Heyes' friends were gathered in a large conference room, talking together quietly as they waited for the board's decision. "We'd just better not have all done all that talkin' for nothin'," muttered Curry to nobody in particular. He looked uneasily at Cat, who was just starting to show her pregnancy.

"Heyes had just better not have worked for five years for nothing!" countered Cat.

Beth smiled nervously at her cousin-in-law to be, "He's a gambler, Heyes is, but he sure does hate to lose. This would be the loss of his life"

Jim came up behind the ladies and nodded. "He throws things when he loses at p-poker – I mean after he gets home – where nobody can see him. Hate to think what he'd do . . ." Jim was interrupted by a whoop from down the hall that might have been heard in Brooklyn. Kid Curry ran out the door to embrace his partner. Smiles broke out around the room.

"I take it that's good?" said Diana Hargrove dubiously, glancing at a jubilant Charlie Homer. "I don't have a lot of experience with cowboys or outlaws." There was laughter around the room as another whoop sounded from the hall.

Professor Homer was hot on Curry's heels. He was followed by a surging crowd of Columbia students, a lawyer, a sheriff, a doctor, and other folks from the Leutze clinic. Beth proceeded down the hall with more dignity but no less joy. Heyes shouted to the crowd of men gathering around him, "Stand back boys, let my gal through!" He took Beth in his arms and whirled her around him the air before kissing her soundly.

"Oh Heyes! Just look at it!" said Beth as she landed and realized what Heyes had in his arms along with her.

Beth took the bundle of gown, mortarboard, and hood from Heyes while he shook a long procession of hands. Tom was hopping up and down on his crutches with excitement. Polly squealed in glee and threw her arms around Beth.

Paul Huxtable gave Heyes a particularly broad smile, his blue eyes sparkling, "We sure have learned to trust you, Kansas! To trust you to be the best!"

Heyes grinned back, "Hey, you came through for me, Missouri! I wouldn't have made it without you. I wish I could ask everybody what they said, but I guess I'd better not."

NG fell quiet in the midst of the noisy Columbians. Heyes smiled at him. "Remember that first day we met, when I could hardly talk? What am I ever going to do without you?" He bear-hugged the only Columbia student he knew who was older than he was.

Heyes looked at Ev Carter, and then glanced over at the Kid. "Jed, did I ever tell you how this guy saved me before he even knew my name? Yeah, Ev throws a mean punch."

The Kid alone looked really puzzled. When he could get near his partner he asked. "What the heck is that blue thing Beth's got, Heyes?"

Heyes grinned and called Beth over so he could show his partner his regalia. "It's a masters gown, Jed. I'll wear it tomorrow. And here's the hat – they call it a mortarboard. And then there's this hood with the gold lining – that's the color for mathematics."

"What are they doin' to you, puttin' you in a gown like a lady, Heyes? Makin' fun?" Curry sounded thoroughly uncomfortable.

Heyes laughed. "Jed, it's an honor. Guys have been wearing gowns since the middle ages. In England they even wear them to classes. You've seen judges' robes – this is the same thing. It's not lady-like; it's just real, real old-fashioned. That blue is the Columbia school color - Columbia blue. I'll wear that color for the rest of my life – ties and things like that. You'll see, tomorrow. Everybody will wear the gowns from where they went to school."

"Oh." The Kid looked lost. Of course, he hadn't been to college at all. Except for the people gathered around Heyes in the hall, and the occasional doctor or lawyer or judge, he knew nobody who had attended college. It was pretty rare in those days.

Heyes explained, "It's like the star you're gonna wear when they make you sheriff. And it's sure gonna make me sweat, that star!"

Now Curry laughed. "Yeah, like that time in Texas when we was deputies?"

"Yeah, Jed. I put one foot wrong, and you're gonna haul me off to jail. Right?"

"You bet, Heyes. I'll be watchin' you. Everybody knows how dangerous professors are." Curry mockingly frowned at his partner.

Charlie Homer came up behind the pair. "Yeah, we're pretty intimidating, ain't we, Kid? Let's go celebrate. Round up those no-good school boys of yours, Heyes. Don't forget Jim. And those doctors. And we'd better bring Wilde along, too. Wish your friend Trevors was here. But anyhow, I'll stand everybody a beer at Rory's. Then we'll hit that good French place down the street – Beth and Cat and Polly can join up with us there. I made a reservation before – knew you'd make it, son."

