One night, or rather one morning, for it was nearly two o"clock, he was awakened by a series of violent shakes, and opened his eyes to find his wife bending over him. She had been out, attending a special meeting of the Chapter, and had hastened upstairs without stopping to take off her wraps.
"Daniel, Daniel, wake up!" she cried.
The captain groaned. "Hey! what is it?" he asked sleepily. Then, with a little more interest, "Is the house afire?"
"No, no, but do wake up and listen. I"ve had the greatest honor done me.
You will hardly believe it. The delegates to the Atterbury Convention were elected to-night. Annette Black is one--I just KNEW she"d win--and Mrs. Lake is another, and who do you suppose is the third?"
Captain Dan sat up in bed. "Not you?" he shouted.
"Yes, I. And, more than that, I was the one selected to read a paper there. Annette expected to do that, but, when it came to the vote, my last paper, the one I read Thursday night, the one Cousin Percy helped me so in preparing, was selected over all the rest. The vote was nearly two to one. I am to read it on the second day of the Convention. Isn"t it wonderful! Annette was so jealous she hardly said good-night to me.
But I don"t care. There, Daniel Dott! aren"t you proud of your wife?"
There was a little hesitation in her husband"s manner, and yet he tried his best to be enthusiastic. "Oh, yes," he said, "but then I was proud of you before, Serena. But--but what does this mean? Have you and I got to traipse way over to Atterbury?"
"Not you. You"re not going. None of the men are. This is a women"s convention. Men are not invited."
"I know. But I"ve got to go there with you. You ain"t goin" off travelin" by yourself."
"I"m going with the other Chapter delegates; we will travel together."
"I want to know! How long are you goin" to be gone?"
"I"m not sure. Three or four days probably."
"And I"ve got to stay here alone?"
"Why, you won"t be alone. Cousin Percy will be here, and there"s Azuba."
"Yes, and that everlastin" Hapgood, I suppose. Say, Serena, have you GOT to go?"
"Got to? Why, I WANT to! It"s an honor. Don"t you want me to go?"
"Why--why, I suppose I do; but--but--"
"But, what? Oh, you DON"T want me to go! I can see--and I thought you"d be so glad!"
She was almost in tears. Daniel"s sensitive conscience smote him once more. "Land sakes!" he protested. "Of course I want you to go, Serena! I wouldn"t have you do anything else for the world. I--I was just kind of lonesome, that"s all. I get that way sometimes, lately. Seems as if you and I don"t see as much of each other as we used to. Do you think it"s all worth while?"
"Worth while! Why, Daniel Dott!"
"There, there! don"t take on. I guess it is. I suppose you know best about such things. But I get kind of blue settin" around here thinkin", without you to talk to; and Gertie isn"t here. You see, I miss you both."
"Yes, I suppose you do. Well, after this convention is over I shall have a little more time, I hope. And Gertie will be home pretty soon. It"s almost time for her Christmas vacation."
"Yes, I know it is. I was thinkin" that to-day. My! we"ll be glad to see her, won"t we?"
"Of course we will. But, do you know, Daniel, I"ve been so busy that I almost forgot about Christmas and Gertie"s vacation and everything. It was Cousin Percy that reminded me of it."
"Reminded you of what?--of Christmas?"
"No, of course not--of Gertie"s vacation. He said that she was coming and that he should be glad to make her acquaintance."
"HE said so? How did he know? _I_ never told him."
"I don"t remember that I did, either. But I suppose I must have. Anyhow, he knew. He is very much interested in Gertie and how she was getting on at college and all that. I saw him looking at her photograph that very day of the reception. He knew that it was she, without being told."
"Humph! He seems to know a lot. But, there! I recollect now--Gertie said she met him at college. Well, Serena, I won"t complain any more. You can go to Atterbury if you want to. I"ll get along all right."
