At that same moment Mrs. Duncan, taking leave of Mrs. Walling, repeated her words:
“Ah! won’t there be a circus when Mr. and Mrs. Randolph Hay confront Gentleman Geff and Miss Leegh at Haymore! How I would like to be there!”
CHAPTER XII
DARKEST BEFORE DAY
Stuart took his wife home from the wedding breakfast. It was four o’clock, and the wintry sun was low on the western horizon.
Mrs. Pole had a good fire burning in the little grate when they entered the parlor.
“See, Poley! I have brought you a piece of the wedding cake to dream on, you know!” said Palma, offering a pretty little box done up in silver paper.
“Ah, my dear! My dreaming days are long past! long past!” sighed the old woman, as, nevertheless, she took the box.
“What a prosaic old fogy you are, Poley, to be sure. For that matter all our dreaming days are over after we are married, I reckon.”
“Yes, honey, until we begin to dream for our children.”
Palma blushed and sank into sudden silence. She was beginning to dream sweet dreams of motherhood, but that was her own precious secret, she imagined, not suspecting that Mrs. Pole knew as much about it as she did herself, and perhaps more. To cover her confusion she laughed and said: