Page:Burnett - Two Little Pilgrims' Progress A Story of the City Beautiful.djvu/194

174 with me—and we'll come every day until you've seen it all—if you three will pilot me around."

"You must be very rich, John Holt," said Meg. She had found out that it was his whim to want her to call him so.

"I have plenty of money,' he said, "if that's being rich. Oh! yes, I've got money enough. I've more land than Aunt Matilda."

And then it was that suddenly Robin remembered something. "I believe," he said, "that I've heard Aunt Matilda speak about you to Jones. I seem to remember your name. You have the biggest farm in Illinois, and you have houses and houses in town. Meg, don't you remember—when he got married, and everybody talked about how rich he was?"

And Meg did remember. She looked at him softly, and thought she knew why he had seemed gloomy, for she remembered that this rich and envied man's wife had had a little child and died suddenly. And she had even heard once that it had almost driven him mad, because he had been fond of her.

"Are you—that one?" she said.

"Yes," he answered. "I'm the one who got married." And the cloud fell on his face again, and for a minute or so rested there. For he thought this thing which had happened to him was cruel and