\"Dearme！IsupposeI’llhavetoexplain;butwe’relosingtime——
andwemustn’t——wemustn’t！\"shecriedfeverishly.\"Listenthen，quick.ItwasatMrs.Hartwell’stonight.I’dbeenwatchingMr.
Bertram.HewaswiththathorridMr.Seaver，andIneverlikedhim，never！Ioverheardsomethingtheysaid，aboutsomeplacetheyweregoingto，andIdidn’tlikewhatMr.Seaversaid.ItriedtospeaktoMr.Bertram，butIdidn’tgetachance;andthenextthingIknewhe’dgonewiththatSeaverman！Isawthemjustintimetosnatchmycloakandfollowthem.\"
\"FOLLOWthem！MISSBILLY！\"
\"Ihadto，Pete;don’tyousee？Therewasnooneelse.Mr.CyrilandUncleWilliamhadgone——home，Isupposed.IsentbackwordbythemaidtoAuntHannahthatI’dgoneahead;youknowthecarriagewasorderedforeleven;butI’mafraidshewon’thavesensetotellAuntHannah，shelookedsodazedandfrightenedwhenItoldher.
ButICOULDN’Twaittosaymore.Well，IhurriedoutandcaughtupwithMr.BertramjustastheywerecrossingArlingtonStreettotheGarden.I’dheardthemsaytheyweregoingtowalk，soIknewI
coulddoit.But，Pete，afterIgotthere，Ididn’tdaretospeak——
Ididn’tDAREto！SoIjust——followed.TheywentstraightthroughtheGardenandacrosstheCommontoTremontStreet，andonandonuntiltheystoppedandwentdownsomestairs，allmarbleandlightsandmirrors.’Twasarestaurant，Ithink.Isawjustwhereitwas，thenIflewbackheretotelephoneforUncleWilliam.I
knewHEcoulddosomething.But——well，youknowtherest.Ihadtotakeyou.Nowcome，quick;I’llshowyou.\"
\"But，MissBilly，Ican’t！Youmustn’t;it’simpossible，\"
chatteredoldPete.\"Come，letmetakeyehome，MissBilly，do！\"
\"Home——andleaveMr.BertramwiththatSeaverman？No，no！\"
\"WhatCANyedo？\"
\"Do？Icangethimtocomehomewithme，ofcourse.\"
Theoldmanmadeadespairinggestureandlookedabouthimasifforhelp.Hesawthenthecurious，questioningeyesonallsides;
andwithaquickchangeofmanner，hetouchedMissBilly’sarm.
\"Yes;we’llgo.Come，\"heapparentlyagreed.ButonceoutsideonthebroadexpansebeforetheSubwayentrancehestoppedagain.
\"MissBilly，pleasecomehome，\"heimplored.\"Yedon’tknow——yecan’tknowwhatyera—doin’！\"
Thegirltossedherhead.Shewasangrynow.
\"Pete，ifyouwillnotgowithmeIshallgoalone.Iamnotafraid.\"
\"Butthehour——theplace——you，ayounggirl！MissBilly！\"
remonstratedtheoldmanagitatedly.
\"Itisn’tsoverylate.I’vebeenoutlotsoftimeslaterthanthisathome.Andasfortheplace，it’salllightandbright，andlotsofpeopleweregoingin——ladiesandgentlemen.Nothingcouldhurtme，Pete，andIshallgo;butI’dratheryouwerewithme.
Why，Pete，wemustn’tleavehim.Heisn’t——heisn’tHIMSELF，Pete.
He——he’sbeenDRINKING！\"Billy’svoicebroke，andherfaceflushedscarlet.Shewasalmostcrying.\"Come，youwon’trefusenow！\"shefinished，resolutelyturningtowardthestreet.
AndbecauseoldPetecouldnotpickherupbodilyandcarryherhome，hefollowedcloseatherheels.Attheheadofthemarblestairs\"alllightsandmirrors，\"however，hemadeonelastplea.
\"MissBilly，oncemoreIbegofye，won’tyecomehome？Yedon’tknowwhatyera—doin’，MissBilly，yedon’t——yedon’t！\"
\"Ican’tgohome，\"persistedBilly.\"ImustgetMr.Bertramawayfromthatman.Nowcome;we’lljuststandatthedoorandlookinuntilweseehim.ThenI’llgostraighttohimandspeaktohim.\"
Andwiththatsheturnedandrandownthesteps.
Billyblinkedalittleatthelightswhich，reflectedinthegreatplate—glassmirrors，wereamilliondazzlingpointsthatfoundthemselvesagainrepeatedinthesparklingcrystalandglitteringsilverontheflower—deckedtables.AllaboutherBillysawflushed—facedmen，andbright—eyedwomen，laughing，chatting，andclinkingtogethertheirslender—stemmedwineglasses.Butnowhere，asshelookedabouther，couldBillydescrythemanshesought.
Theheadwaitercameforwardwithupliftedhand，butBillydidnotseehim.Agirlatherleftlaugheddisagreeably，andseveralmenstaredwithboldlyadmiringeyes;buttothem，too，Billypaidnoheed.Then，halfwayacrosstheroomshespiedBertramandSeaversittingtogetheratasmalltablealone.
SimultaneouslyherownandBertram’seyesmet.
WithasharpwordunderhisbreathBertramsprangtohisfeet.HisbefoggedbrainhadclearedsuddenlyundertheshockofBilly’spresence.
\"Billy，forHeaven’ssakewhatareyoudoinghere？\"hedemandedinalowvoice，ashereachedherside.
\"Icameforyou.Iwantyoutogohomewithme，please，Mr.
Bertram，\"whisperedBilly，pleadingly.
Themanhadnotwaitedforananswertohisquestion.WithadefttouchhehadturnedBillytowardthedoor;andevenasshefinishedhersentenceshefoundherselfinthemarblehallwayconfrontingPete，pallid—faced，andshaking.
\"Andyou，too，Pete！GreatScott！whatdoesthismean？\"heexplodedangrily.
PetecouldonlyshakehisheadandglanceimploringlyatBilly.
Hisdrylipsandtonguerefusedtoarticulateevenoneword.
\"Wecame——for——you，\"chokedBilly.\"Yousee，Idon’tlikethatSeaverman.\"
\"Well，byJove！thisisthelimit！\"breathedBertram.
CHAPTERXVI
KATETAKESAHAND
UndeniablyBillywasindisgrace，andnoneknewitbetterthanBillyherself.Thewholefamilyhadcontributedtothisknowledge.
AuntHannahwasinexpressiblyshocked;shehadnotbreatheventoejaculate\"Mygriefandconscience！\"Katewasdisgusted;Cyrilwascoldlyreserved;Bertramwasfranklyangry;evenWilliamwasvexed，andshowedit.Spunk，too，asifinleaguewiththerest，tookthisopportunitytodisplayoneofhisoccasionalfitsofindependence;andwhenBilly，longingforsomesortofcomfort，calledhimtoher，hesettledbackonhistinyhaunchesandimperturbablywinkedandblinkedhisindifference.
NearlyallthefamilyhadhadsomethingtosaytoBillyonthematter，withnotentirelysatisfactoryresults，whenKatedeterminedtoseewhatshecoulddo.Shechoseatimewhenshecouldhavethegirlquitetoherselfwithsmalllikelihoodofinterruption.
\"But，Billy，howcouldyoudosuchanabsurdthing？\"shedemanded.
\"Theideaofleavingmyhousealone，athalf—pasttenatnight，tofollowacoupleofmenthroughthestreetsofBoston，andthenwithmybrothers’butlermakeascenelikethatina——apublicdining—
room！\"
Billysighedinadiscouragedway.