Heyes blinked hard. "Thanks, Charlie. I just wish Marie could be here."

"She would have been very proud of you, Heyes. She knew you'd manage it," whispered Charlie.

Heyes found a quiet moment to talk to Dr. Leutze. "Doc, I can't tell you how grateful I am to you. I'd sure never have had a prayer for any kind of life, much less college degrees and teachings, without you. You saved me, sure and certain. You could have turned me into the law. Or refused to help me. And I'm still waiting to find out who paid for my care. Whoever it was, I sure owe the guy a lot!"

Leutze shook his former patient's hand. "Heyes, whatever we've done for you, you've paid us back in full by working so hard and doing so well. I can't tell you how proud of you I am!"

Heyes looked across the room to where Beth was talking avidly with Cat and Polly. Beth realized that Heyes was looking at her, so she went to his side as Charlie was rounding up men to go out drinking. She sounded resigned. "So I guess you're all going to go get drunk?"

"No, honey. Don't worry. Just a couple of rounds of beers and then dinner at Jacques'. I don't want a sore head tomorrow, and sure not the next day. Can you please take my gown and stuff back to your place first? I don't want to risk my regalia in a bar. Not after earning it for five years!"

Beth kissed him and took the big blue bundle into her arms. "Thanks, Heyes. You do understand why I worry?"

Heyes looked sadly at her. "A whole lot better than you do, sweetheart. I remember. Or I remember not remembering . . . not wanting to remember."

Beth put one arm around her man. "You don't have to talk about it, Heyes. I trust you. And now, thank goodness, I'm not the only one."

"Yes, ma'am! You have all the wedding stuff planned for Friday?"

"Yes, Heyes, Cat and I have it all worked out. Charlie set it up with the minister for 8:00 AM. Sorry – but trying to crowd into the church's schedule at the last minute like this, we can't be picky about times. Neither Cat nor I can wear white without feeling like a total hypocrite, so we'll just wear nice dresses. Mine will be blue – Columbia blue. I think Cat might wear blue, too – looks so nice with her eyes. And you and Jed don't need to wear black. Just nice suits."

Heyes looked concerned. "I just hope Cat didn't have to say anything . . . dangerous to the board – do you know?"

"She was fine, Heyes," said Beth comfortingly. "She told me the question of the posse never even came up."

"Whew!" breathed Heyes, "That's a relief. I was afraid to ask her."

The Columbia crowd and friends, minus Dr. Goldstein who had another commitment, surged into Rory's Place an hour later in high spirits. "Beer for everybody, Harry, on my tab!" shouted Charlie Homer.

"What's the big occasion, Charlie, you old skin flint?" asked Harry as he scrambled to fill that many glasses as fast as he could.

Charlie took a pull at his frothy glass. His voice dropped to a more private tone. "One of my top students finally got permission to graduate, despite earning his credits under one name and using another one now."

It wasn't hard for the bar tender to guess who Charlie was talking about. Heyes was standing next to his mentor at the bar and draining his glass with gusto. His Columbia pals and Dr. Leutze and Jim were clinking glasses with Heyes enthusiastically. "You mean Hannibal Heyes? I can overhear as well as the next man and these guys have talked a lot about how well he's done. It's pretty remarkable, isn't it? Having an outlaw be such a good student?"

"Remarkable, but not that strange, Harry. Why do you think the Devil's Hole gang did so well? They had a really brilliant leader. And his partner's not exactly slow, either." He pointed to the Kid, who was accepting as many salutes and handshakes as his partner.

There were few other patrons in the bar on a late Wednesday afternoon. There were only a couple of guys at the end of the bar who heard the conversation. They stared openly at the celebrities who had come among them. For once, Heyes and Curry paid them no mind. They no longer went in fear of strangers.

Polly and Beth got to the French restaurant first and had a quiet little talk as they waited for the others to arrive. "So you're going to be Mrs. Hannibal Heyes. Have you tried out your new signature?"

Beth grinned shyly. "Yes. It feels strange. I guess any new name would feel strange at this late date, but one that infamous is extra strange."

Polly touched her friend's hand. "But you're sure. I know you are. You wouldn't marry him if you weren't sure."

