“Listentothat！Moreweddings！“criedLeon。HedroppedonhiskneesbeforeShelley。“Willyoumarryme，myprettymaid？“hebegged。
　　“Youngman，ifyoucutanycapersrightnow，I’llcuffyourears！“criedfather。“Thisisnopropertimeforyourfoolishness！“
　　“`Shelley，Ibegthatyouwillbelieveme，andifyoucareformeintheveryleast，telegraphifImaycome。Quick！I’mhalfinsanetoseeyou。Ihavemanythingstotellyou，firstofallhowdearyouaretome。Pleasetelegraph。Robert。’“
　　“Saddleahorse，Leon！“fathercriedasheunstrappedhiswallet。
　　“Laddie，takedownhermessage。“
　　“Canyouputitintotenwords？“askedLaddie。
　　“Mother，whatwouldyousay？“questionedShelley。
　　Leonhelduphisfingersandcurleddownonewitheachword。
　　“Say，`DearRobert。Wellandhappy。Comewhenyougetready。’“
　　“ButthenIwon’tknowwhenhe’scoming，“objectedShelley。“Youdon’tneedto，“saidLeon。“Youcantakeitforgrantedfromthatepistolaryeffusionthathewon’tletthegrassgrowunderhisfeetwhilecominghere。That’sabullymessage！Itsoundsasifyouweren’tcrazyoverhim，andit’sabigcomplimenttomother。Looksasifshedidn’thavetoknowwhenpeoplearecoming——likeshe’sreadyallthetime。“
　　“Writeitoutandletmesee，“saidShelley。
　　SoLaddiewroteit，andshelookedatitalongtime，itseemedtome，atlastshesaid：“Idon’tlikethat`get。’Itdoesn’tsoundright。Wouldn’t`are’bebetter？“
　　“Comewhenyouareready，“repeatedLaddie。“Yes，that’sbetter。
　　`Get’soundsrathersaucy。“
　　“Whynotputit，`Comewhenyouchoose？’“suggestedmother。
　　“Thatwillleaveawordtospare，soitwon’tlookasifyouhadcountedthemandusedexactlytenonpurpose，anditdoesn’tsoundasifyouexpectedhimtomakelongpreparations，liketheother。Thatwillleaveitwithhimtostartwheneverhelikes。“
　　“Yes！yes！“criedShelley。“That’smuchbetter！Say，`Comewhenyouchoose！’“
　　“Right！“saidLaddieashewroteit。“NowI’lltakethis！“
　　“Ohnoyouwon’t！“criedLeon。“Fathertoldmetosaddlemyhorse。She’sgotenoughspeedinhertobeatyoursamile。I
　　takethat！Didn’tyousayformetosaddle，father？“
　　“Suchimportantbusiness，IthinkIbetter，“saidLaddie，andLeonbegantocry。
　　“Ithinkyoushouldbothgo，“saidShelley。“Itissoimportant，andifonegoestomakeamistake，maybetheotherwillnoticeit。“
　　“Yes，that’sthebestway，“saidmother。
　　“Yes，bothgo，“saidfather。
　　ItwaslikeonestreakwhentheywentuptheBigHill。Fathershookhishead。“Poorjudgment——that，“hesaid。“Neverrunahorseuphill！“
　　“Butthey’reinsuchahurry，“Shelleyremindedhim。
　　“Sotheyare，“saidfather。“InthiscaseImighthavebrokentherulemyself。Nowcomeallofyou，andletthechildgetathermail。“
　　“ButIwantyoutostay，“saidShelley。“I’msoaddle-patedthismorning。Ineedmyfamilytohelpme。“
　　“Ofcourseyoudo，child，“saidmother。“Familiesweremadetoclingtogether，andstandbyeachotherineverycircumstanceoflife——joyorsorrow。Ofcourseyouneedyourfamily。“
　　MaybegansortingthelettersbydatessoShelleycouldstartontheonethathadbeenwrittenfirst。Fatherranhisknifeacrossthetopofeach，andcutalltheenvelopes，andShelleytookoutthefirstandreadit；thatwasthetrainone。Inithetoldheraboutsendingtheboywiththenoteagain，andexplainedmoreabouthowitwassoveryimportantforhimtohurry，becausetheonlymanwhocouldhelphimwassosick。Wetalkeditover，andallofusthoughttheboyhadkeptthemoneyandtornupthenote。Fathersaidthewaywouldhavebeentosendthenoteandpaytheboywhenhecameback；butShelleysaidMr。Pagetwouldhavebeengonebeforetheboygotback，sofathersawthatwouldn’thavebeentheway，insuchacase。
　　Nextshereadonewrittenontheboat。Hetoldmoreaboutsendingtheboy；howhelovedher，whatitwouldmeantobothofthemifhegottheevidencehewantedandwonhisfirstcase；andhowmuchitwouldbringhisfriend。Thenextonetolditalloveragain，andmore。Inthathewrotealittleabouttheocean，thepeopleonboardtheship，andhegaveShelleythenameoftheplacewherehewasgoingandbeggedhertowritetohim。Hetoldheriftheshiphewasonpassedanother，theyweregoingtostopandsendbackthemail。Hebeggedhertowriteoften，andtosaysheforgavehimforstartingawaywithoutseeingher，ashehadbeenforcedto。
