Tim's
minutes are long, for the last light in the village is out now. I went
to the gate and stood there till I caught the sound of foot-falls.
Then I whistled softly. There was no reply, but in a moment Perry
Thomas stepped into the light of our window.
"Good-evening," he said cheerfully. "It's rather chilly to be
swinging on the gate."
"I was waiting for Tim," I answered.
Perry gave a little dry cackle. "Let's go in," he said. "It's too
cold out here to discuss these great events."
I did not know what he meant, neither did I much care, for Perry always
treated the most trivial affairs in the most elegant language he knew.
But now that he stood there with his back to the fire, warming his
hands, he made himself more clear.
"Well, Mark," he said, "I congratulate you most heartily."
I divined his meaning. It did not seem odd that he had learned my
secret, for I was lost in admiration of his having once weighed an
event at its proper value. So I thanked him and returned to my chair
and my pipe.
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