At least, he should not to-night; and when the clock struck eleven, he arose to retire.
"The room at the head of the stairs.

I had a fire made for you in there," Aunt Barbara said, as she handed him the lamp.
Richard hesitated a moment, and then asked, "Does anyone occupy Ethie's old room?
Seems to me I would rather go there.

It would be somehow bring her nearer to me." So to Ethie's old room he went, Aunt Barbara lamenting that he would find it so cold and comfortless, but feeling an increased kindliness toward him for this proof of love for her darling.
"There's a great deal of good about that man, after all," she said to her sister, when, after he was gone to his room, they sat together around their hearth and talked the matter over afresh; and then, as she took off and carefully smoothed her little round puffs of false hair, and adjusted her nightcap in its place, she said, timidly, "You were rather hard on him, Sophia, at times." It needed but this for Mrs.Van Buren to explode again and charge her sister with saying too little rather than too much.

"One would think you blamed Ethie entirely, or at least that you were indifferent to her happiness," she said, removing her lace barb, and unfastening the heavy switch bound about her head.

"I was surprised at you, Barbara, I must say.