sh beast; I am going to leave you. Not yet, oh, not yet, but one
day."

Johnny stared a moment, then said, "Of course, oh, of course, to be
sure--to live with your mother, she'll want you. A wonderful woman."

"Not to live with my mother," Julia said emphatically. "Sit down and I
will tell you all about it."

And she told, slowly and suitably, fearing that he would hardly
understand the wonderful goodness of fate to her. But she need not
have been afraid; he took her meaning at once, far quicker than she
expected, for he saw no wonder in it, only a very great goodness for
the man who had won her, and a great and radiant happiness for himself
in the happiness that had come to her. As for his loneliness, he never
thought of that, why should he? Of course she would leave him, it was
the right and proper thing to do; she would leave him anyhow.

"You couldn't go on living with me here," he said; "I mean, I couldn't
go on living with you; it wouldn't be the thing, you know; you must
think of that."

Julia caught her breath between tears and laughter, but he went on
stoutly: "I shall go back to town, to Mrs. Horn; I shall like it--at
least when I get used to it. It is quite time I went back to town; a
man ought not to stay too long in the country; he gets rusty."

"You won't go back to town," Julia said; "you will never do that. You
will stay here in the cottage, and Mrs. Gray from next door to the
shop will come and live here as your housekeeper; I am going to
arrange it with her. She will come and she will bring her little
grand-daughter and you will keep on living here always."

For a moment Johnny's face beamed; the prospect was exquisite; but he
sternly put it from him. "No," he said, "I shouldn't like that; it's
kind of you, but--"

"Johnny," Julia interrupted, "you should always speak the truth--you
do anything else so badly! I don't mind if you like my plan or not,
you will have to put up with it to help me; some one must take care of
the cottage."

"But you will want to come yourself," Mr. Gillat protested.

"Never, unless you are here."

In the end Julia had her way. Johnny lived at the cottage, and Mrs.
Gray and her grandchild came to keep house. And Billy, Mrs. Gray's
nephew, came to help in the garden and take care of the donkey; in the
spring there was a donkey added to the establishment, and a little
tub-cart which held four children easily, besides Mr. Gillat. And it
is doubtful if, in all the co