"Oh, I'm sure I want to marry him." And Beth did sound sure. "But people who are rude because of my new name - I'll just have to figure them out one at a time."

"Heyes doesn't have advice for you?" Polly asked.

"He does, but Mrs. is a lot different from Mr. You know how some women can be, Polly," said Beth. "You don't have to be that snooty to look down on an outlaw's wife."

Polly nodded. "Former outlaw! But yes, you'll have to watch your step. Being a professor's wife is going to be different, even without the professor's being Hannibal Heyes. Do you want to keep teaching?"

"I do, but I don't know where we'll be or if they'll be a job for Heyes. If we wind up out West, the jobs might be few and far between. And you know how hard it is for a woman to teach anything above grade school anywhere. After all Heyes' work, I'll give him first choice for sure. I'd break his heart to be supported by his wife and unable to work. And besides, we want children. So I'll have plenty to keep me busy."

Soon the men arrived from Rory's with beer on their breaths and in a celebratory mood. Only Charlie, missing having Marie at his side, was quiet.

Tom was sitting on the Kid's left. "So, Tom, my partner can really teach?"

Tom was still wide-eyed at having the famous gunman sitting right there. "He sure can, Mr. Curry. I don't know if I could have made it in college without him. I started awful young."

Curry laughed. At seventeen, Tom was still awful young as far as he was concerned. "He taught a lot of stuff to the Devil's Hole boys, but that's kinda' different. It's mighty strange thinking of Heyes as a professor." The Kid shook his head.

"It's not strange to me, Mr. Curry," said Tom. "It's strange to me to think of him leading a gang. In a classroom, he's right at home. I can hardly imagine him cracking open a safe or facing down a gunman."

"Guess it just depends on how you know him, don't it?" observed Curry. "He usually left facing down gunmen to me. And I left safe cracking to him. He's awful good at it."

On the Kid's right sat his fiancée. "Boy, this French food is good," observed Cat to Jed. "Looks like you agree – you're putting it away."

"So are you, little girl. French agrees with you and Jr., I guess."

"Jed! Not everybody knows," said Cat quietly. She looked around self-consciously. "I hope I'm not showing that much, for folks who don't know me."

"You just look beautiful to me, honey," said the Kid.

The companionable dinner broke up fairly early. Heyes and many others had preparations to make for the morning.

"Thanks so much for coming, everyone," said Heyes to his guests as he stood by the door. "I'm sure in your debt. Hope you can all come tomorrow morning!"

"We wouldn't miss it, Heyes," said Huxtable. "I can't wait to see what they give you."

Heyes was excited over the question. "Just so long as they give me my sheepskins, I won't have any gripes with what it says besides BA and MA."

After the Columbia boys were gone, Curry asked in a low voice, "What did Missouri mean, Heyes, about what they'll give you?"

Heyes was distracted by saying good-night to Jim, so Beth answered for him. "He's talking about Latin Honors. That's an honor the best undergraduate students get on top of their degree. The good ones get cum laude – with honor. The really good ones get magna cum laude – with great honor. And the really, really top students get far and away the rarest – summa cum laude – with highest honor. We know what Heyes has earned, but whether they'll actually dare to give it to him, being who he is, we won't know until tomorrow."

"Does it really matter that much?" asked Cat, holding Jed's hand.

Beth nodded seriously. "It can make a lot of difference in getting a job. If he got – it's bad luck to say it out loud – but if he got what he deserved it could make a big difference with schools looking to hire faculty."

"Good luck, Heyes!" said Curry, shaking his partner's hand yet again. "See you tomorrow morning! Got to get this lady back to the hotel. She's sleeping for two, you know!"

"Then go on and get a good night's sleep, you three!" replied Heyes, "Sorry all this seems to happen in the early morning. Especially the wedding. I can't wait to just sleep in and stop worrying."

Heyes and Beth walked hand in hand back to Beth's place. Heyes was unaccustomedly quiet as they traversed the crowded sidewalks on the warm summer evening. Beth looked at her fiancé in concern. She thought she had a good idea of what was bothering him.

Finally Heyes spoke quietly as they got near Beth's building. "Beth, honey, do you think I really know enough? Am I really ready to teach? Huxtable comes from a family of professors. I come from nothing, or worse than nothing."

