“Oh! that would be delightful, mamma. Can we not go?” eagerly inquired Wynnette.
“Perhaps. You will all graduate at the end of this current term, and then, perhaps, we can go with advantage, but not before.”
“Oh, that will be joyful, joyful, joyful!” sang Wynnette, in the words of a revival hymn.
“But what will Le and Odalite do?” inquired little Elva, who always thought of everybody.
“Why, if Le and Odalite are to be married in January they can go over there for the bridal trip, you know,” said Wynnette. “They will have to go somewhere on a wedding tour—all brides and grooms have to—and the reason why is because for the first few weeks after marriage they are such insupportable idiots that no human beings can possibly endure their presence. My private opinion is that they ought to be sent to a lunatic asylum to spend the honeymoon; but as that cannot be done, we can send our poor idiots over to Uncle Enderby. Maybe by the time they have crossed the ocean seasickness may have brought them to their senses.”
“Thank you, for myself and Le,” said Odalite, laughing.
“Without joking, I really think your plan is a good one,” said Mrs. Force. “Whether we all follow in June or not, it will be an acceptable attention to my brother to send our son and daughter over to spend their honeymoon at Enderby Castle.”
There was more conversation, that need not be reported here, except to say that all agreed to the plan of the wedding trip.
On the following Monday, Mr. and Mrs. Force, having come to a decision, wrote a joint letter to the Earl of Enderby, cordially thanking him for his invitation, gladly accepting it, and explaining that the marriage of their daughter, Odalite, with Mr. Leonidas Force, would probably come off in January, after which the young pair would sail for England on a visit to Enderby Castle. That if all should go well, after the two younger girls should have graduated from their academy, the whole family would follow in June, and join at the castle.
It would be curious, at the moment we close a letter to some distant friend, could we look in and see what, at that moment, the friend might be doing.