“Very well. If you love me, as I hope you will some day, I can wait. You will learn how truly every word was meant. I think then you will be noble enough to admit it. Good by, little darling.”
He gave her one kiss and was gone. She flew up the path and into the wide hall, pale as a ghost.
We were all there, mamma with baby in her arms, tiny Tim hanging to her skirt, Lily and Daisy talking like two chatter-boxes. There was a promiscuous heap of hats and baskets on the floor.
“Children!” exclaimed papa, “don’t set your mother crazy! Take some of these articles to the kitchen. There, I nearly stepped into some one’s hat. Rose my dear—”
Fan entered at this moment. Papa stood first, so she put her arm around his neck and gave a little sob.
“My dear girl, you are tired to death! How pale you look. Mamma would a cup of tea do her any good? And isn’t our supper ready?”
I hung up the hats, and sent Daisy off with a cargo of baskets.
“No, I don’t want a mouthful,” Fan said. “It was a splendid day, but I am tired to the uttermost and would like to drop into bed without a word. Or if I was Edith and mamma could cuddle me in her arms. Oh dear!”
I think that mamma guessed something was amiss. She gave baby to me and went straight to Fan.
“Oh, mamma, darling, what would the world be without you? I feel as if I had been lost somewhere and just come to light. Do I really belong to you?”