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