanthrowuphishandswithadespairinggesture，rollhiseyesheavenward，andthenplungeintothenearesttelephonebooth.
InduetimeWilliamHenshawhadhisbrotherBertramattheotherendofthewire.
\"Bertram！\"hecalledshakily.
\"Hullo，Will;thatyou？What’sthematter？You’relate！Didn’thecome？\"
\"Come！\"groanedWilliam.\"GoodLord！Bertram——Billy’saGIRL！\"
\"Awh—what？\"
\"Agirl.\"
\"AGIRL！\"
\"Yes，yes！Don’tstandthererepeatingwhatIsayinthatidioticfashion，Bertram.Dosomething——dosomething！\"
\"’Dosomething’！\"gaspedBertram.\"GreatScott，Will！Ifyouwantmetodosomething，don’tknockmesillywithablowlikethat.
Nowwhatdidyousay？\"
\"IsaidthatBillyis——a——girl.Can’tyougetthat？\"demandedWilliam，despairingly.
\"Well，byJove！\"breathedBertram.
\"Come，come，think！Whatshallwedo？\"
\"Why，bringherhome，ofcourse.\"
\"Home——home！\"chatteredWilliam.\"Doyouthinkwefivemencanbringupadistractinglyprettyeighteen—year—oldgirlwithcurlycheeksandpinkhair？\"
\"Withwha—at？\"
\"No，no.Imeancurlyhairandpinkcheeks.Bertram，dobesensible，\"beggedtheman.\"Thisisserious！\"
\"Serious！Ishouldsayitwas！OnlyfancywhatCywillsay！A
girl！Holysmoke！Toteheralong——Iwanttoseeher！\"
\"ButIsaywecan’tkeephertherewithus，Bertram.Don’tyouseewecan’t？\"
\"ThentakehertoKate’s，orto——tooneofthoseYoungWomen’sChristianUnionthings.\"
\"No，no，Ican’tdothat.That’simpossible.Don’tyouunderstand？She’sexpectingtogohomewithme——HOME！I’mherUncleWilliam.\"
\"LuckyUncleWilliam！\"
\"Bestill，Bertram！\"
\"Well，doesn’tsheknowyour——mistake？——thatyouthoughtshewasaboy？\"
\"Heavenforbid！——Ihopenot，\"criedtheman，fervently.\"I’mostletitoutonce，butIthinkshedidn’tnoticeit.Yousee，we——wewerebothsurprised.\"
\"Well，Ishouldsay！\"
\"And，Bertram，Ican’tturnherout——Ican’t，Itellyou.Onlyfancymygoingtohernowandsaying：’Ifyouplease，Billy，youcan’tliveatmyhouse，afterall.Ithoughtyouwereaboy，youknow！’GreatScott！Bert，ifshe’donceturnedthosebigbrowneyesofhersonyouasshehasonme，you’dsee！\"
\"I’dbedelighted，I’msure，\"sungamerryvoiceacrossthewires.
\"Soundsrealinteresting！\"
\"Bertram，can’tyoubeseriousandhelpmeout？\"
\"ButwhatCANwedo？\"
\"Idon’tknow.We’llhavetothink;butfornow，getKate.
Telephoneher.Tellhertocomerightstraightover，andthatshe’sgottostayallnight.\"
\"Allnight！\"
\"Ofcourse！Billy’sgottohaveachaperon;hasn’tshe？Nowhurry.Weshallbeuprightaway.\"
\"Kate’sgotcompany.\"
\"Nevermind——leave’em.Tellhershe’sgottoleave’em.AndtellCyril，ofcourse，whattoexpect.And，looka—here，youtwobehave，now.Noneofyournonsense！Nowmind.I’mnotgoingtohavethischildtormented.\"
\"Iwon’tbataneyelid——onmyword，Iwon’t，\"chuckledBertram.
