It was not long before Maria did fall asleep.  Her thoughts were in such a whirl that it was almost like intoxication.  She could not seem to fix her mind on anything long enough to hold herself awake.  It was not merely the fact of her father’s going to marry again, it was everything which that involved.  She felt as if she were looking into a kaleidoscope shaken by fate into endless changes.  The changes seemed fairly to tire her eyes into sleep.

The very next afternoon Aunt Maria went home.  Harry announced his matrimonial intentions to her before he went to New York, and she said immediately that she would take the afternoon train.

“But,” said Harry, “I thought maybe you would stay and be at the—­wedding, Maria.  I don’t mean to get married until the November vacation, and it is only the first of September now.  I don’t see why you are in such a hurry.”

“Yes,” replied Aunt Maria, “I suppose you thought I would stay and get the house cleaned, and slave here like a dog, getting ready for you to be married.  Well, I sha’n’t; I’m tired out.  I’m going to take the train this afternoon.”

Harry looked helplessly at her.

“I don’t see what Maria and I are going to do then,” said he.

“If it wasn’t for taking Maria away from school, I would ask her to come and make me a visit, poor child,” said Aunt Maria, “until you brought her new ma home.  I have only a hundred dollars a year to live on, but I’d risk it but I could make her comfortable; but she can’t leave her school.”

“No, I don’t see how she can,” said Harry, still helplessly.  “I thought you’d stay, Maria.  There is the house to be cleaned, and some painting and papering.  I thought—­”

“Yes, I’ll warrant you thought,” said Aunt Maria, with undisguised viciousness.  “But you were mistaken; I am not going to stay.”

“But I don’t see exactly—­”

“Oh, Lord, you and Maria can take your meals at Mrs. Jonas White’s, she’ll be glad enough to have you; and you can hire the cleaning done,” said Aunt Maria, with a certain pity in the midst of her disappointment and contempt.

It seemed to Maria, when her aunt went away that afternoon, as if she could not bear it.  There is a law of gravitation for the soul as well as for the body, and Maria felt as one who had fallen from a known quantity into strangeness, with a horrible shock.

“Now, if she don’t treat you well, you send word, and I’ll have you come and stay with me,” whispered Aunt Maria at the last.

Maria loved Aunt Maria when she went away.  She went to school late for the sake of seeing her off; and she was late in the geography class, but Miss Slome only greeted her with a smile of radiant reassurance.

At recess, Gladys Mann snuggled up to her.

“Say, is it true?” she whispered.

“Is what true?”

“Is your father goin’ to get married to teacher?”

“Yes,” said Maria.  Then she gave Gladys a little push.  “I wish you’d let me alone,” she said.