“I’ve often thought I’d like to be an actor,” said Mr. Gayley, carelessly; “but there’s not much chance to break into that.”

“You could take a course of lessons in New York,” suggested Mary, and Sammy indorsed the idea with an eager look.  But Anthony laughed.

“Not for mine!  No, sir.  I’ll stick to Wheatfield.  I was a year in San Francisco a while back, and it was one lonesome year, believe me.  No place like home and friends for your Uncle Dudley!”

“Don’t you meet a bunch of swell Eastern fellows and forget me,” he said to Sammy, as they stood awaiting the train.  “I’ll be getting a little home ready for you; I’ll—­I’ll trust you, Kid.”

“You may,” said Sammy.  She looked at the burning, dry little main street, the white cottages that faced the station from behind their blazing gardens; she looked at the locust trees that almost hid the church spire, at the straggling line of eucalyptus trees that followed the country road to the graveyard a mile away.  It was home.  It was all she had known of the world—­and she was going away into a terrifying new life.  Her eyes brimmed.

“I swear to you that I’ll be faithful, Anthony,” she said solemnly.  “On my sacred oath, I will!”

And ten minutes later they were on their way.  The porter had pinned her new hat up in a pillow-case and taken it away, and Sammy was laughing because another porter quite seriously shouted:  “Last call for luncheon in the dining-car!”

“I always knew they did it, but I never supposed they really did!” said Sammy, following her aunt through the shaded brightness of the Pullman to an enchanted table, from which one could see the glorious landscape flashing by.

It was all like a dream—­the cities they fled through, the luxury of the big house at Sippican, the capped and aproned maids that were so eager to make one comfortable.  The people she met were like dream people; the busy, useless days seemed too pleasant to be real.

August flashed by, September was gone.  With the same magic lack of effort, they were all in the New York house.  Sammy wore her first dinner gown, wore her first furs, made her youthful conquests right and left.

From the first, she told every one of her engagement.  The thought of it, always in her mind, helped to give her confidence and poise.

“You must have heard of me, you know,” said her first dinner partner, “for your sister’s told me a lot about you.  Piet van Soop.”

“Piet van Soop!” ejaculated Sammy, seriously.

“Certainly.  Don’t you think that’s a pretty name?”

“But—­but that can’t be your name,” argued Sammy, smilingly.

“Why can’t it?”

“Why, because no one with a name like van Soop to begin with would name a little darling baby Piet,” submitted Sammy.

“Oh, come,” said Mr. van Soop.  “Your own name, now!  Sammy, as Mary always calls you—­that’s nothing to boast of, you know, and I’ll bet you were a very darling little baby yourself!”