\"But，oh，Isay，——Will！\"
\"Yes.\"
\"What’sSpunk？\"
\"Eh？——oh——GreatScott！IforgotSpunk.Idon’tknow.She’sgotabasket.He’sinthat，Isuppose.Anyhow，hecan’tbeanymoreofabombshellthanhismistresswas.Nowbequick，andnoneofyourfooling，Bertram.Tellthemall——PeteandDongLing.Don’tforget.Iwouldn’thaveBillyfindoutfortheworld！FixitupwithKate.You’llhavetofixitupwithher;that’sall！\"Andtherecamethesharpclickofthereceiveragainstthehook.
CHAPTERVII
INTRODUCINGSPUNK
InthesoftApriltwilightCyrilwasplayingadreamywaltzwhenBertramknocked，andpushedopenthedoor.
\"Say，oldchap，you’llhavetoquityourmooningthistimeandsitupandtakenotice.\"
\"Whatdoyoumean？\"Cyrilstoppedplayingandturnedabruptly.
\"ImeanthatWillhasgonecrazy，andIthinktherestofusaregoingtofollowsuit.\"
Cyrilshruggedhisshouldersandwhirledaboutonthepianostool.
Inamomenthisfingershadslidoncemoreintothedreamywaltz.
\"Whenyougetreadytotalksense，I’lllisten，\"hesaidcoldly.
\"Oh，verywell;ifyoureallywantitbrokengently，it’sthis：
WillhasmetBilly，andBillyisagirl.They’redueherenow’mostanytime.\"
Themusicstoppedwithacrash.
\"A——GIRL！\"
\"Yes，agirl.Oh，I’vebeenallthroughthat，andIknowhowyoufeel.ButasnearasIcanmakeout，it’sreallyso.I’vehadinstructionstotelleverybody，andI’vetold.IgotKateonthetelephone，andshe’scomingover.YouKNOWwhatSHE’LLbe.DongLingishavingwhatIsupposeareChinesehystericsinthekitchen;
andPeteisswingingbackandforthlikeapenduluminthedining—
room，moaning’GoodLord，deliverus！’ateverybreath.Iwouldsuggestthatyoufollowmedown—stairssothatwemaybedecentlyreadyfor——whatevercomes.\"Andheturnedaboutandstalkedoutoftheroom，followedbyCyril，whowastoostunnedtoopenhislips.
Katecamefirst.Shewasnotstunned.Shehadagreatdealtosay.
\"Really，thisisalittlethemostabsurdthingIeverheardof，\"
shefumed.\"Whatintheworlddoesyourbrothermean？\"
ThatshequiteignoredherownrelationshiptotheculpritwasnotlostonBertram.Hemadeinstantresponse.
\"AsnearasIcanmakeout，\"herepliedsmoothly，\"YOURbrotherhasfallenundertheswayofapairofgreatdarkeyes，twopinkcheeks，andanunknownquantityofcurlyhair，allofwhichinitsentiretyishisnamesake，islonesome，andisinneedofahome.\"
\"Butshecan’tlive——here！\"
\"Willsayssheshall.\"
\"Butthatisutternonsense，\"cutinCyril.
\"ForonceIagreewithyou，Cyril，\"laughedBertram;\"butWilliamdoesn’t.\"
\"Buthowcanshedoit？\"demandedKate.
\"Don’tknow，\"answeredBertram.\"He’sestablishedapetticoatproprietyinyouforafewhours，atleast.Meanwhile，he’sgoingtothink.Atleast，hesaysheis，andthatwe’vegottohelphim.\"
\"Humph！\"snappedKate.\"Well，Icanprophesywesha’n’tthinkalike——soyou’dnoticeit！\"
\"Iknowthat，\"noddedBertram;\"andI’mwithyouandCyrilonthis.
Thewholethingisabsurd.Theideaofthrustingasilly，eighteen—year—oldgirlhereintoourlivesinthisfashion！ButyouknowwhatWilliswhenhe’sreallyroused.Youmightaswelltrytomoveanicegood—naturedmountainbysaying’please，’astotrytostirhimundercertaincircumstances.Mostofthetime，I’llown，wecantwisthimaroundourlittlefingers.Butnotnow.
You’llsee.Inthefirstplace，she’sthedaughterofhisdeadfriend，andsheDIDwriteapatheticlittleletter.Itgottotheinsideofme，anyhow，whenIthoughtshewasaboy.\"
\"Aboy！Whowouldn’tthinkshewasaboy？\"interposedCyril.