　　Thenextonewasthesamethingover，onlyalittlemoreyet。InthelasthehadreachedEngland，theimportantmanwasstillliving，buthewasalmostgone，andMr。Pagettooktwogoodwitnesses，alltheevidencehehad，andwenttoseehim；andthemansawitwasnouse，sohemadeastatement，andRoberthaditallwrittenout，signedandwitnessed。Fortherealstraightsensetherewasinthatletter，Icouldhavedoneaswellmyself。
　　Itwasawildjumble，becauseRobertwassocrazyoverhavingtheevidencethatwouldwinhiscase；andhetoldShelleythatnowhewasperfectlyfreetoloveherallshewouldallowhim。Hesaidhehadtostayawhilelongertofindhisfriend’speoplesotheywouldgetbacktheirshareofthemoney，butitwasnotgoingtobeeasytolocatethem。Youwouldn’tthinktheworldsobig，butmaybeitseemedsmallertomebecauseasfarasIcouldseefromthetopofourhouse，wasallIknewaboutit。AfterShelleyhadreadtheletters，andthenoteagain，fatherheavedabigsighthatseemedtocomeclearfromhisbootsolesandhesaid：“WellShelley，itlookstomeasifyouhadfoundaMAN。Seemstomethat’samightyimportantcaseforayounglawyertobetrustedwith，inafirsteffort。“
　　“Yes，butitwasforRobert’sbestfriend，andonlythink，hehaswon！“
　　“Idon’tseehowhecouldhavedonebetterifhe’dbeenoldasMethuselah，andwiseasSolomon，“boastedmother。
　　“Buthehasn’tfoundthepeoplewhomusthavebacktheirmoney，“
　　saidMay。“HewillhavetogotoEnglandagain。Andhewantstotakeyou，Shelley。My！You’llgettosailonabigsteamer，crosstheAtlanticOcean，andseeLondon。Maybeyou’llevengetapeepattheQueen！“
　　Shelleywasbusymakingalittleheapofherletters；whenthetoponeslidoffIreachedoverandputitbackforher。Shelookedstraightatme，andsmiledthemostwonderfulandthemostbeautifulsmileIeversawonanyone’sface，soIsaidtoher：
　　“Yousee！ITOLDyouhewascoming！“
　　“Ican’tunderstandit！“saidShelley。
　　“YOUKNOWItoldyou。“
　　“OfcourseIdo！Butwhatmadeyouthinkso？“
　　“Thatwastheanswer。Justthathewascoming。“
　　“Whatareyoutwotalkingabout？“askedmother。
　　Shelleylookedatme，andwaitedformetotellmotherasmuchasIwantedto，ofwhathadhappened。ButIdidn’tthinkthingslikethatweretobetalkedaboutbeforeeveryone，soIjustsaid：
　　“Ohnothing！Only，ItoldShelleythisverymorningthatthePagetmanwascomingsoon，andthateverythingwasgoingtobeallright。“
　　“Youdid？Wellofalltheworld！Ican’tseewhy。“
　　“Ohsomethingtoldme！IjustFELTthatway。“
　　“MoreofthatFairynonsense？“askedfathersharply。
　　“No。Ididn’tgetthatfromtheFairies。“
　　“Well，nevermind！“saidShelley，rising，becauseshesawthatI
　　hadtoldallIwantedto。“LittleSisterDIDtellmethismorningthathewascoming，thateverythingwouldbemaderight，andit’sthequeerestthing，butinstantlyIbelievedher。
　　Didn’tIsingallmorning，mother？ThefirstnotesinceRobertdidn’tcomewhenIexpectedhiminChicago，weeksago。“
　　“Yes，“saidmother。“That’sawonderfullystrangething。I
　　can’tseewhatmadeyouthinkso。“
　　“Anyway，Idid！“Isaid。“Nowlet’sgohavedinner。I’mstarving。“
　　IcaughtMay’shand，andrantogetawayfromthem。FatherandmotherwalkedoneoneachsideofShelley，whilewithbothhandssheheldherlettersbeforeher。Whenwereachedthehousewejusttalkedaboutthemallthetime。Prettysoontheboyswereback，andthentheytoldaboutsendingthetelegram。Leonvowedhegavetheoperatoradimeextratostartthatmessagewithashove，soitwouldgofaster。
　　“Itwillgoallright，“saidLaddie，“andhowitwillgowon’tbeacircumstancetothewayhe’llcome。Ifthere’sanythingweoughttodo，beforehegetshere，weshouldhustle。Chicagoisn’tathousandmilesaway。Thatmessagecanreachhimbytwoo’clock，it’sprobablehehasgotreadywhilehewaswaiting，sohewillstartonthefirsttrainourway。HecouldreachGrovevilleontheten，to-morrow。Webettermeetit。“
