Youmeanyouwereactuallyjealousofyourownbaby？’shegasped。Why，Bertram，howcould——Andwasthatwhyyou——yousoughtdistractionand——Oh，but，Bertram，thatwasallmyf-fault，’shequaveredremorsefully。I
　　wouldn’tplay，norsing，norgotowalk，noranything；andIworehorridfrowzywrappersallthetime，and——’
　　Oh，come，come，Billy，’expostulatedtheman。I’mnotgoingtohaveyoutalklikethatabout_mywife!_’
　　ButIdid——thebooksaidIdid，’wailedBilly。
　　Thebook？Goodheavens!Arethereanybooksinthis，too？’demandedBertram。
　　Yes，thesameone；the——the`TalkstoYoungWives，’’noddedBilly。Andthen，becausesomethingshadgrownsmalltothem，andsomeothersgreat，theybothlaughedhappily。
　　Buteventhiswasnotquiteall；foroneevening，veryshyly，Billybroughtoutthechessboard。
　　OfcourseIcan’tplaywell，’shefaltered；
　　andmaybeyoudon’twanttoplaywithmeatall。’
　　ButBertram，whenhefoundoutwhyshehadlearned，wasverysurehedidwantverymuchtoplaywithher。
　　Billydidnotbeat，ofcourse。Butshedidseveraltimesexperience——forafewblissfulminutes——thepleasureofseeingBertramsitmotionless，studyingtheboard，becauseofamoveshehadmade。Andthough，intheend，herkingwasignominiouslytrappedwithnotanunguardedsquareuponwhichtosethispoordistractedfoot，thememoryofthoseblissfulminuteswhenshehadmadeBertramstare’morethanpaidforthefinalcheckmate。
　　BythemiddleofJunethebabywaswellenoughtobetakentothebeach，andBertramwassofortunateastosecurethesamehousetheyhadoccupiedbefore。OnceagainWilliamwentdowninMaineforhisfishingtrip，andtheStratawasclosed。InthebeachhouseBertramwaspaintingindustriously——withhislefthand。
　　AlmosthewasbeginningtofeelBilly’senthusiasm。
　　Almosthewasbelievingthathe_was_doinggoodwork。ItwasnottheFaceofaGirl，’now。
　　Itwasthefaceofababy：smiling，laughing，evencrying，sometimes；atothertimesjustgazingstraightintoyoureyeswithadorablesoberness。
　　BertramstillwentintoBostontwiceaweekfortreatment，thoughthetreatmentitselfhadchanged。Thegreatsurgeonhadsenthimtostillanotherspecialist。
　　There’sachance——thoughperhapsasmallone，’hehadsaid。I’dlikeyoutotryit，anyway。’
　　Asthesummeradvanced，Bertramthoughtsometimesthathecouldseeaslightimprovementinhisinjuredarm；buthetriednottothinktoomuchaboutthis。Hehadthoughtthesamethingbefore，onlytobedisappointedintheend。Besides，hewasundeniablyinterestedjustnowinseeingifhe_could_paintwithhislefthand。Billywassosure，andshehadsaidthatshewouldbeprouderthaneverofhim，ifhecould——andhewouldliketomakeBillyproud!Then，too，therewasthebaby——hehadnoideaababycouldbesointerestingtopaint。
　　HewasnotsurebutthathewasgoingtoliketopaintbabiesevenbetterthanhehadlikedtopainthisFaceofaGirl’thathadbroughthimhisfirstfame。
　　InSeptemberthefamilyreturnedtotheStrata。
　　ThemovewasmadealittleearlierthisyearonaccountofAliceGreggory’swedding。
　　Alicewastobemarriedintheprettyliving-
　　roomattheAnnex，justwhereBillyherselfhadbeenmarriedafewshortyearsbefore；andBillyhadgreatplansforthewedding——notallofwhichshewasabletocarryout，forAlice，likeMariebeforeher，hadverystrongobjectionstobeingplacedundertoogreatobligations。
　　Andyousee，really，anyway，’shetoldBilly，Iowethewholethingtoyou，tobeginwith——
　　evenmyhusband。’
　　Nonsense!Ofcourseyoudon’t，’disputedBilly。
　　ButIdo。Ifithadn’tbeenforyouIshouldneverhavefoundhimagain，andof_course_I
　　shouldn’thavehadthisdearlittlehometobemarriedin。AndInevercouldhaveleftmotherifshehadn’thadAuntHannahandtheAnnexwhichmeansyou。AndifIhadn’tfoundMr。
　　Arkwright，Imightneverhaveknownhow——
　　howIcouldgobacktomyoldhomeasIamgoingonmyhoneymoontrip，andjustknowthateveryoneofmyoldfriendswhoshakeshandswithmeisn’tpityingmenow，becauseI’mmyfather’sdaughter。Andthatmeansyou；foryouseeIneverwouldhaveknownthatmyfather’snamewasclearedifithadn’tbeenforyou。
　　And——’
　　Oh，Alice，please，please，’beggedBilly，laughinglyraisingtwoprotestinghands。Whydon’tyousaythatit’stomeyouowejustbreathing，andbedonewithit？’
　　Well，Iwill，then，’avowedAlice，doggedly。
　　Andit’strue，too，for，honestly，mydear，I
　　don’tbelieveIwouldhavebeenbreathingto-day，normother，either，ifyouhadn’tfoundusthatmorning，andtakenusoutofthoseawfulrooms。’
　　I？Never!Youwouldn’tletmetakeyouout，’laughedBilly。Youproudlittlething!