\"’Billy，’indeed！Canyoutellmewhatforanysanemanshouldhavenamedagirl’Billy’？\"
\"ForWilliam，yourbrother，evidently，\"retortedBertram，dryly.
\"Anyhow，hedidit，andofcourseourmistakewasaverynaturalone.Thedickensofitisnowthatwe’vegottokeepitfromher，soWillsays;andhow——hush！heretheyare，\"hebrokeoff，astherecamethesoundofwheelsstoppingbeforethehouse.
Therefollowedtheclickofakeyinthelockandtheopeningofaheavydoor;then，fullintheglareoftheelectriclightsstoodaplainlynervousman，andagirlwithstartled，appealingeyes.
\"Mydear，\"stammeredWilliam，\"thisismysister，Kate，Mrs.
Hartwell;andhereareCyrilandBertram，whomI’vetoldyouof.
AndofcourseIdon’tneedtosaytothemthatyouareBilly.\"
Itwasover.Williamdrewalongbreath，andgaveanagonizedlookintohisbrothers’eyes.ThenBillyturnedfromMrs.Hartwellandheldoutacordialhandtoeachofthemeninturn.
\"Oh，youdon’tknowhowlovelythisis——tome，\"shecriedsoftly.
\"AndtothinkthatyouwerewillingIshouldcome！\"Thetwoyoungermencaughttheirbreathsharply，andtriednottoseeeachother’seyes.\"Youlooksogood——allofyou;andIdon’tbelievethere’soneofyouthat’sgotnervesoraheart，\"shelaughed.
Bertramralliedhiswitstorespondtothechallenge.
\"Noheart，MissBilly？Nowisn’tthatjustabithardonus——rightatfirst？\"
\"Notamite，ifyoutakeitthewayImeanit，\"dimpledBilly.
\"Heartsthatareallrightjustkeeponpumping，andyouneverknowtheyarethere.Theyaren’tworthmentioning.It’stheotherkind——thekindthatfluttersattheleastnoiseandjumpsattheleastbang！AndIdon’tbelieveanyofyoumindnoisesandbangs，\"
shefinishedmerrily，asshehandedherhatandcoattoMrs.
Hartwell，whowaswaitingtoreceivethem.
Bertramlaughed.Cyrilscowled，andoccupiedhimselfinfindingachair.Williamhadalreadydroppedhimselfwearilyontothesofanearhissister.Billystillcontinuedtotalk.
\"NowwhenSpunkandIgettotraining——oh，andyouhaven’tseenSpunk！\"sheinterruptedherselfsuddenly.\"Why，theintroductionsaren’thalfover.Whereishe，UncleWilliam——thebasket？\"
\"I——Iputitin——inthehall，\"mumbledWilliam，startingtorise.
\"No，no;I’llgethim，\"criedBilly，hurryingfromtheroom.Shereturnedinamoment，thegreencoveredbasketinherhand.\"He’sbeenasleep，Iguess.He’sslept’mostallthewaydown，anyhow.
He’ssousedtobeingtoted’roundinthisbasketthathedoesn’tminditabit.ItakehimeverywhereinitattheFalls.\"
Therewasanelectricpause.Fourpairsofstartled，questioning，fearfuleyeswereonthebasketwhileBillyfumbledattheknotofthestring.Thenextmoment，withatriumphantflourish，Billyliftedfromthebasketandplacedontheflooraverysmallgraykittenwithaverylargepinkbow.
\"There，ladiesandgentlemen，mayIpresenttoyou，Spunk.\"
Thetinycreaturewinkedandblinked，andbalancedforamomentonsleepylegs;thenattheuncontrollableshoutthatburstfromBertram’sthroat，hefacedtheman，humpedhistinyback，bristledhisdiminutivetailtoalmostunbelievablefluffiness，andspitwrathfully.
\"AndsothatisSpunk！\"chokedBertram.
