At this innocent question Mrs. Willoughby"s gravity gave way a little.
Minnie frowned, and then sighed.
"Well, you needn"t be so unkind," said she; and then her little hand tried to wipe away a tear, but failed.
"Did he go to Gibraltar?" asked Mrs. Willoughby at length.
"Yes, he did," said Minnie, with a little asperity.
"Did he write?"
"Of course he wrote," in the same tone.
"Well, how did it end?"
"End! It didn"t end at all. And it never will end. It"ll go on getting worse and worse every day. You see he wrote, and said a lot of rubbish about his getting leave of absence and coming to see me. And then I determined to run away; and you know I begged you to take me to Italy, and this is the first time I"ve told you the real reason."
"So that was the real reason?"
"Yes."
"Well, Minnie, my poor child," said Mrs. Willoughby, after a pause, "you"re safe from your officer, at any rate; and as to Count Girasole, we must save you from him. Don"t give way."
"But you can"t save me. They"ll come after me, I know. Captain Kirby, the moment he finds out that I am here, will come flying after me; and then, oh dear! the other one will come, and the American, too, of course."
"The what? who?" cried Mrs. Willoughby, starting up with new excitement. "Who"s that? What did you say, Minnie? The American? What American?"
Minnie threw a look of reproach at her sister, and her eyes fell.
"You can"t possibly mean that there are any more--"
"There--is--_one_--more," said Minnie, in a low, faint voice, stealing a glance at her sister, and looking a little frightened.
"One more!" repeated her sister, breathless.
"Well, I didn"t come here to be scolded," said Minnie, rising, "and I"ll go. But I hoped that you"d help me; and I think you"re very unkind; and I wouldn"t treat you so."
"No, no, Minnie," said Mrs. Willoughby, rising, and putting her arm round her sister, and drawing her back. "I had no idea of scolding. I never scolded any one in my life, and wouldn"t speak a cross word to you for the world. Sit down now, Minnie darling, and tell me all. What about the American? I won"t express any more astonishment, no matter what I may feel."
"But you mustn"t _feel_ any astonishment," insisted Minnie.
"Well, darling, I won"t," said her sister.
Minnie gave a sigh.
"It was last year, you know, in the spring. Papa and I were going out to Montreal, to bring you home. You remember?"
Mrs. Willoughby nodded, while a sad expression came over her face.
"And, you remember, the steamer was wrecked."
"Yes."
"But I never told you how my life was saved."
"Why, yes, you did. Didn"t papa tell all about the heroic sailor who swam ash.o.r.e with you? how he was frantic about you, having been swept away by a wave from you? and how he fainted away with joy when you were brought to him? How can you suppose I would forget that? And then how papa tried to find the n.o.ble sailor to reward him."
"Oh yes," said Minnie, in a despondent tone. "That"s all very true; but he wasn"t a n.o.ble sailor at all."
"What!"
"You see, he wasn"t going to have a scene with papa, and so he kept out of his way. Oh dear, how I wish he"d been as considerate with me!
But that"s the way always; yes, always."
"Well, who was he?"
"Why, he was an American gentleman, returning home from a tour in Europe. He saved me, as you have heard. I really don"t remember much about it, only there was a terrible rush of water, and a strong arm seized me, and I thought it was papa all the time. And I found myself carried, I don"t know how, through the waves, and then I fainted; and I really don"t know any thing about it except papa"s story."
Mrs. Willoughby looked at Minnie in silence, but said nothing.
"And then, you know, he traveled with us, and papa thought he was one of the pa.s.sengers, and was civil; and so he used to talk to me, and at last, at Montreal, he used to call on me."
"Where?"
"At your house, dearest."
"Why, how was that?"
"You could not leave your room, darling, so I used to go down."
"Oh, Minnie!"
"And he proposed to me there."
"Where? in my parlor?"
"Yes; in your parlor, dearest."
"I suppose it"s not necessary for me to ask what you said."
"I suppose not," said Minnie, in a sweet voice. "He was so grand and so strong, and he never made any allusions to the wreck; and it was--the--the--_very first_ time that any body ever--proposed; and so, you know, I didn"t know how to take it, and I didn"t want to hurt his feelings, and I couldn"t deny that he had saved my life; and I don"t know when I _ever_ was so confused. It"s awful, Kitty darling.
"And then, you know, darling," continued Minnie, "he went away, and used to write regularly every month. He came to see me once, and I was frightened to death almost. He is going to marry me next year. He used an awful expression, dearest. He told me he was a struggling man.
Isn"t that horrid? What is it, Kitty? Isn"t it something very, very dreadful?"
"He writes still, I suppose?"
"Oh dear, yes."