"Betty, whom do you love?" I asked, also in a whisper.
"You," she murmured meekly--oh, so meekly, my proud little girl!
"Betty," I said brokenly, "I'm old--too old for you--I'm more
than twenty years your senior--I'm--"
"Oh!" Betty wheeled around on me and stamped her foot. "Don't
mention your age to me again. I don't care if you're as old as
Methuselah. But I'm not going to coax you to marry me, sir! If
you won't, I'll never marry anybody--I'll live and die an old
maid. You can please yourself, of course!"
She turned away, half-laughing, half-crying; but I caught her in
my arms and crushed her sweet lips against mine.
"Betty, I'm the happiest man in the world--and I was the most
miserable when I came here."
"You deserved to be," said Betty cruelly. "I'm glad you were.
Any man as stupid as you deserves to be unhappy. What do you
think I felt like, loving you with all my heart, and seeing you
simply throwing me at another man's head. Why, I've always loved
you, Stephen; but I didn't know it until I went to that
detestable school. Then I found out--and I thought that was why
you had sent me. But, when I came home, you almost broke my
heart. That was why I flirted so with all those poor, nice boys--I
wanted to hurt you but I never thought I succeeded. You just
went on being FATHERLY. Then, when you brought Frank here, I
almost gave up hope; and I tried to make up my mind to marry him;
I should have done it if you had insisted. But I had to have one
more try for happiness first. I had just one little hope to
inspire me with sufficient boldness. I saw you, that night, when
you came back here and picked up my rose! I had come back,
myself, to be alone and unhappy."
"It is the most wonderful thing that ever happened--that you
should love me," I said.
"It's not--I couldn't help it," said Betty, nestling her brown
head on my shoulder. "You taught me everything else, Stephen, so
nobody but you could teach me how to love. You've made a
thorough thing of educating me."
"When will you marry me, Betty?" I asked.
"As soon as I can fully forgive you for trying to make me marry
somebody else," said Betty.
It was rather hard lines on Frank, when you come to think of it.
But, such is the selfishness of human nature that we didn't think
much about Frank. The young fellow behaved like the Douglas he
was. Went a little white about the lips when I told him, wished
me all happiness, and went quietly away, "gentleman unafraid."
He has since married and is, I understand, very happy. Not as
happy as I am, of course; that is impossible, because there is
only one Betty in the world, and she is my wife.