\"Nothin’wouldsuiteithero’yougirlsbutchoosin’thebiggestenemiesI’vegotinthewholevillage！\"
\"You’venevertakenpainstomakeanythingbutenemies，sowhatcouldwedo？\"
\"Youmightaswellgotoliveonthepoor—farm！AaronBoyntonwasadisrep’tablehound；LoisBoyntonisascrazyasaloon；theboyisano—body’schild，an’Ivory’snobetterthanacommonpauper。\"
\"Ivory’sabrave，strong，honorableman，andascholar，too。I
canworkforhimandhelphimearnandsave，asIhaveyou。\"
\"Howlong’sthisbeengoin’on？\"TheDeaconwaschoking，buthemeanttogettothebottomofthingswhilehehadthechance。
\"Ithasnotgoneonatall。Hehasneversaidawordtome，andI
havealwaysobeyedyourwillinthesematters；butyoucan’thidelove，anymorethanyoucanhidehate。IknowIvorylovesme，soI’mgoingtotellhimthatmydutyisdonehereandIamreadytohelphim。\"
\"Goin’tothrowyourselfathishead，beyou？\"sneeredtheDeacon。\"BytheLord，Idon’knowwhereyoutwogirlsgottheseloosewayso’think—in’an’actingmebbehewon’ttakeyou，an’
thenwhere’llyoube？Youwon’tgitundermyroofagainwhenyou’veonceleftit，youcanmakeupyourmindtothat！\"
\"IfyouhaveanydoubtsaboutIvory’sbeingwillingtotakeme，you’dbetterdrivealongbehindmeandlistenwhileIaskhim。\"
Waitstill’stonehadanexultantthrillofcertaintyinit。Shethrewupherhead，gloryinginwhatshewasabouttodo。Ifshelaidasideherusualreserveandvoicedherthoughtsopenly，itwasnotinthehopeofconvincingherfather，butfortheblissofputtingthemintowordsandintoxicatingherselfbythesoundofthem。
\"Comeaftermeifyouwill，father，andwatchthewelcomeIshallget。Oh！IhavenofearofbeingturnedoutbyIvoryBoynton。I
canhardlywaittogivehimthejoyIshallbebringing！It’sselfishtorobhimofthechancetospeakfirst，butI’11doit！\"
AndbeforeDeaconBaxtercouldcrosstheroom，Waitstillwasoutofthekitchendoorintotheshed，andflyingdownTown—HouseHilllikeanarrowshotfreefromthebow。
TheDeaconfollowedclosebehind，hardlyknowingwhy，buthewasnomatchforthegirl，andatlasthestoodhelplessonthestepsoftheshed，shakinghisfistandhurlingterriblewordsafterher，wordsthatitwasfortunateforherpeaceofmindshecouldnothear。
\"Acurseuponyouboth！\"hecriedsavagely。\"Notsatisfiedwithdisobeyin’an’defyin’me，you’veputmetoshame，an’nowyou’llbesettin’theneighborsag’in’mean’ruinin’mytrade。Ifyouwasfreezin’inthesnowIwouldn’theaveablankettoyou！Ifyouwasstarvin’Iwouldn’tflingeitherofyouacrust！Nevershallyoudarkenmydoorsagain，an’nevershallyougitapennyo’mymoney，notifIhavetothrowitintotherivertospiteyou！\"
Herehisbreathfailed，andhestumbledoutintothebarnwhimperingbetweenhisbrokensentenceslikeawhippedchild。
\"HereIamwithnobodytomilk，norfeedthehens；nobodytochurnto—morrow，nordothechores；apoor，mis’ablecreeter，desertedbymychildren，withnobodytodoahand’sturn’thoutbein’paidforeverysteptheytake！I’11give’emwhattheydeserve；Idon’knowwhat，butI’llbeevenwith’emyet。\"AndtheDeaconsethisBaxterjawinawaythatmeanthisdeterminationtostopatnothing。
XXXI
SENTRYDUTY