　　Maybe_you’ve_forgottenhowyouturnedpoorUncleWilliamandmeoutintothecold，coldworldthatmorning，justbecausewedaredtoaspiretoyourLowestoftteapot；butIhaven’t!’
　　Oh，Billy，please，_don’t_，’beggedAlice，thepainfulcolorstainingherface。IfyouknewhowI’vehatedmyselfsinceforthewayIactedthatday——and，really，youdidtakeusawayfromthere，youknow。’
　　No，Ididn’t。ImerelyfoundtwogoodtenantsforMr。andMrs。Delano，’correctedBilly，withasoberface。
　　Oh，yes，Iknowallaboutthat，’smiledAlice，affectionately；andyougotmotherandmeheretokeepAuntHannahcompanyandteachTommyDunn；andyougotAuntHannahheretokeepuscompanyandtakecareofTommyDunn；andyougotTommyDunnheresoAuntHannahandwecouldhavesomebodytoteachandtakecareof；and，asfortheothers，——’
　　ButBillyputherhandstoherearsandfled。
　　Theweddingwastobeonthefifteenth。FromtheWestKatewrotethatofcourseitwasnoneofheraffairs，particularlyasneitheroftheinterestedpartieswasarelation，butstillsheshouldthinkthatforamaninMr。Arkwright’sposition，nothingbutachurchweddingwoulddoatall，as，ofcourse，hedid，inaway，belongtothepublic。Alice，however，declaredthatperhapshedidbelongtothepublic，whenhewasDonSomebody-
　　or-otherindoubletandhose；butwhenhewasjustplainMichaelJeremiahArkwrightinafrockcoathewashers，andshedidnotproposetomakeaGrandOperashowofherwedding。
　　AndasArkwright，too，verymuchdisapprovedofthechurch-weddingidea，thetwoweremarriedintheAnnexliving-roomatnoononthefifteenthasoriginallyplanned，inspiteofMrs。KateHartwell’sletter。
　　ItwassoonaftertheweddingthatBertramtoldBillyhewishedshewouldsitforhimwithBertram，Jr。
　　Iwanttotrymyhandatyoubothtogether，’
　　hecoaxed。
　　Why，ofcourse，ifyoulike，dear，’agreedBilly，promptly，thoughIthinkBabyisjustasnice，andevennicer，alone。’
　　OnceagainalloverBertram’sstudiobegantoappearsketchesofBilly，thistimeaglorified，tenderBilly，withthewonderfulmother-loveinhereyes。Then，afterseveralsketchesoftrialposes，BertrambeganhispictureofBillyandthebabytogether。
　　EvennowBertramwasnotsureofhiswork。
　　Heknewthathecouldnotyetpaintwithhisoldfreedomandease；heknewthathisstrokewasnotsosure，sountrammeled。Butheknew，too，thathehadgainedwonderfully，duringthesummer，andthathewasgainingnow，everyday。
　　ToBillyhesaidnothingofallthis。Eventohimselfhescarcelyputhishopeintowords；butinhisheartheknewthatwhathewasreallypaintinghisMotherandChild’pictureforwastheBohemianTenClubExhibitioninMarch——ifhecouldbutputuponcanvasthevisionthatwasspurringhimon。
　　AndsoBertramworkedallthroughthoseshortwinterdays，notalwaysupontheonepicture，ofcourse，butuponsomepictureorsketchthatwouldhelptogivehisstilluncertainlefthandtheskillthathadbelongedtoitsmate。
　　Andalways，cheering，encouraging，insistingonvictory，wasBilly，sothatevenhadBertrambeentempted，sometimes，togiveup，hecouldnothavedoneso——andfacedBilly’sgrieved，disappointedeyes。Andwhenatlasthisworkwascompleted，andthepicturedmotherandchildinalltheirmarvelouslifeandbeautyseemedreadytostepfromthecanvas，Billydrewalongecstaticbreath。
　　Oh，Bertram，it_is_，itisthebestworkyouhaveeverdone。’Billywaslookingatthebaby。
　　Alwaysshehadignoredherselfaspartofthepicture。Andwon’titbefinefortheExhibition!’
