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 was coming,—and here I was sitting and waiting for her, and my collar was choking, and I was screwing my neck in it!—when suddenly I heard Bess come rushing through the hedge and across the lawn. As she came around the house and onto the walk, I saw that her arms were flying and her eyes shining just as they always do when something big is in the air, and she was catching her breath and chuckling away down inside, and calling,—"Chet, Chet!" in a funny little excited way, as if her voice wasn't working right,—and her mouth and eyes were all alive with smiles.

"O Chet, Chet, !" she cried, rushing up the steps and flopping down into the hammock beside me and grabbing my arm.

"Well," I said, "it seems to please you some!"

"Oh, it does,—it does! What do you think—and everybody thought we knew,—and we never even guessed!"

"W-e-l-l,—go on," I said.

"Why, don't you see, Chet,—Father just told me,—he's going away on a long trip,—to