IVORYBOYNTONdrovehomefromthewoodsthatsameafternoonbywayofthebridge，inordertobuysomeprovisionsatthebrickstore。Whenhewasstillalongdistancefromthebarsthatdividedthelanefromthehighroad，heespiedadark—cladlittlespeckheknewtobeRodmanleaningoverthefence，waitingandlongingasusualforhishome—coming，andhisheartwarmedatthethoughtoftheboyishwelcomethatneverfailed。
Thesleighslippedquicklyoverthehard—packed，shiningroad，andthebellsrangmerrilyintheclear，coldair，givingoutajoyoussoundthathadnoechoinIvory’sbreastthatday。Hehadjusthadavisionofhappinessthroughanotherman’seyes。washealwaystostandout—sidethebanqueting—table，hewondered，andseeothersfeastingwhilehehungeredNowthelittlespeckboundedfromthefence，flewdowntheroadtomeetthesleigh，andjumpedinbythedriver’sside。
\"Iknewyou’dcometo—night，\"Rodmancriedeagerly。\"ItoldAuntBoyntonyou’dcome。\"
\"Howisshe，wellascommon？\"
\"No，notabitwellsinceyesterdaymorning，butMrs。Masonsaysit’snothingworsethanacold。Mrs。Masonhasjustgonehome，andwe’vehadagrandhouse—cleaningto—day。She’swashedandironedandbaked，andwe’veputAuntBoyntonincleansheetsandpillow—cases，andherroom’sniceandwarm，andIcarriedtheeatinandputitonherbedtokeephercompanywhileIcametowatchforyou。AuntBoyntonletMrs。Masonbraidherhair，andseemedtolikeherbrushingit。It’sbeendreadfullonesome，andoh！Iamgladyoucameback，Ivory。Didyoufindanymoresprucegumwhereyouwentthistime？\"
\"Poundsandpounds，Rod；enoughtobringmeinnearlyahundreddollars。IchancedonthegreatestplaceI’vefoundyet。I
followedthewakeofanoldwhirlwindthathadleftlongfurrowsintheforest，——I’vetoldyouhowthethingworks，——andItrackeditscoursebythegumthathadformedwhereverthetreeswerewounded。It’shard，lonelywork，Rod，butitpayswell。\"
\"IfIcouldhavebeenthere，maybewecouldhavegotmore。I’mgoodatshinninguptrees。\"
\"Yes，sometimewe’11gogum—pickingtogether。We’llclimbthetreeslikeacoupleofcats，andtakeourknivesandserapeoffthepreciouslumpsthatareworthsomuchmoneytothedruggists。
You’veletdownthebars，Isee。\"
\"’CauseIknewyou’dcometo—night，\"saidRodman。\"Ifeltitinmybones。We’regoingtohaveasplendidsupper。\"
\"Arewe？That’sgoodnews。\"Ivorytriedtomakehistonebrightandinterested，thoughhisheartwaslikealumpofleadinhisbreast。\"It’stheleastIcandoforthepoorlittlechap，\"hethought，\"whenhestaysascaretakerinthislonelyspot。——I
wonderifIhadn’tbetterdriveintothebarn，Rod，andleavetheharnessonNicktillIgoinandseemother？GuessIwill。\"
\"She’shot，AuntBoyntonis，hotandrestless，butMrs。Masonthinksthat’sall。\"
Ivoryfoundhismotherfeverish，andhereyeswereunnaturallybright；butshewasclearinXmindandcheerful，too，sittingupinbedtor^breathethebetter，whiletheMalteseeatsnuggledunderherarmandpurredpeacefully\"ThecatisRod’sidea，\"shesaidsmilinglybutinaveryweakvoice。\"HeisagreatnurseIshouldneverhavethoughtoftheeatmyselfbutshegivesmemorecomfortthanallthemedicine。\"
IvoryandRodmandrewuptothesuppertable，alreadysetinthekitchen，butbeforeIvorytookhisseathesoftlyclosedthedoorthatledintotheliving—room。Theyatetheirbeansandbrownbreadandthemincepiethathadbeenthe\"splendid\"featureofthemeal，asreportedbytheboy；andwhentheyhadfinished，andRodmanwasclearingthetable，Ivorywalkedtothewindow，lightinghispipethewhile，andstoodsoberlylookingoutonthesnowylandscape。Onecouldscarcelytellitwastwilight，withsuchsweepsofwhitenesstocatcheverygleamofthedyingday。
