restrained him.
"Yes," said Petheridge Jukesbury; "dear me, yes. Why, dear me, of
course."
But his warning hand held Margaret back--Margaret, who stood with big
tears trickling down her cheeks.
"Dearer than life itself," Billy assented, wearily, "but before God,
loving you as I do, I wouldn't marry you now for all the wealth in the
world. I forget why, but all the world is a stage, you know, and they
don't use stages now, but only railroads. Is that why you rail at me
so, Peggy? That is a joke. You ought to laugh at my jokes, because I