And to Atterbury Mrs. Dott went. It was the first time since the old sea-going days that Captain Dan and his wife had been separated longer than twenty-four hours. He saw her off on the train and then moped drearily back to Aunt Lavinia"s mansion, which he was now beginning to hate, and, seating himself in the library, tried to find interest in a novel. He did not find it, however, and went to bed early. Cousin Percy, who was out that evening, did not retire early. Next morning he seemed to have little appet.i.te for breakfast, and was less agreeable than usual.
The three days pa.s.sed somehow. The wanderer was to return on Thursday morning, but she did not. Instead came a telegram, reading as follows:
"Meeting and paper great success. Send immediately one of my latest photographs. Serena."
The puzzled Daniel sent the photograph preceded by a telegram of his own which read:
"When are you coming home? Why don"t you write? Have been worried about you. Answer."
The answer was delayed still another day. When it came, it was in the shape of a very short note stating that Sat.u.r.day was the date of return.
Serena wrote that she was having a lovely time. She would tell him all about it when she got back. "And," she added, "I am sending you by this mail copies of the Atterbury paper. Please show it to any of the Chapter members whom you may meet."
Captain Dan unfolded the paper and gazed at the page marked with blue pencil. Here, under black headlines, which screamed the success of the convention of the Ladies of Honor, was a horrible blotted outrage resembling a stout negress peering through a screen door and labeled, "Mrs. Serena Sarah Dott, of Scarford, whose brilliant paper scored the success of the meeting." It was only by a process of deduction that Daniel realized the thing to be a reproduction of the photograph he had sent. He glanced hurriedly over the account of the meeting, catching here and there phrases like "Mrs. Dott"s forte is evidently platform speaking"--"clear thought, well expressed"--"tumultuous applause." He felt that he ought to read the account from beginning to end, but also that he could not. Azuba, however, when it was shown to her, had no such feeling. She bore it to the kitchen, read it all, and returned to crow vaingloriously.
"Well, there now, Captain Daniel!" she exclaimed. "Ain"t it wonderful!
Ain"t it grand! Ain"t you a lucky man to have a wife as notorious as she"s gettin" to be! I swan to man, if it ain"t--"
The captain interrupted her. "Azuba," he said, rather testily for him, "if you use that word again I don"t know as I won"t make you eat a dictionary. My wife may be famous and she may be a platform speaker, but I"m blessed if I"ll have her notorious, not if I can help it."
"But she is notorious, ain"t she? Look at her right there in the newspaper, with all that piece about her in print! I wish Labe could read such a piece in the paper about me. Why, what ails you, Daniel Dott? Just look at that photograph!"
Captain Dan rose. "Yes," he said drily, "I"ve been lookin" at it. That"s part of what ails me."
On Sat.u.r.day he was at the station to meet his wife. Serena was inwardly jubilant, although, because of the presence of Mrs. Lake and Annette, she tried to appear dignified and calm. But when she and her husband were alone on their way to the house her jubilation burst forth.
"Oh, it was a wonderful success!" she declared. "I declare, I wish you might have been there. The way they applauded! And the entertainment they gave me! And the reporters after interviews! And the things the women of the other Chapters said! Oh, Daniel, it was splendid!"
Lunch was a mere formality on her part. She talked incessantly, while Cousin Percy and her husband listened. Mr. Hungerford"s congratulations were hearty. His praise was as close to fulsome flattery as it could be and not overstep the mark.
Daniel offered congratulations, too. He was glad that his wife had succeeded, but the pleasure was solely because of her happiness. He was not as happy on his own account. Several remarks which Serena had made seemed to prophesy that the excursion to Atterbury was but the beginning.
All that afternoon Mrs. Dott spent in her room. She was going to be very busy, she said, and she must not be interrupted. It was only just before dinner that the captain found a moment for an uninterrupted interview.
He entered the room to find her seated at the writing table, her fingers ink-stained, and the table covered with closely written sheets of ma.n.u.scripts. She looked up when he appeared.
"Oh," she said, "I"m so tired! I"ve written steadily all the afternoon.