Odalite received this letter on the first of February, and knew that on that day Le had sailed, homeward bound.
“He will be here some time in the first week of March,” said Mrs. Force, in talking over the letter with her daughter. “Congress will have adjourned by the fourth. All strangers will have left. The city will be quiet. It will be in the midst of Lent also. I think, Odalite, that, under all the circumstances, we had better have a very private wedding, here in our city home, with none but our family and most intimate friends present. Then you and Le will sail for Europe, make the grand tour, and after that shall be finished, go to my brother at Enderby Castle, where we—your father, and sisters, and myself—will join you in the autumn. What do you think?”
“I think as you do, mamma, and would much prefer the marriage to be as quiet as possible,” Odalite assented.
“After you and Le leave us we shall still remain in the city until the girls shall have graduated. Then we will go down to the dear old home for a few weeks, and then sail for Liverpool, to join you at Enderby Castle.”
“That is an enchanting program, mamma! Oh! I hope we may be able to carry it through!” exclaimed Odalite.
“There is no reason in the world why we should not, my dear,” replied the lady.
Odalite sighed, with a presentiment of evil which she could neither comprehend nor banish.
“And now,” said her mother, “I must sit down and write to Mrs. Anglesea and to Mr. Copp. The house at Mondreer will need to be prepared for us. It wanted repairs badly enough when we left it. It must be in a worse condition now; so I must write at once to give them time enough to have the work done well.”
And she retired to her own room to go about her task.
When Wynnette, Elva and Rosemary came home in the afternoon, and heard that Le had sailed from Rio de Janeiro, and would certainly be home early in March, they were wild with delight.