sition, for
his trust in people is not easily shaken. But we'll never know the
real William until--until----"

Sally waited, and in a little while Miss Whimple went on. "Just now,
and for a long time to come, I think, his mind will be so strongly set
upon success on the stage that he will not allow anything to come
between. And, if his health remains good, it seems to me that our
fondest hopes for him in that direction will fall far short of the
realisation. But one day, Sally Miller, there will come to William
that which comes to every one of us sooner or later."

"Yes."

"Yes," said Miss Whimple, so low that the girl hardly caught the words,
"yes--love will come to William. It will have to fight its way over
many barriers, but in the end his heart will be carried by storm. Then
we will know a new William Adolphus Turnpike, or some of you younger
folks will, for I'm too old to be expecting that the good Lord will let
me live to see that, and William in love will be worth seeing. You
know," she continued in a lighter tone, "I asked him one day just a
little while ago if he had a sweetheart, and he looked at me with that
gleam in his eyes we all know so well as he answered, 'Sure!'

"'Who is it?' I asked.

"'You'd know as much as I do if I told you,' he said.

"That made me angry, of course, and I told him he was lucky enough to
be too big for me to thrash, as I tried to do the first time I saw him;
and you should have seen him grin.

"'Miss Whimple,' said he, 'I'll never forget you and the parasol as
long as I live. Say, it was----' but I broke in with, 'Now, who is
your sweetheart, William?' and what do you think he said?"

"'Mother.'"

"Exactly! And I knew he was serious about it, too, though, like a
foolish old woman, I must needs go on to tell him that a boy of his age
ought to have a real sweetheart. Well, presently he became very quiet,
his mouth set firmly, as it does when he is thinking hard, and he
looked straight at me. 'Miss Whimple, you know what real love is,' he
said. 'I hope when it comes to me I'll be as worthy of it and as true
as you have been,' and then--why, he was the real William again in a
flash. 'Say,' he said, 'why don't you go out to a ball game once in a
while? Lots of ladies go, and the way the Torontos are playing this
season it looks like they'd be champions again for the second time in
four years. Honest, they've got me wild, and Tommy Watson's crazier
than I am.