He looked into his own heart and read there what life had written for him . As he told me long afterwards , it came to him with a shock that left him white-lipped . But he was a brave , sensible fellow and he looked the matter squarely in the face . First of all , he put away to one side all that the world might say ; the thing concerned solely him and Marcella , and the world had nothing to do with it . That disposed of , he asked himself soberly if he had a right to try to win Marcella 's love . He decided that he had not ; it would be taking an unfair advantage of her youth and inexperience . He knew that she must soon go to her father 's people -- she must not go bound by any ties of his making . Doctor John , for Marcella 's sake , gave the decision against his own heart . So much did Doctor John tell me , his old friend and confidant . I said nothing and gave no advice , not having lived seventy-five years for nothing . I knew that Doctor John 's decision was manly and right and fair ; but I also knew it was all nullified by the fact that Marcella already loved him . So much I knew ; the rest I was left to suppose . The Doctor and Marcella told me much , but there were some things too sacred to be told , even to me . So that to this day I do n't know how the doctor found out that Marcella loved him . All I know is that one day , just a month before her sixteenth birthday , the two came hand in hand to Miss Sara and me , as we sat on Miss Sara 's veranda in the twilight , and told us simply that they had plighted their troth to each other . I looked at them standing there with that wonderful sunrise of life and love on their faces -- the doctor , tall and serious , with a sprinkle of silver in his brown hair and the smile of a happy man on his lips -- Marcella , such a slip of a girl , with her black hair in a long braid and her lovely face all dewed over with tears and sunned over with smiles -- I , an old woman , looked at them and thanked the good God for them and their delight . Miss Sara laughed and cried and kissed -- and forboded what the Barrys would do . Her forebodings proved only too true . When the doctor wrote to Richard Barry , Marcella 's guardian , asking his consent to their engagement , Richard Barry promptly made trouble -- the very worst kind of trouble . He descended on Bridgeport and completely overwhelmed poor Miss Sara in his wrath .
He laughed at the idea XXXXX countenancing an engagement between a child like Marcella and an obscure country doctor .
As at by for if in of that to with