Miss Billy Married | Page 4

around, but William says it's real jade, and very valuable,
and of course Billy was crazy over it--or pretended to be). There was
no trousseau, either, and no reception. There was no anything but the
bridegroom; and when I tell you that Billy actually declared that was all
she wanted, you will understand how absurdly in love she is--in spite of
all those weeks and weeks of broken engagement when I, at least,
supposed she had come to her senses, until I got that crazy note from
Bertram a week ago saying they were to be married today.
``I can't say that I've got any really satisfactory explanation of the
matter. Everything has been in such a hubbub, and those two ridiculous

children have been so afraid they wouldn't be together every minute
possible, that any really rational conversation with either of them was
out of the question. When Billy broke the engagement last spring none
of us knew why she had done it, as you know; and I fancy we shall be
almost as much in the dark as to why she has--er--mended it now, as
you might say. As near as I can make out, however, she thought he
didn't want her, and he thought she didn't want him. I believe matters
were still further complicated by a girl Bertram was painting, and a
young fellow that used to sing with Billy--a Mr. Arkwright.
``Anyhow, things came to a head last spring, Billy broke the
engagement and fled to parts unknown with Aunt Hannah, leaving
Bertram here in Boston to alternate between stony despair and reckless
gayety, according to William; and it was while he was in the latter
mood that he had that awful automobile accident and broke his arm--
and almost his neck. He was wildly delirious, and called continually for
Billy.
``Well, it seems Billy didn't know all this; but a week ago she came
home, and in some way found out about it, I think through
Pete--William's old butler, you know. Just exactly what happened I
can't say, but I do know that she dragged poor old Aunt Hannah down
to Bertram's at some unearthly hour, and in the rain; and Aunt Hannah
couldn't do a thing with her. All Billy would say, was, `Bertram wants
me.' And Aunt Hannah told me that if I could have seen Billy's face I'd
have known that she'd have gone to Bertram then if he'd been at the top
of the Himalaya Mountains, or at the bottom of the China Sea. So
perhaps it's just as well--for Aunt Hannah's sake, at least--that he was in
no worse place than on his own couch at home. Anyhow, she went, and
in half an hour they blandly informed Aunt Hannah that they were
going to be married to-day.
``Aunt Hannah said she tried to stop that, and get them to put it off till
October (the original date, you know), but Bertram was obdurate. And
when he declared he'd marry her the next day if it wasn't for the new
license law, Aunt Hannah said she gave up for fear he'd get a special
dispensation, or go to the Governor or the President, or do some other

dreadful thing. (What a funny old soul Aunt Hannah is!) Bertram told
me that he should never feel safe till Billy was really his; that she'd read
something, or hear something, or think something, or get a letter from
me (as if anything I could say would do any good-or harm!), and so
break the engagement again.
``Well, she's his now, so I suppose he's satisfied; though, for my part, I
haven't changed my mind at all. I still say that they are not one bit
suited to each other, and that matrimony will simply ruin his career.
Bertram never has loved and never will love any girl long--except to
paint. But if he simply would get married, why couldn't he have taken a
nice, sensible domestic girl that would have kept him fed and mended?
``Not but that I'm very fond of Billy, as you know, dear; but imagine
Billy as a wife--worse yet, a mother! Billy's a dear girl, but she knows
about as much of real life and its problems as-- as our little Kate. A
more impulsive, irresponsible, regardless-of-consequences young
woman I never saw. She can play divinely, and write delightful songs,
I'll acknowledge; but what is that when a man is hungry, or has lost a
button?
``Billy has had her own way, and had everything she wanted for years
now--a rather dangerous preparation for marriage, especially marriage
to a fellow like Bertram who has had his own way and everything
_he's_ wanted for years. Pray, what's going to happen when those ways
conflict, and neither one gets the