Chapter 27

Barbara Lee walked away with him.

"Well, I never----" declared Gyp, disgusted. Then, in the stress of saying good-by to some of her schoolmates, she forgot Uncle Johnny and Barbara Lee.

John Westley had felt that the library would be quite deserted. Standing in the embrasure of the window through which the June light streamed, he told Barbara Lee in awkward, earnest words all that was in his heart. There was a humility in his voice, as he offered her his love, that brought a tender smile to the corners of her lips.

"I wanted you to know," he finished, simply. "I don't suppose--what I can offer--can find any place in your heart alongside of your splendid dreams--but, I wanted you to know that you have----"

"There's more than _one_ way to the stars----" she interrupted, lifting glowing eyes to his.

Gyp had said good-by to everyone she could lay a finger on. Then she remembered Uncle Johnny.

"Do you s'pose they're in the library _yet_?"

She and Jerry tiptoed along the corridor and peeped in the door. To their embarrassed amazement Uncle Johnny and Barbara Lee were standing looking out of the window--with their hands clasped.

Gyp coughed--a cough that was really a funny sputter.

"Did--did you find your book, Uncle Johnny?"

Uncle Johnny turned--without a blush.

"_Hello_, Gyp!" (As though he'd never seen her before!) "I didn't find the book--because I wasn't really after a book. But I _did_ find what I wanted. What would you say, Gyp and Jerry, if I told you that your Barbara Lee is _not_ going away?"