The couple stopped under a street light near Beth's building. "Heyes! I couldn't blame your parents for being hurt if they heard you say that."

"Sorry, but while they were good folks, but they didn't have much education. I disgraced the whole family anyhow. I've turned around so late, I've had to learn a lot in a hurry. When I have students depending on me, I just hope I know enough."

Beth sighed. "Heyes, come on. You know that grad school is just about learning how to learn. I can guarantee you that you don't know everything you'll need – but you know how to find out. And how to use what you learn. Remember how you pushed me when you were a student? I kept taking extra classes and it still wasn't enough. You know how many college professors I had to bring in to deal with you even before you got to college? When your students push you, you'll figure it out. And you'll be better for the next students. But you know all this, Heyes. How many times have you heard Charlie say it?"

Heyes leaned down to kiss Beth on the cheek. "Yeah, but I like to hear you say it. Why do you think I'm marrying you?"

"I hope it's for more than that, Heyes," said Beth playfully.

"You'd better believe it." Heyes pulled Beth close to him and tilted her chin up to kiss her.

"Honey, careful out here on the street," whispered Beth as their lips parted.

"What I don't get," said Heyes, "is why you're marrying me. You're taking on a lot of trouble and you know it."

Beth chuckled. "Life sure is more interesting with you around, Mr. Heyes. I've gotten used to all the excitement. And besides . . ." She snuck a hand up the back of Heyes' neck. He accepted the invitation, but was careful not to go too far.

Finally, Beth climbed the stairs to her building. Soon she came back with a canvas bag full of Heyes' commencement regalia.

"You're going to look so handsome in it, Heyes," said Beth.

"Aw, honey. You'll sure look fetching in your gown," said Heyes. "Good-night. Just think: tomorrow night will be the last time we have to do this. After that, we'll be saying good-night in private."

"Hm," Beth replied in wordless delight as they kissed good-night.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Curry sat next to Heyes in the front row of seats in the large lecture hall where Heyes' friends were gathering for the graduation on Thursday morning. Only Beth, in her blue gown, and Cat were there yet. Even Charlie Homer hadn't arrived. Heyes was taking no chances on being late.

The Kid sat very quietly, staring into space. There was nothing to see or do yet.

Heyes fidgeted in his blue gown and his hood lined with gold velvet. He hadn't put the mortarboard on yet. "Everybody keeps talkin' about me, K . . . Jed. What about you? Got to be exciting, all the stuff you and Cat are looking forward to."

"Yeah, I guess." Curry sounded distracted.

"You're gonna be a father!" said Heyes quietly but with enthusiasm. He wanted that so much for himself.

Curry muttered, "I can't stop thinkin' - what's it gonna be like to be Kid Curry's son? Will they be gunnin' for him soon as he can hold a gun? Or if it's a girl – will all the guys stay away from Kid Curry's daughter? I keep hopin' folks'll forget about us, but with that book out there and stuff in the papers, it keeps not happenin'. You keep sayin' guys won't aways wear guns, but I still see a lot of 'em in Louisville and Boulder."

"Guess it'll happen slowly, both ways, Jed. One day maybe they'll know you more as a sheriff and a hotel owner than a gunman."

"Ha!" Curry was not convinced. "And don't tell me you ain't worrin' about what it'll be like to be your son or daughter."

"Guess you're right, Jed. I am."

Charlie Homer came in dressed in a magnificent velvet-trimmed red gown and a black velvet tam. Cat gasped and took Jed's hand. "Wow! He looks like a lord or something!" The Kid agreed.

Heyes got up to have a quiet talk with Charlie. As they spoke, Ev Carter, Paul Huxtable, and Neal George came in in their BA gowns, with Matthias Peale along in his MA gown. Heyes went over to greet them.
"Gosh, Matthias, I'm sure glad you could make it back from Montana! That means a lot to me."

"Hey, I wasn't gonna' miss this, or the wedding. After all, you and Beth were nice enough to invite me, Heyes!" exclaimed Peale, shaking his thesis partner's hand.

Heyes grinned. "I'm just sorry we didn't get to graduate together like we should have, Peale. After all our work togethe, it was too bad I couldn't be with you for it."

"Don't worry about me, Heyes," said Peale. "We were all sorry you had to be in jail at the time. I'm just glad we're both here now."