\"Dropworkaminuteandcomehere，Rod，\"hesaidatlength。\"Canyoukeepasecret？\"
\"’CourseIcan！I’mchockfullof’emnow，andnobodycoulddigoneof’emouto’mewithapickaxe！\"
\"Oh，well！Ifyou’refullyounaturallycouldn’tholdanother！\"
\"Icouldtrytosqueezeitin，ifit’saniceone，\"coaxedtheboy。
\"Idon’tknowwhetheryou’11thinkit’saniceone，Rod，foritbreaksuponeofyourplans。I’mnotsuremyselfhowniceitis，butit’saverybig，unexpected，startlingone。Whatdoyouthink？YourfavoritePattyhasgoneandgotmarried。\"
\"Patty！Married！\"criedRod，thenhastilyputtinghishandoverhismouthtohushhistoo—loudspeaking。
\"Yes，sheandMarkWilsonranawaylastMonday，droveovertoAllentown，NewHampshire，andweremarriedwithouttellingasoul。DeaconBaxterdiscoveredeverythingthisafternoon，liketheoldfoxthatheis，andturnedPattyoutofthehouse。\"
\"Meanoldskinflint！\"exclaimedRodexcitedly，alltheincipientmanhoodrisinginhisten—year—oldbreast。\"IsshegonetolivewiththeWilsons？\"
\"TheWilsonsdon’tknowyetthatMarkismarriedtoher，butI
methimdrivinglikeJehu，justafterIhadleftPatty，andtoldhimeverythingthathadhappened，anddidmybesttocoolhimdownandkeephimfrommurderinghisnewfather—in—lawbyshowinghimitwouldservenorealpurposenow。\"
\"Didhelookmarried，andalldifferent？\"askedRodcuriously。
\"Yes，hedid，andmorelikeamanthaneverhelookedbeforeinhislife。Wetalkedeverythingovertogether，andhewenthomeatoncetobreakthenewstohisfamily，withoutevengoingtotakeapeepatPatty。Icouldn’tbeartohavethemmeettillhehadsomethingcheerfultosaytothepoorlittlesoul。WhenImetherbyUncleBart’sshop，shewastrudgingalonginthesnowlikeadraggledbutterfly，andcryinglikeababy。\"
SympathetictearsdimmedRodman’seyes。\"Ican’tbeartoseegirlscry，Ivory。Ijustcan’tbearit，especiallyPatty。\"
\"NeithercanI，Rod。Icameprettynearwipinghereyes，butpulledup，rememberingshewasn’tachildbutamarriedlady。
Well，nowwecometothepoint。\"
\"Isn’tPatty’sbeingmarriedthepoint？\"
\"No，onlypartofit。Patty’sbeingsentawayfromhomeleavesWaitstillalonewiththeDeacon，doyousee？AndifPattyisyourfavorite，Waitstillismine——Imightaswellownuptothat。\"
\"She’smine，too，\"criedRod。\"They’rebothmyfavorites，butI
alwaysthoughtPattywasthesuitablestformetomarryifshe’dwaitforme。Waitstillistoograndforaboy！\"
\"She’stoograndforanybody，Rod。Thereisn’tamanalivethat’sworthytostraponherskates。\"
\"Well，she’stoograndforanybodyexcept——\"andhereRod’sshy，wistfulvoicetrailedoffintodiscreetsilence。
\"NowIhadsometalkwithPatty，andshethinksWaitstillwillhavenotroublewithherfatherjustatpresent。Shesayshelavishedsomuchrageuponherthatthere’llbenoneleftforanybodyelseforadayortwo。And，moreover，thathewillneverdaretogotoofarwithWaitstill，becauseshe’ssousefultohim。I’mnotafraidofhisbeatingorinjuringhersolongashekeepshissobersenses，ifhe’severrightlyhadany；butIdon’tliketothinkofhisupbraidingherandbreakingherheartwithhiscrueltalkjustaftershe’slostthesisterthat’sbeenheronlycompanion。\"AndIvory’shandtrembledashefilledhispipe。
