"I see. You want to appear before him as a vision of delight. Well, my child, there is no special objection to your planning out a dramatic scene, though, for my part, I think it would be better to have the meeting come about in a perfectly natural way. If you should happen to have a hat on well and good, but if there is no cause for wearing it at that particular moment I don't believe I would go to the length of putting one on for the occasion. It appears too theatrical to try for a sensation."
"You are right, as you always are," Anita acknowledged. "I should be really very full of humility and thankfulness instead of letting my imagination run away into such a groove. I will not wear even this frock if you think it would be best not to," which speech showed that Anita Beltrán had improved upon Nancy Loomis.
"I advise you to wear it by all means," her mother replied.
Anita gave a sigh of content and went off with the music, but at the door she turned back to say, "You won't forget to ask Aunt Manning. It is only a few days off, only a few days, do you realize? Oh, mother!" She dropped the pile of music on a chair and ran to give her mother a hug and kiss. "In spite of the war, and all that, we are happy, aren't we, mother? What wonderful things have been given to us. Together, you and Pepé and Terrence and I. We should be happy, shouldn't we?"
"My darling child, of course we should be. I never had your faith and hope, but it was all justified. Now run along, for I hear Lillian calling, and Tommy Atkins, too."
Anita sped away to find Lillian at the foot of the stairs with Tommy barking furiously, his way of calling when Lillian gave him the order.
"I saw Signor Verdi to-day," Lillian told her. As the little green lizard had been in retirement since cold weather began this was quite a piece of news, and Anita responded accordingly, adding "I have a bigger piece of news than that. I will tell you as we go along."
"It must be exciting, judging from your looks," replied Lillian.
"I've a right to be excited," returned Anita in joyous tones, and then she disclosed to her cousin the secret which she had kept from her all this time ending up with, "I made up my mind not to tell a soul until I knew about his eyes. Only mother has known and she advised me to tell no one else at first. I shall tell no one else but Pepé. Isn't it wonderful, Lillian?"
"It is very wonderful and I am so glad for you. It is strange that so much comes into some lives and into others nothing," she said sadly.