?

It was in all good faith, Sandy, that I promised not to kiss your hand
or drip tears on the counterpane, but I'm afraid I did both--or worse!
Positively, I didn't suspect how much I cared for you till I crossed the
threshold and saw you propped up against the pillows, all covered with
bandages, and your hair singed off. You are a sight! If I love you now,
when fully one third of you is plaster of Paris and surgical dressing,
you can imagine how I'm going to love you when it's all you!

But my dear, dear Robin, what a foolish man you are! How should I ever
have dreamed all those months that you were caring for me when you acted
so abominably S C O T C H? With most men, behavior like yours would
not be considered a mark of affection. I wish you had just given me a
glimmering of an idea of the truth, and maybe you would have saved us
both a few heartaches.

But we mustn't be looking back; we must look forward and be grateful.
The two happiest things in life are going to be ours, a FRIENDLY
marriage and work that we love.

Yesterday, after leaving you, I walked back to the asylum sort of dazed.
I wanted to get by myself and THINK, but instead of being by myself,
I had to have Betsy and Percy and Mrs. Livermore for dinner (already
invited) and then go down and talk to the children. Friday night-social
evening. They had a lot of new records for the victrola, given by
Mrs. Livermore, and I had to sit politely and listen to them. And, my
dear--you'll think this funny--the last thing they played was "John
Anderson, my jo John," and suddenly I found myself crying! I had to
snatch up the earnest orphan and hug her hard, with my head buried in
her shoulder, to keep them all from seeing.

John Anderson, my jo John,
We clamb the hill thegither,
And monie a canty day, John,
We've had wi' ane anither;
Now we maun totter down, John,
But hand in hand we'll go,
And sleep thegither at the foot,
John Anderson, my jo.

I wonder, when we are old and bent and tottery, can you and I look back,
with no regrets, on monie a canty day we've had wi' ane anither? It's
nice to look forward to, isn't it--a life of work and play and little
daily adventures side by side with somebody you love? I'm not afraid of
the future any more. I don't mind growing old with you, Sandy. "Time is
but the stream I go a-fishing in."

The reason I've grown to love these orphans is because they need me so,
and that's t