"Yes, my dear, that is kind and thoughtful of you," he said.
"So I'll tell him as soon as he gets here," said she. "Will you and
Jessie be very kind and let me have two minutes with him?"
Helena's eyes wandered away a minute, and returned rather dewy to her father's face.
"Perhaps you would tell Jessie for me," she said.
She opened her eyes very wide, in a sort of childlike bewilderment.
"I wonder why Jessie is so cold to me," she said. "I must have vexed her somehow without meaning it. I feel sad about it. She did not say one word when I told you and her my news; she did not kiss me…"
"Jessie is never very demonstrative," said her father, intending to speak to Jessie about this.
"No; perhaps that's all. Thank you ever so much, daddy."
She watched them going out together, and thought what a pity it was that some people were so frank as to say that others revolted them, even though they apologized afterwards. It never paid to be coarse and rude like that…
Helena, according to her plan, was in the drawing-room among his roses when Archie arrived.