For six weeks Kate tortured herself, and kept Robert from being
happy. Then one morning Agatha stopped to visit with her, while
Adam drove on to town. After they had exhausted farming, Little
Poll's charms, and the neighbours, Agatha looked at Kate and said:
"Katherine, what is this I hear about Robert coming here every
day, now? It appeals to me that he must have followed my advice."
"Of course he never would have thought of coming, if you hadn't
told him so," said Kate dryly.
"Now THERE you are in error," said the literal Agatha, as she
smoothed down Little Poll's skirts and twisted her ringlets into
formal corkscrews. "Right THERE, you are in error, my dear. The
reason I told Robert to marry you was because he said to me, when
he suggested going after you to stay the night with me, that he
had seen you in the field when he passed, and that you were the
most glorious specimen of womanhood that he ever had seen. He
said you were the one to stay with me, in case there should be any
trouble, because your head was always level, and your heart was
big as a barrel."
"Yes, that's the reason I can't always have it with me," said
Kate, looking glorified instead of glorious. "Agatha, it just
happens to mean very much to me. Will you just kindly begin at
the beginning, and tell me every single word Robert said to you,
and you said to him, that day?"
"Why, I have informed you explicitly," said Agatha, using her
handkerchief on the toe of Poll's blue shoe. "He mentioned going
after you, and said what I told you, and I told him to go. He
praised you so highly that when I spoke to him about the Southey
woman I remembered it, so I suggested to him, as he seemed to
think so well of you. It just that minute flashed into my mind;
but HE made me think of it, calling you 'glorious,' and 'level
headed,' and 'big hearted.' Heavens! Katherine Eleanor, what
more could you ask?"
"I guess that should be enough," said Kate.
"One certainly would presume so," said Agatha.
Then Adam came, and handed Kate her mail as she stood beside his
car talking to him a minute, while Agatha settled herself. As
Kate closed the gate behind her, she saw a big, square white
envelope among the newspapers, advertisements, and letters. She
slipped it out and looked at it intently. Then she ran her finger
under the flap and read the contents. She stood studying the few
lines it contained, frowning deeply. "Doesn't it beat the band?"
she asked of the surrounding atmosphere. She went up the walk,
entered the living room, slipped the letter under the lid of the
big family Bible, and walking to the telephone she called Dr.
Gray's office. He answered the call in person.