CHAPTER XXXII. PETE TO THE RESCUE

 One by one the weeks passed and became a month. Then other weeks became other months. It was July when Billy, homesick and weary, came back to Hillside with Aunt Hannah.

 

Home looked wonderfully good to Billy, in spite of the fact that she had so dreaded¹ to see it. Billy had made up her mind, however, that, come sometime she must. She could not, of course, stay always away. Perhaps, too, it would be just as easy at home as it was away. Certainly it could not be any harder. She was convinced of that. Besides, she did not want Bertram to think—

 

Billy had received only meagre news from Boston since she went away. Bertram had not written at all. William had written twice—hurt, grieved, puzzled, questioning letters that were very hard to answer. From Marie, too, had come letters of much the same sort. By far the cheeriest epistles had come from Alice Greggory. They contained, indeed, about the only comfort Billy had known for weeks, for they showed very plainly to Billy that Arkwright's heart had been caught on the rebound²; and that in Alice Greggory he was finding the sweetest sort of balm for his wounded feelings. From these letters Billy learned, too, that Judge Greggory's honor had been wholly vindicated³; and, as Billy told Aunt Hannah, “anybody could put two and two together and make four, now.”

 

It was eight o'clock on a rainy July evening that Billy and Aunt Hannah arrived at Hillside; and it was only a little past eight that Aunt Hannah was summoned to the telephone. When she came back to Billy she was crying and wringing⁵ her hands.

 

Billy sprang to her feet.

 

“Why, Aunt Hannah, what is it? What's the matter?” she demanded.

 

Aunt Hannah sank into a chair, still wringing her hands.

 

“Oh, Billy, Billy, how can I tell you, how can I tell you?” she moaned.

 

“You must tell me! Aunt Hannah, what is it?”

 

“Oh—oh—oh! Billy, I can't—I can't!”

 

“But you'll have to! What is it, Aunt Hannah?”

 

“It's—B-Bertram!”

 

“Bertram!” Billy's face grew ashen⁶. “Quick, quick—what do you mean?”

 

For answer, Aunt Hannah covered her face with her hands and began to sob⁷ aloud. Billy, almost beside herself now with terror and anxiety, dropped on her knees and tried to pull away the shaking hands.

 

“Aunt Hannah, you must tell me! You must—you must!”

 

“I can't, Billy. It's Bertram. He's—hurt!” choked Aunt Hannah, hysterically⁸.

 

“Hurt! How?”

 

“I don't know. Pete told me.”

 

“Pete!”

 

“Yes. Rosa had told him we were coming, and he called me up. He said maybe I could do something. So he told me.”

 

“Yes, yes! But told you what?”

 

“That he was hurt.”

 

“How?”

 

“I couldn't hear all, but I think 'twas an accident—automobile. And, Billy, Billy—Pete says it's his arm—his right arm—and that maybe he can't ever p-paint again!”

 

“Oh-h!” Billy fell back as if the words had been a blow. “Not that, Aunt Hannah—not that!”

 

“That's what Pete said. I couldn't get all of it, but I got that. And, Billy, he's been out of his head—though he isn't now, Pete says—and—and—and he's been calling for you.”

 

“For—me?” A swift change came to Billy's face.

 

“Yes. Over and over again he called for you—while he was crazy, you know. That's why Pete told me. He said he didn't rightly understand what the trouble was, but he didn't believe there was any trouble, really, between you two; anyway, that you wouldn't think there was, if you could hear him, and know how he wanted you, and—why, Billy!”

 

Billy was on her feet now. Her fingers were on the electric push-button that would summon Rosa. Her face was illumined. The next moment Rosa appeared.

 

“Tell John to bring Peggy to the door at once, please,” directed her mistress.

 

“Billy!” gasped⁹ Aunt Hannah again, as the maid disappeared. Billy was tremblingly putting on the hat she had but just taken off. “Billy, what are you going to do?”

 

Billy turned in obvious surprise.

 

“Why, I'm going to Bertram, of course.”

 

“To Bertram! But it's nearly half-past eight, child, and it rains, and everything!”

 

“But Bertram wants me!” exclaimed Billy. “As if I'd mind rain, or time, or anything else, now!”

 

“But—but—oh, my grief and conscience!” groaned¹⁰ Aunt Hannah, beginning to wring⁴ her hands again.

 

Billy reached for her coat. Aunt Hannah stirred into sudden action.

 

“But, Billy, if you'd only wait till to-morrow,” she quavered, putting out a feebly restraining hand.