Hehadnoconfidantbutthisquaint，tender—hearted，old—fashionedlittlelad，towhomhehadgrowntospeakhismindasifhewereamanofhisownage；andRod，inthesameway，hadgraduallylearnedtounderstandandsympathize。
\"It’sdreadfullonesomeonTown—HouseHill，\"saidtheboyinahushedtone\"Dreadfullonesome，\"echoedIvorywithasigh；\"andIdon’tdareleavemotheruntilherfeverdiesdownabitandshesleeps。Nowdoyourememberthenightthatshewastakenill，andwesharedthewatch？\"
Rodmanheldhisbreath。\"Doyoumeanyou’regoingtoletmehelpjustasifIwasbig？\"heasked，speakingthroughagreatlumpinhisthroat。
\"Thereareonlytwoofus，Rod。You’reratheryoungforthispieceofwork，butyou’retrusty——you’retrusty！\"
\"AmItokeepwatchontheDeacon？\"
\"That’sit，andthisismyplan：Nickwillhavehadhisfeed；you’retodrivetothebridgewhenitgetsalittledarkerandhitchinUncleBart’shorse—shed，coveringNickwell。You’retogointothebrickstore，andwhileyou’regettingsomegrocerieswrappedup，listentoanythingthemensay，toseeiftheyknowwhat’shappened。Whenyou’vehungaboutaslongasyoudare，leaveyourbundleandsayyou’llcallinagainforit。ThenseeifBaxter’sstoreisopen。Idon’tbelieveitwillbe，andifitIsn’t，lookforalightinhiskitchenwindow，andprowlabouttillyouknowthatWaitstillandtheDeaconhavegoneuptotheirbedrooms。
ThengotoUncleBart’sandfindoutifPattyisthere。\"
Rod’seyesgrewbiggerandbigger：\"ShallItalktoher？\"heasked；\"andwhat’llIsay？\"
\"No，justaskifshe’sthere。Ifshe’sgone，Markhasmadeitrightwithhisfamilyandtakenherhome。Ifshehasn’t，why，Godknowshowthatmatterwillbestraightenedout。Anyhow，shehasahusbandnow，andheseemstovalueher；andWaitstillisaloneonthetopofthatwind—swepthill！\"
\"I’llgo。I’llremembereverything，\"criedRodman，intheseventhheavenofdelightattheresponsibilitiesIvorywasheapinguponhim。
318
\"Don’tstaybeyondeighto’clock；butcomebackandtellmeeverythingyou’velearned。Then，ifmothergrowsnoworse，I’llwalkbacktoUncleBart’sshopandspendthenightthere，just——justtobenear，that’sall。\"
\"Youcouldn’thearWaitstill，evenifshecalled，\"Rodsaid。
\"Couldn’tI？Aman’searsareverysharpundercertaincircumstances。IbelieveifWaitstillneededhelpIcouldhearher——breathe！Besides，IshallbeupanddownthehilltillI
knowall’swell；andatsunriseI’11goupandhidebehindsomeofBaxter’sbuildingstillIseehimgethisbreakfastandgotothestore。Nowwashyourdishes\"；
andIvorycaughtuphiscapfromahookbehindthedoor。
\"Areyougoingtothebarn？\"askedRodman。
\"No，onlydowntothegateforaminute。Marksaidthatifhehadagoodchancehe’dsendaboywithanote，andgethimtoputitunderthestonegate—post。It’stoosoontoexpectit，perhaps，butIcan’tseemtokeepstill。\"
Rodmantiedaginghamapronroundhiswaist，carriedthetea—kettletothesink，andpouredthedishpanfullofboilingwater；thendippedthecupsandplatesinandout，wipedthemandreplacedthemonthetable’gavethebean—platteraspecialpolish，andsetthehalfmincepieandthebutter—dishinthecellar—way。
\"Aboyhastodomosteverythinginthisfamily！\"Hesighedtohimself。
