ears I'll be
through with my studies, and my very first trip will be here and then--"
but somehow, he never finished, but would look thoughtful for a little
while, as though the move after _then_, was going to be a very important
one.

"I believe you're glad to go," Kittie would say to him when he would
often be telling of what he was going to work for and accomplish.
"You'll go back to Boston, and study, and make yourself a great lawyer,
and you'll see such elegant ladies in society there, that you will
forget all about this little country town, and these little country
girls."

"Kittie," Ralph would exclaim in return, as though this little doubt of
his faithfulness hurt him, "you know you don't mean it, and if you knew
what this summer has been to me, you never would say so."

"Why don't you tell us, then?" asked Kat, who happened to overhear this
remark one day.

"Perhaps I will some time, if I find that you are glad to see me when I
come back," answered Ralph with a mysterious smile.

"Can you ever doubt that?" asked Bea. "After the blessing and comfort
that you have been to us all? I don't know what we ever will do without
you, Ralph; it will be so lonesome."

"Why, you ought not to care," said Ralph with a laugh, and touching the
hand that wore the gold ring, with a significant gesture. "My place was
taken long ago in your fickle heart, mademoiselle."

It did not really seem as though they were going to lose him until
September came, and the days crept around, till the one came when a
trunk stood packed in the hall, the front room up stairs looked
forsaken, and Ralph was really going next morning.

Right after dinner, Kat took her book and went off to the farthest
corner of the back-yard, where a gigantic apple-tree stood, with a
magnificent seat of curled branches up in its centre, into which, Kat
found her way, with some speedy climbing, and then sat down and looked
thoughtfully at nothing for nearly half an hour. Yes, she did look very
thoughtful, and after a while, she opened her book, but did not read
much, for something kept coming between her and the leaves, and two or
three times she might have been seen to slide her hand across her eyes,
and wink pretty fast, which plainly indicated that something must be the
matter. She never could have told afterwards what made her stay there
all the afternoon, but stay she did, and never came down until the sun
had commenced to throw slanting shadows across t