She put the pan of peas on the table, took off her “check” apron, shook down her dress and went upstairs to see the visitor.
She found a tall, beautiful woman, dressed in deep mourning, the black crape vail thrown back, revealing a fair face, with delicately blooming cheeks, large, soft, violet eyes, and rippling golden hair, just visible under the borders of her widow’s cap.
Gentle Aunt Sophie was won, despite herself, by the sweet, pensive smile with which the lady received her own rather cold greeting, when Lilith had introduced the parties to each other.
After some little preliminary conversation about the early setting in of summer; the unusual warmth of the weather for only the last week in May; the prospective sea voyage in June, and the probability of fair winds and good weather, the main object of Madame Von Bruyin’s visit was artfully introduced.
It required some tact on the part of the baroness and her young companion to deal with a woman as shy, jealous and peculiar as the minister’s widow, under such circumstances as these.
But when Madame Von Bruyin briefly explained that the news of Mrs. Downie’s mission among the street children had awakened her own interest to a very great extent, and had inspired her with a wish to serve them—which, owing to her swiftly approaching embarkation to Europe, she could not personally carry out—and when she begged as a great personal favor that Mrs. Downie would act as her almoner, with carte blanche to use the donation according to discretion, and ended by placing a check for a thousand dollars in Aunt Sophie’s hands—
Well, she, good soul, did not utter one word of thanks!
But her whole form vibrated and her face beamed with joy and thankfulness. Tears of joy filled her eyes as she faltered, almost inarticulately:
“Oh! how much good you will do with all this, madame! How much good you will do!”
“If so, it will be through your hands, dear friend,” replied the baroness, rising to take leave.