\"Idon’tmindwashingdishes，exceptthenastyfrying—panandthestickybean—pot；butwhatI’mgoingtodoto—nightisdifferent。\"
Hereheglowedandtingledwithanticipation。\"Iknowwhattheycallitinthestory—books——it’ssentryduty；andthat’sbraverworkforaboythandish—washing！\"
Which，however，dependsagooddealuponcircumstances，andsomewhatonthepointofview。
XXXII
THEHOUSEOFAARON
AFEELINGthatthedaywastobringgreatthingshaddawneduponWaitstillwhenshewokethatmorning，andnowitwascomingtrue。
ClimbingSacoHillwaslikeclimbingthehillofherdreams；lifeandlovebeckonedtoheracrossthesnowyslopes。
AtrestaboutPatty’sfuture，thoughtroubledastohersorryplightatthemoment，shewasconsciouschieflyofhernew—bornfreedom。Sherevelledinthekeenairthattingledagainsthercheek，anddrewinfreshhopewitheverybreath。Asshetrodtheshiningpathwayshewasfullofexpectancy，hereyesdancing，herheartasbuoyantasherstep。Notavestigeofconfusionoruncertaintyvexedhermind。SheknewIvoryforhertruemate，andifthewaytohimtookherthroughdarkplacesitwaslightedbyasteadfastbeaconoflove。
Atthetopofthehillsheturnedthecornerbreathlessly，andfacedthelengthofroadthatledtotheBoyntonfarm。Mrs。
Mason’shousewasbeyond，andoh，howshehopedthatIvorywouldbeathome，andthatsheneednotwaitanotherdaytotellhimall，andclaimthegiftsheknewwashersbeforesheaskedit。
Shemightnothavethesameexaltationto—morrow，fornowtherewerenolevelsinherheartandsoul。Shehadasenseofmountingfromheighttoheightandlightingfiresoneverypeakofherbeing。Shetooknoheedoftheroadshewastravelling；shewasconsciousonlyofawonderfulinwardglow。
Thehousewasnowinsight，andatallfigurewasissuingfromthesidedoor，puttingonafurcapasitcameoutonthestepsanddownthelane。Ivorywasathome，then，and，bestofall，hewasunconsciouslycomingtomeether——althoughtheirheartshadbeencomingtomeeteachother，shethought，eversincetheyfirstbegantobeat。
AsshenearedthebarsshecalledIvory’sname。Hishandswereinthepocketsofhisgreat—coat，andhiseyeswerefixedontheground。Sombrehewas，distinctlysombre，inmienandgait；couldshemakehimsmileandflushandglow，asshewassmilingandflushingandglowing？Asheheardhervoiceheraisedhisheadquicklyanduncomprehendingly。
\"Don’tcomeanynearer，\"shesaid，\"untilIhavetoldyousomething！\"Hismindhadbeensofullofherthatthesightofherintheflesh，standingtwentyfeetaway，bewilderedhim。
Shetookafewstepsnearerthegate，nearenoughnowforhimtoseeherrosyfaceframedinabluehood，andtocatchthebrightnessofhereyesundertheirlovelylashes。Ordinarilytheywerecoolandlimpidandgrave，Waitstill’seyes；nowasunbeamdancedineachofthem。Andherlips，almostalwaystightlyclosed，asifshewereholdingbackhernaturalspeech，——herlipswereredandparted，andthesoulofher，freeatlast，shonethroughherface，makingitluminouswithanewbeauty。
\"Ihavelefthomeforgoodandall，\"shesaid。\"I’lltellyoumoreofthislateron，butIhaveleftmyfather’shousewithnothingtomynamebuttheclothesIstandin。Iamgoingtolookforworkinthemillsto—morrow，butIstoppedheretosaythatI’mreadytomarryyouwheneveryouwantme——ifyoudowantme。\"
