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miss billie married-第51节

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As if you weren't ever going to paint for Baby! 

Why; Bertram; I'm going to have you paint Baby;

one of these days。  Think how pleased he'll be

to see it when he grows up!  He's nicer; anyhow;

than any old ‘Face of a Girl' you ever did。 

Paint?  Why; Bertram; darling; of course you're

going to paint; and better than you ever did before!''



Bertram shook his head again; but this time

he smiled; and patted Billy's cheek with the tip

of his forefinger。



‘‘As if I could!'' he disclaimed。  But that

afternoon he went into his long…deserted studio and

hunted up his last unfinished picture。  For some

time he stood motionless before it; then; with a

quick gesture of determination; he got out his

palette; paints; and brushes。  This time not until

he had painted ten; a dozen; a score of strokes;

did he drop his brush with a sigh and carefully

erase the fresh paint on the canvas。  The next

day he worked longer; and this time he allowed

a little; a very little; of what he had done to

remain。



The third day Billy herself found him at his

easel。



‘‘I wonderdo you suppose I could?'' he

asked fearfully。



‘‘Why; dearest; of course you can!  Haven't

you noticed?  Can't you see how much more you

can do with your left hand now?  You've _had_ to

use it; you see。  _I've_ seen you do a lot of things

with it; lately; that you never used to do at all。 

And; of course; the more you do with it; the more

you can!''



‘‘I know; but that doesn't mean that I can

paint with it;'' sighed Bertram; ruefully eyeing

the tiny bit of fresh color his canvas showed for

his long afternoon's work。



‘‘You wait and see;'' nodded Billy; with so

overwhelming a cheery confidence that Bertram;

looking into her glowing face; was conscious of a

curious throb of exultation; almost as if already

the victory were his。



But it was not always of Bertram's broken

arm; nor even of his work that they talked。  Bertram;

hanging over the baby's crib to assure himself

that the rosiness and the sparkle were really

growing more apparent every day; used to wonder

sometimes how ever in the world he could

have been jealous of his son。  He said as much

one day to Billy。



To Billy it was a most astounding idea。



‘‘You mean you were actually jealous of your

own baby?'' she gasped。  ‘‘Why; Bertram; how

could  And was that why youyou sought

distraction and  Oh; but; Bertram; that was

all my f…fault;'' she quavered remorsefully。  ‘‘I

wouldn't play; nor sing; nor go to walk; nor

anything; and I wore horrid frowzy wrappers all the

time; and''



‘‘Oh; come; come; Billy;'' expostulated the

man。  ‘‘I'm not going to have you talk like that

about _my wife!_''



‘‘But I didthe book said I did;'' wailed

Billy。



‘‘The book?  Good heavens!  Are there any

books in this; too?'' demanded Bertram。



‘‘Yes; the same one; thethe ‘Talks to

Young Wives;' '' nodded Billy。  And then;

because some things had grown small to them; and

some others great; they both laughed happily。



But even this was not quite all; for one

evening; very shyly; Billy brought out the chessboard。



‘‘Of course I can't play well;'' she faltered;

‘‘and maybe you don't want to play with me at

all。''



But Bertram; when he found out why she had

learned; was very sure he did want very much

to play with her。



Billy did not beat; of course。  But she did

several times experiencefor a few blissful minutes

the pleasure of seeing Bertram sit motionless;

studying the board; because of a move she had

made。  And though; in the end; her king was

ignominiously trapped with not an unguarded

square upon which to set his poor distracted

foot; the memory of those blissful minutes when

she had made Bertram ‘‘stare'' more than paid

for the final checkmate。



By the middle of June the baby was well

enough to be taken to the beach; and Bertram

was so fortunate as to secure the same house

they had occupied before。  Once again William

went down in Maine for his fishing trip; and the

Strata was closed。  In the beach house Bertram

was painting industriouslywith his left hand。 

Almost he was beginning to feel Billy's enthusiasm。 

Almost he was believing that he _was_ doing

good work。  It was not the ‘‘Face of a Girl;'' now。 

It was the face of a baby: smiling; laughing; even

crying; sometimes; at other times just gazing

straight into your eyes with adorable soberness。 

Bertram still went into Boston twice a week for

treatment; though the treatment itself had

changed。  The great surgeon had sent him to

still another specialist。



‘‘There's a chancethough perhaps a small

one;'' he had said。  ‘‘I'd like you to try it; anyway。''



