he is just Dennie. Heaven bless her! I've sworn to care
for her. She must help me now." And with the comforting thought, he fell
asleep beside the window.

The December sunset was superb in a glory of endless purple mists and
rose-tinted splendor of far-reaching skies. The evening drops down early
at this season and the lights were gleaming here and there in the town
where the shadows fall soonest before the day's work is finished up in
Sunrise.

Victor Burleigh, who had been called to Dr. Fenneben's study, found only
Elinor there, looking out at the radiant beauty of the sunset sky beyond
the homey shadows studded with the twinkling lights of Lagonda Ledge at
the foot of the slope. The young man hesitated a little before entering.
All day the school had been busy settling affairs for Professor Burgess
and "Norrie, the beloved." Gossip has swift feet and from surmise to
fact is a short course. Twenty-four hours had quite completely "fixed
things" for Elinor Wream and Vincent Burgess, so far as Sunrise and
Lagonda Ledge were able to fix them. So Burleigh, whose strong face
carried no hint of grief, held back a minute now, before entering the
study.

"I beg your pardon, Elinor. Dr. Fenneben sent for me."

Somehow the deep musical voice and her name pronounced as nobody else
ever could pronounce it, and the big manly form and brave face, all
seemed to complete the spell of the sunset hour. Elinor did not speak,
but with a smile made room for him beside her at the window, and the
two looked long at the deepening grandeur of the heavens and the misty
shadows of heliotrope and silver darkening softly to the twilight below
them.

"And God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the
fourth day," Victor said at last.

"Your voice grows richer with the passing years, Victor," Elinor said
softly. "I wanted to hear it again the first time I heard you speak out
there one September day."

"It is well to grow rich in something," Victor said, half-earnestly,
half-carelessly.

Before Elinor could say more, they caught sight of Professor Burgess
and Dennie Saxon, leaving the front portico as they had done on the May
evening before the assault on Dr. Fenneben. Burgess and Dennie usually
left the building together this year.

"Is n't Dennie a darling? Elinor said calmly.

"I guess so," he replied. "I don't just know what makes a girl a darling
to another girl. I only know"--he was on thin ice now--"and I d