Ivorywasbewildered，indeed，butnotsomuchsothathefailedtoapprehend，andinstantly，too，therealsignificanceofthisspeech。
Hetookacoupleoflongstrides，andbeforeWaitstillhadanyideaofhisintentionshevaultedoverthebarsandgatheredherinhisarms。
\"Nevershallyougotothemills，nevershallyouleavemysightforasinglehouragain，myone—woman—in—all—the—world！Cometome，tobelovedandtreasuredallyourlifelong！I’veworshippedyoueversinceIwasaboy；I’vekeptmyheartsweptandgarnishedforyouandnoother，hopingImightwinyouatlast。\"
Howglorioustohearallthisdeliciouspoetryoflove，andtofeelIvory’sarmsabouther，makingthedreamseemsurer！
\"Oh，howlikeyoutoshortenthetimeofmywaiting！\"hewenton，hiswordsfairlychasingoneanotherintheireagernesstobespokenHowlikeyoutocountonme，toguessmyhungerforyourlove，torealizethechainsthatheldmeback，andbreakthemyourselfwithyourowndear，womanlyhands！Howlikeyou，oh，wonderfulWaitstill！\"
Ivorywentonmurmuringphrasesthathadbeenlyinginhisheartunsaidforyears，scarcelyconsciousofwhathewassaying，realizingonlythatthemiracleofmiracleshadhappened。
Waitstill，forherpart，wasalmostdumbwithjoytobelyingsoclosetohisheartthatshecouldhearitbeating；tofeelthepassionatetendernessofhisembraceandhiskissfallinguponherhair。
\"Ididnotknowagirlcouldbesohappy！\"shewhispered。\"I’vedreamedofit，butitwasnothinglikethis。Iamalla—tremblewithit。\"
Ivoryheldheroffatarm’slengthforamoment，reluctantly，grudgingly。\"Youtookmefairlyoffmyfeet，dearest，\"hesaid，\"andforgoteverythingbuttheonesupremefactyouweretellingme。HadIbeenonguardIshouldhavetoldyouthatIamnoworthyhusbandforyou，Waitstill。Ihaven’tenoughtooffersuchagirlasyou。\"
\"You’retoolate，Ivory！Youshowedmeyourheartfirst，andnowyouaresearchingyourmindforbugbearstofrightenme。\"
\"Iamapoorman。\"
\"NogirlcouldbepoorerthanIam。\"
\"Afterwhatyou’veendured，yououghttohaverestandcomfort。\"
\"Ishallhaveboth——inyou！\"Thiswitheyes，allwet，liftedtoIvory’s。
\"Mymotherisagreatburden——averydearandprecious，butagrievousone。\"
\"Sheneedsadaughter。ItisinsuchthingsthatIshallbeyourhelpmate。\"
\"Willnottheboytroubleyouandaddtoyourcares？\"
\"Rod？Ilovehim；heshallbemylittlebrother。\"
\"Whatifmyfatherwerenotreallydead？——Ithinkofthissometimesinthenight！——Whatifheshouldwanderback，brokeninspirit，feebleinbody，emptyinpurse？\"
\"Idonotcometoyoufreeofburdens。Ifmyfatherisdesertedbyall，Imustseethatheismadecomfortable。Henevertreatedmelikeadaughter，butIacknowledgehisclaim。\"
\"Mineissuchagloomyhouse！\"
\"WillitbegloomywhenIaminit？\"andWaitstill，usuallysograve，laughedatlastlikeacare—freechild。
Ivoryfelthimselfhiddeninthebeautifulshelterofthegirl’slove。Itwasdarknow，orasdarkasthenighteveristhathasmoonlightandsnow。HetookWaitstillinhisarmsagainreverently，andlaidhischeekagainstherhair。\"IworshipGodaswellasIknowhow，\"hewhispered；\"worshiphimasthemakerofthisbigheavenandearththatsurroundsus。ButIworshipyouasthemakerofmylittleheavenandearth，andmyheartissayingitsprayerstoyouatthisverymoment！\"
