I wish he wasn't so
near kin to me! Now, there, I feel in Ruth Chester's way again! One of
the things that keeps the devil so busy is taking helpless widows to the
heights of knowledge and showing them kingdoms of men that girls never
dream even exist. If all women could have been born with widow-eyes,
things would run much more smoothly along the marriage and
giving-in-marriage line. And the poor men are most of them as ignorant
as girls about what to do.
I suppose I really would be doing a righteous thing to marry Mr. Graves,
and I would adore all those children to start with, but I know Billy
wouldn't get on with them at all. I can't even consider it on his
account, but I'll let the nice old chap come on for a few times more to
see me, for he really is interesting and we have suffered things in
common. Mrs. Graves lacked the kind of temperament poor Mr. Carter did.
I'd like to make it all up to him, but if Billy wouldn't be happy, that
settles it, and I don't know how good his boys are. I couldn't have
Billy corrupted.
And so, as there is nobody else exactly suitable in town, it all simmers
down to one or the other of these or Alfred. In my heart I knew that I
couldn't hesitate a minute--and in the flash of a second I
_decided_.
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