ted fervor. Betty looked at him gratefully and
went on:

"I was simply appalled. I couldn't think, and I made my stepmother go
away and leave me for a little while, but things got blacker and blacker
and I thought I was going crazy. I couldn't marry Herbert even to please
my father. The next day Bessemer arrived. He had been worrying his
mother a lot about money, and when he arrived I couldn't help hearing
what they said to him. They charged him with all sort of dreadful
things. They called him a disgrace, and threatened to let him be
arrested, and a great many more such things. Finally his mother ended up
by telling him she never had loved him and that if he made any more
trouble about money she would cut him off without a cent. I was sitting
upstairs in my room with my windows open, and all their talk floated
right up to me. It made me feel sick, and yet I felt sorry for Bessemer,
for lately whenever he had been around he had been kind to me, and
sometimes I had stayed near him to get rid of Herbert. We often talked
over our troubles together and sympathized with one another. He felt
sorry for me, but he was weak himself and couldn't see any way out for
either of us.

"They had pretty stormy times all that day. Late in the afternoon
Herbert and Bessemer went to their mother's room and were closeted with
her for two hours, after which Herbert went away in the car with his
suitcase and bags as if he were not coming back soon. I watched him from
my window, and in great relief went down to take a little walk, for I
had stayed closely in my room all day trying to plan what to do. One
thing that held me from running away was that it would be such a
disgrace to the family, and I knew my father would have felt it so
keenly. That was always the great trouble when the boys got into scrapes
at college, my father would groan and say he felt disgraced to be so
conspicuous before the world. So I hesitated to do what would have been
a sorrow to him had he been alive.

"Half an hour later I was sitting alone in the twilight on one of the
porches, and Bessemer came out and sat down beside me.

"He looked so sort of homely and lonesome that I put my hand on his arm
and told him I was awfully sorry for him, and suddenly he turned around
and said:

"'Say, Betty, why don't you marry _me_? Then they can't say a word to
either of us. Your father's wishes will be carried out and Herb'll have
to whistle.'

"At first I was horrified, b