Of course Andrew took the money. He and Aunt Addie designed a house on the outskirts of town. A new, shiny, charmless house. With too many windows.
Emily and Teddy left Evensong to Dean and Little Elizabeth. He had given them the house in the first place. They would use it to visit as soon as Elizabeth was well enough to travel. For--Little Elizabeth and Dean had a little daughter while they were traveling in Italy. Her name was Bella, which meant beautiful. Dean wrote that she lived up to her name.
In the summer , Dr. Burnley died. Ilse andPerry moved into his old house, and the girls ran over to see each other every day.
"It's strange to have the old folks gone," Ilse remarked one dreamy afternoon, when the light over the fields was so golden it was almost a tangible thing. "We're the next in line to go, aren't we, Emily? It means we're the grownups now. Funny, isn't it? I don't feel any different--I feel just like the little ragamuffin kid I always was." Ilse kissed the sleeping child sprawled in her arms--it was Allan, her and Perry's small son. He was lovely and handsome and perfectly healthy, and Ilse and Perry would produce a sister for him after Christmas.
Emily waved Ilse and Allan off from the porch of New Moon. From the porch she could hear Douglas and Juliet babbling nonsense, and Cousin Jimmy answering them as seriously as if they were talking of the politics of the state. He was so good! How could people call him simple? Aunt Laura was singing in the kitchen while she cooked, and good smells filled the old house. Soon Teddy would be home from work--with the rest of the money from the film, they'd opened a small gallery in town.
It had been very popular, the film, winning all sorts of awards. It was considered very avant garde for its time. Emily had had a letter from Sara Stanley, who played the lead in the Hollywood production of Lost Charlotte.
"It was the most thrilling experience of my life," she wrote--Sara Stanley, the great star, wrote that to Emily! "And as a consequence I've named my youngest daughter Charlotte Felicity King. I'm traveling in Europe now, but I do hope that when we return to the Island next year we may visit you--my husband Beverly, my girls Charlotte and Rachel and I. Promise, dear Emily, that you won't tell the etiquette columns that we invited ourselves?"
Life was full of so many wonderful things--little things--big things. Emily sighed and looked out over the bush, and the fields, she heard laughter and song--she felt love for everyone, and she felt loved by them. The world for her, was filled with so much beauty that it almost hurt.
Through the trees Teddy came, whistling. Emily ran to him.
Before she caught up she turned to look back at New Moon. Cousin Jimmy chased the twins out on the verandah and Aunt Laura came outside waving. Teddy caught her up in his arms and swung her around as the sun made the first part of its journey into twilight. Oh, this was the Alpine Path--this was her greatest success. This home, and family, and children, and friends. And a few good, whimsical books written to make people feel good about life. Yes, this was very top. Emily smiled. She'd been there, all along.