As the summer advanced; Bertram thought

sometimes that he could see a slight improvement

in his injured arm; but he tried not to

think too much about this。  He had thought

the same thing before; only to be disappointed

in the end。  Besides; he was undeniably interested

just now in seeing if he _could_ paint with

his left hand。  Billy was so sure; and she had

said that she would be prouder than ever of him;

if he couldand he would like to make Billy

proud!  Then; too; there was the babyhe had

no idea a baby could be so interesting to paint。 

He was not sure but that he was going to like to

paint babies even better than he had liked to

paint his ‘‘Face of a Girl'' that had brought

him his first fame。



In September the family returned to the Strata。 

The move was made a little earlier this year on

account of Alice Greggory's wedding。



Alice was to be married in the pretty living…

room at the Annex; just where Billy herself had

been married a few short years before; and

Billy had great plans for the weddingnot

all of which she was able to carry out; for

Alice; like Marie before her; had very strong

objections to being placed under too great

obligations。



‘‘And you see; really; anyway;'' she told Billy;



‘‘I owe the whole thing to you; to begin with

even my husband。''



‘‘Nonsense!  Of course you don't;'' disputed

Billy。



‘‘But I do。  If it hadn't been for you I should

never have found him again; and of _course_ I

shouldn't have had this dear little home to be

married in。  And I never could have left mother

if she hadn't had Aunt Hannah and the Annex

which means you。  And if I hadn't found Mr。

Arkwright; I might never have known how

how I could go back to my old home (as I am

going on my honeymoon trip); and just know that

every one of my old friends who shakes hands

with me isn't pitying me now; because I'm my

father's daughter。  And that means you; for you

see I never would have known that my father's

name was cleared if it hadn't been for you。 

And''



‘‘Oh; Alice; please; please;'' begged Billy;

laughingly raising two protesting hands。  ‘‘Why

don't you say that it's to me you owe just breathing;

and be done with it?''



‘‘Well; I will; then;'' avowed Alice; doggedly。 

‘‘And it's true; too; for; honestly; my dear; I

don't believe I would have been breathing to…day;

nor mother; either; if you hadn't found us that

morning; and taken us out of those awful rooms。''



‘‘I? Never!  You wouldn't let me take you

out;'' laughed Billy。  ‘‘You proud little thing! 

Maybe _you've_ forgotten how you turned poor

Uncle William and me out into the cold; cold

world that morning; just because we dared to

aspire to your Lowestoft teapot; but I haven't!''



‘‘Oh; Billy; please; _don't_;'' begged Alice; the

painful color staining her face。  ‘‘If you knew

how I've hated myself since for the way I acted

that dayand; really; you did take us away

from there; you know。''



‘‘No; I didn't。  I merely found two good

tenants for Mr。 and Mrs。 Delano;'' corrected Billy;

with a sober face。



‘‘Oh; yes; I know all about that;'' smiled Alice;

affectionately; ‘‘and you got mother and me

here to keep Aunt Hannah company and teach

Tommy Dunn; and you got Aunt Hannah here

to keep us company and take care of Tommy

Dunn; and you got Tommy Dunn here so Aunt

Hannah and we could have somebody to teach

and take care of; and; as for the others;'' 

But Billy put her hands to her ears and fled。



The wedding was to be on the fifteenth。  From

the West Kate wrote that of course it was none

of her affairs; particularly as neither of the

interested parties was a relation; but still she should

think that for a man in Mr。 Arkwright's position;

nothing but a church wedding would do at all;

as; of course; he did; in a way; belong to the

public。  Alice; however; declared that perhaps he

did belong to the public; when he was Don Somebody…

or…other in doublet and hose; but when he

was just plain Michael Jeremiah Arkwright in

a frock coat he was hers; and she did not propose

to make a Grand Opera show of her wedding。 

And as Arkwright; too; very much dis

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