Page:An Old Fashioned Girl.djvu/365

Rh answer pleased me very much, for I didn't expect it, and nothing touches a fellow more than to have a woman stand by him through thick and thin."

"She don't seem to have done it."

"Fan was right. Trix only waited to see how bad things really were, or rather her mother did. She's as cool, hard, and worldly-minded an old soul as I ever saw, and Trix is bound to obey. She gets round it very neatly in her note, 'won't be a burden,' 'will sacrifice her hopes,' 'and always remain my warm friend,' but the truth is, Tom Shaw rich was worth making much of, but Tom Shaw poor is in the way, and may go to the devil as fast as he likes."

"Well, he isn't going!" cried Polly, defiantly, for her wrath burned hotly against Trix, though she blessed her for setting the bondman free.

"Came within an ace of it," muttered Tom to himself; adding aloud, in a tone of calm resignation that assured Polly his heart would not be broken though his engagement was,—

"It never rains but it pours, 'specially in hard times; but when a man is down, a rap or two more don't matter much, I suppose. Its the first blow that hurts most."

"Glad to see you take the last blow so well." There was an ironical little twang to that speech, and Polly couldn't help it. Tom colored up and looked hurt for a minute, then seemed to right himself with a shrug, and said, in his outspoken way,—

"To tell the honest truth, Polly, it wasn't a very hard one. I've had a feeling for some time that Trix and I were not suited to one another, and it might be