\"AuntKate，can’tImakeyouandtherestofthemunderstandthatI
didn’tstartouttodoallthat？ImeantjusttospeaktoMr.
Bertram，andgethimawayfromthatman.\"
\"But，mydearchild，eventhatwasbadenough！\"
Billyliftedherchin.
\"Youdon’tseemtothink，AuntKate;Mr.Bertramwas——wasnotsober.\"
\"AllthemorereasonthenwhyyoushouldNOThavedonewhatyoudid！\"
\"Why，AuntKate，youwouldn’tleavehimaloneinthatconditionwiththatman！\"
ItwasMrs.Hartwell’sturntosigh.
\"But，Billy，\"shecontested，wearily，\"can’tyouunderstandthatitwasn’tYOURplacetointerfere——you，ayounggirl？\"
\"I’msureIdon’tseewhatdifferencethatmakes.Iwastheonlyonethatcoulddoit！Besides，afterward，Ididtrytogetsomeoneelse，UncleWilliamandMr.Cyril.ButwhenIfoundIcouldn’tgetthem，Ijusthadtodoitalone——thatis，withPete.\"
\"Pete！\"scoffedMrs.Hartwell.\"Pete，indeed！\"
Billy’sheadcameupwithajerk.Billywasveryangrynow.
\"AuntKate，itseemsI’vedoneaveryterriblething，butI’msureIdon’tseeitthatway.Iwasn’tafraid，andIwasn’tintheleastbitofdangeranywhere.Iknewmywayperfectly，andIdidNOTmakeany’scene’inthatrestaurant.IjustaskedMr.Bertramtocomehomewithme.OnewouldthinkyouWANTEDMr.Bertramtogooffwiththatmanand——anddrinktoomuch.ButUncleWilliamhasn’tlikedhimbefore，notonebit！I’veheardhimtalkabouthim——thatMr.Seaver.\"
Mrs.Hartwellraisedbothherhands，palmsoutward.
\"Billy，itisuselesstotalkwithyou.Youarequiteimpossible.
ItisevenworsethanIexpected！\"shecried，withwrathfulimpatience.
\"Worsethanyou——expected？Whatdoyoumean，please？\"
\"WorsethanIthoughtitwouldbe——beforeyoucame.Theideaofthosefivementakingagirltobringup！\"
Billysatverystill.Shewasevenholdingherbreath，thoughMrs.
Hartwelldidnotknowthat.
\"Youmean——thattheydidnot——wantme？\"sheaskedquietly，soquietlythatMrs.Hartwelldidnotrealizethesuddentensionbehindthewords.Forthatmatter，Mrs.Hartwellwastooangrynowtorealizeanythingoutsideofherself.
\"Wantyou！Billy，itishightimethatyouunderstandjusthowthingsare，andhavebeen，atthehouse;thenperhapsyouwillconductyourselfwithaneyealittlemoretootherpeople’scomfort.CanyouimaginethreeyoungmenlikemybrothersWANTING
totakeastrangeyoungwomanintotheirhometoupseteverything？\"
\"To——upset——everything！\"echoedBilly，faintly.\"AndhaveIdone——
that？\"
\"Ofcourseyouhave！Howcouldyouhelpit？Tobeginwith，theythoughtyouwereaboy，andthatwasbadenough;butWilliamwassoanxioustodorightbyhisdeadfriendthatheinsistedupontakingyou，muchagainstthewillofalltherestofus.Oh，Iknowthisisn’tpleasantforyoutohear，\"admittedMrs.Hartwell，inresponsetothedismayedexpressioninBilly’seyes;\"butIthinkit’shightimeyourealizesomethingofwhatthosemenhavesacrificedforyou.Now，toresume.Whentheyfoundyouwereagirl，whatdidtheydo？Didtheyturnyouovertosomeschoolorsuchplace，astheyshouldhavedone？Certainlynot！Williamwouldnothearofit.HeturnedBertramoutofhisrooms，putyouintothem，andestablishedAuntHannahaschaperonandmeassubstituteuntilshearrived.Butbecause，throughitall，hesmiledblandly，youhavebeenblindtothewholething.
\"Andwhatistheresult？Hisentirehouseholdroutineisshatteredtoatoms.Youhaveacceptedthewholehouseasifitwereyourown.YoutakeCyril’stimetoteachyoumusic，andBertram’stoteachyoupainting，withoutathoughtofwhatitmeanstothem.
There！IsupposeIoughtnottohavesaidallthis，butIcouldn’thelpit，Billy.Andsurelynow，NOWyouappreciatealittlemorewhatyourcomingtothishousehasmeant，andwhatmybrothershavedoneforyou.\"
\"Ido，certainly，\"saidBilly，stillinthatvoicethatwassooddlysmoothandemotionless.
\"Andyou’lltrytobemoretractable，lessheadstrong，lessassertiveofyourpresence？\"
Thegirlsprangtoherfeetnow.
\"Moretractable！Lessassertiveofmypresence！\"shecried.\"Mrs.
Hartwell，doyoumeantosayyouthinkI’dSTAYafterwhatyou’vetoldme？\"
\"Stay？Why，ofcourseyou’llstay！Don’tbesilly，child.I
didn’ttellyouthistomakeyougo.Ionlywantedyoutounderstandhowthingswere——andare.\"
\"AndIdounderstand——andI’mgoing.\"
Mrs.Hartwellfrowned.Herfacechangedcolor.
\"Come，come，Billy，thisisnonsense.Williamwantsyouhere.HewouldneverforgivemeifanythingIsaidshouldsendyouaway.
Youmustnotbeangrywith，him.\"
Billyturnednowlikeanenragedlittletigress.
\"Angrywithhim！Why，Ilovehim——Ilovethemall！Theyarethedearestmenever，andthey’vebeensogoodtome！\"Thegirl’svoicebrokealittle，thenwentonwithamoredeterminedring.
\"DoyouthinkI’dhavethemknowwhyI’mgoing？——thatI’dhurtthemlikethat？Never！\"
\"But，Billy，whatareyougoingtodo？\"
\"Idon’tknow.I’vegottoplanitout.IonlyknownowthatI’mgoing，sure！\"AndwithachokinglittlecryBillyranfromtheroom.
Inherownchamberaminutelaterthetearsfellunrestrained.
\"It’shome——allthehomethereis——anywhere！\"shesobbed.\"Butit’sgottogo——it’sgottogo！\"
CHAPTERXVII
APINK—RIBBONTRAIL
Mrs.StetsonworeanairofunmistakablereliefasshesteppedintoWilliam’ssitting—room.Evenherknockatthehalf—opendoorhadsoundedalmosttriumphant.