　　Bertram’shandtightenedonthechair-backinfrontofhim。Foramomenthecouldnotspeak。Then，abithuskily，heasked：
　　Wouldyoudare——riskit？’
　　Riskit!Why，BertramHenshaw，I’vemeantthatpicturefortheExhibitionfromtheveryfirst——onlyIneverdreamedyoucouldgetitsoperfectlylovely。_Now_whatdoyousayaboutBabybeingnicerthananyold`FaceofaGirl’thatyoueverdid？’shetriumphed。
　　AndBertram，who，eventohimself，hadnotdaredwhisperthewordexhibition，gaveatremulouslaughthatwasalmostasob，sooverwhelmingwashissuddenrealizationofwhatfaithandconfidencehadmeanttoBilly，hiswife。
　　IftherewasstillalingeringdoubtinBertram’smind，itmusthavebeendispelledinlessthananhouraftertheBohemianTenClubExhibitionflungopenitsdoorsonitsopeningnight。OnceagainBertramfoundhispicturethecynosureofalladmiringeyes，andhimselfthecenterofanenthusiasticgroupoffriendsandfellow-artistswhoviedwitheachotherinheartywordsofcongratulation。Andwhen，later，thefearedcritics，whosenamesandopinionscountedforsomuchinhisworld，hadtheirsayinthedailypressandweeklyreviews，Bertramknewhowsurelyindeedhehadwon。AndwhenhereadthatHenshaw’sworkshowsnowapeculiarstrength，asortofreservepower，asitwere，which，beautifulaswashisformerwork，itnevershowedbefore，’hesmiledgrimly，andsaidtoBilly：
　　Isuppose，now，thatwasthefightingIdidwithmygoodlefthand，eh，dear？’
　　ButtherewasyetonemoredropthatwastomakeBertram’scupofjoybrimtooverflowing。
　　ItcamejustonemonthaftertheExhibitionintheshapeofatersedozenwordsfromthedoctor。
　　Bertramfairlyflewhomethatday。Hehadnoconsciousnessofanymeansoflocomotion。Hethoughthewasgoingtotellhiswifeatoncehisgreatgoodnews；butwhenhesawher，speechsuddenlyfled，andallthathecoulddowastodrawhercloselytohimwithhisleftarmandhidehisface。
　　Why，Bertram，dearest，what——whatisit？’
　　stammeredthethoroughlyfrightenedBilly。
　　Hasanything-happened？’
　　No，no——yes——yes，everythinghashappened。
　　Imean，it’sgoingtohappen，’chokedtheman。Billy，thatoldchapsaysthatI’mgoingtohavemyarmagain。Thinkofit——mygoodrightarmthatI’velostsolong!’
　　_Oh，Bertram!_’breathedBilly。Andshe，too，felltosobbing。
　　Later，whenspeechwasmorecoherent，shefaltered：
　　Well，anyway，itdoesn’tmakeanydifference_how_manybeautifulpicturesyoup-paint，afterthis，Bertram，I_can’t_beprouderofanythanI
　　amoftheoneyourl——lefthanddid。’
　　Oh，butIhaveyoutothankforallthat，dear。’
　　No，youhaven’t，’disputedBilly，blinkingtearyeyes；but——’shepaused，thenwentonspiritedly，but，anyhow，I——Idon’tbelieveanyone——notevenKate——cansay_now_that——
　　thatI’vebeenahindrancetoyouinyourc-career!’
　　Hindrance!’scoffedBertram，inatonethatleftnoroomfordoubt，andwithakissthatleftevenless，ifpossible。
　　Billy，forstillanotherminute，wassilent；then，withawistfulnessthatwashalfplayful，halfserious，shesighed：
　　Bertram，Ibelievebeingmarriedissomethinglikeclocks，youknow，’speciallyatthefirst。’
　　Clocks，dear？’
　　Yes。IwasouttoAuntHannah’sto-day。
　　Shewasfussingwithherclock——theonethatstrikeshalfanhourahead——andIsawallthosequantitiesofwheels，littleandbig，thathavetogojustso，withallthelittlecogsfittingintoalltheotherlittlecogsjustexactlyright。Well，that’slikemarriage。See？There’ssuchalotoflittlecogsineverydaylifethathavetobefittedsothey’llrunsmoothly——thathavetobeadjusted，’speciallyatthefirst。’
　　Oh，Billy，whatanidea!’
　　Butit’sso，really，Bertram。Anyhow，I
　　knowmycogswerealwaysgettingoutofplaceatthefirst，’laughedBilly。AndIwaslikeAuntHannah’sclock，too，alwaysgoingoffhalfanhouraheadoftime。AndmaybeIshallbesoagain，sometimes。But，Bertram，’——hervoiceshookalittle——ifyou’lljustlookatmyfaceyou’llseethatItelltherighttimethere，justasAuntHannah’sclockdoes。I’msure，always，I’lltelltherighttimethere，evenifIdogooffhalfanhourahead!’
　　AsifIdidn’tknowthat，’answeredBertram，verylowandtenderly。Besides，IreckonIhavesomecogsofmyownthatneedadjusting!’
　　End