Miss Billy Married | Page 7

her crippled mother, Alice was talking to Mr. M. J. Arkwright, commonly known to his friends as ``Mary Jane,'' owing to the mystery in which he had for so long shrouded his name.
Arkwright to-night was plainly moody and ill at ease.
``You're not listening. You're not listening at all,'' complained Alice Greggory at last, reproachfully.
With a visible effort the man roused himself.
``Indeed I am,'' he maintained.
``I thought you'd be interested in the wedding. You used to be friends--you and Billy.'' The girl's voice still vibrated with reproach.
There was a moment's silence; then, a little harshly, the man said:
``Perhaps--because I wanted to be more than--a friend--is why you're not satisfied with my interest now.''
A look that was almost terror came to Alice Greggory's eyes. She flushed painfully, then grew very white.
``You mean--''
``Yes,'' he nodded dully, without looking up. ``I cared too much for her. I supposed Henshaw was just a friend--till too late.''
There was a breathless hush before, a little unsteadily, the girl stammered:
``Oh, I'm so sorry--so very sorry! I--I didn't know.''
``No, of course you didn't. I've almost told you, though, lots of times; you've been so good to me all these weeks.'' He raised his head now, and looked at her, frank comradeship in his eyes.
The girl stirred restlessly. Her eyes swerved a little under his level gaze.
``Oh, but I've done nothing--n-nothing,'' she stammered. Then, at the light tap of crutches on a bare floor she turned in obvious relief. ``Oh, here's mother. She's been in visiting with Mrs. Delano, our landlady. Mother, Mr. Arkwright is here.''
Meanwhile, speeding north as fast as steam could carry them, were the bride and groom. The wondrousness of the first hour of their journey side by side had become a joyous certitude that always it was to be like this now.
``Bertram,'' began the bride, after a long minute of eloquent silence.
``Yes, love.''
``You know our wedding was very different from most weddings.''
``Of course it was!''
``Yes, but really it was. Now listen.'' The bride's voice grew tenderly earnest. ``I think our marriage is going to be different, too.''
``Different?''
``Yes.'' Billy's tone was emphatic. ``There are so many common, everyday marriages where --where-- Why, Bertram, as if you could ever be to me like--like Mr. Carleton is, for instance!''
``Like Mr. Carleton is--to you?'' Bertram's voice was frankly puzzled.
``No, no! As Mr. Carleton is to Mrs. Carleton, I mean.''
``Oh!'' Bertram subsided in relief.
``And the Grahams and Whartons, and the Freddie Agnews, and--and a lot of others. Why, Bertram, I've seen the Grahams and the Whartons not even speak to each other a whole evening, when they've been at a dinner, or something; and I've seen Mrs. Carleton not even seem to know her husband came into the room. I don't mean quarrel, dear. Of course we'd never _quarrel!_ But I mean I'm sure we shall never get used to--to you being you, and I being I.''
``Indeed we sha'n't,'' agreed Bertram, rapturously.
``Ours is going to be such a beautiful marriage!''
``Of course it will be.''
``And we'll be so happy!''
``I shall be, and I shall try to make you so.''
``As if I could be anything else,'' sighed Billy, blissfully. ``And now we _can't_ have any misunderstandings, you see.''
``Of course not. Er--what's that?''
``Why, I mean that--that we can't ever repeat hose miserable weeks of misunderstanding. Everything is all explained up. I know, now, that you don't love Miss Winthrop, or just girls --any girl--to paint. You love me. Not the tilt of my chin, nor the turn of my head; but me.''
``I do--just you.'' Bertram's eyes gave the caress his lips would have given had it not been for the presence of the man in the seat across the aisle of the sleeping-car.
``And you--you know now that I love you --just you?''
``Not even Arkwright?''
``Not even Arkwright,'' smiled Billy.
There was the briefest of hesitations; then, a little constrainedly, Bertram asked:
``And you said you--you never had cared for Arkwright, didn't you?''
For the second time in her life Billy was thankful that Bertram's question had turned upon her love for Arkwright, not Arkwright's love for her. In Billy's opinion, a man's unrequited love for a girl was his secret, not hers, and was certainly one that the girl had no right to tell. Once before Bertram had asked her if she had ever cared for Arkwright, and then she had answered emphatically, as she did now:
``Never, dear.''
``I thought you said so,'' murmured Bertram, relaxing a little.
``I did; besides, didn't I tell you?'' she went on airily, ``I think he'll marry Alice Greggory. Alice wrote me all the time I was away, and-- oh, she didn't say anything definite, I'll admit,'' confessed Billy, with an arch smile; ``but she spoke of his being there lots, and they used to know each other years ago, you see. There was almost a romance there, I think, before the Greggorys lost