\"William，itdoesseemasifFateitselfhadintervenedtohelpusout，\"shebegandelightedly.\"Billy，ofherownaccord，cametomethismorning，andsaidthatshewantedtogoawaywithmeforalittletrip.Soyouseethatwillmakeiteasierforus.\"
\"Good！Thatisfortunate，indeed，\"criedWilliam;buthisvoicedidnotcarryquitethejoythathiswordsexpressed.\"Ihavebeendisturbedeversinceyourremarkstheotherday，\"hecontinuedwearily;\"andofcourseherextraordinaryescapadethenexteveningdidnothelpmattersany.Itisbetter，Iknow，thatsheshouldn’tbehere——foratime.ThoughIshallmissherterribly.But，tellme，whatisit——whatdoesshewanttodo？\"
\"ShesayssheguessessheishomesickforHampdenFalls;thatshe’dliketogobackthereforafewweeksthissummerifI’llgowithher.The——thedearchildseemssuddenlytohavetakenagreatfancytome，\"explainedAuntHannah，unsteadily.\"Ineversawhersoaffectionate.\"
\"Sheisadeargirl——averydeargirl;andshehasawarmheart.\"
Williamclearedhisthroatsonorously，buteventhatdidnotclearhisvoice.\"Itwasherheartthatledherwrongtheothernight，\"
hedeclared.\"Herswasabraveandfearlessact——butaveryunwiseone.MuchasIdeploreBertram’sintimacywithSeaver，IshouldhesitatetotakethecoursemarkedoutbyBilly.Bertramisnotachild.Buttellmemoreofthistripofyours.HowdidBillyhappentosuggestit？\"
\"Idon’tknow.Inoticedyesterdaythatsheseemedstrangelysilent——unhappy，infact.Shesataloneinherroomthegreaterpartoftheday，andIcouldnotgetheroutofit.ButthismorningshecametomydoorasbrightasthesunitselfandmademethepropositionItoldyouof.Shesaysheraunt’shouseisclosed，awaitingitssale;butthatshewouldliketoopenitforawhilethissummer，ifI’dliketogo.Naturally，youcanunderstandthatI’dveryquicklyfallinwithaplanlikethat——
onewhichpromisedsoeasilytosettleourdifficulties.\"
\"Yes，ofcourse，ofcourse，\"mutteredWilliam.\"Itisveryfine，veryfineindeed，\"heconcluded.Andagainhisvoicefailedquitetomatchhiswordsinenthusiasm.
\"ThenI’llgoandbegintoseetomythings，\"murmuredMrs.
Stetson，risingtoherfeet.\"Billyseemsanxioustogetaway.\"
Billydid，indeed，seemanxioustogetaway.Sheannouncedherintendeddepartureatoncetothefamily.Shecalleditavisittoheroldhome，andsheseemedverygladinherpreparations.Iftherewasanythingforcedinthisgayety，noonenoticedit，oratleast，noonespokeofit.ThefamilysawverylittleofBilly，indeed，thesedays.Shesaidthatshewasbusy;thatshehadpackingtodo.ShestoppedtakinglessonsofCyril，andvisitedBertram’sstudioonlyonceduringthewholethreedaysbeforeshewentaway，andthenmerelytogetsomethingsthatbelongedtoher.
Onthefourthday，almostbeforethefamilyrealizedwhatwashappening，shewasgone;andwithherhadgoneMrs.StetsonandSpunk.
Thefamilysaidtheylikedit——thequiet，thefreedom.Theysaidtheylikedtobealone——allbutWilliam.Hesaidnothing.
Andyet——
WhenBertramwenttohisstudiothatmorninghedidnotpickuphisbrushesuntilhehadsatforlongminutesbeforethesketchofared—cheeked，curly—headedyounggirlwhoseeyesheldapeculiarlywistfulappeal;andCyril，athispianoup—stairs，satwithidlefingersuntiltheyfinallydriftedintoasimplelittlemelody——thelastthingBillyhadbeenlearning.
ItwasPetewhobroughtinthekitten;andBillyhadbeengoneawholeweekthen.
\"Thepoorlittlebeastwascryin’atthealleywaydoor，sir，\"heexplained.\"I——Imadesoboldastobringhimin.\"
\"Ofcourse，\"saidWilliam.\"Didyoufeedit？\"
\"Yes，sir;Lingdid.\"
Therewasapause，thenPetespoke，diffidently.
\"Ithought，sir，ifyedidn’tmind，I’dkeepit.I’lltrytoseethatitstaysdown—stairs，sir，outofyerway.\"
\"That’sallright，Pete;keepit，byallmeans，byallmeans，\"
approvedWilliam.
\"Thankye，sir.Yesee，it’sastray.Ithasn’tgotanyhome.
And，didyenotice，sir？itlookslikeSpunk.\"
\"Yes，Inoticed，\"saidWilliam，stirringwithsuddenrestlessness.
\"Inoticed.\"
\"Yes，sir，\"saidPete.Andheturnedandcarriedthesmallgraycataway.
Thenewkittendidnotstaydown—stairs.Petetried，itistrue，tokeephispromisetowatchit;butafterhehadseenthelittleanimalcarriedsurreptitiouslyup—stairsinMr.William’sarms，herelaxedhisvigilance.Somedayslaterthekittenappearedwithahugepinkbowbehinditsears，somewhatawkwardlytied，ifitmustbeconfessed.Whereitcamefrom，orwhoputittherewasnotknown——untilonedaythekittenwasfoundinthehalldelightedlychewingattheendofwhathadbeenarollofpinkribbon.Upthestairsledatrailofpinkribbonandcurlingwhitepaper——andtheendofthetrailwasinWilliam’sroom.
CHAPTERXVIII
BILLYWRITESANOTHERLETTER
BythemiddleofJuneonlyWilliamandthegraykittenwereleftwithPeteandDongLingintheBeaconStreethouse.CyrilhadsailedforEngland，andBertramhadgoneonasketchingtripwithafriend.
ToWilliamthehousethissummerwasunusuallylonely;indeed，hefoundthesilent，desertedroomsalmostunbearable.Eventhepresenceofthelittlegraycatservedonlytoaccentuatetheloneliness——itremindedhimofBilly.
WilliammissedBilly.HeownedthatnoweventoPete.Hesaidthathewouldbegladwhenshecameback.TohimselfhesaidthathewishedhehadnotfalleninquitesoreadilywithAuntHannah’snotionofgettingthechildaway.Itwasallnonsense，hedeclared.Allsheneededwasalittlecurbinganddirecting，bothofwhichcouldjustaswellhavebeendonethereathome.Butshehadgone，anditcouldnotbehelpednow.Theonlythingleftforhimtodowastoseethatitdidnotoccuragain.WhenBillycamebacksheshouldstay，exceptfornecessaryabsencesforschool，ofcourse.AllthisWilliamsettledinhisownmindquitetohisownsatisfaction，entirelyforgetting，strangetosay，thatithadbeenBilly’sownsuggestionthatshegoaway.
VerypromptlyWilliamwrotetoBilly.Hetoldherhowhemissedher，andsaidthathehadstoppedtryingtosortandcataloguehiscollectionsuntilsheshouldbetheretohelphim.Hetoldher，too，afteratime，ofthegraykitten，\"Spunkie，\"thatlookedsomuchlikeSpunk.
Inreplyhereceivedplumpwhiteenvelopesdirectedintheround，schoolboyhandthatherememberedsowell.Intheenvelopeswereletters，cheeryandentertaining，likeBillyherself.Theythankedhimforallhismanykindnesses，andtheytoldhimsomethingofwhatBillywasdoing.Theyshowedunboundedinterestinthenewkitten，andinallelsethatWilliamwroteabout;buttheyhintedveryplainlythathehadbetternotwaitforhertohelphimoutonthecatalogue，foritwouldsoonbeautumn，andshewouldbeinschool.
Williamfrownedatthis，andshookhishead;yetheknewthatitwastrue.
InAugustWilliamclosedtheBeaconstreethouseandwenttotheRangeleyLakesonacampingtrip.Hetoldhimselfthathewouldnotgohaditnotbeenforapromisegiventoanoldcollegefriendmonthsbefore.True，hehadbeenanticipatingthistripallwinter;butitoccurredtohimnowthatitwouldbemuchmoreinterestingtogotoHampdenFallsandseeBilly.HehadbeentotheRangeleyLakes，andhehadnotbeentoHampdenFalls;besides，therewouldbeNedHardingandthosequeeroldmaidswiththeirshadedhouseandsocketedchairstosee.Inshort，toWilliam，atthemoment，thereseemednoplacequitesoabsorbinglyinterestingaswasHampdenFalls.ButhewenttotheRangeleyLakes.
