And surely never before did a bride insist on spending the first evening after her return tramping up and down a public park for hour after hour like this, looking for any man.
_Won't_ you come home ?" But Billy had not even heard.

With a glad little cry she had darted to the side of the humped-up figure of a man alone on a park bench just ahead of them.
"Uncle William! Oh, Uncle William, how could you ?" she cried, dropping herself on to one end of the seat and catching the man's arm in both her hands.
"Yes, how could you ?" demanded Bertram, with just a touch of irritation, dropping himself on to the other end of the seat, and catching the man's other arm in his one usable hand.
The bent shoulders and bowed head straightened up with a jerk.
"Well, well, bless my soul! If it isn't our little bride," cried Uncle William, fondly.

"And the happy bridegroom, too.

When did you get home ?" "We haven't got home," retorted Bertram, promptly, before his wife could speak.

"Oh, we looked in at the door an hour or so back; but we didn't stay.