 

“To-morrow!” The young voice rang with supreme¹¹ scorn. “Do you think I'd wait till to-morrow—after all this? I say Bertram wants me.” Billy picked up her gloves.

 

“But you broke it off, dear—you said you did; and to go down there to-night—like this—”

 

Billy lifted her head. Her eyes shone. Her whole face was a glory of love and pride.

 

“That was before. I didn't know. He wants me, Aunt Hannah. Did you hear? He wants me! And now I won't even—hinder him, if he can't—p-paint again!” Billy's voice broke. The glory left her face. Her eyes brimmed with tears, but her head was still bravely uplifted. “I'm going to Bertram!”

 

Blindly Aunt Hannah got to her feet. Still more blindly she reached for her bonnet¹² and cloak on the chair near her.

 

“Oh, will you go, too?” asked Billy, abstractedly, hurrying to the window to look for the motor car.

 

“Will I go, too!” burst out Aunt Hannah's indignant voice. “Do you think I'd let you go alone, and at this time of night, on such a wild-goose chase as this?”

 

“I don't know, I'm sure,” murmured Billy, still abstractedly, peering out into the rain.

 

“Don't know, indeed! Oh, my grief and conscience!” groaned Aunt Hannah, setting her bonnet hopelessly askew¹³ on top of her agitated¹⁴ head.

 

But Billy did not even answer now. Her face was pressed hard against the window-pane.

1 dreaded   

adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The dreaded moment had finally arrived. 可怕的时刻终于来到了。
• He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital. 他害怕非得在医院过圣诞节不可。 来自《用法词典》

2 rebound   

v.弹回；n.弹回，跳回

参考例句：

• The vibrations accompanying the rebound are the earth quake.伴随这种回弹的振动就是地震。
• Our evil example will rebound upon ourselves.我们的坏榜样会回到我们自己头上的。

3 vindicated   

v.澄清（某人/某事物）受到的责难或嫌疑( vindicate的过去式和过去分词 )；表明或证明（所争辩的事物）属实、正当、有效等；维护

参考例句：

• I have every confidence that this decision will be fully vindicated. 我完全相信这一决定的正确性将得到充分证明。
• Subsequent events vindicated the policy. 后来的事实证明那政策是对的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 wring   

n.扭绞；v.拧，绞出，扭

参考例句：

• My socks were so wet that I had to wring them.我的袜子很湿，我不得不拧干它们。
• I'll wring your neck if you don't behave!你要是不规矩，我就拧断你的脖子。

5 wringing   

淋湿的，湿透的

参考例句：

• He was wringing wet after working in the field in the hot sun. 烈日下在田里干活使他汗流满面。
• He is wringing out the water from his swimming trunks. 他正在把游泳裤中的水绞出来。

6 ashen   

adj.灰的

参考例句：

• His face was ashen and wet with sweat.他面如土色，汗如雨下。
• Her ashen face showed how much the news had shocked her.她灰白的脸显示出那消息使她多么震惊。

7 sob   

n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣

参考例句：

• The child started to sob when he couldn't find his mother.孩子因找不到他妈妈哭了起来。
• The girl didn't answer,but continued to sob with her head on the table.那个女孩不回答，也不抬起头来。她只顾低声哭着。

8 hysterically   

ad. 歇斯底里地

参考例句：

• The children giggled hysterically. 孩子们歇斯底里地傻笑。
• She sobbed hysterically, and her thin body was shaken. 她歇斯底里地抽泣着，她瘦弱的身体哭得直颤抖。

9 gasped   

v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要

参考例句：

• She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
• People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 groaned   

v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦

参考例句：

• He groaned in anguish. 他痛苦地呻吟。
• The cart groaned under the weight of the piano. 大车在钢琴的重压下嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

12 bonnet   

n.无边女帽；童帽

参考例句：

• The baby's bonnet keeps the sun out of her eyes.婴孩的帽子遮住阳光，使之不刺眼。
• She wore a faded black bonnet garnished with faded artificial flowers.她戴着一顶褪了色的黑色无边帽，帽上缀着褪了色的假花。

13 askew   

adv.斜地；adj.歪斜的

参考例句：

• His glasses had been knocked askew by the blow.他的眼镜一下子被打歪了。
• Her hat was slightly askew.她的帽子戴得有点斜。

14 agitated   

adj.被鼓动的，不安的

参考例句：

• His answers were all mixed up,so agitated was he.他是那样心神不定，回答全乱了。
• She was agitated because her train was an hour late.她乘坐的火车晚点一个小时，她十分焦虑。