InSeptemberCyrilcamebackfromEurope，andBertramfromtheAdirondackswherehehadbeenspendingthemonthofAugust.
Williamalreadyhadarrived，andwithPeteandDongLinghadopenedthehouse.
\"Where’sBilly？Isn’tBillyhere？\"demandedBertram.
\"No.Sheisn’tbackyet，\"repliedWilliam.
\"Youdon’tmeantosayshe’sstayedupthereallsummer！\"exclaimedCyril.
\"Why，yes，I——Isupposeso，\"hesitatedWilliam.\"Yousee，I
haven’theardbutonceforamonth.I’vebeendowninMaine，youknow.\"
WilliamwrotetoBillythatnight.
\"Mydear：——\"hesaidinpart.\"Ihopeyou’llcomehomerightaway.
WewanttoseeSOMETHINGofyoubeforeyougoawayagain，andyouknowtheschoolswillbeopeningsoon.
\"Bytheway，ithasjustoccurredtomeasIwritethatperhaps，afterall，youwon’thavetogoquiteaway.ThereareplentyofgoodschoolsforyoungladiesrightinandnearBoston，whichIamsureyoucouldattend，andstillliveathome.Supposeyoucomebackthenassoonasyoucan，andwe’lltalkitup.Andthatremindsme，IwonderhowSpunkwillgetalongwithSpunkie.
SpunkiehasbeenboardingoutallAugustatacathome，butheseemsgladtogetbacktous.Iamanxioustoseethetwolittlechapstogether，justtofindouthowmuchaliketheyreallydolook.\"
VerypromptlycameBilly’sanswer;butWilliam’sface，afterhehadreadtheletter，wasalmostasblankasithadbeenonthatAprildaywhenBilly’sfirstlettercame——thoughthistimeforafardifferentreason.
\"Why，boys，she——isn’t——coming，\"heannouncedindismay.
\"Isn’tcoming！\"ejaculatedtwoastonishedVoices.
\"No.\"
\"Not——at——ALL？\"
\"Why，ofcourse，later，\"retortedWilliam，withunwontedsharpness.
\"Butnotnow.Thisiswhatshesays.\"Andhereadaloud：
\"DEARUNCLEWILLIAM：——Youpoordearman！DidyouthinkI’dreallyletyouspendyourtimeandyourthoughtoverhuntingupaschoolforme，afteralltherestyouhavedoneforme？Notabitofit！
Why，AuntHannahandIhavebeenburiedunderschoolcataloguesallsummer，andIhavestudiedthemalluntilIknowjustwhichhasturkeydinnersonSundays，andwhichicecreamatleasttwiceaweek.Andit’sallsettled，too，longago.I’mgoingtoagirls’
schooluptheHudsonalittleway——alovelyplace，I’msure，fromthepicturesofit.
\"Oh，andanotherthing;Ishallgorightfromhere.TwogirlsatHampdenFallsaregoing，andIshallgowiththem.Isn’tthatafinechanceforme？Youseeitwouldneverdo，anyway，formetogoalone——me，a’Billy’——unlessIsentaspecialcourieraheadtoannouncethat’Billy’wasagirl.
\"AuntHannahhasdecidedtostayherethiswinterintheoldhouse.
Shelikesiteversomuch，andIdon’tthinkIshallselltheplacejustyet，anyway.Shewillgoback，ofcourse，toBoston（afterI’vegone）togetsomethingsatthehousethatshe’llwant，andalsotodosomeshopping.Butshe’llletyouknowwhenshe’llbethere.
\"I’llwritemorelater，butjustnowI’minaterriblerush.I
onlywritethisnotetosetyourpoorheartatrestabouthavingtohuntupaschoolforme.
\"Withlovetoall，\"BILLY.\"
AshadhappenedoncebeforeafteraletterfromBillyhadbeenread，therewasalongpause.
\"Well，byJove！\"breathedBertram.
\"It’sverysensible，I’msure，\"declaredCyril.\"Still，Imustconfess，Iwouldhavelikedtopickoutherpianoteacherforher.\"
Williamsaidnothing——perhapsbecausehewasreadingBilly’sletteragain.
Ateighto’clockthatnightBertramtappedonCyril’sdoor.
\"What’sthetrouble？\"demandedCyrilinanswertothelookontheother’sface.
Bertramliftedhiseyebrowsoddly.
\"I’mnotsurewhetheryou’llcallit’trouble’ornot，\"hereplied;
\"butIthinkit’ssafetosaythatBillyisgone——forgood.\"
\"Forgood！Whatdoyoumean？——thatshe’snotcomingback——ever？\"
\"Exactlythat.\"
\"Nonsense！What’sputthatnotionintoyourhead？\"
\"Billy’sletterfirst;afterthat，Pete.\"
\"Pete！\"
\"Yes.Hecametomeafewminutesago，lookingasifhehadseenaghost.ItseemshesweptBilly’sroomsthismorningandputtheminorderagainsthercoming;andtonightWilliamtoldhimthatshewouldn’tbehereatpresent.Petecamestraighttome.Hesaidhedidn’tdaretellMr.William，buthe’dgottotellsomeone：therewasn’tonesinglethingofMissBilly’sleftinherroomsnoranywhereelseinthehouse——notsomuchasahandkerchieforahairpin.\"
\"Hm—m;thatdoeslook——suspicious，\"murmuredCyril.\"What’sup，doyouthink？\"
\"Don’tknow;butsomething，sure.Still，ofcoursewemaybewrong.Wewon’tsayanythingtoWillaboutit，anyhow.Pooroldchap，’twouldworryhim，speciallyifhethoughtBilly’sfeelingshadbeenhurt.\"
\"Hurt？——nonsense！Why，wedideverythingforher——everything！\"
\"Yes，Iknow——andshetriedtodoEVERYTHINGforus，too，\"retortedBertram，quizzically，asheturnedaway.
CHAPTERXIX
SEEINGBILLYOFF
EarlyinOctoberMrs.StetsonarrivedattheBeaconStreethouse，butshedidnotstaylong.
\"I’vecomeforjustafewthingsIwant，andtodosomeshopping，\"
sheexplained.
\"ButAuntHannah，\"remonstratedWilliam，\"whatisthemeaningofthis？WhyareyoustayingupthereatHampdenFalls？\"
\"Ilikeitthere，William;andwhyshouldn’tIstay？Surelythere’snoneedformetobeherenow，withBillyaway！\"
\"ButBilly’scomingback！\"
\"Ofcourseshe’scomingback，\"laughedAuntHannah，\"butnotthiswinter，certainly.Why，William，what’sthematter？I’msure，I
thinkit’sabeautifularrangement.Why，don’tyouremember？It’sjustwhatwesaidwewanted——tokeepBillyawayforawhile.Andthebestpartofitis，it’sherownideafromthestart.\"
\"Yes，Iknow，Iknow，\"frownedWilliam：\"butI’mnotsure，afterall，thatthatideaofourswasn’tamistake，——amistakethatsheneededtogetaway.\"
\"Never！Wewerejustrightaboutit，\"declaredAuntHannah，withconviction.
\"AndisBilly——happy？\"
\"Sheseemstobe.\"
\"Hm—m;well，THAT’Sgood，\"saidWilliam，asheturnedtogouptohisroom.Butasheclimbedthestairshesighed;andtohearhim，onewouldhavethoughtitanythingbutgoodtohim——thatBillywashappy.