\"Hush，mydear！hush！anddon’tvaluemetoomuch，orIshalllosemyhead——Ithathaveneverknownasweetwordinallmylifesavethosethatmysisterhasgivenme。——ImusttellyouallaboutPattynow。\"
\"Ihappentoknowmorethanyou，dear。ImetheratthebridgewhenIwascominghomefromthewoods，andIsawhersafelytoUncleBart’sdoor。——Idon’tknowwhywespeakofitasUncleBart’swhenitisreallyAuntAbby’s！——InextmetMark，whohadfairlyflownfromBridgtononthewingsoflove，arrivinghoursaheadoftime。Imanagedtokeephimfromavengingtheinsultsheapeduponhisbride，andhehasdriventotheMillstoconfideinhisfatherandmother。BythistimePattyisprobablythecentreofthefamilygroup，charmingthemallasishercustom。\"
\"Oh，IamsogladMarkisathome！NowIcanbeatrestaboutPatty。AndImustnotlingeranothermoment，forIamgoingtoaskMrs。Masontokeepmeovernight，\"criedWaitstill，bethinkingherselfsuddenlyoftimeandplace。
\"Iwilltakeyoutheremyselfandexplaineverything。AndthemomentI’velightedafireinMrs。Mason’sbestbedroomandsettledyouthere，whatdoyouthinkIamgoingtodo？Ishalldrivetothetownclerk’shouse，andifheisinbed，routhimoutandhavethenoticeofourintendedmarriagepostedinapublicplaceaccordingtolaw。PerhapsIshallsaveadayoutofthefourteenI’vegottowaitformywife。’Mills，’
indeed！Iwonderatyou，Waitstill！AsifMrs。Mason’shousewasnotfarenoughaway，withoutyourspeakingof’mills。’\"
\"Ionlysuggestedmillsincaseyoudidnotwanttomarryme，\"
saidWaitstill。
\"Walkuptothedoorwithme，\"beggedIvory。
\"Thehorseisallharnessed，andRodwillsliphimintothesleighinajiffy。\"
\"Oh，Ivory！doyourealizewhatthismeans？\"——andWaitstillclungtohisarmastheywentupthelanetogether——\"thatwhateversorrow，whateverhardshipcomestous，neitherofuswilleverhavetobearitaloneagain？\"
\"IbelieveIdorealizeitasfewmencould，forneverinmyfive—and—twentyyearshaveIhadahumancreaturetowhomIcouldpourmyselfout，inwhomIcouldreallyconfide，withwhomI
couldtakecounsel。Youcanguesswhatitwillbetohaveacomprehendingwomanatmyside。Shallwetellmymother？Dosay’yes’；Ibelieveshewillunderstand。——Rod，Rod！comeandseewho’ssteppinginthedoorthisveryminute！\"
Rodmanwasupinhisbedroom，attiringhimselfelaboratelyforsentryduty。HisdelightatseeingWaitstillwasperhapsslightlytemperedbythethoughtthatflashedatoncethroughhismind，——thatifshewassafe，hewouldnotberequiredtostandguardinthesnowforhoursashehadhoped。ButthisgriefpassedwhenhefullyrealizedwhatWaitstill’spresenceatthefarmatthisunaccustomedhourreallymeant。Afterhehadbeentold，hehungaboutherlikethechildthathewas，——thoughhehadabitoftheheroinhim，atbottom，too，——embracingherwaistfondly，andbristlingwithwonderingquestions。
\"Isshereallygoingtostaywithusforalways，Ivory？\"heasked。
\"Everydayandallthedays；everynightandallthenights。
’PraiseGodfromwhomallblessingsflow！’\"saidIvory，takingoffhisfurcapandopeningthedooroftheliving—room。\"Butwe’vegottowaitforherawholefortnight，Rod。Isn’tthataridiculoussnailofalaw？\"
\"Pattydidn’twaitafortnight。\"
\"Pattyneverwaitedforanything，\"Ivoryrespondedwithasmile；
\"butshehadagoodreason，and，alas！wehaven’t，orthey’11saythatwehaven’t。AndIamverygratefultothesamedearlittlePatty，forwhenshegotherselfahusbandshefoundmeawife！\"
