“Now that Paul and Sara will have reached the Casa di Corleone,” she said, “and Alan and Aurora are cooing together, and Jasper and Bridget have found happiness, I wonder what is going to become of you and Dan and Michael.”
“You want to wind us up tidily, too,” said Barnabas, smiling.
“I was just wondering,” she said.
“Well,” said Barnabas, “Michael has his music and his drawing, and, at last, an ideal which will be his throughout his life. Dan will always be what he is now—big, silent, making harmless love to all women (he has been flirting disgracefully with Bridget, and Jasper has been quite refreshingly jealous), and always he will be a staunch friend of those who need him. And I, for the next few years, will turn my whole attention to your candidates for the School of a Wonderful Chance, and later——” he stopped.
“And later?” asked Aunt Olive.
“And later,” said Barnabas, “I hope to ask you for Pippa.”
And through the half-open window the little faun heard the words. And under the stars he piped a tune of the fairy tale of life, a tune of love and laughter, whose notes reached the soul of the sculptor who had fashioned him, and hearing the music he was glad.
Transcriber’s Note:
Minor changes have been made to correct typesetter errors and to regularize hyphenation; variant spellings have been retained.