n his lovely voice that somehow brought her heart into her
throat, and without knowing it she edged an inch or two closer to him
and her hand made an involuntary movement toward his that rested on the
step near her, but which she managed to stop in time. "You realize, do
you not, dear lady, that your friendliness to--to us all, commands my
intensest loyalty? You'll just promise to remember always that I do
understand and go on being happy with us, won't you--us country folks
of Providence Road?" The note of pride in his voice was struck with no
uncertain sound.

"Oh, but it's you that don't--don't--" the singer lady was about to
commit herself most dreadfully by her exclamation in the low dove notes
that alone had no trace of the disastrous burr, when Mother Mayberry
stepped out of the hall door and came and seated herself beside them.

"Well, of course, I know the Bible do say that they won't be no
marriage or giving in marriage in the hereafter, but I do declare we
all might miss such infairs as these, even in Heaven," she observed
jovially. "Didn't everybody look nice and act nice? Course it was just
country doings to you, honey-bird, but I know you enjoyed it some even
if it were." Like all sympathetic natures Mother Mayberry fell with
ease into the current of any thought, and the young Doctor reached out
and took her hand into his with quick appreciation of the fact.

"It was so very lovely that it made me--made me want--" the daring with
which the singer lady had begun her defiant remark gave out in the
middle and she had to let it trail weakly.

"Well, I hope it made Mr. Petway want Prissy bad enough to ask her,
along about moon-up," said Mother Mayberry in a practical tone of
voice. "Seems like I hear they voices; and if he IS over there I don't
see how he can get out of co'ting some. It's just in the air
to-night--and WE'D better all be a-going to bed so as to get up early
to start off. Tom Mayberry, seems to me as I remember it, you looked
much less plain favored to-day than common. Did you have on some new
clothes? And ain't you a-going to pass a compliment on Elinory and me,
both with new frocks wored to please you?"

The Doctor laughed and as they all rose together he still held his
mother's hand in his and instead of an answer he bent and kissed it
with a most distinctly foreign-acquired grace.

"That's honey-fuzzle again, Tom Mayberry, if not in words, in acts,"
she exclaimed with a delighted laugh.