"The most wonderful thing right now," he said, "is that you are going to be—my friend."
She responded radiantly. "It will be lovely to have a—big brother."
"It will be lovelier to have—a little sister."
He held out his hand to her, and she took it, laughing lightly. And just then the smiling groom came to say that the gentleman's car was at the door.
The rain had stopped, but storm signals still showed in the south where the heavy clouds hung over the horizon. Overhead the sun shone, making kaleidoscope effects of the spring flowers in the checkered beds. Against the gray wall of the terraced garden the peach trees had been trained in foreign fashion and were full of rosy bloom.
Bettina, coming out of the darkened stable, opened her eyes wide.
"What a different world it seems," she said, "from the one we left in the storm."
Justin helped her into the car. "We'll reach home before the next storm breaks," he remarked, as he took his seat beside her, "but there's trouble ahead."
To him the words held no sinister meaning, nor to Bettina. In their hearts was no fear of the future, nor of the storms which might some day wreck their happiness.