care a bit now whether I'm Mary or Marie. But, then, nobody else does,
either. In fact, both of them call me the whole name now, Mary Marie.
I don't think they ever _said_ they would. They just began to do it.
That's all.

Of course, anybody can see why: _now_ each one is calling me the other
one's name along with their own. That is, Mother is calling me Mary
along with her pet Marie, and Father is calling me Marie along with
his pet Mary.

Funny, isn't it?

But one thing is sure, anyway. How about this being a love story
_now_? Oh, I'm so excited!




CHAPTER IX

WHICH IS THE TEST


ANDERSONVILLE. _Twelve years later_.

_Twelve years_--yes. And I'm twenty-eight years old. Pretty old,
little Mary Marie of the long ago would think. And, well, perhaps
to-day I feel just as old as she would put it.

I came up into the attic this morning to pack away some things I shall