Onebyonetheweekspassed.Mrs.StetsonhadlongsincegonebacktoHampdenFalls;andBertramsaidthattheStratawasbeginningtolooknaturalagain.Thereremainednow，indeed，onlySpunkie，thesmallgraycat，toremindanyoneofthedaysthatweregone——
though，tobesure，therewereBilly’sletters，iftheymightbecalledareminder.
Billydidnotwriteoften.Shesaidthatshewas\"toobusytobreathe.\"SuchlettersasdidcomefromherwereaddressedtoWilliam，thoughtheysooncametobeclaimedbytheentirefamily.
BertramandCyrilfranklydemandedthatWilliamreadthemaloud;
andevenPetealwayscontrivedtohavesomedustingor\"puttering\"
withinearshot——asubterfugequitewellunderstood，butneverreprovedbyanyofthebrothers.
WhentheChristmasvacationdrewnear，WilliamwrotethathehopedBillyandAuntHannahwouldspenditwiththem;butBillyansweredthatalthoughsheappreciatedtheirkindnessandthankedthemforit，yetshemustdeclinetheirinvitation，asshehadalreadyinvitedseveralofthegirlstogohomewithhertoHampdenFallsforacountryChristmas.
FortheEastervacationWilliamwasevenmoreinsistent——butsowasBilly：shehadalreadyacceptedaninvitationtogohomewithoneofthegirls，andshedidnotthinkitwouldbeatallpolitetochangeherplansnow.
Williamfrettednotalittle.EvenCyrilandBertramsaidthatitwas\"toobad\";thattheythemselveswouldliketoseethegirl——sotheywould！
Itwasinthespring，atthecloseofschool，however，thattheheaviestblowfell：BillywasnotcomingtoBostoneventhen.ShewrotethatsheandAuntHannahweregoingto\"runacrossthewaterforalittletripthroughtheBritishIsles\";andthattheirpassagewasalreadyengaged.
\"Andsoyousee，\"sheexplained，\"Ishallnothaveaminutetospare.There’llbeonlytimetoskiphomeforAuntHannah，andtopackthetrunksbeforeit’llbetimetostart.\"
BertramlookedatCyrilsignificantlywhenthisletterwasreadaloud;andafterwardhemutteredinCyril’sear：
\"Yousee！It’sHampdenFallsshecalls’home’now——nottheStrata.\"
\"Yes，Isee，\"frownedCyril.\"Itdoeslooksuspicious.\"
TwodaysbeforethedateofBilly’sexpectedsailing，Williamannouncedatthebreakfasttablethathewasgoingawayonbusiness;mightbegoneuntiltheendoftheweek.
\"Youdon’tsay，\"commentedBertram.\"I’Mgoingto—morrow，butI’mcomingbackinacoupleofdays.\"
\"Hm—m;\"murmuredWilliam，abstractedly.\"Oh，well，Imaybebackbeforetheendoftheweek.\"
OnlyonemealdidCyrileataloneafterhisbrothershadgone;thenhetoldPetethathehaddecidedtotakethenightboatforNewYork.Therewasalittlematterthatcalledhimthere，hesaid，andhebelievedthetripbywaterwouldbeapleasure，thenightwassofineandwarm.
InNewYorkCyrilhadlittletroubleinfindingBilly，asheknewthesteamshipshewastotake.
\"IthoughtaslongasIwasinNewYorkto—dayI’djustcomeandsaygood—bytoyouandAuntHannah，\"heinformedher，withanevidentaimtowardmakinghispresenceappeartobecasual.
\"Thatwasgoodofyou！\"exclaimedBilly.\"AndhowareUncleWilliamandMr.Bertram？\"
\"Verywell，Ifancy，thoughtheyweren’ttherewhenIleft，\"
repliedtheman.
\"Oh！——goneaway？\"
\"Yes.Alittlematterofbusinesstheysaid;but——well，byJove！\"
hebrokeoff，hisgazeonafamiliarfigurehurryingatthatmomenttowardthem.\"There’sWilliamnow！\"
William，withnoeyesbutforBilly，camerapidlyforward.
\"Well，well，Billy！IthoughtaslongasIhappenedtobeinNewYorkto—dayI’djustrundowntotheboatandseeyouandAuntHannahoff，andwish——CYRIL！WheredidYOUcomefrom？\"
Billylaughed.
\"Hejusthappenedtobeintown，too，UncleWilliam，likeyou，\"sheexplained.\"AndI’msureIthinkit’slovelyofyoutobesokind.
AuntHannah’llbeuprightaway.Shewentdowntothestateroomto——\"ThistimeitwasBillywhostoppedabruptly.Thetwomenfacinghercouldnotseewhatshesaw，andnotuntiltheirbrotherBertram’smerrygreetingfellontheirearsdidtheyunderstandhersuddensilence.
\"Andisthisthewayyoumeanttorunawayfromus，younglady？\"
criedBertram.\"Notsofast！Yousee，IhappenedtobeinNewYorkthismorning，andsoI——\"SomethinginBilly’sfacesentapausetohiswordsjustashiseyesspiedthetwomenatthegirl’sside.Foramomenthestareddumbly;thenhegaveamerrygestureofdefeat.
\"It’sallup！Imightaswellconfess.I’VEbeenplanningthisthingforthreeweeks，Billy，eversinceyourlettercame，infact.
Asformytwofellow—sinnershere，I’llwagertheyweren’ttwodaysbehindmeintheirplanning.Sonow，ownup，boys！\"
WilliamandCyril，however，didnothaveto\"ownup.\"Mrs.Stetsonappearedatthemomentandcreated，forthem，averywelcomediversion.
Longminuteslater，whenthegood—byeshadbecomenothingbutaflutterofwhitehandkerchiefsfromdecktoshore，andshoretodeck，Williamdrewalongsigh.
\"That’sanicelittlegirl，boys，anicelittlegirl！\"heexclaimed.\"Ideclare！Ididn’tsupposeI’dmindsomuchhergoingsofaraway.\"
CHAPTERXX
BILLY，THEMYTH
ToallappearancesitcameaboutverynaturallythatBillydidnotreturntoAmericaforsometime.DuringthesummershewroteoccasionallytoWilliam，andgaveglowingaccountsoftheirtravels.TheninSeptembercamethelettertellinghimthattheyhadconcludedtostaythroughthewinterinParis.Billywrotethatshehaddecidednottogotocollege.ShewouldtakeupsomestudiesthereinParis，shesaid，butshewoulddevoteherselfmoreparticularlytohermusic.
WhenthenextsummercametherewasstillsomethingotherthanAmericatoclaimherattention：theCalderwellshadinvitedhertocruisewiththemforthreemonths.Theiryachtwasalittlefloatingpalaceofdelight，Billydeclared，nottomentionthecharmoftheunknownlandsandwatersthatsheandAuntHannahwouldsee.
OfallthisBillywrotetoWilliam——atoccasionalintervals——butshedidnotcomehome.Evenwhenthenextautumncame，therewasstillParistodetainherforanotherlongwinterofstudy.
IntheHenshawhouseonBeaconStreet，WilliammournednotalittleaseachrecurringseasonbroughtnoBilly.
\"Theidea！It’sjustasifonedidn’thaveanamesake！\"hefumed.
\"Well，didyouhaveone？\"Bertramdemandedoneday.\"Really，Will，I’mbeginningtothinkshe’samyth.Longyearsago，fromthefirstofApriltillJunewedidhavetwofrolicsomespritesherethatannouncedthemselvesas’Billy’and’Spunk，’I’llown.Andayearlater，bywaysdeviousandsecret，wethreemanagedtoseetheonecalled’Billy’offonagreatsteamship.Sincethen，what？A
word——amessage——ascrapofpaper.Billy’samyth，Isay！\"
Williamsighed.