Now the other professors, the deans, and the president were arriving. They gathered on a little dais at the front of the lecture hall. In the audience, Dr. Leutze and Dr. Goldstein came in good suits, not their gowns. Polly was in a pretty blue dress. She sat next to the very excited Jim. Tom sat next to Huxtable, the next youngest Columbia student there.

Jed Curry craned from his seat to look around the big room. "Golly, Cat! Look at all those pretty gowns! Charlie's sure is something – all that red and black! Heyes said he went to Harvard. And there's Matthias Peale all in blue – good he could get back for this. Look at Ev, and Neal, and Missouri in their robes. They're that Columbia blue Heyes told me about, too, but those are different from Heyes' and Beth's and Peale's. Don't have that hood thing Heyes showed me. I wonder why?"

Cat shrugged. "I don't know, Jed. It's all new to me."

Beth leaned over and spoke quietly to her friends. "Ev, Neal, and Paul just have BAs, not their MAs yet. Only MA and PhD graduates get hoods. You know Heyes started out a year behind his friends and now he's ahead of them? He sure has worked hard, your partner!"

Curry smiled proudly. "Yeah. Used to be, he never worked hard at nothin' but job plannin' and safe crackin' and poker. Now look at him!" Heyes was standing near the dais, clad in his soft blue gown and mortarboard, with a gold-lined hood down his back. He stood very straight in the unaccustomed regalia. "He looks mighty funny dressed up like that."

Beth disagreed. "I think he looks heroic."

Charlie Homer, Diana Hargrove, and the two deans stood to the right of the dais in their lavish PhD gowns. Finally, the president, garbed in his black velvet gown, went to the podium in the middle of the dais. He spoke loudly, "Ladies and gentlemen. May I have your attention? We had better get started. Mr. Heyes has waited way more than enough for this, hasn't he?" There was laughter around the hall. Then all fell silent. The president continued. "Welcome everyone. I'm very sorry that this ceremony couldn't have been held at the same time that the other students graduated. Mr. Heyes has certainly earned the respect of his classmates and I wish they could all be here to honor him. I will not make a long speech about this remarkable student, who has made his way from the West to the East, from ignorance to knowledge, from dishonesty to honor. He has been one of the finest students at this institution by any measure. We are proud to present to him the diplomas he has earned for both his bachelor of arts and his master of arts. Mr. Heyes, please come and get your sheepskins."

Heyes, in his full regalia with his mortarboard and tassel in place, climbed the three steps of the dais slowly. He held his head high and his eyes were shining with triumph, but he kept his face solemn. Heyes shook the president's hand and accepted the two rolls of parchment from him with quiet dignity. Heyes put the parchment rolls under his left arm while he shook hands with Charlie Homer and the deans. "Charlie, thank you!" said Heyes with feeling.

Heyes' young friends whooped from the seats and applause filled the room. The President held up his hand to quiet them. "Miss Warren, will you please give us a hand here?"

Beth stood, mystified, and climbed the dais. The president handed her something some made of gold silk. Beth shook out what proved to be a long strip of silk in her right hand. Her left hand went to her mouth to suppress a startled gasp as she saw the three letters on the honor stole. It said "S.C.L."

"Well, put it on him, please, Miss Warren" said the president with a smile.

Beth went to stand behind Heyes, where she reached up to put the wide strip of golden silk around his shoulders. She restrained herself from hugging her fiancé. Heyes looked down at the stole and couldn't keep a grin off of his face as he looked back up at the crowd of his cheering friends.

"Yes," said the president, "unless he decides to append a PhD in future, as we hope he will, the graduate before us will forever bear after his name the initials B.A., S.C.L., M.A."

"On my God! He got the summa! He got the summa!" cried Paul Huxtable, leaping to his feet. Immediately, all of the Columbians were on their feet clapping and yelling.

Heyes went to descend the dais. The president held up his hand again to quiet the crowd. "Stay up here, Mr. Heyes. Ladies and gentlemen, we have one final ceremony to complete before you can go and celebrate. Mr. Curry, please come to the dais."

The Kid started to his feet. He looked in puzzlement at the president for some hint of what this was about. The president only smiled warmly. Curry stayed as serious as Heyes had as he went up the steps to the dais. A door behind the dais opened and through it came two men in suits. But they were also wearing stars. In came Sheriff Harvey Wilde and behind him, with his right arm in a sling, Sheriff Lom Trevors. Isabelle Trevors came behind her husband onto the dais, watching him cautiously to make sure he was alright. Obviously, the man had been badly injured and he wasn't entirely recovered.

