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“How long do you calculate to be gone, Narcissa?” he asked again.

“I don’t know,” she replied.”Fifteen hundred dollars is a good deal of money. I s’pose it’ll take us quite a while to spend it, even if we ain’t very saving.”

“You ain’t goin’ to spend it all, Narcissa!”William gave a little dismayed gasp in spite of himself.

“Land, no! we couldn’t, unless we stayed three years, an’ I ain’t calculating to be gone as long as that. I’m going to bring home what we don’t want, and put it in the bank; but – I shouldn’t be surprised if it took ‘most a year to spend what I’ve laid out to.”

“‘Most a year!”

“Yes; I’ve got to buy us both new clothes for one thing. We ‘ain’t neither of us got anything fit to wear, and ‘ain’t had for years. We didn’t go to the funeral lookin’ decent, and I know folks talked. Mother felt bad about it, but I couldn’t help it. I wa’n’t goin’ to lay out money foolish and get things here when I was going to New York and could have others the way they ought to be. I’m going to buy us some jewelry too; I ‘ain’t never had a good breastpin even; and as for mother, father never even bought her a ring when they were married. I ain’t saying anything against him; it wa’n’t the fashion so much in those days.”

“I was calculatin’ –” William stammered, blushing.”I always meant to, Narcissa.”

“Yes, I know you have; but you mustn’t lay out too much on it, and I don’t care anything about a stone ring – just a plain gold one. There’s another thing I’m going to have, too, an’ that’s a gold watch. I’ve wanted one all my life.”

“Mebbe –” began William, painfully.

“No!” cried Narcissa, peremptorily.”I don’t want you to buy me one. I ‘ain’t ever thought of it. I’m going to buy it myself. I’m going to buy mother a real cashmere shawl, too, like the one that New York lady had that came to visit Lawyer Maxham’s wife. I’ve got a list of things written down on paper. I guess I’ll have to buy another trunk in New York to put them in.”

“Well,” said William, with a great sigh, “I guess I’d better be goin’. I hope you’ll have as good a time as you’re countin’ on, Narcissa.”

“It’s the first good time I ever did count on, and I’d ought to,” said Narcissa.”I’m going to take mother to the theatre, too. I don’t know but it’s wicked, but I’m going to.”Narcissa fluttered out of the parlor and William shuffled after her. He would not go into the kitchen again.

“Well, good-night,” said Narcissa, and William also said good-night, with another heavy sigh.”Look out for them rocks going out of the yard, an’ don’t tumble over ’em,” she called after him.

“I’m used to ’em,” he answered back, sadly, from the darkness.

Narcissa shut and bolted the door.”He don’t like it; he feels real bad about it; but I can’t help it – I’m going.”

Through the next few weeks Narcissa Stone’s face looked strange to those who had known her from childhood. While the features were the same, her soul informed them with a new purpose, which overlighted all the old ones of her life, and even the simple village folks saw the effect, though with no understanding. Soon the news that Narcissa and her mother were going to New York was abroad. On the morning they started, in the three-seated open wagon which served as stage to connect the little village with the railroad ten miles away, all the windows were set with furtively peering faces.

“There they go,” the women told one another.”Narcissa an’ her mother an’ the trunk. Wonder if Narcissa’s got that money put away safe?They’re wearin’ the same old clothes. S’pose we sha’n’t know ’em when they get back. Heard they was goin’ to stay a year. Guess old Mr. Stone would rise up in his grave if he knew it. Lizzy saw William Crane a-helpin’ Narcissa h’ist the trunk out ready for the stage. I wouldn’t stan’ it if I was him. Ten chances to one Narcissa ‘ll pick up somebody down to New York, with all that money. She’s good-lookin’, and she looks better since her father died.”