VALLEY

226 RAINBOW VALLEYEllen bent forward and looked searchingly intoRosemary's eyes."Will you promise me that solemnly?""Promise it on mother's Bible."Rosemary assented at once, quite willingshe said.to humorEllen. What did it matter? She knew quite well shewould never want to marry any one. Her love hadgone down with Martin Crawford to the deeps of thesea; and without love she could not marry any one.So she promised readily, though Ellen made rather afearsome rite of it.They clasped hands over the Bible,in their mother's vacant room, and both vowed to eachother that they would never marry and would alwayslive together.Ellen's condition improvedfrom that hour. Shesoon regained her normal cheery poise. For ten yearsshe and Rosemary lived in the old house happily, undisturbedby any thought of marrying or giving inmarriage. Their promise sat very lightly on them.Ellen never failed to remind her sister of it wheneverany eligible male creature crossed their paths, but shehad never been really alarmed until John Meredithcame home that night with Rosemary. As for Rosemary,Ellen's obsession regarding that promise hadalways been a little matter of mirth to her until lately.but neverNow, it was a merciless fetter, self-imposedto be shaken off. Because of it to-night she must turnher face from happiness.It was true that the shy, sweet, rosebud love she