"What does thee think of that, mother?"
"I think Emily converted thee over to her side before she had been here two days."
"Thee"s winked very hard at my apostasy, mother. I"m inclined to think thee was converted too, on the third or fourth day, if thee"d own up."
"No," said Mrs. Yocomb, with a smile at her favorite, "Emily won my heart on the first day, and I accepted piano and all."
"Why, Mrs. Yocomb!" I exclaimed--for I could not forego the chance to vindicate myself--"I never considered you a precipitate, ill-balanced person."
Miss Warren"s cheeks were scarlet, and I saw that she understood me well. I think Mrs. Yocomb guessed my meaning, too, for her smile was a little peculiar as she remarked demurely, "Women are different from men: they know almost immediately whether they like a person or not. I liked thee in half a day."
"You like sinners on principle, Mrs. Yocomb. I think it was my general depravity and heathenism that won your regard."
"No, as a woman I liked thee. Thee isn"t as bad as thee seems."
"Mr. Yocomb, I hope you don"t object to this, for I must a.s.sure you most emphatically that I don"t."
"Mother"s welcome to love thee all she pleases," said the old gentleman, laughing. "Indeed, I think I egg her on to it."
"Good friends," said Miss Warren, with her old mirthful look, "you"ll turn Mr. Morton"s head; you should be more considerate."
"I am indeed bewildered. Miss Warren"s keen eyes have detected my weak point."
"A man with so stout a heart," Mr. Hearn began, "could well afford--"
and then he hesitated.
"To be weak-headed," I said, finishing his sentence. "I fear you are mistaken, sir. I can"t afford it at all."
"Thee was clear-headed enough to get around mother in half an hour,"
said the old gentleman again, laughing heartily. "It took me several months."
"Thee was a little blind, father. I wasn"t going to let thee see how much I thought of thee till I had kept thee waiting a proper time."
"That"s rich!" I cried, and I laughed as I had not since my illness.
"How long is a proper time, Mrs. Yocomb? I remember being once told that a woman was a mystery that a man could never solve. I fear it"s true."
"Who told you that?" asked Mr. Hearn; for I think he noticed my swift glance at Miss Warren, who looked a little conscious.
"As I think of it, I may have read it in a newspaper," I said demurely.
"I"m not flattered by your poor memory, Mr. Morton," remarked Miss Warren quietly. "I told you that myself when you were so mystified by my fearlessness of Dapple and my fear of the cow."
"I"ve learned that my memory is sadly treacherous, Miss Warren."
"A man who is treacherous only in memory may well be taken as a model,"
remarked Mr. Hearn benignly.
"Would you say that of one who forgot to pay you his debts?"
"What do you owe me, Mr. Morton?"
"I"m sure I don"t know. Good-will, I suppose Mrs. Yocomb would suggest."
"Well, sir, I feel that I owe you a great deal; perhaps more than I realize, as I recall your promptness on that memorable night of the storm."
"I was prompt--I"ll admit that," I said grimly, looking at the ceiling.
"Mr. Yocomb, how long would it have taken the house to burn up if the fire had not been extinguished?" Mr. Hearn asked.
"The interior," replied Mr. Yocomb very gravely, "would all have been in flames in a very few moments, for it"s old and dry."
"Ugh!" exclaimed Adah, shudderingly. "Richard--"
I put my finger on my lips. "Miss Adah," I interrupted, "I"d rather be struck by lightning than hear any more about that night."
"Yes," said Miss Warren desperately, "I wish I could forget that night forever."
"I never wish to forget the expression on your face, Miss Warren, when we knew Zillah was alive. If that didn"t please G.o.d, nothing in this world ever did."
"Oh, hush!" she cried.
"Emily, I think you cannot have told me all that happened."
"I can"t think of it any more," she said; and her face was full of trouble. "I certainly don"t know, and have never thought how I looked."
"Mr. Morton seems to have been cool enough to have been very observant," said the banker keenly.
"I was wet enough to be cool, sir. Miss Warren said I was not fit to be seen, and the doctor bundled me out of the room, fearing I would frighten Zillah into hysterics. Hey, Zillah! what do you think of that?"
"I think the doctor was silly. I wouldn"t be afraid of thee any more than of Emily."
"Please let us talk and think of something else," Miss Warren pleaded.
"I don"t want to forget what I owe to Richard," said Reuben a little indignantly. I trod on his foot under the table. "Thee needn"t try to stop me, Richard Morton," continued the boy pa.s.sionately. "I couldn"t have got mother out alone, and I"d never left her. Where would we be, Emily Warren, if it hadn"t been for Richard?"
"In heaven," I said, laughing, for I was determined to prevent a scene.
"Well, I hope so," Reuben muttered; "but I don"t mind being in mother"s dining-room."
Even Mrs. Yocomb"s gravity gave way at this speech.
As we rose from the table, Zillah asked innocently:
"Emily, is thee crying or laughing?"
"I hardly know myself," she faltered, and went hastily to her room; but she soon came down again, looking very resolute.
"Emily," said Mr. Yocomb, "since thee and mother doesn"t think music"s wicked, I have a wonderful desire to hear thee sing again, "Tell me the Old, Old Story," as thee did on the night of the storm."