"Ah, indeed, I am sorry to hear it," said d.i.c.k, politely but coldly, as if it were part of his duty as a minister to be sorry for anybody who had a cold, but as if, apart from that, it was not a concern of his if Aunt Tommy had galloping consumption.
"And Jack and I are terribly harrowed up in our minds," I went on.
"That is what I"ve come up to see you about."
"Well, tell me all about it," said d.i.c.k.
"I"m afraid to," I said. "I know you"ll be cross even if you are a minister. It"s about what Jack told you about that man in New York and Aunt Tommy."
d.i.c.k turned as red as fire.
"I"d rather not discuss your Aunt Bertha"s affairs," he said stiffly.
"You must hear this," I cried, feeling thankful that Jacky hadn"t come after all, for he"d never have got any further ahead after that snub.
"It"s all a mistake. There is a man in New York and he just worships Aunt Tommy and she just adores him. But he"s seventy years old and he"s her Uncle Matthew who brought her up ever since her father died and you"ve heard her talking about him a hundred times. That"s all, cross my heart solemn and true."
You never saw anything like d.i.c.k"s face when I stopped. It looked just like a sunrise. But he said slowly, "Why did Jacky tell me such a--tell me it in such a way?"
"We wanted to make you jealous," I said. "I put Jacky up to it."
"I didn"t think it was in either of you to do such a thing," said d.i.c.k reproachfully.
"Oh, d.i.c.k," I cried--fancy my calling him d.i.c.k right to his face!
Jacky will never believe I really did it. He says I would never have dared. But it wasn"t daring at all, it was just forgetting. "Oh, d.i.c.k, we didn"t mean any harm. We thought you weren"t getting on fast enough and we wanted to stir you up like they do in books. We thought if we made you jealous it would work all right. We didn"t mean any harm. Oh, please forgive us!"
I was just ready to cry. But that dear d.i.c.k leaned over the table and patted my hand.
"There, there, it"s all right. I understand and of course I forgive you. Don"t cry, sweetheart."
The way d.i.c.k said "sweetheart" was perfectly lovely. I envied Aunt Tommy, and I wanted to keep on crying so that he would go on comforting me.
"And you"ll come back to see Aunt Tommy again?" I said.
d.i.c.k"s face clouded over; he got up and walked around the room several times before he said a word. Then he came and sat down beside me and explained it all to me, just as if I were grown up.
"Sweetheart, we"ll talk this all out. You see, it is this way. Your Aunt Bertha is the sweetest woman in the world. But I"m only a poor minister and I have no right to ask her to share my life of hard work and self-denial. And even if I dared I know she wouldn"t do it. She doesn"t care anything for me except as a friend. I never meant to tell her I cared for her but I couldn"t help going to Owlwood, even though I knew it was a weakness on my part. So now that I"m out of the habit of going I think it would be wisest to stay out. It hurts dreadfully, but it would hurt worse after a while. Don"t you agree with me, Miss Elizabeth?"
I thought hard and fast. If I were in Aunt Tommy"s place I mightn"t want a man to know I cried about him, but I was quite sure I"d rather have him know than have him stay away because he didn"t know. So I spoke right up.
"No, I don"t, Mr. Richmond; Aunt Tommy does care--you just ask her.
She cries every blessed night because you never come to Owlwood."
"Oh, Elizabeth!" said d.i.c.k.
He got up and stalked about the room again.
"You"ll come back?" I said.
"Yes," he answered.
I drew a long breath. It was such a responsibility off my mind.
"Then you"d better come down with me right off," I said, "for Pinky Carewe had her out driving last night and I want a stop put to that as soon as possible. Even if he is rich he"s a perfect pig."
d.i.c.k got his hat and came. We walked up the road in lovely creamy yellow twilight and I was, oh, so happy.
"Isn"t it just like a novel?" I said.
"I am afraid, Elizabeth," said d.i.c.k preachily, "that you read too many novels, and not the right kind, either. Some of these days I am going to ask you to promise me that you will read no more books except those your mother and I pick out for you."
You don"t know how squelched I felt. And I knew I would have to promise, too, for d.i.c.k can make me do anything he likes.
When we got to Owlwood I left d.i.c.k in the parlour and flew up to Aunt Tommy"s room. I found her all scrunched up on her bed in the dark with her face in the pillows.
"Aunt Tommy, d.i.c.k is down in the parlour and he wants to see you," I said.
Didn"t Aunt Tommy fly up, though!
"Oh, Jill--but I"m not fit to be seen--tell him I"ll be down in a few minutes."
I knew Aunt Tommy wanted to fix her hair and dab rose-water on her eyes, so I trotted meekly down and told d.i.c.k. Then I flew out to Jacky and dragged him around to the gla.s.s door. It was all hung over with vines and a wee bit ajar so that we could see and hear everything that went on.
Jacky said it was only sneaks that listened--but he didn"t say it until next day. At the time he listened just as hard as I did. I didn"t care if it was mean. I just had to listen. I was perfectly wild to hear how a man would propose and how a girl would accept and it was too good a chance to lose.
Presently in sweeps Aunt Tommy, in an elegant dress, not a hair out of place. She looked perfectly sweet, only her nose was a little red.
d.i.c.k looked at her for just a moment, then he stepped forward and took her right into his arms.
Aunt Tommy drew back her head for just a second as if she were going to crush him in the dust, and then she just all kind of crumpled up and her face went down on his shoulder.
"Oh--Bertha--I--love--you--I--love you," he said, just like that, all quick and jerky.
"You--you have taken a queer way of showing it," said Aunt Tommy, all m.u.f.fled.
"I--I--was led to believe that there was another man--whom you cared for--and I thought you were only trifling with me. So I sulked like a jealous fool. Bertha, darling, you do love me a little, don"t you?"
Aunt Tommy lifted her head and stuck up her mouth and he kissed her.
And there it was, all over, and they were engaged as quick as that, mind you. He didn"t even go down on his knees. There was nothing romantic about it and I was never so disgusted in my life. When I grow up and anybody proposes to me he will have to be a good deal more flowery and eloquent than that, I can tell you, if he wants me to listen to him.
I left Jacky peeking still and I went to bed. After a long time Aunt Tommy came up to my room and sat down on my bed in the moonlight.
"You dear blessed Elizabeth!" she said.
"It"s all right then, is it?" I asked.
"Yes, it is all right, thanks to you, dearie. We are to be married in October and somebody must be my little flower girl."
"I think d.i.c.k will make a splendid husband," I said. "But Aunt Tommy, you mustn"t be too hard on Jacky. He only wanted to help things along, and it was I who put him up it in the first place."
"You have atoned by going and confessing," said Aunt Tommy with a hug, "Jacky had no business to put that off on you. I"ll forgive him, of course, but I"ll punish him by not letting him know that I will for a little while. Then I"ll ask him to be a page at my wedding."