\"Yes，\"saidBilly.\"ThisisSpunk.\"
CHAPTERVIII
THEROOM——ANDBILLY
ForthefirstfifteenminutesafterBilly’sarrivalconversationwasafitfulthingmadeupmostlyofamerrymonologueonthepartofBillyherself，interspersedwithsomewhatdazedrepliesfromoneafteranotherofherauditorsasshetalkedtotheminturn.Noonethoughttoaskifshecaredtogouptoherroom，andduringtheentirefifteenminutesBillysatonthefloorwithSpunkinherlap.ShewasstilltherewhenthefunerealfaceofPeteappearedinthedoorway.Pete’sjawdropped.Itwasplainthatonlythesternestself—controlenabledhimtoannouncedinner，withanythinglikedignity.Buthemanagedtostammeroutthewords，andthenturnloftilyaway.Bertram，whosatnearthedoor，however，sawhimraisehishandsinhorrorasheplungedthroughthehallanddownthestairway.
WithamotiontoBertramtoleadthewaywithBilly，Williamfrenziedlygrippedhissister’sarm，andhissedinherearforalltheworldlikeavillaininmelodrama：
\"Listen！You’llsleepinBert’sroomto—night，andBertwillcomeup—stairswithme.GetBillytobedassoonasyoucanafterdinner，andthencomebackdowntous.We’vegottoplanwhat’sgottobedone.Sh—h！\"Andhedraggedhissisterdownstairs.
Inthedining—roomtherewasaslightcommotion.BillystoodatherchairwithSpunkinherarms.BeforeherPetewasstanding，dumblystaringintohereyes.Atlasthestammered：
\"Ma’am？\"
\"Achair，please，Isaid，forSpunk，youknow.Spunkalwayssitsatthetablerightnexttome.\"
ItwastoomuchforBertram.Hefledchokinglytothehall.
Williamdroppedweaklyintohisownplace.CyrilstaredashadPete;butMrs.Hartwellspoke.
\"Youdon’tmean——thatthatcat——hasachair——atthetable！\"shegasped.
\"Yes;andisn’titcuteofhim？\"beamedBilly，entirelymisconstruingthesurpriseinthelady’svoice.\"Hismotheralwayssatattablewithus，andbehavedbeautifully，too.OfcourseSpunkislittle，andmakesmistakessometimes.Buthe’lllearn.Oh，there’sachairrighthere，\"sheadded，asshespiedBertram’schildhood’shigh—chair，whichforlongyearshadstoodunusedinthecorner.
\"I’lljustsqueezeitrightinhere，\"shefinishedgleefully，makingroomforthechairatherside.
WhenBertram，alittleredofface，butverygrave，entered，thedining—roomamomentlater，hefoundthefamilyseatedwithSpunksnuglyplacedbetweenBillyandaplainlydisgustedanddismayedbrother，Cyril.Thekittenwasalertandinterested;buthehadsettledbackinhischair，andwaslookingasabsurdlydignifiedastheflaringpinkbowwouldlethim.
\"Isn’theadear？\"Billywassaying.ButBertramnoticedthattherewasnoreplytothisquestion.
Itwasapeculiardinner—party.OnlyBillydidnotfeelthestrain.EvenSpunkwasnotentirelyhappy——hiseffortstoinvestigatethetableanditscontentsweretoofrequentlycurbedbyhismistressforhisunalloyedsatisfaction.William，itistrue，madeavaliantattempttocausetheconversationtobegeneral;buthefaileddismally.Katewassternlysilent，whileCyrilwasopenlyrepellent.Bertramtalked，indeed——butBertramalwaystalked;andverysoonheandBillyhadthingsprettymuchtothemselves——thatis，withoccasionalinterruptionscausedbySpunk.
Spunkhadaninquisitivenoseorpawforeachnewdishplacedbeforehismistress;andBillyspentmuchtimeadmonishinghim.
Billysaidshewastraininghim;thatitwaswonderfulwhattrainingwoulddo，and，ofcourse，SpunkWASlittle，now.
DinnerwashalfoverwhentherewasaslightdiversioncreatedbySpunk’sconclusiontogetacquaintedwiththesilentmanathisleft.Cyril，however，didnotrespondtoSpunk’sadvances.Soveryevident，indeed，wastheman’saversionthatBillyturnedinamazement.
