Grace Harlowes Golden Summer | Page 6

well," came Mrs. Gray's placid voice from the tonneau. "I shall
not leave the car, Tom. You may do the honors."
"Come on, Grace." Leaving the driver's seat, Tom opened the door of
the tonneau and stretched forth an inviting hand.
"I know where we are going," she cried triumphantly, as she accepted
the proffered assistance. "We are going to take a look at Upton Heights.
How nice! I haven't seen the quaint old place since I came home from
college. You know I've always loved it and wished I owned it. It's such
a wonderful forest retreat. When I was a little girl, I used to love to play
that the world ended there. I always called it the House Behind the
World."
Further mysterious and affectionate eye-signals were flashed between
Mrs. Gray and Tom as Grace made this fervent speech. "Come and
look at it again," said Tom briefly. There was a touch of exultation in
his even tones.
Hand in hand, like two children, the youthful pair swung gayly along

the narrow path that led from the highway to picturesque Upton
Heights. Nearing it, they became suddenly silent in the face of its
undeniable claim to beauty. Dazzlingly white against the magnificent
trees which surrounded it, it stood in the middle of a grassy plateau that
rolled gently down to the woodland path in long sloping green terraces.
"How beautiful it looks!" Grace gazed almost reverently at the
rambling old house with its wide, high-pillared verandas. It was like
some gracious, stately person whose very watchword was hospitality,
she thought. Built more than a century before, by a long-since departed
Upton, it had not been used as a residence by his descendants. Due to a
clause of command in the original owner's will, it had ever afterward
been sedulously kept in repair. To her beauty-loving soul, it now
seemed to have taken on a new lease of life. The house itself rejoiced in
a fresh white luster and the grounds showed recent care.
"It was nice in you to bring me here, Tom," she again said. "You knew
I loved this old place, didn't you?"
"Yes. Suppose we go closer to it," suggested Tom, drawing her gently
forward.
Her hand still in his, Grace allowed him to conduct her to the flight of
white stone steps set in the terrace. They led upward to the wide
flagstone walk which in turn stretched levelly up to meet the spacious
veranda.
"Shut your eyes," directed Tom, when they had mounted the steps to
the veranda floor. His terse direction contained a touch of repressed
excitement which informed Grace that the surprise was at hand. But
what it might be she had not the remotest suspicion.
Obediently her long lashes swept her cheeks in compliance with love's
command.
Dropping her hand, Tom approached the massive front door. There was
a curious clicking sound, like the turn of a key in a lock, then Tom was
back at her side. His hand again caught one of her own. Again he drew

her forward. There was a slight tremor in his voice as he said:
"Open your eyes, Princess, and enter your castle."
Her veiling eye-lids lifting, Grace found herself on the threshold of
Upton Heights, peering wonderingly into the dim reception hall with its
huge fireplace, beam ceiling and curving Colonial staircase.
"It's a splendid surprise, Tom!" she exclaimed warmly. "I've always
wished to see the inside of this wonderful place. How in the world did
you ever manage to get the key to it?"
Tom smiled very tenderly into the eager face so near his own. "You've
missed the biggest part of the surprise, Grace," he answered. "Don't you
understand yet why we came out here? Do you think I would invite a
royal princess to enter her castle if it weren't really her very own?"
"You don't mean--you can't mean--Oh, Tom!" Grace drew a quick,
ecstatic breath that was half sob. A vagrant breeze set the leaves of the
sentinel trees to sighing their approval as they looked down on the little
tableau of human happiness.
"It is your very own House Behind the World, dear," Tom assured her.
"Our future home. It is the gift of our Fairy Godmother to both of us.
She purchased it of Robert Upton the day after we came from Overton.
She had spoken of it to Mr. Upton long ago and was only waiting for
the good news of our engagement. She knew how much you had
always cared about it."
"We must go straight down to the automobile and make her come back
with us," was Grace's happy cry. "I am so anxious to explore our
marvelous new possession. But we must have our Fairy Godmother
with us. I can't really believe yet