Rodmandidnotwhollyunderstandthis，butfeltthatthereweremanymysteriesattendingtheloveaffairsofgrown—uppeoplethatweretoocomplicatedforhimtograsp；anditdidnotseemtobejusttherightmomentforquestions。
WaitstillandIvorywentintoMrs。Boynton’sroomquietly，handinhand，andwhenshesawWaitstillsheraisedherselffromherpillowandheldoutherarmswithasoftcryofdelight。
\"Ihaven’thadyouforsolong，solong！\"shesaid，touchingthegirl’scheekwithherfrailhand。
\"Youaregoingtohavemeeverydaynow，dear，\"whisperedWaitstill，withasobinhervoice；forshesawachangeintheface，anewtransparency，astillmoreethereallookthanhadbeentherebefore。
\"Everyday？\"sherepeated，longingly。Waitstilltookoffherhood，andkneltonthefloorbesidethebed，hidingherfaceinthecounterpanetoconcealthetears。
\"Sheiscomingtolivewithus，dear。——Comein，Rod，andhearmetellher。——Waitstilliscomingtolivewithus：isn’tthatabeautifulthingtohappentothisdrearyhouse？\"askedIvory，bendingtotakehismother’shand。
\"Don’tyourememberwhatyouthoughtthefirsttimeIevercamehere，mother？\"andWaitstillliftedherhead，andlookedatMrs。
Boyntonwithswimmingeyesandlipsthattrembled。\"Ivoryismakingitallcometrue，andIshallbeyourdaughter！\"
Mrs。Boyntonsankfartherbackintoherpillows，andclosinghereyes，gavealongsighofinfinitecontent。Hervoicewassofaintthattheyhadtostooptocatchthewords，andIvory，feelingthestrangebenedictionthatseemedtobepassingfromhismother’sspirittotheirs，tookRod’shandandkneltbesideWaitstill。
TheverseofafavoritepsalmwasrunningthroughLoisBoynton’smind，andinamomentthewordscameclearly，assheopenedhereyes，liftedherhands，andtouchedthebowedheads。\"LetthehouseofAaronnowsaythathismercyendurethforever！\"shesaid，slowlyandreverently；andIvory，withallhisheart，responded，\"Amen！\"
XXXIII
AARON’SROD
\"IVORY！IVORY！\"
Ivorystirredinasleepthathadbeentroubledbytoogreathappiness。Totraveladrearypathalone，apathleadingseeminglynowhere，andthensuddenlytohaveacompanionbyone’sside，theverysightofwhomenchantedtheeye，theverytouchofwhomdelightedthesenses——whatjoyunspeakable！Whocouldsleepsoundlywhenwakefulnessbroughtatrainofsuchblissfulthoughts？
\"Ivory！Ivory！\"
Hewasfullyawakenow，forheknewhismother’svoice。Inalltheyears，everthoughtfulofhiscomfortandoftheconstantstrainuponhisstrength，Loishadneverwakenedhersonatnight。
\"Coming，mother，coming！\"hesaid，whenherealizedshewascallinghim；andhastilydrawingonsomeclothing，forthenightwasbitterlycold，hecameoutofhisroomandsawhismotherstandingatthefootofthestairway，withalightedcandleinherhand。
\"Canyoucomedown，Ivory？ItisastrangehourtocallyoubutI
havesomethingtotellyou；somethingIhavebeenpiecingtogetherforweeks；somethingIhavejustclearlyremembered。\"
\"Ifit’ssomethingthatwon’tkeeptillmorning，mother，youcreepbackintobedandwe’llhearitcomfortably，\"hesaid，comingdownstairsandleadinghertoherroom。\"I’llsmooththecovers，so；beatupthepillows，——there，andthrowanotherlogonthesitting—roomfire。Now，what’sthematter？Couldn’tyousleep？\"