Here another surprise awaited her.
As she entered the room her old nurse, housekeeper and lady’s maid, Nancy, came to meet her; but almost instantly became inarticulate in her words of welcome, and then burst into happy, hysterical tears.
When these had subsided, and Lilith and Aunt Sophie, having laid off their wraps, were seated around the blazing wood fire of the bed-room, with Lion stretched on the rug before them, and Nancy standing leaning her head against the mantelpiece, Hereward explained:
“On the day after I met you in Paris, Lilith, five weeks ago, I wrote to Oxley, at Cloud Cliffs, to send Stephen, Alick, Nancy, and the Newfoundland dog, Lion, out to me by one of the French line of steamers that sail direct for Havre. I gave him minute instructions to see the party all the way from Cloud Cliffs to New York, and on to the ship by which they would sail. I directed him to carry out all these instructions without loss of time. And I inclosed a bill of exchange to cover all expenses. He acted so promptly and intelligently on my orders that the whole party reached here four days ago.”
“But I can’t get it out’n my head, Miss Lilif, as you and me has died and waked up in t’other world! I’m thankful it ain’t the bad place; but it don’t look quite like heaven nuther! And that’s what puzzles ob me,” said Nancy.
“Never mind, you will come around quite right in a few days,” replied Lilith, consolingly.
Señor Zuniga stayed until after Christmas with the Herewards, and then, about the middle of January, sailed for New York.
Señor Zuniga succeeded beyond his sanguine hopes in recovering his patrimonial estates. He sold them for all they were worth and invested the money in West Virginia land near Frosthill.
Then he married his devoted admirer, Harriet Miles, who was never tired of telling her friends that she always knew that he was a young nobleman in disguise who was only playing at play acting for his own amusement.
Madame Zuniga’s stepfather, old Jab Jordon, is a very much subdued old man. First, he is “set upon” by Mrs. Jab, and secondly by Master Jab, their only son and heir.