　　“Yes，we’llmeetit，“saidmother。“Isthecarriageperfectlyclean？“
　　Fathersaid：“Itmustbegoneover。Ourgeneralmanagerhereorderedmetospeedup，andwedrovealittlecomingfromtown。“
　　Motherwenttoplanningwhatelseshouldbedone。
　　“Don’tdoanything！“criedShelley。“Thehouseisallright。
　　There’snoneedtoworkandworryintoasweat。Hewon’tnoticeorcarehowthingslook。“
　　“Imissmyguessifhedoesn’tnoticeandcareverymuchindeed，“
　　saidmotheremphatically。“Menarenotblind。Nooneneedthinktheydon’tseewhenthingsarenotastheyshouldbe，justbecausethey’renotcattishenoughtoletyouknowit，likeawomanalwaysdoes。Shelley，wouldn’tyouliketorideoverandspendtheafternoonwiththePrincess？“
　　“Nope！“saidShelley。“It’sherturntocometoseeme。
　　Besides，youdon’tgetmeoutofthewaylikethat。Iknowwhatyou’lldohere，andIintendtohelp。“
　　“Doyouneedoneoftheboysatthehouse？“askedfather，andifyou’llbelieveit，bothofthemwantedtostay。
　　Fathersaidhemusthaveonetohelpwashthecarriageanddoalittlefixingaroundthebarn；sohetookLeon，buthedidn’tliketogo。Hesaid：“Idon’tseewhatallthisfussisabout，anyway。Probablyhe’llbeanotherPeter。“
　　Shelleylookedathim：“OhMr。Pagetisn’tnearlysolargeasPeter，“shesaid，“andhishairiswhiterthanyours，whilehiseyesarenotsoblue。“
　　“Saintspreserveus！“criedLeon。“Comeon，father，let’sonlydustthecarriage！He’snotworthwashingitfor。“
　　“Ishelikethat？“askedmotheranxiously。
　　“Waitandsee！“saidShelley。“Looksdon’tmakeaman。Hehasprovedwhathecando。“
　　Thenallofuswenttowork。Beforenightwewerehuntingovertheyard，andbesidetheroad，toseeifwecouldfindanythingtopickup。Sixchickenswereinthecellar，fatherwastobringmeatandalonglistofgroceriesfromtowninthemorning。Hewastostartearly，getthembeforetraintime，putthemunderthebackseat，andtakethemoutafterhedroveintothelane，whenhecameback。Thatmadealittlemoretroubleforfather，buttherewasnottheslightestnecessityformakingMr。Pagetfeelthathehadriddeninadeliverywagon。
　　NextmorningIwakenedlaughingsoftly，becausesomeonewasfussingwithmyhair，pattingmyface，andkissingme，soIputupmyarmsandpulledthatlovingpersondownonmypillow，andgavebacklittlehalf-asleepkisses，andslepton；butitwasShelley，andshegentlyshookmeandbeganrepeatingthatfoololdthingIhavebeenwakedupwithhalfthemorningsofmylife：
　　“Getup，LittleSister，themorningisbright，Thebirdsareallsingingtowelcomethelight，Getup；forwhenallthingsaremerryandglad，Goodchildrenshouldneverbelazyandsad；
　　ForGodgivesusdaylight，dearsister，thatweMayrejoicelikethelarkandworklikethebee。“
　　UsuallyI’dhavegoneonsleeping，butShelleywassosweetandlovely，andshekissedmesohard，thatIremembereditwasgoingtobeamostexcitingday，soIcametoquickassnapandjumpedrightup，forIdidn’twanttomissasinglethingthatmighthappen。
　　Thecarriagewasshiningwhenitcametothegate，sowasfather。
　　Ithoughttherewasgoingtobeavacantseatbesidehim，andI
　　askedifImightgoalong。Hesaid：“Yes，ifmothersaysso。“
　　Healwayswouldstickthatin。SoIrantoaskher，andshedidn’tcare，ifShelleymadenoobjections。Iwasjuststartingtofindher，whenhereshecame，allshiningtoo，butLaddiewaswithher。Ihadn’tknownthathewasgoing，andIwassodisappointedIcouldn’thelpcrying。
　　“What’sthematter？“askedShelley。
　　“FatherandmotherbothsaidImightgo，ifyoudidn’tcare。“
　　“Why，I’mdreadfullysorry，“saidShelley，“butIhaveseveralthingsIwantLaddietodoforme。“
　　Laddiestoopeddowntokissmegood-byeandhesaid：“Don’tcry，LittleSister。Thewaytobehappyistobegood。“
　　ThentheydrovetoGroveville，andwehadtowait。Buttherewassomuchtodo，itmadeusflytogetallofitfinished。SomothersentLeonafterMrs。Freshetttohelpinthekitchen，whileCandaceworeherwhitedress，andwaitedonthetable。