\"SometimesIdon’tknowbutyouareright，\"headmitted.\"Why，it’llbethreeyearsnextJunesinceBillywashere.Shemustbenearlytwenty—one——andweknowalmostnothingabouther.\"
\"That’sso.Iwonder——\"Bertrampaused，andlaughedalittle，\"I
wonderifNOWshe’dplayguardianangeltomethroughthestreetsofBoston.\"
Williamthrewakeenglanceintohisbrother’sface.
\"Idon’tbelieveitwouldbequitenecessary，NOW，Bert，\"hesaidquietly.
Theotherflushedalittle，buthiseyessoftened.
\"Maybenot，Will;still——onecanalwaysfindsomeusefor——aguardianangel，youknow，\"hefinished，almostunderhisbreath.
ToCyrilBertramhadoccasionallyspoken，duringthelasttwoyears，oftheirfirstsuspicionsconcerningBilly’sabsence.Theyspeculatedvaguely，too，astowhyshehadgone，andifshewouldevercomeback;andtheywonderedifanythingcouldhavewoundedherandsentheraway.ToWilliamtheysaidnothingofallthis，however;thoughtheyagreedthattheywouldhaveaskedKateforheropinion，hadshebeenthere.ButKatewasnotthere.Asitchanced，agoodbusinessopportunityhadcalledKate’shusbandtoaWesterntownverysoonafterBillyherselfhadgonetoHampdenFalls;andsincethefamily’sremovaltotheWest，Mrs.HartwellhadnotoncereturnedtoBoston.
ItwasinApril，threeyearssinceBilly’sfirstappearanceintheBeaconStreethouse，thatBertrammethisfriend，HughCalderwell，onthestreetoneafternoon，andbroughthimhometodinner.
HughCalderwellwasayouthwho，Bertramsaid，hadbeenbornwithawholedozensilverspoonsinhismouth.And，indeed，itwouldseemso，ifpresentprosperitywereanyindication.Hewasagood—
lookingyoungfellowwithafrankmanlinessthatappealedtomen，andadeferentialchivalrythatappealedtowomen;acombinationthatbroughthimmanyfriends——andsomeenemies.Withplentyofmoneytoindulgeapassionfortraveling，youngCalderwellhadspentthemostofhistimesincegraduationindaringtripsintotheheartofalmostimpenetrableforests，ortothetopofalmostinaccessiblemountains，withanoccasionalmoreordinarytriptogivevariety.Hehadnowcometothepoint，however，wherehewasdeterminedto\"settledowntosomethingthatmeantsomething，\"hetoldtheHenshaws，asthefourmensmokedinBertram’sdenafterdinner.
\"Yes，sir，Ihave，\"heiterated.\"And，bytheway，thelittlegirlthathassetmetothinkinginsuchgoodearnestisafriendofyours，too，——MissNeilson.ImetherinParis.Shewasonouryachtalllastsummer.\"
Threemensatsuddenlyerectintheirchairs.
\"Billy？\"criedthreevoices.\"DoyouknowBilly？\"
\"Tobesure！Andyoudo，too，shesays.\"
\"Oh，no，wedon’t，\"disputedBertram，emphatically.\"ButweWISH
wedid！\"
Hisguestlaughed.
\"Well，IfancyyouDOknowher，oryouwouldn’thaveansweredlikethat，\"heretorted.\"ForyoujustbegintoknowMissBillywhenyoufindoutthatyouDON’Tknowher.Sheisacharminggirl——averycharminggirl.\"
\"Sheismynamesake，\"announcedWilliam，inwhatBertramcalledhis\"finestever\"voicethatheusedonlyforthechoicestbitsinhiscollections.
\"Yes，shetoldme，\"smiledCalderwell.\"’Billy’for’William.’
Oddidea，too，butclever.Ithelpstodistinguishherevenmore——
thoughshedoesn’tneedit，forthatmatter.\"
\"’Doesn’tneedit，’\"echoedWilliaminapuzzledvoice.
\"No.Perhapsyoudon’tknow，Mr.Henshaw，butMissBillyisaverypopularyoungwoman.Youhavereasontobeproudofyournamesake.\"
\"Ihavealwaysbeenthat，\"declaredWilliam，withjustatouchofhauteur.
\"Tellusabouther，\"beggedBertram.\"YourememberIsaidthatwewishedwedidknowher.\"
Calderwellsmiled.
\"Idon’tbelieve，afterall，thatyoudoknowmuchabouther，\"hebeganmusingly.\"Billyisnotonewhotalksmuchofherself，I
fancy，inherletters.\"
Williamfrowned.Thistimetherewasmorethanatouchofhauteurinhisvoice.
\"MISSNEILSONisnotonetoshowvanityanywhere，\"hesaid，withsuggestiveemphasisonthename.
\"Indeedsheisn’t，\"agreedCalderwell，heartily.\"Sheisafinegirl——quiteoneofthefinestIknow，infact.\"
Therewasanuncomfortablesilence.OverinthecornerCyrilpuffedathiscigarwithanairalmostofboredom.Hehadnotspokensincehisfirstsurprisedquestioningwiththeothers，\"DoyouknowBilly？\"Williamwasstillfrowning.EvenBertramworealookthatwasnotquitesatisfied.
\"MissNeilsonhasspenttwowintersinParisnow，youknow，\"
resumedCalderwell，afteramoment;\"andsheisverypopularbothwiththeAmericancolony，andwiththeotherstudents.Asforher’AuntHannah’——theyallmakeapetofher;butthatis，perhaps，becauseBillyherselfissodevoted.\"
AgainWilliamfrownedatthefamiliar\"Billy\";butCalderwelltalkedonunheeding.
\"Afterall，I’mnotsurebutsomeofusregard’AuntHannah’withscantfavor，occasionally，\"helaughed;\"somethingasifshewerethedragonthatguardedtheprincess，youknow.MissBillyIS
popularwiththemen，andshehassuitorsenoughtoturnanygirl’shead——butherown.\"
\"Suitors！\"criedWilliam，plainlyaghast.\"Why，Billy’snothingbutachild！\"
Calderwellgaveanoddsmile.
\"Howlongisitsinceyou’veseen——MissNeilson？\"heasked.
\"Twoyears.\"
\"Andthenonlyforafewminutesjustbeforeshesailed，\"amendedBertram.\"Wehaven’treallyseenmuchofhersincethreeyearsago.\"
\"Hm—m;well，you’llseeforyourselfsoon.Youknowshe’scominghomenextmonth.\"
Notoneofthebrothersdidknowit——butnotoneofthemintendedthatCalderwellshouldfindoutthattheydidnot.
\"Yes，she’scominghome，\"saidWilliam，liftinghischinalittle.
\"Oh，yes，nextmonth，\"addedBertram，nonchalantly.
EvenCyrilacrosstheroomwasnottobeoutdone.
\"Yes.MissNeilsoncomeshomenextmonth，\"hesaid.
CHAPTERXXI
BILLY，THEREALITY
VeryearlyinMaycamethecheeryletterfromBillyherselfannouncingthenewsofherintendedreturn.
\"AndIshallbesogladtoseeyouall，\"shewroteinclosing.\"ItseemssolongsinceIleftAmerica.\"Thenshesignedhernamewith\"kindestregardstoall\"——Billydidnotsend\"lovetoall\"anymore.
Williamatoncebegantomakeplansforhisnamesake’scomfort.
\"But，Will，shedidn’tsayshewascominghere，\"Bertramremindedhim.
