“Crazy?—­yes,” said he.  “Who do you think ’Lena’s father is?  No less a person than Mr. Graham himself.  Now taunt her again, Cad, with her low origin, if you like.  She isn’t coming here to live any more.  She’s going to Woodlawn.  She’ll marry Durward, while you’ll be a cross, dried-up old maid, eh, Cad?” and he chucked her under the chin, while she began to cry, bidding him let her alone.

“What do you mean?” interposed Mrs. Livingstone, trembling lest it might be true.

“I will read the letter and you can judge for yourself,” replied John.

Both Carrie and her mother were too much astonished to utter a syllable, while, in their hearts, each hoped it would prove untrue.  Bending forward, grandma had listened eagerly, her dim eye lighting up as she occasionally caught the meaning of what she heard; but she could not understand it at once, and turning to her son, she said, “What is it, John? what does it mean?”

As well as they could, Mr. Livingstone and John Jr. explained it to her, and when at length she comprehended it, in her own peculiar way she exclaimed, “Thank God that ’Leny is a lady, at last—­as good as the biggest on ’em.  Oh, I wish Helleny had lived to know who her husband was.  Poor critter!  Mebby he’ll give me money to go back and see the old place, once more, afore I die.”

“If he don’t I will,” said Mr. Livingstone, upon which his wife, who had not spoken before, wondered “where he’d get it.”

By this time Carrie had comforted herself with the assurance that as ’Lena was now Durward’s sister, he would not, of course, marry her, and determining to make the best of it, she replied to her brother, who rallied her on her crestfallen looks, that he was greatly mistaken, for “she was as pleased as any one at ’Lena’s good fortune, but it did not follow that she must make a fool of herself, as some others did.”

The closing part of this remark was lost on John Jr., who had left the room.  In the first excitement, he had thought “how glad Nellie will be,” and acting, as he generally did, upon impulse, he now ordered his horse, and dashing off at full speed, as usual, surprised Nellie, first, with his sudden appearance, second, with his announcement of ’Lena’s parentage, and third, by an offer of himself!

“It’s your destiny,” said he, “and it’s of no use to resist.  What did poor little Meb die for, if it wasn’t to make room for you.  So you may as well say yes first as last.  I’m odd, I know, but you can fix me over.  I’ll do exactly what you wish me to.  Say yes, Nellie, won’t you ?”

And Nellie did say yes, wondering, the while, it ever before woman had such wooing.  We think not, for never was there another John Jr.

“I have had happiness enough for one day,” said he, kissing her blushing cheek and hurrying away.

As if every hitherto neglected duty were now suddenly remembered, he went straight from Mr. Douglass’s to the marble factory, where he ordered a costly stone for the little grave on the sunny slope, as yet unmarked save by the tall grass and rank weeds which grew above it.