"Lom!" cried Curry. "We've about gone crazy worryin' about you! Ain't we, Harvey?"

Lom chuckled and said in his gruff baritone, "Guess you were right to worry, Kid. I'm just out of the hospital in Cheyenne."

"What on earth happened, Lom?" asked Heyes, looking up and down his old friend.

Lom, smiling through a fading black eye, said, "Later, Heyes. Right now, we've got something to hand over to the Kid, here. Congratulations, but we couldn't let you have this day all to yourself."

"Mr. Curry," said Harvey Wilde. "If you will sign this paper on the podium, we can get started swearing you in as Sheriff of Louisville, Colorado. Or at least we can do as much as we can until we get you back to Colorado and the governor where they give you the oath and stuff."

Curry looked at his own parchment, then he took the pen proffered by the president and signed it. Lom stepped forward. "Curry, I'm goin' out of the Sheriff business. I know you've worked with Wilde all this time, but well, we . . . hm . . . kinda' thought you might like to have my star."

Curry looked back and forth between the two sheriffs he knew so well. "Thank you a whole bunch, Lom. I'd be honored to have it, if it wouldn't bother Wilde."

"I understand you've known Trevors a lot longer, Curry," said Wilde. "And besides, you guys wouldn't have amnesty without him."

"Um, Wilde, could you help us out here," said Trevors awkwardly. With his right arm incapacitated, he was unable to take off his own star and give it to his old friend.

"Sure, Lom," said Wilde. He unfastened the star from Lom Trevor's chest and pinned it on the proud Jed Curry, who stood as straight as any soldier.

"There you go, Curry," said Wilde. "Do you promise to uphold and defend the constitution of the United States and to be a good and faithful sheriff to the people of Louisville, Colorado?"

"I do," said Curry.

"Well, good," said Wilde. "The governor will make it all legal when you get home. Congratulations!" He shook Curry's hand. Heyes' friends were happy to stand and clap and shout again, this time for his partner.

"Sorry I can't shake your hand, Kid," said Trevors. "But congratulations! I know you'll do a damned good job."

"Thank you, Lom, and Harvey. I'll do my best. And thanks, Mr. President, for lettin' us do this with our friends lookin' on here at Columbia. I'm mighty proud to stand alongside of Heyes and you gentlemen," said Curry, shaking the president's hand.

"Congratulations, Jed!" said Heyes, taking his partner's hand enthusiastically. "It's sure gonna make me nervous to see that star on your chest! And gosh, we are glad to see you alive, Lom!"

Charlie Homer and the two deans both shook the hands of both Heyes and Curry. "Congratulations, Mr. Curry," said Dean Hager. "Good luck!"

Meanwhile, Heyes secured his mortarboard and embraced Beth. He said, "So, two MAs in the family. As of tomorrow, anyhow." The two MAs in their gleaming blue gowns shared a kiss right there on the dais.

Finally, Heyes and the Kid went down to shake hands among the seats in the lecture hall. Cat wiped tears from her eyes as she kissed her husband to be. "Oh Jed! You'd better be careful. Just look at Lom. It's a dangerous way to make a living."

"I know that. But it won't be for long, honey," said Curry. He turned to Trevors. "Alright Lom, what happened? We've been mighty anxious about you."

The smile vanished from Lom Trevor's mustached face. "We'll talk about it later, Kid. For now I'll just say, it was the Teasdale brothers."

"But they're . . ."

Trevors interrupted Curry. "Dead. I know. Aloysius and Grover are. But their younger brothers Jasper and Hamilton are alive and kicking. And they kick damn hard. Watch your backs, boys!"

The Kid and Heyes looked at each other. Each felt as if he had been kicked in the stomach.

An historical note: I have made two changes just to keep things recognizable and less confusing for twenty-first century people. At the time of these fictional events in June 1891, Columbia University was actually still known as Columbia College. And Columbia College MA graduates at that time wore black gowns with black velvet stripes and facings, not blue gowns as they wear now. Also, for the sake of simplicity in the text I have rendered the mix of silk and wool in the gowns as just silk.