Cope was
away from the house, and Rosalys, studying the envelope's penmanship and
even its postmark, found vague confirmation of her theory: some college
girl--one of his own students, probably--was home on vacation just as he
was. If so, a "small town" person of caste and character like themselves;
not brilliant, but safe. She set up the letter edgewise on the back parlor
mantelpiece.
When Cope came in at noon and saw the letter, his face fell. He put it in
his pocket, sat silent at table, and disappeared as soon as the meal was
over. Rosalys, whose pupils were off her mind for a few days and who had
thought to spare, began to shade her theory.
Cope read the letter in the low-ceiled back bedroom (the ceiling sloped
away on one side) which had been his for so many years. Those years of
happy boyhood--how far away they seemed now, and how completely past!
Surely he had never thought to come back to these familiar walls to such
effect as this.... Well, what did it say?
It said, in its four pages (yes, Amy had really limited herself thus), how
joyous she was that the dear Christmas season had brought her such a
beautiful love-gift; it said that mother was so pleased and happy--and even
mentioned a sudden aunt; it said how willingly she would wait on until.
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