\"Shedidn’tneedto，\"smiledWilliam，confidently.\"Shejusttookitforgranted，ofcourse.Thisisherhome.\"
\"Butithasn’tbeen——foryears.She’scalledHampdenFalls’home.’\"
\"Iknow，butthatwasbefore，\"demurredWilliam，hiseyesalittleanxious.\"Besides，they’vesoldthehousenow，youknow.There’snowhereforhertogobuthere，Bertram.\"
\"Allright，\"acquiescedtheyoungerman，stilldoubtingly.\"Maybethat’sso;maybe！But——\"hedidnotfinishhissentence，andhiseyesweretroubledashewatchedhisbrotherbegintorearrangeBilly’srooms.Intime，however，sosurewasWilliamofBilly’sreturntotheBeaconStreethouse，thatBertramceasedtoquestion;
and，withalmostasmuchconfidenceasWilliamhimselfdisplayed，hedevotedhisenergiestothepreparationsforBilly’sarrival.
Andwhatpreparationstheywere！EvenCyrilhelpedthistimetotheextentofplacingonBilly’spianoacopyofhislatestbook，andapileofnewmusic.Norwerethemelodiesthatfloateddownfromtheupperfloorakintofuneralmarches;theywereperilouslyneartobeingalliedto\"ragtime.\"
Atlasteverythingwasready.TherewasnotonemorebitofdusttocatchPete’seye，noronemoreadornmentthatdemandedWilliam’scarefulhandtoadjust.InBilly’sroomsnewcurtainsgracedthewindowsandnewrugsthefloors.InMrs.Stetson’s，too，similarchangeshadbeenmade.Thelatestandbest\"FaceofaGirl\"smiledatonefromaboveBilly’spiano，andtheveryrarestofWilliam’streasuresadornedthemantelpiece.Nogunsnorknivesnorfishing—
rodsmettheeyesnow.Instead，ateveryturn，therewasahintoffemininetastes：amirror，aworkbasket，alowsewing—chair，astandwithateatray.Andeverywherewereroses，up—stairsanddown—stairs，untiltheairwasheavywiththeirperfume.Inthedining—roomPetewasagain\"swingingbackandforthlikeapendulum，\"itistrue;butitwasacheerfulpendulumto—day，anxiousonlythatnotimeshouldbelost.Inthekitchenalonewasthereunhappiness，andtherebecauseDongLinghadalreadyspoiledawholecakeofchocolateinavainattempttomakeBilly’sfavoritefudge.EvenSpunkie，grownnowtobesleek，lazy，andmajesticallyindifferent，wasinholidayattire，forabrand—newpinkbowofhugedimensionsadornedhisfatneck——forthefirsttimeinmanymonths.
\"Yousee，\"WilliamhadexplainedtoBertram，\"IputonthatribbonagainbecauseIthoughtitwouldmakeSpunkieseemmorehomelike，andmorelikeSpunk.Youknowtherewasn’tanythingBillymissedsomuchasthatkittenwhenshewentabroad.AuntHannahsaidso.\"
\"Yes，Iknow，\"Bertramhadlaughed;\"butstill，Spunkieisn’tSpunk，youunderstand！\"hehadfinished，withavisioninhiseyesofBillyasshehadlookedthatfirstnightwhenshehadtriumphantlyliftedfromthegreenbasketthelittlegraykittenwithitsenormouspinkbow.Thistimetherewasnocircuitousjourneying，nosecrecyinthetriptoNewYork.QuiteasamatterofcoursethethreebrothermadetheirplanstomeetBilly，andquiteasamatterofcoursetheymether.PerhapstheonlycloudinthehorizonoftheirhappinesswasthepresenceofCalderwell.
He，too，hadcometomeetBilly——andalltheHenshawbrotherswerevaguelyconsciousofagrowingfeelingofdisliketowardCalderwell.
Billywasunmistakablygladtoseethem——andtoseeCalderwell.ItwaswhileshewastalkingtoCalderwell，indeed，thatWilliamandCyrilandBertramhadanopportunityreallytoseethegirl，andtonotewhattimehaddoneforher.Theyknewthen，atonce，thattimehadbeenverykind.
ItwasaslimBillythattheysaw，withaheadroyallypoised，andachinthatwasroundandsoft，andyetknewwellitsownmind.
Theeyeswerestillappealing，inaway，yetbehindtheappeallayunsoundeddepthsof——notoneofthebrotherscouldquitemakeuphismindjustwhat，yetallthebrothersdeterminedtofindout.
Thehairstillcurleddistractinglybehindtheprettyears，andfluffedintoburnishedbronzewherethewindhadloosenedit.Thecheekswerepalernow，thoughtherose—flushstillglowedwarmlythroughtheclear，smoothskin.Themouth——Billy’smouthhadalwaysbeenfascinating，Bertramsuddenlydecided，ashewatcheditnow.Hewantedtopaintit——again.Itwasnottoolargeforbeautynortoosmallforstrength.Itcurveddelightfully，andthelowerliphadjustthefullnessandthecolorthatheliked——topaint，hesaidtohimself.
William，too，waswatchingBilly’smouth;infact——thoughhedidnotknowit——oneneverwaslongnearBillywithoutnoticinghermouth，ifshetalked.Williamthoughtitpretty，merry，andcharminglykissable;butjustnowhewishedthatitwouldtalktohim，andnottoCalderwellanylonger.Cyril——indeed，CyrilwaspayinglittleattentiontoBilly.HehadturnedtoAuntHannah.
Totellthetruth，itseemedtoCyrilthat，afterall，Billywasverymuchlikeothermerry，thoughtless，rathernoisyyoungwomen，ofwhomheknew——anddisliked——scores.IthadoccurredtohimsuddenlythatperhapsitwouldnotbeunalloyedblisstotakethisyoungnamesakeofWilliam’shomewiththem.
Itwasnotuntilanhourlater，whenBilly，AuntHannah，andtheHenshawshadreachedthehotelwheretheyweretospendthenight，thattheHenshawbrothersbeganreallytogetacquaintedwithBilly.SheseemedthenmoreliketheirownBilly——theBillythattheyhadknown.
\"AndI’msogladtobehere，\"shecried;\"andtoseeyouall.
AmericaISthebestplace，afterall！\"
\"AndofAmerica，BostonistheHub，youknow，\"Bertramremindedher.
\"Itis，\"noddedBilly.
\"Andithasn’tchangedamite，excepttogrowbetter.You’llseeto—morrow.\"
\"AsifIhadn’tbeencountingthedays！\"sheexulted.\"Andnowwhathaveyoubeendoing——allofyou？\"
\"Justwaittillyousee，\"laughedBertram.\"They’reallspreadoutforyourinspection.\"
\"Anew’FaceofaGirl’？\"
\"Ofcourse——yardsofthem！\"
\"Andheapsof’OldBlues’and’blackbasalts’？\"shequestioned，turningtoWilliam.
\"Well，a——few，\"hesitatedWilliam，modestly.
\"And——themusic;whatofthat？\"BillylookednowatCyril.
\"You’llsee，\"heshrugged.\"There’sverylittle，afterall——ofanything.\"
Billygaveawiseshakeofherhead.
\"Iknowbetter;andIwanttoseeitallsomuch.We’vetalkedandtalkedofit;haven’twe，AuntHannah？——ofwhatwewoulddowhenwegottoBoston？\"
\"Yes，mydear;YOUhave.\"
Thegirllaughed.
\"Iaccepttheamendment，\"sheretortedwithmocksubmission.\"I
supposeitisalwaysIwhotalk.\"
\"Itwas——whenIpaintedyou，\"teasedBertram.\"Bytheway，I’llLETyoutalkifyou’llposeagainforme，\"hefinishedeagerly.
Billyuptiltedhernose.
\"Doyouthink，sir，youdeserveit，afterthatspeech？\"shedemanded.
\"ButhowaboutYOURart——yourmusic？\"entreatedWilliam.\"Youhavesaidsolittleofthatinyourletters.\"
Billyhesitated.ForabriefmomentsheglancedatCyril.Hedidnotappeartohaveheardhisbrother’squestion.HewastalkingwithAuntHannah.
\"Oh，Iplay——some，\"murmuredthegirl，almostevasively.\"Buttellmeofyourself，UncleWilliam，andofwhatyouaredoing.\"AndWilliamneedednosecondbidding.
ItwassometimelaterthatBillyturnedtohimwithanamazedexclamationinresponsetosomethinghehadsaid.
\"Homewithyou！Why，UncleWilliam，whatdoyoumean？Youdidn’treallythinkyou’dgottobetroubledwithMEanylonger！\"shecriedmerrily.
William’sfacepaled，thenflushed.
\"Ididnotcallit’trouble，’Billy，\"hesaidquietly.Hisgrievedeyeslookedstraightintohersanddrovethemerrimentquiteaway.
\"Oh，I’msosorry，\"shesaidgently.\"AndIappreciateyourkindness，indeedIdo;butIcouldn’t——reallyIcouldn’tthinkofsuchathing！\"
\"Andyoudon’thavetothinkofit，\"cutinBertram，whoconsideredthatthesituationwasbecomingmuchtooserious.\"Allyouhavetodoistocome.\"
Billyshookherhead.
\"Youaresogood，allofyou！Butyoudidn’t——youreallydidn’tthinkIWAS——coming！\"sheprotested.
\"Indeedwedid，\"assertedBertram，promptly;\"andwehavedoneeverythingtogetreadyforyou，too，eventoriggingupSpunkietomasqueradeasSpunk.I’llwarrantthatPete’snoseisalreadyflattenedagainstthewindow—pane，lestweshouldHAPPENtocometo—night;andthere’snotellinghowmanycakesofchocolateDongLinghasspoiledbythistime.Welefthimtryingtomakefudge，youknow.\"
Billylaughed——butshecried，too;atleast，hereyesgrewsuddenlymoist.Bertramtriedtodecideafterwardwhethershelaughedtillshecried，orcriedtillshelaughed.
\"No，no，\"shedemurredtremulously.\"Icouldn’t.Ireallyhaveneverintendedthat.\"
\"Butwhynot？Whatareyougoingtodo？\"questionedWilliaminavoicethatwasdazedandhurt.
ThefirstquestionBillyignored.Thesecondsheansweredwithapromptnessandagayetythatwasmeanttoturnthethoughtsawayfromthefirst.
\"WearegoingtoBoston，AuntHannahandI.We’vegotroomsengagedforjustnow，butlaterwe’regoingtotakeahouseandlivetogether.That’swhatwe’regoingtodo.\"
CHAPTERXXII
HUGHCALDERWELL
IntheBeaconStreethouseWilliammournfullyremovedthehugepinkbowfromSpunkie’sneck，andBertramthrewawaytheroses.Cyrilmarchedup—stairswithhispileofnewmusicandhisbook;andPete，inobediencetoorders，hidtheworkbasket，theteatable，andthelowsewing—chair.Withagreatdisplayofa\"gettingbackhome\"air，Bertrammovedmanyofhisbelongingsupstairs——butinsideofaweekhehadmovedthemdownagain，sayingthat，afterall，hebelievedhelikedthefirstfloorbetter.Billy’sroomswereclosedthen，andremainedastheyhadforyears——silentanddeserted.
BillywithAuntHannahhadgonedirectlytotheirBackBayhotel.
\"ThisisforjustwhileI’mhouse—hunting，\"thegirlhadsaid.ButverysoonshehaddecidedtogotoHampdenFallsforthesummerandpostponeherhouse—buyinguntiltheautumn.Billywastwenty—onenow，andthereweremanymattersofbusinesstoarrangewithLawyerHarding，concerningherinheritance.ItwasnotuntilSeptember，therefore，whenBillyoncemorereturnedtoBoston，thattheHenshawbrothershadtheopportunityofrenewingtheiracquaintancewithWilliam’snamesake.
\"Iwantahome，\"BillysaidtoBertramandWilliamonthenightofherarrival.（Asbefore，Mrs.StetsonandBillyhadgonedirectlytoahotel.）\"Iwantarealhomewithafurnacetoshake——ifI
wantto——andsomedirttodigin.\"
\"Well，I’msurethatoughttobeeasytofind，\"smiledBertram.
\"Oh，butthatisn’tall，\"supplementedBilly.\"Itmustbemostlyclosetsandpiazza.Atleast，thosearetheimportantthings.\"
\"Well，youmightrunacrossasnagthere.Whydon’tyoubuild？\"
Billygaveagestureofdissent.
\"Tooslow.Iwantitnow.\"
Bertramlaughed.Hiseyesnarrowedquizzically.
\"FromwhatCalderwellsays，\"hebantered，\"Ishouldjudgethatthereareplentyofsighingswainswhoareonlytooreadytogiveyouahome——andnow.\"
ThepinkdeepenedinBilly’scheeks.
\"Isaidclosetsandapiazza，dirttodig，andafurnacetoshake，\"
sheretortedmerrily.\"Ididn’tsayIwantedahusband.\"
\"Andyoudon’t，ofcourse，\"interposedWilliam，decidedly.\"Youaremuchtooyoungforthat.\"
\"Yes，sir，\"agreedBillydemurely;butBertramwassurehesawatwinkleunderthedowncastlashes.
\"AndwhereisCyril？\"askedMrs.Stetson，comingintotheroomatthatmoment.
Williamstirredrestlessly.
\"Well，Cyrilcouldn’t——couldn’tcome，\"stammeredWilliamwithanuneasyglanceathisbrother.
Billylaughedunexpectedly.
\"It’stoobad——aboutMr.Cyril’snotcoming，\"shemurmured.AndagainBertramcaughtthetwinkleinthedowncasteyes.
ToBertramthetwinklelookedinteresting，andworthpursuit;butattheverybeginningofthechaseCalderwell’scardcameup，andthatended——everything，soBertramdeclaredcrosslytohimself.
Billyfoundherdirttodigin，andherfurnacetoshake，inBrookline.Therewereclosets，too，andagenerousexpanseofveranda.TheyallbelongedtoaquaintlittlehouseperchedonthesideofCoreyHill.Fromtheverandaintherear，andfrommanyofthewindows，onelookedoutuponadelightfulviewofmany—hued，many—shapedroofsnestlingamongtoweringtrees，withthewidesweepoftheskyabove，andthehazeoffarawayhillsatthehorizon.
\"Infact，it’sasnearlyperfectasitcanbe——andnottakeangel—
wingsandflyaway，\"declaredBilly.\"Ihavenamedit’Hillside.’\"
Veryearlyinhercareerashouse—owner，Billydecidedthathoweverdelightfulitmightbetohaveafurnacetoshake，itwouldnotbeatalldelightfultoshakeit;besides，therewasthenewmotorcartorun.Billythereforesoughtandfoundagood，strongmanwhohadnotonlythemuscleandthewillingnesstoshakethefurnace，buttheskilltoturnchauffeuratamoment’snotice.Bestofall，thismanhadalsoawifewho，withamaidtoassisther，wouldtakefullchargeofthehouse，andthusleaveBillyandMrs.Stetsonfreefromcare.Allthese，togetherwithacanary，andakittenasnearlikeSpunkascouldbeobtained，madeBilly’shousehold.